Dreamflower's Mathoms II by Dreamflower
Larner · 1 July 2008 · Chapter 50: Eucatastrophe: Bill
Oh, how wonderful, Dreamflower! I can so see this happening! With me it was a young hamster I'd thought originally was a male who turned out to be female instead, and with equally predictable results! They are in for a time of it, I think! And bless our Frodo!
Author's reply
Yes, that often happens with pets. And indeed, I think that Billie is going to be a lot of work! Frodo is enjoying his retirement in this universe, I think...
Larner · 1 July 2008 · Chapter 49: Making Do
Maybe I'll one day try those potato cakes. And our beloved Frodo is beginning to withdraw...
Author's reply
They are very good! I hope you let me know how they turn out, if you do! Yes, just a little at this point in time, but it's gradually growing. It's probably not enough to alarm most of his friends, but Merry and Pippin know him a little too well.
Larner · 1 July 2008 · Chapter 48: The Invitation
I love the relationships here, Dreamflower.
Author's reply
Thank you! *grin*
Kitty · 1 July 2008 · Chapter 50: Eucatastrophe: Bill
*snicker* Frodo's right, that had to happen sooner or later. Of course they had to save her from these boys who were tormenting her. And at least they picked up a *nice* monster ;-) I was highly amused how they tried to bathe 'him' - and that they didn't realise it was a bitch. *snicker* At least from the sons of Sam I'd expected to know the difference in gender, but they were probably way too busy to get the dog clean and to do it in secret to truly look *grin* Thank you for the wonderful mathom! Happy Birthday to you, my dear, and many happy returns! Have a great day!
Author's reply
Yes, she's a very nice monster indeed! Well, I think they made the automatic assumption that anything that big and dirty had to be male, and as you said--they were very busy trying to get it clean. I didn't show the scene, but trust me, it was havoc! I could just see her "passively resisting" the bath, and the four of them trying to scrub her and getting in one another's way, and...well, the less said about that, the better! And thank you for the birthday wishes, dear!
Lindelea · 1 July 2008 · Chapter 50: Eucatastrophe: Bill
What fun! Reminds me of the large shaggy puppy that followed Pippin "home" in Minas Tirith (in one of my stories), and proceeded to fall asleep in his lap, effectively pinning him to the floor for the duration... Perhaps Billie is one of his descendants. Large as a pony (well, mine was still a young pup with milk teeth, but he would grow, very shaggy, affectionate, sense of humour...
Author's reply
Oh, I definitely remember *THAT* story. It's just crying for a follow-up, you know...*hint*hint*
GamgeeFest · 30 June 2008 · Chapter 49: Making Do
That certainly sounds like a delicious meal. I’m glad Pippin’s hungry appetite didn’t ruin supper for them. And Pippin shouldn’t feel too bad. He’ll soon be meeting the lass that’s right for him, even if he doesn’t know it yet.
Author's reply
It really is very good! The potato cakes are a nice change from mashed or baked potatoes or bread. Yes, he will be meeting her very soon.
GamgeeFest · 30 June 2008 · Chapter 48: The Invitation
Rusty’s a lucky lass to have found love with Buttons. They make a good match, the more I see of them. I’d be interested to see Rusty’s reaction to learning of Opal’s injury and the fallout of all the to-do at the ball. *hinthint*
Author's reply
Hmm...that might be a bit interesting! I'll have to keep it in mind. I've always been fond of Rusty--I knew she needed to end up with a Took, but not Pippin who is just her good buddy!
Alassante · 24 June 2008 · Chapter 42: On Amon Sûl
I wanted to leave a copy of your MEFA review here so you had it with the story. I have never been a hobbity person but I really enjoyed this glimpse into the mind of Frodo after being stabbed on Amon Sul. The care shown by his friends and Strider, the concern about whether Strider could be trusted, and Frodo's internal battle with the ring was very touching. Dreamflower is a gifted writer and I really enjoyed this fiction. I think she personifies Frodo and the other hobbits rather well in this fiction.
Author's reply
Why, thank you very much! I'm very pleased that you thought of doing that! And thank you also for your kind words--they are very appreciated, especially from one who is not a natural hobbit-fancier!
PIppinfan1988 · 11 May 2008 · Chapter 49: Making Do
That was a lovely, cozy supper. :-) You always weave these wonderful stories brilliantly and simply with every savory recipe. I really enjoyed spending the afternoon with the lads! I think I might actually attempt this recipe at some point! :-)
Author's reply
I think supper at Crickhollow must often have been a cozy meal, just the two of them, "batching" it. But hobbit-style, with good food! They are very good! I never post a recipe!fic with a recipe I haven't tried myself!
PIppinfan1988 · 11 May 2008 · Chapter 48: The Invitation
*sigh* I love your "Rusty-series"! I do hope you intend to write about the ball. hint, HINT. :-D Aunt Lily Cotton's salad dressing sounds delicious! One of these days I'll have to give it a go.
Author's reply
Well, I already wrote the ball, in "A New Reckoning", and we didn't get to see Rusty and Buttons--but they were there among the many guests! Maybe one day I'll write a little sidepiece about them there. It's a wonderful salad dressing. The original on which it's based was the house dressing at a Biloxi restaurant, "The Gumbo Shop", that got blown away in Hurricane Katrina. If you like a sweet vinaigrette, you'll love this one!
cathleen · 8 May 2008 · Chapter 48: The Invitation
I've always liked the story you wrote earlier with a young Pip and Rusty, and it was a nice treat to read this with an adult version of her. Very sweet, and the recipe looks great, too!
Author's reply
Well, she deserved to find some happiness after being in the Lockholes! Rusty's a fave of mine, and Buttons is quickly becoming one, too. If you like a nice sweet vinaigrette dressing, it's wonderful! It's so good over leafy salad greens!
Baggins Babe · 7 May 2008 · Chapter 48: The Invitation
Oh how nice to re-visit Rusty and Buttons. I am so glad she is healing and happy, and I'm glad that Pip had the good sense to leave when he did! That dressing sounds very yummy!
Author's reply
Well, Pippin is a wise young hobbit, who knows when to take a hint, LOL! It is very delicious--my favorite dressing, in fact.
harrowcat · 7 May 2008 · Chapter 48: The Invitation
Ah, true love! Lovely dressing too.
Author's reply
8-) True love indeed! It is very yummy dressing--the toasted nuts really give it a nice flavor.
GamgeeFest · 26 April 2008 · Chapter 47: Of First Impressions and Old Friends
A delightful look back at Faramir's first meeting with Gandalf. I enjoyed Faramir's answer very much, he did much better than Bilbo did! :D Though it is bothersome that Frodo can tell what "mood" the Ring is in. :\
Author's reply
I think that even as a child, Faramir would have been a thoughtful little person, and he'd give an unexpected question a lot of thought before he answered! I think that spending months with that Thing hanging around his neck, and constantly in his mind--well, It got to know *his* moods... In a way, that could have been an advantage to Frodo sometimes.
Antane · 24 April 2008 · Chapter 47: Of First Impressions and Old Friends
I love being there for a possible first meeting of Faramir and Gandalf - what they said to each other - and that reaction of the hobbits to that. Very nice to hear all that laughter! :) Namarie, God bless, Antane
Author's reply
It occurred to me that the hobbits would find it *much* funnier than the rest of the Company, just because they knew what had happened with Bilbo!
lovethosehobbits · 23 April 2008 · Chapter 47: Of First Impressions and Old Friends
I loved the different points of view seamlessly following one another. A lovely tale, my dear.
Author's reply
Thank you! I wasn't sure how seamless they were going to come across; I'm glad the experiment was successful. Thank you so much!
Baggins Babe · 22 April 2008 · Chapter 47: Of First Impressions and Old Friends
What a lovely tale, Dreamflower! To think of Frodo and Faramir both remembering Gandalf and that first meeting between the wizard and his pupil. I love the idea that Ganddalf's remark about 'Good morning' may have been something he used as a sort of test - I was giggling as much as the hobbits! Hope you manage to catch up with the last two chapters of 'Growing-Up Tales' soon (I know, I have no patience!)when the hectic pace slows down a bit.
Author's reply
I'm sure he would have been on both their minds at a time like that--Frodo was reminded that Faramir had known the wizard, and for Faramir, well, it was getting the news that Gandalf had fallen. That whole encounter with Bilbo had the air of the sort of thing Gandalf was in the habit of saying. And it just seemed to fit. I am sooo behind!
Linda Hoyland · 21 April 2008 · Chapter 47: Of First Impressions and Old Friends
I enjoyed this very much. You capture the characters brilliantly.
Author's reply
Thank you, dear! Knowing how much you love Faramir, I value your opinion! I'm so glad you liked it!
Larner · 21 April 2008 · Chapter 47: Of First Impressions and Old Friends
Ah, trust both Pippin and Gandalf to know how to bring the most out of those they question. And am so glad that this night both Frodo and Faramir remember that same encounter. Lovely!
Author's reply
Well, Frodo wasn't the only hobbit to learn from their beloved Grey Wizard! It's something I've often wanted to try: two characters, thinking about, and remembering the same event from different POVs. I'm very glad it was successful.
PIppinfan1988 · 21 April 2008 · Chapter 47: Of First Impressions and Old Friends
Very well done, my friend!! I, too, think PJ could have done better with the relationship between Frodo and Faramir, and you've filled it in *very* well. Traversing from one character's thoughts to another in telling the same story seemed, to me, so effortless on your part. The bit of Gandalf responding to Faramir's "Good morning" had me chuckling along with the hobbits. Loved it all!
Author's reply
I'm glad that my unusual technique at least *appeared* effortless! I was very afraid it might come off somewhat stilted, but it's an experiment I've long wanted to try, of different people simultaneously sharing the same memory. PJ often inserted antagonism and conflict in places where it was not actually *needed* to carry off the story. This was definitely one of those times--so I was glad to be able to write book-Faramir! *chuckle* Glad you liked the "good morning" bit; I think Gandalf may have used that on a few occasions...
harrowcat · 21 April 2008 · Chapter 47: Of First Impressions and Old Friends
Beautifully told Dreamflower
Author's reply
Thank you! 8-)
Raksha The Demon · 21 April 2008 · Chapter 47: Of First Impressions and Old Friends
Awww. This is a lovely vignette. I just adored the flashback of little Faramir meeting Gandalf. And the affinity between two of the wizard's pupils, Frodo and Faramir, is clearly evoked here.
Author's reply
I've always imagined that Faramir must have first met Gandalf when he was about nine or ten--old enough to carry on a conversation reasonably, and young enough to have been influenced by him. Otherwise, why would Denethor have resented that influence so much? I've always liked the idea that one of the things that might have led to that instant trust between them was the link of one whom they both knew and loved. And this challenge gave me the chance to explore that.
Andrea · 21 April 2008 · Chapter 47: Of First Impressions and Old Friends
That was wonderfully done, Dreamflower! There are at least two characteristics that Frodo and Faramir have in common. Both of them are more scholars than soldiers, and both of them are wise for their age. This wisdom might be due to a certain wizard whom they first met when they were much younger :) I loved the idea that Gandalf used his "special good-morning-reply" to test the wisdom of the one he was talking to!
Author's reply
Thank you! I agree with you about how Frodo and Faramir have scholarliness and wisdom in common--and I *do* happen to think that Gandalf might have had a good deal to do with that! His little remark to Bilbo seemed to me to have the air of something he had trotted out before--and I would think that testing the reactions of his hearers had more than a little to do with it!
GamgeeFest · 5 April 2008 · Chapter 45: Ripples of Fear
Boromir is a good 'big brother' to Pippin and Merry and it really shows here in his pep talk to Pippin. And he isn't simply putting on airs. He realizes how brave these 'little ones' are, and he knows Pippin well enough to help him realize his own courage.
Author's reply
Yes, Boromir definitely knows bravery when he sees it, and he understands how difficult it is for them. Pippin's courage was always there, though he himself did not always see it for himself. As a Captain, Boromir has experience in encouraging youths going out on dangerous missions for the first time.
GamgeeFest · 5 April 2008 · Chapter 46: Rainy Day at Whitwell
This is a cozy and perfectly hobbity story. Fun and light, with just a dash of adventure, tame enough not to give the kiddies nightmares. And Merry's indignation at the lass's quarreling was amusing. He could use a few more lasses in his life.
Author's reply
"Cozy" and "hobbity" were just the thing I was aiming for, really. I imagine "Tip and Tulip" stories as being told all over the Shire, all of them rather gentle, and with a small lesson or moral in them. Little Merry didn't have a lot of Brandybuck lass cousins listed at that age--most of his Brandybuck lass cousins seemed to be quite a bit younger than he. So he rather got a surfeit of them when he visited the Tooks. He must have been overjoyed when Pippin was a lad-baby!