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aragornsrockcollection · 1 year

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Look, I love Maglor.

Maglor makes me feel things.

I am firmly in the camp that Maglor is the Most Gentle Feanorian, he hates violence, he sees the wrong in all they do, he has an immense amount of empathy.

And don’t you see… this does not make him The Best Feanorian, morally superior to his brothers, pure and good.

This interpretation… kinda makes him the WORST of his brothers?

Maedhros stands aside when the ships burn. He believes abandoning their cousins and people is wrong and takes a stand no matter how futile. Maglor doesn’t. Maglor burns the ships.

We don’t know that Maglor thought that was wrong, we don’t get his perspective in that part of the story. But once we start getting his perspective we get him arguing against the final acts of murder that would retrieve the Silmarils, with full knowledge that it is a bad thing to do… and then doing it anyways. I think Maglor knew burning the ships was wrong.

If you interpret Maglor this way… he doesn’t come out looking good. At least Curufin and Celegorm had conviction that attacking Doriath was right. Going along with it knowing it’s wrong is WORSE. It’s FUCKED UP.

Maglor, in many ways, is a coward. Not when facing the enemy, but when facing his brothers, or his father. He may have had the most of Nerdanel in him of his brothers, but he didn’t get her spine, her ability to say “no this is wrong” to someone she loves, and step away. I even think Maglor’s “no this is wrong” was internal until the very end, when he only had his closest brother left.

There is a period where Maglor is in charge, after Maedhros’s capture. And a lot of people headcanon Maglor having a lot of guilt over his inaction in this time. I agree he has a lot of guilt over it (I think guilt and conflicted emotions drive almost everything Maglor does) but I also think this is the BRAVEST AND MOST CORRECT MAGLOR ACTS IN THE ENTIRE FIRST AGE. The Noldor should absolutely just be seeking to survive at this point, trying to rescue Maedhros would get them all killed. Inaction is the correct call here, despite pressure to do otherwise.

And also, I can’t remember if I made this up, but I have a memory of Curufin and Celegorm both clamoring for Maglor to give up the throne in favor of Celegorm, who is absolutely a more decisive leader in line with what their father would have wanted. Fending this off would be the only recorded time when Maglor stood firm against his brothers.

Some people portray Maglor taking in Elrond and Elros as an act of defiance against Maedhros, to which I say… why? Maedhros frantically searched for Elured and Elurin to save them, he clearly was very against the murder of children, and Maglor has exactly zero instances of putting his foot down against Maedhros.

Tl.dr. Maglor having the most developed moral compass of the feanorians, far from making him a perfect angel, actually mixes with his actions and inactions to make him INCREDIBLY flawed in a completely unflattering way, and I think that’s fascinating.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #jirt #silmarillion #silm #jrr tolkien #Maglor #Maedhros #feanorians #characterization #look #I feel bad for Maglor #he was not equipped to be in the position he was in and do the right thing #but that does not make it right #I bet people will be mad at me for this #just my take #doesn’t have to be your take #he was brave when it came to battle?

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arlenianchronicles · 1 year

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Thank you all so much for the kind words on my dark!Mae AU! Here’s another painting for it, this time featuring Elrond as he dances at Maedros’ dark fae court, similar to how Lúthien danced for Morgoth XDD In the same vein, Elrond (and Elros; he’s hanging around there somewhere) is trying to lull Maedros into a sense of security/ease.

I imagine Elrond’s dance is close to a ballet style, hence his pointe-like shoes. That said, I wanted to practice with perspective for this painting, and got some awesome feedback from the Artists of Arda discord chat, but ultimately set that version aside and went with this! I do feel that this version has a better composition story-wise: Maedros wants to keep Elrond close, and won’t let him dance too far away.

Also, while I was drawing Maedros’ guards, I realized that they kinda resemble my designs for Maglor and Celegorm ... Which led to the idea that Maedros subconsciously surrounds himself with people who look like his dead family :’’’’D Angst ahoy! loll

For this painting, I referenced the setting of the Swan Lake ballet, starring Natalia Osipova, specifically Odile’s Black Swan solo before the queen and her court. And the first version of this painting is under the cut, if you want to see:

Help I hate drawing grids lmaooo

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whovianofmidgard · 1 month

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Day 1 – Maedhros – Coping

For @feanorianweek You can also read it on AO3

Maedhros used to think he didn’t have a traditional Noldorin craft. That his craft was the same as his grandfather Finwë’s, excelling in diplomacy, politics, being a skilled orator and an attentive listener, a natural leader among brothers, cousins and his people. That his talents ended there and no further.

He knew his father was proud that he had found in him a worthy heir in court. Yet Maedhros always knew that Fëanor secretly wished he had skill and passion in creation, in the works of his hands.

So, Maedhros applied himself, and took lessons in any and every craft he could find. He weaved and stitched and embroidered. He carved and apprenticed with carpenters. He did masonry, wove baskets, and painted landscapes and portraits alike. He played with clay and chiselled stone together with his mother. He hammered hot metals and cut precious gems under the tutelage of his father. He hunted in the company of little brothers and cousins, and sang songs and played instruments privately, only sharing with steadfast Maglor or beloved Fingon.

In every craft he tried his hand at he did good, solid work, but never exceptionally, and never passionately.

Now, Maedhros lay bundled in soft furs and linens, steadily healing from wounds, starvation, and exposure to the elements, grateful for dear Fingon’s kind and valiant heart, grateful to be alive. Yet he was left short of one hand, and with no craft to keep the nightmares at bay.

Relearning to merely write with his off hand was a slow and arduous process, what chance did he have for anything more involved than that? He could not hold an embroidery hoop properly in place, and his fingers shook and cramped up from pinching a needle for more than five minutes. He was more a hazard and a liability in the forge, he had too few hands to play any instruments other than a drum or tambourine, and his voice was shot to gravelly rumblings from screaming it raw in pain. He would eventually learn to hunt once more, but never with bow and arrow again, and more out of necessity.

Then one afternoon a bundle of charcoal sticks lay waiting on his office desk with a pile of blank parchment. Maedhros stared and contemplated it for a while, and shoved it aside to ignore in favour of hours of paperwork. Eventually, though, his mind grew weary, and as the Sun dipped low on the sky into twilight, he reached for a fresh unmarked parchment. Maedhros mindlessly sketched shapes and lines, the soft scratch of coal on paper and the repetitive motions of the hand soothing to his mind. By the time a servant came in with the dinner tray, he had scribbled the interior of his office down.

He thanked the servant as she left and regarded the work of his hand. The lines were uneven, and the perspective was off, yet the image was recognisable. With practice it could be improved upon.

Maedhros doodled and sketched every night, his office over and over again, until it looked perfect. Then the view outside his window, the crow on the ledge, a still life of his dinner, and many, many portraits of his staff, warriors, his people.

One day he found his charcoal sticks replaced with a brush and watercolour paints. Then months later it was gouache, then egg tempera, and finally oil paint. The walls of Himring were soon lined with landscapes of fierce mountains and sleepy meadows, of riders on planes and warm torchlit halls full of revelry. In Maedhros’ private rooms he kept only two paintings. One was a tableau of himself with his brothers arranged around him, proudly displayed above the mantelpiece. The other a simple portrait of his dearest cousin, kind smile and gold braids falling to his shoulders, guarding his dreams beside his bed.

When next Maedhros found a lump of clay on his desk and a pottery wheel by the window, he knew he was up for the challenge.

He quickly saw that forming the clay with only his one hand made the process more difficult, the cups and vases under his touch turning wonky and lopsided without the counter pressure. Maedhros thought of being stubborn about it, trying again and again until endless practice yielded results. But it only takes one mistake that almost had the lump of wet clay spin right off of the wheel, and he instinctively reached for it with his right, and his wrist ended up pushing it back onto the wheel.

Maedhros experimented after that. His single hand pinched and manipulated as dishes and mugs spun into form, while he could push and smooth the soft clay with his stump, and easily reaching inside his creations with it to widen the mouth of a vase.

Sitting down to do pottery at the end of a long day calmed his mind and nerves perhaps better than painting. The motion of his leg working the treadle was a steady rhythm he matched his breaths to. The slow yet decisive movements of his hand and stump required just the minimum of focus to empty his head of all worries and nightmares. The coolness of the clay sticking to his fingers and scarred skin grounded him in the present on dark nights when his memory wished to steer him towards pain.

Washing away the residue from his stump at the end of it all almost felt like healing.

#feanorian week #feanorianweek #maedhros #silmarillion #the silmarillion #silm fic #fanfiction #my writing

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annoyinglandmagazine · 7 days

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@silmarillionepistolary Lord Maedhros of Himring

Prince Nelyafinwë Maitimo Russandol of The Noldor

I’ve sent my latest ledger alongside this and I believe you know by now that there is no chance of you finding a fault with it so let’s not shall we? You will not be able to prove anything with any group of accountants you can cobble together from those battle fixated imbeciles in your employ and it’s not as if I intend to withhold aught from you.

I agree begrudgingly that we must approach things from a united perspective, why I even agreed to give Celegorm a loan recently, for military matters apparently though I have my doubts, and I certainly won’t see a coin of it returned without having to write him much more persistently than I like to. He’ll yield eventually, he always does. Though it would be faster if you applied some pressure as well I’m close to getting Ambarussa on side and he’s always been putty in their hands so your assistance isn’t strictly necessary this time.

I am aware that when you talk about the risks of fighting amongst ourselves you are including the Arafinwean and Nolofinwean elements but I am simply electing to ignore that excessively ambitious request. The only ‘us’ that matters to any extent here is the seven of us and our followers and I think, considering I would say those relationships are all in a relatively good place presently, you should cut your losses and accept the win on that front.

You can’t fix all the Noldor, Maedhros, and the sooner you manage to accept that the better as far as I’m concerned. Besides, from what I hear of your own particular diplomatic skills in regards to a certain Nolofinwean you should have an in there no matter what the rest of us do. Curufin and I think you don’t take advantage of it anyone near regularly enough when all of Beleriand knows he would not refuse you any favour you may ask of him but I suppose that’s your own prerogative; we can count on his support on the more dire situations for your sake which is something in any case.

I trust my last shipment of wool will have reached you by the time you receive this; which is all for the better considering I have heard from reliable sources (Maglor but even so) that the weather has taken a sharp turn into an early winter. It was your decision to settle so far north when you could have shunted it on to those Arafinwean brats so you shan’t get my sympathy on that matter but it wouldn’t do for us to lose our mannish recruits to the cold, without all the soldiers we can get our position in the north will quickly become untenable.

In reference to your last letter I do wish that you would stop nagging me about said Arafinwean brats, Nelyo, I have been entirely well behaved in my dealings with them in recent months and am entitled to place whatever taxes I wish on my own exports. If they are unhappy with this they can go elsewhere, they certainly shouldn’t go whining to my older brother to get a discount on my perfectly standard rates.

The disparity you pointed out between their rates and your own was entirely unfounded as I am naturally giving you a discount as head of the house of Feanor and my boneheaded older brother who decided he’d like to freeze to death while fighting off Morgoth armed only with fury. So really you should be thanking me but I am used to receiving no gratitude for my efforts with this family so I shall let it slide.

As for the comparisons you drew between other rates and their’s, if you had time to peruse them I have a list of criteria for which I give lower prices and why they apply to specific groups, ledgers upon ledgers of meticulous, complex calculations, Nelyo dear. Dorothion just happens to meet none of them by pure chance.

On the matter of my trade to the west I think the plan you detailed in your last letter sounded quite satisfactory. I assume you have already begun on having the diplomatic groundwork laid down so we receive ample credit as the benevolent saviours of their economy for the deal I ran by you?

It’s rather ingenious I have to say, I’m sure your end of it will work perfectly and you needn’t worry about the wording of the deal itself, it’s quite brilliant if I do say so myself. Irreproachable really, Fingolfin won’t be able to find any justification to turn it down without looking hopelessly petty. Maybe have Maglor spread a bit of propaganda, some catchy song with subliminal messaging and the like, he’s quite useful for that I suppose. It’s a pleasure doing business with you as always.

I should pay a visit to Himring next summer if all goes to plan, I would only be staying about three months mind; it’s looking to be a busy year and I’ve already got two important trade deals lined up for the autumn that I should be east for at the final stages. I warn you this far in advance because I know your Fingon tends to travel north in the warmer months and I’m sure you would like to avoid any overlap after last time with Curufin.

I recommend you issue an official invitation for a state visit soon, it makes it simpler to write things off as diplomatic expenses on my payments to Fingolfin and it is going to be a hard winter after all. I look forward to it, I haven’t seen you in quite some time now, I miss you. Keep an eye on Maglor, his expenditure has been lower than usual recently and while it hasn’t crossed the threshold of a concerning change best watch for anything out of the ordinary.

No I am not giving you a source for my information on his accounts, I have my ways and I’ll leave it there. On an entirely unrelated note now would be an excellent time to see if Belegost may be more open to a military agreement with Himring than it was previously. I have my ways.

The Lord Caranthir of Thargelion

Prince Morifinwë Carnistir of The Noldor

#silmarillion #tolkien #silmarillionepistolary #caranthir and maedhros #caranthir #maedhros #sons of feanor #feanorians #Background Russingon

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imakemywings · 6 months

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Below will be fanfic recs for TOLKIEN, 80 DAYS, and THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS. Once again, I’ve tried to break the Tolkien recs down by character groupings but you all know what a thankless task that is. Asterisks by particular faves! (〜￣▽￣)〜

(Photo credit to Svitlana on Unsplash.)

Past fanfic rec lists

80 Days

Anchor by insomniz - NR - 5.6k - Fogg/Passepartout - Aouda's view of their relationship, and her friendship with Passepartout.

Trains, Like Time and Tide by ArabellaMoxie G - 5.2k - Fogg/Passepartout - Eventually Passepartout realizes Fogg is sabotaging them. It's so cute <3

The Left Hand of Darkness

Cut From the Journal of Therem Harth rem ir Estraven by bratrights - G - 2.5k - Genly/Therem - A really tender look at Therem and Genly's relationship. The author does a great job capturing Therem's voice!

Dawn by venndaai - T - 2.9k - Genly/Therem - Wonderful (AU) exploration of Genly and Therem's relationship post-canon.

Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit

* Abide, Abound by elleth - T - 3.9k - Arwen/Tauriel - Wonderful characterization here and such a natural growth of the relationship.

All My Shadows Fade by amyfortuna - T - 662 - Arwen/OC - My heart breaks for this OC--a female friend of Arwen's in unrequited love with her, writing her a letter on the eve of her marriage to Aragorn.

Before the Breath of Storm by tinnurin - T - 1.3k - Excellent look into the Dwarven exiles before the battle of Azanulbizar.

* Both the Sweet and the Bitter by Northland - T - 10k - I just loved this look at Rivendell during the War of the Ring.

Come Home to Chaos (Get a Crush On a Queen) by ncfan - G - 8.5k - Arwen/Firiel of Gondor - This fic does a great job with the setting and with Arwen's attitudes. Wonderful depth given to Firiel, a character really only a name on a page in canon.

The Fruit by Mimi_Lind - G - 1.6k - I love Celeborn and Thranduil fucking with each other with a total deadpan.

Games and Fantasy by Genesis_Grey - E - 3.3k - Arwen/Eowyn - Play sexy games, win sexy prizes.

* A House of Nettles by Ias - E - 6.4k - Eowyn/Tar-Miriel - Amazing delicious sexy fic where Eowyn becomes haunted by the Witch King--former queen of Numenor Tar-Miriel. It is SO good.

Of All the Stars, the Fairest by whatiwouldnotgive - E - 7.5k - Arwen/Eowyn - This fic captures that gradual build of friendship that suddenly gives way to romance and it's beautiful. And Arwen's flirting is adorable!

Or Would They Go on Aching Still by Farasha - G - 3.5k - Aragorn/Arwen, Arwen/Tauriel - Just a heartbreaking combo of joy and grief in this fic. Fantastic look at the vanishing of the Elves from Middle-earth through Arwen's perspective.

Orlaya by yeaka - T - 1k - Arwen/Tauriel - Cute, sexy fun!

* Shadow of the Evening by RussetFiredrake - T - 2.9k - Arwen/Eowyn - Captures that lady knight/noblewoman thing SO well...both characters are so loveable here.

She had a January World by kimaracretak - T - 540 - Arwen/Tauriel - Beautiful and bittersweet, as the end of the Elves always is.

West, West Away by Arveldis - G - 3.5k - Such a sweet, tender look at saying goodbye to Middle-earth. Sam finds himself unexpectedly sharing a moment with the Elvenking on a boat West!

The Silmarillion

Sindar

Aloe Cup by welcoming_disaster - E - 2.3k - Daeron/Maglor - I love their dynamic here so much...Maglor is so desperate to save him. And not just because it involves getting his dick in there.

Après Moi, le Déluge by HerenorThereNearnorFar - T - 2k - For her children, Elwing weaves.

Beacon by polotropos - E - 2.3k - Earendil/Elwing - They are SO in love...love the touches of realism that ground this piece.

Bloodied by ohboromir - G - 1.2k - Thingol & Beleg & Mablung - We rarely see explorations of pre-Noldor Middle-earth! A nice look at the fight of the Iathrim before Feanor lands in Beleriand.

* The Carriage Held but Just Ourselves by StarSpray - T - 1.3k - Stunning look at the line of Thingol and their relationship with death.

Coastin' by swanmaiden - E - 2.3k - Earendil/Elwing - Sexy cute Starwing!

Ebb and Flow by swanmaiden - E - 3.6k - Earendil/Elwing - A really loving look at their relationship in Sirion <3 I love how this fic shows the community of the city and how loved these two were.

Elwing's Strategy by lifeisyetfair - T - 525 - Gut-wrenching look at Elwing's last moments in Sirion--and why she chose to jump. Fucking amazing character explorations, especially in such a short fic!

* Elvenkings by am_fae - G - 1.5k - Gorgeous prose and a very bittersweet look at the Iathrim after the fall of Doriath.

A Fiend in Feline Shape by Aipilosse - G - 15.7k - This is such a fun fic where we get to see a lot of the Sindar post-rebirth and such thought is given to each person's characterization. Plus Ancalagon is a cat now.

High in the Halls of the Kings Who Are Gone by Arveldis - G - 880 - Finduilas & Gildor - Gildor's final walk through Nargothrond. Beautiful prose!

Home Sweet Home by SunflowerSupreme - M - 1.5k - Daeron/Maglor - This fic captures such a harsh relationship between them, yet also the loneliness that drives them together.

* Into the Heart of a Fey Thing by amethysttribble - T - 12.2k - Aredhel & Galadriel & Luthien - These three have an adventure in Doriath. Great job managing their dynamic and some Doriath world-building!

Joy is a Bird, a Fragile Thing by estuarie - G - 1k - Elrond & Elwing - This is the reunion Elrond and his mom deserve.

Less Flesh Than Stone by crackinthecup - T - 938 - A confrontation between Elwing and Maedhros in Valinor.

Like New Flowers on Ancient Hills by StarSpray - G - 2.3k - Elanor welcomes an Elvish guest into the Shire. Both characters are written so beautifully; this is such a sweet fic.

A Love in the Past Time by ncfan - G - 810 - A beautiful look at Melian and Thingol's first meeting.

Love Me and Despair by Beleriandings - T - 3.8k - Galadriel/Luthien - Luthien's POWER here and her willingness to self-destruct are beautiful, as well as Galadriel's devotion to making sure Luthien does not destroy herself.

To Love What is Mortal by solanceae - G - 2.4k - Luthien/Thuringwethil - Delicious take on this ship, with Luthien's light and goodness being exactly what draws Thuringwethil to her.

Memories, Like Grains of Sand by cuarthol - G - 1k - Elrond and Elros remember so little of Sirion :'(

The Most Beautiful by Meril - G - 634 - A look at why Melian stays in Middle-earth.

Old Enough to Know by unknownlifeform - G - 3.6k - Elrond & Gil-galad - Love Elrond struggling a bit with Elros growing apart from him after their claustrophobic childhood. He's so used to their relying only on each other.

On Carven Throne by Innin - E - 493 - Galadriel/Luthien - Gluthien throne sex, does anything else need to be said?

Only the Best by LadyBrooke- G - 500 - Daeron missed his chance to debate Feanor. I go feral for any fic or headcanon that acknowledges the similarities between these two characters and their intelligence.

Our Shared Monsters by theworldisquietheretooquiet - T - 978 - Heartbreaking yet hopeful look at the twins of the line of Thingol and the evolution of their nightmares.

Raised by Wolves by WarriorEowyn - G - 4.4k - A really excellent look at Elrond and Elros post-Amon Ereb and their identity growth and struggles.

Upon a Bed of Moss by Innin - E - 1.5k - Galadriel/Luthien - Service top Galadriel 👌

* The Salt in the Wound by swanmaiden - E - 4.1k - Curufin's wife/Luthien - This author gives these two such a bonkers dynamic, I absolutely love it. Frothing at the mouth. Luthien distracts her one of her captors with hatesex.

Scraps of Dark in a Starstrewn Night by solanceae - T - 5.2k - Luthien/Thuringwethil - Luthien is so captivating in this fic.

Silence Sharper Than a Knife by asterisq - G - 1.6k - Daeron watches a performance of The Lay of Leithian. Ow ow ow :'''''')

Songs of Sun and Shadow by Zdenka - G - 2k - Fun tie between The Hobbit and The Silmarillion where Melian recruits Finrod to help test Thranduil's magical abilities.

Such Players Only Have There Been by Anonymous - E - 5.5k - Daeron/Maglor - Their dynamic works SO well here.

* Summer Wine by welcoming_disaster - E - 3.2k - Daeron/Maglor - Honestly so hot when Maglor explains to Daeron how to tie him up.

Stardrop by welcoming_disaster - T - 750 - Daeron/Maglor - The fucking FORESHADOWING!!!!!!

Was Dancing There by StarSpray - G - 382 - Elrond and Elwing dance in front of a mural of Luthien in Sirion. Incredible little ficlet.

What Remains by asterisq - T - 2.2k - Absolutely brutal look at the aftermath of the Second Kinslaying. Amazing work.

What the Shadows Hid by swanmaiden - T - 465 - Luthien/Thuringwethil - The vampire's kiss is a heritable curse! The vampire's kiss is a heritable curse!

Noldor

The Aching by searchingforserendipity - G - 612 - Love explorations of this moment where Celegorm and Curufin have to explain what they did in Nargothrond to Maedhros. This author packs an astounding amount of character into such a short fic!

Angels Would Not Condescend by crownlessliestheking - G - 1k - Featuring Feanor's blasphemous university lectures. Amazing work and fascinating character takes!

Bronwe Athan Harthad by oswinry - G - 2k - Beor/Finrod - Listen. Listen. Even if you aren't into this ship, you should give this fic a try. The emotional core of it hits so fucking hard.

Cinders and Smoke by ncfan - T - 2.6k - Such an emotional look at Galadriel exploring the ruins of the Havens at Sirion. There, she finds the Ring of Barahir.

Disastrous Expense by Aipilosse - E - 897 - Feanor/Nerdanel - Antagonistic post-canon sex. Even when Nerdanel is angry with him, she's attracted to him. These two have my brain <3

Do I Hurt to Hold? by Anonymous - E - 5.2k - Galadriel/Melian - Great look at a darker Melian and her tutorship and intimate relationship with Galadriel in Doriath. This author does really well emphasizing Melian's inhumanness.

Glade-Song by welcoming_disaster - M - 500 - Galadriel/Melian - Ooh so tasty look at Galadriel's attitude towards her unrequited love for Melian.

A Hideous Thing Inside by Beleriand Death Trip - M - 1.8k - A fittingly dark look at Maeglin after his death in Gondolin.

The Hunt by cuarthol - T - 1.4k - Amarie/Finrod - Amarie is closeted and trans in Aman, but Finrod understands. In love with the relationship shown between these two here, so much trust and love <3

Ilimbe by TheChasm - T - 15.2k - Feanor/Nerdanel - Ahh I love this look at their meeting and early relationship...the characterization suits them both so well!

It's Just a Consequence of Pain by roquen - G - 914 - Indis visits Miriel in the house of Vaire. I love the tenderness here, and Indis' genuine effort to reach out to Miriel where she is.

In The Ranks of Death You Will Find Him by TelerinJedi - T - 882 - Finrod & Turgon - They feel each other die TT_TT A beautiful look at this friendship!

Lady Makalaurë Fëanáriel Dying of Poison, Late Second Age, Artist Unknown by HewerofCaves - T - 8.6k - This fic maps Silm SO well onto a space opera AU and it is SUCH an enjoyable read.

* Less Wise by am_fae - E - 5.7k - Maglor/Thranduil - Maglor eventually finds welcome in Mirkwood, but that isn't enough for her. Just phenomenal character dynamics and beautiful prose!

Life After Death by oswinry - G - 5k - Emotionally devastating scenes from Finrod's rebirth in Aman. Fantastic work.

* Nargothrondolin Takes the Cake by sallysavestheday - G - 842 - This fic is just so fucking cute. Finrod narrates by letter to Amarie the annual family gingerbread house-building contest. Amazing job with his voice!

Not Undevoted by satiricaldraperies - M - 2k - Galadriel/Melian - Suuuuch a tasty and not entirely healthy commitment between these two here...love it.

Out of Dreams, Into the Sun by solanceae - T - 2.7k - Indis/Miriel - The shadow of the past over them now is so real.

Over the Unclear Eyes of Memory by Loriand_Lost - M - 6.2k - Anaire/Fingolfin - This fic really captures Anaire's complicated feelings about Fingolfin's return.

Prick a Finger, Cut Your Hand by welcoming_disaster - E - 2.5k - Indis/Miriel - Fantastic dynamic between these characters, and excellent dialogue!

Right There by RaisingCaiin - T - 1.3k - Beor/Finrod - Fluff! Fluff as far as the eye can see!

Sister, Sister by swanmaiden - T - 925 - Aredhel & Turgon - Breaking my HEART with this look at Aredhel and Turgon's relationship through the years.

* The Sleep of Flowers by Innin - E - 2.4k - Galadriel/Melian - Melian weaves teaching magic and sex together. A really sweet and also hot scene for them!

Statue of an Elven Woman by welcoming_disaster - M - 1.2k - Indis/Nerdanel - You need a fucking chainsaw to cut the tension here.

* Strength Like a Tower by potatoesanddreams - G - 794 - This fic almost made me cry over a building. Fantastic look at how Elves connect to their environment.

Stone Toys by welcoming_disaster - E - 3.3k - Indis/Nerdanel - The power dynamics here are so hot.

* Sweet Violets and Golden Cowslip by StarSpray - T - 1.6k - Absolutely amazing post-Sirion dynamics. Lalwen survives past the Third Kinslaying and has to confront what the Noldor have become.

This Now, This Us by crownlessliestheking - G - 1.3k - Indis/Miriel - Their dialogue is so fun here.

Thy Brothers' Keeper by sallysavestheday - G - 970 - Tasty Finwean family drama...Finarfin wearies of playing the peacekeeper.

Torn in Two by Alantie - G - 1.5k - Celebrian & Finrod - Celebrian meets her uncle Finrod in Aman. I really loved their bonding experiences here <3

Ainur

Bite Thy Wings and Let Thee Crawl by am_fae - E - 4.7k - I am literally not joking that this fetish porn fic has one of the best portrayals of Melkor and his careless boundless cruelty that I've ever read. RIP Maglor.

* More Ferven Flight by crownlessliestheking - E - 9k - Ingwe/Manwe - Some of the most beautiful porn I've ever read and a delicious blending of sex and worship from Ingwe's perspective. The author does an excellent job with the strangeness and overwhelmingness of being with a Vala.

One Acquainted with the Night by Grundy - G - 2k - The other Ainur don't really understand Melian's grief.

Scripts and Tongues by am_fae - M - 977 - Cirdan/Gandalf - Let Gandalf sext!

Webs and Weavings by Loriand_Lost - E - 5.1k - Ungoliant/Vaire - This fic does such a marvelous job of capturing the other-ness of Ungoliant.

Men

Brushstrokes by theworldisquietheretooquiet - T - 2.1k - Finduilas/Nienor - This one is so cuuuuute.

The Nameless Black of a Name by Ias - M - 8.1k - Finduilas/Nienor - They find purpose and home together in the wake of their tragedies. Love here how Finduilas can feel the darkness on Nienor's fate, similar to how characters comment on Turin's in canon.

Nothing Beside Remains by swanmaiden - T - 842 - Tar-Miriel/Uinen - This author writes such deliciously twisted femslash and this is no exception. Uinen's unwillingness to let go of Tar-Miriel's body makes sense when a body for her is nothing more than a decoration.

The Sea-King's Wife by swanmaiden - E - 300 - Tar-Miriel/Uinen - Uinen should be queen of tentacle porn.

The Tapestry by Zdenka - T - 1.2k - Theodwyn & Miriel - From one seamstress to another, through the ages.

Threads of Gold by Zdenka - T - 2.7k - Finduilas/Nienor - These two finding healing together is the best part of this ship TT_TT

Through These Old Grounds of Memory by Cinaed - T - 2.8k - Finduilas/Nienor - This fic captures their feelings so well. And here, they get a happy ending!

Where the Lilies Grow by Elleth - T - 1.7k - Finduilas/Nienor - Nienor's inexperience in romance does not stop her XD You can definitely tell she's Hurin's daughter here!

#fanfic recs #the silmarillion #lotr #the hobbit #80 days #the left hand of darkness #da section excised because tumblr doesn't want to let me put that many links in i guess #wtf

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thelordofgifs · 5 months

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what's the unburied about?

(WIP game)

It's the bane of my fucking life, that's what it is. (Pro tip: do not commit to writing nothing but 30k of a fic for an entire month. It is, in the common parlance, a Bad Idea.)

Sigh. Anyway. The Unburied is a canon-compliant longfic about the thirty years between the burning of the ships at Losgar and the arrival of Fingolfin's host in Beleriand, told from the dual perspectives of Fingon as he crosses the Helcaraxe and Maglor as he attempts to rule the Feanorian host in Mithrim. Picture lots of angst, parallels, complicated sibling relationships, and dead OCs. The OCs in this fic have a HIGH mortality rate ngl.

Here's a fun lil snippet:

Celegorm was an intensely practical person, with little flare for spectacle. He scoffed more often than not at Maglor’s tendency to dramatics, and even their father’s grandstanding had irritated him on occasion. But for all that he claimed to eschew fanfare and theatrics he was still Fëanor’s son, still aware at all times of the weight a single moment could carry. He met Maglor’s eyes, now. His own were grim. He dismounted before Maglor in one swift fluid motion. His mind brushed briefly against Maglor’s, the barest breath of an apology. Then he went gracefully to one knee in the mud before Maglor, and bowed his head, and said in a clear strong voice, “Hail, Kanafinwë Makalaurë, High King of the Noldor!”

#asks #grey-gazania #ask game #unburied verse #and in case you were wondering: yes that is THE moment maglor finds out

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polutrope · 4 months

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Writing Year Wrapped (2023)

Thank you for the tag and for creating this, @eilinelsghost!

An advisory off the bat that a few of these explore some themes and relationships that won't be for everyone (don't want Tumblr to censor me completely so sexu@l themes and inc3st lol).

3 Favorite Fics You've Written This Year

Scorched (E). Elrond/Maedhros, Elrond & Elros, past Maedhros/Maglor. Started as a quick fill to get a prompt from @i-am-a-lonely-visitor out of my head but then Maedhros was such an unreliable narrator that I needed to tell more of the story. I loved exploring this complicated entanglement from four very different perspectives and it gave me confidence to write more about this period.

Who By Fire (M). Amrod/Fingolfin. I broke new thematic barriers (for me, not for the fandom) and dug deep into two characters I hadn’t written much/at all before with this one, and I’m really pleased with how it turned out and how it was received.

Everlasting Darkness (E) Eärendil/Maedhros, Elwing/Maglor. I feel like I’ve mentioned this one a lot, but I just think it’s so fun and absurd and pretty clever if I do say so myself. And hot. I’ve received a lot of great comments on it including that Anon who’s got Eärendil/Maedhros brainrot – sending you flowers.

3 Fics That Stretched You the Most

If You Are the Healer (E) Maedhros/Maglor. I started this one-shot in December 2022 and didn’t finish it until February 2023 for @maedhrosmaglorweek, which is a long time for me to spend with a one-shot. I wanted to write something that would be credible to people (like me, when I started) who weren’t totally sold on the ship and that proved a real challenge, but based on some feedback I got I pulled it off.

And Love Grew (T) Elrond & Elros & Maglor. After two years of rotating this deeply complex relationship, I started my first foray into a long fic. I struggle a lot with (confidence about) writing an engaging plot and I came close to abandoning this endeavor because I couldn’t imagine exactly how everything would unfold so it felt reckless to start sharing it. Then I said “to heck with it!” and it was the right call.

The whole Silmarillion Phrase Prompts series (mostly G, some T and M). It’s 20 ficlets so this is a big cheat, but I put this prompt list up to get myself through a creative slump and some of these were a real push to get out but I’m proud of completing all of them and writing so many different characters and situations.

3 Favorite Lines Short Passages You've Written

It was not well known among Tirion’s elite that the staid and formidable Nerwen Artanis Arafinwiel was as ambitious about the acquisition of lovers as she was about the acquisition of athletic and intellectual accolades. Because Artanis was decisive and efficient, eschewing the coquetry that normally preceded an act of pleasure, it was believed, by those she did not bed, that she was uninterested in such matters. As for those she did bed, the reverence and fear she inspired kept them from making any boasts about having breached the steely exterior of Arafinwë’s daughter — at which each believed him or herself to have been uniquely successful.

From Snakes and Ladders

He was so close now that Nolofinwë’s eyes had to dart about to take in the whole of his face. Nolofinwë inhaled deeply, attempting to gain control of the thundering of his pulse, and his nostrils were filled with the sweet scents of the anise and chamomile oil used to soothe Amrod’s pains. It only made his heart pound harder. “Telvo, what are you doing?” he asked. “Unkinging you.”

From Who By Fire

Since then, Maedhros has plotted the narrative of centuries building towards that boundary drawn. The tale of a liege devoted beyond reason to his lord, giving and giving until his spirit was as scorched as the lands he lost. They do not touch anymore, not even in violence. Maglor has no need of him. It is his foals, grazing upon his barren spirit, who have brought him back to life.

From Scorched

3 Characters You Enjoyed Writing (that surprised you)

Eärendil in Everlasting Darkness (E), Ungoliant’s Bane (G), and Beacon (E)

Galadriel in Snakes and Ladders (E) and Flight and Freedom (G)

Elrond in Scorched (E) and Stained Glass (G)

3 Unexpected Inspirations

Skipping because I can’t think of any that were unexpected.

3 WIPs You're Excited About in the Upcoming Year

And Love Grew

Giving my OTP some love with more Daemags smut. Possibly “Kinks Through History”.

I have a plan brewing for something meta-related that I’m not ready to disclose.

3 People Tagged to Share Theirs (if you want!)

@ettelene

@thelordofgifs

@meadowlarkx

#ask game #2023 wrapped #2023 reflections

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thegreatandpowerfulversy · 16 days

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My overactive writerbrain is doing its thing again, taking the two most recent things I've been into and smashing them together into a bizarre crossover that still, somehow, inexplicably works.

This time, it's Worm and the Silmarillion. Specifically, I'm thinking about how there are three Silmarils, and three main Endbringers, and both of these groups of three things are themed around land, sea, and sky. So, naturally... what if they're directly related?

Imagine the distant future of Arda, maybe not quite to the third act of the Music of the Ainur, but getting close to it. It is the age of Men and Aftercomers, the younger Children of Ilúvatar who have never so much as seen an elf, who live and die and pass not into the Halls of Mandos but into some other, hidden place beyond Eä to await what is to come. The Valar keep to themselves in the west, Melkor was cast out and Sauron defeated, and none in Middle Earth Bet even remember the legends of the Two Trees and their Light, or the terrible Oath sworn to reclaim its last glimmers from any who would dare to keep them.

But even in this time, the Silmarils still exist, somewhere. Maybe someone delves and/or swims too greedily and too deep, or maybe Men advance their technology and look outward to the stars. But someone, somewhere, encounters something they shouldn't, and the time of kinslayings begins again.

Maedhros and his Silmaril were lost into a fiery chasm, deep within the earth. Even without their masters, the balrogs and dragons and the rest of Melkor's designs still lurk and work their evils. It is not just the greed born of Fëanor's oath that corrupts him, but external powers too, until nothing elflike remains and Maedhros becomes a hulking Behemoth tunneling through the bowels of the world, always chasing a spark that the currents of magma will never let him reach.

Maglor cast his Silmaril into the sea. But the sea is Ulmo's domain, and Maglor swore an oath to pursue the jewels even should the hands that hold them be a vala's. Whether he regrets his action or not, the Oath compels him to swim after the Silmaril, and it drives him to swim ever faster and harder and better, streamlining away everything he used to be until all that remains is a powerhouse of water itself, a Leviathan who carries the ocean in his wake as he circles the world and assails the coastlines where his prize might briefly have been.

Eärendil took a Silmaril into the sky, never to touch down again, never to let himself be seen except as a passing star to those below. He swore no Oath, and can keep the Silmaril rather than chase it endlessly, but in so keeping he finds within the knowledge and cunning of the Noldor, and a perspective from high above so foreign to the mortals who walk the earth. With the Light upon his brow, borne forever on the wings of Varda, he becomes the legendary firebird, the Simurgh, ever watching the lives below with a sense of duty to intervene and to keep the world's development along the path he knows is right. ...And also she transes her gender at some point, I guess.

But someone, somewhere, encounters something they shouldn't: perhaps Melkor returned to Eä, or another Ainu who neglected to join the creation after the visions from Ilúvatar but who enters now, late, like Ungoliant or Bombadil before them. Some catalyst alights upon the world and brings forth power and light, kindling conflict first for conflict's sake alone.

And sometimes, a volcano will send forth a brilliant spark to see the surface world once again, and for a while it travels from hand to bloodier hand, until the Behemoth emerges in an attempt at its recapture, and the Light sinks again in its wake. Sometimes, another jewel will wash up on the shores, ever followed by the Leviathan who lays waste to coastal cities, even sending floods upriver where the Silmaril has been traded inland. And through it all, the Simurgh sings what she can recall of Elwing's song, distorted with every new century passed until it brings only madness to all who hear. The Simurgh, too, is mad from it, but cannot cease, and her once well-meaning interventions in mortal affairs are turned quickly to the new power's ends.

...I don't have a plot or anything, this is just a vague concept based on a random connection my brain made and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it down. Anyone is welcome to take the setting and run with it if you want, flesh it out a bit more, while I have plenty of other wips already that I should be writing.

#worm parahumans #worm web serial #silmarillion #wormblr #the silm fandom

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maja0678 · 4 months

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I feel like Galadriel and Maedhros would get along so well:

-both surrounded by idiots

-trying to be calm but siblings

-stupid blonde siblings

-and more but I can't think of more

WHICH IS WHY I AM WRITING DIS: (galadriel's perspective, like 50 years after the last ship came to Valinor. She is visiting the halls of Mandos cuz WHY NOT??)

Yes this is a fanfic but it's short

Fëanor's sons are idiots. But sometimes, Maedhros is nice. Celegorm is a dick, but he's always been a dick. So is Curufin. Caranthir insulted my brother, even though he deserved it. So I don't like Caranthir either. And the twins... Well, I'm neutral about them. And Maglor is lost. I don't know if there is something like a TV in Mandos, that livestreams all business in Middle-Earth.

I sigh as i take more steps. I couldn't take a horse; there aren't many in Aman. Walking is fine, I tell myself. I'm going to tell Fëanor and his sons that Maglor is officially lost. I couldn't find him. I searched for him- in secret- and I failed. Eru, I hate it when I fail to do something.

The door to their cell is sealed. Good thing I'm friends with Olórin, who is close with Nienna, Namo's sister. So I got a key. My fingers slightly wrap around the silver key. It's beautiful. But I shouldn't stand and admire the key, and open the door in stead. The huge door opens as I push it. Maedhros sits there. He looks a little transparant. But I've seen ghosts before, so I'm not scared. He doesn't look surprised to see me.

"I think I can guess why you're here, cousin." A shiver runs up to my ears as he spoke, which is kind of a weird feeling. The voices of ghost's are like wind. It's.. hard to explain. However, I have to say something. "Yes. I couldn't find Maglor. I'm sorry." My words sound cold and unfeeling. That's not how I wanted it to sound.

"I know. We have something like a TV here, but even that thing can't find Maglor," Maedhros speaks.

"Ah." My voice shakes. Only a little, but it still shakes. "I'm sorry. How's the waiting going?" And now, I sound like I'm making fun of him.

"Boring. My father tries to pick a fight with lord Namo.. And I guess we just have to sit here and wait. Accept our defeat." His words repeat in my head. Accept defeat..

"I get it. I.. I should go. I've said what I wanted to say. Good luck on waiting, and escaping." My eyes widen as i realize what I've just said.

"I mean, don't escape. Escaping prison is bad, don't do it." I try to explain, but he smiles. And waves me away. He's dismissing me, as if he called for me to come? I give him my most I'm-alive-and-you're-not-look, and turn around. I smash the door, as if I'm a child.

I'm not a child. I'm older then the moon and the sun. The most powerful elf alive. Alive..

When I'm walking back to my husband, and daughter, his words still echo in my head. A soft breeze toys with my now quite messy hair. Accept our defeat, he said. I turn around, walk in the direction of a now huge tree. I used to play in it as a child, but that was a long time ago. I used to sit there, and read. I find myself going into the exact position the younger me used to love

"Maybe it's time to accept defeat," I whisper.

THE END😍

#silmarillion #tolkien #galadriel #maedhros #namo mandos #short fanfic

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growingingreenwood · 16 days

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wip folder game!

tagged by @lordgrimwing

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

-----------

If I were to post EVERY single WIP that's in my little WIP Journal or Folder we'd be here for days and days. So I settled for listing the first 20 that I've worked on the in the last 6 months, listed in apphabetical order.

Thanks for the tag! I could never tag this many people, so whoever things it would be fun, please feel free to play the game and tag me so that I can see!

Advice

Beads

Decontamination

Don't let go

Effects of war (Extra's, Important Bits, Plotting)

Effects of war chap 17 + 18

Greenwood in a box 2

Him first, her last

Maglor Indebted

No sense

On the contrary

Part time war

Perspective

So much for so long

The Rot Chap 5

Unhealed

Warthog

Windwalker

Zip-line

#tag game #tumblr game #tolkien fanfiction #haleigh speaks #she's also a GREMLIN with probably over 100 WIP's just.... hanging out. In various stages of being completed #why am i like this #Ask me questions about ones that seem most interesting to you!!#maybe they'll actually get finished and posted this way lol

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novemberthecatadmirer · 1 year

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(Dumb headcanon)

I think maybe after 3rd kinslaying… Maglor was the crazy one and Maedhros was the sane one

Like, these orphans… Your brothers murdered their maternal grandparents and your brother’s follower murdered their uncles. You drove their mother to (failed) suicide while their father was away. You burnt their city and murdered their people. You took them as hostages away from their home away from their culture.

Reasonably, they do not like you.

Also they are part Maia and slightly Eldritch.

It’s just a BAD idea to adopt them. Like, bad idea from so many different perspectives

There were people who wanted to keep them and possibly could take care of them better. They could grow up raised not by murderers of their family

Maglor: Yeah anyway I am going to keep these babies

Maedhros: No

Maglor: YES

Maedhros: the other day they tried to murder us with their hair

Maglor: but look how cute they are

Maglor and his emotional-support (kidnapped) babies

—————

I like to think Maedhros was rational till the end. He forced himself to be sane (for an insane goal)

Maglor was kind of broke by the third kinslaying. All the sound. The screams. The building collapsing in fire. The swords cutting into bodies. The wind and the waves. Elwing yelling then laughing at them.

And he was no longer able to make new songs. He did not want to think what this meant. After all, the other one infamously lost his ability to create was Morgoth.

So Maglor was functioning but far from sane. Passively suicidal at best.

Maedhros would keep E & E against his judgement and conscience if that meant Maglor got a reason to live

Maglor did have a really good assessment of the situation. The “we’re already in eternal darkness why should we drag more people into our doom” comes from someone extremely depressed.

I think Maedhros did have the same feeling but seeing the way Maglor was he decided that something must change.

Then the whole burning hand thing happened… and that was the moment Maedhros finally lost it

—————

I actually like to think Maglor was not delirious in his wandering

In some way he got a purpose, or decided a purpose for himself

I think he was suicidal for a long period of time but after Maedhros offing himself he realized he lost the right to do the same

(also very possibly Maedhros said something to him to guilt-trip him into not following suit)

(Like, Maglor was holding this bottle of poison. Maedhros saw it and decided to take it and drink it himself)

I think his wandering was his way to make up for his family’s mistake. Now his father and his brothers were all dead and he was the only one who was alive and could make any changes.

He wanted to repent for his family. It was too late but he would still do it.

There was no reason to go back to the west. He made judgement for himself.

I think even his canon end was not “giving up and drown in misery.” Tell the cautious tale to people was not self-pitying.

I like to think he just continued to live on the land his father led them to. See and experience everything for his dead family who could not see or experience themselves. Continue to exit, learned new songs. Lived the way Eru designed elves to live.

—————

Anyway I just feel it’s funny to think that Elrond & Elros were basically Maglor’s emotional support Eldritch Peredhels

(In my undergraduate art school the dorm did not allow pets so people registered their cats & dogs as “emotional support animals.” The funny thing is that’s not even wrong; almost everyone had either depression or anxiety or both.)

#tolkien #silmarillion #the silmarillion #silm #silmarillion headcanon #silm headcanon #maglor #maedhros #elrond #elros

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allthatglittersisnotgoldrush · 7 months

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I’ve been thinking a lot about the brotherly dynamic between Celegorm and Maedhros, especially after reading the last few chapters. From my perspective, Maedhros seems to view Celegorm as a better example of what an older brother should be (should have been). While, on the other hand, Celegorm adores Maedhros. Sometimes, I think that Celegorm tries to see Mae clearly but can’t go too deep into understanding him because it feels like criticizing him. Out of all the brothers, Maedhros knows that Celegorm will be the one to protect the family. He’s as unyielding as a mountain. I think Maedhros knows Celegorm is smart where it matters most (even though everyone else doubts it). That’s probably why Mae thinks of Celegorm whenever he’s close to death.

Am I completely wrong? 😅 I probably am haha. What are your thoughts on the relationship of these two brothers? These two young men who try their hardest to do away with their sensitivity in favor of strength.

P.S. I read three published books this past month and NONE compare to your Gold Rush. I want to print it, bind it in gold, and paint miniature images of your stories like a medieval monk would.

“These two young men who try their hardest to do away with their sensitivity in favor of strength”

Ok first of all I will post links here to a few select fics from our massive list that illustrate EXACTLY the relationship you have described, because far from being completely wrong in your interpretation, you are completely RIGHT. It is difficult to even add any of my own thoughts as you have already articulated them very well!!!

Mae does see Celegorm as being naturally better suited to being the eldest and a leader than he is (which we know from canon . . Isn’t true) and also recognizes that Celegorm is actually very intelligent, when most people assume otherwise. He is so relieved currently to have Celegorm to lean on; out of all his brothers i think he views Celegorm as his peer the most. If he had to leave anyone in charge again, he might not choose Maglor. Celegorm, however, wants Maedhros to continue to be the exceptional eldest; to have to admit that Maedhros has been changed by his time in Angband is a horror to him.

Celegorm wants to keep his worship of Mae as the eldest alive, but he has always been most perceptive of the brothers (besides perhaps Caranthir). He understood what was happening when his parents would fight and Mae would have to peacekeep. He understood that if he came home from wandering and wasn’t scolded for missing chores, it’s because Mae did his work to cover for him. Mae’s language of love is so frequently nonverbal and sacrificial, and Celegorm is sensitive to injustice; he has thus always understood instinctively when Mae is doing anything out of love, and has understood too how to give Mae love back in ways that don’t burden him. This used to be a really easy balance between them. Since Mae was captured and returned, it’s all been knocked askew.

Celegorm loves Mae so much he can’t bear to consider that Mae /has/ been diminished or damaged in any way by his time in captivity, after Celegorm failed to rescue him; meanwhile Mae loves and respects Celegorm so much, he can’t bear for Celegorm to think him weak. They should talk about this, but neither wants the other to think worse of them, so they don’t. The result is . . . Increasing dysfunction, borne out of mutual love and disappointment/fear.

#admin mythopoeia #gold rush au #gold rush au asks

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sauroff · 1 year

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for the character bingo: Maglor and/or Lúthien?

Maglor: Ok, so, let me explain.

I feel like there are two Maglors in Fandom: cinnamon roll and heartless murderer. There is no in between. People that love Elwing hate his guts and ignore everything canon to make him pure evil. But, at the same time, there seems to be a lot of people that ignores that he did commit several war crimes. And I know I might look like one, which is why I have tried to draw him a bit feral a few times. I'm more on this second group, anyway. But yes, everyone either goes to soft or to hard on him.

Lúthien: I don't have many opinions on her, I think. She rocks, she is cool. I'm not so sure about fanon perspective on her, I think everyone is pretty ok with her, but there isn't much personality to her fanon (at least from what I saw). And that's ok! More room for everyone to make her as they please.

Also, I can't decide whether I like her with Rapunzel like long hair, or short hair after she cuts it. Like, I know she made it grow, but I think it would be much cooler if she had to sacrifice her hair in order to make that cloak, it adds a lot to the visual.

Thank you for your question 💖

#ask game #maglor #luthien

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sallysavestheday · 11 months

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2, 7, and 8 for the asks game, if you’re willing!

Thanks for the ask, @eilinelsghost!

2. Any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

Not stories, per se, but certainly perspectives and approaches to characters.

For instance, I was fortunate to have a marvelous father: he was a gifted teacher, endlessly patient with children's struggles, and a fierce defender of those who needed defending while also allowing the people he loved to make all kinds of necessary, character-building mistakes. He had his own rich complications, of course, and he let us see and learn from them in a way that was very vulnerable and not at all characteristic of his times or his upbringing. All the good fathers in my fics echo him in some way or another: Fingolfin in From the Heights, Such Light and Air, for instance, or Glorfindel's father in What Carries You, or all of my Thranduils (I will die on the Good Dad Thranduil hill), or even reborn Celegorm in Settle Your Wild Heart. I enjoy being able to share my dad with others through them, in a way.

I'm also a parent, and I work in a profession and in places in the world where there are terrible losses, every day, so sometimes that percolates through to my writing. Finrod in To This, He Had No Answer is a little bit of me, I guess. But then, so is Melian in Blood of My Blood, Bone of My Bone. The circle of life, man...it's all about perspective.

7. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

That is actually extremely variable! I have poured some fics (like This Blood Will Tell) out onto the page in one fugal burst, hit post, and then never touched them again. Others I tinker with and am never quite satisfied, but eventually just hit post so I can move on. Once I start it's rarely more than a few days before I post something, though. Have to clear the decks for the next bolt of inspiration ;). Sometimes I do go back into a post and wordsmith a bit after it's been up for a while, but never anything serious. Once it's out of my hands it will mean what readers make it mean to themselves, anyway -- I can't control that. So I get things to a place where I can stand them and then send them out into the world.

8. Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

I'm toying with an idea or two around the connection that Fingolfin and Maglor have as second sons. It's getting enjoyably angsty!

I'm also working on a little thing about Fingon and Aredhel right after Alqualonde, in which she leapt in at his side and ... well, let's just say they don't have the same regrets. It's complicated!

Thanks again for asking :)

#asks and answers #my fic #fic recs #tolkien fanfiction

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swanmaids · 2 years

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the lay of the three wives of the sons of fëanor

written for @finweanladiesweek day 6 “original characters”

words: 810

summary: a recently uncovered second age poem reveals some previously unknown truths about the three women who wedded a son of fëanor.

Introduction to “The Lay of the Three Wives of the Sons of Fëanor”

Destruction of records during the various battles and sackings that characterised First Age Beleriand, combined with the arguably precarious social position of women during that time and the fact that all of Fëanor’s sons are yet to come forth from Mandos means that little is known of the three women who were, at least for a time, married to a son of Fëanor. For this reason, this short poem, purportedly written by Maechenebeth Malfindiel - a jewelsmith of the Gwaith-í-Mirdain and amateur storyteller- in around S.A. 1300 is a significant historical document.

The Lay has been criticised for being overly sympathetic to its subjects- it makes no mention, for example, of the rather uncomfortable fact that Maglor’s wife Malrín would certainly have been aware that she was marrying a kinslayer and ship-thief when she wed him, making her later abandonment of him over the Second Kinslaying seem less like the troubled conscience that Maechenabeth portrays, and more like escaping a situation that would have been politically disastrous to remain in. It also seems to portray the fates of double mass-murderer Morndis (referred to here by her Quenya epessë Meletyë) and Tindawen and Malrín who by all available accounts including this one killed no kin, as equally tragic. Nevertheless, as one of few surviving lays that focuses on these under-studied figures as opposed to their infamous husbands, it is a worthwhile read for anyone looking to gain perspective on the wives of Maglor, Caranthir, and Curufin.

The Lay of the Three Wives of the Sons of Fëanor

Young Fëanor wedded Nerdanel,

Of their love many lays do tell.

To Fëanor seven sons she gave,

And each was famed from crib to grave.

Yet lesser known are each three wives

That three sons took within their lives.

The Dark, the Minstrel, and the Smith-

Their women passed on into myth.

Though few remember still their names,

Their faces, stories and their fames,

They need not fade into the night,

In song they may be brought to light.

Caranthir’s bride was bright as dawn,

When he saw her one glinting morn,

In Alqualondë she did dwell,

Sweet Tindawen of sail and shell.

Though Tindawen was mild and kind,

And Caranthir a diff’rent mind,

In early days he loved her well,

Until upon them darkness fell.

For then he swore his evil oath

And forsook she who loved him most.

He left her there upon the shore,

And to her kin bought blood and war,

And though she loved him still, she raged,

And from his book she tore a page.

She threw her ring, she cursed his name,

And then from him she ran in shame.

Too late he realised what he’d done,

While brothers cheered for ships they’d won,

He wept regret and sorrow then,

For he had lost his Tindawen.

Thereafter Maglor found a wife,

In what was his great hour of strife,

His brother gone, his role to lead

The Noldor in their time of need.

Her cloak was grey, her hair was gold,

A chieftain’s daughter, brave and bold,

Malrín her name was, Golden Crown,

They wed as Arien looked down.

They married fast, to make a queen,

Yet soon true feeling grew between

The two of them, and so although

He lost the crown, she did not go.

Through sudden flame and tears she stayed,

Although upon him doom was laid,

But when his thoughts turned to the jewel

In Menegroth, she knew him cruel.

She begged that he not do this deed,

He did not hear her, and indeed,

Her heart was sore, she knew she’d failed,

And when the Herald came, she sailed.

The last wife married Curufin,

From her eyes tree-light shone within,

A Noldo of some small import,

In Tirion they two did court.

Their love was fierce, their souls the same,

She stole his heart, he changed her name.

He named her Mighty, Meletyë,

For her man’s heart, and gaze steel-grey.

With him she raised her sword and slew,

And stole and burned to lands anew.

In those lands she bore him a child,

His hands were strong, yet temper mild.

Like the wolf-mother loves her brood,

They loved him with a fearsome mood,

But their son could not bear their crimes,

In Narog he left them behind.

Still wife and husband stayed as one,

“I’ll stay until our lives are done”,

She said, and yea, she did not lie,

For in Doriath both did die.

And now we come to end our tale,

Of steel sword, gold crown, and white sail.

We know their names, their deeds, their doings,

Their loves that would become their ruins.

Alas for three most tragic brides,

Swept from history like the tides

Of the Swanhaven in Aman ,

Back where the Noldor’s end began.

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