Reviews (39)

Author's reply

The only name I can think of that might be more shocking than (mad) Baggins would be Sackville-Baggins! (And that name also has "Baggins" as a component, come to think of it.) I'm also glad that Agate can point to Tolly as one of her successful cases, where he was able to keep both parts of himself and integrate them into a healthy, whole person. Thanks so much for reading and for taking the time to share your thoughts! I do appreciate it.

Author's reply

Funny you should mention people inventing things. Virtuella's current story has a running theme of Pippin piping up with all sorts of innovative ideas... Food-related idioms seem to slip quite naturally (as you noted) into hobbity talk. But they do sometimes use other word-pictures. For example, various aspects of Tooks (their tongues, their talk, their wit, their tempers) are often compared to the sharp tips of arrows in my Shire. LOL, Regi has a carefully cultivated reputation for being a no-nonsense fellow to maintain! Thanks so much for reading and for your heartening reviews.

Author's reply

Nicely stated! I think his gambler's heart gave him the courage to take the risk that he took for the love of his family, as a matter of fact. Thanks!

Author's reply

I have this mental image of Regi allowing himself something like three none-of-your-nonsenses per day... and Pippin has caught on to the fact! At this point on the timeline, he (unfortunately) takes out some of his frustrations on the people around him, like the way he baits Regi in this chapter. But Regi also knows that when he puts his foot down, Pippin will pay attention, so that helps. I am enjoying your reviews and seeing what jumped out at you when you read a particular chapter! They help me to see the story from a different perspective. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Author's reply

Oh man, I know. I could use a Rusty or a Sandy (or a Samwise!) myself, for sure. The next best thing I can think of is to allow some of my favourite hobbits to benefit from their love and loyalty and dedication. Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts!

Author's reply

The old hobbit never gave up hope that his wandering son would return. Of course, Gorbyl's longing for Wallas made him all too susceptible to seeing Tolly as Wallas due to the physical resemblance between the two and the fact that Tolly didn't know who he was or where he'd come from. Coincidences helped, such as Tolly and Wallas both disliking tea, and the fact that both of them fletched their arrows with blue feathers. Other factors: Gorbyl has lived a relatively isolated life. He's never been more than a mile or two from the edge of Bindbole Wood. He doesn't even know what a Took looks like, as he tells the Shirriff. Hawfinch also told him that the Southerner was lost in the bog or in the southern part of the Wood, five miles or more from Gorbyl's home. The hobbit in the bramble patch was in no condition to travel five miles – or so it appeared. Though, of course, an injured Wallas, knowing he was so close to home, might be imagined dragging himself that far. He wants so badly to believe that Wallas has come home that he holds onto the idea as hard as he can and tries his best to dismiss his doubts as he begins to notice discrepancies. And by the time the situation has become obvious to him, he doesn't know what to do. There doesn't seem to be any way to achieve a happy outcome by that point. So hopefully that answers your question?

Author's reply

Bolham sounds like the Shire version of Robin Hood. There's actually a story behind that! At the time Bolham's raiders became a part of my Shire timeline in the early 2000s, the wee hobbits and I were reading aloud from Howard Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. We also watched Errol Flynn's Robin Hood movie and binged all the episodes of an old Robin Hood television series, probably the Richard Greene version, that we were able to find at the library in DVD format (I looked it up just now, and you can actually stream the series for free on several platforms right now!). I also watched some Great Course lectures about the origins behind certain stories including Robin Hood and King Arthur. About the time we were immersing ourselves in Robin Hoodish ideas, I noticed Bindbole Wood on a map of the Shire... So there's a connection, as you noticed. Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts!

Author's reply

That seems quite logical to me somehow... sort of along the lines of anyone who displays any kind of eccentricity is compared to "a mad Baggins". LOL! I'm glad to have you along for the ride, and thank you so much for pausing to share your thoughts!

Author's reply

You're very welcome! And let me thank you in turn for your steady stream of reviews, which were so encouraging. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I'm also glad to have explained that rather large plot hole satisfactorily at last. I hope you'll enjoy reading more about the hobbits who've captured my attention and refuse to let me go!

Author's reply

Yay! And Whew! It's such a relief to bring this one in for a landing. (The Epilogue is scheduled to post on Friday.) Thanks so much for coming along for the ride and pausing to share all your lovely comments. I really appreciate your encouragement.

Author's reply

Exactly, a houseless spirit of sorts, caught between worlds. He wasn't in the original outline but popped quite unexpectedly into the story somewhere during the process of converting the draft chapters to final form. And yet it made a weird kind of sense, forming a pair of bookends from this chapter and the earlier chapter where Pippin told Diamond that "dead is dead!" in no uncertain terms. So I suppose the Muse knew what she was doing all along, even though it came as a surprise to me during the process of finalizing the story. I'm so glad the reunion with Mardi works! You're right, one more big one to come in the next chapter, and after that, the Epilogue (still undergoing beta-reading, but it makes me smile all the same). And then another story will be complete! Thanks so much for reading and generously pausing to share your thoughts!

Author's reply

It is definitely hard work! I can only hope it is not hard work to read about it... Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts!

Author's reply

Geez, I hadn't even thought of that! (That's one reason why I love reviews.) You're right, he probably wouldn't be able to easily accept the idea of forgetting those he'd reconnected with (as well as those he hadn't) and leaving them all behind. Thankfully, we're almost to the happy (and the Epilogue might even be called joyous) ending. Whew.

Author's reply

I must confess, before I tackled this story, my only "medical" knowledge of amnesia came from movies and television. When I began searching out factual information and actual cases, I had a rude awakening! Therefore, the type of amnesia in this story is fictional, though it blends some elements from real life, such as the use of hypnotism in treating Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). I tried to make it sound realistic within the confines of Tolkien's creation while drawing from some of my own earlier stories in aiming for some sort of consistency. I'm glad to hear you say it makes sense. I'm glad you like Aggie. She's what the old folks would have called "the salt of the earth". (And so is Bolham.) Thanks for your lovely reviews this weekend! I find feedback so encouraging...

Author's reply

The last part of one of these stories is always the most fun to write, tying up the loose ends and knotting the threads. And Meadowsweet is what you might call "solid folk". Also, I'm glad to hear from you! I don't know about how things are by you (here's hoping you and yours are well), but my fanfic reading and writing has slowed to a trickle over the past couple of weeks from a combination of beautiful weather, sunny but not hot, and a lazy feeling. But now that a heat wave has hit, I'm hiding inside, and the laptop provides a wonderful diversion... All the chapters of this story are in final form, except for the epilogue (which I still need to discuss with my beta-reader before finalizing), and so I'm trying to figure out which WIP to tackle next. Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts.

Author's reply

In a very early draft, the children were already orphans on their own when they rescued Tolly, and in the first revision that added Gorbyl, he died, but that made me too sad to want to finish the story. In the last rewrite, the story actually worked much better with him surviving. (throws confetti and breathes a sigh of relief) It's a very solemn promise, indeed, and not one he could make lightly, as you pointed out. In other words, I'm very glad he did, too!

Author's reply

That seems to be the way life works so often. Going through trials is... well... no fun (massive understatement). And yet the process of going through trials is often necessary to be equipped to help someone else at some future time. Yay! (Adding my cheers to yours!) Thanks!

Author's reply

Good to hear from you! I often encounter the same phenomenon, where I'm constantly thinking about a character I've been reading about. Currently, MirkwoodMaiden's Éowyn is one, along with her Gilraen. PSW's Dirhael and young Aragorn are two more. Honestly, there's a long list, too many to name here. (And it's after midnight and I'm tired, into the bargain.) Thanks so much for reading and stopping to leave an encouraging word!

Author's reply

Oh, I know... She's so little and fierce, and I fear she's somewhat feral by the usual Shire standard, at least at this point in time. That said, I think Tolly makes an excellent da. Regarding Tolly "coming around": Because my investigation of amnesia while plotting this story revealed that a sudden recovery is pretty unlikely (except maybe in movies and television shows), I gave a lot of thought to the underlying causes together with the recovery process in Tolly's case. Hopefully the remainder of the story will come off as plausible even if it doesn't exactly have a parallel in the world of nonfiction, and even if it strays into somewhat unexpected territory before the resolution happens. At least I can say that there aren't many chapters left before the resolution!

Author's reply

I suspect you're right in your prediction. Things start moving and gathering speed from here on out. Thanks for reading and pausing to share your thoughts! You've made my day. :)

Author's reply

Since I started out by trying to figure out how Tolly's older children ended up older than his marriage, I should say it'll eventually all be for the best, for sure! And it's a good thing that things worked out the way they did, with his loved ones not mourning him. I can't help imagining that it would be an odd feeling to know your boat had already sailed down the river to the Sea... Thanks so much for your heartening comments. I really appreciate them.

Author's reply

After watching someone I know struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder, I think "winter sadness" works well as a hobbity name to describe the malady. (The connection between mood and light also lends itself to being adopted for literary purposes as an aftereffect of being exposed to the Black Breath. It's even strangely fitting in light of JRRT's insistence that Frodo's malady – the reason he had to sail West and could not remain in the Shire – was not physical but emotional/spiritual/psychological. I think it was in one of his letters that I read that, but I haven't been able to find it again. It made a big impression on me because I had just finished writing a long story that explained Frodo's decline and decision to sail in terms of a physical illness, and what I read in that letter of JRRT's implied to me that the story should more accurately be labeled "AU" even though I had made an effort to write as close to "canon" and the spirit of the original text as possible. Sigh.) You're right about "sometime soon"! I do believe that the story takes a sudden turn after the next chapter! (Just peeked and yes, that's right. Things are about to get interesting.) Thanks so much for coming along for the ride and pausing long enough to share your thoughts! I do appreciate it.

Author's reply

Oops, I almost missed seeing this review! Y'know, I think you're right about him having a better time where he was. And you're also right that the stars are going to have to align at some point, or all my Tookland stories set at a future point on the timeline (or alternatively this story) would have to be labelled "AU"! Thanks!

Author's reply

The irony is indeed strong with this one. Not to mention, sometimes I think Pippin himself is tempted to leave the Tookland and move in with his north-Tookish in-laws. Though he might joke about running away to Gondor, he knows Diamond would find the North-lands much more comfortable than the Southlands. (To explain the apparent inconsistency with hyphens: with a hyphen, the term is meant to refer to regions within the Shire, while without the hyphen, the term refers to greater Middle-earth as a whole. Nit-picky of me, I know, but it helps me keep track of the topic of conversation sometimes.) I was sorely tempted to title the chapter "so near and yet so far". Just a few chapters from now, things are going to get interesting... (and complicated. Whew. Here's hoping I managed to pull it off satisfactorily. It was difficult to get all the threads woven in just so, but after a few revisions, I think I got them all in place. Let me know if you notice anything hanging loose, if it's not too much trouble?) Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts! I appreciate your feedback.

Author's reply

Incredibly tangled, especially inside Tolly's head, but healing is happening too (and will continue). Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts! I appreciate hearing from you.