Comments on The Dance of Flute and Harp

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Hi Scarlet,

 thank you, glad you liked it. The mysterious flute player is Tinfang Gelion (Warble), but the name was not yet in the list. Well, Maglor at least has no clue who this mysereious elf is. They will meet again, not in this story but in one set several years later. This ficlet will be a kind of prequel. I plan to write a second chapter nevertheless, with the focus on Tinfang's thoughts and emotions, as I had to keep a certain word limit, so I focussed on Maglor.

 

Thanks again,

Amaranth (Lintalome)

I'll echo Scarlet's words.  This is enchanting.  Your prose is gorgeous and riveting, and I felt myself immersed in the realm of Faerie when reading this.  You've taken a rather obscure character from BoLT and brought him to life.  Tinfang Warble comes across as elvish but Other, too, and that is just perfect.  The build-up of sexual and aesthetic tension is conveyed beautifully through the imagery of music entwined with humanity.  Very, very nice, Lintalómë a.k.a. Amaranth!

Thank you so much for your kind words. I think my mind was floating in the realm of Faerie when I wrote this; I had an exact picture of the scene in mind and tried to capture it with words. I found the ficlet a bit difficult to write, I had a word limit of 2000 words and never before had to keep a word limit, so I had to make the descriptions short yet wanted them to convey as much of the emotions and the magic of the moment as possible.

I really fell in love with Tinfang when I read the few details Tolkien mentioned in BoLT and he is spooking my mind ever since. That Tolkien played with the thought of Tinfang being a half-Maia and the few things he mentioned about the magic of Tinfang’s flute play makes him even more special and mysterious…it is so inviting to take those few details, add own ideas and make Tinfang come to life.

Thanks again,
Amaranth (Lintalómë)

The Book of Lost Tales has always had a raw, ethereal magic to it that JRRT's later writings lost, in my opinion. It is rare when I read a story or find a writer who can capture the unique feeling of that book, but you do that here. This story is breathtaking; Maglor's first sight of Tinfang was such that I nearly gasped along with him. The synesthetic imagery, where music unleashes memories and perception, is very effectively done and maintains that magical quality to the end. Very beautifully done--thank you! :)



Thank you, glad you liked it. And thanks for adding Tinfang to the name list, I might need him again in future. I had a rather detailed picture of the scene in mind, Tinfang with his pale hair and skin bathed in moonlight while he dances and plays. And the magic that hung in the air, inspired by the remarks in BoLT where it says that the stars come out too soon when Tinfang plays and that the people who hear him play feel a strange longing, I think this was roughly what BoLT said. And I thought it interesting to let two musicians of such skill express themselves with music instead of words, music that evokes vivid pictures in the mind and conveys their emotions and thought with far more depth as any spoken word could.

I love picking BoLT, opening one of the books at a random page and then having a look what new mysteries I encounter. Whenever I do this, I find something new and interesting that I seemingly overlooked or that did not draw my attention at first. Tinfang was one of the cases where I purposefully researched after I encountered him in the Lay of Leithian, but only after reading what was written about him in BoLT, I became totally hooked.

Thanks again for the review,
Amaranth

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. Tinfang enchanted me when I read about him in BoLT, he has something special about him and I tried to get this across as best as I could. I think trimming and tightening it because I had to keep a word limit of 2000 words added greatly to the tension, yet it was challenging to say everything I wanted to say in those few words and keep a certain level I thought pleasing.

Thanks again for your review,
Amaranth

Sorry for the late reply, I had a hell of a week and was too tired to spend additional time at the computer in the evening. Thank you for your review, I am glad you liked the story. I always try to be descriptive when it comes to the emotions of the characters, trying to give a certain depth.

~ Amaranth ~

Sorry for the late reply, I had a hell of a week: second week at the new job, a rather nasty cold and looking for a new car; I collapsed into bed like a stone each evening. Thank you for your review, I am glad you liked the story. It really amazes me how well it was received and it is very encouraging. It was a hard piece of work, it always is, as I often think too German and have problems to word my thoughts in English…I try to think in English to make it easier.

Tinfang is a rather inspiring little muse; he is so enchanting and always sets my mind in motion.

~ Amaranth ~