Reviews (2,009)

Celeth · 7 November 2014 · Chapter 90: The Auction

Now that's what I call a happy ending, although I am glad that things are not ending just yet. I feel like going out and celebrating myself that the Elves got the store. Hurray for Glorfindel and the Elves, especially Erestor and Linda who will be running the store now. I am glad that the mortal classmates of the Three Amigos and Nell are showing their support to them, though its funny how they look on them as children (I don't think they would appreciate that, though). And with that happy note, the weekend starts. Thanks for another chapter and enjoy your weekend!

Tari · 5 November 2014 · Chapter 89: Afterwards

"Not all the eyes were friendly." That does not bode well for the elves. However, I'm sure the Vala and Maia are watching also.

Larner · 3 November 2014 · Chapter 89: Afterwards

So, unfriendly eyes are on the estate, eh? And who's keeping eyes on these enemies? Glad the newcomers are getting some education in the culture in which they live now. Glad also they are coming up with suspects regarding the attack on Glorfindel. I can certainly understand Michaelson's concern about the C4. Interesting events going on.

Eruherdiriel · 3 November 2014 · Chapter 89: Afterwards

This is getting worse and worse. Is Thomas Peterson actually opposing the Elves or is he just another dupe? Maybe less of a dupe than some of the others? ~Eruherdiriel

6336 · 3 November 2014 · Chapter 89: Afterwards

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? I would guess a few Maia! Just who was behind the bombing attempt, I think they are right and that it was not Peterson, at least he was not directly involved. A fringe element in his group or just somebody who likes to blow things up and will do so given the opportunity? There is more going on here than meets the eye, this blatant attempt at whole sale murder will not go down well with a lot of people, even some in Petersons camp! I think permits for bow hunting are out there and there are probably regulations about knife length, but after that demonstration I don't some how think Michaelson will press the issue! Just one question how did Randall and Manuela get the Three Amigos and Nell to Chandlar, I thought they were going to hold off on teaching the Valinor elves how to drive until the roads had dried out? Just had a very interesting discussion with the B.B. about how much C4 would be needed to take out half a block, he is ex military so should know, he thinks it would take about 10 bricks, each brick being a kilo, so about 22lbs of the stuff. He thinks it would run about $300.00 a brick on the Black Market so somebody has some money to burn! Waiting for Friday, checks supplies, stokes fire and settles in to chair in Cliff House with knitting. Have a good week, Lynda

Laer · 3 November 2014 · Chapter 89: Afterwards

Priscilla seems to be a bit on the "other" side to me. More on a Tom Peterson side but not that extreme. Or, she is just plan goofy. ;) I have a feeling that Rookie Prince will not like what his boss will tell him. He will need to get a permit for those weapons of his. Just to keep it all above and aboard. No favoritism. You know what gets me is these Tom Peterson type people seem to forget that it was the elves who saved the children on a very cold and nasty night, when they could have just shrugged their shoulders and not cared. Maybe then they will leave poor little Nell alone then. Ah well. I am over thinking it all I am sure. :)

Kevana · 3 November 2014 · Chapter 89: Afterwards

Celeth - I can only speak for myself, but please know I was NOT offended at ALL! Goodness knows I've worked with a few reporters I'd like to have tossed in jail myself, although for entirely different reasons. I can definitely understand anyone's aggravation with the reporters portrayed in the story, and even more so with real-life reporters who've done so much to betray what I consider a nearly sacred trust and heavy responsibility. Believe me, sometimes it makes me *more* angry than most folks, because I see it from the inside. And like Fiondil says, all we had to do was wait a chapter, haha. I'm very sorry as well if I came across as angry or upset, I promise you I wasn't, I'm just passionate about it and as I said before, this is something that's been on my mind ever since I started reading the EA stories. I was glad it was brought up because it answered some of my questions, and I loved meeting another Fiondil-fan who's a journalist. It's all in good fun as far as I'm concerned! Additionally - sorry to you, Fiondil, if I was jumping the gun, I am not the most patient person in the world. That's a lesson for me, hehe. ;) Believe me, I wasn't upset at all, just curious and fascinated! Lots of love (and some silk flowers) to everybody! -Kevana

Anonymous · 3 November 2014 · Chapter 89: Afterwards

I hope they catch the people whoever hurt the "young" elves. I just don't understand where Legolas went after he scared the sh*t out of the Mortals (that was awesome, by the way), because we know where the others went but not him when Glorfindel and Finrod were left alone. Could you enlighten me, please ? Other than that little tiny bit of confusion this chapter was great. Continue, Ora

Sunny · 3 November 2014 · Chapter 89: Afterwards

*Sets out tea and cookies in the Cliff House in preparation for the influx* Oooo-kay - THAT much explosives? Very ungood. In Norway, explosives are VERY tightly regulated (and since 2011 have become even more so) and any hint of irregularity involving explosives would have cops being positively stalkerly in their attentiveness to the scene and the company using the explosives. I guess a good deal of attention will be paid to Tom Peterson and his mayoral race now. A lot of the ruckus will probably turn out to be a King Henry II/Tomas Beckett situation, with the real nuts just using the campaign as a front. And it also wouldn't surprise me too much if some people from the Agency is stirring the pot. That C4 had to come from somewhere, after all, and like Elladan said, you don't exactly pick up that sort of stuff from the local hardware store. Beefing up security is probably on the top of the list of things to do now, both at Edhellond and at Amroth's place. I suspect a lot of fence-sitters have come down off the fence due to this excitement - and not on Tom Peterson's side either! And just what is the mind behind those unfriendly eyes watching Edhellond planning? With a bomb scare (with genuine explosives attached) just past, that will surely make more persons than just me start chewing her nails. SO looking forward to Friday!

Celeth · 3 November 2014 · Chapter 89: Afterwards

Its such a relief that Dave Michaelson is on the side of the Elves; wanting to come over (even before the protest happened) to see how the Three Amigos were doing was nice. He seems the sort of guy one would be glad to have around when one is in a tight place. "...And there's enough of it that it might have taken half the block with it." WOW! Whoever was behind this really wants to get rid of the Elves. And Mr. Peterson is appalled...hmmm. What is it about that statement that makes me think he might have had something to do with it after all? When Dave told Legolas to "stick around, I want to speak with you" I thought the Prince was going to get lectured on Mirandizing and all that. But that was one very short conversation they had. Permit to carry knives and bows and arrows? Is there really such a thing? I thought permits were only for guns. I do wish somebody would give Finrod those five minutes with the men they caught. If nothing else, we might get to know who was behind it all. I am sure Finrod would not harm them too much. "Not all the eyes were friendly." Sounds so ominous. Looks like there are more stormclouds in the not too distant horizon. I hope Edhellond will still be in one piece when the Elves get back from their skating excursion. By the way, I would like to apologise for my comment last time which offended some readers. I have no excuse to offer except that I got carried away because of what happened in the story. I am sorry.

Dreamflower · 3 November 2014 · Chapter 89: Afterwards

OK, so as far as the press is concerned, Dave and the local TV seem to have come to a good compromise: keep it local, no feeds to any possible network affiliates (although since Wiseman is a small town, the station may be independent, which would make it easier). Priscilla's later report seemed balanced and bland enough; later on it might be useful for one or two of the Elves to give her an actual interview. I can see Vorondur and Valandur making excellent spokespersons for debunking a lot of the myths and legends. Also, does Wiseman have a newspaper, daily or weekly? I wonder what the editorial stance would be as that can be very important in a small town. I think Dave may need another talk with Legolas about what permits mean. He's a police officer now, and so will need to follow the law. In a small town with a large rural area and lots of hunting (it's Alaska, after all) a permit to have a bow is likely a simple matter. I'm not sure about knives, but laws on those vary widely in different locales. Beefing up the security will be a good idea--I can see some of the Elves being fascinated by the idea of motion detectors and security cameras. I hope that the situation can be cleared up soon. If the anti-Elf protestors find out that they were in danger of being blown up too, they might re-think their allegiances; but this election may leave Wiseman sorely divided. Finrod's anger is all too understandable, but Glorfindel is right--anger alone will not serve; it has to be paired with reasonable action and practical considerations. I had to snort at this line: "...because we Elves do not take prisoners, now or ever.” Did someone send the memo to Thranduil? I seem to remember 13 Dwarves and a hobbit who might take issue with that statement; not to mention Gollum... And more recently, what about all those agents (including Finlay) who ended up in that Inuit village?

SashaHoneypalm · 3 November 2014 · Chapter 89: Afterwards

Blinds and plants and white lies, oh my- one can only hope Jacob doesn't check in on his old town after he moves away. Because if the anti-Elf faction finds out about how his store *somehow* ended up in the hands of his least-favorite people, you bet they'll spin it into some dark conspiracy. "The Elves are secretly plotting behind our backs to _____!", that sort of thing. And movie night is a good idea to teach mortal culture (and references). (In fact, I'd had that idea for a story myself- that otherwordly denizens learn about culture through classic movies). Someone had just better explain which bits are Hollywood hyperbole, though. At least us Native Earthians can usually tell when movies are painting a picture that never works that way in real life. What are some of the movies on the list, do you think? PS. I look at the keyboard instead of the screen when I type, and I sometimes type letters in the wrong order, and as I was writing this I accidentally wrote that the store was going to end up in the "nads" of the Elves. I just thought that was pretty funny.

Kevana · 3 November 2014 · Chapter 89: Afterwards

Now *that's* better, Dave. ;) Hehe. Whew, what. a. mess. At least nobody actually got hurt! The characters are asking the same questions your readers are. It seems like things just took a turn for the serious, in a long term fashion. I worry whether they will ever be able to feel safe in their home, but then again I guess we know they're not, really. Trust Finrod to recognize certain aspects of the danger before anyone else. somehow I get the feeling he might be simmering for a while over this. I am rather in favor of giving him those few minutes alone with the perpetrators. At this rate, Dave is going to need a bigger, stronger jail! That statement from Peterson is so thoroughly insincere it makes my skin crawl. That guy is putting me in mind of an oil slick that's taken human form and that doesn't bode well for anybody, least of all him. Strikes me more like a cult leader playing off of people's fears than anything else. I think somebody said in an earlier chapter that battling those fears of the unknowns is a big part of the effort at this point. I can certainly see what they meant. And yes, goodness knows people do all this and worse IRL every day. It only just occurred to me, what exactly could Peterson do to get rid of the Elves in a legal way if he was elected? I'm not sure he ever planned to keep this bloodless. And that last line is downright creepy. It gave me goosebumps. just had to mention in reference to Nell and Gareth, I'm listening to the radio before work and they said research shows "love at first sight" happens in one-fifth of a second. It's kinda cute! And kind of creepy. But mostly cute. Have a great week! Waiting for the first Christmas song on the radio so I can roll my eyes at it while secretly getting excited. The time of the pumpkin is nearly over and soon the winds of peppermint will howl, mwahaha. Two more days and November 5 is here - hang in there! -kevana

UTfrog · 3 November 2014 · Chapter 89: Afterwards

Wow, the last three chapters have had one thrill following another. Maybe watching movies and ice skating will help the Elves catch their breath, but this reader is still gasping. Great plot twists. Great personal interactions. Thank you.

Kaylee Arafinwiel · 2 November 2014 · Chapter 88: Besieged

Atya, Sorry for the late review. I was kept really busy by my Naneth yesterday and I didn't have time to put all my thoughts together. It's going to be another busy day (my sister's 26th birthday) so I'm going to put as many of them together really fast now as I can LOL. To start with, I really don't like Tom Peterson. I wonder if he knows just what he's doing by spreading hatred throughout Wiseman - is it even his agenda, or is he just the instrument for someone else (the Agency rogues? someone far more powerful?) knowingly or unknowingly? On the other hand, I really DO like what I've seen and heard of Robert Locke. He seems to be a fair minded Man. So let's hope he, and not Tom, wins this thing. The siege of Edhellond, and the Elf-hating incidents that preceded it, sickened me. The four youngsters being treated so - they may be centuries old, but they are still children as far as experience and wisdom go, and in relation to their elders. They had nothing to do with being in Wiseman and were just convenient scapegoats. Shame on their attackers. And shame on the Men who sought to set off explosives at Edhellond. Are they getting these ideas from Peterson or someone else? I am so glad Legolas stopped those bozos. And I am DEFINITELY glad the Preacher Amigos stopped the REST of the bozos. I cried when Rabbi Cohen took out his grandfather's Star of David and passed the rest out to the Elven supporters. I don't know if you know this, but my maternal great-grandmother was from German Jewish stock, which would, if I remember Jewish tradition aright ("Jewishness" passes through the maternal line) make me one, too, at least in blood. I may not be a Jew religiously, but I am sure I know what happened to my great-grandmother's kindred still remaining in Germany while my grandmother grew up, and I weep for them and the countless others. It intrigued me, too, that the Star of David might be an echo of the Star of Earendil. And why not? After all, you postulated in an early story that Mary was of Luthien's line, so it seems only natural that the Son of David was, too, the Heir of Earendil. Or *an* Heir, considering Alex seems to be one too. Boy, could that open up a theological can of worms considering Jesus' family LOL. Anyway, I suppose that might make our young spy the Saviour of Wiseman? Hmm. Beautiful story, Atya. Keep writing. Tye-melin, Kaylee

Larner · 2 November 2014 · Chapter 88: Besieged

At last the Elf-fearers have declared themselves, and have made fools--dangerous fools, some of them--of themselves. Glad the supporters have proved more numerous. But to see the younger Elves being attacked is not good--not good at all. It would appear Farrell's supporters are now trying to recruit normal people to do what Farrell failed to do. I still want to know who they are!

SashaHoneypalm · 1 November 2014 · Chapter 88: Besieged

Just another thought- why does Josiah refer to the Three Amigos as "ellyn" in his speech? If accurate elf-info is low enough that people would try the iron nails trick, I find it unlikely that the whole town is fluent in Sindarin. If I were giving the speech, I'd refer to them as "boys" or "Elves" or "young Elves" myself, especially if I was trying to reach hearts and minds in the "anti" crowd.

obsidianj · 1 November 2014 · Chapter 88: Besieged

That was a nasty surprise. Bombs along the walls. What did they think they were doing? That goes far beyond nasty election rhetoric. What I found interesting was that in their shock the elves reverted back to their 'mortals are beneath us' attitude. The bozos that planted the bombs are sure no bright examples. But the supporters might take offense at generalizations like "Fool Mortals" or Elrohir's answer to the police when the guy said they should not handle the bombs and Elrohir comes with his 'we know what we are doing because we are at it longer than anyone can imagine and just shut up'. At least that is as it came across to me. I always found that generalizations like that rub even supportive people on your side the wrong way. They suddenly feel they have to side with the bozos, just on principle. The attack on the Three Amigos is beyond reprehensible and Nell's professor needs her attitude checked also. If this goes on much longer, the town will have a hard time to go back to normal after the election. Too much bad has happened that can't be mended and forgotten easily.

obsidianj · 1 November 2014 · Chapter 87: A Meeting in the Woods

Slight problem. Huh! That depends on the definition of "slight". I'm not sure the Valar's "slight" is the same as the elves'. I hope we will find out. I'm sorry Finrod feels he wasted untold years in Aman, which from the stories we have read about him is not true, but I can understand that compared to Glorfindel, he feels that way. I hope he will realize that his work was very important for the elves in general, but of a different kind. I liked Legolas speaking up about his valuable experiences with Hobbits, Dwarves and Men. Some of the elves still need an attitude check. A teacher is a teacher. If he has knowledge I don't have, I can learn from whoever it is. He might be an idiot otherwise, but on the subject he is teaching, he knows more than I.

Laer · 1 November 2014 · Chapter 88: Besieged

Yikes to the bad guys trying to make the elves something evil. It makes it easier for them to justify murder if they think they are killing something that is abnormal. Thank goodness for the good guys proving that they are living beings and worth standing up for! Loved the yellow star. It holds so much heart ache for so many, and to use it as a symbol of the bad guys prejudice should point them in the right direction. Tom Peterson should be ashamed of himself. He is demonizing the elves for no real reason except to hide his white hood. Or would it be more like a black hood, something closer to the nine's colors? Someone had mentioned too bad the hobbits and dwarfs couldn't make an appearance. Who says their blood lines haven't? Some of the original room mates were rather short. ;) As for human's well; we have one of Aragorn's (or maybe it is just one of Elros?) Why not Eomer or Eowyn? ;) You never know where the blood lines might have flown in all these ages.

Laer · 1 November 2014 · Chapter 87: A Meeting in the Woods

Legolas speech about being a better Elf for having reached out to other races and befriending Dwarves, Hobbits and Men was very well put. If he hadn't learned this lesson, maybe things wouldn't have turned out as well as it all did? As for Aman and the slight little problem there, can you imagine the issues a certain Lady of the Light will be causing if she has to miss her baby girls wedding? Let alone Betroval? Yeah, that whole "Instead of a dark Lord you will have a Queen" thing? Just small potatoes next to what she may be doing over that little bit...And what of Nell's father? I have a feeling he wouldn't be too thrilled over missing this either. Yep, I can see them chatting with Eärendil now about making another trip or three across the pond. Or maybe they are planing on hijacking it ;)

Kevana · 31 October 2014 · Chapter 88: Besieged

Malice2 - oh-my-GOSH this is just too amazing not to comment on: another Fiondil-fan who's a journalist! What are the odds? Hi! I remember once joking to Fiondil that if I were a reporter in Wiseman, I probably would have earned myself a trip to the Inuit village where Finlay and Co. ended up, because that's the only way they'd keep me out of their hair. By which I mean to say, it's a really interesting issue you bring up that I've thought about myself within the context of the EA-verse. You have that endless debate over security vs. freedom that goes on in our world playing out in this story, with the added bonus of the Apocalypse thrown in for good measure - and with the Alien Overlords themselves being the ones to get in on the action with keeping people from uploading YouTube videos and etc.. I guess (playing devil's advocate here) you could say that though the cops are breaking the First Amendment and they might certainly pay the price for that choice, the Valar play by their own rules and are gonna do their own thing independent of any Mortal laws. And it *is* the end of the world, but is it right for the cops and Valar to control information like that? On the other hand, would you want to be the reporter who threw a Hail Mary pass around the Valar's gatekeeping and ended up with a Balrog in your bedroom one night because you put something on the internet? LOL, an interesting conundrum! I love thinking about stuff like this where ethics and freedom and security come into play. I don't think there are any easy answers, either IRL or in the EA-verse, but it's fun to discuss. Anyway, the Elves could certainly use a good working relationship with the local media...what is done in the dark shall be revealed in the light..you never know, writing a few myth-debunking stories could go a long way to helping the Elves clear things up and exposing Peterson and whoever it is who's backing him. But if I were Priscilla, I'd swing by the bookstore, casually offer to buy Finrod lunch or a cup of coffee, and have a nice getting-to-know-you talk. Sometimes it's inevitable that you have to show up unannounced on the doorstep, but ideally you want those connections, relationships and sources in place *before* you have to ask people to trust you and your judgment when dealing with major stories. It makes everybody calmer, you have better insight into the story because people aren't afraid to talk to you, and you're able to do your job and serve the community to the best of your ability. But yeah, if a police chief threatened to throw me in jail, I'd dare him to do it. The charges would never stick, a good media lawyer would take them to the cleaners, and my arrest would be on the front page for everybody to see. Fortunately nobody's ever been dumb enough to try that on me. I think many people don't realize we take that kind of arrest as something worth bragging about, a point of honor for standing up for free speech, and most media outlets are happy to pay bail for their staff. PS- I am very fond of vultures, they scare a lot of people but they fill a very important ecological niche. And I think they're cute. So I would not be offended to be compared to a vulture. ;)

FV_Whisper · 31 October 2014 · Chapter 88: Besieged

Intense chapter. Seriously, with people like this in Wiseman, you don't need any problems in Aman anymore! Really, why is it that everything that has a supernatural hint about is is shunned by certain groups? I find it hard to place Peterson in this matter. He seems to be bringing every myth there is about Elves or similar creatures in display. Being anti-Elf is one, but is he really considering the Elves messengers of the dark side or is this just a ploy to win the elections? If anyone needs a good long talk with Namo (or Atar for that reason), it's him. For the elections, this is a dangerous situation. If the parties are this divided, they'll find it had working with each other again after the elections are done. In the meantime, the Elves face the consequences. First the youngsters being attacked. I feel sorry for the, they've just been getting in touch with mortal life and trying hard at it and now this happens. And poor Nell! I think her professor was way off in telling her such a thing. It's a good thing the friend show up giving them their support, they Three Amigos needed that. Seriously, don't those people showing up with signs know that is so cliché? Were all of them aware what was actually going on? If so, it's really worrisome all of them were just willing to help out with what could be considered a terrorist attack. "Trust me, Darren, if we had died, we would certainly know it." Not the thing to discuss with a Reborn huh? I loved it how the God Squad showed up with the message of peace, managing to outnumber the whole group and I love Daniel and his handing out of yellow star's. The guy has a good way in opening people's eyes what they've been doing. He had been talking about digging out his grandfather's star, but this was an unexpected action. And I love the Elves comparing the Star of David to Eärendil’s Star and the loremasters even finding time to discuss it. Reminds me, wasn't there a story around when Eärendil’s Star is linked to the Star of Bethlehem? I don't think it was yours though? With finding the explosives, things really took a turn for the worst, even the iron nails which seemed a joke the the Elves at first, now get a grim undertone. I really wonder how the nay-sayersgot their hands on those, for this is bad news. And I;m pretty sure David wants to know too! Well, at least Legolas and the trees had some fun!

FV_Whisper · 31 October 2014 · Chapter 87: A Meeting in the Woods

Ah, it's good seeing Glorfindel having his ring back, and about time too. That's one problem less to worry about. So Manwë is not in the business of handing out rings? *snickers* He's right, only troubles have come from that so far. I really wonder what the 'slight problem' is. Slight for the Vala doesn't mean it will be slight for the Elves as well. Clearly the Valar were pretty much taking aback by Finrod's attitude. So Amarië will be coming to Wiseman too huh? That'll lift Finrod's spirits. I wonder if more will be tagging along with her. Somehow I have the idea tickets back to Middle-Earth are popular among the Aman Elves....

Malice2 · 31 October 2014 · Chapter 88: Besieged

I'm not sure that's the place for it, but I don't know where else to write it. This is an answer to Caleth's review: The reporter is doing her job, which is to look at what's happening where she works, and let the people know about it. AShe might not be the nicest person ever, but she's not particularly invasive while doing it either and could be much worst. It's Finrod and Glorfindel's right not to answer her, but she would be a poor journalist if she wasn't present and trying tiop get answer. To put her ont the same line than those who tried to kill the elves is quite unfair. Police shows (ans many other shows) these days on TV always show the journalists as vultures, and while we are far from perfect, we are not as bad as these shows pretend. A society where you would emprison the journalists who report what's happening just because it's not convenient for the leaders would be a poor society indeed...