The Good Earth

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Fanfiction
Title: The Good Earth (individual works are "Gardening", "A Growing Family", and "The Bad Season")
Author(s): The Feels Whale (miscellea)
Date(s): February 13, 2013 - March 4, 2013
Length: ~28,000 words
Genre(s): Canon Divergence AU (The Hobbit), Everyone Lives (The Hobbit), Kidfic, Misunderstandings
Fandom(s): The Hobbit (film series)
Relationship(s):
External Links: http://archiveofourown.org/series/38858

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The Good Earth is a three-fic series written early in the The Hobbit fandom by The Feels Whale (miscellea), focused on the pairing of Bagginshield.

The stories are "Gardening", "A Growing Family", and "The Bad Season."

The trilogy inspired many of the tropes that became standard in Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield works later in the fandom.

Many commenters express their love for the original child characters Grim and Bobbin, as well as for the relationships between the members of the Durin family. Some enjoy these origin stories and the unique Cabbage Patch Hobbits device, and are glad to avoid the trope, mpreg.

Many fans love the worldbuilding, the fluffiness of the stories, how the children take after their parents, and were pleased with the desired-gender reversal of Dwarves' traditionally praying for daughters.

ferretbaby said:

It works perfectly into the whole Tolkien mythos that I can actually see hobbits coming from a garden (also, I can't find their creation myth so its always possible they were never necessarily created by Eru, so they could have 'literally' been born from the earth). [1]

MrsPeel commented

Ohhhh. This story is the first Bilbo/Thorin that really makes sense to me. And it also has a delightful premise. How to do mpreg without doing, you know, mpreg. Beautifully written too. Best 'birth' scene ever. [2]

Origin of the Trope - "Cabbage Patch Hobbits"

The first work, "Gardening," is set Post-Quest for Erebor, when Bilbo returns home. This story is the first instance of Cabbage Patch Hobbits,[3] a trope that has since been featured several times in works involving Bilbo Baggins. It also indirectly inspired the Born from Stone trope.[4]

Story Summaries

"Gardening" -- As of 2024, "Gardening" had 274,508 hits, 12,961 kudos, and 3,160 bookmarks. The author's summary:

Bilbo Baggins arrived home late one afternoon in the middle of the week and the entire west Farthing is still talking about it.

Poor Mister Baggins. He was doomed to be a nine-days wonder no matter what and is it any wonder after a year-long adventure? Even the Tooks haven’t the influence to hush that up, but Mad Baggins seems to have managed to silence every tongue in the Shire on that subject which would be awe-inspiring ...if not for the way he decided to go about it.

OR: That one where Middle Earth seems to be unclear about where baby Hobbits come from.[5]

"A Growing Family" -- As of 2024, the second story in the series, "A Growing Family", had 121,908 hits, 8,044 kudos, and 596 bookmarks. The author's summary:

There’s a terrace garden in Erebor that once served foreign dignitaries suffering from too many hours spent indoors. It’s a bit off the beaten path and few dwarves –save the old gardeners responsible for its care- knew of it before Smaug arrived.

It’s late winter, well into Solmath by the Shire Reckoning, when Thorin Oakenshield shows his consort out onto the windswept landing.

“It needs some work.” Thorin says with one arm around Bilbo’s shoulders. “However, my masons assure me that the terrace is structurally sound and that the garden beds can even be deepened if need be.”

“Maybe.” Bilbo says and hunkers down next to the central bed, which is currently home to a dead willow tree and a thick carpet of dried-out weeds that have choked out whatever once grew there. “…but I doubt that will be necessary. This willow had enough room to thrive until the pipes broke and the water stopped. I think we may need to put in some tall hedges as a wind-break.” He turns to the gate that he and Thorin entered through. “Boys, come tell me what you think of this bed as a nursery for your future siblings.”

Or: It's inevitable that Thorin would want another one.

"The Bad Season" -- As of 2024, the third story, "The Bad Season", had 85,135, hits, 4,658 kudos, and 353 bookmarks. The author's summary:

The first sign of trouble arrives in the innocuous form of Thorin’s daughter, Bella, when she sneaks into his office and starts going through the wardrobes.

Thorin ignores her at first. He is busy and she’s not causing a disturbance. If Bella wants his attention then she will march up to his knee and demand it. He has never had to worry about his little girl suffering in silence. She will always let him know what she wants from him, which she does once she’s inspected all his cabinets and closets to her satisfaction.

“Father, where’s Papa?” She looks under his desk, as though Bilbo might be hiding there.

Or: the Ring was always going to be a problem.

Fannish Elements and Tropes

"The Good Earth" spawned at least two tropes, and may have encouraged the Returned to Stone/Mountainsleep concept. It was a forerunner of the miscommunication trope, which became a staple of Bilbo/Thorin post-quest happy ending works in the first year or so of the fandom, especially works that also incorporated Bilbo Returns to Erebor.

  • Cabbage Patch Hobbits
  • Kidfic - Specifically faunts (Hobbit children). This series doesn't go as far as some later ones would in treating hobbit children as an irresistible force of cuteness, but it does make gestures in that direction.
  • Dwarven Culture (Tolkien) - A number of dwarven traditions, small and large, are incorporated into the work. Some of them help cause the miscommunications that drive the story's plot.
  • Miscommunication - Not only do Bilbo and Thorin fail to sort out their relationship during the quest, but they also fail to understand the aftermath of the quest and each misinterpret the events after the battle. There is also the little matter of Hobbits and other races not agreeing on where babies come from.
  • Everyone Lives (The Hobbit) - A classic early example of the trope.
  • Bilbo Returns to Erebor - Instead of Bilbo remaining in Erebor, "Gardening" provided a realistic purpose for him returning home to the Shire, then traveling back east again. Many other works in 2013 also used the returning trope instead of having Bilbo simply remain in Erebor after the battle.
  • Original Characters - Bilbo's sons are OCs (sort of), and they're major players in the story.

Gardening: Fan Comments

[penscritch]: I DON'T UNDERSTAND. Are they cabbage-patch kids or something?!? *wails and clutches head* But other than my common-sense dying miserably in a ditch somewhere, this is wonderfully cracky! Hahah, kids grown in a garden by hand! I also loved that bit about Bilbo and his "pig-sticker" on guard against obnoxious ill-wishers. Maybe they grew up in bad soil, for all I know. Ohh, and his darling little dwobbit boys are so cute too -- that bloodline runs so true since they're already on the way to taking over Hobbiton. Maybe Papa Thorin (who is thankfully alive) can give them some strategic pointers. Really looking forward to seeing how this develops! [6]

[elevenarchress]: this is the most adorable mpreg (is it still mpreg if technically a male isn't pregnant/carrying the child/ren? or is the vine an extension of the hobbit?) I have ever read. I eagerly await the next chapter and everybody's reactions XD

dwarves are of rock and mountains and hobbits are of the land/soil... I love how in this case, it's literal rather than symbolic XP

...and the weird part of me wants to ask, since they plant the kids, what's the point of male and female hobbits? for fun and variety? [7]

[Sulpherdioxide]: Hee, interesting concept! Kinda reminds me of twelve kingdoms anime where the babies are grown from trees. I like how Bilbo mix the stones with the soil to sow dwobbits. It seems logical :D ...and of course Bobbin had to born with a scowl on his face XD He really takes after Thorin, isn't he? [8]

[Beyl]: Ok, so I avoided reading this when I first saw it after reading the description and I had mixed feelings about it when I first started it but while I`'ve never read anything quite like it I can honestly say that you are an absolute genius! This is amazing and I can't wait to read whatever else you come up with.[9]

[Kandai]: Never saw a MPreg-story so carefully written and well-exploited, seriously. All the rituals (simple but solemn), all the explanation, this matches everything I know about Hobbits and it sorts of make... sense? As much as MPreg make sense. Great start, I'm off to read the rest.[10]

[GatorCorn]: I have been looking for this fic for months, and that should tell you how much I love this. I have never slammed the bookmark button so hard. [11]

[humblereflection]: Ok, ok, this is it. This is my jam. The jam that makes me love life. Yes mam, this here is it, my jam.[12]

[Yukinechan]: I arrived here BECAUSE of the fan art...thank the gods of fanfiction!!!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 [13]

[Arda_Luthien]: By Mahal's beard, this flows like a fairytale. The feel of it akin to yellowing book pages that is worn and loved and cared for through many decades of reading.[14]

[Pteynox]: This was my first story in this fandom, I just rewatched the movies and thought I should take a peek at AO3 and I am so glad I did. This story is amazing and perfect, exactly what I was looking for. Cuddly, happy, cozy with a teeny tiny bit of angst. This brought me so much joy, I was giggling and gasping the entire time. Thank you!![15]

[voxnoxsox]: This is still one of my absolute fave fics in this fandom, I love coming back to it! The whole description of Bilbo's gardening is a delight, as are all his conversations with increasingly baffled humans, elves, dwarves... And all the interactions between him and Thorin are so well done and so satisfying ❤ [16]

[wearethewitches]: happy belated tenth birthday to this fic, it has inspired SO much fanon and it deserves all the recognition xxx[17]

A Growing Family: Fan Comments

[AlecMcDowell]: Oh, this was adorable. I loved the boy's contributions and Thorin's quiet worry over ever last detail... and Belladone seems to be a queen already. Thorin might be thinking he has his god's blessing now but in a couple of decades I foresee him thinking the exact opposite!

Why is it that I can see everybody conspiring to stack the deck and ensure that any future children these two have will also be girls?

I'm pretending that you decided that hobbits and dwarves have the same lifespans and all the kids will live to be 250 and so will Bilbo and Thorin together; riding off on some big adventure one final time. [18]

[Dana]: Yay for another story. I love this series! Wouldn't mind another one... ;)[19]

[RemyBlue]: You wrote more! You wrote more! You wrote more!  : D

You have no idea how happy this made me! A squeal of joy may have escaped my mouth when I found it this morning. I love this verse you've created, and the characters you've made for it. I have no words!

I'm so happy it's a girl! I love stories with Thorin and Bilbo having a family, but more often than not it's a boy or Frodo. Not that there's anything wrong with that! But it's a lovely change of pace.

So in short, THIS WAS AWESOME. IT MADE MY DAY. AND I WANT MORE BECAUSE I AM A GREEDY GREEDY PERSON. Keep up the fantastic work! I love all of your stuff![20]

[mremre]: I really enjoyed this, plus the desired-gender reversal, that Dwarfs traditionally pray for daughters. Your world-building is just amazing, and I love every word. Seriously, I can only imagine droves of child-hungry Dwarf bachelors accidentally on purpose stopping at the Shire...[21]

[katajainen]: After all these years and rereads, this is still the sweetest 💕[22]

The Bad Season: Fan Comments

[amusewithaview]: I have to admit, I was tense reading this whole thing. WHEW! Glad that that was dealt with, but there are still a lot of things that need to happen to bring this story into canon-territory. Aragorn, Saruman, Moria...all of these things are still plotty.

Of course, if you want to skew back into adorable fluff territory with more DWOBBITS! Nobody will object!

(Also, LOVED that we got to see the Durin side of little Bobbin.) [23]

[Remyblue]: WHAT.

A NEW PART OF THE GOOD EARTH ALREADY!?

...

I'm so happy. This was fantastic by the way. I know you must feel like you breezed through a lot of stuff but really, WHO CARES. Shit got done! Bilbo is such a practical sort isn't he? Though you tore my heart into pieces with Thorin, family, and company worrying over Bilbo and his disappearance. My heart! And guh, Thorin noticing Bilbo's aging already. Why. Why must it hurt so much... lol. [24]

[Nilladriel]: ... As relieving as it must be for the One Ring to be destroyed, I'm suddenly worried over how much time Bilbo has left with Thorin. And his children. I remember being really struck by how aged he was in the movies, and I kept remembering that at this bit:

Bilbo looks different now. There is white and silver in his hair where it was once a rich gold. Lines have been carved in the corners of his eyes and bracketing his mouth. Perhaps it’s only Thorin’s imagination, but they grow deeper with every passing day.

That bit of rambling aside - loved this installment, as always. The kids are adorable, and I really, really feel for Frodo. And Thorin walking in to find Dís organizing a search party... that was like a physical punch. Holy shit!

(Um, by the way, I notice you're punctuating your dialogue wrongly and I wonder if you'd mind me telling you exactly how...? Your writing's good enough that it doesn't bother me much but it is jarring at times.)[25]

[cute_ish]: imagine my surprise when one of my fave svsss fic writers ended up writing one of my fave bagginshield fics from long ago!!! thank you for the fic ily (engaging in parasocial relationships) [26]

Inspired Fanworks

Fanart

Podfic

Fanfiction

References

  1. ^ ferretbaby on Chapter 7, posted February 25, 2013, accessed August 10, 2015.
  2. ^ Bookmark by MrsPeel, posted February 15, 2013, accessed August 10, 2015.
  3. ^ "I reread the Gardening Verse by The Feels Whale (Miscellea) a few days ago and I simply had to write this." - Introductory notes to Flowers of Yavanna by SOABA. Posted August 11, 2014. Accessed August 10, 2015.
  4. ^ "Also, this fic was totally inspired by The Feels Whale's fic, Gardening." Felek, introductory notes, by sunryder. Posted October 17, 2013.
  5. ^ Gardening by The Feels Whale, posted February 13, 2013. Accessed August 10, 2015.
  6. ^ comment at AO3 (February 2013)
  7. ^ comment at AO3 (February 2013)
  8. ^ comment at AO3 (February 2013)
  9. ^ comment at AO3 (February 2013)
  10. ^ comment at AO3 (March 2013)
  11. ^ comment at AO3 (March 2019)
  12. ^ from humblereflection.tumblr (2016)
  13. ^ comment at AO3 (April 2010)
  14. ^ comment at AO3 (December 2010)
  15. ^ comment at AO3 (August 2020)
  16. ^ comment at AO3 (September 2022)
  17. ^ comment at AO3 (April 2023)
  18. ^ comment at AO3 (March 2013)
  19. ^ comment at AO3 (March 2013)
  20. ^ comment at AO3 (March 2013)
  21. ^ comment at AO3 (March 2013)
  22. ^ comment at AO3 (May 2023)
  23. ^ comment at AO3 (March 2013)
  24. ^ comment at AO3 (March 2013)
  25. ^ comment at AO3 (March 2013)
  26. ^ comment at AO3 (August 2022)
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