On the Twilit Planet Below by darthfingon

*Bounces up and down in delight*

Science-fiction meshes with the Silmarillion, and it works beautifully!

I actually love the proposition, probably because it feeds into my two oldest and greatest greatest passions: Tolkien and Science-fiction, and as Julian May's Saga of the Pliocene Exiles it contrives to meld mythology (in this case Tolkien's)  and Sci-fi together into a fantastic, mind-blowing piece of writing.

(I love things that make me think outside the box!)

This could be a whole epic AU in itself. I bet Pandë will adore it!

*Applauds!*

This is terrific. I got a huge kick out of the whole concept of everyone who thinks too hard, outside of the box and/or doesn't conform in all manner of different ways gets rounded up and deported. There are a lot of places you could go with this that could utilize the characteristics we see identified as stereotypical for the Noldor, Vanyar, Teleri, etc.

Seems terrifyingly ambitious to me though. But, hey, you're writing it! I'll be here to read it.

What a splendid birthday gift fic!  

Tolkien made note that the tale of the Elves awakening by the shores of Cuiviénen was an elvish children's tale to teach wee elf-kids how to count.  That begs the question: what, then, was the reality?  On the Twilit Planet Below is a wonderful explanation that works for me on so many levels. 

The linguistic details lets the reader know right away that there's a Middle-earth connection, and even in a short story, the characters --Captain Tadhâtel and Admiral Usilawjê -- become memorable with the little details with which you draw them.  I love how you give us glimpses of the civilization that the malcontents come from, one of order and control and the rather chilling Tower of Justice and Tower of Law.   Leaving a veil of mystery over this space-faring culture is very effective.

Arranging the prisoners by complexion and hair colo(u)r is a hoot!  And I love this...

He returned to Venê 1 and Askalôdh to Venê 12. It would be an easy flight back to the Kojelâ; returning was always quicker than setting out, without the added weight and worry of his prisoner cargo. He switched on the navigation computer once again, started his engines, and gave the order for departure. Twelve pods shuddered into the air. They found their formation, and streaked off in a blaze of light toward the void of space and their waiting ship.

On the twilit planet below, a golden-haired man awoke and gazed up at the stars.

That's a fantastic transition from high-tech science fiction to the mythic!

Thanks so much, Darth!  This truly is a wonderful gift.  I think I now have the courage to tack Light Over the Mountain on the SWG now, thanks to On the Twlit Planet Below.   Here's hoping you'll continue the saga. 

Ha! What a clever take on the beginning of the civilization. Tolkien's universe with a drop of Däniken's theories :) Greatly done!

This was long overdue, ever since I saw the story appear here in the SWG after your post in the Lizard Council.

When I began reading I was puzzled, wondering what a spaceship with an exacting captain had to do with Arda or with the stories told in the Silmarillion. Then the veil was lifted, little by little, and the twist made me cheer at the computer screen. Thanks to the peppering of small clues I managed to guess the truth just a few lines before it was revealed.

I've always been a fan of good sci-fi stories, and to get what equates to a interestelar travel meets prison planet fic as the origin of the elves, as opposed to the conventional creation myth, is the ultimate treat. It was entertaining to try to match the crimes committed by several of the prisoners with the traits or past stories of the unbegotten elves whose names we know, like Ingwë, or Beleg. I must say I failed completely. But my favourite detail was how one of the guards suffered from an undesirable "artistic" instinct, of the same sort that might have landed the prisoners into trouble in their home planet, so that he decided to order the shipments of the sleeping elves by hair colour. A great explanation for the origin of the elvish clans we are familiar with.

The writing is deceptively simple. I'd like to write like this. 

Unmissable story, well beyond the beaten path.

PS. This may sound strangely similar to my MEFA review. Well... I'm finally catching up.

Very nice. But it makes me wonder: who exactly are the Valar in this universe? A rebellious splinter group from That Star Empire who decided to help the convicts build civilization?

Oh, by the way, there's a Russian fanfic with a similar premise. It's called ''Elfiiski Sindrom" ("The Elven Syndrome") and involves the Valar who are aliens and the awakening of Elves engineered by them. But that fanfic is told from a very different viewpoint, namely from a viewpoint of Men from the Sixth Age (also known as mid-XXI century AD) who bungle a teleportation experiment and end up in Valinor.

This is still my favorite noncanon explanation for the Unbegotten (and the hair color division, that was delightful and humorous!), and has that fantastic spirit of blended SF/Fantasy I read before getting into Tolkien (the Dragonriders of Pern being the most pertinent example).