PIppinfan1988
· 30 July 2006
· Chapter 19: 19: A Fresh Wind in the Citadel
Glad to see Eomer chillin' just a tad. ;-) I'm also glad he heeded Aragorn's support of Eowyn and Faramir.
And Aragorn...there would be no need to prod me into a nap if I were in Aragorn's boots! I hope he starts to relax a bit.
Pippinfan
Author's reply
Yes, Eomer is beginning to realize this is not a threat to his sister's happiness this time.
And yes, Aragorn needs to learn to relax at times. He's had a busy life, after all.
PIppinfan1988
· 22 July 2006
· Chapter 18: 18: Amending the Rolls of the King
I really enjoyed this chapter! Its nice to see Sam and Frodo feeling a lot better, eating and drinking without becoming ill. Of course that would happen initially after waking, being deprived of solid food for as long as they were, but it is nice to see them getting on again. LOL, that Orange jest at the beginning was cute. :-)
Poor Eomer--it's natural that he's protective of his little sister, especially after Grima Wormtongue, but I hope he comes to trust that Faramir is not like that at all. His intentions are honorable.
Pippinfan
Am so sorry to be so delayed in getting back to you. Home system still down, and all funds are being deflected elsewhere in a series of crises I still have difficulty appreciating.
No problem--I figured you were busy. I'm just sorry to hear about all the trouble you've been having--RL was kicking me for a bit, too. I'm slowly coming back. :-)
Author's reply
Sam is recovering indeed, but it is unlikely Frodo will truly recover on this side of the Sea. But at least Frodo is able now to appreciate life again. And Eomer is indeed coming to see that this time the caring is mutual as it never was between Wormtongue and Eowyn; and certainly the caring Aragorn showed for Eowyn was of a different sort than that she held for him. He'll come around pretty quickly, I think.
And life is beginning to relax--barely....
PIppinfan1988
· 3 July 2006
· Chapter 17: 17: Royal Apartments
I'll try not to do this too often, however, the past few chapters, to me, seemed to belong together, so to speak. But watching Aragorn take his kingship and set up house was very well done! LOL, I often wondered how royalty did such. Lovely inside tour of the Citadel.
And Sam's reaction to the large, Man-sized tub was too cute! I got a nice snicker out of that. :-)
Pippinfan
Author's reply
Am so sorry to be so delayed in getting back to you. Home system still down, and all funds are being deflected elsewhere in a series of crises I still have difficulty appreciating.
Am so very glad you appreciate Aragorn's coronation and the first steps to taking charge of the new home front. He's not been a king before, but must have learned the rudiments of household management and establishing control from Elrond and his kindred among the Dunedain. But I see him as one who would refuse to be distant and highly formal save when it was necessary; it is by establishing bonds of mutual trust and respect I see Aragorn as dealing with those he must rely on for day-to-day comfort.
Yes, Aragorn is the King now, and I think that Gondor would delight in his coming once they realize how productive and positive his rule will be, and how it affirms others and not just himself.
PIppinfan1988
· 17 June 2006
· Chapter 14: 14: The King's Procession
Another wonderful chapter--the exchange between Faramir and Aragorn was delightful. After reading about the White Tree, now I have a thing or two to ponder...
PF
Author's reply
Again, thanks so much, Pippinfan. Aragorn would find Faramir one friend whose respect is well worth the cultivating, I think; and that the two of them would in time come to be very close as friends as well as King and Steward. And I love it when people indicate something I've written has set their own minds and imaginations working. Thanks again.
PIppinfan1988
· 17 June 2006
· Chapter 13: 13: Party of Princes, and a King Made
Awesome! Your portrayal of the royal procession preparing and going into the city was fantastic. I could see them all in their shining mail and finely made surcoats, walking as one toward the gate. Faramir standing at the gate handing his rod of office over to the new king is one of my favorite parts, and I'm glad you covered that as well. :-)
PF
Author's reply
Oh, thank you for the kind words, Pippinfan! And I, too, have always loved the idea of Faramir's relief and proud humility at being confirmed in his family's heritage as Stewards. Am so very glad this appears to feel right to you! Thanks!
PIppinfan1988
· 17 June 2006
· Chapter 12: 12: Camp on the Pelennor
The meeting between Aragorn, the lords and princes, and the amusing Galador was excellent. Its always difficult to guess the rules of the new regime, but I must admit that I smiled more than once at Galador being knocked off his toes a few times. ;-)
PF
Author's reply
Yes, the inflexible ones such as Galador are fun to see wrong-footed as their expectations for proper pomp and circumstance are knocked for a loop. And now we begin to see that Aragorn will not be a slave to protocol, but will see it used properly and not as a chain binding him to his office.
PIppinfan1988
· 10 June 2006
· Chapter 11: 11: Before the Wind
Wonderful insight into Lord Denethor. While I have never given him great thought, your view of Denethor thinking himself "second-to-none" was spot on. And Aragorn amused by the notion of light dawning on people's faces when they recognise him as Thorongil...I, too, have wondered about that on occasion. :-)
Pippinfan
Author's reply
"I will not bow down to this Ranger from the North, last of a ragged house long bereft of lordship." That has always struck me as the hallmark of one so insecure he cannot bear to consider himself second to any.
And I love imagining the circumstances under which Aragorn finds himself being recognized as the long-missing Thorongil, and would think he'd take a personal, at times almost sadistic delight in seeing the reactions of those who recognize him in such circumstances.
Ah...yet another view of Frodo from the angle of Pippin and Merry. Nicely done! I love reading the various interpretations of how Frodo was raised, or what all happened in the time-period before Frodo actually left the Shire.
Pippinfan
Author's reply
Oh, am so glad you do appreciate it, Pippinfan. It's always interesting to examine how Frodo was raised.
PIppinfan1988
· 10 June 2006
· Chapter 9: 9: The Minstrel of Gondor
I rather like Master Faralion and his insights and observations of Frodo and the hobbits. A nice little respite.
Pippinfan
p.s. Sorry for the long pause--RL reared its ugly head and I had to beat it back down.
Author's reply
I apologize for how long it's taken to respond to your reviews. As I indicated in the notes to "Reunion," I've had so many technical difficulties in the past year I begin to wonder if I'll ever have a month or two without them. Now the D: drive is complaining and beginning to lose integrity in the heat thrown our way by the gods of weather lately. If it's not one thing, it's another.
Am so very glad you find yourself enjoying Master Faralion. It's always interesting to see exactly how different characters see our favorites.
Possible continuity error. This is a couple of chapters late and I'm not a hundred percent certain, but according to the FOTR, Many Meetings, it was Brand, the grandson of Bard who was ruling in Dale. In your story here, I seem to remember you using Bard himself.
I've told you this before, but this is a great story
Author's reply
Am going by the appendices here. It is Bard, grandson of Bard the Bowman, who is now king of Dale after the battles fought in the region during the War of the Ring. Both Dain Ironfoot and Brand son of Bard died in the battles. But thanks for the concern and the words of praise. I truly appreciate it when errors are caught. And am so glad you appreciate the story so.
Queen Galadriel
· 26 May 2006
· Chapter 3: 3: Feast Not Enjoyed
Re-reading now and reviewing these first beautiful chapters. I was looking through favourite stories, trying to while away some time since I must stay up, and realised I didn't remember much about these first chapters, having read through them in a blur of excitement at having something new to enjoy. :)
Now. I know I catch at every single little straw, but I really do want to know. Is it "hannon le" or "le hannon"? I picked up the former from the first part of Antane's "Measure of Love" saga, and then when I looked on CoE I read that it was the latter. I'm not so sure I like Sindarin grammar. :)
Perhaps Frodo was not a simple Hobbit. But he did love the Shire and was a part of it. Not in the way that Bilbo and Sam were, but a part of it nonetheless, and he loved it dearly. I wouldn't change the ending of LOTR, but I can't count the times I've wished he could have healed there, and remained happily ever after.
Frodo's and Sam's weakness, Frodo's conflicts within himself, being at the feast and wanting lots of food even when he knows he couldn't eat it, the smell of food being both delicious and sickening to him...it all seems so very...real. I guess when one writes an epic as long and wordy as LOTR, it's necessary to be sparing with details like these--and I don't think it would have been acceptable to the general public in Tolkien's day, either, to give such an intimate account, esp. things like Gandalf's discussion with Frodo--but it's the touches like these that make the characters alive and the story worth reading. I've been doing research on trauma off and on for a couple of years now (for writing purposes), and I've learned and am learning more from this and some of your other stories than I did in all that research--I think because you take the things I've read about in stiff, almost unfeeling articles and apply it to very different circumstances, and present effects and consequences I never even thought of. I hope in this rereading to pick up on things I missed the first go-round.
God bless,
Galadriel
P.S. Sorry for being wordy--I tried to make it "short and sweet," but I don't have a gift for that anyway, and especially not at this hour.
Author's reply
In the movies they used "hannon le" and so I used it that way here. Sindarin has a different grammatical and syntactical structure than English, so you can't go by English structures completely; but I will use what is now the better known structure as that in the films is now known world-wide.
I've always had a tendency to make connections between what I've learned from one source to what might be going on in another--I love the scientist James Burkes's "Connections" series, for the man's mind and mine work much the same. And to take what I've learned from real life and put it into my own stories--well, I've been doing that for years, after all.
So glad you, too, are rereading. I just finished rereading it myself, you see.
Thank you for letting me know what new insights you pick up on the second go-round.
Ah! Excellent debate at the Round Table--and Sam's input being the most intelligent. After all, his Gaffer did fill him with all of this lovely wisdom. :-) Frodo's spearheading the project of making "wheel chairs" and such for amputee soldiers is wonderful deed.
Pippinfan
Author's reply
I have always seen Frodo as one who brings out the best in those he encounters as much as possible (although when working with Lotho, Lobelia, and Ted Sandyman there doesn't appear to be much there to work with from the beginning--but I digress). For his mere presence and simple questions to begin the process of folk realizing they CAN find ways of living in spite of all and to lead to this joint effort to help paralytics and amputess just seemed logical, and is, after all, how the rehabilitation services system of today's world began after World Wars One and Two. And of COURSE Sam's father's aphorisms will come into play here. Sam sees through to the heart of the problem and reduces it to its clearest terms, and realizes that many of the enemy are simply acting in according to orders and Sauron's own example, which of course was not particularly wholesome and certainly wasn't intended to be humane.
So glad you are enjoying this!
PIppinfan1988
· 23 May 2006
· Chapter 6: 6: The King Comforts
“What must I do?” asked Frodo almost dully.
“Smile and laugh as much as you can, Frodo.
Oh, what a wonderful remedy for Frodo's heart, though they were all too short lived.
The bit with "stalkers" stealing underwear was quite comical. :-)
The recover process will undoubtedly be slow enough for Frodo and Sam to catch up, and I am ejoying reading about it. I love to read the various takes on what happened in Cormallen. :-)
Pippinfan
Author's reply
To smile and laugh and find joy in the moment is not easy when one feels like death warmed over and can't easily move without pain, as well as suffering depression at least partly brought on by his physical condition as well as his feelings of failure.
Glad you enjoyed the idea of the groupies of the end of the Third Age, out to get a look at these new celebrities who are housed apart and in such an odd manner.
Yes, recovery is slow, but is complicated by the fact that for Frodo, too much scarring has gone too deeply.
PIppinfan1988
· 23 May 2006
· Chapter 4: 4: Who for Ringbearer?
This story truly is a labour of love--so much is in this story to absorb! I've been (re)reading this tale for the past week--and I went over the parts that I previously read. But as I told you to expect reviews "soon", I figure I better get on the stick, lol. I am taking my time, though, making sure I don't miss a thing.
Right now, I am happily engrossed in watching Frodo and Sam come out of their sleep and start the recovery process.
Pippinfan
Author's reply
Now that it's finished, I hope you continue to find it engrossing, Pippinfan. And glad you're following through on your intent to read the whole thing. I just reread it last week as well as rereading "Lesser Ring" as well--just finding what I can that might need correction.
demeter d
· 3 April 2006
· Chapter 88: 88: Time Granted
"... butt I leave no children of my body"... Perhaps not, but the children of your spirit will be without number among the Children of Iluvatar..."
I think all who love the Light and these stories feel like they are the children of that spirit. A beautiful thought.
Author's reply
That, I will admit, Demeter, is deliberate. We are all, in an important way, children of Frodo's spirit.
While in Prague working on "Everything's Illuminated" Elijah Wood commented that Frodo Baggins is now very much a part of himself, having played the role in the Jackson movies. For all of us who have read and loved the books I think this is true as well.
Thanks for the feedback.
Lindelea
· 25 March 2006
· Chapter 9999: Author's Notes
Lovely.
I still have absolutely no time for reading, much less writing, at least not without robbing myself of sleep, but checking my email I saw a new story of Citrine's that led me to SoA that led me to your new story that led me here...
It is past my bedtime and my eyes are burning, but I wanted to finish this even if I had to read quickly, without time for thoughtful comments.
And still I have not finished this, but am a few chapters closer than I was.
Fascinating, well-woven, obviously deeply thought-out.
I love your characters, especially Ferdi, with his perceptiveness, and Bard, and the way you write Aragorn, and (I am sorry but the name evades me, am very tired) the "lawyer" (obviously much better respected in the Shire than in our culture!), and it brings a smile to see mention of Budgie and Viola, and Freddy editing the writing, and his written praise of Frodo.
And the author's notes are very helpful, explaining your take on the role of PTSD.
I too have seen Dachau, and afterwards read much on the Holocaust as a result. Amazing how such things can haunt us, though we have heard only echoes of the past.
But I must close now, and seek my bed, for though tomorrow is Saturday, many obligations hover, and morning will come earlier than I'd wish it.
I hope that this finds you better, and that the stress is not so great, but in any event will be sending good thoughts your way.
Author's reply
Well, you know that my version of post-quest Freddy was inspired by how you wrote him in "The Rebel" and "A Small and Passing Thing," and that Budgie and Viola moved into my version of Middle Earth, although they do start diverging from yours in time.
I remember discussing your visit to Dachau when we met last. My personal library on Holocaust survivors, both Jewish and Goyim, is pretty extensive by now. What the Nazis willingly did to so many is nearly unbelievable, and yet such atrocities still continue in this "enlightened" age. That their experiences should end up being woven into my stories is as inevitable as the presence of caddis fly larvae and woolly bear caterpillars, I suppose.
And am so glad you appreciate my versions of Bard, Ferdi, and Brendilac Brandybuck. I think that for most folk, a lawyer in the family in the Shire would be a mark of great respectability, unlike how it often is today.
The stresses are beginning to abate, but the tide is still rolling out. Hopefully it will stay out for a LONG time, considering how long it was in.
Rest well, and thanks so much for the feedback and letting me know you've continued reading. I'd never planned to see this one go so long.
grumpy
· 18 March 2006
· Chapter 9999: Author's Notes
Dear Larner, Just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed this story. It was great and so very well written, I thought I was there. Poor Frodo, he went though so much, nice to know he is on his way to recovering. Once again thank you for the great read.
Author's reply
And thank you, Grumpy, for following it so faithfully. That you found it took you into it is reassuring that I'm able to project the moods I intended. Thank you so very much for all the feedback.
Ah, Strider did not make it, well I really knew he would not. Loved the letters that he got. I cryed through each one of them. And again when Aragorn knew when ship had left Middle earth, and when Bilblo and Frodo touched the white tree. I am beginning to think of the trees as telephone posts.
Author's reply
At least they can help each side be aware all is going well with those on the other side. Not precisely telephone posts, but reassurance posts. The sacrifice was as much given by Aragorn, Sam, Merry and Pippin and all others who loved Frodo as by Frodo himself, after all.
I think that I should invest in a company that manufactures facial tissues! ;-)
Thanks so much for following this story to closely and all the feedback. I so appreciate it.
Kitty
· 16 March 2006
· Chapter 9999: Author's Notes
That was interesting. Some of it I knew already, but mostly from various replys to reviews, and so it was good to have it summarized and expanded here. It’s always intriguing to know more about the thoughts behind a story.
I remember when I’d read the books for the first time I was rather surprised that Frodo sailed, as Tolkien told very little about the effects the Quest had on him. At Cormallen he seemed a bit bewildered, but not much more, and later he was maybe a bit quiet and withdrawn, but we didn’t get to see much of the trauma he ought to have if one thinks about it. And as much as I’d loved to have Frodo healthy and happy staying in the Shire, as long as you stick to Canon he had to sail West, and you’ve given a wonderful explanation about the ‚why’ and filled so many gaps.
Thank you for sharing this great story and for the frequent updates in spite of the immense length of this tale! As always, I look forward to what you’ll post next!
Author's reply
I'm glad you appreciate the summarization. I do try to use a lot of reality in my stories, and this is part of the draw of Fan-Fiction--seeing how our "What ifs...?" might work out. If Frodo himself was the writer of "The Lord of the Rings" and he was a typical PTSD victim and was minimizing his own pain and hiding it from others, he would probably have written it just as it was written, only hinting at the moments of worst discomfort.
I'm so glad so many feel I managed to fill in gaps so well. It is a distinct honor, I must say.
Thank you for all you're feedback. Now it's done, I've been reading the original once more--just one last time to see how it strikes me. Then Primsong's stories, I think, and work on a few of the plotbunnies and look at getting the Nuzgul OUT of the jewelry box!
Sorry for being late again, but RL is rather hectic at the moment!
What a conclusion for this story! Aragorn was not the only one crying ... I needed a lot of tissues for this chapter!
The letters were beautiful, even if very sad. For Aragorn it must’ve been very hard, to lose so many people he loves deeply, and it was so bitter he rode so very far and was too late in the end. (I know, Canon doesn’t allow him to be there in time, but it is sad nonetheless)
Well, at least Merry’s and Pippin’s parents are not being difficult this time – it would’ve made this already hard time even worser for the friends. And for the parents it’s probably comforting to know their last meeting with Frodo wasn’t the usual disaster; they would’ve felt so bad for it.
Loved the end, with the little communication between Frodo and Aragorn through the White Trees. A wonderful experience for both of them, and for Aragorn probably even more than Frodo, because he’s now reassured Frodo is healing and well.
You’ve already described the trial for Timono and I can’t remember it? Now I’m ashamed! As soon as I have a bit more time again, I’ll have to re-read „The Ties of Family“!
And congrats to your own library! I’m in a similar position very soon, having ordered a very big bookcase which is being delivered in some weeks. Can’t wait for it! It’s good to have all the books together, isn’t it?
Author's reply
Yes, I always thought it was rotten that Aragorn wasn't allowed to say goodbye, too. It's almost as if his ties to the north kingdom were completely discounted at the end of the book. But at least he was able to be where he could "see" when they actually left Middle Earth and entered the Straight Path, which must have made it somewhat easier--in my version, at least.
That the parents finally came around and accepted what really happened would mean a great deal to Frodo, I think, and he and Sam were able to tell more to Esme and Sara, with whom he'd have been closer, I'm certain.
The first realization that communication was possible through the White Trees must have been reassuring on both sides--and at least one knows for certain Frodo did survive the voyage!
I'm about to go reread Primsong's Nothing of Note, myself--beautiful story, you know--absolutely wonderful story!
grumpy
· 16 March 2006
· Chapter 99: 99: Life's Story and Summoning
I am glad that Gandalf went to get Merry and Pippin, so they could see Frodo off. That age old question, what is a wizard. I love the hobbits insisting that he is a man.
Author's reply
I, too, am glad that Merry and Pippin didn't find out when it was too late. It was a dreadfully unfair thing for Frodo to have done, to try to leave them in the dark like that.
And I certainly can understand younger Hobbits not knowing the difference between wizards and men.
You're almost done now.
Bodkin
· 16 March 2006
· Chapter 9999: Author's Notes
Thank you for a lovely long story, Larner. I hope lots of plot bunnies are hopping round your lawn to tempt more tales out of you!
Author's reply
Help! The plot bunnies are breeding here, and I don't know that I'll be able to keep them contained that much longer!
It may be a week before I post a short story or two. Have to deal a bit with real life, which as you know isn't the most easy thing to face.
Andrea
· 14 March 2006
· Chapter 9999: Author's Notes
Wow! That was very detailed and it showed once again how much work it cost to write such a story.
Tolkien’s description of what Frodo and Sam experienced after their awakening is remarkably sketchy and even rather unbelievable
I totally agree! I'm re-reading "The Lord of the Rings" right now and it was only yesterday that I came to the awakening in Ithilien and the feast.
It may be very well possible that it was the influence of your story (and others about that time), but I was rather surprised to see Frodo and Sam up and about in no time.
I have never believed that Frodo left Middle Earth because of spiritual distress alone. I thought of it as a combination of physical and mental pain. And the mental pain produced additional physical pain, and vice versa - a vicious circle with no escape, not in Middle Earth.
Regarding "the voice", my conclusion is that it is indeed the voice of a parent :)
Thank you again, Larner, for this wonderful story and for the creation of OC's like Brendi, Narcissa and Mina! I've come to love them all.
Author's reply
Well, one certainly can't question that the description is both sketchy and simplistic. But then at the time Tolkien reached this part in the story to focus specifically on how the waking Hobbits would react at the feast and focusing on proper medical treatment for their physical condition would be inappropriate.
I had no specific thoughts beyond the obvious shell shock and the likelihood of mental, spiritual, and emotional distress Frodo must have felt as long-term results of the damage the Ring had inflicted on him when I first read LOTR when I was 13-14. I did recognize Frodo NEEDED to go wherever the great Elves were retreating to to find the healing he needed for that distress, however--if the Enemy's Ring was so powerful, its influence would need more than mortal means to fight. It was some years, I'll admit, before I truly understood the basis for Elvenhome and why the Elves would leave Middle Earth to go there. It wasn't till I read the Silmarillion when I was in my thirties I truly understood what the Valar were and why Numenor sank beneath the sea.
Glad you are satisfied with your identification of the Voice as a parent (or Parent?).
And am so glad that my OCs of Brendi, Narcissa, and Mina (and, of course, Ruvemir and Hardorn) have all been so gladly accepted.
Thank you so much for following the story through and offering so much feedback. It keeps me writing.
I always find your notes fascinating and informative. Only last week I was reading about spider venom and the effect of the bite of the Brown Recluse Spider - a tiny little thing with devastating consequences. Victims suffer severe and worsening ulceration spreading from the bite, resulting sometimes in the loss of a limb. As this spider is smaller than the average garden spider the effect of a bite from Shelob on a hobbit does not bear thinking about! Even modern medicine seems powerless. I gather the only thing which has helped some people is regular blasts from a police stun gun!
Thank you again for a wonderful and powerfully moving story. I'm keeping fingers crossed that the plotbunny will beat the Nuzgul to the draw for your next one!
Author's reply
The necrosis I described in my author's notes is precisely the same thing as the ulceration you describe here. Imagine what could happen if the bite is to the torso or abdomen or face instead of the leg or arm? We have some brown recluse spiders here, far more rarely Black Widows, and so on. Among our most common in this area, however, are wolf spiders. I picked up and carried home a tarantula once when I lived in Tulsa as a small child, and find them attractive, myself, although I wouldn't keep one.
So, the necrosis is now being treated by taser blasts? The idea makes me feel somewhat ill!
You never know what will come next, however. Probably both the plotbunnies (it's been joined by a few others) and the nuzguls will attack at the same time. The nuzgul I'm drawn to most is quite attractive, tall and laughing and rather brilliant in nature. But the one in the jewel box needs to be dealt with, of course.
French Pony
· 14 March 2006
· Chapter 9999: Author's Notes
Whoa. That was quite possibly the longest, most detailed and informative author's note I've ever seen. I liked that, especially your explanations of the workings of spider venom and PTSD. I shall have to save this story in case I need a future reference. Thank you!
Author's reply
TooBadlyHurt is an essay you probably need to read as well. My introduction to shell shock was as a result of short stories I'd read when a child and teenager about returning veterans after WWI and WWII reinforced by reading The Robe and The Ship of Ishtar, in both of which the main characters experience this condition, Marcellus to the point of attempting suicide. Then, after a visit to Dachau with our children when they were fourteen, I began researching PTSD and survivors to the Nazi camps, and found it fascinating.
That you should find these notes so informative I find flattering. And I look forward to reading more of your own works.