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The Findaráto Diaries by Fiondil	6 Review(s)
hawkeye	Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 8/2/2014
I had a feeling something would go wrong. It seems like Finrod can't get through an event without some sort of embarrassing event. I think what makes me really sad here though isn't so much the event or the memory, it's how other people perceive it. So much of history really isn't "funny," or something to be trivialized, but we write it off as not a big deal. What Finrod was experiencing was a situation like that. It's not trivial, it's very real and desperately sad. Yet, the court will likely not see it that way. It will be just another reason to laugh at someone who really shouldn't be laughed at. At any rate, poor Finrod will need lots of love to come out of this one, I fear. Maybe the Valar can give him therapy :) Okay 'the Order of the Prince's Courtesy' Arafinwë, really? I can't fault Finrod for being upset about this one. I think I would have died of embarrassment right on the spot (in fact, I'm pretty sure I did ;). But again, nice saves on Herendil's part :) Despite an extreme case secondhand embarrassment, I really enjoyed this chapter :D You are an amazing writer. Thanks for sharing with us! Author Reply: Hi Hawkeye. Flashbacks aren't fun, that's for sure, and this one was a deciding moment in Finrod's previous life, a life that none of those at the ball have any clue about, not even Arafinwë. And Arafinwë's "Order of the Prince's Courtesy" was probably not a good thing to thrust upon Finrod at that moment, but I think eventually it will catch on and be looked upon with favor by the court. And Herendil is very cool here. Thanks for your review and your praise. I appreciate them both very much.

Tari	Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 1/13/2010
Poor Finrod; trying to deal with amnesia is awful. At least some of his people support him. The rest are fools. They don’t realize that it could just as easily be them going thru this nightmare. Where is Glorfindel and could he really help? Author Reply: It is terrible what Finrod and the other Reborn have to go through as they reclaim their memories. And, of course, it doesn't help them any when people refuse to understand. Unfortunately, Glorfindel is still residing in Mandos and it will be some time before he is released. I'm afraid Finrod will just have to muddle through on his own. grin

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 12/31/2009
The reason for the memory surfacing is obvious enough. It would do well for these courtiers to remember that Finderato had himself been a king, and understands in the depths of his heart what it entails. They certainly need the example of courtesy before them! Author Reply: Very true, Larner. Most of the courtiers, I think, don't really believe that Finrod was a king in his own right. They remember the prince only and then he was simply the oldest son of the youngest son of the Noldóran at the time, not even haryon to the Noldóran as he is now.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 12/28/2009
Hm ... it may be meant well, but admittedly I share Finrod's sceptism about this new Order. While the membership may be a certain reward for these who are nice to Finrod, it might cause even more of a chasm between him and the others. Though I enjoyed what Herendil said about certain others having forgotten even the most common courtesies – hope Nambarauto & Co. listened closely! eg Oh well, it seems at least one or two others seem to think it a good idea. I'll just let your muse surprise me how that turns out. And what Finrod is plotting now ... What a place and time for Finrod to have such a memory triggered! Really, Finrod, you should give the poor ellon a break! Author Reply: Hi, Kitty. Well, we will see how the new Order works out soon enough, I suppose. And I am assuming your last sentence in addressed to me and that you are not castigating Finrod for being Finrod. LOL

ellie	Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 12/25/2009
Nice holiday timing ont he posting of this chapter. Poor Finrod having to relive that horrible experience of having his peopole turn against him only to 'Wake up' and discover that not only does no one understand, but the poeople of the court aren't entirely on his side anyway. I hope his young friends stick by him. I also hope that the new order will turn out to be a good thing. I loved it that he and his cousins used to make up chivalric orders to keep the ellith out of their games. too funny! Can't wait for more chapters! Author Reply: Hi, ellie. Well, I didn't exactly plan it this way, and of course for the Elves the New Year is in March, it's just the way the chapters fell out. grin Anyway, I am glad you liked the chapter, especially the part about Finrod and his cousins making up chivalric orders to keep the ellith out of their games. Didn't we all? LOL

Shemyaza	Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 12/24/2009
I read all of your stories avidly, but this one struck a personal chord with me. I suffer quite badly from PTSD as a result of seeing action in the Gulf War. Your description of Finrod's episode is very much one of a PTSD flashback during which the sufferer enacts the flashback as though it was happening in real time, which of course to the sufferer, it is. During that time the outward behaviour of the sufferer can seem bizarre and completely outlandish to those watching it. It was the mental state which, after the war in Vietnam, coined the phrase, the '1000 yard stare'. PTSD can occur days after a traumatic incident or it can occur 10, even 20 years later. The official explanation for PTSD is that it's 'a normal reaction to an abnormal situation'. I would imagine that many Elves and indeed Maiar who fought in Middle-earth would experience such PTSD and for someone like Finrod as a reborn it would be all the more traumatic simply because the actual trauma and the events leading up to it would have culminated in his painful death. Nobody in Aman who had not experienced war or death in that way would have little basis for comparison. I have a great deal of empathy for Finrod for obvious reasons. Author Reply: Hello, Shemyaza. Thank you so much for this. I am so sorry that you suffer from PTSD, but I am glad that I have depicted Finrod's episode realistically. I well recall when PTSD was coined as I grew up during the Vietnam Era. And you are correct that Elves and even Maiar who fought in Middle-earth would probably have similar PTSD experiences, though I think the Maiar would be able to deal with it better. I suspect that the healers in Lórien were very busy after the War, but, as with their dealings with the Reborn, I doubt, as you say, that they would have little basis for comparison and would not understand, initially, what was happening or even how to treat it, if it is even treatable. Thank you for sharing. I truly appreciate it.

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