It's All Relative by GamgeeFest
nancylea57 · 7 December 2008 · Chapter 1: It's All Relative
sometimes the most important thing to know about a friend is that you don't speak the same language at all. and just keep going as friends.
Author's reply
Boromir learned this lesson well in Rivendell, but sometimes, he just can't help himself. At least it entertained everyone while they readied for camp. ;)
Elf Friend · 22 January 2005 · Chapter 1: It's All Relative
This was very funny! I don't understand all of it yet...maybe I should read it again. Thank you for such a funny story!! :)
Author's reply
LOL, this was a lot of fun to write. It was one of those bunnies that just bit me and kept its hold until I wrote it. Glad you enjoyed it!
Hobbit Lass21 · 2 December 2004 · Chapter 1: It's All Relative
This is great! I love the whole idea of hobbits seeing it so clearly and poor Boromir being utterly confused. If I was in his shoes, I'd most likley do what he did as well- say I understand just to get them to stop! HL21
Author's reply
I think if Sam had gotten to him first, it might not have been so bad, but Merry quite rattled the poor guy, lol. And that was just scratching the surface of hobbit relations. They get much more complex than that. I don't blame Boromir for pretending to understand, except they might try to quiz him later! :) Thanks for reading.
Hai Took · 12 July 2004 · Chapter 1: It's All Relative
Poor Boromir! All that to try and expalin their family trees! Poor guy! It was very interesting to see the hobbits try and explain, I think I at least understand family tress better now! Thank you for the fun!
Author's reply
LOL, Poor Boromir never stood a chance. They probably confused him even more! Glad you liked it and thanks for reviewing. :)
Dreaming N Watercolors · 8 July 2004 · Chapter 1: It's All Relative
I enjoyed this little story especially the ending. Quite fun, and it's also very nice to see your stories at this site.
Author's reply
Thank you. There was just no other way to end it other than Borry still being completely lost. :) I'm glad you enjoyed this and my other fics.
BM · 6 July 2004 · Chapter 1: It's All Relative
I had to laugh when I read this. You really have great talent for writing and I could just see this in my mind's eye happening--it fit perfectly into the storyline and you did a wonderful job in your characterizations! I had to laugh, though, because where I grew up and in my family, we're like the hobbits, and keep track of all our cousins and aunts and uncles, great, greats and once and twice and thrice and the whole bit. To hear my mother put it, we're kin to half the people in the state! But thanks for sharing your story, and I do hope you continue to write--you are really very good and very, very talented! Keep up the excellent work!
Author's reply
Thank you for such a lovely review! I'm glad this was able to pass the test of an expert. :) I should, myself, have understood all this year's ago, since I come from a culture that is really into its genealogy, but the most I ever got into it was looking at family trees and following the lines. It took me a long time to figure out the great greats, and removes, and seconds and thirds, and everything else. I'm so glad you enjoyed the story. I do have a few others if you want to check those out also. Hope to hear from you again. :)
rabidsamfan · 6 July 2004 · Chapter 1: It's All Relative
*snicker* I love it. And such a wonderful explanation of how degrees of kinship work too! (It took me forever to figure that one out!)
Author's reply
Thank you. It took me a long time to figure out the degrees of kinship also. I don't know how many times I had it explained to me before it finally clicked. Glad you liked it and thanks for reviewing. :)
Meldewen Ilce · 6 July 2004 · Chapter 1: It's All Relative
Oh that was CUTE! And I must congratulate you in understanding hobbit family trees as I have tried in the past and got nothing but headaches for my troubles! LOL - again GREAT story! I especially loved the ending where Boromir admitted to Legolas he really did not understand but knew he'd better say otherwise as the hobbits would have went on and on and on if he hadn't! LOL!
Author's reply
I have a fascination with family trees, but I've never understood the degrees of relations myself until a few months ago. It gets much more complicated than this even, but I (and Boromir) stopped here, as it would have given *me* a headache! Boromir learned his lesson quick about what not to ask the hobbits, didn't he! Glad you liked it and thanks for reviewing. :)
Grey Wonderer · 5 July 2004 · Chapter 1: It's All Relative
I am like Boromir. I have no clue how you managed to keep that all straight and explain it two different ways! LOL I loved this.
Author's reply
I was like Boromir too, until someone finally explained it to me in simple terms. It can get much more complicated than that I'm sure. And trust me, I kept the book pried open to the family trees the whole time I was writing this! Glad you liked it and thanks for reviewing. :)
daw the minstrel · 5 July 2004 · Chapter 1: It's All Relative
This made me laugh. I loved the way Legolas took all this in quite easily. I'll bet that Elven family relationships get very complicated, given that they don't usually die. You could have generations going back and forward all mixed together.
Author's reply
You know, the hobbits could probably learn a thing or two from Legolas, LOL! Glad this made you laugh, and thanks for reviewing. :)
Dreamflower · 5 July 2004 · Chapter 1: It's All Relative
Oh yes! You can't get more hobbity than this! I love it! And I loved Sam's explanation. I simply have to take people's word for it when they talk about degrees of relationships. This was beautifully done, and I love Boromir's confusion. Wonderful job! This one's a keeper for me!
Author's reply
Thank you so much! Leave it to Sam to keep things as simple as possible. I could probably explain my degrees of relationships amongst my cousins. My problem is that there are so many of them, I have no idea which kid belongs to which relative, and I only know about half their names. Makes it kind of difficult to say the least. Glad you enjoyed it. :)
Bodkin · 5 July 2004 · Chapter 1: It's All Relative
I love the mind-numbing confusion that the hobbit obsession with relationships causes - and the way that those who have learned not to ask gather round to enjoy the baffledness of the latest victim. Only - Boromir is the scion of an ancient noble house of a very status-conscious nation. I would be very surprised if the sons of Denethor (although especially Faramir) couldn't tell you exactly how they were related to all the aristocracy of Gondor. Just what I think, anyway. And if one of them was going to be confused, it would be Boromir - who has the Faramir-almanac around to clear up any problems like that.
Author's reply
You have a point, and it is one I considered. I don't doubt for a second that Boromir knows at least the entire line of Stewards and who their children were. Beyond that, I don't know how obsessed he would be with keeping track of the degrees of all his relations. By the way they introduce and name themselves ("Boromir, son of Denethor" for example), I could easily see them explaining their relationships in similar fashion ("He is so-and-so, son of so-and-so, who is the son of so-and-so" and so forth) and not in typical 'hobbit' fashion ("This is so-and-so, my 3rd cousin twice removed"). I did try to get Gimli interested enough to ask the hobbits. Of all the Fellowhip, I think he would be least likely to understand degrees of relationships, but as you saw, he just wasn't interested. I'm glad you enjoyed it and thanks for reviewing. :)
purrlin · 5 July 2004 · Chapter 1: It's All Relative
Ok I grew up the oldest of a simple family where there was the odd ( and I do mean odd) grandparent and the occasional aunt or uncle. I know I have cousins though I could walk past them in the street without ever knowing. I happened to fall for and marry a man who was the youngest of six. There are many family members now and to be honest I have learnt NOT to try and work out where they all fit in and to what extent they may or may not be related to me or my children. Lets see ! Theres six kids with the oldest married twice and the second married three times and the fifth married twice as well. Theres two kids from the oldest and then theres two families from the second that consists of two from the first marriage and four adopted from the third marriage, theres two kids from the third child and four daughters from the fifth and two dauhters from the fifth and my four from the youngest son. Now from the first of the first there are none so far and five from the second of the first ( all daughters too!) theres at least one from the first of the second son and two from the second son of the second son. Lets see there's four daughters from the third marriage Of the second son and Im not sUre how many kids from them. Theres one from the first daughter of the third son, and three from the second daughter ( though the first isnt the same father as the other two, which isnt unusual as the first daughter of the third son is actual not his blood either) the third child ( the first son ) hasnt any yet and the fourth (the second son) hasnt even got a lady friend to speak of. The fourth child is the first daughter of my husbands lot and has four daughters, at this stage there is one grand daughter from the oldest of the four girls. The fifth, also a daughter has two daughters and the first of those has a son and the second a son and a daughter. Then there is my other half that has two daughters and two sons, who at this stage are to young to have children of their own. This doesnt include my husbands cousins and their children......ok as you can see I am NOT a hobbit but seem to have married into a hobbit clan! It's rather funny cause I happen to have been told by my erstwhile children that I am the proud mother of a hobbit lass, a lothlorien elven lass, a hobbit lad ( quickly growing into a dwarvish teen) and a mirkwood elven lad...I have also reliablly been informed, I am married to a dwarf and am considered a ranger of the north by my lovely children! Start trying to work out how this all works and then you will realise just how difficult Hobbit family trees really are! ok Thanks again.... this was fun...and brings an interesting twist to my "family" gatherings when we try and work out how we are all related...I will just send them through to this story and hope they can work it out as Sam has so plainly stated it all! :) thanks! :) purrlin :)
Author's reply
LOL, that's quite a complicated family tree you have there. Well let's see: I only have one brother, and one half-sister from my mother's first marriage. My brother has one kid and my sister three, so that's easy. My dad has two brothers. His oldest has kids from his first marriage, but none from his second, so that's easy too. His youngest brother married one of my mom's sisters, and that's how my parents met. So basically, my mom married her brother-in-law and my dad married his sister-in-law (much like the Gamgees and the Cottons did). My mom has another 12 brothers and sisters, two of whom are also remarried, and they all have kids. The cousins I grew up with I can keep straight, but any that came afterward I get totally and completely lost. I have no clue what half of my cousin's names are, much less who they belong to! Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed this, and that it gave you something to do at your next family function! Thanks for reviewing. :)
SilverMoonLady · 5 July 2004 · Chapter 1: It's All Relative
This was quite neat, and very informative... Despite all my best intentions, I still always used to get lost after "It's quite simple really." Poor Boromir! Thank you very much for a well-written piece, full of good humor and dialogue:)
Author's reply
"It's really quite simple" - famous last words, especially when speaking to a hobbit about his numerous cousins. I'm sure Boromir will think twice before asking the hobbits to clarify something again. Thank you for a lovely review and I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)