Comments on Once Were Ours

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Glad you enjoyed it! At one point, I thought I might add a short scene in which Celebrimbor encounters one of the surviving brothers after Curufin's death and permit things to achieve a kind of closure that way, but I couldn't make that work. I guess proud Feanorians aren't all that good at closure! Thank you very much for reading and reviewing!

I like reading about these two :D

"He would measure the Doomsman of the Valar with one of his long, somewhat insolent stares and ask: Is that so?—and, without waiting for an answer, unhesitatingly follow Curufin to his doom."

That was my favourite part. The way the brothers sticked together is something I've always been fascinated about.



Thank you! They do stick together, whether it is good for them or not. Mind you, if Celegorm had gone and talked to Celebrimbor and Cirdan, even with the best intentions, he would almost certainly have ended up violently quarrelling with them, which would hardly have improved matters (and Curufin knows that, too).

I definitely love this! Curufin's character always intrigues me to no end, and your delineation here was very convincing. I could sense pride (though of a narrow-minded type) in his blame on Celebrimbor and his mention of their previous reign in Nargothrond. And to notice the empty saddle bags seemed to suggest his pragmatism and a fraction of concern for his son and the refugees. Celegorm here was more emotional, but possessed just as much the insufferable yet fascinating pride of the Feanorians :) You did a wonderful job! 

I wonder if I could have your permission to translate it into Chinese? Because I love this fic so much and wish to share this with silmarillion-readers in my home country. Of course, I'll credit the original work to you on top of the translation. 



This is the most grounded of your works that I have read so far and I think my favourite.  The break-down layout made it much easier to read and understand.  I found the progatonists highly relatable and their motives clear.  The footnote in Mandos rounds off well, but for me the opening passage was best; I really got a sense of Beleriand in those times seen through Elvish eyes.

Super, Smashing, Great!



Thank you very much! The opening passage was important to me, so I'm glad it worked for you!

I had written about Curufin and Celegorm before, but I had not shown them interacting at any length (with each other, that is, rather than with Maedhros) or at this period, so in that sense it was new ground for me.

This really shows how stubborn the Feanorians can be! As weird as it is, I think the saddest line, for me, was:

"Celegorm shrugs regretfully and looks over his shoulder to whistle for Huan. He catches himself in time and curses under his breath."

I guess because I wasn't expecting it, lol.

Anyway, this was really well written and thought-provoking. You managed to make Celegorm and Curufin seem symapthetic while still hard-headed and harshly practical. Great story!



 

I somehow missed this story. You are so prolific I can never be sure that there are no things I have not read.

<i>It probably goes without saying that as far as I am concerned the statement that they were pleased is a case of faulty reporting!</i>

I totally agree with you on that. I loved the characterization in this story. Great insight into the differences between the two brothers and, ultimately, how Celegorm allows Curufin to make the final decision. It's heartbreaking for me, because this point, which begain with Nargothrond for those two his hurtling toward the fulfill of their sad fate with the force of rock slide down the side of a mountain. My response to Feanorians, even the worst of them! is always saddness at the loss of so much promise. Fate, doom, and all that tragic inevitability wears on me. Very beautifully handled here--such emotional subtlety and the understatement with which it is expressed makes it more not less moving.



Thank you very much, Oshun! I'm glad you like the characterization of Celegorm and Curufin here! It saddens me, too, that tragic inevitability and the loss of so much promise.

(I'm sorry--it's all those little bits and pieces I write, I know they must be very hard to keep track of! Thank your for reading!)