Reviews (161)

Author's reply

Thank you! (I don’t recall any comments about the candy barrel when this chapter was first posted, and I rather liked it.) Ganelon, Gerier and Honeysuckle all, of course, have their own “issues.”

Author's reply

No, the hobbits of the Shire — even those closest to the Travellers — still don’t realize the importance of the Quest, or of Sam. Ganelon’s not alone in that, although he’s more spiteful and vengeful than most. Glad you’re enjoying.

Author's reply

Glad you enjoyed. Of course, just as not all wanderers are lost: not all romances are bodice-rippers. ;)

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Snerk. I hadn’t even thought of the “hard nut to crack” reference in regard to Diamond. I was going with Pippin being a bit “nutty”, which is why he’s glad she’s fond of them. :)

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She is. And Everard is a happy hobbit, too. (Can’t have *all* the marriages in this story be overly complicated!)

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Mmm-hmm. I’d suggest you keep reading, else what’s a story for?

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I believe you’ve hit the nail on the head in regard to both Pip and Diamond. I see from my email box that you’ve kept reading on, so you’re getting an idea of what happens in regard to your prediction at the end of this review.

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Mmm-hmm. Angst. Ah, angst. ;)

Author's reply

Welcome. Hope you do come back, after catching up on your sleep. It *was* getting late (1 a.m.) when this story's update was posted.

Author's reply

(I wanted to wait until posting this chapter to respond to this review, as the impetus for the last section of this chapter has been in the works for a long time - it grew out of my wondering at the chronology that Pippin became Took and Thain in 1434 when the widowed wife of the previous head of family could retain that office. This chapter holds my explanation.) And this story is what it is: a story based on Tolkien’s world and his characters, but also its own story. I certainly respect your right to decide that its elements have veered too far off what you see as essential, fundamental, canonical and choose not to read it. I’ve tried to base it strongly in canon -- it’s not meant to be an AU -- but there are also elements of fanon, and of interpretation, there, such as the stronger role of the Thain. Again, the story summary has referred since the beginning of this ride [over a year ago now; I feel guilty about how long this has taken] to both “learning to make a marriage” and “to lead a people.” It was a conscious decision to portray the role of the Thain not necessarily as an overbearingly authoritarian figure, but as someone who does have authority in the Shire. Which, no, is not the U.S., nor Pakistan, nor Afghanistan, nor...wherever. It’s a fictional creation in which we fanfic writers play, writing stories which cannot help but be, in their own ways, of their own time and era and author. I’m not Tolkien, nor do I think anyone, including he or me, would want me to be. Yes, I do realize of course, that there are some writers/readers who want their fanfic to be Tolkien-esque in all ways and whose connection with LOTR comes through the world-building he accomplished and, again, I respect that choice. I enjoy the world in his stories, but that’s not my connection: I connect through the characters. That’s what I’m interested in exploring, and reading about, and why it rankles me some when “canonical” stories have characters alive in years when they’re not supposed to be and such — but also why I push on past that to get to character portrayals and interactions. Diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks. *Different* is key to what I try to do with my stories. It’s just the way my mind works with these characters: if there have been many, many interpretations of an event in a character’s life from the same angle, I start thinking, “well, what if...” And I realize that can make me kind of an odd-gal-out in the fandom. Not only because my connection is with the characters and not the world building, but also because I do not have ambitions to be a Tolkien scholar. This is (probably not suprisingly, given the Professor’s background) a very scholarly fandom. Which is great for those who dedicate themselves to that; more power to you if that is your choice. But it is also, as a general observation, not very welcoming to those who don’t choose to pursue that path. I don’t mean just the “I wrote this when I was bored in math class and have only seen the movies and don’t even know the names of any hobbits besides those four...wait, were there five?...in the movies” ilk of stories on places like fanfiction.net at which “serious” fans turn up their noses. I mean that the emphasis on sooo much research, Tolkien interpretation, etc., not only carries with it some danger of (possibly unintentionally) reinforcing the great similarities among many of the fanfic stories out there, but also doesn’t necessarily provide a welcome environment for those fans who (like me) *do* do research, and do think about canon -- but who don’t want to make this fandom inaccessible, so view the metatext as the trilogy + hobbit books (yes, obviously, including the appendices). I tend to view the “Letters,” et. al. -- *even those things written by Tolkien himself* -- as supplementary material to the metatext: interpretive, additional material in the Midrashim tradition. I want to pull my canonical interpretations out of the metatext itself. In which, although JRRT may have described the hobbit dyarchy in “Letters,” his only female character to exhibit an untraditional role is Eowyn — and it’s made a big deal of that she’s acting in an untraditional role for a woman. So it seemed unlikely to me, for this story, that the hobbitesses would be thoroughly modern womyn. Obviously, this story does carry that traditional role thing, and the authority thing, to extremes in some points and in some marriages. But, again, it is what it is for itself. And Pervinca’s story is complex. Love is a deceptively simple thing, but its manifestations, actions, inactions, etc. in various forms -- whether familial, marriage and/or romantic, etc. -- are not always so simple. (She wasn’t crying for Pippin in Chapter Two, by the way, as she -- like Merry and the other sisters, and most of the Shire -- didn’t know about his arranged marriage until right before it took place. She was crying for herself.) As for myself, I realize I have just opened myself up for interpretation as a lazy researcher who ignores Tolkien’s world-creating to pick and choose among a narrow definition of canon. So be it. Again, I respect your choice if my interpretation differs so greatly from the part of LOTR that is most important to you that you need to put this story aside, or shift it in your mind to AU, or whatever. I hope that the fandom as a whole will have enough respect for me that my need to focus on the metatext as the source, and on the characters, in this hobby of writing fanfic will also be accepted.

Author's reply

No need to apologize for reviewing again. Obviously, I can ramble on at length about this story. (Yeah; I think some of my responses to reviews are getting close to being as long as some of my chapters. :) ) Pervinca’s pride is tied in quite closely to her stubbornness -- both of which are big parts of her personality. It’s not so much her “I’m the daughter of the Thain” thing, which is a bit snobbish but is also, ironically, one of the things she has in *common* with Duro (I believe we’ve established that he’s snobbish, too). It’s more her “I’m the daughter of the Thain but you’re my baby brother who I still see as a baby and not the Heir to the Thain and I refuse to acknowledge that you’ve grown up or have any authority in the Shire” thing. Another one of the many things this fic is about is how seeing our relatives, particularly our siblings, in the place where we have pigeonholed them as children (i.e. , the pretty one, the smart one...the spoiled one, the baby) can create a mental image that prevents us from seeing them as they are as adults...until there is some sort of epiphanic understanding reached that, “oh, he/she is all grown up now.” Pervinca seems particularly resistant to this realization in regard to Pippin -- which is a big problem as, if he’s going to be a successful Took and Thain, he has to be able to exercise authority (even if, as discussed in the responses to previous reviews, he sometimes screws up with it). Pervinca’s managing to pass on her refusal to acknowledge Pippin’s authority to Duro as well, as we see in this chapter, so it’s an attitude that she’s helping to spread -- again, problematic for Pippin. I think I’ve said before that nobody in this fic is perfect -- and that includes Pervinca. It’s possible that she and Pippin could have had a chat about the whole marriage thing way back in Chapter One -- if she hadn’t got distracted and called him an oaf and a child, which made him run away in the confusion of a still-tweenaged hobbit with grown-up responsibilities. She refuses to recognize Diamond’s authority in letting her in or not to see the ill Pippin in Chapter Eleven, despite Pimpernel’s attempted warning; and she tells Pippin flat-out in Chapter 24 that she doesn’t have to listen to him -- even though, according to the authority structure which favors the male Heir, she does -- as well as continuing to call him by the rather disrespectful nickname “Piglet” during a formal audience he’s called her to by her full name. (She should probably be calling him “Peregrin” during this.) (The similar stubborn streaks in their personalities probably don’t help in having them get along with continued harmony, either, as Eglantine’s story about the squabbling young Pippin and Pervinca in Chapter 10 kind of indicates.) So, it’s not a matter of “breaking her spirit” to have her “lisp ‘yes, husband’” to Duro, but more a matter of getting her to actually acknowledge the *authority* of the Thain -- whether her father or not -- rather than just reciting lip service to the idea. (And I’m not so sure she’d crumple and cry if someone were to talk to her directly about all this. I kind of think she’d be more likely to thump Pip on the head and say something like, “*Now*, you twit? You’re asking me about this *now*?”)

Author's reply

Really, “a little dance for joy”? You’ll have to send me the choreography, some time ;) (That one line of Duro’s in this chapter about Pearl’s flightiness is in part a placeholder for a future story I’m toying with that would feature more Pearl -- beyond her, what? three lines of dialogue in this one? --- as well as more hobbity singing and dancing.) I’m glad you’re enjoying the story and that you are having such a strong reaction to it -- although the depth of such reactions has been a *bit* of a surprise. I do recognize that stories can hold within them things that the author is not necessarily aware of, but that does not mean they are not valid interpretations of the tale. In fact, it’s kind of exciting knowing that there is enough subtextual stuff going on that there is even more additional stuff to pick up on than all the stuff that I already know is in there (which, admittedly, is a lot. This story isn’t exactly about just one thing). So, I’m glad to get your reactions -- I just sometimes can’t respond to them very quickly because they force me to think things through more. Which is a good thing. :) (Also, as I said in response to your previous review, because I have been so crazy/busy the paast few days. (Why can no one pay me for writing things that I can’t make any money from because it would be an illegal violation of someone else’s copyright? Or at least cover my health insurance. Sigh.) I am so sorry that you experienced suicidal depression from trying to please others, and hope that it is a state that you have grown through and never, ever experience again. In terms of this story, and this review, it is definitely *not* farfetched to think that Trefoil might feel obligated to court and marry Bert because of Pippin. In fact, it is exactly what’s going on. In your previous review, you said that Trefoil had more control over her life than Pervinca. I don’t think that’s the case. Diamond is not the only one, in this class-conscious society, who has to “obey” Pippin as the son and Heir to the Thain, a fact that Trefoil, who has lived with her “starstruck” Gran since she was a lass, would be very familiar with. When Pippin suggests that she “take a look at Bert” when she gets back to the Smials from Buckland (Chapter 13), Trefoil perceives it as an order and starts arranging to court Bert by having him carry her washing baskets and such -- albeit not very enthusiastically (Chapter 15, Chapter 22, Chapter 24), leading to clueless Bert’s confusion on the matter. I don’t know if “annoying” was the word I was looking for when trying to depict Pippin in these situations, but it’s one that’ll do. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of “irresponsible” or “unthinking of consequences.” Again, this is part of “learning to lead a people”: realizing the consequences his actions do have on those around him, because of his position. He has just got done saying (to Duro), in this chapter, that there will be no more arranged marriages *for his family*. But because of his inadvertent actions in the “I’m happy so everybody is happy” mode -- and his failing to notice the consequences of them -- he is about to create (were it not for Diamond’s running interference) a “carbon copy” of this bad situation. (And, yes, these situations are the metaphorical meaning of the chapter title.)

Author's reply

(Sorry it’s taken me a while to respond. This past week has been insane with work/RL stuff.) Yes, Pippin et al are rather oblivious to Pervinca’s fate. It is not deliberately malicious on their part; more that their focus has been tied up in their own lives -- Eglantine and Paladin focused on holding things together despite Paladin’s health; Pippin off in Buckland for much of the preceding decade as he puts out of his mind his own marriage, and then adjusts to it upon his return to the Smials. In a little bit of his defense, Pippin was ready to get up from the chair in the Thain’s office and defend his sister’s honor when he thought she “had to get married” for the reason that used to be euphemistically referred to as “getting a girl in trouble” in Chapter One. After Paladin explained the whole situation, though, he was mostly in shock during those first two chapters, then, as I’ve stated, essentially put the whole thing out of his mind as much as possible, basically as a self-defense mechanism. (When Clover was born nine months later, he apparently suffered, as you say, some sort of selective subconscious amnesia to help this denial along.) The family as a whole also doesn’t see Pervinca very often -- certainly not as often as they do the children living at the Smials. She hangs out with the Proudfeet at the Fair (Chapter Eight) -- not that it’s her choice, but it’s what happens -- and doesn’t make it to Pimpernel’s birthday party (Chapter Six). When they do see her, she is stubborn and prideful enough that she doesn’t talk about her feelings -- basically expecting other hobbits, namely Pippin, to just guess at and share them the same way (Chapter Eleven). Because of all that, even though he kind of has inklings that things aren’t all they should be in the Proudfoot smial (Chapter Eight), Pippin doesn’t really know for sure what’s going on for Pervinca until she does something dramatic, like trying to separate him from Diamond, whom she’s convinced he can’t love. (Chapter 23/24). Yes, you can argue that he *ought* to have known, but he doesn’t. Both that blindness and the choice of discipline he chooses to use upon her are part of the “learning to lead a people” part of this story, as reflected in the summary -- as he admits in this chapter (25), he sometimes “hasna the slightest idea what [he is] doing.” (Also a reference to some of the authorial wrestling with this subplot. Ahem.) He actually probably wouldn’t have sent her -- at least unwillingly -- to be a barmaid in Bree if she hadn’t refused to acknowledge Pip’s authority as heir to -- and, as Paladin’s health worsens, essentially acting in the stead of -- the Thain. Not that, despite Pervinca’s initial reaction, being a barmaid in Bree is apparently all that bad. In the current Chapter 25, it’s *she* who chooses to go back -- letting Pippin have the blame for it, if anyone wants to place any (see Pippin and Merry’s conversation). Butterbur may be forgetful and a bit blustery, but he has employed hobbits before (Bob and Nob), and treated them well. The amount of ruffians and ne’er-do-wells roaming the countryside should have been reduced by the victory in the War of the Rings (i.e., Bill Ferny’s no longer about). And at least she’s getting paid for, and acknowledged for, her work -- unlike all the floorscrubbing/dishwasing/bedmaking type tasks she’s been doing thanklessly for the Proudfeet for years (Duro’s references to his sisters in this chapter; their reactions to Pervinca’s jam, and childcare arrangements, in Chapter Eight; her reaction to Pip getting dirt on his coverlet and someone having to scrub it in Chapter Two). Why Pimpernel, who actually goes to visit Pervinca at her smial at times, seems on the surface to have remained clueless to all this, I’m not sure. The separation from her family is the most problematic aspect of it, both for the hobbits and for me. She does get to see them at Yule in this chapter -- when, as mentioned in the previous paragraph of this reply, Pippin would have let her come back; so she’s been gone about four months from the Shire, which he seems to feel is long enough to prove his point. Her concern about being gone with Paladin’s health as it is I find especially poignant (yeah, I know I’m ostensibly writing this, but sometimes these hobbits become very forceful in taking the story where their characters’ character will) -- Pippin isn’t swayed by this completely rational argument because *he’s* in so much denial himself about losing his father. (“He willna!”, Chapter 24, essentially forbids Paladin to die while she’s gone.) I think Pervinca has mixed feelings about her children. On the one hand, they’re kind of spoiled, snobbish little brats (Chapter Eight, Chapter 21, Chapter 22); on the other hand, they are her children.

Author's reply

Yeah, he objected when her absence started to seem more an inconvenience to him. From here, we go to the last two chapters of this story, in which plots/subplots will get as resolved as possible. (Sorry for the delay in response, and in updating. Dang Real Life.) Glad you enjoyed the Merry-n-Pip conversation at Crickhollow. I do like writing (and reading) those two together.

Author's reply

Sending her to the King and Queen, in Pervinca’s case, would likely just cement her idea that she should be singled out for special honors -- that’s the twist she would put on it. This way, she gets the message. It also seems that it could be kind of a copout for the hobbits to rely on their friends from the Quest to solve all their problems -- Pippin did struggle with this decision, and he’s not sure he’s making the best one, but it’s true that Buterbur did ask for help. (Merry remembered to mention it in one of *his* letters.;) ) Pip’s hoping that this helps make things better all around. And, much as Pervinca sees this as shaming her, it’s partly that she’s letting her attitude do so. That’s a big part of Pervinca’s (and Ganelon’s) problem, this setting themselves apart as better than other hobbits. It’s not Pip’s view, and Diamond has come around -- and the Mayor of the Shire used to be a gardener, and is married to a former serving maid. If Pervinca “does learn...a bit in Bree” ;) she’ll see that there’s no shame in’t...and, as Pip also says, mayhap she’ll get a chance to be happy... ...maybe even with her children, and husband, who are still in the Shire, from which Gondor is a long way away. (Part of what I wanted to explore in this chapter, though, is how difficult it must be for Pippin when he has to discipline a member of his own family. He can’t just be the baby brother anymore. And Pervinca certainly does her job in this exploration by not making things easy for him.)

Author's reply

OK. Hope you feel steadier after a good night's sleep. :)

Author's reply

Another theme to this story is also that every marriage is different --- including those that, from the outside, seem similar or began in similar circumstances. (There are many themes to this story. Probably more than I’m even aware of.) Pervinca was unlucky, too, in essentially being in the wrong place at the wrong time: she was, at the time of the War of the Rings, the only unmarried daughter of Thain Paladin. (And, if Pippin hadn’t come back from the Quest, she would have been his only unmarried child.) She probably did have some romantic hopes for her husband --- Paladin let her “choose” to wed one of the younger ones who was asking for her -- but the combination of his personality, her personality, and the whole situation have not been good for her. Nobody in this fic is perfect; Pervinca’a assistance to Ganelon was not the wisest of moves, but her actions were also not stemming from the same motivations as his. Thank you for your “essay” on this chapter/story. It’s interesting to see how thought-provoking it has been. More of Pervinca’s story and her fate will be dealt with in Chapter 24 (with three more story chapters to follow after).

Author's reply

Glad to hear you were on the edge of the seat, as I was worried about that this chapter either had not enough suspense or was too over-the-top. Diamond certainly did come upon much more in search for flowers, but her brave Knight came riding to the rescue. Her brother is Trouble, with a capital T... Four more story chapters to go. :)

Author's reply

s OK. I forgive you. = : ) (I cringe every time I screw such things up, too, esp. after writing a sort of grammar-fic in “Punctuation.”)

Author's reply

Criminal mastermind: an oxymoron. Most aren’t the brightest bulbs on the tree... You do have a great insight into Ganelon’s character (although it’s possible there was even more to his plan: he did purposefully send Pippin off on a particular path at first, and there were *two* lengths of rope missing. If he could just get Pippin out of the way, he probably thinks that he still has the control over Diamond that he is used to exercising over his family). He does think that he is righteous, that his wishes are all that matters, and that he can not only wrest control of his family but usurp (in Farry’s upbringing) the place of the Thain. I’m really enjoying how angry you are at Ganelon after this chapter. Also, your “rejection by four farthings” parallel made me laugh -- I hadn’t even thought of that! :)

Author's reply

I think it’s just Ganelon who’s *that* unhealthy and unhobbity -- and, wow, was he controlling that family! I choose to believe Gerin and Honeysuckle when they say that what he saw as a child (probably Gerin being friendly with the maid, giving her a hug or something while laughing at something she said that might have relieved him of some of the worry and oppression he felt while Honeysuckle was having one of her bad days) was something that Ganelon misconstrued and put the worst possible interpretation on. As for that other North Farthing bride, it’s possible there was more going on with that family than we know, too...and also that, just as a wanderer who goes off to sea or to Questing with his cousins shows up every so often in the regular Took line, that a bit more violent/greed-filled than usual hobbit, like Ganelon, shows up every so often among the descendants of Bandobras -- orc-slayer/inventor of golf with its head. (It’s also possible that a factor in that earlier reference was an author’s need to plant the seed of an idea in readers to create some will-she/won’t she leave tension. Sorry.) I couldn’t bring myself to have Ganelon’s original intention be to have harm come to Diamond (he left her a basket of food while she waited in the wood) because that did seem too unhobbity -- but he still does have the qualities that, had he lived in an earlier Age, would have made him close kin in personality to Smeagol.

Author's reply

Thanks! Ever since my high school English teacher said I wasn’t able to make things evil/dramatic enough, I worry about it -- that, like Diamond’s conditioning from her “training,” is one of the “tapes” that plays in my own head. As for killing Diamond off - ack! While I do like angst, I just can’t bring myself to do that to any of the (cough...main) LOTR characters -- and, for me in this story, she has become one. Perhaps in old age...but, this being fiction, I don’t necessarily have to address that if I. Don’t. Wanna.: I can just ignore that part of their lives. Besides, how could I do that to Pippin? He needs her, and I have been promising, since the beginning, a happy ending... And, on the cliffhanger note, I did toy with it -- for a couple of minutes. But a) I have been getting really far behind in where I want to be on updates lately [sigh], which would change a cliffhanger from dramatic tension to really annoying to me as a reader, and b) it wouldn’t work structurally with the story -- sometimes the chapter titles influence what happens within them, as well as the other way around. [Oh, do I hate snakes...] I’m glad you liked how Pippin dealt with Ganelon, especially as I was a bit worried about stealing too much from your world of the Shire in the punishment. (The effect ends up being the same, since Pippin has friends *everywhere* in the Shire -- except perhaps the North Farthing, which Gerin has just acquiesced to having under Pippin’s order regarding this as well -- but he didn’t actually banish him into exile.) “I feel sorry though, for Pippin when he realizes Pervinca's part in this.” It’s entirely possible you’ll get to explore this emotion more in Chapter 24. ;) The story is, actually, winding down: lately, we’ve been getting into the “and to lead a people” section of the story summary, along with “making a marriage.” It’s possible I’ll write more in this time frame/setup of their adult lives, but I also have some other stories trying to get out. [No more multi-parters for me until I finish this one, though!] There are four story chapters left, plus a rather long author’s notes/bibliography which will explain obscure references within chapters and chapter titles -- as well as further confirm your speculation that Ganelon the traitor is well-named (and not just for his penchant for spouting dialogue that sounds suspiciously like medieval poetry). ;)

Author's reply

Yes, Ganelon’s ensnaring Pervinca in her own pride, and I hope what they’re plotting (see Chap. 23) iis interesting. So you’re “sure that Pip and Diamond will overcome it,” though. If I wanted to maintain that tension, perhaps I oughtn’t to have stated so often that I have promised a happy ending, LOL. I’m glad that you enjoyed the byplay at the beginning of the chapter. Pippin did want to stay with Diamond, but I don’t think the Shire is quite ready for fathers in the delivery room. It actually was Bert’s job to stand there and be ready to go fetch Pippin if things went wrong -- and when they went right. Sam’s loved ones -- the Gaffer, Mr. Frodo -- even though they are gone, are never far from his mind, and I’m glad you liked that little foray into his thoughts. As for his calculations about Saradoc and Paladin...I wonder if anyone else remembers that episode of “ThirtySomething” when most of the gang was gathered in Nancy’s hospital room to await the results of her tests... The name is partly because of Boromir (that’s the friend of Merry and Pippin that all of them loved and lost before Faramir ascended to his father’s office). It’s also because he knew Frodo, and because he took his father’s place, and because he watched his father wither and change, coming closer and closer to death, before his eyes. Pippin has really come to identify with Faramir (the Man, not the Hobbit). I’m not sure what bit about Aster you’re questioning. If it’s the part about crawling under the desk, that’s because Paladin is her grandfather, and she’s comfortable enough to play around under the Thain’s desk. If it’s the part about Pervinca’s kids scowling at her: that’s because theyre Pervinca’s kids, and they’re both jealous and disapproving.

Author's reply

Well, at least Diamond understands her mother better. I’m not so sure about the other way around. Yes, Pippin is worried about Diamond and the babe coming -- a bit obsessively, actually, LOL, although not so very different from other expectant fathers I have known. Merry is his usual self -- just like he was his usual self earlier in the story in trying to protect Pippin from Diamond, and we saw how well that worked out... Pippin already knows his father isn’t well; it’s just that his mother hasn’t shared *how* worried she is about him. Pervinca with her four children and Pippin expecting his first: they have indeed all grown up. The story continues....

Author's reply

Sympathy for the forgotten victim. Your heart knows no bounds. : - )