“How can I plan for unexpected delays?” Merry asked.
“All delays are unexpected and so you should expect them to be unexpected,” Pippin reasoned.
ROTFL!!! And that was even before he was allowed to drink rum ;-)
I enjoyed this drinking game a great deal, GamgeeFest!
And I found some stories mentioned that I haven't read yet, which I'm going to change as soon as possible :)
Author's reply
Well, Pippin does have a point, to a certain degree. No journey of this nature ever goes smoothly. It's Murphy's Law. But then, as they haven't heard of Murphy's Law back in those days, I think we can give Merry a break on this one. ;)
Thank you for reading, Andrea. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Baggins Babe
· 3 August 2008
· Chapter 14: Closing Time
You can't beat hobbit drinking games, and the rest of the Fellowship joined in so enthusiastically. I'm glad it worked and distracted Frodo from thoughts of the journey. It was such fun to be allowed a peek at our wonderful hobbits.
I loved the way Gandalf went round dispensing hangover cures - and without using any magic too.
Author's reply
The rest of the Fellowship certainly did learn quite a bit more about their hobbit companions than they expected to. ;D Gandalf would know best how to distract all the hobbits from their worries and see they get a restful night's sleep before their departure.
Gandalf no doubt got that hangover cure from the hobbits as well, possibly from the Old Took himself. :D
Larner
· 2 August 2008
· Chapter 14: Closing Time
I need to reread some of those stories now, obviusly, as they are vague in my mind.
A wonderful giggle!
Author's reply
Thank you Larner. At least they won't be remembering any of this in the morning. :D
shirebound
· 2 August 2008
· Chapter 14: Closing Time
“Elrond!” Merry said in greeting. He raised a mug towards the elf-lord. “You know, I’ve been meaning to ask. Don’t you have any breeches?”
“Gandalf,” Elrond warned.
Every bit of this story has been a delight. :)
Author's reply
Thank you, Shirebound! Drunk!hobbits are quite a handful, it seems. :P
Larner
· 27 July 2008
· Chapter 13: Out of the Oar-dinary
Gonna have to hear the rest, now! Heh!
Author's reply
I’m sure there is much left to learn, but the hobbits aren’t talking on this point. ;)
Antane
· 26 July 2008
· Chapter 13: Out of the Oar-dinary
Bless Sam, indeed! With the choicest mushrooms, ale, pipeweed, and his beloved master always at his side...
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Sam wouldn’t have gone far without his Frodo, and I do think that Frodo was as careful to keep watch over Sam as the other way around.
shirebound
· 26 July 2008
· Chapter 13: Out of the Oar-dinary
What a marvelous gap-filler! It's delightful and sad and fascinating, all at once. It's lovely to know that Sam's ability to memorize a tale goes back to his early childhood, and that Frodo is growing to know when and how to coax him to speak. And this just begs for another chapter, I think...
Merry and Pippin were talking animatedly to Glorfindel, and Aragorn and Boromir were chuckling while the others simply looked perplexed.
Author's reply
Thank you, Shirebound! Sam took his time getting to the story, but he does his Uncle Andy proud once he gets to it. Sam has, of course, heard the story again, and that helped him to remember it, as well as the ways his Uncle Andy’s story differed from the other versions.
Frodo gives himself too little credit. He may not know as many particulars about Sam’s life and childhood, but he certainly does understand his friend quite well, and certainly better than anyone else there. Their friendship and brotherhood will only grow stronger as the Quest continues.
Heh! Well, if Merry and Pippin ever see fit to share their conversation with Glorfindel, I’ll be more than happy to jot it down.
Pearl Took
· 26 July 2008
· Chapter 13: Out of the Oar-dinary
I should have figured it was all an Elf's fault! ;-)
Such a wonderful tale, GamgeeFest!! I eagerly await the next installment!
Author's reply
But of course. Those Elves! :P With stories like this floating around, it’s no wonder hobbits are cautious of them.
Thank you for reading, Pearl!
Dreamflower
· 26 July 2008
· Chapter 13: Out of the Oar-dinary
Oh, that was delightful! I liked the mingling of the history of the tale--going back three sources: Uncle Andy, Isengar, and then finally back to the Elven lady. I'm not sure I understood Uncle Andy's conclusions (making a blessing into a curse) and I'm sure that's what amused Frodo so much--it wasn't terribly logical at all.
And I think you have the right of it--that there are *some* stories that the working class would not want to come to the gentry's ears!
And we know, of course, that Sam's going to *have* to put it all behind him when they get ready to go down the Anduin...
Author's reply
Oh, Uncle Andy’s conclusions are logical enough – to him. Elves, for starters, aren’t to be trusted, so what they say is a blessing clearly must be taken with caution. At least there are some Brandybucks and most of your Tooks who, despite this, retained their hobbit sense and stayed out of the water! Those who do swim can’t be considered proper hobbits, and so in lies the curse of impropriety. ;)
Working class urban legends are not something Frodo would have considered before, which only goes to show how well the working class keep their secrets.
Sam will be eating his words once they shove off from Lothlorien. ;)
demeter d
· 16 July 2008
· Chapter 12: Breed All About It
OH,OH,OH,ROFL! But yet, you have created here one of the most concise descriptions of both the distinctions of the Elves and the Hobbit groups that I think I have ever read. Yes, I do believe Gandalf is credited with the last word to Elrond, but I agree that he would have taken a lot of convincing to reach that decision. And just think of all of the ripples of things that would have been different if they had not been chosen. The lives of Master Treebeard, King Theoden, Eowyn, Denethor and, most notably,the unexpected future Steward of Gondor, whose life Pippin helped save, all of these would have been affected. And, after his fall to the Ring's enticements, Boromir was able to re-gain his honor by fighting to protect Merry and Pippin. I do not believe that Boromir would have believed that, say, the twins, or Glorfindel would have needed to be protected. Someone with whom I enjoy discussing both the books and fan-fiction once observed that perhaps Merry and Pippin and Boromir's care and devotion for them may have helped him to fight off the ring's effect for a time. Like the other reviewers, I have enjoyed these stories very much.
Author's reply
Short and simple, or at least short in this case. The hobbits are finally outshined by the races of the Elves, which are even more complicated than the hobbits’ rules for gift-giving.
Elrond’s concerns were valid enough and we see the end result of that when the hobbits returned home, but Aragorn and Gandalf had the right of it. There was nothing Merry and Pippin could have done to help the Shire at that point and they were needed more on the Quest, though for reasons neither of them could foresee. Their coming had a ripple effect that went far beyond keeping peace between a stubborn dwarf and elf.
I think Boromir sees his little brother in all the hobbits, and the protection and devotion that he showed to Faramir all those years is now transferred onto them. It certainly would have stayed his hand, but the Ring got to him in a moment of weakness and broke him. Defending Merry and Pippin to the death was the only way he could have redeemed himself, even if Frodo should never find out about it.
Althea
· 16 July 2008
· Chapter 12: Breed All About It
I love this collection of stories. The Hobbits are delightful and it's fun watching as the rest of the soon-to-be-formed Fellowship learns more about them. Thank goodness that Aragorn realizes that no one but Merry and Pippin could fill the last two spots. I'm still as confused as the Hobbits about the different groups of Elves, though.
Author's reply
The Hobbits certainly have everyone here wrapped around their fingers. For once, they had the simple explanation, while Legolas had some explaining to do. I still get confused over all those names myself. Even with a chart, I can’t remember it all. The hobbits though will know it better than Legolas once they get it mapped onto a family tree. ;)
Aragorn would have argued for them coming either way, but now he knows beyond a doubt that they should be allowed to go. Before, he had to consider Elrond’s concerns, for they were valid enough as it turned out in the end, but the Quest takes precedence over all else.
6336
· 15 July 2008
· Chapter 12: Breed All About It
Atari! Morkmindi! ROFL!!!! Oh, my goodness and Illuvitar is High-Mayor!!!!
Actually it's quite simple, some went and some didn't! Just don't get in to the name.
By the way you flubbed one its should be Calaquendi(sp) not Calaquidi!
More please,
Lynda
Author's reply
hehehe I just couldn’t resist and they were honest enough mistakes, accidental or purposeful, that Pippin would make while tripping over all those names. :D Frodo knew that Legolas would need to explain Illúvatar in terms the hobbits could understand; I suppose Legolas hasn’t learned about the Mayor of the Shire yet to make that connection. Gimli has though and so was able to move the analogy along.
*smacks forehead* D’oh! I did flub that up, didn’t I? It was bound to happen. I’m surprised it was only that one. I’ll fix it straight away.
Thanks for reading!
Larner
· 15 July 2008
· Chapter 12: Breed All About It
Astute, our Strider is! And he has the right of it! And, of course, Gandalf heard that, too, and is going to second Aragorn's nominations.
Good to see this being updated!
Author's reply
Strider would have supported them going from the start and could have made many arguments on their behalf, but this is what sealed it for him. The Fellowship needs to be cohesive and perform as a single unit, and they will help to ensure that it does. Gandalf will ponder over this and of course come to the same conclusion.
I’ve been feeling so guilty leaving this story hanging. It feels good to finally be finishing it. Thanks for reading!
Andrea
· 15 July 2008
· Chapter 12: Breed All About It
“Hobbits don’t be complicating such things as don’t be needing no complicating,” Sam put in
ROTFL!!! Right he is, isn't he?
And I agree, those Elven names are really complicated. I especially liked the Atari ;-)
Author's reply
hehe He’s right, all right! Keep things simple and you won’t have to untangle them later. That’s just good hobbit sense. ;)
Those names nearly did me in when I read the Silm. I still can’t keep them all straightened out, and I found a chart that maps it all out!
Yes, the Atari Elves – a grand and noble race, until they were squashed by a giant gorilla throwing barrels. :P
Grey Wonderer
· 14 July 2008
· Chapter 12: Breed All About It
LOL
Morkindmindi and Atari were my special favorites. hehehe
Leave it to Pippin! Na-Nu! Na-Nu!
I just love this!
Author's reply
Pippin was confused and those names were very odd to him. Plus, he would have started to mangle them worse than he would have normally just to keep things light. ;D The Atari Elves from the realm of Morkenmindi – sounds like a bedtime story he would tell his children. :) Think of all the adventures they could have – leaping frogs, barrel-throwing monkeys, little glowing suns with hair bows that devour everything in sight. Hehehe ... You should sooo write that!
Dreamflower
· 14 July 2008
· Chapter 12: Breed All About It
ROTFLMBO!! This was just a hoot!
I know the Elves had so many different names and races because the good Professor loved making up words, but still listening to Legolas attempt to explain it to the hobbits...*shakes head*
And you are just sooo wicked:
“Well so far, you’ve mentioned Eldar, Teleri, Atari…”
“Avari,” Legolas corrected.
“Alquendi, Calquendi, Morkenmindi,” Pippin continued without pause,
"Morkenmindi" LOLOLOL!
I also like the way Aragorn's made up his mind to convince Elrond about Merry and Pippin. I know canonically Gandalf had the final word--and yet, I am sure that he must have had some help in convincing Elrond (in my case it was Bilbo who assisted in the convincing) but Aragorn makes a lot of sense, too!
I'm looking very forward to more!!
Author's reply
I sometimes think the Professor had some strange form of Tourettes syndrome that caused him to make up more names than were necessary. It was like he couldn’t stop himself.
Atari and Avari were close enough, but I figured that at this point Pippin would be purposely getting some of the names wrong, or mangling them worse than he would have normally just to keep the mood light. So I just had to squeeze in Mork & Mindy. The names were just too close to let it go by. ;D
Elrond needed to have persuasion from others to give in as readily as he did in canon. Bilbo I’m sure would have mentioned something to Elrond, but not having been around Merry and Pippin most of their lives he would be limited in his argument. And while Aragorn hasn’t known the hobbits for very long, he has seen them all in action, which is something none of the others can attest to, and he knows that Merry and Pippin will be able to handle themselves and look after their cousin.
rabidsamfan
· 14 July 2008
· Chapter 12: Breed All About It
Oh, joy, you did have fun with that. I love the way that the hobbits keep everyone talking.
Author's reply
Oh, the hobbits would go on and on if they were allowed to, which Boromir has learned by now. He knows how to keep his troops in check though and lets it go only as far as necessary to appease their curiosity for the time being. I’m sure they’ll be hunting down Legolas again later. ;)
Thanks for reading!
Baggins Babe
· 14 July 2008
· Chapter 12: Breed All About It
“Alquendi, Calquendi, Morkenmindi,” Bwahahaha! *wheeze, gasp* Oh dearie me, I wasn't expecting that! Mind you, keeping track of all those Elves can be tricky.
I love the interaction between the various members of the Fellowship here - and Gimli isn't as grumpy about the Elf as might have been expected. With Merry and Pippin to diffuse the tension they might even start to get along quite well. ;-)
Great chapter, GamgeeFest.
Author's reply
hehehe It seemed like the sort of innocent mistake Pippin would make. :D I think once the hobbits chart all this down onto a family tree, they’ll have no problems remembering all the names, unlike me, who still gets confused.
Gimli wouldn’t wish overly-inquisitive hobbits on his worst enemy, and Legolas certainly qualifies as that. For now. They both at least have their friendship with the hobbits in common and that will allow them to keep a truce for the time being.
Thank you, Baggins Babe!
shirebound
· 14 July 2008
· Chapter 12: Breed All About It
Morkenmindi!! *falls over*
Back to the story... I love this chapter with a passion! I'm confused myself, every time I go through the Silmarillion, about the different types of Elves.
"...they have a way of easing tension and seeking peace" is such a perfect way Strider reasoned out how to explain why Merry and Pippin should be the final members of the Fellowship.
Author's reply
I’m sure if you told a wee!Pippin that the Elves hatched out of giant eggs, he’d probably believe it – for a little while anyway. ;)
The hardest thing about the Silm for me, other than the complete lack of hobbits, is all the names! Very confusing, but I found a chart that helped explained it, otherwise I don’t think I would have ever been able to write this chapter.
Those very skills will come in quite handy on the Quest. Things would have gone much differently if they had not gone along.
It's the innocent ones that you should suspect the most! :) Boromir must have forgotten to mention it in his talk with Legolas. Indeed the road grew grew very dark and full of despair, but the best that made hobbits hobbits kept them on their Roads and got them through. I would have loved to have been there with them here in Rivendell! Babble away, dear ones. I can really get going myself when I talk about what I am passionate about - need I say who?
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Indeed! The quiet, sweet ones will always surprise you. ;) As Boromir considers all the hobbits to be innocents, he would not have considered mentioning this to Legolas, for as far as he's concerned, nearly everything he's learned about hobbits is surprising! I just hope Legolas shares his knowledge of pipeweed withdrawal with Boromir. ;)
Thanks for reading!
Poor Pippin--having Merry convince him of things that didn't happen!
And of course Frodo had the ruse with the golf clubs figured out swiftly--but, then, he WAS properly named.
A very simplified version of the tale, and much to the point. Loved it.
Now, what is this tale Merry would tell now? Will we be able to share it?
Author's reply
Pippin has the burden of being the youngest. He's automatically going to be the one who gets picked for friendly teasing of this nature. He really does have a lot to get back at Merry for! ;)
It wouldn't have taken Frodo long to put two and two together. He is the worst rascal in Buckland and has a lot of experience with these sorts of capors. Plus, he had all the pieces of the puzzle, whereas Merry only had a couple of pieces. Merry will be figuring it out in time, I'm sure.
I can see Bilbo having different versions of his tale depending on his audience. It just seems like something he enjoy doing. As for Merry's tale, that would be "How to Cook a Goose". If you haven't read it already, it can be found here among all my other fics. :D
How wonderful to come home to this!! *grin* I love the bowdlerized version of The Hobbit--perfectly appropriate for young ears.
Frodo was so funny--I loved his cool assumption of superiority, as he reveals to Sam, Legolas and Boromir that he knew all along what they had been up to, ans why. And of course, Merry and Pippin *will* figure it out too, but hopefully not soon enough for the rematch.
And Legolas, of course, knows a great deal more about Bilbo's dragon adventure than probably anyone else there except Gandalf and Gimli. It was good for him to be reminded of it.
Author's reply
I can just imagine Bilbo having different versions of the story depending on the age group he's telling it to. So very much like Bilbo. Too bad Pippin was too young to remember the correct version! ;)
You can't get much past Frodo, especially now that he knows not to underestimate the sneakiness of his gardener. Fool him once, but never again! Merry and Pippin will figure it out, I'm sure, but there won't be a rematch if I have anything to say about it. LOL! I'm just glad I was finally able to hole this subplot. ;)
Legolas would know a lot about the Battle of Five Armies. Not sure how much Bilbo would have been featured in the Wood Elves' retellings of it, but he would certainly know the name. Hearing the tale from Bilbo's perspective, even as watered down as it was, would have been quite a revelation for him.
Hooray for Fordo for figuring out the golf club conspiracy. I guess Legolas was not particularly subtle in running out of the practice room the way he did. I wonder when Merry and Pippin will put two and two together. Legolas is certainly getting a wonderfully entertaining education in the character and habits of Hobbits.
Author's reply
Well, Boromir and Legolas were not nearly as sneaky as they thought they were being. I'm sure Merry will be figuring things out fairly quickly. I doubt Pippin will give it much more thought; he's more the type to just accept things as they are, whereas Merry will continue to try to unravel the mystery until he figures it out.
Legolas will be an old pro in the ways of Hobbits by the time the Quest is under way. :)
Althea
· 25 March 2007
· Chapter 10: Smoke Gets in Their Eyes
Poor Legolas. The thought of men, a drawf, at least two hobbits, and a grumpy wizard going through weed withdrawal would be enough to put anyone off, but add to that the looming threat of another gold match and I'm amazed he even left his room. Boromir and Legolas make a good team. Their hiding place for the clubs was very clever. I can't wait to find out how the hobbits will react when they find that their clubs are missing, and what will Frodo do when he discovers the art books have disappeared as well? This is so much fun.
Author's reply
Legolas is quite the stout-hearted elf! No wonder Elrond chose him to go on the Quest. If he can face golf-addicted hobbits and weed withdrawal, taking down the Dark Lord should be a cinch. :D
Legolas doesn't know that Frodo can climb trees, and that Pippin does too. Of course, he put the clubs very far up the tree, so the likelihood of them being found is pretty small. :)
I think Boromir and Legolas would make a good detective team! LOL. They have bonded quite nicely over their shared desire to quell the golf madness.
Andrea
· 25 March 2007
· Chapter 11: Crouching Hobbit, Roaring Dragon
LOL!!! Great chapter, GamgeeFest!
From my point of view you could go on writing about golf. As long as it has to do with hobbits and Boromir and Legolas wearing "plus-fours" (never heard of them before), I would be pleased ;-)
I loved it that Frodo found out about the new conspiracy. He's very clever and an experienced prankster.
And I enjoyed Bilbo's (or your) short version of "The Hobbit" a great deal!
He left out The Ring completely - interesting.
Last but not least, it's just like Merry to tell Pippin some fancy tale, which is untrue, just to see how he spreads it ;-)
Poor Pippin!
Author's reply
No more golf! I'm starting to have nightmares! LOL :D And I think Boromir and Legolas would run for the hills if the hobbits came at them with a pair of plus-fours! (I got the term from Lbilover's "Golfing Fever" story.)
Frodo's not one to be easily fooled, which makes it all the more impressive that Merry et al were able to keep their Conspiracy going for as long as they did. But then again, Frodo had no reason to suspect them at the time, whereas now he knows not to underestimate them!
Well, since this is a short version of the story as Bilbo told it to his younger cousins, it wouldn't have any mention of the Ring. The only person in the Shire who Bilbo told about the Ring was Frodo. The Ring, I believe, would have been left out of all his retellings of his Adventure. He only ever put it down in the Red Book, which no one else ever read (except Frodo, and Merry of course).
Merry is incorrigible! As is Frodo, for never correcting Pippin's false version of the story - I'm sure he had to have heard it at least once. Poor Pippin indeed! It's hard being the youngest. :D