I am enchanted, beautiful writing and a moving end to the story. Hail to the author(s)

I have long lurked on this site without creating an account, but I felt compelled to do such after nine-some-odd years in order to review this work. I am reading it almost exactly two decades after its writing, down to a few days. Still, it manages to be a transient text that alludes the passage of time. The language was potent I often felt as if the world had begun to glow with a luminance I lost after years of depression and uninspired dreams. It reignited some sort of spark in me. The prose was constructed beautifully, the characters were written from the pen of Tolkien, and every aspect of the plot delighted me. I wish that I could thank this author for creating this timeless and transformative work. There is so much raw emotion here, something I find lacking in the modern age. Authors write for self-interest or trend, but this was written to create something beautiful. It is 1:38 AM, I am a 16-year-old sitting in a bedroom illuminated by a string of orange-ish lights, it is pouring rain outside. And yet, somehow I have become so enthralled I both feel as though I am in Middle Earth alongside the story, or back in 2002-2003, experiencing this story as some young person who had never seen such a thing. This isn’t what I expect of such old slash. It is written with a very current queer lense and a complete lack of fetishization. To put it mildly, this is perfection. I hope anyone reading this can feel similarly, and know that there are others who searched tumblr for fic recs, only to unearth a masterpiece.

Hi there! I know you wrote this a long time ago but I recently got into lotr and obviously fell in love with Frodo and Sam. I found your fic on a rec list and I've spent the last days reading it. I don't know if you will read this but I wanted to say thank you. Your writing is so, so beautiful and I've enjoyed every single line of every chapter. I know I'll read this again many times and it'll always be very special to me. Thank you for the time it took to write it and for posting it. As you see, it keeps amazing people even if many years have passed. I hope you are happy, wherever you are, and that you're proud of this jewel you once wrote 3 Thank you very much

Hi, I just wanted to say I discovered your fanfic 20 years ago when you first wrote it, when I was a wee girl of 17, and it totally blew me away then and it continues to do so now. I never reviewed at the time because I was too shy to talk to such a talented writer. 3 This story is just ***wonderful*** and contains so much love and passion. It's like fire and oxygen. The imagery is haunting. The moments between Frodo and Sam are unforgettable and so REAL. You really looked deeply into their love and stayed true to who they are.

These days, as you probably know, there is real, serious discourse on the nature of Frodo and Sam's relationship- 20 years ago "shipping" wasn't taken seriously, even a pair like F&S where there was real textual evidence. Now it's amazing that these things are being considered so deeply and openly. But it was stories like yours that paved the way for that discourse. And beyond that, many writers, in exploring what F&S mean to them, will unconsciously graft an identity or a modern outlook onto the pair, which can be great for queer exploration and is a dialog all of its own, but they can end up turning F&S into different characters. Your story did none of that. You explored with honesty and integrity who they are, and what brings them together, what keeps them apart, and what brings them together again, and on and on.

And perhaps the best part, you really stayed true to Tolkien's philosophy and tone, of having characters who are doing their best, being their best. Tolkien cared deeply about motive, and believed that the underlying motives are what can save or redeem a character, even when their actions go wrong. For instance, Boromir made a big mistake, but his original underlying motive in joining the Fellowship in the first place was to protect his brother Faramir by going in his place, and this disinterested love for his brother is part of why he is redeemed (that and his attempts to atone, etc. I'm sure you already know all this, Ms. Heidi Gamgee, I'm just throwing it out there for other readers too:) ) You do an amazing job establishing Frodo and Sam's pure motives towards each other, their love and concern for each other's highest good always first in their minds, and you do a great job showing how sexual desire can come out of a simple desire to just be closer and closer to the beloved- something a lot of people forget, unfortunately. Sex is about union, not just lust.

And your writing! OMG you are so good! You capture such incredible, powerful moments. Your imagery was so natural and grounded ("They shared in the stillness of thoughts like a cornfield with the crows rushed away." "His eyes were like the last patches of blue sky far on the horizon of the destruction of the world.") You really brought the world and the people alive. Of course my compliments to your Rosie, so multi-dimensional! Merry and Pippin are unforgetable, I love their scenes and their involvement and care.

I wish that I was brave enough to reach out to you twenty years ago. I did end up writing a review like ten years ago, but I couldn't really get to the depth of my feelings about this story. I really hope you know what kind of talent you have. To use your own words, "Your sweet devotion has ignited in me a flame that will never burn dark." I stepped away from LOTR and the fandom maybe 18 years ago, because I was living through my own personal journey to Mordor. I lost nine loved ones in one year and was even homeless for a while. Even before all that, my heart ached too deeply for Frodo, sensing, I think, that I would share his destiny. And I did- I went west, and left everything I knew behind to build a new life. Now, twenty years later, I've lived a lot, experienced many more endings, a few beginnings, and have come back ready to look at these incredible books with a new eye. And the stories still hold so true and so does yours. You showed true love and true devotion to these characters and made me feel that I wasn't alone in my feelings. It was incredibly validating for me as a 17 year old to read your story. Actually, I wonder if you were around that age too, writing it! If so, what talent!

So yes. I just want you to know that your writing ignited a flame in me, too, and I will be forever grateful to you, wherever you are, whoever you are, whatever you might be doing these days. I hope you're well, I hope so many things for you. You've influenced me a great deal as a writer, and I've started writing my own fanfic and when I publish it on here, I am dedicating it to you. If anyone at all is moved by my story, I'll be glad and grateful, but I'll also point the way back toward you. Your story needs to be read, "like open fields need to be run through." Thank you, thank you, thank you again- I cannot thank you enough. Blessings to you- thank you for the love you have in your heart, that you put into words.

Yours,
Laurie

Beautiful story. The last chapter had me weeping for mixed joy and sorrow that Sam and Frodo were at last united and able to go into the undying lands together. It hit home for me because the person I love most, my mom, is no longer with me in the living world and my heart aches with her absence. Though it was not a romantic bond, my mother was my soulmate and best friend- I was closer to her than to anyone else in the world and my heart will never be fully whole again in her absence.

Anyway..back to the story: the slow burn and desire of Frodo and Sam’s growing love for each other is absolutely beautiful. And your Rosie is one of my favorite characters. I’m writing a Frodo and Sam love story myself and finding it difficult to figure out what to do with Rosie, but your story gave me some inspiration so thank you for that. The scene between Frodo and Elrond in this last chapter is also one of my favorites because it is so poignant.

Thank you for this beautiful masterpiece of a story. I will most definitely come back to it.

I'm so terribly late to this that I'm not sure anyone will read this, but what a beautiful ending for Frodo and Sam! Exactly what my heart wants for them.

What a beautiful first chapter!

This was so amazing! This is the best fanfic I’ve ever read. Again your writing is so beautiful. Honestly if they hadn’t ended up together I’d have had a big cry. This can’t have had a more perfect ending.

This is amazing! I haven’t read the books in a while but from what I remember you really capture the style of writing and characters amazingly. Your descriptions are beautiful. I find myself squealing in enjoyment or annoyance along with the story, and if I didn’t completely ship them before I do now.

I like this beginning. I look forward to reading the rest.

Omg omg omg I love this story very much (((o(*ﾟﾟ*)o))) really touch my heart.

Amazing! With most slashes, characters are molded to fit the specific slash, yet with this story, the chracters were both dynamic and true to their original form. I felt that the story was incredibly believable as an extension beyond the destruction of the one Ring, and the pace was actually slow enough to where it did not feel unrealistically rushed (with a lot of slashes, that's how it is). The element of Rosie was perfect, because, as you said, she added the obstacle between Sam and Frodo (making the inner turmoil of the characters real and dramatic). There were enough events to sustain the story, making it interesting, and lots of well written and scripted charcters already familiar to the LotR setting. Also, the reason behind the Sam/Frodo slash was, if not entirely original,

I'm crying! This was a perfect end to a perfect story.

thank you so much for this beautiful story! No, I cannot even express with words how truly beautiful this was, the last chapter had me in tears ( and I'm not someone to cry easily when it comes to movies or books). I read all of the previous chapters, waiting for something, well, a little smutty to happen so when nothing had come by the last chapter I thought this story was going to be a bit of a disappointment after all ( Don't get me wrong - I devoured every chapter with delight, astonished time and time again by your artful way of painting pictures with words alone. You're truly gifted! ) But then, by the middle of the last chapter when Sam and Frodo finally kissed for the first time; I can't even tell why I was so moved. I just wanna thank you. After finishing it I must've sat still for at least ten minutes, just smiling to myself... so thank you. You really enlightened my day ( as cheesy as that may sound)

Oh my gosh, this was soooooo pretty and ended so well, I was worried there for a while. Your characterizations were great and I loved your writing style; it sounded quite like that of the book's. Thanks for the beautiful story even though I find myself all worked up over it...