Am debating doing first person Mairon, which I have never done and I don't know if it's a good idea because his personality is so drastically different from mine that I always feel like it would be invasive and insensitive of me to presume to get inside his head.

Heh. Now that's a significant contrast to me. First person Sauron is one of my favorite self-indulgences. Which reminds me that I really ought to revisit the mouldering fell beast fic...

Your approach to B2FreakingMeM sounds like a very good one. As for starting one more story whilst WIPs linger? Have at it. Nothing wrong with that at all. :^)

Glad to hear your mood has lifted. I still bear scars from a few dark times during undergrad and grad school.