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It's Nothing Really...  by Dreamflower 7 Review(s)
Celeste Lucretia BlackReviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/14/2021
My first ankle sprain was so terrible, I cried

Rachel StonebreakerReviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/27/2006
I'm getting around to reading some stories I've missed. Marigold recommended this one. I'm glad she did. I sometimes blow off the H/C stories, not much into them (yeah, right, she said rolling her eyes in her own disbelief) well, alright, I'm not into the goofy ones. This one isn't goofy at all! It's very good. The only thing that had me going for a minute was the thought that Noakes would have passed them on the road. It didn't occur to me that they set out cross country. Not until I read that later on. Silly me.

Off to read the rest!

~ Rach

Author Reply: Hi, Rachel--good to hear from you!

*grin* I know what you mean by the "goofy" ones. I am quite sure that certain characters run in panic when they see certain authors headed in their direction, LOL! They know what they are in for! Some people just love to do all sorts of dire things to the one they are supposed to love best, just to give themselves a chance at some vicarious cuddling, or to gratify a kink for certain unpleasant medical procedures. *shakes head*. But I enjoy a nice h/c now and then, with a minimum of "h" (though enough to make it dramatic, unless it's fluff), but a good deal of TLC. And I prefer the h/c to actually be part of a plot and not an end of itself. Most of the h/c I write is either to prove a point (as in "The Dare") or as a part of the plot (as in "It Takes a Took") or as in this one, as a gift to someone who has requested it.

To me, the best part of h/c involving the four hobbits is to see the others lavishing love and care on the "hurt" one. And because Frodo suffers so much in canon, you will only rarely see him suffering in one of my stories. I really prefer to show him as the caregiver for a change.

GryffinjackReviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/1/2005
Ah, so you've posted this story over here, too! I didn't see it before, but I'll review it now since I'm past this point in the chronology.

Nothing is as satisfying as seeing Frodo cut people down to size when they have endangered or wronged one of Frodo's loved ones. He has the best way of making his displeasure known! I don't know which will be the worst for Mr. Noakes - the wrath of the Master of Buckland, the wrath of the Thain, or facing one of Frodo's glacial glares. *shudder* I daresay he deserves all three after the way he acted.

While Mr. Noakes was clearly irresponsible and wrong for getting so drunk when he was charged with the care and delivery of two tweenagers, Merry acted too impulsively by deciding to walk the rest of the way with Pippin rather than wait for the hobbit to sleep it off. The delay caused by Mr. Noakes' oversleeping and probable hangover would still amount to Merry and Pippin arriving at Bag End sooner than they would by walking in all likelihood. Not that I blame Merry for being upset with Mr. Noakes and not wanting to travel with him, but he himself was only a tweenager and for him to take on the responsiblity of a young tweenager like Pippin especially with noboby else knowing what route they were going to take ... I'm sure that, like most tweenagers, he thought that he was filled with self confidence and knew that he could take care of everything, but I just don't think Merry should have done it.

This is a very promising beginning to a story I look forward to reading. Now Frodo is going to have to come to the rescue while Pippin is going to get a chance to take care of Merry.


Author Reply: For some reason, one thing I *love* to do is to have Frodo ream some adult for not treating his younger cousins as well as he thinks they should be treated. (Remember the store clerk in "Pippin the Protector"?) I can just see him facing them down like a lion protecting its cubs.

Yes, Merry *did* make a mistake, a very understandable one. He's still a tween himself, and though he's not nearly as impulsive as Pippin will be all his life, Merry is also still part Took. As much as Merry tends to be a forward-thinker, it never occured to him that he might get hurt. And I'm sure he thought that they were both up to a walk that he had taken with Frodo himself more than once. Still, it was basically an unwise decision--he would have done better to have sent Frodo a message and waited for him at Frogmorton. But that sort of foresight is still a few years in coming--and it's quite possible that this little error made now helped him be a little better prepared for things later. Lesson learned.

Yes, a bit of Merry h/c, with Pippin giving the "c".

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/17/2005
Poor Merry--brings to mind the old saying "The hurrieder you go the behinder you get." Now a sprained or broken ankle? Poor love.

Author Reply: Yes, Merry's crossness at the carter made him less careful than usual--and the results were just as you said.

KittyReviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/17/2005
Uh oh. This Noakes proved quite unresponsible, and he is right - maybe he should move to Bree. Paladin and Saradoc will *not* be pleased, not at all! He probably should stay far away from Brandy Hall and Great Smials for a long time. And Hobbiton, too. Even if Merry and Pippin could've waited a bit longer, I suppose they didn't want to travel with an carter who was probably not very sober.

That doesn't sound good. Poor Merry, hopefully his ankle isn't too bad!

Author Reply: No, Noakes is not exactly your ideal worker. He was irresponsible, and really derelict in his duty--which was to look after the two tweens he was escorting.
I think he may need to go into another line of work.

Poor Merry. Of course, that *was* a pre-requisite for what Anso requested, so he pretty much had to get injured. We'll see how bad it is...

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/17/2005
Naughty Mr. Noakes. I'm not surprised Frodo is cross. Although Merry and Pippin's reaction could have been a bit foolhardy - since they now seem to have tumbled headlong into disaster.

I hope Pippin can cope - until rescue can reach them.



Author Reply: For some reason, I just love it when Frodo reams some adult or other for not treating his cousins properly. There's just something about how he gets all implacable and protective that appeals to me.

We shall see how well Pippin copes.

LindeleaReviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/17/2005
Ah, yes. Am so glad Anso requested this story. I too enjoy a spot of Merry h/c with my morning tea. Or afternoon tea. Or whatever.

"It's nothing, really."

Are you going to have a bit of fun with the reader and see how many times you can work the phrase into the story? When we all *know* it is *not* nothing... really!

Author Reply: *grin* Glad you are enjoying it!

*snicker* Ahem...*clears throat and prepares to insert foot in mouth* Perhaps, when this story is all posted, I'll offer the prize of a small ficlet to the first person who tells me *exactly* how many times I used it. *rolls into a ball, and hides*

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