"Reel On, Love!" by Zeen

[moetushie]

B2MeM Challenge: The Riddle - Write/draw/create another type of fanwork inspired by this song: "The Riddle" from the musical of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Select lyrics: "Reel on, love! Toughen your scars / Year by year we're falling like stars" & "And we slowly learn someone has to burn / Better you than me!"
Format: Short Story (4,096 words)
Genre: Slash, Drama
Rating: Adult
Warnings: Half-sibling incest, semi-explicit sex.
Characters: Fingolfin, Fëanor, various
Pairings: Fingolfin/Fëanor
Author's Note: Many thanks to suzll for beta-ing.
Summary: Fingolfin adjusts to new realities and Fëanor tests boundaries until they break.

Read on AO3

Comments

[starbrow.livejournal.com]

I kudos'd this over on AO3 but would like to express my admiration here as well! I have such a weakness for Feanor/Fingolfin and this was such a lush and gorgeous twisted-up mess of emotion - so perfect for them!

[moetushie]

Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear that you liked it! This is my first time trying my hand at Fëanor/Fingolfin, ans I was a little nervous about getting it right.

[hhimring]

An interesting idea that, to have it happen after Alqualonde, when you'd expect Fingolfin to be least amenable.
On the other hand, a lot of barriers have already broken down at that point, so it makes sense in that way, I guess?
I was struck by a lot of stuff you had going on round the edges, as it were: the description of the storm, Curufin, Fingolfin's thoughts on Finarfin and Anaire and so on.
And there was a bit of FIngon, too, even if only a glimpse!

[moetushie]

Thanks. I chose the setting for a couple of reasons -- first, I think both of them are grieving/off balance because Finwë's death, Fingolfin no less than Fëanor. It must be quite a shock to the system to lose someone you thought you were never going to lose. Aqualondë, I think, is a delayed response. They're still thinking defensively -- us versus them -- I don't think the full horror of what they've done has struck yet. And also, Fingolfin realizes that Fëanor holds all the cards in that moment, and he wants to do something to make the situation less certain.

And also personally, I had never written in that particular time period, and found it fascinating. A lot of boundaries are being brought down, and a lot of them about to go up!

I mean, if this wasn't a shippy fic, I would have had them just argue endlessly (I struggled not to have them argue endlessly here), but yes, basically...

The storm is basically me reading the first part of The Tempest and thinking it works really well in this context. :D Fëanor listens to the boatswain, Fingolfin does not.

I had Fingon, pre-Aqualondë and post-, but it was a little heavy-handed and not especially relevant to the story. But I think his mindset during that time -- and reflecting on it afterward, especially in light of his later warm relationship with Círdan, is pretty interesting.