Tapestry of Dreams, Part 2 Discussion

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

In that case, let's go with Tharonwe having filched from Nimrodel's fevered mind. This reminds me of Tolkien's penchant for writing stories, then realizing he had created apparent contradictions, and then asking, "okay, how did this come about?" And then he would figure out how it happened; which is how his feigned history got so interesting! We're doing it, my friends!

Woot! Indeed!

Hmmm.....

[mark12_30]

Name (that you go by): mark12_30; sometimes Bolco. Occasionally Lindo.

Age: 44.

Occupation: Systems engineer.

Future Aspirations: Short term-- switch to HSI; long-term-- teaching teenagers.

Goal in life: "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Short term goals: Bond completely and thoroughly with my adopted kids.

Passion: Teaching teenagers, especially regarding worship.

Hobbies: Mountain biking, hill-biking (on the road...) Guitar/piano/pennywhistle

Famous for (brag about yourself): Guitar and vocals. On the lighter side: having an amusingly poor memory.

Fave book: The trilogy, still, after all these decades-- even though I haven't read it in at least three years.

Fave movie: Er... Besides LotR-- Maybe Ben Hur. I love the rain washing down the cross and spreading Jesus' blood over the earth; great image.

Fave sport: To watch? Olympic gymnastics, although Mountain Biking Trials, and BMX racing, is growing on me.

Fave store: A little dress shop along the causeway in Naples, Maine called "Robin's Nest".

Fave music: What we sing at church.

What you can't stand: A clueless boss. (Sorry.)

What you plain dislike: A project run by a clueless boss.

Who you admire: My Aunt the nun in Seattle.

What you most love to do: Mountain biking. Or hill-biking, second-best. THis morning I saw a wild turkey, a pelican, ducks snoozing on a rock in mid-pond, two deer, and two bunnies.

Your self-confessed flaws: ..... filling out surveys at work....

What intrigues/fascinates you: THe learning process; personalities and how they inter-relate

What scares you: The possibility of not bonding deeply enough with my adopted children.

Quotation to live by: Mark 12:30

Value-specific:

What do you want most in a friend? Willingness to pray together about anything and everything.

What do you want most in a teacher? Willingness to find out what I am hoping to learn, insstead of their agenda for me.

What do you want most in an ally? Tenacity.

What do you want most in a team-mate? Stability (because I'm all over the place and I need the balance.)

What do you want people to remember most about you? That I was a worshipper of Jesus.

Writer-specific:

Your favorite work you've written so far: Hmmmm. Either the "Bolco" books or "The Fairy Wife"?

Your favorite character so far: Lindo, in "The Lonely Star." Life imitates art.

What you plan to write soon: Instead of answering "Finishing my family history" or "Writing Eddie O'Connor" I'll be honest and say-- "I don't have much time to write these days."

What inspires you to write: Usually, suggestions from someone else. Lindo, Gamba, Phura, and Lorien (in The Fairy Wife) were all suggested by Child of the 7th Age.

What makes your writing stall: Real Life.

Do you get writers' block and how do you overcome it? Definitely. Stream-of-consciousness writing.

Middle-Earth specific:

Your favorite ME character(s)? The anonymous elf in Mirkwood..... I think I'm answering that because I love so many LotR characters so much, it's emotionally draining to go through the list. Yes, that's a copout.

What do you like about them? VIRTUE.

Your favorite moment(s) from the Trilogy?

--Frodo's dreams-- any and all of them.
--Boromir's wisecracking gives me the chuckles.
--"Horns, horns, horns. Rohan had come at last."
--"Begone, foul dwimmerlaik!"
--Eomer's song.
--Sam's star above the Ephel Duath.
--Grey Havens-- love/hate relationship.

Your favorite plot twist(s) from the Trilogy?
--Everything relating to Faramir.
--Aragorn, from the paths of the dead to his arrival in the black ships.
--Frodo's departure at the Grey Havens. (Don't think about that too hard; moving right along.)
--Plot twists, plot twists, what else..... Tom Bombadil. A plot twist in a person.
--Hoom hom.

Looking at your personality as it is, what race do you belong to in Middle-Earth and why? One of them procrastinating mortals in South Gondor who were late to the war, or never even came...

What race would you *like* to belong to in Middle-Earth and why? Elves of course; I love the thought of "putting the thought of all we love into all we make"; I love the integration with nature. Their sin is all their own, of course.; pride in their work being excessive, isolationism being excessive, and the whole embalming attitude towards the things they hold dear-- too dear. (I wonder what a redeemed Christian elf would look like?)

What place(s)would you live in Middle Earth and why? Mirkwood? Lorien? Rivendell? Somewhere with lots of singing, dancing, trees and water. How about Eregion before it's fall? Beleriand? You get the drift... You know, I was always fascinated by the Ered Luin, and the elves in Mithlond and Forlond. (See The Fairy Wife...)

Where would you want to visit? Why? Gondor, Rohan, Dol Amroth, and the ruins of Arnor. Somewhere with lots of ruins, history, and the hints of hauntings. Oh, and can I have a cottage on the shores of Evendim?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I mentioned it to LMP and I'll post up here. I finally had the span of time necessary to finish reading Book One. And then I sat down and caught up on the discussion threads. And now I'm in the process of seeking out a character whose story I can relate to the world. Any suggestions you might have will be met with enthusiasm and the likelihood of being used as a starting point for something that appears to have nothing to do with them.

[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

I mentioned it to LMP and I'll post up here. I finally had the span of time necessary to finish reading Book One. And then I sat down and caught up on the discussion threads. And now I'm in the process of seeking out a character whose story I can relate to the world. Any suggestions you might have will be met with enthusiasm and the likelihood of being used as a starting point for something that appears to have nothing to do with them.

Well, we have no hobbits. Or Dwarves. Scratch that. Feanor and Dwarves don't seem like good fit. I could see you writing a Falco Boffin type of hobbit, mayhap... But what would a hobbit be doing down in Gondor?

Okay, this is absolutely insane, but how about a redeemed merlock? Never mind, I didn't ask.

Or you could give Raefindan headaches and come into Middle Earth as his dearly departed love interest, Angela. Ha ha ha! crazy...

Sorry, the more I think about it, the nutser the ideas get, so I'll shut up now.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

Okay, this is absolutely insane, but how about a redeemed merlock? Never mind, I didn't ask.

I know almost nothing about merlocks except what I learned through Tapestry. So if you guys misrepresented them I'm in big trouble.

Or you could give Raefindan headaches and come into Middle Earth as his dearly departed love interest, Angela.

Or I could give Raefindan headaches and come into the story as somebody that looks dead on like Angela and even has a few of her defining quirks. *ponders*

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

Or I could give Raefindan headaches and come into the story as somebody that looks dead on like Angela and even has a few of her defining quirks. *ponders*

And then... later Raefindan meets up with Mithrellas. And THEN what? Tortured soul.

If Raefindan goes down through South Gondor (out of the Pelennor via the southern gate) and down via the Anduin, then he could (actually) run into one of Mithrellas' *descendants* in some rural area in South Gondor. I wonder if she'd be busy dreaming about Raefindan. Er, Imrazor. Er, who the heck is this Roy Edwards fellow and why is he invading my dreams...?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by mark12_30

If Raefindan goes down through South Gondor (out of the Pelennor via the southern gate) and down via the Anduin, then he could (actually) run into one of Mithrellas' *descendants* in some rural area in South Gondor. I wonder if she'd be busy dreaming about Raefindan. Er, Imrazor. Er, who the heck is this Roy Edwards fellow and why is he invading my dreams...?

Ooh, I like this. May I?

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

Ooh, I like this. May I?

Glad you like it-- we'll see if lmp does!

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Ditching the idea of Angela pretty much entirely...

Mithrellas and Imrazor had two children; Galador and Gilmith.

One can trace Galador's bloodline in a straight father-to-son path right down to Imrahil and his kids. Gilmith is pretty much forgotten. Who's to say that she didn't have a daughter, who had a daughter, who had a daughter, etcetera and onward for twenty-something generations?

Unbroken pure line of the daughters of Mithrellas. They'd have the same Elvishness of blood within them as the long sons of Mithrellas and Imrazor, but given that these ladies are not the inheriting eldest sons, they would be married and intermingled and etcetera. Once you get to the time of this quest, the most recent in the unbroken line could be absolutely anybody, but she would be a woman of Dol Amroth with a plausible reason for dreams pertaining to the quest.

Thoughts?

[littlemanpoet]

If Raefindan is actually going that way, I like this idea. Is he? Are the men? Has that been decided?

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

If Raefindan is actually going that way, I like this idea. Is he? Are the men? Has that been decided?

I had been avoiding the issue. But it's my guess that Erebemlin will not care (ooo, that icy elf) about the lost womenfolk; that he will take the elves (including Mellondu) the most direct route, down the Anduin. The party will split according to their desire to help the women; Mellondu will be outraged that he is forbidden to seek Mellonin, but Erebemlin will have none of it (blasted cold-hearted elf).

So it's plausible that Raefindan could go southeast with Erebemlin.

If not--if he chases Mellonin, Bella, & Leafa southwest over the White Mountains-- he will still be passing thru parts of South Gondor where Mithrellas' descendant will be dwelling. Heck, she could live IN the mountains.

And, Fea-- I don't personally see the need to ditch the Angela theme, either. Weave them together-- thus tormenting Raefindan, Roy Edwards, and Imrazor, all three. Make it as subtle as you like.

[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by mark

And, Fea-- I don't personally see the need to ditch the Angela theme, either. Weave them together-- thus tormenting Raefindan, Roy Edwards, and Imrazor, all three. Make it as subtle as you like.

Now there, my friends, is a thought that could challenge even the writing skills of Feanor! I think it could stretch and grow this writer, and I'm rather keen on seeing such a story develop.

[alaklondewen]

I'm glad you brought this up as I've been mulling it over for some time. I see Erebemlin, as Helen said, continuing to follow the river per Amroth's plan, but I was trying to figure out why he would want to follow the women, especially after the Aeron incident. I wasn't sure whether Mellondu would outright demand they go after his sister and Erebemlin would be forced to follow or if Mellondu would be obliged to follow Erebemlin per the demands of his oath. Tough call.

Splitting up is an interesting idea as well. I wonder...hmm.

Originally Posted by mark12_30

blasted cold-hearted elf

Poor misunderstood elf that he is. Wonder when Marigold can fit back in there...that usually makes him warm and fuzzy.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

Now there, my friends, is a thought that could challenge even the writing skills of Feanor! I think it could stretch and grow this writer, and I'm rather keen on seeing such a story develop.

Stop, love, you're making me blush.

I love it and I'm more ecstatic than you can possibly imagine. I'll need a little time to develop her... I'll need to know anything you can tell me about Angela, LMP, so I can decide how to use her...

Also, pertaining to which way Raefindan goes... Helen says quite truly that she doesn't actually need to live in Dol Amroth; she could be anywhere. I mean... Faramir and Lothiriel are both descendents of Mithrellas and they aren't in Dol Amroth.

But I also find it an interesting thought that she might take up with Erebemlin's company [somehow] and only meet Raefindan a bit later on. There's all the likelihood in the world that she'd not know her own lineage, but as Legolas saw in Imrahil, Erebemlin might see strains of Elvish blood in her. Could be neat if we wanted to go that way...

[littlemanpoet]

Feanor I will PM you the pertinent material from home tonight.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Works for me.

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

Works for me.

Hah! Mellonin dreams of Mithrellas who is eerily reminiscent of Angela who has transcended somewhere or other and is leaking through Fea's new character who is re-dreaming Mithrellas.

Raefindan don't stand a chance, baby.

Wrap that in with Sæthryd and nobody will know which way is up... not even Wild Man Rugh.

WOOT.

Firefoot-- you changed your avatar! Too cute for words... Been thinking of changing mine. Maybe.

EDIT-- Hey, I almost forgot -- we've still got Ghostly Gwillion in the wings.
**rubs hands with gleeeeeee**

[Firefoot]

<< Is my baby. Mark, I can't even imagine you with a different avatar...

I love the way this is shaping up. Can't wait to see what you ultimately come up with, Fea.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by mark12_30

Wrap that in with Sæthryd and nobody will know which way is up... not even Wild Man Rugh.

I'm still wrapping my own head around it.

Can't wait to see what you ultimately come up with, Fea.

Heck, I can't even wait to see what I come up with. It'll have to be very subtle, lest Formendacil be given a heart attack...

[alaklondewen]

I'm loving this idea, and I'm quite excited about the possibilities.

I know we're not this far along in building this line of the story as the actual character is not yet created, but...what if Erebemlin & company discovered a fevered woman...somewhere...and Erebemlin (or Taitheneb as he's more understanding of humans) tries to bring her out and steps into her dream and...and find Mithrellas or more clues as to Nimrodel's location or something that makes them realize this woman needs to be kept around...

As I said, I know we're not this far, but I had to get the thought out there before it was lost with all the hoobalah in my life.

[mark12_30]

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by alaklondewen

I know we're not this far along in building this line of the story as the actual character is not yet created, but...what if Erebemlin & company discovered a fevered woman...

...

What if Erebemlin and company discover a fevered child?

I'll give you the line of thought I scratched onto paper while pondering to the sounds of loud music to show you how I reached the idea of a little girl:

Originally Posted by me

I need a plausible reason for a female to be able to wander ME w/o family or well-meaning folks taking her in for the sake of propriety.

young orphan? 4-7

as a child, she'd be open to more things...

open-minded toward the supernatural; not yet given to the prejudices of her society

also more likely to ask questions
to bind the group against Thoronwë's desires
to be controlled by Thoronwë's mind

would need Elvish supervision?
and female travelling companions

dreams of Mithrellas & Imrazor through bloodline
nightmares of dying parents
and of Angela

Of course I'm in the beginning stages and fully capable of calling quits the idea of a child, but what think you?

And Formendacil: Eledhwen.

[littlemanpoet]

I think a girl child really sets the whole conception off really well. It would cut off the gender-attraction thing for Raefindan, which is a good thing considering all the other things going on, and a girl child age 4 to 7 would be very, very disarming to him. Not that he tends toward defensiveness, but there's a certain quality of wonder about it being a child that appeals.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Yay. Preliminary bio; probably needs work:

--------------------------------------------------------------------

NAME: Eledhwen “Elfsheen” / Indil “Devotion”

AGE: approximately five

RACE: Gondorian

GENDER: female

WEAPONS: none

APPEARANCE: a child; a meter or so high, with a girl child’s build of soft smallness. Baby-soft brown hair that falls half way down her back frames an unfreckled face. Her brown eyes hold a peculiar shine. Her fingernails are cut short and are clean. Clad in a functional over-dress of unknown original color, softly worn to grey, over a white shift. Grass-stained slippers.

HISTORY: Mithrellas bore two children to Imrazor, Galador and Gilmith, and Galador was the Lord of Dol Amroth, as were his sons and long sons after. Gilmith was wed with the approval of Galador and bore four children, three sons and a daughter. And her daughter bore twins and though the son died in infancy even as the mother died from their coming, her daughter grew to old age, raised by a kindly nursemaid, and raised three daughters and a son of her own. On this went through many generations until, through a pure and unbroken line of females, a final daughter of Mithrellas was born and her eyes were bright and she was called Eledhwen, that is Elfsheen, though her parents ever called her Indil, that is devotion, until she knew no other name.

And she was called Devotion for reason, for Indil followed her mother as a shadow and delighted in the songs her mother sang to her as she worked. And her father called her his greatest joy for the love in her young heart and the smile ever on her face. Indil was a happy child and one well-behaved and full of tender affection, and she was safe, born after the Great War in the flowered vales of Imloth Melui.

And when a day came that her parents chose to ride to Minas Tirith to see Father’s nearest kin, they did not worry, and Indil giggled happily at the adventure of the road, for though the journey was not long, she had not been terribly long in the world and so the road seemed more lengthy and full of the adventure of stories. But the road proved deadly and her parents were lost to an accident upon it, and Indil was lost and alone, and she was afraid.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Indil, as a loving child that has been much loved in return, and well protected, is inclined to trust too much. Having grown thus far in rural Gondor, she has seen little of the world. But she is curious by nature, and has a will to learn, and is affectionate and sweet. She speaks what she sees; a trait common to children of every time and place. Indil suffers from nightmares that she does not understand and is prone to tears that her parents do not wake and come for her. Young as she is, she is very impressionable. She dreams also, through link of unsullied bloodline, of Mithrellas and Imrazor, though she does not know it. She knows nothing of her lineage or her living past.

----------------------------------------------------

What should stay, what should go?

Anybody of the opinion that it should go entirely and I ought to start from scratch?

[littlemanpoet]

My initial reaction is that it's great as far as it goes, as is. Do you plan to fit the Angela link in? If so, how?

[mark12_30]

I like it. Two questions--

1. A picky question: why brown eyes instead of grey (Imrahil's eyes were grey?)

2. "She dreams of Mithrellas and Imrazor but does not know it." Why not? Maybe because she confuses them with her parents or perhaps with other relatives? Can she tell the dream-stories? Or does she completely forget them before she awakes?

[Aylwen Dreamsong]

Not that it matters...but...personally...I like it. She's short.

-Aylwen

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I love when people ask questions to which I know the answers!

1. A picky question: why brown eyes instead of grey (Imrahil's eyes were grey?)

Because Angela's were brown.

2. "She dreams of Mithrellas and Imrazor but does not know it." Why not?

Confuses them for her parents. As a naive child, Indil doesn't realize that her parents aren't coming back. Mithrellas is lost, Mother is lost.

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

Because Angela's were brown.

Shazayem! Nice.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by mark12_30

Shazayem! Nice.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

It doesn't appear that I'll be particularly needed during the time frame, but in case somebody needs to get hold of me and I seem to have dropped off the face of the planet, it's because for the next month, I'll be travelling a lot, working a lot, continuing to get my shoulder fixed because it's still defective, and packing and moving back to school.

[mark12_30]

~*~

bump!

~*~

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Three cheers!

♥

[littlemanpoet]

"Yeah, but now what?" asks LMP wearily....

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

"But now what?" Fea repeats, speaking in that incredulous tone that only she can ever seem to muster when it's late in both hour and project.

LMP nods, tired, and Fea smiles reassuringly.

"Now is when the new faces, the new pens, the new typing fingers lend energy and enthusiasm to you old folks." she grins, elbowing LMP jovially, hugging mark 'round the shoulders, and winking at the other oldsters, some of whom are technically like... well.. her age. She grins again, a spirit of impish excitement in her bright hazel eyes. "Now is when the ladies leave. A dream, remember? They leave, and the men follow, and upon the road, they meet new companions, and I get to write a little girl and test out what I can do. This is exciting!"

LMP appears to look less weary, glancing up with a new light behind his wire frames. Or maybe it is Fea's imagination providing the hope.

"Come on," she nudges. "There's a party to get started."

[Firefoot]

I'm here and ready to go.

This is a really busy time of year for me, however, so I may not be posting much in these first couple of weeks.

[Imladris]

Into part two already eh?

My..schedule...has changed drastically since we started this up again (imagine the immense overwhelming feeling for a relatively lazy secluded teenager who suddenly finds one's self working four days a week and school three days a week) but I will do my very best to keep up.

Anyway....looking forward to this new...challenge. =)

[mark12_30]

Part one is *essentially* finished-- but not closed. If we find that we need to go back and edit something, I want to be free to do that. So part one will haunt Gondor for a while yet.

But yes. Fea is right. There's a party to get started. Thank you, Fea, that zeal is very much appreciated!! Let the party begin!

[Aylwen Dreamsong]

Oh. My. Gosh.

Where do we start?

There's so much left to the story!

[mark12_30]

....and that's a jolly good thing! WOOOT!

Aylwen, for the ladies, how about Bella invites Leafa and Mellonin (or joins them at the Inn) for a cup of tea (or something). "My, how we miss our companions, and how empty the day is without them", or some such...

Menfolk-- it's tough without Alak (where are yooooou!) but we need to pull the quest onto the road south.

Generally speaking-- Dive in, folks. Don't feel compelled by the old rules; do feel compelled by what makes sense in the story.

Dreams, dreams, dreams. It's all about the dreams, and the Osanwe.

Speaking of Osanwe, what's up with that dratted Tharonwe? And what makes him oooo soooo twisssted?

Someone can introduce the two new horses. Whose are they...? Raefindan's and .... Aeron's? Does Aeron know how to ride a horse? How funny that the king provided a mount for a thief and a redheaded stranger.

I'm pondering the archery lessons.

How about some commentary on the road south? Have any of our menfolk ever BEEN south before?