#Maglor x Eönwë

[a-world-of-whimsy-5]

Words of love

Day 5 prompts: Love

For: @silmarillionepistolary

Rating: General Audiences

Characters: Eönwë, Maglor, Írimë

Theme : A series of letters from one character to another - Eönwë to Ingwion | Maglor to Indilien (OC) | Írimë to Amarië

Themes: Soft | Fluff

Warnings: None

Wordcount: 778 words

Summary: Eönwë writes to Ingwion after the latter sends him a letter on life in Valimar | Maglor writes to Indilien, thanking her for agreeing to him corresponding with her | Írimë writes to Amarië, thanking her for her gifts

A/n: OC name meaning Indilien, wife of Maglor - Indil (Lily) | ien (suf. feminine ending; feminine patronymic).

This is also available on AO3

Letter 1 – Eönwë to Ingwion:

10th day of Y.T. 1231.—

Beloved,

It pleases me to hear that your training with Lord Tulkas goes well and that he sees to your lessons himself. He is a most steadfast and hardy friend, and I am certain that you will not want for comfort while you reside within his halls. Valimar is a most beautiful city, and to be invited to see all that lies behind its walls of white and gold is a rare honor. Prove yourself worthy of this honor, as I am sure you will, and you will discover much of what that fair city has to offer. 

My love, your letter moved me deeply. To read of your deep longing for me, to know I am foremost in your thoughts! I confess that I read it once, and then I read it twice, and then I read it a third time. I treasured every word and committed each and every one of them to heart. I pray you will not think me weak when I admit I feel your absence most keenly. The great halls do not ring with the sound of your sweet laughter, and our chambers feel strangely cold and empty without you in them. The time of flowering and ripening of all things is upon us, and yet I find that Ilmarin is shrouded in the dark and dismal winter of death your leaving has left it in. Forgive me. The pain of our separation is nigh unbearable. I do all that I can to make myself content with the knowledge that when I call on you, this pain will pass. Alas! If only time flowed according to our own wishes! If only there was a way to make that appointed hour of our reunion arrive faster! There is none. Nevertheless, we will see each other again. This is all that truly matters in the end. With this, I will put an end to my letter. Write to me as often as you can, my love, and always keep me in your thoughts.  

Written by the hand of he who longs for you,

Eönwë

Letter 2 - Maglor to Indilien (OC)

30th day of  Y.T. 1284.—

Noble lady,

Allow me to begin by offering my sincerest and most humble gratitude for your granting of my wish to write to you, and I pray that I will not make you weary with my letters. I was told you were most astonished by my appeal and that you consider my request an honor. Pray allow me to correct you on this, my lady, for the one who is honored, is myself. Never have I heard another sing so sweetly or seen anyone more beautiful! There is no word to give justice to how you have captivated me, my lady, and I pray that you will allow me to speak of how you have held me enthralled the next time we meet. Such words will be poor fare, to be sure, but they will, no doubt, speak of the sincerity of my feelings and the depths they contain. I will write no more for a lack of time, but I beseech you to write to me if I have not offended you in any way with my declaration.

Your most faithful servant,

Lord Makalaurë Kanafinwë

Letter 3 - Írimë to Amarië

91st day of  Y.T. 1362.—

Beloved,

Thanks and thanks and thanks again, my dearest, for your gifts. And thanks once more, for your tender words. They are more precious to me than any gift, though I will treasure the works of your hands greatly. Mother helped me find a place for all of them, and we both agreed that the marble carving of the great eagles who dwell in the crags of Ilmarin is the most breathtaking. So magnificent! So lifelike! I would have considered the turning of stone into something so fine nigh impossible had the great sculptor herself, Nerdanel, not proven me wrong on more than one occasion on that score. You are gifted as she, and I consider myself the most fortunate of elves to have one such as you by my side.

I am truly overwhelmed by your expression of love for me. No words could describe the sincerity of my gratitude, my dearest, but please accept these words, humble as they may be, as a token of my thanks. It heartens me to no end to know that I am so loved. And pray accept this gift—a bracelet that I have recently crafted—if it pleases you. With this, I shall bring an end to my letter.

Your beloved,

Írimë

tags @cilil @asianbutnotjapanese

[i-did-not-mean-to]

Chapter 1: Fingolfin x Maglor

Ah, one pairing that was actually on the Bingo sheet (not cheating 100% here)

Pairing: Eönwë x Gothmog, Fingolfin x Maglor

Prompt: Business Rivals

Words: 1865

Warnings: Details of Fëanor's death, @cilil cameo, incestuous relationship referenced, uncle-nephew incest, no explicit interactions...

Nobody would readily have claimed that Gothmog was a coward, but the company lawyer—a ruthless demon in the guise of a young woman—made him nervous, nevertheless.

Cílil, who had studied under Námo, the most infamously merciless lawyer of his time, scowled at the interruption, and Gothmog nearly shuffled his feet like a naughty schoolboy.

“I am not asking for your sources,” he opened without even bothering to rattle off the usual formalities. “I’d merely like to see your results.”

“Who are you to question my findings?” she inquired in the dispassionate yet cutting tone for which the so-called Doomsman was both feared and renowned—she evidently had been an exceptionally gifted student.

“I…no…I need to know what intel you have on Fëanor. Who might have wanted to kill him?”

“Who wouldn’t?” Her grin was so sharp that he knew that she was not joking in the least.

“I need a list.”

“I need a sandwich. Maybe we can come to an understanding?”

An agonisingly tense hour later, Gothmog was in possession of enough gossip and incriminating evidence to bury Fëanor twice.

As for Eönwë, he felt much less elated. Fëanor, he was informed, had been stabbed and burned, and it had been only thanks to his overabundance of jewellery and his dental records that a positive identification had been made.

“I do not expect much to come from this,” Manwë had sighed, looking out of the window pensively as if he had already given up on the case.

“I do have a few leads,” Eönwë had exclaimed, dismayed by his superior’s uncharacteristic and highly worrisome despondency.

The astonishment painted on Manwë’s face had been outright insulting, and this hurtful lack of faith made Eönwë all the more determined to actually solve this case.

He was unusually grim as he burst into the deserted pub, looking even more desolate and decrepit in the bleak daylight, but seeing Gothmog devouring his club sandwich with visible gusto instantly lifted his spirits.

“Here,” the hulking henchman mumbled around his lunch as he shoved over a neatly typed-up page of paper. “I thought we’d start with the brother. He might give us some insight into who else would have benefited from Fëanor’s sudden demise!”

After having been forced to order and eat a surprisingly delicious lunch, Eönwë found himself in a sleek, slate-grey SUV, speeding out of the most disreputable part of town.

The file on Fëanor’s half-brother in his lap was discouragingly thin—Fingolfin was, as far as the official accounts went, a regular goodie-two-shoes.

Their father, Finwë, had perished under suspicious circumstances, and Fingolfin had managed his part of the estate that had been left to Finwë’s children much more conservatively than his famous older sibling.

Of course, people chalked this up to the notable difference in nature and temperament between their respective mothers, but Eönwë was curious to discover if there wasn’t more to the story than met the eye.

He had slept very little the previous night, trying instead to memorise all the members of Fëanor’s extensive family as well as the numerous feuds and sources of resentment that might well muddy the waters before they got very far in their investigation.

The man who opened the door of the sober, clean-cut mansion was not Indis’s firstborn, though—young and alarmingly pale, he had flashing eyes that reminded Eönwë of the ocean and a soft, sensual mouth that was presently downturned in deep sadness.

More unusual and suspicious yet, he was wearing a thin camisole and the kind of comfortable trousers people usually only ever donned in the privacy of their own home.

“Who is it?” A moment later, Fingolfin—the top buttons of his creased formal shirt undone—appeared in the marble foyer.

“Police,” Eönwë said in a calm, professional tone.

“Bodyguard,” Gothmog growled unnecessarily.

With a flabbergasted side glance at his companion, Eönwë cleared his throat. “I would like to ask you a few questions about your brother.”

“Which one? Oh, Fëanor, of course…” Fingolfin blushed. “I am sorry—my nephew, Maglor, has just come by to inform me of the tragedy. As you may understand, I am utterly distraught.” Rubbing his face as if to dispel the treacherous bloom of blood mounting into his hollow, pale cheeks, Fingolfin made a jerky, only vaguely inviting gesture with his left hand. “Come in—I’ll answer any query you might have!”

“No ring,” Gothmog hissed as he ambled into the house behind Eönwë.

“I thought you and your half-brother had not been on the best of terms,” the detective commented, trying hard not to be distracted by the looming presence of the thug by his side. “You were business rivals, weren’t you?”

“Hardly,” Fingolfin replied with a brittle chuckle. “I focus mainly on the preservation and steady growth of our assets, while my brother was always more interested in innovation.”

“If that is so,” Gothmog intervened sharply. “Why would your nephew seek you out—in the most informal, cosy outfit I’ve ever seen—so soon after the news broke?”

“Ah…Well…As I just said, I am good at dealing with eventual crises. I will advise him and my other nephews on what comes next—is this really necessary? I did not kill my brother if that is what you’re trying to get at. I loved Fëanor.”

Letting his gaze sweep across the room ostentatiously, Gothmog pursed his lips.

“The boy has been here before…often,” he whispered into Eönwë’s ear as he watched Maglor flit through the room with such self-assured grace that it was evident to him that—in his evident state of distress—he could not have feigned his intimate familiarity with the layout of the house.

Eönwë blinked owlishly; he had expected hostility and barely concealed resentment in this cool, clean abode.

Instead, he’d found a man who seemed earnestly devastated by the loss of someone he’d reportedly never considered a detested rival at all. Moreover, Gothmog seemed to insinuate that Fingolfin, pretending to be much more forgiving than was credible, was entertaining a morally questionable relationship with his nephew.

Of course, he had also noticed the way Maglor’s hand lingered just a little too long on the shoulder of his uncle, and the subsequent grateful smile had not struck him as entirely appropriate, but he had been ready to give them the benefit of the doubt.

After all, grief did strange and terrible things to people, and he was not there to judge the ways in which they dealt with so unspeakable a loss.

“We’ve got to ferret out the other sons,” Gothmog remarked sotto voce. “There is something fishy here, to say the least. Even if that fool means it when he says that he’s not seen his brother as a foe, Fëanor would surely not have welcomed whatever little imbroglio is taking place here!”

Fingolfin, Eönwë decided as he opened his trusty notebook, was at the same time much more and much less suspicious than he had anticipated, and this was due to totally unforeseen developments and revelations.

“Loved him?” he asked pensively, forcing his mind back to the actual statements of their suspect rather than Gothmog’s outlandish speculations. “He did not seem the kind of man who was loved. Revered, admired, and envied, yes, but cherished? Hard to believe!”

“I cannot think of a single person who’d want to harm Fëanor,” Fingolfin insisted, looking up with wide, honest eyes that gleamed feverishly. “Why don’t you visit my brother’s ex-wife? She might have a better overview of any potential enemies.”

Nerdanel—famous sculptress, headstrong businesswoman, and winner of a short but vicious divorce—had been the next person on Eönwë’s list to interrogate anyway.

Nonetheless, the detective, dizzy with all the discoveries he had made during this first foray, schooled his face into a grateful smile.

“What happened?” Fingolfin asked suddenly, lifting his doleful gaze pleadingly to their stern faces. “Can you tell me?”

“I’d also love to hear that,” Gothmog agreed quietly.

“He’s been poked viciously by a pointy object—probably in one of a downtrodden, insalubrious apartment complex uni—and thrown from a considerable height before being set aflame. I am sure you can appreciate now why we’re looking for someone who hated the man enough to try and murder him thrice over,” Eönwë reported in a detached, professional voice.

He’d had very little time thus far to come to grips with the gruesome nature of the crime he was investigating, and he preferred to keep his profound incomprehension and instinctive pity in check in front of his suspects.

“Unimaginable,” Fingolfin cried out and slung his arm around Maglor who buried his face against his chest with a piercing cry of inarticulate, raw despair.

Gothmog’s jaw tightened—while he was more convinced than ever that Melkor was not guilty, another nagging doubt started to take root in his heart.

Even though his boss was usually not the kind of person for such long, convoluted sequences of deliberate, calculated violence, his second-in-command would undeniably have delighted in so elaborate a staging.

Seeing the picture of heartbroken desolation before him, Eönwë realised that he should have minced his words and softened the blow of the truth—he felt terrible for having misread the situation once again and was suddenly very eager to get out of this hopeless situation, fraught with unspoken truths and involuntarily revealed secret affections.

“Neither one of you is to leave the city while we’re investigating,” he informed the two mourners who seemed to have forgotten about the rivalry between their family branches, good manners, and common decency, as well as the rest of the world in general. “Thank you for your insights—I will probably circle back to the both of you in due time.”

Gothmog merely tapped his finger to the side of his nose and winked. “Good luck comforting one another,” he hummed provocatively and was promptly bodily shoved out of the room by an endearingly flustered Eönwë.

“When we get to the wife, please keep your impertinent comments to yourself!”

“Whatever you say, guvnor,” Gothmog chortled cheerily. “They are more than workplace rivals or distant relatives; this I’d bet my head on. Let’s see what Maglor’s mum has to say to that!”

“Tomorrow same place? I must go write up what we’ve found out so far,” Eönwë mumbled, strangely reluctant to part from the uncouth giant ambling up the elegant driveway.

“Same place, same time. Can I drop you off somewhere?” Gothmog asked amiably, apparently also not eager to let their collaborative moment end.

“I’ll walk,” Eönwë said waveringly. “I need to clear my head and go over the facts…Thank you! See you tomorrow!”

The clumsy lie tasted like stale coffee and cheap lemonade on his tongue, but he couldn’t bear to be observed—and potentially mocked cruelly—while he tried to work through their discoveries.

Eönwë had ever been slightly squeamish when it came to romantic and sexual innuendos—despite superficial appearances, he was not a prude so much as a woefully inexperienced, lonely soul, though.

He might not have known much, but he was certain that he’d better keep that little, inconsequential truth about himself under wraps for the time being.

So, @tolkienpinupcalendar here's another pairing!

Lots of love from me!

-> Masterlist

[cilil]

AO3 recommendations overview

A good chunk of the recommendations I received - thanks again to all those who sent me something! - were from AO3 and I couldn't always find a corresponding Tumblr post to reblog so I decided to make a list for convenience (an attempt at sorting has also been made). Please go show some love, enjoy and happy holidays/happy new year!

₊˚⊹ Ainur

♡ Back In Evernow by @the-red-butterfly (Melkor & Manwë, Gen)

♡ Feathers and Friends by @elennalore (Manwë & Ulmo & Maglor, Gen)

♡ Whenever our paths cross by @thedaughterofshadows (Tilion, Arien & Ilmarë, Gen)

♡ Go Get Him by @glorf1ndel (Eönwë x Arafinwë, T, WoW)

♡ To be Made of Fire by @hirazuki (Mairon & Arien, Gen)

♡ Worth While by @hirazuki (Mairon & Eönwë, T, WoW)

♡ Redeeming graces cast aside by @mirkwood-hr-department (Melkor & Nienna, T, canon divergence)

♡ No Sooner Looked by @verecunda (Melkor x Mairon, Eönwë, T)

♡ When Your Walls Fall by @curufiin (Melkor x Mairon, T, canon divergence)

₊˚⊹ Elves

♡ So do our Minutes Hasten to their End by @maglor-my-beloved (Caranthir x Haleth, Erestor, T)

♡ Anywhere With you by @last-capy-hupping (Maedhros x Fingon, past Melkor x Maedhros, E, modern AU, heed warnings)

♡ What Happens at Camp Eglarest, Stays at Camp Eglarest by @polutrope (Daeron x Maglor, T, modern AU)

♡ of a harsh and caustic nature (the root of hope) by @oopsbirdficced (Caranthir x Finrod, T, soulmate AU)

♡ A Compass Pointing North by @elentarial (Celegorm x multiple, E, modern AU (cam work))

♡ Pour Out A Drink For Me by @nothinghereisworking (Caranthir x Haleth, T)

♡ Star Anise by @maglor-my-beloved (Fëanor & Nerdanel & their children, Gen)

♡ Bureaucratic outcomes & oversights by @sortumavaara (Glorfindel x Erestor, M)

♡ Snow white and the hunts(wo)men by @goschatewabn (Celegorm x Oromë, M, ABO)

♡ Laws and Customers by @z-h-i-e (Glorfindel x Erestor, little Arwen, Gen)

♡ glade-song by @welcomingdisaster (Galadriel x Melian, M)

♡ Slow Flights by @searchingforserendipity25 (Maedhros & Irmo, Gen, coming back to life)

♡ The Seven Trials of Fingon the Valiant by @melestasflight and @polutrope (Fingon, various pairings, T)

♡ My Bones Divide and Shake by @sallysavestheday (Celegorm & Oromë, Gen)

♡ Nothing gold can stay by @mirkwood-hr-department (Thranduil x Glorfindel, E, long fic)

♡ Something in the Darkness by @hirazuki (Eöl x Aredhel, M)

₊˚⊹ Dwarves & Hobbits

♡ You Should Be Safe With Me by @fantasyinallforms (Bilbo x Thorin, E, canon divergent verse)

♡ And I’ll say I love you, and I’ll say that I do by @the-girl-with-the-algebra-book (Bilbo x Thorin, Gen, modern AU)

♡ Flowers that Never Die by @frosticenow (Bilbo x Thorin, T, pre-canon)

♡ Fuck Thy Neighbor by @lordoftherazzles (Bilbo x Thorin, E, modern AU, accidental marriage)

₊˚⊹ For Orc lovers

♡ Scars of Silver and Gold by @niennawept (Adar x OFC, E, ROP verse)

₊˚⊹ Old/older favorites that helped me through difficult times back in the day:

♡ Catechesis by @lvsifer (Melkor x Mairon, E, pope AU my beloved)

♡ the path of ecstasy by @bodhvild (Melkor x Mairon, E, heed warnings)

♡ In Utumno's Deeps by @foxindarkness (Melkor x Mairon, E, heed warnings)

♡ distractions by @tarmairons (Melkor x Mairon, baby dragons, unrated)

♡ Just This Once by @crackinthecup (Melkor x Mairon, E)

♡ ... and I burn for you by @echoesoftheforest (Melkor x Mairon, E)

♡ Desire by @dragonofmordor (Melkor x Mairon, E)

♡ Sacrament by @mayakoroz (Melkor x Mairon, E)

I was a lurker back then and too shy to comment or make myself known, but I saved links to my favorite works and never forgot about them. Better late than never.

₊˚⊹ Gifts for yours truly

♡ His Malicious Majesty by @i-did-not-mean-to (Mairon, various pairings, M)

♡ Where there's smoke, there's a fire by @i-did-not-mean-to (Melkor x Mairon x Gothmog, E, modern AU)

♡ Dog eat dog or something like that by @i-did-not-mean-to (Melkor x Mairon, puppy, gen)

♡ Aber bitte mit Sahne... by @i-did-not-mean-to (Melkor x Mairon, Gothmog x Eönwë, E, coffeeshop AU)

♡ Can't you see that I'm bound in chains? by @i-did-not-mean-to (Melkor x Mairon, Gothmog x Eönwë, E, mafia AU)

♡ Reaching for the stars by @i-did-not-mean-to (Manwë x Varda x Yavanna, T)

♡ The adventures of Crablor by @goschatewabn (Crablor x Faramir, E, heed warnings)

♡ Broken traps by @ruiniel (Andreth & a wolf, T)

₊˚⊹ Art collections (is this cheating? No idea - but this is my event and I loved these so let's put them in as a bonus)

♡ Kinktober by @sortumavaara (various, E)

♡ Kinktober by @elanna-elrondiel (various, E)

[hirazuki]

Impressive WIP list, my friend! May I know some more about "Eönwë's camp"? (Yes, I am predictable x))

Thank you!! ("impressive" lmao more like I have the attention span of a hamster XD) And absolutely nothing wrong with being predictable, so are we all ♡

I fear that I've misled you with the title, though... Eönwë's camp is the setting, yes, but our favorite herald doesn't actually make an appearance ^^; It's a what-if scenario at the end of the First Age, of what if Mairon, after his plea to Eönwë failed, was making his escape from his camp at the same time as Maedhros and Maglor were sneaking in to take the Silmarils, and they briefly crossed paths. Here's a snippet:

“Third tent on your right,” he says in a low voice. “That blue one.”  Maedhros does not thank him, and Mairon does not wait. He turns his back – and if that is yet another unwise decision, it is merely the latest in a long line; he has been acting out of character since waking up with salt water in his mouth and seaweed in his hair and loss in his throat and his soul, and, if anything, he should thank Maedhros for grounding him, for his presence has shaken him up and brought him to his senses – and continues making his escape. He curls his left hand in front of his abdomen, fingers ready to call forth a spell – just in case. (He is without his sword; they took it, and he cannot risk being caught to reclaim it, though its absence is carving into him with every step as surely as if it was the star-forged blade itself.) “They’ve put the fire out!” he hears a new voice whisper. “We don’t have much time until – brother, who was that?” Mairon tenses.  “No one,” Maedhros says after a heartbeat, his voice low and even. “Come, they’re this way.” He hears their footsteps making for the tent he indicated. Later, sitting at a table in a room full of things he despises, driven there by road-weariness and the need for information, he will overhear how the last of Fëanor’s sons reclaimed their Silmarils only for them to burn their hands, the eldest throwing himself into a fiery chasm. And, in his dark corner, he will imperceptibly lift his flagon of wretched dwarven ale – the only drink to be found at wayside inns this close to the mountains – in acknowledgment of the only member of that race in whom he had glimpsed a similar spirit. And he will allow himself a moment of sentimentality to think of him, falling into the earth, and of Fëanor, who was consumed until nothing was left but ash, and wonder if, in the end, fire always calls back its own. Much, much later – at the end of everything, with fumbling fingers and crumbling rock and the melting of metal – he will remember this. But this is the First Age, still, if only barely, and for all his powers and his skill, Mairon cannot tell the future. A smile cuts across his face – in gratitude and relief, for all its sharpness – and he reaches the edge of the camp, becoming one with the shadows.

[doodle-pops]

List of Requests

26/02/2023

I am incredibly ecstatic to work with this group of requests and elated that this was the most diverse set of ideas I've ever got. Thank you all for requesting!!! :) Also, everyone who sent in a request was accepted so cheers to you guys 💕💕

Headcanons (15)

Caranthir having a twin sister - anon

Married Life with Ecthelion - anon

Ecthelion celebrating different special occasions with his s/o - anon

Kissing Fingon - @edensrose

Fingon SFW Relationship Alphabet - @rain-on-my-umbrella

Marriage to Celebrimbor - anon

Maedhros having a daughter - anon

Glorfindel with s/o who has a legendary sword - anon

Feanor having a scientist s/o - anon

Glorfindel with a s/o who dances - @the-phantom-of-arda

Irmo having a s/o with rainbow eyes (mood changer) - anon

Erestor's ideal date - anon

Thingol spoiling reader - @elentarial

Egalmoth SFW Relationship Alphabet - anon

General headcanons on Egalmoth - anon

Fics (17)

Celegorm x reader - anon (body dysmorphia)

Ecthelion x human! reader - anon

Luthien x platonic! reader - anon

Elladan x reader - @snowsoothsayer

Erestor x human! reader - anon

Erestor x reader - anon

Finrod x reader - anon

Maglor x reader - anon

Beleg x Easterling! reader - @floraroselaughter

Argon x reader - anon

Glorfindel x reader x Elrohir (poly!) - @dicksoutformtl

Finarfin x human! reader - @noldorinpainter

Maeglin x reader - anon

Elladan x reader - anon

Beleg x human! reader - @mcwentfandomtraveling

Egalmoth x reader - anon

Maedhros x reader - anon (domestic abuse survivor)

Headcanon or Fic (I'm still not sure which to place them under) (2)

Eönwë with an architect reader - anon

Manwë discovers his s/o has lightning strike scars - anon

[urwendii]

100-words Drabbles: SWG Experimental Challenge

also read on: swg

Melkor x Fluithuin /✨/ 2. Maglor x Daeron

3. Mairon & Melian /✨/ 4. Eönwë x Arien

5. Galadriel x Luthien /✨/ 6. Mairon x Arien

7. Sons of Fëanor /✨/ 8. Maedhros x Mairon

9. Fëanor & Nolofinwë /✨/ 10. Maiar of Ulmo /✨/ 11. Aulë & Tevildo

[elentarial]

10 Fics

Tagged by @sallysavestheday  (thank you!).

Share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. 

Don’t have ten? No problem! Share one you love.

These are all Tolkien, Silmarillion in particular 

The grim ainur of Mandos were alarmed by their Fëanorian wards. (X)

They watched them like forest creatures, wide eyes glinting in the dark. (X)

The first time that Maglor had tended to his brother’s hair, Nelyo had still been unconscious. (X)

 It was, according to Eönwë’s weather apprentices, a meteorologically perfect day (X)

Maglor knew. He knew from the moment that he awoke on frosty ground in the pre-dawn darkness, his hands curled and blistered from the silmaril. (X)

Summertime meant Formenos, and Formenos meant freedom. (x)

7. Caranthir had been quiet the past few days, which would not have been out of the ordinary if he had been deeply immersed in tallying monthly taxation ledgers. (x)

8. The low din of cutlery and murmured voices ceased the moment Findaráto entered the room. (X)

9. To say that Himring Hill was bleak was an understatement. (WIP)

10. “He’s never going to fall for this,” a voice huffed, “He is entirely too particular. (WIP)

Tagging: @arofili @doodle-pops @skaelds @dawnfelagund @sunflowersupremes @outofangband

[cilil]

I'm late, sorry!

A Visit to Brethil by @maglor-my-beloved. A delightful Halenthir drabble in which Caranthir gets himself stuck in a trap

May-U Firebird by @i-did-not-mean-to. A hot and spicy modern AU Gothmog x Eönwë oneshot featuring the prompts landlord, mechanic and "that's exactly why I called you"

Rot by @sauronpilled. A heartbreaking oneshot written for Angbang Week (Melkor x Mairon) in which Melkor suffers from his old wounds (warnings for angst and injuries)

Perfectly Misaligned by @mirkwood. Another lovely contribution for Angbang Week in which Melkor ponders the meaning of wounds suffered in the past

World-wright by @holyplasmaball. In this wonderful oneshot, also written for Angbang Week, we see Melkor taking care of an injured Mairon

Please go check these out and show some love!

Happy Friday, Fellowship! 💛

Fic recs are the best way to help promote someone else’s works! Find some of your favorite fics, they could be WIPs, completed, old, new, whatever you want to share, and rec at least (1) of them for us and your followers to see! Who knows, it might just be the fic someone out there is looking for!

Bonus: tag the author (if possible) and share with us why you are recommending this fic!

[yellow-faerie]

Hi! If you're willing to write for it, could I please request a fluffy Maglor/Eonwe? Maybe a first meeting in which they're enamored with each other?

Oh yes, I’m absolutely willing to write requests! And I’m pretty much OK with anything so long as it isn’t smut or very close incest - so if anyone does have any requests, I am always happy to take them!

Edit: Part 2

Makalaurë is not nervous - his father always says that nerves have no place in their family, as skilled as they are in their chosen crafts - but there is still a flutter in his stomach as he tunes his harp.

It is one thing to perform in front of his family with whom he is so close or in front of the citizens of Tirion who he knows. It is quite another to come to a whole new place and play in front of hundreds of unknown.

“You’ll do great,” Maitimo promised in their final exchange before he turned North for Formenos and Makalaurë continued South for the city of the Vanyar. Makalaurë holds onto those words as a hush falls over the auditorium - open to the sky so as to let the silver light of Telperion wash over them all - and every eye is on him, sitting in the middle of the stage.

It bolsters him, giving him the courage to push through the first few notes, to let them ring out bright and clear to the open air. Once past the opening passage, Makalaurë falls into the peaceful embrace of the Music, letting it swing him to a certain melody.

He finishes, finally, with a small flourish of his wrist. The notes die off into the mingling and he is met with a standing applause.

Nothing to be nervous about at all: his father had, as always, been correct.

There are pleasantries to be exchanged afterwards, despite the late (or is it early now?) hour, and Makalaurë smiles through them, the dregs of his euphoria keeping him buoyed through the praise and stops him from thinking too hard about the soft bed the King Ingwë has provided for him at the palace.

He has used up what politeness he has by the time he finds an adequate excuse to excuse himself.

He slips out the building via a back door and pulls up his hood, hiding his face from the growing light should, per chance, there be someone who recognises him and wishes to speak.

He is so determinedly trying not to be spotted that he does not notice the individual standing in the middle of the road and walks straight into them.

He blinks, surprised, and looks up irritably. “Hey, you could have moved out of...” He trails off.

The Maia - and Makalaurë is certain that this is a Maia - looks down on him curiously, cocking his head in a way very reminiscent of a bird examining his prey.

He is stunning and Makalaurë is momentarily taken aback, no words appearing in his blank mind.

“You were singing. It was stunning.”

Makalaurë nods dumbly and can hear his mother chiding his manners.

They stare at each other for a long moment before Makalaurë’s thoughts finally catch up with him.

“Thank you,” He says belatedly. “You’re stunning too.”

He can feel his whole face heat up as he realises exactly what he’s said.

“Of course, it’s just that you’re very beautiful. I don’t mean it in a...you know, that sort of way but you are very...physically appealing to me. I...” He realises his rambling and cuts off abruptly. “I should probably...be off now.”

He turns away, intent on walking from this situation as fast as he can without it seeming like an offence, but the Maia reaches out and his fingers brush the bare skin of Makalaurë’s wrist.

It is like lightning has hit him in that exact spot. He cannot tell if the sudden crackling in the air is the cause of Makalaurë’s intense feelings or some sort of magic of the Maia and either way, it exhilarates him in a way he has never felt before.

“Let me accompany you, Laurelindo.”

Makalaurë blushes even harder as the name falls from the Maia’s lips in his graceful voice.

“O-of course.” Makalaurë hesitantly slips his hand into the crook of his elbow.

They walk in silence for the most part and Makalaurë tries to keep his mind firmly remains on honourable things that do not include the Maia beside him.

“We have arrived,” The Maia declares and Makalaurë drops his arm very reluctantly. “I hope I will see you again, Prince Makalaurë.”

He takes Makalaurë’s hand and presses a kiss to the knuckles that lingers for what seems an eternity and barely a second all at once. The skin seems to burn as the Maia straightens.

“Good morning.” He nods, smiles and turns, his fána shifting and changing until he takes flight as a great eagle.

He soars up into the sky.

Makalaurë watches him disappear into a speck against the brilliant golden silver of the sky. He stands there, by the brilliant pearly gates of Vanmar’s palace, and undoubtedly looks very gormless, gaping up at an empty sky.

Overlong, he realises that he never asked the Maia’s name and this heart-wrenching disappointment drags him out of his stupor.

He sighs and turns away, unsure if he will ever see the enchanting Maia again and hoping, desperately, that he will.

[edensrose]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤ ꒰❀꒱ 𝐭𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 ❜࿔

─────── .°୭̥ ✿ˎˊ˗ kinktober 2022 event

· ⊰ note.

what's better than a tolkien kinktober? a collab tolkien kinktober with @kiatheinsomniac . we've planned this for a few months and our prompts were randomly paired with a set list of characters. between the two of us we've split the list and will post in accordance to the day. prompts will be added as the days go to keep up the mystery of what's to come next. hope you enjoy! make sure to fill out this form if you'd like to be tagged for this event. ( minors dni ៸៸ sexual content )

· ⊰ prompts.

꒰❀꒱ i : threesome | celebrimbor, annatar

꒰❀꒱ ii : praise | celegorm

꒰❀꒱ iii : cockwarming | glorfindel

꒰❀꒱ iv : breath play | fëanor

꒰❀꒱ v : overstimulation | melkor

꒰❀꒱ vi : somnophilia | maglor

꒰❀꒱ vii : corruption | thranduil

꒰❀꒱ viii : mirror play | manwë

꒰❀꒱ ix : aphrodisiacs | námo

꒰❀꒱ x : biting / marking | irmo

꒰❀꒱ xi : size kink | eönwë

꒰❀꒱ xii : thigh riding | maedhros

꒰❀꒱ xiii : orgasm control | maglor

꒰❀꒱ xiv : dacryphilia | eönwë

꒰❀꒱ xv : fingering | irmo

꒰❀꒱ xvii : formal wear | celebrimbor

꒰❀꒱ xviii : knife play | fëanor

꒰❀꒱ xix :

꒰❀꒱ xx :

꒰❀꒱ xxi :

꒰❀꒱ xxii :

꒰❀꒱ xxiii :

꒰❀꒱ xxiv :

꒰❀꒱ xxv :

꒰❀꒱ xxvi :

꒰❀꒱ xxvii :

꒰❀꒱ xxviii :

꒰❀꒱ xxix :

꒰❀꒱ xxx :

꒰❀꒱ xxxi :

[eunoiaastralwings]

Eunoia's Masterlist

A/N: All credit to the artists who made the gif

Rules and Guidelines on Requesting – OFFICIALLY CLOSED FOR REQUESTS ! ! !

Taglist form – OFFICIALLY CLOSED ! ! !

Random Headcanons Rules for roleplaying Original Characters - Side blogs: Elf-related rp blog, Daughter of Beren and Luthien: @luthriel-tinuviel Valar-related rp blog, Daughter of Oromë and Vána: @quiet-flower-wonderlings Maia of Mandos: @illicit-unknown-shadows Son of Tilion and Arien: @son-of-the-moon-and-sun Maia of Nienna: @tears-of-burden Non-Tolkien: Tara Harrington-Kim (MCU): @shadow-hazehuntress Alora Matei (Spider-verse): @spider-lily-droplets

ELVES OF IMLADRIS

ERESTOR

ELROND

CELEBRIAN

ARWEN

GLORFINDEL

ELLADAN

ELROHIR

LINDIR

ELVES OF LOTHLÓRIEN

HALDIR

GALADRIEL

CELEBORN

RÚMIL

OROPHIN

ELVES OF FËANOR

FËANOR

NERDANEL

MAEDHROS

MAGLOR 

CELEGORM 

CARANTHIR

CURUFIN

AMROD 

AMRAS

CELEBRIMBOR

ELVES OF FINGOLFIN

FINGOLFIN

FINGON

TURGON

ARGON

AREDHEL

ELVES OF FINARFIN

FINARFIN

FINROD

ANGROD

AEGNOR

GALADRIEL

ELVES OF GONDOLIN

TURGON

MAEGLIN

IDRIL

GLORFINDEL

ROG

EGALMOTH

PENLOD

ECTHELION

MISC

MIRIEL

VAIRË

EÖNWË

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

LÚTHRIEL

QUILDALÓTIEN

GIFTS

😍 Amazing fanart by @maironsmaid​ for my incorrect quotes ​

😍 Fabulous story of Lindir x reader (+ Erestor x me!) from @i-did-not-mean-to

😍 Beautifully touching story ​from @i-did-not-mean-to

😍 This wonderful Erestor headcanon moodboard from @sorisooyaa

😍 This beautiful piece of art from @danceinshadowundermoonlight

😍 Heart touching fic by @i-did-not-mean-to

😍 Cute Papa Ghost fic by @batsyforyou

Non-Tolkien:

MCU

JAMES BUCKY JR MASTERLIST - Bucky with reader and their son.

[a-world-of-whimsy-5]

And here it is! The full masterlist for @silmsmutweek ! It was such a joy participating in this event and writing about characters and pairings and themes I had never done before.

Warning: Each post contains material of an explicit and sexual nature.

Minors DNI | 🔞 | You are responsible for the media you consume.

❤️‍🔥 Day 1: Seeds of desire / Gothmog x Melkor

❤️‍🔥 Day 2: To give and receive / Finwë x Indis

❤️‍🔥 Day 3: The ties that bind / Makar x Meássë

❤️‍🔥 Day 4: The invitation / Manwë x Eönwë x Ilmarë

❤️‍🔥 Day 5 : Little bird / Tevildo x Fem. reader

❤️‍🔥 Day 6: Beneath the stars /Oromë x Celegorm

❤️‍🔥 Day 7: While the seas roiled / Varda x Uinen

❤️‍🔥 Silmsmutweek writer's challenge : The same song / Maedhros x Maglor | The first of many glorious nights / Haleth x Caranthir

[i-did-not-mean-to]

Kinktober 2024

Dear friends, the time has come...(but I'm tired and I'll have to ponder this later lol)

I'll be using the @tolkienpinupcalendar Kinktober-List, combined with this list by @cilil...

To protect your sensible eyes, the prompts are under the cut! (Requests are welcome)

White Chocolate 🔥

Cuddling (Body worship/feminisation) - Nerdanel x Fëanor

Making out (Courtesan/Stripper, Rare pair) Eönwë x Gothmog

Virgin (Virginity/purity kink & roleplay/CNC) Caranthir x Turgon

Handjobs (Knife/sword/gun play & hand/glove kink) Annatar x Celebrimbor for @bellejolras

Clothed Sex (Clothed sex & masturbation) Celebrían x Nerdanel for @maglor-my-beloved

Aftercare (Pet play & breeding kink) T4T Aredhel x Celegorm

Cockwarming (Sensory deprivation (blindfolds etc) & cock warming) Haleth x Caranthir

Lapdance (Daddy/mommy & voice kink) Eärwen x Finarfin for @between-thepages

Dirty Talk (Humiliation/degradation & bondage/shibari/suspension) Daeron x Maglor

Car/Cart sex (Getting caught & fingering) - Erestor x Glorfindel for @sortumavaara

Milk Chocolate🔥🔥

11. Bondage (Feather play & torture) Beleg x Mablung for @thegreatstrongbow

12. Rimming (Bath/shower/water sex & piercings) - Éomer x fem!OC for @laurfilijames

13. Breeding Kink (Knotting & aphrodisiacs) - Turgon x werewolf!Finrod for MoonLord

14. Begging (Impact play & edging/OD (orgasm denial)) - Duilin x Balrog by popular demand

15. ABO (ABO (omegaverse) & group sex/orgy) - Turgon x Celegorm x Curufin x Finrod for MoonLord

16. Desk Sex (Authority kink/power imbalance & throne sex) - Thorin x Bilbo (because I love @mithrilhearts)

17. Praise Kink (Lingerie & praise kink) - FInwë x Thingol

18. Prostitution (Mistaken identity/anonymous sex & pegging) - Idril x Tuor x Maeglin

19 . Double Penetration (Dub-con/non-con/blackmail & dacryphilia) - Melkor/Mairon/Maedhros for MoonLord

20. Rough Sex (Boots/feet & marking/branding) - Éowyn x Faramir

Dark Chocolate 🔥🔥🔥

21. Ovipositors (Size difference & nipple play) - Finrod x Caranthir for Anon

22. Free Use (Somnophilia & oral) Angrod x Caranthir for Anon (Dark Revenge Fantasies Part I)

23. Sounding (Glory hole & breath play) - Glorfindel x Maglor for @maglor-my-beloved (Dark Revenge Fantasies Part II)

24. Intoxicated Sex (Wet dreams & mind control) - Elwing x Eärendil for @the-red-butterfly

25. Voyeurism (Voyeurism & cuckolding) - Galadriel x Elrond (and Teleporno getting a tele porno) for @theswarmkeeper

26. Pet Play (Rimming & crossdressing) - Thorin x Bilbo for anon

27. Gaping (Electrostimulation & toys) - Maedhros x Fingon

28. Pain Play (Fealty kink & dirty talk) - Túrin x Orodreth for @elentarial

29. Gags (Tender sex & (pseudo) incest) - Rog/Maeglin for Anon

30. Degradation (Predator/prey & hate fucking) - Ori x Elf!OC

31. Free Space (Ritual sex, vampirism, incubi/succubi, tentacles, oviposition, monsterfucking/eldritch, cages, leather, intercrural sex) - Celegorm x Lúthien for @elentarial

[cilil]

Summer Stories '24

⊹. Week 1 ⋆𖤓 ˚

𖤓 Reflections ~ Tilion x Írilómë (OC) 𖤓 Splash ~ Caranthir x Haleth 𖤓 Camping ~ Amrod & Amras 𖤓 Heatwave ~ Mairon x Khamûl 𖤓 Unexpected ~ Dior x Nimloth

⊹. Week 2 ⋆𖤓 ˚

𖤓 Storms ~ Maedhros x Fingon 𖤓 Exploration ~ Navëquen (OC) 𖤓 Ice ~ Melkor x Mairon 𖤓 Waterside ~ Ulmo x Manwë 𖤓 Dreams ~ Amarëa (OC) x Írilómë (OC)

⊹. Week 3 ⋆𖤓 ˚

𖤓 Fields ~ Glorfindel x Mentelossë (OC) 𖤓 Lost ~ Mairon x Witch King 𖤓 Starlight ~ Thranduil x Rauwen (OC) 𖤓 Gathering ~ Nerdanel x Nienna 𖤓 Feast ~ Gothmog & Nári (OC)

⊹. Week 4 ⋆𖤓 ˚

𖤓 Music ~ Airilin (OC) x reader 𖤓 Garden ~ Arien 𖤓 Sweets ~ Gothmog x Eönwë 𖤓 Critters ~ Caranthir 𖤓 Love ~ Ar-Pharazôn

Summer Stories '23

⋆. Week 1 ⋆☀︎ོ ˚

☀︎ Fireflies ~ Calamórë | Manwë x Námo ☀︎ Seaside/evenings ~ Námo x reader ☀︎ Beat the heat ~ Melkor x Gothmog ☀︎ Postcards ~ Bagginshield ☀︎ Evenings ~ Navëquen

⋆. Week 2 ⋆☀︎ོ ˚

☀︎ Ice-cold drinks ~ Melkor & Tulkas ☀︎ Summer festival + money shot ~ Angbang ☀︎ Campfire ~ Melkor x Maedhros ☀︎ Picnic ~ Fingolfin x Fëanor ☀︎ Shade ~ Eöl x Aredhel

⋆. Week 3 ⋆☀︎ོ ˚

☀︎ Grassy hillsides ~ Finarfin x Eönwë ☀︎ Summer storms ~ Manwë x Eönwë ☀︎ Roadtrip ~ Daeron x Maglor ☀︎ Cocktails ~ Gothmog & Irmo ☀︎ Suntan/freckles ~ Ossë & Círdan ☀︎ Suntan/sunburn ~ Angbang

⋆. Week 4 ⋆☀︎ོ ˚

☀︎ Poolside ~ Melkor x Nienna ☀︎ Stargazing ~ Glorfindel x Thranduil ☀︎ Dandelions ~ Mairon x Arien ☀︎ Fireworks ~ Curumo x Aiwendil ☀︎ Frozen treats ~ Ulmo x Manwë

Have fun ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

[arofili]

Back to Middle-earth Month is all but over...but if you’d like to play around with the bingo cards I made, please do! I had a lot of fun making and using these, and I’d love to see what other people do with them!

(transcriptions under the cut)

Bingo Board 1: Fun with Fanon!

Line 1: Tom Bombadil is Eru || Fiber artist Caranthir || Maedhros gives Fingon his gold ribbons/wire || Maglor is Lindir || Celebrimbor reforged Anglachel into Gurthang Line 2: Fingon names Maedhros “Russandol” || Míriel and Indis were besties || Female Narvi || Ex-thrall Rôg || Maedhros gives Narsil to Elros Line 3: Sauron personally tortured Maedhros in Angband || Celebrimbor’s father-name is “Curufinwë” || FREE SPACE (Who’s the Gil-gaDad?) || Yavanna made the Hobbits || Fëanor was friends with Findis Line 4: Photosensitive Maeglin || Maedhros finds Fingon’s dead body || Elf hair kink || Celegorm’s nickname is “Tyelko” || The Arkenstone is a Silmaril Line 5: Silver-haired Celegorm || Dwarf braids express gender/class/marital status/etc || Huan is a Maia || Lalwen befriends Círdan || Fingon’s mother-name is Astaldo

Bingo Board 2: Russingon Tropes

Line 1: Size kink || Post-Thangorodrim recovery || Maedhros gives Fingon his gold ribbons/wire || Gift-giving (Dragon-helm, Green Stone of Fëanor, etc) || Marriage bond Line 2: Fingon names Maedhros “Russandol” || Post-Angband nightmare (with comfort) || Political drama in Valinor || Aredhel is Fingon’s confidante || Fingon visits Himring Line 3: Sauron takes Fingon’s form to torment Maedhros in Angband || Maedhros visits Hithlum || FREE SPACE || Secret relationship || Stump-fucking (aka Wristing) Line 4: Gil-gaDads || Maedhros finds Fingon’s dead body || Hair kink || Fingon rescues Maedhros from the Void || Reembodiment and reunion Line 5: Maglor is Maedhros’ confidante || Fealty kink || Maedhros ties a gold ribbon around his stump post-Nirnaeth || Maedhros names Fingon “the Valiant” || Post-Nirnaeth nightmare (no comfort)

Bingo Board 3: Shades of Sauron

Lord || Tar-Mairon || Sûr || The Black Hand || Þauron (Thauron) Line 2: Ñorsus || Wolf-Sauron || The Lord of the Rings || Artano || Zigûr Line 3: Thû || Aulendil || FREE SPACE || Mairon || The Deceiver Line 4: The Nameless Enemy || Sauron || Fankil || The Sorcerer || Vampire-Sauron Line 5: Annatar || Tuvon || The Necromancer || Gorthaur || Tevildo

Bingo Board 4: Wait...that’s not my ship!

Line 1: Celegorm x Orodreth || Daeron x Maeglin || Finrod x Anairë || Turgon x Elwë || Annatar x Celeborn Line 2: Gwindor x Findis || Erestor x Glóredhel || Melkor x Mahtan || Maedhros x Finrod || Galadriel x Celegorm Line 3: Edhellos x Angrim || Elwing x Eärwen || FREE SPACE || Curufin x Fingon || Idril x Huor Line 4: Celebrían x Elros || Glorfindel x Egalmoth || Beleg x Tuor || Andreth x Aerin || Fëanor x Finarfin Line 5: Aredhel x Eönwë || Caranthir x Haldir (you pick which one) || Fëanor x Nerwen || Finrod x Beorn || Lúthien x Bereg

[feanorianethicsdepartment]

the last of my thoughts on the homecoming au, the au where maedhros and maglor are taken back to tirion at the end of the war of wrath and proceed to be relentlessly abused by elves more interested in them being ‘normal’ than happy. it’s pretty much exactly as dark as you’d expect from that description, lots of medical/caretaker abuse towards the mentally ill, just a horrible situation in general. one last time, @sunflowersupremes wrote the original au this is an extrapolation from, and @outofangband listened to me blather on about this for ages and contributed lots of ideas of their own. part 1 is here, part 2 is here. this the last part, it isn’t quite as intense as part 2, but it’s a lot more hopeless. also there’s some off-screen torture

on the first post i made about this au, i got some comments to the effect of ‘oh this will only last until person x bails them out’

there were several suggestions - fingon, nerdanel, any of the ainur. it seems like there are a lot of people who’d want to get maedhros and maglor out of this nightmare

seems. these aren’t necessarily my usual interpretations of their characters, but for the purposes of this au i can easily imagine a finrod who already bore a grudge over the whole letting-their-younger-brothers-steal-his-kingdom incident and subsequently heard the version of the nirnaeth where the fëanorians left everyone else to die. he is the only other person in the palace who knew beleriand, and he loathes them so viciously he can barely stand to look at them. they’re lucky he doesn’t do worse

i can easily imagine a nerdanel who was already having trouble processing what her husband and sons did at alqualondë when eärendil and elwing told her every awful thing they’d done since in the span of half an hour. she smashed all their statues, burned all their gifts, and curled up sobbing in a ruined house, wondering why she was such a terrible mother her children grew into demons

and this isn’t long after that, that wound is still fresh. whatever vain hopes she held that the boys she loved were somewhere in there are shattered when she sees them, and they’re talking and laughing just like they did when they were young

like nothing had happened. like nothing had changed. like the monsters had always been waiting patiently for their chance to strike

(they just didn’t want her to see the things they’d become)

i can easily imagine a fingon who is blazingly furious with maedhros over the later kinslayings. he spends most of their only meeting railing at maedhros, and the apologia his caretakers offer up only makes him angrier

so does the fact that maedhros won’t defend himself, won’t even raise his voice. does none of this matter to him? did it ever?

(it does. but maedhros knows what will happen if he yells at his cousin, and he is just so exhausted)

fingon is eventually asked to leave. maedhros’ minders tell him that if he can’t keep his temper around their patient, they’re going to have to cut off contact until maedhros is in a better mental state. fingon snaps that that’s just fine by him, and storms off into the city, trying to hold back his tears

the ainur, now, the ainur would definitely drag them out of the palace and haul them up to the máhanaxar. finarfin’s managed to get as much out of eönwë

what would happen to them after that, eönwë refuses to say. finarfin suspects he doesn’t know, and none of the valar will until they’ve had a chance to actually, like, hold a trial

even so, it becomes pretty obvious to finarfin fairly early on that the noldor simply can’t give the brothers the help they need. it’s plain to see that they’re very unhappy and they’re recovering slowly if at all. whatever the valar decide to do with them, odds are good they’d end up in some permutation of elf afterlife therapy, with well-practiced carers and the family they’ve lost. for their sake, and the sake of the people around them, handing them over to the valar would clearly be the best option

except finarfin doesn’t. he keeps his nephews in his palace, where they break things and make messes and generally give their caretakers constant headaches. when asked why, he always talks about the soul-deep terror on maglor’s face when he asked him not to give them to the valar

he’s not lying about that. but he does have other motives

there’s lots of suppositions in finarfin’s reasoning. there’s every chance the valar would throw them into the deepest depths of mandos until the second music. there’s every chance maedhros would choose to disappear into the woods and never trouble court again

but if the valar do decide to send them to lórien with no limits on their movement, and if maedhros does still harbour nelyafinwë’s political ambitions...

the closest finarfin has gotten to admitting it, even to himself, is saying that the noldor have enough problems right now, they don’t need a succession crisis on top of everything else. sometimes he’ll joke about not wanting maedhros to set up another functionally autonomous military government out in the wilderness

but it’s hard to deny that a maedhros, free to act, with his head screwed on straight, could potentially be the single biggest threat to finarfin’s crown

not that he doesn’t want his nephews to get better! it’s heartrending to see the pain they’re in, he sincerely wants to see them happy

he’d just prefer them to be happy in a way that's... convenient

maedhros and maglor’s contact with the outside world is kept to a strict minimum and heavily monitored when it does happen. they’re only allowed to visit the public parts of the palace when their caretakers know exactly who’s going to be there and if they can be trusted to not make a fuss about the brothers’ presence

it’s all in the interest of keeping the peace, you understand. maedhros’ followers are difficult to handle at the best of times, if they somehow got it into their heads that the last of their lords were being held captive in the palace...

well, finarfin says over tea. maitimo can see the wisdom in not provoking a civil war, can he not?

(he will not bring death to the blessed realm again. not even if his last baby brother is rotting away to a shell, not even if he’s being smothered to death from the inside out. he will not, he must not)

(if he did, there would truly be nothing left but the monster)

and then, one day, maglor gets the chance to escape

his minders aren’t paying much attention to him, he’s been a lot quieter since they put the gag on him. he’s small and fast and good at sneaking around, by the time they notice he’s missing he’s already found a way out of the palace

he jumps out of a third-floor window, bites down the pain, and runs. he clears the grounds and disappears into the city

he makes for - he doesn’t know where. subconsciously, he navigates towards the craft guild districts, where his family’s staunchest supporters always were

except the city’s changed a lot since he was last loose in it, and before he knows it, he’s completely lost. he wanders the streets half in a daze, his raw nerves unused to the bustle and noise of it all. wherever he goes, people stop and start and turn away

finally someone calls him over. ‘hey, you want that collar off your neck?’

it’s a smith of some sort, he can tell that much. they’re smiling, welcomingly and without pity. he’s rushing over to them, nodding his head, before he can even think about

the trouble is, maglor doesn’t remember the faces of most of the people he saw in beleriand, but they all remember him

the trouble is, this smith was at sirion

back in the palace, who gets access to the brothers is very strictly controlled. which isn’t to say that nobody tries to hurt them; finrod tends to put the worst spin on things when he’s asked for advice, there’s all kinds of minor acts of sabotage, and they come across innocuous-seeming harmful objects more often than mere chance would seem to allow

but even their caretakers can tell that letting desperate revenge-seekers get near the brothers wouldn’t be particularly conducive to whatever recovery they’re hoping for. anyone who might randomly come across maedhros or maglor in a hallway is intensely vetted for ulterior motives, and while this process isn’t airtight it does filter out the most obviously malicious

and outside of that bubble, none of that applies. the smith does take maglor’s gag off, purely to hear him scream

soon enough, the palace guard tracks him down. they take him back to the palace, where he’s bandaged up and comforted and then, as a special treat, allowed to see his brother

(they’re kept apart more often than not these days. being around maglor makes maedhros agitated, being around maedhros makes maglor sullen. they’re just more cooperative when they’re alone)

maglor does the same thing he’s done every time he’s seen his brother for the past year, which is immediately bury his face in maedhros’ chest and shudder. it takes him a moment to remember he can speak now

‘we’re trapped’ he whispers. ‘we’re trapped’

because he was screaming for what felt like hours, and nobody came to help. as he was being carried back to the palace, he saw the scorn and the disgust in the passers-by’s eyes

there’s nobody who will shelter them outside the palace. there’s nowhere on this continent they can go

and that - that’s the end, in a way. maedhros remains stubborn and ill-tempered, never quite letting them forget he doesn’t want to be here and doesn’t like what they’re doing, but the fight goes out of him. he does what they tell him just as biddably as he did before they took his brother’s voice

maglor, surprisingly, takes a turn for the better. he starts acting cheerful again, doing everything that’s asked of him with a smile and a wink. he’s making excellent progress, his minders tell finarfin

(they don’t tell him what maglor looks like when the mask starts to crack)

finarfin is very pleased to hear that one of his nephews is finally starting to recover! it’s been a long, painful journey, but it looks like it’s all at long last working out

to celebrate, he decides to give maglor a gift he’s been holding onto for a while

he calls maglor into his office. the tension in his posture is a bit worrying, but his expression is all makalaurë, a casual, mildly disrespectful grin. he swans into the room, flounces into a chair, and asks what his uncle wants

finarfin praises him for all the progress he’s been making, and hands him a letter

it’s from elros

the first line is ‘how are you doing, you old bastard?’ it calls him a kinslayer six different ways in the first three paragraphs. it asks him how many people he’s stabbed since he got back. it closes off by wishing him some fun loud arguments with maedhros

finarfin was a little concerned maglor still not might be in the right emotional state for it, but the tightness bleeds out of his nephew’s frame as he reads. a couple of times he even bursts into snickering that sounds more genuine than any sound he makes in court

he finishes reading with a truly relaxed smile on his face. then he freezes, and looks up at finarfin

in a tiny, quiet voice, so unlike the way he talks nowadays, he asks, ‘may i write a reply?’

finarfin hates to take the wind out of his sails, but maglor deserves to know. ‘that letter is centuries old. i’ve been holding onto it until you were ready to read it.’ he shuts his eyes. ‘i’m afraid elros passed some time ago’

maglor’s head drops. the letter in his hands begins to shake. little whimpers escape his trembling body. finarfin walks over, places a hand on his shoulder. ‘i’m sorry, we -’

that’s not whimpering, finarfin realises. those are growls. his nephew’s head snaps up, face twisted with rage

maglor tries to tear finarfin’s face off -

and that’s all i have. these headcanons have been exhausting to write, i’ll clean them up and put them on ao3 in a bit, but not now, if for no other reason than it’s 3am. again. i hope these weren’t too incoherent. going to try to unbanjax my sleep schedule now