Dreamflower's Mathoms II by Dreamflower
Kitty · 10 June 2009 · Chapter 62: Of Red Books and Cherry Tarts
Oh, to learn that Merry and Estella have taken this step was the perfect way to cheer Frodo up!
Author's reply
I thought it might cheer him up to realize that Merry is going to be able to get on with his life.
Larner · 9 June 2009 · Chapter 64: Keeping the Peace
Both Eglantine and Pippin are showing a fair amount of wisdom here! I still love this one!
Author's reply
Eglantine is a wise mother, who has learned to deal with Tooks. Poor little Pip is suffering from estrogen-overload, and needs to get away from all those females!
Antane · 9 June 2009 · Chapter 64: Keeping the Peace
Cute! Esp. the wanting a snack since he didn't think he'd make it there until after lunch and the reason he wanted to go too. :) Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
LOL! Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!
6336 · 9 June 2009 · Chapter 64: Keeping the Peace
Well I could see using him to get the hem leval, but to fit a dress, no, he'd be much to squirmy! More please, Lynfa
Author's reply
I'm sure he would! But then he was squirmy all the time anyway! *grin*
Celeritas · 9 June 2009 · Chapter 64: Keeping the Peace
This was very, very sweet, from the way Pippin assumed he could up and leave to walk to Bag End to how Eglantine comes to the bottom of this mischief. Though dressing up little brothers in drag is the lowest form of bullying! All in a day's work for a mum!
Author's reply
Unfortunately, big sisters (and I was one) have a sad tendency to think of little brothers (or sisters) as handy and useful playthings. That they tend to object to being made use of is a mere inconvenience. Of course, woe-betide if anyone *else* should take a hand in bullying our younger sib... I think of little Pippin as being a very optimistic creature-- much as he was when older-- and not much daunted by things like the fourteen miles between Tookland and Bag End...
Virtuella · 9 June 2009 · Chapter 64: Keeping the Peace
A charming piece that I enjoyed just as much the second time round!
Author's reply
Thank you, dear!
Celeritas · 28 April 2009 · Chapter 63: Taking the Cake
Oho, you set it after that chapter!!! I love the rather awkward brief interaction between Sam and Rosie; it makes for a lovely undercurrent and I have to wonder how they approached the topic of The Kiss a year later when Sam came back, after both of them have been put through the wringer a bit. In fact, the whole background of imminent departure really makes this fic shine, as it informs just about all the action, from the cake order to Sam's laying aside/Frodo's advancing his wages. In short, you've done a wonderful job of laying out some of the practical matters that is consonant with what Tolkien's given us. Bravo!
Author's reply
"Laying out some of the practical matters"... thank you, dear! You have actually put your finger right on the philosophy of most of my gapfillers. There is so much that JRRT did not tell us as to the hows and whys and wherefores of his plot and characters. (Not understanding, I guess, the obsessive nature of many of his future readers, LOL! And I suppose, really, he *couldn't* tell us *everything* we want to know!) I figured that The Kiss would have loomed large in both participants' minds; especially for my Rose, who is not by nature a bold hussy, but who is driven by her already deep love for Sam. She knows that she did not behave with propriety, but that she needed to do *something* to anchor Sam to her before he leaves on what she guesses to be more than a mere move across the River. I'd wondered, off and on, about something I hadn't addressed during my original writing of "Conspiracy": how a dutiful and loyal hobbit like Sam would go off and leave his family, especially an aged father who could no longer work much, and a younger unwed sister (guesswork on my part, as we are not told *when* Marigold and Tom wed) to fend for themselves. And if he *had* been merely "going to Buckland to fend for Mr. Frodo", he'd certainly have been sending the majority of his wages home as was common historically for most servants in RL history. This seemed like a good solution.
Antane · 28 April 2009 · Chapter 63: Taking the Cake
Doesn't that look delicious! Love the white frosting. Could just eat that right up! What a treat for Frodo. Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Could just eat that right up! You and Pippin both! LOL! I think Frodo was very touched by their gesture, as well as baffled by what to do with all that cake! (Just as Fatty Bolger hoped!)
6336 · 28 April 2009 · Chapter 63: Taking the Cake
Yum! Lynda
Author's reply
Thanks! *grin*
Lindelea · 27 April 2009 · Chapter 63: Taking the Cake
O lovely! I love generous, mischievous Freddy (biggest cake possible, eh? sort of like sending someone a waggonful of apples... but Pippin has a sweet tooth, so perhaps such a precaution is merely wise), gallant Merry, optimistic Pippin, carefully preparing Sam (12 months' wages!), with his loving, sorrowful look. And Rose's confidence in him! Thanks. That recipe sounds like fun, too.
Author's reply
Yep-- not to mention distracting, in case Frodo should have noticed his cousins in a conspiratorial huddle or two! And yes-- Pippin's sweet tooth! *grin* I just could not see a hobbit as dutiful and loyal as Sam leaving his father and sister in the lurch; I'm sure once he knew what was happening he'd begun saving for that reason. And I think Rose was just as loyal. I had a lot of fun with the recipe, combining two into one to create it! And fortunately I also had an occasion to need the cake, so I was able to test it out!
Larner · 27 April 2009 · Chapter 63: Taking the Cake
Sounds dreamy! Am so glad she kissed him!
Author's reply
So am I! *grin*
GamgeeFest · 21 April 2009 · Chapter 62: Of Red Books and Cherry Tarts
Brave and gallant, but still his Merry-mine, susceptible to getting his curls ruffled. This was a fun glimpse into this important moment in Merry's life. :D
Author's reply
Yes, I think it was-- and to know that the first person he thought of to share his news was Frodo. (Though I daresay Pippin probably knew before he ever left Crickhollow for Budgeford, LOL!)
Larner · 16 April 2009 · Chapter 62: Of Red Books and Cherry Tarts
And I am honored indeed, of course! Thanks for memories and giggles--and the wonderful contrast of Frodo's written memories of the angst of the confrontation with the Witch-king contrasted with the delightful realization that Merry is in proper Hobbit LOVE! And thanks so for the story!
Author's reply
I think it would have cheered Frodo immensely to know that in spite of the trauma of the Quest, that his cousin/brother was going to be able to lead a normal hobbit life, which seemed denied to him.
Virtuella · 14 April 2009 · Chapter 62: Of Red Books and Cherry Tarts
Hehehe. :) So what took more courage, attacking the witch king or addressing the lassie? And, oh, yum-yum, cherry tarts!
Author's reply
Oh, I think those are two entirely different kinds of courage! And yes, cherry tarts are lovely!
Antane · 14 April 2009 · Chapter 62: Of Red Books and Cherry Tarts
That would be difficult to write about - as much of the book was when dealing with his own pain and that of his beloved heartbrothers, but then one thinks of all the loving, reverent tributes he made in there too to them. Hurray for such a scribe and tale! And for you to write of it! Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Thank you!
Lindelea · 13 April 2009 · Chapter 62: Of Red Books and Cherry Tarts
What a lovely little scene! ...and you introduced me to a story of Larner's that I hadn't read yet, and a delightful tale at that. Yellow ribbons... and recipes. Sweet! (and the clash of cultures was a hoot, though I'll have to post a review to that story on the morrow, if I can manage a few uninterrupted moments)
Virtuella · 28 March 2009 · Chapter 61: A Moment of Tranquility
Aw, that makes me quite envious! I remember those moments very well. :)
Author's reply
Those are sweet moments, when we see our loved ones in slumber--there's always something touching and innocent about it.
Antane · 28 March 2009 · Chapter 61: A Moment of Tranquility
What a lovely gift for our dears - all of them! Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Thank you!
Larner · 28 March 2009 · Chapter 61: A Moment of Tranquility
Now, that is truly sweet! Thanks!
Author's reply
I'm glad you liked it!
shirebound · 28 March 2009 · Chapter 61: A Moment of Tranquility
/his dark curls mingled with the golden curls of the baby on his shoulder Ohhh, what a peaceful image. I love this very much, dear friend... it makes my heart happy. Thank you! :)
Author's reply
I'm very glad to have made you happy on your birthday, dear! 8-) You deserve all the best.
Kitty · 28 March 2009 · Chapter 61: A Moment of Tranquility
Oh, that's just perfect! Such a lovely image, Frodo and Elanor in that armchair, sleeping peacefully, had to be heart-warming for Rosie and Sam. I kow it is for me! :)
Author's reply
I am sure that if they had cameras in Middle-earth, they would have taken a picture! I'm glad you liked it dear.
Kitty · 28 March 2009 · Chapter 60: Trust in the Right
Bilbo was right, I think, to go back. The Dwarves would probably have taken his actions even worse otherwise. Even Thorin had to see reason in the end, after all. And I agree with Gandalf here. Bilbo was just perfect for the job, and what he lost in innocence, he gained in wisdom - not necessarily a bad deal. Not to mention the respect he gained from Gandalf, Bard, Thranduil and their people.
Author's reply
Of course he was right. I think that knowing he could have stayed with the Elves, and yet chose to return to them, would have made them respect him far more, after all was over with. Poor Thorin was in the grip of "dragon sickness", as were most of the Dwarves to a certain extent. But Thorin was able to understand in the end. Yes, Bilbo ended his Adventure with a whole new level of respectabliity--not the sort that would be approved of in the Shire, but the sort that brought him renown in the Wide World.
GamgeeFest · 21 March 2009 · Chapter 60: Trust in the Right
I think trust is the hardest thing to lose, and the hardest to regain. I'm glad that Bilbo still has that intact also.
Author's reply
Bilbo, I think, expected the best of people. And it paid off in the end, and so his trust was repaid as well.
Celeritas · 19 March 2009 · Chapter 60: Trust in the Right
I like the idea of innocence retained (namely, trust that people will do the right thing) being as valuable as innocence replaced by experience. Quite lovely, especially when one considers how much The Hobbit borrowed from that old and much beloved coming-of-age genre. Well done!
Author's reply
I do think that expecting the best of people often pays out in the end. Not always, of course, but in Bilbo's case it was rewarded. And yes, in spite of Bilbo being well of age, at fifty, it was a sort of coming-of-age story.
Kitty · 19 March 2009 · Chapter 59: Reckoning of Years
Oh yes, the library of Imladris has to be the place to find pretty much every historical detail written down. I'm a bit envious of Merry - I'd so love to be there and read all these books! Merry is right, the Hobbits are still a bit too insular. Never thought the ban of Men the best solution - it reinforces for most Hobbits that they don't have to deal with or care for the outside world, so they're not prepared for anything happening outside that may concern them, too. At least I see the Elves have learned the most important thing about Hobbits - their mealtimes :D
Author's reply
I imagine that Merry is having a lovely time in the library--probably nearly so lovely as Frodo or Bilbo! And his concerns are valid ones--he knows that the Shire needs to remember that they have friends as well as enemies outside their bounds. LOL! Yes, and I'm sure that's one thing they look forward to when hobbits visit!