Reviews (295)

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I've seen the use of athelas in many fanfic stories, but my brain seems to restrict its application to various Northern Rangers along with Elrond and his sons. (Maybe other Elves, as well? I'm not sure. I don't write other elves very often.) It also makes sense to me that Elrond and Aragorn would have the highest level of the gift that activates the powers of the herb; thus, while I have shown that other Rangers are able to use the stuff, they do so with somewhat less confidence and efficacy in my stories. For that reason, though my version of hobbits are well aware of the virtues of athelas, its application is firmly tied to "the healing hands of the King" in their minds. I may or may not be interpreting JRRT's intentions accurately. Isn't it wonderful how the Professor has given us so much scope for the imagination?! Thanks for this excellent food for thought!

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I'm glad to have you along for the story! If you did read it long ago (all the way to the finish, I mean), it might well have been the original version published in 2003 or 2004 (I'm too lazy to look it up at the moment). Some time later, I unearthed a sheaf of beta readers' questions and comments that had been misplaced and, along with pondering the flaws in the story that became clearer with time, have been working on smoothing the rough spots and fleshing out the story in places where the original version now seems a little sparse to me. Hopefully the changes constitute an improvement... Thanks!

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Thank you for your thoughtful reviews! I see I have some catching-up to do in terms of review replies. I'm glad you like the song. I wish I knew where I could upload and link them so people could listen to them. The site where they were originally hosted 20-some years ago is long gone. Jewels put Merry through an awful lot, I must admit, and so it's a relief to see him find his reward in the form of love and friendship. Thanks again for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts!

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MM! I am way behind in replying to reviews, but I will be plugging away at it now that I'm beginning to get my energy back. I don't want anyone to think I take reviews for granted! I find them so encouraging to read. (Staying up past 1am is probably not the best course of action in terms of getting things done and continuing to recuperate, and I plan to do better after today. But this is the first day I haven't felt the need to take three naps and go to bed relatively early! Though with editing draft chapters into final form and reading fanfic, it is possible that three naps will again be on the agenda for the coming day...) I'm so glad you made it through the angst to happier times! It's always such a relief to get to the joy after the struggle, whew. (((hugs))) my friend. I'm so excited to hear that your new chapter is coming along! Warmly, Lin

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It's nice to hear from you! I appreciate your feedback, especially hearing about the parts that jumped out at you, which helps me to see the story with fresh eyes. Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts.

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MM! You made it through some very angsty chapters! I appreciate your stopping long enough to say a few words of encouragement. Thanks! (((hugs))) Lin

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MM! Pippin's wit and curiosity and joyful spirit (as when Frodo sees him running on the grass and singing and resolves not to take Pippin with him, yikes) endeared him to me from the first time I read through LOTR (and Billy Boyd expressed his energy and exuberance so well!) – though I have to admit that Merry has always been my favorite among the hobbits from the first time I read the scene where he and Éowyn fought the Witch King. I'm not quite sure how I ended up writing so much more about Pippin and then Ferdibrand... Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. You often give me fresh insights into the characters when I catch a glimpse of them as seen through your eyes. (I hope that makes sense; I'm overdue for a dose of protein.) (((hugs))) Lin

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MM! I *loved* Chapter 28 of Destiny's Child! Wonderfully done. You are so right about that rocky road. *sigh* Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts! I really appreciate it! (((hugs))) Lin

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MM! "snoozing through the whole thing" is a lovely idea, isn't it? Somehow the thought makes me smile. (((hugs))) Lin

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MM! You asked: Do they ever see eye-to-eye in the future? When I first started writing LOTR fanfic, I saw Paladin as a critical father (which shaped much of Pippin's character development). Somehow Merry's warm connection to Théoden and Pippin's rather more difficult connection to Denethor was reflected in how I saw their relationships with their fathers, as I realized a few years later. But Paladin didn't quite sit right with me. I found reasons for his harshness as I kept exploring the Tooks to make him more understandable (and, as in RL, more complex rather than something of a cardboard character). Father and son come to an understanding of sorts near the end of Paladin's life, but Pippin doesn't return to the Tookland until after Paladin's death. I even developed an alternative timeline with a likable Paladin; in The Farmer's Son, you'll find him a completely different hobbit. (It's a WIP and will eventually be posted in full after revision and beta-reading.) It's early days in the process, however, and I haven't solved all the problems that would need solving to make all the already-written stories fit with the more relatable Paladin. After all, Pippin's clashes of will with his father and his self-exile, as well as the impact on Ferdi's experiences, are a large part of the two cousins' character formation process on my original timeline. Anyhow, there's a glimpse behind the scenes. But I'm rambling. I need to go in search of some protein. Thanks so much for your lovely reviews! (((hugs))) Lin

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MM! Thank you for reminding me that you'd posted Chapter 27. It was lovely! I left more of a review attached to the chapter, of course. People can be so clueless. It's been rather amusing to write about clueless Merry (while figuring out how to prevent him from seeing Estella as she really is) in different stories so as not to spoil the surprise he experiences in this chapter! I've heard/read some of George Takei's stories about his experiences in an internment camp. What a terrible facet of American history those camps were. Your best friend's mum sounds staunch and resilient. (((hugs))) Lin

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MM! Ooo! I'm looking forward to Chapter 27! (I cannot wait until you get to the part where she wakes up in the Houses of Healing and going forward... How far will "Destiny's Child" go? Do you plan to write Éowyn's story all the way to her wedding or beyond, or refer readers to one of your other stories? Just curious. I don't mind reading the same scenes from a slightly different angle, for I can't seem to get my fill of these wonderful characters...) Y'know, since Merry's always been my favorite hobbit, ever since the first time I read the scene where he and Éowyn faced the Witch King – I was only a young teen at the time! – when I began to imagine the hobbit he'd marry, I wanted to make him a good – no, excellent! – match. So Estella is written to be the other half of his soul, providing exactly what he needs (while he does the same for her). I'm so glad you see her the way I do. So far as Hobbits and legalities go, I started from JRRT's brief mention of witnesses and red ink, possibly absorbed some influence from Dreamflower's writings, and went from there, though I diverged slightly when I began exploring the Tooks in more depth. As a result, the Tooks are something of a law unto themselves. But then, they were able to resist Lotho's influence and Saruman's malice, so I'm not too bothered by the difference between Tookland and what they regard as the Outer Shire. Thank you for your encouragement! This may sound odd, but I appreciate your appreciation of reviews. I find reviews so heartening; they reassure me that I'm not just talking to myself (or, alternatively, I'm not distorting Tolkien's world into something unrecognizable or unrelatable). These days, I'm trying to answer every review to show my appreciation. For years, I've tried to review every chapter I read, even if I don't have much to say, though I haven't always succeeded. (Sometimes I read on my phone, and for whatever reason, when I get back to the laptop, I forget to go back and leave reviews on those chapters.) In no way do I expect others to do the same, but I sure do bless those who do. How well I remember that countdown to retirement! I had to restart mine a couple times (put off retirement a little longer, I mean), and so I'm wishing you better luck in that respect, and that those 40 weeks will fly by. I have to tell you, I'm never bored, and over the past few months I've really enjoyed being able to explore pursuits I had put on hold due to a lack of time and energy while working. Fanfiction included. Oops. I may have descended into rambling. I'd better get off the laptop and brew a cup of tea before diving back into your young Aragorn story... (((hugs))) Lin

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MM! So good to hear from you! I hope you are keeping well and thinking about your stories... Estella has an interesting sense of humor, and her anger at the situation is showing here. She's also sort of making a preemptive strike here, deliberately fanning the flames of gossip by casting herself as heartless and selfish and cruel – as if Pippin actually wanted to marry her, and she threw him off. (Well, she did throw him off, in point of fact.) For everyone's good, as you said – Merry's, too, if only because a miserable Pippin will make him equally miserable. (((hugs))) Lin

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I did! I even saw from the reviews that I started reading the story years ago (before the need to go back to the workplace pulled me away from fanfic), and I revisited it after your earlier request. It is a clever, creative story! That said, no ideas have arisen in my brain for a related story, at least not yet. Sometimes the ideas flow, and sometimes they refuse to budge. (For example, it took me about 15 years to come up with the epilogue to Pearl of Great Price after a reader asked me if there might be any way to save Lop the sheepdog instead of him dying to save Pippin's life. And though I asked Marigold many times for a story prompt for one of her challenges in the old days, not all of them resulted in a story, much as I wished to come up with something.) I will keep your request in mind, but I cannot make any promises. Hobbit conspiracies can be very effective! The joke about the Brandybucks is one of those things that is so old and so generally well-known in the Shire as to go without saying (and so rude, apparently, that people don't say it in polite company) that many of the people who bring up the "old saying" have actually forgotten what it is. Sort of like forgetting the punch line to an iconic joke. Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts!

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A long time ago, when I was fairly new to fanfic, I had a friend who was constantly wanting me to throw Pippin and Estella together, in part because the two of them are so similar in terms of their inclination to mischief. (I don't remember if her fascination with the topic came about because she read this story, or if this story came about because of her hints! She certainly cheered me on as I was twisting canon relationships all out of whack before working out the tangles I'd introduced and putting them back together the way the family trees say they should be.) Unfortunately, I lost contact with a lot of people when I went back to work, and she was one of them. How I miss our conversations! I hope she is well but I have no way of knowing. Estella is supposed to be one of those frankly exasperating (and even exhausting) people who, nonetheless, you can't seem to help liking. She has a lot of energy, so I take her in small doses. For someone like Merry, who can be Entirely Too Serious sometimes, she's probably the perfect match (he can tone down her impulsivity, and she can distract him from his worries). Alas, poor Paladin. He's dragging a heavy load – facing all the demands of overseeing Tookland while lacking most of the necessary resources. Gaining access to Estella's fortune wouldn't solve his problems, but it could help, at least in the short term. He should just come out and admit to everyone that Tookland's treasury disappeared under the previous Thain. The volatile Tooks would probably not blame him and banish him for making such an admission because of all he did in keeping Tookland free from Lotho and his ruffians. But he can't trust that. In my early stories, I didn't do a good job of portraying him as someone saddled with unexpected responsibility who is trying to do his best while blindfolded and with his shoelaces figuratively tied together and one hand tied behind his back. So he comes off as unreasonable and tyrannical for no reason. I did better at revealing the underlying circumstances in the stories that came later. I think I came to understand Paladin better along the same timeline as Pippin coming to understand him better, if that makes sense? It's like this whole timeline of the Fourth Age Shire in the back of my head was spontaneously generated in one piece and has been slowly revealed bit by bit as the Muse (that creative impulse I can't explain) has spun these interlocking stories one or two at a time. I think I can pinpoint the ignition point as Chapter 25 of this story, when the person who was answering my medical questions told me that such severe symptoms as I was describing while writing the aftermath of the ice storm would result in permanent lung damage (and they went on to describe what life with such damage would look like for Pippin). At the same time I was pondering their feedback and trying to decide what to do next, I was idly reading through the Tale of Years and was reminded of Sam's trip to Gondor. As the idea of him bringing back the "cure" occurred to me, everything fell into place, including the impact of Pippin's chronic illness on character development for Pippin and all the people around him. I suddenly had a timeline stretching from Merry's birth until he and Pippin rode South! Later, the timeline kept extending further and further back until it reached all the way to the Fallohides in the Vales of the Anduin. (The Muse has remained fixed on Hobbits, however, and has not strayed into stories about Elves and Men and Dwarves except as they relate to Hobbits. I'm not sure why my brain has been oriented that way. It may have something to do with Hobbits' innate nature, as opposed to the kinslayings and rebellion and corruption that form such a large part of the histories of other races in Tolkien's creation. While Hobbits have plenty of conflict to deal with, for the most part, it seems to come from outside forces.) Sorry, I'm rambling again. I had better go in search of some protein to clear the fog from my head.

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MM! I've found a lot of solace in alone-time with a horse or dog or cat over the years. Though I must admit, I never practiced night riding, and I don't know how doable or advisable Merry's habit of riding after dark might be. (Is this a time to say, "Do not try this at home?") Merry will do everything in his power to help his cousin, and for those things that are beyond his power, he'll stand staunch at Pippin's side. Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts. It's so heartening to hear from you! (((hugs))) Lin Author Reply: I forgot to answer your question: Did [Merry] have knowledge all along or was this also from his time spent with the Rohirrim? I started out with the detail about how he met the others as Farmer Maggot was driving them to the Ferry. Merry was riding in dark, foggy conditions, carrying (but not using) a dark-lantern. (The text says he uncovered the lantern to shine it on Farmer Maggot's face when the farmer challenged him in the dark.) I think those conditions would be quite risky for a casual rider or someone unfamiliar with ponies. He also had procured ponies before they set out from Crickhollow, implying he was somewhat knowledgeable about what to look for in ponies intended for a long-distance venture. I'd imagine he added to his knowledge of equines when he was among the Rohirrim. Perhaps part of their embracing him had to do with a shared interest or even passion for ponies/horses? The thought brings me a smile, anyhow. I have Ferdibrand Took similarly discovering common ground with the Rohirrim in general (on his trip south with Farry) and with Éowyn (because of horses) and Faramir (because of archery and the M-e equivalent of guerrilla warfare, I think?) in particular. What fun it is to discover kindred spirits! (((hugs))) Lin Author Reply: Shoot, and now I want to write a short story where Merry shows one of the Rohirrim some practical solution that Shire-folk use with their ponies. But I can't think of anything off the top of my head that a hobbit would know (in terms of equines) and that would be a new idea for the Rohirrim who are practically horses themselves... (Like coal to Newcastle, as they say?)

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You know a hobbit's in trouble when he stops eating. But things will get better, I promise. (((hugs back))) Lin