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| The Life of a Bard by Dreamflower | 121 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 1/18/2016 |
| Not a dry eye here either. Pippin would indeed have made a very fine bard but, once tempered, those same talents will make him a wonderful Thain. | |
| MorganBaggins | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 2/18/2013 |
| I think this might be one of my favorite stories of yours yet! I (of course) love the relationship between Frodo and Pippin. It's so sweet that Frodo works to understand both Pippin and his father and helps mend the bond between them. I was excited when Pippin finally got to see Merry-I felt so bad for both of them that Merry's trip was delayed. Menelcar was a great OC (and very realistic to middle-earth). I'm glad he had the pleasure to meet such admirable good-natured hobbits :) Author Reply: I just now found this review! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment on the story! I apologize for not answering sooner! I love to examine the relationships between all four of the hobbits, and of course Frodo had a special relationship with Pippin that was different from his relationship with Merry or Sam. The age gap is much wider, and Frodo was far more of a mentor figure to Pippin than a peer. All the while I wrote this I was conscious of the irony of Frodo keeping Pippin from running away, when just a few years later, Pippin would run away to be with Frodo! That was part of the reason I held Merry back until the end, allowing Frodo and Pippin the chance to showcase their friendship. But of course, even though Merry was not physically present in most of the story, his presence was still felt. Menelcar is one of my favorite OCs. This was my first time to use him, but not my last! | |
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 1/11/2006 |
| Oh, I had a good laugh with Merry and Frodo's exchange about those daft Tooks. :-D And what a tearful leave-taking from Menelcar. I can see why you got so many requests for Chance Encounter; this storyline definitely demands more attention--meaning, I want more! Thankfully, we are. :-) Onward, I go. Thank you for sharing your wonderful poetry (even though others may have actually wrote it!) and excellent storytelling. :-) Pippinfan Author Reply: Yes; of course, that's saying nothing about some of that Brandybuck "daftness" is it? Menelcar apparently tugged at many heartstrings, so I was very glad to get a chance to reunite him with Pippin finally. Well, I have a couple of original things in "Chance Encounter". Hope you like them as much as you do the adaptations. | |
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 1/11/2006 |
| Yep--that's our Pip. He (and Merry) could charm the cream out of a cow. I am glad to see Paladin finally coming round. LOL, why did I think that Menelcar and Pippin's transcribing would end up a jam session? I loved it. Pippinfan Author Reply: "Charm the cream out of a cow"? What a neat and hobbity expression! Paladin simply needed to understand a few things. Frodo telling him of Pippin's fears has finally enabled him to understand why Pippin has been so resistant to the idea of being Thain. LOL! I'm glad--I don't think those two could spend very long together without singing and/or playing! | |
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 1/11/2006 |
| Good old Frodo. :-) He is so loving toward our young laddie, and yet he doesn't allow Pip to get away with his deed. It could be Frodo merely keeping the lad occupied, too--just in case. I hope Pippin has a new perspective on things. Pippinfan Author Reply: Frodo can be both loving and stern when he needs to. He's not just going to lecture his young cousin--he digs in and finds the root of the problem. Just being able to finally articulate his fears should help Pippin gain some perspective. | |
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 1/8/2006 |
| I so enjoy listening to Pippin and Menelcar singing! I also think Pippin would have made a fantastic bard, but it would have broken my heart to see him when the going got rough. LOL, yes, I am *that* wrapped up into your world of hobbits! I am really looking forward to reading more about their relationship in Chance Encounters! Pippinfan Author Reply: You are preaching to the choir, hon! I am pretty much that wrapped up in hobbits myself. I know how close to the line between hobby (and I just had to back up and fix that word, LOL!) and obsession I tread. But hobbits make me happy, so I wouldn't have it any other way. Pippin would have made a mighty bard, I think. But as Aragorn found that he had a different destiny than a mere healer, so Pippin has a different one than bard. Both of them will be able to indulge their avocations from time to time, but their lives will be determined by something quite different. | |
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 1/8/2006 |
| Yeay! Frodo to the rescue! :-) Seems poor Pippin is the epitome of angsty adolescence--and the Thainship being the cruxt of it. I hope Frodo can talk some hobbit-sense into him. Pippinfan Author Reply: "...the epitome of angsty adolescence..." Yes indeed. I see in Pippin a certain type of adolescent male--generally well-meaning and kind-hearted, but extremely impulsive and easily bored, and having somewhat of a short-circuit in the "thinking of consequences" department, and in the judgement department. Add to this the pressures of growing up, and in Pippin's case the pressures of knowing he is "doomed" to a future he dreads, and add on top of it a good sized dose of parental misunderstanding, and that's what you end up with. Still, he has a sound foundation in his childhood, and eventually will have that to build on, when all the other is out of his system. | |
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 1/5/2006 |
| I enjoyed reading the meeting between Frodo and Menelcar, though I believe Frodo is quite seasoned in the manner of Big Folk due to Bilbo's tales. I meant to ask in my review for the last chapter if Pippin and Paladin's row was the big "explosion" you mentioned to me a while back. You may not remember it, but I think we were discussing the relationship we each carved for the pair. I didn't get to finish the next chapter, so I will wait to comment on that, but there *is* something I came across in today's reading that I just have to share with you more privately. You know me--can't leave something unsaid. :-P Pippinfan Author Reply: Yes, I tried to show Frodo as not particularly concerned about a Man visiting him--not really blase about it, but his excitement was more due to the possiblity that Menelcar was bringing word from Bilbo. He's pleased to entertain him, and interested in him, but not overawed. After all, in the past, Gandalf was a frequent visitor. This is the row I had in mind. This particular episode was the low point of Pippin's adolescence and his relationship with his father, and though I am sure it did not improve 100% overnight after this, it did rather level off a bit, until he took off on the Quest. I saw your email awaiting me. I'll check it out when I finish here. | |
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 1/5/2006 |
| By lunchtime, even he was tired of it. But it was worth it. When Pimpernel brought his lunch tray, she said, “Mother wants me to tell you to either choose another tune or stop playing. Father says if it keeps up, he will come in here and pitch your pipes out the window. And *I* say that I’m going to strangle you if you play one more note!!” Ha!! He's making them all suffer, isnt' he? Oh, I can feel for Pippin's family. My sister used to do that with LPs (lol, remember them?) when we were teenagers. My heart does go out to Paladin at times; having such a precocious son with a stubborn disposition to boot. :-) Pippinfan Author Reply: Yes indeed! Adolescence is a time of life when the person firmly believes in the adage "misery loves company". (I not only remember LPs, I played them on my plain old record player--it wasn't even a hi-fi, much less a stereo, and I nearly wore the tracks out on certain songs, LOL!) Precocious and stubborn. Yep. That's our Pip. | |
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 1/4/2006 |
| LOL, yes, you are, Pip. Can't wheedle your way out of this one. I can see the young hobbit courting the idea of taking up with the minstrel...I hope he keeps himself focussed and both furry feet on the ground. LOL, and I hope he survives his father! Pippinfan Author Reply: Well, you will see how focussed he keeps himself--although you will find that what he focusses *on* is not necessarily the best idea... And he does survive, more or less. *grin* | |