Comments on Many Happy Returns

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Well, I posted this on Tumblr as a fic rec, but given the ephemerality of that medium, I think I better put it here also.

I think it falls into the “great escape” category of fic. It lacks a few standard elements, like this one, for example.

Inevitably, someone will say “You must be crazy! They’ll shoot you down like a rabid dog if you try to climb those walls!” [TV Tropes.]

OK, it’s not that exactly, but a variation on the trope. What if a clever girlfriend gets sick and tired of moping about with other bereft wives and girlfriends outside the Halls of Mandos and decides to act?

Sure it’s crazy. Crazy Enough to Work. [TV Tropes.]

Or could be read as a character study—in what ways are Glorfindel of Gondolin and Finrod Felagund alike and in what ways are they different? Or, for the intrepid battlers for more visible female characters in Tolkien, this ballsy, independent-thinking, irreverent Amarie is just the girl for you. This story so much fun to read and, despite the tone and presentation (comedic served with dry wit), it is actually quite suspenseful. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Indeed, a classic escape from the Halls of Mandos fic.

I started grinning early on in this fic and just did not stop! This was soooo very funny. I love how you take a seemingly simple idea (mandos rescue mission) and layer it with such clever ideas (Melian as a distraction, an inside informant, Amarie pulling a Juliet on Mandos' lawn)!

I also love the little social commentaries (er, if that's the right term when talking about a fictional society) like the maidens thinking it's fasionable to feign near-death dispair and the ones who feel left out for having no reason to do so. And the lock-picking! I love how you have Amarie pick it up easily, since she's used to doing tasks requiring manual dexterity and patience. Oh, and the layout of Mandos....too funny!

I adore all three of the main characters here, the way you've written them. Amarie, who is just so over waiting on others and willing to do something fairly outrageous now that it's in her power; Glorfindel, who is so cheerful and friendly and willing to act as a selfless (naked) distraction; and Finrod, who is enthusiastic and easily distracted by academic topics....I just loved them all. And even in such a light-hearted setting, you still manage to address the characters' concerns (what kind of bodies they'll get, what happened to their cities after they died) in a way that feels real.

Such a fun story. I really like how complex your writing is in terms of the different players and their motivations and their actions and reactions. It's just really fun to read.

Anyway, that definitely fell into the "incoherent praise" cetegory, I think, so I'll stop rambling at you now...

Happy New Year! 



Happy New Year to you too!

(Also, I wanted to explain why I am so slow to respond to all of these: there was some sort of blip with review notifications, so I only just found out about them yesterday! And then I needed a day to enjoy them... Thank you so much for writing such wonderful comments!)

I am so glad that you like this fic, because (as I have mentioned all over the place) this was one of my favourites, both to write and to "have written", if that makes sense. I love all the three blondes involved, even though they are all such different people (all good people, though) and I think they play off each other really well. And I enjoyed portraying Amarie (and Melian) as active characters and not just background decoration for the men.

Also, Glorfindel is a pretty selfless person, it is true, but I wanted to point out that his "distraction" is partly motivated by the thought that, once he is back in the maze, he might be able to free some more Gondolindrim...

This is the cutest thing I've ever read! Can I just say how much I loved Finrod in this fic? I love that you've drawn from the canonical indication that he had a penchant for random philosophising. And the part about elvish vanity- that was hilarious! Also, this is hands down the best Glorfindel I've ever read in a fic. His introduction scene was priceless. Thank you so much for writing this brilliant piece (great secondary title, btw), it was delightful! 

 

PS.  The drug addled Maia was absolutely Gandalf and not even you can convince me otherwise.