#best cousin elrond

[caliawen]

Safe And Sound

Pairing = Celebrimbor x Reader

Genre = General audiences

General ratings = fluff (only fluff <3)

Content warnings = none

Cálë = light (Quenya)

Reader’s gender = no explicit gender (you/your)

Word count = 2,2k

Notes = I hope you enjoy! Here are some words you should know before you read = Meleth nîn means ‘my love’, Vanimelda is the highest word of praise for beauty, Gamil means ‘old’ in Khuzdûl and Bund means ‘head’ in Khuzdûl so Gamilbund means ‘old head’, Cidinn means ‘small’ and tuig means ‘sprout/shoot/sapling’ so Cidinntuig means ‘small sprout’, Zigil means ‘silver’ in Khuzdûl and Gáld means ‘bright’ in Khuzdûl so Zigilgáld means ‘bright silver’ and finally, Sirya- means ‘to flow, to flow [smoothly]’ and Cálë means ‘light’ so Siryacálë means ‘flowing light’ (so many words 💀)

In the comfort and security of your chambers, you checked yourself in your mirror. Tonight was a special night, as the whole of Eregion celebrated it’s Lord’s birthday. Indeed, today was your love’s begetting day. Tyelpë tended to downplay such events and to say that they were unnecessary. He didn’t particularly enjoy being the center of attention. However, this time, you had made sure everything would be comfortable for your love. The party would take place outside, near the trees so that beautiful lamps could hang from their branches.

You had put your blood, sweat and soul into planning this party. It had to be perfect for Celebrimbor. So, as you checked yourself in the mirror, you weren’t satisfied. You had picked your best outfit and prettiest jewelry, however, something was missing. It frustrated you to not know what was wrong. Even if you knew that Celebrimbor couldn't care less about what you wore, you still wanted to be dressed according to the event. As you looked again at your outfit critically, a knock startled you out of your assessment.

You smiled as you knew who would be there. As you opened the door and your suspicions were confirmed, you beamed at the person. Celebrimbor was magnificent in his red and gold tunic. He was also looking at you like you had created Arda and hung the stars in the sky before coming down to grant him your love, and that warmed your heart beyond words. You let your husband enter your shared chambers, rolling your eyes a little as you realized he had knocked, again. No matter how many times you reminded him that your shared chambers were, well, shared, he still insisted on knocking every time before letting you open the door. You honestly couldn’t care less if he walked in on you changing, anyway he had seen you naked plenty of times already.

“Hello, meleth nîn” he calmly said.

“Hello, Tyelpë” you said, as your lips turned upwards in joy.

Your husband approached you while looking at you up and down, obviously appreciating the effort you put into dressing yourself. His eyes seemed to shine and sparkle as Tirion offered his love to them. The light silver was brought out by his night black hair, styled more fancily than normal. His lips looked delectable and plump as cherries and made you want to kiss him, badly.

You were, once again, startled out of your thoughts by your love, as he approached you and embraced you. His bare arms encircled you and you couldn’t help but appreciate the muscles in them, flexing and moving as he slowly trailed his hand up and down your back. Celebrimbor seemed to love doing that, for some unknown reason. He pressed a kiss to your head and then murmured :

“I have a gift for you, vanimelda.”

“Really? Meleth, I should be the one saying that, it is your birthday after all!” You replied jokingly.

Celebrimbor simply smiled before taking out a relatively middle-sized velvet box from one of his pant’s pockets. He offered it to you, still looking at you like you were a gift from Eru. You took the box, quietly thanking your husband, before opening his gift and gasping. Inside the box was a magnificent necklace, made from your husband’s hands and tailored exclusively for you. It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry you had ever seen. You looked from the necklace towards your husband, before looking back at the necklace and then at your husband. You smiled, touched and quietly asked Celebrimbor to put it on you.

You turned around and let your love put on his gift for you. You looked in the mirror and smiled, for you had finally found what had been missing. The necklace fitted the outfit perfectly and even matched your eyes. You turned around and kissed Celebrimbor, who made a surprised but delighted noise, before enclosing you in his strong arms. As you detached yourselves from each other, you both put your forehead on the other’s. It was like this most of the time with Celebrimbor : full of love and calmness. You were each other’s fortresses.

“Well, Meleth, I’m afraid we’ll have to go now or we’ll be late.” You whispered, afraid to break the tender moment.

“Alright my love. You know I really appreciate your efforts at planning this party? I don’t want me saying that ‘it wasn’t necessary’ let you think the opposite. Although I still stand by the point that a private little party with only us too would have also been perfect.”

You smiled and kissed your husband’s cheek, before leaving your chambers.

As you walked in the practically empty corridors, you pushed and joked with each other, giggling like teenagers all the while. It was refreshing to let go entirely of responsibilities for just one night. The people of Ost-in-Edhil all were okay with this, seeing at how well you and Celebrimbor took care of the city. It was also partly because it was the only night you could offer a gift to the Lord without having to fight to get Celebrimbor to accept it.

It was always a joy to give Tyelpë things, because you knew he was always grateful when he received any kind of gift. He cherished everything he received, even little branches or empty snails’ shells given by children. He kept everything on shelves that were reserved for this exact reason. It was always endearing to watch him happily put something new on a shelf.

As you both arrived at the party, multiple voices raised in joy, shouting “happy birthday”’s and “there they are!”’s. Celebrimbor took the time to stop and talk with everyone who called out to him. As he was busy talking with Elrond, who had taken the time to come and celebrate his favorite cousin’s birthday, you walked away mischievously. In fact, there was a surprise awaiting your loving husband and you almost vibrated with excitement.

As you took a glass of your favorite beverage, someone said your name loudly, making you turn with a smile on your face. There, with a whole chicken thigh in his hand, stood Narvi. As usual, his kind face was illuminated by his wonderful smile, displaying his white teeth. You put your hand on your forehead and lightly hit it with your fist, before hitting Narvi’s forehead with it. Narvi did the same, for the exception that he hit your hand instead. It was a greeting that you two had adopted to replace the usual Dwarf greeting. After all, the height difference between the two of you made it so that you couldn’t knock your foreheads together. Not that you’d ever have done it anyway, you’d probably have ended up with a concussion.

“Haa, how wonderful to see ya again, Gamilbund! It has been too long!”

“Indeed, Cidinntuig, it has been too long! How have you been?”

“Oh, I’ve been well! But more interestingly, it’s wonderful to be here! It’s clear ya worked ya’ arse off to put this together!”

“Ah, many thanks, I tried! I just feel like Tyelpë deserves the best, you know?”

“Indeed I do, Gamilbund! Now, I’m really sorry, but I need to give good ol’ Zigilgáld the gift I brought!” He said, taking a bite out of the chicken thigh.

You laughed, before shooing him away and towards Celebrimbor.

~~~

Tyelpë was extremely funny to watch when given gifts. Indeed, you laughed so much you couldn’t breathe properly when you saw him try to fight Narvi because the gift was ‘too much’. The two being completely and utterly stubborn made it only funnier. When they weren’t agreeing on something, they butted heads aggressively but lovingly.

“I insist, Zigilgáld! I made it for ya and only ya! I ain’t goin’ to give this to someone else!”

“Cidinntuig, this is too much! I can’t accept this, I’d be forever in your debt! I’d have to claw my way to your Father’s halls to give you presents at each of your birthdays!”

“Don’t be ridiculous and just accept tha’ gift, my friend. Or I’ll make you!”

“Narvi!”

Your attention was stolen from the two bickering adults by someone tapping your shoulder. You turned around and smiled as you saw Elrond. Indeed, he had helped you form your plan and get the materials necessary to make it come to life. As it turned out, you and Elrond got along extremely well. It was fun to let out your mischievous streak with someone that could match it.

“Everything is ready!” He said, clearly excited about this.

“Wonderful! We’ll just have to wait until Tyelpë has accepted Narvi’s gift.”

“Ah, I hope he won’t take thirty years to accept.”

You smiled with Elrond at his joke and turned your attention back to the now arguing Narvi and Celebrimbor. At least, it seemed like Tyelpë had accepted the gift. You looked at Elrond and nodded.

Seconds later, magnificent lanterns rose from the Earth to go float in the Sky. Narvi and Celebrimbor stopped arguing, raising their heads to look at the lanterns. Your lover’s mouth was open and his eyes were full of amazement. Letting lanterns go up in the sky on someone’s birthday was a Noldorin tradition that was practiced mostly in Valinor. You knew this because on a calm night, Celebrimbor had told you about the first time he remembers seeing the Siryacálë. He had climbed on his father’s shoulders to look at them more closely, mouth agape. He had spent the rest of the night questioning his grandfather about the lanterns.

Soft music started playing as the lanterns stopped being released. People smiled and craned their necks to have a better look at the Siryacálë, for they seemed to dance in the gentle breeze, harmonizing perfectly with Tirion’s soft gleam and the Stars’ glow. You looked towards Celebrimbor and saw him approaching at a leisurely pace, his eyes still glued to the lanterns. Your heart was overflowing with joy, for the look in Tyelpë’s eyes was priceless. Such joy and happiness was held in it, it made the stress of making this party perfect worth it.

People started to dance to the soft melody, raising their voices to sing and hum along. Your love arrived at your side, still smiling.

“Thank you, meleth nîn,.. a thousand words cannot begin to describe how grateful I am to you for tonight.”

“It is nothing you do not deserve, my love.”

“Well, in this case… would you accord me this dance, vanimelda?”

You smiled, before responding : “Of course, my love!”

Your husband took your hand and led you to the circle of dancers. Dancing with Celebrimbor was a rare experience but still something that you enjoyed immensely. The way you were encased in his arms made you feel like you two were in an impenetrable bubble, protected from the rest of the world. Just the two of you, dancing and listening to music, basking in each other’s presence. Celebrimbor had that special something that made people feel comfortable around him. Around him, you felt like no harm could ever befall you. You were safe and sound. Always.

Suddenly, Celebrimbor picked you up and twirled you around, smiling as you laughed and asked him not-so-gently to put you down. As he obliged your request, he kissed you, or well, tried to. You were both smiling too much to kiss properly, but you didn’t mind. This moment was perfect and you would exchange it for nothing.

~~~

Later on, when everyone was leaving to go sleep in their chambers, you and Tyelpë decided to do the same. Elrond and Narvi made sure to boast loudly that they had succeeded in giving Celebrimbor, The Celebrimbor, a gift. They laughed as Celebrimbor threatened to give them a better present at their birthday, and how would that feel, eh?

You tugged Tyelpë to your chambers, humming the songs they had played all the while. As you entered your chambers, Celebrimbor picked you up and went to place you on the plushy couch on the exterior balcony connected to your chambers. He went back to put his gifts lovingly and carefully on his shelves, before joining you outside again, closing the door-window after him. He let himself fall on the couch beside you, smiling as you tutted at him. You put your head on his shoulder before yawning, feeling your tiredness creeping onto you.

Celebrimbor smiled as you placed yourself more comfortably on him, hugging one of his biceps, while his forearm caressed your back in circular motions. He hummed a song he vaguely remembered his mother and uncles singing to him on one of his birthdays. It reminded him of you, in an unexplainable way.

You felt yourself slip into Irmo’s arms as Celebrimbor hummed to you. You felt safe in his arms. Tyelpë radiated heat and so you felt comfortable even if the breeze was a little cold, for your husband protected you from it.

“I love you, Tyelpë..”

“I love you, vanimelda.”

You fell asleep to the feeling of the crown of your head being kissed.

End notes : I hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading!

@theladyvanya @noldorinpainter

[sandwichmustbetasty]

rings of power has many MANY flaws, but if they did one thing right, it's the most important thing of them all.

elrond really is kind as summer.

[aknelimdoogladania]

Neofëanorian sense of humour

I think that after all those wars Elrond and Celebrimbor developed a rather dark sense of humour that nobody but them found amusing.

I mean they would be having dinner and drinking wine and one of them goes: The winemakers who created this atrocious wine are worse amateurs than the murderes who participated in the First Kinslaying! And then they both laugh so hard that they fall down from their chairs.

Meanwhile their family just looks at them in horror.

[thesummerestsolstice]

How the elves react to Elrond getting sick:

Maedhros & Maglor: Absolutely freak out. Assume Elrond is dying and that the Doom of Feanor's house has finally caught up to them. Maedhros insists he says in bed and makes him soup. Maglor starts planning a lament for his funeral. (He has a cold)

Gil-Galad: Tries to convince Elrond to rest. Always fails. Has resorted to getting Elrond a bed desk so he can do his work while he rests. Frequently checks up on him to make sure he's alright or to bring him little gifts to make him feel better.

Erestor: Also half-elven, so gets it. Inevitably gets sick whenever Elrond does because he refuses to stay away. They always end up sick together, but they are together, and that means something.

Celebrimbor: Has read multiple books on human anatomy for the sake of his cousins (Erestor, son of Caranthir included). Theoretically understands how to care for someone who is ill. *Checks notes* according to this, if I give you chicken soup every day for a week it will cure your *checks notes again* pneumonia. He's trying his best.

Galadriel: Does not understand human or half-elven biology very well. Has taken Elrond on a ten mile hike in the snow when he was getting over a cough. Elrond's Feanorian followers have never forgiven her for it.

Celebrian: I would say she uses Elrond being sick as an excuse for them to stay in bed and cuddle, but let's be honest, she doesn't need an excuse for that. Knows he can take care of himself, and is a lot more Normal about it than everyone else on this list. Elrond loves her very much.

Glorfindel: Fully willing to pick up Elrond (or Erestor) and take them back to bed so they rest. Takes his duty to protect his lord very seriously. A very comfortable pillow for sick half-elves.

Lindir: Absolutely freaks out. You thought his anxiety about the dwarves was bad?? Elrond always has to calm him down and assure Lindir that is, in fact, not about to die. He does sometimes ask Lindir to play for him when he's ill though.

[inthehouseoffinwe]

What do you think would’ve happened if instead of the three Cs, Maedhros and Maglor had been the ones to fight Dior?

I mean we know they’re much more skilled and less bloodthirsty and rash than the rest of their brothers. So here’s an AU:

I think we’d see Mae and Mags come out on top, and assuming they’re out of the main hall, the rest of their brothers would probably make it out of Doriath alive. Elured and Elurin make it out with Elwing.

With all seven still around and watching each other’s backs, I imagine Sirion would be much the same, all all them surviving. The addition of Elwing’s brothers and their soldiers turning on them, *might* turn the tables just enough to kill a couple of Fëanorions, probably Celegorm and Curufin who are still bitter about Luthien and Dior. But I feel it’s more likely due to inexperience, Elured and Elurin are killed, not necessarily by the Fëanorions themselves.

The silmaril ends up with Elwing and we get the same situation of Maedhros and Maglor asking for it back and Elwing throwing herself off the cliff. Mae and Mags genuinely do not want to be here but the letters were refused and the Oath calls. Elwing probably knows her brothers were killed by word of mouth or seeing it herself and legged it.

Enter Elrond and Elros who’d have a more interesting (and fun) time of things with 5-7 sons of Fëanor around. Maedhros would back Maglor on caring for the twins though, less consumed by the oath with all his little brothers alive and kicking. And in canon he did go searching for Dior’s sons. Caranthir probably doesn’t really have an opinion on them, Amrod and Amras are willing to follow their brothers’ lead on things (also when are they ever gonna have a chance to see identical twins again. I think they’d get along pretty well.) I don’t see any of them being particularly hateful towards the kids. Celegorm and Curufin seem to be most susceptible to the Oath and giving in to their nastier sides might be a bit more of a problem, but there’s enough brothers to keep an eye on them. And I think they’d warm up eventually, reluctantly though it may be. Curufin was a father first, remember, it’s more natural for him to care than not.

Safe to say by the time Elrond and Elros go to Gil Galad, they’re very well trained in all manner of things 😂

As for the fate of the Fëanorions, they wouldn’t go for the last ditch attempt Mae and Mags did. From the eldest’s perspective, there’s too much to lose. I want to say the stones might be passed off to them, if only to prove a point, and whoever picks them up would no doubt be burned, but there’s no suicides. There’s no endless lamentation.

In reality though there’s probably still a battle by the chest, the oath awakened and clawing with the stones so close. There might be more of a push to bring them back to Valinor to stand trial, but they’re a force to be reckoned with and Eönwë knows they’d rather die than be dragged back. The Fëanorions are let go with the stones, but instead of being tossed away as the Valar expect, the chest is kept and they go on.

With the oath mostly fulfilled much of the weight across their fëa is gone, and Curufin and Celegorm head out to keep an eye on Celebrimbor. Elros might have a temporary tagalong in Maedhros and Caranthir (new kingdom needs someone with experience to get the economy up and running.) Maglor and both Ambarussa keep their distant eye on Elrond.

(Annatar didn’t expect the seven biggest pains in his Master’s back to greet him at Eregion’s gate, two Silmarils in tow, burning him to the core. Celebrimbor doesn’t know whether to be horrified or thankful. Back in Lindon, Elrond - the one who tipped them off - is cackling and Gil Galad is Concerned TM but decides he’s better off not knowing. His cousins are insane on the best of days.)

Alternatively, Elured and Elurin perhaps remembering how reluctant Maedhros and Maglor were, how Maedhros pleaded with their father to just return the stone so this could all *end*, immediately send the silmaril back when the letter comes. Or maybe they’re just cooler headed and see the logic of returning the stone. Things settle. The Valar do eventually get involved. Silmaril two and three are regained then reclaimed by the brothers as mentioned above. They might burn. They might reject the holders. But the oath is fulfilled and that’s all that matters in the end.

[carnistirmorifinwe]

I've saw few posts about mamma mia idea but with Gil-galad and his tons of unexplained fathers

but what about Elrond and HIS parent situation??

Imagine. You're trying to peacefully marry your cousin, but suddenly falling from the sky comes your star father with your bird mother. Also back from the eternal seashore hiking comes your lost, long-forgotten, murderer foster father. Then starts arguing who have best right to claim you as a son.

and boom, finwean family drama

(we can't forget Galadriel in all of this. oh, it'd be delightful)

[raointean]

Okay, I'm thinking of the descendants of Finwë in RoP and I need to share.

Of the 29 descendants of Finwë (that have been born at that point), there are only four left alive in Middle Earth. One of them, Celebrimbor, has purposefully sundered himself from all his kin, trying to put distance between him and the crimes of his family. Another, Galadriel, has become so hellbent on revenge that she can hardly spare a moment to spend with her family before rushing back to the hunt.

The two youngest, the little ones, Gil-Galad and Elrond, are physically together, but there is a strict boundary of authority that sunders them as well. Gil-Galad is king. He must maintain a sense of regality and aloofness to maintain his position, command his cousins, and leash his great-aunt. Elrond is the only son of many dispossessed houses and, in being part of everything, belongs nowhere. He is still young and awkward, having yet to come into his own.

As royals, they are not particularly close, whether that be due to necessity or if that was just the way things shook out. Galadriel seems to be on the best terms with most of them: she is a friend to Elrond and seems friendly with Celebrimbor, although her relationship with her nephew is a little... strained. Gil-Galad knows all of them well, but almost only as working relationships, detached and impersonal. Elrond has a dear friend in Galadriel, but it seems that he had never even MET Celebrimbor before season 1, and his relationship with Gil-Galad is strictly professional.

They are no better when pressure is applied. They take sides and block out all evidence that does not support their positions. Elrond flees. Galadriel bulldozes ahead. Celebrimbor isolates himself. And Gil-Galad- Gil-Galad is doing his best to be the rock his kingdom- and his family- needs.

And yet, despite their distance and dysfunction and individual flaws, they come together when one of their own is threatened.

[silmarillaure]

Finweans ranked by Aura

Feanor - So powerful he sucked the life force out of his mother, invented a ton of cool shit, had more children with his wife than any of the other Eldar, died in battle while his body combusted into flames because he was just that hot, & the King of the Valar who he hated cried over him.

Earendil - Cool as hell, has a wife who's cool as hell. Predestined to be a hero even though he comes from a basic vanilla bloodline (besides his great grandpa Fingolfin). Even though most of his ancestors were nobodies or flops, most of his descendants that came after him were cool as hell.

Maedhros - Might have been higher than his father & cousin if he didn't khs, Lowkey an Aura loss moment but he makes up for a lot with his gorgeous red hair, height, surviving Morgoth's torture, & sorta fulfilling his dad's dumb oath.

Fingolfin - The only good thing his bland vanilla mother did was give birth to him. He was a total badass I've got to admit even as a Feanorian stan. Him crossing the helcaraxë & his death were top Aura moments.

Elrond/Elros - They're twins so they can share a spot too. Both badass as hell.

Fingon - Called "the Valient", braids gold into his hair, saved his sexy redheaded cousin, & became King of the Noldor. Everything about him screams Aura.

Galadriel - Despite the fact she's a Feanor anti (Booooo!!!), she admittedly has a ton of Aura. She's smarter than possibly everyone else here given she survived when the rest of her generation either got themselves killed or spends all their time being a sad beach cryptid.

Gil-Galad - Cool as hell, managed to make an alliance Maedhros could only dream of.

Maglor - Has a couple Aura loss moments but in the end he LIVED which is an Aura gain. Also gets Aura points for having the best voice in Arda.

Celebrimbor - Pretty rad dude, love how he's more like Feanor than his father Curufinwe Jr is, unfortunately he died.

Finrod - His death is cool as fuck. Looses points for cockblocking his little brother & dying for that basic joe Beren though.

Caranthir - Goth Icon. Love how despite his raging anger issues he's also an awesome guy you'd want to be friends with.

Finwe - A massive flop in a ton of ways but definitely still has Aura. Looses Aura points for failing Feanor & choosing to marry an unsexy Vanya when he could've waited for his sexy talented silver haired Noldo wife to come back to life. Only good thing about him besides his awesome hair is that he's Feanor & Fingolfin's father.

Aredhel - Cool as hell but has terrible taste in men. Her whole white aesthetic & her wild personality gain her Aura points though.

Turgon - The only cool thing about him is that he built Gondolin which wins him some Aura points. Looses Aura points for getting played by his nephew & dying pathetically though.

Idril - She's cool I guess, the only thing of note that she did was give birth to the chad Earendil. Tuor is such a basic guy though, he's not the worst but she could do better.

Aegnor - Cool hair. Pulled a baddie. Fumbled the baddie.

Angrod - Not the most stand out Finwean but he seems to be a mama's boy & he didn't do anything wrong so I'll put him above the family flops.

Finduilas - She's a sweetie but she looses Aura points for falling out of love with a great guy like Gwindor & falling in love with Turin the walking L.

Celegorm - Stupid as hell for trying to use a powerful half-Angel as a political weapon against her father. Looses more Aura points for getting abandoned by his dog & dying at the hands of said half-Angel's 30 y/o mortal son while he's over 1000 y/o. Gains some Aura points for being able to talk to animals, his hair, & his hot bastard energy.

Curufin - Feanor with 99% less Aura. His only achievement is having Celebrimbor yet he still couldn't even succeed at being Feanor 2.0 and having 7 kids to continue the family line. Had the chance to kill Eol but didn't which led to his favorite cousin dying (that's a huge L).

Finarfin - Takes after his mother in the sense he's vanilla af. The tiny percent of Aura he has is from his Noldo side obviously and he used that to pull a baddie like Earwen. All his kids get their Aura from their mother's side.

Orodreth - I like the guy, but he's definitely a dumbass with no Aura. He inherited a kingdom but isn't particularly good at anything. His only accomplishment is possibly fathering Gil-Galad.

Maeglin - Orodreth might have no Aura but this guy has negative Aura. His childhood sucked but he's such a walking L that's he's somehow more of a loser than both Celegorm & Eol combined.

[aragornsrockcollection]

Look, I love Maglor.

Maglor makes me feel things.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[dfwbwfbbwfbwf]

When a family member dies, Fëanárions cut their hair and burn it.

They usually just cut the braid or ponytail, but sometimes they will completely shave their heads.

When Finwë died, Fëanáro's grief was such that, at the funeral, he shaved his hair off, the blade cutting his scalp, and, with blood running down his face and neck, tossed the hair onto his father's flaming body.

When Malwalqua and her family died, Curufinwë's wife and in-laws, Curufinwë and Telperinquar cut their braids off, burned them to ashes, and tossed the ashes into the sea.

When Fëanáro died, his family took his ashes and laid them on a pyre, where they cut their hair (Curufinwë did his best) and laid it on the pyre to burn.

When Maitimo was captured, they shaved their heads entirely as fuel for the memorial fire.

In Nargothrond, one could tell who was a Fëanárion based off their hair, or rather the lack thereof; no one escaped the Bragollach without losing a friend or family member.

Maeðros made his soldiers at Himring wear hats to cover their hairless heads after the Bragollach.

When Finrod threw his crown on the floor, Curufin, keeping eye contact with his cousin, cut his hair and tossed it in a brazier. Everyone knew what it meant. Celegorm and Celebrimbor cut theirs when the news of his death returned to them.

After repudiating his father, Celebrimbor woke the next morning to his father's short ponytail on his nightstand. He thought it meant that his father considered him dead. (In reality, it was Curufin saying he was dead to Celebrimbor.)

Haleth had gifted Carnistir a lock of her dark brown hair in their youth. He wove it into his own braid - brown against black. When she died, he extracted her hair into a pendent, and burned his own.

Maeðros nearly scalped himself after the Nírnaeth Arnoediad.

There was very little hair for anyone to cut after Doriath, but they did their best.

Celebrimbor "accidentally" suffered a forge accident that singed his hair, and he "accidentally" shaved the rest off. This was an hour after her heard about the deaths of his father and two uncles. No one mentioned the tiny bottle with ashes in it that he carried everywhere after. (It totally wasn't a little bit of his dad that Maglor sent.)

There was even less hair to cut after Sirion. They did their best.

Celebrimbor decided to try the Edain hairstyle after Sirion, and burning the hair is more efficient than throwing it away when you're in a forge anyway.

Maglor never let his hair grow past the tips of his ears after Maeðros jumped.

This became a tradition in Númenor, and later Gondor and Arnor. The crown prince is the exception, as he would never cut his hair for anyone until his father died. Everyone would cut their hair when the king died.

Elrond also picked up this tradition. He did this when Celebrimbor and Gil-Galad died. He did it when his fosterlings died. He did it when Celebrían sailed.

[silm-somewhere-under-infinity]

Hear me out ... 600 Strike from Epic but it's Elrond fighting Sauron.

Imagine if Elrond just snapped one day and went full 'I am Elrond Eärendilion Kanafinwion Neylafinwion, descendant of lutheran (who sung your boss to sleep that one time) and Fingolfin (the one who got in 7 hits against said boss) and Feanor (is Feanor), you will not destroy my home / hurt my children / i-am-getting-revenge-on-behalf-of-my-wife,-and-my-brother's-decendants,-and-my-best-friend,-and-my-cousin.'

[myfanfictiongarden]

Lord of the Rings fans know that Elrond goes on to marry Galadriel’s daughter, Celebrian, in the books. Elrond and Galadriel are also distant cousins. The Episode 7 kiss, with its framing and emotional swell of a score, may make you think that this kiss was romantic. Aramayo says it is quite emotional, but not in a romantic sense. “That was improved on the day, wasn’t it?” Walker jokes (it wasn’t, but Aramayo laughs at the tease). “It starts off as purely strategic, but it’s also emotional and heightened because it’s a goodbye as well,” Aramayo explains. “It’s a potential goodbye forever, or for now — until the Halls of Mandos. So it is a really emotional moment, but the impetus for it is a really practical and diversionary tactic.” “Galadriel is his hero,” he continues. “There’s a blood relation — and actually, Elrond’s related to almost everyone. But as I said, she’s his hero. She’s taught him so much. It’s more than best friends. It feels like family members. And so it’s the emotion of saying goodbye to a family member who you think might die soon.”

source tvinsider

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

as someone who has read your fics a lot (big fan hiiiii) and your tags (they're like easter eggs), i am now so curious about your controversial opinions and takes that piss you off because, i mean, i don't want to make a big deal out of it, but you seem to change your opinion on certain characters now hehehe

hi anon! thank you for reading my fics and the nonstop rambling in my tags, haha. i hope you have fun with them! i'm going to assume this is about the silm fandom because i've been rolling out the tolkien posts lately. i couldn't possibly go into all my controversial opinions or all the takes that i hate in one post, but since you're asking i'll give three of each. i'm gonna stick with things i haven't talked much about on this blog, because there are lots of opinions and takes (i.e. blaming thingol/b&l/dior/elwing for the kinslayings, claiming elrond and elros think of maedhros and maglor as their Real Parents, etc.) that i've already made my thoughts on abundantly clear, lol

controversial opinion #1: i don't think tolkien intended this to be the case, but the noldor have uncomfortably colonial overtones in their expressed intentions for middle-earth: 'long he spoke, and ever he urged the noldor to follow him and by their own prowess to win freedom and great realms in the lands of the east' / 'the words of feanor concerning middle-earth had kindled in her heart, for she yearned to see the wide unguarded lands and to rule there a realm at her own will. of like mind with galadriel was fingon fingolfin's son, being moved also by feanor's words, [...] and with fingon stood as they ever did angrod and aegnor, sons of finarfin.' these are finwe's family, his son and his grandchildren. there is no way they aren't aware that elves already inhabit beleriand, yet they express zero consideration for what said elves' opinions might be on their sudden arrival and claiming of the land. it is... a Bad Look

controversial opinion #2: according to the narrative, the sons of feanor lost their right to the silmarils. regardless of who agrees or disagrees, that's what the text posits. the silmarils burned morgoth. they didn't burn beren, didn't burn luthien, didn't burn dior, didn't burn elwing, didn't burn earendil, and didn't burn eonwe. they burned maedhros and maglor

controversial opinion #3: eol is not unreasonable for his low opinion of the noldor. eol is unreasonable for almost everything else about him -- he attempted filicide, is at best a creepy stalker and at worst a rapist (aredhel was not "wholly unwilling"... wdym tolkien explain tolkien what do you mean she was not wholly unwilling), and he accidentally murders his own wife while trying to murder his son. like wow, pick a way to be a terrible person. these quotes though -- "all this land is the land of the teleri, and i will not deal nor have my son deal with the slayers of our kin, the invaders and usurpers of our homes" / "no right have you or any of your kin in this land to seize realms or to set bounds, either here or there." -- he's not wrong about the highlighted portions and he has every right to dislike the noldor for the points he brings up. (though he is wrong for believing the noldor are at fault for morgoth, since morgoth would have come knocking with or without them.)

okay now on to the takes that piss me off!

stupid take #1: that thingol and doriath were bigoted assholes that turn away refugees for not letting aredhel pass through. this was not a very nice thing for them to do, obviously, but equating it with a case of refusing refugees is ridiculous. to begin with, the iathrim and the noldor (save maybe for the nargothrondim, whose king -- finrod -- has a respectful relationship with thingol) do not have the best relations with each other, which is hardly just doriath's fault. then aredhel, one of the noldo whom the iathrim have tensions with, wants to travel through their kingdom to visit her cousin, another one of the noldo whom the iathrim have tensions with. (the worst tensions with, in fact, as thingol is markedly, and rightfully, more disdainful towards the sons of feanor in particular.) why is it so unreasonable that this would not go over well? the iathrim didn't force her to go the way she did either; in fact they explicitly warn her that that road is "the speediest way," but that it is "perilous". she had other options and she decided to go with the one that was reportedly dangerous. and on top of it all, aredhel is not in the same dire situation as actual refugees. turgon would have given her ample supplies for the journey since he was already so remiss to her leaving in the first place, plus he gives her "three lords of his household" as guards/companions. how come this instance, which is not a case that concerns refugees, is treated by some people as sure evidence of thingol's isolationism and "racism" towards the noldor, while an explicit instance where he does accept actual -- noldorin!! -- refugees is swept under the rug? oh wait i know. because this fandom loves making doriath into this discriminatory, uniquely nationalist kingdom that it canonically is not. if you want isolationism, gondolin is right there

stupid take #2: that luthien's victories over sauron and morgoth are proof that she's a mary sue. tolkien calling her "luthien the mere maiden" is annoying, but more accurate than the complaints about her being op. she doesn't even fight either of them. with sauron he jumps at her and radiates so much Hatred that she faints, but she manages to cover his eyes with her cloak and make him sleepy for a moment. huan takes the opportunity to jump in and they start fighting. with morgoth, her disguise doesn't work on him. instead she uses his arrogance and lust to her advantage, bides her time, then seizes the opportunity to put him to sleep with her cloak. and when he stirs, she and beren run for their lives in terror! when people say luthien winning against sauron and morgoth is plot armor, what they really mean is that their faves don't have the guts she has to go up against extreme odds and the brains to effectively use what she has going for her to her greatest benefit ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

stupid take #3: that luthien cast an enchantment on celegorm to make him lust after her. or even anything adjacent like luthien's maia blood enchanted celegorm though she wasn't doing it intentionally. not even going to bother debunking this kind of thing because it's a genuinely braindead take that reeks of misogyny, victim-blaming, and desperate whitewashing. fuck all the way off

i get the feeling you're talking about the sons of feanor on that part about changing my opinion on certain characters? which you'd be right about, the fandom has majorly turned me off from them. they used to be nearly the center of my interest in the silmarillion and its events, and now, while i still like them as they are in the story, i barely look at fandom content of them because the apologism is extreme and ridiculous. also funnily enough, my ranking of the individuals within the blanket of "the feanorians" has shuffled a lot too. maedhros and maglor used to be my favorite, now i've had enough maedhros and maglor to last me... maybe not a lifetime, but a good long while. (i dipped out of the tolkien fandom about two/three years ago, which was the time i got tired of m&m content. to this day i'm still tired of them.) and celegorm, the piece of shit that he is, used to be among my least favorite and now somehow shot his way up to my favorite <3 he's ambitious. he's charismatic. he's impulsive and arrogant. he's a wreck. he's funny. he's the absolute worst. love him

[sotwk]

Hi! I saw you mention that you have some headcanons about why Celebrían left Middle-earth. I'd love to hear them if you want to share them! I love hearing people's headcanons about her 💕 — @emyn-arnens

The Fate of Celebrían

According to the "Sons of the Woodland King" AU

In the SotWK AU, Celebrían is perhaps the most beloved friend of Thranduil's wife, Elvenqueen Maereth (more info on that here), so she is a significant supporting character in the stories I have planned for the Greenwood royal family. (She's already appeared in a couple of my fics, if you look closely.)

Canon details are sparse when it comes to Celebrían's abduction, torture, and passing over the Sea. Here are the headcanons I have developed to fill in the blanks of the "how's" and "why's":

Content warning: Brief but non-graphic discussions of violence, torture, and character death.

SotWK Fancast: Connie Nielsen as Celebrían ("older" version)

The Abduction and Attack

Celebrían was not alone when she was abducted by the orcs at the Redhorn Pass. Besides having the strong escort of Rivendell guards, her cousin Nimeithel (oc, younger sister of Nimloth and niece of Celeborn) was with her.

The attack was not random; Celebrían was specifically targeted by these orcs under the orders of Sauron himself. Hurting her was a strategic blow to two of the Dark Lord's most hated and feared enemies: Galadriel and Elrond. However, there is reason to believe that Sauron hated and feared the power and light of the Lady of Imladris herself.

Nimeithel and half the escort were killed fighting in the initial ambush, while the rest were incapacitated.

The orcs took special care to immediately drug and weaken Celebrían, for they wanted to keep her alive but also prevent her from using the powers they feared her to have. They were afraid of her, except they feared Sauron more.

Poisoned and bound, Celebrían was certainly physically tortured to the brink of death, but what has been less mentioned is the emotional/psychological torture of the orcs methodically torturing and killing her friends one by one in front of her.

The Rescue and Aftermath

Celebrían was found on the third day of her abduction which, all things considered, was a swift rescue. But by the time her sons Elladan and Elrohir got to her, unspeakable damage had been done. She was also the sole survivor of the travel party.

Needless to say, not a single one of those orcs made it out alive either, as the wrath of the Peredhil fell upon them.

As has been canonically stated, Elrond succeeded in healing his wife of all physical injuries she sustained. Additional help came from Galadriel and Elvenqueen Maereth. Within weeks, Celebrían's body was healthy again, albeit scarred.

In regards to how she "lost all delight in Middle-earth", I think this is most commonly interpreted as an unshakable and deadly depression. My AU's take however, is that Celebrían felt herself becoming overwhelmed not by grief and despair, but by bitterness and hatred and rage.

The experience did not leave Celebrían weepy and quailing, but angry, vengeful, and vindictive--a very far cry from her peaceful, compassionate self.

The Decision to Leave

Celebrían had always been spiritually strong and very "emotionally intelligent" (high E.Q.); arguably more so than even Elrond. She was quick to realize that her heart and the core of her personality had been compromised and irreversibly damaged.

Memories and nightmares of her abduction plagued her, and despite her best efforts, she could barely contain their effects on her behavior and demeanor. She became prone to angry outbursts, sullen and withdrawn, and tempted by violent thoughts and fantasies.

Elladan and Elrohir, the children most closely bonded to her, were most affected by this, and it drove their unquenchable hatred towards orcs for the rest of their lives, long after their mother departed.

With her intuition and foresight, Celebrían saw that the growing darkness inside her that she could not restrain would only poison the rest of her family (parents, husband, children), if they continued to watch her suffer and struggle.

She knew they all had very important parts to play in the coming battles and the final stand against the Dark Lord, and she refused to distract them or become a hindrance to their destinies.

Celebrían made the difficult decision to ask Elrond to let her sail to the Blessed Realm, where she would be incapable of hurting or adversely influencing anyone, and where she could rest and wait for him in peace.

At first Elrond could not bring himself to let his beloved wife go, but Galadriel's counsel about the future and advice to trust Celebrían's judgement eventually convinced him.

Elladan and Elrohir had to be persuaded by their mother NOT to sail with her, but both vowed that they "will see her again", hinting that they had already decided on their own fates.

Celebrían consoled her grieving family by telling them that in staying, they will "know the joy of seeing Hope reborn"--her foretelling of Aragorn's birth 400 years later.

Thank you for the thoughtful Ask, @emyn-arnens! <3 I loved sharing these with you and I am honored you care to know about my headcanons/AU.

I have many happier ones about our beloved Lady of Imladris, including how powerful and skilled and talented she was, and her tremendous influence and contributions to the foundation and growth of the Last Homely House. Not to discredit Elrond or anything, but I refuse to believe that was all just HIS doing. :)

For more SotWK AU headcanons: SotWK HC Masterlist

Elves HC Tag List: Tags be added in comments temporarily while Tumblr tags are malfunctioning.

[thesummerestsolstice]

Sauron has complexes about exactly two (2) beings. Feanor and Luthien. Feanor, the mere elf whose work bested his and drew the eyes of his Maiarin peers (and even his master Morgoth). The elf who, whether he knew it or not, had challenged the mighty Sauron's forging skill and had, whether Sauron could admit it or not, won. Luthien had also challenged him, and left him defeated and humiliated, and had done it all with a kind of disgusted scorn that Sauron could never stop thinking about. She, a half-bred girl, had dared to look at him, most admirable and powerful of Maia, like he'd been a nasty stain on one of her cloaks.

And he's an obsessive perfectionist with an unparalleled ability to hold grudges, so of course he can't let either of those slights go. One of his greatest frustrations is the fact that Luthien has moved beyond the world, out of his grasp– if rumors are to be believed, so has Feanor, sent to the Everlasting darkness. Sauron hates them all the more for being gone, all the more for being out of reach of his anger and vengeance. And that hatred only festers in the long, lonely years of the Second Age, as Sauron bides his time and starts planning his comeback.

And then he walks into Eregion, and what is the first thing he sees? Luthien and Feanor.

He's introduced to Lord Celebrimbor and his cousin, Lord Elrond. He knows who they are of course, but he'd never been told they were such perfect copies of their ancestors. He's told more about them, but he doesn't listen. All he can think is that he finally has a chance to get his revenge.

Luthien and Feanor are back, and this time, Sauron promises himself, he will claim his victory over them.

[sweetteaanddragons]

A snippet from my “Elladan and Aragorn get stuck in First Age Beleriand” WIP.

. . .

“Elladan?” Aragorn asked urgently from the other side of the small camp they had at last dared. “Is aught amiss?”

Elladan could not quite help laughing, high and bitter, at that. “Aught else, you mean?”

Aught else besides the fact that they were mere miles from the worst battlefield in elvish history. Aught else besides the fact that they were several millennia away from home. Aught else besides the fact that they were desperately hiding behind the best illusion Elladan could sing up while roving hunting parties of orcs - and far worse monsters - hunted for the scent of elvish blood - a liquid they had all too much of, thanks to their wounded and currently nameless companion.

Besides all that.

Aragorn only regarded him steadily, concern in his eyes, and Elladan abruptly regretted that he was no longer little Estel, who would have blushed and looked away instead of looking at him with eyes that were uncomfortably like Elladan’s father’s in their seeming ability to peer into souls.

Because there was, of course, something else.

He looked away, into the dangerous darkness overlaying the trees. “It has occurred to me to wonder what my father will say if I have to tell him that I got you killed over a handful of rocks.”

“I would certainly prefer to avoid that as well,” Aragorn said dryly. “Although it is not quite a fair summation of events regardless.”

Elladan’s mouth twisted, but he didn’t protest further; Aragorn would not concede the point, and it would bring Elladan no joy if he did. Aragorn might have pushed the matter further, but their patient - or, more accurately, Aragorn’s - had the good manners to quite conveniently moan, drawing his attention away.

There were a great many other things to be more immediately concerned about, but it had been thoughts of his father that had put the stricken look on Elladan’s face, and he found it hard to shake such thoughts now.

There had been many times over the years when Elladan had been forced to bring the news to his father that another of Elladan’s cousins had fallen. In battle, to an illness they had not had time to bring them to Elrond to heal, on truly rare occasions to old age - it was always a heavy duty, but it was a duty he could bear.

He had never yet had to bear the news that he had gotten one of them killed, and he truly, deeply, devoutly did not want to begin with Estel.

There had been times, of course, where he wondered if he could have done something different - if he had ridden faster, left earlier, fought harder - but there had never been a true case for blame.

He had never before, for instance, gone into a troll cave with one of his mortal cousins and completely lost his head over an obvious trap.

It had been a set of silver pins that had caught his eye - pins hung with little bells, decorated with tiny sapphires, silver somehow untarnished.

They had looked exactly like the pins that his mother had worn when she had ridden away, never to return whole. They had been missing when they had at last found her, though it had not been until they were carefully packing her most treasured things away to send with her across the sea that anyone had realized.

It had not occurred to him to wonder how the pins could be so gleaming, here amongst the filth of a troll hoard. It had not occurred to him to think anything, beyond his rage that anything of hers should be kept in the filth and the dark.

He had reached to snatch them up, despite Estel’s warning cry.

And for his pains, he had landed them on the edges of the worst battle he had ever imagined, much less fought in. For a moment, he had thought them in Dagor Dagorath itself, until he had seen the banners.

He was still not quite prepared to accept those banners.

How they’d survived, he had no idea; his memory was not quite as perfect as an elf’s, and he was grateful for that hint of mortality now. All he knew was that it was over, Estel was still alive, and they had even managed to snatch one poor elf away from - from something’s blow as they went.

(A balrog. He was nearly certain that had been a balrog. He had screamed defiance at a balrog - )

Said elf had been barely able to stand, so Estel had dragged him with them as they ran, which could have been a mistake on a practical level if it hadn’t kept anyone from shooting them in the back for retreating with rather less organization than everyone else was.

. . . People had been surprisingly helpful, even.

But all of that paled next to the thought that they were in long lost Beleriand, home of a thousand dangers, and, if all those failed, millennia away from any time familiar to them. Even if Elladan managed to get home the long way, Aragorn certainly would not.

And then he would have to face his father and tell him he had gotten Estel killed over a handful of metal and rock.

Bad enough to get anyone killed in such a way; worse for it to be one of his cousins; unthinkable for it to be the last of his cousins, the current last of Elros’s direct line.

And worse than all of those for it to be Estel, who had chased after them as a child, who had played with his little wooden sword with such seriousness, who had grown up grim and strong and still so, so concerned with what he saw when he looked at others with eyes that scraped right through their souls.

His father, who had managed to forgive the Feanorians, might someday forgive him. Elrohir and Arwen never would.

Nor, for that matter, would Gilraen, who might kill him outright. He would probably deserve it.