#HC: she named Mablung

[eri-pl]

Silm Advent calendar 24: Reprise

No warnings, just attempts at translating Latin terms into Sindarin purely because I can. (Not the kind of Latin terms you would most expect in the context).

Laughter and lanterns filled the hall, one echoing, others split by gems and glad into rainbows and reflections. Despite the night outside, Finrod felt almost as if he was back in the happier times. Or at least in a memory of them.

The feast seemed successful: every major group had sent some representatives, even Thingol (though it had required some diplomacy), and only the two most level-headed sons of Feanor came. So far, everything went smoothly.

So far.

It would take long before the idea of a feast would not fill him with apprehension. And yet, his uncle — his High King— had organized one and it worked. So far.

Finrod passed through the crowd, snippets of conversations floated around him: not exactly noise, but still a form of chaos.

“Like athradil, is it not?” Daeron came closer, and Maglor with him. Those two looked as if they were having an argument, but they were only upset, not angry. Good.

Maglor made an expression that for a Sinda may have been nothing, but for a Noldo he could as well have rolled his eyes.

Finrod tried diplomacy. “I see that you have been discussing musical concepts of both our cultures?”

“Musical?” Maglor asked. “They don't even use proper chords.”

“They just think about them differently, but—”

Daeron spoke at the same time. “Maybe you can explain to him—”

They both paused and apologized to each other for the interruption, and then Finrod spoke again. “The athradil is a Sindarin form of polyphony. There is a base melody, the lindog — taglinn, if you prefer to use the usual word order, I'm sorry, I've learned much of the words from Lúthien — it has to be a complete melody in itself, begin and end on the origin, plus some more detailed rules, irrelevant for now. One person sings — or plays — the taglinn, and another joins and sings… you would say: harmonizes to it.

"But again, it must work well as its own melody. This, and the further lines, if you add more, is called the athradil. It does result in chords, but the Sindar like to emphasize the particular melodies being beautiful on their own.”

Maglor looked at him with forced patience. “And how would thinking in chords make it any worse, except the fact that the Sindar would have to learn mathematics?”

Finrod forced himself not to sigh. “It would lessen the focus on individual melodies, but yes, the result is similar. When you hear it, it's often impossible to tell in which way it was composed. The Sindar even use the same rules for allowed and disallowed intervals that you stated in your book.”

“Of course they do, those are simply the rules of music! They're universal.”

“I'm certain that in a proper context, with wide enough voicing, some of those rules could be, how to phrase it... That even a tone apart could work.”

Now both Maglor and Daeron looked at him with indignation. Finrod smiled in his mind, because improving the relationship between the Feanorians and the Sindar mattered more than the details of music theory. He always sang from his heart anyway — like the Teleri — and the results, while not great, were good enough.

“Well, maybe one day you shall manage to do that and invent a whole new kind of music. Then I'll change my mind.” Maglor looked at Finrod with a challenge. Daeron nodded.

“I didn't say that I'll do it, only that it maybe could be done. Maybe. I'm trying to stay open to possibilities.” Finrod smiled widely, feeling mischievous. “Now, of you excuse me, I'll leave you two to your craft.”

He kept circling among the guests. It was late in the night, close to the morning, and he hadn't rested in a few days. There were people to talk, diplomacy to do, and Finrod was effectively the lord of his father's people here… But he was also tired.

The voices around him mixed with memories. Like athradil, indeed.

“...it's getting late, if we want to have a good look at the Sickle, we better hurry. Soon it'll be dawn.”

“...one day, I wish to build a kingdom like her, my own home, reminding of the beauty…”

Maybe Maglor had been right, maybe he should be more serious? More like a proper Noldo, and less like his mother. Maybe. But Finrod had had enough seriousness on the ice. Every moment he could spare for a whimsy felt like a treasure.

“...the Khazad are mining it, they work it into intricate…”

“Beautiful, isn't it?” Turgon approached him from behind, carrying a glass of wine, almost orange in the lamplight. It felt wonderful to see him smiling again.

All the people, all the voices, mixing, mingling, all the lights… Finrod needed a rest. “Beautiful, indeed.”

And yet, he kept glancing through the window, at the graying sky. The guards were all at their places. Good.

Why couldn't he trust in happiness? Should he?

Even after twenty years, each morning he felt relief when the sky brightened. Nobody stole the sun yet. Good.

Fingolfin discussed something with Mablung and a few others over a map. Logistics… Finrod would have to go and have an opinion about it. Later.

He was so tired. He slumped in a chair and remembered home, so far West, but his mind went to the cloaked figure and his words. Would they really never return home? They did want to leave, but not forever…

…the green lands of Aman, never fading, never withering…

…but the figure — Finrod didn't want to admit that it had been Lord Námo himself — had said that the Valar would not listen to the prayers of the Noldor, and yet— He looked again at the hall, seeking the patch of copper, and there he was, talking with Fingon, eating an insanely sweet Vanyarin dessert made of caramelized milk, so very alive.

So, if this prophecy had proved untrue in part, maybe— maybe.

Maybe one day they will come back home, triumphant. Maybe one day the spider-infested wasteland will become green again. Maybe. May it be…

…He should have gone back with his father. But who would lead the people then? They surely wouldn't all come back too. And yet, it felt like father had been right. Father didn't have to deal with the Feanorians. Father didn't have to go through the ice. Father didn't have to lie to Thingol — well, not really lie, but the omissions felt bad enough.

Well, there was no point in thinking about that now. Maybe only to think more the next time he would decide to follow an insane plan, and not do it. Or at least make sure what he really wanted to do.

He remembered the crowd with torches in the darkness, the passion… Feanáro… A spirit of fire he'd been indeed. And now he was dead, consumed by flames.

Did Nerdanel even know that she was a widow? How much did anyone back in the West know nowadays? She'd always been so kind to all the family… it must have been very hard on her when they left…

…and yet, Finrod could not regret it. Maybe it was just the Telerin unwillingness to regret what could not be changed, maybe it was more. They had left, for better or for worse, and what would come of it? He doubted he would live to see most of it.

Would he even live to see the Men? They have allegedly awakened — but the information came from the least trustworthy of sources — and Finrod was curious. The Valar said they would not win this war, but maybe with new, unpredictable allies… who knew?

He drifted deeper into dreams and memories.

…his mother, on the ship, barely aware of all the political turmoil among the Noldor…

…Taniquetil, bright in the Treelight…

…Amarië in the garden, laughing, waiting…

On the outside, Maglor and Daeron came near him, still discussing chords and melodies, and which of those was the proper way of looking at music… stupid question. Music was not to be looked at, but to be listened to. And sung. And was older than books anyway.

The sun rose and the sudden warmth felt like fire.

And yet, in his dream he was in a starless forest full of snow and wolves. The ice howled at him, and its laughter sounded like swords and chains.

“It's going to be a long night,” Finrod said into the darkness. “But eventually, the day will come.”

A single star appeared in the sky.

[maironsbigboobs]

Turin and Nienor for the character ask game

Give me a character and I will give you my thoughts on

one aspect about them i love: Túrin, what I love most about him is his heart - he has a very clear and strong sense of what he thinks is right and wrong and despite everything that happens to him he tries to do what he thinks is right. For Nienor, I love her courage, her strength of will - she snuck out of Doriath, she faced off a dragon, she forgot everything about herself and had to build her identity anew, and still had so much courage.

one aspect i wish more people understood about them: I think people sometimes mischaracterise Túrin as an idiot, but I don't think that's fair. He's actually clever and from some of his lines quite witty. Nienor I actually can't recall any common bad takes on her - I would like to see more takes on her in general though we need a Nienor renaissance.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character: I think Niënor learnt to bake properly in Brethil. She always wanted to but in Dor-Lomin supplies were limited and in Doriath she was focused on finding out where was. I think Túrin wanted to name his first daughter after Lalaith.

as well as

one character i love seeing them interact with: Túrin & Thingol make my heart melt. I love Niënor &/ Mablung too.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more: Túrin and Mim I think they have such a fascinating dynamic. I would love to see more about Niënor and Morwen's relationship.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character: I hc Niënor was watched over in Doriath by Nellas just as Túrin was. Also I think Túrin should have been tutored by Celeborn at some point.

[child-of-hurin]

PLEASE TELL ME MORE ABOUT THIS DARK AU

Took me ten thousand years to reply to this because I wanted to DRAW THINGS about it and I didn’t!!! But I’m in a dark au mood tonite so I typed out my ideas for the

Dark Narn AU

Motivation: I wanted Túrin and Nienor to get buddy buddy with Gothmog and Glaurung…. Literally my motivation for this lmao sorry I just. Monster buddies. It all was inspired by [this drawing] of @nyolofinwe’s where for a split second I thought Túrin was cuddling Gothmog (actually it’s Túrin killing Morgoth lmao!!! Im a dumbass. No regrets tho).

Disclaimer: 

1. UGLY things here, it’s fine if you hate it, also you might block “dark narn au” in advance if you want; 

2. Also it is my headcanon and understanding that there were mortal slaves in Angband as well as elves. 

What I came up with was:

When Húrin and Huor are cornered by orcs in Brethil, they are in a bad spot for pick up, so Húrin stays behind to hold the orcs while Huor runs up the hill. Huor would never have left his brother behind, but it’s a mess and he doesn’t realize what happened until he’s being carried away and screaming his lungs out for Húrin, who’s captured by orcs and taken captive to Angband.

There he undergoes some brainwashing by Melkor, who, true to the essence of the Narn, sees he can profit more from corruption than from killing this agent. By this point Húrin is a teen and hasn’t met Turgon yet, so he breaks eventually and becomes Melkor’s champion.

We have Húrin, and now we need Morwen. To keep the chronology, I prefer having her be captured during a raid on Emeldir’s group of refugees; that can also have Rian either being captured as well, or escaping on and following canon and marrying Huor, which I prefer for this AU (also casts a shadow on them as… replacements for the true heir, sort of! Both having dear family members captured by Morgoth). Either after brainwashing is complete, or during it, she is given to Húrin: a true prize, the heir of the House of Bëor, etc. Túrin is born in 464.

Lalaith is born two years later, which is a weird year because that’s when B and L steal one of Melkor’s silm iirc! Angband has never been more somber, but there is talk of hope among the slaves, of which Morwen hears some, as well as the name of Beren her kinsmen. Húrin, who has developed genuine affection and trust in her, mentions in bed at some point that Beren was killed by carcharoth and that despite the loss of the Silmaril, Melkor is somewhat satisfied that the whole ordeal ended up dividing the kingdoms further apart, and confides in her about some of the plans for the following war (Unnumbered Tears).

The very next day, Morwen kills Lalaith. She knows how other female thralls fare and she knows that as soon as Húrin is dead Melkor would have no more use for them. Better dead than a thrall.

This sends Húrin into a rage out of despair bc he really dotes on Lalaith no matter the AU, and it also hits Túrin pretty hard, he adored his sister. Melkor ofc enjoys the opportunity to turn Húrin even more towards him, and encourages him to get another child from Morwen to make up for the one he lost. I think Morwen was about to end her own life too, or maybe end Túrin’s, but they caught her before she did any more.

In this AU Nienor is conceived (at least) nine months before the Unnumbered and not nine months later. During all the pregnancy she is watched, to make sure she won’t cause an abortion. Morwen names her Nienor, lamentation, and instead of offended, Húrin laughs and says it’s an appropriate name for a warrior that shall bring woe to her foes, who will lament upon seeing her. Morwen is forbid to be alone with Nienor and they are closely watched; as a result, they aren’t very close in this hc, as opposed to canon.

Both Túrin and Nienor have strong mommy issues. Túrin visits Morwen and they have a very similar temper. Nienor loves Túrin but confronts him when she learns he visits Morwen; also I think she sees Morwen in Túrin a little, too, because they’re so similar.

I like the idea of Húrin heading the fight against mortals and him and Huor meeting on the battlefield, and killing each other.

Túrin is crazy about Nienor, though you wouldn’t guess it by looking. There’s a lot of sexual tension that they probably don’t even realize they have. When they’re together there’s a feeling like there isn’t space for anyone else - though Morwen is an always felt presence an the only crack in their bond. Túrin is stoic and reserved and his canon obsession with fighting Melkor is changed into a type of family pride. Right now I think he’s really mad that Dor-Lómin was given to the Easterlings and he thinks a great victory might convince Morgoth to give those lands back to him and Nienor? Though I also like the idea of him snooping around and trying to find Nargothrond or Doriath.

In this AU Túrin (and Húrin before he dies) is buddies with Gothmog who is sort of a mentor to him, and Nienor has a great friendship with Glaurung, whom she rides on sometimes, maybe into battle.

I had considered the idea of either Túrin or Nienor meeting Gwindor by accident on the woods and goading him and fooling him, following him until they got the path to Nargothrond, while the other sibling followed them from afar. One sibling goes into the town and the other comes with the army down on them, no need for bridges I guess. Or the bridge can be deliberate sabotage. Since I like Nienor riding Glaurung, it can be Túrin who goes in, as in canon - OTOH idk how good Túrin can be with deception no matter the AU, so maybe it is Nienor, though, really, is she any better? Also would she have a voice in council? Maybe if she got Gwindor’s ear somehow… idk, thoughts

Finduilas is captured and not killed, though I’m not sure how much better this is. Maybe both Túrin and Nienor take her for consort in an incesty-non-incesty weird triangle dance.

I haven’t thought ahead of this yet, that’s all I have! They need to have a cool and tragic ending, though I’m still unsure how. I feel like they need to fall with Brethil, but then I’m unsure what happens. Also I really don’t want Túrin and Nienor to have a falling out, it’s not my thing. I feel like they need to die together.

Things to consider:

Tuor and Aerin as kin who are held captive. Do T and N know they exist and are there? If they do, how do they react?

Morwen + other mortal thralls, or maybe Morwen + having ELVISH thralls to serve her, which Melkor does to show Húrin how much he honors him bla bla

Húrin and Gothmog banter, Gothmog warming up to the mortal once he sees him being an absolute savage in battle

Gurthang???? I mean, we NEED it. Also something for Nienor!! Maeglin fans will kill me but uuuhhh imagine if the twins had anglachel and anguirel… #goals

Beleg?? Mablung?? Everyone else?

[gurguliare]

OKAY SO ADVISOR DID IN FACT APPEAR and i got a lot more of these than i was expecting, i will do them in batches.

first off, predictably, tolkien headcanons

@thelioninmybed asked for saeros: I have to say saeros’s personality makes more sense to me if you imagine the crushing, evergreen disappointment of realizing all over again that daeron was straight, or if not straight then, worse, single-minded.

@vardasvapors asked for mablung: he seems closer to the royal family than beleg, and more, uh, conventionally loyal; i imagine that luthien probably preferred beleg’s slightly unpredictable style but spent more actual time with mablung. it makes me pretty sad thinking about mablung suddenly throwing himself into human relations stuff again after beleg dies, given that prior to that he seems to have... respected beren but taken that whole clusterfuck as definitively “above my paygrade”....

@crocordile asked forrrr

- idril/tuor: i guess it’s what i wrote that ficlet about, but i imagine idril as 1) the ‘aggressor’ in their early courtship, compared to tuor’s nonstop but in-denial flirting; and 2) i imagine her being pretty covert about it, at least at first. maegln and idril are both implied to be Skilled Legilimens so like, the fun thing about whatever cold war one imagines between them in gondolin is they probably spent a lot of time. defensively compartmentalizing? idril: only remembers she’s building a secret tunnel at specific times of day, because of the weird telepathic valves she’s set up in her own brain

ok this isn’t memento but still

- hurin/morwen: NOT HEADCANON: IT KILLS ME THAT SHE SPENT HER WHOLE LIFE WAITING FOR HIM TO COME BACK AND WHEN HE DOES COME BACK ISN’T SURPRISED. she sticks to dor-lomin half on that unspeakable ... not hope, expectation ... and probably like, in the full certainty that if he did come it would be as some kind of shambling monkey’s paw apparition, right, released of morgoth, but that doesn’t mean he’s NOT coming BACK---anyway when she did leave i bet there was a brief period there where she was like, well, at least i’m free of that delusion. but then in doriath she still.... almost hears his horse’s approach. morwen in the back of her mind, up at midnight: “ah, so i never had to worry about him finding me. he’ll find me anywhere.”

meanwhile hurin heard all fingon’s stories about thangorodrim years before he was captured, he’s ridden on eagleback himself, and he has dreams where she comes to rescue him on the mountain

- finrod/andreth/aegnor: u h h h h h man i can never decide what i think the funniest option is in terms of, ordering, when did finrod befriend andreth vs when did he find out she’s aegnor’s ex. i tend to differ from people who think andreth and aegnor’s affair was public knowledge, tantamount to a betrothal... um, because finrod has that line 'Dost thou think that I do not know? Is he not my brother dearly loved?’ i hope he found out, like, A WEEK before they have their athrabeth conversation

joking. mostly joking. an elf week. anyway, i also think finrod was the only one of aegnor’s siblings who ever knew and it meant aegnor basically never talked to him in the fifty years before he died, lol. or like, probs aegnor SOMETIMES seized the opportunity to vent, and then fucked off for the front Immediately

@plinytheyounger asked for:

- gimli: oh man i love gimli’s courtly ambassador shit so much but i especially love it as like, ONE GENERATION REMOVED from, you know, thorin’s semi-itinerant company in the hobbit... do you think gimli has heard a lot of somewhat sanitized versions of the events of the Quest. does he make slightly embarrassing but also touching efforts to connect with his dad over authentic dwarf-in-exile cuisine, like, “mutton looted from trolls”

- eowyn: i, uh, literally JUST remembered that she has a grandkid named barahir. wht the fuck ever. anyway, as a parent she must have been really intense and if she didn’t teach her son to fight then she presumably taught him to heal, even more terrifyingly. i... oh nooooo wait eowyn and aragorn working together as on-site healers in gondor’s later suppressed rebellions is really good... i hope she traveled a lot and learned a lot about various humanoids’ organ layouts... she’s a late-blooming telepath it’s only fully under her control at 30

@chestnut-podfic asked for:

- earendil/elwing: have i got a hc for these two i haven’t immediately aired. i imagine as a kid elwing loooooved idril and tuor and basically didn’t know earendil existed (except as a convenient packhorse/default ally in territory disputes with other children) and then had The Buttercup Moment (tm) when she was 18 and saw earendil save a frog from a heron, even though she had been rooting for the heron. then she spends six months under the impression that she’s pining horribly and meanwhile earendil is like, OH MY GOD, WHY IS THE GIRL-QUEEN FOLLOWING ME

...

then elwing forgets all about it and they spend another very normal six years as casual adult friends before idril comes to elwing and asks if she thinks a marriage to consolidate their two peoples would make sense, and elwing is like, i’ll consider it