#ooc. threads unnumbered.

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“[...] and the deeds that we shall do shall be the matter of song until the last days of Arda.” And the doom of Fëanor was true-spoken also.

do you ever just sort of cry a little bit.

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remember kids, Fëanor may burn ships for reasons, but I love all of my followers equally.

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got a new laptop! I have a burning dislike for Windows10 but I am begrudgingly adapting. I’ll be pulling some meme replies out of my ass this evening, stay tuned.

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exam tomorrow! all the nice memes that you sent will be replied to after I’m done with that.

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as it turns out, trying to bring the blog back into activity right before my exams wasn’t a good idea lol. Anyway I’ll get to memes.

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|| ANYWAY I’m not dead and everything is drafted, memes included. I gotta reply to a few IMs, I haven’t forgotten and I’m not ignoring y’all on purpose. And let me close this post with a mention of bunnies. 

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But guys... have you ever considered just how deeply Finwë’s death affects Fëanor? 

I mean, yes, we know how much his father meant to Fëanor, canon is pretty explicit with that (“[...] for his father was dearer to him than the light of Valinor or the peerless works of his hands; and who among sons, of Elves or of Men, have held their fathers of greater worth?”) 

But death in Aman is not final. In general, death for elves is not final. You might argue that no one in Aman has ever died (beyond Fëanor’s own mother of course), but I would argue against that assumption. The elves are miners, for example, not even to mention those Eldar who died during the Great Journey. But even beyond that, accidents can always happen. Fëanor himself says “[...] and if I must break them, I shall break my heart, and I shall be slain; first of all the Eldar in Aman.” He doesn’t talk about dying, but about being slain. Which obviously means that not only he doesn’t count Mí­riel’s death as murder, but also, considered Mandos’ reply too (“Not the first”), that the only death caused by someone else’s violent deed up to that point is Finwë’s. 

So what is it that touches Fëanor so deeply when he learns about his father’s murder? The simple fact that it is murder? Now, not to say that death cannot touch Amanyar elves emotionally just because they can return from it. It’s still a trauma and it’s still loss and, judging from Mí­riel’s situation and the idea that nothing can decay in the Blessed Realm, also likely a social taboo.

But my point is, Finwë can return, after his healing is done (following another HoME text, in Morgoth’s Ring if I’m not mistaken, he actually doesn’t so that Mí­riel can do it in his place. But it’s a chance that he explicitly and willingly gives up, meaning that he had the possibility of reembodiment to begin with.) It’s not a “final” sanctioned death in the way Mí­riel’s is, but Fëanor’s sons, when they give the news and realise their father was there to listen, even fear that he would slay himself out of grief. 

So I don’t really think it’s “just” the death, or the murder in itself, but the circumstances of the murder. The Silmarils are stolen, yes, and with them all the treasures that had been brought to Formenos by Fëanor’s house and loyal followers (and let’s not forget the artistic and cultural value placed on jewelry by the Ñoldor) --- but Finwë died protecting them, trying to prevent Melkor from getting inside the fortress. He’s slain by the gates. 

My conclusion is that there is an element of guilt and responsibility in Fëanor’s desperation. I do remember a citation about Fëanor believing that he might have prevented his father’s death had he been present in Formenos himself, but I can’t for the life of me find it now; that, though, should give to this idea of guilt sufficient canon basis. So it’s his fault, in a way? Just like with his mother. Basically it might not simply be the irreversible quality of death (in this case not applicable) which causes the desperation, but what leads to it and his own role among the causes.

In a way, deviating from Fëanor’s own psyche for a moment, it’s a principle that also works with regard to the kinslaying. The focus is not on death itself but on how and why it happens.

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|| Kinda thinking about the Star Wars verse and wondering... but are the Silmarils holocrons or super powerful lightsaber crystals

(anyway Sith Lord Fëanor is too real)

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|| Alright guys, alright, I have memes in my inbox and replies in my drafts but in the last few weeks I’ve been feeling Dragon Age more and have been hiding here. That’s where you can find me (if I’m not here instead) (but do read my rules on that blog even if you know my usual policies, because they’re somewhat stricter than my norm. I won’t begrudge anyone if you’re not interested in following such a world-specific character --- and I don’t do follow for follow. I never do that, but even more so over there.)

In the meantime, I’ll hoard finished memes and drafts and slowly start posting them as soon as a good chunk is written.

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|| Well, hello new followers. Glad to see you here. So beyond the obligatory welcome to my blog, if y’all want to interact with me you can send me a meme from here or IM me to plot something out. Also disclaimer that I’m real fricking slow.

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@theotherwesley said: Now I'm wondering though, were Finwë's sons considered princes, or kings in their own right? Did they have their own followings or jurisdictions in Aman that were considered under the umbrella of Finwë's rule? "Prince" is a strange title to bear if your dad/king is immortal-- if you're not expecting anyone to die or retire, there's no point in having a line of succession. It might make sense to consider the sons co-rulers, with Finwë at the top.

That is actually pretty interesting... In the words of Actual Canon, there’s this: “High princes were Fëanor and Fingolfin, the elder sons of Finwë, honoured by all in Aman; but now they grew proud and jealous each of his rights and his possessions.” Whether the title is just Prince with high as an honourific adjective or actually High prince, I’m not certain. Also Finarfin ain’t mentioned, which might lead me to believe that it’s in fact high prince and the title is... reserved to the eldest son of either wife? Agnatic primogeniture already seems to be a thing anyway. I think maybe an elf’s preference in terms of whom to follow specifically as a successor to Finwë only really starts to be relevant during the feud itself, when Fëanor advocates for leaving Valinor. Prior to that, there ought to be a higher authority at least in terms of jurisdiction, without bringing the Valar into the picture every time, and “prince” might not necessarily have anything to do with succession up to a certain point. 

@kuinkuki said: i didn't vote for him

oh well that’s too bad, oh look there’s a fire on the horizon beyond the sea!

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[21:51:34] crow: HA [21:51:42] crow: it's all good [21:52:39] Fëanáro: cuthbert [21:53:01] crow: ........ [21:53:19] Fëanáro: ...it was the first thing I thought of

@cllgood asked me to post this. I’ve been ruined.

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|| I’ve already got a number in my inbox but this meme is still open, both to those I haven’t interacted with before and people I have a thread with. I’ll write the reply as a drabble that can double as a starter.

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|| I did this thing in which yesterday I woke up at 10am, then proceeded to go to sleep at 4am, then slept for two hours and a half and woke up again at 6:30am... and now it’s 11pm and I haven’t slept yet.

So... that means that replies and shit will have to wait until tomorrow. Thank you guys for your patience and also --- welcome to my new followers. If y’all want to plot something, hit me up on IM.

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"I'm not romantic", Fëanor says, brooding with a poster of Prometheus on the wall and the words ‘Byronic character’ glowing above his head.

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I got the cutest mental image from that ice cream headcanon: Fëanor and Nerdanel taking the kids out for ice cream.

|| Now that begs the question of what every one of them gets as ice cream…

I somehow think Maglor actually has a sweet tooth and prefers creamy flavours… but also won’t try stuff that is too wild and has some specific flavours that he’ll choose over most others. He might add syrups and whipped cream. Also a biscuit. But my Maglors can give me opinions? @minstrelmaglor, @untoglory?

@nihthelm tells me that Caranthir would eat chocolate, probably with either espresso beans or chunks of chocolate in it, and preferably with like gooey salted caramel threaded through it or poured over the top. Also he’ll try some wild stuff just for the sake of it.

Highkey tagging @doegred for Maedhros opinions and @godsbite for Celegorm opinions.

Anyway yes. The kids with ice cream, approved.