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| Elflings by Bodkin | 110 Review(s) |
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| fael bain | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/19/2004 |
| A sweet story, but VERY confusing. There are so many new names and you could do well to clarify the relationships between your OCs and Tolkien's characters. Using descriptors like 'aunt' and 'her friend' just serve to befuddle the reader further. Keep up the good work, though! x Author Reply: Good point. This started off as a sideshoot of Reflections from the Paradise of Elves - (as several of my stories did) - where most of these characters, if not all, crept in gradually - so, read in conjunction with that it would make sense. I'll add a prologue that lists who is attached to whom. | |
| Elven_lady14 | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/19/2004 |
| Wow, great story!! very cute! I never would'ver thought of putting Earindel and gis great grandchildren together but it was a good idea! Author Reply: A little bizarre - would the Valar really embrace Take Your Grandchildren to Work Day? But fun to think of. I feel sorry for Earendil and Elwing - they seem to have missed out on a lot of normal life while being saviours of Middle Earth. They deserve to get to know their descendants. And they deserve better than to be the victims of Aewlin's and Nimloth's mischief. | |
| Alice | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/19/2004 |
| Elrin is a very good cousin. He deserves brownies for how he deals with his younger friends. Author Reply: He is an excellent cousin. He is a typical first-born, really - sensible, earnest, hard-working. He's had masses of adult attention and basked in lots of love and approval - and he is growing up to be very responsible. (Which could start to backfire on him as his cousins grow older!) | |
| SharonB | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/19/2004 |
| Oh the poor adars. LOL, what is that old adage about the revenge of having children of your own? Something about the fact that they somehow manage to top what you were able to do to your own parents. But Legolas does not do well when one of his little elfings is missing. I'm sure he did not mean to be so sharp anda it was nice that he did apologize to Elrin. And poor Elrin having to choose the lesser of two evils by letting Eleniel go find her brother rather than waiting for the adas to come back first. I think in the end the adults will agree he did handle everything well. He rememebred to take water and the first aid kit and signal for them when Galenthil was found. Quite level headed for a Peredhil offspring, really. ;-) Author Reply: Poor lambs. They know their wives keep constant watch on the children, but they haven't quite fathomed why. I think they have a better idea now! The watch is not so much to keep trouble OUT as to confine it. Legolas was panic-stricken - he was a bit sharp with Elladan, who can cope with it, and then he found that Elrin had taken Eleniel away from camp, where they had been told to remain. It turns out to have been a good thing - but it could have made things worse if they had got lost as well. Legolas will make it up to him and agree that he did the best he could under the circumstances - but I think they will all have to have a serious talk about safety. And, if their wives find out the details, I think there might be some serious talk about what it means to supervise small children. Elrin is very level-headed. It helps that he is not a twin, I think. And Miriwen is very sensible. | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/19/2004 |
| I love Thranduil. But then, you knew that already. I laughed at his awareness of how horrified the twins and Legolas would be at his coming along, despite the very sweet fact that his grandson wants him. And I also laughed at his explanation of how Legolas would be closer to nature if he didn't brush his hair! LOL It's amazing how quickly things can go wrong with little kids. I remember how difficult it was even to take a shower without worrying when my son was small. You know they're just going to eat rat poison and play with the knives. You did a good job of showing how tense Legolas became. He snapped at and blamed others and it was all normal. Elrin is really an admirable little boy. Author Reply: They would be, wouldn't they! He could have got a great deal of amusement out of pretending that he would come - but then Galenthil would have been disappointed when he didn't. It's quite hard to imagine Legolas dirty and ungroomed - he's the sort of person who would wake up with every hair in place. Yes - from calm to disaster - and then, often, back to calm - over seconds. I think they will be surprised to find how little time has passed during their moment of crisis. And these adars know they need to watch - they just haven't worked out yet what they are watching FOR. It's not the outside dangers any more - it's the fact that, if they take their eyes off the elflings for a second, someone will climb a cliff, or run off, or decide to do the cooking or light a fire. Legolas was rather panic-stricken - first Galenthil disappeared and then Eleniel wasn't where he left her. He will let Elrin know that he behaved well. He is a very responsible child. (Must be his mother's influence.) | |
| Jay of Lasgalen | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/19/2004 |
| What a great chapter, and so tense! Poor Galenthil - accidents can happen so easily, even without wargs and spiders. I suppose it's not surprising that they didn't think to ask Eleniel about him - they're not identical, so I wouldn't expect their bond to be so strong. 'I am sure that these little ones will be rather less trouble than we were,’ Elrohir said besottedly, touching the tiny hand of one of his daughters and smiling as her fingers curled around his thumb.' I love besotted Elrohir. Poor elf, he'll soon learn! I liked Celebrían's reaction too - is that the 'second sight' of the chapter title? I also liked the reference to the raft incident, but didn't Elladan break his arm then as well? Author Reply: Elladan did break his arm - and the adventure was a lot more frightening than some of the more dangerous activities the twins indulged in later - but the tale was bowdlerised, so as not to scare Elrin. (Although probably a bit of scaring wouldn't do him any harm.) That story started here, actually, but then wanted its own telling. I thought of cutting it, but the balance seemed wrong without it. I suppose there are touches of second sight all over the place - Eleniel with Galenthil, Celebrian with the little twins, E2L foreseeing trouble, maybe. And the reader - who knows rather more about these elflings than their poor parents at this point. Eleniel didn't sense Galenthil until after their fathers had gone off in search of him, because it wasn't until he came round that she could feel him that strongly. And this is the first time they have been out with their adas, so maybe they haven't come across this talent before. Although, given their propensity for trouble, I should think they'll be bound to find it useful in the future. It could lessen, I suppose, as they grow up and away from each other. Poor besotted Elrohir. They are going to wear him down rather before they start to become civilised - but he will still adore them. | |
| Bejai | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/13/2004 |
| Just want to mention how much I enjoyed this little glimpse. My grandmother used to say that it was too bad the generations weren't longer, that children couldn't know their great-grandparents. Alas, she proved the point, and died when I was only ten. I love how you're exploring what would certainly be one of the biggest perks of immortality. Too bad Earendil doesn't really get it. Great chapter. Author Reply: It would be rather great to be able to get to know all your ancestors - and all the kids. And, moreover, they are all in the prime of life with none of them looking over twenty five. It would mean, though, that they would need special names for different generations - great-great-great-grandfather lacks identity. Not a problem for mortals, since the only way to have living g-g-g-grandparents is for people to start reproducing very young. And live. All my great-grandmothers died before they were fifty. Poor Earendil had little experience parenting his own sons - and since then he's been a star. And visiting Elwing in her white tower. It probably hasn't helped his social skills. I hope the family make an effort to keep visiting - he and Elwing could do with it. Thank you for reading! | |
| lwarren | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/13/2004 |
| This was totally hilarious...poor unsuspecting Earendil! I think it is about time that he and Elwing experience some of the joys of great-grandelflings! Those two twins (do you think I'll ever get their names down?) are terrors...but I foresee in their future a day of reckoning. As they get older, such antics become less "cute" and more accountability will be expected from them (I preach that "sermon" regularly to my third graders...what was funny and cute in Kindergarten is not so anymore!) Besides, Elrin will be around to help mete out punishment. What a great kid...so astute, too! I particularly enjoyed his interaction with Earendil. I had to agree though, a visit now and then will never make up for the time spent caring for, comforting, teaching, and loving these elflings on a regular, daily basis. Still, it's good they've at least been given an opportunity to visit from time to time. Great chapter! linda (had to laugh at one of your replies...what would they do if Earendil took a vacation...is there a substitue hotline he can call, or perhaps a Guild for Stars-in-the-making?) Author Reply: I hope the twins (Aewlin and Nimloth) pick up the idea that they are getting tiresome soon. There is enough potential for disaster in growing up without deliberate mayhem. 'It's not clever and it's not funny, Nimloth. You are old enough now to show some consideration.' Elrin is old enough to be able to manage them at them moment - but they will soon realise that he is not that much older than them and that he can't really do much to stop them. I feel sorry for Earendil - and Elwing, come to that. They seem to have been left out on a limb rather - elves, but not part of the family in a way. With a task that seems an honour until you think about it. Earendil would have been better off just taking Elrin, but adults with little experience of little monsters really do not realise quite how difficult child-care can be. What would happen if Earendil called in sick? Can anyone put on the Silmaril and fly Vingilot? Or do they just hope it will be a cloudy night and no-one will notice its absence? | |
| lwarren | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/13/2004 |
| I have to agree with Legolas here - there is absolutely nothing on earth more wearing than the manipulations of an elleth or the bull-headed rush of an ellon towards adventure...(one daughter, two sons...four going on five grandbabes). I saw this new posting this morning - and thought "Elflings !!!!" (actually shrieked might be more appropriate than thought!) I will never be able to resist such a title! LOL Now we get the "bird's eye-view" of the reactions to the arrival of these little ones, and they are priceless indeed! I am so glad to see you continuing with these stories about these families (they are my absolute favorite characters, and you write them so well!!) Thank you for sharing! linda Author Reply: Thank you for reading! It must be quite tough on elves to have babies - they can't be that accustomed to the manipulations of killer squirrels! After all, even with fifty years or so of elflinghood, it's a blink in the life of an elf. This bit was written some time ago - but I've a feeling that there are a few more to come. I didn't want them all to go up separately, so will be mashing them into a series of stories under the one heading. | |
| Jay of Lasgalen | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/12/2004 |
| This is a wonderful tale. Poor Earendil, he doesn't have a clue what's in store for him! It's interesting that Aewlin is just as bad as Nimloth at finding trouble - I loved her knocking the ship off course, learning swear words from her great grandfather, and the Silmaril slipping over his ear! The saga of the sandwiches was great - that Elrin makes the twins eat them in punishment, that they prepare for that, that he knows they will. *Sigh* What has poor Elrohir ever done to deserve these two?? Jay Author Reply: Aewlin is worse in some ways, because she thinks of the trouble. But they are both rather headstrong. (I wonder what Galadriel was like as a child?) They're not stupid, so they will learn in time, although sometimes the fun is worth the trouble that will follow. I think Elrohir might be a touch soft-hearted in dealing with his daughters - he understands their difficulties too well and neither he nor Sirithiel is prepared to make a stand. It will come, though - they're sevenish in human terms now and what can be cute and mischievous in little kids becomes intolerable in older ones. I think the whole family will be ganging up to bring them into line soon. | |