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All for Her   by SoundofHorns 23 Review(s)
AdamasReviewed Chapter: 64 on 12/1/2004
I’d loved to enlighten your English professor, but haven’t you learned yet that college is not about becoming an “independent thinkers”. Most professors become professors so they can hear themselves talk and puff themselves up by requiring their students to regurgitate their philosophy. There are a few rare professors that will encourage and enjoy differing ideas, but they are rare. You will get farther and better grades when you learn to play the game. Take my word for on this, I come from a background of educators…Father, Uncles, Cousins etc…

Besides, you want to talk about “independent thinkers”, Bill Gates is a Billionaire and he never finished college, but he did create and built an empire.



Author Reply: Hmm. Maybe I'll eventually end up falling out of college, then, since I can't stomach that crap or play the game. Interestingly, the actual Dr.'s I have as teachers right now (3 out of the 4) are not that way, but this woman, a mere Professor is a bitch and a half. I'm so glad this semester is almost over.

DrakeReviewed Chapter: 64 on 12/1/2004
Why, thank you! I don't think I ever finished telling you about the other one. I've always thought it the better of the two, but I'm certainly glad you like one of them. Maybe I will try to write it up sometime in the near future, so long as you promise to read it. :)

"Must. Write. Slashy. Dialogue. lol"

ROFLMAO!!

Author Reply: Hee. They're making arrows, or Faramir is while Eomer stirs paint. LOTS of ways I could work in the word "shaft". hee, I'm twelve.
Tragically, Gaer is underused in this chapter. Sigh. Eomer/Faramir arguing takes up a lot of room. And for that, they're both a little self-centered if you ask me. I want my Gaer.

DrakeReviewed Chapter: 64 on 12/1/2004
I second Adamas about you becoming a profesional writer, though I believe I already stated my opinion on that matter. I still think you are a brilliant woman with a gift for description, plot, and dialogue, and I would love to see some original work coming from you in the next few years. HeHe, I'm willing to bet your first story is going to be in the top ten for months while mine sits down at the bottom. :)

Can't wait to see the next update. You torture us all, lol. Don't you know I have nothing to do other than read your marvelous work? :)

Author Reply: Oh, you guys make my day. Aww. Hey, don't bet on your story being below mine--I remember being very interested in one of the two you mentioned. I'd grab it up anytime. You just have to finish it! :)

I'm about 12000 words in but I'm not yet where I want to stop. Actually no where near that point. Sorry, but you want me to do it good, right? It'll be good! I promise. Conflicted Eomer, pissed Faramir, sweet Arwen/Eowyn/puppy and nicey Eomer/Faramir...ah, all anyone could ask for. Well, I want to write some hot Faramir/Eowyn. lol
Oh, LOL! I went to chinese for lunch and the fortune cookie said "Flattery will get you far tonight" Hee! In light of the fact Faramir's considering flattery for Eomer and Eomer's being nice and inviting him out to the village in the next chapter...I'm snickering every time I think of it.

Must. Write. Slashy. Dialogue. lol

AdamasReviewed Chapter: 64 on 11/30/2004
I hope your finals are going well. I would not want you to become stressed out and unable to finish this story. Checking for updates and reading your reviews has become a part of my daily routine. What would I look forward to every even?

I would like to take this opportunity to say again, that you are very talented. During the long waits between your chapter updates I search other sites for other stories to read about my favorite Middle-earth people (Faramir/Eowyn, Eomer/Lothiriel). Being a diehard Tolkien fan, I prefer to read things that are true to Tolkien. What I have found is that there isn't an abundance of quality stories out there.

You're work is consistently superior work. You take time to review your words, spelling, dialog, action, character development, and story plot. You truly are very talented. And although, I usually do not approve of writers who are not true to Tolkien, you have taken his characters and made them your own and have done it very tastefully. I guess what I am saying is you have a true gift and talent. I would hope that your are seriously considering a career in writing, you are that good. I look forward to seeing some original work from you in the future. I only hope that in your book cover you make reference to your sue-doe name "SoundofHorns".

Thank you again for your talent. And please update soon. Spare me the agony of having to read mediocre material.


Author Reply: Aww. Thanks so much. All this praise makes me really scour my chapters to make sure I live up to it. ;) I'm definitely wanting to be a writer--writing this story has given me so much pleasure and really, there's little else that holds my interest for the sheer amount of time this story has. BTW, could you send some of this to my english teacher and convince her I'm capable of doing a paper that doesn't simply parrot back the things she talks about in class? Sigh. You'd think independent thought would be *encouraged* in college. Hell, my high school english teachers just about wet their pants when I gave different view points or wrote something even mildly entertaining. I guess this teacher isn't old enough to be bored with all that parroting.

Anyway, you'll be glad to know that I'm almost done with the next chapter but I still have to finish it (about 3000 words)(at the very least)) and make sure its how I want it to be. That's the hard part: having everything the way it should be...I can't explain it but the chapter just "feels right". :)

Blame it on Eomer. He's dragging his heels again.

AdamasReviewed Chapter: 64 on 11/29/2004
Ok, Holidays over. Where is the next chapter? You’re killing me… I'm having major withdrawals and anxiety attaches. It's starting to effect my work :oP

Author Reply: LOL. I'm trying, I'm trying. I *have* finals you know!! ;) Plus I just wrote a great song for Eowyn...see? I'm working on it! Unfortunately you won't get either new song for a while. Hee. LOL, that made me snicker out loud and it sounded all evil like a cheesy cartoon villian.

I gotta say, Eomer's one tough cookie. This male-bonding is going rough. Faramir might have to shout once or twice. I had some damn fine Eowyn/Arwen but I forgot it. Sigh, must concentrate and remember.

Author Reply: Heh, I'll add that I have some exceptionally steamy Eowyn/Faramir intereaction for when they finally meet up again. Yeow. I might have to put up a warning. ;)

LauraReviewed Chapter: 64 on 11/27/2004
All I have to say is... When's the next chapter coming? I'm going through withdrawals.

Author Reply: Soon as I can get it written. I took a holiday. ;) It's Thanksgiving! I had to eat! You can have your puesdo-slash Eomer/Faramir Not!date and playing with paint later. ROFL. God, now I've got the giggles.

JenReviewed Chapter: 64 on 11/21/2004
Just wanted to respond to Raksha's comment that Faramir was justified with his actions with Eomer and Oswyn. I agree that Faramir is justified with his anger and frustration. However, although I can see Faramir responding to Oswyn in the way that he did since he had to make a point in a rather public arena and in front of soldiers, I do not believe that he would do the same thing with Eomer. Tolkien portrays Faramir as someone embodying the best of the later age of men. I don't believe someone like that would need to make a point by humiliating others. He's also had to deal with a very stressful relationship with his father all his life and always served his father with dignity. A few months of Eomer's stubborness would probably not faze someone who has learned to develop a thick skin after what he's gone through. In fact, I would think he would find it slightly juvenile and amateurish. Plus, humiliating Eomer would be just like what his father used to do to him. That's why I wondered if it was a learned action. Otherwise, why would he inflict on others what he has found to be unpleasant? He's also older and probably had to deal with young brash men who speak before thinking. I'm sure he's encountered someone similar to Eomer and would know how to deal with that type of personality. Lastly, I always thought that leaders that their followers love, as Faramir was loved by his men and by the people of Gondor, would not need to explode a fuse to be heard. In fact I thought the story was making a point that Faramir's quiet dignity and control was what got under Eomer's skin. To have him act the way Eomer probably would have acted just goes against the dichotomy that the characters have.

Author Reply: Hmm. Just in case there are others like me--dichotomy: Division into two; especially, the division of a class into two subclasses opposed to each other by contradiction. :) I *heart* dictionary.com and thesaurus.com. Ah, college education...how little thy are worth to me in comparison.

Well, Eomer and Faramir were semi-private. Some soldiers watched, some did not and it was viewed as a private conversation as they were the only two at the fire. I know it wasn't private as holding it in Eomer's tent but I don't think Faramir would have moved.

I think anything Faramir did would get under Eomer's skin. While I'll side more with Raksha here, you have interesting comments on the characters I've tried to build. Faramir's changing--he's in a more rustic, more forceful society and I think its rubbing off a bit. If it gives you any comfort he's not yelling in the next chapter. :) Lots of interaction, lots of awkwardness and lots of Eomer initiated conversation. Which is the first step.
Also, cute Eomer/Faramir/students. See, I gotta give the boys something besides Eowyn to have in common. It's hard and this chapter is going slower.

I'm trying to get them as equal as possible, yet there's going to be some double-standard issues because, obviously, Faramir is a nobleman and yet he's playing a common soldier in this. How is he going to be viewed? I don't think Eomer is going to be ordering him around anytime soon.

I dont' think Faramir was like this in Gondor. This is a pushed beyond his limits way of acting. Eomer essentially held out everything Faramir could have wanted from him--acceptance, friendship, etc. and then took it back. Maybe Denthor did the same. I don't know yet, we'll see how this goes.

Elendiari22Reviewed Chapter: 64 on 11/20/2004
I know that if you wrote a book featuring Gaer having wacky medieval adventures, I would likely buy it(I was reading the other reviews). I can also bet that it would be a best seller. If the Tolkien foundation ever cracks and lets us publish our fanfics, I suggest you publish this one; you would make a fortune.
But seriously, write a fic about Gaer if you ever feel like it. He is one of those characters whom you just don't want to lose. As always, I'm looking forward to the next update!

~Elen

Author Reply: I'm thinking we might have a Gaer fic someday. LOL, I have to finish this monster first. ;)

Hmm. Fortune, eh? I doubt it but that would be verry nice.

DrakeReviewed Chapter: 64 on 11/20/2004
Raksha,

I don't really want to argue much, but I have to say at least a couple of things.

First, while Faramir was not the firstborn son, he was still groomed for the position of Steward (If not by Denethor than likely by Gandalf). Eomer was not. He was never accounted as an heir. He didn't want to be. All he wanted to do was be free to roam the green fields of the Riddermark as Third Marshal. He may be a king in title, but he's still a soldier at heart. His mindset isn't going to go from warrior to king in a mere half year, especially considering how strong-willed a man he is.

Also, Eomer pretty much lost everyone he loved in the blink of an eye. First his parents, than his cousin, his uncle, and he thought his sister as well. True, Faramir lost his brother and father as well, but let's consider something for a moment. Eomer isn't taking (I hate to use that word) anything precious away from Faramir. Faramir is. He's seen as taking away Eomer last living family member. If one was to lose most everyone he loved so quickly, could he not be allowed some overbearing protectiveness of his his sister? Would it be unreasonable to assume he would see Faramir taking her away as a hostile act?

I'm not saying what Eomer is doing is right. It's not, but please consider what he's been through too. Like Faramir, he has a great deal of adjusting to do. He's not taking it as well, of course, but consider my first paragraph for that, and the fact that he is younger than Faramir. I'm not asking that you change your mind, but please give him a little credit and more time for him to adjust to how rapidly and devestatingly frighteningly his life is changing.

Raksha The DemonReviewed Chapter: 64 on 11/19/2004
I decided to open my big mouth again.

I've noticed that some readers are sorry for Eomer because Faramir blew up at him; and one person thought that wrong that Faramir was resorting to humiliation with both Oswyn and Eomer.

With all due respect to the other readers, who are certainly entitled to their opinion; I'm not at all sorry for Eomer in this chapter.

Eomer and Faramir lost their brothers and their liege-lords/father-figures on the same day; and thus became first the heir, and then the ruler, of two major human kingdoms, at the same time. True, Faramir quickly yielded the rule of Gondor to Aragorn; but that doesn't mean he didn't have major responsibilities as a Steward to a war-torn land and damaged City. Like Eomer, Faramir had very little time to get used to the idea that he was going to inherit the job that should have been that of the now-dead heir.

But while Eomer is learning to be a King, Faramir is stuck in Rohan because Eomer couldn't figure out how to otherwise delay Eowyn's marriage to him. Eomer should have at the very least thanked Faramir for probably saving his sister's sanity; and been happy that she was going to make an excellent marriage to a prince who adored her rather than spending her life playing second fiddle to Eomer's future Queen. I don't blame Eomer for being nervous and sad at the prospect of his little sister leaving home; but he could have asked Faramir for three or six months of Eowyn's time so she could help him reorganize Meduseld in preparation for her leavetaking. Instead, Eomer assaulted Faramir, and insisted he come and be an outcast in Rohan for several weeks and jump through hoops fulfilling Eomer's conditions.

And did Faramir, who is a proud man and the heir of a very proud house, make a fuss about Eomer's demands? He tried to be polite and friendly to Eomer. Eomer was consistently cold and unwelcoming to him; at a time when Faramir was already suffering the loss of his brother and then learned that Denethor had tried to kill him while killing himself.

And then, when Faramir is obediently fulfilling his part of the bargain, separating himself from the woman he loves and the kingdom he's supposed to be caretaking in the King's absence by teaching a bunch of teenagers, a task some might think was beneath the rank of a Captain of Rangers and Steward of Gondor, Eomer shows up, offers genuine friendship and, as Faramir is starting to relax and think that Eomer has truly put aside his rancor, Eomer brings up his childish resentment of Faramir taking baby sister away...

Frankly, Faramir would have to be a saint not to have become savagely angry. It's to his credit that he didn't punch Eomer in the nose. Eomer has nursed his own pride; but doesn't seem to care that Faramir also has pride, and has gone out of his way to put aside a lot of it to satisfy Eomer and make Eowyn happy.

I think Eomer deserved the humiliation - Faramir had tried to be pleasant, to be kind, to be honest, and been, verbally and emotionally kicked in the teeth by the bratty young Horse-lord (who was not acting like the King he is). Faramir is not a servant or a slave, he's the Steward of Gondor, and entitled to respect and consideration. I think humiliation was also the only thing that could have gotten through Eomer's rather muddied thoughts to force a genuine attempt at reconciliation.

As for Oswyn, he had it coming even worse - Faramir tried to avoid the fight, and Oswyn became nasty and insulted Finduilas, Lady of Gondor. That sort of rudeness deserves some humiliation in the punishment, in my opinion.

Hope I'm not ranting too much. Eomer and Faramir were both brilliantly written in this chapter; and I really look forward to the development of their friendship.

Author Reply: WOW! Break that down again! 25 words or less! Go! ROFL.

All I can say is Eomer redeems himself like crazy before the end. Said friendship is developing. I promise. :)

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