TithenFeredir
· 14 December 2005
· Chapter 2: Living In The Past
I'm not sure I agree with you that Erestor would have told Penny that there was no right or wrong way to deal with the prospect of Halbarad's demise. It seems a rather modern way to look at it. On the other hand his acceptance of the natural order as established by Eru did seem plausible. The quiet tension in Imladris was a nice touch, as was the one fatal casualty being someone Penny knew but was not overly close to. I really liked the way you indicated the end of the war indirectly as well as Penny's reaction to it. It was fun to read about all those famous elves partying with everyone else. Too bad Lindir didn't get Penny sauced up enough to sing! ~TF
Author's reply
I'm not sure I agree with you that Erestor would have told Penny that there was no right or wrong way to deal with the prospect of Halbarad's demise.
Interesting. :) I was thinking in terms of several factors:
- firstly, that elves are notoriously non-committal and getting a straight answer even over the most momentous things can be difficult at times (witness Gildor and Frodo, let alone Galadriel and Frodo).
- secondly, that while he knows how he or other elves may deal with it, she is both human and unused to having foreknowledge, thus their method is not exactly comparable. I would also imagine that such specific and certain foreknowledge (that Halbarad WILL die, not perhaps or maybe or possibly) is unusual if not unheard of amongst most mortals - thus there is little or no precendent as to how she should cope.
- thirdly, the elves are so used to it that they are stoical - hence the reference to the natural order and Eru's Will: in that sense he is telling her how to deal with it, or how he deals with it at any rate. It's similar to Arwen's song to her near the end of Don't Panic - it's something all elves have to learn to accept as the way of things, and so will Penny.
And as for Penny/Lindir antics, singing and 'sauce' - there's plenty more where that came from, trust me. *lol*
Lindelea
· 14 December 2005
· Chapter 1: Dulce Et Decorum Est
Gah! Curse the grammar-gremlin that grins upon my shoulder! I am in the middle of the battle, fully sucked in, hearing the sounds, seeing the sights, even smelling the...
Well, anyhow, please accept this small token from the little beast that will not be still.
"Do this for Aragorn... for you* father.”
I'll be back later to give proper feedback, I hope!
Author's reply
Don't apologise! And thank you. Just goes to show, even with me and three betas (and umpteen readers) things STILL slip past. I hate proofreading typescript - I always miss stuff. If I write in longhand, it's no problem, though. *heads off to edit*
daw the minstrel
· 14 December 2005
· Chapter 2: Living In The Past
This is a plausible account of what happened in Imladris while things were popping in the south. And I think it's a good thing Penny learned to dance here. She's on her way to a wedding!
TithenFeredir
· 13 December 2005
· Chapter 1: Dulce Et Decorum Est
Mmmm, a fitting, though tragic end for Halbarad to have his sons around him and to make his wishes known in the end. I thought it was sadly realistic to make mention that not everyone who fell could be helped due to the great number, and that many would die out there during the night without ever having been found or tended at all. I also liked the details of battle that you included like the Dunedain gathering around whoever bore the standard. It was a very important focal point for the forces on either side. ~TF
Author's reply
Thank you - I am glad the details stood out for you. I am a stickler for details so it's nice to know when they are picked up on.
daw the minstrel
· 13 December 2005
· Chapter 1: Dulce Et Decorum Est
I did recognize the Owen quote. I did my doctorate on the English novel but I did occasionally come face to face with a poem.
Author's reply
*lol* Though, that said I could have got away with much of my undergrad Eng Lit degree with little or no poetry - other than the first year thesis which was a choice between Tennyson & Browning or Eliot & Yeats.
I was merely trying to explain the specific resonance that phrase has for me - I always think of that poem first since it's one of my favourites. :-)
Bodkin
· 13 December 2005
· Chapter 1: Dulce Et Decorum Est
Poor Halbarad. Inevitable, I fear, but harrowing nonetheless.
And I know someoone whose grandmother's first cousin was Wilfred Owen. Impressive, huh?
Not that it was Halbarad's patria. His king, but not his country. I look forward to discovering how his son's promise works out.
Author's reply
Not his country, perhaps, but in a way they were battling for all of Arda - if Sauron had not fallen then all of Arda would have been under darkness, so he fell for Arnor even if he died in Gondor (if you see what I mean).
Kitty
· 13 December 2005
· Chapter 1: Dulce Et Decorum Est
Mercy, Boz! I hope you’re updating this a bit slower! I had wanted to review every chapter of „Don’t panic“, but then I had not enough time for two days and was so terribly behind I had to admit defeat!
*sniff*
What a sad beginning! I have to admit, I’d not have complained if Halbarad would’ve survived, and to the hell with canon! I loved him so much! And it was so very touching he thought of Penny even when he was dying. I was in tears about this.
Author's reply
My apologies and yes I will be posting this one a bit slower - one chapter a day I think, unless people need/want it to go any faster. I am up to chapter 15 so far, and chapter 16 is with my betas at the moment, so within two weeks or so it should be posted and up to date and then i will post 'in real time' (as it were) as I write the new chapters.
Well, as I have said elsewhere, it took all my strength to not have him survive the Pelennor and there was much discussion about it at the time amongst the readers. SO sad... :(
daw the minstrel
· 13 December 2005
· Chapter 1: Dulce Et Decorum Est
I cringed when I saw the chapter title. Sigh. Tolkien wasn't writing for Disney.
I wanted to ask about your source for how long it takes to make a sword, something you mentioned in "Don't Panic." Does it really take that long?
Author's reply
I hope you cringed not because you thought 'Gah, what a naff title!' but rather because you immediately guessed the content of the chapter? It's a well-known enough phrase, of course, but for me it always instantly brings to mind the Wilfred Owen poem that has that as its title and ends with the entire phrase - probably his most famous and among the most well-known of all the WW1 poems. A very bitter poem indeed that calls the phrase 'the old lie':
...If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.
War isn't pretty, and realism is the name of the game in this fic (as ever) and this is something that will be explored in more detail and depth in later chapters.
I asked about the sword making at the time - I had intended she see the entire thing, but when I enquired on the PPC various people stepped forward with expert knowledge and also pointed me in the direction of some excellent sites of professional swordsmen, blacksmiths and reconstruction experts. Alas I have lost the links thanks to my computer hard disk going do-lally a couple of months ago, but I did research it as best I could, anyway, at the time. Yes, it would take that long. I was surprised at the time, and had to write the relevent bit as I did - namely that she had missed a good portion of the forging already. Forgive me for not being able to be more explicit with the exact sources... *thwaps Microsoft to within an inch of its life*