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A Day in the Life by GamgeeFest	8 Review(s)
Andrea	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/6/2006
"Which meant that Frodo now knew what was in the chest and also knew that Merry didn’t know that he knew. Unless he didn’t know. Merry groaned and rubbed his temples. This was going to take a while." LOL!!! That was great! Pippin's observations are right, his older cousins behave like children. Although, Frodo found out about Merry's first prank before anything could happen. Merry will have to come up with something brandnew, otherwise I'm quite sure that Frodo will instantly know what he's up to from a quick look at the preperations. As the "worst rascal in Buckland" he has to defend his title ;-) Author Reply: Pippin is enjoying this far more than he's letting on. He's always in the position of being the youngest, and now he gets to see his two older, sophisticated cousins acting like children. Merry has many tricks up his sleeve and he's not about to give up any time soon. He has a score to settle and once Merry gets his mind set on something, nothing can deter him. Frodo's going to have to step fast to keep ahead of this Brandybuck, but he's more than prepared for the job. I'm glad this gave you a laugh. ^_^ Thanks for reading!

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/6/2006
I think this is going to be a long day for all the participants. Sam is trying to dodge all connection - he will have to stay alert. Pippin is bemused - and will probably end up in the middle of it. And Frodo and Merry are circling each other like a pair of wrestlers, each looking for the advantage. Very amusing to watch - but I'm glad I'm not there. Author Reply: This may turn out to be the longest day in Shire history, lol! Sam will have help soon in staying out of the way. Thankfully, Pippin wants to go into town. Sam will breathe a sigh of relief to see them go. It may be the first time he's actually glad to see his master leave. Not that it will help with his distractions though. ~_^ Frodo and Merry are in a battle of the minds and wits as much as anything else. Merry's trying desperately to outsmart Frodo and Frodo is doing everything he can to keep ahead of the game. I think we'll all be glad to sit this one out! Glad this gave you a chuckle. Thanks for reading!

Baggins Babe	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/5/2006
This is hilarious! I love the way Frodo and Merry are saying one thing and thinking another. Love the way Frodo is one step ahead of Merry - after his antics in Buckland I should think there are very few tricks he doesn't know about. Love Pip's stream of consciousness chatter about the flowers, and dear patient Sam gritting his teeth and coping with the 'help'! Author Reply: Merry did learn everything he knows from Frodo, but that isn't to say that Frodo taught Merry everything he knows. ;) Frodo didn't earn his title as "worst rascal in Buckland" for nothing, but his approach tends to be more subtle than Merry's. Pippin is such a dear. So sweet and charming. How could Sam possibly tell him no? I can just picture him chattering away non-stop when he's excited about something. Wonder how many questions he had to bombard Sam with to learn all that. :) Thanks for reading! I'm glad this gave you a laugh.

MaidenofValinor	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/5/2006
Oooohhh getting rather heated there...Merry...tsktsk. He's so childish. Lol. Aww I want to hug Pippin. He's such a sweetie pie! Author Reply: Merry does tend to revert back to childishness from time to time, doesn't he? But he still manages to charm us, lol. Pippin is so adorable at this age, and also quite the handful. Poor Sam, having to contend with all these cousins. Thanks for reading! :)

Jeodo Brandybuck	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/5/2006
What fun! What fun! I can't wait for the next installation! Thanks for a great read. Jeodo Brandybuck Author Reply: Thank you for reading! I'm glad this gave you a laugh. The fun has only just begun. Things should get a bit more hectic before the end of this day.

XtremeFrolicker	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/5/2006
Beautifully done! I am perfectly in love with all the stories in your continuing plotlines, and i can't wait for a new installment! Author Reply: Thanks so much, and it's wonderful to hear from you! I'm glad you're enjoying this and my other stories. :)

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/5/2006
Oh golly! I had planned to save this until I got home this afternoon--but I couldn't resist taking just a peek, and then, oh my! I love this. You have the interactions of all four of them down so well! You know how I adore all of them together! So Uncle Dinodas is the Brandybuck family tutor! Wheee! And I was just dying over this part: Merry closed the lid and sat on the chest, trying to noodle this out. Now, it was quite likely that Frodo would never think to the look in the linen chest. True, Frodo was sharp as a tack but he did tend to overlook smaller details like that. However, Frodo was clearly suspicious and had come to this room to look it over. When Frodo put his mind to things, very little was overlooked, if any at all. So, it was also equally as likely that Frodo had looked in the chest, which meant he would have seen what Merry was hiding in there. Being the devious Baggins that he was, he would leave those items in the chest and let Merry go on his way, assuming that Merry wouldn’t think to guess that Frodo had seen them. Which meant that Frodo now knew what was in the chest and also knew that Merry didn’t know that he knew. Unless he didn’t know. What a hoot! You must be a fan of "The Princess Bride"! It sounded just like Wesley and Fezzini! I do so love the way poor Sam is all caught in the middle of these cousinly maneuvers. His dismay over the thought of all of them trying to help him with the path was priceless. And I so love his patience with Pippin--who really is being a bit neglected by his older cousins at this point, since they are both so pre-occupied with putting one over on the other. And I like poor Merry's confusion here. Set at this point, between "Harvest Moon" and "Walking Trip", he is going to be confused and defensive. He really no longer knows how to treat Sam, since they are no longer friends. Yet he knows Frodo will never stand for him coming over all superior to Sam. And he knows deep inside that it's not really what he wants anyway. But Frodo is not really being fair either, using Sam in a way, to sidetrack Merry. The two cousins are very single minded here--their "Brandybuckishness" coming to the fore, possibly to the detriment of both Sam and Pippin. And Pippin is marvelous here. His breathless recital near the end, as he tells his cousin everything he's learned from Sam that morning is just adorable and so Pippish. And he's not going to forget a word of it. And now I'm a bit breathless, and a little disappointed in myself that I couldn't wait to savor this, but had to gulp it all down greedily. Author Reply: hehe I love these four together too, especially when they're all being such rascals, in their own ways, and any time Frodo can be a bit silly and mischevious is a special treat. Uncle Dino pulled the tutor card, lol. Laziness on my part, but I didn't think you'd mind. :) "The Princess Bride" is one of my favorites and that scene with the poison always cracks me up. If only I could have worked in an "Inconceivable!" in here somewhere, and believe me, I was looking for a spot to put it! But I think that would have been too over-the-top even for this fic, which is also borrowing inspiration from "Xena", The Beatles and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". The Gaffer is wasting his breath: Sam is already quite stuck in the middle of his betters' affairs. He can't say he wasn't warned though. He knew Merry was going to be up to no good, and he knew Frodo was going to be on his guard. He wasn't quite expecting to get so caught up in it as he is, but he has the advantage of not being related to them, lol. He can go home at the end of the day. ;) Ah, Pippin. He does seem to be getting the short end of the stick, but I wouldn't count him out just yet. At least he learned all those interesting things about gardening, which he of course couldn't help sharing with his cousins. I love it when Pippin is so Pippish. :) Merry's being a bit of prick toward Sam. He can't be his friend anymore, so banter would only offend Sam more. Knowing that Sam never forgave him does put him a bit on guard, and he's starting to settle into the belief that servants can be told what to do rather than requested to do things. Not a good combination. On top of that, Frodo won't put up with Sam being mistreated, so Merry is finding himself walking a very tight line with nothing really to balance himself. It doesn't help that he's still so jealous of Sam either. At this point, he doesn't really know what he wants in his relationship with Sam, just that he wishes there was some way he could communicate with him. Frodo's showing his old rascally ways. Sam's getting his first taste of just what his master used to get up to when he lived in Buckland. That "Brandybuckishness" (I like that word!) is making both cousins behave in ways they wouldn't normally act. Throw in Merry's head-strong tendencies and Frodo's good old Baggins stubborness, and Sam will be wishing for a place to hide soon enough, lol. I'm so glad you're enjoying this and that you got a laugh or two from it. :)

Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/5/2006
I simply can't wait to see who finally wins out in this war of pranks. I know Frodo is on the watch but Merry seems very determined. And poor Sam! Caught in the middle and being used by both of them to a certain extent. I loved Merry's idea to use the butter as soap. Too funny! Hoping for more soon! Author Reply: It should be interesting, to say the least. Merry is quite determined and a determined Brandybuck is rather dangerous, lol. Frodo has experience with these things though, having been a rascal himself in his younger days (and still being a bit of one now). Frodo's going to have to keep two steps ahead of Merry if he wants to get through this day unscathed. ;) Sam had some warning of what was to come and he certainly knows what Merry is capable of. He's always willing to help Frodo in any way he can, but this is putting a bit of strain on him. Wouldn't be so bad if Merry wasn't acting like a prick though, lol. Merry is full of ideas and he'll be happy to get any of them to work. Thanks for reading and for the rec! I'm glad this gave you a laugh.

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