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Elf Academy 3: The Enemy Within  by Fiondil 13 Review(s)
ReaderKitReviewed Chapter: 119 on 2/21/2015
Hooray for all the Mortals showing support! That is such a heart-warming picture, and I am sure helped appease lingering resentments among the Eldar. Funny though about Finrod worried about losing his job. Someone was probably snickering in the background. And yay for the ellith, who don't show up nearly enough - "of course we're going to feed these people, why would we do otherwise?"

The newscast was definitely interesting. I'm glad they are not-so-subtly showing their support, and more-so-subtly smacking people in the face with 'yes, these are lords and royalty, why did you forget that?'

It is good to hear Daeron is healing well, and that he got to hear how important he is to keeping everyone around them sane.

I kind of expected the council would have a rough start, Ingwe is still putting his foot in his mouth but luckily the other Elves are there to smooth things over. Oh, Alex. You never change, do you?

obsidianjReviewed Chapter: 119 on 2/21/2015
Good to know that Daeron is on the mend. I loved the sign made by the kids.
That TV newscast was interesting. Having the correct titles and names announced publicly on TV seems to me like the time to stay hidden is over. They always had the Elf Academy website where for everyone who can read it there was the message for elves to come to Wiseman. But it seems that message was too hidden. So far the maia were always there to make sure any mentioning of elves on TV didn't go beyond Wiseman. This feels different. This feels like a deliberate call for all to come.
Ingwe still has to learn about modern humans. I like it that he doesn't adjust immediately. Whether he likes it or not, but Ingwe is also a victim of the slow stagnant pace in Valinor. At least he didn't leave in a huff. He is willing to deal with the odd(at least for him) assortment of humans that is presented to him. Fiondil always said that he would show us Aman in the next installment of this series. I hope we get to see some of what Ingwe and the others do to shake things up in Aman. I'm also curious to see how they will communicate. Will Earendil set up some kind of Postal system between the 2 worlds?

LindeleaReviewed Chapter: 119 on 2/18/2015
I almost missed this chapter! Thus the reviews, out of order.

Alex and Derek were there as a matter of course. This had all the timing of a punch line, after the long list of "representings".

Having read my share of apocalyptic science fiction in my day, I can easily imagine why the Valar are interested in training people living on the outskirts, with "primitive" weapons, rather than concentrating their efforts in population centers, with weapons that might be dependent upon electronics (which can be knocked out by EMP, a side effect of nuclear detonations, for one thing), or dependent on a supply of ammunition that can run out and might not be so easily replaced or re-used.

Warlords, indeed. I can only imagine the gridlock that would proceed from involving the actual warlords in our society in discussions. Turf battles and empires, to start. Sounds like mortals are ably represented in this meeting.

The translation of the "get well" card is much appreciated -- as my guess was way off... I thought it was an apology of sorts. And the grammatical error was a charming touch.

Kaylee ArafinwielReviewed Chapter: 119 on 2/18/2015
Atya,

I'm so glad that Daeron is on the mend, and the sign for him was adorable. I recognized that the Sindarin was slightly off, but hey, they tried :) I'm also glad that not *all* the Mortals hate them. I'm also glad that the Amaneldi and Ingwe in particular are getting the bigger picture in meeting with the Mortal leaders, who may not be the "warlords" they expected, but are full worthy of their respect. Getting the titles correct on the newscast was a stroke of genius. :)

It's so hard to write this knowing you can't answer me back. But I'm glad all of us who were and are your loyal readers can come together here for discussion still.

With love,

Kaylee

SarahReviewed Chapter: 119 on 2/17/2015
Glad to see everyone's on the mend :-) I too am getting the feeling that certain story threads are being drawn to a close. I think perhaps an EA re-read marathon is in order once this is finished. To those of you continuing this work I say take all the time you need. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that folks were even considering attempting to finish out EA4, or even that this story was going to continue to be updated. All of your efforts in this are so much appreciated and so unexpected. I have no doubt that you will all prove equal to the task. Hoping everyone is well (and if you live in my little corner of the world, staying warm!). Until next time, lovelies!

SoledadReviewed Chapter: 119 on 2/17/2015
I really feel sorry for the female Wiseman Elves. It seems it's always just the males who get to hold the meetings and make the decisions. One would think that after the first dozen millennia or so the ellyn wold have absorbed a little bit of the idea of equality.

And no, Galadriel doesn't count. Firstly, she's not a Wiseman Elf and secondly, I'm quite certain that she was born female by accident. *g*

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 119 on 2/17/2015
What a wonderful chapter! I really love the residents with their show of support. The flowers and trinkets and get well cards (I especially love the one made by the children). The truth is, that those gestures of good will from solid and decent people is probably a greater weapon than any would be provided by "warlords". Yes, there will a need for brave fighters who will have to be trained to use weapons old and new. But that won't mean much without the staunch courage of ordinary folks.

Loved the TV newscast. I wonder who did the research at the station to make sure all the titles were correct?

The Valinoreans were also made to understand that things are relatively simpler in Wiseman as compared to other places in the world. Imagine if they were trying to get a foothold in China or Iran! Or in the west, someplace like New York City or Los Angeles. In it's relative isolation Wiseman is ideal. But it's isolation is not total, and the real world will impinge from time to time.

I always admired Fiondil's skill at conveying important information and reminders in a natural and unforced way. His info-dumps never felt like info-dumps. In this chapter, we meet some key players in Wiseman, some for the first time, others who haven't been around in a while, yet the introductions seem right in place, because the Valinoreans are meeting them for the first. Also, Fiondil slipped in clever reminders of the story's timeframe by the mention of Mother's Day and soccer games remind us that it's now late spring in Wiseman.

There is still so much to learn from him.

rikkiReviewed Chapter: 119 on 2/17/2015
Loved seeing that Daeron is beginning to get better and at least is not in healing sleep all the time. Even with rapid elven healing, it is still going to take a while before he is back entirely. I bet he loved the cards and messages left by the mortals wishing him well. Those done by the children were particularly cute.

The rest of this chapter is getting down to brass tacks as one could say about planning for the Dagor Dagorath. There was a nice break in humor written here between Alex and Turgon. And the digs at Glorfindel show that he was not immune from creating trouble.

Fiondil does not come out and directly say it but this is the most important meeting because this is where Ingwe has to get on board 110% for the union of the elves in Valinor and the combination of elves and mortals in Middle Earth to work. He is the one who will have to go back and convince the elves in Valinor that they want to plan for the Dagor Dagorath and that they have to overcome their ennui and become active in life again, having and raising children and making changes to support the coming battle. Glorfindel is right, they do not know if there are other elves around preparing for the future, one can hope, but they have to consider that they are the front line and act accordingly.

This is where I really miss getting insight to Fiondil's thoughts as he wrote this chapter. Sunny, obsidianj, Kaylee Arafinwiel and others, what do you think about where Fiondil was going with this? Was he developing the next phase where the elves at the Elf Academy begin to move beyond the original purpose of the school and start to actively seek other elves in the world and somehow figure out a way to communicate with others in Valinor?

EruherdirielReviewed Chapter: 119 on 2/17/2015
Yes, Glorfindel can be reckoned on enlivening any boring meeting. If he could bottle that, he'd make a fortune.
~Eruherdiriel

AranadhelReviewed Chapter: 119 on 2/17/2015
Trying my best to picture the 3 kings along with Turgon in plainclothes. Lol...

whatever next? will they be bringing back handphones and ask the Valar to set up a network to contact Earth? hahahaha!


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