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Elf, Interrupted: Book One: Glorfindel Redux  by Fiondil 9 Review(s)
LarnerReviewed Chapter: 121 on 2/15/2008
PTSD amongst Elves--yes, it can strike about anyone. Glad they're keeping an eye on the rest of the Reborn as well.

Author Reply: A consequence of being Reborn and having memories make emotional connections that weren't there before.

NarielReviewed Chapter: 121 on 9/14/2007
Wow! I haven't read this in a *long* time. I was so excited to see all these chapters. The tournament has been a joy trying to guess who wins and who doesn't. And how could I forget about trying to find out who will win the overall tournament. I am having a feeling though that you might not even finish the tournament but will make something big, but not catastrophic happen. Then that is when Glorfindel departs for Middle-Earth.

I have loved how this is not a romance. I am not kidding because I try and find books that I am sure have none of that in them but then in the middle of the novel I find romance in it when it is under a totally different genre and everything! I like to call it *false labeling.*

Well when I read the end of some of the chapters they said that you were traveling for awhile. Did you like China that you saw? I so *EnvY* you. Not only that but also you being able to think up such a wonderous and fantastic story!

Namarie!

P.S. When are you updating next? I cannot wait!
P.P.S. Do we the readers get to read about Finrod's return to Lorien with the elflings?


Author Reply: Hi Nariel. Glad you are enjoying the tournament and it's only the first day! *gin*. This story is a romance only in the medieval sense of the word, though I do have poassibly two romantic threads running through the story: Finrod and Amarië; Glorfindel and Alassiel, but that's not the same thing as a romance in the modern sense of the word.

Anyway, I had a great time getting to see the parts of China I hadn't gotten to see the whole year I was here. Now I am living in Tai'an City (Shandong Province) which is very central to many cities and interesting historical sites and I have plenty of time for traveling.

I am updating even as I write this. We will indeed see Finrod's return to Lórien with the elflings, but not immediately. We have to get through the tournament first.

Thanks for reviewing and stay tuned. There's more to come.

RadbooksReviewed Chapter: 121 on 9/11/2007
Wow. I never saw that coming, though it's really not surprising I suppose. I'm trying to remember if that was the first flashback that Sador has had? I suppose it doesn't matter but I was just thinking about it and wondering.

Manwe coming down and talking to all of them after Glorfindel started after Súlimondil was... impressive or scary or both. How he could just say one word like that and get them all to stop. Actually, I'm surprised they weren't all on their knees! :)

I know the Valar think these flashbacks might work against the reborn in the eyes of the Aman elves but I thought the other elves and even Súlimondil were somewhat sympathetic to what Glorfindel was experiencing. It was Súlimondil's comment about mortals that, quite rightly, upset Glorfindel and the others. I know as a person if I had to watch someone I didn't like very much... or someone I didn't trust might be a better word... go through an experience like that and I realized that they had to re-experience these memories, it would probably make me feel compassion toward them. But then I don't have the background that these elves have with the Noldo elves and I don't have the experience of the Valar, so... :)

I was glad to see that the Valar had found the 10th dimension, not that I had any doubt about that! I'm anxious to see how that plays out in the other story. Looking forward to the next chapters!

Author Reply: Sador doesn't have a flashback per se but he does tell some of the Tol Ereeseans about his Judgment, which he must have remembered at some point, though I do not describe it. But I suspect that this incident is not the first time he's had such a flashback, although I think he's experiencing it more fully because of the charged atmosphere of the tournament.

Manwe is impressive and scary at amy time and I'm sure one or two of the elves actually did go to their knees when he approached. Sometimes a single word is all you need, said int he right tone by the right person, to brings others into line. *grin*

I'm sure that most of the elves in the stands seeing the interchange between Glorfindel and Namo were sympathetic, even Sulimondil. It's just his unfortunate comment concerning mortals that ruined everything. Still, Glorfindel's reaction to the comment didn't help the situation any, though it's understandable why he reacts the way he does, given the memory he is re-experiencing.

How the Valar discover the tenth apatial dimension will be revealed fairly soon, though not in the way most people will suspect. *grin*

Thanks again for reviewing, Radbooks. I really appreciate it.

Agape4GondorReviewed Chapter: 121 on 9/11/2007
WOW! What a taut chapter. Our heroes really have a lot to be healed of - don't they.

I love the men that Finrod Felagund fell in love with. I'm glad to see that Glorfindel feels the same way. Extremely difficult - the thought of the sacrifice made... by all, I would say, but my heart was especially torn by the men who gladyly died for their Elven lords. *sobs*

Turin is my favorite character in the Sil - so you can understand my love of this chapter. Hooray for Glorfindel and boo for Sulimondil!

And good grief - they're dropping like flies. The Valar better keep their eyes opened. They may have opened a hornet's nest by encouraging this tournament.

Exquisite chapter - I hate when a chapter is sooooo good - and yours are - that I sit at the end of reading it and wish with all my heart that there was more NOW.........

Thanks!

Author Reply: The Amanian elves who never left for the War of Wrath, not to mention the Noldor who never took part in the Rebellion, and so never met the Edain, must have wondered what all the fuss was about. Glorfindel had little interaction with any of the Edain, except for Húrin, Huor and Tuor, as well as any who might have fought beside the elf during the Nirnaeth, yet it would have been enough for him to see their worth in Eru's eyes and honor them for their courage and their devotion to their Elven lords.

I'm sure the Valar are regretting encouraging the tournament, but they probably realize that not encouraging would have been detrimental to their plans of reconciling the different elven factions. The tournament, which was actually Ingwë's idea, was meant to bring all the various elven peoples together. Whether it will work or not remains to be seen. Certainly the incidents involving the Reborn has put a spanner in the works.

Thanks for reviewing, Agape. I really appreciate you taking the time.

EdlynReviewed Chapter: 121 on 9/10/2007
You know,meldonya, I'm not sure if I'd want to see Glorfindel really fight... It would be glorious but also rather frightening.

I was glad to see that Vëantur was able to compete in the second round (and not just because it would mean Ingwion couldn't fight if he didn't, honest!). I'm sure that Mithlas is feeling much better about continuing on inthe tournament since he didn't seriously damage his opponent.

Oh, what a time for *that* particular memory to show up! Poor Glorfindel! I'm so very glad Námo was there to stabilise Glorfindel and to keep the Balrog-Slayer from killing Súlimondil for his comment about the Second-born. That one is an ellon with a death wish, I think.

But then again, I don't think Namo would let him through the gates of Mandos--at least not until his little "talk" with Ingwë .

I'm not really surprised at Sador's reaction to his returned memory given what he was doing when it hit. He was in the company of elflings, and had been "in charge" of them. Given that the memory restorations really mess with the elf's ability to distinguish what is in the here and now and what is just being remembered, no wonder he went running off with Veryandur.

And poor Veryandur! He's had a really rough day, hasn't he? I do hope that when Sador wakes up he has the time to talk to the elfling about what happened. I think that if he does, then he's going to find himself the recipient of some hero-worship from the child (You saved a lot of elflings, just like me? You were really *brave*!) And it might give Sador some comfort to be able to reassure Veryandur about the matter.

I wanted to give both Arafinwë and Eärwen hugs. I hope they don't continue to feel guilty about making mistakes with Finrod when he was first Reborn. After all, the Reborn don't come with an instruction manual any more than babies do!

I laughed at the mental image of Alassiel sitting there watching Region muttering away to herself. It reminded me of when I watch other ballroom dancers at competition .

The meeting in the tenth dimensional space flashed me back to the discussions between Aulë and Ulmo in your other story "Wars of the Valar." So they did manage to locate it after all!

Things are continuing to be interesting and it's only the first day of the tournament! I hope my heart can stand the excitement of the upcoming events!

I'm definitely ooking forward to the next installment. I hope you have a good week and your classes are going well. Hugs!

Author Reply: When Glorfindel fights for real, it will indeed be a sight to behold.

Memories are tricky and there's no rhyme or reason as to when they appear or what triggers them. You wouldn't think that something as harmless as tickling Glorfindel would trigger such a dire memory, but the hröa holds its own memory that differs from that of the fëa. It's possible that Glorfindel is merely suffering from a delayed reaction from fighting earlier that day.

At any rate, it is fortunate that Námo was there to help him through it and to stop him from doing something stupid where Súlimondil is concerned. That particular ellon is worth it.

I think it would be natural for Alassiel to watch another female fighting, knowing that perhaps someday she too will be in a similar list doing the same thing. See Region wield a sword so competently would hopefully inspire her to continue her own sword lessons and do the best she can under Finrod's tutelage.

Yes, the tenth spatial dimension was eventually discovered (did you ever doubt it? *grin*) but not in the way you might think. Sorry... no other hints will I give, you'll just have to wait and see.

Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you're still enjoying the story.

eilujReviewed Chapter: 121 on 9/10/2007
Ah -- the elusive tenth spatial dimension (it’s a crossover fic!). [I can understand why they haven’t (as of ch. 8) found it yet: they haven’t *needed* it yet.]

Poor Veryandur is having an emotional day.... (He’s reminding me of Glorfindel: the elfling everything happens to.)

Fifty Reborn attending -- I hadn’t expected anywhere near that many. Did they all come from Tol Eressëa? I hadn’t realized that large numbers of the Noldor/Tol Eressëans had come as spectators.

“I admit I did not foresee the possibility of a tournament being a source of trouble where the Reborn are concerned." "Nor I," Námo admitted ruefully. "This will not make it easier for the other elves to be accepting of them." -- I’d wondered if there might not be a problem with one of them having a flashback during his match (presumably Haldir as he’s the most recently Reborn, or even the once-born Mithlas, given his problems in Lórien), but hadn’t thought of this being a problem for *onlookers.* Well, better an onlooker or two than somebody with a sword in his hand....

None of the matches were expected to last long and indeed the crowd was thinner than it had been that morning as many of the Vanyar from the city decided that the afternoon’s fighting would not prove very interesting -- That sounds like a hint that the other three matches (after Finrod’s quick one) will be unusual or particularly exciting, and the missing spectators will regret having stayed home after lunch.

I enjoyed Alassiel watching Region’s match and muttering.

At the end of the chapter, Námo’s in three places/times at once. That doesn’t surprise me -- we’ve seen various Valar having two conversations at once -- but it does make me wonder *how many* things they can do at once (does it vary from Vala to Vala?). At what point does something go wrong -- and what sort of problem would it be?


Author Reply: We will see in later chapters who of the Reborn, if any, are affected by flashbacks because of the tournament. I think it won't be so much the fighting that will prove interesting as what is happening in the stands with Glorfindel and Sador. There are more Reborn being released every day. Many are now reside in Tol Eressëa, others are Teleri (victims of the Kinslaying) and there are alos Noldor who are now being released, but who is being released and when is what has many Amanians wondering what is going on. To their way of thinking, those who were guilty of rebelling against the Valar should not be released until those who died innocently, but, of course, that is not how it works, thus the tension between Amanian elves and the Reborn.

I'm not sure what the limit is on a Vala for bilocation but I decided not to press my luck beyond what Námo does in this chapter. *grin* Yes, they did indeed find the 10th spatial dimension and the story of how it was found will be in Wars of the Valar.

KittyReviewed Chapter: 121 on 9/9/2007
Of course, Ingwë has witnessed Glorfindel sparring often enough to know he didn’t truly fight in earnest. The finale will be a fight to remember, no doubt.

Poor Glorfindel and Sador, that was not the best moment to relive the memories of these battles. I hadn’t thought of it before, but in hindsight it is probably to be expected that some of the Reborn react in a similar way to the fighting, even if the blood and stench of a true battle is absent. Well, if even the Valar didn’t anticipate it, why should I? It is good that even they don't know everything.

As for this arrogant Súlimondil, I hope you’ll allow us to witness how Ingwë puts him in his place. How *dare* he to say that about mortals?

Author Reply: The finale should be spectacular on many levels, but I refuse to give away the ending this early in the game. *grin*

The Valar, by their own admission, do not know everything, else they wouldn't have been taken by surprise by Fëanor and the Noldorin Rebellion. So, it stands to reason that they might not anticipate what effect the tournament might have on the Reborn, especially former warriors.

Súlimondil, unfortunately, represents those Amanian elves who never came into contact with the Edain, especially during the War of Wrath, and so have very little to no information on which to base an opinion about the Secondborn and their worth in Eru's eyes (and the Valar). For most, the only "mortal" they've ever met has been Eärendil, who is a special case and really can't be considered a good example.

It is doubtful that even Ingwë will be able to put Súlimondil in his place, but we will see.

Nieriel RainaReviewed Chapter: 121 on 9/8/2007
Oh I just loved Námo in this chapter. Of course, I've become quite attached to him throughout all your stories. I had someone tell me recently that my infatuation with the Lord of Mandos was somewhat...disturbing. *grin* But I'm convinced beneath that imposing exterior lurks the softest heart. And I love seeing different facets of him glimmering in the light from time to time.

I am curious about the Reborn and their memories returning, but not overly concerned. (Should I be concerned? *looks anxious*) I really enjoy how you make it clear that the Valar are not all knowing and can be quite baffled sometimes. I also love their slipping away for conversations that take fractions of a second. And it was nice to see they really did find that 10th spacial dimension they were looking for in Wars. *grin*

I'm hoping my Glorfindel will be feeling better next chapter. I'm glad Finrod won his round. (was there ever any doubt?) And I would love to see an interaction between those elflings and the Lord of Mandos. NO! Do NOT kill them! LOL!

Thank you again, Fiondil, for this lovely treat of two chapters. I now feel much more rested and am in much better humour. And that should transfer over to a more enjoyable day at the Renaissance Festival tomorrow where the sword fighting will mean so much more. *grin*

As always, I can hardly wait for more, but the wait is always worth it.

NiRi

Author Reply: I don't think it's strange being interested in Lord Námo... after all, he's one of the most fascinating characters in Tolkien's Cast of Thousands.

The memories being triggered by the fighting may or may not be a concern, but certainly the Valar are taking them seriously and are taking steps to ensure that the Reborn do not suffer too much from the emotional trauma such memories will bring about. The Valar don't know everything, though they can make pretty shrewd guesses, but where the Reborn are concerned they are as much in the dark as the rest of them, Námo included.

And yes, they do indeed find the 10th dimension and the story of how that happened will be forthoming in Wars of the Valar.

I promise not to kill the elflings just so they can interact with the Lord of Mandos. *grin* Such an interaction, if it occurs, will be because they happen to be in the same room with one of the adult elves, like Finrod, who do interact with him and not because they've died.

Glad you are feeling much better. Thanks for reviewing.

Reviewed Chapter: 121 on 9/8/2007
Wow! You updated TWO this time! Its been awhile since you have. I do hope you do that more often. *Hint,hint* The elflings are so adorable. Eruanna and Veryandur especially.

I am so glad that Finrod won his match! Did Ingwion win his? So I am taking it that the next chapter will be on the tinco-list matches. Will Finrod have a suprise memory event? Will it be about the time he left on the rebellion? It sure would be cool if you wrote a story about Finrod's experience on leaving Mandos before Glorifndel was released!? *Another hint, hint*

Wonderful. That about sums it up.

Author Reply: Glad you liked the chapters. We'll find out in the next chapter how Ingwion fared in his match against Vëantur. As for the rest... only time will tell what will happen.

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