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Ooh I loved the first chapter! I already read the second on on livejournal, but it's definitely better with the context. I too was snickering about "the bread is not that tough" moment. But also how you descirbed the rest of the household! The clouds of marble dust and acrid fumes and unpredictable tempers haha. Very recognisable...

 

Macalaure, who has no workshop door to close between himself and the music, didn’t notice this morning when Tyelkormo switched plates on him and not only buttered an old shoe sole liberally, but even tried to chew it,

I love that scene!!

When Findekano attempts to copy his father’s behaviour, the result is charmingly dignified.

I can picture how little Fingon looks at that moment. He’s adorable (and it’s adorable that he tries to imitate his father).

This was cute, but a bit sad when it comes to all the things Maedhros is taking upon himself.

Thank you very much!

I'm so glad you like this glimpse of the Feanorian household and of Fingon!

The general setting is  strongly influenced by Dawn Felagund's Another Man's Cage (and through her some of it ultimately goes back to Ivanneth, I guess) but I have changed some things and shifted the emphasis in others, I think.

(I see you've only just joined the SWG, right?  Hello and welcome! I haven't had a chance to read any of "The Golden and the Black" yet...)

Thank you!

As you see, Maedhros being kept so busy by his immediate family is also offered here as an explanation why he never manages to work on his relationship with Fingolfin as much as he feels he should, which is also a theme that continues.

In spite of all that changes, I see Fingon being very consistent: the core of his personality is already there when we first see him.

It's not just a tenuous hint! It's love. Except the nature of that love changes over time and grows in ways neither Fingon nor Maedhros suspect.

Maedhros does have a habit of rationalising. Sometimes it stands him in good stead, sometimes not.  And as a grandson of Miriel he tends to be more aware of time and trust it less.

Thank you for your comments!

'Maitimo looks at the shipwrecked cousin that the parental storm has washed up on the library carpet.' This made me chuckle. What an image! Well, I suppose that after having Feanaro to deal with, one would look like that.

I love that Findekano seems unfazed by his uncle's actions and his use of the quenya language. Pig-ignorant.

Thank you for sharing.

It's so beautiful to see this love between them, this little ray of light, amongst the tension and crumbling relationships, in its infancy, slowly gathering strength.

It's been a while since I've reviewed any of your work, Himring. I think yours were the first fics I ever read. I found your Findekano and Maitimo ficlets on the Faerie Archive and I was struck with how beautifully romantic they were. They conveyed so much more than the words on the page and left me in awe.

Thank you for sharing these wonderful chapters.

This was such an amazing series of comments to receive, especially on a difficult day! It was immensely encouraging, although I wasn't able to answer right away. Thank you!!

I'm so glad you like these glimpses of Findekano and Maitimo's earlier history in Aman!

I hope to answer your comments in more detail soon.

I found this quite sad in so many ways.

This is one of the examples of how their friendship/relationship became so affected by all the tensions.

I did like how you used the Feanorion's journeys into the wilds as a need to escape. To restore a semblance of balance and calm back into the family.

Thank you for sharing.

I think it was not quite so sad to begin with.

Feanor and Nerdanel liked travel and exploration from the start, after all, so it's natural that that would become a family thing.

It's sad that increasingly it tends to shut others out and, as tensions rise, it becomes more restless and more claustrophobic, at the same time...

What a brilliant chapter. You really bring the personalities out in this story. Dear Maedhros, trying to run a chaotic household, keep his brothers in check and entertain and educate his stoic young cousin. It's easy to see the affection he has for Findekamo--especially for his intellectual curiosity and avid learning but also for his steadfast demeanor despite the chaos and baiting. I see Findekano as a brilliant scholar--not as fun as Maedhros to he sure but enough of one to privide scintillating discourse to his oldest cousin. And as Tolkien said--steadfast as the hills of stone. Lovely start.

Thank you very much! Glad you liked it and that the affection came through!

I think Fingon is a good scholar. He perhaps has a bit less of a theoretical bent than Maedhros and a stronger tendency to focus on practical applications, but he was well able to hold his own in their discussions in Valinor, when he grew a bit older, and those ranged over a wide range of topics

I thought of The Cat That Walked By Himself immediately when I read about First Dog and First Cat! So proud that I picked up on that. :D

I honestly can't believe I haven't read this story yet. I absolutely love Maedhros (of course) and you write him so lovingly. Your young Fingon is also delightful - both the image of him diving into algebra with eyes sparkling and braids flying, and his carefully controlled dignity that is modelled so much on Fingolfin are wonderful. Looking forward to reading more about these two - and the chaos of their family!

Thank you very much!

I'm glad you liked young Fingon here and the bit about his dignity being modelled on Fingolfin!

I love the Just So Stories and the The Cat That Walked By Himself. I feel they would have come up out a bit differently when told by Elves, but as you see I haven't committed myself to exactly how.

Yes, Fingon is tenacious enough to love Maedhros, flaws, weaknesses and all!

And Maedhros wouldn't need to admonish himself not to hang his heart on it if that weren't precisely what he was doing...

So he would never speak those thoughts to Fingon, even apart from being too polite to do so, that is!

That's a really interesting idea, the Feanorians harmonizing better - or at all - when they're on the road! May explain why they travelled around so often.
It's a pity that Fingon can't join them on these journeys, but on the other hand, it gives Maedhros a reason to look forward to returning to Tirion, maybe?

I do think they might harmonize better when they're on the road! Starting with Nerdanel and Feanor, who also seem to have done some of their courting while they were going hiking.

You can interpret that need for being on the move negatively, I suppose, but it doesn't need to be negative, despite a certain amount of strain it puts on other relationships.

And, yes, I think Maedhros was looking forward to getting back to Tirion and seeing Fingon again and telling him stories...

with the new-found confidence of a boy who can talk to bears
What a perfect line! You're killing me!

Maitimo's extremely stoic reactions are also golden. A long time ago, an LJ friend described how she was feeling some uncomfortable sensation that she knew could be symptoms of a heart attack, so she figured she'd better get herself to A&E... where she told the receptionist "It is within the realm of the possible that I'm having a heart attack" (they didn't believe her at first, but it actually did turn out to be a heart attack). I was immediately reminded of that incident by Maedhros' level-headed observation of "Unfortunately, I’ve broken my leg, I think, in falling"! I would be screaming!

Of course, that heroic stoicism is going to serve Maedhros well in the future... >_>

So glad you felt inspired to write something for this challenge! Otherwise, who knows when I'd finally have discovered this treasure-trove of stories.

Thank you very much! This is a very slow-growing anthology, because I often don't feel confident in handling the Years of the Trees and the Noontide of Valinor, but there have been a couple of additions, recently!

I think Maedhros's stoicism here may be partly due to his being with Fingon and Celegorm, and his having trained himself not to alarm the kids. But not entirely so, it is a bit of an ingrained personality trait.

I'm glad you liked that line about Celegorm!