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All That Glisters  by Lindelea 7 Review(s)
DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 67 on 1/11/2005
And finally we see the source of Pippin's guilt. One of the things that I have thought about was that during the War of the Ring, the only creatures Pippin slew were "black-blooded", that is to say Orcs, a troll, and other evil beings of Morgoth's Brood. In the Scouring of the Shire, we are told that Merry killed a ruffian, but not that Pippin did. I think that if he ever had to kill a person with "red blood", he would surely suffer a great deal of guilt.

He still seems to worry about "tainting" the Shire with "Men's ideas"; I'm sure that all that is just eating him up.

It's a good thing his King is a healer. Pippin needs the Middle-earth equivalent of a shrink to help him deal with all this.

Author Reply: Good point about "black blood" and "red blood" and one I was thinking about when originally writing the draft.

I think the worry about "tainting" the Shire is something that stays with him, and keeps repeating as a theme: in "Runaway", when he and Merry are discussing their rush to judgment, and in "At the End of His Rope" when he is cautious about allowing Men into the Shire, and presses Elessar to keep to the schedule for withdrawing Men once the emergency is over. He doesn't mind Men like Strider and Bergil entering the Shire, but he understands the principle of the camel's nose, I think.

Good thing Aragorn's lived so long and seen so much--I'm sure he can bring a wealth of understanding to his relationship with Pippin. Thanks!

BeruthielReviewed Chapter: 67 on 1/10/2005
Eeeek! I suspected this was what Pippin was all worked up about, but what a way to get it out in the open!

You're not really going to leave us hanging here, are you? You'll update very, very soon, right? *grovels at author's feet*

Author Reply: Sorry, no time for more than just this short answer. But am motivated to arise in the dark before dawn tomorrow to type in the next bit, for reading reviews assures me that I'm not being boring.

The most de-motivating thing for me, the past year, has been to post a chapter and have no reviews result. Perhaps I'm spoilt. (But I hope people don't stop writing reviews--though it might be character-building it would be morale-sapping for certain!)

Thanks!

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 67 on 1/10/2005
Ahhhhh! And likewise wise nods. Feeling his hobbity integrity has been impugned. Actually 'impugned' isn't really the word I'm looking for, but the right one is floating about a foot above my head and refusing to arrive. Years of trying to soothe hobbity prejudice against Big People - and when his son is threatened he drops into 'Hairy Feet good, Bald Feet bad' mode. I wonder what is upsetting him most - being responsible for the demise of the baddie, or nearly ordering the death of someone who was saving his son and Pip-lad.

Poor Pippin. This does seem like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut - but then Pippin is a very hard nut to crack.

Tears before bedtime. Better out than in. A trouble shared is a trouble halved. Or so they say.

Author Reply: Hate it when that happens. B vitamins help my vocabulary when it's threatening to disappear. Did you ever think of the word, BTW? I was trying to think of an appropriate word to "fill in the blank" but I've forgotten my B vitamins for about the past 3 days. At least this reminded me to take them today!

Tarnished?

Pippin as a nut. Y'know, it fits somehow, in more ways than one.

Connie B.Reviewed Chapter: 67 on 1/10/2005
Guilt! That's what's been eating at Pippin. He feels guilty for the death of the ruffian, and for ordering Hilly to shoot Jack. He also feel guity for the fact that the ruffians thought Pip-Lad was his son and not Farry. He can't get it out of his mind that the ruffians planned to discard Farry as a piece of extra baggage.

Am I getting close?:)

Looking forward to where this is going.

Thanks.

P.S. I'm still working on the stubborn Challenge 12 story. It is not coming nearly as easily as the last one did, but I'm struggling through it. I need to get it done so I can think about 13. I think I'm going to like it a lot better.

Thanks for the nudge to work on it.

Connie B.

Author Reply: Glad to hear you're still working on it.

I don't have much reading time these days anyhow. When dh is home he gets the computer, and when he's not home the older kid pretty much usurps it with the excuse of job-hunting.

You are not just close, you are very close.

Thanks!

FantasyFanReviewed Chapter: 67 on 1/10/2005
I have been wondering for several chapters what on earth was wrong with Pippin, but there was much else to think about - Denny, and Posey, and Pip-lad's fear. Now I think I am beginning to have an inkling of the trouble. Is Pippin feeling guilty for killing the ruffian? Is he feeling bad about ordering Jack to be shot? I suppose he might feel remorse about killing the ruffian, but he was not an innocent: he and his friend had already murdered Denny, disabled Sam and attacked Hilly. And worst of all, he had hurt Pippin's family. Of course it pushed his buttons. And for all he knew Jack was another ruffian waiting on the other shore - if he let the ruffian go, who knows what two of them would have done? He knows now that he misjudged Jack, but at the time Pippin's order was a way to stop Jack from getting away with Farry. It sounds like the old fear that he and Merry have been infected by evil too much to be fit for the Shire. Either that, or he now thinks that he has to remove his family from the Shire entirely to keep them safe, and he's feeling guilty because he is the cause of the danger threatening them. Am I even close?

Author Reply: You're close. Very close! Would give you a cigar but for the fact that I find them unpleasant and smelly things. Would chocolate do instead?

Author Reply: p.s. as you've noted elsewhere, motivation and intent are almost more important than action taken.

No time to say more than that. Thanks for the email! The quote was quite eye-opening, as a matter of fact, as well as being reassuring.

harrowcatReviewed Chapter: 67 on 1/10/2005
I have been gripped and enraptured by your story from the start Lindelea. Don't stop there! How can I last until you update again?? Help!

Author Reply: And it was so lovely to hear from you! You don't know how encouraging it is to read reviews. Am motivated to get up tomorrow morning an hour or two before the rest of the family to type in the next part.

Thanks!

EruvywethReviewed Chapter: 67 on 1/10/2005
LOVE IT!!! WRITE MORE!!! And if I may, consider yourself urged to include some nice juicy Merry-and-Pippin drama in the next few chapters - I devour Merry-and-Pippin drama and the time seems just right with the plot!

Author Reply: Loved hearing from you. We'll have to see about the next few chapters...

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