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Terazed
Bree
Sep 24 2013, 11:59pm
Views: 798
Shortcut
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'The Makropulos Affair' On dimming the music
[In reply to]
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Can't Post
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I felt death grabbing me. It wasn't so bad. You are all here as if you weren't here. You are things and shadows. To die, to go away... It's all the same. Alas, one should not live so long. If only you knew how easy your life is. You are so close to everything. Everything has meaning to you. Everything has a value for you. You are so happy. Stupid coincidence lets you die early. You believe in humanity, in greatness and love. You could not ask for anything more. But in me life has halted. Jesus Christ! I can go no further! This terrible loneliness! Krista, it is all in vain, singing or staying silent . You grow tired of goodness. You grow tired of badness. Earth becomes boring. Heaven bores you. And you feel you soul die within you...I don't want it anymore. Here, take it. Nobody wants it? Krista dear, I took your boyfriend. You are beautiful, you have it! You'll be famous! You'll sing like Emilia Marty! Your statements on music are interesting. It brings to mind the ending of the Czech opera 'The Makropulos Affair' by Leos Janecek (1925). The principal character is Emilia Marty. She is beautiful. She is the great singer of the age. She also has peculiar blunted emotions. None of the other characters can understand what interest she has in a will that has been in probate for the past 100 years nor how she knows so much about the life of someone dead 100 years. At the end of the opera we learn that her real name is Elina Makropulos. She is 337 years old. Her father was an alchemist in the employ of the Holy Roman Emperor. He had made a potion of youth for the emperor but the emperor didn't trust him and made him try it out on his daughter. It looked like the potion didn't work as she was unconscious for a week. The emperor had him executed. He gave her the formula for the potion before he died. She had lived under aliases since but usually as a singer. She gave the formula to her son 200 years latter but never had a chance to tell him what it was. It is in his papers that the formula is. Emilia realizes that the potion is wearing off and is trying to find the formula to make the potion again. When she finally gets a hold the formula she realizes that she does not want it. The quote above is her final lines in the opera. It sounds a bit like your comments about the fading of the colors of the original music. It also strikes me how like the elves, she turned to music and art to live out her long existence. She also talks of how the world and how people fade and are like shadows. She talks of how good and bad fades and how heaven fades. I don't think the opera was performed in England when Tolkien was writing his works but I do know the play on which it was based was performed in England in the 1920s.
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Subject
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User
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Time
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Letter #131 Discussion: Of Elves and Men
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Brethil
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Sep 22 2013, 6:32pm
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Of Elves and Men: Doom and Falls
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Brethil
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Sep 22 2013, 6:33pm
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"Doom" was the drumbeat by the Moria orcs
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CuriousG
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Sep 22 2013, 9:57pm
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No satisfaction...
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Brethil
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Sep 22 2013, 11:56pm
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Feanor's life coach - LOL!
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Na Vedui
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Sep 23 2013, 2:23am
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I'm picturing a Talk to the Hand...
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Brethil
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Sep 24 2013, 4:14pm
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Wow
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Na Vedui
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Sep 25 2013, 3:05am
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Astronomy in MEarth
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CuriousG
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Sep 25 2013, 8:55pm
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Interesting CG
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Brethil
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Sep 25 2013, 11:13pm
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God is love or love is God
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Terazed
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Sep 23 2013, 4:40am
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A diamond (ring) is a girl's best friend
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CuriousG
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Sep 23 2013, 12:39pm
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The sacred and the ordinary
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Terazed
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Sep 24 2013, 12:37am
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Aragorn and Christian message
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Brethil
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Sep 24 2013, 4:08pm
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More great philosophical connections Terazed
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Brethil
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Sep 23 2013, 7:04pm
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Too busy for a proper reply...
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Rembrethil
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Sep 23 2013, 11:15pm
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In light of the Romantic philosophy...
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Brethil
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Sep 24 2013, 3:52pm
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There seems to be a point about faith in here (but I can't work out what it is)
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noWizardme
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Sep 24 2013, 9:00pm
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Faith then and now
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Brethil
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Sep 25 2013, 2:06am
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I've thought that since 1st read
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CuriousG
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Sep 25 2013, 1:22pm
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Great comparison CG! //
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Brethil
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Sep 25 2013, 5:30pm
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The concept of "heaven"
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Dame Ioreth
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Sep 25 2013, 10:34pm
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Cool: bring on the dolphins!
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Brethil
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Sep 25 2013, 11:38pm
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What was the question?
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Meneldor
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Sep 26 2013, 4:19am
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Of Elves and Men: Fading
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Brethil
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Sep 22 2013, 6:38pm
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What is 'fading'?
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Rembrethil
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Sep 24 2013, 2:40am
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Musings on fading
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Brethil
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Sep 25 2013, 4:03am
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Thoughts of a faded elf
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noWizardme
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Sep 25 2013, 8:44am
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Eternal old age?
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CuriousG
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Sep 25 2013, 1:19pm
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Old age is a risk factor, but not the whole thing
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noWizardme
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Sep 25 2013, 1:51pm
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I agree with you here CG
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elaen32
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Sep 25 2013, 9:22pm
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Galadriel staying busy
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Brethil
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Sep 25 2013, 11:08pm
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Weariness and political action
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Brethil
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Sep 25 2013, 5:29pm
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You kinda wonder what happens when Elrond and Galadriel step off the boat at the other end. And now the elves organize…
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noWizardme
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Sep 25 2013, 8:29pm
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Fading and glowing
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CuriousG
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Sep 25 2013, 9:04pm
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You must go through lots of bleach just to get those ice cream stains out. //
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Brethil
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Sep 25 2013, 11:45pm
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*DISREGARDING* the laundry red-herring this time CG
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Brethil
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Sep 26 2013, 4:39pm
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Dimming the music
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Dame Ioreth
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Sep 24 2013, 1:59pm
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And Men come into the equation...
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Brethil
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Sep 24 2013, 4:03pm
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Wait, is this like that cat thing?
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Dame Ioreth
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Sep 26 2013, 12:04am
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Cats in boxes?! What's next?
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Brethil
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Sep 26 2013, 12:18am
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Because I have permission - a joke
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Dame Ioreth
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Sep 26 2013, 1:53am
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(*hysterical laughing interlude*)
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Brethil
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Sep 26 2013, 1:56am
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*adds more nerdsnorts* Haw!
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dernwyn
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Sep 27 2013, 10:20am
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Nice one!//
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Na Vedui
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Sep 27 2013, 2:27pm
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Choke, Splutter, Heee! //
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Ethel Duath
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Sep 28 2013, 12:48am
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Makes me think we need a Nerdsnort section in the Tolkienia Times. //
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Brethil
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Sep 28 2013, 12:50am
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:D and of course the Pun Pages.//
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Ethel Duath
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Sep 28 2013, 12:58am
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Bwahahaha!
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Roheryn
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Sep 28 2013, 11:07am
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(*wasn't that great!?!?*) //
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Brethil
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Sep 28 2013, 4:02pm
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Interesting post
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Lightfoot
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Sep 24 2013, 8:23pm
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Is the sadness inevitable do you think?
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 4:30am
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The long defeat - inevitable sadness
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Dame Ioreth
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Sep 27 2013, 1:16pm
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I have to agree on its emotional influence, even though he doesn't want the allegory stamp
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 7:00pm
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I suppose that if everyone were immortal
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Lightfoot
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Sep 27 2013, 1:44pm
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I think that the change might have been the greater factor in their discontent...
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Rembrethil
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Sep 27 2013, 2:13pm
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That's a good what-if
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CuriousG
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Sep 27 2013, 5:28pm
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But then you have authorial dicta...
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Rembrethil
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Sep 27 2013, 6:20pm
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More good points...(and questions...)
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 7:15pm
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Elvish civil war!
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Lightfoot
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Sep 29 2013, 1:00am
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I rambled on in response to Rem above...
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 7:29pm
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Ha!
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Rembrethil
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Sep 27 2013, 7:35pm
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(*bows*) Thank you Rem! //
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 9:18pm
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Is Valinor just one of the Three?
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CuriousG
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Sep 27 2013, 8:50pm
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Or inverse...
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 8:58pm
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I think the Three are based on Valinor.
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CuriousG
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Sep 27 2013, 9:23pm
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Yes - that show you named last week. "When Machines fall on Mortals."
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 9:27pm
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Yes
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Rembrethil
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Sep 27 2013, 9:34pm
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The biggest change being a discontent factor: the coming of Men?
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 6:34pm
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I think the elves might have stayed put if
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Lightfoot
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Sep 29 2013, 12:50am
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The Moriquendi as Men's teachers...
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Brethil
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Sep 29 2013, 1:24am
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Very possible...I want to address it in one answer (see response below to Rem)..//
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 6:21pm
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'The Makropulos Affair' On dimming the music
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Terazed
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Sep 24 2013, 11:59pm
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Another thought on 'fading'
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Rembrethil
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Sep 27 2013, 8:08pm
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They were shorter too.
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Dame Ioreth
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Sep 27 2013, 8:38pm
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All jealous of Thorin clearly.
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 8:46pm
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(*ahem*) Grown up answer that I owe you.
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Brethil
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Sep 28 2013, 3:04am
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Of stabbing and fading
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CuriousG
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Sep 27 2013, 8:48pm
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Immortality: Satisfaction NOT guarenteed
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Rembrethil
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Sep 27 2013, 9:08pm
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All this and NO Customer Service hotlines. Or Unions. //
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 9:13pm
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Yup - thoughts on Morgul-blades
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 9:11pm
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The fea of Elves and of Men
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Rembrethil
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Sep 27 2013, 9:17pm
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I *tend* (donning tinfoil pants, just in case) to think...
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 9:23pm
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The problem with magic rings
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CuriousG
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Sep 27 2013, 9:27pm
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Rings in general
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 9:36pm
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How to catch a fea
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Rembrethil
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Sep 27 2013, 9:45pm
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(*wiping tear of laughter*) at the idea of Fea-Mart
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 10:29pm
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'Unfinished Business'
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Rembrethil
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Sep 27 2013, 10:46pm
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You clearly have some unique insights here Rem.
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Brethil
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Sep 28 2013, 12:46am
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I really can't answer with a horde staring me down.
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CuriousG
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Sep 27 2013, 9:18pm
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Throw in Immortal Thorin and sign me up too. I'm up for that party. //
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 9:29pm
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YOU said the RR wasn't for sissies. Just saying. //
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Brethil
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Sep 28 2013, 2:51am
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The fading as fate: tied with subcreation?
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Brethil
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Sep 27 2013, 9:05pm
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Two quotes. Natural and Unnatural fading
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Terazed
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Sep 27 2013, 10:39pm
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Immortality vs mere existence
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Brethil
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Sep 28 2013, 12:39am
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The perfect quote yet again
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Terazed
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Sep 28 2013, 6:32am
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I've always wanted to say..
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Rembrethil
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Sep 28 2013, 12:49pm
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Thanks. Some of the problems involved.
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Terazed
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Sep 28 2013, 4:01pm
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I have to second Rem's appreciation Terazed
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Brethil
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Sep 28 2013, 4:24pm
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The quotes are perfect though
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Dame Ioreth
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Sep 28 2013, 3:57pm
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Bucket lists
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Brethil
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Sep 28 2013, 4:33pm
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Ties in to a very important question
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Brethil
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Sep 28 2013, 5:22pm
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The God-King: What about Neitzsche?
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Terazed
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Sep 28 2013, 7:57pm
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Another great tie in
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Brethil
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Sep 29 2013, 2:12am
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Religious truth and the enlightenment
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Terazed
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Sep 29 2013, 4:43am
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Another great addition
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Brethil
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Sep 30 2013, 12:36am
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Easy?
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CuriousG
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Sep 22 2013, 9:21pm
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(*gets out hammer and nails*)
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Brethil
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Sep 22 2013, 11:32pm
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Children of the Day, Children of the Night
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Terazed
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Sep 25 2013, 11:08pm
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You are never boring Terazed
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Brethil
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Sep 25 2013, 11:29pm
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