Dreamflower's Mathoms I by Dreamflower
Hai Took · 22 April 2005 · Chapter 37: Seven (Going on Thirty-nine)
Poor Merry! I'm always amazed when people write drabbles that they can fit so much into so few words. The description of the bareness of the room, made it very lonely.
Author's reply
I was afraid of drabbles until I tried one, LOL! Now I love them. I'm glad you got the loneliness I was aiming for.
Eruanna · 22 April 2005 · Chapter 41: Test Results
What a wonderful insight from Galadriel's POV! I especially love this line: the strength of a love so natural and so strong that the Shadow will never overcome it, though it may destroy the body Such a beautiful observation, and sadly so true, especially for Frodo. And I love your reference to Sam's low opinion of himself, and how blatantly false it is. It's wonderful that such a great lady can see the deep virtues in those so many of the 'Wise' might consider to be lesser beings. Blessings, Eruanna
songspinner · 22 April 2005 · Chapter 8: Making Time for Music
Oh, that was sweet! Good characterization and dialogue. I liked Legolas' sensitivity to Pip's moods, and the fact that you remembered that the elf also is a musician. It makes sense that if he sings all the time, that he'd pick up at least one instrument. Pippin here reminded me of my daughter - she can't bear to listen to rehearsals with me unless she gets to sing, but she doesn't know all the meanings yet. So we end up with a 5 year old in the mezzo section singing happily away in Gaelic, Ladino, French, etc. :) -Laura
Author's reply
Thank you. I think that Legolas connected to the different hobbits in different ways. Pippin loves music and trees, and these things would be a basis for something in common in their friendship. I have not explored the friendships between the Fellowship and the hobbits as much as just the hobbits, but I think I've rather scratched the surface a bit with Legolas. I love the way some very musical people are able to pick up songs in languages they don't know. I love *listening* to such songs, (especially Sindarin and Gaelic) but don't really know how to produce the words myself.
Mum's the Word · 22 April 2005 · Chapter 41: Test Results
Oh! This is so beautifully stated. "the strength of a love so natural and so strong that the Shadow will never overcome it, though it may destroy the body" -- such a powerful statement. Very well done, Dreaflower. Blessings, Mum
Author's reply
Thank you. That is just the way I have always felt about the bond of love between those four hobbits. I'm sure Galadriel would have been able to see it, and be awed.
Larner · 22 April 2005 · Chapter 29: The Taste of Strawberries
Lovely hint of movieverse here. Thank you. And love the beginning of Frodo's foresight.
Author's reply
Thank you. I loved that line. And I think that it *could* have been a conversation that might have taken place (after all, we were not privy to *every* word they spoke together) unlike some of the other movie elements. I think Frodo's foresight began fairly early on--he had prophetic dreams as early as Bombadil's house, but it was sharpened and focussed by his experiences--by his return to the Shire, I think he could have been counted among the Wise.
Larner · 22 April 2005 · Chapter 28: Comfort Food
Love this second hobbity story with recipe.
Author's reply
I adore recipe fics. We did a challenge for them at the Shire_kitchen LiveJournal community. But I had written a few before that anyway.
Larner · 22 April 2005 · Chapter 27: All You Have to do is Ask
Oh, I truly, truly love this one. Good ol' Pippin of the guileless green eyes! Lovely tale!
Author's reply
Thank you! At that age, those eyes truly were "guileless"; as he got older he started to realize what those eyes could do, LOL! I'm glad you liked it; it really didn't have a lot of plot, but I thought it would be fun to see what it was like for hobbit lads with a free afternoon of play.
Larner · 22 April 2005 · Chapter 40: The Pact
Ah, a good reminder of what might have been. And it sounds as if the two of them have grown up a good deal.
Author's reply
Yes, they have grown up a lot. It was inevitable.
Larner · 22 April 2005 · Chapter 39: Captain Freddy
I understand just how Freddy feels. Lovely. Don't know what happened to Folco, but love Freddy's determination to get revenge.
Author's reply
Folco's fate is in my story "For Folco". Suffice it to say it is the only character death I've written so far. And I didn't want to do it, but the plot bunny would not leave me alone until I did.
Daynawayna · 21 April 2005 · Chapter 40: The Pact
**Suddenly a thought came to him that sent a shiver down his spine. If he had lost Pip after the Last Battle, he would never have been able to get drunk again.** Husbby and I agree... a collective ::gasp!:: OOOOoooohhhh! ::teary eyes:: Those last 2 sentences speak more than the entire rest of the story. And I loved this one, Dreamflower. I love Arda writers insights into my favorite characters, and this one is no exception. :) Btw, what's a mathom? :)
Author's reply
Oh, I'm glad you *and* your hubby liked this! My DH is very supportive of my hobby, but he rarely reads any of it. It's mentioned briefly in the first chapter, and JRRT goes in to more detail in his Letter #214. A "mathom" is the word for something that is not used any longer, that a hobbit has stashed away, usually junk, but sometimes something nicer. They are often used as birthday gifts, as many hobbits would find the cost of buying new ones every birthday prohibitive. A "mathom room" is much like the modern attic or basement. Some writers use the word incorrectly as a word for *any* birthday gift, but it would only be correct if the gift is second hand. Also, Letter #214 is where the word "byrding"--meaning a person who is having a birthday, and the word "faunt"--a word meaning a hobbit toddler (which does not occur until three years old) come from. (And that is also how we know hobbits aged at approximately 2/3 the rate as Men--a three year old is equal to about a two year old, and a 33 year old is equal to about a 21 year old.) Sorry. More info than you asked for. What can I say? I'm a geek. *grin*
elisabeth · 21 April 2005 · Chapter 18: A Special Homecoming
What a fun little story (one of many, but I am only now going through them with time to write) and a very nice recipe. I am not a fungus-lover, but I may try the technique with other ingredients. I liked Merry's trick to get his own way over his daughter's name--with his herb studies, I imagine there will be something suitably botanic for his next daughters, but people are more important than plants for him. I also liked Pippin's planning ahead with his pastry-lessons. Of course, visiting Sam and Rosie also gave him some company--it was rather funny when the poor extrovert wondered if it was the Ring that made Bilbo and Frodo so content to be alone! Since the other reviewers were discussing seed cake and I just finished trying out a suitable version, here's yet another. (I was considering using it in a story of my own, but probably will not, being fonder of Mrs. Glasse's Rich Seed Cake, with its two hours of beating, just to make us all grateful for the invention of chemical leavening and electric mixers.) This recipe comes from Lydia Child's American Frugal Housewife of 1833. I cut the original recipe in half, approximately (that is, I didn't actually get the food scale and the teacups out, but approximated the amounts). Caraway Cakes. Cream together half a cup of butter and three-fourths a cup of sugar. Add 2 eggs, a quarter-cup of rosewater, one and a half cups flour, and 2-3 tablespoons caraway seed, beating well after each addition. The dough will be stiffer than cake batter, but thinner than most cookie doughs. Drop tablespoonfuls on a cookie sheet (if it's not a non-stick sheet, better grease it first) and bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes. I found the cakes browned only on the bottom when they were cooked through and they didn't rise much, but then, I didn't go to town on the beating. I was pleasantly surprised that they are neither as highly rose-flavored nor as highly caraway-flavored as I had feared. --elisabeth
Author's reply
OOooh! Those sound remarkably like my renaissance recipe for Shrewsbury Cakes, except for the caraway-seed. I adore the way rosewater-flavored baked goods smell in the oven, and you are right they do not have nearly as much rose flavor as they smell like. I will definitely have to try your variation! I need to check the date on my rosewater though. It's been in the fridge a loooong time. Yum! And a group I belong to has a bake sale coming up--good excuse to make them!
Marigold · 21 April 2005 · Chapter 40: The Pact
Oh lovely! I have been waiting for this one and as usual it was wonderful. I loved all of the detail, and everyone was so in character here! Merry was very lucky that Pip survived, lol.
Author's reply
You know, I really had a different ending planned, but the story got ahead of me. I always have fun with the details; sometimes I worry that they will slow the plot down, but I have so much fun with them I can't help it. Yes, one *more* reason to be glad; I am waiting for Pippin to make the same realization...
Andrea · 21 April 2005 · Chapter 40: The Pact
Well, I do not know, what my PC was thinking! The last review was not finished yet! What I was going to say, was: I'm glad that Sam and Frodo were in the right condition to guide the two drunken hobbits home! Well, a lot has happened since then to our four hobbits and I'm sure, if Pippin would not be there any more, Merry would have kept his promise! The relationship between Merry and Pippin is very special. Thank you for capturing it in this story!
Author's reply
Had that happen to me once or twice. It's just the gremlins getting a charge. I think that Frodo and Sam had sort of planned it that way, LOL! Merry would have kept his promise, even though it would mean he could not even drown his sorrow that way. In Middle-earth promises are *very* binding.
Anonymous · 21 April 2005 · Chapter 40: The Pact
Where did I hear about "the Gaffer's remedy"? Must have been in one of your other stories. It's absolutely Pippin to try out, what it means to get drunk, since he doesn't know anything of what happened some years ago. And Merry, trying to fulfill "The Pact", has to get drunk at the same rate as Pippin! Poor Merry, he should have seen this coming! But after all, there are still Frodo and Sam, nearly sober, to guide them
Author's reply
I have mentioned it a couple of times, I think. Most recently in "Pippin's Pack of Pickled Pipers". Pippin would want to try it. He's ready to replace an unpleasant memory with a pleasant one, and he could feel safe doing so, knowing that his cousins were watching out for him. For some, the experience would have put them off drinking completely forever, but I don't think that would have been very practical for hobbits. It seems like in the Shire, they drink ale and beer much like we do Coke. Still, I don't think he will *ever* like brandy.
Hai Took · 21 April 2005 · Chapter 35: In The Sitting Room
Very sweet! It was nice to see Pippin so close to another relation, I like how your Pippin is so loving and in touch with everyone. I like that she listened to fully and truly wanted to know about the people in Pippin's life that he would miss so much, but not "greedy and avid" as you say. Wonderful!
Author's reply
Pippin has a very loving and generous nature, and he is very open-hearted and open with his feelings. I think he is a good deal like Frodo would have been if he had not lost his parents--Frodo remained loving and generous, but he began to hide his feelings after that. I like to think that Pippin's older Aunties filled a sort of grandmotherly role for him--she truly cares about his feelings. A lot of the other Tooks, however were mostly just curious and thrill-seeking. And I thought of the "Jewelry" as they were *before* Opal's accident.
Hai Took · 21 April 2005 · Chapter 34: Lamentation
*sniff* It must have been very difficult for them to loose Frodo, although it was for the best it didn't make the pain any less for them. At least Gandalf warned them soon enough that they were able to catch Frodo before he truly was gone. Poor Merry, it must have been frightening for him to wake up alone and then to think that perhaps Pippin was gone to. Nicely done, you had me crying.
Author's reply
Yes, knowing that Frodo was going to be healed would be of some comfort, but it would not make the pain less, as you say. They don't call it the Sundering Sea for nothing. Once the ship had sailed, as far as the other hobbits were concerned, he might as well have been dead. They wouldn't see him again in life. And Merry's pain had to be acute. I think that of the four, he was the most possessive and held on the hardest; Frodo had been like a big brother to him--it had to hurt incredibly to lose him that way. As you say frightening and disorienting to awaken and feel as though Pippin might be gone as well.
Hai Took · 21 April 2005 · Chapter 33: Hide and Seek
How very sweet! I don't think there is really much more to say other than "aww".
Author's reply
Yes, this was just a nice little bit of pointless fluff for Shirebound. I suppose it could have been any little hobbit child and mother, but I'd not done much with Primula, so...
Hai Took · 21 April 2005 · Chapter 32: A Young Hobbit's Fancy
I always wonder at the relationship between Drogo and Bilbo, and this seems to be a very nice way they might have become so close. I like that we see a bit of Bilbo's wandering side here at the end with him leaving, remembering his jacket and pocket handkerchief as well. Shows just how precise he normally is on that point ;)
Author's reply
I have this theory about education in the Shire. In families where the parents can read and write, they teach the oldest child, who then teaches his or her brothers and sisters. But it in some of the great families such as Bagginses, Tooks and Brandybucks there is an uncle or a cousin who takes the children on as they grow older, and continues their education at a more advanced level, rather like a tutor, except it is always kept in the family. My idea is that up until he went on his Adventure, Bilbo filled that function for most of the Bagginses; afterward, he had lost his respectability, and so was no longer sought out for that. But my idea is that Drogo was one of his pupils, and a favorite with him at that. It would explain why they were so close that Bilbo would adopt Frodo.
Hai Took · 21 April 2005 · Chapter 31: Tea and Talk
Some how I tend to miss some of your stories and then I come back and there are a lot of them to read! It is a pleaseant surprise I just wish I wasn't so busy that I missed so many at a time! Anyway, hopefully I can get caught up on some of your stories before the weekend runs out! I like the way you used only dialoge, it worked to convey Esmeralda's feelings very nicely! How difficult to live not knowing what has happened. It ended on such a hopeful note though, nicely done!
Author's reply
This was a fun one to do, trying to get those first letters to come out right. I am glad that it made sense as well.
Bodkin · 21 April 2005 · Chapter 40: The Pact
Not a casual passing promise then - meant at the time, but not a life-long, binding commitment. I like to think of these two hobbits having that depth of bond. And Merry is just the right hobbit for upholding it - which is a jolly good thing for Pippin. (I wonder if Pippin would take it so seriously if Merry didn't?) I love the 25th birthday treat. Probably a good thing the last pitcher ended up being applied externally, though. And what a twist of the knife at the end! Not only a life-long commitment of the pair of them, but carrying on beyond the death of one partner.
Author's reply
I don't think that a promise was ever a casual thing to Merry. After all, he learned his earliest lessons in honor from Frodo. And yes, you are right about the depth of the bond as well. And Pippin would take it seriously because Merry did, because he learned about keeping promises *from* Merry. *grin* Yes, probably just as well. That kind of scene is always hard for me to figure out how to bring to an end. It's funny, but when I started the story, I was going to have some kind of cute ending where Pippin comes in at the end. But somewhere about halfway through, I got to thinking: if Pippin had died, Merry would not have been able to just drown his sorrow. I believe a lot of that comes from playing in JRRT's sandbox--he certainly felt that death did not bring an end to promises: look at how he felt about marriage, or about the broken oaths of the Dead, or the ill-advised oath of Feanor. It's a very old-fashioned and not very popular view of honor, but it carries with it a high sense of Purpose.
Grey Wonderer · 20 April 2005 · Chapter 40: The Pact
I love how this fits so very well with all of your others. I admire the way that you do that very much. This was very cute.
Author's reply
Thanks, GW! I started doing it, because I noticed some other writers tend to do that, and found that it helps a lot to keep them connected. For one thing each story often contains the seeds of a plot bunny for another.
PIppinfan1988 · 20 April 2005 · Chapter 3: Neither Have I Wings to Fly
*This* waa powerful--especially that last line of how the sea will forever affect Merry. Beautifully written....you almost had me in tears! What I should like to know is--who is your favorite? You write each hobbit with equal joy and love...but you can tell me. I promise not to tell! :-) Pippinfan
Author's reply
The truth? All four of them. What I love is their relationships to one another and their interactions, the way they show their love and protectiveness to each other, the ways in which they are alike and are different. I love the *hobbitiness* of them, and how they tease each other, and support each other. I love the way they seem to be so connected, such a vital part of one another's lives. That said, there are some differences. I find Merry's POV comes very easily to me. I love to write Pippin as a child or young tween. I enjoy Sam's POV often, though it does not come to me as easily as Merry's. I do find that it is sometimes difficult to write Frodo--he is a very private person, and does not like to let others in on what he's thinking. In very short stories or drabbles, I have no trouble in writing just one or two hobbits, but in anything longer, it is impossible not to somehow get them all in. When I wrote "The Brandy Hall Incident" I fully intended, for plot reasons, to leave Frodo out. I literally could not do it. He butted in, and insisted on being in it. The only reason Sam was not, is because JRRT said he never went to Buckland before the Quest. And "It Takes a Took" was *supposed* to be about Pippin/Diamond, and ended up being almost as much Merry/Estella, with a good deal of Frodo and Sam thrown in as well. What can I say? I'm just not a one-hobbit person.
PIppinfan1988 · 20 April 2005 · Chapter 2: A Matter of Perspective
Great perspective! Never gave old Bilbo a second thought while they were in Rivendell. I like how he is interacting with Frodo; "father" to "son". Wonderful! Pippinfan
Author's reply
I think Bilbo's presence in Rivendell was very important. His being there made him the senior representative of the family.
Lindelea · 20 April 2005 · Chapter 37: Seven (Going on Thirty-nine)
O yes, I can clearly see this in my mind's eye, just as I saw Frodo trying to make Merry understand, in the middle of the night, in "Forever". Lovely.
Author's reply
I could imagine little Merry wanting to go crawl in with Frodo, and he's not there...such a hard thing for him
Lindelea · 20 April 2005 · Chapter 39: Captain Freddy
Ooo, you gave me shivers! Well done!
Author's reply
Poor Freddy, it must have really weighed on him, the thought that these hobbits were looking to him; and he didn't have the knowledge or preparation Merry and Pippin recieved on the Quest. It was a miracle that they only ended up in the Lockholes and not dead.