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| A Small and Passing Thing by Lindelea | 249 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Miriel | Reviewed Chapter: 17 on 10/7/2003 |
| Poor Freddy! Thank goodness that Frodo knows just how to touch that spot that no one else can. Now I know what "going home for Yule" means. (I wondered about that in hte last chapter, as it hasdn't been mentioned previously.) Poor Freddy. (Although I've said that many times before, it still holds true.) Ah, so Merry now begins the Courtship of Rose Cotton. Heehee. Author Reply: Yes, poor Freddy, but he has the wit and heart and courage to overcome, I think, with a little help from those who love him. And yes, the courtship. *smile* It is such fun to write a mischievous, carefree Merry. | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 16 on 10/7/2003 |
| Tolkien said something about the power of the voice of Saruman, that some who hear it remain ever afterwards in its thrall. Freddy is physically stronger, and mentally much closer to the real world, but Saruman's voice is still eating away at him inside, like an apple with a worm at its core. His hold on the ground he's gained is precarious. I'm hoping Frodo figures it all out, before it's too late. Frodo seems a bit more comfortable with his title of Mayor, now that he's realized he doesn't have to do anything. There won't be too many banquets for him to preside at, for the short term, and an edict or two isn't too hard. I'm still enjoying seeing him take a part in the byplay between the hobbits. None of them have really settled back into normal life yet, but there's a hint of relief at being home (except for Pip). I wish it could last for Frodo. I like the feast with legs that moved from room to room, and the song. Is it original, or a folksong? Author Reply: I am comfort-reading in an old story. I started reading while looking up a detail to try to jog the Muse into spinning more tales, since SoA has been renewed for a couple more years, and ended up reading on for my love of Frodo in this story (though I do say so myself, at the risk of sounding full of myself... I had forgotten the easy banter between the cousins, the closeness of the relationships that made perfect sense to me at the time - explaining the fierce loyalty of the Conspirators, some of whom followed Frodo to the ends of Middle-earth and back - and still makes sense to me, even though I had forgotten the tone of the conversations that lingered in the back of my mind as I wrote this one. I love seeing Frodo as he might have been before the cares and trials settled upon him, and I do think that he must have enjoyed a respite before that fateful illness in March, seeing how his departure to the West came as such a surprise to his fellow Travellers). Also, a friend tells me that the new Amazon series may rekindle an interest in LOTR fanfic. Though I currently have little interest in the Second Age, apparently the teasers hint at hobbits. Perhaps there might be some scope for fanfic related to early hobbits, and perhaps it might even be possible to cajole the Muse to add to Shire: Beginnings after all... In any event, reading old reviews along with reading old chapters, I came across this one. I was sure I answered every review I saw, years ago, and yet, to my chagrin, I see one review after another without a reply. (And that keeps happening when I revisit old stories. Argh.) I feel terrible about that. Anyhow, with no way of knowing if this will ever reach you, I wanted to answer your question. Back in the early years of writing, I posted on Henneth Annun and Fanfiction dot net. I don't remember HA's TOS anymore, but I do remember that FF deleted stories that included copyrighted material, so I wrote all my own songs for my stories. We hosted a website at the time, and I got permission to borrow a small piece of the website to upload the midi files there. That website is long gone (and unlamented, actually), and I have no idea how to make the files available now, even though my spouse discovered them recently on a thumb drive in the back of a drawer. I had thought them forever lost (except in my memory) on a long-ago corrupted hard drive, but somehow we were lucky enough to have made a backup of my music before that nearly-dead computer died altogether, though the thumb drive subsequently went missing for more than a decade and only came to light last Christmas (what a lovely Christmas present, in retrospect!). I must confess that, because of my spouse's extreme caution regarding online safety in those early years, I tried not to reveal our location or identifying details in online interactions in those years. I might have given (or even tried to convey) the impression of being British. It wasn't hard, having married one (LOL), and becoming accustomed to refer to (automobile) boots and windscreens and flannels and biscuits and such. Moreover, my oft-visited UK editions of LOTR and works by other UK authors made British spellings feel more natural than the US spellings. Insomnia helped, too; I sort of kept Greenwich Mean Time without meaning to, simply because one of the byproducts of ADHD is apparently completely off-kilter biorhythms. I apologise/apologize for supporting that misapprehension. Once again, thank you for taking the time to share your insights. I have enjoyed our discourse immensely. Your thoughtful responses brought out details that were worth building on and pointed out inconsistencies that I was able to correct because you made me aware of them. Blessings to you and yours. | |
| Miriel | Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 10/6/2003 |
| whew. At least Ferdi is begininning to recover. I liked him "Counting" on Frodo...that is a silly phrase, come to think of it. Ah, back to the Red Book. So you *were* reading from it all along, which answers my other question. So I was right! Estella is still "Twig." Very good. Kudos to you for such a well pur-together story. | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 10/6/2003 |
| Frodo is positively enjoying poking Freddy. I think we all enjoy it more, once Freddy starts to come out of the fog a little and can respond. He doesn't know what's going on right now, but his memory of old days is returning and a little of the old spirit. It's quite a relief. Frodo is funny! Nobody else ever writes write post-quest Frodo joking, but he couldn't have been sad and sick all the time. Pippin's 'Wakey, Wakey" makes a return as well as a memory of Estella the Terror, jokes about feeding Freddy like a new father with a cranky babe, and even a couple of quips at his own expense. I am absolutely enchanted. Of course, the business with Estella is a bit more serious. I understand that this is an old-fashioned culture, but I'm getting a little tired of all the menfolk protecting their wives from bad news. Some of the strongest characters in the Shire are female, and they're not getting a chance to prove their worth in a crisis. Odo doesn't even have a plan right now - who will he talk it over with, if he can't talk to his wife? I'm looking forward to hearing about Stell's adventures, from her point of view. I'm sure it wasn't pleasant, but I'm also glad you gave us that hint that she's alive and well. | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 10/6/2003 |
| Two chapters at once - I can't keep up with your output, and I'm only writing two paragraphs to your pages of material! It was good to see Ferdinand. He always was crusty, but even more so here without Ferdi to soften him. Both he and Odovocar have lost a daughter, and are losing a son. How freeing it is to let out the word 'dying.' It strips away the superficial so that other words than need to be said, can be. I loved seeing Twig interact with Merry. He's saved her life, and she won't forget that, but she's also fooled him, and once the shock wears off, I think she's enjoying it. Fooling people whom she knows probably has been quite a source of amusement for Stell in the past half-year. It seems like everything is consipiring to keep Odo from finding Stell. Ferdi's clue can mean nothing to him, but he has sent everyone else away who might have grasped a meaning. Merry is riding away from the Smials when he encounters the familiar-looking lad, and will probably not be back for a while. I don't think he actually realizes the gravity of Freddy's situation anyway, as Frodo sent him to bed rather than ask him to help with the round-the-clock feeding. I wonder who the family is that has taken in a Took 'cousin' and how much they know. Good planning on Ferdi's part anyway, as it would be much easier to disgiuse Stella as a boy in an out-of-the-way farmstead, than among numerous relations where personal matters are difficult to conceal, and any slip would be seen my many eyes. | |
| FnatasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 10/6/2003 |
| It's getting worrysome watching Freddy's inner torment continue. I know it's really been a short time since he was liberated, that he is very weak and that you cannot undo in a day what has been painfully learned over months; however, it's sad to watch the hobbits around him think they are making progress without realizing Freddy distinuishes very little reality amid terrible delusions. Someone will have to break the mental barriers soon, or I am afraid the healer's fears could become true. Ooooo, Regi doesn't know Estella is there. I can't believe she's still with Rosemary's family. Is it possible she's gone to the Smials but kept her disguise for the whole time? I wouldn't put it past Estella to have tried. She seemed quite fiery and mischievious in the earlier stories. She might have done it for a lark, or she might have chosen to grasp at the relative freedom a young boy would have, compared to the cosseted youngest lass of a gentle-born hobbit family. She's got enough Took in her to look at this as an advenure of her own, and a chance to do something besides hide from the ruffians. Or is there totally something else going on? I love to try to guess, even when I'm wildly wrong. I'll be eagerly waiting to see you pick up this cliffhanger! | |
| Hai | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 10/5/2003 |
| Oh, no! Where is Estella if not here? Still at the Woody End? I hope the Bolgers will all be reunited soon! They have been through a lot! How wonderful of Lobelia to give back Bag End and even want to pay for it to be fixed! Looking forward to more! Thank you! | |
| Miriel | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 10/5/2003 |
| Oh no! Where could Estella be? Or is she still "twig?" My heart just breaks as Fatty's tortured mind refuses to take the food-so sad. Very smart of the hobbits, to make themselves look far poorer than they are. This is excellent. Update soon! | |
| Miriel | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 10/5/2003 |
| Poor Freddy-I hope that he can recover from those awful ruffians, and that he will realize that he is safe. I enjoyed MErry's shock at lobielias kindness. Very good. Author Reply: Hi, Miriel! Como estas tu? Keeping busy these days? I was just editing this chapter and saw your review from last month. Sorry about the (un)timeliness of this reply! | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 10/4/2003 |
| Doing a good deed should be its own reward, they always say, but it sure is nice to see the results of your own kindness, and know both that it made a difference and that it was appreciated. It's good for all the farmers that Tad brings them in, to see that Freddy has survived, and that their bit of trickery with the pig slops is remembered. The farmers have already been working together, but there's a lot of work still to be done to restore the dilapidated buildings: perhaps the Bolgers will choose to help with the work, or contribute to the costs, to show their thanks. Freddy's still got some serious problems. I wonder how long it will take before it really sinks in, that the ruffians are gone for good. | |