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| The Thrum of Tookish Bowstrings, Part 1 by Lindelea | 85 Review(s) |
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| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 2/13/2020 |
| Lindelea! First, Farry. What a cute nickname. I love how Farry is taller ( I assume because Pippin had taken the Ent draft?) and more serious as a child taking after Faramir as a child. Lovely story. I did wonder how well who would Faramir's namesake shoot a bow. Quite well, apparently. After reading the story I have one question. How long have you been shooting? Only an archer would know all the specifics of shooting. (Or you read up on Archery training.) I shoot as well although not for a while. *sigh* Lovely story. can't wait for more! MM. Author Reply: Lovely to hear from you! Looking forward to reading the next chapter of yours in line as soon as I finish answering reviews and adding the latest-edited chapter to this. A long-ago beta reader and I had quite a lively discussion of Farry's height. In the end, she convinced me that it would be logical for the Ent-draught to affect Pippin's DNA enough to ensure his children would be taller than average. LOL! I first took up a bow at the age of six at summer camp, returning to that camp for several more summers after that. We also practiced target shooting with BB guns. The camp had "traditional" style bows, none of the fancy equipment you see nowadays. (My cousins, if I'm remembering right, used traditional bows in their deer-hunting.) That was a long time ago. I don't know when the fancy compound bows became a "thing" as I haven't kept up with the sport. The English longbow has long had a place in my heart, though, and when my children went through a "Robin Hood" phase, I reacquainted myself with the topic and incorporated it into my Tookish stories. I even had a delightful email exchange with a member of a British archery club! So for this story, I had a basic foundation of knowledge and simply brushed up on the particulars of archery instruction, specifically the history of learning the longbow. (Oh my, it goes way back...) Call it a mix of early experience and research. I've based Farry's "knack" here on my own experience. Although I have had problems with my eyesight since an early age, I somehow have a knack for aiming a bow or BB gun. A few years ago, we took our children to a family fun event, and I picked up a traditional-style bow at the archery booth after decades of not-shooting. To everyone's astonishment, I hit the bullseye on my first try! (Honestly not a brag; I was as astonished as everyone else there. Somehow, my brain and fingers, working together, have a sense for aiming a bow, even though I couldn't throw a ball straight to save my life. I am the opposite of the way I write Pippin...) Thank you for stopping by and leaving a good word! | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/13/2020 |
| Oh dear! Gainsaying a headstrong Took Who is now Thain seems an unenviable task! Poor Ferdi! Author Reply: LOL, it seems logical that Tooks as a whole would be known for their stubbornness, seeing as they kept the ruffians out of their homeland during the time of the Quest. (Poor Ferdi, indeed! He's had his moments...) Thanks! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 2/13/2020 |
| It is obvious that Faramir Took is a more than capable archer at the age of four! It sounds as if he was born of an old soul, and unusually capable and aware for one who is yet a faunt in the eyes of the Shire. And Pippin was aware that his son was gifted in the one service in which he himself was not. Most interesting! Author Reply: For some reason, he has struck me as an "old soul" from the first time the Muse brought him to mind... (The Panda-pup gives my elbow a serious of vigorous nudges, impeding typing and insisting I send along a "hello".) | |
| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/10/2020 |
| I think that you might be the first to tackle this subject. Well done. And I love it that Pippin is dangerous with a bow! Author Reply: My goodness! Thank you for the encouraging words! Not only have I had a fascination with archery since a young age (I think I was about six when I was introduced to a no-frills, traditional bow), but I also found the research for this particular story absorbing. Thus, the Tookish archers' weapons and skills as I've imagined them are based on what I learned about English and Welsh longbows and their use during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. What fun! Thanks for coming along for the ride. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/10/2020 |
| Poor Ferdi--he has quite the pickle to deal with, and that's saying something! I hope that Farry can shoot better than his da, but we will see. (By the way, there is a dog back in Minas Tirith to deal with--hint, hint!) Author Reply: LOL! This one is written all the way through, at the insistence of the Muse when she suddenly returned out of the void. I was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth... but I will convey your hints to her and see if she might be tractable. Thus, I will be posting a chapter of this every day or couple days (depending on the busyness of life) until it's posted in full. Thanks! | |