Larner · 21 May 2006 · Chapter 13: Beyond the Sunset, O Blissful Morning
Oh, how we love to imagine those reunions, there beyond the sunset.
New Roads and Secret Gates by Citrine
Reviews (89)
Dreamflower · 21 May 2006 · Chapter 13: Beyond the Sunset, O Blissful Morning
Beautiful does not do this justice. It is just as I think all of us would hope it would be. Thank you!
shirebound · 21 May 2006 · Chapter 13: Beyond the Sunset, O Blissful Morning
Oh my goodness. May it truly be so for them.
demeter d · 21 May 2006 · Chapter 13: Beyond the Sunset, O Blissful Morning
Going down the Last Road, to where loved ones wait, and will never leave again. Sweet and warm. Beautiful descriptions. i too, hope for the time when loved ones will be rejoined, never to part. Beautifully done!
Author's reply
Aw shucks, thanks, Dd. It got a teensy tad more melancholy than I planned, but hey, it was raining that day;o)
Lindelea · 21 May 2006 · Chapter 13: Beyond the Sunset, O Blissful Morning
Ah, yes, the Feast. Nicely done.
Author's reply
Thanks:o) Um. I think I kind of dipped into your cupboard of ideas and uh, borrowed that from you. I just really, really liked that idea of hobbit afterlife being one big endless Party of Special Magnificence.
Larner · 4 February 2006 · Chapter 12: Mumak
A sad ending for a mighty and majestic beast.
Baggins Babe · 1 February 2006 · Chapter 12: Mumak
Poor creature. It is bad enough that Men seek to kill each other but worse still when they involve animals. This was very moving - the thought of the mumak dying so far away from the land of her birth, and having a shroud spun by the spiders. A sad fate for a poor innocent.
demeter d · 30 January 2006 · Chapter 9: Golden Slumbers
A sweet, loving portrait of some of my favorite people from Middle Earth. Sometimes a little tune can linger in the memory longer than anything else. Lovely!
demeter d · 30 January 2006 · Chapter 12: Mumak
Moving, indeed. Animals have always been part of the lives of men. And as often as not unappreciated and mistreated. Well done!
Inkling · 30 January 2006 · Chapter 11: On The Way Home
This is beautiful, Citrine...both for the sentiments expressed and for the simple, graceful way you expressed them. I love the small touches, like Sam’s embroidered handkerchief. And the final paragraph is just perfect!
Author's reply
Wow, thanks Inkling! I'm glad it wasn't too simple-sometimes I worry that I might be putting readers to sleep with my attempt at Tolkien-y prose:o) Author Reply: Hey there, Inkling, I'm technologically handicapped and I couldn't seem to contact you any other way than like this-hope it gets through!-but I saw that you asked me about a MEFA nom for On the Way Home. The answer is yes, feel free to nominate it, (though I almost feel a bit guilty, I've kind of fallen out of the fandom.) Anyway, if you have any questions or anything else you want to ask, come on over to my lj:o) http://citrine2.livejournal.com/
Inkling · 29 January 2006 · Chapter 12: Mumak
Animals are, without a doubt, among the most tragic casualties of war. Your portrait of this poor Mumak is as moving as the one Sam imagines for the slain Haradrim in Ithilien.
Larner · 24 January 2006 · Chapter 11: On The Way Home
Orion is most easily seen in the winter months, but that doesn't mean it had to be so in the days of Middle Earth. But I love the imagery here. I am so glad the three of them were able to come home together, and not alone.
Author's reply
Thanks Larner:o) Weeelll, I think I'm just going to give up and pretend that Orion would be visible at that time period in Middle earth, even if it wasn't. I'll fall back on the old stand-by 'poetic license'. And yeah, I'm glad Tolkien did that, letting them go back home together. It was a little balm for my wounded heart after the Havens.
Larner · 24 January 2006 · Chapter 10: To Merry, On His Birthday
A wonderful letter from one cousin to the other before they are finally together again. Yes, to be with Frodo and Sam again....
demeter d · 20 January 2006 · Chapter 11: On The Way Home
Greetings to Citrine. I have read some of your work before, I do not believe I have reviewed any yet. This is a sweet little piece. i do indeed agree that the friendship between Sam and the other two would have deepened and strengthened, both during the Quest and after. Sam would have always treated them with respect, but as he came to know his own worth apart from class and birth, I am sure he would never again consider himself unworthy to just be their friend, not their servant. Concerning Orion. i live in Idaho, at about the 45th parralel north. Here Orion first rises above the horizon in late August, and remains visible, progressing across the Southern sky from East to West, for most of the winter. England is suppossed to "be" the Shire, and is a bit farther North than I am, I believe. but I am still sure that your Hobbits would have been able to see Orion in the late autumn when Frodo left. Again, I enjoyed this piece.
Author's reply
Thanks Demeter! I saw all your reviews in my inbox, and wow, I was floored. Now that'sdedication! It's always surprising-and very flattering-to see reviews for stories that have been around for a while. I really appreciate you taking the time to do that. And thanks for the info about the constellation. I was reasonably sure the hobbits would be able to see Orion, but hey, it's always nice to have a second opinion:o)
Bodkin · 19 January 2006 · Chapter 11: On The Way Home
Imagine Pippin being tactful and keeping out of the conversation for so long! It is good to see Sam and Merry really accepting their friendship and overcoming the son-of-the-Master/son-of-the-gardener divide. In some ways Merry really needs Sam's friendship. Sam's qualities of loyalty and solid reliability and staunchness will do him good.
Author's reply
Thanks Bodkin! Yes, I like to think that Sam really became the greatest of friends to Merry and Pippin in the years afterward. But he had to make that kind of social leap upward himself, so he's really being very brave there. As I've said before, not that Merry and Pippin would have ever cared about 'Sam's place', especially after the Quest. They know the kind of great, heroic, selfless hobbit he really is. Well, my inner unwritten background info tells me he was asleep...for about five minutes;o) But then his backside was roasting and the tip of his nose was freezing off, which woke him up. Then Tookish curiousity took over and he kept quiet so he could eavesdrop. Curiousity killed the Took...or in this case, made him a bit wibbly. And wow, listen to me ramble. Thanks again, Bodkin:o)
Pearl Took · 19 January 2006 · Chapter 11: On The Way Home
This is a wonderful tale, Citrine! I love Merry and Sam growing closer and I love that Pippin ended up listening. A wonderful story indeed. You got me curious (I am after all a Took) and I tried to find when Orion is seen. Now, this being my favorite constellation I have my own opinion as well, but the two sites I found that gave times of first and best viewing said he first shows in December and is best viewed in January. However, some of that depends on your distance north from the equator and the time of night. I know I have seen him as early as late October - early November but in the early morning hours, near to dawn, and low in the sky. The best viewing time they listed in January was 9:00 PM when he is centered high in the southern sky. September might be pushing it, but then again I think Middle-earth is more compact than the continents are now. From the maps it is pre-continental shift and at that point everything in the north was closer to the equator than it is now, so I think your having Orion visable in September is fine :)
Author's reply
September might be pushing it, but then again I think Middle-earth is more compact than the continents are now. From the maps it is pre-continental shift and at that point everything in the north was closer to the equator than it is now, so I think your having Orion visable in September is fine :) Thank you, Pearl!! That was one of those teeny things I couldn't really resolve to my own satisfaction, so it was really bugging me. I live in a rural area and when the sky is clear it seems like I can see Orion every night for months on end if I care to look, although after a certain point he's low in the sky and trees are in the way. Now if anyone ever says "I like your story, but..." I can copy/paste from your review: "See this? I beg to differ, so neener-neener.";o)
Baggins Babe · 18 January 2006 · Chapter 11: On The Way Home
This was lovely but very sad. I've often wondered about that journey home and how they managed it. All that singing seemed a bit unlikely somehow. :-)) I enjoyed the tentative relationship between Merry and Sam, and dear Sam promising to be a friend. The future Master could have no better friend than Sam. And Pippin's little bit at the end was so sweet and touching. *wibble* A poignant look at a very sad moment for our hobbits.
Author's reply
Thanks, BB! Oh, they're still on the Downs, not quite home yet. Plenty of time for singing:o) And you know, this was supposed to just about Merry and Sam, but darned if Pippin didn't decide to put in his two cents, bless his heart. Thanks for reading!
Dreamflower · 7 January 2006 · Chapter 10: To Merry, On His Birthday
I remember seeing this on LJ. So sweet, so very sad. Poor Pippin, I can just see him doing this...*sigh*
Author's reply
Thanks for reading this again, Dreamflower:o) I try to be subtle when I'm dishing out the angst, and I hope it wasn't too heavy the second time around.
Larner · 16 December 2005 · Chapter 9: Golden Slumbers
A very beautiful drabble it is, too. And love you using Tolkien's own dear-name of Elanorelle for her by her beloved Sam-Dad. And to remember Frodo singing for her...one of my own images of his relationship with her.
Anso the Hobbit · 7 December 2005 · Chapter 8: The Archer's Homecoming
What a sweet and tender and lovely ficlet! I absolutely enjoyed reading this. :D
Larner · 15 November 2005 · Chapter 8: The Archer's Homecoming
Yes, a good homecoming, with a solemn foreshadowing of what will come to these, Frodo, and Sam as well. A good thing, for the future Thain's son to realize that some soldiers need for the fighting to be done, for the homecoming and the singing and the welcoming and the feeding to begin. A very nice story, and one I'm glad I've read.
Grey Wonderer · 15 November 2005 · Chapter 8: The Archer's Homecoming
The connections to the quest are so touching and so subtle. Very well done and a lovely story. I enjoyed this very much.
Pearl Took · 14 November 2005 · Chapter 8: The Archer's Homecoming
Oh my, I'm crying. This is a wonderful story. "He gave Pippin a gentle jab in the ribs that made him squeak. "Aha, stop! I'd go with you, Merry, and become a soldier, too, and look after you." " For my soldier who is home, but might yet go back to war - thank you for remembering them all.
Author's reply
Oh {{Pearl}}, I hope I didn't hurt your feelings with this. {{Hugs}} and best of wishes to your soldier.
Lindelea · 14 November 2005 · Chapter 8: The Archer's Homecoming
...but you have brought me to tears, especially as I think of the earlier story, but all by itself this story is poignant and heart-catching. He and Merry always made sure to bring all the brave hobbit-archers home again safe and sound, with a lovely big feast and lots of fireworks afterward. (such a hobbity approach to war and battle) And the bit of pretending, and Merry's not laughing at Pippin, but being understanding, and bringing all the hobbits home again (especially knowing what really happened), and Merry's "never going to war". *sigh* And suddenly I feel a tug, and wonder what's happening to Bucca of the Marish at this moment... (in "Thain", that is).
Author's reply
Oooh, I wonder, too. I'm really loving that story, though I almost feel the urge to peek at it through my fingers. Poor Pippin and Poor Bucca, one trapped by accident of birth, the other living in evil times.
Baggins Babe · 14 November 2005 · Chapter 8: The Archer's Homecoming
Oh goodness! There was so much in this story, including a foreshadowing of the Quest. Pippin is so sweet to feel sad for the little soldier, and bless Merry for being so gentle about it and not mocking him. A lovely tale for this particular week.