Reviews (2,009)

I find myself wanting to know who the current would-be dark lord is. Someone knows Alex's former lives and wants him badly, obviously. Glad that the Elves are so close behind them.

Now taking beverage requests for the cliff house! I do think Farrell is getting quite a bit of help from the enemy. This is terrifying. Poor Alex. Great chapter.

Okay, it's Valentine's Day in story? *sends Atto Fiondil a review instead of chocolate* Though I wouldn't mind chocolate, lol. Well. Just when things couldn't get any worse for Alex, they do. I have to say, I love Ed Finlay and Sakari, and the part they seem to play in all this. At least Alex has a friend from the old days who understands him. (Friend, well, apparently at least.) Remind me who Junior was again? I can't remember where he came from - an ex-partner of Alex's, though, yeah? What *happened* in Spain? Good lord...zombies? o.O I hope that bit was just in the nightmare... Oooh, boy. Winterdark Tarn. I am praying to Eru that they all get there in time to save Felicity. Of course, the whole thing is probably a trap, but what if they get to the Tarn just to find Felicity's already dead, or somewhere else, or even worse *gulp* in league with Farrell? God, I hope not... Oh, Alex, Alex...please let something go right for once! Tell the Elves how to help you!! As I said, I'll try to keep on the ball with my reviews from now on. Until then...*bunks down in the Cliff House with a box of HoHos and frosted donettes, and a thermos full of strawberry lemonade*

Well, that certainly wasn't a spider! I guess everything that happend with Junior played an important part in messing Alex up. He finally seems to be aware he really needs help, but it seems he's not even able to trust Ron about it. This can only turn out worse...(providing he is able to bother enough about it. A lot is happening in this chapter, and it's going at at fast pace in many ways. Valentine is a custom that could use some explaining with the Elves, and I had to laugh about the 'naked winged babies' comment. I can't stand the either! (and as the resident angel expert, it's one thing calling them cupids, but calling them cherubs really sets me off lol! ) It's also nice to hear something about how the anger management classes are going, we lost a bit of track of those, and how the elves are working on setting up various classes. A real silence before the storm moment here and from reader's perspective a good way to bridge some time. It's nice we got to see something from Finlay's point of view and slightly a light tone in the upcoming darkness: 'who the hell was Alex Grant, anyway?', 'sheesh! Elves, no less!'. And Finlay might have been out of the Game, but he's still an agent, maybe more than Alex atm. Alex on the other hand is a bit of a loose projectile here: one message and off to the Tarn he gives, even in spite of what recently happend to him concerning that place, in spite of what happend there earlier on and even more in spite of the warning not to go there alone. tsk tsk Alex! I loved Glorfindel running through the housing, issuing orders, calling Finrod, issuing more orders, everyone changing, and off the go! There was quite a rush to the way it was written, which seems perfect for the situation. There are quite a few disturbing hints more is going on around Farrell like how it;s possible none of the Elves has been able to track him down, as well as him going to the Tarn again. Whatever happens there, let's hope it will not wake up the sleeper in the water!

Someone has done a very good psych profile on Alex. They know he is loyal to those near to him and he will react in agency mode when the right buttons are pushed. Though I am beginning to believe, like Alex, that he is possessed by something that has changed what Alex was into what he is now. If you look at his background, he was successful in going undercover and tracking down various criminals. If he wasn't good at his job, then he would have been working a desk somewhere or he would have been dead. He broke the primary rules of hunt, as he should have called Felicity to see if she was at home or not and he should have called Glorfindel whether he stayed around for the elves to arrive or not. Thank goodness Finlay is right behind him. Winterdark Tarn. You picked an evil place Fiondil to have this confrontation if there is one. Somehow I have this feeling that Alex may be on a wild goose chase just to see how he will react and who will show up if something does happen. Farrell or whoever is backing him could learn a lot about the opposition this way. And if something happens to Alex in the meantime, so much the better. My take is Farrell is after more than just Alex. And yes, we will have to wait until Monday to find out what happens. Have a good weekend Fiondil and we will be here bright and early Monday along with the rest of the Cliff House people ready to read your latest chapter.

So a prophetic dream warning of the impending doom? Alex really does need to start talking...Felicity deserves lots of chocolate if Alex gets to her in time to rescue her, no matter what he thinks about giving chocolate as a gift to a girlfriend.

This whole chapter is a massive punch in the gut. It's always been clear that Alex killed people, but seeing the scene written out makes a big impact. The questions keep piling up as to what is going on with Farrell but now it's definitely a charged atmosphere. You can practically feel the storm clouds rolling in. Very exciting! I guess that's what happens when you date an ex-spy, girlfriend. Yikes. I hope she at least managed to shed some of Farrell's blood in the bargain. Go for the face, chicka. I have no sympathy for kidnappers. Eagerly awaiting the next update! I owe you a couple of other reviews too, I haven't had a moment to myself in a week and I am actually on my phone and heading out of town - but seriously, punch in the gut. And a totally different mystery about what went down with Junior. Fun to see the Elves mobilize, too. Have a wonderful weekend and take care! -Kevana

I saw the dram chip monk as soon as I read "Winterdark Tarn". Yikes. Poor Alex hopefully this will all end up being the cure he needs to chase those demons away from him. :(

Ow, ow, ow. If that dream is how that confrontation in the Riad really happened, I'm not at all surprised Alex is disinclined to talk about it, even to Vorondur. (Well, except for what he saw when he looked back. That sounds like something out of a horror story (which is not my cup of tea at all!)) I really wonder just who is pulling Farrell's strings. It definitely sounds as if he - or said string-puller - is getting advice from a Maia who has gone oer to the dark side, at the very least. Or that one of them is very heaily influenced by someoe like that. This whole situation stinks to the high heavens. Alex' girlfriend kidnapped, and he getting a note drawing him out to Winterdark Tarn is way beyond suspicious, since hardly anyone beyond Alex and the Elves know just how dangerous that place is to him. Add in the timing, and the situation screams setup. I guess Finlay is going to come nose-to-nose with other ... things ... than Elves soon. It will be interesting to see how he handles that! Hopefully Glorfindel and Finrod are going to be sensible enough to let others do the martial heavy lifting. If not, I'm sure the Twins will detail a couple of persons to make sure they stay put. *settles in for a long stay at the Cliff House*

That's it. Farrel either has knowledge he should not have (about the odd creature in the tarn) or he wants to kill Alex in the same place Alex has already once died. Somehow I think it is the former option. I'm also wondering if there are still Elves' ancient enemies alive... perhaps houseless Elves gone to the dark side? They might recognize the watcher in the water. Could they hold a gun? I don't really think the answer is something like that, but there is something weird going on in Wiseman. It is good that Finlay was looking after Alex (and I really liked the "Locked, of course. Well, he’d never met a lock that could defeat him and this one was easy-peasy in comparison to some."). I'm also slightly worried about the Elves going after Alex and Farrell, it is not certain that they could go sneaking around without anyone noticing. Poor Alex. His career started with two murders and he has had to live with it all this time! There is no easy way to heal from that. They really need to get rid of Farrell without Alex having to kill him. And I have to say, I really liked the Elves' desciption of St. Valentine's Day angels. I think they look silly, too.

I could actually feel my pulse speed up as I "followed" Glorfindel racing thru Edhellond giving orders. Its a good thing Finlay is as well trained as he is, and Alex too. But I hope they, and everyone else (not including Farrell and his minions!), will be all right. What I'd give to be able to dial a number a hear a musical voice at the other end saying, "DelaFiore," or even better "Glorfindel" haha

Things are getting more and more worse with Alex and his screaming at the end promises no good. He's been pretty messed up with his work for the agency and the whole situation he is in now, I fear Ron will be right and he will only become more dangerous. I love the way it takes more than his little act to unnerve Ron. Finrod's story is harrowing and it's small wonder it took him long be bore he got to terms with it after being reborn. Based on the comments,. it *could* just be that spider Alex is screaming for. Living together with a severe arachnophobian, it's sometimes hard to tell wether it's mediocre sized spider or someone just died!

Ahhh Alex, nothing says calm to a psychiatrist like "I am calm!"

I am beginning to think that Alex/Artemus belongs in a room with nice squishy walls, also just how long it would have been before something would have happened if he had not come to Wiseman and met the Elves. Those shrinks at the Agency did a piss poor job of watching his mental health and if they can't tell when some body is feeding them a line then they should not be doing what they are doing, or not doing, as the case my be! Was some body in the Agency out to get him? Alex/Artemus and Vorondur will get to the bottom of this, or at least as far as needed eventually but it is going to take time which Vorondur has but A/A doesn't. I think that once Ratty is dealt with things will ease up a bit but until then A/A will need careful handling. I hope Dan O.K. Interesting chapter. Huggs, Lynda

The agency really did a number on Alex's psyche. That Ron mentioned that he was close to tripping over into the dark side is an indication that there are many things that have happened to him over the years that have tried to kill the goodness in Alex's soul. The agency in Spain could even had set up that confrontation in the garden to get Alex to the next level of their set up. That there was something else that happened with his first kill in that confrontation indicates that Alex was not ready for the dirtier side of the spy world. Ron has studied the human side of psychiatry very well. He had to invoke some strong commands to get Alex to tell of his time in Madrid, but he backed off from there and has left things to Alex to decide and determine where to go next. And I think we are at the crossroads of this matter if the scream at the end of this chapter is anything to by. Either that or Alex found a spider in the bath! Can't wait for Friday this time to see what happens. Headed up to the Cliff House to do some dusting and bake some breakfast squares. Have a good week!

Oh dear poor Alex. Everything seems to be coming to a head for him, poor guy! Ah well... through darkness to light eh? We hope!

More psych stuff. Oh well, it's giving me hooks for a class this coming school year. Why was Edward less corrupted by his past than Alex? ~Eruherdiriel

Poor Alex. We get a harrowing story; think he feels better and then we get screams again. Great psychological profiling. Thanks.

Again I must say, Poor Alex. He has been through so very much and seems to be coming apart at the seams. Good thing he has so many who care for him. Hopefully all will be well with them all and Derek (along with the others) will return home. :)

Clearly there are quite a lot of stuff floating upwards from the very muddy depths of Alex' subconscious. And the mind can make some very odd connections at times - you have showed that often enough in your fics featuring newly Reborn Elves. Certainly the first time Alex killed someone would have been a very memorable occasion - and not in a good way. Cliffy time again, I see. *puts out plates of homemade biscotti on the table of the Cliff House, and starts brewing a fresh pot of tea* I guess Edhellond is going to get as ... interesting ... as Lórien when it was full of the newly Reborn.

Oh boy, Alex can't seem to catch a break. If it is not Farrell breathing down his neck, he gets these weird flashbacks. They need to get to the bottom of this, so Alex can get a handle on things. It is too dangerous for him to just zone out like that, especially if it gets triggered by fighting. Sure, sword fighting seems a bit quaint in modern times, but it is not only the fighting itself you train, it is the mindset behind it. And it is always good to be able to handle whatever is at hand to defend yourself.

It does appear that past-life regressions might well be called for in this case. Love the description of the sparring. Too bad that Alex's former self got caught in it all.

That fighting demonstration was quite something for the Mortals. But why did Amroth do it? I like it that Zach seems to have found a friend. So far he was still pretty much a loner.

Interesting conversation with Namo. It brought something up, I have thought about for some time. Where is the future for the younger generation when the older one never dies? What good is it to be heir of something when you know in the normal course of things you never come into your inheritance? I can see that it is the younger generation of elves that loses estel. They are kind of at a loss as to what to do with their lives. As sheltered as they live there is not really a challenge or adventure or new frontier they can explore. Once all or most of Valinor is explored and occupied, what can they do? Bringing more elves into the world just compounds the problem. They need a real task, they need to feel that they are needed before they can go on.

Well, well, well, just when you think this will be a quiet chapter... Alex has a point. Swords might certainly play a part with the final battle, but with so many modern weapons out there, it seems good to learn how to use those as well. Or at least recruit ones who know how to handle those. Why limit yourself to one way of fighting when there are many? Seems good to be prepared in many ways. Surely Finrod, isn't calling in a live oath for an overprotective husband who does not want his wife to go alone a bit much? Glofi seems to be on the mend again, and actually willing to give himself more time. Yes, he has grown up, somewhat that is. I actually think Finrod might think of him less mature than he actually is, still seeing him as the Reborn we once knew, but he must not forget Glorfindel has had many centuries of a very active life (compared to Finrod) to grow up. Although I really wonder who of the two will be first in fighting condition again, Glorfindel or Finrod. I think the first one won't be wasting any time as soon as he's able too. - “There is, but the telling of it would take too long. Suffice to say that Finrod learned a valuable lesson once a long time ago, and yes, I learned one too. Don’t snicker, Val. It wasn’t funny.” - Where is this too? I can't seem to catch the reference right away. Oh, and think the courts of Aman had enough stories about Glorfindel to tell Elrond to last several centuries! I like how the ambidexterity of the Elves is portrayed in the fight. Alex is really, really loosing it here, these flashback or whatever they are are no fun, and although it's not entirely the same, Finrod is right in seeing there's a resemblance to the blood trance here. It's something Alex and the Elves really need to work on, for he is a potential danger here and already not too stable emotionally atm. You're really enjoying making Alex suffer I think! I think not many who did something like that to Elladan would made it out unharmed, but of course forgiveness is the right emotion here. And I really wonder how Finrod will be coping with Alex' episodes, he seemed rather upset by it. I guess it's cliff house time again. Also, found this news item and it seems something the EA crew should be checking out on! http://www.katu.com/news/local/Womans-car-attacked-by-self-identified-high-elf-battling-evil-259598811.html?mobile=y