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16 years 3 months ago

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I love this story Oshun, it is just what I expect from you. It's a unique pairing, I would not have ever thought of Beleg and Haldir, but you have handled it beautifully, with your usual elegance, realism and elegance.

Oh, I agree with you about the long hair, I've always pictured especially the Elder Days Elves with hair almost two their knees, male and female alike and always write them like that. ( I considered the film hair way too short and thought props were being damn stingy with the wigs! ) So all my OC's and canons have mid-thigh to knee-length hair and I love to see other people write it that long.

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. I am so happy it worked for you. It was a stretch for me to put myself into enough of an LotR mind frame to properly set it up. Yeah, glad you liked the hair also. (Keliss does a wonderful job with hair in her novel Even Quicker Than Doubt.) I would like to have had a better chance to describe Haldir as well, but could hardly have him describing himself. Hope other people enjoy it. I was worried that it was neither fish nor fowl and therefore not pleasing to either of the audiences. It just seems so strange to me sometimes that the divide between LotR readers and Silm-fic readers is so big. I just never saw how anyone could love LotR so much and not want to know The Silmarillion.

So Kenaz is the lucky recipient!  I hope she "squees." :^)

Your lavish attention to detail and knack for dialog pay off big in this.  I really like Celeborn's digging in and dismantling Caras Galadon.  Like Jael's 4th Age (and on!) Thranduil, Celeborn doesn't just pine away, roll over and fade upon his spouse's departure.  Haldir's initial experiences in Aman are nicely done -- something like a fish out of water until he meets Beleg.

Beleg-in-Aman is great.  Like I noted, if Turin hadn't been so, umm, hasty, I'd like to think that Beleg would be living in a cabin (furnished by LL Bean) somewhere in the woods of Maine or Poland (I think hear Binka squeeing now).  Just the details that Haldir notices in Beleg's domicile add to the more ancient Elf's personality.

Beleg, as appropriate to his name, comes across as very strong but not without human vulnerability.  And hair, schmair (sorry, ladies! ;^)) I love his deep rich voice!  And your Haldir -- you've given him such a distinctive personality and a wonderful sense of humor.  Although first person POV's make it difficult for physical description (I went the clichéd route and had Zigûr look in a mirror, but then that's consistent with his vanity), you describe what I see as Haldir's most attractive feature -- his mind, his personality -- through his thoughts and dialog.  I mean, your Haldir could look like Danny DeVito and I'd find him wildly attractive...and apparently Beleg does, too.  Although there's some of that fast "ardor" stuff going on (instant sexual attraction across the room -- and yes, that can happen), I like how you build the depth with these guys.

On LotR love and lack of Silm knowledge: well, I have a characteristically strong opinion on that.  A certain person made the analogy that not at least giving The Silmarillion a shot when writing LotR is akin to studying American history without learning about the War Between the States (talk about Kinslaying). That nails it for me.

Anyway, I sure hope Kenaz likes this.  I certainly did from its drafts to its final version. 

Thank you so much. I used to joke that I never married anyone that I didn’t fall in love with at the first meeting. (Of course, a shrink could ask, “And would you say that really worked for you?”) Hey, but this fantasy. I would agree with you that what Beleg liked at first sight were the outward signs of Haldir’s independent spirit, his likely affinity to those Maine or Polish woodlands, and his lack of falling into a neat little niche within the whole courtly scene. I got a huge kick out of trying to visualize Aman as the place where people actually lived. Hey, the hair thing contributes to the quality of “other” in my very human elves. I love the Danny de Vito point. Thank you.  Glancing over this for format, I noticed I missed one of your suggested prunes. I am go back and do it yet. But thank you again for all of your fabulous help and support. I had some awesome backup on this one, both moral support and technical/canon. I was totally hoping and dreading that Kenaz was the one who requested it. (I couldn’t write it without thinking of her, in any case, because her Marchwarden stories were so strongly imprinted on my mind.)  She hasn’t read it yet; she spent long hours posting all of these yesterday and late into the night. Got my fingers crossed.

Oh gosh Oshun, I started to read this novel (or novella) of yours at the AiA site, but saw this story popping up here as well, so instead of dropping an e-mail, a review works just as well :) Anyway, I was very curious what bunny plagued you given your struggles with it and ... brava! You did an excellent job with this by giving both lovers the necessary background and from there to overcome both their conflics, paste experiences and hurt. Also you clearly set them apart in life experiences and age, wisdom and patience, giving both the time to star in this piece. I think especially regarding Haldir you did an excellent job because you do not have extra canon to fall back upon, since Beleg.. oh my :c) He remains a mysterious, lovable and sexy elf who tries to listen to wisdom, but thank goodness is able to trust his instincts and heart.

You have no grounds for smugness at my past choices, whelp.

That was just brilliant and it had me chuckling, because in this piece he just seems to hit home so often. Oh and, Galadriel and Celeborn, oh my, who would have known. They are somesort of side characters, yet they are also well fleshed out. Brava Oshun, this was a very entertaining and interesting read!

Oh, Rhapsody, thank you so much for such a lovely review. I am thrilled that you picked up on the points of differences and comparisons I tried to make between Haldir of some 3,000 years old and Beleg awakened under starlight: the effects of living in First Age and before and living in the Third Age. Yet I wanted to show similarities as well, which were prompted by the concept that Haldir held a similar position under Celeborn and Galadriel that Beleg had with Thingol and the congruence of the First Age Sindar with the Third Age Nandor living in the remaining Elven realms. I guess the thing that worried me most was the crossover element—how to attempt to engage two very different sets of readers. I fell in love with Beleg doing my research for the recent character bio. He really does have a great deal of characterization in the texts, although one can take it in various different directions. The same thing happened to me when I researched Daeron—he was so much more than my cursory reading had revealed when I really dug into him. I adore trying to create a marriage for Celeborn and Galadriel that reflects their contradictions of culture and background and shows the compromises, not to mention the element of her being such strong, somewhat intimidating woman. I took a chance that my light-hearted character assassination did not go too far. I personally have always thought they had to have been crazy about each other to have made it work, but that it would not have been a comfortable, easy relationship.

(Hey, and thanks for whatever contribution you made to Trekqueen’s piece for me as a Beta. I wrote her an email earlier today telling her how much I enjoyed it; am looking forward to commenting publicly.)  

*waves* Hello! I joined so that I could comment on your stories here.

I quite like the way you've depicted the remaining elves here, almost like schoolboys released from their onerous tasks and oppressive taskmasters (see, my language is matching the tone of your writing, a bit more formal than my usual breezy commentary.) The image of stern Celeborn of the Films tumbling and dragging down a rope ladder immediately let me know that this would be an unusual tale! I'm rather stereotyped in my perception of the Elves, I'm afraid *g*. 

The lovemaking is quite delectable, especially this: I had never sniffed out the barest whiff of a rumor that he ever had intimate relations with anyone besides our lady, but he clearly demonstrated experience in making love with a man. He did so with confident athleticism and energy, shockingly uninhibited, responsive, and sweetly generous. 

It's quite intriguing to see the differences in their social status handled so gently (reminding me of my Boromir and Gaersum) - these differences can't really be ignored, can they? But Celeborn and Haldir can come to their own understanding of how matters will stand between them, for now at least.

 

 

I think if one is an LotR specialist, as you are, there is a tendency to view the elves of the Third Age through the prism of the mortals who viewed them as \"other,\" ethereal and not quite human. The elves of the Silmarillion, however, give one pause and force one to examine that conception--they are passionate, lusty, and filled with faults--very, very human.\r\n\r\nI am glad you appreciated the question of social class--yes similar to the relationship of your Boromir and Gaersum, different perhaps in that Celeborn and Haldir have been working together for years, so despite the line that never really disappears, there is a bit more possibility of blurring it a little.\r\n\r\nGlad you like the love scene. I became quite smitten with Celeborn while writing this, despite his apparent faithlessness. I personally give him a little leeway on the question in light of biology and such a long separation (apparently, in the end, Galadriel decides to also!).\r\n

Hee. I would call this chapter "Elves Behaving Badly"! But first off, let me mention how much I am enjoying your rich, descriptive writing - it's my very favorite kind of writing, full of color and scent and sound. Whether is lovemaking, or food, or architecture, all your descriptions are lusciously easy to imagine.

Poor Haldir, looking for a Longer Term Love, having to turn away Sweet Young Things trying to pick him up at Starbucks.  I almost told him that, the way things were progressing, I was likely to be available and unattached still when he was no longer too young for me.*chortle* I love your writing style!

Thank you so much for your wonderful remarks. I love getting reviews, of course, don't we all, but most especially when they are so much fun to read.

On the "Sweet Young Thing" trying to pick him at Starbucks. I don't know if you made to my author's notes or not, but my Beta really put his foot down on that scene--not the attempted pick-up but the setting. Oh, well, for better or worse, I overruled him. I think one hardly too far can go at how they imagine Valinor, even if they are of school that imagines M-e to be closer to the real world Middle Ages than I do.

I am tickled that you picked that particular quote to reference also; I thought it said a lot about Haldir's frame of mind and I don't believe any other reader has mentioned it.

Thanks again for coming so far afield to read this!

Very enjoyable! Your descriptions, once again, are superlative. Beleg....Hubba hubba! In many ways this chapter reminded me of Ellen Kushner's descriptions of parties on The Hill, the constant undercurrent of flirtation, as well as sexual freedom as pervasive as the air they breathe. Idle curiousity, rather than scandal, driving the discussion of "Who's tupping whom?" Interesting.

Thank you so much--especially about the descriptions--that was something that the first people I encountered in fanfiction tried to beat out of me without success. More confident now to let it flow, while trying to keep from getting too purple.\r\n\r\nInterestingly, this was written a long while before I read Ellen Kushner, but, yes, \"sexual freedom as pervasive as the air they breathe.\" I don\'t mean to imply that everyone is completely approving, but accepting that this is life. I imagine in my personal canon that in Valinor that there was a certain culture shock with the mixing over time from elves of different Ages, gradually accepted by those who picked up more strigent restrictions over time than those first-awakened elves, who would have had a great deal more freedom on these questions.\r\n\r\nThere was a little inside joke in that scene also for my regular readers, the unnamed couple Haldir observes is my Maedhros and Fingon (in line with my view of \"Maedhros/Fingon--almost canon\"--so easy to imagine that relationship without bending canon hardly at all).\r\n

I'll take that as a thumbs up on the tattoo. Just a little fun thing I couldn't resist. Wanted to actually make the point that Beleg had not completely gotten over Turin when he left the Halls of Mandos. Whence his minor reluctance to get involved with Haldir.

I guess the major difference is Celeborn = unavailable; Beleg = single! Of course, Haldir did manage to once again pick an "ancient" elf to fall for--perhaps too strong willed to be happy with someone of his own generation?

I think if one is an LotR specialist, as you are, there is a tendency to view the elves of the Third Age through the prism of the mortals who viewed them as "other," ethereal and not quite human. The elves of the Silmarillion, however, give one pause and force one to examine that conception--they are passionate, lusty, and filled with faults--very, very human.

I am glad you appreciated the question of social class--yes similar to the relationship of your Boromir and Gaersum, different perhaps in that Celeborn and Haldir have been working together for years, so despite the line that never really disappears, there is a bit more possibility of blurring it a little.

Glad you like the love scene. I became quite smitten with Celeborn while writing this, despite his apparent faithlessness. I give him a little leeway on the question in light of biology and such a long separation.

Just a comment about the human nature part in the notes. Elves are actually humanoid, so I believe they can very much be classed as humans. With this in mind, in my writing I tend to refer to the race of Men as 'mortals' rather than humans.

I like your story. Slash doesn't generally float my boat, but I like the way you've handled it.

Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

in my writing I tend to refer to the race of Men as 'mortals' rather than humans

Yes! I could not agree more.

Slash doesn't generally float my boat, but I like the way you've handled it.

I am very happy that it felt accessible to you. I don't like to pigeon-hole my work with genre labels. But this one, if anything, was slashier than many because it was at its center a romance. (My story A New Day, for example, contains a love story, but is more an analysis of the Flight of the Noldor and their initial settling into their role in First Age Middle-earth and not a romance by comparison.)