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| Elf Academy 3: The Enemy Within by Fiondil | 18 Review(s) |
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| Kitty | Reviewed Chapter: 75 on 11/9/2014 |
| Quite the strange situation for Gareth to be in. He and his family have been the ancient ones for so long, and now he's suddenly barely out of his childhood in comparison. Hadn't thought about the different dialects even in Middle-earth before, but you are right, it only makes sense. Besides, why should it be different than here? Alphwen's quote was something I am reminded of frequently, among other occasions when the dratted autocorrect that's so annoyingly omnipresent on so many websites keeps changing my British English into American English without as much as a 'by your leave' or I am arguing with American friends which spelling is weirder. Hm, if the brother's parents came from the same area as Gilvegil and the others, maybe they actually knew each other, once upon a time? Or Gilvegil knew their parents or grandparents not sure how old they are. Now you have me curious. Finrod did a great job in consoling Gareth, helping him over his awe of the great Finrod Felagund, and raising his sense of self-worth. ROFL now that's a memorable first meeting! Seems Gareth has found his match, though they could at least have said a bit more than 'hi' before kissing! Btw, sorry for swamping you with so many reviews yet again, but I wanted to use the fact I had a bit of time this weekend to catch up. Who knows how long that lasts, after all, before RL interferes again. Author Reply: We'll learn something of the ap Hywels once they arrive for the wedding. And Gareth and Nell... well, what can I say? Love at first sight does apparently happen. *snicker* Thanks, Kitty. And don't worry. I'll catch up with your reviews soon enough, in fact sooner than you'll catch up with the story. *grin* | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 75 on 10/2/2014 |
| Oh, this is marvelous...Gareth and Nell having one of THOSE encounters. I have always appreciated that "love at first sight" is canon in Arda, but that it's rare.. Very rare. As in count the couples on one hand through all the Ages. That means when it happens, it is Significant, with portents for the future. Gareth and Nell are in for interesting times. Author Reply: Hi Dreamflower. Tolkien seemed to intimate in his writings that "love at first sight" was a common thing with the Elves, but I always thought that was a little odd myself. We do see it happening, but as you point out, very rarely and it usually means something portentous. Whether this is the case here remains to be seen, but obviously Atar is taking a hand in things. Thanks for the review. I appreciate it. | |
| FV_Whisper | Reviewed Chapter: 75 on 9/22/2014 |
| A chapter from Gareth's perspective with a most surprising ending. It's good seeing Gareth taking a step aside from his hero-worship of Finrod and spend some time with the other elves. He needs it. Then I loved the part about the various forms for Sindarin that are spoking among the Elves. I'm sure Valandur had a field day with all the different forms and dialects when he just arrived and found out about them. It's also nice to hear a bit more on the background of the non-original Wiseman Elves. Finlay and Sakari are off, and I hope this will not be the last we see of them. We see again how Gareth is a bit lonely here, but he's settling well with the other Elves. There are some interesting things in his talk with Fnrod. First of all he know finally get's his chance to spend some time with his hero, but it's also clear Gareth is having some problems with adjusting to what it really is to be Elf among the Elves instead of among the mortals and get upset about that. Ah, so Finrod was al ready for a new adventure when Manwė summoned him? *grin* Gwyn and Gareth have come at last to the right conclusion, learn form the other Elves and teach them a thing or two while at it. Gareth seems to be taking things well once that's been settled. O, it's a nice touch seeing Finrod and Gareth going to church together. Last part, that was just quite the surprise! Seeing how sad Gareth was for Serindė already being taking, it's so nice for him to find an elleth of his own now. Author Reply: Hi FV_Whisper. I decided it would be nice to see Gareth's side of things and how he views the world as a good contrast with, not only the Wiseman Elves, but also with those newly come from Valinor, especially Finrod. It was fun discussing the Sindarin dialects, especially since Tolkien does mention them in his writings, but they are rarely if ever a part of anyone's story. I thought it was time to broach the subject. I have even shown Glorfindel use a slightly different form of a word than the others would have to show that he's using the Gondolin dialect. I don't actually announce it; it's just a private thing for my amusement, and so far no one has asked me why Glorfindel says something one way and everyone else says it differently, and that's okay. Anyway, Gareth and Nell getting together is something of a surprise, but a pleasant one, at least for most. *grin* Thanks for reviewing. I very much appreciate it. | |
| Laer | Reviewed Chapter: 75 on 9/20/2014 |
| I knew it! Wasn't sure what brother Nell was going to fall for but I am glad it was this one. I am sure her parent's will be there for the wedding. One way or the other :) Loved that Finrod had a chance to talk to Gareth before all this tho. It should be a sign to him that the young male is not a flighty little twirp. Author Reply: So you already knew one of the brothers would be Nell's beau, huh? LOL! Well, I'm glad you approve of the match, Laer. I don't think Finrod thinks Gareth is a flighty little twerp, but I he will have issues as you will see in the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it. | |
| obsidianj | Reviewed Chapter: 75 on 9/20/2014 |
| I wish they would stop calling everyone that has a inferiority issues "child". That doesn't help. Gareth feels like a little child compared to the other elves anyway. They don't need to rub it in. Talk about love at first sight... Now to explain to these two that even in the modern world this is not acceptable behavior... Author Reply: Hi obsidianj. Yeah, it would help, but unfortunately that's the way people are. Half the time, though, it's not meant as a put-down but as a term of endearment, at least in their minds if not in the recipient's. And you can blame Tolkien who decided that Elves could indeed suffer from "love at first sight". Thanks for reviewing. It's appreciated. | |
| Eruherdiriel | Reviewed Chapter: 75 on 9/18/2014 |
| Baby! Yay! That last was... unexpected. I'm interested in the backstory there. I'd also like to know a little more about where Gwyn and Gareth's parents came from. ~Eruherdiriel Author Reply: Hi Eruherdiriel. Well, we should learn more about Gwyn and Gareth's parents later when they show up for Roy and Sarah's wedding. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it. | |
| bookworm | Reviewed Chapter: 75 on 9/17/2014 |
| LOL Recognition now? I thought they were Tolkien elves, not Elfquest ones! But ooh, I wonder how that's going to go down! (also in fairness to Gwyn & Gareth, I would have been perfectly happy sitting at Finrod & Glorfindel's feet myself...) Author Reply: Hi bookworm. Oh, these are Tolkien Elves for sure. Tolkien states in one of his essays that the Elves can look at one another and know that they are meant for one another. I suspect that's where Elfquest got the idea; it was original to Tolkien. *grin* Anyway, I'm with you on the 'happy to be sitting at the feet of any of the Elves, but especially Finrod and Glorfindel'. Thanks for reviewing. It's appreciated. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 75 on 9/16/2014 |
| I was almost surprised that Gareth and Nell didn't go all Thingol-and-Melian on us, standing entranced for a hundred years or so, totally forgetting everything about them. But it appears that love at first sight continues to happen with the Elves! Heh! Good to see him realizing how he needs to calm himself about these other Elves, and that he had as much to teach them as they have to teach them. Author Reply: It's a good thing they didn't, Larner, it would've been a bit awkward for everyone all around. LOL! At any rate there will be a discussion about the love-at-first-sight phenomenon among the Elves in the next chapter. And hopefully Gareth will realize that he and Gwyn have no reason to apologize for their lives. They are, in one sense, the wave of the future and have much to teach the Valinórean Elves. Thanks for reviewing. It's much appreciated. | |
| rikki | Reviewed Chapter: 75 on 9/15/2014 |
| Ah, a chapter on Gareth. He and Gwyn are both elves, but they are not. Living among mortals as long as they have with no one but each other and their parents it is easy to adopt the living situations of the mortals. This has been a good visit for Gareth as it has given him a basis for dealing with elves. And then you throw in the show stopper! Oh boy, I think Elrohir is going to have to explain the Customs of the Elves to Gareth. And if he weds Nell then he will be kin to Finrod and will have to quit "My Lord" ing him all the time. But with elves, the courtship and all can take years and years. But it was neat the way you described the electricity and meeting of the feas between Nell and Gareth. That definitely should bring mam and adar to see their sons! Great chapter! Author Reply: Hi rikki. And we will actually focus on Gareth for the next several chapters. Gwyn and Gareth, of course, have never experienced an elven society. In fact, the same can be said for Serindė. The difference between them is that Serindė's parents never hid anything from their daughter about their past and Serindė never struck out on her own, but remained with her parents. Once Gwyn and Gareth left for the wide world, they were essentially on their own and had to hide their true nature except in rare instances. Knowing that there are other Elves about and learning from them how to be Elves will prove beneficial to them. And what a show stopper. LOL! We'll see how aspects about courtship and betrothals are handled in the next chapter. Tolkien states somewhere that Elves merely had to look at one another and know that they were meant for one another. I will be offering an explanation as to why this particular phenomenon no longer seems to apply to the Elves anymore in the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing. It's much appreciated. | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 75 on 9/15/2014 |
| p.s. Don't know why, but I felt jumpy while reading this chapter. Kept expecting something to jump out, perhaps, like Glorfindel's attackers mugging Gareth on his way to/back from the pub, or something. Maybe that's why I laughed at the kiss! Something completely different, and yet resolving the tension that so subtly built up as the chapter proceeded. Will Glorfindel's attackers be dealt with in this story, or the next, I wonder? Author Reply: I can understand why you would feel jumpy, waiting for something bad to happen and not expecting something good to happen instead. Something of Glorfindel's attackers will be dealt with in this story, but you'll have to wait until EA4 for a final resolution. Thanks again, Lindelea. | |