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| Good Neighbors by daw the minstrel | 19 Review(s) |
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| Alice | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/6/2004 |
| Me again. I just reread this and having reread the last scene with Elladan saying " Than perhaps we have things to teach one another", I am now throughly concerned. They want Eilian to teach them about fighting orcs so they can go and have their revenge. That's not good. I love how your stories have enough depth that I can reread them and notice things I missed on the first go around. Author Reply: Yes, that's exactly what they want. Eilian has spent the last 30 years in intensive fighting of Orcs. Moreover, he knows where they are and how they tend to prowl in the forest. The twins want his information as if he were a scout for them. | |
| sofia | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/6/2004 |
| its hard to picture that Elladan, Elrohir and Eilian have never met before. To me it seems that they have. I do wonder if something will happen on Legolas' trip and if Sondil can control a group of elflings; though i do not doubt that he can. -sofia Author Reply: It's tricky to remember the history of all these elves. Elladan and Elrohir are among the few characters for whom Tolkien gives us an actual birth date: 130 TA. That means that they are about 2500 years old in my story, whereas Eilian is 90 and even Ithilden is only a little over 600. So the twins are much more experienced. And it's a long way from Rivendell to Mirkwood, with a mountain range and the largest forest in ME in between. So I thought the twins might not have met Eilian before. Now the camping trip is another question. Sondil may be able to control the kids, but he can't control everything! | |
| Alice | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/6/2004 |
| Being a perceptive reader is what happens when you take AP English at my school and get the only teacher in the district who assigns Moby Dick (not that I'm complaining since this particular teacher rocks my socks, but still). Oh and the fact that there's actually stuff to percieve in your work says a lot about how high quality it is. In the midst of the rubble that is fanfiction writing, your stories are jewels. I really hope that Elladan and Elrohir don't put Eilian back into Belowen's care. That will not endear them to their host. I found your description of their style of fighting intresting. It hadn't occured to me before that the Rivendell elves would fight differently than the Mirkwood elves, though I picture them completely different. Rivendell is more refined while Mirkwood is more ferocious. Neither type of warrior is one you'd want to meet in battle. I loved the scene with Mithrandir and Thranduil. I should really read the Hobbit because I'd like seeing more of their friendship. I'm with Mithrandir on Thranduil being very comforting. If he's going down he's taking Sauron with him. He's a very good person to have on your side. Thranduil's strong and smart (as shown by his concern over Mithrandir taking an interest in Legolas). I have to wonder how Thranduil felt about Mithrandir after learning he was planning on taking his precious baby into Mordor on essentially a suicide mission. I read these stories and I feel so sad for Legolas and for his family knowing what pain they'll go through because of the quest. Something tells me that it took a lot of work and a little bit of time to repair any damage done to Legolas's relationships. (sigh) My poor woodelf. Ithilden is just such a kick-butt commander. I love how he intimidates the men. (snicker) Poor first encounter with elves advisor. Beam should have taken him aside and warned him not to mess with Ithilden. I love how Legolas tells Eilian he is allowed to come because he doesn't scare anyone. LOL! Every adolescent is embarrassed by their family in front of his friends but Legolas has a particular worry in that his family actually scares his friends. I thought it was kind of sad though that Thranduil didn't get to walk Legolas to the field because he makes people act peculiar. Being a King interferes with him being Ada a bit more than he likes. Poor Adar/King. I look forward to the next chapter. I like Elladan and Elrohir and can't wait for a good fight scene with them in Eilian. God help the elf trying to clean up after what they do though because two elvisn warriors seriously grieving plus foolhard ( I love him, but let's be honest here) Eilian all heavily armed and enthusiastic is not a good thought. Update soon! Author Reply: Thank you, Alice. And thanks to your AP teacher too! It occurred to me that different cultures might have different styles of sword fighting depending on things like history, resources, enemies, etc. And bless the internet, it turns out there are sites that explain all this stuff. That's how I learned about arrow fletching too. How Tolkien ever got along without it, I'll never know. If you're interested and have time to waste when not reading Moby Dick, I got this particular stuff at www.reality.com/dmhist.htm. I love your observation that if Thranduil is going down, he's taking Sauron with him. Mithrandir is the holder of the ring of fire, and his task is to inspire people to resist Sauron. Thranduil must be an interesting case for him because on one hand he and his father retreated several times before establishing the stronghold at the caverns, and on the other, he's stubborn as all get out. Mithrandir is happy to see the stubborn side win out,I think. I feel sorry for Thranduil too. Letting his baby go is hard for him. As long as he can keep seeing Legolas as a child, I think he feels more in contact with Lorellin. Sad to say, I'm not going to show the sparring match between Elladan and Eilian. There will be enthusiastic sword play later though. In the meantime, use your imagination! | |
| The Karenator | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/6/2004 |
| What a wonderful chapter. Everything that happened was so understated and well, just perfect for a good read. The men are an interesting pair. I can't help my suspicious mind. I've got my eye on the shifty, gimpy guy. I don't trust him. He's...well...shifty. Wounded or not, I'd watch him if I were Ithilden. Actually, I'd like to see Ithilden get a hold of him. I think we might learn something...even if it's just his mother's pound cake recipe. Mithrandir is a sly old warg, isn't he? He's set up the perfect medicine for the grieving twins. Ithilden is a peer that they can feel comfortable with--as much as they can feel anyone right now--and he understands their grief. I thought it was quite perceptive of him to note that the twins were feeding one another's grief. As I've said before, not healthy. That was a very nicely done scene. Very subtle. And I can't say I blame Thranduil for being wary of Mithrandir's interest in Legolas. Seemingly, the wizard is just being polite, but as anyone who knows Gandalf knows, he is rarely doing or saying anything without purpose. Thranduil is no fool. My suspicious mind is also waiting to find out what sort of trouble poor Sondil is going to find with a half dozen youngsters out in the woods. That guy doing the Chester imitation isn't going to cause problems, is he? AND just like all the other squeeing fangirls...I can't wait for the sparring match between Eilian and Elladan. I think Eilian is being modest and I can't wait to see it! Wait just a minute, I need a moment to get my folding chair set up and my glass of tea. Okay, I'm ready. Carry on.... By the way, does it seem awfully warm in here to you? Karen Author Reply: You are suspicious, Karen! The poor Men. Not only do they have Ithilden leaning on them, they have you scrutinizing them with narrowed eyes. Mithrandir is indeed sly. I think he was probably on his way to see Thranduil anyway, on his regular rounds of newsgathering and trying to prod people into action. He holds the ring of fire, after all. That's part of his job. But then he saw a good opportunity to try to draw the twins a little bit out of the depth of their rage and guilt. I think they'll need time to regain a little balance, but, as you say, they're not going to get too balanced while egging one anothero on. I'm planning to start writing about the camping trip this afternoon. And I'm sorry to say I'm not going to show the sparring match between Eilian and Elladan. I promise to compensate you later, ok? Go cool off now. | |
| French Pony | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/6/2004 |
| Ooooh, Ithilden in Bad-Ass mode! There's something you don't see nearly enough of. Dude, he's got every little eyebrow quirk, finger steeple and Thranduil-Glare (tm) down pat, and these poor Men are just eating out of the palm of his hand! If he wasn't so rigid and conservative, he could be a great King. But, alas, he does seem to lack that certain special inspiration of Thranduil's that keeps people constantly on their toes. But Ithilden is a certified Bad-Ass, no doubt about that. And then for the poor intimidated Men to find themselves at a feast with Thranduil, Ithilden, Mithrandir and the sons of Elrond. . . they must be just melting with intimidation right now. Roast pheasant sounds good. I think I'd like to try Elf-hunted pheasant sometime. The bird is fairly gamy and needs a strong sauce unless you like that gamy taste, which some people do. I had pheasant once, and my main impression of it was picking the lead shot out of my dinner, which made it difficult to eat, which is why I'd like to try pheasant hunted by bow and arrow sometime. You just can't pair any wine with lead shot flavoring. Actually, speaking of wine, do you know why it is that people swirl wine? I have a couple of friends who like to do that, and it puzzles me, because they've never met, and it seems like an odd habit to share. Thranduil is quite the wise and perceptive Elf to be wary of Mithrandir's interest in his baby. I can just imagine Mithrandir's post-War of the Rings reception in Mirkwood, after Thranduil has just gotten over a year of worrying about Legolas. Those must have been fireworks to see! The therapy of Elladan and Elrohir is an interesting one to watch. Clearly, they aren't very receptive to "adult" efforts to talk to them. It seems as though Mithrandir is just trying to get them in the same room with someone who has suffered a similar loss to their own and let things take their course, trying to give them an example of how to cope, I guess. It's probably a good thing for Elladan and Elrohir, but it seems to put quite a strain on Ithilden, being tossed in without much guidance or warning. Ithilden felt a sudden chill. He was not at all sure that these two identical, grieving Elves were wise supporters for one another just now. He tried to picture Eilian relying on someone like himself and had to swallow hard. Eilian did rely on someone like himself, just not the same age. It struck me that he and Legolas were as similar in their grieving styles as their age difference would allow. The real problem would have been if Ithilden had been a twin and had had to rely on someone like himself. “Yes,” Sondil grinned. “We are staying close to the stronghold, and surely I can manage a half-dozen of them.” Famous last words, Sondil. Author Reply: I wonder if Thranduil was more like Ithilden when he was young. Maybe he learned that wiliness and ability to manipulate through hard experience. He and Ithilden share the same preference for directness, but Thranduil is far better at dealing with unexpected complications. Ithilden is actually rather young. 600 maybe. I'd have to look it up. I have all this written down somewhere. He was born about 100 years before the balrog reawoke in Moria. People swirl wine for two reasons. One is to aerate it, let it breathe, as they say. The scent and flavor become more perceptible after contact with air. Also when you're first trying a wine, you swirl it to see the way it runs down the side of the glass (its "legs"). That tells you about its body, how thick or thin it is. I like wine, in case you can't tell. :-) Ithilden really find the twins disturbing, I think. For that matter, so does Thranduil. But at least the twins are with reasonably sane, sympathetic people at the moment. Of course, they feel out of place there and can scarcely believe that people can do things such as enjoy wine. We'll have to see how they do with Eilian, who really does seem to be their closest match here. Good observation about Eilian and Legolas and how badly off Ithilden would have been with someone as repressed and guilty as he is. Famous last words indeed! | |
| Manderly | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/6/2004 |
| What stood out for me in this chapter is the difference between Ithilden and Eilian in the way they interacted with the twins. Ithilden is forever the responsible and mature one and Eilian is, well, Eilian. You have given me greater insight into their differing personalities. I liked the little scene between Thranduil and Mithrandir. Mithrandir interested in Legolas? Hmm, I wonder why. Thranduil is right to be feeling a little apprehensive. If he only knew what is ahead for Legolas, no doublt he would have his youngest attached to his side like a Siamese twin. What Legolas said about how his friends see Eilian! And Eilian feeling pleased about it. Like I said, Eilian is Eilian and I love him for it! Author Reply: I'm sitting here thinking about what you said about the different ways Ithilden and Eilian react to the twins. You're right of course. And I think they react differently partly because of how they first see them. Eilian sees two warriors sparring and is thrilled by their grace and elegance. He doesn't see their sorrow yet. He may not even know about it. Thranduil's first instinct was to keep him away from them, and Eilian wasn't at the feast. (You can see I'm thinking about this particular detail as I type. When does Eilian find out?) Mithrandir is fascinating. Sometimes he seems to have a feeling for the future but he may not understand it himself. So I think he's just interested in Legolas without knowing clearly why himself. And Thranduil has known Mithrandir long enough to see the danger there. Eilian is only 90 in this story and is a big kid himself! | |
| esamen | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/6/2004 |
| Oh, great stuff. I have to note several lines that just gave me shivers of delight: Ithilden raised an eyebrow. “I could always send someone to help Beam,” he said coolly, watching as they both flinched slightly. “Indeed,” he added, with secret glee, “I could go myself, if it proved necessary.” Weeelllll, Ithilden!!?? Not above being strictly business, eh? Making them sweat like that? You are mean. ****** Thranduil raised an eyebrow. “Any particular reason?” he asked a bit apprehensively. He was not sure that he welcomed Mithrandir’s interest in his youngest son. No kidding! I wouldn't either! Thranduil ought to lock Legolas in his room for the rest of Mithrandir's visit. I suspect that your plot will have quite the opposite happening (or, rather, I hope so . . . lots of action and dire straits, with all these gorgeous Elves around? What else is a good fanfic for?) ********** Thranduil rather suspected that Ithilden’s presence had not always been welcome by those who wanted to forget sorrow for a while, and he knew that Ithilden had not always even registered what was happening around him, any more than Thranduil himself had. This is great. Very deep. I am exploring the issues of grief and loss myself in my own story, and this is a wonderful insight. We all respond differently to trauma, and then others react to our response. This sentence gracefully registers all these levels of grief and recovery. Beautifully succinct; artfully done . . . ********** Ithilden and the twins rose, bowed to Thranduil, and made their way from the Great Hall, drawing glances all the way to the door. As well they should, Thranduil thought, watching the three tall, strong figures disappear. As I said . . . what else is a good fan fic for? Love those tall, beautifully muscled fellas striding out of the hall all together. ********** Elladan smiled wolfishly. “Then perhaps we have things to teach one another.” He tossed the dipper back into the bucket with a small splash. “Come,” he said and led Eilian back out onto the training field. Wow! This whole scene was AWESOME! Fabulous action, vivid description, and Eilian's bright, vulnerable words and actions just gave the whole thing an unbelievable zing upwards from the heights where it already dwelt. Wow, Wow! Oh, I can't wait to read the rest. Thank you, thank you! Keep those young lords living and real. I just love dawtheminstrel-land. Have as much fun typing as one woman possibly can, Esamen Author Reply: I suspect that Ithilden can have a rather nasty sense of humor. And his arrival in Esgaroth would no doubt give Beam an enormous headache. LOL. I'm sorry. My sense of humor can be nasty too, I guess. It's really hard to guess how much foresight Mithrandir has. He seems to have "feelings" about things and maybe Legolas is one of them. And also, his task as the bearer of the ring of fire is to stir up the hearts of people to fight Sauron. So he really is interested in the next generation, just as he says he is. He sees all these people as essential to the salvation of Middle-earth. But Thranduil should indeed be dismayed by the wizard's interest in his baby. I have to thank you for that compliment on the sentence about Ithilden's grief. I've been worrying lately that my style is clunky sometimes, so I really like it when people seem to think that it's not. As I was writing this chapter, I knew that not much was happening in it. And then I started writing the bit about Eilian and the twins and I decided I didn't care! Gorgeous elves indeed. | |
| elliska | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/6/2004 |
| Oooo, everything is cooking along here nicely. Loved Ithilden's interview with the men. I bet men do respond well to his questioning--spill their guts just like they would to Thranduil. Scary. No doubt they don't want him in Esgaroth! And I liked Ithilden's attempt to give some advice born of experience to the twins. They heard it, obviously. But they likely could not process it. The inability to understand how others can enjoy small things when one is in mourning was captured well in this scene. So was Thranduil's nervousness over Gandalf's interest in Legolas. Little do they all know. Great! Poor Thranduil--Legolas doesn't want him walking him to his big trip. That has to hurt a little even though Thranduil understands it. I like how pleased Eilian is to be accepted. Any sparing match between Eilian and those twins would be a very hot thing to watch. Sorry, had a fangirl moment there. Think I'll go think about something less...yummy. Great chapter. Author Reply: Thinking about Ithilden stalking through the back streets of Esgaroth demanding information makes me giggle. I suppose the biggest danger is that the bad guys would faint dead away before they could spit out the words of confession. I'm still thinking about the twins. I don't think they were mindless vengeance seekers for the next 500 years, although they ceaselessly did battle orcs. All of Thranduil's sons battle orcs pretty ceaselessly in that time and they're not mindless. So the question for the twins is really one of mental and emotional balance. That's what needs to start happening, although I imagine it would take a while to achieve. And I think they need to be able to see someone other than one another for that to happen. I remember when my son started wanting me to let him out of the car a block away from school. My very existence was an embarrassment, and if I talked, that was completely mortifying. It is funny to think of Thranduil in those terms though. And of course, everyone would get "peculiar" when the king arrives. | |
| Jay of Lasgalen | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/6/2004 |
| I was on my way to bed (it's past midnight here) when I checked my e-mail one last time. An update! I liked Ithilden 'inviting' the men to see him, and can quite imagine him going to Esgaroth himself to investigate - maybe Beam would be better! I found Thranduil's comment on the twins sad: the sons of Elrond were holding themselves apart from those around them, almost as if they were puzzled by the way others could laugh and enjoy the small pleasures of music and good food, when they themselves were so devastated but so very true. Ithilden thinking of Eilian turning to another like himself was interesting - I hadn't thought about the twins re-inforcing each other's vengeance before. Maybe they are too self contained with one another. I do hope Legolas's trip will go smoothly - oh, wait, this is a Daw story. It won't, then. Finally, can I be all fangirly and drool over the twins sparring? And them wearing formal robes and circlets? I'm looking forward to E3 sparring too! Jay Author Reply: I have to admit that I've been startled by the number of reviewers who want to see E3 (good one, Jay) sparring. In a small voice, I confess that I don't intend to write about it now. :-) How about if I promise you'll get a chance to see them doing something similar later? In the meantime, use your imagination! It seems to me that one of the most bizarre things about mourning is that the rest of the world goes on as if nothing had happened. And I keep reminding myself that Celebrian had sailed very recently, so the sorrow must be really raw for them. And frankly, I don't think they're very good for one another right now. Support is one thing, but feeding one another's rage is another. I thought I'd get to the camping trip in this chapter but it went on for too long, despite the fact that not much happened in it. So the next one. | |