Writing Meme
Dec. 14th, 2013 07:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
la_samtyrSnagged from my f-list:
Pick any passage of up to 500 words or less from any fanfic I’ve written, and stick that selection in a comment. I will then give you the equivalent of a DVD commentary on that snippet: what I was thinking when I wrote it, why I wrote it in the first place.
Pick any passage of up to 500 words or less from any fanfic I’ve written, and stick that selection in a comment. I will then give you the equivalent of a DVD commentary on that snippet: what I was thinking when I wrote it, why I wrote it in the first place.
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Date: 2013-12-15 09:29 am (UTC)Oh, I got it - Alquien.
Meleth Naegra.
So sad.
Legolas cowered against the bed, unable to stop shaking. He was so tired! It seemed as if he never had any rest between the demands of his infant son and his new master. Although he had agreed to serve Lord Glorfindel in any way the lord desired of him, it seemed since Gîlríon's birth that the Elda had become more and more demanding. Legolas had been foolish to think he might be allowed to recover normally from the labor -- instead of the weeks granted to ellith, he was given only a few days. Lord Elrond had made it clear that the three days he had spent in the healing rooms were most generous and since he was no longer in any danger, he was to return to the main section of the House with Glorfindel.
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Date: 2013-12-15 03:55 pm (UTC)I've always felt sorry for Legolas in this. He just never seemed to get a break of any sort. First, he is ignored/shunned in Mirkwood before he is banished under threat of death; then he has to make the long journey on horseback to Rivendell where he is captured as a possible spy. When he arrives at the House, he is treated shabbily once more and only Glorfindel's intervention saves him from a fate worse than death, i.e. being given to the soldiers as a 'toy' (although perhaps death would be a kindness at this point.)
Even Glorfindel doesn't treat him as he should; instead of treating him as a highly valued mate, especially since he is carrying Glorfindel's longed-for heir (something Glorfindel had given up hoping for), he is given no real consideration and serves Glorfindel's pleasures until Elrond intervenes but *only* because of the danger of miscarriage. And even then.... after a long, arduous labor, Legolas is hardly given time to catch his breath, so to speak. He's sent back to Glorfindel's rooms with Gîlríon and yet expected to behave as if nothing has changed while taking full charge of Gîlríon without any help or even the bare minimum. At the very lest, a skilled healer should have been around because even after a successful delivery, things still can - and do - go wrong very quickly (and this would be at least doubly true with a male pregnancy.)
I've often thought that when Celebrían sailed, Rivendell began a slow decline in many ways that was very subtle; I don't think anyone noticed unless it was Arwen -- perhaps that was why she chose to live with Galadriel. I'm fairly certain that Celebrían would have taken the role of Legolas' protector and made sure that he was properly taken care of. Even if she didn't like him because of the Mirkwood-Rivendell feud (or should I say Thranduil-Elrond feud?), I think she would have sympathized with his pregnancy and made certain he was well-cared for and not overburdened by Glorfindel's demands. He certainly would have been allowed a full recuperation time and had a small staff to help him care for Gîlríon.
On a side note, one of my personal hallmarks, if you will, is that people can - and will - die of a broken heart. This is not a mere trope, for it is something that I have personally witnessed in real life.
no subject
Date: 2013-12-15 04:26 pm (UTC)Yes, I am following your thoughts here, and agreeing.
This story always breaks my heart!
Isn't there scientific proof that this can actually happen, now? People used to think it couldn't, but apparently it can.
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Date: 2013-12-15 08:54 pm (UTC)Yes, they do have scientific proof now that people can die of broken hearts but I am always left with the feeling there is still a fair bit of skepticism about it.
Glorfindel has a curious blind spot when it comes to Legolas, doesn't he?
The best comparison I have is this: If someone had brought a yearling filly to be bred to Asfaloth, Glorfindel would have been enraged. And if that person had "stolen" the stud service, and then began training the filly to become a war mare... well, I can only imagine what would happen next once Glorfindel discovered the truth.
no subject
Date: 2013-12-15 08:59 pm (UTC)I suppose for so long it was seen as an exaggeration, but I believe it.
Oh, yes, you should be proud it does, too. Stories that move me, for good or ill, are always the ones I remember.
Yes, I quite agree. He does have a very blind spot. He did not exactly shine, did he?