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| The Thrum of Tookish Bowstrings, Part 1 by Lindelea | 85 Review(s) |
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| Hai Took | Reviewed Chapter: 29 on 4/16/2020 |
| With the crazy that is life right now I forgot this story! I'm glad to have read through an end, for now anyway! I hadn't really expected to go back to the Convocation! I liked reading it all from Faramir's point of view and his interactions with the Quereir! I was especially touched by Sandy and Rusty determining to go with the families that would have been banished! I'm glad Farry remembered so much of Heldi's training that he was able to survive and to eventually think to set the fire! Personally, I'm glad Pippin ended up on hand to take care of his son at the end! I truly am impressed by the history you have built through so many stories and over such a long time! Ferdi is practically canon for me these days! Thank you for a nice read and a good time getting back into some fanfic from a familiar author! I will keep an eye out for part 2! Thank you! Author Reply: I'm glad you returned and got to see the rescue! I do have a habit of returning to the same scene to examine it from a different perspective. I have always been fascinated by the phenomenon of witness reports to an accident, how they can differ based on the person doing the reporting, and how we can look at the same thing and notice completely different details. It is so encouraging to hear about the things you liked! Fanfic in general and SoA in particular are my comfort food at the moment, in a manner of speaking. I just had the oddest mental image... Fanfic as a person, and myself as a cat, curled in its lap. I am working on part 2, though it may be some time before I have written far enough ahead to start posting chapters (oddly enough, I don't like long stretches of time between chapters... you'd never guess that from the number of WIPs languishing on my list... but I'm chipping away at them again). In the meantime, because ADHD seems to work in my favor when I write on two stories at the same time, I can work on part 2 and a WIP (currently Bill's story) and have new chapters ready without a long wait. But I'm probably talking too much. I have the advantage of working remotely, and I worked almost until dawn last night/this morning, and it seems to be making me giddy, or chatty (kind of like a little kid trying to stave off bedtime. LOL!). But because I'm only working part-time these days, I can take today off and read fanfic to my heart's delight! So it's all good, if people can put up with me blathering on and on in my reviews and review replies. So nice to hear from you! Stay well. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 29 on 4/15/2020 |
| Excellent plan! Glad Snowdrop has a nice backstory, and a family wanting him home! He did his duty and more, I'm thinking. And I rejoice Pip and Merry were able to be there at the rescue. No, Pippin will understand that his son wants some simple comfort for now. Nicely done! Author Reply: Oh, yes. You can thank Middlest for that; she campaigned for Snowdrop's happily-ever-after. (And I was hoping that Merry and Pippin being in on the dénouement would not stretch people's credulity overmuch... I think it was plausible. Hope so, anyhow.) Man, I could use some simple comfort right now, myself! I think I will go and snuggle a very large, very shaggy dog for a bit. Thanks for leaving a good word. Hope this finds you well. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 4/15/2020 |
| At least Fzrry's been found in the nick of gime. Now, can he waken in time to save Ferdi and the dog? At least Ferdi has that presence to help preserve his warmth. Author Reply: Amen to that. Three days without water is no joke. If he hadn't kept his head, those who would have come looking for them a week after people realized they were missing would not have had such a happy outcome, seeing that the earliest they would have gotten there was still days away. Yikes. Hope this finds you well! | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 29 on 4/15/2020 |
| Lindelea!! Hello! I think this works very well as an end of Part I. Poor Farry so glad to see him in the arms of his Da at long last. I found that very moving. And So glad to see Uncle Merry and with his priorities straight...always carry the Hall's best in a hip flask. :-)) Baking Bread update. It turned out really well and "only" took 4 and 1/2 hours. Two rising periods of one hour each! Please tell me you are simply moving on to another story for now and not just taking a break from writing. I have grown very fond of our shared missives via our reviews. It is a highlight in my day whenever I find a new chapter or review waiting! Stay Safe and ((virtual hugs)) MM Author Reply: You never know when a bit of brandy will come in handy! (Hey, that rhymes. Perhaps a hobbit has written down a song about it somewhere. Either a jolly Bucklander, rejoicing in the contents of his handy flask, or a Took singing about "drunken Brandybucks"!) I'm so glad to hear your feedback. This story (in total) may actually come out two or three times this length when all the parts are added together. That said, I needed to take a break from a story involving much research, as this one does (with its retracing of journeys and such). Though I find it hard to believe, I'm still exhausted from being viciously attacked by that stick of butter. (Monty Python comes to mind: "It's a widdle bunny-rabbit!") As a bright spot, I realized that if I broke this one up into parts, one of those parts could be a story that has long been sitting on the shelf, with the working name "Farry and Ferdi go to Gondor"! Perhaps now that story can get a proper title, even if it is "Part 2". Ooo! So many people are baking bread these days! I used to bake all our bread when the not-so-wee-now hobbits were younger. They loved kneading small loaves of their own and making them into fancy breads. I hope you slathered it with lots of (tamed or defanged) butter and enjoyed every bite! Signing on and finding your notes (or new postings) are definitely highlights in my day! I don't anticipate taking a break from writing. The ideas are all still there, bubbling away. I just have to figure out how to manage my current energy levels. Happily enough, I do get an infusion of energy simply chatting back and forth like this, and that can often translate into some time spent writing. (I used to gently - I hope it was gently and not desperate sounding like the pleas at fanfic dot net [Please R&R!] - ask for people to leave reviews for that very reason, having always had energy issues, and I leave reviews for the same reason, in hopes of offering encouragement... and spark the motivation for them to write on.) In short (do I ever write anything "in short", I ask myself?), I still plan to post a new chapter of something or other, two or three times a week, just in case it might brighten someone's day. And I'm glad to hear that you find this little corner of the Web as diverting as I do. Author Reply: p.s. (((virtual hugs)))! To paraphrase the old television show we're binge-watching at present (I think it has 8 seasons! Yay!): "Let's be careful out there." (in other words, stay safe, and I hope this finds you well.) | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 4/13/2020 |
| Lindelea! Whew! So glad that someone has finally found young Farry! I was beginning to worry! Bless Dunnock for his persistence. Hopefully Farry can awaken and tell them about Ferdi! Hope you are feeling better! Stay Safe! ((virtual hug)) MM Author Reply: Much better, thank you! I just have to remember that butter is basically poison. Bummer. So glad that Mayor Sam's Shirriffs have their priorities straight! Thank you for taking the time to leave your thoughts and impressions. ((hug)) Stay safe. Hope this finds you and yours well. | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 4/11/2020 |
| Lindelea! I just read your response to Larner's review! I too used to love children's books where secret places and passages abounded. My favorite book growing up was "The Secret Garden". I used to pretend I had secret hiding places in my house, also mundane and modern, it was built in 1956. But I loved pretending anyway. Just thought I would share! Stay safe! ((virtual Hug)) MM Author Reply: Oh, yes, The Secret Garden! I also had a fascination with books set at boarding schools, for some reason. And I also remember numerous stories where children found trunks in the attic filled with marvels. Our attic was filled with stuff, basically, none of it marvellous. LOL! Pretending is such fun! I got to enjoy it all over again when our children were little, what fun! Hope this finds you and yours well. ((hug)) Stay safe! | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 4/11/2020 |
| Lindelea! I can see that Fortinbrand is trying to the right thing but knowing the Tooks he was having to build his case brick by brick or else it wouldn't work. It wouldn't work to convince the Tooks that it was their talk that has caused this. Not an easy task! Brilliant intricate storytelling. It keeps me riveted! How you doing? You say that the food sensitivities have laid you low this week. Are you feeling Better? Fingers crossed. Stay safe! (((Virtual hugs))) MM Author Reply: Thank you! I appreciate your analysis, and that the story is keeping your interest. This has taken some intricate weaving, and the next section is difficult in that I am trying to shoehorn it into an already-posted story as well as deal with a subject I haven't written much on before. Whew. I hope it comes out all right. Yes, I have always been allergic to milk protein (not lactose, unfortunately, or I could use lactose-free products), but I had been able to get away with butter until recently. *sigh* I'm with Julia Child when it comes to butter and cream. I am feeling better today at last, thanks for asking. :) (((hugs back))) Hope this finds you and yours well. Stay safe. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 4/10/2020 |
| So, now Fortinbrand and Erlingar now know what caused Faramir to run away as he did, and they are thinking to punish the Tooks for the Talk. Interesting! Maundy Thursday and Pesach are upon us. A blessed weekend for you and yours. Wish I was there! Author Reply: I can hardly believe it is Holy Week already! But then, staying at home over these past few weeks, without my usual errand days, has disrupted my sense of the days passing. We almost forgot to put the trash out on the curb last week because I was not keeping track of what day it was! And now it is Good Friday. A good day for reflection. Your comments are spot on. And now that it doesn't involve spoilers, I can offer that Erlingar and Rudigrim were engaging in a conspiracy of sorts during the Convocation. Rudigrim was playing the part of "the thoughts and voices of the Tooks", speaking aloud what those in the crowd were likely thinking (for instance, that a child couldn't be a credible witness), and so when Rudi offered the solution that he and Erlingar had actually worked out before the trial started, he made it seem as if it were coming from the Tooks themselves! That made it easier for the crowd to vote enthusiastically in favor of the final resolution, even though it was 180 degrees from the original intent of the gathering. Master manipulation (which sounds terrible when I say it) at work. All I can say in their (and my) defense is that nobody was hurt in the process - yes, it was stressful for the hobbits on trial, but they would have gone through the same stress in any event, with a much worse outcome for everyone, if Erlingar and Rudigrim and Fortinbrand had not chosen the course they ended up following. Gossip can be fun and interesting, but when it turns dark and malicious, it is a terrible thing. A blessed weekend in return to you and yours. Give those sweet pups a good petting from me. Stay safe. Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts. (((hugs))) | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 4/7/2020 |
| Oh, secret passages! I have Pippin joking with Ruvemir during the sculptor's visit to the Shire and the Great Smial that there were still delvers wandering through untapped hallways, making way for Tooks yet to be born, having forgotten how to get back to those portions of the place that were inhabited. Heh! Love to Panda from Polo, Griffin, Tilion, Bettina, and Tasha. And the cats send their greetings as well from safe places where doggies don't bother them. Author Reply: I used to (and still do) love secret passages! I used to devour children's literature where the heroes found secret passages and secret closets and drawers and such, and wished that our house was not quite so mundane and boring. The idea of delvers wandering through untapped hallways is a diverting thought. Love from Panda and the three Rulers of All They Survey to you and yours. And the guinea pig sends a squeak. Although that might have been an indication she's hungry again. Here's hoping this finds you well and safe. Thanks for stopping to leave a good word. | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 4/7/2020 |
| Lindelea! Love the intricacies of the story. Wow this is a pretty heavy lesson for Farry to learnt. Most children Hobbit or otherwise don't have to face the circumstances for their childish decisions in quite the way Farry was forced to reckon with his actions. But he will definitely understand to think about his actions and not be impetuous as his father. Hope you and yours are staying safe. ((virtual hugs)) Author Reply: As I was writing this "take" on the fallout from the events in Runaway, I kept coming back to that old saying, "For want of a nail...", or the image of casting a pebble into a pool and watching the widening ripples. As you said, this was a heavy lesson, and it helped to encourage Faramir Took to "look before he leaps" in future decisions. We are staying safe from the virus so far. Not so much the food sensitivities, though. They have laid me low this week, I'm sorry to say, but thankfully I was a few chapters ahead in the edited chapters (as opposed to draft chapters), so postings will be able to continue on schedule. Whew. Hope this finds you and yours well. Stay safe. (hugs back) *** Interesting reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Want_of_a_Nail | |