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A Different Kind of Quest by Dreamflower	5 Review(s)
Celeste Lucretia Black	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/14/2021
Yes!

Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/16/2005
Hobbits going shopping - what an unusual subject! A strange thing I never would have guessed them to want to do, although now that the war has been won and they are cooped up in Minas Tirith, it makes some sense to want some rememberances of their travels to take home to their families. That rankled me, too, the way Aragorn would not let the hobbits return home, but gave them no reason or idea as to how long they would be stuck in Minas Tirith. Had they known, they would have been glad to stay, but being kept in the dark, it's only natural for them to feel as you portray them. Of course they want to go home to the Shire. Who wouldn't? It's not even my home and I still want to go there! lol! I agree that Legolas and even Gimli would also be homesick about this time. They've been so far from home for so long now and as you said, there are few trees and greenery in Minas Tirith for Legolas to enjoy. At least Legolas has been able to see others of his kind during the Quest, but, Gimli hasn't seen a dwarf since they left Rivendell. "“Good morning, Merry and Pippin,” said Legolas, crouching down next to them. Gimli grunted a greeting and sat down on the other end of the bench. Merry fought down the urge to say “What’s good about it?” and muttered a brief “Hullo.” “What’s good about it?” said Pippin sullenly. Merry moaned. A Pippin miserable enough to be rude to his friends was a miserable Pip indeed. Besides, he’d thought of it first." This was an excellent exchange! I guess in some ways, Pippin really is still a tweenager, although I wouldn't put it passed him to say it even as an adult. And Merry, to hold his tongue and not make the rude comment but to then be slightly irked that he had thought of it first! lol! "“And we want to go home!” said Pippin firmly. He did not look so much mournful at this as determined. Merry’s scowl re-appeared." Trust Pippin to be direct about it. At least he apologised for the outburst. More of that Tookish moodiness, from both cousins. Why would Merry suddenly think of that spyglass, I wonder? You know, since Pippin is the one who broke it, I should think he would at least offer to pay for half if not all of the cost to replace it. It must really have had an impact on Pippin for him to remember what it was like to look out the spyglass as well as breaking it, given that he was the equivalent of 3-4 Man years of age. "“My dear hobbits!” interrupted Gimli. “Do not, I pray you, get off the subject. You were telling us of this marvelous Dwarven spyglass.”" lol! How like Gimli to care not a lick about the geneology but to want to hear more about something made by Dwarves! Very in character. I really like the voice you give him. Sorry I've not been reviewing much of late, but I had some family matters to attend to. But now that I'm back, you can count on getting more reviews on your excellent stories. Poor you - more reviews when you haven't caught up on my previous ones yet! Such is the fate of a great writer whose stories compel me to review. lol! Author Reply: You know, that sort of shopping just seems to me a very hobbity thing to do, giving that presents make such an important part of hobbit culture. But they'd not, as yet, had a chance to think of doing so in the City. From the very first time I read the books, there were a few things that rankled me about certain characters. One was Gandalf's tendency to keep important information to himself. And the other was this, Aragorn telling them they couldn't go home, without telling them why. (I know the story-external reason--JRRT wanted to keep certain things in the plot secret from the readers--but I still found it very irritating; still find it, actually.) And my upcoming story will also deal with this self-same plot point. After 38 years of brooding about it, I'm far less forgiving of Aragorn than the hobbits were, LOL! You know that my Pippin, in spite of his general cheerfulness, still has his occasional moments of tweenaged moodiness. And this time, Merry, who usually is trying to cheer him up, happens to be in a bad mood himself, so they are indulging in a bit of mutual self-pity here. And of course Legolas and Gimli had probably never seen both of them cross and depressed at the same time. And you're right, the Elf and Dwarf are probably homesick themselves. But being far older and more experienced in the ways of the world, they endure it a lot better. I don't think Merry has ever completely forgotten the spyglass, and Legolas' question probably sparked something to bring it to the front of his mind. Pippin didn't offer to pay half, because he knows just how personal this is to Merry: to keep a promise he made to his father. Pippin's part in breaking it was incidental to the way Merry has made it a personal mission in his life. I am sure that even three years after coming-of-age, he was probably still checking with the merchants from Bree. Only the Conspiracy and the Quest had probably driven it from his mind. You know how single-minded that Brandybuck can be, LOL! Pippin, knowing Merry as he does, would know an offer to help pay would be rebuffed. Yes, I think Gimli would have been much more interested in the Dwarven artifact than in hearing more about Merry's and Pippin's family trees--about which he has probably heard more already than he ever wanted to know. I just figured you were busy with RL. It does have this ugly way of interfering in time that would be better spent in Middle-earth.grin And I shall certainly try to catch up on any reviews I missed. RL has been rather interfering to me lately as well.

GamgeeFest	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/8/2004
What a lovely story! I can fully see Merry still falling for Pippin's pout, even after all these years. Homesickness is the worst thing, especially when you have no clue when you'll be able to go home. It was good of Legolas and Gimli to distract the hobbits. Author Reply: Merry knows very well what Pippin's Look is all about, but he loves him enough to fall for it anyway. Ever since I first read LoTR many years ago, I always thought it was somewhat unkind of Aragorn and Gandalf not to explain things a bit better when they told the hobbits it wasn't time to go yet. I don't think they meant it to be, they jsut didn't want to spoil the surprise, but I am sure that the hobbits did not react well to the news. Legolas and Gimli would do just about anything for their hobbits!

Pipinheart	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/7/2004
Really great, they are homesick and cana't go home, but they can shop for gifts. Love the little story about the spyglass, hope they find him one,and a nice one too... Please update soon.... Author Reply: Updating now. 8-) I'm glad you are enjoying the story. All of this grew out of the spyglass story--it was too small to be a story by itself.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/7/2004
I just wrote a comment that showed that I had read more than chapter one - so I've wiped it. Lovely story. Good way to deal with depressed hobbits. Author Reply: Thank you! 8-D Next to food--shopping!!!

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