On Friday, I think, no, on Thursday, I decided to go check nathar-nimhe again for the first time in forever. First, I re-read some old fic ideas, of which I have completely forgotten only one! (that I have now deleted), then I re-read my fics there -> liked the one with Miriel as High Queen in Beleriand -> went 'why don't we write the whole Dagor Bragollach with Miriel there as High Queen'?

After I finished my cleaning routine, I went and re-read the first couple of pages of the chapter about the battle, then I set to writing in the night and went to bed at 3:00 AM (F). 

I guess I like the idea of moving every character about as a chess piece, finding a place and a role for everybody etc.

I also downloaded maps (I had never saved Tolkien maps on my PC before, iirc), particularly Beleriand+rest of ME map (for me, it's sort of mind blowing that Ost-in-Edhil is about paralled to the southermost river in Ossiriand, I guess I always imagined Beleriand to be further up north?); I read wikis (and thus (re-)learned where exactly Maglor was situated in the FA LOL. I knew vaguely where he was, but I wouldn't have been able to say exactly between the two branches of the Gelion); I asked Google questions (not relevant to this story, but just how far was Valmar from Tirion?).

Canonical deaths during the battle still happen, Finrod gets captured as in my old drabble, and others are gravely wounded. (I'm only talking about Elves here, because I've never kept tracks of humans.)

The problem? The problem is that, as always, my imagination took a leap of faith that my writing ability has a hard time keeping up with. 

And so the number of characters increased, and also the number AU elements and of things to write. 

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It's really hard for me to write about Fëanorians even like this these days, but I do think about them constantly, still...

So, a few days ago I caught a glimpse of a TV documentary about African wild dogs and they're just...extremely Fëanorian:

a) very close bonds within the pack (more social than wolves, even with a less hierarchical structure)
b) there are more males than females in packs (3:1)
c) it's the females that leave to find a new pack for themselves
d) look at their colours! Black-and-red in dusty patches with some white thrown in
e) there's this legend about the South African creator god IKaggen "taking revenge on the other gods by sending a group of men transformed into African wild dogs to attack them, though who won the battle is never revealed", which is just perfect

Turns out Eru is a mantis and decides to just get rid of the Valar at some point.

Or you could come up with an OC god, of course, or make Méassë & Makar mantis gods with a revenge to take on the other Valar who have exiled them for being too warmongering.

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