claunicornia

[sesamenom]

Gil-galad Variations, featuring all the gil galad theories i've encountered.

[havenotwillnotreadthebooks]

Okay but consider; The Sons of Elrond reminding people of the Sons of Feanor.

Like, in Middle-Earth (ME) it wasn’t a big deal that E&E followed their dad around because it was just accepted as Harmless Peredhel Oddness.

But in Valinor, all these relatives keep visiting The House of Elrond because he’s the baby of every Finwion branch in existence. So these Finweans come around and just see Elrond’s sons somewhat hovering around him or staying in the general vicinity. Furthermore, Elrond isn’t just their dad, he’s also their lord-father and to Elrohir & Elladan, Elrond’s authority is above all else. Anyone, else.

Elrond casually tells his sons to do something simple and they do it without protest because it’s just getting a teapot or something, they may whine or groan like elflings for fun, but they get the teapot without question. That’s just how that relationship is. When the twins protest it’s loud and rare, and usually they just wanna follow their family members around (Arwen, Estel, Elrond, Celebrian).

But it’s just Elrond and Celebrian in Valinor, with Glorfindal, Lindir, and Erestor settling their own business elsewhere for a bit.

So these Finweans just see The Sons of Elrond (which they are canonically called) following their father around loyally, and mostly down to do anything for him (they swore an oath against all orcs for their mom, c’mon), and these Finweans start getting flashbacks to the Sons of Feanor in their youth.

The average Middle-Earth elf just sees the very close Peredhel Fam being a close family. The average Valinorean elf looks at the twins following Elrond around like ducklings and starts seeing ghosts.

It’s worse if Elrond is Feanorian, but even without that headcanon, it’s an uncanny likeness and it disturbs the Finweans that visit The House of Elrond.

(Celebrian, personally, thinks it’s funny).

[an-eldritch-peredhel]

I’d love to hear your thoughts on what Eldritch peredhel entail

-@@outofangband

Sorry this took so long @outofangband and thank you for asking this I am! Delighted! And am preemptively putting a read more down because I cannot shut up about they <3

alright I'm just gonna put stuff and headcanons down as they occur to me so expect low-moderate levels of coherency

shapeshifting is an obvious one (gets weaker down the generations) but because my brain is Like This I have caveats!

thanks to my whole peredhil things=gender allegory that my brain spit out without my permission I've long struggled against my inherent feeling that while they can shapeshift they don't like it

but because I'm now aware of my brain's reasoning I can say it's because of ✨fantasy dysphoria✨

that's oversimplifying, obviously, but peredhil already have so much issues with working through who and what they are and compromising between body and mind and spirit that actively choosing to change into/present as something/someone who They Are Not is. Not usually their cup of tea.

As a whole they tend to have specific forms that they prefer as being closer to themselves, and distinct enough that it doesn't feel like they're faking something they're not

(changing to look like a different person, or a edited version of themself is Very Very not fun unless either explicitly for disguise or shenanigans)

(the exception to this is that Luthien can make herself look almost perfectly human without any real issue. she doesn't do it often but especially as she ages she likes to catch glimpses of her reflection and get both excited and sappy. this is in contrast to making herself look almost perfectly like an elf which makes her feel like her skin is on fire.)

(Also I'm pretty sure all of them can flip their agab presentation while only feeling varying degrees of off, and even then it's a different feeling than the shapeshifting dysphoria. Dior and Elwing are the two who I think mind it the most)

They all have the (agonizing to write) trait of feeling very distinct relationships to their species in their body vs soul/mind vs spirit/fea and they all feel it very differently! This isn't exclusive to Luthien's line but the maia blood does make it worse.

Oh! This is a new headcanon of mine actually but!

They all have faces that are very very hard to capture in image. They are the bane of portrait artists (and, to a degree, sculptors) everywhere because the art never looks accurate to life

It's not blatantly off it's just. missing something? Or something was added? maybe it's a little too wide, or narrow, or long, or short, in one place or another

It's not unrecognizable but if you've ever seen the subject in real life you can just tell

It's especially bad with Luthien (and Daeron) and Dior (to a lesser extent) because everyone literally sees them differently, as in their features will be slightly different depending on what each person finds attractive/aesthetically appealing and beautiful

(not a lot, again, it's not unrecognizable, but there has never and will never be any accurate depiction of Luthien as she was as a person)

(as a concept, though, as the most beautiful creature to have ever existed in Arda, a little of her image exists in every portrait lovingly made of a beloved spouse, every child's drawing of their family, in biological sketches of songbirds and field mice, in a sculpture of a stranger's face. Daeron remembers his sister perfectly, but he collects these regardless)

(Arwen, Luthien come again, isn't described as such by her grandparents. Galadriel and Celeborn both knew Luthien, and while Arwen and her father both look as closely to her as genetically possible, to those who actually know them both it's nothing more than uncanny family resemblance. Luthien was to most a concept personified, Arwen is a person with concepts imposed on her.)

The list of people who have seen Luthien how she actually, physically, defaultly is, essentially consists of Melian, Daeron, Beren, and Dior

Beren doesn't see her as she is right away because he doesn't know her right away, but they learn about each other and she shows herself and he sees her and by the time she rescues him from Tol-im-Gaurhoth there are no echoes on her face

(He's always a little bit haunted that he nearly died without realizing he'd never quite seen the truth of her before)

Neither Thingol or Beren can quite see their own features on their children's faces. They clearly take after their mothers, after all!

(This leads to much affectionate eye-rolling on Melian and Luthien's part)

Hair stuff!

It's alive! kinda! it's definitely not normal hair!

It moves a lot on its own. Sometimes like a breeze is blowing where there isn't one. Sometimes more like tentacles. It depends on its mood.

They've got some very pretty traditional cosmic horror vibes swirling around on their heads. It's very sparkly and colorful but in a Forbidden Shrimp Colors that your brain is unable to comprehend way so it reads as iridescent black mostly, or holographic white, where applicable

Luthien's hair actually is a glimpse into space, Daeron's is a glance at a star

(Luthien's magic hair cloak survives, I think, into the 4th age and beyond, though if anyone/anything has found it they certainly don't know the origins of the beautifully intricate living star map. It has seen the reign of countless north stars, yet the lines always point to the same coordinates- where the ancient, sunken, ruined remains of what once was Tol-im-Gaurhoth lay)

Speed round!

Fangs and talons and horns oh my! Are they tooth and keratin and bone, or are they petrified wood and gem and stone? Yes!

They all smell a little like ozone and a lot like petrichor, flowers, and Green. If you've smelled green you know what I'm talking about. Also, unfortunately, like bird. Birds don't smell great, especially wet bird.

Weird Foresight Powers++

(Most of them don't have actual foresight, but all of them are more in-tune with the Song than is natural for an incarnate)

Their eyes glow, most notably in the dark, unless the irises turn black as they sometimes do. They are also all unnaturally bright versions of the less-spooky parent's- Dior's are gold, Elwing's are blue-green like a tropical sea (Elured and Elurin split the color between them- ultramarine and emerald), Elrond and Elros have pale star-gold, Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen all have silver.

(Daeron and Luthien being the exception again, because I decided they have Melian's eyes before I decided this, and I don't know what color eyes Thingol has. Watsonianly: Melian's spooky genes overwrite a lot. Luthien's genotype is probably much closer to his than her magically overwritten phenotype)

Their sclerae turn black and their pupils white, on occasion, usually when using powers

They don't bleed right. It's a little too red for an elf, a little too light for a human, and it shines strange as it beads like quicksilver on the skin

They have very shiny, cool skin. Luthien looked like her's was silver plate under a stretched stocking, the rest toned it down from there but it's still noticeable.

The Song is. Attached to them. They are all very much Main Characters. Their lives have a clear story arc with symbolism and narrative parallels. They are all subconsciously aware that their lives are a fairytale, whether tragic or no, and yes this has many Implications and affects. They are not the only ones like this, but they are the only ones who, to some level, know they are in a story.

This is the fundamental separation between them and everyone else.

The difference in how they perceive themselves between heart soul and spirit is very difficult to explain and understand, but not impossible to someone who knows them and is willing to put in the work.

The life-long knowledge that they are Important to the Song and their every choice and event they experience and their mere existence serves a greater purpose in a way that most other people simply do not- that's very, very isolating.

No one else can understand how they see the world. Very very few people are willing to try, and even fewer in a way that's not frustrating. There is a reason most of them find only one person to latch on to outside of their family, and a reason they hold on through hell and high water.

(This is about being neurodivergent)

[annoyinglandmagazine]

Hamilton songs as the Silmarillion prt 1

Who lives, Who dies, Who tells your story: Elrond Peredhel. Thinking mainly about all the kids he fosters in Elros’ line. But also the idea of him preserving the histories and memory of the Feanorians alongside the rest of his family.

Quiet Uptown: Either kidnap fam, with everyone’s assorted trauma (I think maybe Mae and Mags thinking about their brothers) or Feanor and Nerdanel reuniting after everything

Say no to this: Silvergifting. Celebrimbor and Annatar. Need I say more?

Burn: Nerdanel obviously. I’ve heard that take before and honestly it seems written for her. But I’m also going to add the possibility of Curufinrod. Some parts more than others I feel would also fit either point of view for that one. I lean a little more towards Curvo though. Maybe some kind of jealousy towards Beor and Barahir?

Non stop: Maedhros after Angband. All the diplomacy over letters, probably from his sick bed. The song just describes him so well. Also Elros.

Helpless: Luthien and Beren fits very well. But also Halenthir if we’re getting creative. Especially the bits about meddling siblings.

Satisfied: Russingon. If we’re going with Fingon having a wife. Forbidden love. It just makes me emotional. From Maedhros point of view.

Room where it happens: Nargothrond. Mainly Curufin and Celegorm and Orodreth. Feat Finrod and Beren.

Alexander Hamilton: Feanor. Just Feanor.

Schuyler Sisters: The three Cs. Just imagine it. Also Idril, Aredhel and Galadriel works. But seriously Celegorm, Caranthir - and Curufin. It would be incredible.

Farmer Refuted: Feanor harassing Eonwe while being backed up by Celegorm and Curufin. So funny.

You’ll be back: Thingol talking to literally anyone. He just has that entitled vibe. Also maybe Sauron to Maedhros.

Right Hand Man: Elrond and Gil Galad when they meet during the War of Wrath.

[maglor-my-beloved]

Welcomes

Erestor had not meant to be caught.

As he was dragged through the palace, he silently cursed himself for his carelessness. He never should have allowed himself to get this close to Lindon, no matter how lonely and exhausted he was, how much he longed for safety and companionship.

He had hoped, foolishly, to find Celebrimbor, to beg him for protection and a chance to atone for his crimes, but the last of his Lords was not here, and even if he were, why would he take in a kinslayer, a devoted follower of the very family he had tried so hard to distance himself from?

No, he never should have come here. Now it was too late, his hands tied and guards surrounding him, leaving him with no chance of escape as he was brought before the King. He tried not to think too much on what they would do with him. Death seemed to him preferable to a life in chains, but he did not think it would be his choice.

-

The King’s eyes were cold and unyielding as steel as he looked down at Erestor standing before the dais, and Erestor could feel the eyes of the courtiers on his back, glaring and muttering.

“It is a new Age,” the King proclaimed, “an Age of grace and healing. Pledge fealty to the crown and forswear the Kinslayers you once served, and you may stay and repent for your past deeds.”

Erestor snarled at him, his head proudly raised.

"I will swear to none but my Lords," he growled. Let them chain him, let them kill him, he would not be made a traitor.

"Then –" the King began.

"Would you swear to me?" his Herald cut in, and his was the first kind voice Erestor had heard in... he did not know how long.

He looked at the Herald, a short Elf in rich purple robes, his dark hair in courtly Noldor braids, his eyes bright and soft as the night sky. On his brow gleamed an eight-rayed star.

"I am Elrond Peredhel, raised by Maedhros and Maglor Fëanorion," he continued, ignoring the discontented whispers from the court. "I would offer you a place in my House, if you pledge fealty to me."

Elrond. Erestor had heard of him, of course, had heard of the children his Lords had taken in and raised, but he never had dared to hope… 

He tore his arm free from the guard’s grasp and took a step forward, falling to his knees before Elrond, and with his right fist pressed to his heart, he pledged his life and service to his new Lord.

“What is your name?”

“Erestor,” he whispered, tears choking him at the kindness in Elrond’s eyes, the softness of his grasp as he drew him to his feet and cut his bindings.

Elrond cupped his face as his tears began to spill, shielding him from the eyes of the court.

“Welcome home, Erestor.”

[lendmyboyfriendahand]

FInwe in the third age part ii

Over the next few days, the injured elf woke only briefly, saying confused phrases, or moaning in pain. Elrond considered whether it would promote peace in the valley if the only one present in the room who spoke no Quenya, so they could spread no rumors. But that would further distress the patient, and Elrond did not want him - whoever he was - to be upset, or to be tempted to go out and find answers. So there was always someone in the room who spoke Quenya, a nurse or a child of the Exile or a member of Elrond's family, with instructions to alert Elrond immediately if the patient was able to converse. (And to tell no one what they overheard, "for the sake of the stranger's privacy.")

It was nearly a week before Elrond was able to test his suspicions with anyway other than Glorfindel's sketches. Elladan had rushed to his study with the news that the patient was awake and impatient to know what was going on.

"Good afternoon, I'm glad to see you're feeling recovered. I am Elrond Peredhel, lord and chief healer of Rivendell."

"Yes, your son mentioned. I'm sorry, you seem familiar somehow but I can't think of any hall called Rivendell in Aman."

"I am not surprised you haven't, it's a long way from Tirion and we have not met before. I know you just survived a very stressful situation, but I have to ask you some questions to make sure you're oriented before I can explain."

"Even before you can tell me if anyone else survived the attack? The one in here earlier said it's been days, is there no word of my grandsons?" The patient began to push himself out of the bed as he said this.

Elrond pushed down on his shoulder, the weight too much for the injured elf to lift. (It's not treason to give your king medical care, and it's not like I ever pledged him my service. Elrond reminded himself. It feels like blasphemy, but when has that stopped me?) "Do NOT try to stand or sit! Your belly was torn open, and any further movement could tear it again. And as for your question, I could answer it better if I knew who you were."

"I'm Finwe! King of the Noldor and lord of Tirion - though currently Nolofinwe is ruling it. How do you not know that? Even the few Noldor I haven't spoken with should have seen me at festivals."

Elrond ignored the question. "It's good that you recall that. You were the only member of your family injured in the attack. Now, can you talk me through what you remember happening?"

Finwe sighed in relief. "That's good. I remember there was darkness. But deeper than I'd seen anywhere in Valinor, even in caves. Deeper even than a cloudy night in the forest beside Cuivienen. It was terrifying, and strange, and impossible. I told Maitimo to find his brothers and run, but something was coming. I stayed to fight it off, or at least buy time."

"That was very brave."

"What else could I have done? The attacker - surely you must know, your son didn't seem surprised when I told him to warn everyone - it was Melkor. The Dark Hunter has returned to his evil ways. He kept asking where Feanor was, and the Silmarils. I would not help him, but I have not fought since I hunted my meals underneath the stars. Melkor is a Vala, with all their might, and he overpowered me. The last thing I recall is seeing him walk away into the house. And then waking up here, among strangers."

Elrond nodded. "Thank you. Now, what I'm about to say will likely seem very shocking, but I must recommend as a healer that you do not make abrupt movements. Your body is still weak, far more so than your soul is accustomed to."

"What news could be that shocking, after being attacked in my home?"

"You are not in Valinor anymore, but instead are in Middle Earth. You can see for yourself out the window, that the stars are far clearer than they would be under the Trees."

"How did I get here? It must have taken months - did Melkor have me captive?"

"I have no more idea how you got here than you do; my people found you dying and half drowned on the banks of the river. You have been unconscious for nearly a week, and in that time we have seen no trace of anything that brought you here, nor any tracks leading from the site."

"But - if it's been a week, how has news reached you from Valinor? Even if Feanaro followed his plan to return to these lands, it would take months to sail."

"That is the second piece of shocking news, and the hopefully the last one of such magnitude. It has been over seven hundred years since Morgoth attacked Formenos, by the count in Valinor under the Trees. You were believed to be dead."

"That's impossible."

"And yet, it happened."

"Am I supposed to just take you at your word on this?"

"I do not give my word lightly, but I shall if you request it and will refrain from straining yourself trying to investigate shadows that aren't there."

"Do so, if you are not a servant of Melkor."

"I swear by Varda and by Ulmo that I have not lied to you, and that I wish for you to recover from your injuries. There is much I have not told you yet, as the tale of three Ages is long indeed, but I will tell you in time."

Finwe still lay there glaring at Elrond, but he made no move to get out his bed. "And how much time will it take before you tell me of my family?"

"There is little I can say for certain about how they are, as we do not have frequent news from Valinor. Artanis dwells on these shores, and rules Lothlorien with her husband. I married their daughter Celebrian, and so my sons and I are your family as well, but no one else is in Middle Earth."

"I am surprised Feanor did not come here, even after so long as you say it has been."

"He did, to avenge your death as much as to find a land where he could be free, but Melkor killed him as well."

"How convenient that all the people I would recognize are far away."

"No, it's not, as if you worry less you will heal faster. I suppose there is one. Do you know Glorfindel of - of the Golden Flower?" of Gondolin would mean nothing to Finwe.

"I think Turgon has a friend named that, have they started coming up with fancy titles when out on the town?"

"You could say that. He is the captain of Rivendell's guard, but could be spared from his duties long enough to speak with you."

"Fine, send him in."

[runawaymun]

Ohhhh Erestor for like. Everything! But if that’s too much 😅 just for the sleep one? Also glorfindel ;)

Erestor:

☾ - sleep headcanon

He's peredhel, so he sleeps... basically like a human. He needs somewhere between 6-8 hours per night, closes his eyes, and experiences REM.

★ - sad headcanon

I don't have too many of these for Erestor, but I do get sad thinking about, with regards to my headcannon that he was raised among the Haladin, that he basically watched everyone he grew up around die out while he was still pretty "young", and then on top of that-- being "Feanorian" he must have been so ostracized and lonely :(

☆ - happy headcanon

Love the idea of him going to Ost-in-Edhil and being taken under Celebrimbor's wing. I headcannon them as being very close in the second age, bonding over being basically the last of the line, y'know?

☠ - angry/violent headcanon

Erestor never yells when angry. He just gets very, very cold. He's also super calculating and tends not to react to things in the moment, but prefers to plan things out that will come to fruition later.

✿ - Sex headcanon

Sex positive ace :)

■ -  Bedroom/house/living quarters headcanon

EXTREMELY tidy. Mess drives him to violence! But he does have the innate human "clutter" thing of collecting objects (books, maps, notebooks, bird feathers mostly). And keeps these all in very orderly collections.

♡ - romantic headcanon

He's not a super romantic type, but if he's fixing your clothes/hair for you or fussing a lot then he probably likes you.

♥ - family headcanon

During the Third Age he lives up in the family's wing in Rivendell (with Glorfindel), and helps raise Arwen and Elladan and Elrohir. He's a huge part of their lives (and a favorite prank target).

☮ - friendship headcanon

He's one of those friends that you always want around because he's not afraid to call you out on your bullshit. He just has a very low tolerance for it. Especially for people who are too hard on themselves (which is why he's so good for Elrond).

♦ - quirks/hobbies headcanon

Bird watcher, likes collecting bird feathers and skulls, and is super into architecture.

☯ - likes/dislikes headcanon

Mess, sour food, & hates hot weather.

▼ - childhood headcanon

already answered here, but have another one: he didn't have any actual siblings, but he grew up well-liked with a small posse of human friends that he'd run around with as a kid. He was very bossy but like, in the kind of way that makes you want to listen to what he says, and always had strong opinions on what games they should play and how to play them.

∇ -. old age/aging headcanon

I'm not sure whether I have one of these due to him being immortal, though I like the idea of him developing a couple gray streaks toward the end of the third age.

♒ - cooking/food headcanon

He doesn't cook a lot, mostly because he can't be bothered. Like, he can, he just doesn't like to & considers it a hassle.

☼ - appearance headcanon

I like to model his face after Lee Joon-Gi :) He looks perfect to me for what I imagine Erestor to look like.

ൠ - random headcanon

Coffee drinker. Where does that coffee come from? I guess the same place that Middle Earth hobbits get their potatoes. 🤷

◉ - Any other question of your choosing

Glorfindel

☾ - sleep headcanon

Blanket hogger. Like obviously elves don't sleep in the way that we do, but he still hates being cold & when he does walk the paths of memory he 'sleeps' like a log.

★ - sad headcanon

Has regular balrog nightmares that he doesn't admit to. He's very macho about the whole balrog/gondolin situation but that shit was genuinely traumatic for him and yeah, he gets nightmares and phantom aches about it.

☆ - happy headcanon

Has a nickname for absolutely everyone. Calls Elrond 'winyamo' (kiddo). :) Elrond calls him 'grandpa'.

☠ - angry/violent headcanon

Ohhhhh he DOES do that sexy noldorin blaze-with-treelight when he's mad.

✿ - Sex headcanon

Very worshipful partner, kind of a horny bastard tbh.

■ -  Bedroom/house/living quarters headcanon

Messy. He doesn't mean to be, he just tends to leave things around and not put things away -- a bit forgetful like that.

♡ - romantic headcanon

Oh he is a mess when he's around his partner. 10/10 doting, hopeless romantic, pet names, the whole nine yards.

♥ - family headcanon

Also part of the peredhil family unit, plays pranks with the twins, and responsible for teaching all three of the kids pretty much everything they know about swordplay and footwork. It's not that Elrond doesn't train with them, it's just that Glorfindel's the main teacher in that regard.

☮ - friendship headcanon

Actually super good friends with Galadriel & they refer to each other by their Quenya names.

♦ - quirks/hobbies headcanon

Very fidgety/has trouble sitting still. Tends to pace during meetings.

☯ - likes/dislikes headcanon

Adores animals and melts for children. Absolutely can't stand spicy food.

▼ - childhood headcanon

I don't actually have one???? 😭 I have such a hard time imagining Glorfindel as a child actually.

∇ -. old age/aging headcanon

Mellows out considerably with age and kind of just wants to retire in a cottage with his husband. Please don't ask him to rule or do any politics. He just wants to settle down.

♒ - cooking/food headcanon

Loves to cook. Is very bad at it.

☼ - appearance headcanon

IDK I actually disagree with a lot of general depictions of Glorfindel, mostly because I think they're just a bit too fem? Idk how to explain it but he's a huge kronk-y himbo in my head, and a lot of Glorfindel depictions just don't look right to me.

ൠ - random headcanon

He still doesn't braid his hair back for fights, even though he really should.

◉ - Any other question of your choosing

[imakemywings]

Idril and Eärendil for the ask game? 😁

Idril:

There needs to be a square for "They did nothing wrong." Idril did nothing wrong! Well...she may be a kinslayer, but other than that!

I've talked before about why I don't think children were taken across the Helcaraxe, so my take is that Idril was an adult when she left Tirion and honestly that makes it more interesting for me because it means she was fully capable of making her own decisions when she went. Both her parents went--Elenwe is the only wife iirc who is explicitly stated to have gone with--which makes me think the whole family was probably on board with this. As always with the Nolofinweans, the question of Alqualonde looms...did Idril kill anyone? Maybe? I think in the heat of the moment she would have, particularly when they didn't really understand what was going on.

So presumably Idril made her own adult decision to go on this quest and then her mom dies and they spent 30 years crossing an icy wasteland and maybe she's a killer now and her parents are probably killers and nothing will ever be the same as it was. Did Idril see anything, when they were crossing the Helcaraxe? Did she see anything about their future in Middle-earth? Or was it all foggy and obscure out there on the ice?

She must be a practical person--she has the wherewithal to start planning Gondolin's escape even when she doesn't know what's coming or when. She's smart enough to keep it from Maeglin. She even has armor made for Earendil, and that ends up saving his life when Maeglin stabs him.

Idril honestly doesn't get a ton of fandom attention, but I have seen some takes that blame her for Maeglin's betrayal or act like she treated him unfairly and I am so not here for that. Maeglin's creep behavior towards Idril is fairly canonical and the idea that she was obliged to put up with that for hundreds of years or even "give him a chance" (!! what kind of misogyny!!) is insane to me. Nor does it state anywhere in the book or drafts that she is unkind to him--only that she's put off by his insistent romantic interest in her and that she doesn't trust him. The dude was ready to murder her husband and child and force her to marry him, and that really doesn't say anything good about their past history.

I do tend to think their relationship had its positive elements, particularly when Maeglin was younger, but I think his refusal to accept her lack of romantic interest in him wore things down pretty far, which only got worse when Tuor came into the picture. I think early on, Idril assumed Maeglin just had a crush that would pass and she wanted to try to be there for him while trying to set some reasonable boundaries, but as he became an adult and still would not take no for an answer, she probably did lose patience with him.

Love her leading the Gondolindrim to safety during the fall, and I love fanon interpretations where she gets close with Elwing in the Havens at Sirion. I'm sure Elwing has other parental figures in her life from among the Doriathrim, but the thought of her having been close with her mother-in-law for years before she and Earendil are married is sweet <3

OH and she's every bit as much of a nerd as Turgon. She's fantastic with administrative tasks.

Earendil:

Earendil, our most beloved star! Earendil is painted so clearly as a hero in the book and as a savior of Middle-earth that some of the takes on him absolute baffle me. It feels like there are fans who don't understand that many Silm characters end up in positions where there is no "good" option--only the one that does the least damage and nets the most good. There is nothing in the text that tells us Earendil wanted to leave his family and go sailing for Aman seeking help against Melkor. In fact, what we do get of him and the fact that he willingly surrenders his preferred choice on the Peredhel question for the sake of Elwing suggests he loved them a lot and would have much preferred to stay at home with his wife and his kids.

I tend to assume these less charitable takes, as with Elwing, are for the sake of making him look worse so Maedhros and Maglor don't look quite as bad for butchering the Havens and kidnapping his children.

I love Earendil/Elwing as a "childhood friends to lovers" romance where they're these kids who have been through so much already but they meet and grow up together in the Havens and it feels so natural when things shift to a romance <3 They may be a little co-dependent at times but that's okay <3

Tolkien describes his first voyage:

"Earendil found not Tuor nor Idril, nor came he ever on that journey to the shores of Valinor, defeated by shadows and enchantment, driven by repelling winds, until in longing for Elwing he turned homewards towards the coast of Beleriand." (Of the Voyage of Earendil and the War of Wrath)

I do not believe this guy, who missed his wife so much that he went back to see her again when even the perils of the sea had not deterred him, did not love his family.

"Great was the sorrow of Earendil and Elwing for the ruin of the havens of Sirion, and the captivity of their sons, and they feared that they would be slain..." (Of the Voyage of Earendil and the War of Wrath)

Did it hurt Elwing and the twins that he was away? Yeah, at times, it probably did. Did it hurt the twins that their dad was not able to rescue them from the Feanorians? Yeah, it probably did. Unfortunately, turning back would have forfeited bringing the host of Aman out in force against Melkor. Earendil sacrificed the joy of being there with and for his family to make sure they survived, and the rest of Middle-earth with them. At this point in the story we know, and many of the characters seem to understand, that Melkor cannot be defeated without the aid of the Valar. They need the Valar's help. Someone has to get it. Earendil takes that burden on himself and it does mean he can't really be there for his family. But not because he doesn't love them or want to be there with them. Earendil's story throughout is one of sacrifice. He helps save Middle-earth, he defeats Ancalagon, he ensures the survival of Elves and Men alike--but it means he can never see his children again, he can never go home to the Havens again, he is tasked with sailing Vingilot for the rest of time. He is probably the most quintessential folk hero in Middle-earth.

I also want to note, regarding the Silmaril, this quote about Earendil and Elwing's final voyage in search of Aman:

"He stood now most often at the prow of Vingilot, and the Silmaril was bound upon his brow; and ever its light grew greater as they drew into the West. And the wise have said that it was by reason of the power of that holy jewel that they came in time to waters that no vessels save those of the Teleri had known..." (Of the Voyage of Earendil and the War of Wrath)

Here it is strongly suggest that but for the Silmaril Earendil and Elwing's quest would have failed. If they were not able to reach Aman, they would not have been able to bring the host of the Valar back to Middle-earth. In short: if the Feanorians had successfully reclaimed every Silmaril, it may have ensured Melkor's victory over Middle-earth.

This is, to me, the strongest evidence that Elwing was not wrong to withhold the Silmaril from the Feanorians and that her belief that Earendil needed it was not misplaced.

Also, this, from when Earendil finally comes before Manwe and the Valar:

"Pardon he asked for the Noldor and pity for their great sorrows, and mercy upon Men and Elves and succor in their need. And his prayer was granted." (Of the Voyage of Earendil and the War of Wrath)

One of the most annoying things I think is when people act like Earendil and Elwing are either obliged to forgive the Feanorians for what they did or else they're heartless bastards. Here we see Earendil explicitly ask for pardon of the Noldor. Earendil and Elwing are not unreasonable or set against the Noldor or whatever. Earendil is part Noldor himself! That does not mean they have to forgive the Feanorians for the brutal war crimes they committed.

ANYWAY as I've said before...Earendil is clearly intended to be a deeply sympathetic and heroic character and I'm not in for takes that don't acknowledge that.

[herenortherenearnorfar]

Tagged by @undercat-overdog and @aipilosse for an end of year writing wrapup. 

Word Count for the Year: 30.5k according to Ao3, my own counter says 128k but that includes a lot of not this account writing. 

Works Posted: Seven

Pairings: Mercymorn/Cristabel, Celebrimbor/Sauron, and Nie Mingjue/Wen Qing (I need to finish that one). 

Fandoms: Silmarillion, The Locked Tomb, The Untamed, but mostly Silm. 

Most Popular Work: Excluding hits from last year, Mirror Test

Fic That I Spent the Most Time On: unpublished 9 rings fic is killing me

Fic I Spent the Least Time On: Jewels For Your Daughter was very quick and easy

Favorite Thing I Wrote: I love all my children equally (Architect Digest)

Story I’m Most Proud Of: I love all my children equally but none of them are doctors, they could do better.

Funniest: the latest chunk of Baby Gollum was very funny

Kinkiest: I need to get over my complex about writing freak nonsense on main. None, this could be improved.

Saddest: Baby Tar-Miriel

Least Popular: my niche locked tomb prequel

Favorite Opening Line:  Four hundred and fifty years after the one calling himself Annatar appeared at their stoop, a hundred fifty years after his abrupt departure, someone is brought through Eregion’s gates.

Favorite Closing Line: Honestly, they weren’t going to have their family come back to an unordered fairyland. It’s the least they can do to settle matters before everyone comes home.(And it is nice to be the one winning the crown for once.)

Story I Haven’t Written Yet But Intend To: Some more second-age stuff, some final chapters to things. 

New Things I Tried: Working on giving everyone new and exciting pronouns.

Ficwriting Goals 2023: Get weirder, comment on other people’s work more, better documentation of how much I write.

Favorite Things I Read This Year: It has been such a good year for peredhel fics; Family Pulled From a Flood, Lineage by @aipilosse, my heart resteth not by @undercat-overdog, skies full of silver and gold by @asterique, from the ones who came before by @thalion71 just a lot of good stuff

Tagging: I think everyone has already done it but @winepresswrath, @thearrogantemu, @ameliarating

[celebregol]

thinking about how the present is a distortion of the past. we don’t know elured and elurin’s exact fates, though it’s likely they died in middle earth. if they died, we don’t know which they would have chosen --- the fate of man, or of elf. elwing, though, survived when they didn’t and escaped to valinor, where she is immortal and made her choice.

we don’t know elladan and elrohir’s fates, though we know they’re likely alive, not dead, and were last in middle earth. we don’t know which fate they chose. arwen didn’t leave middle earth like elwing did, but she did die before her brothers and she very clearly chose her fate, as a mortal.

[arafinweanappreciation]

Finwean Ladies Ask Game

You asked for this. All six of you.

Send in a character(s) and the numbers you'd like to see for them. If you request a character and number combination I've already answered, then I'll link to that post, and all posts related to this will be tagged "aj's finwean ladies ask game". Feel free to send in more than one!

What's her general attitude towards the Finwean Family Drama?

Colors associated with her?

Career or occupation headcanons?

Favorite canonical relationship?

Favorite non-canonical relationship*?

What's her general personality like?

Thoughts on her as a mother (if applicable)?

Does she have any unique quirks?

Personal headcanons about her that contradict the popular ideas within the fandom (if any)?

Relationship with/attitudes towards Feanor?

Thoughts on her name?

What's her reputation among the general populace?

What character do you really wish she had gotten to meet/hope she will someday meet?

In a modern au, what surprising/bizarrely specific and obscure genre of music would she listen to?

Algebra person or geometry person?

Wild card: either ask me a question that's not on here or let me ramble. Up to you.

Some more non-essential info under the cut

*as in it's never mentioned/alluded to on-page. many of the ones i have lots of Thoughts about can be reasonably assumed to have existed, but are never discussed.

Btw, these are the ladies I generally think of as "Finwean":

Miriel

Indis

Findis

Irime (Lalwende)

Nerdanel

Anaire

Earwen

Galadriel

Aredhel

Elenwe

Amarie

Edalote

Idril

Celebrian

Finduilas

Essentially, any female character that was born into the family, married into the family, or could be reasonably speculated to have married into the family off-page.

As for the ladies you might have been expecting but aren't on the list:

Andreth: Since she never had the chance to marry Aegnor and it's unlikely that they will have the chance until the Remaking of Arda, I don't really consider her to be "part of the family" in an official sense, though I'm sure the Arafinweans thought of her that way (the ones who got to meet her, at least).

Maglor, Orodreth, and Curufin's unnamed wives: I simply don't have enough information! While I do have some headcanons as to why they're never named or mentioned in the Silm (separate from the Doylist explanation), I don't have a lot of specific ideas about them.

Elwing: I feel like her identity as a Sindarin princess (and peredhel) overrides her relationship to the Finweans, especially since there were so few of them left to have relationships with by the time she married Earendil. To be honest, I forget Earendil is a Finwean at times.

Arwen: Most of the reasons for Elwing also apply to her. She's just very far removed from the other Finweans, has a lot of Sindarin influence, and her heritage as a peredhel is really the aspect that gets the most focus in the story.

Faniel: With the exception of the Angrod -> Orodreth -> Gil-galad line of descent, I stick to the family trees as presented in the published Silmarillion.

That being said, feel free to ask about any of them! Just be aware that it might take me a little longer to come up with a response, and it might not be as detailed. They're just not where my focus has been lately :)

[an-eldritch-peredhel]

heyas! i'm your gifter for the tolkien secret santa :) just wondering if you've got any particular things you'd like to see; any favorite eldritch peredhel bits, especial character preferences, any hcs that are near & dear you'd like? (as vague or as broad as you feel like being! i have a few vague ideas cooking so far)

Hello! Sorry it took me a bit to answer this, I've been Sick this whole past week which put a bit of a damper on my holiday spirit lol.

I always use these event asks as a place to ramble and headcanon dump (here's last year's which might be useful? It has a bunch of headcanons on Doriath and Menegroth culture!) so I hope you find something that inspires or intrigues you, but no pressure to use anything! Also I Cannot Remember what specifically I put in my request, so apologies if any of this is repetitive.

I love worldbuilding and character building and generally making places and people feel alive in a very personal way. Good relationships and fluff in contrast to The Agonies Of The Plot are very much my general M.O. lol, and I tend to prefer my angst as hurt/comfort or bittersweet. I love love love the importance of choice and conscious decisions to the nature of Arda and its people. Sweet family domesticity is like crack to me.

One of my favorite parts about eldritch peredhil is taking these fairy-tale people Tolkien gives us and taking them to their logical extreme of magical Beings and Creatures while still being, you know, good, relatable characters. Fae vibes are top tier, always (circling the fairy-tale idea around!!), and some good animal-esque instincts and body language is just *chefs kiss*, whether as something lighthearted and silly (stupidly massive dilating cat eyes and bird courting instincts my beloveds) or more serious and dramatic (being a little possessive, for instance, hunting instincts, also getting Spooky when emotion runs high)

One thing which I have seen done well but is not my cup of tea is darker takes on this in relation to. Well. Relationships. It's important to me (for Beren/Luthien especially) that just because magic is involved it doesn't take away or minimize the choice of either party. Maybe they don't quite know what they're getting into, but it's more in a "Ah. My girlfriend is kinda nocturnal and doesn't always remember that I need sleep" way and not a love spell way, and that any possessive behavior is still healthy and agreed upon. Also related: they might not be perfect parents, but they try their bests and love their kid(s) and let them make their own choices and please Tolkien I need one mostly healthy and happy family in this legendarium let me have this just two-three generations is all I'm asking-

Ahem. Yeah. So I'd prefer something that isn't on the darker side for that lol. As for character preference, I'm happy reading about whoever! I do have a bias to the earlier generations of Melian's line (more concentrated Spooky!), but I love all the peredhil to pieces, I just haven't given them as much detailed thought, and haven't made up my mind on how some stuff is portrayed in my Arda, so go wild with whoever!

Some general headcanons: I love some good fluffy werewolf!Beren as seasoning after the undeath deal, I think he deserves headpats and belly rubs and also being able to full body shake out his wet fur to spray his wife and kid despite their protests <3

Luthien is so much to me honestly. I could go on for pages. She's mostly vegetarian, except for when she hunts down prey she kills with her teeth and eats raw. She's immutably human by her own choice and nature, she's incredibly inhuman via the same. She loves her parents, she hates her parents. She unfailingly adores the People she's chosen. If she'd adopted Turin his early life would have been much weirder but also much better because if anyone can dodge Morgoth's curse it's her. She makes me insane <3

Daeron is the greatest uncle ever and is super weird about everything (affectionate) and is permanently relegated to "Baby Brother" in Luthien's mind and vibes strangely well with Beren. He's little Dior's favorite person in the world because he travels so far east and comes back with awesome stories and taught him how to play instruments and gives him cool presents!

Beren & Luthien: What do you have there?

Dior: A knife! :D

Beren: NO!

(Luthien: We use our fangs and talons in this household sweetie

Beren, again: NO!!!)

Let's see... I've written a lot on Dior and Nimloth in other places, if you're interested in them, but! Because I will make everything end up ok even if it kills me! Dior technically counts as human in soul but by virtue of rules-lawyering and debating The Lord Of The Dead (and also being a thinly veiled trans allegory haha whoops I was oblivious) alongside Nimloth he gets to be reembodied and counted as an elf. E^2 1.0 are deemed too young to Choose but their parents are like "well they aren't getting any older being dead, reembody them with us and then they can make their Choice later" which to Namo's regret and amusement is perfectly valid logic

Speaking of Elured and Elurin. My dear, sweet, small children. My Frankenstein's monsters :)

Everything ends up fine by virtue of my "no permanent unhappy endings if we have them at all" agenda! But my take on their fate is that they end up pretty severely Changed by virtue of Doriath's ambient Maiarin Radiation And Not-Insignificant Sentience, turned into Something that lets That-Which-Used-To-Be-Elured&Elurin survive but as a fun, monstrous, eldritch cryptid! They end up dying probably because Doriath slowly drains of power as the Age moves on and lets them go- or maybe it's because Beleriand drowns, I don't really know, point being they're in Mandos and (mostly) themselves again and can now get therapy and reunions! I have many thoughts on them growing up in ~2nd Age Valinor and freaking the Amanyar out and being very frustrated that Elwing is the big sister now (until they finally get taller than her).

Elwing is all vibes and incoherent thoughts in my head. She's like 7 mental illnesses stacked in a feather-cloak. She deserves to go feral and bite stuff. She schedules mental breakdowns in her daily planner and abides by it to the minute while dressed up for brunch. She likes to scream for little-no particular reason in the same way that someone might idly use a fidget toy. I think she serves as a seagull mob boss and has a bunch of hitbirds to subtly and classily threaten to torment people with.

Elrond and Elros grew up in an apocalypse and came into their own in a post-apocalypse and they are simultaneously super weird and strangely well adjusted because of it. Elros settles into himself earlier, but Elrond fakes normalcy better. Also they have mary sue "everyone except the bad guys likes them" vibes.

So yeah that was my rambling, I'm so excited to see what you write!

[annoyinglandmagazine]

Elrond and Gil Galad short fic

Gil Galad was stirred from his paperwork by a dagger imbedding itself into his desk. He had already started the ridiculously familiar phrase of ‘Elrond,knives, we’ve talked about this’ when he looked up at Elrond’s face and stopped. He tried to discreetly see the piece of paperwork that had been slammed onto his desk with said knife. Ah. So this was how he died.

‘What,’ Elrond’s voice was calm and pleasant sounding yet still managed to shake with rage, ‘Is this piece of bigoted bile that lies before me, and why may I ask is your seal beside it.’ He should have been expecting this he supposes. He tries to offer an explanation but is intercepted instantly by Elrond’s voice rattling off the contents of the cursed document as if he were talking about the weather. ‘It has been passed into law that for the purpose of diplomacy, any members of Lindon’s diplomatic delegation may be denied participation on any embassy based on possible offence to the customs of the people in question’. ‘That’s only a summary of it there are numerous clauses-’, but he stopped knowing it was fruitless.

‘This is an invitation to put numerous elleths and members of same sex relationships out of the job and you know it,’ he stated as if Gil Galad hadn’t said anything, accompanied by a glare that contained somehow more threat than the fact that Elrond’s hand was still resting on the hilt of the dagger. ‘ Its plausible that you might have thought you could slide it by without raising too much public awareness, you are generally capable of discretion, but the idea that you thought I wouldn’t find out about it is laughable.’ This is perfectly true. He knows that through various back channels and connections in every faction little goes on in the world that Elrond doesn’t find out about. He’d never had this work against him before, it had helped him on numerous matters before and cut down the time needed to explain things, but then he’d never tried to conceal something from him before.

‘And why would you not want me to know? I refuse to believe I could be so poor a judge of character to support a king who held this kind of prejudice so why wouldn’t you let me help you work around it?’ he looked betrayed now and made Gil Galad feel sick to his stomach. He knew how much work had been needed to get any sort of trust from the Peredhel, with good reason considering how most of his relationships with his family had gone. The idea that he could have undone that progress was terrifying. He knew lying would make the situation so much worse and so finally decided the truth was his only hope.

‘There was significant pressure from the Numenoreans on the matter. They threatened to cut of all links and we need them Elrond. We would not have won without them and you’ve told me yourself we’ll need them again.’ Elrond went very still for a moment and when he spoke his voice was slow and dangerous ‘Do you realise, how much worse that makes it’. ‘Elros,’ and there it was the word that had been left unsaid but very much present in so many conversations ‘Has been dead for over a century’. And now this conversation was in the most dangerous territory yet, ‘I am insulted that you think I am too emotionally compromised to offer council on an entire country because my brothers descendants have adopted some messed up ideologies. What did you think I was going to do when I heard hmm? Were you worried I’d fling myself off a cliff? Sail away and never come back?’. ‘You can’t plan to convince me you’ve healed from all of it. I know you better than that.’ ‘Well I thought you did! Don’t you think if I was planning to do any of those things I’d have done them by now? I’ve had a century without Elros and numerous points over my life in much worse positions than I am now and I’m still here aren’t I? I’m not going anywhere anytime soon I’d appreciate not being treated like I’m so delicate I’ll break at any moment.’

‘Your right. I’m sorry, I should never have signed it and I certainly should have concealed it from you. I broke your trust and I understand if you hate me for it.’ he reached out and took his hand looking into his herald’s eyes unflinchingly. The anger had almost evaporated leaving a weariness and pain that had been beneath all the Peredhel’s actions of late. But there was strength as well. So much strength made even more so with the pain. He felt that the eyes were looking into his very soul and seeing all of it more clearly than he himself could. Knowing Elrond he probably was.

But Elrond must have been satisfied by what he saw because he released his hand to straighten his robes and spoke ‘Good. Well I suppose we should get to work than at reversing this thing. May sway in Numenorean politics is clearly not what it used to be but it is not nothing. If we pull on the right connections I think we can devise a strategy to reverse this thing without anyone being the wiser.’

And Gil Galad breathed a sigh of relief. Why he would ever think he could manage this without Elrond he didn’t know. They fell into their old routine and in a few weeks it was as if nothing had happened. He was seriously questioning how his guards hadn’t noticed the dagger though.

[symphonyofsilence]

Recently I'm not in the mood to write fix-it fics,(& even though I know fix-it fics are not necessarily due to the authors not liking the actual ending but sometimes just an alternative, happier ending, I love the bittersweet endings of Tolkien too much to write fix-it fics. there's nothing I'd like to change about it. they’re perfect, & I'm content to think that Maglor became a myth like one of his ballads & "some can still hear his voice on the shores singing songs of regret" & Maedhros, in time (a really, really long time) began to heal in the Halls of Mandos but never got rembodied.) but if I were, they would go like this:

Scenario 1: the peredhel twins somehow realize what an utterly stupid plan the Fëanorian brothers have. They overhear it or Elrond foresees it or something. So they get themselves to the camp of Eönwë when the Fëanorians get there. The Perehel twins, as the heirs of Dior, Elwing & Eärendil claim the Silmarils as their weregild. Then they look Maglor & Maedhros in the eyes, with a look of "trust me." in their eyes. Maglor immediately accepts. But it really comes down to the lord of the House. Maedhros holds eye contact with a bit of uncertainty in his eyes for a bit longer. But eventually, he assents to it. Eönwë accepts. The twins get the Silmarils & when they're asked if now everything is good between the houses of Fëanor & Eärendil they answer: everything is perfect. In fact, I'm going to give the rocks to the Lord Celebrimbor in token of how perfect everything is now between our houses!

So, the Fëanorian brothers are released from their oath. They thank the Peredhel twins. Maglor gives Elrond his harp. The Peredhel twins tell them to now go to their mom in peace & wish them a safe journey. Elrond says that one day, he will see them again. Elros just grins and jokingly tells them that when they got to Valinor, as a sign to them that they've reached the white shores safely, burn the ships. Somehow the Fëanorian brothers know why he didn't say that he'll see them again. They've somehow known it deep in their hearts since they heard about the choice the twins were given. So their farewell to him is more final & their looks more lingering. But eventually, they say their farewells & get abroad to go to their mom in peace.

Scenario 2: they're not complete idiots. Maglor wins that final argument with Maedhros. They assent to what Eonwe said. They get to Valinor. Then, when they're about to be judged, Nerdanel steps in. She claims the Silmarils as her inheritance of her late husband. She has the right. So the brothers can shut up about their Erudamn oath. Just like the previous scenario the brothers do face judgment but their life is eternal so...(I think it would be better if they have to do social service. All of the Fëanorians are so talented & beneficial to society ... Carl Marx will haunt my dreams for the previous sentence.)

Scenario 3: Finarfin who is on the camp of Eonwe hears of his nephew's request, he also overhears them talking so reluctantly about the Silmarils as though the only thing urging them to regain them is their oath. Finarfin knows his brother's family & knows what will happen & doesn't want more bloodshed. Also, he's kind & these two eldest sons had always really looked like such kind kids & even in Beleriand, he's heard great tales of them. It was a pity to see them in such a state. Maybe it wasn't so late for their redemption. They should have been given a chance. So the next day as the King of the Noldor he claims the Silmarils as their Cultural Heritage. & Finarfin, as Fëanor's brother, is Fëanor's kin.

what is important to consider in these scenarios is that I don’t think the sons of Feanor personally wanted anything to do with the Silmarils (it’s said numerous times that they went after it with reluctance. Maglor doesn’t seem the least bit bothered when he sees the Silmaril in the sky. and the jewels took everything from them: their grandfather, their father, their brothers, their home, their mother, even the people they themselves used to be.) And what I understood from their laat conversation was that the oath was thr only thing keeping them from going back to Valinor. and also I don’t think the oath would really do anything to them had it remained unfulfilled. as I explained here in the last long-ass section of that long-ass post.

Scenario 4: well this wouldn't really be that much of a fix-it fic since it's set after the 4th age, except for that: 1. Canonically Fëanor stays in the halls of Mandos until the breaking of the world. And the other Noldor were threatened that they won't be forgiven, too. I'm not sure if Mandos will let the sons of Fëanor out of his creepy basement. 2. Maglor is never seen among people & honestly by the 4th age & with that mental condition I think it's very likely that he has faded. 3. I'm not really sure Maedhros would choose to go to the halls of Mandos.as I've explained what I think of the possibilities after his death again, here in this very long-ass post in the last long-ass bullet point. & in this fix-it fic, I'm going with the "he had a very life/death changing conversation with Elros' ghost" version (the Marvel urge to reference previous works & just expect everyone to get it.)

But anyways this scenario goes like this:

After Arwen's & Aragorn’s death, Elrond & Celebrian obviously go through a long era of depression. one day, when Celebrian comes back home from a long, helpful talk with her mother and sees Elrond sulking alone (Elwing & Earendil do all they can, of course.) she suggests that Elrond finds a way to go after Maedhros & talk to him. Elrond doesn’t usually talk to Celebrian about the Feanorians. because they killed both her paternal & maternal family. he never told her that he’d love to meet them & even though his mind told him that Maglor had faded by now, his heart still made him search for Maglor before he sailed. but Celebrian knew him well, he understood even the things he didn’t say. when Celebrian suggested it, Elrond took the chance,

He's been working under Estë in Lorien since he got there & he's endeared himself to Estë. (but even if he hadn’t, Este “the gentle” was kind enough to help him.) So when he asks her for a favor, which is getting him a meeting with her husband, she grants it. She of course sings his praise for Irmo. I imagine that Irmo would already like him. Since he has the gift of foresight & he uses them for good, & translates people's prophetic dreams for them (which are probably the signs Irmo sends them.), & I imagine that he liked the Fëanorians too because they were "visionary". & I think Irmo must be very kind. So when Elrond asks him to somehow get him to have a mind-to-mind/soul-to-soul conversation with Maedhros, Irmo grants it. (He kinda asks for permission from Namo after he's done what he wanted to do & when Nienna joins him in saying that it's good for both of them, Namo gives up.)

It was just supposed to be a conversation at first. But then when he talked to Maedhros, he realized he can't let him go.

After Aragorn's & Arwen's death, Elrond is so done he doesn't even care who he has to throw hands with anymore. If there is a loved one he can still get back, then by Eru, he is going to get them back. 

Maedhros doesn't want to come back. Even though he told Elrond that he had seen Elros & saw him off & they had a helpful conversation and since then he's started his healing process and is doing better, he still has a long way to go. In addition to that, he believes that he won't have a very nice reception among the Valinorians if he comes back to life, and he believes they have every right to not forgive him. & he doesn't have the right to ask for recorporation and force his presence on them. And what an awful, isolated life it will be for him among them. & even if he seems to jump at any opportunity to roast Fëanor & every time speaks to his father and or looks at him there's venom in his voice and eyes (even if he allows Fëanor to help him heal & prove himself to him again) he insists that he won't be reincarnated if Fëanor is not. His father was not worse than Morgoth & Sauron who got a second chance. His problem with his father is personal but Fëanor is still his father. & especially the Valar, who drove Fëanor to madness & Mandos who doomed all their efforts don't get to have a say in his fate. Fëanor who so far had lost the hope of ever getting back in Maedhros' good graces & thought that Maedhros had no love for him anymore is shocked in the best of ways and warmth spreads through his heart. But he asks him "but what about your mother?" & Maedhros answers that he doesn't think she'll want to see him again. To which Fëanor replies that it's nonsense. "Your mother and I didn't love you for your upstanding morals to refrain from loving you for the assumed lack of it."

But they don't want to be a Finwë to him so they don't insist anymore. But Nerdanel goes to Irmo too, and he grants her wish too, (Mandos has given up), and talks to Maedhros. And boy, did he need to see Nerdanel.

For the longest time, he just cries long-dried tears in his mother's embrace. (& I'd cram in a Fëanor/Nerdanel scene here too, cuz Fëanel 5eva)

And finally, after a while, he decides to come back for Elrond, Nerdanel, Fingon, Mahtan, and his wife(Maedhros' grandmother) (they didn't go to Mandos but when they talked to him he could hear)

He comes back.

And because Eärendil was weary with his travels, and Maedhros didn't and couldn't be among people who weren't his family (or even some of the ones who were) & the Silmarils were his responsibility, he takes Eärendil's burden and Eärendil is allowed to set foot in Middle-earth for a time and come back to Valinor. He travels all around Middle-earth. Sees the land of his descendants and meets his great-grandkids. Then he thinks about Elrond and how much he loved his foster father and how much he has lost and the pure joy on his face when Maedhros got reincarnated after the lengths Elrond went to to get him back. And how if it wouldn't have been for Elrond's efforts in getting Maedhros back, Earendil wouldn't have been free now. And after all, Maglor raised his son and gave him the love he couldn't give-even if Maglor was the reason Eärendil couldn't give them that love. But really, Eärendil wasn't home for his sons even before that. In searching for the parents who went to the sea and left him behind, he became the parent who went to the sea & left his children behind. He could do this one nice thing for Elrond now. And Maglor had done enough penance. Eärendil knew how it felt wandering around the world trapped in your own mind away from people and weary from life.

So, after a lot of searching, he finds Maglor, and after long talks and a bit of much-needed unprofessional therapy from each other that continued in the journey to Valinor and resulted in them becoming unlikely but good friends, Eärendil ends Maglor’s catholic days and takes him to Valinor back to his family. Elwing understands.

Some places were forever empty and some wounds had left marks, but there was healing, there were other loved ones, life was volant, they were living it, days brought new wonders, new chances, and life was good.

[sparklecryptid]

*snicker* Imagine the Feanorians 2.0 undergoing the Time Travel cliche and visiting their Grandfather et al back in Valinor. Ohh, the *chaos*!

*cackles loudly*

i enjoy this idea a bit too much so have a Thing?

-

In other circumstances Ruiniel would be having the time of her life, she's wound up at a feast full of jewels and shiny metal ripe for the taking and surrounded by nobility who always have a tendency to look down on serving staff. In other circumstances she would be posing as one of them and nicking the jewels off men and women alike.

But this is not one such circumstance. In this moment Ruiniel is one thing she despises the most. She's part of the center of attention along with her cousins and everyone keeps staring.

Ruiniel tugs at her hair, the red of it vibrant and gleaming under the light that wades through the windows and she does her best to comfort herself with the knowledge that both Calemir and Caladion look as though they want to through themselves out a window.

She can relate.

Saeleth on the other hand simply looks annoyed, an expression that isn't out of place on her but this annoyance is most likely due to the fact that Huan isn't with her at the moment and is instead with Celegorm.

Saeleth's father, Ruiniel's uncle, and she gets the feeling that Saeleth wants to be here as much as the rest of them.

"What did you do?"

Ruiniel's voice is quiet but deadly as she turns to the two men that stand beside her.

Calemir splutters.

"Why do you think we did anything?"

"It's always you two," Saeleth interjects, "Valdo made a dagger that sings for fucks sake-"

"Why does that always get brought up?"

"Because you're halfway to becoming mad." Saeleth brushes Caladion's glare off and the peredhel huffs in displeasure. "Now, since we are in the presence of people we don't want to be around do we have a plan to get through this?"

There's silence between the four of them before someone clears their throat. Gazes of emerald, diamond, and sapphire stare down their great-grandfather.

Finwë looks vaguely amused.

Ruiniel wants to steal his silverware. She doesn't say that or attempt to but the thought is there.

"Might we know who you are?" Finwë asks, politely even everyone in the banquet hall knows that a Vala or two is on the way.

"All you need to know is that we're family," Ruiniel says, her arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed even as she looks for the quickest way out. Stars above, this place has too many exits how do they ever hope to defend it?

That's the thing, Ruiniel remembers, they don't plan on ever having to defend it. Everything here is shiny and brilliant and Ruiniel hates it.

A loud bark comes from Huan who has found his way to Saeleth who looks immensely pleased with him as he headbutts her hand before latching his teeth into the sleeve of her dress and dragging her over to Celegorm.

Saeleth says something no one in the room understands because none of them know how to speak dog. Whatever she said causes Celegorm's eyes to widen and his mouth to drop as he looks at her. Saeleth looks incredibly embarrassed at being dragged over to her father.

Before anyone can say anything Oromë walks into the room and takes a look at the scene, his eyes bright and teeming with wilderness before they settle on Saeleth and Celegorm.

His brow raises.

"Tyelkormo," he says and his voice is the boom of a hunting horn, "Why didn't you tell me you had a daughter?"

And then hell breaks loose.

[runawaymun]

Can I ask for 24, 8, and 22 for Erestor? 🥺

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

Oooo interesting question! Kiyoka has some similar no-nonsense too-intense-for-his-own good energy (My Happy Marriage). I think also Demetri (Cobra Kai), in a way. Different energy, but similar functions as that 'I've got my head screwed on straight and I'm generally very steady support' kinda character. Also Quigley, (A Series of Unfortunate Events) -- very solid, gives good advice, generally knows what's going on almost before anyone else does.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Honestly I don't know that there is something I can think of that I don't like about fanon!Erestor. There's nothing that comes to mind.

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

Straight Erestor is immediately a click-out (or a non-click) for me. I literally cannot imagine him being attracted to a woman. I also am not a fan of shipping him with Elrond. I don't have anything against people who do, but it's just not my cup of tea. They're very firmly platonic family to me.

I absolutely love Feanorian!Erestor, and I love Peredhel!Erestor, and I love love love Glorestor. To me they're canon :D I'm fond of librarian Erestor as well, but to me he's Elrond's chief advisor. I get the librarian headcannon though because he really does have that vibe.

character ask meme