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the-writing-goblin · 7 months

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I am once again thinking about how good the story of the second age is, and all the fun things you could do with an actually decent adaptation. Consider:

Galadriel should be exactly the same as she is in Lord of the Rings. She is older, weirder and more powerful than any elf other elf in Middle Earth. Other elves are just as unnerved by her as mortals, and dealing with her is stressful at the best of times.

Elrond should be an absolute infant. Just, complete baby face. But everyone treats him super respectfully and he has a lot of power and influence. The energy should be the same as when the super ancient and powerful vampire or faerie or whatever looks like a ten year old girl.

ALSO there should be a tall, menacing elf with visible tattoo and facial scars who just. Stands behind Elrond looking intimidating all the time. The least elf-looking elf ever. All the other elves are uncomfortable around them. Elrond should treat them like their an Aunt or Uncle. The elf is one of the few surviving hard-line Feanorians, all of whom follow Elrond. The longer you can go without explaining this, the better.

Gil-Galad is very tired, and spends a lot of time balancing one of the most famously unstable political systems in all of Arda. Galadriel and Elrond both have factions they support to strongly to be relied on to be impartial. The reason he doesn't worry much about what Celebrimbor's up to is that he's the one member of the family who is highly unlikely to attempt something batshit nuts, and his followers are mostly moderate.

Celebrimbor and Annatar/Sauron should spend the whole series playing complicated mindgames with each other.

Annatar is playing four-dimensional chess from the beginning. For him, this is an all or nothing gamble. If he can't make the rings he won't have the power to seize control on his own. He should spend a lot of time having Light Yagami-level monologues where he tries to figure out what game Celebrimbor is playing while outwardly pretending to be harmless and normal and only succeeding at this about 75% of the time.

Celebrimbor should start of thinking the stakes are considerably lower. Like... is Annatar hiding something? Yea, but he figures Annatar doesn't actually have permission from the Valar to be here or something. Not, ya know, Annatar is secretly Satan in disguise. In the first act there should be an almost comical disconnect between the amount of energy Sauron is putting in to these mind games versus Celebrimbor.

Bonus points if as Celebrimbor figures out the truth, you intersperse more and more of his family backstory. The guilt he is still carrying for a lot the things that happened in the first age. Early on bring in the fact that Finrod went into Sauron's jaws alone and it was Curufin's fault, use this as angst material. And then as he figures out who Sauron really is, drop Maedhros and Thangorodrim in like a nuclear bomb.

Because Celebrimbor has seen this play before, and he knows what Sauron does to people. It wasn't even personal then, what Sauron is going to do to him will be so much worse.

And Celebrimbor chooses to forge the three rings anyway. He doesn't give up their locations, even with everything Sauron does to him at the end. And that should be devestating.

#silmarillion #rings of power #kinda #sort of the opposite of rings of power #celebrimbor #annatar #elrond #gil galad #wild tonal shifts in this post #oh well #I think this story should have wild tonal shifts tbh #I am unwell about these elves #lotr

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darklordsauron · 2 years

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I WATCHED THE FIRST EPISODE OF RINGS OF POWER (illegally) SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO:

I will list all the bad things and the good things of the first episode. Fair warning, I am right and those articles which calls this piece of steaming shit a masterpiece is wrong.

BAD THINGS-

The acting is sub par and so uncaring that it literally didn't feel like a real, just under a billion dollar, fantasy show based off of the legendary writing of J.R.R Tolkien.(Rest in peace, you deserve the world.)

Galadriel is a Mary-Sue (the perfect person. Everybody wants to be her, she is so 'cool' Rawr XD Uwu) and she is short despite being described in the books as taller than most elvish women and almost half of elvish men.

Elrond seems to have a crush on her and that just makes me nauseated.

Galadriel, if I should even call her that, wears the fëanorian star on every wardrobe item she owns it seems.

Actually, all the elves are the same height or even under it when compared to the humans.

The music sounds more like Game of Thrones than anything even remotely associated with LOTR.

The costume design in terrible. The material is cheap and plastic, they don't even try to conceal it. In one scene you can see that one of the background characters is wearing a black T-shirt underneath the clothes.

They barely say any of the characters' names (except Galadriel, which they repeat almost constantly). I had to google their names.

Brondir is the edgy warrior who is in love with the single mother (already forgot her name) who tries to help everyone around her.

The Harfoots, I also forgot all of their names, are the Hobbits of the second age and I hate the other main character whom comes from them. She is the relatable, clumsy character who is super curious. In other words, the most over used and predictable trope in all of film history.

They bring in new monsters/creatures that Tolkien never, ever wrote about. They probably needed these cliches to make the first episode more interesting.

The CGI sucks especially when Galadriel is climbing the glacier, icy, mounting thingy. The water is jelly and a piece of Valinor's sky literally clips out if you look really closely.

They jump locations every two minutes which gave me a headache and somehow the series is both fast and slow...AT THE SAME TIME!

There is really no heart in it. The entire thing was apathetic and simply lacked soul (because they sold their souls for money).

GOOD THINGS-

Gil-galad, his character actually looks canon and the actor is putting his heart into the performance thus making him the best.

The make-up of the orcs is simply beautiful. If only the rest of the series was.

Any scene with Sauron and the mentions of Morgoth is cool as it feels as if they have actual power in the otherwise boring show.

So far it sucks (no surprise there). I wanted to break my TV simply because their disrespect towards the source material is so obvious. Tomorrow my brain will have recovered enough to watch episode 2: Shit becomes shitier.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

#lord of the rings #the rings of power #lotr on prime #middle earth #tolkien #lotr #lotr amazon #fuck amazon #j.r.r. tolkien #i hate it thanks #amazon is a mosquito #the silm #galadriel #the mary-sue #the first episode was terrible #literally the worst #my brain is fucked #why

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wordbunch · 11 months

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Elves comforting you

a/n: wifey @queenmeriadoc requested “how elves comfort you when you’re missing your family” and I tried my best to deliver! you know the drill - lemme know how you liked it, reblogs and comments are extremely appreciated and the ask box is open 😊💖 i’m excited/nervous bc it was my first time writing for most of these characters! 👀

INCLUDES: Galadriel, Arondir, Elrond, Celebrimbor, Gil-galad

(Elrond and Galadriel can count both as LOTR and TROP versions, ig?)

GALADRIEL:

absolutely understands you because she was parted from many of her family members and close people

asks you whether you want to talk about something, you want advice or you just want her to distract you somehow

she will offer a shoulder to cry on if you need that

she will run her fingers through your hair

also she will pamper you the whole evening to try and chase the sadness away because she loves to take action as much as she can, especially when it comes to someone she loves deeply

she will bring you your favorite food or some magically calming herbal tea, run you a bath full of flowers and scented salts and all those fancy things

ARONDIR:

he is a great listener and you know you can open up to him about your sadness and nostalgia

you can see in his eyes that he is deeply empathetic

he will gently cradle your face in his hands and wipe away any tears that might appear

in order to cheer you up, he suggests a walk, because sunshine and fresh air always seem to work for him

the walk ends up being a hunt for the most beautiful flowers that he wants to pick for you

so gradually your tears turn to smiles and you end up walking back home together with a bunch of flowers in your arms and his strong arms around your shoulders

ELROND:

oh he completely understands how you feel and he literally tears up a bit when he sees that you’re sad

he will talk you through your feelings and try his best to advise you, but he knows that it can only help so much

his touch is feather light as he takes you to your quarters and he knows you well enough to know the best medicine for your sadness - a cuddle session

he will fiddle with your hair as you two talk, he will be the big spoon if you want him to, eventually he will pepper kisses onto any available area of your skin

if you drift away to sleep, he will still be there and hold you until you wake up, feeling a bit less sad

CELEBRIMBOR:

he doesn’t need to ask “is something wrong”, he can immediately ask “WHAT is wrong” because he can read you that well

he will definitely hold your hands and squeeze them in support while you’re spilling the contents of your heart out

if your family doesn’t live too far away, he will ask whether you want him to accompany you on a trip to them

if that isn’t an option for whatever reason, he is definitely taking you on a “trip” to the forge - he knows you like to watch him work so it will be a nice distraction to you

also maybe he will make you a little something special, suited just to your taste, like a hair accessory, to cheer you up even more

either way he won’t give up until he makes you smile

GIL-GALAD:

while you’re alone and pondering your feelings, he sneaks up behind you and envelops you in a warm hug

he will inquire about your thoughts and emotions in a comforting low voice - he knows exactly how to get you talking

he will immediately suggests going to visit your family if possible

but until then, he will make sure to have your favorite food made for you

and he will dance with you to nonexistent music, maybe hum a tune

and spin you around the biggest hall until your laughter starts echoing around it

also soft kisses are a must

✨ taglist my beloved ✨ @lotrnonsense @starlady66 @queenmeriadoc @entishramblings @thesolarangel @silversword7000 @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @averys-place @valkyriepirate @emmaarenstarr @noldorinpainter @asianbutnotjapanese @adamgetawaydriver @fenharel-enaste @ironmandeficiency @starryeyedrogue @dinofromspac3

#Elrond x reader #Galadriel x reader #celebrimbor x reader #Gil-galad x reader #Arondir x reader #trop imagine #Rings of power #Lord of the rings #Lotr imagine #the rings of power imagine #Lotr #the rings of power x reader #from my pocketses

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annoyinglandmagazine · 1 year

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Silmarillion dancing headcanons

I feel like dance is a pretty important part of Elvish culture right? I generally imagine their dancing a little like set dancing but a lot more elaborate and flowing. Like the movements are a bit more natural and they don’t keep their arms at their side like we do in Irish dance. It’s mainly the fast and elaborate footwork that I feel they would really enjoy. They also dance in pairs sometimes and it’s a little more intimate than traditional in set dancing incorporating elements of slow dancing but at a very fast pace. All this to say, I’ve become ridiculous attached to the idea of Maedhros and Fingon causing political uproar by joining in and pairing up for a dance at a big event during the Union of Maedhros. Like it’s meant to be a political statement about unity and they start by clasping hands at shoulder level and following the steps carefully with perfect posture. But not even halfway through Maedhros is lifting Fingon’s feet off the ground by holding his waist as they spin around and they’re just laughing and completely forgetting everything around them. They twirl each other around and follow the steps with their hands on each other’s hips and waists pressed way closer together than necessary. Maedhros is way too focused on the way Fingon’s smile lights up his face and Fingon is entranced by the way the firelight makes Maedhros’ newly grown out hair glint like real flames.

I will also die on the hill that they develop knife dancing at some point during the first age. Like it’s normal fast paced jigging and spinning and then people start hurling knives over each others heads and catching and twirling them. I feel like that’s exactly the sort of reckless needlessly self endangering activity the Noldor would come up with. Maglor and Maedhros probably use this as a training exercise for Elrond and Elros to let them have a bit of fun for once.

This reaches it’s peak around the early second age after the War of Wrath, when everyone is still carrying knives at their belts and reflexes are wired for battle but for once feels like they can properly enjoy themselves in recreation and let go a little. So what I’m saying is that in the early days of Lindon when they didn’t have dignitaries from other cities around to be shocked by it, they wouldn’t have formal parties in ballrooms or anything like that, they’d start a big bonfire somewhere and have this absolutely insane, wild ceilí dance involving a lot of knives. And Elrond absolutely loves it. He’s one of the best, particularly at the dances involving knives (go figure), and he’s sometimes viewed as a slightly more feral version of Luthien. Gil Galad once jokingly said Tinuviel, while they were dancing together and one of the knives Elrond threw to him was aimed rather closer to his head than Elrond would normally allow. Him and Elros try to teach it to some of the Numenoreans once but they all look at them like they’re insane. Imladris has a similar policy of toning it down among visitors but Aragorn does pick it up after growing up there and the fellowship are all pretty appalled when he tries to explain it to them. When he asks Legolas to back him up Legolas says that it is not actually an Elvish thing it’s just an “Elrond was raised feral in the woods by kinslayers” kind of thing.

#Silmarillion #dancing #elrond peredhel #feral elrond #Russingon

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thekingofwinterblog · 2 months

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The Kinslayings, an escalation of Pointless Violence

One thing I love about how Tolkien portrays the Kinslayings of the Feanorians, is how they tell a tale that ties into his ideas of how evil is an influencing force that will destroy a person over time if he ever tries to justify wickedness for "the greater good".

And he should know, as a man who fought and survived WW1, one of the most pointless wastes of human lives there ever was, justified by "othering" men with the same roots, religion and values as oneself in order to justify killing millions of them, as well as sending off an entire generation of young men to die for these hollow ideals, he would know a thing or teo about justifying wickedness "for the greater good".

The start of the first kinslaying is the only one that is arguably "Necessary" from a brutal, utilitarian perspective.

The Noldor need to get across the sea, meaning they either have to procure ships, or they have to walk across the deadly land bridge in the north.

So with these two options, if they choose to sail, they have 2 options. Either they get the ships that alreqdy exists one way or another, or they take the painstakingly longer road of making new ships themselves.

Now this second choice doesnt exactly line up neatly with an event that came later, but it very much brings to mind how during the war of the last alliance, the gathered forces of Arnor and Gil-galad spent years painstakingly making equipment, procuring food, and making battle plans for the campaign that would lead them to victory.

Now they didn't exactly have any easy options then like the Feanorians do, but it shows what Tolkien's message is. The hard road, with work, preparation and planning is the way to go.

But of course Feanor was not one such.

Instead when he was not allowed to borrow the ships, he and his responded with threats, then murder, as they slaughtered their own until just now friends and "Countrymen"(In as so far that they were all elves of Valinor".

It is a brutal, heartless afair that sours any and all goodwill they might have gotten from the Valar if they had done this in a better way, and has massive consequences for all elves who now find themselves barred from Valinor.

But that's not where it ends, because what follows is Escalation.

Feanor and his sons have gone down a path from which there is seemingly no going back from, and so, deciding that if he uses the boats to go back to valinor and ferry across the rest of his own people, his subjects, the people he hinself lead to kill their own comrades and friends, he leaves them to their own fate and burns the ships he stole down, in order to ensure that he would remain the unchallenged leader of the Noldor in Middle Earth.

Taking the boats, horrible, and evil though it was, was a genuine means to an end.

This is simply banal politics that not only split the Noldor at a time they really, really needed it, but probably cost hundreds of thousands of them their lives during the crossing of the Helcaraxë.

Its a slippery slope.

Once you give in to justifying evil for a cause, you will innevitably become more than willing to excuse other evil for it.

But you know what the best part is?

Acording to one version of the Kinslaying, One of Feanor's sons wanted to go back to Valinor, presumably to repent, and despite having sworn an "unbreakable oath", he was willing to go back on it because he came to realise that his actions were wrong.

And he was not killed by some divine bolt of lightning, but his own father lighting the ship he was on ablaze withouth knowing he was there.

Again, Tolkien makes his view on people who cling to "justifications" for evil quite clear.

The second Kinslaying is even worse than thw first, for it exposes absolutely everything for how it is.

It is important that this takes place AFTER the battle of unnumbered tears.

There is no glory left for the sons of Feanor at this point, for any chance of actually defeating Morgoth, avenging their grandfatger, father and all their now fallen brothers and reclaiming the silmarills by some glorious feat of arms has now passed.

They, and all the rest of beleriand now lives in the shadow of Morgoths innevitable victory, which he is taking his sweet time with.

But since there is small chance at taking the silmarills from Morgoth, they give up on that, because that is the hard road, and these men do not have the character of strength to actually take the hard road, which demands actual strength of character.

Instead they decide to target the one they can target, the one carried by King Dior, a man who has done them no harm, no injustice and by all accounts is a good man.

And they murder him. They kill his wife, and destroy his kingdom, one of the few realms that still exists and still fights the good fight against their supposed final enemy Morgoth.

And then, in an act of cruel and wicked spite, angry that this man had the gal to resist when they came to steal from him, and murdered his people, they take his two sons out in the woods, and leave them to starve or be slaughtered by wild animals.

But should we expect better? These men partook in all the ills of the first kinslaying, and so, are willing to cross any and all lines for their "great cause", for that is all that they have left.

Maedhros tries some repentence at this point, and decide to seek out the children his men left so cruelly to die, but he does not find them. The narratice does not reward him for this halfhearted attempt at redeeming himself if he is not willing to give up this vainglorious oath of his.

Which leads us to the final kinslaying, though i would argue there was a fourth one, which serves as the ending of this tale

The third kinslaying is the worst of all, and it is such an evil act that even some of their own troops, people who stood by them through the first kinslaying, the betraying with the burning ships, the tragedic defeat and aftermath of the battle of the unnumbered tears, and the second kinslaying, turns on them and tries to oppose them, having found the guts to do what none of the sons of feanor ever had and abandon this foolish quest.

Upon learning that Elwing, the only surviving member of Dior's family they unjustly slew is chilling with the survivors of the rest of the genocides of Beleriand, they decide, screw it, lets just sack this last remaining, undefended city, kill everyone we can, take the silmarill and sort out the consequnses later.

The previous kinslayings were unjust, evil, wicked, but they were military conflicts. There was a fight, regardless of how onesided they might have been.

The slaughter at the havens is anything but.

Is is genocide, snuffing out, or as good as, the last remaining survivors of Doriath, Gondolin and others.

If any of them survived this final sack, they were so few that their entire cultures effectively died out with them.

And once again, they are denied their price. They capture Elwings sons, Elros and Elrond to use as hostages in hope of negotiating back the silmarills.

With all of this in mind, the final chapter of this story is not particularily surprising.

For after the war of wrath is over, and the Valar's forces has done what they could not, and defeated Morgoth and taken back the silmarills, they are bluntly denied them when they try to claim them from the victorious forces, citing all their very evil deeds.

The two surviving brothers have a debate of what to do. Breaking their oath, or trying to fulfill it, either by once more trying to take them by force, or by going back to valinor and seeking pardon, hoping to once more get back the silmarills not by force of arms, but by showing themselves worthy of them after seeking redemption.

Of course, the first and last option would require actual strength of character, and so the two of them decide to take the two silmarills at hand by force, assuming they will die trying.

However, they are denied that death, and instead the commander, after they slay several of his men, decides to let them go with the silmarils, rather than respond with the death these two probably deserve at this point.

Their prize, as he expected, rejecta both of them.

The holy jewels they started this whole adventure to find, the ones they exterminated people to get, now violently rejects them for their evil deeds and character.

And in one, final set of utter and total showcase of what pathetic men they are, rather than abandoning the gems so that they could be returned to Valinor, they instead ensure that if they cant have them, nobody can.

Maedhras throws himself into a gaping, fiery chasm to ensure that both he and the Silmaril are lost beneath the earth.

Meanwhile Maglor throws his into the sea, to ensure the same thing, only chooses not to take his own life as well.

It is a last, spiteful set of acts that shows that neither of these men ever had the fortitude to do the right thing, and as a consequnce of their horrible oath, it all spiralled to this point, where even if told by the silmarills themselves how evil they have become, they still arent able or willing to do the right thing if it means going against their own oaths.

Because if they did, then that means that absolutely every, single evil, monstrous thing they and their brothers did was conpletely inexcusable, and they dont have the guts to do that.

It takes character to admit that you were wrong, owe up to your mistakes and take responsibility rather than clinging to the justification that brought you down this road to begin with. Or as Tolkien described both himself, his countrymen, and his enemies, all so similar to each other during the first world war.

"We were all Orcs in the great war" - J.R.R Tolkien.

#silmarillion #the silmarillion #feanor #sons of feanor #maedhros #maglor #meta #tolkien's legendarium #j r r tolkien

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the-elusive-soleil · 5 months

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love from before still strong

For @tolkienfamilyweek Day 1 - Parent-child relationship

Maglor is shaking as he makes his way through the shadows. His hand is still in searing pain, even though the Silmaril is now at the bottom of the sea. He can see the horrified, startled face of the guard he killed, and the horrible blank emptiness on Maedhros’ face just before he pitched forward and--

He shudders, tries to put it out of his mind.

He needs to get to Elrond. There is no room for a plan or for thoughts of consequences, only for that singular goal.

There’s nothing else left, is the thing. Morgoth is defeated (no thanks to him), all his brothers are dead, the Silmarils are gone and it is probably for the best, and Elros is already gone with the Men from the Host, departed for their new Isle of Gift while Maglor was huddled in the woods trying to come to terms with still being alive.

There is, distantly, the lurking possibility in the back of his mind that that could change. He is trying very hard to not entertain that possibility. There is no good reason for him to be alive when all his brothers are dead, but the situation only becomes more senseless if he throws away the life that only he has been allowed to keep.

So here he is, slipping through the camp of the Host of the West that he fled from, sword dripping blood, only days ago.

Fortunately, he does have some idea where to go in search of Elrond, from when he was here before--not from anything he saw, but rather from where in the camp Gil-Galad was most eager to prevent him and Maedhros from passing. More than that, he knows his son, and it is no stretch of the imagination to suspect that he ought to check the healers’ tents first.

Sure enough, as he approaches the tent at the end of the row, he hears a familiar voice saying, “Is there anything else you need from me tonight, Annehtë?”

It’s Elrond, which is good, but he’s not alone, which could cause problems. Maglor draws close to the side of the tent, the better to listen for an opportunity, and to stay out of sight of anyone passing.

“No, you’ve done all you ought to and more,” says an elf-woman who is presumably Annehtë. Peering through a gap between tent panels, Maglor spots her, a blonde Vanyarin who is probably not that much younger than himself, but whose face bears less stress than any elf of Beleriand’s anymore and makes her look unwontedly young.

Elrond, in plain and serviceable healer’s robes, looking weary but otherwise no worse for wear, is moving towards the tent entrance. “Then I will bid you farewell till morning, for this day has me unusually weary.”

Before he can leave, though, Annehtë calls out, “If you will stay a moment, there is a matter I would speak with you on.”

Maglor stifles a curse, and Elrond looks no less irritated as he turns around--he’s hiding it well enough for dealing with a relative stranger, but Maglor recognizes that set of his shoulders from every time he was made to eat greens he did not want. “What is it?”

“Why don’t we sit down?” Annehtë says, not really making it a suggestion. Elrond complies, mouth pressed into a thin line. “I’ve been meaning to check in on you ever since...well, since the incident a few days ago.”

So that’s what this is about.

Elrond’s face remains a polite mask. “I don’t see how there’s anything to discuss. Unless you suspect me of aiding and abetting them, which King Gil-Galad and King Finarfin have already determined was not the case.”

“Oh, no, of course not.” Annehtë sounds shocked at the very thought. “It’s only that, well, they put you through so much before. You were only just starting to recover, and then to have them come so close again, so violently--you must have been afraid they would come after you and your brother, to take you again.”

“Why would they do that,” Elrond asks quietly and evenly, “when they were the ones who sent us here?”

“I can only guess at how such twisted minds may work,” Annehtë ventures, “but people like that don’t ever really let their victims go, you know. It’s part of the game they play, catch and release.”

“And what exactly would you know about it?” Elrond’s voice is terribly calm and cool. “Having lived all your life in Aman, where supposedly everything is perfect.”

“I have had opportunity to learn from my Sindarin colleagues since arriving here,” Annehtë retorts primly. She reaches out and takes Elrond’s hands in hers. “I understand that you must have felt such a need to be defensive of the Fëanorians when you first came here. You’d never known anything else, so of course you would want to cling to it. But they’re gone now, and it’s safe to let yourself admit that they were cruel to you. They destroyed your home and took you captive, and allowed you to know nothing but their own ways and their rules. They hurt you, and now you don’t have to pretend otherwise anymore just to get by.”

Maglor’s heart pounds in his chest. Not because he believes what the Vanyarin woman is saying in her falsely sweet voice--he knows he and Maedhros parented the twins to the best of their ability, knows that they gave them every scrap of love they had to offer, and is fairly confident that Elrond and Elros held some affection for them in return. But this is exactly what he had feared would happen when they sent their sons away: that the Sindar and Amanyar would teach them to hate the people who had raised them, and would in time so convince the twins that they had been abused that he and Maedhros would never be able to reunite with them again.

He supposes it is only surprising that it took this long for anyone to try.

That does not make it tear at thim any less when Elrond bows his head and admits, “I cannot deny that there is some truth in what you say.”

Maglor cannot stand to listen any further. He came too late and lost his chance, and now his son is slipping away from him. Intervention is impossible, so he does the only thing left to him and flees.

***

Elrond had already had more than enough of Annehtë before she tried to lure him into some kind of soul-baring exercise. The fact that she was delaying him when he could swear he felt the presence of one of his fathers just outside only compounded the irritation. He tried polite evasion, and when that seemed to be waxing ineffective, attempted to feign at least partial agreement in the hopes that she would let him alone.

Instead, his trouble only increased: no sooner had he forced out the words than he felt Maglor’s presence abruptly recede, as if in flight. No, no, this couldn’t happen, he couldn’t have the chance to finally keep hold of someone just slip through his fingers like that.

He itches to leap up and chase after Maglor right then and there, but Annehtë is still there, looking at him expectantly after his most recent statement. Right. He has to deal with this nonsense.

“It is true,” he continues, “that Maedhros and Maglor invaded and destroyed our home when we were children. But that is the only true thing you have said. They were kind to us from the beginning, although it would have been expedient to kill or abandon us. They loved us as their own sons; they only sent us away because they were sending everyone away that they could.”

Annehtë is spluttering. “But--but they were, are kinslayers! They cannot have had kindness in them, or how could they have done all that they did?”

“I do not know,” Elrond says, a little proud of how steady his voice is despite his rage. “I have wrestled with that myself. But there is no doubt in my mind that they loved us, that they gave us all the goodness they could scrape together in themselves, which was no small amount. So you will not say such things to me again--not only because they are false, but because my relationship with my fathers is none of your business.”

Then, finally, he has the opportunity to storm out in the wake of her stunned silence, and the moment he is out of the tent, he breaks into a sprint in the direction he felt Maglor’s presence receding towards.

Fortunately, his foster father does not have much of a head start, and it only takes a few minutes for Elrond to detect that flare of fëa and follow it into the woods. He quickly spots a figure curled in the shadows at the base of a large tree. A couple of paces closer, and he realizes that Maglor is weeping silently.

That does it. He flies across the short remaining distance, dropping to his knees and reaching out. “Atya? Atya! It’s all right, I’m here, I’m sorry...”

Maglor looks up at him, wide-eyed. “Elrond. Is it really you? I thought--”

“If you had stayed only a moment longer, you would have heard me go on to verbally eviscerate her,” Elrond declares. “I felt you outside the tent, I was trying anything I could to get away quickly, but it only led to me having to chase you down. What has happened to you? Where is Atar? Why did you not come to me, or to Elros or both of us, before?”

Maglor shivers. “Maedhros is dead,” he says hoarsely.

Elrond freezes. “What? He cannot be--they told us they had let you both go unharmed, they swore to me--”

“He cast himself into a chasm of fire,” Maglor continues, glorious voice flat and dull. “We took the Silmarils, and they burned us as they burn creatures of evil, and--he could not bear it. They physical wound, yes, but not--and so he ended.”

He looks up at Elrond, meeting his eyes for the first time. “He was gone, and Elros had already left for wherever his Isle of Gift will be, and there was no one else, so I thought to go to you. And then I heard--”

“--possibly the least important part of all that I had to say,” Elrond assures. He cradles Maglor’s hands in his, noting with an inward hiss of dismay the ugly burn upon the right palm. “I did not want to leave you and Atar before; I am certainly not going to let you slip away now.”

“You should,” Maglor says, making a brief abortive movement as if he would pull away but cannot bear to. “I have slain kin again, I am a thief and a murderer and kidnapper, my heels are dogged by a curse--”

“I care for none of that,” Elrond says quietly. “That is, I am not glad that you have killed again, but I don’t think you will do so any more, and I do not think there is any punishment anyone could inflict on you that would be worse than the rejection of the Silmarils and the loss of Atar.”

Maglor is silent, only bowing his head.

“I will not be staying with the Host for much longer,” Elrond forges on determinedly. “Finarfin has been trying to talk me into returning with the Amnyar, but I do not plan to. As soon as I can make that clear without burning any bridges, I will be leaving here--I want to travel, and study the different peoples of Middle-earth, and collect their knowledge. So much has been lost during the wars, but nowperhaps I can seek to preserve.”

A brief hesitation, and then, “If you will only wait here where I can find you until then, you are welcome to join me--no, more than welcome, I would earnestly desire it. We can travel together. First to Elros, I think--he will be glad to see you are alive, and will want to mourn Atar with us.”

There is a terribly long silence before Maglor lifts his head again. “I should not agree. I do not deserve it,” he says. “But I fear I am too weak now to fight against what I want so badly.”

Elrond lets out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Good,” he says, a little unsteadily. He can work with that. Slowly, he drops the rest of the way to the ground and pulls Maglor into a tight, fierce embrace. “That’s good. That’ll be all right.”

#tolkienfamilyweek #silmarillion #maglor #elrond #kidnap fam #post war of wrath #maybe this belonged under the found family day?#but kidnap fam was my silm gateway drug and it's what I think of first when I see “tolkien” and “parents”#archaeologist-anthropologist elrond makes another appearance #so does my favorite genre of “outsider sees kidnap fam and assumes the worst”#soleil writes things #refracted (fanfiction)

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ginger-and-all-things-spice · 6 months

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My completely unsourced Oropher headcanons!

Oropher is the oldest son of Thingol and Melial

He is vain and selfish but not cruel

He is raised to rule

He is cocky and confident

A great swordsfighter

He looks down at people of other ranking

That is until…

He gets a baby boy

His family (except for his mother) want him to get rid of the child

Or he will lose his throne

And for the first time in his life Oropher makes a selfless decision

He chooses the baby

He names it after his favorite season: spring

Thranduil is the light of his life

He raises Thranduil by himself

He and his sunshine move to Lindon which is under Gil Galad’s rule at the time

Hé is a single father who’s never had a job in his life

But he can sing

He becomes Gil Galad’s court musician

Thranduil grows up

And he is different from the other elflings which causes him to be bullied

After another pull on his hair Thranduil explodes and unleashed magic

Which is something

Oropher tries his best to help his son control it by borrowing and stealing books from the library

He himself knows some enchantments but is by no means extremely powerful

Thranduil seems to be

When oropher is free he and Thranduil spend their time roaming the forests

Thranduil is an expert at climbing trees but still oropher worries

#oropher and thranduil #oropher #thranduil oropherion #oropherion #thranduil of mirkwood #Thranduil

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thelordofgifs · 11 months

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Obscure Tolkien Blorbo: Round 1

Elros vs Oropher

Elros:

Twin brother of Elrond, son of Elwing and Eärendil, and the first King of Númenor.

He's always overshadowed by his brother but Elros is EVERYTHING actually. The only person to ever choose mortality for its own sake and not because of love, the first and greatest king of Númenor, the wise leader of men, the open-hearted adventurer!!

Oropher:

One of the Elves of Doriath, he established the Woodland Realm. The father of Thranduil.

So, a few points here. As far as we know Oropher wasn't related to any notable Kings (unless you make the assumption that the word 'kin' in LOTR always means 'blood relation' instead of 'fellow wood elf', which is a reach given the context imo), and so he likely became King through ability and charisma, which makes is more interesting to me than rulership through a Powerful and Pure Bloodline. In addition, Oropher didn't just go to the Silvan elves to rule over them - he admired them, integratinb into their society, taking on Silvan names and adopting their language. It seems that Oropher came away from witnessing the kinslaying at Doriath and decided the elves were better off 'rude and rustic' as long as they weren't killing each other. Which is a pretty decent political stance, if you ask me. On the other hand, he and his peoples' independence in the Last Alliance led to his demise (and that of 2/3rds of his subjects). I also imagine that him charging forward ahead of everyone else recklessly was part of the self-confidence that let him go off into Greenwood the Great and become King of a bunch of complete strangers in the first place. I love a character whose flaws and virtues are inextricably linked. Also, I'm a big fan of the fact that whenever Galadriel & Celeborn got too close to him he would move his entire fortress because he just resented them that much. I wonder if they were offended.

He traveled to the greenwood, and the Silvans took him, an outsider, as their king, which means they likely saw great qualities in him, and he refused to be under Gil-Galads command in the last alliance likely because he was either trying to protect his people, because what right did Gil Galad have to command him anyway, (or because he took one look at Gil galad son of Sauron and Morgoth for all he knew and said “nope, I don’t trust him,”). All in all he likely always had his people’s best interests at heart, and he tried his hardest to protect them as well as he could.

Round 1 masterpost

#obscure tolkien blorbo #elros #oropher #queue

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southfarthing · 1 year

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I've been having thoughts on the similarities between Elrond and Faramir for a while, and I finally tried to write my thoughts in some very vaguely coherent manner!!! I wrote this for an instagram post with the prompt 'kings', so I touch on that too - didn't want to take it out. but yeah enjoy!

Elrond

Elrond and Elros are the last descendants of the Kings of the Noldor and the Sindar (two of the three groups of elves), as well as of several lords of men. But while Elros chooses to be a man and becomes the first King of Númenor, Elrond chooses to remain an elf, and does not claim kingship.

It is said that ‘The hands of the king are the hands of a healer’: Aragorn, when he enters Minas Tirith to heal Faramir, Eowyn and Merry, says, ‘Would that Elrond were here, for he is the eldest of all our race, and has the greater power.’

While Turgon builds Gondolin as a hidden fortress that locks good in, Elrond builds the Last Homely House as a welcoming haven that keeps evil out. While Thingol’s kingdom falls apart because of his greed and his feud with dwarves, Elrond gladly lets them stay in Rivendell and does not lay claim on Glamdring, the sword that belonged to Turgon his ancestor.

Faramir

Faramir is the rightful Steward of Gondor after the deaths of his father and brother. At this point, the return of the King is a distant dream for the reality of most Gondorians: Faramir is the hope of Gondor.

Here was one with an air of high nobility such as Aragorn at times revealed, less high perhaps, yet also less incalculable and remote: one of the Kings of Men born into a later time, but touched with the wisdom and sadness of the Elder Race. He knew now why Beregond spoke his name with love. He was a captain that men would follow, that he would follow, even under the shadow of the black wings. - Pippin's first impression of Faramir when all of Minas Tirith is cheering as Faramir returns to the city <3

Faramir & Elrond

Both:

Have lost a brother who was more the tereotypical king/warrior-type, while they themselves are more the scholar-type.

Are less eager yet longer serving and successful leaders of their people.

Fight and lead armies, but don’t thirst for battle.

Elrond has foresight; Faramir sees the prophetic dream that should have sent him to Rivendell instead of Boromir (and seems to be the higher powers’ first choice, as he sees it numerous times before Boromir does).

Elrond establishes Rivendell as a place of refuge and healing; Faramir hopes to have a garden in Ithilien after the war.

Elrond serves as Gil-galad's herald; Faramir serves as steward to Aragorn's kingdom.

Both have been said to have a wise, wizardly air:

He was as noble and as fair in face as an elf lord, as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves and as kind as summer.

‘Ah well, sir,’ said Sam, ‘you said my master had an Elvish air; and that was good and true. But I can say this: you have an air too, sir, that reminds me of, of – well, Gandalf, of wizards.’

to conclude:

no brain but i just think elrond and faramir should be best friends. and gandalf can hang out with them too. they should sit in the minas tirith archives and elrond can tell stories of numenor and faramir can listen with tears in his eyes yeah you get it <3

also I drew elrond's colour-coded family tree FROM SCRATCH for literally no reason so adding it under the cut because damn that took a while

#?????????????????????????? no thought only blorbo #faramir #elrond #lotr #silmarillion #mp

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feyhunter78 · 1 year

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Hi dear Meg! I'm so glad I found someone who writes for TROP ♡

I truly love elrond, this sweet boi, and really enjoyed your writings for him (: at first I was quite careful since I see lotr!elrond (almost) entirely as a dad and not as a romantic option, mostly because if him, Celebrían and their children but honestly they seemed to have killed off Celeborn so... no Celebrían? XD

Anyways, it may surprise you but I wanted to ask, if you're writing for Gil-Gaddy too? Uhhh, I already loved him in lotr and god forbid me from telling anyone about my tiny crush on Mark Ferguson haha XD

If yed, I'd love to ask for a Gil-Galad x fem!oc 💕 I'm quite the sucker for opposite looking couples, so oc with ash blonde/silver hair? And size difference? Hod I love tall men haha

Maybe she's the daughter of oropher, visiting Lindon.

And... yeah... I wouldn't be mad (absolutely not) if you include some smut? Intense and passionate is my favorite if someone asks hehe

Much love to you ♡

Maddie

Maddie!!! Thank you so much for this request! I must admit I don't know Gil-galad's character really well, but I tried my best! I've got a short but sweet married couple facing the in laws fic for you! As for smut, since I don't know his character I didn't add any, but I recommend the wonderful @starlady66 who has a more than a few Gil-galad smuts on her blog!!!!

The Queen's Father

You opened your eyes, humming contently as lithe fingers combed through your ashen hair.

“My love, we must meet the others for breakfast.” Gil-galad’s steady voice, raspy from sleep, filled your ear as he pressed a kiss to your cheek.

“You are the High-King, you can miss a breakfast.” You groaned, throwing an arm over your eyes.

He chuckled, the sound deep and rich, vibrating in your bones. “Yes, but your father will be there, and I fear he still looks upon me with disfavor.”

You removed your arm and sat up, fixing your husband with an annoyed look. “My father is a fool if he is still upset that we married, his daughter is queen, what more could he want?”

You weren’t annoyed with Gil-galad, never with him, but with your father, who was still upset you hadn’t married the son of his closest friend.

Gil-galad kissed your temple. “I do not know, but we shall face his ire together.”

You sighed and slipped from your bed, dressing quickly and smiling at your husband in the mirror. He always towered over you, it made you feel safe and protected.

You took his hand and pressed it to your lips after he placed your circlet upon your head. “I will never let you face him alone.”

You strode hand in hand down to breakfast, where your father was waiting, along with a few other elflords and ladies. You greeted your father, then took your seat next to your husband.

As everyone began eating, you started to relax. Perhaps your father would not make a scene this morning.

“Gil-galad, I must ask you, why does my daughter look so exhausted. Are you running her ragged because you cannot perform your duties without the aid of others?”

You all but slammed down your drink and leveled a glare at your father.

Your husband was much calmer. “Perhaps y/n seems so tired because she works so diligently in her own duties as queen.” He took a sip of his drink. “Though I do not see this exhaustion, she looks as radiant as the day we married.”

“Thank you, dear husband.” You said, smiling at him, and intertwining your fingers with his. “Gil-galad is right, Ada, I have tired myself out in service of our people.”

Your father grumbled but backed off, and Gil-galad gave you a soft smile.

“How is Ambe? I noticed she did not make the trip with you.”

“Your ambe is well, she was preoccupied with the birth of your niece.”

“A girl, how lovely.” You said, a bright smile on your face. You would have to send your brother’s family a gift of congratulations soon.

“We shall send a gift, for the child and her mother, soon.” Your husband declared, reading your mind.

Your father’s expression softened. “That would be most welcomed.”

Breakfast was cleared, and you promised your father you would walk with him.

“I will return as soon as I see him to his quarters.” You promised your husband, going up on your toes to kiss him.

He chuckled and bent down, so you could reach him, and connected your lips.

Kissing Gil-galad was always a breathtaking experience, his skilled lips and pleasant taste always brought heat to your face and caused your heart to race. He pressed a soft kiss to the corner of your lip before righting your circlet and releasing you to your father.

Tag list: @nyctophilic0vitnir, @elronds-pointy-ears, @thesolarangel, @elrondscalaquendi, @dilf-superiority

#Gil-galad x reader #gil galad #gil galad x reader #rop #rop fanfiction #meg's writing #thanks for the request!#I hope you like it!!!#rings of power fanfiction #gil galad rop

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avantegarda · 2 years

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i have decided to go ahead and make a long post about elrond's feelings towards his parents because i feel like it's a very complex situation and changes a lot over time? i like both elwing/earendil and the feanorians a lot, so hopefully this will be fairly nuanced and not make anyone Red With Rage.

Childhood:

No point in mincing words: I think when Elrond was very young he felt a lot of resentment towards his parents (edit: or at least earendil, depending on whether elrond knew what happened to elwing). Of course Earendil and Elwing had good reasons for sailing away/birdifying respectively, but those reasons are hard for a six-year-old to comprehend. Unfortunately, to tiny Elrond, it just seemed like abandonment. Maedhros and Maglor were criminals, and often terrifying, but they were also there. Is it any wonder Elrond started to see them as family?

(It should be noted that Mae and Mags genuinely did try their best to be good dads to the kids, particularly by emphasizing NO OATHS whenever possible)

Adolescence:

Even Elrond had his edgy-teenager phase, and this manifested itself strongly when he and Elros were taken in by Gil-Galad. People would tell him how lucky he was to have escaped those horrible kinslayers, and he would tell them to shut their damn mouths because those horrible kinslayers raised him and where the hell were his birth parents, anyway? Not around.

That said, he also became very close to Gil-Galad around this time and was able to learn a bit about his birth parents (Gil having met Earendil and the family a few times, and having been very fond of them) and started to realize that perhaps he'd judged his family too harshly.

Young Adulthood:

I think Elrond went through a phase, though I'm not sure how long, of genuinely resenting the Feanorians for all the chaos and bloodshed they caused and how this caused his mother's disappearance. All perfectly understandable emotions. Underneath it all, though, he still missed them--and was often ashamed of himself for this.

During this time he was also extremely homesick for Elwing and Earendil and thought a lot about the few, vague childhood memories he had of them. Like the time Earendil tried to give him a pet lobster, and the bedtime stories Elwing would tell.

Adulthood:

After living through goodness knows how many battles, and getting married and becoming a dad, Elrond reached a point where he was able to reconcile his feelings towards both sets of parents. He didn't know Earendil and Elwing well, but he knew they were good people who loved their kids and didn't really want to leave-- circumstances just forced it. He also knew that Maedhros and Maglor had done their best to be good parents despite the weight of the oath (and all the crimes) and didn't beat himself up for loving them. And of course whenever Mags showed up to Rivendell, looking like a feral hobo, he was welcomed with open arms. That's how we treat family in Imladris.

#elrond #maglor #maedhros #earendil #elwing #wow this is incoherent #tolkien #silmarillion

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mihrsuri · 4 months

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Superlatives of my Stories: 2023 Edition

I stole this meme from @petralemaitre

Leitmotif of the year: You get to be a survivor of sexual assault! You get to be a survivor of sexual assault! You get an OT3 and a Found Family! Or ‘that is yours, I am not’ across multiple fandoms.

My best story of this year: I think probably There’s Blood (On The Side Of The Mountain) which is the West Wing ‘CJ was kidnapped not Zoey’ AU, written from the POV of an outsider OC - it unfurled exactly how I wanted it to - an atmosphere of ambiguity as to what happened, what’s happening and what’s going to - also very narrowly focused.

My favorite and/or truest story of this year: My absolutely favourite thing I wrote was a tie between two Grishaverse stories - a Hunger Games AU and Get Wrecked Tante Heleen (tm) - Never Again (It’s Not An Act Of Love) & Karma (Is My Family)

They are both stories about found families, about how the narratives of those who abuse and hurt you aren’t true, about love as partnership - all kinds of love as well, about the gift of choice. Also stabbing some fuckers.

Story of mine most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion: I think they’ve all been incredibly appreciated considering - actually possibly uneasy (with the semi divine) which is about Rings of Power Gil-galad and his attitude towards Elronds biracial identity which wasn’t not me as a biracial person having Feelings about it.

I would also always always love more comments on the Tudors OT3 Verse. More content in the OT3 verse in general but I understand it’s niche content.

Most fun story to write: Every single bit of You Belong With Us which was an absolute joy - there was so much love and trust and happiness (and then an undertone of sadness at not being able to express that love openly that I hope came through as well)

Story with the single sexiest moment: For me personally it’s House This Love (Of Ours)

Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story: Did I write Scarlet Pimpernel OT4 fic with a definite villain Chauvelin who is in love with both Blakeneys? Yes. Did I also manage to write (fictional versions) of Robert Dudley/Elizabeth I knife kink fic? Also yes. I maintain both of those are fine ;).

The Thomas Cromwell/Anne Boleyn/Henry VIII Harem AU is the most Dead Dove Do Not Eat in all honesty - I was having a lot of very personal trauma feelings in that one.

Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: I wrote the Bartlet Daughters in I Tried To Rewrite It (But I Can’t) and I think that really made me think about both Ellie and Elizabeth Bartlet in a way I never had before - even though it’s obviously an AU verse it got me to recognise things about them and about the way they approach their parents high profile in very different ways.

Hardest story to write: It could have been the Knife Kink fic (because kink (all kink) is a giant personal trigger for me) but I think it might actually have been the OT3 verse fic because there’s so much thought and preparation that went into it - though the actual writing of the story isn’t actually the hard part.

Biggest disappointment: have not in fact written more of Crown Of Ashes, the Tudors OT3 Verse AU AU of ‘what happens when Mary Tudor gets everything she thinks she wanted and it turns out it absolutely sucks and turns to ashes for her’

Biggest surprise: Did not expect to be writing knife kink and also did not expect to fall headfirst back into writing West Wing fic but for the latter I have to credit the lovely Discord People and also @miabicicletta in particular.

Most unintentionally telling story: It is almost certainly In Our Bedroom (After The War) or the giant Grishaverse Cuddle Pile ficlet.

Best title: Only Wore This Doublet (So You Could Take It Off) is the aforementioned Elizabeth I/Robert Dudley knife kink fic and honestly I am so proud of that title. A+ use of Taylor Swift lyric.

Story I haven't yet written, but intend to: The Sam/Donna/Josh fic told in social media posts.

#meme

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yourlocalnetizen · 2 years

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Tolkien elves and who they trauma dump on

Finwe - His whole family but mostly Indis.

Ingwe - Doesn’t trauma dump. Manwe can tell when he needs to talk about his feelings though and offers to be his moral support.

Thingol - Melian.

Cirdan - Doesn’t trauma dump but managed just fine.

Miriel - Mandos and Vaire are her go too Valar if she needs to talk about her feelings but she rarely does.

Indis - Tries to avoid trauma dumping but she needs to every once in a while and uncle Ingwe is always there for her.

Feanor - Nerdanel and sometimes Mahtan. He refuses to talk about his feelings with the Valar. Manwe & Namo tried though. Nienna almost succeeded. In Mandos he trauma dumps on Finwe, like he should have a long time ago because no one else can get him open up about his feelings.

Nerdanel - Her dad.

Findis - Avoids trauma dumping but she goes to her mom when she needs too.

Fingolfin - His mom but after he goes to middle earth it’s Irime.

Irime - Fingolfin because he was her best friend from the start. She knew Indis was more reliable but thought her mom had enough to worry about already.

Finarfin - Doesn’t ever trauma dump but he’s always open about his feelings, including the negative ones, with Earwen, as is she with him.

Maedhros - Never had the need to trauma dump when he was in Valinor. In middle earth probably Maglor. I can’t see it being Fingon because the last time he got Fingon involved in his troubles, he turned Fingon into a kinslayer and I bet he felt very guilty about it.

Maglor - Maedhros, a very bad choice given how traumatized his elder bro is but M&M are clearly super codependent.

Celegorm - In Valinor, Orome. In Middle Earth, Huan and Maedhros. After Huan leaves him, no one because he doesn’t get along with Maedhros anymore and no way is he willing to push his feelings on his little brothers. (I think he always tried to be a dependable big bro to his little sibs because he looked up to Maedhros when he was younger and Maedhros was always a dependable big bro to him.)

Caranthir - He doesn’t trauma dump and he doesn’t have to. He does have trauma but he deals with it in healthy ways. Like screaming in his soundproof room.

Curufin - Feanor, back when Feanor was alive. It was not helpful since his dad was the most traumatized elf alive at that point. After Feanor dies, he goes to Mae & Mags. He never actually listens to their suggestions though.

Amrod & Amras - Each other. Who else?

Fingon - Fingolfin back when he was alive.

Turgon - Doesn’t ever talk about his feelings but it worked out for him because Glorfindel always knows what he’s feeling.

Glorfindel - Open about his feelings with everyone he’s close to.

Idril - Tuor.

Maeglin - Thanks to his dad and latter Turgon, he didn’t realize it was okay to talk about your feelings. Also if anyone knew about his feelings, they would be ultra judgmental.

Aredhel - Fingolfin. Later Turgon, who isn’t a great choice but she lives with him so her options are limited.

Luthien - Beren.

Finrod - His parents in Valinor. In middle earth, it’s Beor for a bit. After that, no one because he doesn’t have any more trauma to dump.

Angrod - His bros. Maybe his wife.

Aegnor - Finrod and Angrod.

Galadriel - Finrod, but she quickly grows out of the need of having to trauma dump.

Celeborn - His wife.

Celebrimbor - After he ditched his dad, probably Galadriel and Celeborn. Later Sauron, but that didn’t work out did it?

Gil-Galad - Cirdan. His true dad. (Not by blood since he’s Finwean obviously, but he did raise him.)

Finduilas - Her dad.

Orodreth - Whatever elder family member is emotionally available at the moment. It’s been Finrod, his parents, and Finarfin at some point.

Earendil - Elwing.

Elwing - Earendil.

Elros - Elrond.

Elrond - Elros initially but stopped trauma dumping after his twin died. Fortunately, it’s okay because Glorfindel knows what he’s feeling and knows how to help.

Celebrian - Her mom. Probably uncle Finrod in Valinor.

Thranduil - Doesn’t trauma dump. Oropher’s death probably traumatized him but I don’t think he had the chance to talk about his feelings being a king and all. Somehow he was able to overcome his grief though. (Maybe the birth of Legolas?)

Legolas - Gimli.

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tar-maitime · 3 months

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talking to the air

Rating: T Characters: Maedhros | Maitimo Relationships: Maedhros/Fingon, fem!Maedhros/Fingon, Maedhros & Sons of Feanor, Maedhros & Maglor & Elrond & Elros (mentioned) Additional: post-Nirnaeth, 2nd & 3rd kinslayings, War of Wrath, grief and mourning, background kidnap fam and gil-galad russingonion for flavor WC: 1.5k

Four times Maedhros talked to Fingon when he wasn't there...

“Why did you do it, you mad, mad fool?”

Maedhros half-shouts it through gritted teeth, pacing back and forth in her room in Amon Ereb. Her brothers can probably hear her ranting, but they know to leave it alone. They’re not who she’s talking to, anyway.

If she keeps the bed out of her line of sight, she can almost trick herself into believing that he’s sitting there actually listening. He’s not, he’s gone, gone, gone, and the gaping dark place in the back of her mind proves it, but she can pretend.

“Why were you on the front line to begin with? Have we not lost enough kings that way? Why couldn’t you have commanded from somewhere safer? Why couldn’t you have run, at least tried to run, when we knew we couldn’t win? Why did you have to be the hero?”

She knows why, of course, even without him here to tell her. Fingon was good and noble and would never ask his people to spend their lives without his being right alongside them. It is horrible and selfish of Maedhros to wish otherwise, to wish he had let just a few people lay down their lives for his instead of...

“You left me,” she spits out bitterly. “You left me, Finno. How could you do that? How could you expect me to forgive that?”

She sobs, and her knees go out from under her. “How can you forgive me for leaving you first, for retreating? I’m sorry, Finnonya, I’m so sorry.”

- - -

“I miss you.”

She says it almost casually, looking out from Amon Ereb’s battlements in the early morning. “It still hurts, every day - so badly some days, Finno - but I’m learning to live with it.”

It’s barely dawn; no one else is around. Maedhros has made sure to do this absolutely alone ever since the time, a few months ago, when Maglor had caught her at it and ventured to ask if Fingon was haunting her as a houseless spirit, tethered to her somehow. She’s snarled at him, spat that she could never be that selfish, that Fingon’s spirit was safe in Mandos and if he couldn’t have lived, then that was best.

There’s no one actually here that she’s talking to; she is sane enough still to know that. But it brings her comfort even so.

“It doesn’t feel like I should be able to. It doesn’t feel like we should still be living at all, sometimes, when so much is lost. But if we just stop, then Morgoth wins again, and I don’t know that I’m capable of that.”

She looks out over the mist that’s slowly parting to reveal the shape of the land, and leans on the parapet. She pretends, just for a moment, that she can feel the warmth of a familiar body leaning next to her, on her left where her vision’s never been quite right since Angband.

“I think we’re settling in here, as much as we can settle in anywhere,” she comments. “It’s strange, to have a home that I’ve never gotten to show you. Everywhere else I’ve lived, you got to visit. I almost wish we’d come down here sometime, before the Bragollach, just so that I could have known you saw it with me.”

She pauses. “And no, watching the tapestries in the Halls doesn’t count. If you are.”

On her more self-loathing days, she thinks he couldn’t possibly want to waste more time being bothered about her. On her more cynical days, she thinks the Valar would never allow him the kindness of remaining informed about events on this side of the Sea. But this morning is neither, and she indulges in the pleasant thought that Fingon might know she’s talking to him, even though he isn’t here.

She spends a handful of minutes telling him the news of Amon Ereb, and the small doings of her brothers, before she has to begin her day in truth.

- - -

“I can’t do this. I can’t - I can’t do this.”

Maedhros sits on the edge of her bed, hunched over. She drags her fingers through her hair - still shorn close, all these years later - and tries to control her breathing.

“I don’t know what to do, Finno, I - the Girdle’s gone, and Lúthien’s dead, and Tyelko and Curvo won’t listen to me anymore. They’re going to Doriath with or without me - they’re going to get themselves killed. And the Oath - ai, it claws at me for even thinking of trying to prevent them.”

She’s held the Oath back for years already - truly impossible circumstances will lull it to sleep for a time, and she’s been very good at convincing herself and her brothers that Melian and Lúthien constitute impossible circumstances just as much as Morgoth currently does. Before, long before, Fingon had kept it almost unnoticeable at times, her older vow easing the bonds of her later one.

But he’s gone, and there is no starlight in her mind, only the Oath and the waiting darkness and the raised voices of her brothers screaming at each other.

“I wish you were here,” she says desperately. “I wish you would come and help me with this. Somehow. Any way at all. Just by being here, even.”

She lets her hand drop, grips the stump of her wrist until her nails dig in.

“Or maybe,” she adds more quietly, “maybe it’s best. Maybe I would just drag you along with us.”

- - -

Sirion is burning around her. The soldier dead at her feet is wearing Fingon’s colors and sigil.

An escape from the Nirnaeth, some corner of her mind notes with detachment. Perhaps he went with Turgon’s retreating forces to Gondolin, and then here when that city fell. Only to be felled, after all that, by his former king’s disgraced kinslaying wife.

A dark, bitter chuckle seeps out of her. “Do you see?” she rasps. “Do you see what I have become?”

There is no answer, of course. Maedhros doesn’t even try to pretend that he’s there with her.

He would not deign to give her even a scrap of his attention now. Not that she deserves it.

- - -

They’re camped somewhere in the middle of the wilderness, picking their way back to where Amon Ereb is hopefully still standing. Maedhros looks over at where Maglor is stretched out asleep, his arm over the tiny peredhil twins that are curled up against him. Against all sense or wisdom, he’s been stubbornly attached to them ever since he stumbled on them in the ruins of Sirion, and (displaying even less good judgment) the twins seem to have decided to overlook his sacking of their home in favor of latching onto him as the one safe thing in a world gone mad.

It can only end in tears, but Maedhros has had even less luck than usual persuading Maglor of that.

She tilts her head back, looking at the sky.

“What do I do now, Finno?”

The only starlight that answers is that which she can see above her.

- - -

...and one time when he was there.

The battlefield is chaotic and nightmarish, and Maedhros feels right at home.

Finally, finally, she has a chance to do something unequivocally right, to extinguish Morgoth’s creatures in as great quantities as her strength will allow. Perhaps she may even be permitted an honorable death in battle, one of these days, but until that occurs, she is going to be as much help as she can.

They have an unspoken agreement, her and Gil-galad and Finarfin. She will keep her forces well away from those of her once-adoptive-son and her uncle, and help the war effort however she can, and they in return will let her alone to do so rather than pursuing the issue of the kinslayings.

Someday, she might let them do so. Maglor has talked of it. But first, they must lay hands on the two Silmarils still in play, and raise the not-quite-grown twins (and keep them firmly off the actual battlefield), and also do something about the great number of orcs and other monsters that never seem to stop coming.

There is a gap, for a moment, a breathing space. Some of Finarfin’s forces are fighting nearby, though per usual they have not made contact. Maedhros glances their way as she moves towards the next wave of the enemy, and--

--stops. Catches the briefest impression of something, someone familiar.

Finarfin’s fighters wear cloaks the color of elanor, and Gil-galad’s wear a blue that’s almost gray. But the warrior at the head of the pack is cloaked in deep, deep blue, and she swears she sees dark braids woven with gold escaping from under his helm.

He twists, and dark eyes meet hers.

“Finno?” Maedhros says, barely aloud, half without knowing it.

She doesn’t even register the orc chieftain coming up behind her.

#silmarillion #maedhros #russingon #maedhros x fingon #female Maedhros #apologies for the cliffhanger!#already plotting the follow-up if that helps #roots of my tree #my stories #angst #bad times post-nirnaeth

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