ok here is a concept about Maedhros and Maglor's relationship that I have been turning around in my head like a rotisserie chicken. Mind you I'm sure I'm not the first one to consider this.
we obviously don't know much about Maedhros pre-Exile. he's never specified as having a specific artistic or scientific talent, which probably kind of sucks if you're a Noldorin prince and your dad is basically Leonardo da Vinci. I tend to picture Mae working with Grandpa Finwe at City Hall, doing low-level political stuff, being an academic, so on and so forth. He's definitely popular, well-regarded, considered very handsome, etc, but not exactly a mad supergenius like his parents.
so we've got a character who, in his youth, is basically known for being attractive and responsible...
and then his beloved baby brother, the one closest to him in age and pretty much his BFF, is the single most talented musician on the whole damn continent.
like, that is some JUICY shit right there. it's like being a White House intern whose brother is Harry Styles. the amount of warring emotions must have been epic. On one hand you're incredibly proud of your baby brother for being so successful and making the most of his gifts, and on the other you wish everyone would shut the hell up about him for five minutes.
Then, of course, they get to Beleriand and the whole dynamic gets Uno-reversed. Suddenly, being the in-universe equivalent of Harry Styles isn't super helpful, but being a shrewd politician who can slice someone in half with a broadsword is.
Kinda sucks that Mae didn't come into his full potential until everything had gone to shit for his family, and his dad wasn't even around anymore to be impressed.
@shrikeseams you get it
