Specimen, by Elleth

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

B2MeM Challenge:
O67: In a Manner of Speaking: Skeletons in the Closet, Injuries: Stomach Ache
Format: Drabble
Genre: (morbid) humor
Rating: Teens
Warnings: Medical procedures, crawlies
Characters: Idhlinn (OFC Fëanorian healer), OMC
Pairings: N/A
Summary: The way to a woman's heart... (for GG, Steel and Pandë for their betaing help and encouragement involving Idhlinn's fic. ^^ Thank you.)


Idhlinn's brow furrowed. "You expect gratitude."

The hunter's face crumpled in dismay at her tone, not the obvious joy he had expected. The carcass he had brought dropped to the floor with a clank of armour.

"I am grateful," she said quickly, nodding. "I was assuming everyone believed I spoke in jest. Put it on the table."

That done, Idhlinn stripped the creature."Interesting. I hoped for a male specimen." The hunter, a hand on his stomach, fled when she set the scalpel on the orc's chest for the first incision, humming, and fondly glanced at her dermestid jar. "Soon."

Comments

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

Yay for geekery! I love the hunter's reaction to Idhlinn's unfettered curiosity. (Though then I looked up dermestids and wished I hadn't, on my coffee break... ;-) )

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, I'm sorry (and sorry for laughing, too). XD From what I could glean in my research, they are useful little critters and widely used in taxidermy, though. And much more efficient than chemical means of stripping a carcass... (yes, okay, I'll shut up. ;))

Idhlinn's very flattered by your review, and so am I! The hunter, less so, but then Idh is hardly good company for everybody, and probably not him. ;)

[pandemonium-213.livejournal.com]

SQUEE! Fantastic, Elleth! Hey, I'm not at all squeamish so the prospect of dissecting a female orc? Works for me. I can certainly understand Idhlinn's disappointment. She's an excellent character, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her life and times.

As an aside, you've been posting what I call "golden grains" :^) here in B2Me, so will try to catch up on comments this weekend.

ETA: dermistids. One of my husband's first gigs (he's an architect and specializes in labs and hospitals, or prefers them anyway) involved a renovation of labs in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's life sciences' buildings. He got to see "the bone room" where specimens were placed so the dermistids could wipe 'em clean. The guy who showed him the room goofed on my DH, saying "Don't stand too still." :^D

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Hee, I'm so glad you've enjoyed it! I knew you weren't squeamish - but there may be people who are. I'm sure Idh will be getting a lot of enjoyment out of a female orc as well; it may yield some insights on how the hell orcs procreate. I figure there are so many opposing versions in the legendarium, few people ever really looked. ;) There will be more on her, most definitely. You're one of the leading authorities on OFCs in the Tolkien legendarium, so sure you know how easy it is to become ridiculously fond of them. (And Idhlinn tells me she would have loved your Eregion, it's a pity she never made it that far.)

(And "golden grains"? Are you trying to make my head explode, or is that an unintended a side-effect? ;) But do take your time, the stories aren't going anywhere.)

The guy who showed him the room goofed on my DH, saying "Don't stand too still."
Bwaaah, is it bad that I laughed out loud at this? Althogh your DH wouldn't have been in a great deal of danger unless he was secretly a rotting corpse XD; dermestids don't touch fresh meat, afaik. (I did read entirely too much on them during my research, just to see if the mention of having them in a jar was accurate... but then they are fascinating little buggers!)

[pandemonium-213.livejournal.com]

It's a great scene! Heh. If Tolkien's anything to go by, he wrote that orcs multiply in the manner after the Children of Iluvatar, so I expect that parthenogensis, contrary to Henry Gee's (Science of Middle-earth) speculation, is out of the picture! :^D Not to mention JRRT noted that there are indeed orc-women.

You're one of the leading authorities on OFCs in the Tolkien legendarium, so sure you know how easy it is to become ridiculously fond of them.

Oh, yes, indeedy! I had an idea for a comic featuring the OFCs from the Lizard Council. The caption: "Who you callin' 'Mary Sue'?" ;^)

dermestids don't touch fresh meat, afaik

They don't, but DH the architect didn't know that! Ha!

[grey_gazania]

I had an idea for a comic featuring the OFCs from the Lizard Council. The caption: "Who you callin' 'Mary Sue'?" ;^)

Oh, I hope you do this! :D Melamire and Idhlinn and Serinde being all kick-ass. *bounces!*

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

(M'love, don't you dare forget about Parmacunde, Ereiniel, and Ianneth. There are several other ladies all glaring daggers at the omissions.)

[pandemonium-213.livejournal.com]

Ha! And here I was about to reply to say exactly the same thing!

I'll solicit some feedback on general ideas on appearance/distinguishing characteristics of various OFCs. Bear in mind that I draw Morgoth clad in a comfy old cardigan sweater and give him a pipe along with the Iron Crown with the Silmarilli (points to icon). :^D

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

GG's OFCs most emphathically deserve a place in the comic, it doesn't even take a great mind to pick up on that!

Heh, I have absolutely no problem with your depiction of various denizens of Angband... I loved Thuringwethil's Little Black Dress, not to mention Morgoth's little idiosynchrasies. :D Looking forward to the comic! ^^

[grey_gazania]

Stop you are making me turn pink and flaily. ♥

[grey_gazania]

...he looks like my high school anthro teacher. That is awesome. And I love the ears! :D

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Parthenogenetic orcs? Seriously? *insert giggling here* Biological reality (or lack of it, if orcs are mammals) within the legendarium aside, that would cast SUCH a wrong light on the (author's) basic religious background that I'd be hard-pressed to find it plausible in any way. So yes, I'm definitely all for the existence of orc women.

I had an idea for a comic featuring the OFCs from the Lizard Council. The caption: "Who you callin' 'Mary Sue'?" ;^)
That really only allows for one possible answer; DO IT. (Capslock fully intended.)

[pandemonium-213.livejournal.com]

Re: parthenogenic orcs. Yep. What's truly amazing is that Dr. Gee is a paleontologist who is a sr. editor of biological sciences for Nature. I tend to think that Gee was just flexing his speculative life scientist's muscles and fooling about with the idea, given that the multiplying after the Children of Iluvatar bit is mentioned in The Letters of JRRT. So the possible lack of the HoMe/Myths Transformed texts at the time of the publication of The Science of Middle-earth is not an excuse.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

(Loving the smug Annatar icon as well! :D)

Hm. Nothing wrong with fooling around; if I thought that I wouldn't be writing fic - and even contradictions do factor into that. But exploring the canonical science of Middle-earth ought to have included that particular tidbit of research. Is the book worth reading, otherwise?

(And this is the signal for me to get out Myths Transformed and reread. I think I only read that once, enough for basic familiarity, and then put it away in some disgust - quite different disgust than the one after perusing the LaCE - because it was messing with the mythological cosmology of the published Silmarillion that I love(d) so much...)

[pandemonium-213.livejournal.com]

But exploring the canonical science of Middle-earth ought to have included that particular tidbit of research.

Exactly! It showed a certain lack of rigor from an otherwise very sharp fellow.

because it was messing with the mythological cosmology of the published Silmarillion that I love(d) so much...)

Hee! I squee'd and squee'd loudly when I read that revision!* I just loved it. And ran with it. I figured his revised, more "real" round earth heliocentric cosmogony could be just as beautiful and poetic as the Silm flat earth-sun-and-moon-from-fruit scenario (cue that Neil DeGrasse Tyson video).

*My jaw also dropped at his elaborations on Morgoth and Sauron. Ran with those, too. :^D

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

I figured his revised, more "real" round earth heliocentric cosmogony could be just as beautiful and poetic as the Silm flat earth-sun-and-moon-from-fruit scenario.

You won't hear me disagree. There is a great deal of beauty in either version (and by virtue of reality, a lot more in the latter, I suspect), but still. I know it's a gut reaction and probably a hefty dose of primacy effect... definitely time for a reread.

[surgicalsteel.livejournal.com]

*applauds*

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

*bows*

Thank you!

[engarian.livejournal.com]

For a time there one of my regular customers used these lovely bugs for the local Science Museum. I always wanted some of them since I do a fair amount of work with skulls of various critters. Hmmmm.....I wonder if they would like my basement?

- Erulisse (one L)

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

I'm sure they would! While I was researching them for the ficlet, I actually found a couple of sites that let you order a beginner's kit for starting a colony of your own, how cool is that? :D

[engarian.livejournal.com]

I think it's very kewl. I suspect that not many on my Flist would be crazy for carrion beetles though :-)

- Erulisse (one L)

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Hm, with your resident LJers of all sorts of geekery-nerdery backgrounds, who knows? Just mentioned it since you were wondering. ;)

[dwimordene-2011.livejournal.com]

LOL! Black humor first thing in the morning - how lovely! Great timing throughout, and I loved how you set us up with the note that the carcass is wearing armor. I wonder what Idhlinn will discover about orcs (or at least female orcs) through her autopsy and skeleton mounting - strange similarities to Elves, perhaps?

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Definitely similarities! I know she already has her suspicions on their origin, that's why she's so keen on getting her hands on them, among other things that didn't quite fit the drabble.

Thank you for the comment, at any rate, I'm glad you enjoyed this. :)

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

... and the Award for Best (And Possibly Only?) Use of Dermestids In a Fic goes to Lady Elleth!

Loved this.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Aw, surely there has to be a Rule 34 for fictional dermestids as well... just, not involving, er, adult activities. ;)

Thank you.

[nelyo-russandol.livejournal.com]

Yuk! It got me by surprise, though I wondered at the clank of armour... very well done.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Thank you, and I'm sorry it squicked you. She's not everyone's cuppa. ;)

[nelyo-russandol.livejournal.com]

I'm a bit squeamish but this didn't quite squick me, just made me gasp. ;o)

[blslarner.livejournal.com]

I'm with the hunter here--wanting to gag and run! She's the consumate scientific investigator. And love that this orc turned out female. Amanda from the LOTR cast would be honored, I think!

[grey_gazania]

Now you've got me curious, but my google-fu is failing me - who is Amanda?

[blslarner.livejournal.com]

Among the actors who regularly were suited up as orcs in the movies was one woman, Amanda. According to the Making of TTT, she was the orc to whom Saruman addressed the order to send out the warg riders. And in one of the features one of the assistant directors, IIRC, said if he wanted Amanda herself while in the set of the Helm's Deep battle, he had to follow her voice, as the Uruk Hai costumes made it impossible for him to identify her in any other way.

BTW, the child who depicted Eldarion was the son of the orc with the whip outside Shelob's lair when they found Frodo's body, and the one whose warg steed carried Aragorn off the cliff. One guy who reminded me of a Samoan was a servant to Saruman in TTT and the rider of an Oliphaunt in RotK, a fact I'd guessed but was confirmed on research.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I'd like to stay and watch, myself. She's quite enjoying herself, though, you got the scientific investigator down pat. :D

[shadowbrides.livejournal.com]

I liked this a lot! The very small glimpse of your OC is intriguing - do you include her in other stories as well? Plus, I learned what dermestids are. ^^

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Idhlinn (or Estelinde in Quenya) is around in the background of a few of my fics, but so far I don't have anything except one other drabble featuring her center stage - published, that. There's a longer backstory in the works, and I do hope to get that online in due time. :)

Yay for education-via-fic! They're fun, aren't they? ^^

[shadowbrides.livejournal.com]

Ah, okay. Well, I think she would do fine in the spotlight! I found her reaction to the hunter ( "you expect gratitude") interesting, for some reason. Idk. It seemed like a strange reaction.

And definitely, yes!

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

She can hold her own, most definitely - at least I, as her somewhat-besotted writer, do think so. ;)

I found her reaction to the hunter ( "you expect gratitude") interesting, for some reason. Idk. It seemed like a strange reaction.
She's ridiculously strict and exacting on everyone including herself (barring rare indulgent moments like the one above), and I think sometimes expects others to be able to read her mind, so to have a hunter come in with a dead orc of course was a good thing in her book, which she says he ought to have recognized without having it spelled out for him. "Normal" is different, but she's fun to write.

[aliana1.livejournal.com]

Hooboy, this is great--as someone who writes about surgeons and healers as well, Idhlinn sounds like a lady after my own heart. I like how the hunter can't detect her sarcasm.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

You do? That's fantastic. :D Thank you for the comment, it seems I've done something right with this drabble. ^^;