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Twice Twenty  by Dreamflower 7 Review(s)
FiliaSReviewed Chapter: 38 on 12/3/2021
I was smiling the whole way through. This is absolutely pitch-perfect hobbit-talk - maybe the best I've ever seen; the balance of humor and affection is just right - and the flashback is such a sweet and plausible take on their interactions when they were younger! (So many fanfics I read ignore the class and age differences between the hobbits, or sound "off" when they write about it, because the authors want to write the kind of peer friendships they're most used to writing, rather than the family or family-like affection between the hobbits. This story is rare and lovely.) And Fatty and Folco are there!

LindeleaReviewed Chapter: 38 on 1/24/2009
Aw, it turned out beautifully.

The wee hobbits had fun with the reading, too.

Author Reply: I'm glad they enjoyed it! And thanks for your help!

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 38 on 1/24/2009
I, too, loved the overlapping memories of the two groups, as this moment brings them together for all the distance between them.

Lovely, this brief moment of peace ane memory shared.

Thank you!

Author Reply: I like to find moments when I can show that the connections of love remain strong in spite of distance or danger.

Thank you!

AntaneReviewed Chapter: 38 on 1/24/2009
What a sweet story! I love how you drew the four hobbits together in this and how you described. Physical distance is nothing when hearts are connected. I hope they are discovered that too after Frodo went west. I love this tale.

Namarie, God bless, Antane :)

Author Reply: Physical distance is nothing when hearts are connected.

That's just what I hoped to show! I think that they remained on one another's minds no matter how far apart they were.

GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: 38 on 1/24/2009
How fun! I love young Sam stamping around the parlor, entertaining the gentry and forgetting his shyness. Such an endearing memory, well needed at such a dark time.

Author Reply: It was a good memory! And I could just see young Sam doing that, losing his diffidence in his efforts to entertain wee Pippin. And I imagined Bilbo beaming at his pupil!

It was needed, we know, by Frodo at that time; and I didn't think it much of a stretch to imagine that the thoughts of it might occur to Merry and Pippin, as they thought of Sam trying to keep Frodo's spirits up.

VirtuellaReviewed Chapter: 38 on 1/24/2009
That took some juggling, to have the past and present as well as two different locations so neatly sandwiched together! I like the way how themes of friendship, exploration, wonder, hope and loyalty are just subtly hinted at. Are the verses from the second one onwards your own? They're rather good!

Author Reply: It did take a bit of juggling! I had known from the start that is what I wanted to do with that prompt, but it took me almost two years to work out how to make it seem plausible. Lin was a great help to me in fixing the flow of it all.

All of the poem is JRRT's, I just split it up into parts so as to fit in Frodo's and Merry's and Pippin's memories of Sam's recitation.

Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 38 on 1/24/2009
I saw this on LJ last night and intended to read it there but since it has now moved to Stories of Arda as well, I thought I'd catch it here. Sadly, I don't do much reading here anymore as most things get posted to LJ first.

I love this and if Tolkien had thought to connect the two conversations in this way, I think it would have been a very nice way of united the companions in thought if not in person. I enjoyed this very much! (I knew there had to be a very good plan in the works if you were leaving canon even just the tinest bit! And *this* was a very good plan!)

Author Reply: Yes, I posted it first at the community I wrote it for! (Even though I don't think anyone else has posted anything there in ages. I just have two more to go now!)

I love to make these sorts of "cross-memory connections". It's fun to experiment with how they might work. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

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