Questing by Thundera Tiger
Grey Wonderer · 9 January 2013 · Chapter 3: Of Kind
I loved this! (He did not look like much of a wizard. His appearance reminded Gimli of some of his mother's less successful alloy experiments: blue hat, silver scarf, gray cloak, black boots, and a beard long enough to make a dwarf proud.) That was perfect. I also like the way Gimli's cloak turns out to be the one worn by Bilbo on the journey. Thank you for a lovely read.
Grey Wonderer · 9 January 2013 · Chapter 2: Of Kith
Gimli is such a strong personality even now. I like that he was able to face Thorin and that he didn't back down. I wonder if he thought about his father's quest later when he was one of the nine walkers? It would be interesting to know if they ever sat down and talked about it. I liked Dwalin here too. He didn't embarrass Gimli. He just tried his best to help him understand it all.
Grey Wonderer · 9 January 2013 · Chapter 1: Of Kin
I found your story through a rec from Dreamflower who pointed me to it when I said I wanted to read more Dwarf fics. I love the way Gimli is, at first totally against this but then, the moment he finds out that his Father is most likely in grave danger and may not return, he wants to go along too. I like the loyalty that you show among the dwarves and their honor for family. I'm glad Dreamflower pointed out your story. I am enjoying it very much.
Estel_Mi_Olor · 20 October 2012 · Chapter 3: Of Kind
"But until that day came, he had naught but his father's words and the grim foreboding of a hopeless quest. He could not imagine himself setting out on anything akin to this, and he wondered what it would take to fan the flames of heritage in his own heart. Fan them to the point that he would abandon family and seek out something as terrible as a dragon." Prophetic thoughts indeed, young Gimli! Love the foreshadowing. I also love how you worked in Gimli's hood and cloak. I expect Bilbo is very grateful. Also, I love the description of Aés's beard. It made me laugh. This was a great story! I love this ending, how Gimli truly feels that he is living in Exile when his father leaves. I think that really hits home more than which mountain they live in. I'm interested in fics about dwarves, since there aren't too many, and yours are always exceptional. Thank you for this very interesting read!
Estel_Mi_Olor · 20 October 2012 · Chapter 2: Of Kith
Great chapter! I can almost feel the weight of fear and duty bearing down on me, so no wonder Gimli is so upset! I love how you describe the obligations of family as a fire. After reading this, I can begin to understand why Bálin decided to try and reclaim Khazad-dûm later on. Maybe it's just me, but as I read this, I keep drawing parallels to the elves. I think it may be because I just finished rereading (like to the power of 5 here), "While The Ring Went South," so I'm always intrigued to find out how truly similar dwarves and elves are, even when they won't admit it. I think you do a marvelous job of hinting at those similarities as you focus on tradition and family bonds in many of your stories. I'm looking forward to what I know will be a touching conclusion to this story!
Estel_Mi_Olor · 20 October 2012 · Chapter 1: Of Kin
Wow, I don't know why I never read this story! What an interesting premise, that Gimli sought to join Thorin's company. I love the way you write the dwarves. I mean, obviously, you'd want to include the details of their life, but I love how you keenly pick up on those details and include it in not only their physical world, but also their speech. Favorite example: "Strike the anvil, but it is good to see you!" I also love the Fire Chamber that rings a distant bell in Rivendell of the Hall of Fire. And as always, superb writing! Whenever I read one of your fics, I don't feel like I'm reading at all, but rather watching a reality play out in front of my with hyper-awareness of the thoughts and feelings of those involved. Now, I'm onto the next chapter!
Larner · 13 April 2010 · Chapter 3: Of Kind
A joy of sorts to know that Bilbo used Gimli's cloak and hood, and that they did offer comfort to his father somehow. And we know he did walk a darker path, and did so with full honor when his time came to accompany Gandalf on a quest. A wonderful story, TT.
Author's reply
Hey once more! One of the reasons I wrote this story was because I wanted to see if I could connect Gimli with the Quest for Erebor. Dwalin's spare hood and cloak seemed like an easy way to do that, so I'm glad you liked it. Thank you again for your reviews!
Larner · 13 April 2010 · Chapter 2: Of Kith
We all understand better, but that does not make the decision less bitter to the heart. Poor Gimli--he has reason to fear, after all, particularly as we know who does not return. At least we know he will see his father again.
Author's reply
Thank you again for the review! I'm so glad you feel like the situation is more understandable, even if hindsight makes it rather tragic, too.
Larner · 12 April 2010 · Chapter 1: Of Kin
Gloin has raised a most responsible son, obviously! Well done!
Author's reply
Thank you, Larner! I'm glad Gimli comes across as responsible. I hope he also comes across as young, but I think he's done some growing on his travels.
Lindelea · 11 April 2010 · Chapter 1: Of Kin
Marvellously done, and up to your usual standard. I love the details, the dwarvish turns of phrase, the characterization of Gimli's unseen mother, as well as Fili--or is it Kili--does it much matter? (snork) ...and the little flashes of humour that give extra depth and life to the piece. I don't know much about dwarves, but these ring true. Also, if I didn't know that thirteen eventually set out, I'd lay even odds on Gimli's joining the party!
Author's reply
Hey Lindelea, Many thanks for the review! I'm glad that the story fits the dwarves. I really wanted to play with their culture and make it seem like an integral part of the story. I think it gives a lot of depth to the characters, but that depth only comes about if the culture feels true. So huge thanks for that compliment! And I'm glad it felt like Gimli had a fair shot of going! I figure he's always been a pretty determined character, so why not start young? Thank you again!
Aiwen · 11 April 2010 · Chapter 3: Of Kind
I like the way you write the dwarves. I've never found them especially easy to understand, but I really like what you doing with them.
Author's reply
Thanks for the review, Aiwen! I'm glad that you're enjoying the dwarves, even if they're not the easiest to understand. That's actually why I like them. They're this big mystery, and I've never been able to resist a puzzle. Thanks again for the review!
Dreamflower · 11 April 2010 · Chapter 3: Of Kind
Oh, oh, oh! I *LOVE* Gimli's mom! *grin* I love her arriving with a thunderous crash. I love everyone's wariness of her temper and her taking a stand for a "principle", LOL! And I love the fact that she makes things that are incomprehensible to her family (and probably other Dwarves as well) and the fact that Gimli and the apprentice made themselves scarce suggests that both her temper *AND* her passion were excercised on poor Gloin during their farewell! Great introduction of Gandalf to Gimli! And a brilliant use of foreshadowing at the end! Both for the addition of one hobbit burglar who'd have need of a spare cloak and hood, and for a time seventy years distant, when Gimli indeed will have other paths just as dark if not darker to walk. Absolutely marvelous story! I've really enjoyed it!
Author's reply
Hey Dreamflower, Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you enjoyed Aés. She surprised me as a character, and I really loved writing her sections. I'm also glad you liked the foreshadowing toward the end. I wasn't sure if I was overdoing it, but I wanted a tie-in to the later quest. As for the spare cloak and hood, that's actually what started the story in the first place. I was revisiting The Hobbit and wanted to work something of Gimli into the quest for Erebor. Dwalin's spare cloak and hood seemed like as good a place as any to insert my favorite dwarf. Thank you again fro the review!
Dreamflower · 9 April 2010 · Chapter 2: Of Kith
Oh poor Gimli! So torn between wanting to go with his father, and wanting his father to be safe! I love the backstory of all the motivations here that are revealed by Dwalin: the idea that Dis is behind her sons' going, that Gimli resembled Thorin's brother, the clear evidence that Balin is a close enough friend with Thorin to risk his displeasure-- all of this is fascinating. I am loving this story so much! Of course, there's another reason that does not actually enter into any of their calculations: if Gimli had gone, they'd have been fourteen, and had no need to seek out a certain hobbit-burglar to fill their number. But that's story-external... It also makes me wonder how Gloin felt when the shoe was on the other foot about seventy years later, when his son goes on a dangerous Quest, and he's the one left behind. I wonder if he remembers this, and realizes how his son must've felt...
Author's reply
Hey Dreamflower, I am so relieved that the backstory works for you! I wanted to add some complexity to the situation that started the ball rolling in "The Hobbit," but I wasn't sure if I'd overdone it or underdone it. And I wanted to make these guys real characters. Well, some of them, anyway. Taking on all thirteen dwarves was a bit daunting, but I thought I might be able to do something with at least a few of them. So I'm also glad to hear that this worked for you, too. As for that story-external number 13 problem...I kept coming back to that and wondering if I should address it, but in the end, it didn't seem to fit. Yes, it's crucial for getting Bilbo involved later, but for this story, the group is more or less fated to begin with. Tacking on anything regarding the number 13 seemed like overkill, and it created problems that I couldn't easily write out. Anyway, many thanks for the review! I always love hearing from you. You have some amazing insights!
Dreamflower · 7 April 2010 · Chapter 1: Of Kin
Ooooh! THIS is really great! I've never read a fic about how Gimli reacted to his father undertaking the Quest of Erebor! I love the culture you've created, and the powerful emotions between father and son here! And already we have Kili's (and by extension, Fili's) personalities: presumably they are a bit older than Gimli, since Gimli's youth prevented him from going-- but Gimli comes across as a lot more mature. And we learn a lot about Gimli's mother even though she doesn't even appear. Oh, I'll definitely be looking forward to more of this!!!
Author's reply
Thank you so much, Dreamflower! I'm so glad that the culture and the personalities feel real to you! That was something I really wanted to nail down while writing, and I also wanted to build a strong bond between Gloin and Gimli. The next chapter introduces a partial explanation for why Fili and Kili might seem less mature than Gimli though they are definitely older. I'm not saying anything about Gimli's mother, though. She's pretty crazy, and I would hate to get on her bad side. :)