Comments on Heart and Stomach

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Gah!! This is quite something. I've read it three times now and it still hits each time. I love that you chose Gil-galad as the vehicle to explore the themes of my presentation. And what a Gil-galad! Bitter, lonely, burdened. And how could he not be, at this stage of his life? Thrust into kingship at the WORST possible time in history. 

I appreciate that you Went There with Gil-galad's judgement of Elwing. It may be difficult to read, but I like that he's not perfectly compassionate and all-seeing. He's flawed, she's flawed, they all are, even beloved Cirdan. 

I admit I'd not thought much about how Gil-galad and Elrond & Elros share the experience of being fostered in a time of war and what that might mean for how they understand each other. The envy present in "“I don’t understand” was all he could say, when what he meant was, I was such a lonely child." -- is a fascinating angle. 

“Yes. So did my father,”  !!! Gil-galad and me are both struck. 

The implications about his silver hair though... Am I reading correctly that he maybe actually *is* Feanorian? Or, at least, *he* thinks he might be... Amazing stuff. 

Thanks so much for writing this. It's given me lots to think about.

 

 

RIP so apparently I had my comment notifications turned off for, uh. Years. And I feel really awful that I missed this!

I so enjoyed your MA presentation and I was thrilled to get to write something for you. I am even more thrilled that you like it! I enjoy being a bit ~controversial~ now and again, and I trusted that I would be able to do with something for you, if that makes sense.

Thank you for all your lovely notes on different aspects. It was fun to write something of a power struggle between Gil and Elwing...I imagine that was probably a complicated dynamic from an organizational hierarchy perspective.

As to his True Identity™️— I left it sort of intentionally vague! In my own headcanon and other stories, he only thinks he's Feanorian because of the hair. (It is twist so I will not spoil it unless you want except to say that it is possibly the only even messier alternative!) But I wanted people to be able to read it this way, that he is actually Feanorian, if they wanted to for this story. AU of an AU, if you will!

Thank you again!!!!!!!!!!