shirebound
· 20 August 2006
· Chapter 7: We continue towards Weathertop
I am sorry to see the Master lose his smile, for it lights his face and makes him altogether fair to see. Young marsh-and-mischief falls silent for only a few moments, and then looking at the Master out of the corner of his eye, he evidently decides it’s time for more cheering.
I love Bill's names for the hobbits, and how he evaluates them individually.
Author's reply
Yes, from my experience with ponies, they do respond to different people differently. (Heck, they respond to the *same* person differently, depending on the weather, and what they had for breakfast, and if the person is having a good or bad day...)
pebbles66
· 5 August 2006
· Chapter 6: We make our way towards Weathertop
I am enjoying Bill's version of the story very much. I'm sure he's so happy to be with the hobbits and Strider and away from Bill Ferny. I look forward to reading more soon. (hint, hint!)
Author's reply
Took the hint. Have been rather distracted, but needed a lighter break and so you'll see an update this very day.
demeter d
· 31 July 2006
· Chapter 6: We make our way towards Weathertop
"...there is a bit of wild pony in him, in his wariness..." and, "go and roll with the pony.." and he did! That and the sweet little touch of Pippin offering Sam a back scratch. Many lovely moments.
Author's reply
Thanks! It is fun to flesh out the narrative a bit and fill up the corners, so to speak.
Elemmírë
· 29 July 2006
· Chapter 6: We make our way towards Weathertop
I'm very happy to see you're continuing this tale, Lindelea. I just find it a fascinating concept to tell the tale from the pony's POV, and you make it very realistic and enjoyable too. Bill was the silent member of the Fellowship, but here you give voice to his thoughts, which are amusing at times. I laugh every time I read his names for Merry and Pippin. In time, I hope he comes to respect them as much as he seems Frodo and Sam.
Hoping you post more soon! (I'm highly anticipating reading Bill's thoughts when he must carry Frodo after the wounding at Weathertop)
Author's reply
It was very interesting, imagining Bill's thoughts, especially taking into consideration what JRRT said about his conduct during that time between Weathertop and Rivendell.
Thanks!
harrowcat
· 28 July 2006
· Chapter 6: We make our way towards Weathertop
I don't think that rolling on 'scant' grass will improve Pippin's smell much but maybe it will in Bill's nose. *giggle*
I am loving his viewpoint on this story and at his pace it could make for a goodly long tale!
BTW thanks for the permission to keep guessing. It is very liberating for a reviewer who isn't a writer but I wouldn't want to upset anyone.
Author's reply
Oh, I love that! Perhaps Bill will notice a change in Pippin's smell... I know that in Rivendell, at least, he'll *have* to notice a change!
Yes, it is a long tale. I've been working on his return through the Wild and it's difficult. Surely a good thing that Gandalf put those Words of Guiding on him... considering such things as wolves and orcs and bumps in the night.
You're welcome, as are your guesses. Sometimes it seems as if readers are taking peeks at the drafts! LOL.
Dreamflower
· 27 July 2006
· Chapter 6: We make our way towards Weathertop
Bill is such a perceptive pony. I love his description of Strider as having "wild pony" in him. And Frodo's quiet word with the pony.
But I think my favorite part was Pippin going up to scratch Sam's back. It's just so very Pippish--his own back itches, so he scratches someone else's! LOL!
Author's reply
I should think he'd see most things in pony terms.
And it is lovely to see Frodo from another perspective, from one who'd appreciate him on a deeper level. Ponies can seem to be about as thick as bricks, but they can also be amazingly sensitive to the slightest nuance.
And *who* would have the temerity to scratch Sam's back? Poor Sam, it was about the only way I could imagine him getting a back rub, after carrying more than his share of the load!
Jay of Lasgalen
· 27 July 2006
· Chapter 6: We make our way towards Weathertop
How strange - I was wondering about this story today, as it had been a while since updates. And here it is!
'Young marsh-stinking hobbit' is so very Pippin - he's wonderful. But most of all I love Bill likening Strider to a wild pony as he warily scans the horizon and sniffs the air. That is such a wonderful description of him.
Jay
Author's reply
Isn't that funny? I've been writing updates to a string of unfinished tales, and was pondering which to update next when I saw a review of this one at the MEFAs and was reminded that they *still* hadn't reached Weathertop yet.
Poor Bill, he has such a short attention span, (he's a pony, as you know), it may take forever to get to Rivendell at this rate!
shirebound
· 27 July 2006
· Chapter 6: We make our way towards Weathertop
I love that! It's interesting to see others through Bill's eyes and thoughts.
Author's reply
Thanks! I do love to see things from different POVs.
Dreamflower
· 7 May 2006
· Chapter 5: We go from uncertain ground... to uncertain ground
Poor Bill--no idea yet, poor lad, what's coming in store next! I expect he'd bolt right away if he knew! Yet he's definitely caught the unease--very well done!
I'm so glad you have been able to snatch a few minutes for writing, and I hope your little one is soon on the mend!
Author's reply
Poor Bill. I'm having trouble figuring out just where he was during the attack on Weathertop. JRRT doesn't mention him at all, for pages!
Bodkin
· 7 May 2006
· Chapter 5: We go from uncertain ground... to uncertain ground
Young marsh-stinking hobbit!
What a great description.
Bill has definitely noticed that, in Sam, he has acquired the very prince of carers. One who will put himself forward without hesitation when it is a matter of looking after Bill. And we have a very bright pony here.
Author's reply
I agree with you, very bright pony! Bill's probably the sort who, with a safe and gentle home, would learn all sorts of tricks, such as opening the latch to his stall. I sort of see him in the light of a would-be Merrylegs, in Black Beauty. Now there was a pony with personality...
Larner
· 6 May 2006
· Chapter 5: We go from uncertain ground... to uncertain ground
Bill does well with the journey now, and love how he shifts identifying features for Pippin as Pippin no longer smells of apples and mischief but the marshes they just traversed. And love the realization of the smell of uncertainty, much of it probably from Strider himself.
Will be your way Sunday evening and will leave for back here probably late Thursday, as I have to work Friday.
Author's reply
Hmmm. I wonder what Pippin will smell like at Rivendell?
Inkling
· 6 May 2006
· Chapter 5: We go from uncertain ground... to uncertain ground
Hurrah, an update! Your muse does seem to like insomnia, it seems...hope the little one is better now.
Love how smell-driven this story is, as is only proper for a pony POV.
Author's reply
There's something about insomnia and writing--perhaps it's a form of waking dream. Thanks!
harrowcat
· 6 May 2006
· Chapter 5: We go from uncertain ground... to uncertain ground
Yeah an update on our favourite four-legged LOTR friend! All I am sorry about is that it took a sick child and a sleepless night Lindelea. That is a very high price to pay for our enjoyment. Please consider all your reader friends nuzzling your sleeve too and saying 'We are here!'
Author's reply
goodness, never answered these reviews! Thanks for the good thoughts.
Pearl Took
· 5 May 2006
· Chapter 1: We take our leave of Bree
'Waste of a good apple,' Sam says, but I shake my head. It was my apple, after all, and I gladly donate it in service to the cause in which it was employed.
Here, here! I'm sure Bill would have liked to get a good kick in as well :) I love his parting gift ;)
Author's reply
Yikes, Pearl! SoA tells me I missed replying to this review! Oo, yes, a good kick, I'm sure, except that he knows his mother would be disappointed with him.
Pearl Took
· 5 May 2006
· Chapter 0: Prologue
'It's almost as if he understands you, Mr. Frodo,' Sam says, wonder in his eyes.
But of course I do.
Oh, wonderful!! And I'm sure the tangle free mane and tail feel like a luxury :)
Author's reply
Oh, Pearl, how did I miss replying to this review?
I know when I get the tangles out of my mane each morning, it definitely feels like a luxury. Or when combing out the wee hobbits' curls, to finally get it all silky and smooth is quite an accomplishment. (They got their hair bobbed for the summer, last week, and I miss the combing (but they don't!) and braiding. Ah well, they got their hair bobbed for swim team *last* summer and it grew out fast enough for French braids by Christmas.
Thanks!
shirebound
· 5 May 2006
· Chapter 5: We go from uncertain ground... to uncertain ground
I rub my nose against his sleeve. I’m here.
Awwww!
*hugs you and Bill and sick child*
Author's reply
Thanks!
Sick child is still sleeping, bless her heart. I don't think either of us slept more than a wink or two last night. Guess I ought to lie myself down while the lying's good...
Anso the Hobbit
· 22 February 2006
· Chapter 4: We share and share alike
Oh, wonderful! I love how they shower the poor Bill with tenderness in this chapger and how he acknowledges them all in a just as gentle manner. :D
Author's reply
Yup, use a firm but gentle hand with a pony and quite often it'll respond in kind. (Although some ponies of my acquaintance have been awfully cranky.)
Anso the Hobbit
· 22 February 2006
· Chapter 3: We enter the pathless wilderness, no longer on solid ground
Hahaha! Only a pony? Indeed. A very wise pony I should say, and observant too. I just love how you turn human aspects of life over in the pony's view - like his way of judging a book by the cover! *giggles*
Author's reply
Um, missed replying to this review. Sorry!
It is fun to think what a pony would make of common idiomatic language...
Larner
· 11 February 2006
· Chapter 4: We share and share alike
Now, this one has me crying, Lindelea, with the thought of that keepsake protecting Bill's eyes. Yes, Primula wouldn't begrudge the pony.
Author's reply
I'm sure Primula would have been the first to surrender her handkerchief to a good cause. For some reason I don't see her as prim and proper, but more down-to-earth and practical.
Inkling
· 11 February 2006
· Chapter 4: We share and share alike
“As if to guard a treasure” indeed! A lovely and poignant moment…I do so like it when you write about Frodo!
Author's reply
Well, you're in luck, I guess, because this is pretty much all about Frodo! (Not like the Fourth-age stuff where he's sailed to the West and only appears in dreams.)
Bodkin
· 11 February 2006
· Chapter 4: We share and share alike
That was very good of Frodo to sacrifice his filmy lace-edged reminder of his mother for Bill's benefit. But he is one to whom the wellbeing of the living matters.
I like Bill's preference for apples-and-mischief over swamp-smelling Pippin. (It just would be Pippin who stepped into water up to his neck.) And he is perfectly well aware of their meandering passage through the marshes, too.
The midges - ugh! - they sound utterly revolting. The poor hobbits must be so miserable! Aragorn might have natural midge repellent - since he is going through his unwashed stage.
I wonder if swampy Pippin is less attractive to the little creatures?
Author's reply
Frodo's very empathetic and practical, at least at this point in the journey, before the Ring has had much chance to overShadow his mind, poor fellow.
Y'know, I remember canoe-camping and yes, when you haven't washed in days (except for the occasional swim, but that without soap) the bugs really do tend to leave you alone. They seem to *adore* the smell of soap, though.
Dreamflower
· 11 February 2006
· Chapter 4: We share and share alike
AAaaaawwww...*sigh* You are right. Frodo does shine. *sniff*
Author's reply
Ah, yes, that's the Frodo I remember and love from the book.
Jay of Lasgalen
· 11 February 2006
· Chapter 4: We share and share alike
Ugh! Poor Bill - you make the midges so very vivid, I can almost see and hear the wretched things.
It's sad in a way that Frodo still carries his mother's handkerchief, but sweet that he uses it like this. I doubt Primula would mind.
Jay
Author's reply
BTDT. Tramping through the "muskeg" on the border of Canada and the US, surrounded by mosquitoes and biting flies and, yes, something like midges too, though I think we had a different name for them, that I cannot recall at the moment. O wait, I remember, we called them no-see-ems. Wretched.
harrowcat
· 10 February 2006
· Chapter 4: We share and share alike
Aw poor Bill - that awful stable is still calling. I especially liked
More than ever I wish there were another pony to share the load; this night we could stand head-to-tail and brush the flies from each others' faces.
And then he proceeds to do just that with Merry! I also loved his names/descriptions for the hobbits. Great stuff Lindelea.
Author's reply
Ah, thanks!
I've often seen horses standing that way... lovely how it works. Their tails won't reach to their own faces, but with a friend they get complete coverage.
Somehow I don't think animals necessarily would think of names the same way we do... they're much more scent-oriented, and sound-oriented rather than language-oriented, for example. So I try to look at things from a different point of view...
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
shirebound
· 10 February 2006
· Chapter 4: We share and share alike
Ohhh, I love how Frodo calls him "our Bill". What a lovely scene.
:D