silm sideblog

here there be elf crimes

[second-silmaril-to-the-right]

Pinned Post

Hi! I am Cy, or Cyan, or Cyanide.

I read the Hobbit and LOTR as a kid. (My favourite bit of LOTR was always Bilbo’s birthday party. An early appreciation for cultural worldbuilding making itself known!). I watched the movies (but not the Hobbit ones yet) as a teenager and read some fanfiction then. Recently (Winter 2024/25) I got back into Tolkien, the Silmarillion specifically, which I never bothered finishing before (I believe I got up to the point where Thingol found out about the Kinslaying). How did I get into it? I happened to read a ROP inspired Saurondriel fic. I think it was by an author I knew? I haven’t actually watched ROP fully yet. I got bored by episode 2.

So that’s the story. Here’s my AO3.

Q&A

Why do you write so much darkfic?

Because I want to. Maybe it’s a way of dealing with some mental health stuff I’ve got going on, maybe it’s an interest in horror fiction in general, maybe I just find it kind of hot. I try to tag things properly, but I can be forgetful so please tell me if I forgot to tag something people might prefer to be warned about.

What about the incest? Clearly you’re an only child…

I have multiple siblings actually. Luckily, I am neither a member of the House of Finwë, or indeed, an elf. So I’m not especially bothered, since I’m not exactly related to any of the characters I’m writing about. Also this is a fandom where the most popular AO3 ship is between half-cousins, and the 8th most popular is between half-brothers. It’s a bit like getting into Greek mythology…

Ok, past all that, what’s your opinion on [fandom discourse issue]?

Whatever it is, I probably don’t care, unless it’s directly connected to IRL issues in some way (eg discourse around people being ‘allowed’ to headcanon characters certain ways). One of the reasons I like the Silm so much is the nuance the characters can have. People make bad decisions IRL all the time. People make decisions with the information they have, which can seem good at first but turn out poorly. That’s part of the fun.

But in X fic you bashed Y character!

All my fics are AU. I’m not a big fan of canon compliance. Sometimes I’ll go with a heavily unfavourable interpretation of a character because that’s what makes the story more interesting. I might then end up writing a fic where the same character is given a much more favourable interpretation. This means sometimes characters may seem ‘OOC’ to how you’re used to seeing them though. But to be honest the original story is pretty open to interpretation in a lot of ways, once you accept the death of the author…

… ok but I noticed a grammatical error or typo in your fic.

If you do, please tell me! I try to look over my fics, but I don’t have a beta reader, and I’m also mildly dyslexic.

[thewritersatlas]

morgoth: ahahahaha, I will be EVIL and cause strife between Elves and Men

thingol: hold my beer

[second-silmaril-to-the-right]

It's my 1 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

[whirlception]

When Fëanor says to the Valar,

If I must break [the Silmarils] I shall break my heart, and I shall be slain; first of all the Eldar in Aman

the wording is important: not might break, or might be slain, but shall break, and shall be slain. He is expressing his certainty that breaking the Silmarils will kill him.

And I know that some people are a little hesitant to take Fëanor’s word on this at face value, but the very next spoken line in the text is Mandos (!!!) saying, “Not the first.”

Mandos is not disputing the part of Fëanor’s statement where he says that breaking the Silmarils will kill him — just the fact that Fëanor would then be the first in Aman to be slain, considering that Finwë —unknown to Fëanor— had just been killed at Formenos by Melkor.

Anyways, I really don’t think that Fëanor’s refusal to break the Silmarils / restore the Trees was out of greed for the Silmarils’ beauty or light or power. I think he declined to kill himself for the sake of re-lighting the Trees, which — judging both by the Elves’ survival for years uncounted at Cuivienen and the fact that Valinor & the Valar didn’t cease to exist after the Trees were destroyed— were not really crucial to anyone’s survival.

[thescrapwitch]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 3/3 Fandom: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Amras & Amrod & Caranthir & Celegorm & Curufin & Fëanor & Maedhros & Maglor (Tolkien), Círdan & Fëanor (Tolkien) Characters: Fëanor (Tolkien), Sons of Fëanor (Tolkien), Círdan (Tolkien), Ereinion Gil-galad Additional Tags: Gil-galad Son of Plothole, Mostly Canon Compliant, bulletpoint fic, Feanor is Gil-Galad, this does not fix anything, Lots of hurt and very little comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death Summary:

Fëanor dies, but his soul stays on Middle Earth until it finds the body of a recently dead child to inhabit. Rescued and raised by Círdan, he decides to keep his true identity a secret. Taking on the name “Gil-Galad”, he plans to raise power, reunite with his sons, and regain his Silmarils.

Unfortunately for him, it does not go that way.

[elronds-library]

Where Shadow Lies on Frozen Hills

by AdmirableMonster (@admirablemonster)

In the days when Arda lies in darkness, a group of elves take their fates into their own hands and seek out Melkor in Utumno. A companion piece to Ring-bound, but both stand alone.

Teen, No Archive Warnings

Words: 2,077

[anattmar]

Maedhros

[russingon]

the fact that at the council of elrond glorfindel is like “just throw the ring into the ocean” is so funny to me after reading the silmarillion just because it feels like the subtext is him being like “yeah let’s try maglor’s patented and tested method: Just Yeet The Accursed Fucking Thing Into The Water”

#in fairness they do do literally the other fëanorion approved method of magical item disposal #glorfindel: we could do like maglor and throw it in the ocean? #elrond: no we’re doing like maedhros and jumping into a volcano via @lesbianlanval

*at the council of Elrond*

Elrond: Alright, everyone listen up. We elves have 4 methods of dealing with Accursed Fucking Objects™, as demonstrated by my four parents. 

Number 1, the Elwing Method or Mom Method. This is to hide the accursed fucking thing away and keep it safe and close. This is highly not reccommended if the object can take over its user like the ring can, and Sauron will be searching for it, so this method is out of the question. 

Number 2, the Earendil Method or the Dad #1 Method. This is, send the accursed fucking thing across the sea or to some higher power. According to Mithrandir, the Valar will not take it and Tom Bombadil wants nothing to do with it, so this is also out of the question. 

Number 3 is the Maglor Method, or Dad #2 Method. This is to yeet the accursed fucking thing into the ocean. In this case, it is not a good idea as Ulmo will be very upset and we will still have to contend with Sauron. 

The last method is the Maedhros Method or the Dad #3 Method. This method is to yeet yourself into a volcano while holding the accursed fucking thing, and also the method we will be using. You will not have to yeet yourself into the volcano, only the ring, don’t worry, Frodo.

[art-of-a-diffrent-color]

Those…those really are the four methods aren’t they?

[armenelols]

@procrastinationonvacation how dare you hide this in the tags

[duelpersonality]

Listen, Boromir knows 1 (one) ancient elven story and damn it, he’s going to ride that horse until it dies.

[javraje]

More 3rd age Mairon hc: I like to imagine him struggling to reform his preferred body but getting more twisted as he tries; since his skull becomes out of shape plus hair loss, the crown can no longer stay there elegantly still, so he finally decides to grow it out, ends up visibly tilted nonetheless, because you should have considered about your impaired shape shifting ability before started, AND accidentally makes parts of his spine overgrow, which gives him that vertical stegosaurus look.

Oh and btw those lines under his right eye and on his chin are not makeup. Those are his (other) eyes and actual lips ❤️

[elronds-library]

Gil-galad, a Practical Joke by Morifinwë Carnistir

by HonoraryDawn

Elrond comes to Lindon to join his cousin's Court. Gil-galad is strangely reluctant to acknowledge their kinship.

General, No Archive Warnings

Words: 2,215

[ao3feed-silmarillion]

by Ferith12

One morning in bright Tirion, Feanaro’s eldest son fails to rise from his bed.

Feanaro does not learn of it until the midday meal, himself having worked through the night on a new gem, and slept overlong in his forge.

When Maitimo does not appear at noon, Nerdanel’s lips tighten a little and she confesses that none have seen him all day.

“Perhaps he is merely tired,” she says.

Words: 1146, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 22 of Tolkien, Part 1 of Echoes

Fandoms: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Fëanor (Tolkien), Maedhros (Tolkien), Nerdanel (Tolkien)

Relationships: Fëanor & Maedhros (Tolkien)

Additional Tags: Time Travel, (that’s a spoiler but i want you to know)

[ao3feed-silmarillion]

by C_K_R

Wherein, after Finrod goes to his chieftains to ask for their help with Beren’s quest, Celegorm gives a speech against Thingol instead of against Finrod, and convinces Beren to marry Luthien without Thingol’s approval.

Words: 1141, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, Gen, Multi

Characters: Beren Erchamion, Lúthien Tinúviel, Finrod Felagund, Celegorm (Tolkien), Curufin (Tolkien)

Relationships: Beren Erchamion/Lúthien Tinúviel, Beren Erchamion & Finrod Felagund, Celegorm & Curufin & Finrod Felagund

Additional Tags: Fix-It, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-typical Thingol Assholery

[silmalope]

Biomechanical elves, feat. Maglor and Galadriel! Because you don’t live for ~5000 years on one hröa without needing some maintenance.

Additional thoughts below the cut!

Okay, here’s the logic:

1.) Elves live forever unless killed

2.) Elves cannot grow back limbs like starfish (c.f. maedhros)

3.) Elves, due to their preternatural endurance, are very likely to survive having limbs hacked off (c.f. maedhros again)

4.) Elves, especially in the First and Second Ages, spend a lot of time trying to stab each other and/or fighting things that want to rip them to shreds (orcs, werewolves, etc.)

Rinse and repeat long enough, and by the Third Age, most older elves would have several serious permanent injuries. Conveniently, elves also have a cultural predilection for a.) the healing arts and b.) magic smithery, which gives us an excellent fast-track to automail-type fantasy prostheses.

I drew Maglor and Galadriel, who have decent odds of rocking the most metal-per-hröa by the time of LotR.

Maglor has a vocal prosthesis (maybe for smoke inhalation during the War of Wrath, specially calibrated for singing-laments-upon-the-shore purposes); a cranial implant/helm (I like to think Elwing chucked something heavy at him); a gauntlet (to restore fine motor control to his Silmaril-chucking and harp-playing hand), and a prosthetic leg.

Galadriel has several implants and a prosthetic arm. The crown-with-circuitry is a helm designed to offset migraines (a common side effect of peering into things that are, once were, and have not yet come to pass.) It was made for her by Celeborn, who is her husband AND her mechanic, and is also why he gave her the nickname Galadriel.

For obvious reasons, prostheses are wayyyy more common in Middle Earth than Valinor! There are some prosthetic and mobility aid craftspeople in Aman who make tools for elves who were injured on the Great Journey back in the Years of the Trees (or born with conditions that necessitated it!) However, I think the technology probably advanced a whole lot faster in the East, so skilled mechanics arriving in Valinor would be warmly welcomed. I drew the prostheses with exposed metal for the Aesthetics, but I do think elves would develop some kind of grippy skin-like surface for functionality.

[second-silmaril-to-the-right]

Currently bored, if anyone wants to send me Silm writing ideas I might do them.

[castielsfeatheredballs]

snippet saturday, I guess

Vibrating at the highest frequency while writing my little fanfiction. Save me elf incest etc etc.

“Very well,” he said at last. His voice was very coarse. He took a drink. “You have given me quite the conundrum, Feanàro. You ask for terms, and I will not insult you by asking for something unimportant, but you know as well as I do that any... political concession is out of the question. You would not suffer it. Therefore, I believe there is only one thing I can ask of you in return for my complete surrender.”

He breathed in deeply; he felt dizzy. Feanàro was still looking at him, inscrutable and beautiful.

“I will swear,” he continued, “to defer to you in all matter as my eldest brother, as your sons defer to Nelyafinwe. You shall be my superior, and that is right, for you are my elder. But—” oh, it was excruciating.

“As a King has duties to his subjects, so too the eldest brother has a duty: to love his brothers, and such is the price for their submission. I would have your love, Feanàro.”

[welcomingdisaster]

[annabelle--cane]

tragedy protagonist categories:

yknow what yeah I think that's just about how anyone would react in this situation. fair enough.

alright this isn't how just Anyone would behave in this situation but I'm humble enough to admit that there have been times in my life when I was doing badly enough that I'd probably also fumble it like this

babygirl what the hell are you even doing

[annabelle--cane]

thank you hamlet prince of denmark for being the character ever for the 437th year in a row