#sadtimo thoughts

Something I don't think I've ever seen discussed in the Silm fandom is that Nerdanel must have had skills in painting as well as sculpting. I mean, the History of Middle-Earth says people often mistook her sculptures as real people, and, well... I don't think I'd ever mistake an unpainted white marble statue for a real person, no matter how realistically it was carved. Realistically, they would have most likely been painted. Statues in real life were often painted in antiquity anyway, and the paint was worn off or forcibly removed over time.

And yet, I don't believe I've ever seen fanart or anything of Nerdanel painting her statues, and her works are typically in plain white marble. But I think it would be really cool to show how she has a masterful understanding of color as well as 3D space.

I learned today that it is entirely possible to hand-sew using only your left hand!

Backstory: The right sleeve of my sweater was starting to unravel at the seam near the wrist. I was too lazy to take it off, and I wanted to fix it before it got worse, so I repaired it while still wearing it, using only my left hand. I'm right-handed.

So, as I was doing this, I naturally got an idea for a delightful new headcanon!

I tend to imagine Maitimo as a primarily academic nerd, but I think, growing up, his creative hobby was calligraphy. I think the beauty of his writing was unmatched in the House of Finwë, and even Fëanor, who invented the alphabet, was so pleased with Maitimo's writing that he would often have him write his official correspondences and whatever.

But after Maitimo lost his hand, that went out the window.

He learned how to write again, of course, but it was never quite the same. His left-handed calligraphy had a beauty in its wildness, but it was never nearly as perfect as his right-handed calligraphy.

I think his loved ones would have been grieved to see how frustrated he got trying to re-learn calligraphy and constantly comparing it to what it was before. Enter Aranya, my OC, Maitimo's primary healer. (If you're not familiar with her, this is a good introduction to her.) Aranya is an avid embroiderer. I like to headcanon that healers practice embroidery as a way to refine their stitching skills, and Aranya is always embroidering to keep her hands busy. So maybe one day, while she was watching Maitimo struggle with his calligraphy, she discovered like I did how it's possible to sew with one hand, so she decides to offer to teach Maitimo.

At first, he dismisses the idea and thinks it's impossible. But Aranya demonstrates how she can do the entire process of threading the needle, knotting the thread and sewing the stitches using only her left hand. Maitimo knows he'll suck at it, but it's not like he has much else to do, so he agrees.

It's a long road, and learning how to embroider is tough even when you have two hands. Maitimo almost gives up a few times during the beginning. But by the time he manages to embroider a very simple kitten, he has the satisfaction of having made something by himself. And there is no pre-Angband standard to compare his work to. He realizes he managed to learn a new skill even after his body was nearly destroyed.

Eventually he's embroidering cute woodland animals alongside Aranya, and it's something he can do to keep himself grounded. I also think while he was Lord of Himring, he took great pride in being able to mend his own clothes. There are a lot of things he needs people to help him with, but this is something he can do himself.

...and other Fëanorian sleep headcanons!

I love to imagine how chaotic the House of Fëanor's sleep habits must be. I mean, they're all highly intelligent and creative nerds with insane levels of energy, varying degrees of discipline, and next to no common sense. And... there's a lot of people in that house. So without further ado, this is how I headcanon each Fëanorian's sleep habits (or lack thereof).

Fëanor: Doesn't need sleep. Or that's the impression he gives off, anyway. He can spend a full day getting into drama with his brothers, and a full night Making Stuff in the forge (making stuff can also mean making babies). He takes catnaps throughout the day/night whenever it's convenient, and appears unbothered by it. Nerdanel is the only one who can convince him to go to bed (with her, naturally) at a decent time.

Nerdanel: A night owl. I think she enters her creative zone at night when her kids have all gone to bed. She might feel exhausted all day, but have a renewed burst of energy once she's experiencing some peace and quiet alone in the workshop. In the morning, she's grumpy, and as the kids get older they learn to let her sleep in and not bother her in the mornings. (Don't worry, they find a certain other redhead to bother in the mornings...)

Maitimo: Sleeping Well-Formed One needs his beauty rest. And nobody lets him get it!! If left to his own devices, he would experience his peak energy and productivity in the evening, stay up kind of late but not too late, and sleep laaaate into the morning. He's highly active both physically and mentally with his studies and his workouts, and helping Nerdanel haul stone from the quarry and such. Plus, he must have had the worst growth spurts as an adolescent. So I imagine he needs a lot of sleep to feel his best. But unfortunately for him, he stays up late studying and putting his brothers to bed. And then, in the morning, every single morning, no matter HOW old they get... Tyelko and the twins jump on his bed to wake him up at the first light of Laurelin. So, our poor boi is chronically sleep-deprived and always tired. His brothers call him Sleepyhead Nelyo.

Makalaurë: Nocturnal. Like the other family members mentioned so far, Kano enters his creative flow most easily at night. But I believe he is also too unhinged to have a reasonable bedtime, and so he consistently goes to bed at 6am or whatever the equivalent is in Valinor. I don't think he requires as much sleep as Maitimo, so he wakes up comfortably around noon. And if anyone tries to wake him up before noon, he takes his revenge by loudly singing at the top of his range late into the night.

Tyelkormo: The Hasty-Riser loves to get up insanely early, before the crack of dawn (if Valinor had dawn). One of the most energetic of the sons, he's always super excited to get up early for his hunts and workouts. And when he was a small Elfling, he was always bursting with excitement to see Timo every morning. (And as he got older he liked to annoy him by jumping on his bed.) He tends to crash in the early evening, and when he was little, it was a battle to try to get him to go to bed. (Imagine an exhausted toddler screaming about how they're Not Tired.) As he got older, he developed the discipline to go to bed early himself. And his retiring to bed was usually the beginning of the nightly peace and quiet in the house.

Carnistir: Bro has a SCHEDULE and HE WILL MAINTAIN IT. He perhaps has the most "normal" sleep needs, preferring a full and exact 8 hours, not too early but not too late. But the thing is, if you disturb him either too early or too late, you Will regret it because you Will get Grump Caranthir. He's considered Sleepyhead #2, right behind Maitimo.

Curufinwë: Atarinkë naturally follows his dad's schedule, sleeping at whatever odd hours are convenient to him. Often on a forge workbench, in his grubby work clothes, with a hammer in his hand. And like Fëanor, he's not too bothered by sleep deprivation. He also tends to mind his own business and not interfere with his brothers' sleep times.

Ambarussar: They tend to follow Tyelko's pattern, including the Waking Up Nelyo Ceremony aka jumping on his bed. And since they are hunters as well as Tyelko, I imagine they're interested in catching that early morning prey before Laurelin is shining outside too. Perhaps they require a little more sleep than Tyelko too, so they go to bed more willingly. And I love to imagine them as little cuddlebugs, especially loving to cuddle with Maitimo.