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Concerning Sam  by Kara's Aunty 77 Review(s)
GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: 6 on 5/18/2009
I think even the most unobservant healer would notice after a time that forced feeding doesn't work, and Tubbit seems to be rather sharp. It isn't like bleeding a patient, when sometimes the patient would get better despite this rather dangerous practice, thus encouraging its continued use. Perhaps we can chalk this up to a momentary lapse of judgment due to exhaustion; we all have them.

Speaking of exhaustion, poor Merry really needs to some help in attending to Sam. He should at least try taping Sam's hands to keep him from getting at his bandages so Merry can catch a few winks.

But it seems help is coming....

Author Reply: Hi Gamgeefest,

Sorry about the delayed response, but I've not been having a break from fanfic for a couple of months (writing it anyway) and have only this morning logged back in.

Thanks for your continued reading of this story, I'm glad you enjoy it enough to return to it when you can.

Am a bit puzzled by the initial comments, though, as there is a warning note at the top of the chapter...

Am glad nonetheless for your feedback, m'dear!

Kara's Aunty ;)

GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: 5 on 2/16/2009
Poor Sam! What a horrible dream! For the Ring to have such a hold on his mind so many years later - clearly Sam has had these doubts himself and they are just now beginning to surface. I hope Merry and his friends can help to reassure him!

Author Reply: Hello again GamgeeFest,

Nasty Ring indeed! Using our beloved Hobbit's memories and insecurities against him. Grr! When I get my hands on it, I'll...I'll...er, probably succumb to its evil sway like the child of Men that I am. Or not.

But fortunately for our hero, his equally heroic friend has swooped in to save the day. Or has he? Whatever happens, he will not allow his friend to go down without a fight.

You've got to love a good old Brandybuck!

Thanks for R & R-ing,

M ;)

GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: 4 on 2/16/2009
Back again. Oh, that Merry is wicked to tease the poor cook so. I can just imagine Farlibar's horror when he is told who Merry is. That might just give him an apoplexy! And good of Merry to figure out what is bothering Sam, without Sam's help. Sam can be just as stubborn as Frodo ever was, and he wouldn't admit an more easily about what is bother him.

Author Reply: Hello GamgeeFest,
how absolutely lovely to have you back!

I think this chapter was my first ever attempt at some (very slight) literary humour - much needed as the rest of the fic is a little angsty. And who better to provide a little comic relief than our very own Brandybuck!

This chapter was difficult for me at the time; novice writer that I was then, I struggled with pov's a bit and the chapter always seems a bit patchy to me because of that.

But, thankfully, it doesn't seem to have marred your enjoyment, so thank you for R & R-ing, m'dear. It's very much appreciated!

M ;)

GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: 3 on 1/17/2009
One more chapter before I make breakfast. I adore Arwen's own "plain Hobbit sense" in this chapter. She may not be as close to Sam as Aragorn, but she has the wisdom of her years to guide her and she understands the essence of the hobbit enough to reassure her husband.

The Ring is very much an entity, not some mere object. The "It" and "Its" is perfectly understandable and appropriate. I use that myself, as do many others, so you're not alone in this. :D

Author Reply: Hello Gamgeefest,

so it's early enough for breakfast in your part of the world is it? I'm just debating whether or not to shift my rear and make dinner! I'm also flattered that you'd read two whole chapters of my tale before the most important meal of the day!

This was the first LOTR fic I ever wrote, so writing characters I was not as familiar with (non-hobbits) was challenging (still is, actually). But I'm happy that you liked my version of the gracious elven Queen!

The Its issue - thanks for the support there! You would not believe the problems I had with that. Writing the Ring as an entity had me torn between using 'Its' or 'It's' for the possessive form. For any other individual (e.g. Sam), we'd naturally write 'Sam's' in the possessive sense - but when I did that initially with the Ring, 'It's' was often confused by my readers with the contraction for 'It is'. So after writing and posting the entire story using 'It's', I finally gave up and changed them all to 'Its', so what you're seeing now is the polished version.

Anyway, I've just spouted a whole pile of superfluous nonsense in this reply, so I'll leave you to your cornflakes...

M ;)

GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: 2 on 1/17/2009
*giggles* I love Farlibar as the overeager new cook panting for a compliment. Poor Sam, though. I can just imagine what his dreams must entail, and the sleeping in certainly isn't doing him any good on that account. You get into Sam's head so well here, with his self-recrimination and imagings of being scolded by the Master in the common room of the inn, and his firm belief that nothing comes from lingering over the past.

I thought it was an interesting note in your reply to my last review re: Sam's wearing of the Ring. While he was wearing it on his finger the majority of the day, I never stopped to calculate that this was indeed longer than Frodo has ever worn. I would argue against Bilbo though, as he too was knocked unconscious while wearing the Ring during the Battle of Five Armies, and he wore it for the majority of the time while hiding in Thranduil's caverns. Of course, the Ring was not yet fully awake at that time, so it would not be so damaging to Bilbo as it was to Sam, on the brink of Mordor during the height of the War. I don't know if the Ring is able to work on someone if they're not awake, though you could certainly make a case for it, as whether sleeping or awake, the psyche is still there, constantly going. It's intriguing and I will have to mull it over and see where the idea takes me. :D

GF

Author Reply: Hello Gamgeefest,

wow, it's a real treat to get a review for this story so many months after its completion, so thank you!

Thanks for your lovely words on getting inside Sam's head. I was trying to aim for just that; imagining his sensible hobbit arguements with his own mind and trying to put them on paper.

And I see your point about Bilbo. I hadn't really thought of that - I was thinking more along the lines of wearing it during its time of 'awakening' - something you've already mentioned yourself.

Tolkien was a bit ambiguous about the extent of the Ring's abilities and we know that Frodo's sleep was also disturbed throughout much of the quest, his burden being such a toil for him. I've just interpreted that in my own small way and used it as the basis for this story, so it may very well be that you read it and think 'hmm, not quite sure about that'. Don't worry, that's okay ;) We each interpret things slightly differently and that's what gives us such a breadth of topics to explore through fanfic!

I'm delighted to have you as a reader and hope that you enjoy the story.

M ;)

GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/3/2009
I am must finding this story and beginning to make my way through it. It's off to an excellent start. Aragorn's use of the Palantir to see his friends is belivable, especially as he limits his use of it, even going to such lengths as making the room as uncomfortable and uninviting as possible. This is wise. Sam seems to be in a bad way here. Everyone puts such emphasis on Frodo's spiritual wounds from the Quest, they often forget the impact it would have had on the other hobbits. Sam might not have carried the Ring for long, but he was with it to the very end, and it was definitely working on his mind, even if he wasn't aware of it.

I hope I have time to read more of this story soon! Welcome to SOA!

Author Reply: Hello Gamgeefest,

Thanks for the lovely welcome to SoA. Everyone has made me feel welcome! It's an honour to call such an esteemed LOTR fanfic site home.

I was surprised, but delighted, to get a review for 'Concerning Sam', having finished it so many months ago, so you have really made my day! This was my first foray into LOTR fanfiction as well as my first multi-chapter story, so it feels like my 'baby', so to speak. (Do bear that in mind if you come across any wee errors - also the Its/It's issue, you may frown in puzzlement now, but you'll undertand from chapter 5 onwards).

Aragorn is a wise soul indeed and never one to tempt fate unnecessarily. As for Sam - oh dear, my poor wee soul is in for the fright of his life!

I originally wrote this story because I'd always wanted to know what the effects of his time as Ringbearer were and nobody else had put forth such a tale. Which I've always found odd. After all, he may have carried it for a day, but he actually wore it on his finger for a good portion of that time trying to rescue Frodo from the Towere of Cirith Ungol - longer than either Bilbo or Frodo combined: and all this on the very edge of Mordor!

So I picked up my pen and basically wrote down all the questions I'd ever asked myself and then I theorised possible answers to each one and so my story was born. I hope you enjoy it (when you get a chance to read it) and I'm glad to have you on board.

Happy New Year!

M ;)

Mysterious JediReviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/15/2008
Very poignant story. I enjoyed it.

Author Reply: Hello Mysterious Jedi,

And thank you! I hadn't expected to get any more reviews for this (I assumed it was doomed to wander in the ether after finishing it a month or two ago) so yours was very much appreciated.

If you're interested to know what happened in the cooks' tent, that story's here too (justposted chapter 4 actually - so much for the idea of it being a oneshot). It's called 'Much Ado about Mushrooms', so if you like, you can give it a try (or not).

Thanks again for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed 'Concerning Sam'!

M :)

Linda HoylandReviewed Chapter: 13 on 10/14/2008
A lovely ending.I'm so glad Sam is well again.I hope you will write more about Aragorn,Arwen,Faramir and the Hobbits

Author Reply: Hello again Linda :)

I would like to do more Shire/Gondor stories in the future - I think that Hobbits work even better with Men or Elves around. I don't imagine I'll ever do a story solely about Hobbits (unless a oneshot) because it's more fun to work with two or more races!

Thank you so much for your reviews, they are much appreciated!

M :)

Linda HoylandReviewed Chapter: 10 on 10/14/2008
A lovely scene for Aragorn and Faramir.

Author Reply: Hello Linda,

Yes - I enjoyed creating that little scene. It's how I imagine their relationship would have evolved after several years as Steward/King and friends.

Thanks for the review!

M :)

AndreaReviewed Chapter: 13 on 10/14/2008
I've been following your story from the beginning on. In fact, you posted faster than I could read ;-)

I enjoyed it a great deal, particularly the fact that you came up with a new idea that had never occured to me before. And while reading on I found it very possible that the memory of the Ring lingered in Sam's mind and waited until the time was right to strike - and strike it did! Especially the parts where Sam "fought" with the Ring while It twisted all his thoughts were written very powerfully! Great work.

I also liked Radagast's part in the story.

And I'm looking forward to finding out what happened in the tent :)

Thank you!

P.S.: English is fascinating. Just place an additional apostrophe and a possesive pronoun becomes an s-Genitive (I looked the terms up, LOL!). It was very fitting to emphasise that the Ring is a real character.

In German which is my native language this is impossible!


Author Reply: Andrea,

Thank you for your lovely review!! You reviewed in my language - let me try to reply in yours (Get ready for a laugh..my German is a bit rusty!)



Es freut mich das du meine kleine Geschichte genossen hast. Es hat mir viel spaß gemacht beim schreiben. Ich hab´ Sam immer geliebt aber doch keinen Sam/Ring Geschichte gefunden (und dafur Ich hab´ ein ewigkeit gesuch!). Also, mußte Ich es selbst schreiben. Etwas frustierend, um erlich zu sein - aber was kann man dafur?

Ich hab´ mich oft selbst gefragt was für leiden Sam bekam wegen seiner Tag als Ringbearer. Besonderes weil er den Ring auf der grenzen Mordor trug - wann es so machtvoll war! Aber es ist nirgendwo beschrieben und Ich nußte meine eigene antworten finden.

Wenn Frodo so sehr unter den Ring gelitten hat daß er nach Valinor segeln müßte (er trug es zwar viel länger als Sam, aber es war auch nicht immer so kräftig wie im letzten Jahr) - dann mit sicherheit had Sam auch teilweise leiden mußen, sonst hätte er keinen platz in Valinor nötig, oder? Hoffentlich hat mein Story diese Themen etwas zur Licht gebracht damit andere leute auch darüber nachdenkt. Wenn Ich gluck hab` schreiben auch andere Autoren/innen darüber - auf diese weise kann Ich die ideen von anderen genießen,

Ich habe Concerning Sam schon fertig geschrieben bevor Ich es auf SoA gepostet hab´. Also brauchte Ich nur jeder Chapter etwas zu verschönern bevor es hier landet - deswegen war Ich so schnell fertig!

Es war immer mein plan einer der Sauberer (wie heißt Wizard auf Deutsch?) zu benutzen - aber nur Radagast blieb übrig nachdem Gandalf Mittlere Erde verließ (wie heißt Middle Earth auf Deutsch?). Weil er doch keine größere teil in den Büchern hat, fand Ich es nur fair das er ein kleiner Auftritt in mein Story bekam! Gut gedacht, nicht war?


Anyway, I won’t hurt your eyesight any further with my German efforts! Which reminds me, your written command of English is superb: punctuation, capitalisation, grammar - the whole lot! Unlike my German, but it’s been a while since I used it so I don’t mind that too much just now - though I hope one day to translate the entire story. But I wish my written English was as good as yours (I’ve completely forgotten what the ’genitive’ form you spoke of is, so I’ll need to look that up!).

Thank you so much for your kind words and I’m delighted you enjoyed Concerning Sam! I will write a oneshot about Farlibar in the cooks’ tent, but you’ll have to wait a week or so for it…..


Maureen :)

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