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| The Unquenchable Light by Virtuella | 1 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 4/26/2025 |
| The Ezens' cynicism is well-done. I can just see the Archseraph beginning his letter with profuse apologies, which understandably confirms their dour suspicions at the beginning and maybe helps them accept what they do get with more grace than might have been. Ah, irony. It is also ironic to think back to the previous description of Sauron waiting for the defectors' forces to arrive before launching his campaign. “I hear the Hwenti are pretty handy in a tight spot,” said Ezen Gomru drily. They also throw a mean party. Ezen Worig's observation echoes JRRT's description of the Host of Mordor waking up in front of the Black Gate: “I think the ambassador did something to us, to our heads. We were like sleepwalkers out there. Didn’t you feel when the Archseraph came that you had suddenly woken up from a confusing dream?” The Haradrim in my puppy story describe something similar, and they fear, at first, that Elessar will try to steal their souls or take their will captive as the Dark Lord did. It would make sense that the Ambassador would have some kind of mind-control power/hypnotism? but also that his power would be less than Sauron's (and maybe broken by exposure to the Light?). It is a dangerous time of night for me to be reading fanfic and trying to comment. My tired eyes and brain just rendered "bini carriage" as "bikini". The momentary mental image of a Dwarf in a bikini was stunning, let's just say. However, I am happy to say that I guessed correctly about the contents of the package! But how long are Jarin and Diri going to dance around a certain topic, I wonder? I can easily see them happily working together on projects and inventions and such... and their hearts appear to be bound together, at least to this casual reader. Pairs of ducks always remind me of my dad, who was part of a bomber crew in WWII. Whenever he saw a pair of ducks, he always talked about how they reminded him of fighters flying "in perfect formation". With a sudden pang, I remember what happened to all those ceramic birds. But it was worth it to prevent the coup from going forward. ...a-a-a-a-and we find out the Ambassador's fate. Seasoned with a little more irony. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. (Swamp fever sounds nasty. Abandoning sick men? There are words for men like him that I won't type here.) What were the two or three battles? O wait, last we heard, Sauron was hesitating, so does that mean the Siege of Gondor hasn't started yet? So, battles in Moria? The attack that The Rohirrim destroying the Orcs that had taken Merry and Pippin captive? The Ents marching on Orthanc? (Something else?) Pallando and Alatar aren't the only ones who're confused. But then, again, considering the brief glimpse of a bikini-clad Dwarf I had earlier, my brain is not working at optimum right now as it is. However, the idea of an instruction manual for a palantír is amusing. (In one of my past careers, I wrote user manuals in the early days of desktop computers.) Jarin has learned and grown so much. I was touched when she asked the Seer's name and wanted to learn more about her. A preserve of custard apple doesn't sound all that appealing to me, either. But then, the only custard flavour that has ever seemed edible to me was chocolate. But how can I do it? Why do I get the sudden suspicion that something creative is about to happen? Looking forward to more. Author Reply: Do they come across as cynical? I was more thinking realistic, or maybe a bit jaded. Bikini dwarf - what can I say? Mind you, there is a scene in The Hobbit where were thirteen dwarves, one hobbit and one wizard all strip naked, bathe in the river and then lie in the sun drying off. Really something you do not want to visualise... The battles, yes. I am being deliberately a little vague about dates, because matching them up exactly to the LOTR timeline and at the same time being precise about timeframes for distrances travelled seemed too tricky. But we are coming up for the spring equinos - this is when the Festival of Birds begins, as Jarin tells Diri, and it's "coming up," so just a few days away. The palantir may show the Battle of Dale, the Battle on the Pellennor, the Battle under the Trees in Mirkwood, the assault on Lorien. The custard apple dessert was born out of desparation. I had originally assumed 23 or 24 chapters, but the story got longer and longer and I kind of ran out of fruit. Thanks for your very entertaining comments! ;-) | |