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This is a really intriguing insight and I love the more oblique look at Maedhros and Maglor. Love the title, Little Father- it's a really nice idea, and the way they fear Maglor- serpent-sword, which is unusual and intersting for fanfic. The details in this are luscious- the rug, when she lies down and smells it- I absolutely understadn, imagined, felt and smelt this- I know EXACTLY how it felt, waht it looked like- gorgeous writing.

Thank you for the long and detailed review! The part where Kreka kneels on the rug is still two years later one of my favorite parts for how clearly I saw the scene, the feel of the rug and her emotions and how your body gets when crying like that. The fanon that Maglor is somehow gentler and less feared that his brothers, the stereotypical soft one, is something I definitely as an author tried to actively shatter, because not only is it so prevalent in fanfic, but when you look at it, Maglor has the highest body count of his brothers- he participated in every battle and every act of Kinslaying, without Maedhros's period of capture and recovery - and especially from the pov of Men, Maglor was the one to kill Uldor - he's the warrior figure of the two. None of the sons of Feanor are nice or particularly safe people, especially by this point, and even nominally allies could tell, so I wanted to invert which one the mortals pick as the "sympathetic/soft" half of the duo. The nods to Ancient Persia and the serpent-like swift sword come from a fun little SF/historical series I like (Bór the Great Soul isn't quite Anushiruwān "the immortal soul" but the thought's there), so like the Attila in-jokes they amused me. 

I admit, most of my stories I'm trying to go for the oblique not-quite outsider perspective - or maybe I just find the Vanyar and Bór so much more interesting ;)

Yes- Ok. I get that re Maglor. Interesting. I'll have a think about that- I rather lik eit. I have always thought Maedhros tried so hard to maintain an allinace- with Fingolfin, then Men, the Union etc. He seems ot give in after the Tears, seemsless able to resist his brothers...maybe...

When looking on the Feanorians,  I sometimes cannot keep my mind clear, itseems.

Once, Celegorm was somehow a pupil of Orome, he could talk to animal, had some Maia of him as companion, leads a strong friendship to Aredhel/Irisse, but when I think of his actions in Nargothrond, or, worse, to Luthien, I want to die of shame.

Curufin never had my symphacy, so his down fall would' nt annoy me in any way, he always resembled his father, and was loved and honoured  by him above all his other sons, and he aalways shows to much pride and self- love.

Caranthir/Carnistir is dear to my heart, he was the outsider in his family, he made friendship with dwarves ad men, though you can call him maybe stingy or mad of wealth, in my opinion he was only insecure about his own worth and needed some assurance,  but only did it on the wrong way. I must suggest, I like all those fanon stories of him and Haleth, it would really fit him.

It is hard, coming to Maedhros and Maglor...

They are intelligent and perceptive enough, to see what they are doing, but, there is the great BUT, they never  seem to mature beyond their father's childish behaviour, Feanor really seems to be burnt?? in their minds, only Maglor has a faint idea to defy his father's  strict rules, not to steal the Silmarils, and rather endure the Void, than to do more killing, but he was so relied on his brother's affection, he could not do against his will.

And Maedhros sacrified everything he loved to his fathers ideals, to fullfill Feanor' s expections, so, there was nothig left , and so he maybe choosed wilfully his own damnation, knowing there was nothing else ut this for him...

Okay, I somehow * took pity upon* the Feanorians, and, being the one and only child of a similar forgi g and urgi g father, I have a lot of symphacy  to give...

Though I went an absolutely different way,and have only pity, no more respect or love for my breeder, I have a special kind of understanding  ( and therefore even crooked love) for the Feanorians. 

I hope you can respect it.

They may top the list of my least favorite canon characters, but they make good foils and antagonists for other characters in the Silm and I respect that (the anology I like to use is bacon - bacon's popular and a lot of people love to talk about how much they love it and it's easy to find recipes that use it - but I can't stand the smell of bacon cooking, let alone eat it. So I avoid. ;) They're bacon to me, crispy at that). And for a few of the seven, there is always that sad pity that I have Kreka echo, that they weren't always the awful wretches they have chosen to become, that they could have been else and had once been decent lads. Because in Tolkien even Morgoth started off unfallen. And like Manwe and Nienna to Melkor, the people of Borte want to offer that chance, have that hope. But again....