Comments on When the Stars Smile

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Hilarious story, Dawn - your snarky!Caranthir voice resonates with my own snarky!Caranthir, and I hope that if I ever manage to write my own pre-Trees comedy involving him, it'll be half as witty as this story.

And I *will* review this properly, but allow me to hide beneath this excuse of "this is a test review" (cough) and also, exams. >:D 



Hi, Klose,\r\nBoth certainly fine excuses. ;) I do appreciate that you took the time to read and review; it\'s certainly proper enough for me. :) (And my first review on the new site ... I feel like I should throw a little party! :^D) I\'m glad that you liked the story; it was certainly fun to write.\r\nAll the best,\r\nDawn

Oh my goodness Dawn, this was such a nice and unique insight in Caranthir's teen mind where he's just about to discover that there is more to women than well, as friends.

 And evol you, I momentarily lost my mind which ran off into the sewers when I read this: Tyelkormo ripples with a virile attractiveness like a golden panther in the afternoon light; oh my Dawn!

But oh, Carnistir wassmitten with Amarie and yeah I can imagine where his loathing for Finarfin's children come from suddenly.

Celegorm prooves that it's always handy to have a knife around and Maedhros is quite skilled with cutting open bodices and other clothing. 

Just one question, when I read this bit and maybe it's me:

When I awaken, Maitimo is cutting the ties of my robes with Tyelkormo's hunting and calling for Macalaurë to fetch the smelling salts,

I thinkI miss a word after Tyelkormo's hunting... but it can be me.

 



Hi, Rhapsody,\r\nAnd now I can see how review replies work on my story too! :)\r\n\r\nThanks for reading this ... and I\'m glad you liked it! I figured you\'d appreciate the line about Celegorm. I\'ll pretend to be surprised by that. ;)\r\n\r\nThat line you spotted is a typo. I\'ll practice using the Edit function to fix that. Thanks for catching it!\r\n\r\nHugs,\r\nDawn

This was exquisitely funny.  Loved all the details:   Maitimo's skirt chasing, Tyelkormo's stealing chemicals to make his hair more golden and Curufin using his mother's armband as a discuss!

My favorite scene where the 4 elder sons of Feanor welcome Taryinde but liked Carnistir's welcome the most.



Long over-due, but here is the prope review that I promised - and yet, I find myself struggling to do this story justice. Such a wonderful, funny and warm read - I was going to talk about how I bust a gut from all the laughing, but that last bit was just so - sweet, in an awkward adolescent sort of way.

 If I tried to quote a favourite line, I think I'd end up pasting most of the story in here, so I'm just going to stick to the title line in context of Caranthir punching Finrod** (hee) and this priceless gem:

and Tyelkormo was making an impressive show with the natural consequences of our baked-bean supper and a torch. (Truthfully, it's a wonder he can sit at all today; although I did see him chasing after Maitimo earlier with a vial of aloe, making promises of some wondrous favor. I'd hidden, lest he get any ideas.)

** It says a lot about this story that I was actually rooting for Caranthir to do this - Caranthir, who I've never particularly cared for, to Finrod, who I've always had a soft spot for! We see clearly why everyone would've loved Finrod (the detail about the roses - so true, and it made me laugh) and yet your Caranthir perspective is so strong that we can't help but be annoyed along with him, too.

As I said in my previous review, I adore your Caranthir voice in this story - he feels real, and alive, and it's so refreshing to read snark that's actually funny and not tiresome. More importantly, you've also, somehow, managed to balance it all out with a great deal of heart, as silly and sentimental as that might sound.

Wonderful story, Dawn - very enjoyable (re)read! :D Definitely one to re-visit over and over.



Thank you so much, Klose! As they say, when it rains, it pours; this same story was also reviewed over on ff.net today! Caranthir is feeling all loved and stuff right now. :)

This was definitely a fun story to write. Most of my stuff is serious-bordering-on-dark, and my Caranthir stories especially, so it was a nice change to see his snarky misfit nature in something a little lighter. Although, ironically, the friend for whom I wrote this story had requested \"Caranthir angst.\" I was writing holiday gift stories, and I had twenty requests. By the time I got to this one, I was so sick of actual angst that my comic muse insisted on getting a chance to play. Perhaps people should request angst of me more often; I might lighten up a bit! :)

I have a soft spot for Finrod too (*ahem* not obvious or anything ...) but I\'ve always been fascinated by the Finarfians\' conflict with Caranthir. Actually, my characterization of Caranthir began, in a large part, to explain that animosity. And being a misfit relative of Mr. Perfect Finrod must have been more than a little annoying at times! :)

Thank you again for brushing off the dust and reviewing this old story of mine--it really made my evening!

"Carnistir!" She wrenches free from Macalaur�, interrupting Maitimo in mid-sentence and stepping on Tyelkormo's toe. We greet each other as we have since we could both walk: She punches me in the gut and I grab a hank of her hair and twist it until she screams and bites my arm. So I bite her arm back.


Made me cry with laughter! THIS is my Carnistir:) (yours but the one i love I mean.)


And then!

I can feel my mouth stretched in a grin so wide that my face hurts and my teeth show top and bottom. There are tables and chairs in my way, but the thought of veering from my path to her is unbearable, and so I push through them, knocking a tray of hors d'oeuvres onto the floor and treading through a pile of crackers smeared with crabmeat. The lady Indis is seated and speaking with one of the lords and his wife, and she is in my way, so I lift her chair, move her aside, and climb over her feet.

From the periphery of my vision, I see a purple shape moving beside me and realize that Taryind� is following beside me

 

BUT THEN

someone is calling her by her name--Amari�, a name like the mingled Light of the Trees put into song--that someone is my cousin Findar�to.

And, beside me, Taryind� sighs loudly and collapses into my arms.

MAde me laugh so loudly the cat jumped!

 

And then that lovely ending that is just so perfect- I love this fic so much, Dawn. I htink it is one of my all time favourites.

 

 




Awwww ... thank you so much! It is an old, old one for me; from my first year writing Tolkienfic, iIrc. Yet I am still fond of it (whereas most of my work from that period makes me cringe a little!)

The characters were very obviously inspired by their identities in AMC (even though I don't consider this one part of the Felakverse proper), which came first.

Thanks so much for reading this old thing and being so kind to comment! :D :D :D

Thank you! It's good to hear from you! ^_^

I am, I am just having a very busy year professionally. I wrote a good portion over holiday break of a Silmarillion/Home Alone crossover. I'm coming to accept that I do my best/most productive writing on school breaks. (Unfortunately, the next will be taken up by preparing for two conferences, National Board work, and finishing a script for my school's new drama club ... Hopefully summer?? XD)