Ok, I still haven’t finished – selfishly saving the second half for when I need it. So this is just a reply to your reply to my previous comment :)

I can totally relate to what you are saying on the psychologism. You and I’ve been publishing for roughly the same amount of time, at least in this archive, and I’ve noticed the same tendency in myself as of late: less porn, more characterisation. To be honest, when I first came across slash and a bit later started trying my hand at it, my ideal was a hot story with a lot of rough and passionate fucking, no other way to put it, with just enough feels/psychology to justify the above. But now I see that my newer stories are R rather than NC-17, and whenever the text turns to, ahem, holes and columns of flesh, I begin to stall. Not in the sense that I’ve suddenly become a prude, not at all (thankfully), it just seems that going into so much anatomical detail requires some substance, some emotional/mental point you are going to support with the porn.

Which is exactly what I love about this story, or at least one of the things I love about that part of it which I’ve read, heh. You may not go into too much detail, but you do convey the emotional states extremely clearly. The double checking of the locked doors, Faramir’s thoughts on the visibility of his behind, the way he’s overwhelmed in the bath (baths with naked men do that to you, don’t they…), Aragorn’s sorry, the twisted-around kiss… I haven’t actually come to the high-rated part yet, but I’ll sure be coming to it prepared. It’s like… good foreplay ;P And to me, it is escapist only in that it is going in a positive direction rather than shock-angst-run-away-dripping-pulling-your-trousers-on-along-the-way-commit-suicide-later. Other than that, well, I’m not Faramir nor Aragorn, but basing on the nihil humanum principle, if we can feel it, why can’t they? It’s such a sweet feeling, isn’t it, this whole oh looks like I want him oh I really shouldn’t oh I can’t help it oh my god turns out he wants me just as bad – sudden explosion of mainboard, everything is fucking on fire. It does happen – why couldn’t it happen to them?

In regards to thinking of England, and we’ve discussed this before, but here’s my latest thoughts. 1. The whole LotR text is presented to us as a translation of a historical account made by, if I’m not mistaken, Faramir’s grandson. The sheer format of the document requires that it stray not into the carnal. Else it would be much the same as, “and then grandpa felled grandma on the floor and his lips found” okay I won’t even continue because ew. Even though we all know that at some point in world history grandpa did do something to grandma, and maybe more than once at that – still, not something anyone wants to think about even in theory, let alone in any amount of detail. 2. The whole basis of LotR, the various mythologies from Nordic and Germanic to Slavic and Greek-Roman – there’s plenty of sex in that shit. That’s plain regular boring sex that is, not to mention sex with swans, giants, dwarves and your half-sister, plus shapeshifting and genderbending sex resulting in weird offspring etc. etc. etc. This book did not come out of Tolkien studying nursery rhymes all his life. He may have been a seriously Catholic man, but he read some seriously nasty shit in his lifetime. I don’t honestly think much of what gets written around here would be opening his eyes to a whole new world, heh. In fact, if we look into Sil, which is more grown-up and myth-like than LotR, already there is a bigger nod in that direction. What was it, Luthien fell in Beren’s arms when she saw him and loved him. And Turin finding an unconscious naked woman on a hill. And of course he looked at her and thought, oh poor thing, she must be freezing. I mean, come on xD

That said, I do respect any restrictions people may put on an archive they run, and if it’s meant as a kids-friendly place, then certainly. But when the list goes like, no lists, no parodies, no slash, and no PG13+, it just makes me sad. I don’t know.

And no, what I learnt was something else. I wanted to learn more about our-world influences of Middle-earth cultures, and some of that stuff just really didn’t ring home, like at all. So I was for a while as though thrown away from that world, as though it never existed in the first place – though of course this is a funny premise in itself. But anyway. I decided, who cares. I read it how I read, and I haven’t noticed a depiction of that influence in about 99.9999% of LotR-based works that I’ve seen to date, so who cares :) I won’t elaborate on this any longer, as I don’t know your level of sensitivity to this (or that of anyone else who may bother to read through this enormous message) – so if you wish, you can easily find out for yourself. Or maybe you already know and are none the worse for it :))) Keep up the awesome, honey.

‘you should go read something by Eora, and you’ll go back to sanity’

Excuse me for a moment while I recover from the gravity of this statement…

You’ve blown me away slightly! I think I should begin by saying I do NOT think I deserve any of this wonderful praise whatsoever, but thank you, thank you so very much for heaping such a great pile of it upon my shoulders! I wrote this story so long ago now (November 2010!!), and of course when I myself look at it again all I can see are the things I want to change (ever the perfectionist, and I don’t think I will ever be 100% happy with anything I write…) but if I’ve managed to bring you enjoyment and may I be bold enough to credit myself with such an emotional reaction in my readers than I am a very happy writer right now!

More so in my more recent works (both published and still sitting on my hard-drive) I’ve been striving to make the characters more real…I’ve been straying away from the more NC-17 rated end of the scale in favour of trying to build believable emotional characters and creating situations between them that I hope come across as realistic (and romantic!) But that is not to say I don’t ever feel the need to read or write something a bit more racy (and also, I might add, plausible!) And to be honest, it’s escapism I go for, I love to lose myself in their world and imagine alternate stories. I really am no writer (I am no man!) but I do love those two men and maybe it’s through that that I’m able to put words to a page that somehow make sense? (Am I even making sense? It’s 00.45am after a looooooong day at work.) Anyway, I suppose I can see what they’re getting at at this archive you discovered…they might wish to be rigidly faithful to the original works, which I suppose if it’s their site then they’re well within their rights to do. But as you and I know…just because there isn’t any…shall we say, ‘explicit’ romance in the books doesn’t mean that everyone went around the subject, blushing, talking in metaphors and when it came to the dreaded deed simply closed their eyes and thought of England :P I think, of course, that many things may have happened behind closed doors or ‘off-screen’…and I’m thankful that there are other places (such as this wonderful little private glade here) in which to explore our imaginings. Was this new site the ‘thing you’d rather not know’? Or would I really rather not know?

And good gods, please don’t even for one minute consider leaving the fandom! I still very much consider myself as one of the newer people here and look up to you and others when writing and I’m not sure what I’d do if I weren’t able to find such inspiration so readily at hand. It’s pretty much bedtime for me right now but I see you’ve updated the glorious All Colours are Born of Grey and I’m shamed to admit I’m not sure which part you had updated when I last commented but be assured I will be making my way to that very page a.s.a.p to pour my heart out over exactly what that story is making me feel. Don’t get me started on your use of the language…it’s exquisite to say the very lease, absolutely exquisite. If anyone makes those two feel real it’s you. Thank you!

What would I do now if I did not have you? I am now beginning to say something, for the jumble of emotions and thoughts in my head has to spill out somehow. I can’t even… Garh.

I… I couldn’t even finish. I’m only midway through, and this stuff, this stuff you’ve written (in 3 hours, screw you! I’m going out of business) – it just makes me want to run around, or do pushups, or do something. I can’t sit still. You given me ADHD!

It’s that experience of connection that I’ve had when reading your other things. Like this is real, like this is real Faramir and Aragorn. And this feeling explains to me once and again why I love them, why I love LOTR, why I’m in this whole fanfiction thing, why I’ll never like in any other universe like I do in theirs.

You have reinstated my balance of life now. I’d just discovered some stuff about LoTR that I would really rather not know, really. And then I went someplace else to soothe my pain and came across a bunch of really crappy fanfiction. And then I was like, I’m leaving the fandom. That’s it, I’m selling the house. And then I was like, it’s okay baby, you should go read something by Eora, and you’ll go back to sanity. And it happened!

Just FYI, a few days back I came across this Tolkien website that doesn’t accept any fanfiction works PG13 or above, and incidentally anything slash. Apparently because those things are not in line with the feeling of the original work, blahbloodyblah. And now I want to write to them and say, hey you there fuckers, have a look at this and realise that you are missing out on LIFE!

I’m kind of getting involved into the local equal-rights campaign, and reading this makes me think the organisers should probably recruit you as the figurehead/speech-writer. Because the way you describe it, it’s not even so much hot, because I stop caring about the hot when reading you, it’s just… It makes me wish I was them, it makes wish I was Aragorn so I could fuck Faramir in the arse with my cock! Oh hell on earth. Oh gods his cock…!

PS Call the ambulance, will you?

Geale- Thank you! :D What a lovely comment as always!! Can I just say how ridiculously fun it is to focus on Faramir’s inner-monologue? I figure that just because he’s sometimes quiet and reserved on the outside doesn’t mean he’s not thinking dirty thoughts :P The age issue has got me thinking too since writing this, ideas ideas ideas ;)

Iris- Me too! I’ve been dying to write another one since Ablutions, and I felt I ought to take pity and at least let them share the bath this time ;) Thank you! :D

Oh! I love bath scenes! Very lucky indeed — just as we’re lucky to have you;)

Ooooooooooooooooooooh… Oh my. Oh. How… perfect. I’m speechless. This is – I really can’t think of a word – so incredibly beautiful. I love it. You’re still the most amazing writer. Did I say I LOVE it? Everything, from Faramir’s ‘uncouth thoughts’ (especially those!;)) to Aragorn’s sweet declaration of love. And the age issue… which made me think… Oh, well. This is pure perfection. Thank you!