Finally!

[tarotgal]

My gosh... took almost an hour... Yahoo was being VERY uncooperative in my posting. And I found a dozen errors after I posted, too. GAH! I just can't win! Anyway, tis up on sneezefic right now. I'm thinking of adding another scene over the weekend and putting that in it when I post on TG's Realm... (with some errors fixed) but tis just a thought. Anyhoo... off to work on my paper. *sigh* Not looking forward to it.
Also stubbed my foot against my exercise thingy halfway through posting... it hurts like heck... growl. Hate that. lol It's not my night! Oh... and on top of that, I wrote an apology to the sneezefic list for the errors and out-of-order postings... and used C++/Java code/notation in it... dear goodness, I'm a geek. It just occured to me that not everyone would, uh, understand that. Man. I think I need a vacation!

Comments

Utterly speechless...

[(Anonymous)]

I'm stunned, Tarotgal. This fic was phenomenal in every way I ever could have imagined or hoped for! I can't even tell you my favorite part because it would be too cruel to be forced to choose. Instead, I'll just mention general categories of things that I want to comment on:

Meshing with existing FOTR timeline:
This was done quite expertly. Every event mentioned in the book fits perfectly in line with your fic, only I think I prefer your take on why Legolas slept away from the rest of the Fellowship most nights!

Legolas/Aragorn pairing:
Honestly, the more I read about them, the LESS I see them actually working as a slash couple. The sex scene, though well-written and intermingled with delicious elf sneezes, just didn't do all that much for me, simply because I think that Legolas/Aragorn just doesn't have the same degree of emotional resonance that Legolas/Gimli so obviously share, as set down by Tolkien.

Legolas/Gimli interaction:
Simply put, this was utter bliss for me to read. I always speculated that something very special happened between these two deep in the woods of Lorien to so utterly change their relationship from merely tolerant, to inseperable. I, too, see shared grief over Gandalf's death and mutual respect for each other's pride, fighting skills, and stubborness as being the initial common ground that allowed them to break through the wall of prejudice.
These two are meant to be together and neither race nor physical attributes can stand in the way of their chemistry. Well done, Tarotgal!

Last (and DEFINITELY not least), the sneezing :)
Wow! What can I say? I loved every sneeze from our favorite sexy Elf! I especially enjoyed the false starts and ones that play with and annoy him, don't allow him to finish sentences, or disappear and come right back. It increases his vulnerability in those moments...YUMMY!!
I knew that elves can die of grief, and I always imagined that the process would begin with physical aches and weakness, but somehow, I never made that jump to supposing that it might allow elves to get sick. It makes complete sense to me, and I'm ashamed I didn't come up with this way to make him sneeze earlier...

You have a real talent for LotR fics, TG. I sincerely hope you continue to write in this fandom. Thank you again for this masterpiece.

-Lady Korana

P.S. I did notice a few elf/man or dwarf/man substitutions, but I think you've probably tracked them down by now.

Re: Utterly speechless...

[tarotgal]

Yes, I think I found those errors... gah.. I'm an idiot *hangs head* Should have read it through a third time before posting.

On to the review- wow, long... thank you! :-) I am SO glad you enjoyed it! As I've mentioned in previous thank yous of reviews, I've been worried that I didn't do Legolas/Gimli justice for those who normally see them together, just because I didn't anticipate it from the beginning of the fic. But the more I read, the more it just seemed to have to happen, and I'm glad it did. I've just been worried as to how others more comfy in the fandom would see it.

OK, so on your points... Leg/Ara I'm starting to really agree with you. While I still like them as a pairing, the sex scene I wrote was very instinctual, rough, animalistic rather than some sensual, loving and comforting relationship. I have Legolas retreating to Aragorn because it is natural, because of the elf-ness in him... but I was trying to make the sex just a physical thing more than an emotional one. Did that come through? I hope a little at least.

Leg/Gim- *G* Thank you sooo much. Twas an honor to read your take on this. It's been amazing to hear that it was so enjoyed by people like you who were into Leg/Gimli. I'm sure Tolkien would have envisioned the change slightly differently even if romantic aspects were always intended, but I'm always nervious with 'first realizing the love/attraction' fics because they are so key to relationships and I want to do them justice. So thank you!!!

The sneezing. *G* Mmm I'm glad you enjoyed that as well, of course!
ANd yay!!!!!!!!! You got what I was going for there with him getting sick! (I'm sure other people saw, but you were the first to specifically mention the link) With all my readings about if elves can get sick or not, it did occur to me that if they can die from sadness and heartache, why couldn't they get sick from it on the way down? I was kinda proud about making that link, and as I started writing it, it just seemed more and more natural. Poor sweet little elf *HUG* So thank you for picking up on that! (and feel free to use it yourself, lol, though I must admit, it was heartbreaking for me to make Legolas so sorrowful for so long... poor little one...)

Thank you!!! I'm so excited that you liked it!