The virtues of reading the books (PG)
by Meneltari.
Chapters [1]
Reviews [ 16]
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Wed Jul 02, 2003 6:14 am
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*goes off to write her fanfic where Eomer is half-elf and runs off to marry Aragorn's long lost half-elf, half sister.*
LOL, just kidding.
For the most part I very much agree with what you have to say, especially in the first and last parts of your essay. About it being rather easy to find a simple family tree on the web, that it is unlikely there are multiple gay members of the Fellowship, elves being more skilled in combat than men, and most the stuff about dear Mary-Sue.
However, one disagreement I had with your essay were the things you specifically directed at slash authors for doing – elven incest, multiple bed partners, rape, prostitution, slavery, etc. To be fair, percentage wise, I have read the same amount of het fics that do these same things. The first het fic I ever stumbled upon was Haldir raping some woman, the second was Arwen taking Legolas and Aragorn as her ‘pets’.
And I agree with you that Tolkien probably wouldn’t have put homosexuals in his Middle-earth, well, more to the point, I don't think he would have thought about it either way. Since, as you point out, such things were not well looked upon in those days. He probably expected everyone would assume them to be heterosexual. I doubt he ever thought a bunch of people would be playing with his charcters in such a way period.
I appreciated how you cited the vast majority of your information, however, you didn't mention where you got the information about only 4% of men in the world being gay. I'm not saying that you misquoted or are wrong, but I'm curious about the research, what definition of homosexuality they used and such. Since a good portion of men who participate in what would be called homosexual acts, do not consider themselves (nor does their culture consider them) to be homosexual or bisexual, ancient Greece and current day Mexico being prime examples. And there are many tribes where such things are considered a coming of age. But I digress.
As for the bisexuality of elves, most authors I’ve spoken to (several that have read the books) state it that way from the belief that elves are more elevated than humans and don’t care about such things as packaging, are less judgmental. Love is love and all that. And just because it’s not mentioned specifically that Gil-galad or whoever had a male lover, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Even in current days things like that tend to be swept under the proverbial rug. Just because something isn’t approved of, doesn’t mean people don’t do it.
All that aside, I truly am not picking on you, I’m just stating my opinion and I completely understand how aggravating it is to read something and it’s just not right. Every time I see one of these movies where I’ve read the book or the comic before, I’m the jerk that’s pointing out all the flaws. While my friends point out how many stunts do not obey the laws of physics or the historical and medical inaccuracies.
Still, as much as we might wish, fanfic authors are not Tolkien or even Bilbo. Sometimes you just need to suspend your disbelief a little and enjoy the ride.
But, enough of the commentary (and I am so sorry it’s so long, it can be deleted if you like) I really do like your essay and I find it very well written, interesting, informative and nicely researched, which I always appreciate. I totally agree that the writing should be about the characters and settings of Middle-earth, not the pretty boys. And just like everyone else that’s commented, I'm looking forward to your next piece.  |
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Last edited by Genesis on Wed Jul 02, 2003 5:57 am |
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Adrift (PG-13)
by dolarabee.
Chapters [1]
Reviews [ 14] Warnings [Character death, but no surprises]
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Wed Jun 18, 2003 7:24 pm
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| That was pretty good, I liked the way it was written. Though I think I saw a few grammatical errors. You definitely show that state of numbness nicely, kinda that shellshock feeling. The last line was just perfect, “but I have yet to feel a thing.” Made me shiver. |
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Song of Eowyn I: The Shieldmaiden (G)
by delle.
Chapters [1]
Reviews [ 6] Warnings [will be NC-17 in later chapters]
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Sun Jun 15, 2003 7:09 pm
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Poor Eowyn. 
This is a good story. You have a nice voice for telling Eowyn\'s tale and I think you really get across the point she\'s a Rohirrim. Very in touch with her horse and such. I really like the breaking the horse metaphor you have going on, Grima\'s such a bastard. I cannot believe he took her horse away. They\'re in Rohan!
I can\'t wait to see more of this! |
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Last edited by Genesis on Sun Jun 15, 2003 1:22 pm |
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Swallowing Sorrows (G)
by Ariel.
Chapters [1]
Reviews [ 2] Warnings [Angst]
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Sat Jun 07, 2003 12:54 am
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| I like the idea of this story and it's written pretty well; though there were a few points where it didn’t flow as well as other parts. I think what I appreciated most was the way Frodo came to the decision to go with the elves and join Bilbo on his last journey. To me it seemed very heartfelt and 'right'. I also liked these couple of lines. "Sam had not failed. The simple gardener had done exactly what he had set out to do; take care of Mr. Frodo." Insightful and poetic. Very cool. But, anyway, really a good story. |
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