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Moments in Time by Larner	9 Review(s)
PIppinfan1988	Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 1/26/2008
Wow. Awesomely done! I've read it elsewhere that the "Enemy" comes not but to "steal, kill, and destroy." The Ring is certainly the Enemy here. I don't have the energy nor am I that tenacious to go "deep" into a storyline such as how the Ring destroyed Frodo and Bilbo's "natural" lives, but I'm more than happy to read what your own tenacity will bring forth! :-) I think you dealt with the issues at hand very nicely and I can easily see how It could force Its way into their thoughts and dreams to distort anything "good". I do so like the thought that Frodo at least had the chance of a "normal" love-life, though chose a different road for his own reasons. Very well done! Author Reply: Thanks so much, Pippinfan! Yes, I suspect that the Ring did Its best to damage the ability of Its bearers to live normal, happy lives and develop proper emotional relationships; and that image of how possibly Frodo in time might have become another Gollum-type creature sparked by footage PJ filmed but never used in the films just sort of sticks in my imagination. It's a subject that does interest me, obviously.

Antane	Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 8/26/2007
I hate that Ring and its master for what it/he did! I don't know why people are so hung up with Frodo and Sam being gay and say nothing of expletive deleted Sauron who so brutally raped all the bearers of his expletive deleted Ring! Okay, I'll go back to being more calm now but grrrrr.... Author Reply: If Tolkien hadn't had Sam call Frodo "me dear" and then the movies came out just at a time when EVERYTHING is interpreted sexually and so many have such ambivalent and often poorly reasoned attitudes toward homosexuality, there'd probably have been little such consideration, Antane. The Ring worked to remake Its bearers into Its own image. Look what It did to Smeagol! That it would attack through almost any potentially strong emotion is, unfortunately, all too likely; and it's difficult to find emotions that run stronger than sexuality and love, particularly as the two are so closely bound together. But not everyone someone has sex with does that individual tend to love, especially if the person has multiple sexual partners. Then the love that is supposed to be expressed through sexual sharing tends to turn inwards and become destructively self-love instead of what it was meant to be--a means of reinforcing emotional and spiritual commitments with your partner. As for the emotion of love itself--in "The Great Divorce" C.S. Lewis points out that the greater the good, the more evil it becomes when that good is twisted from its purpose. The greater the angel, the more destructive a devil it becomes if it falls. And love that is used to grasp and control ceases to be love, no matter what it might be called. There had to be some reason Frodo, with his background, didn't marry. Yes, it's possible he might have had homosexual tendencies (although there is no indication that Tolkien admitted or intended such a situation within the universe of Ea or the world of Arda). However, I suspect that the Ring Itself took his own romantic and sexual tendencies and sought to twist them to evil, and he resisted as best he could; and that before him Bilbo did the same thing. That would leave the two of them increasingly isolated, and probably seen as increasingly eccentric in a culture where it was expected folks would marry and have children, particularly the heads of prominent families. And for Frodo, beginning to avoid emotional ties so as to avoid the twisting of them by the Ring during his young adult years, there would be a greater chance that invitations would begin to drop off to attend events where it might be expected for him to mingle with potential spouses, as the conclusion he was odd and perhaps a sexual deviant would doubtless be considered at a far younger age, and where people will tolerate eccentricity to a point, they don't tend to tolerate even suspicions of deviancy. I understand the rant you were tempted to, believe me. I am not opposed to those who are truly homosexual, as long as they look to develop committed relationships only with others of the same bent who are truly emotionally mature. I've known devoted homosexual couples who have been more constant than far too many heterosexual couples I've met. But true perversion, where sexual love is meant to demean, belittle, hurt, or destroy the recipient of the pervert's attentions, I am against in all cases. But I cannot think of Frodo and Sam having had a sexual relationship with one another at all.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 8/26/2007
This is a great handling of a very difficult topic, Larner. It must have been a horrible time for both of them, Bilbo and Frodo alike, to deal with these urges caused by the Ring. It’s telling that neither of them gave in, though, that they didn’t allow It so corrupt them so much. There are truly days when I do regret it that I couldn’t torture It a bit before It was destroyed simply for what It did to Bilbo and particularly Frodo ... Though I agree with Frodo he should have courted Narcissa sigh I fear now I’m dreaming about a happy AU where Frodo is recovered and they are married. Sweet image. (Yes, I know – poor Brendi!) Author Reply: Isn't it odd how this one item--Sauron's Ring--so many hate so profoundly--this Ring that is a product of imagination and holds Its reality only in the world of imagination we share through Tolkien's work--is so real to us? It and the people who had to deal with It? We hate It, and so empathize with those who had to deal with It! And we want to punish It! Yes, I, too, wish we might have seen Frodo courting Narcissa or SOMEONE. But I'm not touching THAT nuzgul yet--oh, no--look at how long it's taking to post chapters from Stirring Rings and The Tenant from Staddle? But thanks so for the comments.

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 8/25/2007
Beautifully and delicately done Larner. Bravo! Author Reply: Thank you. I so believe that if it hadn't been for the Ring Frodo would have made a marvelous husband and father--and Mayor in his own right.

Andrea	Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 8/24/2007
Dear Larner, Thank you for reminding me again of how evil, wicked and dangerous that Ring really was! To imagine what images the Ring let Bilbo see concerning Frodo was a real eye-opener! Sometimes we tend to forget what it must have cost Bilbo to hide the Ring for that long a time. Like Frodo he had to suffer a lot even in the times when the Ring was mostly asleep. In the last year when It finally awoke, it must have cost Frodo all his strength to battle against It! And even more! For me those two Bagginses are heroes, even if they would never accept it :) It would have been wonderful to see Frodo and Narcissa happy together! But that's over now. Maybe there will be a reunion beyond Middle Earth. Author Reply: Apparently once again the ISP from Mordor ate my reply. The Ring we know was filled with a good deal of Its master's own evil will and malice, and was intended to turn all good to evil. Love and sexuality are two of the strongest of sentient urges and are far, far too easy to twist. I've always felt that it would have taken Frodo's own desires to love and be loved and sought to twist them into something else. To finally heal completely from the Ring's effects, wouldn't he have to fully face how much It sought to twist his emotions and sexuality? We know from The Hobbit that for all he was hired to serve as a burglar, Bilbo had a very high degree of integrity, leading him to do all within his power to stop open warfare between the Dwarves and everyone else over proper division of the treasure. He undoubtedly had as high of moral standards when dealing with his love life, too, I therefore suspect. We see the changes the Ring has wrought in Gollum--how little he resembles, physically or emotionally or psychologically, the Hobbits of the Shire, many of whom had a high degree of Stoor in their makeup as Frodo and Merry did. We know from Bilbo's own words to Gandalf that he was recognizing things weren't right with him, and that he gave up the Ring so easily once Gandalf scooped up the envelope holding It and the will off the floor indicates that subconsciously he recognized he had to give It up now rather than later, that he was beginning to recognize It was the malevolent agent. I'm certain that along the way It was doing Its best to mess with him and his nature. Yes, both of them are heroes, and it's good to see others agree with you and me. As for Frodo and Narcissa--or Lily Proudfoot or Iris Whitfurrow or Pearl Took--so many of us wish Frodo could have known the joys of marriage. Thanks so for your comments.

elanor winterflowers	Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 8/23/2007
I have been unable to read/review much for awhile now--a lot of RL obligations that have gobbled up many hours--but I have in the last few been reading your last few Moments here. I love the quietness of these pieces, the very gentle emotional arcs, and the deeply sympathetic insights. They are beautiful little works, so very well done! This one is indeed a delicate touch for a delicate subject, but with such a powerful undercurrent of sadness and regret. Poor Frodo! Poor Bilbo! What a vicious thing the Ring was! Author Reply: Thanks for the feedback, and am glad you've been able to read some of these in spite of real life. Oh, I KNOW real life, believe me. The effects of the Ring on these two would have at times been brutal and at other times very subtle. I've often felt that, particularly for Frodo, the Ring was a good part of the reason why there was no marriage, and have ascribed to Its presence in his pocket the reason why both over time appeared to become increasingly isolated in the midst of so much extended family. And I've wondered if a good part of the reason the Baggins name in general is failing has to do with the fact the Ring was held for so long by Bilbo, and yet during that time he never made a move to taking It back out of the Shire, closer to Its desired goal of reunion with Sauron. These last two began working on me after a troubling dream last Friday morning. Now I need to think of a good humorous one to counter them! Heh!

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 8/23/2007
Wow. I confess I don¡¦t really know what to say¡XI can only agree with Dreamflower: a very delicate handling of a difficult topic, written in a way that is not embarrassing¡Xthank you for that. I find myself sympathizing with Frodo here, though I¡¦ve never felt anything myself (well, of course not counting what all elementary school students go through ƒº) beyond a crush that could have been serious but, fortunately as it turned out, had no opportunity to grow. It is a hard topic, for those who must ask questions and I¡¦m sure for some of those who have to explain. This facet of what the Ring tried to do to our dear Baggins is horrifying. That it should try to ruin Bilbo and Frodo¡¦s relationship in that of all ways, ugh! But that kind of thing might be expected of something so full of Sauron¡¦s evil, I guess. This made me want to cry¡Xthe almost-father-son relationship so evident, and the sorrow of what both had been robbed of. There¡¦s so much perversion so obvious today, even among kids who are way too young to even think about having those kinds of relationships. They brag about it; it¡¦s absolutely sickening. Since receiving my little ¡§culture shock¡¨ (and it was that, all right) I¡¦ve learned to let profanity go in one ear and out the other with as brief a stop in between as possible; to listen as patiently as possible to a seriously depressed kid who talked about killing and nightmarishly brutal torturing and other things that shouldn¡¦t be repeated and try not to think about what he was saying; to not be appalled at those who go running down the hallways shrieking that they¡¦re high on stuff that ¡§makes me feel gooood, man!¡¨ (nope, not kidding); but bragging about having intercourse with some cute member of the opposite gender is something I don¡¦t think I¡¦ll be hardened to, at least not for a while¡Xespecially when the braggers like to go into detail. It¡¦s somehow comforting to know that there are still those who can and will deal with such matters calmly and maturely. God bless, Galadriel Author Reply: As this is Tolkien Fanfiction, I try to be circumspect with my dealings with such topics as sexuality. But if these were real individuals the question of how the Ring would seek to twist them through this feature of sentient life would undoubtedly have come up. Sexuality is part of life, and was undoubtedly a feature of Sam's relationship with Rosie, seeing as they had thirteen children; how is it that Frodo and Bilbo ended up remaining bachelors? As I commented to Dreamflower, most of those children I've dealt with who've been deprived of happy families want such things back, and want to build them for themselves. That Frodo would remain unattached just doesn't seem likely; and I don't think, this being Tolkien's universe, that homosexual tendencies would be part of it. That the Ring itself has managed to cut Frodo off from his desire to create his own family just seems natural to its intent and makeup. As for today's values being very odd--tell me about it! I've been a teacher for over thirty years and have seen it all. It's not a pretty picture. Part of this reflects on conversations I had with my own kids when they were teens. They'd seen such perversions in their other homes--trying to give them a feeling for what sexuality OUGHT to be and how it ought to promote healthy relationships between committed partners and how easily diseases, pregnancy, and exploitation could become part of the equation was sometimes frustrating.

Linda Hoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 8/23/2007
It is so sad what the Ring did to these two,especially in trying to warp Bilbo's feelings towards Frodo.These two brave Hobbits passed so many hard tests. Author Reply: We have seen what the Ring did to Smeagol, making him into Gollum, changing his very physical appearance in the end. That it would seek to make Its bearers over starting emotionally, seeking to pervert what ought to be the most sacred of instincts first, just seemed logical. You know I've touched on this theme elsewhere, but I felt it was time to look at it straight on with the two of them comparing notes. Actually, this started as a dream Friday morning, and this and the last story have been working on me since then.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 8/22/2007
A very delicate examination of a very difficult topic. You've woven a very plausible explanation for Bilbo and Frodo always remaining bachelors, and it's lovely that even that could be healed in Elvenhome. Author Reply: Thank you, Dreamflower. My own experience with children who lost happy families--and even some who lost unhappy families--is that they wish to produce happy families of their own as soon as they can. There had to be a reason why Frodo never followed through on this. I know I've touched on this in other stories, but I felt it ought to be dealt with openly here. A few nights ago I had a dream in which Frodo and Bilbo were discussing topics such as this, and all the way to work and back Friday and Saturday (and Sunday morning) the stories were working at me. And I remember my own talks with teenagers who didn't know how to deal with these new urges, images, and dreams.... Thanks again, my friend.

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