The Daily Drabble--"The Many Things I Am"

[dawn_felagund]

I could hear you all sighing all the way in Baltimore: "She's missed a day already. After less than a week."

But no! I have not! I simply did the daily drabble late because I was busy at work today.

So, without further ado, here it is:


paterfamilias \pay-tuhr-fuh-MIL-ee-uhs; pat-uhr-; pah-\, noun; plural patresfamilias \pay-treez-; pat-reez-; pah-treez-\:
The male head of a household or the father of a family.

Examples
"His father served as paterfamilias to the entire García clan, dispensing money and advice to those who needed it,
and the family, in turn, revered him."
-Leslie Stainton, Lorca: A Dream of Life

"Just after World War II the paterfamilias, Eric, briefly abandons his wife and children for a doomed romance in
Paris."
-John Domini, "review of Drowning, by Lee Grove," New York Times, July 21, 1991

"On the face of it, Henry Spencer Ashbee was a typical middle-class Victorian: a successful businessman, a strict
paterfamilias."
-Iain Finlayson, "Victorian erotic values," Times (London), February 21, 2001

Etymology
Paterfamilias is from Latin pater, "father" + familias, "of the family or household," the archaic genitive form of familia, "family or household."


Alina, I think you'll like this one, as it features cute!young!hott!newlywed!Feany. ;)

The Many Things I Am

I’ve aspired to be many things: craftsman, loremaster, prince.

Most recently: husband.

But despite my ambitions, I never saw myself as a father, as the head of this diaphanous “House of Fëanáro”—so far, just my wife and me—as a paterfamilias.

Until now.

I watch Nerdanel, her hand upon a belly still flat and firm—but not for long. Life burgeons there, growing even as the tears spill from her eyes, for she had been afraid of what I’d think.

Those other things—craftsman, loremaster, prince—I’d forsake them all for this.

I kiss the tears from her cheeks.

Comments

[tarion-anarore.livejournal.com]

"Paterfamilias"??? O.o That sounds like Spanish on crack...

I enjoyed the drabble! Once I got over my semi-psychotic glee over saying "paterfamilias" over and over.

Actually, haven't quite gotten over it yet. I'm still saying "paterfamilias" to myself.

[dawn_felagund]

*giggles* That was my first impression too! I was thinking, "Crap, how can I write a Silmarillion drabble about this word?" I should have done like I did for "conurbation" (another of those words that Just Don't Fit Silmfic) and done drabbles about fathers, but I didn't have the time for more than one. :^/

The drabble's not my best, but it's passable given the word. And thank you! :)

[tarion-anarore.livejournal.com]

I should have done like I did for "conurbation" (another of those words that Just Don't Fit Silmfic) and done drabbles about fathers, but I didn't have the time for more than one. :^/

:-\ Oh well. You can always add to! ;P

but it's passable given the word

Heck, if it had been me, a) I would have been like "You're joking..." and b) there would be no drabble. So double points for you!

[ann-arien.livejournal.com]

Awwww!... Yep, you said it yourself, I love it! I wonder what Feany would have to say if he knew that roughly 100 years later he'd have SEVEN kids. For the moment, they are both so sweet, especially Nerdanel, so unsure of what Feany would say. (Except: "I put him in there. I figure I can get him out." Lol!) {{huggles both of them}}

I'm going to write my own drabble now, but I think I'll bypass the word and just use the meaning. These weird words fly around my head like gnats. ;)

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! :) I consider it practice for a certain noveling project I'm going to begin on once AMC is finished....

Ahem.

Oh, and I also started mentally writing a certain someone's bday present last night. *evol giggle*

And using just the meaning is great! It's not a very Silm-like word anyway. If I ever shared this drabble elsewhere, I'd probably swap in a synonym.

Oh, also! (I keep thinking of completely random things to say!) I finished TSotE beta for Jenni yesterday, so I will definitely start hardcore work on the stuff you sent me. I've started reading it (again), but I hope to have comments to you soon too! :)

[digdigil.livejournal.com]

Hey, I missed this last night because I was so tired and drained, and I shut the comp off early. Paterfamilias? You are evol! How can I write about Maitimo/Findekáno?

Your good day sounds wonderful! It is nice to have one of those every once in a while, isn't it? Does that mean you will post AMC today, instead of tomorrow? Especially after telling us that even you thought it was good? I hope so, Dawn, because I have to work tomorrow as you know, and would have to wait until 5 p.m. at least to read it!

Anyway, all that being said, I love this drabble about Feany and Nerdanel. He is an unlikely 'paterfamilias' as he himself thinks, but he turned out to be one who could inspire his children to do anything.

[dawn_felagund]

*giggles* I am not evol. The folks at Dictionary.com are evol. ;)

(That was my first thought too: "Paterfamilias? WTF??")

But Mae and Fin both had patresfamilia in the form of Feanor and Fingolfin. Also, by virtue of their relationship, they were doomed never to be patresfamilia themselves. There's some ideas for you. :)

Unfortunately, the section of AMC that I was reading yesterday is not this week's chapter. This week's chapter is still in Macalaure's PoV and is only half-finished. And I haven't even started writing the end. *softly weeps* Sorry.... 8^(

[digdigil.livejournal.com]

Oh! Well, that's okay, re: AMC. I can't believe still that the end is so near. *weeps softly with you*

Okay, I did my 'paterfamilias' drabble, but why did LJ make me backdate it and then toss it in before my update of TSotE?

[dawn_felagund]

About LJ: WTF?? That's weird....

I'm going to post AMC as soon as it's finished. I'm working on it now, so it might be done before I leave work. Hopefully. But I can't promise anything!