#maglor loved his big brother so much that he followed him to the very end even when he did not agree with him.

[soothingmoonlight]

"He was my brother"

This is probably my favourite part from "Antigone" by Jean Anouilh and it makes me think of Maglor and Maedhros. The familial love, the devotion, the loyalty....it makes me emotional.

[a-hundred-musings]

You know, here's a small rant from me: I hate it when Celebrimbor is shown to be a "softie-boy" or a "naïve child" or just... someone condescending and stupid. Like, yeah I'm guilty of it too (who isn't?) but it just makes me wonder why he's presented as that in fics anywhere.

I read this fic on AO3? Celebrimbor is a stupid duck. Or he's just very naïve and easy to prank. I read another fic? Celebrimbor is a whiny baby who can't stand up for himself. I read another one? He's a man-child.

Look, I get why he's presented in that way, but can we not do that? Especially considering the things this boy has gone through which really wouldn't make him a "child-like" person, but more of a mature adult who has experienced things no one should ever experience.

Before and during the First Age, he's experienced so much:

Nerdanel and Feanor falling out -- that basically messed up entire Aman back then, but mainly their kids, so imagine how Curufin would have reacted to that.

The feud between Feanor and Fingolfin and Finarfin

The time when Feanor threatened Fingolfin

The time when the Two Trees were destroyed

The time when Melkor killed his great-grandfather Finwe.

Feanor going Mad™

The uprising of the Noldor

The First Kinslaying

His grandfather going feral and his father and uncles swearing an oath on a literal suicide-mission

One of his youngest uncles getting burned and basically died (or lived, depends on which version you follow)

A time of literal darkness. Like, no light at all. It really messed up the psyche of so many people.

Feanor abandoning his brother on the shores of Valinor -- that would mess up anyone really.

A literal battle. Like, more blood is being shed -- not only of elves, but of other creatures Tyelpe has probably never seen or heard of before.

His grandfather being so consumed by his fire and spontaneously combusting. That too, he either saw or heard of Feanor literally bursting into flames -- that is pretty traumatising.

The crossing of the Helcaraxe -- no seriously, that would mess anyone up knowing that people they love are literally walking on glaciers and over deathly waters with a 50% chance of survival.

Maedhros being crowned King of the Noldor, and an unspoken fact that there is more than one king of the Noldor -- the political implications here...

The abduction of Maedhros. Need this be explained further?

His uncles and father being concerningly close to starting a whole world-war

The rising of the Sun and the moon (like, what are those big spheres in the sky? Are they something from Melkor? Are they a sign of the End™? What is it?)

The arrival of Fingolfin's group, with more dead and furious people.

The mental health of everyone deteriorating. No, I won't explain because this era was filled with bad times.

No one knowing what to do now, since Maglor was naturally crowned the Regent King of the Noldor, and he has his own problems.

After 34 years of wondering what on earth has happened to Maedhros, he returns scarred with no right hand, and presumed torture marks.

Everyone literally holding their breaths for what will happen next.

Maedhros surrendering his crown to Fingolfin. That would hurt bad like a blow.

Literally only a few years of peace filled with tension.

Fingolfin decides to kick Melkor's arse and dies.

The Nirnaeth Arnoediad.

The Second Kinslaying.

The Fall of Gondolin

Making the decision of abandoning his father and uncles, going on his own separate path.

The death of so many of his family members and father and uncles. That is messed up. The amount of psychological trauma he's already been through...

Like, imagine his guilt of not being there with his father, imagine how much he second-guessed his actions...

The Third Kinslaying. The deaths of more elves, his uncle (or uncles), and really, just more death.

The crown of the Noldor being passed on so many times until it reached Gil-Galad. Imagine the humiliation and just the shock of the realisation of the number of people who have been crowned within a span of a few centuries.

The kidnapping of Elrond and Elros. While it probably wouldn't harm Tyelpe's psychological health, it must have been pretty messed up to find out that your two remaining uncles have committed a few more war crimes.

The War of the Wrath. Now, while it was mainly against Men, there is no doubt that some elves have been killed due to the war (given Gil-Galad's camps etc), so imagine him getting into some stray fights with the orcs or those Men who follow Melkor.

The Fourth Kinslaying. No need to further elaborate.

The death of Maedhros, and Maglor becoming a cryptid. Who wouldn't that mess up?

Surviving the First Age. Like, give this Tyelpe the recognition he truly deserves. Give him a few rings and trophies for enduring so long and he still hasn't gone down to insanity. That too, all this happened within the span of like, 600 years.

The Second Age:

Beleriand is under the sea

His "cousins" (Elrond and Elros) going their separate ways

The death of Elros (I think this is pretty self-explanatory, given the numerous HCs on the twins and Celebrimbor)

No one has any idea what has happened to Maglor. Is he alive? Is he dead? Who knows.

Rumours of a sinister evil lurking in the shadows and really, some tensions are visibly arising.

He finds this very powerful and alluring stranger who knows quite a bit about the art of smithing. They collaborate despite warnings from Galadriel, Gil-Galad, Elrond and a few others.

After giving thought to make powerful rings, Annatar watches over as Celebrimbor makes the rings for Men and Dwarves.

Newsflash: Annatar wants the rings, and he tainted them.

Celebrimbor makes the 3 Elven Rings in secret so Annatar can't get to them, but he gets kidnapped and tortured.

Like, really badly tortured. Annatar wants those 3 rings.

Celebrimbor eventually is killed, and is impaled on a spear, then given to Gil-Galad's camp after years of torture.

He went straight to his family. Can't tell if this will add to his trauma, but still.

While he didn't survive the Second Age, this boy went through so much pain, and... really, I feel like he doesn't get much of the appreciation he deserves.

Thank you for coming to my little rant as to why we need more fics that paint Celebrimbor as someone who isn't a stupid and naïve child, but more of a wiser version of Feanor and Curufin. He is not a tantrummy baby, for Ilúvatar's sake!

[venerable-sun]

Stay (Maedhros x Reader)

Maedhros (The Silmarillion) x Reader

TW: Mentions of pregnancy, very mild spice at the end

Summary: Unexpected news results in Maedhros pleading for your forgiveness

2.2k~ words

There are some days where you can almost pretend like everything is back to normal. 

Those are the days when you can convince Maehdros to venture outside through a walk in the gardens, him walking quietly beside you while you chatter away. Anything to keep the silence that would otherwise enshroud the two of you at bay. Those are the days that you awake before Maedhros can slip out of bed, the hard planes of his face softened from their usual glower and the shadows of the young elf you married all those years ago reappearing to remind you why you have stayed with him through everything. Those are the days when you catch his eye from across the dinner table; when you smile at him, he almost smiles back. 

But those days are few and far between, in the years after Maedhors’ imprisonment in Angband. 

Most days, you awake in the middle of the night to screaming. Maedhros’ face twists in terror as he grasps the sheets tightly in the fist of his good hand. All you can do is sit and watch in despair as his nightmares torment him, having learned long ago its best not to wake him, lest you wish to get attacked by your husband’s fright before he realizes where he is.

Most days, you walk your gardens alone or with one of your handmaidens. Even on the days that you can convince Maedhros to accompany you, you never walk hand in hand as you had Before. In fact, it’s rare that he ever touches you anymore outside of when his anger and frustration at his affliction bubbles over, and you open your legs for him to take you as he wishes. It is not the tender lovemaking you used to share. It is rough and full of fury, and when it is over Maedhros can barely look at you. Yet, you never complain, not when it is the only solace you can now provide for your broken husband. 

There are times when you feel as if you are drowning in the loneliness that comes with loving Maedhros. Before, it had been the two of you against the world. You would have followed him anywhere, done anything just to be with him. And you had. He’d pledged to lead you to a place where you could one day raise a family of your own. You remember how brightly he used to talk of the future, the home the two of you would create. ‘A big enough home to raise seven children, just like my father,’ he’d said with a wink. 

Now, you walk on eggshells around him, terrified that a wrong look or word could set him off. 

That was why when Maglor and the remainder of his people sought refuge in your husband's lands, you were ecstatic. You’d hoped that being so near one of his brothers would help Maedhros. Turns out, it helped you even more. 

You’d always been closest with Maglor out of all of the brothers, but his extended stay brought you two even closer. You bonded over your mutual love of music, and many afternoons were spent in the gardens playing and singing together. 

~~~

You awoke one morning with a slight sickness, running quickly to the bathroom and emptying your stomach of its contents. Residual nausea made your gait slightly crooked as you crawled back into bed, electing to rest for just a little longer before you got on with your duties for the day. 

Maedhros was already long-gone, his side of the bed empty and cold. 

When your handmaiden came to fetch you, you were feeling much better. You chalked up your strange sickness to something you’d eaten for dinner and made a mental note to request an herbal tea later just in case. By the end of the day, it was all but forgotten, and you thought nothing of it as you laid down for bed that night. 

But then the next morning, you got sick again. And the morning after that one. 

On the fourth day, you finally took yourself to the healers. If you truly were falling ill, you wanted to put a stop to it as soon as possible. You’d run Maedhros’s lordship whilst he had been captured, and even upon his return kept many of the extra responsibilities so as to not burden him further. You couldn’t risk letting yourself fall even more ill.

You wished you could feel nothing but joy about the news the healers shared with you. 

Of course, you were happy. You and Maedhros had always talked fondly of having your own family, filling your household with as many little ones as possible. But that was Before, and you couldn’t help the worry that twisted through your gut at what his reaction to your pregnancy would be now. 

All day you agonized over how to tell him, going about your duties with half your mind wandering over the endless possibilities. Maglor noticed your distracted state instantly when you met him in the gardens that day, but gratefully never commented on it.

And so you decided to wait until Maedhros returned to your chambers for the night, pacing anxiously as you waited for him. 

You turned as the door opened. Your husband looked at you with faint surprise. “Usually you are asleep at this hour.” 

You fiddled with the flowy sleeves of your night-robe. “I wished to speak with you.” 

“Get on with it then.” 

Maedhros took a seat before the fire, leaning over to untie the laces of his boots. 

You swallowed your annoyance at his flippancy, taking a deep breath as you prepared to speak. “I am with child.” 

Grey eyes instantly snapped up to meet your own. “What did you just say?” 

You swallowed again, hard. “I said I am with child.” 

In a flash, Maedhros was towering over you, making you back away from the anger swirling in his eyes. 

“I should have known that you would betray me,” he hissed. “I just never thought it would be with my own brother.” 

Your mouth fell open in shock. “What!?”

Your husband scoffed at you, rolling his eyes as he leaned close to your face. “Please, don’t bother with the innocent act. I’ve seen you together, I’ve seen how much time you spend with him.” 

You began to shake with fury, all the anger and hurt you had pushed down over the years in favor of not upsetting him finally bubbling to the surface. 

“How dare you!” You burst out, pushing Maedhros away from you. “You barely even look at me anymore, much less treat me as your wife, and you accuse me of being unfaithful!?” 

You turned away from him, angry tears spilling over your cheeks as you head towards the door. A grip around your wrist whips you back around to face the ellon, one that doesn’t falter even as you try to break free from his hold. 

“Do not turn your back to me,” he growled. 

Just like that, all the anger in you dissipated, leaving you deflated and hollow. “I never have, even after all this time.” You said softly. “I have done everything in my power to help you, to heal you. And it isn’t enough. What you went through was horrible-” Maedhros winced, but you paid no mind to it. The words kept tumbling out, an unstoppable gush of feeling you wouldn’t be able to stop even if you wanted to. “-but I will not allow you to treat me like this any longer. Nor will I subject our child to the same fate. Come find me when you decide you want to be a husband and father again. ” 

You gently tugged your wrist away from him, and his hand fell back limply to his side as he watched you walk away. You paused at the door, waiting to see if he would stop you. Praying that he would. 

Don’t let me walk away, Mae. 

A handful of excruciatingly quiet seconds slipped by, and you exited, making it about halfway down the hall before the sobs you’d barely been holding back started to shake your shoulders.

~~~

Life for you continued much in the way it had. 

You went to bed and woke up alone, took your meals alone, and walked the gardens alone. 

You went about your duties with the same quiet dignity as always, refusing to let any slips in your composure crack. Your entire world had shifted, even more than when Maitimo had disappeared and then returned a shell of who he once was. You had a child to think about now, and no one to share in this new world with you. 

You had told no one else but your chief handmaiden of your pregnancy, unable to stomach the congratulations you would receive when all you really wanted was your husband back. You and Maedhros hadn’t spoken outside of curt words in passing in over three weeks, and soon you would inevitably start to show. 

If he could barely stand the sight of you now, then how would he react when he saw the physical proof of your child? You knew he would never raise his hand against you, but you feared his wrath, and even more feared exposing your child to it.

Therefore you came to the decision that you would leave Himring and travel to Doriath to stay with your family. They would be delighted to help you care for your child, and you knew your younger sister Luthien would especially enjoy having a little one to cause trouble with.

You made arrangements for your travels quietly, not wanting to cause a fuss for your husband even after everything. You wished that you could just hate him and move on, but you knew that you would always love Maedhros. Your fea had been bound, you’d been married for centuries- left your home in Doriath for him. 

And now he will never know his child, you thought to yourself. Various packed bags littered your chambers as you prepared to depart the next morning. 

A soft knock came from the door. Thinking it to be your handmaiden, who would be accompanying you on the journey, you called out for them to enter. 

Maehdros entered slowly, gaze flitting from the bags packed to the pile of clothes you had been in the process of folding. He stood in the center of the room, looking simultaneously too big and too small for the space. 

“So it’s true then. You plan to leave for Doriath.” 

You nodded hesitantly, not quite sure what emotion to read in his swirling grey eyes. “Yes, My Lord. I leave at first light. You will not be bothered by my presence anymore.” 

Maedhros took a step forward, hand outstretched towards you. He winced when you took a step back from him, arm falling limply to his side. 

“I have made a horrible mistake. I said things to you in anger that I should not have.” 

You raised a single eyebrow, unimpressed. 

Your husband looked at you with more emotion than you had seen in years. “You showed me kindness and understanding even when I did not deserve it. Even when I have not been a good husband to you.”

And then the Lord of Himring, eldest son of Feanor dropped to his knees at your feet, tears streaming from his eyes. “I know I do not deserve your forgiveness. If you still decide to leave I will not stop you. But I beg you, stay and give me the chance to be the husband that you deserve.” 

He reached out a shaky hand to lightly trail over your abdomen. “Give me the chance to be the father our child deserves.” 

Your composure crumbled as you embraced him, your tears mixing with his as you held each other. You pulled away after a while, eyes still moist as you stared at each other. “I am still so angry with you. It will take more than one apology to mend this.” You said, causing Maedhros to bow his head in shame. You smile softly, tilting his chin up with your fingers. “But I know how you can begin to make it right.” 

His lips brushed against yours tentatively, like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, before pressing firmly against your mouth in a kiss that stole your breath away. His tongue traced against your bottom lip before diving in to tangle with your own. Your hands wove through the red strands of his hair as you lost yourself in him for the first time in what felt like centuries. 

When the two of you finally pulled away you were both panting, and the sight of your husband’s smile stole your breath away all over again. 

He picked you up in his arms and carried you to the bed, nestling you against his chest as you laid down together. He splayed his good hand over your abdomen once more, the warmth of it seeping into your skin and lulling you to sleep. The last thing you felt before you completely succumbed to slumber was a feather-light kiss pressed to your temple. 

Maedhros slowly drifted off with you in his arms, silently vowing to himself to never hurt you ever again. And that was how your handmaiden found the two of you hours later when she came to check on you. She took in the sight of her lord and lady together once more with a sigh of relief, softly closing the door behind her and leaving the two of you to your much-needed rest. 

Don't forget to like and reblog! My requests are open, see my pinned post for more details.

[thelordofgifs]

⭐ all those that follow!!

EIGHT DAYS LATER here we goooo. I think I already did one of these for all those that follow, on the final m&m scene, so let's have some Fingon and Turgon feels instead!

Fingon was dressed for a long journey. He had brought out again some of his furs from the Ice, although the weather was much milder in this new country, and taken a small pack of provisions. He had his bow slung over one shoulder, and his harp over the other.

this was intended to set the scene pretty instantly. Fingon with a bow and a harp... hmmm where could he possibly be off to.

This is technically a bit counter-canonical: the silm does say he set out "without taking the counsel of any", after all. But as you very delightfully showed with that stunning Fingon and Maglor fic, it can be very very fun to play with the idea that there was someone who knew Fingon was leaving! And here Turgon gets to do it.

Fingon had not noticed him until then. He started a little at Turgon’s voice. “Just for a walk,” he said evasively.

hmm something about how younger brothers in this fic are always watching and always noticing and the older brothers just... do not really reciprocate.

“I’ll join you,” said Turgon, calling his bluff. Fingon smiled at him. “I think it best you stay here.”

Fingon spends this entire fic smiling at Turgon - a very friendly and also kind of very dismissive smile - and it drives Turgon insane.

“They say he is lost,” said Turgon, dropping the pretence, “they say he is likely dead.” “I know,” Fingon said. There was a clear, bright look in his eyes. He began to walk away again. Turgon thought of Elenwë’s hand slipping out of his in the freezing water. He thought of Idril’s ice-chip eyes, her strange and steely laugh. He thought of how rarely Finrod smiled these days. “After everything they did,” he said, something hot and ugly twisting in his stomach, “after he led you into murder – and then abandoned us to the Ice – and still you will not give up on him?” Fingon looked back at him again. “I cannot leave him there, if there is a chance,” he said.

obviously the rescue is wonderful and brilliant and so brave and such a tremendous act of grace. I love it ok. But here I wanted to look at the other side of it: the idea that Fingon acted very irresponsibly in leaving, and that Turgon found the endless boundless love Fingon bore for Maedhros pretty unforgiveable. Which is entirely justified, on his part!

Anyway my usual headcanon is that russingon was very much a Secret Thing, and nobody (except Maglor methinks) actually knew they were in a relationship. For this fic I threw that out because Turgon knowing about the whole affair and deeply disapproving was pretty important.

“Because you love him,” Turgon said bitterly. “You love him yet. You said—” It had been a different continent, and a different world, when Fingon had declared, He is not mine anymore. Turgon realised now that he had believed his brother, and kept on believing him even as all the certainties of his life had shattered. He had been a fool to do so.

Although I left it all very much implied, this is the big turning point for Turgon, the moment when he effectively gives up on his relationship with Fingon. He realises, now, that Fingon will always put Maedhros above him - and it's that, the knowledge that his brother is willing to throw his life away on this reckless quest for someone who has wronged Turgon so badly, that leads him to leave for Gondolin and not speak to his brother for centuries.

“I am sorry, Turno,” Fingon said, and there was regret in his voice. “But I am going. You need not follow me.” He looked over his shoulder at Turgon again, and flashed him one last smile; and then he kept walking, away from Turgon, towards Maedhros. So it had always been.

the smiling. he's always fucking smiling.

Turgon stood rooted to the spot until his brother had vanished into the evening shadows; then he turned away.

a literal and a very metaphorical turning away at the end there.

[outofangband]

One Serious and One Silly Headcanon For Each Fëanorian, Part One

Maedhros talks in his sleep after stressful days. Often it’s innocuous statements or orders (“May I borrow your quill to finish the report, Uncle?”, “Tyelko get down from that wall!”) but sometimes it’s whispered statements of defiance and insults at the Enemy. If you’re very unlucky you might  hear him beg or cry out or possibly break into an unfamiliar tongue. His quarters are isolated so most instances of his sleep talking go unnoticed but a few healers, guards and family members have been left feeling cold, trying not to put meaning into the little snatches of speech they overhear at his bedside. It took so much self restraint not to ramble on and on and on about this, please understand

Silly one: Maedhros has been asked a few times by drunken guards to settle Angband related bets (for example if Morgoth wears shoes). It makes his close family deeply uncomfortable but he takes it in his stride unless a really sensitive topic is breached 

Maglor was the last of his brothers to learn riding and his discomfort with horses lasts well into their time upon Arda. He has no issues with balance or other technical aspects of riding but despite his soft spoken demeanor, he has always found himself awkward in his attempts to bond with horses and fears them more than he wishes to admit.

Silly one: Maglor tried to teach his younger brothers music when he was quite young himself but his standards were too high and Nerdanel and Fëanor both put an end to the lessons after he set toddler Celegorm to the equivalent of ten hours of practice for homework. Both parents grew tired of Celegorm banging on random objects for “practice” fairly quickly 

Celegorm hides any gifts from Oromë (excluding Huan obviously who is too big to be hidden) or signs of his loyalty to him in the later years of his childhood and early adulthood. This is because of Fëanor’s increasing hostility to the Valar and his obsession with duty and loyalty. It was only due to Nerdanel’s intervention that he was allowed to continue serving in his role with Oromë at the time leading up to Fëanor’s exile. Celegorm brings a pendant with him to Arda which he hides under his tunic. He’s not afraid of conflict or fighting, he picks plenty of fights with his father himself but this issue is such a dangerous one that when brought up it causes tension with his other siblings including Curufin. 

Silly one: Baby Celegorm loved animals especially petting them. During a formal event he once wriggled out of his distracted father’s grasp and was found following Eönwë around, trying in vain to pat his feathers. 

Edit: see @tylwythwaffles ‘s adorable illustration here!

[feanorianethicsdepartment]

heeey! so back when @eirianerisdar posted chapter 12 of their fic the ransom of the house of fëanor - that’s the one where they finally let the brothers hellspawn and their idiot dad out of the void, but they have to throw elrond in, all very sad - i thought up my own somewhat fluffier vastly dumber au for the end of that chapter. in honour of the fic being finished, i’ve decided to write up the various scattershot ideas i’ve had for it, with the caveat that i’ll be working off my own slightly different background headcanons

the divergence point is roughly when elrond announces that he’s totally going into the void now, for realsies, the local ainur are nodding solemnly, and the fëanorians are running preliminary can-we-take-them calculations. except for maedhros, who’s very sad to hear that they must sacrifice his nephew to the eternal dark for their freedom, ‘tis truly a shame, they will honour his memory and GET THE BOAT, BOYS

or, the original elf mad scientist, his murderous blood-hungry spawn, a guy who’s extremely grouchy about not getting to do his dramatic self-sacrifice, and their somewhat-less-reluctant-than-he-should-be getaway driver go on the lam

how they got away from the valar:

námo: already knew this was going to happen, but it’s not like anyone ever listens to him, is it? in the moment, was a little more concerned with how morgoth had started belly-crawling towards the doors of night

manwë: never wanted to throw elrond into the void in the first place, and has been silently hoping elrond would call his bluff for the past week. the children are all safe and inside like they should be, and isn’t that what really matters?

eönwë: no it isn’t boss the fëanorians are a completely unpredictable wildcard we cannot afford to let them run around unsupervised!!! would probably have at least delayed the family hellspawn until backup could arrive, except

olórin: realised what maedhros was planning almost immediately and had to consciously force down a shit-eating grin. as soon as the brothers started moving, divetackled eönwë

-

[from a note attached to a harpoon lodged outside the highest window on the white tower of the isle of seabirds]

elwing - it went better than i expected, honestly. the sons of fëanor took about as much offense to elrond’s plan as everyone else has, except when words didn’t work they resorted to action. they dragged him onto vingilot and i followed them, and then we cast off together. we’ve set sail for as far away from the doors of night as we can get. i’m coming with them, of course, i’m not letting these lunatics crash my baby

i’m not entirely certain when we’ll be back? the fëanorians seem worried the valar might come after us, which wouldn’t surprise me, really. i’m taking us out towards middle-earth, we’ll see where we go after that. they’re all screaming at each other and running across the deck, i’m not convinced they have much of a plan. elrond is yelling too, he’s arguing with either caranthir or curufin, can’t tell which. the one i suspect is maglor has wrapped himself around his neck and refuses to let go. our son is alive and healthy and not in the eternal darkness, and for that, at least, i am grateful

the redhead who’s co-opted the harpoons says we’re coming up on your tower. no one’s done anything to threaten me or elrond, or even looked at the silmaril. there’s something nice about sailing with a crew again, no matter who it is. i love you, and i’ll be back as soon as i can - eärendil

[from a note attached to a harpoon found among the ruins of a house in the tirion stonecarvers’ district]

you were right, nerdanel. you were right about everything, and i was wrong. i’m sorry. the boys and i are going on another adventure right now, but we’ll come back to you someday, i promise

[from the same note, in much neater handwriting]

tell tyelpë i love him, and also that the coordinates are [rest torn off]

-

the first sign of this mess that reaches arda is the morning and evening star disappearing from the sky. gondorian astronomers, haradren scholars, avarin priests all stare flummoxed as the star of high hope simply fails to appear before the sun. no matter how unsuperstitous they are everyone agrees this is a really bad omen, and all across the globe the high halls of power tremble in fear over the new horror this must portend

the first sign of this mess that reaches the shire (except for that one took who’s really into astrology) is when eight-year-old elanor gardner rushes into bag end the next day, all ‘dad! dad! there are elves in the woods!’

sam is pretty chuffed to hear this. the fair folk don’t pass through the shire half as often as they used to, and it’s been some years since he heard their song. if they’re in the neighbourhood, why, it’d only be polite to say hello, wish them luck on their journey, hand them a letter. he packs up a nice tuck-box full of goodies to share, and then sam and elanor (and frodo, who’s going through a following-his-big-sister-around-and-copying-everything-she-does phase) set out to meet the elves

first they hear the shouting. then they see the smoke

at the end of the path his daughter leads him down, sam finds the wreckage of what looks like a crashed boat strewn across the forest, still faintly smouldering. at least a dozen elves are rushing between and up the trees, yelling at each other in the angriest quenya he’s ever heard. in the middle of the impact crater stands a blonde elf carrying a stone that shines like the phial of galadriel, wailing something sam knows just enough sindarin to recognise as ‘MY SHIIIIIIIIIP’

as sam’s gaze pans over the unfolding catastrophe, his eyes land on one of the last elves he’d expected to see, master elrond. elrond is rubbing his temple, groaning like someone who knows he’s the most responsible person around and really wishes he wasn’t. a vaguely familiar sketchy-as-fuck elf is clinging onto his shoulders, in a not-dissimilar way to how frodo-lad is currently riding on sam. elrond catches sam’s gaze

‘greetings, master samwise,’ says the wisest elf-lord of the west, ignoring the scuffle that’s breaking out behind him. ‘i must apologise for my relations’

(fëanor and elanor become fast friends, teaching each other their languages and exploring the shire together. absolutely no one else is okay with this)

-

fëanor, dragging an incredibly-put-upon elrond around the citadel of minas tirith: grandbabies!

fëanor, marvelling over the embroidery arwen is showing him: great-grandbabies!

fëanor, carrying a tiny giggling eldarion all the way up the tower of gondor: great-great-grandbabies!

fëanor, staring fixedly at an increasingly apprehensive aragorn: great-great-great...

celegorm, on dad-watching duty: actually if you lay the maths out it’s very likely every human in middle-earth is descended... from... elros... fuck

fëanor: has gone completely still

fëanor: massive grin spreading across his face, eyes sparkling like the two trees brought back to life

fëanor: eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[an-eldritch-peredhel]

Urusalirë (copper-song)

For @tolkienocweek Day 2: Family Members

Urusalirë (she/they) is Mahtan’s partner and Nerdanel’s other parent. The pair are in a QPR and married because it was more convenient and neither of them minded. They’re one of the reasons Mahtan gets his epessë “Urundil” (copper-lover/friend) besides loving the material itself.

Art notes: Those clover-sigils on her shirt? Took me forever to decide on them. I did a full colored version as well for the background but decided it looked too busy. I think I figured out a way to draw ✨treelight✨ in eyes, the star-pupil eye shine+glow. And speaking of eyes: yes I have her radial heterochromia, no I'm not ashamed.

Overall they’re a fairly lighthearted, cheerful, friendly person, and very chill compared to most of pre-Darkening Valinor. Urusalirë doesn’t possess the typical Noldorin form of crazy (PASSION! Make things for 3 days straight! Disagree with me and taste my blade! Food/sleep is for the weak!) and tends more towards “feral, possibly nocturnal, can’t settle on one hobby for more than a month, always busy but no one knows where/with what? disappears and reappears at random, are they a person or an Entity???” She has informed me that this is because they’re a Noldo by assimilation/ adoption, and their birth family were Tatyarin Avari. Of her grandchildren, Caranthir looks the most like her, and Maglor most takes after their personality (see: beach cryptid Sad-lor).

Officially, they’re a copper-smith “by day”. One of her adopted parents worked in a forge, which is how she and Mahtan met. They took one look at him and went “I’m gonna friend that.” She hung around the forge to talk to him so much that they got pretty good, but she isn’t passionate about it. Mostly, she focuses on everyday things to make and repair, which in Valinor means they aren’t often in high demand, so they have time to experiment with other hobbies. “By night” they enjoy singing and have a small but cult following. It’s one of the few things that’s kept her interest throughout their life (the others being socializing and stargazing, though she can’t do that in Aman pre-Darkening), but she doesn’t want to do it professionally.

Before everything goes Wrong, Fëanor ends up very close to his in-laws because Mahtan was his mentor, and Urusalirë took one look and instantly vibed with him (they do that a lot). She doesn’t become a mother figure (mommy-issues) but he goes to her when he needs advice about stuff he doesn’t want to be logical about. They end up being one reason Fëanor and Fingolfin’s relationship doesn’t deteriorate beyond repair pre-Melkor. They’re good with people, which means she can figure out what’s up and then tell him in a way that he doesn’t immediately dismiss their advice, unlike Mahtan. If it weren’t for Fëanor and Nerdanel’s big fallout, they probably would have gone along to Beleriand with him at Urusalirë’s urging.

She's an extrovert with a huge social circle, but despite having an abundance of friends, there are very few people they feel close enough to have a deep, sincere friendship with- though they’re perfectly happy with those who don’t realize this and assume their closeness is reciprocated in her. This is the result of an event while they were still in Cuivienen involving a spy of Morgoth, a much younger and looser-lipped Urusalirë, and her (dead) brother. It takes a lot for them to legitimately dislike a person, but one of the easiest ways is by hurting her family in some way. This makes Nerdanel and Fëanor’s separation especially heartbreaking for her, because they really did count him as family but they have to side with her daughter.

After the Darkening/Flight/Exile she becomes serious, approaching on grim. The majority of their friends and family are gone, and Tirion is near-empty. No one has the light-heartedness they used to, but those that went on the Great Journey have at least some idea of what the exiles are getting into. Her songs become significantly darker and bitter- she doesn't like the people trying to pretend nothing is wrong while vilifying the exiles, and though they don't blame the Valar it’s clear the trust there is gone.

They’re the only one of their remaining family to join the War of Wrath, since she and Mahtan agree that he should stay with Nerdanel. Hypothetically, they shouldn’t be involved in the fighting often, as she joined up as a smith. In practice, that doesn’t end up happening. Fortunately, they find killing orcs very cathartic. Unfortunately, she ends up dying in the end stages of the war. Fortunately, Mandos’ therapist skills have improved significantly with all the practice, and the Halls give her some much-needed rest and closure. They return relatively quickly, though not quick enough to be ahead of everyone else’s return and the list of the dead. They have a very emotional reunion with their family, and then settle into a routine that lasts until the very beginning of the fourth age, when Celebrimbor is reembodied.

[jengajives]

the much anticipated part three in which dinner doesnt actually happen yet

part one

part two

Just inside the metal door, there was a plaque that read “TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES OR I WILL KILL YOU” in elegant, cursive lettering, and Daeron spent a long time just staring at it trying to decide whether he found the joke funny or not. At the moment, being murdered here was a genuine worry of his. The thought of Fëanor bursting into the entry hall wielding a machine gun and unloading just because Daeron had forgotten to remove his sandals felt entirely plausible. Daeron was careful to leave the shoes neatly in the row near the others. After taking a moment to examine the gold-embroidered sneakers and a pair of dress shoes polished to perfection he finally managed to speak again. “Is everyone in your family obscenely wealthy?” Maglor glanced up. He’d taken a seat on a very uncomfortable-looking metal bench to unlace his boots. “I guess so, yeah. Curufin and Caranthir have the most because they’re actually talented, but the rest of us are just kind of leeches on Dad’s fortune. He’s got more than enough.” “Yeah.” Daeron glanced at the ceiling some thirty feet above his head. “I noticed that.” “Once I finish recording, though, I should be able to hop off the charity line.” Maglor tossed his boots carelessly into the pile. “I’m gonna make it big.” “I know you are, honey.” If he ever actually finished recording. Maglor was such a perfectionist; he’d been working on his album for years. Abruptly, from somewhere deeper in the belly of this beast, came the sounds of shouting. Daeron turned to see if he could place it. The entry hall was tucked just alongside a massive room that definitely could have fit Daeron’s entire apartment four or five times over. Slick laminate floors reflected the sunset that came in through floor-to-ceiling windows over looking the valley and the distant gleam of ocean. The furniture was of simplistic design but unmistakably expensive, and in the center of the room a massive fireplace was alight with a pale red flame. The far corner featured what seemed to be an indoor waterfall, cascading alongside an opening which Daeron assumed led down to other rooms. There was a glass and steel staircase suspended off the side of one of the walls, curling up to the second floor landing impossibly far above. Directly to his right, the floor stepped down into what seemed to be a lounge of some sort. Behind that, at the far end of the room on the same slightly lower level, there was a massive dining table set with at least twenty chairs. A couple of them were filled, though their occupants were too far away for him to make out. From this table came another shout. It was so echoey in the massive room that Daeron had absolutely no idea whether there were any words in it at all. “Oh, wonderful.” Maglor sighed as he shucked his jacket and tossed it onto the little bench. “They’re fighting already.” “Who’s fighting?” “Who do you think?” The new voice was drily amused and, thankfully, familiar as it approached from the side. Maedhros emerged from the lounge wearing a tired smile, with a baby standing on top of his feet. The little one clung to his left hand and the stump where his right had once been so it wouldn’t fall as he walked it forward with short, certain steps, and when he got close he carefully lowered the baby to the ground so it could start crawling around and babbling, as babies are prone to do. Daeron immediately gave a coo and stooped to pick up the kid. “Look at this little cutie!” “He’s Curufin’s” Maedhros said. He stuck his hand into his pocket now that he wasn’t using it anymore, and gave Daeron a warm smile. “It’s good to see you again. I’m glad Mags convinced you to come.” “He was the one that did the convincing, actually.” Maglor looked at the baby in mild disgust. “They put you on Celebrimbor duty?” “No, I volunteered. Didn’t want to listen to them scream about whatever economics thing they’re upset about.” “Good choice,” Daeron said as he wiggled a finger in front of the baby’s face. Celebrimbor had a ridiculously chubby face and a big smile that made his eyes squish down to nothing but the narrowest slits of silver. His dark hair was surprising thick for one so young. “He’s adorable.” “He’s good company.” Maedhros smiled again. Daeron was beginning to think the expression was a trademark to him- a tired smile that looked convincing, but with nothing at all behind it. There had always been something off about the eldest Fëanorian. Personally, Daeron thought it had something to do with the hand and the scars, but it was rude to ask and Maglor had never offered any meaningful insight on the matter, so he was left to speculate. “How long have they been going off?” Maglor glanced in the direction of the dining table and Maedhros only chuckled. “Not too long. Celegorm started it and then bailed, as per usual. Mom should concede here soon and it’ll probably be safe to go in.” “Big happy family,” Daeron observed absently, because he was too occupied playing with the kid to remember not to be rude. Luckily, Maedhros just laughed softly, which probably meant he hadn’t said anything too offensive. “You have no idea.” Daeron tickled Celebrimbor under the chin. He held the baby towards Maglor. “When can we get one of these?” Maglor gave a strained smile. “Must we?” “You don’t want a baby? He’s so cute!” “Sure, sure. You know I love kids. Nothing I love more than kids.” Maedhros chuckled at the two of them, but before he could say anything, something buzzed in his front pocket. Hastily he pulled it out and glanced at the screen, and his face went somewhat pale. “Sorry. I have to take this.” He hurried from the room and bounded up the stairs two at a time in what appeared to be desperation. Daeron watched him go. “Wow. What is that about?” “No clue.” Maglor shrugged. “He’s a weird guy. You know, not as weird as the others, but weird.” “Sure.” Didn’t really satisfy Daeron, but it would be a little much to ask more about it, so he just didn’t. Maybe he could pry after dinner, depending on if they had wine or not. He looked back at little Celebrimbor and was about to follow Maglor into the lounge when they were interrupted by another yell. The voice was clearer this time, closer, and when Daeron turned he saw a dark-haired man standing just outside the dining area, looking at them. He was speaking Quenya, which was irritating, but Daeron knew enough to understand him. “I thought I heard you out here, Mags! Is this your boyfriend? Come in here right now!” He had a playful tone, but it still seemed incredibly threatening. Maglor just smiled and motioned for Daeron to follow him. “Hey, Curufin.” As Daeron approached, the new Fëanorian gave him a shrewd, calculating type of look. He was wearing a gold chain and a flashy watch on each wrist, and his outfit was so disturbingly ugly it had to be designer. There was some sort of brand logo printed over and over beneath an obscure animal print on the shirt, but Daeron had no idea what it was. His hair was long and done up in loose, stylish locks twisted with gold. He was definitely looking at Daeron like he was a cut of meat. “Oh, dear.” Curufin’s lip curled. “Isn’t this interesting? Good to meet you, pal. It’s Curufin.” He held out a hand, and Daeron was disturbed by the amount of rings on each individual finger. Hesitantly, he accepted the handshake and made a reply in clunky Quenya. “Hello. My name is Daeron.” As he spoke, he shot a glare at Maglor. “They’ll speak Sindarin,” my ass. “You one of Thingol’s?” “Curufin,” Maglor said warningly. His brother only chuckled and motioned to the table. “Welcome to you both,” he said, with just a bit of malice in his voice. Daeron took a deep breath and turned to face the others.

[elis-corner]

The fact that I don’t get how people can watch the same thing over and over without a decent gap in between and complain if they do so without headphones in, and yet that’s exactly what I do with animatics and trailers, is highly amusing to me.

And because it’s been long enough without me having ranted about Lord of the Rings here you go XD

The trailer for the Amazon show. Oh my god it’s gotten me hyped. Honestly, I forgot about that villain Amazon has made, Adar. Why are you naming him Adar? Adar is elvish for father, that’s common knowledge! I swear he better not be one of Galadriel’s brothers like everyone is assuming. While typing this up I came to the frightening realisation that the photos we have of him match a certain First Age elf who is likely still alive at that point, and his name is Adar. First Age elf who matches this OC, most likely dubbed “Adar” by the characters within the show... I swear if Adar is Maglor I will personally go murder the showrunners, scriptwriters, and anyone else responsible. /j /lh

Hands down Meteor Man is Sauron, and you can’t convince me otherwise.

Next, OCs. Look, I don’t mind a bit of variation from the original text, but the elf/human relationship they’ve created is questionable in my eyes. 1. When has that ever ended well. 2. They have a perfectly good love story to focus on already.

What love story you may ask? An important one, thanks very much; Elrond and Celebrian. The issue is that we have no hints that they’re showing it, as we have no confirmed actress for Celebrian. However, there are rumours that someone was hired (and the lady gives off Liv Tyler vibes so perhaps), Tolkien fans will be annoyed if this is excluded, it leaves people who don’t know much outside of the Third Age wondering who Elrond has kids with, so they hopefully will include her. Personally, she’s one of my favourite elves, and when I got back into art and writing last year, most of what I did centred around her. Also, it gives more content and tension for those scenes with him and Galadriel, since she likes Elrond and his forebearers, however despises those who raised him. Anyway, I just think they should use her to their advantage.

The shot from the most recent trailer of elves standing in a circle raising their swords. I am hyped. If it isn’t a flashback to the Oath of Feanor I’m going to cry. Maedhros and Maglor are two of my favourite elves of all time I need to see them. If it is though, we actually see four elves (one only for a split second), all with black hair, which probably means it’s Curufin, Caranthir, and Maglor (since Maedhros, Amros, Amras, and Celegorm do not have dark hair, and Feanor would likely be in the centre).

Halbrand looks way more like Aragorn than Isildur does, just saying. Not to mention Halbrand follows Dunedain naming schemes, and there is a LotR character called Halbarand which is awfully similar. On the topic of names, our first on-screen female dwarf is called Disa. The only named female dwarf Tolkien ever wrote about was Thorin’s sister, and her name was Dis. So wow, Amazon, big creativity right there. What does Disa mean anyway? Same with Theo (theod what you see in names such as Theoden, not theo)...

The casting for Gil-Galad is perfect. Not only is he a great actor with the perfect vibes, but he looks a lot like the Gil-Galad we see in the LotR prologue, which is great. Talking about continuity, those close-ups of Galadriel’s eyes are clearly reminiscent of the same thing happening in the original trilogy.

My sister thinks Elrond looks like Tom Holland, which I sort of see... I think she’s just trying to ruin the best elf for me.

That scene with red has my mind going haywire excuse me while I theorise every possible moment- Let’s see, is this Melkor being destroyed, the fall of Numenor, the curse of Mandos, or the First Kinslaying... I reckon that it isn’t the Kinslaying because Galariel says “you have not seen what I have seen”, and Elrond is also a Kinslaying survivor. The only other thing I know is that it looks sick.

Rest assured, if I have any more random thoughts you will receive essays >:)

This? Oh, no, this isn’t an essay. These are dot-points.

[theelvenhaven]

The order of which the Gondolin and Feanorian elves would allow/enjoy make up being put on them. Pleeeeaaase!!!!

Of course I can!!! ☺️ Elves usually aren’t very big on make up as far as we know BUT if the circumstances were right or if it was widely available like it for us I’m sure they’d indulge! Let it be noted that this whole answer took on a life of its own lol

Fëanorians

Fëanor -  Fëanor, being who he is, is extremely confident in his appearance and his beauty and feels that it needs no enhancing what so ever. I think he would’ve absolutely experimented with it first though before deciding he didn’t need to wear it. Content with you applying a couple of different things, like eyeliner and mascara and even some highlighter. He understands the appeal but again he is confident he doesn’t need it. In turn Fëanor would absolutely apply make up to you instead, expect for subtle feature enhancing application until it comes to lipstick. Expect bold and rich colors as well as shiny and glossy gloss, he loves to smear your lipstick at the end of the day with a heated and passionate kiss.

Maedhros - Maedhros especially pre Angband wouldn’t bother with any, if you wore any of course he wouldn’t say anything. In fact he’d like the way mascara makes your lashes longer and giving the illusion your eyes are bigger. Post Angband that would change specifically in the name of concealer and foundation. Wanting to hide any scars that he could, he wouldn’t allow for anyone but himself to apply it. And he’d have no interest in anything else but concealer in foundation when the times could allow for it in the midst of his oath and war.

Maglor - Pre flight, Maglor would love highlighter and possibly even mascara! He’s a preformer, so anything that would enhance his beauty subtly would be accepted. Though he’d be averse to lipsticks and eyeliner and bright blushes. Concealer and foundation wouldn’t be necessary considering his skin is flawless. He loved it when you’d put highlighter on him and how gentle you worked with him. Post flight he wouldn’t worry about it, there’s too much happening and not enough time to indulge in such luxuries.

Celegorm - Celegorm’s version of make up would be extremely different as opposed to more classic wear and use. I think for him it would be more like face paint for the sake of hunting and blending in more effectively with the terrain. He’s completely opposed to wearing any make up other than that, and will allow you to apply his face paint. You wearing make up on the other hand is completely okay and encouraged, especially encouraging you to wear bright red lipstick.

Caranthir - Caranthir I feel like would possibly like eyeliner, not anything heavy of course. Just a subtle line around his lash lines, and he’s an expert at keeping it from running and smudging. Caranthir isn’t big on letting you apply it onto him considering it’s his eyes and is mildly fearful you’ll stab him on accident. He hates concealers and foundations and especially blushes. If you’re in a relationship and wear blush he’d find it somewhat endearing that you’d want your face to look similar to his. But if you’re big on wearing foundation and concealer anticipate him to be cold about you wearing it. Especially if you are constantly telling him how much you love his rosy face as is, he finds it completely and totally hypocritical that you tell him not to alter his complexion while you do it in turn.

Curufin - Curufin, like Caranthir, would like wearing eyeliner! Rather than wearing around his whole eye like Cara would, he’d wear it just on his bottom lashline. He’d not be up for you putting it on him at all, not so much because you might stab him, it’s just because he’s stubborn. I feel like Curufin would also get creative with his liner, wanting to possibly make his appearance look more regal and intimidating. Like Celegorm and Caranthir, he’d be opposed to anything else. As opposed to you putting any make up on him, Curufin I think would enjoy dolling you up instead. 

Amrod & Amras - Amrod and Amras are still considerably much younger than their brothers and I think they would be experimental in what make up they’d wear. Even allowing you to experiment on their faces, and taking your suggestions to heart. They’d also certainly follow Celegroms lead on the face paint, considering they are hunters as well. Some days they might be more partial to eyeliner, another day blush or highlighter, or just mascara.

Celebrimbor - I think he’d take after his grandfather on this one, while he sees the appeal to wearing make up he just isn’t big on it. He appreciates the art to it and how beautiful it is, but it’s just not for him. He spends too much time in the forges anyways, sweating it all off to worry about keeping it on. He does like when you wear minimal make up as well, preferring a more natural look. Though even if you prefer a less natural look, Celebrimbor will think you are gorgeous either way. He loves you regardless of what you wear and what you do. 

Gondolin

Turgon - I feel like Turgon would have mixed feelings about make up, he’d appreciate what it can do but he’d be a sucker for staying more natural. In the privacy of your chambers when it is just you two, he’d allow for subtle looks to be applied. No eyeliner or lipsticks though, and he wouldn’t wear it outside of your chambers. I think he’d have an affinity for the highlighter and heavily consider wearing it to court or doing his daily duties, but would be a little nervous about doing so. Keeping him to stay natural.

Glorfindel - He loves highlighter and blushes and maybe even some lip balm. Nothing too over the top of course, being an elf again that natural look is going to take priority. But he loves the extra sparkle it adds to his natural glow already, and he is absolutely content and relaxed to you applying the make up to him. He also loves to see you wearing make up as well, again more partial to natural looks. But he is content if you wear a little more heavier highlighter than he does. 

Salgant - I don’t think Salgant would be partial to any make up at all, not wanting to stray at all from his natural look. Unlike Turgon, he would be completely adverse to you applying anything on him at all, even just to experiment and for fun. I also think Salgant would be adverse to you wearing any make up as well, wanting you to be completely natural. 

Rog - Rog is very go with the flow and extremely laid back, but when it comes to make up it’s not something he will wear especially in public. It doesn’t help that he does spend copious amounts of time sweaty in the forges, and all of your hard work would wash away from the sweat. On nights when you both are goofing around, and if you ask Rog will let you apply make up to him. Even if you make it utterly ridiculous he will only laugh, but expect for the same to happen to you. The more outrageous you make him look, he will be sure to do the same to you in turn.

Ecthelion - He’s not very big on make up, preferring none at all for himself. Ecthelion feels that he doesn’t need to wear anything to enhance his features. Feeling that his features are beautiful enough, and he is adverse to experimentation to it because he knows he doesn’t need it. As for you, even if Ecthelion prefers no make up, he isn’t going to go out of his way to tell you that how he feels. If you like wearing make up and the extra confidence it gives you, he is content with that. 

Penlod - Penlod feels no particular way about make up at all, I think he’d try and experiment with a little bit of everything. From more subtle looks, to a little more bold (nothing ever over the top.). He’d happily let you apply anything that you wanted to his face, wanting to see what all the looks you could come up with. Depending on how bold you go he’d wear it for the day, and absolutely would he experiment make up looks on you constantly if you allow for it. 

Maeglin - Expect absolutely no room for experimentation or application on Maeglin by your own two hands for a considerable amount of time. Considering that require a great deal of trust and comfort that he would have to share with you before even letting you touch his face like that. Maeglin would probably be more partial to eyeliner and concealer. He’d like how black liner could make his eyes pop and be even brighter than they already are, probably wearing a thicker line as opposed to a thin one. He’d certainly use the concealer to hide the purple bags under his eyes from all of his lack of sleep. Maeglin would admire and enjoy when you wear make up, liking the way it makes your eyes look brighter, and the way your skin would sparkle and the way your lips would be tinted. 

Galdor - Galdor prefers the simplicity of lip balm and nothing else, in fact he produces it himself! He’s not big on anything other than that for himself, being so laid back he doesn’t mind what else you like to wear. Other than that he won’t really allow you to apply much of anything to his face, save the lipbalm. He’s a simple ellon with simple tastes!

Duílin - Duilin I think would be like Celegorm and Ambarussa in the name of face paint for hunting before Gondolin was completed. I’m sure he loved the thrill of the hunt and all that entailed with it. As for make up outside of his face paint, he prefers nothing. He does however have a preference for when you wear mascara and blush, he loves the rosy color added to your face. Thinking you’re even more beautiful with it on. 

Egalmoth - Egalmoth loves highlighter, and light tinted lip balm for himself. He loves the sparkle in highlighter and likes to look even more radiant especially when he is decked out in all of his jewelry. Egalmoth prefers pale pink lip balms to add a little more color to his face, and he prefers applying it himself. Though he will relinquish his control to let you do it if you asked. In turn Egalmoth also loves to apply make up to you as well. Adding extra highlighter and bolder colors of lip balm or lipstick to your face.

* * *

tags:

@lilmelily @dicksoutformtl @fandom-hoe101 @icarus-fell-in-spring

[arlenianchronicles]

Hello 😊 First of all, I want to thank you for everything you do. Every time I look at your drawings it makes my day better. <3 Just out of curiosity, do you have any headcanons for Fëanor's sons personality? I read The Silmarillion a long time ago, so I don't remember if Tolkien described their personality more detail, but I only remember he wrote that Caranthir was "quickest to anger" and that he described Curufin as "being the most like his father" but that's not a very detailed description. XD

I'm not a native speaker so I'm sorry if I wrote something wrong. Have a nice day/night! 😄

Hello anon! Thank you so much for your warm words!! I’m very happy to know that my drawings make your day better, and thank you for your support! <33 And no worries, your English is great! :D 

Hmm this is a tough one for me since I hardly think about the Fëanorians loll ^^;; What headcanons I do have for them were made because I was busy developing headcanons for the Nolofinwëans. I’ve posted some of those in various tags, so if anybody’s interested, I can put them in a post like this someday!

But back to the Fëanorians … The only information I have on them is from the Silmarillion (since I haven’t started reading HoME even though I have the books now ldkfskldkls). I suppose I should start from oldest to youngest hahaa But keep in mind that most of these are currently woven with my Nolofinwëan headcanons, aka how the Fëanorians behave towards them. I’ll try not to focus too much on Fingolfin’s fam here XDD

And for the sake of finding names easily, I’m going to bold each of them in case you wanted to scroll to the one you’re most interested in.

Let’s start with the Fëanorians as a family. I imagine that Fëanor doesn't generally give his sons as much affection and attention as they’d like (or perhaps need). However, Curufin is his favourite, so he spends the most time with him and showers him with lots of praise. I also think that their family would be quite the rowdy one given that there are seven brothers stuck in one house ^^;; Nerdanel must get a headache quite often!

Now let’s turn to Maedros. Some of y’all know this already, but for those who don’t, I don’t ship Russingon, so my view of his friendship with Fingon is simply that: a friendship, albeit a close and platonically loving one. Why is Fingon Maedros’ favourite, I’ve wondered? His brothers are wondering that too. I headcanon that Fingon’s company appeals to him because it’s a big contrast to what goes on at home. My version of Fingon is quiet and solemn (as you’ve seen from my art loll), but he’s also kind and gentle and compassionate. I imagine that they’d take walks through the markets, maybe with Finrod or some other, or just sit in the gardens and chat.

Maedros is also adored by his brothers and is seen as the perfect elder sibling. Not to mention the rest of the city might adore him as well, given how handsome and charming he is. I think he’d be able to shoulder the attention very well, and perhaps even enjoy it; he also returns his brothers’ love and cares for them all. But deep down, he looks to Fingon as the shining example of an older brother, a prince who cares for the people, someone perfect who can do no wrong. He admires him a lot. Perhaps that’s where half (or most) of his friendly love comes from. Does Fingon know about this? Beats me loll But if he does, it’d certainly affect him in some way (again, if y’all want those Nolofinwëan headcanons, let me know XDD)

Next is Maglor. What do I do with Maglor? He adores Maedros, yes – all the brothers do loll I remember trying to develop him for my time travel au fanfic, and I wrote him as a perfectionist. I think that’d work here: Fëanor doesn't give him and his music a lot of recognition, so Maglor believes that he must make every song perfect to prove himself and gain validation. I imagine Fëanor’s perfectionist nature rubbed off on Maglor too, which in part leads to this.

Of course, as he goes through the First Age on Beleriand, he becomes disillusioned and loses all that snobby, perfectionist stuff. By the time he’s with Elrond and Elros, he’s humble and solemn, and his songs are quiet and sad. But being with the twins and teaching them how to make music brings back that old spark -- the one that gave his music so much strength and power, etc.

Now for Celegorm. Boy oh boy. I see him as the wildest of the brothers, which could tie into his love for hunting and all. His name means "hasty-riser," so I'd imagine him as quick to be reckless and stubborn and angry etc. He loves Maedros dearly and is most jealous of Fingon, partly because Fingon is Maedros' favourite, and also because Fingon gets lots of affection from Fingolfin. Celegorm wants his father's love (or more of it, since Fëanor loves them in his own way already). He ends up treating Fingon badly, both out of anger and jealousy, and in an attempt to gain his father's approval.

I imagine this is what leads to Celegorm sticking with Curufin most of the time. Curufin is most like Fëanor, so getting his approval is likely second-best to Fëanor's, or something like that. But at the same time, Curufin isn't Fëanor; he has his own issues stemming from a desire for Fëanor's approval, and I imagine his behaviour is more insidious – rather like in the Lay of Leithian, where Curufin is whispering into Celegorm's ear and Celegorm just rolls with it. 

Speaking of Curufin, I think of him as the most crafty (scheming-wise alongside metalworking). And probably the most apathetic to others' hurts or concerns. If there's nothing in it for him, and it doesn't directly concern his family, then he doesn't really care. He only truly cares about fulfilling his father's wishes and all. 

Then again, I'm sure (or I'd hope) that he cares when Maedros is taken captive, but he'd busy himself with work and getting things done instead of dwelling on it. After all, Maedros must be dead after all this time, and what's the use of fretting over that?

And then we have Caranthir. The quickest to anger, as said in the Silmarillion. I imagine it's because there's not much that's remarkable about him, at least to start with. Nobody pays much attention to him, except perhaps Nerdanel and Maedros. For that reason, he'd draw closer to them, but he’s mostly frustrated with other people and especially himself. But out of all his brothers, I imagine he’s the best at numbers and figuring hahaa

Last are the twins, Amrod and Amras. I wasn't quite sure what to headcanon for them, since they seem to be the most carefree and easygoing of the brothers. I mostly imagine that they'd follow their father and brothers' example, especially with regard to how they treat the Nolofinwëans, but they're not sure about it because they don't think the Nolofinwëans are bad people (as Fëanor would paint them). Tbh I'm still thinking about the twins, and Caranthir for that matter ^^;;

So there we have it! My headcanons for Fëanor's sons. I may come up with more in the future, but this is what I have so far. Thank you so much for messaging me, anon! I hope I answered your question to your satisfaction, and I wish you a good day/night too! <333

[allthatglittersisnotgoldrush]

Author Interview: Victoryindeath2 (by Mythopoeia

Thank you @abadpoetwithdreams! I hope you don't regret the last question you asked :D

1. You are responsible for creating the characters of Frog and Sticks! What canon Silm event are you most excited to see from their child perspectives?

Soooo many things—but I am interested to see how they will feel when Mae is back on his feet, a warrior more deadly with his left than he even was with his right, the sort of man who can in canon create the Union of Maedhros. The children have seen Maedhros at his lowest, seen him tormented and crushed into the earth in the cruelest of ways. They also saw how he could be his best even when there was no hope or light for him—he protected them and was kind to them and loved them. I am just interested to see how other men’s and women’s opinions might change as Maedhros moves into the next phase of his life, and how the children will, in some ways, always see Maedhros as their Russandol.

Sticks: yeah I knew he was cool before you all realized it

Frog: *drops a rock in Mae’s left hand and curls up in his lap* tell me and my pet rock a story Mae

Mae: I actually have leadership things to do....

Sticks: you owe us for all the stories you didn’t tell us back in the Bad Place

Mae: *tells them a story and Fingon finds the kids sleeping under Mae’s arms twenty minutes later*

(There is also a non-canon event sometime in the future that I want so VERY badly but guess I can’t say because of spoilers *sighs*)

2. We often joke about how this AU is basically our own crazy version of a Silm tv series. What are some of favourite moments in the series so far that stand out to you as particularly cinematic?

There are so many moments, some of the wondrous and stunning variety, and some of the quiet and beautiful....but here are a few that leapt right to my mind:

a. Maedhros and Fingon parting the last time before Feanor divided the families almost forever! Maedhros with his hair in the sunlight on his horse and the line, “see you on the other side, cano!”

b. Gosh DARN it Mae on the cliff, with Morgoth offering him the chance to leap to his death, and he doesn’t take it *cries*

c. FINGON’S CHILD OF THE WOLF MOMENT WHERE HE TAKES MAIRON OUT (ALSO RIGHT BEFORE WHEN MAE GRABS AT HIS ANKLE AND TRIES TO GET FINGON TO SAVE HIMSELF)

d. Maedhros riding into the thrall camp and basically falling into Gwindor and SLINGING AN ARM AROUND HIS NECK YES HUGS ALL AROUND YESSSS

e. Look Ceili fic I know we talk about it all the time but I am here to talk about it again, especially the moment where Mae pulls Caranthir out on the dance floor and then they all dance together and everyone ends up in a pile on the floor except for Mae who just stands over them all laughing I think doubled over and there is so much good energy in that scene I NEED IT ON SCREEN

f. Personally I like to think that Celegorm stalking his way into a club in New York City and beating the living daylights out of Eol was cinematic

g. Maedhros having successfully argued Huan’s way into the journey west, stumbling all tired like up to the stairs, and meeting Nerdanel there, and resting his head on his mom’s neck. The darling tol bby

h. MAE ATTACKING ULFANG FOR THE SAKE OF HIS BROS, GOING FROM DEPRESSED BROKEN BABY WHO HAS LOST ALL HOPE TO DEPRESSED BROKEN BABY WHO HAS LOST ALL HOPE BUT STILL WILL FIGHT FOR HIS BROS

i. Bby Mae lying on Feanor’s chest ;;;;;;;;;;; before Feanor became the worst

j. Can’t even remember what fic it was at this point but there is a dream? Mae has? Of like....the sea and red sun or something? It was a lot

k. There are many many more moments and I am mad that I can’t remember the one that stood out to me recently

l. ..........the whole fic Seven Card Stud

m. MOONLIGHT GUNSLINGER MAE AND HOW HE TOTALLY OUTCLASSED MAIRON

n. Every hug and brotp and found family moment ever. I have addictions and there is never enough of what I want on screen

o. THERE ARE MORE SPECIFIC ONES BUT I HAVE TO STOP AT SOME POINT DON’T I

3. Walk me through what an ideal day would look like for Caranthir?

The MOST ideal day would be Caranthir waking up in his little closet bedroom in Formenos and realizing he just had a horrible nightmare, and also realizing that he still has his mom and ALL of his brothers. And then at the breakfast table Feanor says something like “wow I’ve been stupid in a good many ways, and a rotten dad because of that, good thing I have recognized my flaws and shall now be a better person, also Mae you can stop going to live in the city if you want, just stay here with your brothers. Also you know, Caranthir, even though you’re still my least favorite child, I’m proud of you. And not just because these are the best pancakes I have ever tasted.”

Then Caranthir probably helps his mom in the garden, gets some quality one on one time with Mae when Mae helps him make a pie, Mae reminds him how special and good he thinks Caranthir is, and Celegorm and Curufin ask Caranthir to join them for fishing. Not that Caranthir necessarily wants to do that, but he does want to be asked. Then Amras and Amrod ask him to help them with sums, so that he feels like a helpful big brother, and without being asked, Maglor takes out his fiddle and plays the slow-moving, peaceful song that Caranthir loves and Maglor despises because it is not challenging enough

4. What is a character POV you have not written yet about but would like to?

I would like to write something from Maeglin’s POV—I feel a powerful urge to protect that lost boy. He’s had an odd and often terrifying life and he needs a break. Good grief imagine having a mom like his mom, imagine Morgoth commanding you to call him uncle. Ew. Anyway, he’s exactly the sort of character I usually adopt as my son. An angsty sad boy without much future, who needs LOVE

5. If you could recommend only one fic from each author (including yourself, of course) what would they be?

HOW TO PICK?!

TolkienGirl: wayyyyy too many to really choose from but I have to go back to the beginning and say “news, breaking” because of the way it introduces my Feanorian boys, and also because of Mae wearing a flowered apron one minute and then a half open leather vest the next, with his glorious hair tied back!

Mythopoeia: I feel like I have to say “those gathered beneath” because it was so DEFINITIVE of our favorite Irish family, and also Turgon is a great narrator (but since I always talk about this fic I shall also add another, lesser known perhaps: “save ourselves unaided” because it introduces Haleth and more people need to appreciate Haleth and Mythopoeia’s Haleth is SO GOOD)

Victoryindeath2: “a certain slant of light (where the meanings are)” because it was my first Caranthir fic, and so it holds a special place in my heart

Bonus Q: The Feanorians are now a KPop group. What are their hair colors and roles?

THE WAY I CHOKED ON MY LAUGHTER WHEN I FIRST READ THIS QUESTION

I ALSO GOT WAY TOO CAUGHT UP IN THIS SO IF YOU ARE AN AU READER WHO DOESN’T CARE ABOUT KPOP IN ANY WAY YOU CAN STOP HERE, I WON’T BE MAD. On the other hand I think I have really good answers so maybe you should continue lol

Maedhros: He has to be a coppery red-head, doesn’t he? Maybe something of the red color that you once told me you wanted Heeseung to try. He would make a great leader, but ALSO. Also I think that he has had enough stress in canon in and in our AU, so I really just want to give him the opportunity to be merely the eldest hyung, who everyone goes to for comfort, for hugs and advice, and who supports the leader quietly. He is a good vocalist and can maybe rap in a pinch? but we put so much emphasis on him as a dancer that he HAS to be the dance leader. Obviously. Is widely acknowledged as the visual of the group

Maglor: Longish black hair, maybe midnight blue or deep purple. Has tried several different hairstyles and regretted half of them. He claims a specific aesthetic in hair and dress is necessary for him to compose the group’s songs, and while he gets teased by everyone for this he also writes amazing music so? It works? Is definitely a vocalist. His vlives consist of him playing every instrument known to man, and half the time Mae is sitting in the background listening with an awed expression on his face—till he falls asleep. Maglor can’t decide if he is pleased by this or insulted

Celegorm: Usually rocks blond or silver hair, but one time some fool insulted Amrod’s pink hair and the next thing you know Celegorm had pink hair for three months. Probably disparaged Maglor’s mullet phase but tried it once himself as a penalty for a game in a Run Feanorian episode and kinda thought it wasn’t half bad.

Celegorm is the “I don’t follow what the company says” member, “screw the rules if they aren’t good for my fam.” He is also a sick rapper and his diss tracks and mixtapes are things of beauty. He also clearly frequents the gym and will toss an annoyed member—most likely Maglor, but sometimes Curufin—over his shoulder any chance he can get. Has definitely done pushups with Amrod or Amras on his back. He and Mae swept the ISAC games

Caranthir: Typically goes with brown/black hair, which only throws the fandom into more of an uproar when the rare occasion arises in which he actually dyes it some other color. Probably went mint for a music video and Curufin started calling him mint choco boy, which offends him deeply as he is (sadly) on the side of “mint chocolate ice cream tastes like toothpaste.” He’s a vocalist with a rougher voice that is surprisingly pleasing to listen too.

Speaking of surprises, Caranthir never quite understands his own popularity. He didn’t like to do vlives by himself for ages, until Mae encouraged him to do cooking and baking vlives, and now he does one once a month on a schedule. Fans are putting together a book of his recipes

Curufin: He does intense and striking hairstyles and colors, and is probably the most likely to do black hair streaked through with red, teal, green, gold, white, etc. He claims to be the visual of the group and Mae is the one member who always agrees with him. I’d say he is also a dancer, one almost as good as Mae but with a different style, and he has a quick and sharp rap. He is heavily involved in the production of their songs over time.

Here is the thing though—I think, in this better non-canon non-Gold Rush AU universe, that Curufin could be the leader. See, Feanor is not gonna be the company CEO loll. Fingolfin is. And Fingolfin mentors better than Feanor EVER could. And Curufin is a sharp lad, very smart and crafty, and if he could just be convinced to care about all his brothers/group members like he does about himself and Celegorm in the AU, and if he just has proper guidance, allowing Mae to assist him in struggles, going to him for support, I think he would be an excellent leader

Ambarussa: Amras and Amrod have tried every color and color combination under the SUN, and they often coordinate with each other either to match or complement. Amras sometimes gets tired of this, preferring to stick to the general group color scheme, and when that happens Amrod just says fine be like that and goes off and does his own thing. Sooner or later though, Amras always gives in and joins him once again.

The twins obviously have all their hyungs wrapped around their little fingers, even Maglor who is driven insane by them crashing into his room shrieking and giggling when he is trying to write music or run a very serious vlive. As far as their musical talents go, I love when maknaes are ridiculously well-rounded, and these are Feanorian maknaes, so I’m gonna say they can both dance, sing, and rap. People have placed bets on whether they will grow as tall as Mae (spoilers, they won’t, no one ever will, he’s the tallest in Kpop world)

Huan: is the team mascot, and lives in their large dorm with them because Celegorm said so

Anddd that’s all folks

[elyarond]

*NOTE.    i have not read the silmarillion in it’s full context     ( the wording is difficult,   even for me. )    most of what i know has been told to me by @aeternitie​, @elyaros​, @finarfiniel​, @laurelote​, @luktiene​​, and @edhelgund​.    and everything else has been heavily expanded on with headcanons.    this post is going to be ungodly long,     but it will go over the span of elrond’s life,     and will dive in depth about my characterization of him.

following the attack of the havens of sirion by the sons of feanor,     with his parents   (  at least in his eyes,  )    dead,     elrond and his twin brother, elros,    were taken captive and raised by maglor.    as a child,    his only constant was quite literally elros,    and elrond relied on his brother heavily.     he was fearful of the world,     and everything in it.     you’d often find the twins together,     but elrond was always the one trailing behind.      elros was unbelievably protective of him,     and elrond was very much scared,    all the time.     his first,     strongest memory is of the attack on his home.      he does not remember much of his parents,     aside from feelings of love and care.     but as far as comprehensible memories,     he does not have them.

and truth be told,     even though maglor did his best to care for the twins,     elrond was still very much afraid of him.      same goes for maehdros,     though he was not as active in raising the twins as maglor was.

the twins were ultimately sent off to live with gil-galad    (   we won’t dwell too much on this,    but because of the fact that elrond is specifically mentioned being with gil-galad when the elves are allowed to return to the undying lands,    it’s pretty prevalent that elrond was with him as a child.     and because of corresponding headcanons with @elyaros​,     elros was as well.   )

because of their heritage,    the twins were given a choice.      whether to be counted among the kindred of elves or of men.       elrond chose first,     and ultimately chose to be counted among the elves.     his transformation would happen first,     and elros would witness this.       he had asked elrond to come with him to their father’s lands,     elrond would ultimately say no.

it’s good to now mention that elrond has never felt,    even before being given the option of making this choice,     as though he belongs among men.      his elven heritage is so prominent in him,     and it persuades his choice.      it’s also good to mention that elrond has...  a lot of trauma regarding his childhood and his upbringing by maglor,     and in his heart he feels that it will take him more than one lifetime to move pass this pain.      he makes this choice knowing his life will be filled with grief and heartache,     but ultimately knows that an eternity is what he is destined for.

that is not to say,     that he doesn’t visit numenor once it’s established.     and for elros’ life,     elrond is appointed as an ambassador on gil-galad’s behalf,     and resides in numenor with his brother until his death.      mind you,    there is no war happening at this time,     and gil-galad recognizes how strong the bond is between elrond and elros,     and recognizes elrond’s pain about having to be separated from him.      he’s ultimately sent on gil-galad’s behalf to congratulate the king on the birth of his son,    vardamir,     and once elrond is there,     elrond is appointed as the official ambassador for the high king of noldor.

he’s there for the birth of the next three children - and plays a very active role in their lives.      by this time,    he is already an established healer and loremaster,     and definitely passes his knowledge and stories down to his niece and nephews.      he indulges in their interests and often times just lets them be what they are,    children.    they are royalty,    yes,     but they are at heart just children trying to find a place in the world.     this never goes over well with elros and his wife,    ithildiren    (    found on @aeternitie​,    )     and elrond always feels a little guilty about it afterwards.      he just wants the kids to have a good time.

the death that he holds the most painful,     and most memorable,     will always be elros’ death.      it was in elros’ final years that he confided in elrond,     and even confessed that he felt that he chose incorrectly,      as he,     though mortal,     ultimately outlived many of the people he loved.      elrond reminds him that the other choice would have been no better,      as elrond will spend his life outliving everyone he loves - there really isn’t much difference in their choices.     elrond chose immortality because he knew it would take longer to overcome his grief,      elros chose mortality because he felt that being immortal would only grant him a lifetime of pain and suffering.      by the end of elros’ life,     i think they had found peace in each other’s choices.      no matter how different that choice was,     they loved each other.     

before we dive deeper in that,      it’s good to understand that elrond and elros share a very big connection to each other on a level much deeper than brothers.     as twins,    they are bound to each other.       they share the capacity to feel each other’s emotions, their feelings, can feel when another is in pain, etc.

this means that through all of elros’ hardships,     in the life that he lived that was filled with emotional turnmoil,      elrond shared in this pain as well.      and it is for this that elrond was always there for his brother,      as he was the only one who knew   exactly    how elros felt,     even when others truly thought they had him figured out.     many would believe elros to be emotionless,      but elrond knows it is not true.     where elrond is sensitive and open with his feelings,     elros is withdrawn and keeps his feelings locked down.      they are constantly feeling each other’s pain,    their joys,     their sorrows.       the bond can be cut off if one of them chooses so     (     and elros has done this     )     but for the most part,     that bond is allowed to exist freely.

elros’ death was not surprising to elrond,      he knew it was coming.     he could feel the weariness,     he could feel the exhaustion like it was his own.     he felt elros letting go and submitting to his death.      moments prior to his death,     elros had finally found peace with his life,     and elrond felt that wave of peace wash over him,      before that connection was severed completely.      

the loss of that connection serves as a constant reminder to elrond that he now,    in this world,     is alone.

once elros was gone,     elrond felt little tying him to numenor,     and promptly returned to gil-galad in lindon.      it was then that annatar came seeking entrance to lindon,     and was denied by gil-galad and elrond,      as they sensed something wasn’t right.      and the war of the elves and sauron would begin.

in s.a. 1695 gil-galad sent elrond to aid eregion.     elrond's forces came too late and proved too small to defend eregion.       sauron sent most of his army west to attack lindon, he left a strong detachment behind to contain elrond.      in two years eregion was lade waste and elrond along with the noldor survivors fled far north.      there, he established the stronghold of imladris.     imladris was home to many refugees in this war,      and though besieged,     was not under sauron’s control.     it was liberated by gil-galad and tar-minastir’s forces,     and once sauron was defeated this time,      imladris was established as a elvish stronghold,     and elrond himself was appointed to gil-galad’s vice regent,     where he would have the ring of vilya passed to him.

in the war of the last alliance,     he marched with gil-galad and elendil.     he witnessed both of their deaths,      and witnessed isildur cut the ring off of sauron’s finger,     destroying him,     and ultimately tried to ensure the rings destruction.     he was unable to do this,      as isildur refused.     and for those questioning why,      i’d like to remind the class that isildur is a descendant of elros.      elrond could not lift a hand to kill isildur himself.

with the third age,      he would marry celebrian - something he truly did not ever expect to do.    (    this is headcanoned with @elyaros​ and @aeternitie​.     )    he witnessed how ithildiren’s death destroyed elros,      and destroyed the progress he had made over the course of his life.     elrond was never looking for love,     he never wanted to feel that pain.    )

but then he met celebrian.     and it changed.      he never spoke of his love for her,     only once she had prompted that the she had feelings for him,     would he speak of his.      their courtship lasted   most likely,    close to a hundred years,      though the feelings for each other existed a lot longer than that.     for elrond,     it was the ultimate hesitance of love    (     as you read the reason above,    )     but once the mutual feelings were in the open,     he, of course, is all in.      elladan and elrohir are born in t.a 130,      and arwen would follow in t.a 241.

this is something i wanna talk about,      as @aeternitie​ brought it to my attention.     but the names of elladan and elrohir are something elrond chose for them,     and it is reminiscent of he and elros.      let me explain,    with direct quotes from rune.       

o Elladan is very clearly “elf-man”, which is a reference to Elrond and his children’s status as half-elven, but Elrohir has no confirmed etymology. Parf Edhellen lists “elf-knight”, or (literally translated) “elf-horse lord”, which is valid because horse lord/knight is “rochir” from roch “horse” and “hir” master, but... while the most obvious etymology, it’s not the only possible one.

Why? Because when you cut out the “c” from rochir, from roch, with Elrochir being an entirely possible name, it seems to me that... “rochir” is not what you had in mind in the first place. Anyway, if the first element is unambiguously meant to be “elf”, it could very well be spelled Ellrohir.

“El”, with one L only, is “star”, present in both Elrond and Elros. Which makes a lot more sense, considering how common it is for fathers to give their children names that contain an element of their own. (see Celeborn and Celebrían, plus lots of other people) In which case, “hîr” is still “lord”, but “ro” is a shortening of another word. Which word? Well, it could be rom (horn, trumpet), it could be ron (smooth by polishing), it could be a lot of words... including ross, “foam, spray”

basically, elrond named his twins after he and his brother,     and i will die on this hill.

anyway continuing on !

elrond raises the dunedain,     and takes in almost all of isildur’s descendants.     he maintains and preserves the shards of narsil,     and essentially raised these children like his own, in some ways.      but i do not believe elrond felt an outward fatherly protection over them,      nor do i believe they actually viewed him as a father.

i won’t go too much into the events of the hobbit and lotr,     because that’s all known and i pretty much abide by that canon.

NOW WE CAN GO INTO MY CHARACTERIZATION.

as kind as summer,     is a big thing.

he is always ready to welcome guests to rivendell,     we see this with the dwarves in the hobbit.     they were unexpected,     but he did not turn them away,     and he did not make them leave.    the dwarves were there for 14 days,     and he even offered to bilbo that he could remain in imladris if he chose not to go on with the dwarves to erebor.

he’s warm ! warm hugs ! warm smile !     he’s the embodiment of summer.

he’s.    the best dad.     though, for the amount of children he raised    ( i.e :     elros’ children to an extent,     isildur’s descendents. )    he is very stressed over his own children,     especially the twins.     they mirrored he and elros in a lot of ways,     and because of their antics,     he is constantly stressed.     but he loves those boys.

the boys are big mama’s boys,      and arwen is glued to elrond.     i accept nothing else.

he could have been a king,    but he chose not to.

no,    he doesn’t view himself above any of his people,     even though he is their lord.      he simply views himself as a protector of his people,     and would do anything to protect them.

he could have been high king of the noldor when gil-galad died,    but chose not to because there weren’t enough of the noldor left to need a king.

his anger is.... something else.

where elrond is summer,     elros is winter.     but their anger is the polar opposite.

elrond becomes extremely cold and icy when angry,     and his words to have a tendency to hurt,     even though he doesn’t intend for them to.

when pushed to the absolute end of his anger,     when he’s engulfed in it,     he’s explosive.     and stay out of his way.     it takes a lot to get him here,     and he’s only been pushed this far a few times in his life.      this side of elrond is essentially elros’ anger.

celebrian sailing  -  his sea longing begins.

this was by far the most horrific moment in his life,     and he had witnessed a lot of horrific things.      he was unable to heal her fully,     her physical wounds may have been healed,     but the scars on her mind remained,    and he could not touch them.

she figuratively took his heart with her when she sailed.      her absence has left elrond with very little cares about this world.     he isn’t outright heartless anymore,     he is known for his kindness and his compassion,     and he still has it.     but the only thing keeping rivendell in its state at that point is vilya.     he isn’t lifting a hand to make it better or make it prosperous,     it’s all the ring’s doing by that point.     it takes a lot of effort not to fade and die for him at this point,      but he is hellbent on following her into the undying lands once she’s gone.     he won’t give up.

arwen’s choice.

this also... destroyed him.     not only because it meant she would die,     but also because he knew he would not be around for it.   like with elros,     he wants nothing more than to be with his daughter until the end.

ultimately,     he accepts her choice.     he wants her to be happy,    and if this is what she wants,     he has no say in telling her she can’t have it.     if she wants to be mortal with aragorn,     elrond will not deprive her of this.

however,    once the war of the ring is over,     he knows he will sail.     he stays just long enough to see her wed to aragorn and become queen of gondor.

this hurts him deeply.     and his time in the undying lands is spent constantly wondering how she is,     what she’s doing,     what are her children like,     etc.

he realizes after a few centuries that she’s gone,     and now suddenly you have a very depressed elrond in the undying lands.

[actualmermaid]

If I were a horrible, horrible person and wanted to make everyone (including myself) sad on a Monday morning, I'd ask for the DVD commentary on The Bit Where Amras Happens (or rather The Bit Where Amras Stops Happening) in Pieces of the Stars...

It would take Elrond many years to piece together the significance of the events directly following the sack of Sirion. At the time he only understood two things: playing the same mancala game with Elros and Osgardir the healer for hours on end, and the sound of Amras crying for his mother in the next room.

This opening paragraph was one of the first bits of this fic that I ever wrote, months and months ago before I ever had a plan or a writing schedule or any motivation to finish it. I tried to establish that a lot of the cohesive narrative is an adult’s understanding of the things he witnessed as a child, but still keep the child’s fear and confusion apparent in the narrative and let the contextual details tell the reader what’s going on. Idk if it worked—the first couple of Kid POV chapters were VERY DIFFICULT.

Anyway, Amras. Readers should understand that he’s dying at this point, even though we don’t see him. Elrond understands him crying for his mother, and the next couple of paragraphs talk about Elwing trying to get the kids to safety, so there’s sort of a parallel of two frightened boys who want their mothers (though of course one frightened “boy” is actually a dying Kinslayer, and the other is an actual boy who’s a victim in all this)

Maglor and Maedhros—that was two, but Mother had said three of the sons of Fëanor remained, all of them pursuing the Jewel with a single-minded obsession. “Who is the third brother?” Elrond asked, and Osgardir looked surprised at the question.

”That is Amras,” he said. “The youngest. He is badly hurt, so I put him to bed next door where he’ll be more comfortable. But you need not worry about him either. Shall we start another game?”

I often forget about Amras, and I think a lot of other writers also kind of forget he’s there and just sort of mention his death offhand, if at all. But he was one of the last survivors, and Elwing would have carried his reputation out of Doriath along with Maedhros’ and Maglor’s, so I tried to give him more of a presence at the beginning of the story. Maedhros and Maglor would have loved him and Elrond and Elros would have known and feared him.

The next bit is the important part:

Maglor came into the infirmary only infrequently and usually without purpose. He would stand in the doorway, stare at Maedhros or the boys for a moment, and then leave again without saying anything. The arguments outside continued until the sounds of Amras’ suffering climbed to a constant scrape that set every hair on end, and Maglor returned to the infirmary, this time with purpose.

”Your drugs are doing nothing for him!” he nearly shouted at Osgardir.

The healer frowned. “How much have you given him?”

”All of it!”

Osgardir stood with a rattle of his mail coat and pulled Maglor behind the folding screen. “How long since the last dose?”

”About an hour!”

”He should be asleep! I can do nothing but make it easier before—” a sharp brown eye peered out of the gap between the screen panels. “Little pitchers have big ears,” he muttered, and then their voices dropped to a register that Elrond couldn’t make out, no matter how hard he strained.

After a short discussion, the two men emerged. Wordlessly, Osgardir went to his medicine case and began mixing several different things together in a mug while Maglor stood by, tapping his fingers in a constant rhythm on his crossed arms. He waited and stared at the boys, then the healer, then his brother, and then Elrond and Elros for a moment longer.

Thank you,” he said when Osgardir handed him the mug.

Osgardir did not look at him. “The faster he drinks it, the quicker it will be.”

Maglor hesitated, nodded once, and then departed.

Amras stopped crying a short time later.

I spent quite a bit of time pondering the implications of euthanasia for an immortal species, and if anyone wants to get into that, I’ll leave them to it. The main emotion here is desperation, as Maglor is stretched between several forces and also trying to comfort his dying brother, and they are running out of time to try and give him a peaceful, comfortable death. The next best thing they can give him is a quick release from pain, so I try and call attention to the cocktail of drugs so that the reader knows what’s going on here. I meant for the final line to deliver much more meaning than is included in the words: Amras stopped crying. He’s gone, and he isn’t mentioned again until later, and then in the past tense.

Osgardir, My Best Dude, also gets some good characterization in these scenes. The others sort of see Elrond and Elros as mere unfortunates or obstacles, but Osgardir knows that they’re frightened and lonely and wants to help them as children, not just as The Sons Of Elwing.

Nearby, what he had mistaken for a shaggy bush moved its head and revealed itself instead to be Maedhros’ hunched figure. Maglor crouched next to him.

”Tell me,” Maedhros muttered.

”It was quick,” Maglor said. “He took the cup from me, and slept, and then…”

”Only we remain.”

”Yes.”

Maedhros did not respond. Maglor, also silent, remained with him.

This paragraph was actually the last part of the chapter I wrote before publishing. I always wondered if I should have Maedhros and Maglor talk about Amras again before he comes up in chapter 2, and one of my betas also suggested bringing him up again, so I added this bit to show that they’re still thinking about him. I also did want to show that Amras took the cup from Maglor, that he knew what it was and that he wanted it.

I ended up getting a lot of good feedback on how I handled The Amras Situation, which I was happy to receive. I worried that people would think I was trying to be overly edgy, or tell me that euthanizing him would be somehow contrary to Tolkien’s Vision or whatever, but overall I am satisfied with how I tied in his death with the beginning of the story as kind of a death/rebirth/transition between ages motif that will come up several more times before the end of the fic. And I do actually feel strongly about people’s right to a dignified death IRL, so I’m glad to have included the topic even though I am trying to keep it from being a hamhanded issuefic.

[myaire21]

@meaninglessprose it´s finally done!!

I think the hardest part of this request was designing the 16 kids and sorting them into the four houses. Some were easy (Fingon and his siblings, Maglor and Finrod), others were almost sorted randomly (like the twins). I didn´t write the age gaps because all of them wouldn´t find in Hogwarts at once anyways :”)

I wrote a little bit about every kid under the cut. they are to many!

Maedhros: I sorted him in Slytherin because he is a smart leader with great ambitions (getting back the Silmarils no matter what). At first I put him in Gryffindor with Fingon but I changed them both. He is probably a prefect and is an honor student. Very popular. He will work as an auror and get kidnapped by Death Eaters one day.

Maglor: He could be in Hufflepuff or in Slytherin (depends of which version of him you choose: the “cheerful big bro” or the “kinda emo and weird” one) But I sorted him in Ravenclaw due to his imagination. He isolates and starves himself but he is a very good artist. A living legend. 

Celegorm: wasn´t his hair straight a second ago? Doesn´t matter. He is a Slytherin, and is able to talk with magi creatures. Plays Quidditch.

Caranthir: omg he is so cute I´m so proud of his design! He is a Gryffindor because he always feels challenged and wants to prove his value. Very agressive Chaser.

Cufurin: he is in Ravenclaw because his only wish is to becaome as powerful as his father (Minister for Magic) so he is only focused on his studies. Also he is very intelligent since he is able to solve any problem and creates useful stuff.

Ginger Twins: they are Gyffindor because they are the bravest of their entire family. Since they are the youngest their brothers oftenly command them to do everything. Specially Celegorm challenges them to make things impossible sometimes. They are also very loyal to their eldest brother. 

Fingon: a Hufflepuff since he risked his life to save Mae. Has a soft spot for kids. Idk, he is too nice and sweet to not be a Hufflepuff. He will work as a n Auror as well.

Turgon: looks like the real big brother of them all. Ravenclaw since he thinks he is the smartest and will get angry if you don´t say so too. Focuses on his books (and “secret” gf) and wants needs to be the best. (He is basically Percy W lol)

Aredhel: Gryffindor. It´s clear. Nothing can stop her. She loves/hates Celegorm and follows him everywhere. Gets angry if she loses against the Slytherin team. Also, very jealous.

Argon: his eldest brother is his idol. He follows him everywhere and tries his best to mimic him. The poor kid didn´t make it into Hufflepuff and couldn´t dye his hair etiher. Also feels anxious because he is the only one at first who knows that Fingon is gay and flirts with Mae, and somehow knows that he can´t be like him anymore. The kid doesn´t find himself in a long time but then he ends up working in a very high spot in the Ministry of Magic.  

Finrod: a very popular kid, basically Maedhros´ heir. He is nice and likes Muggles. He think they are cute ad very smart, with their technology. Maybe a blond and handsome Arthur Weasley?

Orodreth: much more mature than his brother. He has great projets as well, and takes care of everyone when his parents leave. He could have been a Slytherin as well. 50/50.

Blond Twins: I realised that I remembered nothing about these two (just like Orodreth) but I sorted them both in Ravenclaw because they would be almost the opposite than Amrod and Amras. They would be quieter and smarter, colder. They listen to their brothers... in a different way.

Galadriel: idk? it felt right to sort her in Slytherin? I don´t think she is brave, humble or smart. I think that, as the youngest of the kids, knows perfectly how to “survive” and rise above all her siblings and cousins. I see her rather manipulative. She gets what she wants.

[nerdanel-istarnie]

No space left for Noldor blood

//So that’s my entry for Feanorian’s week about Maedhros’s childhood. Maedhros realises it's unseemly that the third in line to the crown doesn't have the family's black hair. Fingon disagrees. Curufin just likes to eat it. 

  It’s on A3O too: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10390731

=========================================

Maedhros’ eyes were pensive as he watched Curufin toddle around, leaning on the bannister of the inner courtyard. The eldest son of Fëanor was usually the first to play with his younger brothers, caring and doting on them while their parents were busy. There was a remoteness in him now that made Maglor’s heart clench. He knelt next to Curufin who imperiously demanded to be taken up by pulling on the musician’s shoulder sleeve. Drawing his brother in his arms, he noted how unwieldy this was starting to get. Maedhros managed better but then he had the experience of several baby brothers growing into young limbed youngsters. Smiling at his oldest brother, he came to join him on the terrace. Curufin wasted no time grasping toward Maedhros, who begrudgingly got nearer. Curufin picked up one of the copper strands and pulled. Maglor laughed, trying with one hand to extricate the braid without letting go. When he succeeded, Maedhros face was even somber, if it was at all possible.

“What is it Nelyo? I remember Curvo stuffing your hair in his mouth before with you being far less troubled” The taller elf made a noncommittal answer, muted reassurances that everything was fine and Maglor put his younger brother down, now fairly alarmed “Tell me. You know anything that grieves you grieves me even more so”

Maedhros looked at the departing toddler, words coming only when their brother sat down and started eating purple lilies “Tyelko cares not at all he has silver hair. He says he likes being different. He doesn’t get lectures about spending time in the forge and can ride his nightmare of a horse all around Tirion without being bothered. He thinks it’s because it reminds father of Miriel”

Maglor was bemused. Maedhros was bothered by hair? But before he could ask, his brother forged on, still not looking at him “I went to the palace with Father and Curvo earlier. Finwë wanted to see his grandson’’ He gestured to the flower-eating elf ‘’Father thought he might enjoy Curvo’s new habit of saying no to things offered to him and then going to get them by himself. Apparently, it’s an action Father did himself in youth. Then uncle Nolofinwë had the terrible idea of dropping by with Findekáno unexpectedly. You can imagine that the afternoon became quite frosty. But it gave me plenty of time to observe” He continued paying little attention to Maglor, twisting the red hair between his fingers ‘‘I think no one would know I am from the line of Finwë if I stopped wearing the circlet”

He suddenly focused on his brother, grey eyes suddenly filled with remorse “I love Mother of course, you know that! And Mahtan. But father named me Nelyafinwë did he not? Something I am hardly in temperament or in looks. Or worse, perhaps I do take after Finwë but not enough after Father, and I irk him the way uncle Nolofinwë irks him’’ He lapsed into a brief silence ‘’If it wasn’t for him being called Curufinwë already, I think Curvo would better suited to my name than I am. He bit Fingon and father laughed! What a thing to teach a child”

Maglor snickered but Maedhros seemed unamused “I took him out with me to get some air” Maglor tried lightly “He has a temper that’s certain. A bit of air might have gotten him out of his snit” Maedhros corrected him “I took Findekáno out not Curvo. Curvo was busy being fawned over’’ His own unkind tone made him mad at himself. Curufin was not at fault here ‘’Note that after I suggested it, Findekáno forgot all his hurt from the bite and I don’t think all the hounds of Oromë could have pulled him away from my side. Those meetings must be so tedious for him’’ He frowned ‘’And hurtful”

The musician sighed ‘’Findekáno likes you. You take him with you on adventures and keep him safe. You teach him things and listen to him. He has no big brother but you’’ Maglor took his brother’s arm, stopping his harsh twists on his hair and returning to the subject at hand “You never say anything cross at any of them, I would never have thought it bothered you. I don’t think anyone knows it bothers you. Really Nelyo, you are a fine son and an even finer brother. I’m certain no one tough you less of the house of Finwë because of your hair. Everyone loves your hair!” “Yes. It’s a curiosity’’ Seeing the retort on his brother’s lips, he conceded ‘’It’s beautiful, I know. But I would rather have black hair. And it’s not the crux of the matter, my character is. The hair is just a reminder”

From afar they heard the powerful horn of Curvo crying. Maedhros all but ran to his brother, only to find him kicking Findekáno’s shin while jumping for a delicate kite the young Nolofinwean was holding aloft above his head ‘’I did nothing. He saw me playing with the kite and wanted it. It’s unsafe for him. I didn’t mean to make him cry’’

Maedhros picked up Curufin, who was still bawling while reaching for the colourful silk bird ‘’Do not let it trouble you. He likes purple things these days’’ Reassured his kite was safely out of Curvo’s reach, Fingon held it close to his chest, eyeing the toddler with distrust. Curufin, filled with anger still, took two full hands of Nelyo’s hair and shoved them in his mouth. The immediate silence was only broken when Maglor exploded laughing ‘’See. He likes red too’’ Maedhros let a polite smile grace his lips, not wanting to reopen their earlier debate in front of their cousin. Fingon for his part was staring quite openly at Maedhros’ hair and blurted out ‘’I like your hair. It looks like a waterfall made of fire’’ Maglor looked far too pleased with himself but Maedhros snapped, rage flashing in his eyes ‘’Maybe there was so much fire in my conception that there wasn’t any space left for Noldor blood’’

It was a testament to his nascent courage that Fingon did not flee after such a comment and retorted ‘’You are the only one able to withstand grandfather’s unending meetings with the Vanyar without going cross-eyed. You wouldn’t be able to do that if you weren’t his grandson. And you are so patient. If I hear about Cuivenen one more time I’ll go live in the woods with the beasts to relive it instead!’’ Maedhros was taken by surprise by the speech, but Fingon forged on, not leaving the taller elf’s eyes a second ‘’You treat me like family. Even when people are looking! Plus, you don’t give me ‘’that’’ look’’. Maglor inquired about the nature of said look. What followed was a very approximate impression of Fëanor glaring, as rendered by a young gangly elf holding a purple sparrow kite. It broke Maedhros’ heart. Somehow, the idea of not being like his father at this moment made Maedhros feel more at peace rather than less. Slowly Maedhros smiled at his cousin’s ridiculous display ‘’Yes, my strengths lie not in glaring’’ Curufin gurgled and spit out a braid. Now was the time to bring him back home.

Maedhros transferred Curufin to Maglor ‘’Thank you for the compliments Findekáno. They were strange’’ Findekáno earnest face scrunched in disappointment ‘’But welcome’’ And then the light of his smile was back. Not for the first time Maedhros was amazed by how easily his cousin’s mood turned with only a word from him.

As they were walking home, Maedhros could feel how much Maglor wanted to talk and pushing the gooey strand of hair behind his shoulder he looked at his brother expectantly ‘’Well?’’ Maglor nearly had a skip in his step ‘’I have no better qualifier than ‘waterfall of fire’ really’’ Maedhros groaned ‘’He’s young. He doesn’t understand…’’ the red-haired elf trailed off, slipping back into his earlier mood. Maglor was having none of it ‘’Understand what? I felt he understood very clearly. He saw you are a fine study for a statesman, a fair one that doesn’t begrudge him his lineage’’ The eldest said nothing. But touching the end of one of his unmaimed braids he smiled as he looked over his shoulder at the purple kite flying high about the line of the trees. ‘’Perhaps there was some wisdom in his words’’