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| If I Never Knew You by Ecthelion of the fountain | 5 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/15/2025 |
| I just had to say one more thing, wishful thinking or not;) If nothing else, Fingon is selling himself short when he thinks that if he never knew Maedhros, he would not be who he was, but Maedhros would still be himself. Not quite. If he never knew Fingon, Maedhros would be dead. Author Reply: “If he never knew Fingon, Maedhros would be dead.” – lol, can’t argue with that! (Though, technically, it’s unclear whether he would be dead—he could have just been left hanging there forever…) My intention with that sentence was to show that Fingon saw Maedhros as an elder brother, a mentor, and a dear friend. He felt he "owed" Maedhros more than Maedhros owed him, at least in terms of shaping the person he became. After all, Maedhros was much older, and Fingon’s influence on him during his formative years would have been limited. So—maybe he was "selling himself short", but that would be his own cognitive limitation. :P | |
| Leithian | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/12/2025 |
| Dear Ecthelion. Would it be repetitive to say that I'm in love with the way you write your characters? But I'll never tire of praising them. Your take on the relationship between Fingon and Maitimo was pleasantly surprising, mainly because I had read so many fanfics where Findekano's personality was highly reduced, to the extent that I had began to forget that he was an effective High King and a good politician. I think a lot of people forget that Fingon was his father's heir apparent and probably right hand man in Beleriand, while Maitimo was the eldest of the Feanorians and that would have resulted in a lot of situations where they would have been at odds with each other on the political front. Depicting their relations as sunshine and unicorns is highly reductive in my opinion. You once mentioned that Findekano is your favourite character, and now you have reminded me why I like him a lot as well. Your Findekano is the one I needed so badly, but never knew what was missing. “𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴,” 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺, “𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.” ... 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘰? 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶? “𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦”—𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦 “𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘺”? These lines. Thank you for writing these down, I've seldom seen words that resonate more with me. I've always held that Fingolfin deserved so much better, his people did not appreciate him in his lifetime. Yeah, he is my favourite character and every time I read the part when he calls the princes of the Noldor to plan an attack on Angband and they basically ignore him, it makes me seethe with anger. Now that we are on the topic, I would also like to share an observation with you: in a lot of fanfics I've seen that authors depict Fingon as having a rocky relationship with his father. I don't think this is accurate since Findekano was the one who convinced Nolofinwe to leave Valinor "against his better judgement". What do you think of it? Another question, if you don't mind: what sources do you use to learn Quenya? Author Reply: I think a lot of people forget that Fingon was his father's heir apparent and probably right hand man in Beleriand, while Maitimo was the eldest of the Feanorians and that would have resulted in a lot of situations where they would have been at odds with each other on the political front. Depicting their relations as sunshine and unicorns is highly reductive in my opinion. This is exactly how I feel when a story seriously tries to convince me that this is the truth. Like—I love seeing them have lighthearted, relaxing moments, but I’d probably stop reading if Fingon unquestioningly took Maedhros’ side in the matter of the Silmaril and Doriath. Just personal preference. :) Yes, Findekáno is my favorite character (wow, you remembered!). I didn’t know yours is Fingolfin! I’ve definitely written stories about him (not just the begetting story, lol), but I’m not sure when I’ll get around to translating them—it’s part of a very long and still unfinished story. That said, I never imagined Fingon having a strained relationship with his father. In my view, they shared a deep trust—Fingolfin loved his eldest son as a capable and dependable heir, and Fingon never had any issue remaining the Prince of Hithlum while his younger brother Turgon and his cousin Finrod took the title of King. I’ve always believed that Hithlum’s steadfast resistance and Morgoth’s failure to infiltrate it were due to their combined efforts. Of course, this isn’t the only possible interpretation, but it’s the one that makes the most sense to me. Author Reply: On Quenya: I highly recommend the Quenya tutorial on Eldamo! 😊 It’s probably the most up-to-date and clearest tutorial I’ve come across. | |
| PSW | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/10/2025 |
| “And yet, if I had never known you, I would not be who I am, even though you, perhaps, would still be yourself.” I meant to mention this line - it really hits. | |
| PSW | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/10/2025 |
| These two …. It’s a difficult family to be a part of, right? Difficult to know when to speak and when to leave things alone—what approach to take and what sort of reaction your approach will draw. And whether you’re glad you spoke, after it’s all over. Interesting scene, thx for sharing! Author Reply: Thanks for the kind comments! Yeah, I’ve always felt that the relationship between the two houses was a complicated one, making things even harder for true friends, especially when they were both eldest sons. I tend not to downplay this tension, as I believe friendship should be able to withstand trials like this. | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/9/2025 |
| Wow. Am I correct in assuming you intend for this one to be taken seriously? ;) (unlike the previous one about the begettings LOL) "For the final time," ... "If I were to choose again, I would still choose to save you -- not to kill you." That's got to be one of the most powerful lines... I always like to think that Maedhros was grateful to Fingon for saving his life, even if he had to do something drastic and couldn't save all of him. Either way, Maedhros showed remarkable restraint. That's Maedhros. I think you got him right. And I think you also got it right that Fingon never regretted it. Author Reply: I can see that this is a different take on the dynamic between Fingon and Maedhros than you had expected. :D I know that fanfics about them often depict them as unwavering friends and cousins who never question each other, but I find that unsatisfying. The conflict between their houses was never fully healed—there are many details that make this clear. Overlooking or downplaying it feels like wishful thinking. Moreover, Fingon strikes me as someone of deep integrity and courage. I cannot imagine him simply excusing what Celegorm and Curufin had done—or how Maedhros handled it. That’s why I told this story as I envisioned it: a moment where they confront these issues face to face and finally address the long-standing tensions between them, as true and loyal friends should. Of course, I make no claim to truth—it’s just my perspective :) | |