Taboos Were Made To Be Broken (January 2017) by Kaylee Arafinwiel

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Fanwork Notes

 

 

Fanwork Information

Summary:

A collection of Silmfic written for SWG’s January 2017 ‘Taboo’ prompts. Some will be co-written with, or perhaps solely written by, my co-author and dear friend Emma, and those will be noted.

Major Characters: Amdir, Barahir (First Age), Beren, Daeron, Elmo, Elu Thingol, Elves, Eärendil, Finrod Felagund, Glorfindel, Idril, Lúthien Tinúviel, Mablung, Meleth (Elf), Melian, Melkor, Men, Nimloth, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Oropher, Sindar, Tuor

Major Relationships:

Genre: General

Challenges: Taboo

Rating: Teens

Warnings: Expletive Language
Chapters: 7 Word Count: 4, 568
Posted on 19 January 2017 Updated on 21 January 2017

This fanwork is a work in progress.

Table of Contents

What Uncle Glorfi Says...

Written in tribute to Atto Fiondil's Glorfindel, and to his story "STING: Blades of Destiny", following on a few years later.

While Idril and her son spend time together in her solar, Idril finds Glorfindel isn't quite as careful around her boy as he could have been...

B1 "Bad Language"

The Steward's Tale

Originally written for B2MEM 2011 prompt 6 "Greed", this is posted here for B5 "Ethnocentrism and Prejudice" and because I intend to write more about what followed on from it. It's been edited slightly from its original form to reflect things I've learned in the past nearly-six years.

Text in italics is from the Silmarillion and not owned by me. What, then, did Elmo, Steward and brother of Elu Thingol, make of his brother's meeting with the son of Barahir?

Interlude in the Poppy Garden

The next few chapters are a sequel to "The Steward's Tale" but shift POV away from Elmo. These are co-written between Emma and myself. The tale of Beren and Luthien continues in Doriath...I3 - Acceptance and Change.

Forward to Neldor

Chapter three of "The Steward's Tale", Celepharn and Neldiel are Celeborn's cousin and his wife, mine and Emma's OCs. I2 - Laws

The Princess' Speech

Luthien addresses her family, unwilling to take her imprisonment quietly - and Neldiel isn't about to take this quietly, either.

O2 - Etiquette

The (In)Justice of the King

Nimloth and Neldiel share their anger at Luthien's plight - but Elu isn't having any of it.

Thoughts of Kings

Celepharn and Neldiel consider the Mortal Beren, and where his path may take him.

Comments

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Emma and I see Elven society as very patriarchal in general (whether that's right or wrong is up for debate, and we have characters on both sides of the argument.) The nobility especially seem to hold to more rigid standards than the 'common folk'. Melian loves Elu, for all his faults and flaws (and there are many, pride being chief among them), but she also recognizes how her people view her place in society, and won't openly argue with him. True, she's as far above him as Luthien is above Beren, and knows it. But she won't interfere with Elu's free will decisions. Could she order Elu to recant his decree? Sure. Could she coerce him to? Of course. But she won't because she feels in so doing, she'd be no better than her Lords' Fallen Brother. She counsels Elu, but she won't command him. And she certainly won't argue with him publicly. If their people see them divided, they'd lose faith in their King.

She did, however, indicate subtle disagreement when she called Luthien "my heir" instead of "the prisoner". Luthien caught it. Most others might not have. Elu obviously didn't notice.

As others in the story noted, though, Elu's afraid to lose Luthien. That's the real issue. He's lost some of his loved ones already - Olwe, his nearest brother in age, abandoned him to follow the Belain. In Emma's and my-verse, they have parents who died at Cuivienen. Elu's not keen on losing his only child, especially to a Mortal. (It's worth noting that after this, his opinion of Mortals will change rather drastically, and perhaps Melian can see that coming, to a point. This is F.A. 465 or thereabouts - just eight years later, Elu will accept the nine-year-old Turin son of Hurin as his foster-son.)

Anyway, Melian will certainly do her best to help Luthien, as much as she can without outright defying Elu. She loves him too much, despite everything, to see him fail. And perhaps she hopes she can bring Elu around.

Thank you so much for the review, Grundy. Sorry for the rambling reply, but I hope it makes sense! I hope to continue this story soon, but how soon is open to question.

I'm also curious to know what you thought of Earendil and Idril at the beginning, in the unrelated story bit :)