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Dreamflower's Mathoms I by Dreamflower	10 Review(s)
Socrates399	Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 10/14/2008
Oh! I almost cried... Author Reply: Thank you, dear! It's most gratifying and unexpected to get a comment on a story that's been up for a while. Thank you for taking the time to tell me.

GamgeeFest	Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 8/10/2006
Poor Tom. I've been in his place too many times to count. It's always hard when a friend outgrows you but you still continue to care about them the same. Author Reply: It is. It is very hard to realize that you no longer have as much in common with someone you are fond of as you once had. But Tom's a Cotton, and like Rose, he's steadfast. So even though he's no longer Sam's "best" friend, he knows that he remains his very "good friend".

Anso the Hobbit	Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 1/6/2006
This was really nice, but sad too, in a bittersweet way. I always like seeing the other hobbits through minor characters eyes and you made a very good impression with this. Things have definitely changed and also for the ones standing our lads closest before they left. Author Reply: Yes, a bit melancholy. Tom knows that Sam's grown just beyond him now; I am sure that you are right--others who were close to them before they left will find them hard to understand now.

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 12/29/2005
Aww, Dreamflower, that is sooo sad! But Tom is right: those four went through more than the hobbits of the Shire could ever imagine, and that bond is stronger than childhood games. This is wonderfully done. It's very much in-canon, and the Tom's voice rings true. God bless, Galadriel Author Reply: Thank you. I have always liked Tom Cotton, and I thought he might have a unique perspective on things. Thank you.

Pearl Took	Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 12/27/2005
Oh, this is so sweetly, saddly, strong. Such a wonderful look at the Travellers from an outside point of view. Well Done!! Author Reply: Thank you. I just thought that sometimes Tom might regret a little bit that he wasn't as close to Sam as he once was.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 12/27/2005
Well, if being a Bucklander means that gentry can be friends with the working class, then I doubt they’re so queer ;) I’m sorry for Tom, this is obviously a bit difficult for him to accept, but I think he’s right. After all they’ve been through together, the Travellers share a bond much more intense than mere friendship. Although I hope Sam doesn’t forget Tom’s friendship completely, even if he can’t share his experiences with him as he can with Merry and Pippin. And I am very pleased to know Sam has stopped being proper and to call Merry and Pippin „Mr.“. It’s about time! Author Reply: My idea is that Buckland is a sort of frontier of the Shire. The hobbits there, including the Master and his family, take pride in the idea that everyone pulls his or her own weight, and that the Master can work right alongside the other hobbits when it comes to getting things done. Of course, the snobbier sorts in the more settled parts of the Shire consider it "queer" or "uncouth". Tom has accepted it. He misses being Sam's best friend, but he knows the reason that he no longer can be that. And of course, Sam still counts him a great friend, after all, he's his brother-in-law twice over! LOL! Not long after Frodo departed, Merry and Pippin finally badgered Sam into dropping the "Mr." although in times of stress it may still pop out!

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 12/26/2005
I'd not considered that, how displacement has come to the relationship of young Tom. Bless him for understanding what he admits he can't fully understand. Bless him indeed. Author Reply: "Displacement"--a very good word for it. When he and Sam were small, they were ideal playmates, living relatively close together, distant cousins, same age--a friendship was only natural. Even Sam's affection for Frodo didn't affect that, since the distance in their ages made his relationship with Frodo unequal not on the social grounds as the Gaffer would have it, but unequal in that Sam was so much younger Frodo would have been more mentor than friend. And even his early friendship with Merry would not have had much effect, as Merry was only in Hobbiton for two or three months in the Spring. But the Quest changed everything. By the time they left, the age difference had been basically erased by the Ring keeping Frodo young. (Physically, Sam would actually have been about four or five years older, as Frodo's age was frozen at thirty-three.) But of course, the main difference is in experience. As Tom observes, nearly dying together forges a very strong bond indeed. But Tom's own affection and friendship for Sam has remained unchanged.

cher	Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 12/26/2005
I like the insight Tom has gained; something that would not have happened without the Troubles, I suspect. I always thought Marigold made a good decision in marrying him. Such a solid man, with real concern and affection for both Marigold and Sam. Author Reply: Yes, Tom knows. And the Tom of my Shire especially knows about comradeship, because he and Jolly were part of Fredegar's band during the Troubles, although they luckily were not with the group when it was captured. But I feel that the Tom of canon would also be solid, like his father, and I'm sure loved Marigold very much, and had a close friendship with Sam.

Baggins Babe	Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 12/26/2005
A lovely look at one of the lesser-known characters, and such a sweet glimpse. Sam is obviously still fond of the Cotton lads but only Merry and Pippin truly understand - just as war veterans returned from the front unable to talk to their closest family, because how could they ever describe what they had witnessed? And yes, for the three veterans there was always an empty seat at the table. Seasonal greetings to you, Dreamflower! Author Reply: You get the picture perfectly. Yet Tom is such a good friend that he's not jealous of Sam's friendships with the other two, for he knows he could never understand as they do. And to you, BB! (By the way, my own "happy AU" will be making a return in my January Challenge story!)

PIppinfan1988	Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 12/26/2005
Awwww! sniffle Until now, I really never gave poor Tom a second thought as for his friendship with Sam, though the Professor is explicit in Sam conveying how close a friend he is to Tom and his brothers as they return to the Shire. As usual, you have this beautiful knack of drawing out tears and tugging the heartstrings. Thank you for a wonderful tale! Pippinfan p.s. Its been such a busy weekend for me--I do mean to read those backstories of yours from the Challenges. :-) Author Reply: Yes, hardly anyone gives poor Tom a thought. Yet it's clear from "Scouring of the Shire" that they're very good friends, and Tom marries Sam's sister--making any of their children double cousins! But there is no way they could have been as close after Sam's return as they were before he left.

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