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A Conspiracy of Hobbits by Dreamflower	6 Review(s)
PSW	Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 9/6/2016
Fun stories! :-) And the food sounds great -- I've never thought about nutmeg w cauliflower, but it sounds yummy...

Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 11/8/2005
This chapter was just lovely! "Frodo fit both roles. He put on a smile and a cheerful manner, but he noticed Merry’s astute and worried look. There was one person he was not fooling. “At last!” exclaimed Pippin. “The byrding’s here. Maybe we can eat now.” The tweenager eyed the table, laden with the fine fare that Frodo and Sam had been cooking all afternoon, as well as the spectacular birthday cake. “Not quite yet, young Took!” laughed Frodo. Pippin could always cheer him up." Make that two people he was not fooling. How like Pippin to use merriment and laughter to make someone, especially his cousin Frodo, feel better. It is his own unique gift and will serve all of them well on the long journey ahead. Frodo's giving of the presents was very well done. That jacket will be perfect for Sam on the long journey ahead. Folco and his flute! This adds to "The Long Road to Edoras". For once, Folco did not say the wrong thing and was perfect in expressing his gratitude. Simply lovely. Freddy's gift is certainly something that will appeal to him, especially now that he is discovering his bravery in expressing his intelligence. And "The Lay of Gil-Galad" - sort of a representation of the adventure they are going on, yes? The book will mean so much to Freddy. It is a shame that Merry and Pippin cannot tell Frodo that they know he is giving all of them his most prized possessions. Poor Frodo is giving them his dearest things as a way to remember him by, as well as to cut more of his ties to the Shire. Fewer treasured possessions means that he has that much less to come back to and makes it easier for him to face the long road ahead. More importantly, by giving them tokens of himself, he is starting to say "goodbye" to his two dearest friends and cousins. But Merry and Pippin know what he's doing and must be having a rather difficult time not telling Frodo that what he is doing is not necessary because they are going with him. It was no accident that Frodo chose to give them things that were not only his, but had been given to him by Bilbo. He is tying all of his fondest memories together. So Frodo and Merry each gave each other pipes on their birthdays, eh? And to give Pippin that dear scarf - I remember reading that story! Interesting that Frodo was able to notice the depth of Pippin's heartfelt emotional reaction. Of course, Pippin's reaction is not just to Frodo giving him the scarf, but it is the first time since learning of Frodo's plans that Pippin is able to hug his dear older cousin and express how much he means to him and how upset he is about what is to happen, even though Frodo chalks it all up to the receipt of the scarf. I'm sure Merry felt the same way, but expresses it in a Brandybuck manner rather than in a totally Took manner. That feast they had - so much food! I know they are hobbits, but they must have had so many leftovers to take on the road. I remember Frodo's noodles with cheese! The cauliflower with milk and nutmeg sounds rather interesting. And the lentil soup ... well, now I'm just getting myself hungry and here it is almost dinnertime. "Pippin just winked at him. “At least it’s cheered Frodo up,” he whispered. And of course, now Merry could not be annoyed with him at all." Cheering themselves up with songs and stories from their past is a wonderful idea. Once again, it's wonderful to see Pippin allowing himself to be made fun of in order to try to cheer his cousin Frodo up. Pippin really is sweet and generous at heart must be a real joy to be around. I remember that story about Merry! I see now where the plot bunny germinated from. It was very amusing, both in this short form and in its own separate story. I really enjoyed the obvious delight that the cousins got in telling the stories about each other. We've all been there when the family stories are dragged out and one or another family member is embarassed, much to everyone's delight. And I'm glad Freddy got to make the toast to the byrdings. He's such a wonderful character! Unfortunately, Gandalf's mysterious absence and the unknown dangers ahead casts a dark shadow over the joyful events. Even so, it was wonderful to see this last happy celebration at Bag End before our four hobbits' world is forever changed. Author Reply: Wow! I keep saying that about your reviews, but Wow! You manage somehow to hit onto all of my own favorite high spots of the chapter. Poor Frodo is giving them his dearest things as a way to remember him by, as well as to cut more of his ties to the Shire. Fewer treasured possessions means that he has that much less to come back to and makes it easier for him to face the long road ahead. More importantly, by giving them tokens of himself, he is starting to say "goodbye" to his two dearest friends and cousins. But Merry and Pippin know what he's doing and must be having a rather difficult time not telling Frodo that what he is doing is not necessary because they are going with him. It was no accident that Frodo chose to give them things that were not only his, but had been given to him by Bilbo. He is tying all of his fondest memories together. That is exactly the reaction I was going for, the fact that in spite of their being still at cross-purposes, since Frodo doesn't know what they know, the deep felt love is still there, still being expressed as well as they can. And you have nailed Pippin's reaction perfectly, as well. This is the one time that he came even close to giving anything away, because he was just so overcome with emotion. I sometimes wonder about my habit of giving myself plot-bunnies out of my own stories. But so often these little anecdotes just seem meant to find their way into stories of their own. And of course Gandalf's absence is a shadow over it all, one put there by JRRT himself, and thus not to be ignored.

Pervinca	Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 4/5/2004
Awww, the gift-giving was so sad! Even though I know Merry and Pippin will be going with them, it was just so sad having Frodo give them some of his most treasured possessions. And Sam's present was wonderful - so touching. You actually managed to make me cry with this chapter - which is a bit of an achievement, so congratulations there :) Author Reply: Thank you. I guess it's good to make someone cry? Really, what made it sad to me was that Merry and Pippin knew, too, why they were getting those gifts, and could not let on. I think Frodo gives up his treasures for the same reason he sold Bag End to the S-B.s He is cutting the ties that bind him to the Shire, so that he won't be so afraid to go.

Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 4/5/2004
I loved the story about Pippin and the one about Merry! So funny and so like small children. Reminded me of a friend's little girl as I read them. I was very pleased when you had Frodo give Falco the flute. That was so perfect. This is still a splendid story and of everything that I am reading currently, this is the one I most look forward to updates of. You are doing a wonderful job of filling in the missing moments. Author Reply: Thank you very much. Really, that is all I'm trying to do, is fill in the moments. I've somehow discovered so many more than I anticipated, and I'm rather surprising myself with how the story grows--I can see how writing these stories becomes addictive!

eiluj	Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 4/4/2004
I liked that the "toy" flute Frodo received as a teen from Bilbo was such an excellent instrument Folco was impressed by it. Sam attending parts of the party was a perfect answer to that difficult question. And I imagine there are many of us who will have a better idea of why Pippin kept hanging onto that scarf all the way to Gondor. And through all the story, the worry about Gandalf.... Author Reply: Well, it was of dwarven make! I'm not quite sure of where the idea of Folco playing a flute came from, but it just felt right. And then of course, I knew what his gift would be. I did want the scarf to be from Frodo, and then it finally hit me what would make it special. And the worry about Gandalf--well, I can't take credit for that, but I hope that I brought it in enough. It's canon, after all.

GamgeeFest	Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 4/4/2004
Embarrasing childhood stories! Those were hilarious. They had me rolling. There's nothing that will cheer you up more than embarrasing your family members. Loved the presents also. Frodo was giving his most treasured gifts away in case he never came back. Wonderful chapter! Author Reply: Oh, yes. It does cheer one up to embarass others! Of course, that's precisely why Pippin planned it that way. And who hasn't known toddlers who have done one or both, of those things. One of our neighbors had a two year old that just shed his clothes every chance he got. And showing off one's accomplishments when learning the difficult art of using the toilet is always good for a chuckle. And of course, Frodo is still making his sacrifices; I think he believed from the start that he would never come back. It took Sam to prove him wrong.

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