Yahoo Forum Archive

Thought I'd let all know that I'm alive, well, and wish I could be more active in the MEFAs at the moment.

My computer, only three years old, met its end in Moria a few weeks ago; I think a certain wizard was using it as a shield against the Balrog, because the motherboard is well and truly fried.

I've been researching new computers and plan to buy one within the next ten days or so. I've been checking my email at the library once or twice a week; but I don't have time to write MEFA Reviews (Wahhhhhhh!). Good thing I had written some before my computer met its end.

I will hopefully be back online all the time, perhaps as Raksha-the-White (but probably not, I prefer Grey), in two weeks or (hopefully, please the Valar!) less.

Must go; the hobbits and I are going to try to get Boromir to join us in blowing bubbles in Galadriel's Mirror; turns out the Man of Gondor is allergic to mallorns and is feeling poorly.

Hey guys,

As Rorrah (StoriesOfArda site admin) explains below, SOA will be down for a
few hours at some point this week. It should only be for a few hours, and
the SOA admins are aware of the downtime.

If you are reviewing a story posted to http://www.storiesofarda.com/ and the
link doesn't work, give it a few hours and try again. Make use of the MEFA's
wish-list feature if you like, to remind yourself to come back to it later.

I assume SOA's links will be the same. So (as far as I know) the links will
work once the site migration is finished.

Marta

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: rorrah <rorrah@storiesofarda.com>
Date: Tue, Oct 5, 2010 at 2:50 PM
Subject: [stories_of_arda] Hosting woes
To: stories_of_arda@yahoogroups.com





I realize that most of you are likely tired of receiving the IP blocked and
other errors.

Nilmandra and I have discussed it and after a little research, we've decided
to go ahead and migrate the site to a new hosting company.

It turns out that our current company is under new management and most of
the associated problems seem to be related to a lack of good business
practices and ...um....brains.

As you all may or may not know, site migration is not exactly the easiest
process. To make sure that stories, chapters and reviews do not get lost, we
will have a total outage period that hopefully won't last more than a few
hours.

I will give you all a little more information on the when this will happen
when I know. But it will likely be this week.

Rorrah

Hey guys,

Congratulations to Mirach, whose story #129 "Hope of a Star" is now
completed. The story has now been moved from Races: Cross-Cultural:
Incomplete to Races: Cross-Cultural: General.

Congratulations also to Pearl Took, whose story #207 "Yew" is now
completed. The story has now been moved from Genres: Longer Works:
Incomplete to Genres: Longer Works: General.

You may find these stories in their new subcategories.

Marta

Hey guys,

This week I want to talk about story information - particularly what to do
if you ever notice some information that needs correcting.

**********************************

WHY WOULD STORY INFORMATION NEED CORRECTING?

Most often this happens with WIPs. Authors describe their stories as they
are at that point. If Legolas doesn't show up until chapter seven and you've
only written chapter five when the story is nominated, you wouldn't list him
as a character. Even if he plays a major role in later chapters. This is
because our readers will use your story information to decide what stories
to read, and if they go looking for a Legolas story we need to show them one
where Legolas really is a major character. And that means he plays a part in
the chapters they can read, not just in chapters you still have to write.

Some WIP information is guaranteed to change. Your length will go up as you
post new stories, and if you finish it during the awards, that needs to
change, too. Your rating may also change, as may your warnings. And if
characters, events, etc. only feature into later chapters, you may want to
update that information as well.

Even with finished stories, sometimes we need to update the information. For
instance, an author may move to a new archive. Sometimes readers will
request we add information (usually specific warnings), and if the author
agrees we will edit the story information to add that as well.

Finally - sometimes an archive will change their policies, meaning that a
story that was available to everyone in May now requires you be a site
member to read it. For the MEFAs we need a link where anyone can read the
story. So if that happens we require authors to give us new URLs, and update
that information for them.

*************************************

WHO CAN REQUEST STORY INFORMATION BE CHANGED?

Authors can always request I update their information. In most cases I will
agree, though I do decide on a case-by-case basis. (If the change would be
disruptive to the awards in some way, I may say no.)

Readers, you may see information you think is inappropriate. For instance,
maybe the story involves graphic battle gore and you think that needs a
warning for that. I will discuss it with the author and, if the author
agrees, I'll change the information.

************************************

CHANGES INVOLVING RATING

Sometimes a reader requests a change to the story's rating, or they request
a warning so extreme it suggests the story may be too adult for the MEFAs.
In these cases I will have our ratings panel read over the story (or
chapter, in longer works) and decide what rating is most appropriate. This
is because if a story is too extreme for the Mature rating, it can't compete
in the MEFAs.

If the ratings panel decides the story is too adult, the story will be
withdrawn from the awards. Because it is so late in the awards it won't be
able to compete in the future. I will email the author any reviews she has
already received, and the story will be withdrawn from the awards.

To be clear, not every NC17 story is inelitible. We use our own rating
system which often is different from an archive's system. Stories must meet
*our* Mature rating (or lower) to compete. That's the only requirement. For
more on this issue see:

http://community.livejournal.com/mefas/206117.html

***********************************

HOW TO REQUEST A CHANGE

Just send an email to mefasupportATgmailDOTcom. Include the story's basic
information (ID#, author name, and story title), and tell me what
information needs updating. I will make the change for you, or if you're a
reader I'll get the ball rolling by contacting the author or the ratings
panel.

***********************************

WHEN WIPS ARE COMPLETED

I especially need to know when WIPs are completed. I will move your story
into a subcategory with completed stories. I will also update information at
our website, and will announce the change to the group. That way people know
where to find your story in case they are reading category by category.

You should report the change the same way you do any other: simply email me
at mefasupportATgmailDOTcom.

*************************************

P.S.: Annmarwalk is posting reviews to the [mefa-reviews] Yahoo group and
the [mefas] LJ community. If you'd like to receive reviews by email, sign up
for one of these groups.

*************************************

For more information:

--- Are "adult" stories eligible for the MEFAs?
http://mefawards.net/MEFA2010/index.php?page=FAQratings#rat_1
--- Ratings Guidelines:
http://mefawards.net/MEFA2010/index.php?page=FAQratingsguide
--- What if I read a MEFA-nominated story that I think is adult? [NB: same
process applies for *any* change request.]
http://mefawards.net/MEFA2010/index.php?page=FAQratings#rat_7

************************************

Marta
(MEFA Admin.)

Hey guys,

This week I wanted to talk a little bit about joining the MEFA
website. We've got nearly two months until the end of voting, so
there's plenty of time to get involved. But as veteran MEFA members
will tell you, you don't want to put it off until the last minute. So
would you like to vote? Would you like to use our website in some
other way? Read on.

********************************

TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP

There are two main types of memberships.

AUTHOR memberships go to anyone who has a story nominated in the 2010
awards. (Unless they already have a membership; see below.) These
members can vote on any story other than their own, and they can use
the website. So they can mark certain reviews as read, add stories to
their wish/skip lists, that kind of thing. There are two limitations,
though:

--- (1) These accounts only last a year. You will *not* have an
account on the 2011 website. You'll be given a new password if you're
nominated in future years.
--- (2) These accounts can't nominate stories.

If you want a membership that carries over from year to year, or if
you'd like to nominate stories next year, you should get a MEFAWARDS
membership. To get this you need to

--- (1) join the Yahoo group MEFAwards, and
--- (2) answer a short questionaire to help us set up your account.

If you're already an author we'll just mark your account as being a
"MEFAwards" member. For new members, we will send you log-in
information to the web site. This will be different from your Yahoo
account information.

********************************

WHO CAN JOIN?

MEFA membership is available to any fandom member who wants to use our
website or participate in the award in either way? You must have a
working email address that you regularly check. For MEFAwards
membership you must also join our Yahoo group, but you can choose to
only receive special notices or digests by email if you don't want to
receive a lot of emails.

We do limit each person to one account. This is to keep the same
person from voting more than once on a given story. So if you already
have an account and just can't log in, you should email
mefasupport(AT)gmail(DOT)com, rather than trying to create a new
account.

*********************************

CAN I GET MY FRIENDS TO JOIN?

Absolutely! We encourage everyone to recruit new voters. The more
participant,s the better the awards are for everyone involved.

One caveat, though - you may *not* tell your friends to join up so
they can vote for a particular story. Or for a particular author, for
that matter. That counts as vote solicitation, which is against the
rules. But it's fine to say "I found this contest, you might enjoy
getting involved" or something along those lines.

***********************************

WHEN CAN I JOIN?

You can set up a MEFAwards membership at any time, by joining the
MEFAwards Yahoo group. Obviously you cannot participate until your
account is set up, and that can sometimes take a few days. So if you
want to vote it's really important you not leave this until the last
minute. But even if you try to set up an account at the tail end of
the 2010 awards and miss out this year, you'll still be good to go for
2011.

*********************************

HELP! I CAN'T LOG IN.

This usually happens for one of two reasons. If you have *never* been
able to log in, ask yourself:

--- (1) Did I receive my questionnaire after joining the MEFAwards
group? Did I answer it?

===== If no: Answer it. (Or email mefasupport(AT)gmail(DOT)com to get
it resent to you.)
===== If yes:

--- (2) Has it been at least two days since I answered it?

===== If no: please be patient. There is a human volunteer who sets up
accounts, and she is not online 24/7.
===== If yes:

--- (3) Is it possible it got stuck in my spam filter? Check there.

If you still can't find your password, it's entirely possible there is
a snafu somewhere along the line. Unfortunately with any large project
there will occasionally be things that slip through the cracks. Just
send me an email at mefasupport(AT)gmail(DOT)com, and I'll look into
it as quickly as I can.

If on the other hand you received your password but forgot it, or it
won't let you log in, that's much easier to fix. Go to
www.mefawards.net/MEFA2010/ and click the "Forgotten password" link.
This will let you type in your email address and we will resend your
password to you automatically. If that doesn't work or if you no
longer have access to the email account you are registered with, you
should email me at mefasupport(AT)gmail(DOT)com, and I will try to to
help you log in.

*******************************

REVIEW - HOW TO SET UP AN ACCOUNT

--- For author accounts: simply have a story nominated. A password
will be sent to you automatically.
--- For MEFAwards accounts:

(1) Join the Yahoo group MEFAwards.
(2) Answer the questionnaire that is sent to you.
(3) Wait for your password to arrive within 48 hours.

*****************************

For more information:

--- Why do I need to join a Yahoo group?
http://mefawards.net/MEFA2010/index.php?page=FAQnominations#nom_2
--- Can the same author be nominated under different names?
http://mefawards.net/MEFA2010/index.php?page=FAQnominations#nom_18
--- Who can nominate?
http://mefawards.net/MEFA2010/index.php?page=FAQnominations#nom_1

*****************************

P.S. - Annmarwalk is posting reviews to the Yahoo group [mefa-reviews]
and the LJ comm [mefas]. Join either place to receive reviews by email
or on you LJ friends' list. Thanks, Ann!

Marta
MEFA Admin.

Hi,
 
I have a question. I was nominated and won first and second places back then in 2004. I have been away since then, so am I a member or not? I'm confused.
 
CC

--- On Sat, 10/16/10, Marta <marta.fandom@gmail.com> wrote:


From: Marta <marta.fandom@gmail.com>
Subject: [MEFAwards] ADMIN - joining up
To: "MEFAwards" <MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Saturday, October 16, 2010, 6:58 PM


 



Hey guys,

This week I wanted to talk a little bit about joining the MEFA
website. We've got nearly two months until the end of voting, so
there's plenty of time to get involved. But as veteran MEFA members
will tell you, you don't want to put it off until the last minute. So
would you like to vote? Would you like to use our website in some
other way? Read on.

********************************

TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP

There are two main types of memberships.

AUTHOR memberships go to anyone who has a story nominated in the 2010
awards. (Unless they already have a membership; see below.) These
members can vote on any story other than their own, and they can use
the website. So they can mark certain reviews as read, add stories to
their wish/skip lists, that kind of thing. There are two limitations,
though:

--- (1) These accounts only last a year. You will *not* have an
account on the 2011 website. You'll be given a new password if you're
nominated in future years.
--- (2) These accounts can't nominate stories.

If you want a membership that carries over from year to year, or if
you'd like to nominate stories next year, you should get a MEFAWARDS
membership. To get this you need to

--- (1) join the Yahoo group MEFAwards, and
--- (2) answer a short questionaire to help us set up your account.

If you're already an author we'll just mark your account as being a
"MEFAwards" member. For new members, we will send you log-in
information to the web site. This will be different from your Yahoo
account information.

********************************

WHO CAN JOIN?

MEFA membership is available to any fandom member who wants to use our
website or participate in the award in either way? You must have a
working email address that you regularly check. For MEFAwards
membership you must also join our Yahoo group, but you can choose to
only receive special notices or digests by email if you don't want to
receive a lot of emails.

We do limit each person to one account. This is to keep the same
person from voting more than once on a given story. So if you already
have an account and just can't log in, you should email
mefasupport(AT)gmail(DOT)com, rather than trying to create a new
account.

*********************************

CAN I GET MY FRIENDS TO JOIN?

Absolutely! We encourage everyone to recruit new voters. The more
participant,s the better the awards are for everyone involved.

One caveat, though - you may *not* tell your friends to join up so
they can vote for a particular story. Or for a particular author, for
that matter. That counts as vote solicitation, which is against the
rules. But it's fine to say "I found this contest, you might enjoy
getting involved" or something along those lines.

***********************************

WHEN CAN I JOIN?

You can set up a MEFAwards membership at any time, by joining the
MEFAwards Yahoo group. Obviously you cannot participate until your
account is set up, and that can sometimes take a few days. So if you
want to vote it's really important you not leave this until the last
minute. But even if you try to set up an account at the tail end of
the 2010 awards and miss out this year, you'll still be good to go for
2011.

*********************************

HELP! I CAN'T LOG IN.

This usually happens for one of two reasons. If you have *never* been
able to log in, ask yourself:

--- (1) Did I receive my questionnaire after joining the MEFAwards
group? Did I answer it?

===== If no: Answer it. (Or email mefasupport(AT)gmail(DOT)com to get
it resent to you.)
===== If yes:

--- (2) Has it been at least two days since I answered it?

===== If no: please be patient. There is a human volunteer who sets up
accounts, and she is not online 24/7.
===== If yes:

--- (3) Is it possible it got stuck in my spam filter? Check there.

If you still can't find your password, it's entirely possible there is
a snafu somewhere along the line. Unfortunately with any large project
there will occasionally be things that slip through the cracks. Just
send me an email at mefasupport(AT)gmail(DOT)com, and I'll look into
it as quickly as I can.

If on the other hand you received your password but forgot it, or it
won't let you log in, that's much easier to fix. Go to
www.mefawards.net/MEFA2010/ and click the "Forgotten password" link.
This will let you type in your email address and we will resend your
password to you automatically. If that doesn't work or if you no
longer have access to the email account you are registered with, you
should email me at mefasupport(AT)gmail(DOT)com, and I will try to to
help you log in.

*******************************

REVIEW - HOW TO SET UP AN ACCOUNT

--- For author accounts: simply have a story nominated. A password
will be sent to you automatically.
--- For MEFAwards accounts:

(1) Join the Yahoo group MEFAwards.
(2) Answer the questionnaire that is sent to you.
(3) Wait for your password to arrive within 48 hours.

*****************************

For more information:

--- Why do I need to join a Yahoo group?
http://mefawards.net/MEFA2010/index.php?page=FAQnominations#nom_2
--- Can the same author be nominated under different names?
http://mefawards.net/MEFA2010/index.php?page=FAQnominations#nom_18
--- Who can nominate?
http://mefawards.net/MEFA2010/index.php?page=FAQnominations#nom_1

*****************************

P.S. - Annmarwalk is posting reviews to the Yahoo group [mefa-reviews]
and the LJ comm [mefas]. Join either place to receive reviews by email
or on you LJ friends' list. Thanks, Ann!

Marta
MEFA Admin.










[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi CC,

You're a member - a MEFAwards member, meaning you can both vote and
nominate.

Would you like me to resend your log-in information?

Marta

On Sat, Oct 16, 2010 at 4:21 PM, Silver Trails <silver.trails@yahoo.com>wrote:

>
>
> Hi,
>
> I have a question. I was nominated and won first and second places back
> then in 2004. I have been away since then, so am I a member or not? I'm
> confused.
>
> CC
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi!
 
Yes, please. Thank you.
 
CC

--- On Sat, 10/16/10, Marta <marta.fandom@gmail.com> wrote:


From: Marta <marta.fandom@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [MEFAwards] ADMIN - joining up
To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, October 16, 2010, 8:25 PM


 



Hi CC,

You're a member - a MEFAwards member, meaning you can both vote and
nominate.

Would you like me to resend your log-in information?

Marta

On Sat, Oct 16, 2010 at 4:21 PM, Silver Trails <silver.trails@yahoo.com>wrote:

>
>
> Hi,
>
> I have a question. I was nominated and won first and second places back
> then in 2004. I have been away since then, so am I a member or not? I'm
> confused.
>
> CC
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]











[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi CC,

Done! You should have received your log-in info, from
mefasupport(AT)gmail(DOT)com.

Marta

On Sat, Oct 16, 2010 at 4:55 PM, Silver Trails <silver.trails@yahoo.com>wrote:

>
>
> Hi!
>
> Yes, please. Thank you.
>
>
> CC
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi!
 
Thanks! Got it all!
 
CC

--- On Sat, 10/16/10, Marta <marta.fandom@gmail.com> wrote:


From: Marta <marta.fandom@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [MEFAwards] ADMIN - joining up
To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, October 16, 2010, 9:07 PM


 



Hi CC,

Done! You should have received your log-in info, from
mefasupport(AT)gmail(DOT)com.

Marta

On Sat, Oct 16, 2010 at 4:55 PM, Silver Trails <silver.trails@yahoo.com>wrote:

>
>
> Hi!
>
> Yes, please. Thank you.
>
>
> CC
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]











[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi, everyone,

We are having some problems with the SWG site. Some pages are displaying
fine, but others refuse to show up at all. I've contacted our webhost, and
they replied (literally, in about 30 seconds) that they are aware of and
working on the problem.

Thankfully, the archive seems to be among the pages that are working just
fine, so readers trying to access the site for MEFA purposes should not be
impacted. I just clicked through a few random stories without a hitch.
However, if you *do* run into problems with the archive, we are aware of the
problem, as is our host, and it should be resolved shortly, I hope.

Since the homepage is one of the pages not showing up, you can access it
directly here:

http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/archive/home/

I'll post an update when I hear back from our host and see with my own two
eyes that the problem is fixed! :)

Best regards,

Dawn

--
~oOo~
Dawn Felagund
http://themidhavens.net/heretic_loremaster/
http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

And we appear to be back online! If anyone has any problems accessing any
pages on the SWG site, please let me or one of the other mods know.

Thanks,

Dawn

On Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 1:46 PM, Dawn Felagund <dawnfelagund@gmail.com>wrote:

> Hi, everyone,
>
> We are having some problems with the SWG site. Some pages are displaying
> fine, but others refuse to show up at all. I've contacted our webhost, and
> they replied (literally, in about 30 seconds) that they are aware of and
> working on the problem.
>

--
~oOo~
Dawn Felagund
http://themidhavens.net/heretic_loremaster/
http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Title: In Which Comes Sorrow Long Expected · Author: Anna Wing · Genres: Character Study: Dunedain · ID: 655
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2010-10-21 00:15:59
Enter New Review or Edit Existing Draft/Hidden Review · Add To Wish List · Skip
Spoilers!
A short and bittersweet look at one of the saddest days of Faramir's life. Beautiful imagery and minimalist emotion are combined to effectively, delicately but powerfully convey the depth of Faramir's sorrow. I could see and feel it all - very nicely done!

Title: Wedding Traditions · Author: Vilwarin · Genres: Humor: Gondor · ID: 412
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2010-10-21 00:38:08
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Spoilers!
I've seen many stories of Aragorn and Arwen's wedding night; and think that this is one of the most entertaining. Vilwarin writes a delightful account of the wedding, the mix of nervousness, ceremony and multi-cultural traditions. But it's the aftermath that really charmed me; written delicately but seductively, the bridegroom and bride come across both as real and physical individuals and the legendary king and his Evenstar. And Vilwarin knows just when to pull the curtain.

Romantic, gently humorous - just the right mixture of sugar and spice.

Title: 'Til Death Do Us Part · Author: Haleth · Races: Cross-Cultural: Incomplete · ID: 164
Reviewer: The Lauderdale · 2010-10-21 01:01:15
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Spoilers!
Read the first chapter and see if it doesn't hook you. As soon as I read it I knew it was going to be special, but I wanted to read the author's previous stories of Haleth and Inglor first. Now that I have, it is my considered opinion that you can start here. Don't get me wrong, [Pitfalls of the Palantir] is excellent, but it is possible to read this as a work in itself. It's all there in that first chapter: she's the ungracious mortal woman who is feeling her years, he is the beautiful, well-mannered and terminally oblivious Elf she secretly loves, and together, they find artifacts of the kind that abound in early Fourth Age Middle-earth. Lost palantirs, the Black Arrow of Bard, that sort of thing. Up till now Haleth hasn't been able to get rid of Gildor, but when they come to the Grey Havens, now emptied of all Elven denizens, Gildor announces his plan to build a boat: the boat that will bear him over the sea to Aman. What's more, he asks her to help him build it, and an inwardly agonized Haleth says she will. He is her friend, after all. How can she do any less?

[Pitfalls of the Palantir] was a hilarious story. It also had a profoundly madcap edge. ['Til Death Do Us Part] still has its pratfalls (a greasy nude assault on Elostirion, a splendid escape from some rotten pirates), but most of the humor is poignant, character-based. The foibles of both characters are amusing - Gildor CAN be obtuse, and you have to laugh at Haleth even as you pity her - but it is also a little wrenching to watch these two people talking at cross-purposes when they obviously care about each other very much.

The story is as yet unfinished, but I've got it on Story Alert. I need answers. What's going to happen in Chapter 17? Just what is Haleth's back-story, anyway? Will she and Gildor ever solve their communication problems? This is a wonderfully original work set Tolkien's Middle-earth: I heartily recommend it, and I feel very proud of having reviewed it without mentioning lemmings anywhere.

...whoops.

Title: Gil-Estel · Author: Mirach · Genres: Drama: Later Age Elves · ID: 128
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2010-10-21 01:58:36
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Spoilers!
What must it be like for Earendil, voyaging back and forth night after night after night, high above Middle-earth, able to watch some events as they occur below, but not be able to take part or effect them? And most especially, what must it be like to watch the actions of his descendants?

Mirach answers these questions in a way that makes us identify with this nightly mariner-- we learn through flashbacks and through his concern for the dangers he sees for the last descendant of his son Elros.

The story is beautifully and lyrically told, and I especially enjoyed the way it was posted each day, a real treat.



Title: Celebrimbor · Author: Oshun · Genres: Non-Fiction: Character Essays · ID: 190
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2010-10-21 02:00:15
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This biographical essay by Oshun puts Celebrimbor into context both in his story-external function within Tolkien's work, as a link between the First and Second Age world of The Silmarillion and Third Age of LotR, as well as the story-internal explanations of his contributions as a smith and artisan.

Oshun points out the many contradictions concerning Celebrimbor as well, yet she leaves us with a useful overview of his most likely origins and history.

A very helpful article to one like me who is perpetually confused by the events before the Third Age.


Title: The Fairy Wife · Author: Daffodil Furrow · Genres: Drama: Aragorn or Hobbits · ID: 200
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2010-10-21 02:03:20
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Spoilers!
I remembered reading this a few years ago, before I had drawn my own conclusions about the fairy wife of the Tooks. The story is very character driven, as a young Elven maiden, left alone after tragedy, finds herself taken in by a family of hobbits, and the object of contention between the two sons of the family.

The author found a very original way to make such an unusual union plausible, and her use of some of the lesser known Elven abilities also works into the story. I found the family dynamics to be very intense, as she brings in the sibling rivalry of the two hobbit brothers.

I found it a very absorbing page-turner!

Title: Choices · Author: Linaewen · Genres: Alternate Universe · ID: 224
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2010-10-21 02:04:29
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Spoilers!
This deceptive little inner monologue seems at first to be simply a POV gapfiller-- a look into the mind of one whose mind we do not intimately see in canon. But as we read, something niggles. Something's not quite what it seems.

And then it clicks, and the reader says "Aha!"

Yet Linaewen does not bring this to the obvious conclusion-- instead she leaves the story ambivalent, and the reader to ponder what might have happened next. The ambivalence makes the story even more powerful than a firm conclusion would have.



Title: Some Things Never Change · Author: Nieriel Raina · Genres: Humor: Comedy/Drama · ID: 239
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2010-10-21 02:05:21
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I am quite a fan of Jael's modern day Elves, so when I saw in the summary that this was a tribute to them, I could not resist reading.

This is just too funny! Poor Aaron/Thranduil! He never thought for a moment it could happen to him, LOL! I love the way he found to blame it all on the Noldor, and his desperation that none see him.


Title: More Than Memory · Author: Marta · Races: Elves: Drabbles · ID: 241
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2010-10-21 02:05:57
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Glorfindel's wish makes sense-- for many of us the sight of an object is a powerful trigger to memory. As always with a successful drabble, the last line makes it...



Title: Questioning · Author: Larner · Genres: Horror · ID: 258
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2010-10-21 02:07:43
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Spoilers!
This was written for a challenge to write all or most of a story in nothing but dialogue, and Larner chose a very appropriate moment for such a story: Gandalf's interrogation of Gollum, after Strider has delivered him to the Elves in Mirkwood.

Larner has truly captured Gollum's nasty whine, as he evades and prevaricates and attempts to avoid answering the wizard's questions. And she also captures Gandalf as well-- his implacable questioning, and yet his pity for this lost creature. No matter how foul he finds Gollum, he has compassion as well. But that does not deter him from pressing his questions, and using what threats he may to loosen the creature's tongue..

A really telling and well done dialogue!


Title: In the Corner · Author: DrummerWench · Genres: Ficlet: Eriador or Shire · ID: 267
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2010-10-21 02:08:51
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Spoilers!
One of things I love in LotR is the only hinted-at friendship between Aragorn and Bilbo. We are shown a lot of those hints: we learn that Bilbo made the verse that Gandalf uses in his letter to Frodo, and Bilbo refers to him as ["my friend the Dunadan"].

In the Hall of Fire, Bilbo has consulted with him over the matter of the verse about Earendil. I love how DrummerWench has imagined that consultation-- it rings very true for both of them. I especially enjoyed Bilbo's assertion that in some ways he was older than Elrond-- his logic might have been a bit skewed, but he had a point!

A lovely little gapfiller of a vignette!


Title: The Day of the Dragon · Author: Keiliss · Races: Elves · ID: 184
Reviewer: elfscribe · 2010-10-21 06:10:37
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Spoilers!
What a great idea ‑ a dragon landing in a turnip field at Imladris! From the very beginning I was drawn into this charming tale, appreciating that Keiliss intrigued us with Erestor's consternation but didn't reveal what the problem was until several paragraphs in, and by then it was too late, I was thoroughly hooked.

All too often we attack problems like the dragon in the same way the boys did at first, by marching out with aggression and weapons and end up making the situation worse. How wonderful to see the wisdom of the youngsters, Arwen and Elrohir, as they approached the problem in a more sympathetic, constructive manner.

All the characters are very well drawn and each of them felt unique and yet there was a strong sense of them as a family. It is such a warm portrayal, sometimes humorous, and always felt true. I would have happily moved in with the whole lot of them. I loved Elrond's [dangerously tranquil voice] when grilling Elrohir and the image of him riding up on his white horse was to die for. It was particularly gratifying to see a strong, positive role for Arwen, who was resisting being relegated to a "woman's" place. [trouble follows Arwen around like a pet goose] - LOL. The budding relationship between Erestor and Glorfindel was also delightful. Their conversation and interaction made me want to see a lot more of them.

Also loved, loved the descriptions of the lost young dragon. The postscript from Handra's point of view was inspired.

Keiliss is among my favorite LOTR authors and always brings strong characterization, wonderful interaction and dialogue, and detailed sense of place to her stories. Her writing is so clear and elegant. This story is, well again, the word charming most comes to mind. I highly recommend it.

Title: A Day In The Life Of The Royal Gondorian Aerial Corps · Author: Anna Wing · Genres: Humor: Gondor · ID: 652
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2010-10-21 07:51:53
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Spoilers!
This is as original an idea as you can find in Tolkien fanfiction, and a real treat to read - what if the surviving Fell Beasts were taken in by Gondor's military?

Anna conveys the danger, bravado and absurdity of such an endeavor, through Faramir and his Rangers, and the Fell Beasts' devoted caretaker, an original character called Diriel. He and the not-quite-tamed beastie steal the show; not easy when Faramir is on the scene. The new Aerial Corps certainly has some interesting times ahead!

Charming, wry humor and grit make this ficlet work - I would love to see more of it.

Title: Prodigal · Author: Aeärwen · Genres: Drama · ID: 589
Reviewer: Ellynn · 2010-10-21 09:58:41
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Spoilers!
What a wonderful story and description of Radagast! I like how Aearwen portrays his attitudes of Men, Elves and Valar, and I have to say that I agree with him.
Many consider that he failed in his mission, but we see that it is not so: perhaps he can't save the whole world, but he tries to do as much good as he can, and he boldly refuses Yavanna's command to return to Valinor. I think that we all should learn from his example: we should look around ourselves and help people/animals/nature as much as we can.
Beautifully done!

P.s. [faded jeans, the tank top and the hoop earrings] What a picture! Just a little humoristic, but also beautiful. I wish I could see that. But in fact, thanks to Aearwen's writing, I can. I see this tall, strong, gorgeous woman and her smile.

Title: Tales from Tol Eressea · Author: Mithadan · Genres: Drama · ID: 663
Reviewer: The Lauderdale · 2010-10-21 17:58:54
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Spoilers!
Ælfwine is an under-used character in Tolkien-based fanfiction, though he is an intriguing presence in the History of Middle-earth: an Anglo-Saxon who finds the Straight Road and visits Tol Eressëa, where he learns lore from the Elves. In this story he discovers what appear to be gravestones in the gardens behind Elrond's house. This is a puzzling sight to Ælfwine in these Undying Lands, and prompts a moving tale from Elrond. The narrative employs an old-fashioned and formal voice (use of elevated diction and literary cataloging), with some appropriate exceptions toward the end.

Title: For All Things, A Time · Author: Marta · Races: Hobbits: Mixed Drabbles · ID: 299
Reviewer: Antane · 2010-10-21 18:24:39
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Away but not gone. He would live on in the Shire just as Frodo did long after his body was no longer there and not just through his carvings.

Title: All Was Safe With the Sea · Author: RadcliffePotter · Genres: Drama: Aragorn or Hobbits · ID: 223
Reviewer: Antane · 2010-10-21 18:33:33
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Spoilers!
What a lovely story! I love the idea that Frodo would have dreamt of the West, even beyond what dreams we know he truly had, and actually visited there in a very real way before he even left for it. I have written such things recently myself and I don't think the Valar would have waited to begin his healing until he arrived, but begun it even before, to strengthen him and give his soul some desperately needed solace. This beautifully shows that and how wonderful to see the wonder of that smile! A treat for us all.

Hey guys,

This week I want to talk about how you can find stories by the same
authors. I really encourage people to expand their reading horizons
with the MEFAs. Find stories by authors you've never heard at, read
them, and vote for them. But occasionally you will want to find
stories by an author you have already found. Perhaps you know the
author from before the awards, or maybe you just really enjoyed a
story and would like to find more stories by that same author.

There are several ways to do this.

********************

Method #1: The text search.

1. Log in to www.mefawards.net/MEFA2010/
2. Click the "Stories" link at the top of the page.
3. Type in the name of the author in the search bar.

This will bring up stories that mention that word in the title,
author's name, or summary. It will only pull up stories that would
have been displayed with the current filters stories selected, and
won't display stories you've previously skipped. For instance, if you
have just used the filter to find stories set in Gondolin, searching
for an author's name will only pull up stories that are set in
Gondolin *AND* have the word you searched for. to avoid this, click
Show FIlter >> Clear All Filters (or just click "Clear All Filters" if
the filter is currently showing).

**********************

Method #2: Use the Filters


1. Log in to www.mefawards.net/MEFA2010/
2. Click the "Stories" link at the top of the page.
3. Click the link to "Show Filters" (if necessary).
4. Click the "Clear All Filters" button.
5. Select the author's name from the "Authors" list.
6. Click the "Display Selected Nominations."

This will bring up stories by that particular author. It is more
precise than the search filter but also takes more mouse clicks.

************************

Method #3: From within reviews.

If you are reading reviews, simply click the author's name. This will
bring you to what's known as the "Author's Details" page. It shows
among other things the basic information about stories by that author.
You can find the complete story information by clicking "Story
Details" under the story's title, read it by clicking on the URL, or
vote for it by clicking "Enter New Review. Please note, this page
*does* show stories you previously skipped.

*************************

Method #4: Use the Check-Ballots

In the files section of the Yahoo group you will find the check
ballots as they existed back in May. The good thing about this is it
provides you a text document and you can find everywhere a certain
word shows up, by using your word processor's or web browser's "find"
function. Once you have the story ID number, it is easy enough to find
out more about the story. There are actually several ways to do this
but in my experience it is easiest simply to click "Story Details" for
any story and change the URL. When you do that, you will get a link
like

http://www.mefawards.net/MEFA2010/index.php?page=storyDetails&form_id=638

Just change that number at the end to whatever story id # you are
looking for, and it will bring up the full details on the story, as
well as a link letting you vote for it. You can also find stories by
searching for the ID number, followed by #, just like in Method #1
above.

**************************

P.S. - DOn't forget, Ann is posting reviews to the [mefa-reviews]
Yahoo group and the [mefas] LJ community. Join up at either place to
get the reviews by email or on your LJ friends list.

Marta
(MEFA Admin.)

Hey, Marta, is there anyway links to the stories can be in the headers of
the reviews when they are posted here? I just read a review that made me
want to read the story. Would be so easy to do if I had a link right there.



Ainaechoiriel



_____

From: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf
Of Marta
Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2010 2:15 PM
To: MEFAwards
Subject: [MEFAwards] ADMIN - finding stories by author





Hey guys,

This week I want to talk about how you can find stories by the same
authors. I really encourage people to expand their reading horizons
with the MEFAs. Find stories by authors you've never heard at, read
them, and vote for them. But occasionally you will want to find
stories by an author you have already found. Perhaps you know the
author from before the awards, or maybe you just really enjoyed a
story and would like to find more stories by that same author.

There are several ways to do this.

********************

Method #1: The text search.

1. Log in to www.mefawards.net/MEFA2010/
2. Click the "Stories" link at the top of the page.
3. Type in the name of the author in the search bar.

This will bring up stories that mention that word in the title,
author's name, or summary. It will only pull up stories that would
have been displayed with the current filters stories selected, and
won't display stories you've previously skipped. For instance, if you
have just used the filter to find stories set in Gondolin, searching
for an author's name will only pull up stories that are set in
Gondolin *AND* have the word you searched for. to avoid this, click
Show FIlter >> Clear All Filters (or just click "Clear All Filters" if
the filter is currently showing).

**********************

Method #2: Use the Filters

1. Log in to www.mefawards.net/MEFA2010/
2. Click the "Stories" link at the top of the page.
3. Click the link to "Show Filters" (if necessary).
4. Click the "Clear All Filters" button.
5. Select the author's name from the "Authors" list.
6. Click the "Display Selected Nominations."

This will bring up stories by that particular author. It is more
precise than the search filter but also takes more mouse clicks.

************************

Method #3: From within reviews.

If you are reading reviews, simply click the author's name. This will
bring you to what's known as the "Author's Details" page. It shows
among other things the basic information about stories by that author.
You can find the complete story information by clicking "Story
Details" under the story's title, read it by clicking on the URL, or
vote for it by clicking "Enter New Review. Please note, this page
*does* show stories you previously skipped.

*************************

Method #4: Use the Check-Ballots

In the files section of the Yahoo group you will find the check
ballots as they existed back in May. The good thing about this is it
provides you a text document and you can find everywhere a certain
word shows up, by using your word processor's or web browser's "find"
function. Once you have the story ID number, it is easy enough to find
out more about the story. There are actually several ways to do this
but in my experience it is easiest simply to click "Story Details" for
any story and change the URL. When you do that, you will get a link
like

http://www.mefawards.net/MEFA2010/index.php?page=storyDetails
<http://www.mefawards.net/MEFA2010/index.php?page=storyDetails&form_id=638>
&form_id=638

Just change that number at the end to whatever story id # you are
looking for, and it will bring up the full details on the story, as
well as a link letting you vote for it. You can also find stories by
searching for the ID number, followed by #, just like in Method #1
above.

**************************

P.S. - DOn't forget, Ann is posting reviews to the [mefa-reviews]
Yahoo group and the [mefas] LJ community. Join up at either place to
get the reviews by email or on your LJ friends list.

Marta
(MEFA Admin.)





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Ainae,

That's not really possible with the way we do things this year. But I will
mention it to our technical volunteers to see if we can add it for the
future. Good suggestion!

P.S. - Can you do me a favor? Mention it over at
http://community.livejournal.com/mefas/193869.html. (You can leave an
anonymous comment if you don't have an LJ account.) That will help us keep
all the suggestions in one place.

Marta

On Mon, Oct 25, 2010 at 4:47 PM, Ainaechoiriel <ainaechoiriel@kc.rr.com>wrote:

>
>
> Hey, Marta, is there anyway links to the stories can be in the headers of
> the reviews when they are posted here? I just read a review that made me
> want to read the story. Would be so easy to do if I had a link right there.
>
> Ainaechoiriel
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]