Fiondil
· 6 October 2012
· Chapter 14: Hobbit and Mouse
I would've loved to have seen Aragorn's face if Reepicheep had been allowed to lay his rapier at the king's feet. LOL! I'm sure Olórin will have as an amusing time with this former knight of Narnia as Frodo and the denizens of Tol Eressëa will. And of course, I knew who it was before the word 'mouse' was even spoken. *grin* Thanks for sharing, Larner.
Author's reply
Pippin would have been supplanted as the King's smallest Guardsman, wouldn't he? And surely Olorin would enjoy Reepicheeps companionship! We know he got along well with self-absorbed Hobbits with delight--why not a highly competent swordsman of a talking Mouse? Am so glad you enjoyed this, Fiondil!
someone
· 6 October 2012
· Chapter 14: Hobbit and Mouse
I almost laughed out loud when I realized just who it had to be, a mouse coming in a coracle! Very clever idea, to have Reepicheep end up in Tol Eressëa (even though as he actually left his sword behind when he left for Aslan's country, he couldn't offer it to Elessar). I really like the idea that the two very unlikely, small and brave heroes get to know each other.
Author's reply
I found I had to include the sword anyway, or he'd not have been able to offer to lay it at Elessar's feet! Heh! And why shouldn't these two become acquainted, particularly as their respective creators were good friends?
Thanks so much!
Linda Hoyland
· 6 October 2012
· Chapter 14: Hobbit and Mouse
This was a truly delightful story.
Author's reply
I finally figured out a way in which Frodo might have plausibly (?) met one of the characters from Narnia! Heh! Thanks, Linda!
6336
· 6 October 2012
· Chapter 14: Hobbit and Mouse
So that's where Reepicheep ended up, I always wondered if he ever made it to the Uttermost East! I loved those stories when I was in school many centuries ago and we have a set of CD's with the plays on them! What delightful memories they are!
Huggs,
Lynda
Author's reply
Well, why not there? Seems as if it would be a wonderful place to prepare for the final journey as much for a Narnian mouse as for an Elvish Hobbit.
I first read the Narnia books back when I was a freshman in college--I first heard about them the summer after my senior year in high school while I was picking blueberries. Loved them, and have the whole series, of course.
eiluj
· 6 October 2012
· Chapter 14: Hobbit and Mouse
Oh, delightful! This is a perfect interlude for Frodo. I know he will find Reep quite an entertaining guest and companion.
And for the elves he will be a marvelous novelty, the quintessential cure for elven world-weariness. (You must have him visit Elrond and Galadriel!)
Gandalf's eyebrows are destined to get quite a workout.
I hope Reepicheep will stay until after Sam's arrival.
Author's reply
Oh, I agree that this is one character who would keep Frodo good company, and would definitely intrigue their mutual hosts. As for Gandalf, he's going to learn a good deal about how people in other times view Atto, isn't he? Heh!
Kitty
· 6 April 2012
· Chapter 13: The Enigma of the Mysterious Shop
Oh, Holmes and Watson? Now these are names I know, too!
To have that shop appear suddenly where another one had been shortly before was creepy, but Frodo and Sam turning up and arguing was rather funny. Still going on about Gollum, I see *grin* And not only about that. It was certainly a bit unusual to have them argue to such an extent and in such a way, but still funny.
Now that encounter is going to haunt Sherlock Holmes, no doubt – he didn't have time to ask anything, and the fact that he himself saw the shop which then vanished again must be hard to accept.
Author's reply
The challenge was to write something "outside the box"--or something that I usually don't write at all. I'd never done any kind of crossover involving Holmes and Watson, although the traveling shop is from Pratchett's Diskworld series, which I've done before. Nor had I done a crossover in which Frodo and Sam lost Gollum, or were to that point of mutual annoyance where they're constantly sniping at one another, so I decided to play with the whole scenario and see how funny I could make it.
Yes, Holmes is going to be VERY intrigued with this one, particularly as this is happening so long before the books were written, so he has no manner of finding out what's going on here at all. And it's delightful fun, I find, to think of him being stymied by anything!
Thanks so, Kitty! Love to see you having time to read and comment again!
Kitty
· 6 April 2012
· Chapter 12: The Job Interview
*snicker* What Frodo thought about the shoes of that woman was exactly what I myself thought about the shoes of someone I saw the other day. It came to mind what people used to say about horses: Uncomfortable in the middle and dangerous at both ends ;)
For a Hobbit, 'human' would indeed mean the men first, not Hobbits, even if they are a human race, too. That can get confusing.
While I don't know what you have mixed Middle-earth up with here, if any, it was still rather amusing. Nice way to have the rather archaic world of Middle-earth clash with our modern times! Yeah, that's about how it would go if anyone of our beloved Middle-earth would be dropped into the modern world without growing into it! I was snickering a lot while reading this – thanks for the laugh!
Anyway, from what that woman said, it seems to be a job Frodo would be good at; he knows too well what these people have gone through.
Author's reply
High heel shoes would definitely intrigue and repel Hobbit sensibilities, I think. I can't wear them any more, not with the injury I did to myself some years ago.
This isn't set in any particular "world," per se--just a means of facing someone from our age with a Hobbit who isn't quite up to speed on modern life but who's perhaps thinking about dropping into modern times. Glad it gave you a laugh!
And who better than Frodo to empathize with those who have suffered due to warfare fought by other people.
Thanks so, Kitty!
Kaylee Arafinwiel
· 22 October 2011
· Chapter 13: The Enigma of the Mysterious Shop
Ooooookayyyyy...let me see if I've got this:
Sherlock Holmes' London is invaded by Frodo & Sam through the shop from the Discworld??? o_o...Wow. Very very fun, and I giggled the whole way through. I'll have a very sore throat in the morning!!! ~_^
These are very silly, but great! Good job on the 'Outside the Box'!
And happy birthday Harrowcat!!!
Kaylee
Author's reply
Yes, we couldn't do without a hint of the Diskworld, could we? As I'm rather unfamiliar with Dr. Who, I couldn't in good conscience put them in the Tardis, after all. And I giggled as I wrote this.
Kaylee Arafinwiel
· 22 October 2011
· Chapter 12: The Job Interview
What can I say about this one, Larner? It just made me laugh. Although it also made me annoyed with myself that I haven't found employment yet. If only I had Frodo's excellent qualifications!!! And that last line...
Kaylee
Author's reply
It was very fun to write, I found. I'd started it before the challenge came up, so as it seemed to fit the challenge so well I just made the necessary adaptations to include my elements, and voila!
I just changed companies, so am hopping to learn all I need to know to deal well with my new client base. At least I'm no longer working all night, thank Heavens--my last employers, having found I didn't mind night shift, weren't willing to accommodate me when my doctor indicated he felt I'd do better to work days now. At least I'm now actually working with my clients instead of only seeing them to bed and up for work in the mornings and at times during the night!
Kaylee Arafinwiel
· 22 October 2011
· Chapter 11: Prepared to Live Indeed
Tom Riddle being reborn as Albus Severus? Wow...a new chance at life. I really liked this one, Larner!! =) I enjoy all stories in which Atar appears. Have you written many more with Him?
Kaylee
Author's reply
The Buddhists have believed that we only are freed from the Wheel of Time and Life when we actually learn whatever lessons we're supposed to learn, and perhaps it was time for Tom to stop trying to control everything and actually learn how to live well and to love better.
I've done a few stories involving Atar, including "When All Was Remade" in "Beneath Strange Stars." And just whose voice does Frodo hear in his heart in "The Acceptable Sacrifice"? And who sends him back in "Go Out in Joy"?
Thanks so--am so glad you enjoyed this one, Kaylee.
Kaylee Arafinwiel
· 22 October 2011
· Chapter 10: Transformation
I'm pretty sure I have reviewed this, Larner, but if I haven't, I'm doing it now. I adore this story, not so much for its humour (it has some, of a gentler sort than the last few, thank the Valar as I was about to expire LOL!) but for fulfilling my wish that I could see that...I can see it all in my mind's eye. Maybe this coming January I'll look through my sister's telescope...
Exquisitely done, Larner.
Kaylee
Author's reply
It's always delightful when people reread a story and let me know! I'd so love to see this happening myself, after all! And the Master deserved this as a birthday gift, I thought!
Kaylee Arafinwiel
· 21 October 2011
· Chapter 9: Not a Typical Night's Work
*after catching breath from last chapter, is set off again*
Death is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE DISCWORLD CHARACTER. EVER. =D
"HAVE A NICE DEATH"...I love it!!!
Hmm, Death and Namo...professional interest? =)
Well done!!!!!!!
Kaylee
Author's reply
I have a hard time deciding between Death and Granny Weatherwax as my favorite character in Pratchett's world. And wouldn't Death and Namo have a slightly more than nodding acquaintance, don't you think? After all, if I can find Namo being friends with Santa Claus, why not these two? Thanks so!
*can't...breathe...*
*islaughingtoomuch*
Now look what you've done, Larner!!! =P
*a highly amused Kaylee*
Author's reply
Two mostly blameless heroes--Frodo would undoubtedly enjoy reading Harry's exploits, don't you think? And he deserves some time just to play! Glad it gave you a good giggle.
Kaylee Arafinwiel
· 21 October 2011
· Chapter 7: Too Many Rangers
O Larner...
well, given how much I adore Dreamflower's Trotter, this one just made me laugh =D Hehe, Trotter-Strider, oh dear...This is one of the funniest NGH's ever in this collection. I love it, I love it!
Kaylee!
Author's reply
Since I read "The Return of the Shadow," which tells of the twists and turns LOTR took while it was being read, I'd been intrigued with the thought that originally the guide from Bree to Rivendell was intended to be a Hobbit who would just keep morphing into a Man. So, what if some of the different elements the Master did manage to run into one another? And this was what came out of it! Although now the "Once and Future King" aspect of Frodo's fate is niggling at me again....
Larner...
GARFIELD???
Are you serious?
*nearly dies laughing*
But...where's Jon? And Odie???
...Sequel?
Kaylee
(Kaylee kittehz prefurz cheezburgur to lasagna though! ...hehehe, sorry)
Author's reply
Well, why not? I've had Frodo meet Li'l Abner and the Scarecrow from Oz and the orangutan librarian before (AND the Cheshire Cat!), so why can't Sam meet Garfield and the rat from Ratatouille? Heh!
(And my cats prefer the rotissery chickens from Costco, I find.)
Kaylee Arafinwiel
· 21 October 2011
· Chapter 5: A Game of Ninepins
Aha...I know this story! Rip van Winkle, isn't that right? To think Aragorn nearly shared his fate!! oh dear...
Well done!
Author's reply
I'd intended to do one involving the Headless Horseman, but this one wrote itself instead. Glad you recognized it. Thank you!
Kaylee Arafinwiel
· 21 October 2011
· Chapter 4: The Cook-off
Ahahaha! Cooking, yes, what Hobbits do best! I only recognized a few of the wizards here, sadly...
Merlin, Ridcully, and of course Dumbledore (and Gandalf!) go without saying, but Red Cloud? And I think I missed one or two others, too...
Kaylee
*who isn't fond of chili, but still adored the story!* Heh, poor Sam at the end! lol!
Author's reply
You can find out who the rest of the wizards are by reading the other comments. Red Cloud was an Indian medicine man, so I thought he'd do for the equivalent of a North American wizard; Ptolemy was Egyptian and is featured on the HP chocolate frog cards, the Sorceror from the Sorceror's Apprentice had to intrude, as did Katherine Kurtz's Deryni priest Camber of Culdi. And I had to have Ponder Stibbons join Ridcully!
I can eat mild chili, but can't stand anything with much chili powder, chiles, peppers, or onions. Have a stomach that can't bear much in the way of strong spices or acidic foods.
And Sam will definitely be challenged, don't you think? Heh!
Kaylee Arafinwiel
· 21 October 2011
· Chapter 3: Inequity
Hi Larner!!
Now, I got a bit confused here with some of the names...The Silmarillion's one of my favourites! However, I'm not as Discworld-obsessed as a certain sibling. Harriet Beecher Stowe I know (though I haven't read =( ) and of course Andersen and Dickens. Yeah, this Frodo's rather more sullen and sensitive than I like! Not Gonna Happen, indeed! Interesting mix!
Author's reply
This one presented itself to me as a dream just as I was awakening one morning. I had this sudden impression of a frustrated Frodo stamping his foot and saying, "It's just not fair!" and I had to figure out just WHAT wasn't fair? And it was fun to work in Deagol and Turin's sister-wife as well as Cedric Digory from HP and so on. It was fun to write, I found.
Kaylee Arafinwiel
· 21 October 2011
· Chapter 2: Why Mums and Dads Leave Home
Oh Larner! Oh Valar, see, this is why I do NOT envy my mom when she goes to work every day (she's a preschool teacher, and has about 8 toddlers on any given day!) Nanny McPhee...yeah, heard of her, but I never saw the movie...or is it movies, now? I need to see what all this is about! Hehe! But something tells me she's not quite Mary Poppins, then? Naughty hobbits! And poor Rose-mum, expecting number 13 and all!
Kaylee
Author's reply
There are two Nanny McPhee movies now, although I really must give equal time eventually to my beloved Mary Poppins! Hopefully the children will all be tamed by the time she, Elanor, Sam, and little Tolman return from Gondor!
Nanny McPhee is truly a delightful movie--do give it a try!
Kaylee Arafinwiel
· 21 October 2011
· Chapter 1: What Was that Job Description?
Ok, Larner, I'm not sure if I've reviewed these earlier ones, so I'm rereading the whole thing, including the new one, and reviewing all the way...here I go, LOL...
Gilderoy Lockhard in Middle-Earth? Valar perish the thought!!! You're already killing me here with this idea...Yeah, this gets my vote for "Not Gonna Happen"!!!! Bahaha!!!! Elves...pathetic? Wait till Arwen hears THAT...hehehe...I see changing worlds hasn't made him any more intelligent!
Needless to say, you caught him perfectly!
Kaylee Arafinwiel
(KayleeTonksLupin in HP fandom!)
Author's reply
Oh, I know you love Lupin! I enjoyed doing this one. I'd just finished writing "Go Out in Joy" and needed to do something silly to counter a good deal of the angst and pathos written into the longer tale. I know Nilmandra doesn't really approve of crossovers, but she appears to accept these little bits, at least!
Elflingimp
· 21 October 2011
· Chapter 13: The Enigma of the Mysterious Shop
Oh my! That was good....would like to hear more on that one, yes sir we would! LOL! Hugs The Imp
Author's reply
You never know--I just might add to this one one day--but then again, maybe I wouldn't! Thanks so, Imp!
6336
· 21 October 2011
· Chapter 13: The Enigma of the Mysterious Shop
Well this is a weird one and no mistake!
Well let's hope they can get directions to Cirith Ungol or what ever in the shop or they will be marching along Mordor's walls for a long time trying to get in!
Makes you wonder just what Sam was thinking a lot of the time he was trudging along after Frodo!
Huggs,
Lynda
Author's reply
When I thought of writing "outside my box" as the moderators for the LOTR Community put it, it was difficult to figure out just how to do that, considering the breadth of characters and times I've written in the last few years. But, what if the influence of the Ring should cause these two to start actually bickering? How might they have done so? And where might they suddenly turn up where no Hobbit has been seen before, I wondered? And this story presented itself. Although I did have to restrain myself from putting this into Ankh Morpork instead of Victorian London, and I was SO tempted to have Sam say, "Crivens!" (I'd just finished reading Terry Pratchett's "I Shall Wear Midnight," you see!) Ah, Mr. Pratchett--you have a good deal to answer for! Just pray that neither Frodo or Sam finds anything within the shop to resonate with them, as it could prove fatal! ("Soul Music" comes to mind!)
Fiondil
· 21 October 2011
· Chapter 13: The Enigma of the Mysterious Shop
LOL! Well that's one mystery Holmes will never solve. Sort of reminds me of that Steven Wright joke: If a man is alone in the middle of the woods and makes a decision, is he still wrong? Apparently that dictum applies to Hobbits wandering through Ithilien. It's amazing those two didn't kill each other and save Gollum the trouble the way they were sniping at each other. If I didn't know better, I'd swear they were married. LOL! Interesting twist, Larner. Thanks for sharing.
Author's reply
Well, the challenge was to write a story quite different from our normal writing. So far I've not imagined anyone from Middle Earth running into Sherlock Holmes, and I've not written the Frodo and Sam simply bickering. I'd first thought to have Terry Pratchett's traveling shop bring them back to Ankh Morpork and have them run into Captain Carrot and Sergeant Angarra, but decided that it would be too obscure for most people to follow--the Diskworld's answer to Aragorn and his werewolf girlfriend could be difficult to appreciate, I suppose. But then I found myself envisioning Sherlock Holmes and Frodo contemplating one another--and voila!
Yes, they do sound like a married couple, don't they? Heh!
Thanks, Fiondil. This turned out fun to write once I took it out of the Diskworld--although Pratchett's shop insisted it be included.
Fiondil
· 25 March 2011
· Chapter 12: The Job Interview
A very interesting story, Larner. I think Frodo is just ideal for this kind of work. Loved the ending when Ms Phelps sees his feet. I actually laughed out loud.
Author's reply
Thanks so, Fiondil. Yes, I do believe he'd enjoy the work, although I suspect he'd know a great deal of pain from realizing how efficiently we kill and maim one another now.
And it was fun to imagine her realizing, with that last look at him going, that maybe he isn't just SHORT, but something perhaps other than what she was accustomed to. Hairy feet and pointed ears? Hmm! Heh!
Glad it gave you a laugh!
Lynn H
· 23 March 2011
· Chapter 12: The Job Interview
Only fair - he was analyzing HER shoes and thinking them odd. She has just noticed HIS feet and lack of shoes. Turnabout.
I confess that though I think I caught all the other references ( a few of the cooking wizards I haven't pinned down yet) I do not know who this lady is. I could assume she is a type character, but I suspect she is a specific character from a specific story world?
Carry on - these are fun! You already know I love your stories!
Author's reply
Amanda Phelps is the characterization of all the Personnel Managers I think I've ever met. Yes, just a type character in this case. But it was fun to work modern day into this series.
As for the identity of the wizards in the cooking contest, see my response to Freyalyn, also. And am glad that your enjoying these.