Tales of Thanksgiving: A Drabble Collection by Dawn Felagund

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Fanwork Notes

Many are the friends and associates in this fandom who have helped, inspired, and encouraged me over the past two years. During the 2006 holiday season, I wanted to begin to thank them for the gift of their support and friendship. These drabble series were written in response to the requests and preferences of friends. The word count of each is exactly a multiple of 100 words.

Please be sure to read and heed any warnings listed at the top of each series. Most of these series are safe for all audiences, but I've gone with the highest rating just to be safe. Chapters marked in the Table of Contents with an asterisk (*) are adult-rated.

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Fanwork Information

Summary:

Series of fixed-length ficlets written as holiday gifts for friends in 2006. Content varies for each drabble, so please heed the warnings posted at the top of each. Adult-rated ficlets are marked with an asterisk (*). MEFA 2007 winner: 3rd Place, First Age and Prior.

Major Characters: Amras, Amrod, Caranthir, Celegorm, Eärwen, Fëanor, Finarfin, Fingolfin, Fingon, Finrod Felagund, Finwë, Haleth, Maedhros, Maglor, Mahtan, Nerdanel, Original Character(s), Rúmil (Valinor), Sons of Fëanor

Major Relationships:

Artwork Type: No artwork type listed

Genre: Drama, Experimental, Fixed-Length Ficlet, General, Romance

Challenges: Gift of a Story

Rating: Adult

Warnings: Mature Themes, Sexual Content (Moderate), Violence (Moderate)
Chapters: 25 Word Count: 11, 978
Posted on 3 June 2007 Updated on 3 June 2007

This fanwork is complete.

Table of Contents

Curiosity

The early love and obsession of Nerdanel and Fëanor, for Angaloth.

Strange

In the personal verse that I use for my stories, Caranthir is gifted with extraordinary abilities in mindspeak. This explores his special gifts as perceived by his parents. For Lady Elleth.

Effortless

Maglor learns that Maedhros's gifts in diplomacy appear effortless but are anything but. For Angelica.

Sense of Swords

Finarfin's choice to follow his people into battle with Morgoth at the end of the First Age, for Ellfine.

Of Love, Mischief, and Flowery Prose

Another in the series of endless speculation about the relationship that might have existed between Maglor and Celegorm, for Rhapsody, who adores them both above all others and is largely to blame for my similar fascination.

Hands and Voices

The creation of the Sarati by Rumil, for Tuxedo Elf. The illustration at the end of the 500-word quibble is the word that Rumil writes and was constructed using the Sarati reference by Ryszard Derdzinski.

*The Space between Hearts

Maedhros's captivity from the perspective of Caranthir, for Oloriel.

Warning: This drabble contains violent imagery that some readers might find disturbing.

Eru's Blessing

Nerdanel announces her marriage to her father. For Allie.

From the Doors of Night

Young Maglor gets a special gift from his father, for Appoggiato.

Shattered

The devotion and obsession of Finwë and Fëanor, for Aramel. "Shattered" was recently translated and published in the Croatian fanzine Olórë Mallë.

*Hatred

Of hatred and passion between two cousins, for Mirien.

Warning: This is a slash story. It is not sexually graphic, but it is not for the faint of heart.

Falling/Forever

How Caranthir met and fell in love with his wife, for Kasiopea.

The Lesson

An alternate-universe quibble that considers the possibility of love between Caranthir and Haleth, for Unsung Heroine.

Lore

One of several possible versions of Maglor's fate, for Sirielle.

Magic

Another version of Maglor's fate: how he sought redemption for his misdeeds.

Belief

This final quadrabble about Maglor's fate attempts to combine his legend with the modern legends surrounding Christmas.

The Wanderer

Young Finrod's first taste of wanderlust and his first friendship with his older cousins. For Pulsarkat.

*The Mirror

Fëanor's self-love and -loathing following his estrangement from Nerdanel. For Alina.

Warning: This story contains both sexuality and violence.

Gladly

Three hopelessly romantic drabbles about Amrod, for Isil.

Blinded

Fingolfin and his herald at the first sunrise, for Phyncke.

How to Paint a Star

Young Fëanor reaches for the unattainable in this quibble for French Pony. "How to Paint a Star" was translated and published in the Croatian fanzine Olórë Mallë.

The Seedling

An alternate-universe story set in the same verse as my novella "By the Light of Roses," about how Amras met his husband Nandolin. For Vána Tuivána.

Warning: This is a slash story. It is not graphic--hopefully sweet--but readers who don't like slash should avoid this one.

What Becomes

Caranthir's symbolic journey to the moment that he took the oath, for Tárion.

Evidence Of

A possibly-crazy Maglor, a decidedly weird Maedhros, and a lifetime of memories that might explain why Maglor chose the fate that he did. For Oshun.

Spent on Joy

For Jenni, the unlikely alternate-universe pairing of Fingon and Caranthir.

Warning: This is a slash story. Not graphic, but if you don't care for slash, please skip this one.

Comments

The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.

I am quite sure that I have commented on this story at some point, but it does not show up on the SWG posting. I have been raving about this particular creation of yours for over a decade!

Whenever I come back to re-read it I am always shocked at how short it is--The Little Engine that Could!--the small story that packs a hefty punch. 

You warn all over the place (gah! fandom! one had to choose between warnings and spoilers at the point in fandom history when this was first posted!). It arguably would be more powerful without the warning, but I also do understand individual emotional fragility better today than I did ten years or more ago. 

You tell us that it is a story of "Of hatred and passion between two cousins," and "not for the faint of heart."

Most of us have experienced a lot of pent-up stress or anger after a breakup--the more significant the relationship the harder the breakup is to handle. In some ways, the more one has loved someone and the more intense the relationship the harder and less elegant and mature one behaves during the ending. I think I responded so strongly to this ficlet because I had initially fallen so head over heels with Fingon/Maedhros when I first encountered them in The Silmarillion. (And have had my share of bad endings of epic life partnerships! Not once, but twice!)

Be still my beating heart…

"in the bliss of Valinor, before Melkor was unchained, or lies came between them, Fingon had been close in friendship with Maedhros; and though he knew not yet that Maedhros had not forgotten him at the burning of the ships, the thought of their ancient friendship stung his heart."

SPOILERS BELOW:

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So how does charming, beautiful, kind and brave Fingon respond to dealing with his resentment of encountering his ex- at a party? He punches him in the face! I love this still as much as the first time I read it! I cannot believe he did that! The scene is so perfect! Ai, Fingon! Not your finest hour and that is what makes it perfect!

This fits two of today's B2MeM earth challenges perfectly! 

Card 38. - Comment on a fanwork -- Day 1 prompt G48: "a fic you reread."

Card 163. The Russingon Card -- Day 1 prompt G48: "blood"

This little ficlet is right up there with my best-loved epic Silmarillion novels in terms of lasting impact. (I also wrote one of my own favorite stories, "I Hate You," inspired by this one.)

 

I will take this as the highest of praise--thank you! I know ficlets are not generally your favorite form, so I must have been successful with this one!

I agree about the warning! One of the things I am looking forward to on my own website (nearly ready to be unveiled, although nowhere near complete) is being able to make my own rules around warnings. And yes, this was written in a different era now. I doubt I would put any warning on it now. (I prefer to say, "My work is written for adults and intended to be consumed by such." Libraries and bookstores manage to peddle fiction without warnings ...) My sympathy is also thin on this particular one since I am myself a blood-injury phobic. (A student was showing me a video of a veterinarian extracting a straw out of a turtle's nose the other day and it took one tiny trickle of blood before I went full-send, all-caps I DON'T WANT TO SEE THIS!!! on him, so it is not a quiet swooning but all-out irrational.)

Having married my high school sweetheart, I have only had one of those epic endings to a relationship, when Bobby and I took a hiatus in college. But yes! I still remember the turmoil of emotion ... and it was nowhere near a life partnership. Just very intense and brief. I would have punched him in the mouth, gladly, at the time. (Now I look back and pity him. And am glad of the experience to use it in my writing! XD)

Anyway. Thank you, thank you for your ongoing support of my work and kind words. <3