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Unwritten Tales: Into The Dark Again  by Wayfarer 13 Review(s)
meckinockReviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/30/2005
I was so thrilled to see this updated. I very much enjoyed getting caught up wtih Gandalf and Aragorn. Thranduil was quite formidable and realistic. Looking forward to more (soon, I hope.)

Author Reply:
Hi meckinock!
Wow! musie and I, we can't thank you enough for your patience with us... that Thranduil elicits this reaction is very gratifying - success! It is unbelievably sweet to read that he is "formidable and realistic", all thanks due to Avallon's fantastic Thranny!Template.

And we tries, we does tries... to get out the next chapterses quicksy. Good meckinock will waits, won't she? ;-)

~W

meckinockReviewed Chapter: 999999 on 12/29/2005
Sorry to spam your review page - feel free to delete this. I just tried to leave a review on ff.net - the last line should have read "that's ff.net for you."

Author Reply: Hi there, Meckinock,
Thank you for leaving a message. At least I know there are readers still interested in ITDA. I did leave a note on the ramblings page in explanation - no excuse for the lack of updates but just to let readers know that some things have happened to make it a bit tougher to update. At least I did keep my 2005 resolution to update ITDA at least once!

Here's the note I posted on ffnet, so you don't have to go back there and rummage:
NOTICE BOARD
29 DEC 05 Happy new year! Here's an ITDA update at last. I apologise for the rather short chapter - it has been foreshortened due to problems with my webmail server: it flatlined for a few months, and only got resuscitated a few days ago. The grind is that my ideas and updates were all stored there and everything was wiped during its comatosis - everything! Now, not only have I lost all those remnants of my memory, I can't send update notices to the patient people who are waiting on ITDA to move along, because the address book was destroyed too.

The most devastating bit is that I can't even re-read the kind encouraging personal emails from readers who liked ITDA and other stories... which is what I habitually do when I need some pick-me-up.

Chapter 4 was originally conceptualised as you-know-who's coming out party, but I had to take out the action since most of the lost bits of stuff are about this part. All that's left of 4 is the travellers' first visit to Thranduil. I do hope that readers find Under Shadow Eaves worth the wait. Thank you for your patience.


Reviewed Chapter: 999999 on 5/20/2005
Negotiating rather takes the sting out of the threat, don't you think? Then again, I did enjoy the short story...alright. I'm sticking with the left shoe, but I'll hold off the whole operation for a while longer. But only a little while. (Even if it doesn't sway your muse, it's something for me to do while waiting for the next chapter)
My sympathies with busy-ness...believe me, I understand prioritizing, it's just that common sense isn't much of a match for impatience, what can I say?
Erm...I fear I must confess to a frightening level of computer illiteracy. How am I to go about sending you my email address? Would becoming a member help? Sorry for the cluelessness!

Author Reply: Alas that negotiating ain't helping... oh well, I do remember being told negotiations are the cornerstones of great deals, no harm trying. Glad you liked the short story.

I'm truly sorry to be testing your patience so, but well, RL.. heh!

Right, I think I figured out how you can despatch your addy over: click on my name where you see it in a story listing. Then a new page where you'll see it lording over the full list of my stories opens up. Click on my name again, and you'll see a email window open with my addy in the To field. Just paste your addy in the mail and shoot it off.


Hope this helps

~W

Reviewed Chapter: 999999 on 4/25/2005
I have decided to steal every left shoe on the face of the earth. So there.

Author Reply: Dear Nameless Reader,
Can I request that you take right shoes instead? Personally, my right foot's a bit broader than my left and I've always been bothered by having to give in to it whenever I buy shoes.

Thanks,
~W

Reviewed Chapter: 999999 on 4/5/2005
I feel it is necessary to bother you again. Just to let you know I'm still out here, eagerly awaiting the next chapter (and I'm sure there are many more doing the same, despite the the rarity of reviews you've gotten so far--this story is just too good for there not to be!).

I glare threateningly at your muse and shake my fist at the necessesities of real life. Let your muse know that if it's too much longer before the next chapter appears, I will be forced to do very evil things, like...well...I will be forced to do very evil things--even if I can't think of any right now. Bwahahah!

Author Reply: Dear Nameless Reader,
Rest assured that an update is WIP, only RL is really getting peskier by the day. Plus, I have been too distracted by the confluence of needs for many personal causes I believe in to pay any quality attention to musie's ramblings.

Alas, I also need to confess that musie is also too thick-skulled to care about threats, or bribes for that matter... sorry. All I get from my scuffles with him are blooming headaches, since the thing he does best is make trouble in my brain!

Here's a bright idea - please send me your email addy and I will update you when the next ITDA update is ready for scrutiny. Meantime, we did manage one short story - frankly I'm surprised we managed to come up with anything during the many truces called throughout our ongoing conflict. Perhaps we can offer that to you by way of delay-compensation?

Thank you for your interest.

Appreciatively,
~W

Reviewed Chapter: 999999 on 1/22/2005
nya...in the hope that a review for a chapter of author's notes may catch your attention:
Please, please, and pretty please once more,CONTINUE THIS STORY. (See, I am not beneath begging.) I started reading this story shortly after you started posting it here, and was instantly hooked. This part of Aragorn's story begs exploring, as so much is left unsaid and merely hinted at, but finding an author who does it such justice was a joy unlooked for. However, the penalty for doing such a good job is that people like me will then pester you till the ends of the earth for more! I know how busy life can be (else I'd be angry at you for such a long wait, rather than just slightly peeved), but please, come back soon!

Author Reply:
Hello dear Nameless Reader,
First, thank you very very much for your interest in itda. I've only had one reader checking for a pulse on a story before, on another site. Am very touched indeed that you bother to follow-up, despite a update pace that could probably out-slow the bristle-cone's growth rate. In fact, I'm almost loony about getting a review like this!

As for the coming back bit, I've never left, not that my presence/absence make that much of a difference. But, well, it's just that RL is proving to be the devil's senior advocate where writing is concerned. I should have learnt my lesson by now, but nope, I had to go and shoot my mouth off by articulating a target for chapter 4, which incidently is named "Under Shadow Eaves," if you're interested. So of course it goes to reason that I'd MISS the target by a parsec. Chappie 4 is still being worked: we've having issues that musie and I can't agree over and so have been forwarded for arbitration. As the arbitration procedure is very precise and long, musie has started hammering on the narrative for the bits that should come after the kinks. We hope to get the whole hog assembled soon, but I'm not going to jinx it by attaching a date this time.

Be assured, beloved reader, that musie is as filled with gusto as ever about this tale. We'll get it done even if it takes... *gags self*....

*ahem* I just wish RL would relent just a little.

Thank you for your patience, and we'll certainly try not to disappoint you.

~W

meckinockReviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/26/2004
Gandalf's quiet observations of Aragorn's moods after leaving Imladris were intriguing; knowing Aragorn better than most people he would know when to step back and give him some space. Aragorn snapped to nicely once he got focused on the mission; although did it take him FOREVER to get to Gandalf or was it just me? Thank goodness for the Boernings. Those are some handy guys to have around, especially when you need a wounded wizard hauled over some mountains. The orcs were splendidly savage. Your descriptions of light and shadows and landcape features really bring the surroundings to life. I'm all caught up reviewing now, so I hope you have another chapter in the hopper. Oh, BTW thanks for the referral - I too am a big fan of Windfola - her "Betrothal" is one of my favorites; even though the timing of my original reading was very unfortunate. Not good to be weeping over Halbarad's death while trying to do funny!Halbarad... Please update soon. I can't get enough of Aragorn and Gandalf!

Author Reply:
Hi meckinock
Thank you, thank you very much for this review =) Very happy to meet a fellow Windfola fan!

RE: "although did it take him FOREVER to get to Gandalf or was it just me? "
I was trying show how tedious the process was for Aragorn and to build on the suspense.. can I take it that worked?

Next installment is not only in the hopper, it's hopping all over my mindscape and warping my reality %P Elves are a such headache sometimes! Musie and I, we tries to make them heel... still trying... HEH ... *ahem*... *twiddles thumbs*

erm, right... *slinks away*

~W

meckinockReviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/17/2004
I actually read the whole thing in one sitting but I'm a lousy reviewer on a good day and these haven't been good days lately. It's a shame to review such a beautifully written story with sentences that don't quite string together coherently but I didn't want to hold off any longer. So I'm going to just abandon propriety here and do a squeeing fangirl review.

ALL OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS IN ONE CHAPTER SQUEEEE

The reunion between Aragorn and Gandalf and their subsequent conversation was so beautifully done, and the setting was perfect. You captured the Prancing Pony and Butterbur wonderfully. I was moved by Aragorn's reaction when Gandalf told him the Ring was found and he realized his doom was at hand at last. His reaction was so believable, his friendship with Gandalf was so real, their discussion so well thought out. Everything was perfect. And just when I thought it couldn't get any better....HALBARAD! SQUEEE!

He's wonderful, too. So real, so, uh, manly; so loyal to Aragorn and yet conflicted by the prospect of spreading his resources more thinly.

The characters' observations ("for he had never seen anyone got rid of so effectively"), your description and dialogue are all delightful. I loved Gandalf asking for "thin slivers" of Aragorn's adventures. The morning shadows at the Prancing Pony unexpectedly giving Aragorn the willies: the flickering flames harboured shadows that sidled in and out of every nook and cranny. In the waning light, Barliman and his serving men, busy laying the breakfast spread, were as wraiths wandering under a dim sickle moon.

This is a fantastic story in all respects, and I'm already sorry that there's nothing more to read. I hope RL has released its stranglehold so you can finish this!






Author Reply:
Hi meckinock,
Sorry for the late response. I had to go away and mull over your review because an intelligent SQUEE!Anything requires some composure (I was that overwhelmed by your lovely review), especially since musie is easily excitable and gets smuggish whenever we gets niccce reviewss.

Sadly, despite stewing over your enthusiastic review for so long, all I can muster is a plain "Thank you!" And RL is again partly to blame for my addled brainwaves. *SIGH*

On the bright side, if you like our rangers, you should seriously consider checking the works of Windfola - our Halbarad!template is really made from a mould of hers and Aragorn, well, let's just say she fostered him for a bit in the early chapters =) Windfola posts here and in ffnet and HASA under the same.

Happy reading and thank you! =D
~W

meckinockReviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/12/2004
What a great gapfiller. Your characterizations of Gollum and Aragorn and their interactions are dead on. Gollum's verses are delightfully creepy; and Aragorn's weary relief at reaching Mirkwood and his reflection on the long road that brought him there are a great jumping off point for the story.

Author Reply:
Hi meckinock,
Thank you, am glad you like our templates of Precious and Aragorn! And in addition, musie says to tell you you've got good taste *someone dug Precious' verses!* ;-P

Sure hope to hear more from you. =)

~W

grumpyReviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/8/2004
great chapter. Loved the part about the goats making the noise, I remember watching ramming season, on some national geographic show. Anyways Stride leaves Gandalf along for a minute (ok is was several hours) and look what kind of trouble he gets into. Actually Gandalf did a pretty good fob of defending himself. Good thing the Beornings were there or they might never have got over the mountains. Liked the part about Imladris and Strider.
looking forward to more

Author Reply:
Hi grumpy,
Thanks very much for your review. It's always nice to know that there is someone whose interest in the story is continuing with it's growth.

Re: national geographic. I am a certified nature-program geek, and proudly so! =)

For your reference,I should have the next chapter out before the new year.

Thanks,
~W

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