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| Elf Academy 3: The Enemy Within by Fiondil | 14 Review(s) |
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| Kitty | Reviewed Chapter: 73 on 11/9/2014 |
| *grin* Nice way of making Gareth less shy around Finrod by poking fun at him and Glorfindel. Of course our golden-haired Adonis is way too perfect to don his clothes the same way as other mortals and immortals ;) Pity that Alex at the last moment backed away from telling Valandur, but I hope he will do it in the end. Derek really is good for Alex; he cares so much for him, and Alex knows that and caves in more easily than with the Elves, I think. Anyway, I have to agree, Alex shouldn't be alone too much over the next time. Not sure if Alex isn't just working himself up in a panic about confessing deadline and all that, but I am glad he finally found someone to unburden to. An Father Waverly is probably right that he needs to tell his friends, too, so he doesn't have to worry any longer about how it will influence their relationship if they find out. Author Reply: It's easy enough to tell a virtual stranger things, that's why bars are so popular, as Glorfindel points out. But Father Waverly was probably the best person for Alex to unburden himself to because the priest would naturally encourage him to tell the Elves. That, you might say, was his penance. Thanks for reviewing, Kitty. It's appreciated. | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 73 on 10/2/2014 |
| Oh, I'm so glad he finally confessed, though the thought of Father Waverly never occurred to me! Yet it was very appropriate, as was the significance of Ash Wednesday. I really liked that. Father Waverly is such a lovely character, BTW. Is he based on anyone you know? (Though I'm Protestant, my denomination celebrates Ash Wednesday, as well as Lent. I'm Methodist.) Author Reply: Being Catholic myself, I figured Father Waverly was the right person for Alex to go to even if unintentionally. And Ash Wednesday is a very appropriate time for such confessions. I'm glad you like Father Waverly. He's not based on any one particular priest that I've known through my life, but is a mixture of a number of them (the better ones, at least, and there are some out there). Anyway, thanks for reviewing, Dreamflower. It's appreciated. | |
| obsidianj | Reviewed Chapter: 73 on 9/19/2014 |
| Wow! That was intense. I was surprised at first that Alex confessed to Father Waverly, but then that felt like the perfect choice. I liked the way you built up the sense of urgency with Ash Wednesday. Now we have to see what the elves think of all this. It is always a risk to tell someone your dark secrets, but I think the elves will be understanding... they are also not all innocents, think of Amroth's story. Author Reply: Hi obsidianj. I'm sure Alex didn't intend to confess to Father Waverly, it just sort of happened, but I think it was what he needed. And the Elves are anything but innocents, so they will understand if no one else does. Thanks for leaving a review. It's much appreciated. | |
| FV_Whisper | Reviewed Chapter: 73 on 9/14/2014 |
| Oh, and I forgot. Of course Glorfindel is perfect! He has had ages to perfect being perfect after all! Author Reply: You're right about that, FV_Whisper. And of course, Glorfindel knows just how perfect he is. LOL! | |
| FV_Whisper | Reviewed Chapter: 73 on 9/14/2014 |
| For someone having spend several days in a coma, Alex is recovering quickly. Now it is time for him to recover mentally and he has just made a big step. A wonderful way for tying the story to Ash Wednesday and bringing Charles Waverly into the story, the good man has had his share of sinners and knows how to deal with them, while at the same time for Alex it frees up the way to telling the tale to the others. Author Reply: Hi FV_Whisper. I'm sure Atar had something to do with his speedy recovery. *grin* Charles Waverly was a good vehicle for Alex to "practice" fessing up on, so that he could tell the tale to the ones that really mattered and needed to know. And now that he's done it, he can go forward and find true healing for himself. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it. | |
| Laer | Reviewed Chapter: 73 on 9/11/2014 |
| Valandur seems like a good elf to have for a friend. Always wanting to learn and always keeping his eyes on you. Not in a stalker kind of way, just a "you look like you could use someone to pat you on the back" like a friend kind of way. I am glad he talked to the good Father and that he is going to talk to the others. He needed to unburden himself. And as for judging anyone, I don't think they will do that. Does he not know the history of the elves? ;) Any who great update! Author Reply: Hi Laer. Valandur is a very good elf to have as a friend and Alex is very lucky to have him there. Father Charles is also a good person to go to when troubled, and I don't think Alex would have received as sympathetic hearing from others. The elves are usually non-judgmental. We'll see how the respond to Alex's confession in the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing. I really appreciate it. | |
| Kevana | Reviewed Chapter: 73 on 9/8/2014 |
| Always love seeing Father Charles, he's very wise. I do wonder if a lot of that wisdom came the hard way because of his own experiences. Gareth is such a cutie! And you can tell just how used to all of this Finrod really is. I'm sure the fangirling/fanboying gets old. He's really kind to respond to it the way he does, with understanding and sympathy. I love the way several characters don't necessarily immediately make the mental jump or connections to the entire divinity issue, for instance Finlay's reactions and here, Alex's struggling with what he just experienced. It's so much more nuanced than if everybody just seamlessly incorporated into it. Pretty true to life, I think. I guess we know what is coming Friday, barring another Interlude or similar. Interesting that Alex felt like he was running out of time while he was out walking. It really is an interesting question of who might best understand what he needs to confess. Although the Elves might be high-and-mighty in a sense, several of them have some very dark things in their pasts and have been through some terrible wars. The Reborn aren't much for holding grudges, period. Derek might be upset, but he's a Navy guy, he has a sort of grasp on this sort of thing too, I guess, and he's so loyal to Alex. I know it's got to be awful for Alex, but I think he has many people who might understand more than he expects they will. I guess it often turns out that way with things we're afraid of discussing with others. Mardi Gras (And Ash Wednesday)! Wow, that takes me back to when I lived in the French Quarter. I was not brave enough to stay in town for the big day itself, since I lived two blocks from Bourbon Street and was not anxious to get caught in the chaos, but I still have my beads from the slightly less drunken parades in the Garden District. Once I ended up going to the Krewe of Muses accidentally because the streetcar shut down and stranded me, LOL. My university closed its doors for a week because there was no point in trying to hold class. Good times. Anyway! Looking forward to Friday, holding my breath on Alex's behalf. This was kind of a painful chapter, but in a good way. Thanks for the update! -Kevana Author Reply: Hi Kevana. I find that people who are compassionate and nonjudgmental are the ones who've suffered themselves in some manner. Certainly Father Charles has, so his wisdom comes as much from what has happened to him as from simply living long enough to gain it. I think very few of us would immediately incorporate the entire divinity issue if something like what happened to Alex happened to us. That, to me, isn't realistic. Even some of the greatest saints struggled with this through their entire lives. I just can't imagine Alex suddenly accepting it all. For one thing, he probably remembers less than he realizes as to what passed between him and Atar and, of course, he could easily put it all down to dreaming or hallucinating or something like it. We humans don't deal too well with the Numinous on any level. We'll find out in the next chapter how the Elves and Derek handle Alex's confession. Thanks for leaving a comment. I appreciate it very much. | |
| Diana | Reviewed Chapter: 73 on 9/8/2014 |
| Well, it's obvious that you were blessed with some wonderful priests during your life. Good chapter. The Dude Abides. Author Reply: Actually, that's not necessarily true, Diana, though I have known a few sympathetic priests (many of them, oddly enough, Jesuits) whom I used as models for Father Charles here. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it. | |
| rikki | Reviewed Chapter: 73 on 9/8/2014 |
| Peace be unto Alex. That was a powerful chapter. I was thinking that Alex needed to tell the elves and they would understand but he needed to confess to someone, a mortal, who could look at the issues without prejudice. When you had him confess to Father Waverly I thought that indeed things were looking up. And as the Father said with confession comes consequences, so it will be interesting to see where you go from here with the story. Finrod is Glorfindel's gwedyr to keep his head from getting too big from his perfection. LOL! I am sure he has had lots of teasing over the years. But it was the perfect foil for Gareth to begin to accept the elves as just being just ike, well elves. Now that you have mentioned it, I hope that Gwyn has not gotten into trouble in the meantime. Hope you have a good week. I am looking forward to the meeting of Alex with Ron, Amroth and Derek. Should be very intense. Author Reply: I'm glad you found this a powerful chapter, rikki. We'll see what consequences follow from Alex's confession once he's told the Elves and Derek and just how intense the next chapter is. I'm sure Finrod is not adverse to shrinking Glorfindel's head whenever necessary. And Gareth needs to be reminded that so-called legends are regular people who deal with the same everyday life issues as everyone else. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it very much. | |
| Ellie | Reviewed Chapter: 73 on 9/8/2014 |
| That was deep, difficult and intense. Poor Alex! I am glad that at last he is taking steps to find healing. Author Reply: Very deep, difficult and intense, as anyone who has undergone confession in whatever form can testify. Hopefully, now he can at last find healing. Thanks for reviewing, Ellie. You know how appreciative I am. | |