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| Interrupted Journeys: Part 3 Journeys Begin by elliska | 6 Review(s) |
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| Brazgirl | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/21/2005 |
| Do we smeel trouble here, Elliska??? I am concerned now. I want to know the reasons that made Thranduil take this decision. It must be terrible for him to allow the elflings, as he calls them, to act on those postings. Spooky! I mean, he will receive lots and lots of critiques but at least he has two backups: Lindomiel and Legolas. By the way, how adorable was Legolas swimming!!! Even Amglaur's heart the child melted. Well, children indeed have the power to do so, and I have a story that proves that! ;-) The best part for me was when Lindomiel pointed out that Legolas was alike his adar: he gets cross when he is tired! That was so lovely! So mother like!!! The river things were adorable. Nice chapter Elliska, a pleasure to read, as always! Author Reply: Yes, there is trouble here. You will see Thranduil's reason more plainly in the next chapter. Everything comes together (or falls apart, depending on your point of view) there. :) I'm glad you liked the river scene. I had fun writing it. I think the family needs to be seen having a few moments of fun. And I'm very glad you liked Lindomiel's comment. :) I agree mothers tend to do things like that lovingly and it is dear. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reading and thanks so much for the review! | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/21/2005 |
| I just wanted to repeat how much I loved this chapter. Author Reply: Well, thank you very much! :) Seeing this sort of thing can just make my day. :) | |
| The Karenator | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/20/2005 |
| I was pleasantly surprised to see this up when I came by this evening. The little swimming party was fun. The kids were excited and cute and the parents were enjoying the little guys enjoying themselves. Very nice and peaceful...and deceptive! Things are brewing off at the palace. I knew the calm was too good to be true. Your novice program sounds great. I'm impressed! The best I can come up with is to have them shoot some arrows and track each other out in the woods. I need to hire you as my technical advisor. Glílavan--now there's a name to remember, I think. Immediately, I don't trust him. And Dolgailon is such a happy little newlywed that he's not paying attention. Bad news... Major military shuffling going on too. So what news did the scruffy men bring? Impending attack on the eastern border? More Easterlings showing up? Dirty guys looking for free soap and water? You've really set this up well. I can't wait to see what happens next. This was an intriguing chapter. I get the feeling that there are hidden little jewels in there and I'm just not picking them up. You're dropping hints all over the place. I hope this chapter doesn't mean that you won't update again this weekend, but I'll try to be understanding if you can't. I don't usually pout for long. Karen Author Reply: Hi Karen! Thanks for the review! I had fun writing the little swimming party. I like to give Thranduil a chance to play every now and again. I can't imagine he had much of an opportunity to do that. Deceptive! Surely you don't think, as Bodkin does, that I would try to lull you into a false sense of security! Hmmm. Yes, I would. :) You are right. Little hints are dropping here and there and the most major pieces will all be brought together in the next chapter, including the specifics of who those dirty travelers were. Thranduil will not like that chapter very much. You just keep remembering those names and tell Thranduil about them next time you see him. :) You want to know something really pitiful? And this just shows how I have absolutely no life! I really do have the entire training program worked out. Every class, every year, every drill. I figured it would be worth figuring out because then I can use bits and peices of it here and there in the story. This was just mentions--I had fun actually showing some of them when Legolas is older. I had so much fun researching that, it was pathetic. I had a little leg up, though. I do historical reenactments, so I went through some training myself (I'm an archer but I can fight reasonably well with a sword). But I really got into looking at medieval training manuals. There are some really cool ones, especially on sword training (I have one in english that I can send you, I think, if you want it.) I have to tell you though--I was really impressed with your training/tracking drill in your current story. So I don't get the impression you need any help. Enough rambling. I hope to post a chapter Friday and one Sunday, to tell you the truth. This chapter on Wednesday was to make up for the lack of one this last weekend. I got buried at work and I actually took two days vacation to play with fanfiction. Did I mention my life is pitiful. :) Anyway, thanks so much for reading! Author Reply: Since a couple of people have asked and there might be more who are curious, I can't help plugging what I consider to be the best, legitimately researched, historical source on the web for Medieval / Renaissance combat: ARMA (Association for Renaissance Martial Arts)--their essays on training and other weapons info can be found at: http://www.thearma.org/essays.htm. You have to browse through the essays. Some are more info than you really need for writing research. But others can give you really good ideas. | |
| French Pony | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/20/2005 |
| Sounds like things are going down in the woods. Any time cadets get called to serve, Something Is Not Right. I am slightly confused as to how they could have fourth- and fifth-year cadets when the training program has only been up for three years. I liked the day of playing by the river. It's probably healthy for all the adults to get out there and enjoy the forest that they work so hard to defend. And I remember playing so many of those games when I was little -- diving to find things (we had rings), splashing adults, hoping adults would duck us, trying to drag my friend Melissa into the deep end of the pool, cannonballing. . . do the Elves follow the "no swimming for an hour after eating" rule? Nanas always say it's because your stomach will cramp up and you'll drown, but I think it's more likely that the adults just want an hour of peace and quiet. Author Reply: Hi French Pony! Thank you for the review! Yes, things are indeed going down...down the tubes. :) Something is not right and you will get to see most of this pulled together in the next chapter and the aftermath in the chapter after that. But pleasant things first...I also liked the day by the river. I played all those games too! That's why they're there, I guess (we threw pennies and plastic rings). And I loved swimming with my dad. That man took a lot of abuse from his daughter not too different from what these elflings inflict upon Thranduil and Celonhael and he took it just as cheerfully. I think you're right. "No swimming after eating" is just an hour long "adult swim." I never followed that stupid rule. As for 4th/5th years, I think Dolgailon says something about there being very few people in those years because they got there by testing out of the simpler classes...or at least he's supposed to say that. I hope I didn't cut that while I was editing. If I did, I'll have to go put it back. :( But anyway, I figure they'd have to have some kind of tests to determine people's level of skill because, as you said in an eariler review, a lot of elves would already have a lot of weapons skills. So, the intent there is that the 4th/5th years would not have actually been training that long, they just tested to that level. Anyway...blah, blah, blah I am long winded as usual tonight. Thanks for reading! :) Author Reply: Ooo! I forgot. I happened over to FF when your fic was on the first page and I saw it says chap 5/10 in the summary there. Yeah! That means we get to see a lot more! Cool! | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/20/2005 |
| The children were charming. It's great to see Thranduil as a doting ada who's struggling not to be overprotective. But then the ending really disrupted that mood, and I have to say that I like kingly, masterful Thranduil even more. Sad, but true. It sounds to me as if things are going badly in the Woodland Realm. Those travel stained men can't have brought good news. Author Reply: Hi Daw! Thanks for the review! I had a lot of fun just writing about Ada!Thranduil playing with elflings here, to tell you the truth. I always liked swimming with my dad. I just kind of let that run for fun. But it also gave a little peek at the elflings and their families. Yes, the end kind of snapped the mood, didn't it? Things are indeed about to go down the tubes. No the travelers brought no good news at all, as you will see next chapter. And soon (chapter after next), you will get a peek at Warrior!Thranduil, which I personally love to see in any story where he appears. Can't help writing him when I get an excuse. Thanks again for reading! :) | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/20/2005 |
| I'm being lulled! There is too much happiness going on. I'm going to start feeling all soft and warm and then you're going to come in with a real sucker punch. Thranduil and assorted loving adults taking gorgeous cute little elflings on a swimming party - with games and pretty fish and birds and otters. Even - note even - with an approving adar-in-law! This was simply lovely. I only wish I could have been there. (Although I think I would have stayed on the blanket. Safe from water-elflings.) The story of Thranduil and Ninglor in the Esgalduin could do with a story of its own, I think. I would really like to see young Thranduil and his parents. (When you've finished this, perhaps? Please?) But things are starting to unravel a little, it would seem. Tulusion is in the capital, yes? And on the receiving end of more information than the suspicious Aradunnon would like to impart. And the ecstatically newly-wed Dolgailon is affected by rose-coloured-spectacle syndrome? I don't like to think of the Stronghold left under the guard of a squad of partially-trained warriors together with a few old hands. It sounds Not A Good Thing. And it might be unfair, but I'm not happy about Gilbert. Even though he's barely entered the picture yet. And Lotheril sounds a bit of a liability. Lovely chapter. Enjoyed every minute. I hope the next chapter in the saga will not be too long delayed - it's just too tense! Author Reply: Hi Bodkin! Thanks for the review and I'm glad you liked the chapter! Well, strictly speaking, you are not being lulled. It is actually Thranduil & Co. that is being lulled. :) Ya' think you're being lulled? You know it must be the begining of the end when Amglaur is happy in Thranduil's presence. :) Yes, things are starting to unravel. Thranduil is going to see that in the next chapter but unfortunately he is going to see it a just a little too late. And you know, sometimes you say things that make me go check to make sure that the rest of this story really isn't anywhere it could be found from the Internet and that's all I'm going to say about that. As for young Thranduil, it is written (including the full version of the river incident) through the end of the First Age and up to just before they go east in the Second Age (I planned on carrying it through the War of the last Alliance). I was really cranking on it until I hurt my back but I just can't seem to get caught up on anything since then. I had hoped to start posting it when Summer term started but I think it will be more like Fall now. :( I actually hope to post the next chapter Friday evening and possibly the last one Sunday night (there should be only two more and an epilogue--but then when we originally split this up in December, it had 8 chapters total so I am pretty bad at splitting up chapters). I took some time off work today and tomorrow and I editted this chapter today and hope to finish the next tomorrow. We'll see. But thanks so much for reading! PS: Refering to your review response from Eärendil’s Tale, I have to ask: you seem to know your birds really well but I am not certain you intended the joke about the water fowl of sable plumage and coots as I took it because I'm not sure if you think of a coot as I do. I get the impression from your spelling and some turns of phrase in your works that you do not live in the USA. Here (at least in the south) coots, in addition to being another term for idiot cronies, are duck-sized pure black water birds (I know they call them gallinules in London). Does coot have the same meaning where you're from? I about died when I read that because it is sooo in line with the running joke. :) Just had to ask. | |