PLEASE tell me more about "the love of a parent" and "on estel"!!!

(for reference these fics are from my unwritten fics tag game. I'm going to do these in two separate posts; I'll do On Estel here and make another post for "The Love of a Parent" in a couple days.)

Hey Jaz! I should start by saying this probably owes some inspiration to you, since I know you've talked about the "Maeglin in the void" idea before. The premise for "On Estel" is that Earendil has to go into the Void to search for Maeglin's lost spirit.

I don't want this to turn into a whole Maeglin meta so I'll just say that this story is a slight AU in the sense that Maeglin here is a nice, well-respected lord of Gondolin who has a good relationship with his family.

This is also written with the idea that after Maeglin was kidnapped and taken to Angband, he never returned to Gondolin– Sauron did, wearing his form.

So, Maeglin's spirit never comes to Mandos. His body was found in the wreckage of Angband, but his fea is missing, and while it's technically possible for an elf to ignore the Call of Mandos, it's very difficult and unusual.

During and after the War of Wrath, Valinor does send some Maia out to search for any lost elvish souls, and they find a few. But not Maeglin.

Earendil, who still has fond memories of his early childhood mining trips with his "Uncle Mole," isn't willing to give up on Maeglin so easily, and proposes that he goes and searches the Void for Maeglin's spirit.

The Valar say no. Even Earendil is only supposed to check around the Doors of Night to ensure that Morgoth is chained and all is well– a trip deeper into the Void would be extremely dangerous, even for Earendil. And no one else in Valinor sees a single missing spirit as that big of a problem. (Keep in mind that the rest of Maeglin's family is either in Mandos or got lost on the way to Valinor and hasn't arrived yet.)

Naturally, the rest of the story is about Earendil and Elwing conspiring to cover up Earendil's Void expeditions. Earendil starts trying to map out the Void in the hopes of figuring out where his uncle might be hiding, interspersed with scenes of Maeglin, Idril, and baby Earendil mapping out Gondolin's tunnels.

Happy ending, because we all know Earendil's not going to give up until all is well. That's what it means to be the personification of hope for Middle-Earth, after all. :)

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)

Part Three of "Earendil Drank the Silmaril" AU- Kidnap Fam edition

M&M do not know that the light of the Silmaril is now part of Earendil, or that his children inherited some of it. Not consciously, anyway. But there is something oddly familiar about the children, when Maglor finds them, alone in the woods.

(The escort Elwing sent them away with hadn't been the most trustworthy, and unfortunately, two frightened children had slowed their progress towards Gil-Galad's camp too much.)

Maglor sees the shining eyes and the light that springs to their fingertips, and assumes that part-Maia children are just like that– he's certainly heard far stranger about Luthien. Maglor was always going to take them in– he'd at least like to think that leaving two defenseless children to die is still beyond him– but there's also something odd. Before he can really think about whether it would be possible to send them to Gil-Galad, he's already dismissed the idea. It slips from his mind like water. He doesn't connect that to the Oath– normally, it's compulsions are violent and impossible to ignore.

(But of course, the Oath knows the truth about Elrond and Elros. M&M always say that it would be impossible to return them to Gil-Galad's camp. They're only right most of the time.)

Still, the story goes on, as it must, and love does grow between Elrond, Elros, and the monsters who care for them. Actually, things do look up for the Feanorians after E&E come to Amon Ereb. The plants grow much more easily, even in the tainted soil. They run into orc patrols less and less. Injuries heal, even when they really shouldn't. Some of the Feanorians speak of divine intervention on behalf of the children, others think that it's the twins' Mairin magic at work. Even the Oath seems to fall silent. M&M put it down to parental love.

(Elrond and Elros are, if not exactly required for the Oath to be fulfilled, then at least close enough to a Silmaril to quiet it for a time.)

None of them ever figure it out. Eventually, Maedhros and Maglor do send their children away, when it's become clear that all that's left for the Feanorians is death and grief.

Maglor watches as they leave, tears in his eyes, and thinks he finally understands what it means to be condemned to eternal darkness, now that his precious little stars are gone.

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.

mom says it's Cel's turn with the eldritch monster boyfriend :)

Thank you to everyone who joined me on stream to watch me color this!!

Lmao imagine if a couple wanted to get married in Lindon or Imladris and saw Elrond and was like “sure why not” and just, asked him to witness their vows in place of any actual maiar or valar.

Like the relationship between the elves in the Valar-Only-Mildly-Care Place and the Valar/Maiar themselves has got to still be stiff since elves are stupidly stubborn about holding grudges, so imagine if a couple just went “fuck the valinor glowsticks, Lord Elrond has been feeding us well and sheltering us for over a century. He’s got some ainur blood anyway.”

So they ask Elrond to be witness and he agrees thinking they just want a lord’s blessing or something and then-

“[Elvish Marriage Vows] we swear in the name of Lord Elrond Peredhel and Eru Illuvatar [More Marriage Vows]”

And at this point Elrond just has to roll with it but he bluescreens later while Erestor and Glorfindel laugh at him (Celebrian and or Gil-Galad too if they’re around)

Bonus points if It becomes a tradition in Imladris/Lindon even though he neutrally suggests a vala instead every time like

Elrond, trying not to get smited as soon as he steps foot into Valinor: hey Lady Yavanna is pretty cool though, right?

Elven Couple, exiled thousands of years ago and still frost-bitten: yes, pity there were no flowers in the Grinding Ice, my Lord. Anyways, would you mind being a witness to our wedding ceremony?”

Elrond starts glowing slightly and never lives it down. He goes to Valinor and people still ask him out of tradition or genuine respect and the Valar just have to put a small tapestry of Elrond as a patron of unions or something so they can claim some sort of control over the situation.

Elrond is mortified, and nobody lets him live it down.

Hi! I read your fic Myths and Monsters and I must say, I am a bit confused. I understand that these are stories of our predhel being eldritch, but the stories themselves gave me this spinning confusion feel and I was unfortunately unable to enjoy the story to its full extend. If possible, would you be able to explain to me the general plotline of each story? A few sentce summary would suffice. Thank you in advance.

(I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this ask– the last few weeks have been very chaotic for me)

So this is about this fic, which features Elrond and his parents being eldritch in various ways. It has some more poetic language, and the chapters often start in the middle of action scenes, so I can understand how they'd be a little hard to follow.

Chapter plots are under the cut– feel free to check out the fic if you want more eldritch elves and peredhel.

Chapter One: Edoran, the prince of a small mannish kingdom, sets out to visit the Lord of Himring, hoping to get his help in protecting Edoran's people from Morgoth's armies. On his way to Himring, Edoran is attacked by a band of orcs, and is quickly captured. Maedhros appears and fights off the orcs, and Edoran is very appreciative.

Chapter Two: Duniel, a half-elven sailor, has been pretending to be human for years to fit in on a human smuggling ship. When it's revealed that she's a half-elf, the human crew– who have heard all sorts of legends about half-elves being dangerous changelings– turn on her. She runs from them, but they catch up to her. Before they can hurt her, Maglor– now a terrifying spirit of the deep– stops them, before wandering off down the shore.

Chapter Three: Archibald, a sea captain, is at the wheel of his boat one night when he hears some strange things happening on deck. He goes to investigate, and finds nothing. When he goes back to the wheel of his ship, he finds Earendil standing there– though Archibald doesn't know who Earendil is. Earendil says that they're here to protect the ship from getting caught in a storm, and Archibald decides to trust them. They sing together for a while, and then Archibald wakes up– unsure if what just happened was a dream.

Chapter Four: Charles, a mannish lord, and Hugh, a guide, are going hunting in Rivendell. They're both aware that they shouldn't be hunting in "fae woods," as it would be highly disrespectful. Eventually, they see Elwing a strange swan and try to shoot at it, only for it to get away. The hunters give chase, but Hugh trips over something and falls behind Charles. When he catches up, Charles has been caught in one of his own traps, with Elwing the swan terrorizing him. Hugh decides that they're not going to hunt in Rivendell's forests anymore.

Chapter Five. An orcish maiden– who doesn't have a name she likes– is on the run. She was sent away from Mordor because of her inability to fight, and when she went to a local mannish village looking for help, she was instead chased out. On the run from the men and their dogs, she unknowingly wanders into Rivendell. As her pursuers catch up with her, she meets Elrond, who saves her, and invites her to live in Rivendell.

Continuation of the "Earendil drank the Silmaril AU"–

TW for the Sirion kinslaying and Elwing's attemped suicide

Elwing's advisors encourage her to be strong, not to give the Silmaril to the Feanorian murderers. Of course, none of them know that she couldn't hand it over, even if she wanted to. She tries not to think about what would happen if the Feanorians saw the empty shell of the Silmaril, drained of light. She tries not to think about what they might do to Earendil, if they found out the light lives within him now.

She doesn't really have any options. She cannot give them the Silmaril; she will not yield her husband to the monsters who killed her parents. She encourages Earendil to go on another of his voyages. She tells him that she's confident the Feanorians won't have the guts to actually attack them. She's lying. The day after he leaves, she makes plans to evacuate all those in Sirion who aren't ready and willing to die there.

Not long after, she receives another letter, one that practically radiates anger. That night, she holds her children– her wonderful, sweet children who have feathers behind their ears and starlight at their fingertips. The next day, she plans to have them sent away from Sirion. She knows it won't be long now.

She's still not ready, when the Feanorians come. There aren't many people left in Sirion. There aren't many Feanorians left either. But the fighting is fierce, all old hatred and festering pain. She'd hoped to have another day– just one more, to hide the remnants of the Silmaril. When Maedhros sees her carrying the cracked orb, wrapped in fabric, she knows it's over.

Maybe he can tell, even through the fabric, that something is wrong with the Silmaril, maybe he can't. Either way, he runs after her with burning eyes and a his oath on his lips. She's not quite sure where her feet are taking her until she finds herself at the cliff's edge. She turns, stares out at the stormy sea. When she looks back, there is something almost like horror on Maedhros's face, but all she feels in an eerie calm.

She thinks about her children. She hopes they made it out alright. She hopes they'll find someone else to look after them, when she's gone.

Silm AU Concept that Won't Leave me Alone:

Earendil falls ill, not long after his marriage. None of the healers in Sirion– human or elven– can explain why. Maybe it's because Idril and Tuor left for Valinor recently, and no one really thinks they'll make it there alive. Maybe it's the plague that's been sweeping through war-torn Beleriand. Maybe his body is just giving up on him– it's not unheard of for half-elves to die that way.

And it's becoming clear that Earendil is dying. Nothing they do helps. Some of Elwing's advisors try to keep her away from his bedside– half out of fear his illness is contagious and half because she spends all her time there, refusing to eat or rest. They're trying to protect her from the horrible truth. It isn't working.

Elwing knows of two great sources of magic. One is her own– inherited from Melian, running far stronger in her blood than any had expected, far stronger than it had in her father. Strong enough that she's spent most of her life learning to hide it. Flowers bloom under her feet, birds flock to her side. Elwing is powerful, but she's young; untrained. She tries to help Earendil. She fails.

And then there is the Silmaril. The Silmaril's power is not like hers. It does not make things grow, or bring the birds and gentle beasts of the world to their doorstep. But it drives away the orcs, keeps the wolves at bay, cuts through the darkness, burns away evil. It is a much more violent kind of purification.

And Elwing thinks, is it not evil coursing through my husband's veins, choking his lungs, threatening to tear him away from me?

She takes the Silmaril and pries it open with a dagger, pouring it's divine light into the abalone-shell cup that Idril had given her before she sailed away. She gives it to Earendil, comforts him, climbs into bed beside him. They hold each other, whisper their marriage vows again in the darkness. When Elwing drifts into sleep, she doesn't know if he'll still be there when she wakes up.

And then Earendil wakes up with clear, bright eyes. It works. It works very well. It works so well that Elwing has to teach Earendil how to hide the new light in his eyes and the shimmer under his skin.

Elwing keeps the Silmaril hidden away after that. Some whisper that she's become obsessed with it, just as her father had. In truth, she's just trying to hide the fact that the gem has no light left. Somehow, she doubts her advisors would approve of her decision.

But she doesn't care, and neither does Earendil. They are happy, and in love. Not long after Earendil's recovery– a recovery most think was a miracle sent by the Valar– they have children. Two very strange children with sharp teeth and bright eyes who they love very much.

It looks like everything will work out for Elwing's little family, right until the day the first letter from Maedhros Feanorian arrives.

Headcanon: Maeglin has pet moles (I know moles don't make great pets irl but let me dream). He keeps them in a big complex of dirt-filled glass boxes and tubes that run all around his room. (Turgon helped him build them, it was a great bonding activity for them).

He gives them fancy old person names. They're called Agatha, Bartholomew, and Cladius. He talks to them like they're people and spoils them. They love to burrow into the sleeves and collars of his robes. Mole pictures under the cut.

Agatha - European Mole, a diva with a big personality

Bartholomew - Shrew Mole, a distinguished gentleman

Cladius - Golden Mole, just a silly little guy

Photo Credits:

European Mole, Shrew Mole, Golden Mole

By the time Elrond leaves for Gil-Galad's camp, he's also been handling most of the healing at Amon Ereb for years. Few of the Feanorians can heal any more, bloodstained as they are, and even as a youth, it's clear that Elrond is remarkably talented at it.

Many of the Feanorians use sleeping draughts. Some of them, especially the former thralls, are plagued by nightmares. Maglor and Maedhros are so burnt out by the oath at this point that they can barely sleep at all.

Elrond is the one who mixes the medicine, quietly in the little room they've started calling the apothecary. No one watches. He gathers most of his own herbs too, from the gardens inside the fortress or the decaying land around it– no one goes with him, because the elves will be noticed by Morgoth's forces and attacked, but somehow, Elrond always slips by unnoticed.

Elrond leaves to get supplies. Elrond comes back. Elrond makes the sleeping draught, every afternoon. Maglor and Maedhros– and plenty of others– drink it without question every evening. They wake up the next morning, and there Elrond is, smiling and asking how they slept.

To most of the Feanorians, who've already started whispering about Elrond's kindness, this doesn't seem strange.

But Maedhros wonders. Maedhros knows that it would be near impossible to tell if the herbal draught had been tampered with. Maedhros knows that many of the herbs around Amon Ereb are poisonous, even lethal. Maedhros knows that the forested lands around Amon Ereb, sick as they are, would gladly shelter Elrond and Elros all the way to Gil-Galad's camp.

Maedhros knows all these things. What he doesn't know is why. Why Elrond stays, why Elrond helps them. And part of him– the part worn down by everything that's already happened to him– is suspicious of that. But he still takes the sleeping draught every night. And Elrond is still there every morning. And Maedhros never quite works up the courage to ask.

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

Silmarillion concept that has me gnawing on the bars of my enclosure today: all of Elrond's parents are terrifying eldritch beings actually.

Maedhros, with white fire pouring from his eyes, taken from the jaws of death anything but unchanged. Some whisper that he's not elvish anymore, not since his captivity. They can never quite agree on what that makes him, exactly.

Maglor, with a voice no elf ever should've had, beautiful and terrible and powerful enough to shake the mountains. Sailors along Middle-Earth's west coast whisper of a sea wraith, some horrible siren that roams the beaches on the darkest nights.

Earendil, a man made an elf, a star, a maia if some are to be believed. Slayer of dragons, guardian of the void. Someone who's spent so along around the Silmaril and the Ainur that some of that power lives within him now.

Elwing, a skin-changer with a voice and a laugh that sound like they were taken from a bird's throat. A witch who lives in a lighthouse, where the animals flock and the plants grow strangely. None of the Amanyar would admit to being scared of her, but few will venture in sight of her odd little realm.

And then there's Elrond, ring-bearer, Lord of Rivendell, kind as a summer.

Well, let's just say it probably helps that no one is expecting him to be normal. Or elvish. Or entirely comprehensible.

Concept: Elrond is, by Middle-Earth standards, a perfectly respectable level of fancy. You know, he's an elf-lord, he has plenty of robes with intricate embroidery or layers of flowing fabric, he wears finely-crafted jewelry, especially during formal occasions. He's elegant, but not gaudy– there are some tasteful references to his various ancestors in his outfits, he's got a whole image. He assumes that this is like, standard for the Noldor.

What Elrond failed to realize when he sailed to Valinor is that the expectations for "Middle-Earth elf lord with vaguely Noldorian implications" and "Noldor prince in the Blessed Realm" are two very different things. He goes to a feast and everyone is dressed like they'll die if they're not wearing four layers of skirts and at least 20 pounds of gems and precious metals. He shows up to Finarfin's court wearing more jewelry than he ever would've worn in Rivendell and people still flash him strange looks and ask him whether he wasn't feeling up to dressing up that night. He'll braid his hair in the half-up half-down style he often wore in Rivendell and it'll cause a scandal because– gasp– Elrond had part of his hair loose. In public. Noldor keep giving him jewelry because they've collectively decided that he's clearly been deprived in Middle Earth. He's confused and a little bit afraid, frankly.

Thankfully, most of the attention is taken off Elrond when Tirion is engulfed in drama the likes of which hasn't been seen for hundreds of years. The cause? Galadriel showing up in Tirion with her hair entirely loose, and no jewelry to speak of. Her robes are entirely plain. Her only adornment is her unbearably smug smirk.

So I had a thought.

Like we all know Elrond is a great healer, the best in middle earth but what if...

What if when someone said that Elrond is a healer, they meant he is a healer like Fëanor is a smith, like Maglor is a singer, like Earendil is a mainer, like Maedhros is a warlord, like Fingon is valiant, like Fingolfin is a warrior, like Celegrom is a hunter.

So let's then throw Elrond into Valinor and let everyone there discover that fact. Let everyone discover another genius among geniuses that the House of Finwë has spawned on them all.

Morgoth: Why do i hear boss music coming from Finwë’s cowardly son?

Arafinwë: :)))))

I love how the entrance to Rivendell is shown in the Hobbit movies– the path is clearly enchanted; the geography is wonky, and the passage only shows up when Thorin & co really need to escape danger.

I feel like this is just how Rivendell works– there are no set pathways in and out of the valley, strange corridors and hidden passages to it just show up when and where they're needed. People who have been to Rivendell before can usually find their way back pretty easily, but even they usually can't explain exactly how they got there. Only the residents of Rivendell can reliably lead others to the valley– and Galadriel, because she's Galadriel. It usually takes Gandalf a while to find the path. He's convinced Elrond just like messing with him.

This is very much Elrond channeling his inner Melian. Doriath was extremely hard to get into, but in the normal fairy way where you just get lost in the woods endlessly if you're not welcome, and the forest parts for you if you are. Elrond saw that and decided to spice things up a little for his realm. You know, some impossible rock formations, a few very strange trees, landscaping that is vaguely beyond mortal comprehension, all that.

Rivendell's residents think it's great. Most outsiders think it's a little creepy.