Yahoo Forum Archive

Title: The Visitor · Author: Rowan · Genres: Drama · ID: 174
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
I can see this happening to those characters, Elanor and Frodo. Of
*course* Sam would have drummed respect and mystery into his kiddos.
And of course, at least with one of all those offspring, it would have
stuck. It's encouraging to a fan to think that Frodo got the closure
he needed, finally.

Title: An Ordinary Woman · Author: Dawn Felagund · Times: First Age
and Prior: House of Finwe · ID: 32
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
How refreshing this vignette is. I love Finrod's voice: he gets right
to the point of things, doesn't he (balrog butt-whuppins aside)? You
know, you've actually portrayed Luthien in a more compelling fashion
than Tolkien ever did, giving her a deep wisdom rather than mere
flashy looks. Very insightful.

Title: Seeing Stars · Author: Raksha the Demon · Times: Fourth Age and
Beyond · ID: 360
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 5
What a lovely moment; I'm so glad you wrote this piece. It speaks to
Faramir's character somewhat more than the typical Faramir stories. I
suppose that all characters benefit from letting their guards down
once in a while, but Faramir is very complex, and each layer seems
guarded again. Which is why getting him absolutely 'faced works so
well! Having him realize that Aragorn was the strong shoulder both for
a dying Boromir and a staggered Faramir was a nice moment, but even
nicer was Faramir's elation at knowing that his son would grow up with
the King and the Tree. This is the life Faramir deserves. Thanks for
giving it to him.

Title: The War of Wrath · Author: Tanaqui · Races: Elves: Drabbles ·
ID: 120
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
Woohoo for iambic tetrameter! The rhythm is almost like hoofbeats,
which is perfect for a piece about war and victory. And the subject
matter -- er, that would be war and victory -- is in turn perfect for
the Vanyarin prince. I'm also jazzed that somebody wrote about the
Vanyar; they tend to get overlooked, unless somebody is discussing
hair color.

Title: Now the Green Blade Riseth · Author: annmarwalk · Genres:
Drama: Ring War Drabbles · ID: 37
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
This story has such a nice pace and voice. It's almost like I fell
into step beside the Gaffer on a stroll down a cart path in the shire,
and this was something he was going on about. It was reflective and
crochety, but genial also. Peaceful, like.

Title: In The Darkness Of My Dreaming · Author: Cuthalion · Genres:
Alternate Universe: Angst/Tragedy · ID: 284
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 4
What a fascinating what-if! It's almost like watching It's a Wonderful
Life, but with hobbits. Of course, the characters are charming, and
the tone pleasingly poignant, the details earthy and hobbity. I
enjoyed Rosie especially, as well as that underlying sense of female
comaraderie that pervades this piece (and never once wallops a reader
over the head). What a deft hand you have at writing.

Title: No Regrets · Author: Linda Hoyland · Times: Fourth Age and
Beyond: Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 490
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 4
What more indeed? It's perfectly fitting that Faramir would spend his
long years as a princeling in a garden, rather than ruling or judging
or warring. He has a mind for poetry and flowers, I think. Tolkien
couldn't have placed him any better, there at the end. Now, if
*Boromir* had been the surving son after the King claimed his throne,
I bet there would have been some regretting going on!

Title: The Shadow · Author: Linda Hoyland · Genres: Drama: Ring War
Drabbles · ID: 25
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 4
*shudder* There's a sense of the horrible about this drabble, that
even in victory and even after all these years, Frodo cannot separate
himself from Gollum. The implication that part of his reason for going
West is to achieve that separation also gives me the chills. I mean,
we all know that Frodo suffered in private, with no one to talk to who
could really understand, but this peek into his brain is so honest and
stark ... no wonder LoTR wasn't first-person from Frodo's POV!
Excellent character piece.

Title: The Sky Is Over · Author: Robinka · Races: Elves: Drabbles · ID: 83
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 4
What a strange quote. Wasn't Galadriel supposed to have a gift of
foresight? But here it is her brother who just knows, and knows the
saddest things. I like that he tries to hold memories with his hands:
Finrod is such a physical creature, very in tune with the physical
world. Also I like that he finds his sister a source of revelation.
Their close relationship is one of the few things that felt strong in
that first crazy exile.

Title: My Legacy · Author: spookystoy · Genres: Drama: General
Drabbles · ID: 407
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 1
So very sweet! I feel the same about my children. They are my greatest
work in this life.

Title: Night Terrors · Author: Gwynnyd · Genres: Drama: Gondor
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 433
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
I think all new parents go through that nightly terror that their babe
won't make it till morning. I know I did. And I remember by babies
dreaming of eating, too, their little lips pursing and unpursing. What
a sweet, sweet moment you've captured here.

Title: Upon the Pebbled Shore · Author: aranelgoldenflower · Genres:
Drama: Final Partings · ID: 171
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
I like how you framed the Moment, wrapping the angsty middle with a
poetic beginning and ending, symmetrical and lyrical and very very
sad. But how appropriate when you're writing about twins: bookends and
mirrors of each other. Poor Peredhil to have to make such a choice,
and even more so for twins. You've captured the moment nicely.

Title: Refuge · Author: Raksha the Demon · Races: Elves: Noldor
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 423
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
What a poignant ficlet. You've drawn Maglor so well, so sensitively.
Of *course* he would sing to them. Of *course* he would save them.
This is about as close as I've come to thinking of a Feanorian as a
hero. Good job!

Title: Two Prisoners · Author: Lord Branwyn · Genres: Alternate
Universe · ID: 724
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
Is there more of this? What a fascinating speculation! I loved that
last couple sentences, about their boots not sinking into the mud.
Totally elves! And which side are they on, hmm? And is the point of
view character the Professor himself? I hope you'll write more of
this; it's very compelling.

Title: Hammer · Author: Aranel Took · Races: Dwarves: Drabbles · ID: 468
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
Oh, what fun! You know, the way you've depicted Gloin's hottie, she's
still adorable even with the beard. Thank you for that. I love reading
about dwarves, even when they express the dopiest pick-up lines in the
book.

Title: The Wedding Gift · Author: annmarwalk · Genres: Romance: Other
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 40
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
So very sweet! I like the notion that dwarves made only useful things,
never frivolous bits. But, in the end, this isn't frivolous at all:
it's a gift, and very romantic. Where did you get the name Nandi? It
sounds very dwarf-like (well, at least as far as they are called by
non-dwarves). I dig it. Hooray: Gloin/OFC! This dwarf fan just had a
woohoo moment.

Title: Leather · Author: Marta · Genres: Romance: Other Fixed-Length
Ficlets · ID: 297
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
That drabble about Finduilas is gut-wrenching and very telling: I can
trace how the character Boromir could have been shaped by such a
moment. He didn't go in for poetry much, after that, did he? Poor
little lad.

Title: MAGIC: The Password · Author: Fiondil · Genres: Humor: Elven
Lands · ID: 451
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
Poor, long-suffering Mrs Thranduil! I liked her quite a lot, actually.
I can see how someone as fiery (and absentminded, apparently) as
Thranduil needs a calming influence such as his lady. And avian
messengers offending Thranduil's inner Luddite? Brilliant!

Title: Loving a Book Lover · Author: Avon · Genres: Romance: Drabbles
· ID: 721
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 1
Hee. I have a pretty good idea what Eowyn was up to. Nice innuendo there!

Title: Star of Hope · Author: Linda Hoyland · Times: Mid Third Age:
Eriador · ID: 34
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 6
I love the authorial choice to "do" Gilraen in first-person, and even
better is how well it worked. She is deferent but so full of hope
herself, it's no wonder she ultimately became Estel's mother. Her
relationship with Arathorn, which could have seemed awkward
considering the difference in their ages and his status among their
people, seemed protective and warm instead. The bookend of the scene
with Elrond also worked very well. After generations of watching after
his brother's offspring, Elrond would of course know the human
traditions, but he might not realize the intimate details, that
sometimes humans *do* know when their children were conceived.
Excellent exchange between Gilraen and the Lord of Rivendell. I hope
you'll consider writing more about Gilraen and Aragorn's childhood.
You have a talent for setting that scene.

Title: Rebirth · Author: Aranel Took · Genres: Poetry: Late Third Age
· ID: 471
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
An ent might call this hasty; I call it pithy. Regardless, it evokes
exactly what it ought: the joy in new growth and the metaphor of
plants extruding into the rebirth of ages, kingdoms, hopes, and life
in general.

Title: PROPHECY: Changing the Future · Author: Fiondil · Genres: Humor
· ID: 11
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
I chuckled at Mandos's well-deserved pride in his prophecy-crafting
abilites. But the real kicker here was the meta-ness of the ficlet,
expressed clearly in the notes following the story. You aren't just
making a joke: you're making a joke *about the source material*. Clever!

Title: A Little Misunderstanding · Author: Radbooks · Races:
Cross-Cultural: Elves and Men · ID: 275
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
What lovely characterizations. The Sons of Elrond here were very like
they were in Tolkien's book. In enjoyed getting to spend a little time
with them, characterized that way (instead of the OOC pranksters that
are so common in fanfiction). I could very easily believe that Elladan
retained guilt at Arathorn's death.

Title: Promises Broken and Kept · Author: periantari · Genres: Drama:
Featuring Frodo or Sam · ID: 144
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 2
... and it did. :) Nice explanation of the relationship between Merry
and Frodo. It lived in subtext and between the lines in Tolkien's
work, but it comes to life here. Thank you.

Title: Summer's Lease · Author: Raksha the Demon · Genres: Romance:
Gondor · ID: 650
Reviewer: viv · 2008-12-01 00:00:00 Score: 3
Love the wicked hint of voyeurism here, as she watches them. Plus,
what a thing to see! Rowr. But the real gem of this piece is Eowyn
studying the wet, mucles chests of these two hotties and thinking with
admiration... about the draw weight of Faramir's bow. How very Eowynish!