Larner
· 17 July 2015
· Chapter 76: We remember past celebrations
All are far away from home for the winter solstice, no matter what they refer to it as. May they have at least a bit of celebration tonight!
And Bill has his Yule feast first of all of them.
Author's reply
Ah, yes, celebration. Reminds me of an old version of Christmas Carol, where Christmas Present shows Scrooge celebrations in all sorts of settings, including a lighthouse on an island, with a storm howling and waves crashing against it.
A little celebration is good for morale, I should think.
Thanks!
shirebound
· 17 July 2015
· Chapter 76: We remember past celebrations
What a nice interlude for our beloved Fellowship. Sam all warm again, and supper/breakfast being prepared, and Bill with a toothsome treat. *beams*
Author's reply
Ah, yes, the original narrative mentions that they were "seldom" able to have a fire, so that means that they *did* get to have a fire or two along the way, wouldn't you think? Sam's "falling in" made a good reason for a fire, that's for sure.
Thanks!
Dreamflower
· 17 July 2015
· Chapter 76: We remember past celebrations
Yay! Sam's getting plenty of coddling, which he both needs and deserves!
Love the way you've set this on the timeline, helping the reader to know just which part of the journey they are on and how many days it's been without coming right out to say it. Clever!
And I always grin at Bill's names for the Fellowship, especially "young mischief" who is not at all mischievous at the time, but is getting along quite responsibly and efficiently with the things that need doing, and without being nagged or even asked. (An interpretation of his personality borne out by canon; he was the first to say "as much as we must" about carrying loads when the ponies were stolen in Bree! He can be funny and light-hearted without acting like a child, as some would show him!) Anyhow, I do love your Pippin!
Author's reply
Thank you!
I think my impression of Pippin was partly formed by the BBC dramatization, long before the movies ever came out. Though he sounded young, he also sounded quite level-headed (when he wasn't doing something impulsive and foolish, that is!).
I was afraid at first that I'd written right past the turning of the year. Imagine my relief when I combed through what was posted and realized I still had a window of opportunity!
I had forgotten about Pippin being the first to say that! It seems more like a Samish thing to say. I'm glad to have this glimpse of Pippin's hidden depths.
Lindelea,
I have been happily rereading your stories (all of them, I have a spare bit of time). Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy them. Still looking for Ferdi and Faramir's adventure in Gondor!
Author's reply
So glad to hear from you!
The draft for Ferdi and Faramir is slowly progressing...
Author Reply: I don't know if the email you attached to your review is current (or even if you put in an email), but I just wanted you to know that I finally began posting chapters of "Farry and Ferdi Go to Gondor" now that I'm retired and have time to write and read fanfic again. The working title has changed to "All Work and No Play".
(Who was it, that said Sam would likely jump down a dragon's throat for Frodo? Or am I remembering something in a fanfic? I had a heat-triggered migraine over the weekend and my thinking is still a bit fuzzy.)
It was Pippin, and he said it in Chapter 5: "A Conspiracy Unmasked."
'You do not understand!' said Pippin. 'You must go--and therefore we must, too. Merry and I are coming with you. Sam is an excellent fellow, and would jump down a dragon's throat to save you, if he did not trip over his own feet; but you will need more than one companion in your dangerous adventure.'
Bless Bill for his concern! Gandalf knows Bill will do about anything for his Sam! And I, too, love Frodo's comment.
Talk to you next week.
Author's reply
Gandalf certainly does! As he knows Sam would do about anything for his Master... (Who was it, that said Sam would likely jump down a dragon's throat for Frodo? Or am I remembering something in a fanfic? I had a heat-triggered migraine over the weekend and my thinking is still a bit fuzzy.)
Next week? (perks up) Are you coming down?
Have you ever had Salt & Straw ice cream? Amazing stuff.
"Treasure in the Troll Cave!" a perfect saying for hobbits of Bilbo's acquaintance (though I can see the average hobbits turning up their noses at such an "Adventurous" phrase! I'm sure Dora would sniff at it daintily, and Lalia would have scoffed outright! But it would make the young hobbits who grew up on Bilbo's tales smile, I'm sure!
Poor Sam! *sigh* And he'd probably say "Water and Gamgees don't mix!" and attribute it to his Gaffer!
Bill is an extremely observant pony.
Author's reply
It seemed like something Bilbo might have been fond of saying, and Frodo might well have picked it up from him. (And yes, probably not to be said in polite company, unless one mischievously intended to scandalize...)
Great Gafferism!
I have found ponies to be extremely observant, especially to details that I might otherwise miss. (There's a puddle! Right in front of us! An impassible puddle! There! Don't you see it?)
Author Reply: (By the way, hope you and yours are well. Do you have time to resume beta-reading chapters of The Proposition, by chance? I've started posting chapters one at a time on Google Drive. I think that might solve the editing problems.)
I'm as relieved as everyone else for their chance of fire, a meal, and a rest. What a long, tedious journey that was for all of them.
Author's reply
I can't imagine walking three weeks straight (pretty much), in a biting cold wind (though it warmed up a little over two weeks into the journey, I think), through the night, with infrequent fires and cold food to look forward to. *shiver*
I'm looking forward to Hollin, actually.
Thanks!
Oooohh!! Love it! I do love a good Sam hurt/comfort story or chapter. And I love how Bill tried to help him when he was in trouble.
Author's reply
Glad to oblige!
Poor Bill, it must be difficult sometimes to be a creature without hands. I've no doubt if things had gone on any longer, he would have tried to lift Sam with his own teeth, leaving marks and bruises, but better than the alternative, perhaps...
Thanks!
Tari
· 19 May 2015
· Chapter 74: We follow winding paths to sheer falls, and swamps
I doubt that anyone thought of Bill as being the 10th member of the fellowship, but now that I think about it, he was.
Author's reply
Definitely! :)
Dreamflower
· 17 May 2015
· Chapter 74: We follow winding paths to sheer falls, and swamps
Oh, poor Bill!
I hope Pippin doesn't become ill, what with all the worrying his cousins are doing!
Author's reply
Ah, DF wins the ARA for this chapter... (will explain later)
Thanks!
Noleme
· 17 May 2015
· Chapter 74: We follow winding paths to sheer falls, and swamps
Yay, a new chapter! Glad to hear you're planning to make it to Moria with this fic; if the 110 chapters or whatever the limit is, do not suffice, I do hope you decide to write a part 2 or something. Because the reactions of Bill to his escape, the rangers' muster (?), the Fellowship's return (and Shadowfax!), and then Ferny... it would be too bad not to be able to read them. :)
Author's reply
I know, so much scope for the imagination... and I do believe Bill was also mentioned on the ride to the Grey Havens, so he certainly was witness to some significant slices of the tale. Planning to take him all the way to the end, even if it does take a Part 2 to fit all the chapters in. Glad to have you along for the ride! And thanks for the smile this morning.
shirebound
· 16 May 2015
· Chapter 73: We follow faithless paths in a windswept wilderness
Master strokes my face, and my Samwise pats my neck, and I am as content as I can be in such a place as this. More content than I would be, left behind, even in that most comfortable of stables, safe from wind and want.
That's so lovely.
Author's reply
Aw, thanks for the smile today.
Larner
· 16 May 2015
· Chapter 74: We follow winding paths to sheer falls, and swamps
Aha, well done! I worked in the bogs rather differently, you will find. Heh!
Author's reply
I can't wait to get to Moria, where I'm certain our tales divide... then I can read yours without blurring my mental vision.
Definitely looking forward to the treat!
Larner
· 24 March 2015
· Chapter 73: We follow faithless paths in a windswept wilderness
Love the foreshadowing of the Wraiths on Wings! And of course they've come to their first dead end. At least Bill knows which way to avoid so as not to fall back under the power of his Old Misery. And poor Shivering-Merry! Heh!
Author's reply
Yes -- I thought it interesting that JRRT alluded to those dead ends (swamps and cliffs) even though he said Aragorn "knew... this land even in the dark". So apparently, though Aragorn knew the land, he didn't know every path, it seems. Lots of scope for the imagination here, more than I'd realized, simply looking at a list of how many miles the Fellowship (probably) covered each day in order to get from Rivendell to Hollin in two weeks.
Noleme
· 22 March 2015
· Chapter 72: We prepare to move on
What a lovely story. I'll be looking forward to new chapters, and wondering how many there might be altogether. The fellowship still has a long way to go to the Doors... and I'm so looking forward to your take on the snowstorm, and Door chapter, and Bill's return to Rivendell. But I digress. This is a unique story and I'm glad I stumbled upon it; I'd never have thought a story about a pony would suck me in and make me not want to stop reading. You seem to know a fair bit about horses, too - are you writing them from experience?
cheers,
N.
Author's reply
Thank you!
The maximum number of chapters for a story here at SoA seems to be 150 or so, so (short of having a "Part One" and "Part Two" which I really don't want to do) I had better finish before I reach that number, even though Bill has a very short attention span and tells his story in short bursts. Unfortunately, the draft is not divided into chapters, but is simply a long narrative, so I don't know exactly how it will divide itself in the end.
I suppose I can say there will be somewhat fewer than 151 chapters. At least, I hope so.
I have loved horses from my earliest days, and have known a few horses (and a pony or two) personally. I have to give them credit; they were a great help to me in understanding Bill.
Glad to have you along for the journey.
Larner
· 11 March 2015
· Chapter 71: We ponder the abilities of hobbits
I tried to leave a comment when I read this, but the Nook tablet doesn't take responses quite as well as does the laptop, or do I find. I can so well imagine Frodo standing on his dignity when faced with Boromir's surety that no Hobbit is as capable as a Man. And I love Aragorn's response. Delightful!
Author's reply
Naughty Nook tablet.
I tried typing in a chapter on my Kindle when we were out of town last week, but it was much more tedious than I'd hoped for. It's good to be home again. We have a new keyboard, which makes using the computer much less onerous (the old keyboard was a royal pain, sticking and not always recognizing keystrokes, which meant I couldn't touch-type but had to look to make sure every letter was there). So I'm glad to be home, and able to type on a real keyboard, at present.
Thanks!
Larner
· 11 March 2015
· Chapter 72: We prepare to move on
Now, that is delightful, two chapters so close together! And I love how surprised Merry is and that he goes from "not-Merry" to "almost-Merry" so quickly! The healing hands quietly at work here.
Author's reply
I have been hoping to achieve a steady rate of a chapter a week of this story, but I missed last week (obviously). Still, one can hope.
Are you coming down for Easter?
Dreamflower
· 9 March 2015
· Chapter 72: We prepare to move on
I'm so glad Merry is better! This is so much fun!
Author's reply
I'm glad he's better, too! I know some people have written wonderful gap-fillers about this part of the journey (Budgielover comes to mind), but it seems to me they have an awful lot of territory to cover, made longer by the fact that the paths are so winding and treacherous and (as JRRT himself said) often led the Walkers to sheer falls and treacherous swamps.
All that to say, I don't think Merry can afford the luxury of being laid up much more than one rest-stop.
Whew!
Thanks.
Dreamflower
· 9 March 2015
· Chapter 71: We ponder the abilities of hobbits
"‘Their eyes are sharp as their wits,’ Tall Hat says. ‘I have no difficulty sleeping, with a hobbit standing watch.’"
*grin*
Author's reply
I love Gandalf! He has such a way with words...
Thanks!
shirebound
· 8 March 2015
· Chapter 72: We prepare to move on
A hopeful look blooms on his face, and he is not-Merry no longer, but rather almost-Merry.
Those are the little details, from Bill's head and heart, that I love so much.
Author's reply
Thank you! I love to hear what catches your ear and heart.
KathyG
· 8 March 2015
· Chapter 72: We prepare to move on
That has to be a relief for Merry! (Or should I say, "almost-Merry"? =))
Author's reply
Definitely! I'm sure he'd feel terrible if they had to stop over for more than a day on his account.
Thanks!
Morn
· 1 March 2015
· Chapter 71: We ponder the abilities of hobbits
I really love this story. What a nice idea to see things from a completely different perspective. I really like Bill's character, absolutely perfect for a pony (especially Sam's pony).
I like seeing all his observations about the character's and especially the names he gives them. I've read most of this story and love the development of his relationships with the hobbits and the way he wanted to join Sam on the quest (even though he doesn't know what they're doing or where they're going).
Great story. I'll certainly be following the rest of the story and I'm looking forward to reading more of his observations and his journey.
Author's reply
Thank you! Glad to have you along on the journey.
shirebound
· 1 March 2015
· Chapter 71: We ponder the abilities of hobbits
‘I have no difficulty sleeping, with a hobbit standing watch.’
That's a nice compliment. :)
Author's reply
Gandalf has plenty of experience with at least one hobbit in the wilderness, doesn't he? :)
Thanks!
MlleGigi
· 9 February 2015
· Chapter 70: We take supper and breakfast and go to our rest
I'm very happy to see that you're still committed to this story, despite the fact that it's been quite a few years in the making...thank you. I can think of man fanfic writers who have been abandoned by the muse or who have simply given up and lost interest within shorter (sometimes much shorter) periods of time.
I love this chapter, for the stories that we hear about Boromir after his death (most of them from Faramir) paint a picture of a very generous and kind-hearted as well as very brave man...and yet unfortunately, Tolkien does not allow us to see much of this while he is alive. Yes, we are given glimpses of a man who bears the weight of many cares and concerns even before being tempted by the Ring...but I find it difficult to believe that Elrond would have agreed to make him part of the Fellowship if he had not perceived Boromir to have a truly noble soul. I'm glad that you chose him to be the one to feed Bill and give him appreciation. Bill is already friends with the hobbits and Aragorn and Gandalf, but it's nice to see the other members of the Fellowship showing him kindness.
Author's reply
Thank you for the encouraging words. I'm actually hoping to finish this story before its tenth anniversary (sad, but true).
Glimpses is right, and even a bit of reading between the lines at times. And yet, the Professor's world is so very rich and deep, with so many possibilities...