#and then complete collapse from the bragollach) he breaks HARD

[shrikeseams]

When you idly think about Celegorm possibly being most like Nerdanel of all the sons of Feanor, and then you start thinking about Nerdanel getting a post-Darkening moral decay arc all of her own to mirror her son(s)'s.

#tolkien #san shoots the breeze #Like. My central celegorm thesis is that he becomes what he becomes because he has a specific moral/social worldview #that is actually heavily based on 1) common cultural understanding of said worldview and 2) direct positive intervention from the valar #like he is an acolyte of a specific god and that goes with specific rights and responsibilities for everyone involved #and once the noldor arrive in beleriand that specific framework *collapses* #because the valar can't be fucked and the amanyar don't have the same religious&cultural expectations #so he upholds his end of the bargain as long as he can (both emotionally and materially) #but when it all collapses (structural damage from what happened to ardehel #and then complete collapse from the bragollach) he breaks HARD #and I think there's space for something similar with Nerdanel #who was likely raised in fairly close contact with aule and who stays faithful to the valar as feanor starts to go off the rails #who makes all the 'right' choices! and her reward is the obliteration of her family #and quite likely at least some degree of social ostracization for her association with her husband and children #not sure what her final straw would be though #...possibly it could be celebrimbor's capture and death actually. hm. #Anyway! I just think Nerdanel should be viciously violently angry with basically everyone for at LEAST a century but likely longer