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| Testaments of the Past by Dreamflower | 113 Review(s) |
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| Grey-Orc | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 4/24/2017 |
| I'm not sure whether I'm correcting an error or about to learn something, but I'm a little puzzled by the use of the word "receipt" in your stories. It's in this chapter and the next one at least. Where I'm from, a recipe is a set of instructions for cooking and the receipt is what you're given when you pay for the ingredients, so a "receipt" box full of cooking instructions seems like an odd term. Puzzlement aside, this story needed a tissue warning. I found my eyes getting misty a lot and I wanted to give Merry, Pippin and Sam great big hugs. I think I can only admire your patience with legal language when you go through and write up all the wills and renunciations and such. I could never do it. Refer to them in a tale if I ever wrote one, perhaps, but never write them and have to deal with all the "be it known", "where as this and whereas that", etc. I love reading your stories, again and again. I'm rather looking forward to the completion of Fatty's adventures in Gondor (unless I'm confusing you with Lindelea there -- I re-read hers often enough, too). I can only admire those of you with the imagination and confidence to write about such well-loved characters. Author Reply: Actually, "receipt" is also an archaic usage in this case. Originally the word was used for both cooking directions and for instructions for various healing potions (hence the abbreviation "Rx" for a prescription) while the use of it in the modern way came later. Like Tolkien, I sometimes like to use the old-fashioned meanings for words. I must credit Gryffinjack for the legal documents. She is an attorney in RL, and while we discussed what the various Shire laws were, she was the one who came up with the legal laguage. Though I did have fun writing out the calligraphy for Frodo's Certificate of Adoption! Both Lin and I have stories with Fatty in Gondor. Mine's been on hiatus for a long time but it is NOT abandoned; I fully intend to complete it. Thank you so much for the long and interesting review! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 4/16/2017 |
| Ah! At last the epilogue! How that chain would have shocked them all, even as pictured here! As for the letter Merry is considering--it sounds well deserved. Thanks for bringing this back once more. Author Reply: I'm glad I was able to re-connect with Gryffinjack and so get this last chapter up! Poor Aragorn--he's going to bear the brunt of that decision even though it was Gandalf's idea, just because he's there and the wizard's on the other side of the Sundering Sea! | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 4/15/2017 |
| I love it! I didn't know that the story was incomplete, and I'm so glad you've posted the final chapter--the epilogue! Are there going to be any authors' notes to the epilogue as well, or as that it as of now? Author Reply: That's it! All done! | |
| Robbie | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/9/2012 |
| That's a very touching story. I keep picturing Frodo as he looked through that box for a last time and thought of the Sam, Rosie, Merry and Pippin looking at the things in it once they found it. Also very interesting is that mention of Sam getting saved from drowning by Frodo. I'd love to read that in detail. Maybe that was the start of Sam hating water? Author Reply: I can imagine Frodo going through it before he packed it away as well, having his own lovely memories of the past. I have never written about it. I believe that particular anecdote came from my co-author, Gryffinjack. But it's certainly a plot bunny to keep in mind! Thank you so much for the lovely review, Robbie! It's always so nice to be reminded of one of my older stories, and very nice indeed to see that someone else still enjoys it! | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 10/23/2006 |
| Elanor is a little poppet - sweetness and light. It's not just Frodo to whom she brought happiness. I love the very feminine way of setting up the taffy pull, too! Make them feel they're getting away with something, when you planned it all along. | |
| GamgeeFest | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 10/23/2006 |
| *snickers* Poor Pip will have to walk around with hacked up foot hair for a couple of months. Rose and Estella came up with the perfect idea for cheering up their husbands and Pippin, and I love that they were able to arrange it that the lads didn't know it was *their* idea. No better to avoid the clean up, if you ask me! I'll be interested to see what Sam and Merry are going to tell their wives about the chain, if at all. And I feel sorry for Strider when Merry and Pippin get to him, but really, he should have known better than to give that chain back to Frodo. He never would have known that it survived Mt. Doom if Strider hadn't done so. | |
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 10/22/2006 |
| Why is it every time you write in a meal or making sweets I get a craving for food?? LOL During my "bad dental days" I kept wondering if I had missed the next update to this most wonderful tale. I've been feeling better this past week and thought to go cruising in your library to investigate that matter. I was so happy to see this update--and sad, too--knowing it would be the final one. Everything about this tale was beautifully written, and I eagerly awaited the next chapter. As you well know, and I like to remind you every now and then, of how much I love your world of hobbits--and this tale in particular. Each chapter was an adventure into the lives of our favourite hobbits, in both a casual nature and how they coped with the aftermath of Frodo's leaving Middle-earth. I think finding the strong box helped our lads to put closure to that dreadful chapter in their lives and move on to more pleasant pastures. Thank you--to you and Gryffinjack for writing such a magnificent and delightful tale! Pippinfan Author Reply: Hobbits will do that, yes they will! *grin* Actually, there is one more chapter to go, as Merry, Pippin, Estella and the babies get ready to leave Bag End. "Closure" was exactly what this tale was about. Jackie and I wanted to create a situation in which the three together could have a chance to sort through their own feelings--as well as the items in the box--and have some peace, finally about Frodo's departure. They will never cease to miss him, but now they can truly realize that he's going to find healing and hope. And Merry and Pippin have had a chance to perhaps make Sam finally understand how much *they* care about him, and not only for Frodo's sake, but for his own. We wanted to show the final breaking down of the social barriers between them. At any rate, we are so glad you've been enjoying this! | |
| cookiefleck | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 10/21/2006 |
| I enjoyed this chapter, especially the Green Dragon. I like the mix of melancholy and love of family/friends in this story. I also have enjoyed all of your authors' notes although I don't know if I have left comments there. Thanks for all the hard and good work. Author Reply: We're so glad that you are enjoying the story! For me, a story is always stronger when it has a mix like that--pure angst or pure humor can only be sustained for a short while. The biggest strength of JRRT's work is that he knew that, that he knew that joy and sorrow had to be mingled together, and so that is one of the things I try also to emulate. And we're glad that you're enjoying the Authors' Notes, for they were intended from the start to be an integral part of the story. | |
| Baggins Babe | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 10/21/2006 |
| Aha! I've been waiting for this - was only wondering what had happened to it a couple of days ago. Poor Pip - taffy in his foot hair! Hope the Gaffer's black soap does the trick. They really needed that afternoon at the Green Dragon and it did them good. Interesting to think that hobbits would make any throwing and aiming games more difficult - hadn't thought of that before but it makes sense. This has been an incredibly well-thought out story and you've both gone to so much trouble with all the things. That chain! *shudder* Give yourselve a pat on the back and a good helping of 1420 for all your efforts. BTW, did you get the chance to look at the latest chapter of 'Old Scores'? I know your computer was playing up when I posted it. Technology! Author Reply: Yes, between RL and computer woes, this chapter took a good deal longer to get up than we wanted it to! Well, I'm quite sure that if it was up to tree sap, it could also work on taffy, LOL! They did need to get away, the three of them, and decompress a bit after all the emotional ups and downs of going through the box, and most especially their last grisly discovery. I've often thought about that bit in "The Hobbit" where it talks about how good hobbits are at games of the throwing and aiming sort, and also in LotR when they talk of the excellent hobbit archers who fought for the last king, that for such games to be of any kind of challenge, the targets would have to be harder than what humans would consider normal! Originally, we were only going to include legal documents and letters. But then we started talking about what else might be in there, and all of a sudden we were making stuff and drawing pictures--it was heaps of fun! I especially enjoyed doing the calligraphy and the needlework! And thanks for the nudge on your fic--I did miss the update! | |
| Pearl Took | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 10/20/2006 |
| Ah, a great relief!! Beer, munchies and good friends have been know to cure a lot of ills :) ;) "Sam did not know, even Frodo had never known, that Merry and Pippin were silent partners in the inn since they had returned from their journey." I very much liked this :) Well done, Dreamflower! Author Reply: Yes, our lads needed a bit of R & R after their emotional roller coaster ride. And "Beer, munchies and good friends" was just the ticket to help them decompress, so to speak. Glad you did! When I wrote "Silent Partners" I did not know if the two of them kept up their investment after the first six months, but when Pippin reached up to touch the sign on his way into the inn, I knew that they had! Thank you, on both mine and Jackie's behalf! | |