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Elf Academy 3: The Enemy Within by Fiondil	22 Review(s)
Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 88 on 11/17/2014
Peterson left me rolling my eyes. If not going to church is equal to being in league with Satan, then most people I know are satanists. But for fanatics like that it doesn't count how much good you do, only how much lip service you pay to their god. I really hate people like that. Elladan's right, that reminds me too much of Nazi Germany. It's so sad that this mindset can't be destroyed and every generation brings new such fools out. Ugh, that's disgusting, attacking the youngsters! I really hope they can put a stop to that soon. At least their friends showed that they cared about them. Didn't know that faeries are supposed to be allergic to iron, but that they strew the nails all over the gate had me face-palming about that amount of idiocy. Regardless of old superstitions, it is so unrealistic to use that to keep them inside that I can only wonder how on earth they think that would work. Yay for the three Ministers and their peaceful, but powerful way to support the Elves! It's good to know that there are so many who are friendly to the Elves. Interesting theory that the Star of David might be a last memory of Eärendil, even if they don't know it any more. Argh, explosives? Military grade ones? Now that's way beyond the pale and more than they can afford. That has nothing to do with a election campaign any more, that's terrorism, plain and simple. Thank god the twins know what that is and prevented the attack! But I wonder if the protesters even knew that they themselves might be in danger? Sure, they didn't allow anyone in or out, but they were rather close to the planned explosion, after all. snicker Oh, I can imagine how Legolas got the trees to take care of the two runaways. They won't get near any wood again any time soon, even if they don't end up in jail! Author Reply: The fanatics are dangerous because you can't talk to them reasonably and they won't listen to any viewpoint but their own. And some people will believe just about anything anyone tells them as long as it fits their worldview, however wrong it might be. Somebody is definitely playing hardball here, though Peterson may be a dupe in all this. And I think Legolas and the trees were having waaayyy too much fun there. LOL! Thanks for leaving a comment, Kitty. It's appreciated.

Kaylee Arafinwiel	Reviewed Chapter: 88 on 11/2/2014
Atya, Sorry for the late review. I was kept really busy by my Naneth yesterday and I didn't have time to put all my thoughts together. It's going to be another busy day (my sister's 26th birthday) so I'm going to put as many of them together really fast now as I can LOL. To start with, I really don't like Tom Peterson. I wonder if he knows just what he's doing by spreading hatred throughout Wiseman - is it even his agenda, or is he just the instrument for someone else (the Agency rogues? someone far more powerful?) knowingly or unknowingly? On the other hand, I really DO like what I've seen and heard of Robert Locke. He seems to be a fair minded Man. So let's hope he, and not Tom, wins this thing. The siege of Edhellond, and the Elf-hating incidents that preceded it, sickened me. The four youngsters being treated so - they may be centuries old, but they are still children as far as experience and wisdom go, and in relation to their elders. They had nothing to do with being in Wiseman and were just convenient scapegoats. Shame on their attackers. And shame on the Men who sought to set off explosives at Edhellond. Are they getting these ideas from Peterson or someone else? I am so glad Legolas stopped those bozos. And I am DEFINITELY glad the Preacher Amigos stopped the REST of the bozos. I cried when Rabbi Cohen took out his grandfather's Star of David and passed the rest out to the Elven supporters. I don't know if you know this, but my maternal great-grandmother was from German Jewish stock, which would, if I remember Jewish tradition aright ("Jewishness" passes through the maternal line) make me one, too, at least in blood. I may not be a Jew religiously, but I am sure I know what happened to my great-grandmother's kindred still remaining in Germany while my grandmother grew up, and I weep for them and the countless others. It intrigued me, too, that the Star of David might be an echo of the Star of Earendil. And why not? After all, you postulated in an early story that Mary was of Luthien's line, so it seems only natural that the Son of David was, too, the Heir of Earendil. Or an Heir, considering Alex seems to be one too. Boy, could that open up a theological can of worms considering Jesus' family LOL. Anyway, I suppose that might make our young spy the Saviour of Wiseman? Hmm. Beautiful story, Atya. Keep writing. Tye-melin, Kaylee Author Reply: Hi Kaylee. A review is never late, nor is it early; it arrives precisely when it means to. LOL! It is debatable whether Tom Peterson is behind it all or is as much a dupe as the others. Maybe one day we'll find out. It was my beta Ellie who pointed out the similarities between the Star of David and Eärendil's Star and I thought it was a cool comparison so I put it in here. I thought it appropriate under the circumstances. I hope your sister has a lovely birthday. Thanks for taking the time from your busy day to leave a review. It's very much appreciated. Tye-melin.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 88 on 11/2/2014
At last the Elf-fearers have declared themselves, and have made fools--dangerous fools, some of them--of themselves. Glad the supporters have proved more numerous. But to see the younger Elves being attacked is not good--not good at all. It would appear Farrell's supporters are now trying to recruit normal people to do what Farrell failed to do. I still want to know who they are! Author Reply: We all want to know who these people are, Larner. Perhaps someday we may find out. And yes, the Elf-fearers have declared themselves and they're not done yet, as we will eventually see. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I very much appreciate it.

SashaHoneypalm	Reviewed Chapter: 88 on 11/1/2014
Just another thought- why does Josiah refer to the Three Amigos as "ellyn" in his speech? If accurate elf-info is low enough that people would try the iron nails trick, I find it unlikely that the whole town is fluent in Sindarin. If I were giving the speech, I'd refer to them as "boys" or "Elves" or "young Elves" myself, especially if I was trying to reach hearts and minds in the "anti" crowd. Author Reply: Hi Sasha. You raise a good point, but if you read what he says carefully, he first refers to them as 'children' but more to the point he is addressing the supporters rather than the protesters and the supporters would understand the word. The protesters might or might not. Even naysayers can pick up words and phrases in an attempt to 'know thine enemy'. Anyway, thanks for bringing this up. I'm sure others wondered as well.

obsidianj	Reviewed Chapter: 88 on 11/1/2014
That was a nasty surprise. Bombs along the walls. What did they think they were doing? That goes far beyond nasty election rhetoric. What I found interesting was that in their shock the elves reverted back to their 'mortals are beneath us' attitude. The bozos that planted the bombs are sure no bright examples. But the supporters might take offense at generalizations like "Fool Mortals" or Elrohir's answer to the police when the guy said they should not handle the bombs and Elrohir comes with his 'we know what we are doing because we are at it longer than anyone can imagine and just shut up'. At least that is as it came across to me. I always found that generalizations like that rub even supportive people on your side the wrong way. They suddenly feel they have to side with the bozos, just on principle. The attack on the Three Amigos is beyond reprehensible and Nell's professor needs her attitude checked also. If this goes on much longer, the town will have a hard time to go back to normal after the election. Too much bad has happened that can't be mended and forgotten easily. Author Reply: You're right about the Elves' attitude, obsidianj. And I think it was shock and anger speaking here. Hopefully, their friends won't take too much offense. Besides which, everyone else was in shock as well. Bombs aren't part of the landscape for the people of Wiseman. That's something that only happens in the big cities. Anyway, we'll see how it all works out (or not) eventually. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

Laer	Reviewed Chapter: 88 on 11/1/2014
Yikes to the bad guys trying to make the elves something evil. It makes it easier for them to justify murder if they think they are killing something that is abnormal. Thank goodness for the good guys proving that they are living beings and worth standing up for! Loved the yellow star. It holds so much heart ache for so many, and to use it as a symbol of the bad guys prejudice should point them in the right direction. Tom Peterson should be ashamed of himself. He is demonizing the elves for no real reason except to hide his white hood. Or would it be more like a black hood, something closer to the nine's colors? Someone had mentioned too bad the hobbits and dwarfs couldn't make an appearance. Who says their blood lines haven't? Some of the original room mates were rather short. ;) As for human's well; we have one of Aragorn's (or maybe it is just one of Elros?) Why not Eomer or Eowyn? ;) You never know where the blood lines might have flown in all these ages. Author Reply: Hi Laer. It is easy for people to demonize others whom they don't like or who don't have the same religious beliefs or live the same lifestyle as they. We humans do it all the time. Don't see why it would be any different in a place like Wiseman. You're right about the blood lines of the hobbits and dwarves surviving in some fashion or another. It is certainly a possibility. Perhaps someday we may even discover the truth of it for ourselves. After all, we do have Pygmies in Africa. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it.

Kevana	Reviewed Chapter: 88 on 10/31/2014
Malice2 - oh-my-GOSH this is just too amazing not to comment on: another Fiondil-fan who's a journalist! What are the odds? Hi! I remember once joking to Fiondil that if I were a reporter in Wiseman, I probably would have earned myself a trip to the Inuit village where Finlay and Co. ended up, because that's the only way they'd keep me out of their hair. By which I mean to say, it's a really interesting issue you bring up that I've thought about myself within the context of the EA-verse. You have that endless debate over security vs. freedom that goes on in our world playing out in this story, with the added bonus of the Apocalypse thrown in for good measure - and with the Alien Overlords themselves being the ones to get in on the action with keeping people from uploading YouTube videos and etc.. I guess (playing devil's advocate here) you could say that though the cops are breaking the First Amendment and they might certainly pay the price for that choice, the Valar play by their own rules and are gonna do their own thing independent of any Mortal laws. And it is the end of the world, but is it right for the cops and Valar to control information like that? On the other hand, would you want to be the reporter who threw a Hail Mary pass around the Valar's gatekeeping and ended up with a Balrog in your bedroom one night because you put something on the internet? LOL, an interesting conundrum! I love thinking about stuff like this where ethics and freedom and security come into play. I don't think there are any easy answers, either IRL or in the EA-verse, but it's fun to discuss. Anyway, the Elves could certainly use a good working relationship with the local media...what is done in the dark shall be revealed in the light..you never know, writing a few myth-debunking stories could go a long way to helping the Elves clear things up and exposing Peterson and whoever it is who's backing him. But if I were Priscilla, I'd swing by the bookstore, casually offer to buy Finrod lunch or a cup of coffee, and have a nice getting-to-know-you talk. Sometimes it's inevitable that you have to show up unannounced on the doorstep, but ideally you want those connections, relationships and sources in place before you have to ask people to trust you and your judgment when dealing with major stories. It makes everybody calmer, you have better insight into the story because people aren't afraid to talk to you, and you're able to do your job and serve the community to the best of your ability. But yeah, if a police chief threatened to throw me in jail, I'd dare him to do it. The charges would never stick, a good media lawyer would take them to the cleaners, and my arrest would be on the front page for everybody to see. Fortunately nobody's ever been dumb enough to try that on me. I think many people don't realize we take that kind of arrest as something worth bragging about, a point of honor for standing up for free speech, and most media outlets are happy to pay bail for their staff. PS- I am very fond of vultures, they scare a lot of people but they fill a very important ecological niche. And I think they're cute. So I would not be offended to be compared to a vulture. ;) Author Reply: Hi Kevana. Well, as I keep saying, you're just going to have to wait until the next chapter to find out how the press fares in all this. Just keep in mind that both Dave and Glorfindel are on a first-name basis with the reporter and that has to tell you something about their relationship right there. grin At any rate, thanks for your thoughts on the subject. I honestly didn't think Dave's attitude was that far out of line, especially where the Elves are concerned. The last thing he needs is an invasion from the outside. You are right that the Valar play by their own rules and always have and I doubt even someone like Priscilla is brave enough to protest First Amendment violations to them. The Valar are likely to laugh in their face and find the "cute Mortal" all too amusing.

FV_Whisper	Reviewed Chapter: 88 on 10/31/2014
Intense chapter. Seriously, with people like this in Wiseman, you don't need any problems in Aman anymore! Really, why is it that everything that has a supernatural hint about is is shunned by certain groups? I find it hard to place Peterson in this matter. He seems to be bringing every myth there is about Elves or similar creatures in display. Being anti-Elf is one, but is he really considering the Elves messengers of the dark side or is this just a ploy to win the elections? If anyone needs a good long talk with Namo (or Atar for that reason), it's him. For the elections, this is a dangerous situation. If the parties are this divided, they'll find it had working with each other again after the elections are done. In the meantime, the Elves face the consequences. First the youngsters being attacked. I feel sorry for the, they've just been getting in touch with mortal life and trying hard at it and now this happens. And poor Nell! I think her professor was way off in telling her such a thing. It's a good thing the friend show up giving them their support, they Three Amigos needed that. Seriously, don't those people showing up with signs know that is so cliché? Were all of them aware what was actually going on? If so, it's really worrisome all of them were just willing to help out with what could be considered a terrorist attack. "Trust me, Darren, if we had died, we would certainly know it." Not the thing to discuss with a Reborn huh? I loved it how the God Squad showed up with the message of peace, managing to outnumber the whole group and I love Daniel and his handing out of yellow star's. The guy has a good way in opening people's eyes what they've been doing. He had been talking about digging out his grandfather's star, but this was an unexpected action. And I love the Elves comparing the Star of David to Eärendil’s Star and the loremasters even finding time to discuss it. Reminds me, wasn't there a story around when Eärendil’s Star is linked to the Star of Bethlehem? I don't think it was yours though? With finding the explosives, things really took a turn for the worst, even the iron nails which seemed a joke the the Elves at first, now get a grim undertone. I really wonder how the nay-sayersgot their hands on those, for this is bad news. And I;m pretty sure David wants to know too! Well, at least Legolas and the trees had some fun! Author Reply: Politics always bring out the worse in people, IMO. Peterson is no different. I'm sure he's merely using rhetoric to gain votes from those who are straddling the political fence, feeding on peoples natural fears of the "other". And protestors, by their very nature, are idiots, as far as I'm concern. All the shouting in the world rarely changes other people's minds, especially the minds of those in power. The whole Star of David thing is very powerful and the story you're thinking about is called "Sent Unto Men" and it was written by Alassiel. You can find it here on SoA. I wrote a sequel to it (my first fan fiction story, in fact): "Sent Unto Men, Part II", which can also be found here. In fact, it was Alassiel's story that introduced me to Tolkien fan fiction, and the rest, as they say, is history. grin Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I appreciate it.

Malice2	Reviewed Chapter: 88 on 10/31/2014
I'm not sure that's the place for it, but I don't know where else to write it. This is an answer to Caleth's review: The reporter is doing her job, which is to look at what's happening where she works, and let the people know about it. AShe might not be the nicest person ever, but she's not particularly invasive while doing it either and could be much worst. It's Finrod and Glorfindel's right not to answer her, but she would be a poor journalist if she wasn't present and trying tiop get answer. To put her ont the same line than those who tried to kill the elves is quite unfair. Police shows (ans many other shows) these days on TV always show the journalists as vultures, and while we are far from perfect, we are not as bad as these shows pretend. A society where you would emprison the journalists who report what's happening just because it's not convenient for the leaders would be a poor society indeed... Author Reply: You are right, Malice2, that Priscilla is only doing her job whether others like it or not. I think had it been anyone but the Elves, she might have gotten an interview, but Glorfindel isn't in the mood and Finrod hasn't a clue. We'll see how she fares with them and with Dave in the next chapter. Thanks for commenting. I'm sure others have their own opinions on the matter and it's always nice to get someone's thoughts who has "been there, done that", so to speak.

rikki	Reviewed Chapter: 88 on 10/31/2014
This chapter got me thinking about belief systems. I wonder if Peterson actually believes these elven legends or if this is just some machinations to win the mayoral election that his campaign manager dreamed up. It would also be interesting to find out if the protestors really know about elves or if they are just reacting to what someone tells them without checking the facts. I know I do eye rolls and duhs all the time with some of the stuff that people post on the internet. You gotta wonder sometimes about what the world is becoming. Education and learning seems to have taken a vacation. When the Star of David was displayed it should have reminded people that it doesn't take much for a mob to get carried away under a charismatic leader. And it is scary what people will do in the name of their beliefs. It was better taking a defensive position here and not confront the protestors. It is also a good thing that Glorfindel has Plan A in place and probably has worked on Plan B, C, and D. The twins and he most likely have lots of experience in leaving by the back window while someone is breaking in the front door. It was a good thing he did as the elves found the men and the explosives. If that could be proved that Peterson knew about the plot and approved it, then his campaign would end right there as a felony has just been committed. Legolas and the trees were having to much fun here. Your writing of the counter protestors reminded me of a lot of the 60s protests. Not all peaceful but certainly on the theme of handing the enemy a flower. Poor Dave is going to have a migraine with all the elves have given him. Looking forward what he and Glorfindel will have to discuss in the next chapter. Have a great weekend. The weather reporters can't make up their minds if we are having snow or not. It is time to relax in the Cliff House with some of Elrohir's hot chocolate. Author Reply: Hi rikki. People are really strange about what they believe and what they don't and what they pretend to believe for their own benefit or amusement because they have an agenda. Glorfindel always has contingency plans in place. That is his nature. And Dave is probably wishing he were police chief of Timbuktu right about now. LOL! At any rate, we'll see what he and Glorfindel have to say to one another in the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing. I very much appreciate it.

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