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| Dragonsblood by Dreamflower | 6 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Periantari | Reviewed Chapter: Author's Notes on 12/27/2014 |
| That's an interesting question of how it would've impacted Bilbo had he been the one to slay the dragon-- i think it would indeed change him negatively-- dragon blood upon him wouldn't be wise to have come in contact with. He'll be hardier and less hobbity and do we want that of Bilbo? He'll be more eccentric than was described by his fellow hobbits! And not sure if he could still live in the Shire given his heroic persona either. He'll be probably dwell more upon these consequences of slaying the dragon. Author Reply: Yes, that was the original conclusion I came up with when I had started the story as an AU. I had written a paragraph about how he treated the S.-B.s when he came home--he' d forced them to become his servants in order to pay him back for what they'd done to Bag End. I hated it, and like Tolkien, I deleted it. Then I made it all a dream. | |
| Alaura J. | Reviewed Chapter: Author's Notes on 6/19/2012 |
| This is a nice connection with the author's original thought-train. (Not that I wish it had been that way... I prefer the published version.) Are you planning on doing anything else with this? Adding chapters? Alaura | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: Author's Notes on 10/30/2010 |
| A fascinating look at the Master's thought processes as he crafted the story of The Hobbit. And I am most vigilantly evading a number of plotbunnies and Nuzguls that are intent on attaching themselves at this point--I have far too many projects going at the moment to allow more such critters room to attack at this point! Aargh! Author Reply: It's very fascinating to see all those possibilities that are laid out in HoTH! Those plotbunnies and Nuzguls are persistent. Sometimes the only way to get rid of them is to give in to them. | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: Author's Notes on 10/29/2010 |
| A hard Bilbo: a pitiless warrior? His realatives would have insisted that an imposter had returned to the Shire. Instead of living a not quite respectable life in Bag End, he probably would have left entirely (or been thrown out): a hard Bilbo could have stood up to the Sackville-Bagginses, but I doubt he would have wanted to remain in the bucolic provincial insular Shire. (Even Frodo once thought an invasion of dragons would be good for them. A hard Bilbo would have even more so.) So, no kindly uncle to rescue Frodo, no tutoring for Sam, no spreading the largess of the dragon's gold throughout the Shire. He would have left, and the ring would have wandered with him throughout Middle Earth. Warriors are always in some demand, stature notwithstanding, and I could totally see him carving out a niche for himself - a mercenary, combining his natural hobbit stealth, his new ruthlessness and the advantages of a ring of invisiblity; a sly and furtive assassin perhaps in the pay of Rhun or Far Harad. Author Reply: Or he might have remained in the Shire out of sheer contrariness, at least for a few years. It would have certainly changed a lot of things-- and your scenario sounds not unlikely. But, at least in *this* version, the ring would not have been the One Ring! I wonder myself, if Bilbo might have tried to fight his new nature? It would clash so with his hobbity instincts... | |
| eiluj | Reviewed Chapter: Author's Notes on 10/27/2010 |
| Building on Lynda's comments: If after his Adventure, canon-Bilbo was nearly ostracized as not proper-hobbit-ly respectable, how would the "hard" Bilbo have been viewed by the Shire hobbits? Then again, could hard-Bilbo ever have been satisfied with Shire life? And if he'd left the Shire, where might he have gone? What would have become of him -- and of the Ring? Alternately, supposing hard-Bilbo had been able to live in the Shire, would he ever have been allowed to adopt Frodo? And how would Frodo have turned out with a significantly less-typical-hobbit guardian than book-Bilbo was? Even if hard-Bilbo had remained in the safety of the Shire, somehow I doubt he could ever have given up the Ring. *shudder* So glad this nightmare was simply a dream! Author Reply: *nods* How would he? He'd still be wealthy-- possibly even wealthier than in the familiar version, but would he still be viewed as kindly and generous? It's hard to say. Would he have stayed in the Shire? Again, hard to say. I'd think he'd have stayed for a few years at least. As for adopting Frodo, that would have been many years down the road. In the draft version (indeed, even in the first edition as published) the ring was not the One Ring, but simply a little ring that conveyed invisibility; if it were a "lesser ring" it might have extended his life. But would he have remained hearty and healthy enough to adopt a young orphan? And I think Frodo would have turned out somewhat differently as well. I'm just glad that JRRT decided that Bilbo was not the dragon-slayer type. | |
| 6336 | Reviewed Chapter: Author's Notes on 10/27/2010 |
| Reading your notes on the story, which was quite possible, maybe a little more than Bilbo was capable of, but still good. I would imagine that Bilbo would be more than likely to tell the S.B's. to take themselves off somewhere and would probably have taken Frodo in sooner than he did.I don't think he would have been quite as indulgent as he was. Lynda Author Reply: I am quite sure he would have handled the S-Bs very forcefully, not quite so sure what else would have happened, though I have a few ideas... | |