Baggins Babe
· 28 September 2005
· Chapter 10: Part 10
I laughed so much at this that, had I been drinking milk, I might have inadvertantly achieved Pippin's trick!
So many hilarious lines, but a few which caught my eye were:
Congratulations, Pip! You’ve actually become a pain in the neck."
******
"It wasn’t raining until you showed up and said it would and so now it’s raining!
******
I painted it, myself, you, and half of Uncle Doc’s workshop," Pippin said.
******
Frodo hoped that he looked properly impressed rather than startled but he was very much afraid that he simply looked confused.
"Pippin even managed to beat Fredegar," Merry said with a touch of pride. It wasn't easy to beat Fredegar Bolger at anything that involved food.
******
And of course, the thought of Frodo blowing milk out of his nose reduced me to a giggling heap!
I'm so glad they've made up. Now I'm looking forward to Paladin's reaction to Mr Tunnely's behaviour.
Brilliant chapter. More! More!
Author's reply
Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know which parts of this you enjoyed. I re-wrote some of this chapter in an effort to get it right and it is very rewarding to see that the re-write was worth the time. Thank you so much for reading and for the review. I hope to have more up by the weekend.
Pearl Took
· 28 September 2005
· Chapter 10: Part 10
Merry was talking to the apple tree.
He did not blame Pippin's sister Pervinca at all for gagging at the sight of Pippin's milk trick. He’d seen Pippin make milk come out of his nose before and it was not a pleasant experience.
Bravo! Bravo!
a Wonderful chapter :) I hope there is more to this story, that we get to "see" the finished wheelbarrow :)
Author's reply
Merry got in a bit of practice for Treebeard. LOL
I could just see Pippin embarrassing his older sisters with this trick. I've seen it done and it is a real mess.
There is more and we will be getting back to that wheelbarrow and Sam shortly. Thanks for reading!
GamgeeFest
· 28 September 2005
· Chapter 10: Part 10
Awww! They all made up! WAFF. :)
Merry can be sympathetic when he wants to be, in his own special way of course. Mentioning all his goof ups was the perfect way to get Pippin to let his guard down a bit. Pippin just needed to be reminded that his cousins have made mistakes also and that everyone needs to practice to be good at things. And reminding him of his own natural, or unnatural, talents always helps too. Those are some impressive tricks, lol.
Author's reply
I had to let them make up and I figured that a nice, long, talk was in order. I also suspected that Pippin wouldn't only have the normal list of talents. I figured that like everything else with Pippin this would also be a bit off-center. I also thought that at his age some of his 'talents' just might be a bit on the gross side. LOL Glad you enjoyed this!
shirebound
· 28 September 2005
· Chapter 10: Part 10
"You were only six. Besides, I built a cart without any brakes," Merry laughed. "I almost got us both killed. You seem to be forgetting that part of it."
"It didn’t have any brakes did it?" Pippin said looking slightly cheered by this thought. He had forgotten about that. Merry hadn't given the cart any brakes.
What a wonderful conversation. How lovely that all of this is out in the open, and Pippin knows that his older cousins are proud of him.
Author's reply
One problem solved and a few more to go. I simply couldn't let Merry and Pippin argue any longer. I'm glad that you liked this conversation. I re-worked it several times before posting it. Thanks for the lovely review!
SlightlyTookish
· 28 September 2005
· Chapter 10: Part 10
I adore this story! This chapter is my new favorite. Finally Merry and Pippin talked and worked through their problems. I especially love Merry's lists of their various accomplishments *giggle* I can't wait for the next update :D
Author's reply
Thank you and one of the 'accomplishments' seems to be turning into its own plot bunny this evening. The more I think on it, the more I realize that it is wanting a story all its own. I have to finish this one first though. Glad you are enjoying this!
Pearl Took
· 26 September 2005
· Chapter 9: Part 9
och! Drat me, I've been late again!
Wonderful, wonderful!
"What poem did you read to someone who had recently been branded the village idiot because of an incident involving a hammer? Was there a poem for that? Was it in Elvish? Do Elves have hammers?"
I love this. Poor lad feeling he's now the village idiot.
Of course Merry knew Pip was up in that tree - apples don't fall already eaten ;)
More, and more please :)
Author's reply
You're not late. You're right on time and I'm glad you turned up. I just read your most recent and loved it! Anyway, I am very glad that you are enjoying this one. Pip completely gave himself away by coating the ground with apple cores, but then, being a hobbit, in spite of his depression over Mister Tunnely he simply couldn't resist a snack! LOL Thanks for reading!
PIppinfan1988
· 26 September 2005
· Chapter 9: Part 9
You know at first, I thought young Merry was off his rocker, but now...lol, he and I have a grand master plan to beat the snot out of Tunnelly later tonight. ;-) Poor young Pippin. I so wanted to put my arms round the lad and tell him seventeen doesn't last forever.
LOL, that bit with Merry going off on Frodo while talking to himself was too funny. I had to cover my mouth in order to keep from laughing out loud! The ending is spectacular--and you had better update soon on this cliffie! Loved it! Thanks for a great chapter. :-)
Pippinfan
Author's reply
Thank you for the review and I am glad that you and Merry are plotting revenge. LOL I should be updating very soon, maybe tonight if all goes well. See you soon!
Jeodo Brandybuck
· 25 September 2005
· Chapter 9: Part 9
Oh, I'm so glad that you're continuing this! I've been enjoying it very much, and am looking forward to the next chapter. Poor Merry. Poor Pip. If I weren't chuckling so hard at your clever writing, I would probably be feeling very sorry for them both. Thanks for a charmingly fun read.
Jeodo Brandybuck
Author's reply
Hey, glad you liked it. This one just keeps getting longer and longer. I should be posting more of it tomorrow. Thanks for the lovely review and for reading!
MaidenofValinor
· 25 September 2005
· Chapter 9: Part 9
heh. Merry IS funny! This has gone on much longer than I expected, not that that's a bad thing. I am enjoying this story so much; it is very creative and the characters are perfect. can't wait for more!
Author's reply
It has gone on way longer than I expected too. LOL I thought it was a little three or five chapter story and it has doubled in size! It may just out-stay it's welcome if it isn't careful because there are still a few things to wrap up even now. So, there will be more. Thanks for reviewing!
Andrea
· 25 September 2005
· Chapter 9: Part 9
"Was Frodo thinking of doing that? What poem did you read to someone who had recently been branded the village idiot because of an incident involving a hammer? Was there a poem for that? Was it in Elvish? Do Elves have hammers?"
LOL! That chapter was great!
Merry actually envies Frodo for being so much more intelligent (and older). And that's exactly what Pippin needed, to see that even Merry sometimes feels the same way he does.
But Merry IS very intelligent. From the apple cores he concluded that Pippin had to be in the tree. Are there detectives in the Shire? Merry would have been a great one ;-)
Author's reply
Thanks for the lovely review. I am glad that you enjoyed this part of it. Merry is very intelligent and I actually did write a story once in which Merry was a detective. It was a LOTR/Sherlock Holmes cross-over and very AU. LOL I think Merry was extremely logical and very guick when it came to figuring things out and Pippin's apple cores were a dead give away. More soon!
Anso the Hobbit
· 25 September 2005
· Chapter 9: Part 9
Hahaha! Oh, that last line had me just cracking! This chapter is so full of emotion and then Merry goes right under Pippins tree and rants away knowing that Pippin is there all the time. :D
I guess all three of them could do with listening a bit more to the others, lol. :D
Author's reply
I'm glad it made you laugh. Seems that Merry's rant helped Pippin out as much as it helped Merry. They both needed something that would break the tension between them and this might have been it. At least it made them talk to each other. Thanks for the review!
Baggins Babe
· 25 September 2005
· Chapter 9: Part 9
I have been giggling hysterically at this - not just Merry's rant, which was priceless, (done that sort of thing myself) but Pip's responses - wondering what sort of poem would be appropriate for the occasion, or imagining Frodo speaking Elvish to the 'best carpenter in the Shire.' Oh dearie me!
I loved the fact that Merry didn't know Pip was there to start with, but the discovery of the apple cores gave him a clue or three!
I hope things are sorted out soon, and that Sam's gentle encouragement has Pip back at the carpentry bench with renewed enthusiasm.
Loved this line. ""Merry, what do folks in Hobbiton enjoy doing almost as much as they enjoy eating?" :-)) Frodo knows his neighbours too well!
Author's reply
Glad you enjoyed it. Frodo really does know his neighbors well. He's had a bit of experience with their gossip in the past. The rant was fun to write and Pippin's thoughts are always fun to try and sort through. I love that it made you laugh! More before too long and thanks for reviewing!
GamgeeFest
· 24 September 2005
· Chapter 9: Part 9
Poor Pippin, feeling possibly as low as he ever has. I remember think those things quite a few times when I was Pippin's age. It's hard when you haven't found what your talent is, or if your only talent seems to be mischief. Merry's going through the same thing with Frodo. It was good of him to let Pippin hear his rant, maybe Pip will realize that Merry feels the same way he does. And all those Pippin questions! I love them. What was a dialect? lol This story gets better with each chapter.
Author's reply
I still have days when I wonder what my talent is. LOL I will let you know if I figure that one out. Merry and Pippin both have the problem of living in the shadow of an older relation who seems to be good at everything. That's never easy. I'm glad that you are enjoying this one and just what is a dialect? hehehe
Larner
· 24 September 2005
· Chapter 9: Part 9
I was wondering if he'd realize Pippin was up that tree! Heh! How long did he rant, I wonder, before he realized it, or had he already pegged the hiding place from when Pippin was younger and wanted to be alone?
Author's reply
Merry didn't know at the beginning of the rant but before long he did have an idea thanks to certain, well, let's call them clues for now. LOL More about that in the next part which I hope to have finished by Sunday. Thanks for sticking around for this one!
Bodkin
· 24 September 2005
· Chapter 9: Part 9
Oh wonderful. Merry's ranting monologue was just great. Just the kind of thing that Pippin needed to hear. Although knowing Pippin was in the tree might not have helped. He was amused by Merry's whine though. And at least Pippin was there. He could have run off.
Frodo would be really impressed if he got to see Pippin's little wheel. And I think Pippin needs Sam back to do his calming stuff. And Pippin saw that Merry respected his wish to be private in the barn. So maybe their relationship will be over its hiccup.
I love this story.
Author's reply
Oh, I am so glad that you love this story. It has been so much fun to write and it just keeps getting longer and longer on me. LOL
Merry's rant was easy to write because I tend to talk to myself in that way when I'm angry. I did think Pippin needed to know that even Merry has problems from time to time but I didn't think that Merry would exactly offer up that information, so I let Pippin over-hear Merry's rant.
I don't think it will be too long before Merry and Pippin mend their fences. I only hope that Frodo can get through the entire summer with the two of them! Thanks for the review and for reading!
pipspebble
· 24 September 2005
· Chapter 9: Part 9
Oh, I love the reference to The Cart (I loved that story, too)! Clever Merry, I was just as surprised as Pippin when he suddenly addressed him. Can hardly wait for "The Conversation." :-)
Author's reply
I'm glad that you enjoyed "The Cart". That one is closely related to this one because it mentions Pippin assistance, or attempt at assistance with Merry's carpentry project. It also shows how very easy this sort of thing is for Merry and goes toward explaining exactly why Pippin feels a bit insecure about showing Merry his wheelbarrow project. Glad I surprised you in this chapter. Thanks for the review!
Dreamflower
· 24 September 2005
· Chapter 9: Part 9
Awww, this is such a perfect chapter! Poor Pippin, thinking older cousin Merry is perfect, and poor Merry, thinking Frodo is perfect, and poor Frodo, having to deal with all the fallout.
I hope that Master 'greatest carpenter in the Shire' Tobias Tunnelly drops a hammer on his *own* foot the next time he tries to build something, causing all this heartache for our lads! Hmmph...
Author's reply
Frodo is indeed in this up to his amazing blue eyes with both younger cousins suffering from growing pains underneath his roof and in his barn and even in his apple tree. LOL I simply must write a story where Frodo makes trouble and everyone else has to cope. It would be a nice change of pace, wouldn't it? Maybe it's a wee bunny for later. Thanks for reading!
SlightlyTookish
· 24 September 2005
· Chapter 9: Part 9
Heehee! Oh I adore the whole last part of this chapter. Merry's rant was highly entertaining, and even more so his knowing that Pippin was there all the time (but of course he would know. He's Merry. He's perfect! *giggle*). Pippin's inner dialogue was terrific too. Poor Pippin, he really is so sweet but has no self-esteem at all thanks to that horrible Mr. Tunnely. I'm so glad this has turned into a long story, GW - it's one of my favorites of yours, and I can't wait for the next chapter :D
Author's reply
I had fun writing Merry's rant. I did think that he might be getting just a little bit tired of following Frodo's instructions throughout all of this and to top it off, I just couldn't see him backing off completely and leaving everything to Frodo. At this point, even Sam is more involved. I decided that Pippin needed cheering up and that he might enjoy hearing Merry's troubles. Misery loves company they say. LOL Thanks so much for the lovely reviews and I am thrilled that this is one of your favorites.
Anso the Hobbit
· 22 September 2005
· Chapter 8: Part 8
Well, that was certainly another twist in the tale! :D
Author's reply
Yes, for some reason this one just keeps twisting on me. It really wasn't supposed to be this long. LOL
PIppinfan1988
· 21 September 2005
· Chapter 8: Part 8
Mmmm. Poor hobbit's pies sounds good... I can see you're really enjoying writing the Gaffer--I'm enjoying reading him. You're doing fantastic. :-)
Oh, I just want to hug Pippin...bless his little heart. Merry's going to have to stand in line to get his hobbit hands on Tunnelly, Grrrr.
Pippinfan
Author's reply
I love those pies! I wish I had one right now. The Gaffer is such fun to write for some reason. Glad you like him too. I do believe that there will be a line of folks waiting to get to Tunnely now. Thanks for the review and I will see you soon!
GamgeeFest
· 21 September 2005
· Chapter 8: Part 8
That stupid baker! Some people just can't keep their mouths shut! But, then, that's an epidemic with hobbits, isn't it? Free cobbler for Frodo - lol, just the sort of recognition Frodo didn't want. He got carried away and he's a bit mad at himself for doing so, but I'm with Willow. That was a good show! Cobbler all around!
Author's reply
The hobbits do like their gossip and rumor don't they. Frodo thought he had the problem well in hand by telling the Gaffer not to say anything and having Pip at Bag End, but naturally, Pippin wasn't where he was supposed to be. LOL
At least the Gaffer got more cobbler thanks to Frodo! Thanks for the review!
Dreamflower
· 20 September 2005
· Chapter 8: Part 8
Aaaaawww....poor Pip.
Of course, I knew that was going to happen, but still...
Update soon, GW.
Author's reply
I'm goig to try. I simply must find a way to quit work. LOL Thank you for the lovely reviews and there will be more before long.
Dreamflower
· 20 September 2005
· Chapter 7: Part 7
Now *this* is the Frodo I love to see, who can fell a foe with his icy blue glare and his righteous anger in defense of his loved ones! And this is the *Merry* I love--hot-tempered, and much preferring the satisfaction of a well-placed punch (or knee to the groin, *grin*) to a simple telling-off.
And the Gaffer's intervention was just priceless!
Author's reply
I do think that Frodo was the type that would stand up for his family and friends. Only someone who gave that sort of loyality would have been able to get others to follow him into danger. It's one of my favorite things about Frodo. And Merry, well, we both know about Merry's temper. (I remember that knee to the groin incident in your story.) Merry was actually fairly mild in this compared to that. LOL And more fun with Hamfast! I just love writing Hamfast!
Thank so much for reviewing!
Dreamflower
· 20 September 2005
· Chapter 6: Part 6
Ah, the delights of growing pangs. *sigh* Poor Pip! Miserable Merry! and Frazzled Frodo, from having to deal with it. At least Sagacious Sam gets to escape for a while.
You know of course that you've pushed one of my favorite buttons here: how a Shire education was a family affair? I loved seeing Frodo giving Pippin his lessons.
And the story about Merry was just icing on the cake.
*grin*
Author's reply
Yes Merry and Pippin are both having trouble adjusting at this point. Frodo may just wish he could send both cousins back home before too much longer. I always think that Frodo would have stepped into the role of teacher after all of his time with Bilbo. I also think it might have taken lots of patiences to keep Pippin focused and Frodo and Sam would both have been ideal for that.
The Merry story was a surprise. I usually don't get to write Merry small because I always put Pip into the story. LOL Glad you enjoyed it!
Dreamflower
· 20 September 2005
· Chapter 5: Part 5
Sam is so perfect and patient as a teacher with Pippin!
And I love the way Merry managed to get Frodo all worked up over Mr. Tunnelly's attitude. I have a feeling *that* particular hobbit is going to find himself in hot water.
And maybe even more so, after Merry finishes hearing what Sam had to say...
Author's reply
Mister Tunnely is in a bit of trouble at this point. He might have been much better off risking another wack on the head with a hammer than going up against Frodo and Merry. LOL It is such a relief to hear that you like Sam in this. Thanks!