Peredhel biology is interesting. They can become mortal or immortal; and it's not entirely clear what the "default" setting is. Is it even the same for all half-elves? What are the implications of being part-elf and part-man? And that's not even getting into the part-Maiarin or pseudo-Maiarin(? Earendil?) Peredhel. There are a lot of really interesting ideas and interpretations there, but I'd like to share a few I've been wanting to write about:

The Peredhel choice is a myth; whether half-elves become mortal or immortal is baked into their biology. Because of the nature of twins, one will always be mortal and one will always be immortal. (I'm mostly thinking about the implications for Elrond and Elros here because I don't even want to consider what that would mean for Elladan and Elrohir)

Peredhel have the strange ability to "mimic" those around them; they appear more elvish amongst elves and more mannish amongst men. No one really knows how they do this, but it's led to lots of stories about "changelings."

Actually, lots of Peredhel have weird, vaguely mystical abilities. Think about the kind of things you'd read about in a fairytale- speaking to animals, unusual strength, preternatural charm. These things aren't unheard of amongst elves or men, but they're a lot more common amongst Peredhel. It's suspected to be some sort of Ainuric boon, or possibly a result of half-elven souls being more "flexible."

Because their souls are inherently kind of unstable, Peredhel fade more easily then elves. That being said, the "symptoms" of fading are different (elves will literally become translucent, while half-elves will lose weight, sleep for most of the day and still be tired, etc.), so it's often assumed to be a normal mortal illness until it becomes a life-threatening situation.

Ulmo has kind of adopted the Peredhel as his people. He's their patron, and he cares for them all. Many half-elves live or work near or on the ocean, and for those who are immortal, the desire to sail west generally manifests less as wanting to go to Valinor and more a literal desire to go to the sea. Half-elves who are inclined to pray usually do so to Ulmo. There's a reason that Rivendell is protected by a river. Also, yes, Earendil is still absolutely Ulmo's guy, he's just also Varda's guy. They have a very friendly custody agreement.

Concept: Earendil, slayer of Ancalgon, gets to decide what to do with the body. He has a few ideas.

A set of dragon scale armor for himself; for safety when fighting giant void monsters

Some lovely, shimmering dragon's horn jewelry for Elwing, who deserves all the shiny things

A set of dragon tooth daggers for Idril, who deserves to be able to commit violence

A dragon bone sword for Elros because that's sick as fuck

A dragon bone ocarina for Elrond that is definitely not a passive aggressive dig at anyone else who may or may not have given his child an instrument

(Look Earendil learned to play the ocarina from Voronwe when he was young passing it on is important to him)

And the rest of the corpse? Well, let's just say Elwing and Earendil's lighthouse back in Valinor has a very unusual foundation

And some very interesting architectural features

Reasons Elrond should absolutely have Necromancy privileges:

He deserves them

We need more kind, good necromancers

What is necromancy but healing taken to its furthest extent?

No seriously the idea of rescuing people from death should be seen as a healing ability; it totally makes sense that Middle-Earth's greatest healer would be able to practice it

It also makes sense that someone with healing knowledge who understands how people work would be able to do necromancy without horrible consequences, as opposed to someone like Sauron who has to brute-force it

I think Elrond deserves as much craft-related hubris as any other Noldor

Great excuse to write Eldritch Peredhel stories

Great excuse to write fix it stories

Alternately, adds another layer of tragedy to the times Elrond couldn't heal someone, despite his power

The vibes are immaculate

It lets Elrond curse out Sauron for being a shitty Necromancer after having one too many cups of wine at Mirkwood's summer solstice festival

"Necromancer?? Please, that bitch probably doesn't even know how the circulatory system works. Oh he can make people live forever? Yeah, I have seen the Nazgul, no he absolutely can't. He pretends to be some prodigy at keeping people alive, like I don't know damn well that he couldn't even handle a cold without resorting to blood sacrifices. He's an even worse Necromancer than he is a smith, and that's saying something."

During the Years of the Trees, the House of Arafinwe has a weekly family breakfast together– Arafinwe bakes pancakes for everyone (with his kids helping of course!) Nolofinwe and his family come to spend time together, Findis and Lalwende show up every week, even if they are a little late, and Finwe and Indis almost always make time for it as well. (And if some of Feanaro's kids show up, Arafinwe always makes a little extra) It started when Findarato was really little, and always begged for pancakes and jam, and has been going for centuries by the time Feanaro gets exiled to Formenos. They put all sorts of toppings out on the table and spend the morning catching up and laughing with each other. Treelight pours in through the windows of the house, and all is right with the world.

And one day, not too long after the Darkening, Arafinwe wakes up, disoriented, and, pretty much on auto-pilot, goes to make pancakes. Look, it takes a lot of batter to make enough pancakes for fifteen people– you have to start that early to get in done in time for a reasonable breakfast. So he makes the pancakes alone, not really thinking about things, probably unconsciously assuming that he's just woken up early and that his kids and wife are still sleeping. He sets the table, because he knows where everyone will sit. He gets everything out, because for all that's happened the pantry is still full.

And then he sees the way the slightly eerie red-tinted lamp light reflects on the silverware. And then he remembers that his children left, and so did his brothers, and sister, and nieces and nephews. He remembers the horrible, half-regretful, half-knowing look he'd seen on Findarato's face before he'd left over the Helcaraxe, the breathless, fruitless argument he'd had with Nolofinwe. He remembers that his wife won't talk to him, and neither will Findis. That his father is dead and that his mother left for Lorien after his death and isn't taking visitors.

And he just sits there, in the big, dark, silent, empty room. And the pancakes get cold and the fruit toppings begin to rot. He leaves– he's not sure when, without the treelight to tell time– and locks the room.

He moves out of his house the next day, and into the palace in Tirion, which, to be honest, feels just as haunted. He stops baking. Being high king of the Noldor in Valinor doesn't leave him with a lot of spare time for his craft. Or his grief. And as long as he keeps it locked away in a house he never goes to, he can almost live with that.

Learning that Joe has just been dumping his excess items in other peoples shops. Essentially restocking them secretly bc he's got too much stuff and isn't allowed to sell it himself. Is so funny to me.

I hope the permit office finds out and tries to come after him. What are they gonna do. He's donating items. He's not making any money. It's charity. I hope he destroys the permit office through sheer malicious compliance. I hope he gets exposed to Grian's backrooms horror movie bullshit in the permit office and goes 'oh. Okay. I see how it is.' And tone matches and ends up 10 times creepier than whatever bullshit is already happening in the permit office.

Galadriel definitely pulls the "I'm older than the sun and the moon" card and everyone else hates it.

Elrond loves to pull the "In some sense the sun and the moon are my distant cousins" back at her and it sends everyone younger than him into a state of shock every time, they hate it.

Celeborn would pull the "My great uncle was the king" card if it wouldn't make people realize he could be in line for the throne. He's seen the amount of work Galadriel and Elrond put into not having to be queen or king and he isn't risking it. He's staying out of this.

Cirdan is older than all of them, but just wants to go to Valinor so he stays out of their way. He also has the "older than the sun and moon" card, but he also has the "I'm only here cause I'm loyal" card, no one knows who he's loyal to anymore so it worries them greatly when he pulls that card out.

Gandalf tries to hide his cards behind a smoke screen, but the previous four already know what his cards are. It's not hard to figure out, he declared all of his intentions upfront when he got to these shores.

Saruman has his cards up his sleeves and lies about everything. No one believes him anymore except Gandalf.

Galadriel definitely pulls the "I'm older than the sun and the moon" card and everyone else hates it.

Elrond loves to pull the "In some sense the sun and the moon are my distant cousins" back at her and it sends everyone younger than him into a state of shock every time, they hate it.

Celeborn would pull the "My great uncle was the king" card if it wouldn't make people realize he could be in line for the throne. He's seen the amount of work Galadriel and Elrond put into not having to be queen or king and he isn't risking it. He's staying out of this.

Cirdan is older than all of them, but just wants to go to Valinor so he stays out of their way. He also has the "older than the sun and moon" card, but he also has the "I'm only here cause I'm loyal" card, no one knows who he's loyal to anymore so it worries them greatly when he pulls that card out.

Gandalf tries to hide his cards behind a smoke screen, but the previous four already know what his cards are. It's not hard to figure out, he declared all of his intentions upfront when he got to these shores.

Saruman has his cards up his sleeves and lies about everything. No one believes him anymore except Gandalf.

Problems Elrond was expecting in Aman:

Trying to make a new home after leaving Rivendell behind

Dealing with Valinorean elves who are very weird about him being part human and part Maia

Avoiding being crowned again (this one isn't just a Valinor problem)

Trying to stop Bilbo from causing problems

Trying to stop Galadriel from causing problems

People attempting to drag him into the clusterfuck that is Valinorean politics

Having to grow a bunch of his herbs himself because the plants aren't native to Valinor

Problems Elrond was not expecting in Aman:

A sudden abundance of doting parents, grandparents, and other ancestors

(He's gotten very used to being the person who takes care of everyone else)

(Look it's not his fault he's forgotten how to react to parental affection normally)

(It's been a really long time...)

So I think one thing that really drives Feanor is his grief– he looses Miriel, and he very clearly never recovers from that. There's the pain of loosing a parent and the added layer of Miriel's death being, on some level, a choice to leave Feanor. You can't tell me he didn't internalize the idea that he wasn't good enough for his mother to stay ay least a little. And I can't help but imagine that most of Valinor really wasn't helpful. There was probably a lot of vague sympathy with no real understanding of the situation, people who in theory thought Feanor had the right to grieve but reacted pretty badly to any actual displays of grief, and some people who insisted that Miriel chose to stay dead, Finwe and Indis were happily married, and therefore, Feanor shouldn't feel sad about it anymore. Even for those with more understanding of grief, it's still a really complicated situation. But you know who would understand Feanor?

Elrond. And the reason is Elros and Arwen– Elrond knows what it's like when someone you love dearly chooses to leave you, essentially forever, not because they don't care about you or because you weren't good enough, but because they have to make the best choice for themselves. And how you can respect that choice, and be glad that they did what they needed to, but still grieve them and the relationship you had with them. He understands those complicated feelings and how to process them in a healthy and non-destructive way.

And I'm losing my mind over this because Feanor is the one who starts the kinslayings and the cycle of violence between elves, and Elrond is the end result of all that violence; born to two refugees and raised largely by Feanor's sons. But despite all that, he's good and kind and able to focus on healing instead of pain. He ends the violence and makes a sanctuary where everyone is welcome. And he's able to do what Feanor never could, and not be consumed by his pain. And that means so much.

There were quite a few people who absolutely refused to believe Elrond and Elros were who they claimed to be when they first came to Gil-Galad's camp. This led to the rise of several extremely questionable theories on who they really were, from the more mundane– they're just two half-elves the Feanorians found somewhere– to the more... esoteric, like that Maglor had "sung them into existence" to fool the armies of Valinor into letting them steal the Silmarils.

The most popular theory was that Elrond and Elros were actually the children of Maglor and Daeron of Doriath, and that they'd been kept secret for... some reason– look I never said the conspiracy theories made sense. E&E look a lot like Luthien (Luthien and Daeron are siblings with pretty similar features) and a bit like Fingolfin (who looks like Feanor who looks like Maglor), so it's not totally implausible. It would also explain how E&E had Maia powers without being Elwing's kids. And that was just enough information for it to become a completely unkillable rumor. Most of it dies down after E&E show some clearly human traits, like getting sick, but there are still die-hard believers out there. Some genealogies from the early Third Age list Elrond as Daeron and Maglor's child.

Elrond, who's been confronted about his "real parents" several times, is very over it. Gil-Galad thinks it's extremely funny.

The voyage west at the end of Return of the King is extremely funny to me, because just look at who's on board. You've got:

Frodo Baggins, hero of the Shire, in need of healing but also excited to see Valinor and meet the legendary elves who live there, a gentle soul

Elrond Halfelven, as kind as a summer, looking forward to peace west of the sea, probably wants to go chill out in a cottage with his wife for the next thousand years

Which seems fine. And then we get to everyone else.

Gandalf, cheeky bastard who's gotten so used to being a weird old wizard in Middle-Earth that's he's forgotten what Maia are supposed to act like, will immediately cause problems

Bilbo Baggins, noted storyteller, definitely planning to break into Aule's halls to see his dwarf friends, will ask all the elves weird questions and then sing about their lives and deaths in front of them, will immediately cause problems

Galadriel, who came to Aman half for Celebrian and Elrond's sake and half to taunt all her cousins about being the only one of them to survive the First Age, enjoys causing problems, will immediately cause many problems

(Also, to be clear, these are not three isolated problem-causers, they absolutely spent the entire trip to Valinor actively planning to give Amanyar society and the Valar an aneurysm.)

I just love the idea of Elrond, now reunited with Celebrian, and Frodo happily having tea with Elwing and Earendil, with nothing to interrupt them but the gentle sounds of the tides.

Meanwhile Galariel, Bilbo, and Gandalf are collectively bullying Mandos into releasing Maglor Feanorian from the halls because:

Bilbo wants to read him his translation of the Noldolante, which is written as a cheery Hobbit drinking song

Elrond always complained about how Gandalf and Maglor were both insufferably vague about advice and Gandalf needs to make sure he's more infuriating than Maglor as a matter of his wizardly pride

He still owes Galadriel money

Unwritten Fics game

I was tagged by @runawaymun to talk about all my as-of-yet unwritten fic ideas! I have many, many of them. Here are a few. Feel free to send me asks about any of them, or to tell me which ones you'd most like to read in the tags!

Earendil-drinks-the-Silmail-AU: see Tumblr post here. Elwing gives Earendil the Silmaril's light to try and heal him from an illness, and both he (and later E&E) now have the light of the Silmaril within them. This causes problems for the Oath of Feanor. Can't decide whether to make it serious and heartbreaking or extremely silly.

Immortal Elros AU: definitely need to post about this one. In which Elros sees the mortals who will become the people of Numenor, loves them, and decides the best way to help them is to be immortal, to protect their descendants and maintain their legacy long after they're gone. He becomes Numenor's beloved guardian, caring for it's people for centuries. This all goes pretty well until Tar-Mairon shows up on the island.

Faustian Bargain AU: when both Gil-Galad and Celebrimbor are captured during Eregion's fall, Elrond makes a dangerous deal with Sauron to get them back. In exchange for their release, Elrond offers to become Sauron's captive, and to help him in his efforts to reach the Void and free Morgoth. Elrond, of course, has other plans. So do the now-free (and incredibly worried) Gil Galad and Celebrimbor.

Unexpected Problems: see Tumblr posts here and here. All about the issues Elrond runs into in Valinor– from people debating about whether or not he counts as an Ainur to Noldor being scandalized that he only wears a couple pounds of jewelry. Also his repeated attempts to stop Galadriel and Bilbo from completely destroying Valinorian society.

The Love of a Parent: Elrond's parents continue to look out for him, whether from beyond the circles of the world or from the stars above. Probably largely outsider POV. A chance for more eldritchry.

On Estel: In which Earendil goes into the void, searching for Maeglin's lost spirit. Slight AU in the sense that it's very Maeglin sympathetic, and has him having a good familial relationship with Turgon, Idril, and Earendil.

Ten Little Soldier Boys: my take on who Finrod's faithful ten were, why they were so loyal, and the moments they each decided they would give anything to keep Finrod safe. OC heavy but very dear to my heart.

Misfits, Outcasts, and other Characters of Ill-Repute: a series of oneshots about the various people who end up in Rivendell and how they got there. Includes canon characters (Glorfindel, Erestor, Lindir, etc.) and some OCs (including an old Feanorian diehard and one of Thingol's bodyguards, and, of course, Garthaglir the Library Orc)

No pressure, but I'm going to second Runawaymun's tagging of @jaz-the-bard (I don't think they've done the game yet but I might've missed it on their blog)

One of my favorite Elrond headcanons is the idea that he starts out looking very much human and elvish. He has ears too pointed to be a man's, but not nearly long enough to be an elf's, his father's (grandfather's, really) blue eyes and brown hair that shines like an elf's, but gets tangled far too often.

Sure, some weird things happen around Elrond as a child– the birds that seems to follow him, the way some injuries mysteriously resolve in his prescense, the unusual flowers that bloom outside his windows– but really, it's easy to see those as distant remnants of an ainuric power that Elrond clearly didn't inherit. When he comes to Gil-Galad's camp, it's much easier for them to see Tuor or Beren in him than it is to think he's descended from Melian.

But then time passes. The changes are slow enough– happening over decades or centuries– that no one really notices at first. Elrond's hair darkens until it is as black as the night sky– as black as Luthien's was. His eyes leach color until they are gray– not Noldor gray, mind, but a strange, starry gray that some of the Iathrim whisper about. His voice changes, almost seems to take on an echo of itself, sometimes.

The strange things that happen around him only get stranger– the trees bend to shelter him, during storms, and sometimes when he sings, the birds sing with him. Elrond got a cat, right at the start of the Second Age– a gift from Gil-Galad. Somehow, it never seems to grow old or die. The parts of Lindon Elrond most often visits always seem to be in full bloom, no matter what season it is. His healing abilities surpass what is to be expected of a man– an elf– eventually, of what seems possible at all.

At the end of the First Age, it would've been hard to believe Elrond had more than a trickle of ainur blood in him. By the beginning of the Third Age, many have started to whisper about Rivendell– a new Doriath, ruled by a Maiarin lord with all Melian's grace, and her eccentricities.

Elrond doesn't realize just how much he's changed until the day, late in the Third Age, when he finds Maglor wandering on the shoreline. Nothing he says will convince Maglor that he isn't Luthien's spirit, returned from death to haunt him.

Some more thoughts on the idea that Elrond gets more eldritch as he ages. I'm gonna make another post about this that's more fun Eldritch Peredhel stuff but I felt the need to address some of the implications of this headcanon first.

Like I said, Elrond changes slowly, and most elves don't notice at first. When they do, though, things get interesting.

See, Elrond looks increasingly like Luthien over time. As a child, he had similar facial features, but didn't really resemble her otherwise. But when his hair starts to darken and his eyes turn gray, it becomes clear that he's almost an exact replica of Doriath's princess.

The Sindar find this amazing and wonderful– for a lot of them, their feelings of grief over the loss of Doriath are very connected to the loss of Luthien and Melian (who kept Doriath safe), and "having Luthien back" is great. Of course, this puts Elrond in a very strange position. On one hand, it's nice for him to have elves who encourage him to push the limits of his Ainuric power and tell him stories about his mother's family, who he knows so little about. On the other hand, he can't deny it's a little unsettling sometimes, the way that people can stare right at him and see someone else. He also doesn't like how... possessive some of them seem of him, expecting him to act like his ancestors, even though he's his own person.

It's a little more complicated for the Noldor. Some of them find Elrond's increasingly obvious powers creepy– they're a lot more inclined to be distrustful of the Ainur. But it's worth noting that for all Elrond looks like Luthien, his gray eyes and dark hair also make him look very Noldor, a lot more than he did as a child. And while some of the Noldor are uneasy about Elrond, lots of them see him as one of the finest jewels of the Finwean family– a healer who's dedication to his craft is almost unmatched. They can also be a little bit weird about seeing his ancestors when they look at him, or about expecting him to dress, act, and present himself in a certain way. Especially the old Feanorians, who care deeply about Elrond but do not always express that care in normal ways.

Gil-Galad is a huge help here– he's older than Elrond, but was too young to have any memories of most of the people the other elves compare Elrond to. And he has a very low tolerance for people making his herald uncomfortable. Sometimes he enlists Galadriel and Celeborn (who cared about Elrond for who he was long before he started looking like Luthien) to deal with particularly stubborn elves.

Happy 3 years to 3rd life smp!

nuclear family as described by Iskall