Larner
· 6 November 2013
· Chapter 65: Conversations About the Past, (part 2)
There was reason, I am certain, why neither of the two of them ever married, although my ideas are quite the opposite of yours, of course. But it was definitely better for any who might have loved them not to have felt abandoned by a spouse when the need was each must leave the Shire.
Author's reply
Absolutely. And the reasons for that are very much story-external and driven by plot exigencies. Tolkien would never have allowed a character to abandon wife or child, and I also think that was behind his decision that most of his heroes were orphaned, completely or in part--he would not have wanted them to leave a grieving mother behind, either.
I am not sure our ideas are the opposite, though I know you place a lot more emphasis on the Ring than I do. But Bilbo was still a bachelor at 50 before he'd ever touched it--so the idea of unrequited love, or at least unrealized love, seemed to make sense. For me, at least, Hobbits are much like Elves and Dunedain, and generally love only once.
With Frodo, I prefer to make it ambiguous...did he just not find the right lass? or was the Ring at play on some level? In this, Frodo is simply not destined to find out if he was just a bachelor at heart, or if the Ring influenced him. Sometimes he believes the latter, at other times the former--but he can't help but wonder.
Anyhow, I love the way you deal with it in your universe--it's always fun to see the differences between the way we fans interpret the evidence!
Antane
· 6 November 2013
· Chapter 65: Conversations About the Past, (part 2)
I like being single myself. I think this was best for both of them and meant to happen, knowing what their fate was - having to leaving Middle-earth in the end. Better that they went together without having to leave wives and children behind. It's bad enough Frodo had to leave his heart brothers. Gandalf makes an interesting comment about Bilbo remaining single in Quest of Erebor.
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Of course it was meant to happen, and yet at the same time it was also a choice as well. But you are quite right--things would have been altogether different if either of them had been husbands and fathers.
Yet their singlehood also had its blessings, for both of them were able to be there for others.
Andrea
· 27 October 2013
· Chapter 64: Conversations About the Past, (part 1)
I think it is a good sign that Bilbo after so many years of secret-keeping decides to tell Frodo about Pomona.
I'm looking forward to reading more about her, in this story and in "Eleventy One".
Author's reply
I think as Bilbo grows older, his youth seems closer; I'm not sure he was deliberately keeping secrets so much as when Frodo was young he probably thought he wouldn't be interested. (He'd have been wrong, of course.) He's begun to reveal much of his own youth before his Adventure, that once seemed long ago and far away.
Virtuella
· 25 October 2013
· Chapter 64: Conversations About the Past, (part 1)
Ah, this opens up new prospects!
Author's reply
New prospects and old. There will be a little more of Pomona in the second half of the conversation--but there is far more about her in "Eleventy-one".
Larner
· 25 October 2013
· Chapter 64: Conversations About the Past, (part 1)
Oh, wonderful how you've managed to mesh the two stories! Too bad that Bilbo didn't follow through on that courtship!
Author's reply
I will be going into that more in "Eleventy-one" in the next chapter, and there will be a bit more in the next chapter of this story.
Well, of course, canonically Bilbo was a bachelor. I didn't want to make his bachelorhood too tragic. But I see hobbits as much like Elves or Dunedain in one sense: they give their hearts only once. I didn't want to kill off Pomona, and though I had thoughts of her being courted and won by another, I thought that becoming a healer would be different--and would also point up the differences in the Shire between Bilbo's time and the early Fourth Age of my 'verse.
shirebound
· 24 October 2013
· Chapter 64: Conversations About the Past, (part 1)
You say so much in these short glimpses. I especially love how much a part of Frodo's life Bilbo still is.
Author's reply
Bilbo has always been an important part of his life. Now it is mostly just the two of them, and they are probably even closer now than they have ever been.
Antane
· 24 October 2013
· Chapter 64: Conversations About the Past, (part 1)
Any chance of seeing some of Frodo's poetry? :) I love that peace has come to him and he can see his friends too. I don't know how I could restrict myself to once a year but he manages to. Certainly stronger than me! And he has the hope and joy of anticipating Sam's arrival. Looking forward to more about Bilbo too.
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
I'm so glad this was a real review! (I've been getting spam reviews for 3 days now.)
One of his poems from this time period is in my "Alphabet for Middle-earth" anthology, "I: Like an Ispiring Iluvatar".
It helps that Frodo and Bilbo aren't really aware of how the time is passing there (like in Lothlorien). They only know when it's their birthday or Yule when Gandalf tells them.
The next few chapters will be pretty much about Bilbo, though also very much about Frodo as well.
Larner
· 16 November 2012
· Chapter 63: A Drop of Fancy in the Blood
I'll be tickled pink to see that meeting as well! I'm not the least surprised to learn that even Sam has some Took--and Maian--blood in him. Perfect!
Author's reply
Well, with 12 children, Tuk and Adamanta almost guaranteed the spreading of their line throughout hobbit-kind!
Virtuella
· 16 November 2012
· Chapter 63: A Drop of Fancy in the Blood
Ah, yes, if you go far enough back in time, everyone is related to everyone! Sam will be astonished indeed.
Author's reply
*giggle* I love the idea of his astonishment!
Antane
· 14 November 2012
· Chapter 63: A Drop of Fancy in the Blood
So, Frodo and Sam are related and not just by heart...too neat and cute... :)
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Yep. Although it goes back probably more generations than even they can count...
demeter d
· 14 November 2012
· Chapter 63: A Drop of Fancy in the Blood
'without a drop o'fancy or moonlight in the blood'...Oh, dear, I can just imagine the Gaffer saying that, quite proudly, too. I guess it was just as well that MOST of Sam's blood was solid, hard-working Harfoot. Hmm, maybe his Took streak came through Bell?
Author's reply
Could be. Of course, Adamanta's blood is well-scattered among the Shire hobbits, so it could easily be through the Goodchilds...
shirebound
· 14 November 2012
· Chapter 63: A Drop of Fancy in the Blood
'without a drop o' fancy or moonlight in the blood'.
I just love that. Dear Gaffer!
Author's reply
I'm very fond of the Gaffer myself! Thank you, dear!
GamgeeFest
· 14 November 2012
· Chapter 63: A Drop of Fancy in the Blood
Sam's head just might possibly explode, lol! I look forward to his reaction as well. ;)
Author's reply
Yes--he's always been sort of proud to be just "plain old Sam"! *grin*
But of course, as genealogy obsessed as hobbits are, they can only go back so far. The truth is, probably every hobbit in the Shire is related in some way to every other hobbit in the Shire somewhere along the line.
Andrea
· 24 October 2012
· Chapter 62: The Sketchbook, part 2
It is wonderful that Frodo is drawing again and that he shows his work to others.
And now Adamanta has confirmed that Merry, Pippin and Sam do indeed look like Kali, Raz and Ban!
Author's reply
Yes, this generation of heroes has returned to its roots...
Lindelea
· 22 October 2012
· Chapter 62: The Sketchbook, part 2
Hah! I remember Kali, Raz and Ban from reading "Don't Panic!" Until then, I hadn't read anything about JRRT's languages. I still don't have enough leisure time to really delve into his languages as I'd like -- perhaps one day...
I love that Frodo draws, and I love the Elves' way of looking at his art, with "the gifts of mortals" in view. Somehow I always saw Frodo in my mind's eye, making little sketches to punctuate his writing, or "just because."
Come to think of it, in the back of my mind I'm thinking it was Frodo who presented Estella with her first art materials when she was little...
Author's reply
I just recently re-read "Don't Panic" and "Okay, Now Panic!" and they are still delightful stories!
I decided that way back before the exodus of the hobbits, that some of those old names would have been in use, which is why four of Adamanta's sons bore those particular names (the other, of course, being Maura).
My Frodo's always been an artist--I've discovered that's a rather popular fanon.
Oh, I like that idea!
Lindelea
· 22 October 2012
· Chapter 61: The Sketchbook, part 1
I agree with Frodo! Much more interesting subjects: I can just see Gandalf in my mind's eye, as you describe him, and even as Bilbo was mentioning Sam, I myself was wondering about what Sam would think about such flowers, and his probable delight in conversing with Adamanta over her gardening techniques.
Lovely!
(I started with part 2 as it was the most recent chapter, and had to backtrack, but now I'm moving on again to part 2 now that I have a little context. I'd love to read the earlier chapters, but am almost out of time for today. Something to look forward to!)
Author's reply
I am looking forward to Sam meeting Adamanta at last! Won't he be shocked? And Frodo has always loved Bilbo and Gandalf; and he has grown to love Adamanta as well over the years since he met her. She has truly become as a mother to him.
I'm glad you are able to enjoy it, even when it's out of order!
GamgeeFest
· 21 October 2012
· Chapter 62: The Sketchbook, part 2
Frodo's art is certainly as fine as that of the Elves. I'm glad he got over his self-consciousness. And his glimpses of home are wonderful. Love also that Adamanta uses their proper hobbit nicknames. :D
Author's reply
Well, perhaps! But she's actually identifying their ancestors: three of her sons were named Kali, Ban and Raz! Apparently those three certainly take after them!
Frodo's learning that "different" doesn't mean lesser! Especially the Elves of Aman, who are not used to mortals, will truly enjoy his art as something new and different.
Antane
· 20 October 2012
· Chapter 62: The Sketchbook, part 2
How wonderful that Frodo was able to see Pippin's wedding! :)
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Well, I had established early on that he was able to see Merry's wedding in the palantir, so I thought it only fair that he be able to see Pippin's!!
Virtuella
· 17 October 2012
· Chapter 62: The Sketchbook, part 2
Oooh, that's nice!
Author's reply
Thank you!
Larner
· 17 October 2012
· Chapter 62: The Sketchbook, part 2
How wonderful that she can see her children in these! Love the artwork!
Author's reply
Yes; my thought is that the Tuk strain became very, shall we say, concentrated in that generation of hobbits who were part of the Ring-Quest, that they all showed very strongly both the character traits and the physical traits of that first generation who were born to Adamanta and Tuk. Frodo, of course, was nearly a pure Fallohide throwback. (I take that from the hints that Faramir was a throwback to pure Numenorean that we get in canon. So clearly such a thing was possible in Arda.)
GamgeeFest
· 22 September 2012
· Chapter 61: The Sketchbook, part 1
What a fun day relaxing and smelling the flowers. :D
Author's reply
Yes, he's able to stop and smell the flowers now.
GamgeeFest
· 22 September 2012
· Chapter 60: The Upward Path
It's good that Bilbo understands why he's unable to help Frodo in the same way Adamanta can. As a "mother", her relationship with Frodo would be much different and more open than his own.
Author's reply
Exactly. Frodo's been so long without a mother-figure, and Adamanta is just the person to give it to him. Bilbo is secure in his own relationship to Frodo, but he knows that it's a far different one.
Antane
· 19 September 2012
· Chapter 61: The Sketchbook, part 1
Oh, to be able to see that sketch! Glad he is enjoying himself. :)
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Yes, he really is enjoying himself immensely.
Larner
· 19 September 2012
· Chapter 61: The Sketchbook, part 1
What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon! And I am glad he has subjects so dear to him to sketch. Lovely!
Author's reply
Yes, as time passes, days like this continue.
And so am I.
shirebound
· 18 September 2012
· Chapter 61: The Sketchbook, part 1
the expressions on the faces of the three whom he loved
What a gentle and happy scene. How I would love to see those sketches.
Author's reply
Thank you! Frodo is truly settling in to his new life.