Elves in Manhattan by oshun

I'm am tickled to see this here, you know it's my favorite of all your stories.  The 'voice' is delightful and engaging.  I think the magic that makes this work so well is the truth in it and the burning (secret) hope we all have that that they *are* real.

I just *love* Elves-in-modern-times-stories. They add  different perspectives to the characters and the contrasts reflect on past and present. Very very nice. And, yes, of course, we all dream of running into one of these guys having a coffee around the corner. Is this a part of a larger story?

I'm not one of those people who mind an 'elves in modern times' premise. And this sounds like fun and very promising. I love the details -- you see I've never been in NYC (living in Central Europe, heh, far, far away), so it was really interesting to read a realistic chapter.

I'm looking forward to reading more.

Best wishes,

Binka

PS. Do I need to mention that I would love to meet *my* fav characters? ;)

Hehehehe! Oh, I wish I would meet up with those two (or a number of others!) in a cafe! Though I suppose Alley Cat's attracts all sorts of people, perhaps I ought to take a closer look at the patrons...;)

(Though in a way I agree with Lucy because "Maedhros" has just cause me all sorts of trouble!)

oshun, this is such a wonderful romp!  For one thing, you captured the East Village perfectly!   There's so much that made me smile and chortle in this story, but this paragraph just about sent me over the edge:

We struggled toward the table near the window, reaching it only after I stumbled over an umbrella and one of those ferocious, yapping dogs the size of your fist, and the near-brawl had subsided between the guy behind the counter and an irate French woman over the fact that dogs are not allowed in Starbucks. No, not even in a shopping bag and not even on Astor Place.

That is pure gold, oshun. Pure gold.  I suppose the fact that I saw at least three women with purse-pooches in NYC not long ago did it for me.  And "Mom" drawn into three syllables? Oh, yeah.  I can hear it.  I also laughed aloud at Finn and the narrator scurrying to the computer while Lucy and Mac were occupied.  Oh, and their flat is completely in oshun-verse Maitimo and Findekano character.

I'm a fan of Elves et al. in a contemporary context (who would have guessed based on, errr, one of my fics), and this works for me and then some.  I swear the next time I'm in the Village, I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for Mac and Finn.

I think most of us spend a decent amount of time imagining what would happen if we could talk with our favorite characters – I’ve even been guilty of writing about it a few times.  But your version is less like a fantasy, and more like a real story, which makes it pretty awesome.  I’ve only been to NYC once, but from what I know, you seem to have captured it pretty well.  And “Valinor, not Valium!” made me laugh.

I read this story of yours years ago, before I de-lurked. Now the new review challenge has alerted me that I never went back and commented.
I've just re-read the story and I still like it as much as I did then. I didn't know you then except as an author of Silm stories, of course! I was charmed by the narrator and her fictional daughter then--and now some of this also has the added appeal of familiarity and recognition. Like the way you talk about the cooking, to give just a very small example--so typical!
And the elves, of course! So recognizably your Maedhros and Fingon! And that lovely interaction between you and Fingon at the computer, fan fic writers together!
And the setting is so vividly described that it makes the encounter very believable.
I'm sorry there's not more of this--I would have liked to find out what they'd written (although the chances that Mac would give himself away seem slim). But what is here is already very enjoyable and I'm still delighted with it.