The Thrum of Tookish Bowstrings, Part 1 by Lindelea
Larner · 18 February 2020 · Chapter 4: Risk
A most successful hunt indeed, with but one injury and no deaths save for the pigs. I rejoice Ferdi didn't see a repeat of Ferumbras's disaster. Will be there for Easter. See you the 13th or 14th?
Author's reply
Will put it on my calendar! I'm also very glad the disaster was not repeated... now perhaps Ferdi will be able to let it go and fade into the past. Thanks!
Mirkwoodmaiden · 16 February 2020 · Chapter 3: Power
Lindelea! Nice Chapter! Somebody gainsaying Pippin and successfully at that. I didn't think that was possible. I see what got him was hobbits laying down their lives for him. Love the depiction of society hobbits thinking this would be "jolly good sport!" and not realising the seriousness of it all!! MM
Author's reply
Thanks! Haha, "gainsaying Pippin": it's not an easy thing to accomplish. You've hit the nail on the head with your insightful observation. Regi, who knows him well, knew that particular argument would stop him in his tracks. Ah, those society hobbits... It's interesting to explore the societal class distinctions that were common in the Professor's time.
jessie · 15 February 2020 · Chapter 3: Power
It's so lovely to have a story with Ferdi.He and Thain Pippin and Farry are my all time favourites in your stories. thank you so much
Author's reply
Oh, thank you! That means a lot to me. I do love those brave, loyal (and frustratingly stubborn) Tooks.
shirebound · 14 February 2020 · Chapter 3: Power
Ferdi is a wonderfully practical hobbit. Good hunting to all!
Author's reply
He and Merry were practically peas in a pod before Pippin came along and almost inseparable during the summers on the farm before they became tweens. I think Merry's practical Buckland ways may have had a good influence on Ferdi over the years. LOL! Thanks so much for leaving a good word.
Larner · 14 February 2020 · Chapter 3: Power
Aha! Excellent idea, to take only those who are experienced in hunting the beasts! And Pippin's had his orders from those who know how reckless he could prove to be.
Author's reply
Hahaha, they know only too well... I think I remember Regi's about Frodo's age, or a little older. Old enough to have changed Pippin's nappies when the young Thain was a babe in arms, anyhow. Meanwhile, Hilly is about Pippin's age, and Ferdi is about Merry's age, and who can say how many reckless scrapes they might have got themselves into together as youngsters? I'd say you're perfectly correct in your estimation. Thanks!
shirebound · 13 February 2020 · Chapter 2: Lesson
What a delightful story. Faramir is already a notable bowman (bow-hobbit!), and such an intelligent, sensitive lad.
Author's reply
Ah, yes. He has been heavily influenced by his "Uncle" Merry, I think, and Merry's stories of Frodo, and the good sense of Mayor Sam, along with inheriting the curiosity and intelligence of his mother and father. I do so delight in hobbits (as I know you do, too). So nice to hear from you!
Mirkwoodmaiden · 13 February 2020 · Chapter 2: Lesson
Lindelea! First, Farry. What a cute nickname. I love how Farry is taller ( I assume because Pippin had taken the Ent draft?) and more serious as a child taking after Faramir as a child. Lovely story. I did wonder how well who would Faramir's namesake shoot a bow. Quite well, apparently. After reading the story I have one question. How long have you been shooting? Only an archer would know all the specifics of shooting. (Or you read up on Archery training.) I shoot as well although not for a while. *sigh* Lovely story. can't wait for more! MM.
Author's reply
Lovely to hear from you! Looking forward to reading the next chapter of yours in line as soon as I finish answering reviews and adding the latest-edited chapter to this. A long-ago beta reader and I had quite a lively discussion of Farry's height. In the end, she convinced me that it would be logical for the Ent-draught to affect Pippin's DNA enough to ensure his children would be taller than average. LOL! I first took up a bow at the age of six at summer camp, returning to that camp for several more summers after that. We also practiced target shooting with BB guns. The camp had "traditional" style bows, none of the fancy equipment you see nowadays. (My cousins, if I'm remembering right, used traditional bows in their deer-hunting.) That was a long time ago. I don't know when the fancy compound bows became a "thing" as I haven't kept up with the sport. The English longbow has long had a place in my heart, though, and when my children went through a "Robin Hood" phase, I reacquainted myself with the topic and incorporated it into my Tookish stories. I even had a delightful email exchange with a member of a British archery club! So for this story, I had a basic foundation of knowledge and simply brushed up on the particulars of archery instruction, specifically the history of learning the longbow. (Oh my, it goes way back...) Call it a mix of early experience and research. I've based Farry's "knack" here on my own experience. Although I have had problems with my eyesight since an early age, I somehow have a knack for aiming a bow or BB gun. A few years ago, we took our children to a family fun event, and I picked up a traditional-style bow at the archery booth after decades of not-shooting. To everyone's astonishment, I hit the bullseye on my first try! (Honestly not a brag; I was as astonished as everyone else there. Somehow, my brain and fingers, working together, have a sense for aiming a bow, even though I couldn't throw a ball straight to save my life. I am the opposite of the way I write Pippin...) Thank you for stopping by and leaving a good word!
Mirkwoodmaiden · 13 February 2020 · Chapter 1: Commission
Oh dear! Gainsaying a headstrong Took Who is now Thain seems an unenviable task! Poor Ferdi!
Author's reply
LOL, it seems logical that Tooks as a whole would be known for their stubbornness, seeing as they kept the ruffians out of their homeland during the time of the Quest. (Poor Ferdi, indeed! He's had his moments...) Thanks!
Larner · 13 February 2020 · Chapter 2: Lesson
It is obvious that Faramir Took is a more than capable archer at the age of four! It sounds as if he was born of an old soul, and unusually capable and aware for one who is yet a faunt in the eyes of the Shire. And Pippin was aware that his son was gifted in the one service in which he himself was not. Most interesting!
Author's reply
For some reason, he has struck me as an "old soul" from the first time the Muse brought him to mind... (The Panda-pup gives my elbow a serious of vigorous nudges, impeding typing and insisting I send along a "hello".)
harrowcat · 10 February 2020 · Chapter 1: Commission
I think that you might be the first to tackle this subject. Well done. And I love it that Pippin is dangerous with a bow!
Author's reply
My goodness! Thank you for the encouraging words! Not only have I had a fascination with archery since a young age (I think I was about six when I was introduced to a no-frills, traditional bow), but I also found the research for this particular story absorbing. Thus, the Tookish archers' weapons and skills as I've imagined them are based on what I learned about English and Welsh longbows and their use during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. What fun! Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Larner · 10 February 2020 · Chapter 1: Commission
Poor Ferdi--he has quite the pickle to deal with, and that's saying something! I hope that Farry can shoot better than his da, but we will see. (By the way, there is a dog back in Minas Tirith to deal with--hint, hint!)
Author's reply
LOL! This one is written all the way through, at the insistence of the Muse when she suddenly returned out of the void. I was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth... but I will convey your hints to her and see if she might be tractable. Thus, I will be posting a chapter of this every day or couple days (depending on the busyness of life) until it's posted in full. Thanks!