Rhyselle
· 7 April 2008
· Chapter 12: WANDERING: Found
Thank you so much for pointing me at this when we chatted. As I mentioned in the IM, this really made me feel a lot better inside, even though I am still ill with the ruddy cold virus.
I think my favorite part was the way he marveled at the elderly among the Edain. Of course he had never seen anyone who was "old" before, and I liked that he noted that the oldsters were honored by the younger in their group. And I'm wondering how long he is going to hold out before requesting to cuddle one of the babies. *grin*
Lovely, lovely story. Perfect for the prompt.
Author's reply
Finrod would have no concept of 'aging' so seeing old people would've been surprising for him. I suspected it wasn't too long before he was cuddling the babies and the children, once the Atani accepted him in their midst. *grin*
I'm glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for reviewing in spite of being ill. I really appreciate it.
Kitty
· 7 April 2008
· Chapter 12: WANDERING: Found
Yes, that is Finrod - having heard that they are to supplant the elves and hating them, but still able to watch them and to make up his mind about them in a favourable way after watching the children playing, the mother nursing her baby and all that. That he then stepped in and played the harp was just perfect - and probably a nice surprise for the Atani.
Sometimes I wonder - did the Valar expect the marriages between Firstborn and Secondborn from the beginning? Including the coming of Eärendil?
Hm ... Námo is explaining the order in which he is planning to release the Reborn? I know a few elves who would dearly love to listen ;-)
And I really shouldn't read other reviews. Now I feel so tempted to lure Námo back to a certain hacker plotbunny ;-)
Author's reply
The harp playing in the end is taken directly from the Silmarillion so I can't take any credit for that. *grin*
There is a hint that Eärendil's coming was foreseen by the Valar, but how much they actually knew in terms of details is debatable.
This was quite fun and much needed as I was busy this week-end killing off Denethor....
I know I'm bad - but I'd love to see the sequel.
Author's reply
Killing off Denethor, huh? Then you surely did need the laugh. Not sure if there is be a viable sequel to this, though you never know. Those Valar are sneaky about things like that. *grin*
Reader Interrupted
· 7 April 2008
· Chapter 12: WANDERING: Found
Loved the descriptions of the Atani which moved Finrod so. You write Finrod so well! Love the way you interweave the Valar into your tales so easily. All is according to plan...
Nicely done!
Author's reply
Thanks, Reader, I'm glad you enjoyed this tale so much. Yes, all is according to plan even when we're not aware of it. Finrod is one of my favorite characters so he's easy enough to write and the Valar just seem to show up whenever.
Radbooks
· 7 April 2008
· Chapter 12: WANDERING: Found
I really enjoyed this, seeing Finrod finding Men and seeing him falling in love with them at first glimpse of them. I liked the little pictures you painted of the people... the mother with the nursing child and the girl with the doll. But what struck me most was the white haired, elderly people which of course Finrod would never have seen before! The ending with the Valar was perfect... so much they had to wait to see unfold, though of course it all happened so quickly for them.
Nicely done!
Author's reply
I realized as I was writing this that there had to be some mention of the fact that these people were Mortal but that Finrod wouldn't understand what that really mean. To him, 'mortal' was just a word without any context attached to it, so it was essentially meaningless as applied to a sentient being. They knew of dwarves, of course, but since dwarves have a longer lifespan than Men the elves might not have witnessed 'death' among them.
I did not originally plan to have the coda with the Valar but the original ending did not work and then I 'saw' Manwë conversing with the Eagle and it all fell into place.
I'm glad you really enjoyed this, Radbooks. Thanks for reviewing.
Edlyn
· 7 April 2008
· Chapter 12: WANDERING: Found
Oh meldonya, you have made my morning with this bit of storytelling. As you know I am very fond of Finrod (especially as you write him) and seeing his meeting with the Secondborn has put a smile on my face that is like to split my cheeks. I especially liked your description of how the Secondborn interacted with each other and his reaction to observing those interactions. And the little epilogue with the Valar was a perfect way to end the piece (even though, had you ended it with Finrod sitting down at the Edain's fire and picking up the harp it would also have worked very well). Excellent job!
Edlyn
Author's reply
Thanks, Edlyn. I'm glad I was able to put a smile on your face with this one. While the tale could have ended with Finrod playing the harp, I felt that it needed a 'commentary', hence the coda with the Valar. I think it completes the picture more fully.
Beruthiels Cat
· 7 April 2008
· Chapter 12: WANDERING: Found
Ah, Finrod...the muse has cornered you again, Fiondil; to excellent result.
Such pictures you paint...
I think a little tale featuring "The hacker meets the Doomsman" would be most appropriate,lol...
HINT. HINT. HINT.
*grin*
Cat
Author's reply
Well, the story finally came to me as I was riding the bus to school one morning after thinking about the prompt for nearly a week. After that...
And don't get me started on hacker vs. Námo... I have enough... *Námo! Put the bunny down... slowly... that's it... now be a good little Vala and go play with someone's fëa.*
See what I have to put up with? *grin*
Larner
· 7 April 2008
· Chapter 12: WANDERING: Found
Ah, the friendship between the two peoples comes. Only good can come of it, but not without the possibility of pain as well.
Love the image of Finrod sitting there, playing the harp.
Author's reply
Yes, good will come of it, though there will be pain and heartache along the way. Glad you liked the image of Finrod sitting there, playing the harp. It's one of my favorite images of him, too.
6336
· 7 April 2008
· Chapter 12: WANDERING: Found
I think a better discription of the Edain would be inheritors, but Melkor wants to paint them in the worst light, so supplanters.
I am enjoying these little ficlets.
More please,
Lynda
Good to see the site back, I think Manwe needs to have a little chat with a certain hacker!
Author's reply
Naturally, that was the original intent of Eru: that the Eldar would be the teachers of the Atani and the Atani would become the Inheritors, but as you say, Melkor twisted the words and the actions of the Valar did not help. They failed in their trust of Eru when they brought the Eldar to Aman.
I'm glad you are enjoying these little stories. Thanks for reviewing. Never mind Manwë... I think a certain hacker should have a nice little chat with Námo, in his role as the Doomsman of Arda. *grin*
Lovely to see the Valar so young, Fiondil! Watching how particularly Námo welcomed Irmo was touching; it left me wanting to cuddle them, all three of them. They're so cute, Irmo in his insecurity, Námo so worried about having to chose a particular rose colour, and Nienna wondering about Námo being a gift to her. (When I was younger, I'd have argued at times that my little brother isn't a gift, but a nuisance, to be honest *grin*)
It's a bit odd to imagine Melkor playing with the others. It had to be terribly difficult for them to later watch him turning bad.
Author's reply
Writig this I wanted to cuddle them all myself. *grin* And when I originally wrote the final paragraph I unconsciously left Melkor out, and had to consciously put him in. Sad, really, to think that he eventually turned away from all that. I'm gald you loved this, Kitty. Thanks for letting me know.
Agape4Gondor
· 3 April 2008
· Chapter 1: SONG: Name That Tune
This first one was delightful. Can't wait to have the chance to read the rest. I loved Gimli's little 'quip' and wondered why Eru didn't just blast him for the blasphemy! LOL
Good tale.
One small thought - I did some extensive research on the use of 'aye' and the only ones who use it in the Sil, LOTR (all three books), and the Hobbit, are Sam (only once), and Gimli (only once). The rest of the time, all use 'yes.' FYI. Oh - and one of the Orcs.
Author's reply
Glad you enjoyed this tale, espeically Gimli. I'm sure he's not the only Dwarf in history to think that way. The only difference is, he's the first to have a Maia for a friend to correct him. *grin*
Well, maybe the Sam and Gimli are the only ones to say it in the books, but that doesn't mean the others didn't or wouldn't. Even in such tales as Elf, Interrupted I have characters using both interchageably, as well as the negatives 'no' and 'nay'. I tend to use the archaic forms for emphasis more than anything. But thanks for the information anyway. Don't you just love research? LOL
Even though they only have auras at this point, I can still imagine all those sweet and innocent little faces-especially Irmo with one finger in his mouth; looking shyly from under his lashes, Námo bouncing from one foot to the other, Nienna intensely concentrating...lovely, Fiondil!
Cat
Author's reply
Yeah, it's hard not to somatomorphize the Valar when they are unclad since we can't really visualize pure spirit. When I was writing this I 'saw' them as children: Nienna a serious ten-year-old, Námo a bouncy four-year-old and little Irmo with his thumb in his mouth, and Atar as... well, as Atar. *grin* Glad you enjoyed this little piece of fluff.
Ah, if only Melkor could have continued in his appreciation of playing. He lost so much when he tried to set himself above the others.
Yes, fluff.
Author's reply
Yes, Melkor missed out on much. He could have done so much for Arda and the Children but instead he set himself up against Atar and from that much tragedy ensued, but here we get a glimpse (however tiny) of his innocence and we can mourn for that which was lost. At least the other Valar never lost their appreciation of play which is an essential ingredient in maintaining one's innocence.
Very sweet. So, now when I see roses, I'll have to think of Namo, huh? :)
Author's reply
Well, what's wrong with that? *grin* I'm glad you liked this little tale. Pure fluff, but sometimes you need it.
Ces
· 1 April 2008
· Chapter 11: BIRTHDAY: Meeting Irmo
What a sweet story! I could just hug Námo! And Nienna and Irmo deserve one too of course, but Námo especially!
Ahhhh, to be so loved; so innocent and so pure. What a blessing children are. They remind of us all that is good in the world.
Poor Námo. Wondering if he has to choose a favorite color; They can all be favorites; I'm sure Atar's rose garden is a rainbow of colors.
I'm assuming Melkor was happy back then? It was nice to see his name included when Atar brought all his children together. What a shame he fell to the dark side.
Ces
Author's reply
Yes, children are a blessing, even when they're aggravating. LOL And this tale takes place very early... not even the Maiar have been created yet, so Melkor is still quite young and innocent. It is indeed a shame he fell to the dark side, but on a brighter note, if he hadn't we wouldn't have any stories to tell, would we? *grin* I'm glad you liked this story. Hope it wasn't too sweet for you.
YAY!!!!!! I remember this little tale! You showed it to me a long time ago. It has some changes, I think, but I still love it!
*Hugs Irmo*
*Hugs Namo and Nienna and Atar*
^.^ I wouldn't mind a hug from Atar, myself!
~Kaylee!
Author's reply
Just some minor changes but the story is essentially the same. I wouldn't mind a hug from Atar either. *grin*
Edlyn
· 28 March 2008
· Chapter 10: PROPHECY: Changing the Future
Oh, my ribs hurt, I laughed so hard at this fic, meldonya! The utter snarkiness of the Men's comments about the Firstborn and Elros' affection for them was all too funny (I think a couple of the folks who ride the same bus as I do in the morning must be descended from these two!).
I love your long fics immensely but your talent (and humor) really shines in these shorter pieces. Keep it up!
hugs,
Edlyn
Author's reply
I'm glad you enjoyed this, Edlyn, and that you are enjoying these shorter stories as a whole. When I wrote this piece I was thinking of all the so-called prophecies that have been written in our world and the fact that there's evidence that even some of the wording in the Bible may have been tampered with by translators and such down the ages, so it just makes sense that such things might have happened in Middle-earth. Anyway, regardless, the good news (or maybe not!) is that Atar does have the last laugh and the final say in all this. Thanks for reviewing.
harrowcat
· 27 March 2008
· Chapter 10: PROPHECY: Changing the Future
I think that it is just as well I don't listen to prophecies. I am glad that the future is an unknown Country. But I really enjoyed this.
Author's reply
Always best to ignor prophecies... they just get in the way of living, IMO. *grin* Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for letting me know.
6336
· 27 March 2008
· Chapter 8: WAR: Gwann nan iHûl
'white is so not your colour' , O.K.!Gone with the Wind by way of Aman, I like it! Still trying to think of a colour for Galadrial but I keep on coming up with this image of her in jeans and a LOTR tee shirt!
Lynda
Author's reply
Author Reply: Well, I'm thinking blue myself, but hey, that's just me!
Shemyaza
· 26 March 2008
· Chapter 10: PROPHECY: Changing the Future
LMAO. That was nasty, and very funny!
Author's reply
Glad you thought so. Thanks.
6336
· 26 March 2008
· Chapter 10: PROPHECY: Changing the Future
Ah, Atto always knows best! We Second Born are a sneaky bunch, aren't we!:<)
Nice one,
Lynda
Author's reply
Yes, Atto always knows best. And we Secondborn are no more sneaky than the Firstborn, just in a different way. *grin*
Nieriel Raina
· 26 March 2008
· Chapter 10: PROPHECY: Changing the Future
Interesting, very interesting. And quite amusing too. *grin* Great ficlet! Keep them coming.
Author's reply
Glad you liked it NiRi. I'll keep them coming as long as you keep giving the prompts. *looks for number 12*
eliza
· 26 March 2008
· Chapter 10: PROPHECY: Changing the Future
I swear, I've got to stop reading your stuff during lunch. No one's going to believe I choked to death from laughing. 2 men! it sounds more like Merry & Pippin up there trying to rearrange things.
Thanks for the great read
Author's reply
Hey Men are just as sneaky as Hobbits. And maybe you should eat your lunch before reading (or after), not during; that might help cut down the possibily of choking to death from laughing. *grin* Glad you liked this. Thanks for reviewing.