Daynawayna
· 25 June 2006
· Chapter 33: Fear and Loathing in Minas Tirith
I LOVE IT WHEN I'M RIGHT!!! LOL!! And OMG, Lindir!! I've never seen an elf so pissed off! Don't mess with a woman, and certainly don't mess with His Human! ::giggles:: Very well done.
Another amazingly phenominal, emotional, intense, deep and rich chapter Boz. You never cease to amaze me. I love the fact that Penny got to see the flashback and was there to 'help' him through it. I think these two will be close friends for years to come (as long as years may allow).
Of course I would love little better than to see them together, but I'll take my small victories where I can. ::wink::
I do hope Halladan speaks to Aragorn or someone... even Penny (but he won't talk to her about war, I'm sure), and soon. He is too noble a man to be destroyed by this. Please let him talk to someone about this, let him air his grief and begin to heal!
Author's reply
As one of my LJ icons says: "NEVER upset a warrior elf!" ;) For all elves are beautiful, etherial and fun-loving, they are also great warriors as the tales show: they must be terrible indeed when in a rage or full battle mode and that's how I always write them, even in my utterly AU comedic stuff.
Thanks so much for your comments - I'm so thrilled this chapter has moved you so. As I've said in response to other reviews: it was time Penny found her background and knowledge from modern life was actually of some use and benefit. It may be Halladan ignores her completely, but at least someone has said it to his face, and he cannot pretend she doesn't know what she is talking about.
Inglor
· 25 June 2006
· Chapter 33: Fear and Loathing in Minas Tirith
As I read the scene between Penny and Halladan, I got a familiar feeling. It was like watching a soccer (football) player take the ball end to end and score or a baseball player hit a grand slam or some other feat of consumate skill and talent come to fruition. A scene that will play over and over in the mind of the watcher (in this case reader) long after the game (or story) is over. When it is done and the goal scored or home base stomped, you can't help but sit back and say "Wow".
And Penny's story has several of those running on an endless loop in my head.
Author's reply
Thank you for that compliment - it means a lot to me. I am amazed and thrilled that a few things I have written have had that effect on you, and thank you for telling me so. :)
el_esteleth
· 25 June 2006
· Chapter 33: Fear and Loathing in Minas Tirith
*waves again*
*grins*
Halladan and Penny are so funny when they argue.
I'm glad Halladan got rid of icky thief dude.
I'm really enjoying this story and the situations you put poor Penny in. *evil grin* Thank you for sharing the story. I always pounce on new chapters now when I get the update notice. :)
I can't wait for the next chapter.
Es.
Author's reply
Thanks for taking time out to review - I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! And, yeah, I enjoy sticking Penny in these situations too: I am such a cow to her at times, I really am! *lol*
Mopsy
· 25 June 2006
· Chapter 33: Fear and Loathing in Minas Tirith
This just gets more amazing with every chapter...
Author's reply
I am glad you think so. Thank you. :)
Shemyaza
· 25 June 2006
· Chapter 33: Fear and Loathing in Minas Tirith
I understand that you were trying to deal with the subject of PTSD in this chapter and it was a very brave attempt. Despite the fact that the phrase was really coined during and after the Vietnam war, it's still not something that people in the world around us want to acknowledge. Yet as war has always been with us, so has PTSD, albeit by other names - shellshock, battle fatique, combat stress....cowardice. It was also treated a number of ways. Send the sufferer further foward to the edge of battle in the hopes of shocking them out of this affliction. Send them behind to be treated in the hospitals and even shoot them for desertion. In the modern military, the treatment is to keep the soldier with PTSD with his unit so that he's surrounded by people he knows and is therefore to occupied to succumb.
In reality PTSD is an insidious thing. It usually hits the sufferer long after the incident. Long after the sufferer has gone back into normal life among his/her friends and family. It usually lies dormant for months and years, unless the incident that caused the trauma is so horrific that it's too close to the surface to be buried.
Clinical Definition: PTSD is a normal reaction to an abnormal situation.
I know. I have PTSD. I have it because I served in a war in which I was put in the position of having to take life in order to save my own and it haunts my dreams.
PTSD never goes away. Even with years of counselling the best you can hope for is that you can find the ability to deal with the flashbacks and make them into nothing more than memories. But once you have it, it's there for life.
I understand from the way you wrote the chapter that Halladan was suffering the equivalent of a PTSD flashback. There have been many stories about veterans coming home, having one of those horrible flashbacks while asleep and waking up to the fact that they are throttling their wife or partner. However the events that precede this are not entirely as you have written them.
Flashbacks occur during normal day time, when one is awake. During the flashback you are not aware of anything around you. A smell, a piece of music on the radio or even a word from a conversation can trigger them off. The first sign that a veteran is having one of these is that they will stop suddenly in the middle of wherever they are or what they are doing. Their eyes will become blank and they are unresponsive to anything in the real world around them. This is because that smell, that music or that comment has taken them away into the very situation that distresses them. For them, they are no longer in that place with you, they are in the other place. To the observer it is as if they are waiting or straining to see something that no one else can see. This is called 'the ten thousand yard stare' and it's the look that many Vietnam veterans had when they returned from the war.
If you will, think of it like having a video playing inside your head of the same horrific scenes over and over again. The video has no stop button and is on constant replay. The memories, smells and sights are so strong that they instantly take you back. During that time you recognise no one and nothing around you in the real world. Only the world of your deep memory exists.
During that first period where he's being taken back into the video inside his head, Halladan would have stood still for a very long time and been totally unresponsive to Penny. He would not have had the presence of mind or ability to warn her to get away, since his mind would instantaneously plunge him into the ten thousand yard stare of a flashback. He may well have drawn his sword or assumed an attitude of defence once the flashback was under way, since in his mind, he was responding to an enemy, but usually whatever combat occurs, occurs deep inside his mind. To Penny he would look as though he was just standing stock still with no expression on his face or in his eyes whatsoever.
PTSD sufferers do not know they are doing this. They are often not aware that they are responding to the flashback until they come out of it and begin to respond to the world around them. Flashbacks during the day rarely lead to violent behaviour such as threatening someone with a weapon. The sufferer comes out of the flashback and seems to jerk into reality. Eventually they will respond to the stimuli of the world around them, yet a good fifteen to twenty minutes may have gone by. It's frightening to watch, but only in very rare cases does a daytime flashback result in threatening behaviour from the veteran.
The violent behaviour stems from many things, survivor guilt, frustration, extreme anger and a fierce desire to be a protector of their family even in situations where the family don't need protection. PTSD sufferers are angry, ashamed of themselves and their self esteem is low. The switch that takes us from angry to calm doesn't work and no more is this more evident than during the night when they dream. Dreams take them deep into their nightmare world and its a place their family can't go or even begin to comprehend.
They have memories so shocking to them that they feel they must protect the people around them from them, even when those people don't understand that the sufferer perceives they are in some kind of danger, yet they can't talk about these things. The flashback is a trigger for buried feelings. The night time dreams are the place where those feelings can be released into a virtually real time incident during which they relive the memory much more actively than during the blankness of the flashback. In the depth of sleep the daytime vigilance is relaxed and the anger is released and once the sufferer starts to climb their way back to consciousness they will often react violently to the person next to them. Usually their spouse or patner.
When there is no spouse or partner, like in my case, I used to have the dreams and then walk in my sleep. I was divorced and living with my two sons and it wasn't unusual for my son to hear me get out of bed and he would find me at the top of the stairs gripping the handrail so tightly that my knuckles were white. I don't know where I was going, I wasn't even aware of getting out of bed.
PTSD is more common among people who have no prior exposure to extreme violence bloodshd or torture, who endure it for a while and then go back into normal life. People who have lived their lives in peace and then are exposed to these things have no coping mechanism set in place. Soldiers who become innured to those things usually do so because it's all they know of what they do and believe it or not, your pysche can become attuned to it if you do it long enough. These soldiers, and I have met many of them, don't suffer from PTSD because to them the violence and killing is part of their norm. Soldiers like this usually can't settle back into normal life and constantly seek danger and violence. Many become mercenaries because its all they know and it's the one time they feel completely alive. I have talked to many of them and they admit it.
Halladan was brought up to war and killing from being tiny. He would have seen horrific things from the first moment he became a warrior and went into battle. The whole of his life would have been given up to that way of life, just as his brothers, father and mother would have been accustomed to it. They would have known nothing else, therefore the likelihood of him or them suffering from PTSD would be a lot less than the average person living a relatively peaceful life. That's not to say that he wouldn't have had memories and felt anger, but his mind would have long since found a coping mechanism, an ability to switch off when seeing or doing violent things and therefore the PTSD triggers would not have been as strong as someone who was taken from a world of peace into a world of violence.
I am sorry this is so long and I haven't even scratched the surface. Its just that as a PTSD sufferer I know that there is an inability of those around you to understand the world that you're plunged into without even a second's notice. It's a complex condition and requires years of counselling from people who are trained to deal with the complexities. Halladan would not have talked to Aragorn about it because Aragorn would have been too close and the whole crux of the condition is that you want to protect those around you from the horrors. It takes a trained counsellor and many years to help you to help yourself. There is no quick fix and no one else can do it and the victim will only do it if they want to. Getting them to admit that they need help is the first step.
I wanted to try to give you an insight into the mind of someone who has been there, done that, wore the tee shirt and wrote the script.
Author's reply
Thank you for your reply, and certainly do not apologise for length. Your comments are informative and very helpful and I thank you for taking time out to explain the matter and give your personal insight.
Firstly, I must express my sympathy and sorrow that you have suffered such a condition - though I know nothing I can say will be adequate. I am so very sorry that you have had to live through such a situation and are stiff suffering.
Secondly, I apologise if you feel I have got aspects of this slightly wrong. I have long had this idea in my head and I have researched PTSD (and particularly that stemming from battle experience) as best I could as to the condition, how it manifests and what (if any) cure there may be. I realise it is long term - even the studies I had done of the First World War and literature based around it from many years ago made that clear. Indeed even as a teen I was introduced to the idea: one of my favourite characters from detective fiction - Lord Peter Whimsey - suffers PTSD throughout the books and those are set in the twenties and thirties, indeed one of the reasons why his batman is such a rock to him is that he was also his sergeant in WWI and can understand and help (such as anyone can help) when Whimsey has his night terrors.
To my mind, Halladan has this problem only because of Hirvell's death, and not even because Hirvell died (though that would have been deeply traumatic for him), but because of the manner in which he died. Yes, he is used to war, to blood, horror and mayhem - heck he saw his father cut down but that did not send him over the edge. It was Hirvell's death that did it. I hope to try and discuss this in more detail at a later stage, but you have to consider some of the factors leading up to Hirvell's death I have already tried to show with Halladan: when their mother died, even though he was barely a teen, he took on himself a role of 'responsibility' to help his father bring up his two younger siblings. He has always felt responible for them as the eldest brother, but magnified due to his personal circumstances. When Halbarad died that would have magnified tenfold. When Hirvell was killed, therefore, he lost someone younger than him (always shocking, though, as you say, such is war and Halladan would understand that), but not only that he lost his brother, the 'kid he was meant to look out for'. There will be a huge amount of guilt and self-reproach in his response to Hirvell's death that he would not carry even for other deaths, not even his father's: there is guilt involved in PTSD, but this guilt is far greater because of the personal circumstances (as well as due to the particular circumstances surrounding when Hirvell was killed, which I hope to explain, though I may never find an opportunity). However, as I tried to imply in the previous chapter, Hirvell died in a particularly brutal and horrific fashion. It is all these things combined that mean Halladan, trained warrior though he is, is finding it hard to cope. And it is precisely because he is a trained warrior and should be able to cope (so he thinks) that he reacts as he does in this chapter after the flashback has faded.
Penny has little deep understanding of PTSD. She has read about the First World War, but that's about it. She can only go by her half-memories and make suggestions. She has no doubt others, such as Aragorn, Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel will have a far better understanding of what to do and how to help. She can surmise counselling - so talking - may help ease the severity, but I think even she knows that there is, as you say, no quick fix and it may be Halladan will never be completely healed of this. I should also point out that Penny is correct in her assumption: she did not 'pull him out of it'. As you also say, flashbacks slowly die away of their own accord as the sufferer finds reality slowly feeding back into the flashback loop.
If I have got the actual moment of the hallucination incorrect, my apologies. As I say I tried to research it as best I could and did find some examples (admittedly rare) of when such a thing occurs - as you say it does happen but is rare. That said, I also needed a way to convey both to Penny and the reader what was happening without forcing Halladan to have to explain himself, and also the timeframe is compressed a little - these are moments of authorial licence, and I'm sorry if you feel they marred the whole. I did have someone I know who has had flashbacks read the chapter and they felt it was bang on, but they are not a sufferer of intense PTSD due to war, so perhaps there lies the difference.
For what it is worth, and as yet I have no way of conveying this to the reader but I hope to if I can, I had the idea that normally Halladan's flashbacks are not like this - if they were someone would have noticed and said something to him or done something about it long ago. This is also why he is so shocked and appalled that he drew his sword (and I hasten to add he did not draw it on Penny, nor threaten her with it). Normally they are, as you say, relatively calm if odd and at times lengthy affairs, easily covered over or explained away by Halladan, or perhaps, if they occur in the presence of those who themselves get such moments, understood and not referred to. There were a number of factors at work in this moment, not least his realisation that he was back on a point on the Pelennor where he had fought and not returned to since then.
It usually lies dormant for months and years, unless the incident that caused the trauma is so horrific that it's too close to the surface to be buried.
Which is exactly what has happened to Halladan in this instance: Hirvell's death was particularly horrific and Halladan has had to stay in Gondor close to the scene of it and prior battles, including the one where he lost his father. Hirvell is not just any soldier, or even any Dunadan, but his younger brother and he watched him die in a truly horrific manner.
I thank you for your comments, and appreciate you taking the time to point this all out. I hope my reply has explained my process and thinking behind this scene. If I can find a way to rewrite aspects of it in light of your advice, I will certainly do so.
Author Reply: Oh, and I want to add: I would like to post your review and my reply on my forum on FF.net and on my LJ, if that is alright. I think it only fair that readers know both my process for this scene and how and why I made the choices I did and where I have taken some licence in my representation, even if it is based on some truth (that some flashbacks can become violent, or animated in very rare cases). I will do this not simply to justify my reasoning, but also so people know the actuality of PTSD since it is, I would agree, important given it is a still misunderstood condition.
Author Reply: And by 'actuality of PTSD' I mean: 'that it is usually somewhat different from how I have portrayed it in this scene, which is in fact a non-sufferer's representation of a rare occurrance'.
Kitty
· 25 June 2006
· Chapter 33: Fear and Loathing in Minas Tirith
Ah yes, Halladan, Arvain and Lindir to the rescue! The thief can be glad there were too many witnesses, so the three rescuers had to restrain their fury!
After knowing how Penny feels in Minas Tirith I can only repeat she should go with the Dúnedain back to Annúminas, as I think she would feel much better there and she gets along with them so well.
As for the rest ... *sigh*
Now I know exactly why I had to think of Halladan when I read about Hiluin! I had feared it would come to that. Penny was very brave to stay with Halladan and to confront him in this way, even if he didn’t want to listen. Penny was right, he *needs* to talk to someone about it! Poor guy, it is obvious – and very understandable – all this, and particularly Hirvell’s death, was too much for him. He needs help, needs it desperatedly, and I can only hope even if he doesn’t want to think about it Pennys words will stay with him and nagging at him until he gives in. Halladan deserves better than to be broken by this trauma!
That was a great chapter, Boz, so moving and intense!
Author's reply
Thank you, and I am glad you enjoyed the chapter. Poor Halladan indeed - see my comments above regarding PTSD: Halladan has been through the wringer and through no fault of his own. He is likely to never be the same man again.
Miss
· 24 June 2006
· Chapter 33: Fear and Loathing in Minas Tirith
Great, great, GREAT!!!That was an awsome chapter! Loved the rescue scene, the way Airvan, Halladan and Lindir showed their care for Penny.
She truly became a beloved personality.
Man, my heart did a few backflips when I red this line "We should not have come here,”.....I thought that some orcs going to be jumbing out of the bushes. But then, it became clear that it was a hallucination. It's just logical that this would happen to Halladan, and to any other warrior who witnest such battle horrors. It was nice that Penny showed her thoughts to Halladan. I even think that when Halladan didn't let her speak, she would have pinned him on the ground or something....
Well, update soooooooon!!! :)
Author's reply
Thanks for reviewing. :D And, yeah, Penny finally shows she has some useful bones in her body in this scene - it was important for her to show a positive aspect of herself and her time, instead of it constantly working against her as has been the case far too often so far.
mithwen
· 24 June 2006
· Chapter 33: Fear and Loathing in Minas Tirith
Thank you darling for updating so soon…love you!!
Wonderful chapter, hopefully Penny will manage to help Halladan through this. Good to see that even the "noble heroes" can suffer from post-traumatic-stress.
They are both very stubborn- aren’t they
*grin*
Author's reply
They are indeed both very stubborn. Stubborn as heck. ;D
Thanks for reviewing and pleased to know you liked it. :)
FLINTHEART
· 23 June 2006
· Chapter 32: Repercussions
It is right to bid farwell here
Beneath an open sky
Where the grass grows tall
And the winds roll free
With friends around you
In this hallowed ground
Few words I have,
my heart is full.
I touch the ground
One last time
I say goodbye
You cannot speak
I should not cry
Bodkin
· 23 June 2006
· Chapter 32: Repercussions
Hah! Sidhwen is out of favour. Even if Penny was reminded that court behaviour means you don't compare Gondorian ladies to female dogs.
Her reaction to Halbarad's resting place was moving. I agree with her that Faelon's words might have been too much information, but I think it will be a good thing that she knows.
She was funny about the amound of money she was carrying - although flaunting it doesn't seem to have been the cleverest thing she's done yet. And she knows the police advice on standing up to muggers with knives!
Don't keep us waiting long to find out what happens at this point!
Author's reply
Thanks for your reactions to it all, Bodkin. :) It probably was TMI in some respects from Faelon, but as you say I think she needed to know, and Faelon was not graphic necessarily, merely making it clear just why Halladan is in the state he is in, poor man.
And she knows the police advice on standing up to muggers with knives!
Yes, but when did Penny listen to anyone's advice or think logically in a moment of crisis? ;P
Not a long wait for the next chapter, I promise! :)
Daynawayna
· 22 June 2006
· Chapter 32: Repercussions
::stands on a barrel and shouts with all the Penny/Halladan shippers..:: HALLADAN TO THE RESCUE!!! Woot!
Playing both sides against the middle...
::stands on a barrel and shouts...:::
FARAMIR/ARAGORN/LINDIR (pick one) TO THE RESCUE!!
LOL!!
Wow Boz, I'm glad you told us not to freak out, because you were probably about to be lynched! LOL Phenominal chapter hon. Although I have to say that one of your phrasing choices may sound fine in the UK but it made me giggle nonetheless.... Much like the previous week, they soon became slightly separated and strung out as each took an interest in particular things that had caught their eye.
When I read 'strung out' my first vision was of someone on drugs, then I read it again and got 'slightly seperated and strung out...' and my poor head about exploded in confusion! LOL Then of course it immediately made sense and I just had to laugh.
I cried buckets when they took her to the mounds... so beautiful. I think I have to go back and re-read chapter one because I thought Halabarad and his son both died on the Pellenor, not one there and one at the Black Gate. I know I've said this before, but I swear: I'm going to print the entire thing out and put it (them, actually. Both stories!) in a binder so I can read it all the way through. I'm telling you, this is the most well researched, profound, deeply moving, creative and impassioned fan fiction I've ever read. You win the Greatest Fan Fic Ever award as far as I'm concerned. I don't want it to end! Just promise me something: If you saw Elizabethtown, please do not end your story the way Crowe ended that movie!!!!! :)
Author's reply
*rofl* at images of you fending off the lynch mob as you stand on your barrel. :D *had not thought of the implications of 'strung out'* Perhaps they sell particularly 'interesting' and 'potent' spices in the market? ;P
No, Hirvell was there as his father died. He was the one who had got a little separated from his brothers and then came galloping over to them when he realised his father was nowhere to be seen and was not holding the standard any more. I think I first mentioned he was dead and where he died in the 'first evening in Minas Tirith' scene - where Penny first meets Halladan, Faelon and Arvain.
And thank you, I'm glad you are still enjoying it all. I have never seen Elizabethtown, so I cannot make any promises in that regard since I have no idea how it ends.
Miss
· 22 June 2006
· Chapter 32: Repercussions
OHHH who could that be eh?!!A very tight cliff!!!You truly made me sit on the edge of my seat.Even in a dangerous situation she acts before she thinks! But that is what makes this character so great and funny! But in makes me also wonder if she is suited to live with people in a royal court and with its protocol....
I truly loved this chapter!!
Author's reply
Even in a dangerous situation she acts before she thinks! But that is what makes this character so great and funny!
Well, exactly. Penny is Penny is Penny, for all she has matured and changed, there are bits of her that will forever be slightly stroppy, strong-willed and unpredictable.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. :D
Pearl Took
· 22 June 2006
· Chapter 32: Repercussions
Hehehehe, I'll try not to fall victim to SHC (Spontainious Human Combustion) ;)
“No, thank you. It is not our custom,” he indicated the flowers, “but the gesture means much. And after your spirited defence of us all today, well… I am glad to bring you here. He would have wanted it. He would have been proud of what you said today.”
This scene was so beautifully written, I was in tears.
This remains a most awesome story, Boz!!
Author's reply
Thank you very much, Pearl Took. :)
Vicki Turner
· 22 June 2006
· Chapter 32: Repercussions
I sure hope the next chapter is coming sooN! Ah! I adore your story and am teetering on the edge of my seat, dying to know what happens next!
Author's reply
Ah, have no fear - it will be a matter of mere days, I promise. :D
Kitty
· 22 June 2006
· Chapter 32: Repercussions
Well, I'm not pleased with the people who look now askance at Penny for defending the warriors, even if I can understand it is to be expected. Maybe you should send Penny with Halladan back to Annúminas in the end - it would solve some problems, wouldn't it? And someone has to oversee the rebuilding there, after all.
The only consolation is that The Bitch is sent away from Minas Tirith in disgrace! I'm glad she had to explain herself to Aragorn and Arwen. And that: that Sidhwen was a lady of honour and good family and, for all her many faults, had to be treated with some respect is something with which I have to disagree completely and fervently! She has no honour at all, as she has proven only too well.
Loved Gandalf's remark about 'female dog' and his explanation how Penny's defence of the warriors was seen by Aragorn and Elrond, even if those doesn't want her to know it! Good old Gandalf!
Somehow it was comforting that Penny was able to visit Halbarad's grave and to make this little gesture with the flowers and to say her own farewell to him. As for Halladan and Hirvell ... I had already feared something like this. Poor Halladan, no wonder he finds it so difficult to cope with. What a horrible experience, and so soon after the death of his father! And it explains the huge difference between Arvain's and Halladan's way to deal with it.
I was pleased to know Penny had enough money to buy something she wanted. A pity nobody told her how much it was worth, otherwise this raid may not have been occured. Don't know if to be impressed by Penny's struggle or to shake my head about so much foolishness! And you left us with a very nasty cliffhanger!!! I can only hope the fact the villain didn't more to her means one of the Dúnedain or Elves has followed her and is now saving her.
Need I to explain that I can't wait for the next chapter?
Author's reply
Thanks so much for letting me know your thoughts on it all! :)
I don't think it's so much people looking askance at her for defending warriors - everyone is in agreement that Sidhwen was completely out of order on that. It's more the fact that Penny decided to explode in public and call Sidhwen names (however justified those names may have been). Etiquette and manners are important to some, that's all.
"Lady of honour" in that she's a lady of the court, etc - but the fact that she's tarnished her name was made clear by the fact that she was effectively thrown out of courtly life for a while by Arwen.
I'm glad you liked the Gandalf bit - he's always fun to write when he's like that. And, yes, the information about Halladan had to come out sooner or later. I've been hinting at it for a while, but at least now she knows.
Fire
· 22 June 2006
· Chapter 32: Repercussions
You just made me cry with the scene at the burial mounds. You have a great way with words and I must admit I wish I was that good with them as well.
Author's reply
Thank you. It was an important scene to me and it pleases me greatly to know others were moved by it. :)
Even
· 22 June 2006
· Chapter 32: Repercussions
Hi!
I enjoyed this chapter very much! Exactly what i hoped for! Be blessed!!!
The reactions to her outburst are good. Some will hate her even more and some will like her more for her understanding.
Please update soon!
Author's reply
Thank you so much - I'm glad it met your expectations and you enjoyed it. :)
Fantasia
· 22 June 2006
· Chapter 32: Repercussions
Hi Boz
You really made my day. I checked early in the morning (Pacific Time) and I found your update. Thank you.
This time I didn’t laugh (very touching chapter), so no one in my job suspected that I was reading Penny's adventures. I did panic with the end; I wanted to scream because you finished the chapter in the most exciting part… OK, I calmed down when I read that next chapter will be post it soon (Please).
Very good chapter, as usual. The court reactions to Penny’s outburst were as I was expecting. Love the details that the Dunedains have with Penny, I almost cry when the visited the Dunedains’ mound, very touching to see Penny taking flowers for them. What a sad story is Hirvell’s dead, I can see why Halladan is traumatized, to know that your brother can die because he is a warrior, it is one thing, but to see it (and a horrible one) and being helpless, it is devastating. You are really a very good writer, you made it so real. .
I liked the detail of Halladan's thought of Penny’s way of life in modern world. I think that sometimes all of them forget that she is very, very different, like from a galaxy far, far away…. I hope that Halladan will be the one to rescue her. What a romantic scene, Penny’s own Gallant Knight (I just translated form Spanish, no idea how they are calling in English). Why the Dunedain have to leave? I will expect some of them will stay with their King, because even if he is the King of Arnor & Gondor, the head of the Kingdom is Minas Tirith. I suppose that Aragorn will keep some of his men with him. Besides, some elves are going to live in Ithilien, she can live there if she wants, but I do understand the homesickness when you are away from a city…Well, you will decide poor Penny’s dwelling dilemma. Well, I have to go back to work, as I said you made my day, I have three boring meetings today, but I will go with Penny and Co in my mind and I will survive, Thanks.
Hope that you understand half of what I wanted to say; sometimes it is very frustrating when you have language limitations. I can understand Penny 100% when she had the language barrier in your first story.
Author's reply
Don't worry, the chapter will be posted very soon, I promise. Thank you for your comments. I'm glad the burial mound scene moved you - it was moving to write in a way, and an important part of the story in that Penny needed to have that moment to say goodbye to him. And, yes, poor Halladan - he's really been through the mill.
You can say 'gallant knight' in English, no problem, but the true English idiom would be 'knight in shining armour'. :) As to who that may or may not be - that will be in the next chapter. :)
el_esteleth
· 22 June 2006
· Chapter 32: Repercussions
AAAARRRRGGGGHHH! *self-combusts anyway*
I can't wait for the next chapter. ;)
I'm still really enjoying this story.
I really enjoy how you've made Middle Earth come alive through Penny's eyes.
Es.
Author's reply
Sorry! *hides* I do promise the chapter will be posted very soon - a few days at most. :)
Thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Lindelea
· 22 June 2006
· Chapter 32: Repercussions
Excellent. Although I really ought to have left 20 minutes ago.
The chapter brought me to tears, especially remembering that incredible account of Halbarad's last battle that began this story.
And Halladan's memories must be dark, indeed. It is a wonder that he survived and was not hacked to pieces like his brother.
Very glad that another chapter is not long in the coming. I will look forward to (hopefully) seeing it when I have time to turn on the computer again.
Thanks!
Author's reply
Well, thank you for taking time out to read and review. I'm glad those two plot points/scenes touched you - they are ones I have been building towards and been, if not looking forward to exactly, certainly been impatient to get to. *hugs Halbarad* *and Halladan for that matter*
Gandalfs apprentice
· 22 June 2006
· Chapter 32: Repercussions
As a certified Halbarad fancier, I appreciated this chapter very much. And you did well with the laughs too--I think my favorite is Penny wondering if Gandalf were warning her or supplying her with ammunition. Where IS Penny going to end up, anyhow? In Annuminas helping to refound the Northern Kingdom?
Author's reply
Ah, I've always liked that less serious side in Gandalf. That's the same side that enjoys hobbits and makes jokes at Pippin's expense.
And thank you for you saying you liked this chapter for its nod to Halbarad - Penny needed closure and he was such a huge part of Don't Panic it was only right and fair that it happened.
Mopsy
· 22 June 2006
· Chapter 32: Repercussions
Woo-oow...I loved this one even more than the last, which is saying something. I actually cried when Penny and co went to Halbard's grave. There's such a sense of loss...
And yay! More Celebaby! (That is, Celeborn, not Celebdor.)
I can't believe she was mugged! Please let Halladan save her. I love them together. They're achieving such a deep relationship.
Author's reply
I'm glad you enjoyed it, and that the grave scene moved you - it had to be done and I've been waiting for a good moment to have her go there. :)
Nessa
· 22 June 2006
· Chapter 31: Of Course, You Realise This Means War
This whole story has me totally hooked. I look every day for a new chapter. Chapter 31 is outstanding in pure emotion. You had me sitting the edge of my seat and saying, "Get her Pen ii!" Keep them coming! I wish she could stay with the Elves in Imladris..? Still, there is the question as to how she was pulled into Middle Earth in the first place...
Author's reply
Thank you for taking time out to review. I'm glad it's got you so involved. Ah, questions, questions - all to be answered, I assure you. ;)
el_esteleth
· 18 June 2006
· Chapter 31: Of Course, You Realise This Means War
I *still* love it. I just now finally caught up to where you're updating. Penny is such a real character. You've done a wonderful job with creating a realistic environment for Penny. I can't wait for more chapters.
Es.
Author's reply
Thank you very much. That is my primary aim with all this: realism; hence a comment like that is so nice to hear - I'm glad you think I've achieved it to some degree. :)
Pearl Took
· 18 June 2006
· Chapter 31: Of Course, You Realise This Means War
Oh my! I'm sure all hell might break loose now, but . . . YOU GO, PENNY!!!!
WOO HOO!!!
And bless Halladan :)
*fanning myself to cool down*
Author's reply
*lol* Well, I'm thrilled it got such a reaction from you. :D I take it you enjoyed it? *wink*