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| A New Reckoning by Dreamflower | 11 Review(s) |
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| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 46 on 9/28/2006 |
| Knowing she ended up a troll's dinner doesn't seem bad enough for Hyacinth, Dreamflower. Poor Opal, her potential morals and good sense sacrificed by a selfish, self-centered jerk of a mother. And to see that these recognize they can't lie to Frodo is wonderful. Author Reply: Actually, this may be the best thing that ever happened to Opal, and her sisters. I think that at this point in time, Frodo was one of the Wise. It would be like trying to lie to Galadriel, or Elrond, or Gandalf or Aragorn...not possible for your average liar. | |
| AspenJules | Reviewed Chapter: 46 on 7/5/2006 |
| Oh yikes... Opal got it bad! I guess the only good thing is that this will probably... well possibly... ok, maybe be considered sufficient punishment for her. I'm glad you didn't have the horses trample her, it's my understanding that horses will avoid that, even in the dark, as much as possible, though with her lying there it could have been difficult. And Merry!! ROFL! I love that he's so unrepentent about what he did. It really would be nice if we could just stop some of the stupid genes from being passed along (or cruel, selfish ones as well). I'm not sure I understand why Pippin is so forgiving of them, but I certainly understand Frodo, and Merry absolutely. I don't think he'd forgive such a prank on Pippin very easily at all, if ever. Smart and levelheaded he may be, but he's also calculating and clever... and I imagine could make a very bad enemy. Author Reply: I did consider it--but I really did not want to kill the lass, and you are right, I've heard the same about horses, while being kicked by one in passing is far more likely. Yes, I did think he would be unrepentant (at least for now). "Stupid genes", LOL! How apt. Pippin has a very forgiving nature, much like Frodo, when it comes to people doing him wrong--though if their offense had been against someone *else* (say Merry, for example) he would have been much *less* forgiving. Merry would make an extremely bad enemy--especially *now*! But he is persistent and goal-oriented. If the Banks brothers had had the sense to keep their noses clean all those years since "The Dare", Merry would never have trusted them--but he would not have actually *done* anything to them. But then they gave him an excuse... | |
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 46 on 7/28/2005 |
| Now we get to the meat of the matter. O, Blessed Meriadoc!! I love his attitude about the whole deal--not telling Pippin or Frodo about his suspicions because either cousin may hinder him. Then lays both Banks brothers flat out on the ballroom floor for all to see. New message: Don’t mess with the Knights! "The stupid little chit, to steal in the first place, and then to run away. She was going to bring nothing but disgrace to the family. Maybe Reggie would not find her. That would probably be the best thing all around. Still, there would be talk. There was always talk." Oh, yeah...pack your bags, honey, 'cause your backside is out the door. What a cold and callous female--can't say "woman". I refuse to call her a "mother". Well...she *is* a mother--of another sort! Just smack me--I'm being evil tonight. Poor Opal…I can almost see what marks she will bear. Which one would have been the worse? The one identifying her as a thief, or the ones she will bear for the rest of her life? I suppose she won’t be marrying anybody now. Reggie is correct; he should have put his wooly foot down long ago, but the blame is 50-50. Great chapter! Pippinfan Author Reply: Yes, Merry is certainly making sure that he finally gets his chance to give the Bankses what is coming to them. He's waited a long time for this, and he's not going to let anyone stop him now they've given him the excuse he needs. (I don't recall, did you read "The Dare"? I actually did not start writing that until after I had written these chapters. But I had known for a very long time exactly what retribution Merry was eventually going to take.) Hyacinth is one of those characters I was telling you ran away with me. My original intent was that she would be kind of snobby comic relief, but she somehow suddenly took a dark turn when I had the revelation about her feelings towards Pippin. It just hit me, and there it was, and she turned out to be a lot more despicable than I had any inkling of when I thought her up originally. I forgot to mention in my reply to you for Ch.44: JRRT says that hobbits mated for life, and rarely remarried even after death. Knowing he was Catholic and would not approve of divorce, I kind of pattern my solution after the Catholic one. I made up something called "disavowal" which is kind of like a legal separation, and then something called "dissolving" the marriage, which only the Thain can do, and would be kind of like an annullment. I make both of these occurrences extremely rare, maybe happening only once or twice in a generation. Opal is in pretty sad shape at the moment, and so is Reggie for that matter. Both of them are paying dearly for trying to spend their lives appeasing Hyacinth. But you may be surprised at the long-term results. | |
| Pervinca | Reviewed Chapter: 46 on 6/20/2004 |
| Oooh, I am really not liking Hyacinth, nor the Banks brothers! You've written them so well to be disliked (if that makes any sense at all). But poor Reggie (I think I say that in every review of this story). I hope you have a happy ending planned for the poor fellow. - Pervinca *who apologises for her very short review - she is quite tired and somewhat hung-over* Author Reply: Glad you enjoy my "bad guys". With the S.-B.s and Sandyman out of the picture, I was forced to rely on OCs for villains. Glad they are coming across all right. Late night? 8-) | |
| Truth-seeker | Reviewed Chapter: 46 on 6/19/2004 |
| There are several things that I deeply appreciate about your writing. I wanted to thank you. The first and most important is that I am never caught off guard by inappropriate content. Many authors seem to think "Adult" indicates content that no responsible adult should ever read. In your case, I know that means I shouldn't let a ten year old read it, but I can plow ahead in good conscience. When you rate something PG, it means Parental Guidance for young children--not Perilous Ground or Pervasive Godlessness. I'm glad I don't have to wonder if your writing will ever contain stuff I don't want to read, adult or not. This rating issue is so imperative that the second thank you is quite trivial in comparison: You update quickly! Yesterday, I told a friend, "There is nothing to read, because Dreamflower already updated today, and Coriel already updated this week, and Wishweaver already updated this month, and Shakes already updated this year." Your stories are light, your chapters short, and they keep coming. I hope you know how much we love small, frequent posts. Just enough to sate us for the day. Better than rare, long ones. Those have the disadvantage of distracting from real life work that needs doing. BTW, I love your bio! Author Reply: Oh, Wow! You are so kind! As to the ratings, I try to err on the side of caution: anything more than minimal violence is going to get upped to PG or PG13, or if I have to deal with a dark theme, such as death, then I will do the same. It is not only because of the children who may be reading; I myself want to know what I am getting into as far as a story goes. As far as the characters' more intimate lives: JRRT did not go there. I write these stories to honor him, so I will not go there. That's all there is to it. You will never find anything more intimate than kisses, hugs, and maybe hints in my stories, and certainly no slash, which is the main reason I post on SOA. As to the frequent updates, in many ways I am lucky in having plenty of time to spend doing that. This weekend may go by without much, as I have to work both days, but my job is only part time, and caretaking for my mother keeps me home most of the time. I don't care to be left hanging for ages with a cliffhanger, which is why I myself seldom read WIP, or at least until they have enough chapters to make it worthwhile. Right now the stories just keep coming to me, and so I put them out as fast as I can. Sometimes I worry that chapters are too short. I'm glad that you do not think so, it makes me feel better. I'm pretty fond of my life; glad you like it. LOL! Thank you so much for your kind words; I'm glad to know any efforts I have made to show respect for JRRT have been noticed. I have only been doing this for a short while, but it has rapidly become my favorite pastime. | |
| Kitty | Reviewed Chapter: 46 on 6/19/2004 |
| Poor Opal, her encounter with the horses is nearly punishment enough, I think. She will suffer some time for her foolness! And for Merry, it was not very nice to kick the Banks-lads, but it was understandable - even more so after what this brats now have done to Danulf! Do Estella knows about the thing 10 years ago? Maybe she then would understand better? Anyway, Clovis and Cado had deserved it! And I hope Hyacinth will get in some sort of trouble, too! Now I hope Clodio and Dago don't get away - they deserve some punishment, too! But I think, Clodio's sons will tell Frodo and the others everything. Their attempt to help their father seems to do the opposite! I hope you will update soon, otherwise I'm dying from curiosity! By the way, will you write the journey of some Hobbits to Gondor? I would like to read this story, too! I'm sure you will make a fascinating story of it! Author Reply: Yes, poor little Opal is in for some suffering. What happens when a child recieves no proper upbringing. Merry never intended to be nice to the Bankses. He's waited a long time for this. Estella will understand sooner or later. (I'm not sure which yet.) We'll definitely be seeing the Bankses get their just desserts; I'm not sure yet about Dago. I've been thinking about this last idea--just waiting for the proper plot bunny to come along. | |
| Grey Wonderer | Reviewed Chapter: 46 on 6/19/2004 |
| Hyacinth is nearly as wicked as the Dark Lord was. I hope she gets what she deserves. Do you suppose Merry might find a way to handle her too? LOL Author Reply: Hyacinth will get what's coming to her, more or less, but not from Merry. She is indeed wicked, but not so much evil as she is *cold*--something wholly unnatural for a hobbit. | |
| GamgeeFest | Reviewed Chapter: 46 on 6/19/2004 |
| I'm sure Reggie feels the same about his wife. It's a shame they have to be so unhappy. They are not well matched at all. Poor Opal. I hope she'll make it through this all right. Estella didn't like that display of Merry's one bit, did she? I think Merry will respond to her disapproval more so than his cousins'. He knew what Pippin and Frodo would say, but he wasn't counting on her reaction. Clovis and Cado are in the frying pan and boiling. I hope Dago doesn't get away. I liked your description of how Clovis and Cado didn't think they could lie to Frodo. Frodo can be unnerving, though he doesn't mean to be. He's just seen so much, it's hard too fool him and his show the wisdom of his experiences. In trying to help their father, they made it easier to reveal his dealings with Lotho. Author Reply: Reggie, at least, was in love when he married her, and then the blinders came off. Hyacinth on the other hand never had love even enter the equation. Someone else peeking over my shoulder? Merry may not regret what he did, but he may come to regret doing it in front of her. Frodo is now (at least to my mind) to be counted among the Wise--it puts him in company with Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, Celeborn, Aragorn. Think of trying to lie to one of them. This wisdom and insight is a small recompense for all he suffered, but is also a result of what he suffered. And yes, their foolish actions have had the opposite results of what they intended--as foolish actions often do. | |
| Beruthiel | Reviewed Chapter: 46 on 6/18/2004 |
| Indeed, if only Hyacinth had known. I wish she had, for poor Reggie's sake. Author Reply: Hyacinth has a lot to answer for, indeed she does. | |
| RogerGamgee | Reviewed Chapter: 46 on 6/18/2004 |
| Dreamflower, Oh man....I loved this chapter. I couldn't help but laugh at Merry wanting to 'keep stupidity from passing on to the next generation'. Absolutely priceless! I'm hoping Bracegirdle doesn't manage to get away. He's got a good deal to answer for. Keep up the great work (eagerly looking forward to the next chapter) Author Reply: Ever since I first thought up the original incident with Pippin, I knew this was what Merry was eventually going to do to Pip's mean old Banks cousins (I didn't even have names for them then) sooner or later. I haven't decided what to do with Bracegirdle. He'll have to keep for a while. Thanks. I have to work tomorrow, hope to get the next chapter up in a couple of days. | |