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Elf Academy 3: The Enemy Within  by Fiondil 22 Review(s)
KittyReviewed Chapter: 47 on 6/24/2014
Well, I certainly hope Alex is just nervous about the new job and there's not something else brewing. But considering who is telling this story, I am not too sure ;) In any case, living with Derek is good for him.

Ha, I had only at the end of the last chapter been wondering if there is anything new from Anne and Andy, and there you go and mention it. I am really curious to hear what these two are going to decide. It seems ages ago that they left Wiseman, but when I think about it, it was probably only a few days. With everything that happened, it just seems so long.

That Ms. Yuong sounds like trouble, so I hope she stays away from the class. But it was great how Alex just picked her attempt to attack him up and used it as an example for the language lesson. Felicity might be right about what the purpose of that stunt was, and if she is, then Alex did a great job in diffusing the situation.

And the Italian lesson was even better. Well done, Alex! I was laughing my head off, too. At that rate, people will clamour to join his classes. And it seems Alex has a little crush on Felicity.

Author Reply: Alex did a good job of dealing with the troublemaker in one class and the curious in the other. I think he'll be a hit with the students and I think he and Felicity will become more than just colleagues someday. Poor guy deserves some happiness, don't you think? *grin* Thanks for reviewing, Kitty. I appreciate it.

EmReviewed Chapter: 47 on 6/12/2014
"The Valar are very big on long-term (very long-term) planning."
All week I have had my brain popping up with little asides like...
"See, I told you - after that second ice age we have the perfect ski slope"

Author Reply: LOL! And that's probably very true. Even for the Valar, all work and no play make them very dull Ainur indeed.

LaerReviewed Chapter: 47 on 6/10/2014
good job Alex :) and better job in not killing her for being a bit of a nasty bug. his mom will be so proud of him. Can't wait to see the council meeting. I am sure it will be fantastic ;)

Author Reply: Hi Laer. Yes, I imagine Alex's mom would be proud of him surviving his first day of teaching without killing anyone. LOL! We'll see the council meeting and what comes of it soon enough. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it a lot.

FV_WhisperReviewed Chapter: 47 on 6/10/2014
Eruherdiriel, I went through that kind of phrases when starting out with French as well, but I recall how even we almost teenagers when I had those lessons, had to learn être by heart very soon after that. Well, it's one of the most important verbs there is after all *shrugs*

But I wasn't here for this, just to share this lovely drawing of some of the Valar I found with all of you :)

http://www.deviantart.com/art/The-Silmarillion-The-Aratar-459872690

Author Reply: I still recall the first lesson in my Spanish 1 class in high school and we ended up covering at least 3 of the forms for "to be" in that first lesson. It is indeed one of the most important, if not the most important, verbs one has to learn.

Thanks for the link, FV_Whisper. Very interesting. But it seems as if most of them have no eyes and all the male Valar are frowning. I like Námo though (and what's not to like?) *grin*

TariReviewed Chapter: 47 on 6/10/2014
"My thanks to Ellie for providing me with suggestions as to how Alex might respond to the student’s accusation of being a spy." And a great suggestion it was. He really put her in her place. I wonder what she told whoever sent her.

Author Reply: Both of Alex's responses in the French and Italian classes are courtesy of Ellie, who has a great and wicked imagination and sense of humor. I suspect she went to the dean with a report, but as we will probably never hear from her again, I really don't know for sure. Thanks for commenting, Tari. I appreciate it.

EruherdirielReviewed Chapter: 47 on 6/10/2014
Alex is funny! I think I would enjoy taking a language from him. He dealt well with the accusations from his past.

The one thing is that in every language class I ever attended, the first class or so is spent learning to introduce oneself and say things like, "I don't speak this language" and somesuch. Why did he start with the most annoying irregular verb there is?

~Eruherdiriel

Author Reply: Hi Eruherdiriel. He is a great teacher. As for starting with the verb "to be", that is a central verb in many languages and one that is used especially when introducing yourself, so it stands to reason he would introduce that verb as soon as possible. ("to have" and "to do" are the other two major verbs that are vital to learn sooner rather than later).

Anyway, the chapter wouldn't have been as funny without him teaching the the verb "to be".

Thanks for reviewing. I really appreciate it.

SashaHoneypalmReviewed Chapter: 47 on 6/10/2014
...just how many languages do you know? Are you really an Elf or something?

(I admit, I'm jealous. Nearly two decades of yeshiva education, and I still can't get past the "hello my name is" stage of Hebrew. I approach phrases like "archaic nasalized stop mutations" with the same level of understanding my cat displays for trigonometry).

Author Reply: Hi Sasha. Well, I wish I were an Elf, but I'm not. I can read French and Spanish and with a good dictionary and grammar book, I can wade my way through German, Italian and Latin. I've actually studied Biblical Hebrew and could read it a bit but that was some time ago and I would have to start all over again.

Anyway, I'm more interested in the linguistics side of things and something like "archaic nasalized stop mutations" make my heart soar and my spirit sing. LOL!

Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. It's much appreciated.

SunnyReviewed Chapter: 47 on 6/9/2014
Well, if nothing else, with all those years as a spu, Alex would have learned to think on his feet! Ms Saboteur did not stand a chance! Also loved Alex' defiition of an American! :D
So the Mortals will have a ringside seat when the Elves who stayed at home get told about Gwyn and Gareth! I hope they bring a lot of popcorn!

Author Reply: You're certainly right about that,Sunny. Alex has had to think fast on his feet too many times to keep himself alive, and we all know what a jungle the classrooms can be. *grin* We'll see what happens when everyone learns about Gwyn and Gareth soon enough. Thanks for leaving a comment. It's much appreciated.

EmReviewed Chapter: 47 on 6/9/2014
I loved the people interactions in this chapter. Obviously the teaching and students, but also that Alex can ask his mom for advice, Derek encouraging his gwedyr, Alex and Felicity.

I had a giggle at Finrod "No one died and no one is missing limbs or teeth." Real possibilities, those, if tings went badly.

It seems as if Alex is finding out who "Alex" is, after a long time of being shells of other people. He's turning out to be a good young man, the kind I'd love to have for my daughters. The fighting skills do not hurt either - a girl would be really safe with him ;)

The Valar are nudging more than just the elf academy people into place. Felicity and Nicholas come to mind, people who build good relationships with the elves and their mortals, the start of a web of friendship and trust in the town.

Oh, is there an equivalent to gwedyr for the ladies?

Author Reply: Hi Em. The feminine equivalent of gwador (pl. gwedyr), is gwathel (pl. gwethil).

I'm glad you enjoyed the people interactions in this chapter. Finrod's response to Alex's question about Edhellond is pretty funny given who is speaking and the circumstances, but you're right that they could be very real possibilities with these people.

Alex is indeed beginning to find out who he is, or rather who he was meant to be before the Agency screwed him up. He's still in the process and it won't happen overnight, but with Ron helping him and the other Elves supporting him, I'm sure he'll be just fine.

The Valar are very big on long-term (very long-term) planning. *grin*

Thanks for leaving a review. I very much appreciate it.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 47 on 6/9/2014
Ah, the perfect, perfect responses! I've taken Spanish, and it even did me well when I went to Costa Rica, although I'm nowhere near being fluent. But I SO love the response in the Italian class. That is PERFECT! And there's a woman in his imagination at last! Good.

Author Reply: I'm glad you thought the responses were perfect, Larner, especially in the Italian class. And it is good to see Alex being a "normal" guy wondering if the girl likes him. *grin* Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

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