#then reconnected in Beleriand

[ravencounsellor]

hrmmmm what if Feanorian verse Erestor was in a relationship with Glorfindel in the First Age

[eglerieth]

On the Fëanorian accent

There is a great deal of fandom content on the subject of people like Elrond being said to have a “Fëanorian accent” which is based solely on use of the Thúlè. This is a bit ridiculous, as that is the deliberate pronunciation of a single letter, and therefore hardly an accent.

However, I do think that the Fëanorians probably did have their own accent, one that had nothing to do with the Thúlè and everything to do with the fact that they spent thousands of years exploring Valinor with only each other for company, and hundreds more years in Beleriand more or less shunned from other elven peoples. That’s literally how accents form, people.

the list of people who spoke with a Fëanorian accent is as follows:

• Fëanor

• his sons

• (nerdanel?)

• celebrimbor

• the people who followed Fëanor the closest in the flight of the Noldor

• the people of Himring

• Elrond and Elros

• Aradhel. It was a quirk that her many fans easily accepted while in Valinor; in Vinyamar and Gondolin, people diplomatically pretended not to notice

• because of that, Maeglin had a Fëanorian accent when speaking Quenya when he first arrived at Gondolin, but he quickly picked up on how it made people uncomfortable and learned to speak in a Gondolinian accent so as not to associate himself with their bad memories.

• Fingon is an interesting case. He speaks with the most classically mainstream Noldorin accent imaginable. It’s more perfect and precise than even that of Finwë or Fingolfin. His accent is the one actors study when they want to play a Noldo; you know the type. But when he spends too much time around Maedhros, their accents sort of meld into a weird mainstream/Fëanorian hybrid. No one else experience this. Whenever they returned home after time spent together, there’s a lot of drama, especially in the Fëanorian household. Fëanor freaks out every. Single. Time. “WHY DOST THOU SPEAK IN THE SUBPAR MANNER OF HE WHO IS MOST CERTAINLY NOT MY BROTHER?! HAVE I RAISED YOU TO SULLY THYSELF IN SPEECH?! WHY DOTH MY FIRSTBORN REJECT HIS FAMILY SO?!” And then poor Maedhros is like, “Sheesh, Atya, I just spent some time with my dear friend and cousin. I’m not abandoning our family!” The accent wears off a few weeks later anyway. Every time. When the Ambarussa were innocent little elf-lings, they used to tease Maedhros about it, mocking him in an awfully exaggerated Nolofinwëan accent. He would generally slap them upside the head for it, but he took it in good fun. But after a while Fëanor got more obsessive and the twins got older and wiser, and they stopped. Soon after it became a moot point anyway, as the lies of Melkor had started sowing discord and Maedhros stopped spending time with Fingon. Later, in Beleriand, they never resumed teasing him even after Fëanor died and Maedhros and Fingon reconnected, because after Maedhros’s time in Thangoridrim, no one, not even his brothers, dared tease him about anything to his face, partly out of pity and partly because he was now terrifying. But he and Fingon still had that weird hybrid accent every time they spent time together, which is why Thorondor’s first exposure to Quenya was with an accent that only two people in the world had only some of the time. Much like with Aradhel, the people of Gondolin diplomatically overlook the faint Fëanorian accent the King of Eagles occasionally speaks with.

whoever wants to add, feel free!

@nerdy-catfish, @rouxelf

[erendur]

Crack Silm Relationships I'd like to read about (IV)

7. Celebrimbor and Cirdan

In line with my agenda of “I don’t want Celebrimbor to be betrayed by one he considered a friend, tortured, brutally murdered and to have his body desecrated”, I’d like Celebrimbor to reconnect with his Teleri roots instead. He can go to Eregion long enough to be friends with the Dwarves of Moria, and make the gates, because that is cool and I like it. But then, he feels the call of the sea (I hc his mother as Telerin, given his Teleri “Telpe” name).

So he moves West, and meets Cirdan. I love Cirdan a lot, and the passage in the Silm when he arrives too late to be taken to Valinor the second time around and just stands on the shore cry that he’ll go by his own means anyway until the Valar intervene and prevent him from drowning to death in his not-yet-up-to-par boat always breaks my heart. 

So I suggest they just fall in love. Telpe reconnects with his Telerin heritage, and learns how to make boats. He suggests a few improvements based on his own technical knowledge. In fact, both he and Cirdan combine their talents and come up with the ocean cruise-liner.

Cirdan trusts Telpe to keep things running enough that he eventually becomes a Charon-like figure, taking the Elves that want to sail West himself in his Valinor-bound ocean cruise liner (the Valinor Express, departing every Saturday at 10pm sharp), before sailing back to Celebrimbor. Cirdan finally gets to see Valinor, weekly, albeit only from the shore (there is a magical agreement with the Valar that says he is allowed to sail there and back once a week as long as he doesn’t set foot on shore).

They are a likely bet for being the guys who finally manage to stumble on Maglor to take him to Valinor on the final voyage of the Valinor express.

8. Galadriel and Celegorm

Would it be bad ? Of course it would :D

This one is not about making things better, but worse. I like Galadriel and Celeborn a lot, they seem like a great, solid couple. Galadriel prior to the exile sounds like a proud, haughty lady (she wants to govern her own realm and is very dismissive of Fëanor), but once she has moved to Doriath and has settled down there, she seems much more chill since we don’t really hear about her for an entire age. Maybe it’s the crossing of the Helcaraxë that did it, or maybe Celeborn is just that super chill guy and supportive guy that made her see things differently (I just love Celeborn).

Celegorm, obviously, would be the exact opposite. I think they would be terrible for each other, and that they would be even worse together vs the rest of Beleriand. Apparently, Princess Margaret’s husband used to hide nasty notes all around the house and in books for her to find, for instance one entitled “Twenty Four Reasons Why I Hate You”. I could see Celegorm and Galadriel do that. I could see them going the way of the 1989 film “The War of the Roses”. I think they would be equally matched in spite.

I think they would originally get together because they are both super hot, and bond over both having snootty attitudes and sharp tongues. They would be Tirion’s Mean Girls, but as a couple. They would be so pretty (Prom King and Queen) that they would be invited everywhere, but people would be super afraid of them because they would be so mean, especially after a few drinks. Could they make Morgoth cry at a party ? You bet they could. 

Once they get to Middle-Earth, they would of course get a kingdom together, and frankly it’s anybody’s guess what would happen from there. Would they run the place to the ground ? Be so insufferable and toxic that no one would ever get near, even the Orcs ? Turn into it a giant black hole of ever-increasing negativity until even Morgoth decides to relocate further East ?

I don’t know, but I would sure love to watch it.

9. Fingon and Eowyn 

Nonsensical, all right, but I just want Finno to be saved by someone. I have nothing against Faramir, but Eowyn a) kicks ass ; b) has a thing for guys with a Kind-and-Heroic vibe. She would love Fingon. Everybody loves Fingon. He does magical, stupid heroic rescue missions (ok, just the one, but it was an outstanding one). He fights dragons with arrows (ok, just the one, and it was a small one, but he was great). He takes over the High Kingship of the Noldor shitjob after his dad dies, and tries to do his best. He dies a horrible death, abandoned by all. So I just want Witch-King Slayer Eowyn to time-jump/ fly to his rescue and take him away. I want him to never have to be High King of the Noldor again. They could fly to Valinor together and get a Heroic Feat exemption for Eowyn to stay there with him. Surely no one could look at Fingon’s cute face with his little golden-braided hair and tell him no. If Lúthien can sing, I bet Fingon does the best Puss-in-Boots eyes in the whole of Arda.

And I know lots of you would disagree with me and think that Maedhros should do the epic rescuing, but look, at this stage I think that Mae is the toxic ex that Fingon should really move on from. Post-death and reembodiement, sure, they can be back together. At the Nirnaeth point of the story, they had been close in Aman before the lies of Morgoth came between their families (so they spent several years thinking the other actively plotted with his side of the family to supplant the other’s side of the family - not great), then there was the Kinslaying, the boats, the crossing of the Ice. Sure, the magical rescue was great, but we don’t get the impression that they were super close after that, and Mae wasn’t in a great place anyway. Plus he’s completely beaten and defeated at the Nirnaeth, and can’t realistically save Fingon (I’m aware I’m having him saved by a time-traveling Eowyn with no know superpowers against Balrogs instead).

Silm crack relationships I

Silm crack relationships II

Silm crack relationships III

[runawaymun]

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

Maybe someday I'll finally get around to an Elrond in Valinor fic, but I'm not sure. I'm of the opinion that Valinor actually isn't good for him. Like, it's good to be able to reconnect with people and also I think going there is necessary to heal from the effects of everything that happened to him and the havoc being a Ringbearer wrought on his body, and that there are certain relationship-wounds that just will not mend unless he can have a conversation with certain people (Gil-Galad & Elwing, mostly) -- and OF COURSE he has to reunite with Cel!! - all of which are things I'd like to write about and explore -

H O W E V E R

big however -- I think after a few years he would start to get a bit stir-crazy, and that he would never feel quite at ease or quite at home there. Everything that he has built and worked for and loved is in Middle Earth (Rivendell, all of Elros' line, all of his grandchildren) -- and in the books, when Elrond counts himself with the Elves, he counts himself with the line of Thingol, with the Sindarin elves, who belong in Middle Earth. He also chiefly considers his people not to be the Noldor or Vanyar, but the Dúnedain.

He never saw the light of the trees. He wasn't raised in Valinor. He was raised in war-torn Beleriand and Middle Earth and Valinor probably feels very stagnant and almost liminal to him. I don't mind interpretations where he and Cel build a sort of...second Rivendell...where he finds stuff to do and finds people to look after, but I personally would love to see him take a couple years to heal in Valinor and then ultimately lead a second exile back to Middle Earth, take up his seat in Rivendell again, and be at home with those that he has always referred to as his people. His heart isn't in Valinor. It's in Middle Earth. Let him go home and look after his brother's line and his daughter's line, and keep cataloguing and preserving lore, walking among the trees just as Melian did, before she grew too heartsick to leave.

idk it's a very Big Idea and I know it's not for everyone, but it's something I'd like to explore eventually. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk :)

WIP ask game

[thelordofgifs]

Hi ☔ and 🌩️ for the WIP ask pls? 👀 🙏

(WIP ask game)

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

ooohh SO MANY. I have a lot of longfic ideas on my Sticky Note and realistically will not have the time to write all of these. Picking one at random - I have Thoughts about a Finrod-in-Valinor longfic where he's re-embodied quite soon after he dies, the first of all the Exiles to return to life, and has to reckon with his relationships with his parents and the trauma of his death and Complicated Amanyar Politics and trying to reconnect with Amarie and how he misses Beleriand so much which nobody else understands. The problem is that Finrod is a tricky character to get to grips with and I don't know if I could do him justice! also I don't want my Finrod mutuals to stop loving me if I write him wrong

🌩️ Share something funny/cracky from your WIP.

ok this is technically cheating because I haven't written it yet, but the line has been in my head for a while and should be showing up in the next part of tfs:

Maedhros casts an appreciative look at Fingon and a concerned one at Maglor.

The dichotomy of Maedhros: "boyfriend sexy" and "baby brother fragile and delicate". I think it's funny anyway.

[izartn]

MY HEADCANON ON MAGLOR ENDING.

You know, in my hearts of hearts Maglor died after getting the last word out on what happened to Maedhros, himself and the silmarils (maybe to Elrond).

Maybe he drowns one day and doesn't care to save himself, maybe he's killed by humans or orcs after centuries of losing every skill that helped him survive Beleriand, maybe he caughts an infection and his spirit doesn't fight for life and instead of fading he goes to mandos. (maybe the infection is the burn of his hand by the silmaril) Maybe he doesn't last the night and he goes out with the silmaril after leaving a letter that tells of his end. (he does want to get the last word of his tragic fate)

And for me it's not that he fades in the wind as the sorrow and remorse of the last of the sons of feanor, it's that he dies because he doesn't quite care anymore what happens to himself and one day sooner or later the danger of the world will get him. Maybe he can't quite let go of the silmaril even though he wishes he could and so he leaves a story he would want to be true and takes his death as a secret to the grave.

I don't see Maglor surviving the ages sorry. He doesn't live to hear of what Sauron does to his nephew.

If he's alive he's not on the beach remorseful, he's on the other side of middle earth meeting avari and men, unaware of what's exactly happening until it's too late to do anything, trying to forget who and what he was and is and never quite succeeding until one day he arrives via mandos on an unremarkable or maybe even a bit heroic death for someone or other the noldor don't even care about or know. An unrecognizable person, not seeking redemption anymore except for all the ways he won't let himself be Maglor. He's lived the world and now he's back, changed, just the same, being judged by crimes he committed ages ago he knows were wrong, known by others as what he could have been, longing for Valinor and fearful for it.

He dies or he annihilates his sense of self. Self destruction either way. I don't see him fading or living to go back to valinor by ship or reconnecting with Elrond or Celebrimbor.

I see him reborn eventually, not even a long time after his death in the second case where he lives a long life among other people who have no idea who he is, but first I see him dead.

[amethysttribble]

@dialux, there is more! It's actually almost done, I've written Ravennie and Menielwa's sections, just not Nucumna's. Now I've made a bit more progress with her! I actually realized I've got no clue if this game is for 'amount of votes for winner' or 'amount of votes total', so you're getting both versions! Mostly because I've very wordy and can't stop writing, lol. So I've put the first 12~ above the cut, and the following 26 sentences below! OH! Also, the link to the main body of MCP, if anyone's interested. It's done, minus the epilogue!

Except for how she kept straining in her seat to look taller. That was all little Minde.

Which was a welcome relief to see, Nucumna was always looking for bits and pieces of her sister that she recognized, because the rest… She wasn’t shocked to see her so changed. Just caught a little bit off balance.

The differences of four hundred odd sun years weren’t quite so stark in her as it had been in Tyleperinquar, but Nucumna was finding it harder to acclimate to them. Children grew up, after all, but Hyaminde- young, but certainly grown at the time of the Darkening- didn’t need to change so drastically. Her flighty, rambunctious, light-hearted and free-spirited sister didn’t need to carry a spear and speak so knowledgeably of ‘battle plans’; to be hardened.

Or maybe she did. What Nucumna had learned was that whatever her assumptions about life on the Far Shore were before coming here, she was wrong, even after leaving Valinor. Lalwen was a good first introduction, but Nargothrond had given her a false standard for how things went in Beleriand. The hidden city was safe. People in her family’s lands were always fighting.

And the lands commanded by the host of Feanor were her family’s, in every sense of the word. They were not just the lands of her in-laws, but that of Mother and Hyaminde, of her cousins, uncles and aunts, and many friendly acquaintances.

Formenos went to the Far Shore with Feanor, and she was forever of Formenos. She’d known the names of nearly every Elven servant, general, and assistant who wore red and black since before the Darkening.

The same could not be said for everyone else in this war room. 

Nucumna- unable to contribute to this part of the discussion and thus uninterested in listening when evaluating seemed more productive- cast her eyes around the table, and all the familiar and unfamiliar faces there.

There was Findekano with Lalwen, Orodreth and Tuilindil next to them. Turukano was seated at Fingon’s other side, having arrived unannounced and very confused at the last minute; his presence was a big surprise to everyone, apparently. Nucumna was flanked by King Arafinwe and Findis on one side, Eonwe and King Ingwe on the other. The oft mentioned Lord Cirdan was here with two representatives of Doriath, Marchwardens Mablung and Beleg. There were Aftercomers among them: Hurin and Huor, Bor, Haldir, and a dwarf by the name of Azaghal.

And also Russandol and Carnistir, with Hyaminde, sitting loyally between her lords, rather than with her sister. She insisted upon this, as this meeting was ‘business’, and she wasn’t just brought along to reconnect with Nucumna. Hyaminde was a trusted warrior among the Feanorian faction.

During the journey to Hithlum, Hyaminde had told Nucumna all about her service to ‘Lord Caranthir’- ‘he is your brother, can you not just call him his name?’ ‘Nucumna, shut up.’- in Thargelion. About clearing the lands of roaming orcs and establishing borders, about fostering trade and agriculture, about the coming of Haladin and seeing them off. About the Dagor Bragollach. About the hardships and the triumphs, the losses and the gains. She did not hate her life on the Far Shore, far from it, but it was hard, she said. 

Hyaminde, also, once she noticed the iciness and the almost obscene politeness that Carnistir and Nucumna were treating each other with, started to speak unsubtly highly of Carnistir. She claimed fervently that she had been treated with the utmost consideration and love by her brother-in-law, as had Mother, who was in Ossiriand with Ambarussa. That he’d taught her so much, taken her under his wing, always trusted her. 

She knew that Nucumna and he had parted on bad terms, but things were so different now, maybe they should talk?

And Haleth? Nucumna had asked.

Hyaminde was quiet for a long time, before only saying, I objected to that. 

Which was quite the way to have something she already knew confirmed. 

They had avoided that subject and the subject of Carnistir in general since, so as not to spoil the mood of their reunion. Not that Nucumna was avoiding Carnistir, because she wasn’t.

WIP Poll Game

Write as many sentences as there are votes for the winner!

Tagged by @maglors-anion-gap, thank you so much for the tag!!

Honestly, all of these need to be worked on (minus Hold Me Down tbh) so there’s I��m eager to be forced to work on one!

I want to tag people, but I know I’m so late to this game and feel like most people have been tagged. Goodness, let’s just say consider yourself tagged if you haven’t been! Sorry for not paying enough attention, I know I’m so much less engaged these days.

[swanmaids]

self indulgent oc moodboards 1/?

meletyë nercë , wife of curufin, estranged mother of celebrimbor

Born in Aman to two Noldor of Finwë’s court, Meletyë learned politics from an early age, and also showed talent in gemcraft. Though considered unremarkable in face, she was notably tall in stature and always seen wearing impressive jewellery. She was introduced to Curufin as a potential political match, but found in him a true kindred spirit.  Both were alike in interest, temperament, and ambition, and after a highly publicised wedding in Tirion were rarely apart. It was to the surprise of nobody when she followed him to exile first to Formenos and then to Beleriand. She is said to have personally killed two Teleri at Alqualondë.

Meletyë and Curufin together had one son, Tyelperinquar Curufinwë, called Celebrimbor, born in early Beleriand. Celebrimbor always maintained that his parents were devoted and loving towards him and each other, which surprised many when considering their other fell deeds. In Beleriand, Meletyë was usually burned with a firey ambition and would often spend long hours in the forge or riding across the plains of Himlad, yet she was also prone to bouts of melancholy and staff in Himlad remembered her occasionally taking to bed for days at a time.

After the Dagor Bragollach, Meletyë, Curufin, Celebrimbor and her brother in law Celegorm sought refuge in Nargothrond. Meletyë supported her husband’s political ambitions and underhand moves there, and during the quest for the Silmaril, while she did not participate herself in the capture of Luthien or ambush of Beren, she would not condemn her husband for it. As a result, her son disowned her. They never reconnected, as both Celebrimbor’s parents fell in the Sack of Doriath.

Meletyë was known as a cunning and mostly unscrupulous woman, though she was said to have truly loved a small number of people; in particular her husband, son, and favourite brother in law, Celegorm. She was even said to have cried at the death of a beloved horse. Her relationships with her other brothers in law were more complicated. She grieved the captivity of Maedhros and was gladdened at his return, but was made unhappy at his decision to remove the Fëanorians from the line of succession, having always seen her husband as Fëanor’s true heir.

[ceescedasticity]

Also not directly stated in the orc bank thing although I should probably work it in:

It is difficult if not impossible to chain a currently embodied, unwilling spirit to the orc bank. So many thralls end up there not because they're pre-chained, but because (a) if they know who you are, they can set it up so you hear a call which will take you straight to the orc bank, and (b) deep enough in enemy centers of power, it can be difficult or impossible to hear the proper call.

(I think the previous part was known to or intuited by Melian, and filtered out so most of the elves of Beleriand knew to TRY not to give away their names when captured. Though it frequently didn't work out.)

Of the orcs featured so far: the majority refused the call of Mandos for one reason or another (some of them would have answered if the window had been open longer); almost all the rest were prevented from hearing the call (by being in Angband or Utumno, though Barad-dur or Dol Guldur could also do it) or guessed wrong in the two-calls trick. Louse is the only one who tried to answer the correct call and was prevented. It's not an easy thing to do.

Tentatively: The connection to the orc bank can be severed in living orcs by sufficiently powerful maiar — I don't think the Istari can do it while wearing their human costumes. With this done, when they die the ex-orc should get another call to Mandos. But they don't have to follow it! And if they don't remember who they are they might not, and then they're generally recaptured.

Sufficiently powerful elves can potentially free just-killed orcs if they catch them in the instant before they're yanked back to the orc bank. It's a very, very small window.

(Lúthien being Lúthien potentially freed every orc in Angband, at which point they had the option of letting go of their bodies and dying, at which point they did hear the call of Mandos and went. Those who didn't let go got reconnected, probably.)

[arofili]

I love reading what you write! It's always such good, easy writing no matter what it's about! Do you have any Russingon fic recs? I'm new to Ao3 and still figuring it all out.

Aww thank you so much <3 <3 that means a lot! and YES I have lots of Russingon fic recs! These are all taken from my bookmarks and I know there are other great fics out there, but these are ones that I have saved and come back to frequently!

(I’m also going to plug my Russingon fics bc I write them a lot and I’m pretty proud of some of those works!)

Blessed Hands Will Break Me by @absynthe--minded - WIP currently at 139k, lots of worldbuilding, from Fingon’s discovery of Maedhros’ capture to the Mereth Aderthad - Absynthe is an amazing Russingon writer, absolutely check her stuff out!

“whoso list to hunt” by vauquelin (elftrash) - 3k oneshot, post-Angband, 1st person Fingon POV - another incredible writer

“Old Pains” by @zealouswerewolfcollector​ - ficlet, post-reembodiment, Maedhros is unsure of reality

Did My Heart Love Till Now? by @absynthe--minded​ (with art by @felixwhetsel​ !) - 5k, Years of the Trees, masquerade shenanigans <3

“stay thy mind, and all the rest” by @mc-dude​ - 25k oneshot, get together, Fingon visits Maedhros in Himring, the ANGST and LONGING gahhhh !!!

“commit (to the bit)” by vauquelin (elftrash) - 4k oneshot, Years of the Trees, FAKE DATING FOR WORLD PEACE, this author has a GIFT for prose and the subtlety of interpersonal interaction

“cliffs of fall” by @arrivisting - 3k oneshot, nonlinear narrative but generally focused on post-reembodiment reunion with Complicated Feelings - another author with a truly inspiring talent for prose, I reread the wedding scene in this fic at least once a week and it never fails to make me emo

In Equal Measure by @siphilemon - WIP currently at 108k, time-travel fix-it, bullet point fic, not just Russingon but they’re the ones who time traveled and anyway their parts make me go insane

Your colors by @elesianne - 2 chapters, 3k total, Years of the Trees and then Beleriand, gift-giving and anniversaries and dirty talk, so tender and loving, Elle’s Russingon always hits me right in the heart <3

“Like the old season” by Tyelperintal - 1.8k oneshot, post-Angband, Maedhros and Fingon take a walk in the woods, super sweet

“Gifts of the Heart” by @wren-of-the-woods - 10k oneshot, Years of the Trees, really lovely get-together fic, gift-giving, just super sweet and fun

Our Houses Bound Together by @senalishia and @z-h-i-e - 5 chapters, 17.2k total, arranged marriage AU!!, mutual pining, lots of drama, very fun

“just one safe place” by sunflower_diode - 2.1k oneshot, post-Angband, homoerotic haircutting

“All About Your Heart” and its sequel “At Last Broke Silence, And The Ice” by @admirablemonster - first fic is 2k, second is 8k, modern AU ft. aspec Fingon and genderfluid Maedhros!!!, get together, family drama, ice angst <3

Life after Death by Sylanna - WIP currently at 69k, Fingon-centric post-reembodiment fic, slow moving and contemplative, the author is truly the sweetest person ever

What Is Wrought Between Us by @nikosheba - 90k series (with plenty of smut too), complete, canon compliant, ranges from the Years of the Trees all the way to after the Dagor Dagorath, a truly incredible work

“Kindness” by justonelastdance - 1.6k oneshot, Maedhros in a fucked up mental state post-Angband, hurt/comfort - this author writes a lot of Maedhros whump so if you like this check out their other stuff too (this one is just my favorite)

and under the cut, some smut recs....

smut recs

In a Jeweled Crown by @absynthe--minded - 3 chapters, 12k, complete, Fingon’s coronation and the aftermath - this one still makes me go nuts every time I read it

Reconnecting by nyromes - a series with 2 parts, 9k total, first time post-Angband + first time Maedhros bottoms post-Angband

“Bright Defiance” (1.7k) and its companion fic “Very Good” (800 word ficlet) by @edgeoflight - two oneshots, Fingon coaxes Maedhros’ story out of him post-Angband + some PWP - these are some of my favorites, I come back to them frequently

“all your perfect imperfections” by @stormxpadme - 1.8k oneshot, stumpfucking, I’m biased bc this was written for me but I do love it very much, Himring era

“These Games We Play” by @edgeoflight - 1.7k oneshot, the original stumpfucking fic, Himring era

A Surprise At Home by Findecutie and MayGlenn - 25k of pwp, Years of the Trees, newlyweds, crossdressing - part of the much longer Russ and Finno Verse but this was my intro to that verse and it’s good on its own!

“Fuath” by yeaka - 3k oneshot, first time, some truly disturbing manipulation by Melkor but the Russingon here fucking destroys me ;-;

“Rozanne” by yeaka - 2.8k oneshot, Maedhros recovering from Angband, I once saw someone use the phrase “lovingly described blowjobs” and that’s basically this fic

“Sleeve” by yeaka - 2.4k oneshot, trans!Maedhros, Years of the Trees, Fëanor invents the condom for Maedhros and Russingon are incredibly eager to try it out, they’re SO IN LOVE here it gets me every time

Passion and Anxious Care by LiveOakWithMoss - 12.5k total, 2 fic series, modern AU, oh my god they were roommates, get together and then first time, this is another one I return to frequently - this author is/was a BNF a few years ago but hasn’t been active recently

“For nimble thought can jump both sea and land” by TheLionInMyBed - 2.2k oneshot, palantiri foolishness that leads to video sex basically, Beleriand era - another BNF who is/was buds with LiveOakWithMoss

Treat me soft but touch me cool by LiveOakWithMoss and TheLionInMyBed - 4 chapters, 18k total, swoon kink/medical kink, relationship difficulties that are resolved, Beleriand era with a final chapter post-reembodiment, love this one

“Enthroned” by @ultraviolet-eucatastrophe - 4.5k oneshot, throne sex, fealty kink, King Fingon era

“A Disgrace to the House of Finwë” by @edgeoflight - 2.3k oneshot, get together/first time, Years of the Trees, they’re just super sweet together <3

“What Happens in Himring” by teasoni - 3.4k oneshot, reunion sex, Himring era, fealty kink, this fic is tagged “finally some dicks get sucked!!!!!!” and I think about that tag every time I write a Russingon blowjob jdkfhdkj

“a light in darkness, hope in woe” by @admirablemonster - 4k oneshot, trans!Maedhros, surprise baby Gil-galad in the middle of the Bragollach

“A lord and his prince” by @ultraviolet-eucatastrophe - 3.1k oneshot, early Beleriand era, reunion sex, super sweet and fluffy

“Made of Lava” by @edgeoflight - 2.1k oneshot, Years of the Trees, tender get-together fic with a kind of silly premise

Bend, bruise, beg by LiveOakWithMoss - 5 chapters, 13k total, part of a larger modern AU but tbh I haven’t read the main fic in that verse and this absolutely stands on its own, Maedhros discovering his kinks, chapters 2 (first time) and 4 (butt plug shenanigans) are my favorites

“in a field of stars” by Nacht - 3.4k oneshot, Years of the Trees, first time/get together, the writing style here is really unique and sticks with me

“a sword once sheathed” by @mc-dude - 3.5k oneshot, Beleriand era, reunion sex, the amount of horny longing is truly astonishing

Of Flight and Freedom by @admirablemonster - 2 chapters, 6.6k total, wingfic/wing kink, first time/get together, the Rescue and its aftermath

“Thorns” by yeaka - 2k oneshot, post-Angband, Maedhros with lousy self-worth, Fingon who punishes him with love, bondage

The Ice Between by angrymermaids (who has a tumblr but I don’t remember the url oops) - 7 chapters, 33.5k total, Beleriand era, piecing their relationship back together / trying to get back to being intimate, focus on Fingon and his trauma from the Ice

“much too tall for a boyfriend” by @i-am-a-lonely-visitor - 4.7k oneshot, fem!Maedhros x budding-transmasc!Fingon, Years of the Trees, I think about this fic ALL THE TIME I kind of want to write a sequel to it sjfdhdkjh

“the beat of your heart as my hand touches your skin” by @admirablemonster - 5.3k oneshot, part of the Elves in Pon Farr series, Years of the Trees, heat fic/mating cycles, first time/get together, Maedhros’ first heat catches him by surprise while on a camping trip with Fingon, accidental soulbond

“Beneath the Blanketing White” by @nikosheba - 2.3k oneshot, Himring era, pwp, cameo from little Gil-galad at the end

“What I Am (When I’m With You)” by @thatfeanorian - 5k oneshot, part of a larger modern AU, married fluff, Fingon with baby Gil, ends with some lovely smut, this was written for me so AGAIN I’m biased but I do very much love this one

“open your body and soul to me” by @the-quiet-fire-of-defiance - 2.3k oneshot, Years of the Trees, trans!Maedhros, pregnancy, exhibitionism, sex toys, they’re so in love that it drives me crazy, I can’t stop thinking about this fic djfhkjd

“Like the Golden Fire in Your Eyes” by @sianascera - 3.8k oneshot, Years of the Trees, Maedhros invents nipple piercings, extremely fun <3

[fuckingfinwions]

Scene: Alqualonde. The ship is docked, and most of the people are off it. There is a large happy crowd at the edge of the dock centered around Galadriel. Maglor and Elrond are walking briskly away trying not to attract attention.

A messenger stopped them, wearing a Finwean sun that marked her of the palace staff. She spoke in Quenya, “Excuse me lords, are you Prince Canafinwe and Lord Elrond?”

Maglor stood stock still.

“I am Lord Elrond, yes.”

“I am here to invite you both to the royal palace in Tirion. There’s a carriage ready, and a cart will be sent back to the ship to collect the rest of your things.”

“Hardly worth it for me,” Maglor said. “I have little, and I doubt I’ll need any of it much longer.”

“As you say, your highness. King Nelyafinwe made it clear to the palace staff that we are not to dispose of anything without your order, but that you likely have been living in circumstances below your station. There is a room set aside for you with a basic wardrobe including jewelry, and of course any member of the royal orchestra would be honored to lend you an instrument.”

Elrond said, “King Nelyafinwe? I had thought Maedhros was dead, and King Finarfin ruled Tirion, has the convention for titles changed?”

“Oh, not at all your lordship. King Nelyafinwe, known in Beleriand as Lord Maedhros, indeed died at the end of the first age, but he returned to life several centuries ago. Arafinwe returned the crown to the eldest line of the house of Finwe, as is proper.“

Maglor forced out a whisper, “And my younger brothers? Have they also been permitted to return?”

“Yes your highness, they have. All five of the other high princes dwell in the palace, as do most of the house of Finwe. I must sadly inform you that your father King Feanor is not yet returned to life, nor is your grandfather King Finwe.”

Elrond said,“The return of the House of Finwe, and the house of Feanor in particular, allays more worries than you can believe. I had been prepared to travel with Maglor through all of Valinor in disguise until we plead our case to Manwe himself, but I am glad not to need to.”

“Oh, certainly not your lordship! Manwe is quite content to leave elves to manage our own affairs these days, especially when we have such a skilled leader as King Nelyafinwe.”

“As grateful as I am for the offer of a carriage, would it still be available tomorrow? It has been long years since I was last in a elven city on the sea, and I find it nostalgic.”

“The carriage will be available whenever you wish it. But If I may be so bold as to offer advice, I would recommend that Prince Macalaure at least travel today. The city of Alqualonde will be far more welcoming to Lord Elrond on his own.”

“Even after so long? Have none in Tirion been willing to bend their heads and apologize, or none in Alqualonde willing to hear it? ”

“Restitution was made back in the First Age, and King Olwe accepted it. He objected though to King Nelyafinwe resuming the kingship, seeing an insult to his son-in-law and grandchildren. He also objects to a lot of customs that differ from Alqualonde, and the King sees no reason to force the Noldor to give up our traditions. Some Noldor visit Alqualonde, and a few Teleri visit Tirion, but official diplomatic visits are far between. The final son of Feanor preferring to stay in another city rather than return to his home will be an incident of some sort, though perhaps not a violent one.”

Maglor was on the edge of tears, whether of joy or fear even he could hardly say. But he would not show weakness in front of this stranger, not while he didn’t know if it was true and he hardly recalled how a prince should behave if it was.

“Is there an inn with private rooms in this part of the city?” Elrond asked. “This has been a very tiring day, and I would like a quiet place to collect my thoughts for an hour or two.”

“Of course, right this way.”

They reached the inn, and Elrond payed for a room. The messenger made to leave, but Elrond stopped her.

“Is there a noticeboard or town crier for reconnecting with those who sailed earlier? I stayed long in Middle Earth, and there are those I would dearly like to see again.”

“Each city has records of it’s citizens for taxes and other official purposes. All will confirm if someone resides in the city or not, and in TIrion they will also pass on a message. If whoever your lordship wishes to find is not a citizen of Tirion though, there’s no way to know if they’re in Tol Eressea, Alqualonde, Valmar or New Doriath without traveling there. If they were noble or famous I might know; its a messengers job to find people.”

Elrond swallowed. “My wife, Celebrian, sailed five hundred years ago, to seek what healing could be found in Valinor. Is she...”

“The Lady Celebrian recovered from her wounds and lives in Tirion. I don’t believe she resides in the palace itself, but I can certainly show you her house when we reach the city.”

“Thank you.” Elrond was relieved, though also a little surprised. Celebrian had always considered herself Sindarin, and found even Imladris to be annoyingly urban at at times. But he had never actually been to Tirion; perhaps it was a mix of all the elven kindreds with parks as common as forges. 

The messenger left Elrond then, promising to be back in two hours once he had a chance to rest and make a decision.

Maglor was incredibly tense in the room. “Do you think it’s real?”

“If a lie, it was be a risky one. There are many who would react poorly to learning that Maedhros is once more alive and in command.”

“She did ask first, who we were. A Feanorian is likely to approve of other Feanorians wandering loose.”

“Perhaps, though there are rumors that have all seven of you slitting each other’s throats. Someone would have to talk with a soldier of yours at the very least to find out otherwise. And she called you a prince, even before she was certain.”

“Yes. Prince Canafinwe, the most formal address possible. I haven’t been him since before my father died.”

“Being accustomed to Sindarin names can’t be that rare; I expect they’ll call you whichever name you wish. I certainly don’t want to go by Elerondo.”

“Maybe. If they’re telling the truth, I suppose I can just order all the staff to call me Lord Maglor instead. And if they’re lying, I’m sure they’ll switch to a ruder address soon enough.”

“I really doubt that they’re lying.”

“Maybe, but still I am nervous. I know you have already done much for me in Imladris and on the journey, but would you do me one favor more? Would you come with me to Tirion and stand with me before the king? I know that you have things to do first, reuniting with your wife for one. I could wait in this inn while you do so, and not leave the room to avoid being recognized.”

“That is hardly necessary. The messenger informed me that Celebrian is in Tirion, and after five hundred years we can both endure another hour easily enough. I will speak to the king, and Maedhros will make me feel like a very skilled child, and you will see your brothers again.”

“He doesn’t mean to condescend, it’s just habit from being the eldest sibling.”

“I know, I’m just out of habit to speaking with people older than me this past Age.”

[ravencounsellor]

Fëanorian Verse

Eresváya Núlofinwë, otherwise known as Erestor, is the son of Carnistir Morifinwë & Airadîríë Ciralúlë. He is born in Valinor and is a teen at the time of the Rebellion & Flight of the Noldor. He participated in the first Kinslaying with the rest of his family & also aids in burning the ships, though not without hesitation, as his only friends were amongst Fingolfin’s people (Glorfindel & Ecthelion). He burns the ships thinking that they will turn back and be safe in Valinor, away from the dangers of Beleriand and Morgoth. He was wrong!

Erestor mainly works as a scribe and scholar for his family, both by Lake Mithrim and later in Thargelion, where he also takes charge of the library. He often travels between his uncles’ realms delivering messages to and fro. He keeps up more regularly with his combat training and fights using twin swords or twin daggers, depending on the situation.

In the Dagor Bragollach, Erestor manages to help all the students, scholars, and scribes flee the burning library on time. He tries saving some priceless books and artifacts, too, but he fails: and not without consequence. His entire back gets burned by the flames and the fires of Angband leave him scarred for the rest of his life.

During the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Caranthir sends Erestor across the battlefield to try and deliver news of Uldor’s betrayal. He makes it to Turgon but doesn’t manage to get back to his family’s side before all hell breaks loose. He gets caught in the retreat to Gondolin and his family assumes him to be dead. In the hidden city, after patching things up with them Erestor enters a polycule with Glorfindel & Ecthelion. It destroys a part of his soul when they both die in the Fall of Gondolin.

Erestor spends time with the refugees for a while before eventually reconnecting with his mother & surviving uncles. He tutors Elrond and Elros during this time to ensure they receive an education — and also to distract himself from his grief. He refuses to take part in the Third Kinslaying, seeing how his uncles became consumed by their oath.

When Elrond and Elros come of age, Erestor swears his life and service to both of them. It is Erestor’s only oath he ever takes. He eventually follows Elrond with a fierce loyalty. Everything else pretty much goes according to main verse canon. The only thing is he spends more time in Eregion when his duties allow it in order to spend time with his cousin. It affects him deeply when Celebrimbor is lost so brutally, as they became close after surviving the events of the First Age. Glorfindel returns in the early Third Age in this verse, instead of the Second Age like main verse. We love that heart-wrenching reunion.

[ammg-old]

Weekly Recap (8th – 14th November 2021)

Study

Science – revised old meiosis notes

Read 42 articles

German – time, numbers & time words (with Ferdi)

Read When the Search is Over: Reconnecting Missing Children and Adults (Lucy Holmes, 2014)

Duolingo

German practice (x1)

German revision (x2)

Japanese practice (x2)

Japanese revision – Level 1 (x4) (perfect x2)

Made all Japanese skills Legendary

Wrote up exercise book – Intro 2

Began Duolingo Plus trial

Cleared French, German & Japanese mistakes

Reading

Read Hallucinations (2 chapters)

Finished reading Song of Solomon (Toni Morrison)

Read The Beauty Myth (3 chapters)

Read The Lays of Beleriand (part of first chapter)

Read Tortall and Other Tales (3 chapters)

Music

Kenny Rogers (4 songs)

The Andrews Sisters (4 songs)

3 random songs

1 random piece

Flat

Sorted out meds with Mum

Put rice on & cut up vegetables (Monday)

Put lids on containers & food into fridge (Monday & Thursday)

Sorted out books with Mum

Cleared, wiped down & semi-tidied desk (with Mum)

Put rice on (Thursday)

Other

Got up on time (5 mornings)

Doctor's appointment

Wrote up recap, emailed & posted itSent email

Made library request for Sherlock Holmes book

Watched 2 videos

8 shorter readings

Told freezer guy to take freezer upstairs

Listened to music with Diane

Grandad's birthday party

Puzzles

Special daily loop (x2)

25x30 loop Normal (x4)

14 Killer Sudoku

21 Kakuro

[ivanaskye]

Y’all need... chapter FIVE of elrond fic?

(at this point, it is fair to say I am not sorry.)

The first rains of the season are falling, the very first, the first since I have chosen, and I am smiling to find myself memorize their rhythms on the leaves above.  I sit with Elros, and look to him, and that itself is a comfort I know I will carry with me through the long years—him, my mirror image, so different from me and yet so familiar.

And the rain makes such a gentle melody as we take shelter under one of the larger trees.

“Well, this came about suddenly,” he comments.

“Indeed it did!” I say, smiling to watch the white of it around us, the way it grays and blurs the world and yet makes the green seem greener.

“Will your mirth ever cease,” Elros mutters, although I know it is not in disdain, not at all.

“No, never,” I say, a light of playfulness flashing in my eyes and my voice.  “That is what I promised.  That is what I chose.”

“Although did you not say that two days ago you spent the whole of the night crying?”

“Well, there is that,” I say, and smile at him, and I know what he sees in my smile: me, his brother, his twin, insufferable always and forever, to the ends of the earth.

“I would say that I do not understand you,” Elros says, “if you haven’t regularly spent hours and hours explaining every last part of your thought processes to me—“

I laugh.  “And rightly so!  For does it not do you well to understand your own brother?”

“It also does well to have some moments of silence and peace,” Elros mutters.

“You have some!” I say.  “Occasionally.”

“Not anytime I’m within earshot of you.”

I grin, not having any way to deny this.  “But you love me all the same.”

He rolls his eyes.  “You seem to seek to hasten my departure, to lead my people, to maybe have some freedom from your constant chatter—“

“Don’t worry, I’ll visit!” I say, still grinning.

“I am to lead a kingdom,” Elros says, almost a mutter in the gentle and misty air.  “And what, exactly, are your plans?  Other than visiting me and my descendants, and bothering them for all time?”

I smile, and let that smile be gentle.  “I have been thinking of it.”

“Have you now, for last I heard, thinking requires not talking—“

“I have!” I say.  “And it seems to me that so much is lost, or might be, and I do not wish that for it, I do not wish it—“ I almost choke in a sob, the emotion coming fast, as it does in Elves but also always has in me, even before my choice.  “I wish to remember, brother.  You know that.”

“And…?”

“And so I find myself daydreaming of long travels to collect the knowledge of our peoples, to hear all they remember of Beleriand and also all they know of the crafts they have learned, and cooking, and language—all of it.  And in me it will be kept, safe—and when I write it, it will be safer, safe even from the possibility of my death.  And for that reason I wish to know all that both our peoples know, in case, in case—“

“You are so greedy!” Elros says.  “For time, for knowledge, for everything! It is never enough for you, is it?”

“What, life?” I ask.  “Because, no, Elros, life is never enough for me and never will be, not in the sense that I will tire of it!  I will never have had my fill, I will drink from its cup and drink and drink, though centuries may pass, and millenia, and pain and sorrow and war, and still I will not turn back from it!  I will not escape it!  I will not ever have enough!”

In a moment as I talked, Elros almost shrunk back from my voice, but now he smiles, a strange peace in his face.  “Then do that, brother.  Do that, do it all, and tell me how it goes, after the breaking of the world—“

“But I thought you wanted me to give you peace from my words?” I ask.  “For then, so far from now, when our different paths finally reconnect after long years—then, Elros, I will have so much to tell you, and I doubt all the powers in the world will be able to stop my tongue.”

“I know,” Elros says.  “And perhaps that is why I ask for some moments of peace now.  And why I am glad you may spend some years—maybe even more!—wandering distant mountains and fields in search of knowledge, giving me some years of peace without your visits.”

“Though you might miss me,” I comment.

He rolls his eyes.  “I will hold celebrations each time you leave.”

“You’ll still miss me,” I say.  “You’ll suddenly find yourself restless at night, and wonder why, until you realize that you can’t find anyone better than me to be irritated at, it will feel so strange—“

He slaps me, gently, on my head.  “Wishful thinking, brother.”

I just smile at him.  “Oh, you love me, and you know it.”

There’s footsteps, and even though the sound is though mud rather than hard dirt ground, I recognize them immediately, for of course I memorize so quickly now.

“I was wondering why you two had not come back with the rest of the hunting party,” Gil-galad says.

“Well, it is raining, you see,” Elros says.

“So was it when the rest returned,” Gil-galad says.

“Ah, but there was also the problem that we were already further behind, because Elrond could not help himself but to show me a strange beetle he found—“

“—It was blue and orange, and shining like the sun!” I protest.

Elros shakes his head.  “Anyway, my brother here delayed me, and so it started pouring while we were still somewhat far, and we sought shelter.”

Gil-galad smiles.  “Well,” he says, “now that I know where you are, would you mind if I relax here with you?  I find that I might enjoy the company.”

I nod, but am sure to glance to Elros, in case he disagrees—and he says, “yes,” and I hear no lie in his voice nor see any on his face.

And so Gil-galad sits across from us, water dripping off his dark hair.  He sits on a bed of grass and pine needles, less under the crown of deepest shelter that Elros and I have found, but still far dryer than he would have been out in the open.

“So I hear you’ve been getting to know my terrible brother,” Elros says, and had I been drinking something, I am fairly sure I would have spat it out.

“That appears to be the case,” Gil-galad says with a smile, surprising me: he has never himself said something so irreverent about anyone, so I did not expect him to respond to such a statement with case.

“Tell me,” Elros says, “have you gotten him to shut up yet?  And if so, please do inform me as to how.  I’m listening.”

If I had not lived with Elros all my life, I might find myself embarrassed at this.

“No, not particularly,” Gil-galad says with a smile.  “Nor would I want to.  In fact, at first I had some difficulty getting him to freely say things to me.”

“So you have discovered it then!” Elros says.  “The secret for him to be quiet.”

“Intimidation,” Gil-galad says simply.  “But nevertheless, how are you faring?  Both of you, whoever is interested in answering?”

“I find myself planning,” Elros says.  “Preparing.  I have much ahead of me.”

And he worries whether he will be able to manage it, or how.  He does not say this, but I hear it in his voice—it’s not a waver, it’s an added hardness.  As if to cover the fear up.  I know him too well not to hear it.

But he has not said it, so I know he does not want Gil-galad to know, and so of course I will respect that—by turning the subject away from him, by talking incessantly about myself, just as he always complains about.

“Well,” I say, “I find myself listening to the rain, memorizing it, although of course I always memorize everything now, it is sinking into me and becoming like the fabric of me, or no, like a fabric around me that I will never lose possession of.  It is mine to hold, and I need not fear its loss, no matter what next happens, no matter if the rain stops falling this next second and the sun begins to shine.  It will not be lost in me, not really.”

“Not even at the breaking of the world,” Gil-galad says with a smile.  “Elrond, some of your words remind me to be truly happy to be alive.”

I smile genuinely, without thinking—but also bow, playfully, with thinking.  “In that way, I will be at your service,” I say.

“Elrond!” Elros says.  “He is the High King of the Noldor!  Did you just—“

I think I can feel myself blush, realizing what I said.  “I just technically pledged … well, I meant—“ and yet, I cannot finish the sentence, for it seems strangely wrong to take it back now.

Gil-galad smiles, in that calm and kind way that I am already growing used to.  “You do not have to mean that as a true pledge.  I would not mind, either way.”

And yet, and yet, in these past few days I have grown to like him, and I know the way the words I spoke feel in me.  “And yet, I think it was a true pledge.”

When I glance to the side, I find Elros’ face firmly in the palms of his hands.

“Brother, if this must be embarrassment, it is not yours to bear,” I tell him.

“I still had to listen to it,” he complains, and I understand—he bears so much without thinking, and he always has.  And I know the way pain weighs on him, I have seen it so often in his eyes.

“And yet it is just embarrassment,” I say to him, gently.  “It is nothing worse.”  I turn to Gil-galad, and I smile, and I say, “Although I do not think I am embarrassed.”

“Shut up…” Elros moans.

“Never,” I say.

[swanmaids]

20-25 for the oc meme for Curufin's wife? :)

YAY THANK YOU!

If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?

Good question! Let's say her love for her son redeems her (as much as she can be redeemed?) and her love for her husband both heals her and makes her worse.

Why do they get up in the morning? 

Pre-death, her political ambitions in Beleriand are her main drive. Post-death, she wants to reconnect with her son and help him recover from his torment.

How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)? 

She probably becomes possessive, but tbh jealousy isn't a big problem in her and Curufin's marriage- the way she sees it, who else is willing to kinslay and exile themselves for him? She doesn't mind if he looks at other women- she knows he's never gonna cheat.

How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)? 

This is Mrs "died in the sack of Doriath" we're talking about here so you know she's gonna try to take what she wants!

 Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom? 

OH BOY I have........so many headcanons on her and Curufin's sex life and I don't know why. Let's just say I think they're pretty freaky so that definitely means they have to talk about it a lot between the two of them. She's also known to brag about her sex life to others- she thinks everyone should be jealous of them 😭

 What are their thoughts on marriage? 

Her marriage got her away from her unhappy childhood home and Curufin is her kindred spirit so she thinks it's great. She has several regrets about her life, but her marriage isn't one of them.

[arofili]

men of middle-earth ✦ middle men ✦ headcanon disclaimer

          The Dunlendings were descended from the first Men who wandered to the West in the First Age, and were most akin to the Haladin. Unlike the Three Houses of the Edain, they never crossed the Blue Mountains into Beleriand, instead settling in the White Mountains. Over the centuries, they divided into several distinct groups, including the Bree-men, the Men of the Mountains, and the Dunlendings themselves.           When the Númenóreans returned to Middle-earth, they treated the these peoples ruthlessly and devastated their forests. Those who fled to the foothills of the Misty Mountains settled into the land that would become Dunland, and they forever held resentment for the Dúnedain, refusing to allow them to populate permanent settlements in the Enedhwaith except in the heavily fortified town of Tharbad.           A few unfortunate Dunlendish women were abducted by the Númenóreans back to their island kingdom, including the maiden Ciara who was stolen away by Tar-Círyatan himself, and Moirenna, a member of a coastal people related to the folk of Dunland, who embarked on a journey west and never returned. These stories only further embittered the Dunlendings against the Dúnedain, and while while some of their kin, most notably the Bree-folk, were absorbed into the Númenórean kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor, the Dunlendings remained unaffected, independent, and hostile to the new kings, retaining their own customs and languages. But even though they were unfriendly to the Dúnedain, they also remained hostile to those with orc-blood, and were friendly to the Stoor hobbits during their Wandering days.           After the Great Plague and the failure of the Line of Kings, the Dunlendings migrated to settle the region of Calenardhon, where the garrisons of Gondor now lay empty. Some of them mingled with the Gondorian chieftains at Isengard, and came to view the land as their own. Thus their anger was great when Steward Círion granted the land of Calenardhon not to them but to the Éothéod, viewing them as competitors and usurpers. The focus of their hostilities shifted from the Dúnedainic Gondorians to the Rohirrim, and the Dunlendings did all they could to harry them in times of trouble.           Kings Brego and Aldor of Rohan drove the Dunlendings out of their new kingdom and beyond the river Isen, back into the Enedhwaith. But upon Aldor’s death, they slowly began to return to Calenardhon, settling the northern Westfold and around the tower of Orthanc, where the men of Isengard remained friendlier to them than the “wild Northmen.” Eventually the Dunlendings took control of the fortress, which they retained until their raids upon the Rohirrim became too bold and King Déor led a force against them. Though neither Déor nor his son Gram could oust the Dunlendings from Isengard, their attempts only further increased the bitter feud between the two peoples.           The most notable of these incidents was when Freca, a Lord of Rohan with Dunlendish blood who claimed also be descended from King Fréawine’s younger son Grimwine, threatened rebellion with King Helm should he not concede the hand of his daughter Saulwyn to Freca’s son Wulf. Helm dismissed his demands, insulting him in front of all his lords and pushing the matter to the end of the council. When at last he agreed to discuss Wulf’s suit, Helm led Freca out of Meduseld alone, but before he could speak Helm struck him with his fist with such force that he was slain.           Helm declared that Wulf and all of Freca’s kin were enemies of the king, and all those who had come with him to Edoras fled across the borders of Rohan into Dunland. Wulf was distraught and furious at the death of his father, and spent four years in exile stirring his Dunlendish kin to anger against Rohan. Wulf’s mother, Runwise, was a Dunlendish woman, and he leaned upon his heritage through her to ally himself with the kin his father had never bothered to reconnect with. When he deemed his strength great enough, he invaded Rohan from the west, devastating Helm’s armies at the Fords of Isen and moving swiftly to conquer Edoras.           There Wulf blazed a path of blood all the way to the Golden Hall, where he slew Prince Haleth, the last defender of Meduseld, and claimed the Kingship of Rohan. Yet he still did not have all he desired, for the rest of Helm’s family had fled to Súthburg and were locked in a bitter siege. A smaller force of Rohirrim held Dunharrow, likewise besieged, led by Helm’s sister Hild and her son Ethelward.           Their victory lasted only through the winter. Unused to the trials of kingship, Wulf struggled to feed his people and to quell rumblings of discontent among his soldiers, attempting to distract them with near-constant assaults on Súthburg and Dunharrow. But even with the deaths of Helm, his wife, and his remaining son, the Rohirrim held out against their enemies, and when winter broke, Wulf’s power broke with it. Hild and Ethelward led a small party into Edoras, avenging Helm and his kin by killing “King” Wulf and ousting the Dunlendings from Rohan.           With their strength much diminished, the Dunlendings went into hiding for many years, though they remained in secret in the Westfold until King Folcwine reconquered the land with the aid of Steward Túrin of Gondor. Yet the Dunlendish strain survived among the people who dwelt between the rivers Isen and Adorn, and a resentment toward the Kings in Edoras lingered.           This was exploited by the wizard Saruman, who during the War of the Ring employed the Dunlendings to attack and raid the settlements of Rohan, an easy task since the treacherous Gríma Wormtongue had corrupted the mind of King Théoden. The Dunlendings hated and feared the orcs Saruman bred, especially the half-orcs of their own blood, torn from the wombs of their womenfolk, but they hated the Rohirrim more and fought alongside Saruman’s monsters in the Battle of the Hornburg. Yet many surviving Dunlendish warriors were relieved when the tide of the battle turned and Gandalf appeared with reinforcements for the Rohirrim, and they were quick to surrender to their enemies, freed at last from Saruman’s control.           Yet for some, the hatred of the Rohirrim outweighed their hatred of Saruman, and they fled with him from Isengard to the Shire. The wizard already had some Dunlendish agents in the area, including Duncan, a part-orc man who had first traveled to Bree under the guise of obtaining pipe-weed for his master. Duncan betrayed his master when he was caught and interrogated by the Nazgûl, and thenceforth allied himself with Bill Ferny. By the time Saruman showed up in the Shire himself, Duncan’s loyalties shifted yet again, and he joined the group of ruffians led by “Sharkey,” falling back amongst his Dunlendish kin. Yet Duncan’s experience in the westlands was not enough to save him, and he was killed in the skirmish of Bree by Jack Rushlight, a man he had many times wronged and cheated.           Still, the majority of the Dunlendings remained in the land of Calenardhon after the War, a small number of them even joining the Riders of Rohan in the Battle of Pelennor Fields. This gesture engendered goodwill between them and Théoden’s heir, though not until the rule of King Elfwine would lasting peace be found between their peoples.