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The Highs and Lows of Meriadoc Brandybuck  by Gryffinjack 4 Review(s)
GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/17/2006
A very eventful day for Merry. At least he had a good morning and won the race before making such a mess of himself. I love all the interactions between Frodo, Merry and Pippin. Pippin's such a rambler, and Merry understands Frodo even with just a glance, and knows to be careful with his answers to Pippin. A delightful read.

Author Reply: Merry did have rather a full day. I couldn't *not* have him win his race, especially when knowing what was in store for him with the tree! Merry is an excellent rider, which served him well later on with the Rohirrim.

I really enjoy seeing interaction between the three cousins in stories; they have such interesting dynamics between them. You think Pippin rambles? lol! Well, he is a bit of a chatterbox, butat least he gets somewhat better about it as he grows up and his ramblings are more on point. Although you can't see it as much with Pippin at this age, all three cousins understand each other thoroughly. Both Frodo and Merry know how sensitive Pippin is and so Merry only needed a glance from Frodo to remind him to be careful how he responds to Pippin.

I'm glad you liked it!

LarnerReviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/17/2006
Poor Merry!

Author Reply: Poor Merry, indeed! But at least he won his race!

AndreaReviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/16/2006
Oh, this story was wonderful and I enjoyed reading it!
Like Merry I tend to plan everything, and I'm always disappointed if it doesn't work out ;-)

Pippin, however, is quite a different matter. He lives for the moment and doesn't care about the future. He is of that age where you think everything is possible. It takes him some time to realize that Merry climbed the tree only to rescue him from possible danger. And what's his answer?

But, Merry, you really must remember that you are not a Took.

That's our Pippin!

Last but not least, I always love it when Frodo calls Merry "sprout"!

Merry could hardly wait until he became a tweenager and Frodo stopped calling him “sprout.”

LOL!!! I can very well imagine that, but I *like* "sprout".

Author Reply: I'm glad you liked it!

Merry is rather the little planner, isn't he? That's what makes it fun to put him together with Pippin, to see the dynamics of their contrasting styles. Pippin is a dreamer who is always optimistic. It's not just the age that he is at, but a lifelong characteristic, save when he has a huge troll lying on top of him and squishing him. lol! For Pippin, it would be silly for Merry to climb the tree to rescue him when Merry knows that Pippin is perfectly capable of climbing the tree as well as getting the kite. It never occurred to Pippin that he might *not* be able to reach the kite. Merry's love for Pippin is so great that despite his fears, he climbed the tree not only to make Pippin happy by rescuing his kite, but because he was afraid Pippin would fall if he tried to climb as high as the kite.

Last but not least, I always love it when Frodo calls Merry "sprout"!

LOL! So do I! Isn't it an adorable nickname? However, I cannot take any of the credit with coming up with the name "sprout." When I read Dreamflower's stories, I *loved* how Frodo called Merry "sprout" and like you, I wish Frodo never stopped calling him that. When I first started writing LotR stories, Dreamflower was kind enough to let me borrow the name for my AU.

mews1945Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/16/2006
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It's fresh and charming, and it paints a delightful picture of the cousins.

Author Reply: Thank you! I'm glad you found it fresh and charming, since that's just how I find all three of the cousins.

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