Detour by Dawn Felagund

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Fanwork Notes

This story was written for MPTT's 2017 Potluck challenge. I used an unfilled Yule Exchange prompt, originally requested by Silver Trails: "I would like a Fingon and Maedhros story, where they love each other. It can be set in Tirion, in Middle-earth, or after they come out of the Halls."

I have lately been unable to stop writing stories about the Finwëans as they are released from the halls of Mandos and into a version of Tirion they could never have imagined. Finarfin has unkinged himself and, against the will of the Valar, established Tirion as a democratic republic. I don't believe that familiarity with the earlier stories is required to understand this one, but if you're curious: Bone-White and Museum for the Forgotten. (Incidentally, "Bone-White" was also written for a request by Silver Trails, so she can really be blamed for a lot of this. ;) Please see the endnotes for translations of Quenya names.

Fanwork Information

Summary:

It is the Fifth Age of Arda. Finarfin has unkinged himself and declared Tirion a democracy, and the Noldorin people are alive with the possibilities to be found in their new existence. Yet Maedhros, more than ten years after his release from the halls of Mandos, has retreated to a life of apathy and loneliness, until one day, Anairë comes to deliver him news that he never hoped to receive: His cousin Fingon has been released from Mandos. (Maedhros/Fingon)

Major Characters: Anairë, Fingon, Maedhros

Major Relationships:

Genre: Drama, Slash/Femslash

Challenges:

Rating: Teens

Warnings: Mature Themes, Sexual Content (Mild), Violence (Mild)

This fanwork belongs to the series

Republic of Tirion
Chapters: 1 Word Count: 7, 683
Posted on 29 January 2017 Updated on 29 January 2017

This fanwork is complete.

Table of Contents

Detour

Comments

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Considering you have said in the past that you don't really ship these two, you are awfully convincing.

In other words: I fell for this story, hook, line and sinker.

Of course it confirms my prejudice that everything is better with Fingon. Well, most things. (Sighs dreamily together with Miss Chapped Lips.)

I would like to believe that Maedhros has been a better teacher than he thinks, although he could be better, with a bit of boost from a cousin and a bit of hope. Personally, I can't believe he was boring about Quendian grammar in the past either, but then I'm a nerd and think Quendian grammar sounds like a fascinating subject.

Also, it was time that one of the returnees was a bit more enthusiastic about Finarfin's reforms, even if they are less than perfect (as the description of the lower circles also suggests).

I liked Anaire forgetting to remove the price tag, showing she was flustered and less self-possessed than she appears.

:D I don't ship them, but I do love this pairing and have long before I was even willing to admit it! (I mean, we're talking more than twelve years, when I was first starting to "get" slash. And of course, Mae/Fin was predominantly what I was reading because that was most of what was being written. They were also the first slash pairing I wrote, although this is the first time I've incorporated them into one of my verses and not just a standalone story.)

> I would like to believe that Maedhros has been a better teacher than he thinks

He totally is! This is what I hoped to show in the scene with his class. He claims these kids lack curiosity and motivation--a common complaint of teachers of disadvantaged kids--and then he manages to excite them about a topic to the point that they are nearly shouting him down.

Fingon recognizes, of course, that Maedhros has that power; he mentions it in his letter, but Maedhros is dismissive. He's not in a place to see it. (Working with disadvantaged kids also produces a lot of burn-out.) Then there is the fact that middle school can be such a pain-in-the-neck age. My students do it to me all the time: They act sullen or disinterested or just plain bad, and then I find out secondhand that they're telling everyone else how much they love me and my class. Maedhros should definitely know how kids that age are by now! I'm sure he went through it with his brothers. :)

> I liked Anaire forgetting to remove the price tag

I'm so glad you noticed that detail! I really liked that too.

Thank you for such a kind and always thoughtful comment! :)

I can't put into words how much I loved this story.

I love how much their letters reveal about their personalities: steadfast and irrepresible  Fingon, and bitter, self-concious Maedhros, trying to find his place in such a different world, and not daring to believe he's able to move on, leave the past behind and have a future with Fingon.

And of course Maedhros is a better teacher than he thinks, and I'm sure his students think so, too: I loved that scene with the forgotten book, opened to the page that shows precisely the drawing of Maedhros preparing to ride to Morgoth.

I loved the idea of a democratic Aman, with same-sex marriage, although I thing they are still at the first steps on the road to full democracy. As I told you at AO3, I've never contemplated this possibility before, but I find it really interesting.

And I loved the ending (but I must admit I'm prejudiced: I love Maedhros/Fingon pairing).
Please forgive my mistakes: I'm not a native English-speaker. 

What a fascinating scenario. (And I don't even mean the democratic Tirion bit; it's Maedhros as a teacher who has to... basically cover his own history. What a tough job! He just can't do right, can he? Either he'll make the lessons too engaging and then he'll be accused of glorifying the sordid past, or he keeps a professional distance and it ends up... well, a lot less engaging! No wonder he's withdrawn!) It was so satisfying to see Fingon's attempts at pulling him out of his shell. I loved Fingon's resilience and insistence and the fact that he is fully embracing this new world (and Maedhros in it, of course :D).

Needless to say, I also loved that you didn't paint "modern" Tirion as some sort of perfect place free of injustice or frustration, but included realistic issues like the differences in education and cultural participation.

The fun fair ride made me laugh out loud because of something Indy posted on LJ a while back ("please keep your arms, legs, and hair inside the vehicle at all times") - this was the perfect application! [/silly]

My one gripe is that this story is too short! I would have loved to continue reading. Oh well. Fortunately, you provided links to other fics in this scenario, so I will definitely check those out...

In conclusion, thank you for writing yet another well-envisioned, convincing and satisfying story!

As you know, I love this pairing. This was a fascinating look at their post-Mandos life. Maitimo's self doubt and Fingon's self assurance and positivity felt so in character here. It's so important for them to get their happily ever after and it's so obvious Maedhros needs it, they both do. 

Steadfast, valiant Fingon is not going to let Maedhros second guess what they have. 

I find your version of Tirion here intriguing. Arafinwë's ideas are revolutionary yet so fitting.

The letters!! Oh my goodness, I love the letters in this. They're humorous and charming, but also succeed so well in characterizing both Fingon and Maedhros. Going into that, I'm very fond of your vision of the relationship dynamic between the two of them: the way they're very opposite in some things, and how those things irritate each other, but they've ultimately accepted them with an eyeroll. Very old-married-couple-ish.

Beyond that, I like the way Maedhros's character is written here. I think it would be expected that he try to jump to the forefront of the political scene, but instead he's "compliant" and keeps to himself. That feels more right to me, I think.