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| The Dare by Dreamflower | 14 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/26/2005 |
| Whew. Y'know, I think Cado is probably the brightest bulb in the room. At least as long as the two brothers are alone together. All too often it is easier for a younger sibling just to go along with an older one. *sigh* Just goes to show you need to train the older one(s) up properly, to set the right example. Author Reply: Yes, Cado is in many ways a good deal brighter than Clovis (though, really, that's not saying much, LOL!) It is; Cado usually takes the path of least resistance when it comes to his older brother. Yet he gets a certain amount of his own jollies from the trouble they cause, and being bright enough to know better, bears a good deal of responsibility anyway. Still, I don't think he'd be quite so poisonous without his brother's influence. | |
| Gryffinjack | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/20/2005 |
| Pippin is very lucky to have such a fine healer as Poppy tend to him. It gives me the chills to think how close he came to dying. The time you spent researching the details for this story is evident. Although I've never heard of burnt toast as a remedy for alcohol poisoning, it does make sense. I remember watching an emergency vet program where they poured liquied charcoal into the dog's stomach to absorb the poison someone had given the dog. I imagine the burnt toast works very much in the same way. It's a good thing Reginard used his Took intelligence and thought to guard the Banks brothers to make sure they stay where they were instructed to wait. “Clovis don’t be any more of an idiot than you have to be.” I really am not certain that Cado is totally evil or cruel. To me, he seems more like a follower who has fallen in with the wrong crowd. The cruel or bad ideas seem to have been primarily Clovis' rather than Cado's, including this stunt. However, this is not to say that he does not take any cruel or bad actions on his own. But Cado has enough intelligence to understand that it is wrong and what the reprecussions are. It is most unfortunate that he does not use that intelligence to refuse to follow his brother. I'd like to think that there might be a bit of hope for Cado later on in life - say, *after* ten years in a story of yours that is currently still in the process of being written. "Clovis stared at Cado in shock. His brother had never spoken to him like that before." Shades of Merry getting so upset with Pippin here. Frodo's quiet strength is something I really enjoy in all of your stories. The strength and understanding is there, but it is very quiet and controlled, which only makes it stronger. It is how I picture him as well. Author Reply: The burnt toast was one of the few folk remedies that would have been available to hobbits, and kept cropping up with regularity. Most of the folk remedies involved more modern products, or were said to be ineffective. The idea of liquifying it, however was my own, since if Pip were unconscious there'd be no way to make him eat it. I'm glad to know that it would also have worked that way, as I was a tad uncertain about that. Yeah, Reggie had the right idea about the brothers, and was just in time, LOL! And I suppose an evening spent watching them was no worse than an evening at home with Hyacinth. Cado's not guiltless; as you point out, he does know it's wrong. He's always taken the path of least resistance with his older brother, and he has found a certain amount of entertainment value in the things Clovis comes up with. The fact that they have often gotten away with their shenanigans also hasn't helped. Again, you spot it. "Anti-Merry and anti-Pippin". "Quiet strength" is also how I see him. He's an adult, and though he enjoys his younger cousins' company, he also takes his responsibilities to them very seriously. I find stories where he doesn't act any older than the others a bit unrealistic. | |
| Auntiemeesh | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/1/2004 |
| Wow! This is fantastic. I love the strength you show in Frodo. He may be scholarly but he isn't weak and you really let him shine here. I also love Merry's feelings about having to share Pippin with the Bankses. He's cute when he's jealous! I can't wait to read more of this. :) Author Reply: To me, Frodo is never weak, except physically right at the end of things, but even then he has a core of strength of another kind. And of course, this is pre-quest, and the ring is still mostly sleeping, so he has all of his strength and endurance. Merry probably is a tad jealous, but it is more a matter of knowing that the Bankses are unworthy of his Pippin. If they had been the type of cousins to share and were kind to Pip, I don't think Merry would have reacted nearly so strongly. As soon a Ch.5 is beta-ed, I'll have it up. | |
| pipinheart | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/30/2004 |
| Really liked this chapter... All of his family surrounded him,all worried if he will live or die. I was curious what the bone disk around her neck really did.Good medical information from poppy... Regi as a guard for the banks,good idea... Finially the younger brother fighting back.... Keep up the great job... Author Reply: That's how it would have been, I think. Alcohol poisoning can be a serious business. The bone disk is a diagnostic tool, it's used in much the same way as a stick used for dowsing water: it swings about in a certain way and reveals the patient's energy patterns, positive and negative. I had Poppy first use it in WTKCB (Brandy Hall). It seemed to me the type of task Reggie might take on for himself, especially if he didn't want to go home and listen to Hyacinth gloating and speculating. Cado is really scared; he's smart enough to figure out they are in deep trouble. It's a shame, really, that he doesn't fight back when it will do some good. | |
| pipwise brandygin | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/29/2004 |
| Oh, poor Pippin, he's really put everyone through it this time! I'm so glad the worst is over. I felt so sorry for everyone, especially as it was such a senseless way to get sick, and I hope Merry will get some Pippin hugs soon, I think they both need that :) Author Reply: Well, the worst of his being sick is over, but not the angst quite yet. | |
| Kitty | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/29/2004 |
| Sorry for not reviewing earlier, but I had hardly time to read it, let alone to write a review. So this is the story behind Merrys act of revenge against the Bankses? I must admit, the more I read, the more I can understand Merry! Although Pippin shouldn't have take on the challenge and is not totally blameless, the Banks brothers shouldn't have done this in the first place. They should have known how dangerous it could be! But of course, the both seems to have straw instead of a brain in their heads, so this folly is to be expected. I can't wait to know how Paladin will deal with them. Too sad it had no lasting effects, as their demeanor after the War of the Ring proves. :-( Author Reply: Straw instead of brains describes those two perfectly. Paladin is not happy with them, oh, no. And after ten years, maybe the effect of what happened wore off. | |
| GamgeeFest | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/28/2004 |
| Yay! He's going to be alright!!! We knew that of course, but it's always good to hear it. I can understand Paladin's mixture of fear and anger. Pippin did do a very stupid thing. Hopefully now he won't be so quick to be goaded by those two louts, if he even goes anywhere near them again. Author Reply: Thank you. It amazes me that I could begin to make someone think he might not be all right! Yes, Paladin is going to have words for Pip, as well as for the Bankses. | |
| Pipspebble | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/28/2004 |
| What a nice surprise to find this here today! I love this story, Barbara. It has quickly become one of those Stories to Look For when I check in every day. Love the burnt toast remedy (does that work, really?) and am curious about the disk Poppy dangled over her patient. Can hardly wait to see Paladin when he gets his hands on Clovis and Cado. *rubbing hands together anticipating satisfaction to the nth degree* Great job! Pips Author Reply: I'm glad you are enjoying it so much. As to the burnt toast, I have no personal experience of it, but when I was researching the subject of folk remedies for drunkeness, this was the only one that came up consistently, and several people swore by it. I'm told it works similar to using charcoal to filter out impurities. It certainly seemed to me to be a hobbit-like cure. The bone disk? That's a diagnostic tool used by healing touch practitioners, although it doesn't have to be that. My husband uses a buffalo tooth on a leather cord, and I've even seen him use a lifesaver candy on a silk ribbon.(The important thing is that it be organic, not plastic or metal.) The principal is somewhat similar to dowsing for water. I have seen him find out old injuries of people, and even tell them that they need to go to the doctor to be checked for a certain ailment (which it turns out they had) he has found out on more than one occasion that a woman was pregnant without being told, and once even determined the gender of the baby. It's fascinating to watch. When I started to think of how hobbits might do healing, I thought that might be one tool that they could use, since unlike Elves or the descendants of Numenor, they could not directly see a person's energies. | |
| Hai Took | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/28/2004 |
| I feel bad for Poppy! Having to have such a sich patient and no apprentice to help her at the present. The family is willing to help but sometime to close of relationships can make it difficult for them to help! I'm glad everyone did so well! At least one of the Banks brothers understoon how serious their prank had turned out to be! Looking forward to more! Thank you! Author Reply: Yes, it's been a long night and a lot of work for Poppy. I'm sure after this she will try to find a new apprentice right away. Cado has a little more sense than Clovis. It's a shame he doesn't use it. | |
| trishette | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/28/2004 |
| Hooray, Pippin's gonna live! (Well, that was kind of obvious due to the fact that otherwise he'd never be in the canon books, but you actually created doubt!) Anyhoos, I'm just wondering why exeryone thinks Frodo is thinner than the average hobbit, when in FotR (the book), it is made (somewhat) plain that he was actually on the chubby side, or at least of average hobbit build. Author Reply: Wow, that's a great compliment! Probably because Frodo so clearly has a strong Fallohide strain. Although I'm sure he had the round little hobbit tummy. But I have always pictured both Frodo and Pippin as being somewhat slimmer than say, Sam or Merry. (Although Merry's got a touch of Fallohide, too). | |