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| Avoidance by Stefania | 7 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Chibi-kaz | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/22/2006 |
| OK, reaching my waiting-tolerance. :-) Kidding - -you take your time, it's obviously worth the wait. LOVED the "shwing!" reaction of Faramir to Eowyn's arrival in Council. Rethe is great, I hope she sticks around. You've had Eowyn acknowledge she finds Faramir attractive (who doesn't?!?), but is she starting to feel more regard for him, or is she clinging to her Aragorn-obsession thoughtlessly? Cheers, can't wait for more! Chibi-Kaz Author Reply: Hee hee hee, for your reaction to Faramir's reaction. My Faramir, in some ways, is just an ordinary guy--the lonely ranger. You ask: "Is she starting to feel more regard for him, or is she clinging to her Aragorn-obsession thoughtlessly?" You'll find out and very soon. The next chapter is out for its Beta reviews, so hopefully I'll have it ready next week. F and E's relationship is really evolving, but then so are a lot of things in the greater world. - Steff | |
| irene | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/10/2006 |
| Since my first read of LOTR -- many years ago -- I never gave the F/E-relationship a chance. He: "Do you not love me?" She: babbles something about not wanting to be a shieldmaiden anymore but instead wants to heal or something such. Clearly, she grabbed the first man of high lineage she met only to show Aragorn "look! There are others than you I can get!" This union surely will be a disaster, in my opinion. Poor Faramir. I know hardly one of the fans share my opinion. Why actually? There is no hint either in the book or the appendices they lived happily ever after. The havea grandson, that's all we know. A convenient marriage, nothing more. Therefore, I'm really interested in your work. Something like "it could have been this way, and all were happy", and so on. Only, life is much more complicated. Thank you one more for a very good read! Irene Author Reply: Hi Irene - I've always loved the F/E romance, for all that it didn't seem realistic, even when I first read it in 1968. And Tolkien left lots of gaps in the romance. The little attention paid to F/E in the films also leaves gaps huge gaps for the imagination of speculating viewers. What a great opportunity for authors to write F/E gap fillers! I don't agree that Eowyn, book or film, grabbed the first man she could get of high lineage just to get back atcha at Aragorn. I'm one of those who thought Eowyn's love for Aragorn was tantamount to a teenage crush. And Faramir has many merits (including being of appropriate lineage) that would make him an excellent match. I thought a great deal more about F/E, which I have elaborated on, in great length on LOTR movie boards. But if I wrote them here, I would spoil it for anyone who reads the "Avoidance" reviews. My task is to write a story that illustrates my thoughts. I hope I can do this to everyone's satisfaction. Thanks for reading and your great reviews. As a preview, the next chapter (about 50 percent done) gives a glimmer of Eowyn's evolving thoughts on Faramir. - Steff | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/9/2006 |
| You didn't need much assistance; this chapter was well-constructed before I made those few suggestions and tweaks. I've always assumed that Eowyn and Faramir sorted out her Aragorn issues during the engagement, which lasted several months (I don't count the betrothal in Edoras as a marriage, though it has been interpreted as such in some fanfics). But I could see it still troubling Faramir if they didn't deal with it then, and if he still had doubts that he was first in her heart as well as first in her bed - which isn't hard to understand; Faramir has come in second for most of his life, being 'first' would still be a comparatively new experience for him. More soon, I hope. Author Reply: Hi Raksha - Your tweaks really helped, especially your comments on the "robe of office" plot device :) . I bet you didn't know that Denethor had more than one robe of office, and different ones for the various seasons. They didn't have dry cleaners or laundries yet. Imagine what the ambassador from the Northmen would say it they visited Minas Tirith and the Steward's robe stunk. (Did I just invent a fanon?) As far as Faramir having unresolved issues regarding jealousy toward Aragorn, hey...I'm not into torturing Faramir. I don't ever, ever plan to make him a wimp. My Faramir is most especially NOT a virgin when he meets Eowyn. Moreover, Denethor never beat Faramir within an inch of his life, in the Steffverse. So there you be. "Avoidance" violates those 4 common elements of Faramir fanon. So can't I retain one element of Faramir fanon in my story--that of angst? A jealous Faramir results in an angsty Faramir. ;) . | |
| lucidity | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/8/2006 |
| Faramir must be having a terrible time of it. I often wondered at the relationship between these two. It seems she jumped into the relationship with Faramir on the rebound and that rarely works out. I'm not a huge romance reader, but I have enjoyed your story thus far. Your characterizations are very good. Author Reply: Thanks, Lucidity. I've taken it as my personal cause to give an explanation as to why Eowyn jumped at Faramir's proposal so quickly. I think everyone who tries to write an F & E romance has to tackle this thorny issue, thanks to Tolkien. Much as I loved the little of their romance that Jackson showed us in the ROTK EE, the film writers dropped the ball on explaining Tolkien's F/E hasty love affair. Not only would showing F & E's quicky romance wreck the pacing of ROTK but it could be confusing to movies only people. So all Faramir gets from Eowyn in the theatrical ROTK is a satisfied smile. And in the EE, poor Eowyn might be construed as a fickle, jilted gal falling for the handsome guy she spies on a patio. What caused me and the many Faramir/Eowyn shippers such anguish with the ROTK film two years ago has become a gold mine for fanfic writers eager to fill in gaps. I know what my explanation for Eowyn's change of heart is going to be. I hope I can write this in a way that is satisfactory for those who are reading "Avoidance." - Steff | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/8/2006 |
| Lusting after Eowyn while knowing that she was eager for Aragorn. Well, I'm not surprised he has lingering feelings of jealousy. I do hope they manage to straighten it all out! They suit each other to well to live in doubt of their relationship. Faramir had so much on his back over these days - even though he was still recovering from his wounds. I love the return of some of his men - and the description of how they were driven away from their Captain. To my surprise, the opposition we faced seemed disinterested. Most fought us as if we were just obstacles in their path to somewhere else.” “They were on their way to try and trap me,” Faramir said laconically. Very logical! Author Reply: Thanks, Bodkin. Expect more lust to happen from F and E before circumstances that we all know about draw them apart. And as far as Faramir's men are concerned, it took me so long to write this chapter because that Anborn had the chutzpah to became a plot bunny of major proportions. I started writing his adventures and not paying enough attention to Faramir and Eowyn's incipient love affair. But I've regained my focus. Maybe someday--probably April or so--I'll try to do something about Anborn. - Steff | |
| elanor_dh | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/7/2006 |
| I loved Faramir-Galadriel scene and the whole idea connected with it. Great chapter. :) | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/7/2006 |
| I liked the idea of Galadriel communicating with Faramir and enjoyed Anborn's meeting with Aragorn. I loved the little girl at the end ! Author Reply: Thanks for your encouragement and suppot, Linda and Elanor. Did you know that the MEFI Awards have an award for AU stories called the "Faramir Goes to Lothlorien" prize. I got the idea of having Galadriel invade Faramir's dreams before I heard about the award. But once I heard of the award, I couldn't resist going AU and having fun with the Faz/Gladys connection. - Steff | |