#an orodreth for the orodreth mutual

[that-angry-noldo]

(cw: panic attack)

"I hate tea."

"Mmm."

I hate you, too, Orodreth wanted to say, but just pursed his lips and curled into his blanket, warming his hands with the steaming mug. Finarfin was busy; Orodreth watched, dispassionately, as he carefully put away small bags of dried herbs that he used to brew Orodreth's tea with, as he closed and hid the jar of honey and then patiently washed his hands. His face did not change its polite-calm expression through the process even once.

Orodreth did not mean to be here. He did not mean to wake up from the nightmare, from the feeling of fire-ice-cold-fear that gripped him and wouldn't let go, did not mean his screams to be as loud as to wake up his own father; did not mean to sit here, scrunching his nose at the smell of herbs and honey.

Why couldn't it be Finrod or Amil? Why couldn't it be anyone else but Arafinwë, whom Orodreth still, after all this time out of the Halls, could not see without memories of cold and fear creeping up his spine?

He brought the mug closer to his mouth. It was warm against his lips.

Finarfin's eyes skimmed over Orodreth once more, the slightest bit of worry passing over his face; as if Orodreth could be wounded and conceal the injury, as if Finarfin's falcon-sharp gaze could miss anything before, when he had grabbed him by his shoulders, when Orodreth could feel nothing but fear and pain and panic.

He noticed with a strange detachment that his father's hands were shaking as he wiped them; Finarfin rubbed his face and took a breath - and finally, finally, sat down on the chair. His frame looked exhausted. Orodreth felt - almost sorry.

"You scared me," his father finally said, softly, as if reading his thoughts. "I thought-"

He cut himself off, and Orodreth shivered beneath his blanket, looking away. He took a tentative sip. The tea was both bitter and sweet; an unpleasant mix on his tongue.

"I am sorry," he said, and the words came out colder than intended. Or maybe just as cold as intended; Orodreth could hardly care about the difference. "I did not mean to wake you up."

Or maybe, he did. Maybe, if given the chance, he would disrupt Finarfin's sleep as often as possible, for reasons as petty as possible. He wondered just how many nights it would take for Finarfin to snap, to abandon this pretense of a loving father that he surely was not, for how could have a loving father ever abandoned-

He took another sip of tea.

"It's alright," Finarfin sighed. "I would have likely woken up nonetheless. Describe me how do you feel. Any pains, or complaints?"

Only you, Orodreth wanted to answer. One horrible, massive pain.

"No," he shrugged. "But I hate the tea."

Finarfin allowed himself a little smile. "I know. But I cannot let you drink coffee at midnight."

Orodreth pursed his lips.

I hate you and I hate your stupid tea, he wanted to say. I hate your worried eyes and your careful hands. I want to smash this cup and I hope you cut yourself on the splinters, too.

He did not actually mean that. Or maybe, he did.

No.

He did not.

He felt a knot tying in his throat. His hands trembled. He took another sip, and set the mug aside.

He was crying, he realized, as his shoulders started to shake. He put a trembling hand to his mouth, trying to stiffen the sobs that he could not control, to even the breath that beat wildly inside his chest - all futile, all making him shake even more and scattering his thoughts in different directions; Arafinwë was by his side, kneeling before him, his falcon eyes sharp again, and he was talking, telling him to breathe; and with each breath another thought would hammer inside Orodreth's brain.

I hate you. A breath.

I hope you die. Another. The rhythm was unsteady. He sobbed as blood rushes through his brain.

You left me. Finarfin's voice was steady. Orodreth shut his eyes, focused on his father's words. They were a blur.

You left me. He was crying.

I thought I would die.

I died.

I missed you. I miss you. Please-

A hesitation, then an answer - regret, hurt, apology; Finarfin took his hands, squeezed his fingers, counted, voice calm and leveled.

He heared him.

"Breathe."

Inhale. One, two, three, four. Exhale. Five, six, seven, eight.

Again.

And again.

Finarfin counted, whispered, and Orodreth felt the fog of his state slowly fall back. He still shuddered. He squeezed his father's hands.

He was trembling.

There was fire, he wanted to say. We could not run, and-

-you left. You left. You left us. Left me.

"I know," Finarfin answered. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Orodreth, my Artaresto, my-" he took a breath. His own hands were trembling, Orodreth noted, detached. When he looked at his face, Finarfin's eyes were no longer sharp; they were pained, and afraid, and tears welled up in their corners.

"I'm sorry," Finarfin repeated. His voice was barely a whisper. "I will not leave. Not again."

Not again?

Finarfin took a breath. Never again.

[welcomingdisaster]

pov: you're browsing the "#hidden city" tag on first-age beleriand tumblr

💜 elfcontrol Follow 'speciecism' 'gondolindrim privilege' 'anti-anti-noldolante' you sound insane please go outside. please touch grass. please listen to the song of the stars

⛅ gil-ass-tel Follow can't i'm in nargothrond #underground #hidden city #think before you speak

(231 notes)

🌸 skunkmaid Following i have to be honest i didn't realize we weren't allowed to leave gondolin. was really busy embroidering a tablecloth and didn't notice until yesterday when i tried to walk out (needed more blue thread)

💠diamondcraft Mutuals girl it's been 200 years

(31 notes)

🌬️feeeeacalimë Follow idk & idc how drunk the king was he was so real for this

#its down now #should have kept it up #hidden city life fr

(2099 notes)

🌻sweetflowersofspring Mutuals Personally I'm a huge fan of how every once in a while the King just brings a Man or 2 around. go off keep it fresh #i liked the two little ones #but ngl tuor is hot as shit #tuor call me #hidden city

(8 notes)

🌃wordsmithfoul Mutuals i think it's actually awesome and exciting that finrod let murder-cousin1 and murder-cousin2 into the kingdom! they're really well known for getting along with all of their kin! oaths dont work underground or anything this won't backfire! 🙃🙃🙃🙃 #how some of y'all sound rn #hidden city discourse

(131 notes)

🪨 madattwilight Follow A Union of Souls | 2.8k | Idril/Maeglin

Summary: When Idril Celebrindal meets her cousin Maeglin for the first time, she does not spare him a second look as a romantic partner. However, after he sits her down and logically explains to her that he is the best possible mate due to a variety of factors (good looks, intellect, ability to mine at incredible speeds) she leaves Tuor to wed him under the stars.

READ MORE ON MY WATTPAD! #rpf #idrilmaeglin #dontlikedontread #lemon #sex #cousinsex #hopethishappens #no betas we die like that stupid toddler should #hidden city (2 notes)

🧵broiderycreature Following its wednesday my dudes everyone post pictures of orodreth looking bored and despondent and slightly wet in court #wednesday posting #hidden city (128 notes)

🌟 starstrewn Follow

🌟 starstrewn Follow

✨⛔this post is not for kinslayers⛔✨⛔kinslayers do NOT reblog⛔✨⛔kinslayers do not interact⛔✨

#adding that since i see whos reblogging #cant believe that needed to be said

[shinraelectricpowercom]

So I was looking at a Tolkien Gateway timeline for the Dagor Bragollach (as you do) and there's an event listed from the Grey Annals in HoME 11, which is Celegorm and Curufin coming to Orodreth's rescue during the fall of Tol Sirion. And I was like "what", because that seems weirdly far north for them to be if they were trying to get to Nargothrond. But then I was like "what" because it's super weird for them to have been trying to get to Nargothrond at all, because it's halfway across Beleriand from where they started and hardly even a friendly city to them (Finrod not being among their avowed enemies but frankly seeming to incline closer to Thingol than the house of Feanor in his political leanings)

Anyways, so the Grey Annals entry (with names adjusted for pubSilm compatibility) is:

§153 [Sauron's] hosts broke through and besieged the fortress of [Finrod], Minas-tirith upon Tol Sirion ... and Orodreth the brother of [Finrod] who held it was driven out. There he would have been slain, but Celegorm and Curufin came up with their riders ... and stemmed the tide for a while; and thus Orodreth escaped and came to Nargothrond. Thither also at last before the might of Sauron fled Celegorm and Curufin ... and they were harboured in Nargothrond gratefully

So I propose: Celegorm and Curufin were trying to make it to Barad Eithel by way of the Pass of Sirion (a much nearer and more friendly location for them to seek shelter at; and, having representatives at the High King's fortress would also have been useful for consolidating power in the wake of the Dagor Bragollach, if they were so inclined). But Sauron's forces prevented them from making it past Tol Sirion and turned them to retreat, at which point they probably joined up with Orodreth's also-retreating forces for mutual protection, and since they had just saved Orodreth, he offered them refuge in Nargothrond as repayment for that rescue.

All of which makes their betrayal of Finrod & Orodreth later kicking them out that much messier.

[thelordofgifs]

I’m joining the fandom official through TFS and loving it! Do you have recommended blogs?

Welcome to the fandom, anon!! And WHAT a compliment I am blushing so so much ty ❤️ I’m relatively new to the fandom myself, but here is a very non-exhaustive list of some of my incredibly cool and talented mutuals:

@actual-bill-potts is an incredibly talented writer and so clever and funny and kind, has the best takes on everything and is somehow making me care about Orodreth which I didn’t think was possible?? Also if you enjoyed tfs you are Legally Obligated to read her fic and all his towers cast down, which is THE best Leithian AU around (featuring a Finrod who gets to survive and deal with his trauma, which is not necessarily a good thing for him, and Maglor and Lúthien teaming up to be the ultimate cool singing duo).

@that-angry-noldo is your person for all things Finarfin, has never had an incorrect take on her life and is so so funny and talented and lovely.

@eilinelsghost is SUCH an amazing writer and so so so knowledgeable about HoME it makes me insane, and also she can do ART which?? how?? can one person?? be this talented???

@outofangband is THE Morwen person, writes such amazing meta and fic, has the most incredible detailed worldbuilding about literally anything you can think of, and is so wonderfully kind and dedicated to boosting other people on the fandom which is so so lovely.

@searchingforserendipity25 is one of my treasured m&m mutuals, an INCREDIBLY talented writer whose prose all reads like literal poetry (which she ALSO writes!!) and is so so funny and kind and wonderful.

@welcomingdisaster is SUCH a talented writer who keeps me absolutely fed with both m&m and russingon content, has the most thought-provoking takes and the funniest polls and such such gorgeous art which I am in absolute awe of.

@polutrope is SO knowledgeable about canon and writes the most incredible meta and analysis as well as absolutely wonderful fics which I adore so so much and is so cool and friendly!

@tanoraqui is a fantastic writer and also has the best and most interesting takes and SO many cool AUs: at the moment I’m particularly invested in In Heart, which you should definitely read immediately if you like tfs, but they’re all so so good aaahh.

@warrioreowynofrohan is such a kind and welcoming presence in the fandom and writes absolutely amazing meta and fics, I can spend hours and hours scrolling her blog because it’s all so interesting and so GOOD.

@pearlescentpearl has The Best Maedhros Takes and writes SUCH wonderful fics – the Rebirthed Maedhros AU and Political Pawn AU are both bullet point fics that have Rewired Me and are such big influences on tfs, you should check them out posthaste.

And many, many more!! This is genuinely one of the most talented fandoms in existence – you have SUCH a feast ahead of you, anon!

[polutrope]

🩵 an old ship

🤍 a new ship

Thanks for the ask!

an old ship

This means to me personally, right? Feanor/Nerdanel. 15-year-old me wrote little novellas about them. No you cannot see them.

🤍 a new ship

Feels like a new one drops every day. Latest (which you were present for and inspired): Maglor/Orodreth. Brothers (or nephews) devoted to and in the shadow of an older sibling (or uncle), doing their damn best to lead in the absence of that person, placed on the frontlines of the war by that person, etc. I have an aesthetic obsession with Finrod/Maglor but I may have to explore this Maglor/Arafinwean ship as one that goes beyond mutual vanity 😄.

ship ask game

[ao3feed-tolkien]

Et adducam te super terram meam

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2pmRc03

by pomegranatecountry

After the exile of Curufin and Celegorm from Nargothrond in F.A. 465, Celebrimbor goes to Gondolin.

Title from Biblia Vulgata Ezechiel 38:16

Words: 3241, Chapters: 1/5, Language: English

Fandoms: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Celebrimbor | Telperinquar, Maeglin | Lómion, Orodreth | Artaresto, Finduilas Faelivrin, Turgon of Gondolin, Idril Celebrindal, Other Character Tags to Be Added, Background & Cameo Characters

Relationships: Celebrimbor | Telperinquar/Maeglin | Lómion, Minor or Background Relationship(s)

Additional Tags: First Age, Nargothrond, Gondolin, Celebrimbor in Gondolin, tyelomion is something that is so important to me, Family Drama, References to Canon-Typical Violence, Friends to Lovers, or i mean, cousins to lovers, Sindarin names, Quenya Names, Elf Language Politics, Mutual Pining, Eventual Fluff, Celebrimbor is a bit of a mess before we get there, Getting to Know Each Other, Getting Together, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, (for now) - Freeform, (until Maeglin betrays Gondolin), (but we won't go that far here), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Age Difference

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2pmRc03

[aniseandspearmint]

Okay, apparently it was MY turn for the horrible head pain bc i just spent the better part of the last few days knocked over with a combination tension/eyestrain related mess. Ugh.

I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS THO

Part 6 under the cut

There has been SUCH an under current of 'we have Morgoth's ENTIRE crown and we just dropped a MOUNTAIN on his HEAD and the pretty redhead killed all his favorite pets' throughout the entire group of intrepid (winging it) heroes and escaped thralls. Who also don't know Annatar was Sauron yet. Like Team Time Travel isn't hiding it precisely, they're just not mentioning it! And neither are Finrod's ten. It's too weird and they're too deep in enemy territory to deal with any freak outs, okay?

Even with resting and alternating Singers everyone is pretty hecking tired. Maedhros and Maglor are weak in the knees relieved to see them, but the feeling is mutual. If those two are up on the ridge, that means these are the foothills that surround Himring and they're all that much safer.

(Curufin and Celegorm are staying at the back of the line, because thats too many characters to juggle, also they are hiding. Not that they would admit that, but. Yeah. Maedhros is gonna be MA-AD and they're waiting to see if 'yay silmarils!' softens that ass-kicking they're gonna get)

Maedhros is a paranoid bastard though (fond) and of course he insists on riding down alone briefly, just to make sure this isn't some incredibly convoluted trap.

Which, yeah, not a surprise to any of the little vanguard. They know him after all, even if he doesn't know all of them! (I'm sure Luthien has heard enough not to be surprised).

Finrod takes a few steps ahead of the rest. He meets with Maedhros first, with Mae leaning down and speaking softly with him for a few tense moments (There are ARCHERS positioned in the hills above them. Annatar's itchy neck and full knowledge of Maedhros as a friend and ally and once enemy says so) before he abruptly sits up and makes to dismount, waving his handless arm in a circular motion that has Maglor whooping joyfully and sending his own horse clattering down the steep incline.

Finrod waves the others forward. Maedhros is busy grilling Finrod as they approach.

Maedhros: -appened, we got a letter out of Nargothrond. Orodreth was cagey but- my idiot brothers, is it true they-

Finrod: Oh YES. And it very nearly got me eaten, yes. *huff of sardonic laughter* I won't object to seeing you tear them to bits over that honestly, but later. We have other problems.

Maedhros: *mouth a thin pressed line* Orodreth danced around why you would walk to your doom with a handful of loyal retainers and an edain, but someone else slipped in a note with the missive. I-

Maglor: *thundering up, kicking up dust, and butting in* A SILMARIL INGOLDO?!?!! ARE YOU ENTIRELY INSANE! Even at your strongest! Even with the bloody PRINCESS of DORIATH- pardon me, my lady, no offense meant *dips his chin to Luthien*

Luthien: *bemused* None taken?

Maglor: *swinging down off his horse to drag Finrod into a bone crushing hug* THAT YOU GOT OUT WITH YOUR LIVES IS AN ERU GIVEN MIRACLE.

Annatar: *mutters to Celebrimbor* as good a guess as any. *Celebrimbor stifles a slightly hysterical giggle*

Maedhros: *grimly* Well it's plain to see you got in at least. Couldn't get to the silmarils so you took his slaves instead? I don't think your father will think the substitution of equal value, Princess Luthien.

Luthien: *looks over towards Annatar and Celebrimbor a question in the angle of her eyebrows and ears*

Celebrimbor: *grinning at his uncles brightly and drumming his fingertips along the wide band of iron he is STILL wearing across himself* About that.

And Maedhros KNOWS THAT BAND OF IRON.

Morgoth never took it off. Maedhros could draw it's likeness with his eyes closed, it's been seared into his memory (literally even, given the way the scent of his own flesh burning accompanied the memories just as much as the searing brightness of the silmarils does).

He just stares, eyes wide, hand that had been laying on his saddle in easy view suddenly gripping the leather so hard it's creaking. (maedhros.exe has stopped working please turn device off and on again and retry)

Maglor doesn't have his brothers familiarity with Morgoth's crown that Maedhros does. But he's from a family that prides itself on quick deductions.

Maglor: Thats-

Maglor Feanorion is at a complete loss for words. He's just staring at the three cloth wrapped bundles laying along Celebrimbor's torso.

Maedhros: *the slightest waiver in his voice* The. The note we received said One-

Finrod: *gently* Well, we were there, and he was VERY unconscious. In for one, in for three, cousin.

Celebrimbor: And then we got into the blasting powder and made sure there wouldn't be any kind of pursuit any time soon. But we all hurried all the same.

Luthien: *hmmming thoughtfully* This has Changed Things. *her words carry a bit of reverb* Rather a lot, i think. But here isn't the place for speaking about it I don't think?

Annatar: She's right. We need to keep moving. Himring?

Maedhros: *snapping out of the shock* What? Ah. Ye-es.

Maglor: *squinting* I'm sorry, but WHO are you? We know Finrod and Tyelpe, and Luthien can't be anyone but herself, but I don't recall any great Singers of elven kind with YOUR particular description.

Celebrimbor: *cutting in before Annatar can speak* This is Annatar. I know him. Finrod knows him. He means well and has out complete trust and confidence. *meets his uncles eyes directly* I'll even swear an Oath on it, if you'd like.

Maglor: *sharp piercing negative sound (the kind you make when your dog is lunging for a bit of not safe for pets food you dropped)* TYELPE I will wash your mouth out with soap-!

After a bit more talking to hash out logistics, the train starts moving again (Curufin was the one maintaining the strength that is keeping everyone on their feet this time. They can't afford to let it lapse now, bc once it does it's NOT going to be possible to get it going again without weeks of rest. I'm picturing something akin to a continuous round song? Like Row Your Boat only SO much more complicated and magical)

Frodo stayed out of sight. He's not quite got the same knack for it he once did, as a hobbit, but he's good enough that as long as he keeps his new signal flare hair up and covered, he just looks like another grubby travel worn body in the mass. He'll deal with seeing Maedhros and Maglor once they get to where they can stop.

(*shelf starts creaking ominously*)

You are ABSOLUTELY correct that Frodo is hanging onto NOT breaking down with his fingernails at this point.

He can't break down until they're safe he can't he can't he can't-

So of course, being FRODO and made of stuff that made Sauron hit a brick wall, he manages!

They get to Himring! Maedhros sent word on ahead, not about the silmarils of course, but about Finrod and a throng of escaped thralls he vouched for.

There's a lot of running around as Maedhros barks orders at various people and runners bolt off in various directions. The keep healers are there, and quick pavilions have been set up in the main hall, spare clothing is being doled out, and soap, and the people are being directed at tents with as much warm water as could be brought heated as to not be freezing, and food is being dished out on tables that had been pushed to the far side of the hall.

It's easy for Frodo to fade into the back of the clamoring group, dip around where Curufin and Celegorm are scanning the crowd- and into a doorway that Frodo thinks probably leads to- ah yes, stairs.

He's up on the battlements peering down at the milling crowd still in the courtyard a few moments later. Annatar will know where he is. This way he's out from under foot, the injured can be seen to without him being a distraction the minute someone sees him with Annatar and Celebrimbor there for comparison. He slides down the wall, ignoring the rough texture and hugs his knees.

And- well he's just kind of numb, and not just from the evening breeze starting to nip colder on his cheeks.

He examines his hands, the fingers longer and thinner than he's used to, but proportionally, well matched to the rest of him. He should be able to do calligraphy like he used to, right? (AN: WAIT, heck, would Frodo be missing his finger? would that be like Maedhros keeping the scars he did? I HAVE NO IDEA)

It will take some practice is all.

He'd wondered sometimes, especially after Annatar came back into life, what it might be like to be an elf. If it would feel very much different than being a hobbit.

It does and it doesn't. This body is his. He breathes and functions and LIVES in it, not seamlessly, but certainly with less trouble than Annatar had at first. Benefits from going from mortal flesh to mortal flesh he supposes. There is a difference, not one he thinks he can fully put into words yet, but it's not just in the odd length of him now, and how easy it is to over reach or step. It's something in his bones (and something in his soul).

The breeze pulls a curl of red out of his braids. He quickly tucks it out of sight behind an ear but it's too late, he's been reminded.

The hair. And the new face. And the assumptions people made, that- well, might not be accurate at all, but were also not inaccurate if what Annatar thought might've happened, had happened.

It wasn't even a terrible family to be a part of really, though he knew many who might fervently disagree. He liked the Feanorions. The rest of the Finweans too. And well, he's already been closer than blood to Annatar, in a way. But-

There are footsteps on stone. Frodo glances at the doorway beside him.

Finrod peers down at him, two deep wooden plates in his hands.

Frodo: Food?

Finrod: mmhmm, the keeps cooks had massive pots going already, from Maedhros sending word on ahead. I grabbed some before it was all doled out. Annatar mentioned where he thought you must be. Some kind of chicken stew I think, with dumplings?

He hands it down and falls into a graceful crosslegged seat across from Frodo

Frodo: *wane smile* It's easy, and you can feed several hundred surprise guests quickly and well.

He sniffs the stew. It smells good. Nearly identical to the kind Bilbo would make on cold winter days as far as he can tell, except there's no potatoes. Actually, he's somewhat sure potatoes don't exist quite yet? Or, not in Beleriand at least?

Oh.

He- he's not going to see Bilbo again is he? Or Sam, or Merry, or Pippin, or Aragorn... This, this is the First Age. He's sitting on a battlement in Himring, in sunken Beleriand, and he's an elf.

He takes a bite of the food, distract, distract- and oh boy, that was the wrong thing to do.

I dunno about YOU all, but I figure as much as food is a sense memory to humans, it's got to be extra so to hobbits. And to steal blatantly from Doctor Who here, Frodo has a new mouth.

He could ignore it when it was weevil-y way bread stolen from orc supply caches and unseasoned game caught on the move and cooked fast, but this is a chicken stew with dumplings, vegetables he knows, and spices that smell familiar even, and it tastes so different. It's not bad. It's good even! But it's different. And that's the last straw.

Yeah. THIS would be when it all hits.

Finrod was waiting. He was pretty sure it was gonna be SOON, and so was Annatar when he told him where Frodo was.

Finrod catches the plate before Frodo can drop it and sets it aside with his own.

Frodo: *crying* It- it's- i can't- It's stupid, it's just stew wh-y am i c-

Finrod just opens his arms and lets Frodo reach for him, then scoops him up the rest of the way into his lap and lets him cry.

HEY.

I had the most interesting dream after falling asleep switching between the latest chapter of The Horrowing and a time travel fix it in another fandom. I thought you might enjoy a brief summary?

Post fic canon Annatar, Finrod, Celebrimbor, and Frodo getting the most hilarious do over of the First Age.

Finrod and Celebrimbor got dropped in their past bodies, bc same souls. Which has Finrod JUST captured by Sauron, before any of his 10 have been munched.

Celebrimbor is of course having a surreal not quite panic attack in Nargothrond.

Annatar, well. Annatar is CHANGED. He is quite literally too different from what he once was for them to qualify as the same soul anymore. Which is gratifying. If inconvenient bc there are now TWO of him, Annatar and full on Sauron. But they're similar enough that Annatar was dropped very close to Sauron.

Frodo is an elf. Dream logic was that hobbits do not exist yet, and his soul has touches of Annatar and Aman. He looks disconcertingly like a mix of Annatar and Celebrimbor, and they are NOT thinking about that right now. Hopefully ever.

Most of the dream centered around all of them doing their best to set aside freak outs, while getting Finrod and his merry band (plus Beren) OUT of Sauron's grasp.

There was a FANTASTIC moment where on the way out, Sauron comes face to face and soul to soul with Annatar and he's just like;

Sauron: *jaw dropped fully horrified face* WHAT are YOU?!?!?

Annatar: *shoving elves behind him, nose in the air* Wouldn't YOU like to know, weather boy. *uses Song to blast him through a wall while he's distracted*

The whole thing featured 10 other elves and Beren as a baffled peanut gallery.

Meanwhile Celebrimbor is weighing the pros and cons of just- drugging his uncles and shoving them in a back room somewhere where he can bolt the door. He thinks he can maybe get Huan to help if he explains?

It was SO much fun.

(hope you have a good day!)

Oh my god. This may be the best ask I've ever gotten, for so many reasons.

The fact that your subconscious was like "Yeah if Frodo's getting a new body it looks like Annatar For Some Reason"

The image of future!Annatar getting into a fight with Sauron in front of Finrod (probably happy about this development) and Beren and the other 10 (INCREDIBLY CONFUSED)

The fact that the dream was partially centered on everybody trying not to panic, which is in fact what the Harrowing is all about for a while

Absolutely incredible.

...I feel so bad for poor Celebrimbor dealing with Nargothrond all by himself while the others are off having adventures. I hope their next stop after the rescue is to swing by and pick him up. Also, I dearly want to know what Annatar has to say to Beren on the subject of his current Luthien-and-Thingol-and-Silmarils situation.

[warrioreowynofrohan]

I tried to come up for a rationale for why, if Gil-galad is the son of Orodreth, Eärendil - as a descendent of Fingolfin - doesn’t become the high king once he’s of age. (Excluding a system of very strict primogeniture with no inheritance through the female line, because I don’t like that.)

And I’ve decided it’s because 1) Eärendil doesn’t want to be High King and 2) elves come of age at 50, so he and Gil-galad mutually just decide to consider him ineligible on the basis that he’s not of age yet, and conveniently ignore the fact that he’s peredhil and has a completely different maturation pattern.

[wyllzel]

nct but i assign them a relatively obscure tolkien character

taeil: olwë, an elf king who mostly just chills and has a bunch of awesome ships. unfortunately these ships are stolen

johnny: elu thingol, an elf king who spends a good chunk of his life mutually staring a minor goddess and falling in love with her, and then spends the rest of his life being mildly stoic/fatherly and sending people (see: mark) on very dangerous quests. also he is literally the tallest elf ever

taeyong: maedhros, a very powerful elf who basically has the world on his shoulders rip 😟

yuta: finrod, an elf who is super sexy and charismatic and has sick jewelry and dies fighting a werewolf (for beren (see: mark) lol) which is pretty metal

kun: orodreth, an elf king who kinda just chills and leads a fairly quiet and prosperous life until this human dude (see: yangyang) fucks everything up :/

doyoung: maglor, an elf whose whole thing is being emo and singing songs and also his bff/older brother is maedhros (see: taeyong) so this just makes sense really

ten: fingon, an elf who was high-king for a while and sang a song to rescue maedhros (see: taeyong) from sauron’s evil boss. and that song was jopping :)

jaehyun: aegnor, an elf warrior whose personality is essentially just being mega cool and sexy. he falls in love with a human lady but alas, tragedy

winwin: mablung, an elf who’s beleg’s (see: renjun) bestie and co-worker and basically he’s an all-around good and valiant guy who ends up following túrin (see: yangyang) as he fails epically

jungwoo: tuor, a human who is essentially a really cool and heroic romantic lead and an all-around good guy. he’s túrin’s cousin (see: yangyang) and is basically like “what if túrin got to live a good life” LOL

mark: beren, a human who is tolkien’s self-insert.. he’s really just some guy who has it REALLY bad for this ultra powerful beautiful elf lady and he tries and fails at an insane quest for her. nice

xiaojun: ecthelion, an elf who is a major hottie and generally has elegant and noble vibes. great warrior. besties with glorfindel (see: hendery)

hendery: glorfindel, an elf who is known for having long hair (hint hint @ hdy) and being a cool warrior but also slightly goofy iirc. besties with ecthelion (see: xiaojun)

renjun: beleg, an archer elf (aka proto legolas) who is very well-liked and compassionate, brave, etc and is a good friend/mentor to túrin (see: yangyang) 

jeno: gwindor, a very nice elf guy who was betrothed to orodreth’s daughter (see: taeil) but then he got kidnapped by Evil Forces and when he escaped w help from túrin (see: yangyang), túrin ended up stealing his girl. and then destroying his kingdom. oops

haechan: elros, a part-human part-elf who ended up choosing his humanity (and so become mortal) and becoming the first king of numenor, aka atlantis, aka he is super mega cool and very fascinating as a character. also he’s elrond’s twin lol

jaemin: eärendil, a part-human part-elf who’s elrond’s dad and also he’s kinda unhinged and crazy brave… his story is just generally pretty intense lol but he kinda has chill energy which feels very jaemin-ish

yangyang: túrin, a human who is basically described as the hottest guy ever but also he’s super emo and canonically doesn’t speak much at all. he is a warrior but shrewd/charismatic when needed. also he accidentally commits incest rip 😔

shotaro: bëor, a human leader guy who basically saves his people by making First Contact with the elves (aka finrod (see: yuta)), not much is known about him but overall seems like the hopeful leader type!

sungchan: gil-galad, an elf who becomes high-king but has a very mysterious/indeterminate origin story??? he’s cool tho, he does his best until he’s killed in battle against sauron rip </3

chenle: celegorm, an elf whose entire personality is being a jock and liking dogs and chenle plays basketball and has daegal. perfect

jisung: curufin, an elf who’s pretty crafty (origami legend) and is besties with celegorm (see: chenle) 😎 they sure do pull some fun pranks together.. lol… (they cause problems)

[kendrixtermina]

Fingon-related stuff there should be more ff about:

that time he beat up Glaurung

that time he helped Cirdan repell that one attack

anything with Meril and Gil-Galad (if you subscribe to that particular backstory) - did he indeed meet the future Ms. Fingon while helping out Cirdan. What was the politics side of it, like, we’re told Hithlum was one of the places where the Sindar & the Noldor intermingled the most, it probably sends a message of unity if the crown prince marries one of the locals...

That draft where he had a daughter named Erin

reflecting on his actions during the kinslaying

arguing with his father about wether or not to depart

something analyzing why he was so big on adventure

exploring how he ended up with the “friend to all living things” attitude that he has - Anaire was also big on loyalty to one’s friends, so did she have something to do with that?

sometime during his time in beleriand,  something happens that makes him really wish Argon were around to see it

Speaking of anaire, how’d their final confrontation go - was it like, mutually understanding, one last tragic attempt to convince one another, or did she flat out disown her kids in the chaotic aftermath of the darkening?

interacting with his siblings

How did Fingolfin’s prior baggage influence his parenting decisions? (”I like *smooches Fingon* you all *smooches Turgon* exactly *smoches Aredhel* the same *smooches Argon*” *keeps a tally so they all get equal hugs*)

interacting with any of the other ppl he’s said to be BFF with, such as Angrod, Aegnor and pre-catastrophe Hurin

related: the correspondence with Orodreth preceding the latter’s refusal to send troops. 

coping with his brothers suddenly being taller than him 😉 #Relatable

I’d bring up “reacting to his father’s final duel”, say but mercifully there actually is a good deal of fic about that. 

[arofili]

For the character ask: all the children of Finarfin

How I feel about this character:

Finrod: charming slutty blond twink with a heart of gold. maybe that’s too much fanon and not enough canon but you can tear that characterization from my cold dead hands tbh. like yes this is King “I Killed A Werewolf With Nothing But My Teeth And The Power Of Love” but he’s also Prince “I Rap Battled With Sauron And Lost” and Lord “I Befriended Men and Dwarves Before It Was Cool”

Angrod: of all his siblings i think he’s the most… Angry Boy. he has a temper, but he’s also married with a kid (I subscribe to the Orodreth Angrodion version of canon). i think he’s the ‘oh my god why can’t any of you be NORMAL’ brother. BOTH his mother name and his father name are derived from the word for ‘iron’ - he’s got an iron personality, very strong-willed and stubborn. i also hc that he’s the only arafinwean who has Earwen’s silver hair.

Aegnor: a hopeless romantic. the dreamiest arafinwion (and that’s including artanis!). very particular about his hair (which is a WILD canon detail that i love sjdfhdk) but also has terrible fashion. his head’s always in the clouds, he’s a daydreamer, but he’s also incredibly loyal and a really good friend. he almost always listens to his heart over his head - and the fact that he and andreth never marry is the One Time he listened to logic over emotion, and that haunts him forever.

Galadriel: almost as much of a genius as Feanor and almost as humble about it, which is to say, not at all. she’s proud and stubborn and full of herself, especially in her youth - she’s also gorgeous and smart and right a lot of the time, which doesn’t help her ego. by the time she’s become Lady of Lothlorien she’s been through a lot and is much more humble and wise, but i think that comes not just from her experiences but also from being married to Celeborn the Wise. i think he balances her out very well tbh. (my favorite Galadriel characterization EVER is from this fic by @nerdanelparmandil, check it out!!)

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Finrod: I ship Finrod with anything that moves tbh….. I see him as super super gay, he and Amarie were mutual beards which is why she didn’t follow him to Endore. i am a Known Slut for Finrod/Turgon in particular, they’re kind of endgame for me, but also @raisingcain-onceagain​ has converted me to Finrod/Edrahil!! And while the Nargothrond Disaster Trio are in no way shape or form HEALTHY, i really really enjoy Celegorm/Curufin/Finrod content, that dynamic is delicious. i can also get down on Maedhros/Fingon/Finrod, though not really in a serious way. PLUS Finrod/Beor is very good, as is Finrod/Barahir and Finrod/Beren(/Luthien if we’re feeling spicy), and you KNOW he got busy with some dwarves! I just think he’s very free with his feelings and desires, especially after coming to Beleriand, and he takes full advantage of his freedom and position of authority to get what he wants. (not necessarily in a weird power dynamics way, though he’s into that kind of kinky shit too probably, i mean more in ‘it’s my kingdom i get to make the rules and i say No Homophobia and No Slutshaming’) - and I’m super happy to multiship with Finrod, there are verses where he’s fucking everyone and verses where he’s pining over Turgon and verses where he never even thinks about anyone other than Edrahil and etc etc etc. there’s probably even verses where he and Sauron get up to some funky shit!

Angrod: I don’t have a lot of headcanons about him and Eldalote. She has a Sindarin name, so maybe she came with him to Middle-earth - or maybe not, and he just missed her so much that he wouldn’t shut up about her and so her name was Sindarized to Edhellos. Either way I think they had a very strong relationship that ended in tragedy one way or another. I’ve also seen some fun Angrod/Caranthir enemies-to-lovers stuff, which I can get into, but I think Caranthir is aro so it’s not really my main hc.

Aegnor: i mean how can you NOT ship him and Andreth??? that relationship is just….so tragic and heartbreaking and beautiful. I like the theory that Gil-galad was their child, and he was given to Orodreth to raise because Andreth couldn’t care for an elfling and Aegnor couldn’t publicly claim a son out of wedlock. But also verses where they are just tragically pining after one another are beautiful in their own way. My headcanon is that the thing keeping them apart was less about the war going on and more about Aegnor fearing to lose her - but then he actually dies before her, and Andreth has to live with that pain. (idk if that works out timeline wise but. yeah)

Galadriel: Meladriel is very good and I enjoy that - I’ve also seen some great Galadriel/Luthien and even a Galadriel/Feanor fic I enjoyed. BUT overall i really love that she chose to marry Celeborn, a wise “dark elf” even when she’s completely out of his league - he balances her very well, and I don’t buy depictions of her walking all over him. she cares about him and he’s really good for her!

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Finrod: I ship Finrod/Turgon but also WHAT a great friendship they have!! I love that they go adventuring together :) And Finrod, Maedhros, and Fingon are so fun to imagine growing up together! Plus there’s his relationship with his nephew Orodreth, who he clearly adores, and also the fact that he’s still buddies with the Feanorians even after the first kinslaying (at Alqualonde! his home! where his mom is from!) and he’s so excited to meet new people from the Sindar to the Edain to the Dwarves. Finrod’s just EVERYONE’S friend and i appreciate that!!

Angrod: ….what if he and Caranthir used to be really close, like they are similar ages and grew up together, but then Something Happened and they started hating each other later on. that would be Very fun. also, he and Aegnor were lords together over the same land and died together, which implies they were very close - close like Celegorm and Curufin!

Aegnor: Again, he and Angrod were Best Bros which is great. I also think he’s probably beloved by Andreth’s people, he’s just this huge elf man they all kind of adopted and he’s so honored that they love him so much!

Galadriel: Melian!! obviously!! she stayed in Doriath specifically to learn from her, which is super neat. and then Gandalf in the later ages, i love whatever they have going on in the movies especially. i also think she and Celebrimbor had a weird rival-friendship i the second age, they’re both geniuses but from opposite sides of the family feud…except the family feud has killed pretty much everyone BUT them, so they come together to mourn that.

My unpopular opinion about this character

(this turned into more of ‘what are their negative personality traits’ than ‘unpopular opinions’ but whatever…)

Finrod: i’m sure he did his best but….when he was king of nargothrond he was still gallivanting all over the place. orodreth was probably More In Charge from before he was officially king…

Angrod: he’s a grade-A asshole. just a dick. mean as shit and holds grudges forever. really annoying to be around.

Aegnor: a dumbass. always listens to his heart and gets in trouble for it, until the one time he listens to his head and regrets it forever.

Galadriel: would make an EXCELLENT villain. ‘all shall love me and despair’ ? come on yall. if it had been HER versus sauron instead of Finrod (and…considering she was probably friends with Luthien, it very well could have been) i think she may have won, and im just imagining Sauron working for her, and the second and third ages going very differently with her being a Queen who everyone loves until they look back and realize she’s been corrupted and turned evil.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

so i think canon did mostly a good job with them SO some of these are some AUs!!!

Finrod: …if he had managed to convince Celegorm and Curufin to help with the Silmaril quest–the war could have ended before the Nirnaeth, maybe. or at least gone very differently.

Angrod: im gonna physically fight tolkien over giving us practically NOTHING on the wives of various characters - tell me more about Eldalote you coward!!!!

Aegnor: JUST MARRY ANDRETH PLEASE. i’m a slut for interspecies relationships and the fact that this one is male elf/female human is SO good and frankly unprecedented in Tolkien’s works. PLEASE i need more!!!

Galadriel: FUCK that evil!Artanis AU would be REALLY cool and sexy, wouldn’t it?

[that-angry-noldo]

self indulgency time it is then

[ambarto]

I love the friendships between Maedhros and Fingon and between Celegorm, Curufin and Aredhel, but I want more interactions between Feanorians and Nolofinweans/Arafinweans, their families might have been feuding but they all lived in Valinor in relative peace for centuries, they had to have some kind of relationships going on. Some of my favorites:

- Maglor and Finrod being music friends. Finrod can’t possibly compete with Maglor’s skill and talent in song making, which Maglor will be eternally smug about, but that doesn’t mean they can’t bond over music. They’ll show each other their latest creations, give each other advice (more Maglor to Finrod, but Finrod also had valid criticism at times), discuss the latest trends. Fingon will also join sometimes, but despite having a talent for singing he’s just not as passionate as his cousins. Aegnor also tried tagging along a couple times, but he’s just not as good as they are when it comes to poetry

- Argon and the Ambarussa bonding over being the youngest son(s) of their respective fathers. They have a friendship made of teasing and competitions  and Argon, the more mature out of them, being pulled along in whatever shenanigans the Ambarussa plan. The three of them go on hunting trips with Celegorm, Curufin and Aredhel and spend the whole trip making fun of their older siblings

- Galadriel always has some creative insult ready for his Feanorian cousins, and Celegorm is the only one who is both not intimidated and also petty enough to go deliberately poke at her to see her reaction. She will never admit to anyone that she finds their banter kind of amusing

- Caranthir and Turgon are both into things like law, and politics, and taxes, and urban planning, but they don’t bond over it. They’re more like two rival Renaissance artists that can’t interact without arguing. They keep trying to one up each other to prove their are the best. All their interactions go along the lines of, “Hello, cousin, long time no see. What did you think of the measures I proposed to our grandfather’s council last week?” “Why, cousin dearest, you mean the ones regarding the importation of goods from Alqualonde? I think they fucking suck.”

- Curufin, Turgon and Angrod, being the only fathers from each branch of the family, have this sort of dad competition going on to show that their child is the best and most amazing child. “Look! Look at this wonderful drawing Orodreth made for me last week!” “Oh, talented, really, but there’s no way it can compare with the necklace Celebrimbor forged the other day.” “Orodreth is still a toddler, cousin, it’s unfair to compare him to Celebrimbor. But rather, both of you, Idril is learning how to shoot with a bow and I tell you now she will be the best archer of this generation.”

- Celebrimbor, Idril and Orodreth aren’t exactly friends, what with being all of different ages and with different interests, but they surely have certain mutual understanding of one another, what with having to deal with all the drama their family is capable of. All Finwean family reunions have the children table, where the three of them go sit even as adults and chat while pointedly ignoring their uncles, fathers and grandfathers all trying to burn down the house

- speaking of, post-Mandos, when Maeglin is also reborn, Celebrimbor decides to go and make friends with the boy. Yes, he did a lot of horrible, unforgivable things, but so did Celebrimbor’s whole family so it’s not like he can judge. Besides, he kind of understands Maeglin. Celebrimbor remembers how hard it was to come to terms with his father having turned into a monster, and how hard it was to be judged for the sins of his family, and he was centuries old when it happened, a full adult capable of rationalizing it, he can’t imagine what it must have been like for Maeglin to go through it when he was still a kid. Plus, Celebrimbor was also very familiar with the concept of being deceived and captured by a Dark Lord. The kid had been through a lot, he needed someone around other than his mother

[sumeriasmith]

Congratulations on the conclusion of Draw All The Elves! I'd love to hear your thoughts about the project, so I've got some questions, which I'll send as separate asks as this won't let me do line breaks...

What got you started drawing all the Elves? What things changed about your process from beginning to end? Did working on a drawing give you insight into any of the characters? Why flowers and weapons?

Thank you!

What got me started? Two things. 1. I wanted to practice my figure drawing, and 2. we were mutually flinging each other back into Elf Hell at the time. I was initially just going to do the sons of Feanor, tbh, but I was having so much fun and there were so many other elves…

Also I was bribing you to write And What Happened After, remember? I texted you WIP pics, you sent me snippits. Good times.

And, a lot of things changed about my process, tbh, but the big two are: 1. I started using watercolors for base colors/backgrounds, rather than just marker, which led of course to the finding-watercolor-paper-suitable-for-the-combination-of-media-I-was-using saga. And 2, I started doing my sketching on the computer, rather than on paper– you would not believe how much time it saves when you can just resize a head if it turns out you’ve drawn it too small for the body.

I can also say that yeah, working on these pieces did inform my conception of a lot of these characters. I mean, there’s quite a few about whom I had no real, or at least, no detailed, conception before I started, so the act of trying to figure out how to draw their face/pose forced me to think about their personalities. Orodreth, I said to myself, does not have an extremely forceful personality, so he should have a smaller nose (don’t ask why those are connected; I have no idea). Rog has a strong, steady presence like a mountain, he should stand squarely, facing the viewer. Sometimes, even things that weren’t so much intentional as coincidental ended up informing my thinking– the colors on Findis, how the pale blue shines through the green, made me think of clear mountain air, which led me to think she was a holy hermit who forsook society. Etc.

But as to why flowers and weapons, here the answer is extremely prosaic: “weapons” because I wanted to practice drawing dynamic poses, so combat poses was an easy choice, and a thematic link. “Flowers” because I find drawing backgrounds intensely boring, but you’ve gotta put something around/behind a figure, because a dude standing on a stark white background just looks hella unfinished. Flowers are something that exist in numbers and variety sufficient to assure that I would not run out.

Also, colorful and I may have a thing for color. May. Possibly. =P

[thelordofgifs]

8, 32, 51 for the writer ask game?

(get to know your fic writer asks)

8. Do you prefer the beginning, middle, or end of a story?

The end! I love tying off loose ends and bringing out all my Thematic Resonances and thinking of the perfect last line. Endings can be difficult, but they're so rewarding and I'm very proud of almost all of mine.

32. Name three of your favorite fanfic writers.

Only three :( how :( I shall favour my m&m mutuals this time for providing me with food:

@searchingforserendipity25 - the Best Maedhros and Maglor fics. Absolutely beautiful prose and often so so warm and funny as well!!

@actual-bill-potts - the author of and all his towers cast down which is simply the best Leithian AU around and everyone should read. Also making me care about Orodreth which I didn't think was possible.

@welcomingdisaster - can sell me on a new ship in like 200 words of gorgeous evocative prose. Also she Gets Maedhros and Maglor which is important to me.

51. What’s your total AO3 word count?

145,290! Counting only Tolkien works and not the very old HP stuff I'm slowly archiving from ffnet, it's 65,482.

[moonlightsdreaming]

Let Me Tell You About The Silmarillion (pt 6/12)

PREVIOUSLY:  So now you have a better idea of who Feanor was and who his sons are and the half-siblings he had, lets talk about the children of those half-siblings because they actually have the bigger chunk of the family tree. I like to use 5ummit's Elven Geneology post because it's very easy to read and is helpfully color-coded by Elven culture!  (Which can provide context a lot of the time.)  As you can see, Feanor had a crapload of kids (seven is a HUGE number for Elves, probably the most any parents ever had) but only one of them managed to have a child of their own and he's dead, too.  He's really, really dead.  ):  We'll get to Celebrimbor feelings later, though. So, Feanor had two half-brothers (and two half-sisters, but Tolkien never told us much about them) named Fingolfin and Finarfin.  The real problems were between Fingolfin (because he was the next oldest son and because people generally liked him better on average) and Feanor, those two did not get along.  Finarfin is generally depicted as being a little too young to get in between them and was generally more on Fingolfin's side because, you know, not a batshit rage monster in their eyes.  (I'm being harsh.  They loved Feanor, I choose to believe.  He just was not easy to get along with and was mad a lot of the time.  My Fingolfin feelings are showing.) Fingolfin had four children--Fingon, Turgon, Aredhel, and Argon.  You can semi-forget Argon, he doesn't play a huge role and died pretty early on. That’s harsh.  But sometimes you gotta be harsh to get this shit straight in your head. You'll remember Fingon from the Maedhros part of the story.  (Though, he does a lot on his own, too!)  And Aredhel is awesome, we'll get to her eventually.  All four of them came to Middle-Earth with their father. Finarfin had four children as well--Finrod, Angrod, Aegnor, and Galadriel. While Finarfin turned back home when Feanor burned the ships, his children all followed their uncle Fingolfin to Middle-Earth.  You'll know them because they were the ones with the pretty golden hair that they got from their father (Finarfin), who got it from his Vanyaran mother Indis (Finwe's second wife) and that coloring was passed down that family like HARD.  The two ones to watch in this family line are Finrod and Galadriel.  However, Angrod is important because he's the father of Orodreth, who is then the (possible) father of Gil-galad, who will be important later because I have feelings about him. Quick summaries of these Elves: FINGOLFIN:  Half-brother of Feanor, generally more reasonable in temper, but don't cross him, DON'T DO IT.  Decided to go to Middle-Earth against his better judgement because he didn't want to abandon his people to Feanor's whims.  It's not 100% clear who was and wasn't involved in the Kin-Slaying of the Teleri Elves, but I don't believe Fingolfin himself was involved.  (Feanor and his people attacked, then Fingon and some of Fingolfin's people came up, saw the battle, misinterpreted it and assumed the Teleri attacked the Noldor or that it was a mutual battle and so joined the fight.)  When Feanor burned the ships (after getting to Middle-Earth while everyone else was still back in the Blessed Realm), Fingolfin and his people were furious with Feanor and ashamed of their behavior up to this point, so they couldn't bring themselves to turn back to face the Valar and other Elves and instead kept going across the GIANT ICE BRIDGE TO THE NORTH which took them 30 years to cross on foot and a lot of them died along the way, but they were goddamned determined. When they got to Middle-Earth, Fingolfin marched right the fuck up to the doors of Morgoth's fortress and directly challenges that fucker, because THAT IS HOW FUCKING MAJESTIC FINGOLFIN IS.  And because Fingolfin is 100% amazing, Morgoth stayed inside and wouldn't come out. Amazing. So, because Morgoth was apparently cowering in his fortress because FINGOLFIN WAS TOO AWESOME FOR HIM, they eventually left to go find the rest of the Feanorians, but things were kind of tense, because you know Feanor got himself killed by a thousand Balrogs almost immediately and the rest of the Feanorians were not quite as batshit as he was so they each camped on one side of a huge lake and just sat there, probably muttering angrily in each others' directions while sitting on their thumbs.  Picture the most passive aggressive camping trip with you and your extended family, where nobody’s sharing their fucking smores or helping to find firewood for the other side or lending someone an extra sleeping bag, but you’re not outright murdering each other yet, and then dial it up by like a million and you start to get the picture. Eventually, though, Fingon rescues Maedhros, who abdicates and Fingolfin becomes High King of the Noldor and proceeds to wage war on Morgoth for FOUR HUNDRED YEARS.  A lot of people died because of this (well, other stuff happened along the way, but broad strokes) and eventually Fingolfin said, fuck it, I'm gonna go challenge that fucker again, and rode out to Morgoth's fortress alone and challenged him to single combat. Now, here's the thing about Morgoth--he's the mightiest of the Valar, there's no one in all of creation that's stronger than him, except for Eru himself.  Sure, there are 14 of them, so he's no match for all of them together, but one on one, he's the strongest of them all.  And no matter how mighty an Elf is, they cannot possibly ever be as strong as a Vala.  But Fingolfin doesn't care about that, he still rides out there and they have a mighty battle.  It's no contest, really, but Fingolfin does not go down without a fight and he's so badass that he manages to wound Morgoth seven times, then struck one last blow to Morgoth's foot and that fucker walked with a limp forever after that because FINGOLFIN IS JUST THAT AMAZING. I have a lot of Fingolfin feelings, okay. Shit, that got long.  Now I'm going to have to break this up. NEXT TIME:  THE REST OF THOSE ELVES WITH ALL THE NAMES AND STUFF.