Reviews (941)

Larner · 28 June 2011 · Chapter 85: Rebellion

Aha! Did similarly to my beloved husband one day when he was unfortunately drunk and started saying the same silly thing over and over and over again until I went deliberately around the table, took his tea cup, and dumped it over his head. The sugar in the tea caused his hair to stick together in an odd spike until he sobered up enough to think to take a shower. About time he starts growing some backbone!

Larner · 28 June 2011 · Chapter 84: Pityahuan

He's a bit slow on the uptake, it appears. He has put himself into this situation, and returns himself to it voluntarily; he must truly wish his freedom to receive it, although it is offered him repeatedly. Poor Arafinwe has a good deal to learn--at least he is learning. (And purring? Heh! Quite the feat for the little hound!)

Calenlassiel · 28 June 2011 · Chapter 86: Arafinwë in the Chapel of Stars

Wow, I loved this chapter so much. The description of the stars and the meditation process was moving. Hello Fiondil, I just love your stories. Thank you for writing them.

Laikwalâssê · 28 June 2011 · Chapter 86: Arafinwë in the Chapel of Stars

Arafinwë has finally grasped the message. A lot of people will be glad, including the Valar. The description of the chaple was very lovely. I´m curious what Nienna has in store for our poor King. Thank you for another chapter that made me think. I like it! Lai

6336 · 27 June 2011 · Chapter 86: Arafinwë in the Chapel of Stars

So Arafinwe has finally realised something he should have known all along, the Valar and Eru love him no matter what. Now, on to Nienna's and what she has planned for him. I think in some ways Nienna is scarier than her brothers Namo and Manwe! Huggs, Lynda

Shemyaza · 26 June 2011 · Chapter 85: Rebellion

Well well and about time too. Just when I was seriously getting annoyed with Arafinwe he actually starts to grow a pair! I think Manwe might have suspected that he would get showered in the very cold water he said he wanted to drink. I wonder if Eonwe was watching and was either very shocked or couldn't help giggling at the sight of a dripping Elder King. I was trying to picture Feanor getting these much needed lessons in real humility and failed miserably. I think after a couple of hours he would have been trying to throttle everyone who came within range. At least Arafinwe has the potential for a great and wise ruler which is much more than Feanor did. I wonder whether Feanor sensed the innate nobility in his half blood family though and realised and resented that they had a stability that he didn't have. Oh well, it will soon be all she wrote for him and he will be a guest of Namo and out of the way of causing mischief. Olorin did always strike me as being mischievously devious, it's one of his characteristics that endeared him to me. He doesn't try to be perfect. I don't envy Niena her task, although I always think that despite the tears she is one tough cookie. I expect that Manwe will be relieved to be shot of his thrall! Just a heads up for you on a personal basis Fiondil. I just approved the final proof for the printed version of The Serpent and the Peacock and it should be on sale on Amazon very very soon. List price will be avbout $20 but I had no choice in that. I will confirm by email when it's up. It's current status on Amazon is 'pending'. The sequel, The Paths of the Moon, has already gone into production as far as artwork is concerned, but I have a few chapters still to complete.

6336 · 25 June 2011 · Chapter 85: Rebellion

Works for me! Just one of the inconsistancies that Tolkien threw into his works, the 'express train' in the Hobbit comes to mind. Huggs, Lynda

galathil · 24 June 2011 · Chapter 85: Rebellion

Poor Manwe I know he is trying to help,but the water!It would be cold even for the Valar.(I wonder if Manwe will be able to live this one down he!he!) Can,t wait for the next chapter.Love Galathil

Erulisse (one L) · 24 June 2011 · Chapter 85: Rebellion

Perfectly acted by all personnel, and the reward - a trip to Nienna's and to the Chapel, one of my favorite places in your stories. I'm sure it will be a good education for him and I look forward to reading about it. Loved this chapter. - Erulisse (one L)

Sunny · 24 June 2011 · Chapter 85: Rebellion

Olórin certainly is devious, isn't he? Putting Arafinwë to work - and work that is clearly unnecessary, at that! :-D But it was certainly effective in getting him off his self-pitying behind! But I wonder if he expected to get that shower? :-P It shall be interesting to see Nienna's approach to the problem of Arafinwë.

AzureSkye · 24 June 2011 · Chapter 85: Rebellion

*snickers* Oh, yes, sleep deprivation will win out over manners every day. Still, Arafinwe dumping water on Manwe...Well, that just had me in stitches. NIce to see Arafinwe's natural personality coming out a bit, and I thought it was lovely that his first true discontent after he accepted what he thought was his lot was his people. His concern for them will make him a great king. And he's finally figured out it was just pride and self-pity that drove him, not humility. Though I do think he's wrong about being a coward. Both of his more notable actions to date, turning back, and becoming the Valar's thrall, were both fairly courageous acts, for all that one was driven by humility and wisdom, and the other by pride and foolishness. A coward would have taken the easy way out both times, and he never did, though he may think turning back was. Well, hopefully Nienna can help with the self-image issues he has. I don't suppose this is the two months in solitude that Arafinwe told Ingwion about is it? :) Though, contrasting throwing a knife at his feet, or dousing him in water....I like Arafinwe's move better. *Grin*

Kaylee Arafinwiel · 24 June 2011 · Chapter 85: Rebellion

Hi Atto indonyo, *snort* Noooo, the Valar aren't trying to make a point at all, Arafinwe. Everything they're doing is completely pointless. *rolls eyes at him and grins wryly* Arafinwe, Arafinwe...their point, Little Hound, is that you're being so thickheaded that I can't feel sorry for you anymore. You've been throwing in the towel and they want you to stand up and be the King you're meant to be. They can give you luxuries like comfortable bedding if they want to, but they don't have to. So long as you let them, you're at their mercy...by your choice. (Although...honestly, Atto, I would have thrown the water at Manwe, too. That was just plain mean, LOL!) The Chapel of Stars, hmmm? Well, well, now we know who 'the only other Elf besides Ingwion' to visit was. Now to see it...I wonder if Iluvatar will speak to him? What will He say to our recalcitrant Elda? And then on to Nienna's. Considering Nienna knows the "true meaning of the word 'contrition'", I don't think you want to mess with her, lol. She is capable of being one scary Valie. She isn't Namo's older sister for nothing (and Irmo's, of course. In fact...I was rereading one of the HoME volumes I have, though which one it is escapes me, and wasn't Nienna originally conceived as /Melkor's/ sister? *shudder* And Manwe's, so /that's/ all right, but Manwe's devious enough on his own, Atto.) I can't wait /all weekend/ to see what happens in the Chapel and at Nienna's (and why do I have the feeling you'll torture us with /separate/ chapters?), but I know I have to. I just wish the week didn't seem so long... Tye-melin, Kaylee P.S. I recommended your Helcaraxe tale from the Tapestry to Susana. I'm sure she'll like it.

Fantasia · 24 June 2011 · Chapter 85: Rebellion

Poor Arafinwë. I will say that he is a great elf, I should have snapped long before, kicked those Valars and to the Void with them...I know, I know, they are teaching him, but it is such a hard lesson. Now, I was wondering about Intarion as well. How will he react to his Father treachery? He won't be happy for sure, he will be a great help for the disposed royals, I think. From now on I should stop speculating, you are full of surprises. I’m going on vacation today, I will read but don’t know if I will have time to review, just to let you know that even if I disappear, I’m still reading. Thank you

6336 · 24 June 2011 · Chapter 85: Rebellion

Well that didn't take too long did it! Would have liked to be a fly on the wall when he drenched Manwe! Let's hope his time in the Chapel of Stars will be beneficial. One question, if thralldom is not practiced in Aman at this time, where did the concept come from? Or can we blame You Know Who for it? They do have apprentaces(sp?) and in some cases, depending on the masters they were little better than thralls, in other cases not, but where did Thralldom come from as everybody seems to know what it means for Feanor to be able to use it as a reason to rebel against the Valar? Huggs, Lynda

Laikwalâssê · 24 June 2011 · Chapter 85: Rebellion

yes, Arafinwë go! He is coming to his senses, at least a bit! "When the Trees bloom again" - indeed! Had he really doused Manwë? *snork*. Poor Elf nonetheless. You make me love and hate the Valar at once. How do you do it? Thank you for another amazing chapter, Fiondil. Lai

Erulisse (one L) · 23 June 2011 · Chapter 84: Pityahuan

This is brainwashing, pure and simple, and the subsiding of the person in the overlaid persona of the superior. It disturbs me to see the Valar playing this role, but I know it disturbs them also and that in the end it will be worthwhile and the education in statecraft that Arafinwe desperately needs. However, time passes and Ingoldo is still being rebellion, Ingwe is still imprisoned, and his sons are still trying to save the throne for him. How long can the Valar afford to keep Arafinwe with them instead of pushing him to take the Noldor throne? It's a balancing act worthy of the Valar. - Erulisse (one L)

Tari · 22 June 2011 · Chapter 77: Escape Plans

What a cliffhanger! Now I will wait on "pins and needles" until I find out if the escape is successful.

Tari · 21 June 2011 · Chapter 76: A Search for Answers

Don't all palaces have secret escape routes like this? Given that all are not loyal to the royal families it would seem, to me, to be a necessity. It was very clever of the twins to remember this escape route. Ingoldo is in for a rude awaking. I just know the Valar will help if asked. They just don't want to control the Elves lives. This gets more interesting with each chapter.

Serindë · 21 June 2011 · Chapter 84: Pityahuan

It is clear that Ingwion will be looking for help in Tirion - so what the hell is doing Arafinwë in Valmar ? - was exactly my question. Now I see. Arafinwë decided that he had made few foolish decisions and so for the future, till he is infallible (it can be called arrogant), prefers not to exercise his free will at all and not to take any decision. He submits himself to the every Valar's whim and he puts up with all the nonsense the Valar are able to come with. And Manwë's and Námo are trying really hard to make him rebel and reclaim his freedom, but to their exasperation he does not play along. The freedom, and the responsibility which freedom brings, are too terrifying. I am looking forward to see the plan they will come with.

Kaylee Arafinwiel · 21 June 2011 · Chapter 84: Pityahuan

Good evening (as it's now well past 11 pm, it's more than 'evening', but anyway, Atto Fiondil :) ) I decided I'd give you a 'proper' review besides the email I sent you, lol. I'll begin by quoting some of my email. Apologies for the redundancy, but of course I hadn't posted it here before. *grin* "Just finished reading the new chapter of In Darkness Bound, while listening to my Worship Together: Platinum CD. "Lord, I Lift Your Name On High" is playing, and it occurs to me that, of course, God is our Master, as well as our Father. We are to be slaves to salvation, not to sin, in His care. It seems that thraldom to the Powers is not such a bad thing, after all, once Arafinwe's begun to learn the joy in obedience, and to have his arrogance stripped away even as his clothes were before. I'm glad he's more accepting of his situation." I'll add to the above that I've been listening to WoW Worship: Aqua while rereading. Somehow your stories bring me closer to my faith, particularly this one...maybe because the Valar are so central to this story. I see an issue of pride here, though Rhyselle covered that quite eloquently, LOL! It seems Arafinwe is learning the lesson taught to Ingwion earlier (well, later, technically, but we saw it earlier) about obedience and humility. Ingwion wasn't listening. Neither is Arafinwe, completely. He's begun to, but there's a long road ahead, I fear. "Seeing Arafinwe accept his situation...or at least begin to accept it, as I can see he's still rebelling somewhat...and to see how his Masters care for him so, heartened me. I see he's begun his training in statecraft, too...very good. I'm sure that by the end, this will be less thraldom and more of a true apprenticeship...I'm feeling echoes of Finrod and Vorondil again, though of course Finrod never made Vorondil fashion a collar for himself. Ah...and the point of Arafinwe's shorn hair reminded me of a question the previous chapter brought up. I recall Vorondil's father viciously attacking him with shears, chopping off his hair. Is it because he was marking his son as a thrall? (Although he should have managed the haircut when he wasn't quite so...volatile.) Glorfindel didn't get his hair cut, unless I'm mistaken, so perhaps I'm not on the right track with that. He did remove his braids, but that was his choice, right? How usual is it for there to be thralls in Aman?" (I know you answered me about Vorondil's haircut and Glorfindel's lack of one, but as I said, Atto, not everyone saw :) ) I'm really interested to see where things go from here. I can just see...eventually...Arafinwe being told "Put your collar back on like a good Little Hound"...and deciding to chuck it across the room instead. I wonder what Manwe and Namo would do about it... I'm really curious to know how he burned Nienna's cottage, too. I do hope that's addressed soon! *suspects that maybe Manwe and Namo will have Pityahuan serving the other Valar, too* Hmm...going by memory alone, but wasn't there a quote like this: "We are your teachers, not your Masters, and you have free will"...I /think/ that was Namo to Ingwion. Or Finrod...of course, in some cases they /are/ certain Elves' Masters *indicates Finrod and the Feanturi* But that's a different case than this, of course. All right, Atto, time for me to sleep. Oh...one last thing. Two, really. The Maia helping Arafinwe bathe...her name means "Friend of Knowledge", right? with a female ending? And Manatamir...or however it's spelled...he was the one who led...will lead...Glorfi to Aewellond? The one with the dog? (How very ironic...) Tye-melin, Atto. Kaylee

Rhyselle · 20 June 2011 · Chapter 84: Pityahuan

What a chapter! The thing that I like best about your interpretation of the Valar is that it is apparent that they are created beings with flaws and foibles, and that as powerful as they are, they are not omnipotent. I rather enjoyed seeing Manwë's and Námo's frustration over Arafinwë. And it helped me in appreciating the events described in the remainder of the chapter, and made me try to look at them from the Valar's perspective as well as Arafinwë's. The issue of pride is an interesting one. I remember reading a quote by C.S. Lewis about the need to forgive oneself when one has been forgiven by God; that to refuse to forgive oneself is actually like putting oneself above God. And that's what I see here. Arafinwë was told by the Valar that there was no need for him to be punished or enslaved as they (and Eru) had forgiven him, but he refused to accept that, insisting that he could never be forgiven for what he'd done. And when they make him a thrall in truth, as he insisted, he holds on to that pride, hoarding his guilt and pain, even though letting them go would free him in all sorts of ways. The description of how Arafinwë is treated makes me sad and frustrated at the same time. It's sad that his pride has caused the Valar to resort to this in order to teach him who he is and what he was created to be. It's frustrating, because in every part of it, I can see the moments when there are opportunities for that "small rebellion" that Manwë is seeking to take action--and get Arafinwë to stop clinging to the past. But in Elf Interrupted I we saw that even then, that it's a problem that Arafinwë still struggles with (when Oromë led them to Formenos). The whole thing about the collar: that only the one who made it can put it on, and only others can remove it got me to thinking, and I concluded that the mechanism of the collar is so very much a representation of Arafinwë's situation overall. It was his choice to become a thrall to Lord Manwë and Lord Námo, not theirs. He puts on the collar. They take it off of him, gifting him with (many) opportunities to reach for freedom, but he, whether through fear, guilt, or stubbornness, or all three, keeps locking himself back up. All he has to do is refuse to put on the collar and not even the most powerful of the Valar can compel him to do so. But he can't--or doesn't want to--see that. The mental and emotional manipulation going on here has a lot of layers, and it will be interesting to finally figure out all of the reasons behind Arafinwë's "behavioral therapy". By the way, this past Sunday, I taught a lesson about obedience in the Ladies Relief Society meeting, and so a lot of what was in that lesson on willing obedience to God is probably coloring much of how I interpreted this chapter. Arafinwë NEEDS to rebel. Not in a huge way, but enough to take back his free agency. It occurs to me that after what happened with Fëanor, the elves who returned to Tirion would likely have a great fear of any sort of action that could be interpreted as going against the Valar in any way, and so slide into the same compliance trap that Arafinwë has put himself into, even though they do not have any literal collars on. They need to obey the Valar, not just comply with their commands/orders/desires. I don't know if I'm expressing myself well here, but I keep thinking about Lord Námo's conversation with Ingwion at Nienna's mansion about what obedience really is. Arafinwë is not listening. Compliance with the orders he is given might get him some short term rewards, like the blanket and the sleeping fur, and the playtime in the snow, and the demonstrated affection of the Valar, but in the long run, he will need to see past them, past his own selfishness, and stand up and say "No more!" and take the consequences of his actions like a free soul should--and not try to negotiate to control those consequences like he did in the last chapter. S’ avaquétima is an interesting phrase. I looked at what Námo said to Arafinwë and tried to see it from outside Arafinwë's perspective, but I'll be rolling it around in my mind for some time to come as there is a niggling of an idea about it, but it hasn't come clear to me yet. It seems to be tying back to Námo's conversation with Ingwion in EI1 again! Gosh, this is probably as long as the chapter by now! I could probably continue to blather on about the thoughts that this part of the story has given me, but I'll spare you more verbosity. *grin* I'll close this review with the comment that when Arafinwë apologized, and Námo called him by his real name at the end, it was a very powerful moment for me, the reader. You do not state what it was that he was apologizing for, but I have some ideas on that which I'll look forward to the upcoming chapters to see if I came close to what you have in store. You have taken a sequence of what could be considered touchy and sensitive events and described them effectively without giving unneeded amounts of voyeuristic detail, but also helped us to be there with the characters throughout. Well done, dear friend! Well done!

Tari · 20 June 2011 · Chapter 75: Ingwion in Vanyamar

Way to go Ingwion. He is certainly showing his mettle. A secret room? Wonderful. I'm sure Ingoldo is unaware of it. He would have had better things to do than inspect the whole palace. I hope Ingwion finds his brother soon.

Laikwalâssê · 20 June 2011 · Chapter 84: Pityahuan

Hello Fiondil, I agree that Arafinwë has to learn to let go of his arrogance, but to treat the children I love thus, I cannot imagine. He has made a mistake yes, but this is not what he deserves. But maybe I´m mistaken and this is exactly the treatment he needs to become the great King he is later. I hope he soon rebels more and see the idiocy of his request to be a thrall. Don´t get me wrong. I like this chapter very much but sometimes the ways of the Valar are hard to understand. I´m looking forward to see how this ends. Sorry for my bad english but I hope you could catch what I wanted to say. Thank you. Lai

Anonymous · 20 June 2011 · Chapter 84: Pityahuan

omgwtf?

6336 · 20 June 2011 · Chapter 84: Pityahuan

So he Literally learns statecraft at Manwe's feet. Ah, poor Little Puppy, but he is getting there, in spite of Manwe and Namo's frustration and exasperation with him, they do love him after all and will treat him with all the patience they have, after all what is time to a Vala? Got to watch those Children, they never jump the way you expect them to! Huggs, Lynda