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| Home for Now by daw the minstrel | 108 Review(s) |
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| Noor | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/5/2006 |
| Daw, i just wanted to say after your last comment about canon and non canon characters. You have done a brilliant job with the young Legolas stories and I don't think you have anything to worry about with the older Legolas stories. They are all a pleasure to read. However I assume it is much more fun and you can be creative with your OCS. You have written so lovingly about your OCS that we all care about them so thank you! I remember you saying you wished to modify "A question of Duty" with Loriel as an additional character. I think everyone would enjoy reading a modified version. Thanks again! Noor Author Reply: Thanks, Noor. Legolas has always been hard for me to write, so I appreciate the reassurance. | |
| NaughtyNettie | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/5/2006 |
| I remember going to my grandparent's house when I was young and playing with my dad's old toys. I always thought they were more exciting than the toys I had at home even though they were old and made of wood. Eilian's passing his toys onto Loriel is sweet and will mean a lot to her in the future. The story reminds me of all the news casts and newspaper pictures of our military leaving for Iraq and hugging their families as they prepared to depart. It is very poignant for our time. Thank you for sharing and, as always, I look forward to more from you. Author Reply: I too thought of soldiers leaving for Iraq when I was writing this. Eilian is sacrificing a lot here, so his father-in-law needs to learn to appreciate him more. I don't think I ever saw my parents' old toys, but I did see a couple of books that had belonged to my father as a kid. They were big and had hand drawn pictures, like comics. I've never seen anything like them since. I remember suddenly imagining him as a kid in a way I hadn't been able to do before. Thanks for the review, NN. | |
| mithwen | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/5/2006 |
| When I first started reading fan-fiction I never bothered to read OC-stories. Legolas’s family was also difficult. Every writer had their own image of how many brothers or sisters he had etc… I usually proffered to pretend he didn’t have any siblings, that at least several writers had in common. The first of your stories I read was `the Novice´, and for some reason I fell in love with Eilian right away. And have been loving him ever since, I might add ;-) And Loriel is so adorable! "The chest is probably full of spiders and snakes and mice by now." Her eyes grew huge. "Hurry!" She’s so like Eilian, *grin* Sweet and sad story. Author Reply: All of us who write about young Legolas have to make most of it up because there's so little canon. For me, the OCs have turned out to be easier to write about than Legolas is. I think it's because he's a canon character and I feel the need to handle him with reverence. I don't make him flawed in the way my OCs all are. And it's the combinations of Eilian's flaws and virtues that make him fun, I think. I actually dreamed about him not long ago. Loriel has her father's daring and her mother's stubborness. Eilian and Celuwen had better watch out! Thanks for the review, Mithwen. | |
| Alice | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/4/2006 |
| First things first, happy birthday French Pony! Daw this was so sad. It's awful to think what life must have been like for the Mirkwood elves in the years leading up to the War of the Ring. Poor Eilian. Poor Loriel. She's so young and to go from living in the woods happy and safe to living in a stronghold while her father rides off into danger. It's just awful. I am getting entirely too worked up over events that are not actually real. Which is what happens when I read your stories. While I miss reading your stories on a regular basis, I really hope that your original fiction is going well because I cannot wait to hold your first published book in my hands and start reading it. Anyways, good job and good luck on the original fiction. Author Reply: Poor Loriel indeed. She's too young to understand exactly what's happening, and I imagine they don't talk about some things in front of her anyway, but kids are sensitive to atmosphere, and her ada is leaving. That has to hurt. She'll adjust to the move, but Eilian will be away a lot now. I calculate she'll be a very young adult during the Battle under the Trees. The original fic is fun to write and frustrating to try to get published. I'm learning a lot about both writing and the world of agents, publishers, booksellers, etc. and some of the stuff I'm learning, I didn't want to know! Thanks for the review, Alice. | |
| BlueEyedElf | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/4/2006 |
| Awww! Poor Flower Face and Celuwen. I'm glad that Celuwen finally apologized to Eilian and seems resigned to staying at the palace for a while. It would be terrible if Eilian had to go off to battle without clearing the air between them. Celuwen might be willing to gamble her own life, but I don't believe she would risk Loriel's safety. Maybe Loriel will be able to given everyone's spirits a pick me up in the aftermath of Sinnarn's death. I love how she seems to be so perceptive. Eilian and Celuwen try to shelter her, but she picks up on everything anyway. I also hope that Eilian and Maltanaur make it back home safely. I particularly enjoyed Celuwen's parting comments about "ada's most precious belonging." That was sweet. I really enjoyed this and will be looking forward to more. Happy Birthday French Pony! Hope you have a great day! Author Reply: Thank you, BlueEyedElf. I think you're right about Celuwen. I don't believe she or Eilian would ever take a chance on their kid's safety. They've seen a lot of bad things, including the death of Ithilden's son, so they know what can happen. I think kids (and dogs) are amazingly perceptive about the feelings of people they love. They watch them and react to moods even when they don't understand what causes them. No wonder Loriel is unhappy. The stronghold is not a cheery place right now. But I'll bet you're right that they all brighten up a little when she's around. One thing I'd love to write about some time is Loriel's romances. Eilian will have no trouble at all recognizing the wrong kind of guy because he used to be one. | |
| French Pony | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/4/2006 |
| The impossible has happened. . . Eilian has turned into a grownup! He doesn't seem to have realized it yet, but that just means that we can all enjoy anticipating his shock when he does realize. I love the chance to see more of Loriel. She's a sweet, tough little kid, though her wiliness is probably giving all the adults heebie-jeebies that she can only begin to imagine. But she has good taste in toys. I want wooden Elf warriors, too! If she ever did take an interest in knucklebones, she'd probably start beating the pants off of all her opponents. But she also has this very loving side, and she knows when her Ada needs taking care of. I like seeing the hints that everyone is still adjusting to Sinnarn's death. They're not fully healed yet, but they know their duty, and they go right out and do it. And that is why we love them. Thank you so much for this story! Author Reply: Happy Birthday, FP. I hope you and your friend had a wonderful celebration. You think Eilian is an adult now? Possibly so. Nimloth still has her doubts though. I'm having a good time with Loriel. I haven't written little girls much, but she's a corker because I picture her with her father's daring and her mother's stubborness. Eilian has that whole-hearted loving streak too. It was one of the things that saved Legolas after his mother died. I didn't want to go into Sinnarn too much, but wow, the stronghold must have been just thick with grief. Poor little girl. | |
| meckinock | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/4/2006 |
| Gosh, I love a good marital spat (Celuwen, you go, girl!) On the other hand, they're hard on the kids :-( Poor little Flower Face. I deeply sympathized with Celuwen on this one, but as in all your stories, you did a good job of showing both points of view. Poor Eilian - now that he has Responsibilities, he is deadly serious about them. He and Celuwen are a wonderfully evenly-matched couple. This exchhange between Eilian and Nimloth caught my eye for the way it very economically revealed these two characters' relationship: Her eyes narrowed slightly. "What are you up to, Eilian? Are you sure Lady Celuwen will not mind?" He extended his hands, palms up. "Up to? You wound me. I have simply decided my daughter needs to spend a little time with her parents." "Hmph." Eilian grinned. No one could load that syllable with more meaning than Nimloth. "Go. Have a good afternoon and evening." Her mouth curved in a reluctant smile. "Behave yourself." She pushed herself off the doorframe and went on her way. LOL. Delightful! Poor Loriel, though. In a way I suppose it was harder for the adults who fully realized what was going on, but it's always hard to see a little kid get her world turned upside down. Her frank admission that she liked the settlement better was sad. But wow - Eilian's trip with her down memory lane was wonderful. Again, because through your stories we've lived through all these characters' childhoods, there's a huge mental disconnect at the sheer vastness of time involved. That the childhoods Eilian remembers - his own and Legolas's - are so far in the past that their belongings have literally rotted. It was bittersweet for Eilian to take Loriel to his old room because I feel like I've been there myself, when the smells were not so musty and the toys were shiny and new. The final scene was heart-wrenching. I felt horrible for both Eilian and Celuwen. I'm glad Loriel gave him Good Dog to watch over him. Author Reply: Wow. You've been practicing your Reviewing Technique again, haven't you? :-) I had fun writing the quarrel. These two have been friends since they were Loriel's age and I imagine this is not the first time Celuwen has told Eilian that he's not the boss of her. He's probably said the same thing to her. This is not Ithilden and Alfirin, with him centuries older and more experienced and her tempermentally willing to give in most of the time. If Eilian ever did announce he was Head of the Household, Celuwen is likely to tell him where to stick that particular little title. Although, one hopes she looks around to be sure Loriel isn't in the room at the time. Nimloth probably still sees Eilian as a trouble-making kid. Which sometime he kind of is. I had trouble thinking about the state the toys would be in. They'd probably have been even more dilapidated than I said because we're talking centuries here. But I told myself they were in a cave and being taken care of so maybe they'd still exist. I needed them. And it was fun to think about what Eilian had done with them. | |
| Elflingimp | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/4/2006 |
| Aw,it is so hard not to want more of that story,I love birthdays because its like we all share the presents Happy Birhtday again French Pony!!! Author Reply: My beta said the story should be longer too. :-) But the long weekend is over and I have to go back to work. Which stinks. Glad you liked it, Elflingimp. | |
| Radbooks | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/4/2006 |
| Oh, very well done and so heartbreaking for all of them to be separated like that. But, I was so glad that Celuwen ended up staying home and, as hard as it might be, I do wish her parents would come and live in the stronghold. Both for their own sake and for Celuwen's sake. As I got to the end of the story I was reminded of a picture I had seen this week of a father leaving for Iraq and saying good-bye to his wife and little girl. It was a touching picture and one we see far too often these days. Thanks for sharing and I sure am glad that all these people are having birthdays! :) Author Reply: Thanks, Radbooks. We're on the same wavelength because I thought about Iraq too. Even apart from the danger and the kind of experience they have there, soldiers miss a lot when they leave kids behind. I picture Eilian as adoring this little girl and she thinks the sun rises and sets on him. This has to be hard. On the other hand, having Celuwen's parents living in the stronghold is a recipe for comedy. Even when Eilian is away, Thranduil is sure to be annoyed by Celuwen's father! | |
| Nilmandra | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/4/2006 |
| Loriel is a bright spot right now, especially given Sinnarn's death and the grief the rest of the family is in. I liked Eilian going through his chest and the memories of the things he played with, and the reminder that his wife was one of his playmates too. Celuwen might think this is not where she wants to raise Loriel, but she may change her mind. Her parents might even agree with Eilian, for once. Author Reply: Her parents might even agree with Eilian, for once. Wouldn't that be a shocker? I don't know who would find that fact harder to accept, Eilian or his father-in-law. I had fun thinking up the things Eilian might have played with and looking briefly at his memories. | |