Reviews (53)

Author's reply

Hello Agape4Gondor, great to know folk are still reading this. And glad that it strikes you as believable, especially given some of the plot twists and turns in it (it is a bit of a wild ride!). Thanks for R & R-ing, M ;)

Author's reply

Hello lucky sod/Slugger/berry/Tooky bloom, or perhaps I should say 'Hello nephew', well what a lovely surprise this review was. And I'm so glad you (Slugger Jnr, once removed) enjoyed Cusp of Victory! I don't know how old you are, but hopefully old enough not to be disturbed by the slightly dark tones of Concerning Sam. Actually, wait a minute ... CoV has a higher rating that CS, so if you're old enough to read this, you'll probably be fine with that. Though I have to say, if you do read CS, please forgive some of the grammatical errors that may pepper the latter half of CS(particulalry Its/It's). It was one of my first fics (written 2 years ago) and I'm still half-way through repolishing those chapters ... As for Slugger Snr (oh, I do like calling you that!), you're a wee star for speaking so highly of my fics to your lovely family! Thank you! I hope they know what a talented writer their aunty is too, though ... Thanks for R & R-ing, Jnr (and Snr)! Your cousin (probably a thousand or so times removed on either or both of your parents' sides), Mo x

Author's reply

Hello cousin dear, thanks very much! How happy am I that you liked Sam and Frodo's desperate tale so much? Very!! This was one of the most intense writing experiences I've ever had - despite the shortness of the chapters. The need to portray what might have happened in the Sammath Naur had Gollum been killed became an almost living thing in my gut there for a while. In fact, Sam and Frodo aren't speaking to me for the moment after all Iput them through, but what can you do? When the itch strikes, you've just got to scratch until it leaves you in peace ... *shrugs* I love a good documentary - and I am fascinated by volcanoes (always have been), so I'd have very much enjoyed the ones you watched. Maybe I'll nip over to the Documentary channel and see if there's anything similar coming on ... I can't really say when the sequel to CoV will be, m'dear, only that it won't be in the immediate future - I'm juggling far too many other fics (in fact, I neglected most of them in my mad rush to get CoV done). But hopefully once I've got the bulk of them behind me ... maybe about Christmas time-ish? Thanks very much for R & R-ing, my wee bloom, and for nominating CoV for a MEFA in the first place. Hope it lived up to your expectations ;) Your cousin, Mo :o)

Author's reply

Hello Larner, it's so good to have Frodo back, isn't it! Good old Frodo - you can't keep a hobbit down for long ;) I'm really pleased you enjoyed CoV, m'dear. Thanks very much indeed for R & R-ing so often! M :)

Author's reply

Hello Andrea, yep, that's everything back on track now. Queue Eagles ... The Nazgûl wouldn't have been able to stop themselves following the Ring (I think) because they're tied to it (and because Sauron would've kicked their collective rumps if they hadn't - oh, wait a minute; no he wouldn't have, 'cos he would've been dead ...). Luckily, their last desperate gamble was pointless anyway, and only served to facilitate their deaths a little faster ... Go Sam!! And go Frodo for being back to (almost) normal!! I'm really glad you enjoyed this rollercoaster AU! Thanks very much for R & R-ing throughout, I appreciate that! M ;)

Author's reply

Hello cookiefleck, WOW! Really?? The Master himself envisioned that? Crikey, that's spooky! Mayhap I'm channelling his ghost or something ... *looks nervously around living-room, and is vastly relieved not a slash writer in case manic ghost turns poltergeist and thumps me with own computer Okay, so I'm not channelling the great man. As if he would waste his time on me when there're relatives to haunt. And politicians. You get the idea. But wow, I never knew that. I suppose it makes sense though - if Gollum was out of the picture and Frodo succumbed, Sam would have to step up to the mark - whether he liked it or not. Well, he would have unless Tolkien had decided to take the trilogy in a vastly different direction and let the bad guys win, which would have completely ruined the story ... *shudders* Thanks very much for R & R-ing (and for telling me that amazing bit of Tolien trivia), M ;)

Author's reply

Hello Larner, what a relief, eh? The worst seems to be over for our intrepid heroes - unless they somehow manage to chuck themselves over the precipice in their haste to get out the Sammath Naur, or stumble across a miraculously re-animated Gollum on Sauron's Road, who's out to kill them for destroying his Precious. Okay, that was bizzare and ridiculous, so I'll be quiet now. Maybe. Thanks for R & R-ing, M ;)

Author's reply

Hello Larner, you know, when I wrote that line I thought nothing of it. But then I uploaded it onsite and, as I was proofing one last time before the final post, thought 'why does it seem so familiar?'. Then it struck me. Movie-verse! Aarrgghh!! Still, I wrote it in blissful ignorance of that fact at the time and, movie-verse notwithstanding - it does kind of work for the gardener (in a Sam-ish sort of way), so I'll pretend it was original. *innocent whistle* But don't tell anyone else, okay? *big-eyed beg* Chucking the water at the Ringwraith was just a chance thing for Sam. He was actually trying to preserve the remnant liquid in the Starglass (though how he imagined he could do that without the stopper is anyone's guess), and if it had been stoppered at the time, he would have been scuppered. But it was handy (no pun intended) and he threw it on instinct. Seemed apt that if Eärendil's light could warp the Ring, that it's properties (particularly the Silmaril element) might be devastating to a Nazgûl. And you're right; they do make excellent demons! Thanks very much for R & R-ing, M ;)

Author's reply

Hello Raksha The Demon, whether Sam will stick to canon and get them both out in time, or deviate from it and stumble before the final hurdle (due to both hobbits' additional injuries) is anyone's guess. Well, not anyone's. I know exactly what happens ... Hope those nerves aren't bothering you too much. If they are, then take some comfort that the fic's over now! Thanks for R & R-ing, m'dear M ;)

Author's reply

Hello Raksha The Demon, ROFL! Loved the Wizard of Oz quote. I laughed out loud when I read that. So, so funny :o) Glad to have relieved you of the suspense m'dear - but even gladder I managed to put you in that state in the first place. *beams* Bad me!! I should be ashamed of myself. But I'm not. Thanks for R & R-ing, M ;)

Author's reply

Hello Andrea, three whole chapters ... don't you love it when you get more than you expect? *beams* Sam did not expect Frodo to lose his finger - he'll be devastated (especially after pronising that he'd never maim his master in such a way). Of course, it wasn't his fault, but *shrugs* try telling him that! I think Sauron actually was able to communicate with the Nazgûl telepathically, because they accepted the Nine Rings of Men from him before (?) he made the One Ring. They fell to his command shortly after, becoming the Ringwraiths. And although Sauron later lost the Ring to Isildur, the wraiths survived because the Ring did; so Sauron, even in sprit form (or whatever form that is), was still able to command them through thought alone. Or something like that ... Sam's really missing the Shire, poor soul. A natural enough path for his thoughts to take given he can barely believe where he is, and barely believe everything that's happening to him and Frodo in that moment. In such moments of duress, people's thought usually tend to turn to the comfort of their homes/families, and they lament what they've left behind them. Poor wee Sammy! But whether he and Mr Frodo will ever escape to enjoy that cup of tea, or bit of mulching, is anyone's guess! Don't worry though, I'm in the middle of writing that chapter just now, and it'll be up soon ... Thanks for R & R-ing, m'dear, M ;)

Author's reply

Hello again! So you found the next chapter all right? Good! You'll know that Sam has chucked the Ring into the fiery chasm which birthed it those long Ages of Men ago. What a wee star, eh? But poor Frodo! He was robbed of his finger when the Light of Eärendil - which is part-Silmaril - reacted against the filth that was the Ring. I imagined it would burn the Ring (as it has been known to do to any work or being of impurity or evil intent) with a fury so cold, that it might warp the very fibre of it, constricting it, trying almost to choke it. Unfortunately, it constricted the Ring so much that it bored through flesh and bone, thus the loss of Frodo's finger. Hope that's cleared that up! As for the voice, well that was Sam. If you recall, he heard Frodo (well R-F) screaming "No!". Sam recognised his master's voice - knew that he, as well as the Ring, was reacting to the Water of Light Sam had poured on his hand, and he didn't want any more harm to befall his master. So Sam (not Gandalf - sorry) yelled at him to take the Ring off. Alas, but the damage had already been done ... *sniffle* Okay, I won't apologise for the word count *grin*. I had just hoped to make this a mixture of varying drabbles. Alas, but it seems the theme of the story will not allow me to capture it in so few words. Still, at least you're enjoying it! I'm working on the next chapter right now, so it'll be up in an hour or two (cats permitting, Sam and Rosie keep clambering over my keyboard, sofa, feet and - in Sam's case - chewing at my wrist ...). Thanks for R & R-ing, m'dear Tooky bloom! M ;)

Author's reply

Hello berry, he is resourceful, isn't he? I don't even know if he's thinking about what he's doing half the time - he's just reacting instinctively. Thank goodness his instincts are so good ... This theme for this fic has grabbed me so much, that I just can't stop writing it. It's consumed my entire weekend, and then some! Hence the quick updated ;) Hope you enjoy the next chapter, m'dear, Cousin M xx

Author's reply

Hello Larner, it would be great if Frodo defied canon and managed to do what he couldn't do in the book: destroy the Ring. It's something I have given serious consideration ... Sam's in a spot of bother too, now (just for a change). But will he manage to escape, or will he all his valiant efforts see him becoming nothing more than a tasty treat for a vugly beast? Haha! The 'just for a change' remark was me poking a little fun at myself. Most of these chapters seem to have turned into 450 words in length, despite my best intentions to pen drabbles or multi (or fractional) drabbles ranging between 200-450 words. What can I say? It seems that the day I master a true drabble is the day Haldir proposes ... Thanks for R & R-ing, M ;)

Author's reply

Hello Larner, yep. That finger was coming off one way or another, I'm afraid. I had envisioned that the Light of Eärendil mixed with Galadriel's water would burn the Ring with a deadly cold heat, corrupting it and making it constrict until ... well you get the idea. Bye bye finger. The fact that the Light in the Phial is part Silmaril seemed to support this, but I may or may not have stretched that a bit (or not stretched it enough - who knows?). Sauron is not a happy bunny, it's safe to say. His 'telepathic' connection (or whatever it is) with the Nazgûl means he knows that Sam is the one who 'washed' his filthy gem, thus wounding it, and if he ever gets his hands on that hobbit ... oh, boy. That would be less than pretty ... I'm pleased that Sam manages to keep surprising you! He's a wee gem of a character, just soldiering on, doing the best he can to save his Mr Frodo, and pulling one shocker out of his bag of tricks after another. They're all pretty desperate measures to him, and he's just reacting instinctively with whatever's available, but heavens! Isn't he resourceful?! Thanks very much for R & R-ing, m'dear, M ;)

Author's reply

Hello UTfrog, gosh, the ides for this fic are flowing so thick and fast, that it's as much as I can do to write them down before another one hits me. Poor Sam and Frodo - I'm really putting them through the mill ... But I do love a good 'what if?', and the effect that a possible absence of Gollum in the Sammath Naur during that critical phase of the Quest intrigued me. It's also forcing Sam to be creative - though for him, it's more like just using his simple hobbit sense (of which he has plenty). I'm so glad you're enjoying this AU, and thanks for R & R-ing, M ;)

Author's reply

Hello cookiefleck, I wouldn't be comfortable either, if Sauron was shouting my name ... *shudders* The Light of Eärendil in the Phial is part-Silmaril, I think, so that's why it has the effect on the Ring that it does (and, by default, the Nazgûl, as they are tied to the Ring). Plus the water in which it's captured is from Galadriel's Mirror, so it's actually packing quite a powerful punch. Almost makes you feel sorry for the Ring, eh? Okay, maybe not ... And you're right: I am having so much fun with this story. In fact, I've been bitten by a mad writing frenzy and just can't get the chapters out fast enough in case I lose all my ideas! BtW, I don't think I ever thanked you properly for that lovely list of links you sent me, which was disgracefully remiss on my part. Apologies! I had a brilliant evening after work reading them. They really made my day! So thank you very much for that! And thanks also for R & R-ing, m'dear, M ;)

Author's reply

Hello bloom, so you knew it, eh? I'm not surprised. For all your tomfoolery (and love of pub brawls), you Tooks are a clever lot! But yes, the One Ring has been baptised by the light and is no doubt burning with the cold fury of Eärendil as we speak ... Ouch! Thanks for R & R-ing, m'dear & hope you enjoy Chapter 13, Cousin M ;)

Author's reply

Hello Larner! Thanks for letting me pinch your word, and for being so nice about it, too! The Ring is just arrogant enough to assume any hurt to its person (can I say that about an inanimate object? Might work, 'cos it's sentient, I suppose ...) is a defilement - a bit of cheek on its behalf, considering the amount of destruction it's caused during its existence! And yep! It is about time that the Nazgûl got a taste of their own medicine! Hah! Fear the Star-glass! Fear the hobbits! *sniggers* Next chapter's coming right up, m'dear. Thanks very much for R & R-ing this one, M ;)

Author's reply

Hello Andrea, yep, it really worked. And I imagine Frodo is in awful pain - but if it frees him from the One Ring, he may not complain too much. Hmm. I don't really know if Sam could have killed his master. On the other hand (no pun intended), he knows how long and hard Frodo has fought the influence of the Ring, and ho remembers how disgusted Frodo was with himself when he snapped at Sam back in the Tower of Cirith Ungol while under the Ring's influence. He also believes that neither of them will make it out of Mordor alive - something even Frodo admitted to on the plains of Gorgoroth. Left with no other choice, he might very well choose his and Frodo's deaths by his own hand, rather than let the Black Riders finish them off - because death by Nazgul would see the One Ring delivered back to their master and result in the fall of Middle Earth. Still, that's only a theory ;) I'm just about to post the next chapter, so I hope you enjoy that too! Thanks for R & R-ing, M ;)

Author's reply

Hello Larner, wow! I never thought of the desperate deed in those terms before: the Valar versus the One Ring through the mediums of the water of light and metal. Brilliant. You are so poetic, m'dear! Glad you liked the twist. That's our Sam - always thinking on his toes (or his knees, in this case). Thanks very much for R & R-ing, M ;)

Author's reply

Hello Andrea, Sam's use of the Phial caught me off guard at first, too. And now we'll have to wait and see if it will help him to get the Ring before the Nazgûl do, and thus save Frodo, or if the Light of Eärendil will do nothing more than make the Ring all nice and shiny-like ... *snorts* Thanks for R & R-ing, m'dear - I'm so glad you're enjoying the fic! M ;)

Author's reply

Hello, cousin dear! Oh, I'm SO excited that Sam's clever use of the Star-glass is going down so well! He's a flaming genius, methinks (though he'd never admit to it, bless him). But what will happen to the Ring now? Does Sam even actually know? If he does, I wish he'd tell me, or I'll never get the next chapter up (no matter how quickly you want it). *chortle* Thanks for all the supportive feedback on CoV, and for your MEFA wishes! I'm so pleased you like it so much :o) I'll see if I can get another chapter up today (but I'll need to shuffle off and write it first ...). Thanks for R & R-ing, Tooky Bloom/Slugger, M ;)

Author's reply

Hello again, m'dear Larner! very good question. What could the seemingly powerless Phial do in the heart of darkness? Well, Sam knows what he hopes it will do, and I know 'cos he told me; so if you want to find out, the next chapter is now up and may give you some answers :) I'll give you a hint, though - he's no, Sam! Geroff me! Mmf mmf mmf - fine! I won't tell her. Happy now? Crikey! Mad hobbit! ... Thanks for R & R-ing, M ;)