B2MEM Fic: Nor by Jerusalem

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

B2MeM Challenge: I-18 (Feanatics challenge: freedom fighters)
Format: prose short story (1,212 words)
Genre: drama, angst
Rating: Teen
Warnings: language
Characters: Maedhros, Caranthir
Pairings: n/a
Summary: "But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King." Caranthir and Maedhros, on the Oath.

Nor by Jerusalem

Comments

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

A great start to BTME!I'm still chewing my prompts over!

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked.

[huinare.livejournal.com]

I quite liked this. I was introduced to "The Ethics of Belief" fairly recently and I enjoyed the incorporation of its ideas here. Also, I am freakish in my disinclination to care much for the Feanorians, but you made them interesting to me (which doesn't happen often).

[engarian.livejournal.com]

Nice response to the prompt.

- Erulisse (one L)

[pandemonium-213.livejournal.com]

I loved this, Marta! Caranthir's voice/inner narrative is so clear and strong. Very nice work there. Much to chew over in the "deep thoughts" department. And even this "non-philosopher" understood it. ;^)

As an aside, I made a brief commentary on the Oath through a character (whom you know well), and it takes a more humanistic view, not surprisingly. I don't want to SSP in a response to your excellent story, so will send under separate cover.

Again, very well done.

[silver-trails.livejournal.com]

Perfect! Your Caranthir is perfect!

Very nice fic!

[foxrafer.livejournal.com]

I really liked this. I could feel the conflict in Caranthir very clearly, and his attempts at justifying or explaining away the oath were particularly good.

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

Thanks! In many cases I think Clifford is right, but he can be carried too far. Truth is very important, but not as important as other things like life and liberty.

Anyway, glad you enjoyed the Clifford and the Feanorians. they are hardly my normal cup of tea, so I am gratified that they seemed interesting to you.

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Erulisse-with-the-one-L. Glad you liked it.

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much, Pande! I am gratified in particular that you thought Caranthir's voice was strong and convincing. He's such a dark and broody character, it's very easy to go overboard with him. That, combined with the nail-biting nervousness I think anyone new to Silmfic would have when making elves swear, made this one a difficult story to post. So I'm glad you liked it.

Interesting thoughts re: the Oath. I replied privately, but for now let me just say that I think there is much, much more to say on that topic. It's such fertile philosophical ground.

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

Excellent! Thanks for telling me.

[dwimordene-2011.livejournal.com]

Mm, Kant... he is exactly who's needed to help pin someone to a troublesome and unwanted bout of conscience and doubt, isn't he?

It's interesting to see Caranthir, for once, as the perspective on the departure from Valinor. Nice to see him having, you know, SOCIAL feelings (he had friends!) and doubts about his role in all of this, and a recognition of the irony: that here they go to find freedom, which will be freedom from all the rest of society, thanks to this oath.

Well done!

[aliana1.livejournal.com]

I really liked your perspectives on oaths, here, as well as your imagery, especially of the water. (Also, can I say that that "bullshit!" near the beginning of the story took me by surprise and made me smile, but wasn't jarring, as I often find modern-ish profanities to be when uttered in an Arda-verse context)

[dreamflower]

As little as I know about the Feanorians in general, this was not only perfectly comprehensible, but moving as well, as Caranthir tries to make sense of the shambles his world has become. I can so understand that heartfelt "But I didn't *mean* it!", a cry still heard today all too often.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Aside from the strength of the writing and depth of the discussion I loved the imagery you used here. I'll definitely be coming back to this story. :)

[havamahal.livejournal.com]

Very interesting view on the Oath. So the Valar were meddling in this matter as well... *stops herself before beginning another anti-Valar rant* Uhm... sorry about that.

I have to wonder if Maedhros would even have the opportunity to claim his own land and form his own court, if Fëanor would survive that first battle. Caranthir could probaly have his mind, but I'm not sure what would happen with Maedhros' dreams. Good story. I enjoyed reading it.

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

Thanks your reading it Havamahal. As a philosophy grad student with a particular interest in philosophy of religion, the Valar have always interested me. Glad to know I'm not the only one who can go on the anti-Valar tear.

As for Maedhros - I was building on the idea (in my mind, at least) that part of Feanor's "sales pitch" for leaving Valinor was the possibility of founding kingdoms free from the Valar. I'm hardly a Silm writer (I focus more on Gondor), but that always struck me as something Feanor thought was good and wanted it for himself - he seems to really see Middle-earth as a place they can all stretch their wings. But as I said, I'm not the expert here!

[havamahal.livejournal.com]

As a philosophy grad student with a particular interest in philosophy of religion, the Valar have always interested me. Glad to know I'm not the only one who can go on the anti-Valar tear.

Philosophy? *backs away in awe* Don't mind little ol' me. :)

Valar are a very interesting topic to study - as is the whole religion in the world Tolkien created. My views on them usually aren't what people would like to hear about the so-called 'angelic creatures', so I try to keep my mouth shut, if possible. But there are still times, when I slip... the way I did here. Thanks for not holding it against me. ;)

As for not being an expert... if all the non-experts would write Silm stuff the way you do, I'd probably stay glued to my computer day and night.