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| Eruanna by Eärillë | 5 Review(s) |
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| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/10/2010 |
| As one who has been a special education teacher and who has lived and worked with folks who are blind and otherwise disabled almost all of my adult life, disabilities are a fact of life to me. And my experience is that good WILL come out of anything if we let it. A wonderful look at the acceptance we must face when we find our lives not exactly as we'd imagined them. Author Reply: What I tried to say in this piece was indeed a message of acceptance and chance for the child to grow into his/her best. I am glad it went through to the readers. Half of my life I spend as a blind and it will not likely change in the future. There are hardships aplenty here for people like us, but almost nothing is harder to bear than the rejection of our parents. That is the last message that I hoped to convey, and it is also what inspired me to write this. To me, everything and everyone is perfect in the Creator's eyes, but I leave it to the readers to mull over it before they even read the story. :) I do not know if I will continue this piece into a short story, because I have no idea as of now... That is why I asked for help from the readers. Thank you very much for reviewing and sharing a part of your life, your thoughts, and your opinions here. - Rey | |
| Ainariel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/9/2010 |
| Very thought provoking... I really enjoyed it, and I think you captured the emotional turmoil of the parents well. I do not have children, but have a friend with a handicapped child - their daughter has Downs Syndrome, and I saw my friend go through the denial, the guilt, even anger. She found out while she was pregnant, and was thankful - once she came to terms with it. She and her husband (and extended families) did an amazing amount of research so they could help their little girl be the absolute most/best she could be. My friend sometimes calls her daughter "God's child" because, she says, Ella is so full of love, joy and compassion that she is a constant reminder of God's unconditional love. I really liked your into to the story, too - particularly the first line: "Everything and everyone is perfect in the Blessed Realm... is it not?" Of course! Everything and everyone is perfect...each for their purpose. Since only the Creator knows the true purpose of each part of his creation, who are we to judge? I won't offer an opinion of canon, as LOTR and The Hobbit are the only works of JRRT that I've read so far, but I did enjoy this tale. I think this would be great expanded to see how ada comes to accept his child fully and help her to fulfill her potential! Author Reply: Thanks! Well, but so far I have no idea... That is why I asked help from the readers. :) *wince* Well, I am a blind, and until now I am adverse to the word "abortion" when applied to a pregnant woman... Such thought did not cross my parents' minds, I think, because they only knew that I was blind when I was born, but imagination is sometimes a curse. And I am lucky here that I am not rejected by my parents, although my father is often sceptical of my abilities. :) I had a friend whose mother aborted her second child (my friend's new sibling) because of an inner bleeding. The doctor said that the child would be born handicapped if it were born, and so the parents took the... short cut. That was a very unpleasant tale to me, and my imagination once again run rampant. I did intend the summary of the story to intrigue one to think about things, at least slightly, before they went into the story itself. I am glad that it seemed to work. :) It is also my belief that only the Creator knows what His every creation is meant to be, and to Him they are all perfect. That was what I hoped to convey by the summary of the story. I also read somewhere that in Sindarin "hope" has two words: expected hope and faithful hope. This is a story set in Aman in The Silmarillion's timeline, true, but I would like to convey that message anyway. Faithful hope is a fool's hope, but it is stronger and in a way truer. Glad you enjoyed the piece! I do not know if I will manage an expansion, though, as I said before. My muse refuses to cooperate with me... Perhaps your muse would be so kind to help mine? Anyway, thank you for your sharing a part of your life, your thoughts, and your comments. - Rey | |
| BeeGee | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/8/2010 |
| I really liked your story idea! A friend's eldest daughter has a neurological disease that finally put her into a wheelchair as a teenager. As a child she had to endure teasing from schoolmates, even teachers. She stayed in school and graduated with the highest grades, and now again has graduated from college at the top of the class. She had to develop a BIG "Attitude" at an early age, and she is now in her twenties and works as an advocate for the handicapped. She never let anyone dictate to her what she could do, and she has her own apartment and drives a (specially equipped) car. Looks like Fealdo will have to invent some things to help his elfling along! As for everyone in the Blessed Realm being perfect; when I read the Silmarillion there seems to be more dysfunction, murder, rebellion and mayhem than Blessedness (I love it). There are so many ways your story could go, and I look forward to reading more! Author Reply: *wince* Umm. That is, if I do have more ideas to go with this... I asked for readers' help because of that: My muse does not wish to cooperate with me anymore in this piece. Truthfully, there has been a beginning of the next chapter sitting in my computer, but it never expanded far... Well, she might have done it because of two things: First is that she is truly an academically-talented child. Second is that... she saw the need to prove herself so that people no longer ridiculed/looked down upon her. I find myself in the latter category so far. I am a blind since I was about 12 years old. Handicapped people are usually forced to grow up much beyond their age in order to 'survive' everything. I am glad that your view of Aman is similar to mine. People usually see it as something akin to our "heaven." It is not. Whatever Tolkien set it to be, it is still a part of the physical world, and Melkor has tainted it just as he has done the other parts of Arda. Besides, Elves have their own minds and wills and hearts, just like Men or Dwarves (or hobbits). They are prone to do evil or good because of it; the freedom of choice. (To me, the Valar did them an injustice when they forbade them from going to Middle-Earth and even exiled them, regardless of the bloodshed/foolishness they committed in that way.) This story is set during the Unchaining of Melkor and the Darkening of Valinor (up to the Rebellion of the Noldor and more), so... well... if I do continue the story, it will be darker and filled with more turmoils. I am not so good with writing dark and turbulent things/emotions... This one piece was a gift, I feel. LOL Anyway, thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and opinions. I am quite glad that you enjoyed the story so far and look forward to more. Hopefully I can fulfill your hope and do the next installment just as well as I did... - Rey | |
| Shemyaza | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/7/2010 |
| Very interesting little story, it is heartbreaking to have a disabled child. My eldest son, my first child, suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, but I am just as proud of him as I am of his brother and I would be the lesser person had he not been in my life at all. His father however never accepted the fact that his son was not like other children. He failed to see the individuality of his son and consequently now has little to do with him. It has always been a painful thing for me to deal with, so I empathised with both the parents in your little family. The impression I get of the Blessed Realm is that the point of the place is that everything IS perfect and that healing can take place there. I never envisaged anyone living there actually having children with any kind of disability. For me it really defeats the purpose of the idea of the Blessed Realm. That's not to say that your piece was not sympathetically and beautifully written, because it was. Author Reply: I am sorry that I can only reply now. The button was missing for quite a long time. Rather devestating. I am a firstborn and I am blind. My father often looks down on me, although, thankfully, not to that extend. (Umm. Not meaning to slight your husband or anyone...) It is heartbreaking, and I imagine that it is also heartbreaking for my parents, having their very first child like this. It was one of my motifs in writing this story; to thank them, because they still kept me despite everything and even gave me some love. Not many disabled people are that fortunate, especially here in Indonesia. Aman is indeed intended as a blessed realm. But how blessed could it be, with the rebellion and the bloodshed in the end of it? That was my first thought when I toyed around with the idea at the start - still very vague, at that time. To me, the name Blessed Realm just means that the Valar live there, and later the Elves; both are immortal in their own ways. The Powers are some sort of angels, and angels are considered blessed. And this little snippet is situated in the part of age where Melkor was released from Mandos and roamed free... Thank you for reviewing and sharing your thoughts - and experience. And once again, I am sorry for the very late reply. Hopefully this will never happen again. - Rey | |
| Aiwen | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/7/2010 |
| Interesting choice of situation. I've also wondered if elves were ever born with physical disabilities. Author Reply: Thanks! But truthfully I do not know. This story was purely my creation. I am glad that you enjoyed it, though. It was made in the spur of a moment. :) - Rey | |