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anneangel · 1 year

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Our interpretation of fictional characters, plot and relationships (the famous Shipping) and the "haters" (either of the content as a whole, or just part of it, or of some Ship/canonical or not) is nothing more than a projection of our own ideas about situational occurrences (which we will relate our questions of opinion with the plot and situations presented) and interpersonal relationships (which we will use as a basis to understand or not the characters and their attitudes, as well as their bonds ).

And know that situational issues and interpersonal relationships are diverse, and can be Interprete in diverse forms, just as human beings are diverse.

Furthermore, all this (our opinions on the content) speaks of a projection of each of us as a fan, as much as it is nothing more than the manifestation of a fantasy, based on what each fan (each of us) has created as expectations about the content we consume.

This doesn't mean that we fans expect any of these things in real life (it's a fantasy. For example: you can be a fan of dragons, elves or fairies, which doesn't mean you expect them to exist, go look for them and go interact with one in real life. You can also Ship an "impossible" couple, or wish evil for some character. You know it's just an impalpable fantasy, so your feelings and expectations regarding the content have nothing to do with what you really want does in his concrete life - or at least that line should usually be fine marked).

In addition, the "canonical" content, be it script, situations, or the relationship that these characters have as well as what bond they sustain in the original content, is irrelevant, as fictional content will be interpreted SOLELY following projection patterns of the fan who consumes it and of your opinion about social situations and relationships, which may or may not be applied to the content are consuming.

Therefore, the projection is important to understand the different opinions that fans can have about the same work. For example: if I ask each fan to "list a favorite character, describe the character, his personality, his favorite scenes, and say why you like him so much" each one will list DIFFERENT things about the same character. You are not describing the character itself (as much as you think you are) you are just making a projection of what you believe that character to be, based on your own experience.

That's because our view of it is a PROJECTION of our mind about what we capture and interpret from the content. And that's why the same character can be "cool" for some and "horrible" for others, we are not talking about the character itself, but what we believe it to be based on our experiences and expectations.

Projection: our expectations and feelings that are diverted and attributed to something else, in this case, here it is diverted to characters, scripts, situations, relationships, ships, shows, books and their adaptations. That is, everyone in the world makes projections. It is the perception that fans has about the works (shows/contens), if it is a favorite or hateful, is nothing more than a personal projection. A personal opinion.

That's why the same fictional work can go through NUMEROUS interpretations. If the work is fictional and depends on the fan to understand and interpret it, and as people are diverse, the interpretation of that content will also be (As well as, the act of Shipping or being Haters also permeates through this same mental mechanism ).

Therefore, the opinion we have about a content/work goes through a our personal and completely scrutiny (even if the content is collective). So, pay attention to the fact that when you express an opinion, be it positive or negative, whether you are a fan or a hater (a shipper or not), you are not just talking about the content itself, but about your inclinations, fantasies , desires, expectations, preconceptions and prejudices about such themes.

1) In relation to inclinations, fantasies, desires and expectations in relation to said content, there is not so much problem, that is: when such a person/fan is open to understanding that his ideas are not absolute and when accepts the plurality of opinions, respecting others fans even if they think differently (just like each one of us expects to be respected) and as long as know how to separate your own "fantasy/fiction" from reality (by the way, the whole concept of "fanfiction" is based on that).

2) On the other hand, in relation to "haters" (whether of the content as a whole, or part of it, or some Adaptations or some Ship), I often see people/fans hiding their own prejudiced, sexist, racist, homophobic (and others) opinions behind the excuse of "defending" the "canonical content". No, dear, you are only expressing your real opinion, regardless of the referred content.

Everything is nothing more than that: a projection of our own ideas on top of the referred content/shows/books/Adaptations (so pay attention to which arguments support YOUR opinions).

#the hobbit #bilbo baggins #lord of the rings #lotr #rings of power #sherlock holmes #johnlock #les amis de l'abc #les amis #harry potter #marvel #dc comics #vikings series #fandom #shipping #tag the fandom you think should read this

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thinkingfandoms · 6 months

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An accurate list of the best movies I've ever seen

This list also includes reasons that are all too objective and nonsensical. Avoid asking too many questions. And share what you think in the comments!

Hercules

Hercules is probably my favourite Disney movie. And I also think that's where my interest in Greek mythology started. Hades is my favorite villain from this company and he's such a mood.

The Prince of Egypt

Oh dear you don't know how much I love this movie. I know every song by heart and was lucky enough to sing them with my choir. I'm a big fan of animation and despite how old is this movie, I think it remains one of the best ever produced. I cried more times over this movie than over all the others on this list combined.

Friends & Family

I only discovered this film this year but it quickly became one of my favorites. I have never laughed for so many consecutive minutes at a movie. I approached it because it's unusual to see a gay mob-themed movie, but I immediately fell in love with all the characters and the final scene remains one of the most comic I have ever seen.

Treasure Planet

I have a soft spot for animated films about great adventures and self-discovery. Jim has been my only animated crush for years, and his story has always resonated with something inside of me (maybe the desire for adventure and his recklessness, idk). Plus, of course, "'I'm Still Here" is one of the most beautiful soundtracks ever created.

Howl's Moving Castle

One of the first films I saw by Studio Ghibli and my absolute favourite. The love stories created by this Studio are always wonderful, and this one is no different. Plus I always saw myself in Sophie (especially about the crush on Howl) and, well, there's Calcifer, what more do you want?

Les Choristes

Another thing I love: movies about music. It may be that I've been playing an instrument for years and singing in choirs, but I've always cried watching kids rediscover a new side of themselves through music and songs. And these songs are composition's masterpieces. I still remember them all by heart even though French isn't my native language.

A Christmas Carol

I'm slightly obsessed with this story, with Charles Dickens and with Christmas. I was born on Christmas Eve so you can imagine how close this theme is to my heart. I have seen several versions of this story though, and for some reason, this one remains my favourite. It may be that it's different from other more colourful versions and really shows the darkness behind the original story, idk.

How to Train Your Dragon

I literally grew up with this saga: I was 8 years old at the first film, 12 at the second and 17 at the third. I watched Hiccup grow up with me as a friend and Toothless as a fellow adventurer. I'll forever be grateful to Dreamworks for creating the best-animated saga that cinema has ever seen.

The Three Musketeers

This movie is so random that it's perfect. I watched it again recently (after like 8 years) and realized that maybe my daddy issues come from this movie: Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom and the freaking Mads Mikkelsen together, seriously? I'm not surprised it was one of my favourite movies growing up.

A Monster in Paris

The love I have for this film is enormous. I could never get over the beauty of the songs in it. The characters are so well written and Francœur will always be in my top animated characters. It's too amazing to be real.

Rise of the Guardians

I could talk for hours about this film and have not even touched the tip of the iceberg. I have an insane obsession with all the characters, starting with and especially Jack, my top animated crush for years. It's all so perfect that I don't see how people never nominate it when it comes to top animated movies.

The Hobbit

Again, I have serious problems with films about fantasy adventures. I have always preferred The Hobbit saga to its sequel because the story has always fascinated me more. And the main character especially: for me Bilbo >>>> Frodo. And then there's Thorin and Luke Evans. You know, daddy issues.

Mune: Guardian of the Moon

Another French animated movie, another obsession, another adventure, another animated character in my top. This is an example of how to do good animation. There isn't a colour out of place. The settings are authentic, the characters are original, and the adventure they make gets me every time.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

I'm maybe a Muggle, but I prefer Fantastic Beasts to the Harry Potter saga. That's not to say it's better, mind you, but it reflects me more. We all know how we Hufflepuffs (and Ravenclaws) have no real representation in the HP movies, so to be able to have at least one prequel saga starring a Hufflepuff (in which I also find myself far too much) as the protagonist is wonderful. And I have an unhealthy urge to become a magizoologist.

The Greatest Showman

It's the movie I have watched the most of these. I know every song by heart and every line too. It always manages to be a roller coaster of emotions. And it has Hugh Jackman in it.

The Boy Foretold By The Stars

I'm a big supporter of the Philippine's film company. This is one movie is gentle, funny, and not based on the usual drama between Christianity and LGBT+ people (which is what I thought when reading the plot at first). Moreover, another underrated thing, the Philippines' music company here has thrown in masterpiece after masterpiece of songs, perfect for this movie.

Bros

This is my top comfort film in the last year. It's like watching a Hallmark movie but hotter, much more sincere and gay. Very gay. And the relationship between the two main characters is so cute and sweet. And funny.

Top Gun: Maverick

I love this saga but especially love this particular chapter. I love Maverick and his relationship with Rooster, and all the other characters are so well-written. And don't get me started on the story... I LOVE it. There isn't much else to say except that Cruise is a great actor (and a terrible person).

Glass Onion - Knives Out

I love my silly little gay detective. And I have a little passion for movies and mystery series. I found this saga's chapter more compelling than the first one, and the characters gripped me more. Also I fell in love with the setting. Oh and then there are Daniel Craig and Hugh Grant.

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urbanshaman30 · 5 months

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Happy Posthumous Birthday Christopher John Reuel Tolkien (1924 - 2020), who is the third & youngest son of the author J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973), as well as the editor of much of his father's posthumously published work. He drew the original maps for his father's #TheLordOfTheRings books, which he signed as C.J.R.T.

From a child, Christopher Tolkien had long been part of the critical audience for his father's fiction, such as listening to his father’s tales of Bilbo Baggins, which were published as #TheHobbit. As a teenager and young adult, he offered a lot of feedback on “The Lord of the Rings” during its 15-year development. He also had the task of interpreting his father's sometimes self-contradictory maps of Middle-earth in order to produce the versions that were used in the books. He re-drew the main map in the late 1970’s to clarify the lettering and correct some errors and omissions.

J.R.R. Tolkien had written a large amount of material connected to the Middle-earth legendarium that was not published during his lifetime. He had originally intended to publish #TheSilmarillion along with “The Lord of the Rings”, and parts of it were in a finished state when he died in 1973; but the project was incomplete.

Once referring to his son Christopher as his "chief critic and collaborator", J.R.R. Tolkien had named Christopher his literary executor in his will. With this authority, Christopher organized the masses of his father's unpublished writings, some of which had been written on odd scraps of paper a half-century earlier. Much of the material was handwritten. Complicating matters, his father would sometimes write a newer draft over a half-erased first draft. Also, it was not uncommon for the names of characters routinely changing between the beginning and ending of the same draft.

Christopher worked on the manuscripts and was able to produce an edition of “The Silmarillion” for publication in 1977. His assistant for part of the work was Guy Gavriel Kay, who became a noted fantasy author himself.

“The Silmarillion” was followed by “Unfinished Tales” in 1980 and “The History of Middle-earth” in 12 volumes between 1983 and 1996. Most of the original source-texts have been made public from which “The Silmarillion” was constructed.

In April 2007, Christopher Tolkien published “The Children of Húrin”, whose story his father had brought to a relatively complete stage between 1951 and 1957 before abandoning it. This was one of J.R.R. Tolkien's earliest stories. Its first version dated back to 1918, and several versions were published in “The Silmarillion”, “Unfinished Tales”, and “The History of Middle-earth”.

“The Children of Húrin” is a synthesis of these and other sources. “Beren and Lúthien” is an editorial work and was published as a stand-alone book in 2017. The next year, “The Fall of Gondolin” was published also as an editorial work. “The Children of Húrin”, “Beren and Lúthien”, and “The Fall of Gondolin” make up the three "Great Tales" of the Elder Days, which J.R.R. Tolkien considered to be the biggest stories of the First Age.

Christopher served as chairman of the Tolkien Estate, Ltd., which was the entity formed to handle the business side of his father's literary legacy. He also served as a trustee of the Tolkien Charitable Trust until his retirement in 2018.

In 2001, Christopher expressed doubts over “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy that was directed by Peter Jackson. He questioned the viability of a film interpretation that retained the essence of the work, but stressed that this was just his opinion. In 2008, he commenced legal proceedings against New Line Cinema, which he claimed owed his family £80 million in unpaid royalties. In September, 2009, he and New Line reached an undisclosed settlement. He also withdrew his legal objection to “The Hobbit” films. But, in a 2012 interview with “Le Monde”, he criticised the films saying, "They gutted the book, making an action film for 15 to 25-year-olds."

#jrr tolkien #silmarillion #the hobbit #the fall of gondolin #christopher tolkien #beren and luthien #children of hurin #lord of the rings #lotr #middle earth

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gavroche-le-moineau · 7 months

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Some Gaîtés Préalables / Preliminary Gayeties Hapgood translation notes!

I noticed a number of translation discrepancies in this chapter, and I'm sure there are more than these since I didn't go through the translation with a fine tooth comb.

1. “C’est un spectacle berveilleux, dit Joly.” / “It’s a marvellous sight,” said Joly.” This is the first instance that Joly's stuffed up state is shown through his speech (berveilleux instead of merveilleux), and at first I was so disappointed that Hapgood didn't mimic it in the translation but luckily later on in the chapter she does include the speech modification due to stuffy nose. I loved this so much, reminds me of Bilbo in The Hobbit when all he can say is "thag you very buch" due to his cold!

2. “Il fait un coup d’état, parce qu’il y a solution de continuité entre le présent et l’avenir, et parce que, lui Dieu, il n’a pas pu joindre les deux bouts.” “He effects a coup d’état because he, God, has not been able to make both ends meet.” The bolded line in French is skipped in the English translation here and I have no idea why, I really like this line. My attempt at a full translation of this sentence would be: "He stages a coup, because there is a gap between the present and future, and because he, God, hasn't been able to make the two ends meet."

3. “...et à voir tant de malaise en haut et en bas, tant de mesquinerie et de pingrerie et de ladrerie et de détresse au ciel et sur la terre...” “...and when I see so much distress in heaven and on earth...” This part of the very next sentence gets greatly simplified in the Hapgood translation. The French reads something like: "...and to see so much malaise on high and down low, so much pettiness and stinginess and rapacity and distress in heaven and on earth..."

4. “Voyez, c’est le cinq juin...” / “Here it is the 4th of June...” It's June 5th! Not June 4th? ONCE AGAIN Hapgood with the mistranslated numbers???? Can anyone explain this I'm so confused. Why would you change some number by one or two?? It's happened throughout the book with ages, hours, dates...

5. “L’enfant, choisissant sans hésiter parmi les trois, quoiqu’il n’en connût évidemment aucun, s’adressa à Laigle de Meaux.” “The child unhesitatingly making his choice among the three, addressed himself to Laigle de Meaux.” A fairly inconsequential omission here but the English once again skips the bold part of the sentence, reading in full: "The child, choosing among the three without hesitating, though evidently not knowing any of them, addressed himself to Laigle de Meaux."

There may be more but these are only the ones I noticed! What a great chapter, though, as I know we're all aware!

#les mis letters #lm 4.12.2 #les mis language #mytranslation #preliminary gaieties

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baheuldey · 7 months

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Gobelin (Chevaucheur de warg) / Goblin (Warg rider) (Tolktober, 18), 2023, encre de Chine sur papier, 21,5 x 14 cm

#art #Tolktober #Tolktober 2023 #dessin #drawing #encre de Chine #indian ink #encre #ink #Tolkien #Bilbo le Hobbit #The Hobbit #Middle Earth #gobelin #goblin #warg #battle of Five Armies #fantasy #j'ai appris récemment que warg veut tout simplement dire loup en norrois et en vieil anglais

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mushroomwitches · 9 months

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Okay so I am very adhd and have like a ton of drafts started for some fanfic ideas and wanted to focus on one to start with, but I wanted to get peoples opinions because I’m also very indecisive! Below the cut I will explain each option I have that I’ve started to help!

Slight Spoiler warnings

Option 1: okay so this idea is inspired by mamuro-chiba-ua ‘s artwork here on tumblr, though I have seen other talk about in on here, but their artwork and Au made me start to wonder how being the uncle to Vivi would effect buggy! This would focus on buggy as he goes about his life and would be a cross guild (crocodile, mihawk, and buggy! )

Option 2: for whatever reason kaveh and Alhaitham give me the swan Princess vibes. So this story would follow kaveh as he is captured by Dori and given to a mysterious man who changes him into a paradisea by day, only allowing him to return to his human form at night to build for him. Can Alhaitham save him or will he be trapped forever ( featuring Tighnari, collei and Layla as the others trapped with Kaveh and also turned into animals, Cyno as Alhaitham friend and Faruzan as the overly annoyed and sarcastic advisor to Alhaitham )

Option 3: so this one could either be gigolas or aralas, both work and I am a multi shipper who loves both options! I could also tweak this and make it a throuple if anyone is interested in that. But basically I was a total band kid and feel like Legolas would be a color guard member. Now if I do Gimli, that boy is definitely a percussionist, and I would say I could see him in the drum line as a bass player. If it’s Aragorn, I am a little more torn on that, I could see Aragorn as either a low brass player or the drum major! Basically a fun marching band AU (specifically based on DCI (drum corps international) which goes to 21 so they would all be over the age of 18!)

Option 4: so I’ll set the stage. Bilbo is the lead in the local theater companies upcoming production of Les Miserables (could totally see him singing who am I, like the voice of the original Jean Val Jean just fits in my head). But oh no, Bilbo’s babysitter ( *cough cough* Gandalf) didn’t show up and now he has to bring baby frodo with him, but he has to practice. So he call Bofur, his friend from college to see if he could come to watch frodo while he’s performing. Bofur agrees easily, but is also currently dealing with a brooding Thorin after a really shitty date and decides to bring him with. Thorin isn’t thrilled, claiming to hate musicals and only like his metal and stuff he can play with the rest of the band, but sees Bofur won’t let it go and agrees to go. He goes right in time to watch Bilbo practice the who am I song and just is like damn. Basically meet cute here and then just follows their life from there with all of life’s up and downs (plus cute little kids with frodo, fili and kili)

Option 5: okay so shanks and buggy give off like such ex energy, and I just love the idea of they got like married real young and got divorced a year or 2 later because they both wanted different things, but they are forced together like 20 years later (either a job, event, taking care of roger who is sick, something like that) and being to fall in love again!

Option 6: so I feel like this is pretty self explanatory. Basically I have begun taking both the hobbit and lotr and putting them into the star wars universe! The hobbit would include ships like bagginshield and lotr would include ships like samfro, Aragorn x Arwen, and gigolas!

But yeah feel free to answer the poll and comment or pop into my inbox with any questions!

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jojo-0-o-deactivated20231228 · 1 year

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The wooden floorboards creek and croak under the clickety clack of your newly acquired gilded leather boots as you make your way up to the deck, over vast hordes of fortune, past engorged piles of gold and spice, doubloons and silks, navigating mazes of stacked chests brimming with books and boundless scrolls. You tip- toe around your comatose crewmates, satiated by plunder and ransacked stores of rum, to the mast of your ship, and look out onto the horizon.

Heliotrope hues of dusk creep up behind the melting sunset, calming the raging gusts of the sea to caresses of the breeze. Wisps of ghostly silver swirl hazily amongst sporadic speckles of spangling starlight like a stewing soup in the sky, its delicate marbling mirrored on waves that twinkle under the moonlight. Skull and crossbones whip in the wind and the ship rocks lazily as if lulled to sleep by the cradle of the sloping sea. You sigh, contented, and pray to avoid a watery grave for many moons to come.

or, Books Master list:

A Series of Unfortunate events by Lemony Snicket, 1 through 13(Epubs)

Tales of Dunk and Egg by George R. R. Martin 01-03, 1, 2 & 4(Epubs)

A song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, 1 through 5, including 4.5, A World of Ice and Fire, and Fire and Blood(no.1 is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, 1 through 4(Epubs)

All For The Game by Nora Sakavic, 1, 2, &3(Epubs)

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery, 1 through 8(Epubs)

The Fowl Twins by Eoin Colfer, 1&2(Epubs)

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, 1 through 8(PDFs)

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, 1, 2, &3(no.3 is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness, 1,2 &3, including 2.5 and snowscape(snowscape is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

Chronicles of Alice by Christina Henry, 1&2(Epubs)

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab, 1,2 &3(no.1 is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, 1&2(Epubs)

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu(Epub)

Heaven's Official Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu(PDF)

The Scum Villain's Self Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu(Epub)

Discworld by Terry Pratchett, 1 through 41(Epubs)

Divergent by Veronica Roth, 1,2 &3, including 0.5(Epubs)

Earthsea by Ursula k. Le guin, 1 through 6(Epubs)

The Farseer Trilogy by Robbin Hobb, 1,2 &3(PDFs)

Fence by Sarah Rees Brennan, 1&2(Epubs)

Folk of the air series by Holly Black, 1,2 &3(Epubs)

Harry Potter by J K. Rowling, 1 through 7(Epubs)

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, 1, 2&3(Epubs)

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan(Epub)

Tears waiting to be Diamonds by Sarah Rees Brennan Parts 1&2(PDFs)

Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, 1 through 4(Epubs)

The History of the Middle Earth by J R. R. Tolkien, 1 through 12(Epubs)

The J R. R. Tolkien collection: Bilbo's Last Song, Tales from the Perilous Realm, The Children of Hurin, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit, the Hobbit(enhanced edition), The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, The Letters of J R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings (collection) Illustrated by J R. R. Tolkien; Alan Lee, The Lord of the Rings (collection), The Return of the King, The Silmarillion, The Silmarillion(illustrated) by J R. R. Tolkien; Ted Nasmith, The Two Towers, Unfinished Tales(Epubs)

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, 1 through 5, Including 3.1(4&5 are PDFs, the rest Epubs)

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan, 1, 2&3, including From the Nine Worlds and Hotel Valhalla Guide to the Norse Worlds(Epubs)

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Garber Stephanie, 1&2(Epubs)

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordon, 1 through 5, including 4.5, Camp Half Blood confidential, Demigods and Monsters, Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo, Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, and Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes(Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan, 1 through 5, including The Demigod Diaries(Epubs)

The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan, 1 through 5, including Camp Jupiter Classified(Epubs)

The Demigods of Olympus - An Interactive Adventure by Rick Riordan(Epub)

Shades of Magic by V. E. Schwab, 1,2&3(PDFs)

The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare, 1,2 &3(Epubs)

The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, 1,2&3(Epubs)

The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare, 1&2(Epubs)

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, 1 through 6(Epubs)

The Eldest Curses by Cassandra Clare 1(Epub)

Shadowhunter Chronicles extras by Cassandra Clare, including An Illustrated History of Noble Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld, Ghosts of the Shadow Market, The Bane Chronicles, and the Shadowhunter Codex(Epubs)

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, 1&2(Epubs)

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, 1,2&3, including 1.5 and the Darkling Prequel - Demon in the Woods(Epub)

Skullduggery Pleasant by Derrick Landy, 1 through 14, including 1.5, 2.5, 6.5, 7.5, 8.5, &13.5(Epubs)

The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan, 1,2&3, including The Kane Chronicles survival guide, and Demigods and Magicians(Epubs)

The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir, 1,2 &3, including 0.5 and 2.5(Epubs)

The Magesterium series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, 1 through 5(Epubs)

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, 1 through 4, including 4.5(Epubs)

The Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiedvater, 1&2(Epubs)

The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski, 1 through 6, including 0.5 & 0.75(Epubs)

The Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater, 1,2&3(Epubs)

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, 1 though 7, including 0.5(Epubs)

The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins, 1 through 5(Epubs)

Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman, 1 through 4, including 1.5 and 4.5(Epubs)

The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, 1 through 12(Epubs)

The Warrior cats series by Erin Hunter :The Prophecies Begin 1 through 6(PDFs), The New Prophecy 1 through 6(Epubs), Power of Three 1 through 6(PDFs), Omen of Stars 1 through 6(PDFs), Dawn of the Clans 1 through 6(PDFs), Vision of Shadows 1&2(PDFs)

A discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness(Epub)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz(Epub)

Blindsight by Peter Watts(Epub)

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson(Epub)

Dune by Frank Herbert(Epub)

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson(Epub)

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell(Epub)

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton(Epub)

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu(PDF)

I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall(Epub)

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver(Epub)

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami(Epub)

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera(Epub)

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn(Epub)

More Than This by Patrick Ness(PDF)

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness(Epub)

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston(Epub)

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepytis(Epub)

The Adventures of Charles, the Veretian Cloth Merchant, Captive Prince Short Stories Book 3 by C. S. Pacat(Epub)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak(Epub)

City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty(Epub)

The Martian by Andy Wier(Epub)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern(Epub)

They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera(Epub)

The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo(Epub)

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang(Epub)

The Song of Achilles by Madison Miller(Epub)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern(Epub)

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zerin(Epub)

Torture Mom by Ryan Green(Epub)

Where I End and You Begin by Preston Norton(Epub)

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman(Epub)

Message me, or make a request in the notes, and I’ll send you a copy(via email)

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mask131 · 9 months

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The cosmogony of French fantasy

The title is not by me - this is actually the title of an article I want to kind-of-translate kind-of-recap here. "Cosmogonie de la fantasy française - Genèse et émancipation", "Cosmogony of French fantasy - Genesis and emancipation", by Marie-Louise Bougon. It was an article part of the "Worldbuilding" issue of the French National Library review (La revue de la BNF), back in 2019, and it brings a lot of interesting element for those who are curious about what fantasy literature looks like currently in France (since all the fantasy we talk about is mostly American or British).

Here is the rough translation/summary:

Fantasy only appeared quite late in France - and if the first translations of English-speaking fantasy only come from the 1970s, we will have to wait for the new editorial dynamic of the 1990s for a true "French fantasy" to appear and specialize itself - many talk of a "French touch" that makes these books clearly different from their English companions.

I) The first translations: a fragmented territory

The first translations in French of fantasy books started in the 70s. The decisions of publishing houses at the time made it quite hard for a reader to identify "fantasy" as its own genre. Indeed, most fantasy authors (especially British ones) were published by houses specializing in "general literature" - The Hobbit was translated as "Bilbo le Hobbit" in 1969 by Stock, before it took care of the Cycle de Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake, while in 1972 Christian Bourgeois releases the first French translation of the Lord of the Rings. Another part of fantasy books - more American, these ones, the inheritors of the pulp aesthetic, the sword and sorcery books - was rather translated in collections dedicated to either science-fiction, or fantastique. [N.o.T.: The French term "fantastique" designates a specific literary genre in which supernatural elements suddenly happen in an otherwise normal, regular and mundane setting identical to our own - as opposed to "merveilleux" which is about describing worlds where the magical and fabulous is mundane. Dracula would be "fantastique" while fairytales are "merveilleux".] There was the collection "Aventures fantastiques" by the editions Opta, or the science-fiction collection of Lattès.

Fantasy was perceived originally as merely a sub-genre of science-fiction - an idea that was kept alive by collections such as "Pocket science-fiction" or "J'ai lu - SF" that published a mix of science-fiction and fantasy works throughout the 80s. Outside of the short-lived collection "Heroic Fantasy" by Stan Barets at the Temps futurs publishing house (it only lasted from 1981 to 1983), we would have to wait for quite some time before publishers started to understand that fantasy was its own genre. In 1988, the Atalante creates the "Bibliothèque de l'évasion" (Library of evasion) collection. Fleuve noir creates in 1998 a fantasy collection called "Dentelle du cygne" (Swan's lace), that in 2002 was replaced by "Rendez-vous ailleurs", "Meetings at other places". These were for large formats - pocket formats also started their own specific collections. J'ai lu Fantasy in 1998, for example, and in 1988 the Pocket SF collection started to add sub-titles such as "Fantasy", "Dark Fantasy" or "Science-fantasy" to differentiate the works. However, despite all these efforts, the original decades-old confusion between fantasy, SF and general literature hindered the growth of the genre in France, since it never got a true visibility...

II) Cartography of the "great old ones"

If people only start to realize and understand the genre itself at the end of the 80s, it doesn't mean that there never was any French fantasy works until this date. In fact, the Callidor editions, specializing in "fantasy archeology", have made an effort to dig up and bring back to light the works that shaped the French fantasy - and for them, the oldest French work of fantasy would be the epic Les Centaures, in 1904, written by André Lichtenberger. In 2005, the author Laurent Kloetzer went even further than this - he claimed that Flaubert's Salammbô (an 1862 sensual, violent and Orientalist historical novel) was one of the earliest examples of French fantasy. Kloetzer notably pointed out the similarity between Salammbô's baroque style, and the one of Michael Moorcock's Gloriana, and how the way Robert Howard described bloody battles was quite close to Flaubert's own war descriptions. By retrospectively considering these works as fantasy, this would make the French fantasy a continuation of the merveilleux genre (see my mentions above).

So, French precursors did exist - but they remained lonely and rare experimentations, that never got any true success upon their release. Nathalie Henneberg, an author of science-fiction (who often published under the name of her husband, Charles Henneberg) did made a few fantasy pauses in her SF career during the 1960s - Le Sang des astres (The blood of celestial bodies) and Les Dieux verts (The Green gods), republished by Callidor in 2018. However the most notorious example of this "primitive French fantasy" would be Jacques Abeille's Cycle des contrées, published in 1982 at Flammarion, then re-edited in 2012 by the Attila editions, and finally released in pocket format by Folio SF in 2018. This cycle, that describes the exploration of another world full of wonders and magics, took more than thirty years to be recognized as a fantasy works - and that despite Abeille having sent his manuscript to Julien Gracq, one of the greatest French fans of Tolkien at the time. If people did notice a similarty between fantasy books and Abeille's works, editors made nothing of it - one would have to wait for the more modern reedition for the "fantasy" aspect to be advertised. In 2011, in an interview, Jacques Abeille recalled a sentence one of his readers said to him: "As a kid, I watched Star Wars. As a teen, I read Tolkien. As an adult, I read you."

Abeille's new success in modern fantasy is however an exception, since other "precursors" of fantasy never regained such a late recognition: for example, Isabelle Hausser's Célubée, published in 1986 by Julliard, is still not sold as a fantasy work, and that despite being re-edited by Fallois in 2000 (with a Marc Fumaroli preface). Among other French early attempts, we can find Sous l'araignée du Sud (Under the South spider), a 1978 novel by Dominique Roche and Charles Nightingale, published by Robert Laffont. Unlike the previous works, this novel actually had a consciousness that it belonged to a new and "infant" genre. The back of the book doesn't use the "fantasy" word yet, but it does describe it as "a marvelous and terrifying fairy tale, in the line of Tolkien's work, in the heroico-fantastical tradition of the Anglo-Saxons, but this time written in French, in a rich and visual language, sparkling with humor."

In the 1980s, we see an hesitaton, an ambiguity between publishing/editing decisions that made the birth of this first fantasy completely invisible to the public, and a slow, creeping recognition by authors and publishers of a new genre. In 1983, Francis Berthelot's Khanaor duology was published in the Heroic Fantasy collection of Temps futurs - and in the preface the author clearly states its "fantasy" status. "No need to lie to ourselves, the same way general literature disdains SF, the SF disdains heroic fantasy. It makes it a sub-sub-genre, a doubly-poor parent of the Letters with a big L." This preface highlights the bad reputation of the genre at the time - for French people of the 80s, fantasy was just a sub-science-fiction, less thoughtful, less prone to reflexion, more turned towards adventure and entertainment. Despite all this criticism, fantasy will still manage to grow away from science-fiction, and find its place in the "genre literatures".

III) An expanding universe

It was around 1995 that a true turn of event happened, around the same time the first French publishing house entirely dedicated to fantasy were created (Mnémos and Nestiveqnen). Mnémos, originally conceived by Stéphane Marsan and Frédéric Weil to publish role-playing game novelizations, still edited during its first years French authors such as Mathieu Gaborit, Fabrice Colin, Laurent Kloetzer, Pierre Grimbert and Sabrina Calvo. Nicknamed "the Mnémos generation", these authors created a true boom and multiplication of the French fantasy works in the 2000s. Les Chroniques des Crépusculaires (The Chronicles of the Dusk-people), of Mathieu Gaborit (1995-96) and Le Secret de Ji, by Pierre Grimbert (prix Julia Verlanger in 1997) form the two first commercial successes of French fantasy.

This new fashion was certified by the creation in 2000 of the Bragelonne editions: this very prolific publishing house released translations of English works, but also promoted the writers of the "Mnémos generation", while discovering new authors. For example, Henri Loevenbruck with his Celtic saga La Moïra (2001-2002), or the Ange duo (already famous for their work on comic books and roleplaying games) with their cycle Trois Lunes de Tanjor (Three Moons of Tanjor, 2001-2003, re-edited in 2005 under the title Ayesha). Les Editions de l'Oxymore (The Oxymoron Editions), created in 1999, also allowed numerous French authors to start in the genre, via periodical anthologies - these anthologies contained short stories from authors now quite well-known, such as Justine Niogret, Mélanie Fazi or Charlotte Bousquet. The editorial expansion follows all the way throughout the 2000s, with new publishing houses opening regularly. Le Bélial', which created the Bifrost journal, published fantasy novels since 1998 (their collection "Fantasy", renamed "Kvasar" in 2011). The webzine ActuSF becomes an editing house in 2003, and dedicates its collection "Trois souhaits" (Three wishes) to French authors. Les Moutons électriques (The electrical sheeps) were born in 2004, and made famous Jean-Philippe Jaworski, while La Volte, around the same time, started the very noticeable Horde du Contrevent (Horde of the Counterwind) by Alain Damasio. The years 2010s also saw a few house apparitions - such as the Critic, Callidor and Scrineo editions - and there was also a very dynamic microedition market.

Of course, French youth publications also stayed very rich and prolific - finding a true audience after the Harry Potter phenomenon. Two famous French series played on the idea of "the adventures of a young wizard" - the Tara Duncan series by Sophia Audouin-Mamikonian, started in 2003 and a mass commercial success, and also started in 2003 the saga of the "world of Gwendalavir" by Pierre Bottero. While these works all evoke the Potter-phenomenon (teenage characters promised to a great destiny and magical powers in a fantastical parallel world), they do keep an original voice, find their own themes and specificities, and thus gain a faithful audience. In the Fantasy forum of the university of Artois, Pierre Bottero was the most frequently mentionned French author when participants were asked "Who is your favorite author?", making him a good rival of English-speaking fantasy authors.

If French fantasy managed to build itself, and to singularize itself - and if the genre became even more visible thanks to the recent mediatic success of the Game of Thrones TV series, Jérôme Vincent (director of ActuSF) made a quite disappointing observation in a 2017 interview. He noted that the "wave" expected did not happen. "The big cinema blockbusters all belong to either science-fiction or fantasy, the great TV series are all tied one way or another to fantasy, that's the same thing in comic books and video games, and that's without talking of role-playing games... [...] But it seems that is no effect, no repercusion of this onto fantasy literature." In order to ameliorate the visibility and the sales of fantasy books, since 2017 publishers created the "Mois de l'imagination" (Month of the imagination), a way to rival the "literary new year". While it is too early to establish if this worked or not, it is quite a hopeful sign to see that in "fantasy reading recommandations", French names start to pop up alongside the great English ones. As Estelle Faye wrote, "French fantasy seems to still suffer from an inferiority complex" - but we can only hope authors and readers will manage to fight it off.

IV) A world of its own ?

Is there a "French touch", a specificity to French fantasy? This question, frequently debated by fan forums, became the subject of a podcast produced by the website Elbakin.net, in which was noted the lack in France of huge cycles carried over several volumes (a very prominent feature of English-written fantasy). French fantasy authors prefers one-shots, short series (rarely more than a trilogy), or series of distnct novels merely sharing a same world (for example, the works of Lionel Davoust that take place in the Evanégyre world). This formal difference would however be due to the "fear" of editors, who do not dare putting in the world too-ambitous projects. Due to this format specificity, it seems that there is a lesser importance of the worldbuilding in French fantasy - which might be why its authors had a hard time building an audience in the beginnings. As David Peyron wrote it in Culture geek, fantasy fans tend to prefer the quality of the worldbuilding over the quality of the style. "If the quality of the world becomes essential, in return some traits such as the literary style, which gives its value to a cultural object in a classical system, are pushed aside." French fantasy, which is less of a worldbuilder and much more literary than its English counterpart, is as a result swimming against the stream. However, nowadays this particularly is accepted by the fans. Indeed, in recent reviews and articles, several French authors such as Jean-Philippe Jaworski or Alain Damasio are praise for their mastery of style - the first one because of how he writes like Alexandre Dumas, the second because of how versatile he can be with tones and genres. These literary qualities are obviously tied to the inspirations of the French authors, who do not have the "pulp inheritage" and rather take from French classics or swashbuckling novels. Of course, we also cannot ignore the theory that French readers are more sensible to the style when it comes to writing in their own language.

If we go towards themes, we can see several recurring motifs and traditions shared by both English-speaking and French-speaking fantasy. For example, Arthurian fantasy has sparked a certain interest in France - La Trilogie des Elfes (The Elf trilogy) of Jean-Louis Fetjaine (1998-2000), or Justine Niogret's Mordred (2013). However, French authors truly seem to express a taste for historical but non-medieval fantasy. Jean-Philippe Jaworski's Gagner la guerre (Win the war, 2009) takes place during a reinvented Renaissance, Johan Heliot's takes an interest in the rule of Louis XIV in his Grand Siècle (Great century) saga (2017-2018), Pierre Pevel choses the 17th century for the setting of his Les Lames du cardinal (The Cardinal's blades, 2007-2010), and finally Fabrice Anfosso takes inspiration from World War I in his Le Chemin des fées (The road of fairies, 2005). Urban fantasy also has a big success in France - especially one focusing on a reinvented Paris. There are numerous works reimagining the French capital as either filled with surpernatural beasts, either invaded by a scientific-marvelous touching to both the steampunk and gaslamp fantasies. For examples you have the Paris des merveilles cycle, by Pierre Pevel (Paris of marvels, 2003-2015), Un éclat de givre by Estelle Faye (A fragment of frost, 2014), Les Extraordinaires et Fantastiques Enquêtes de Sylvo Sylvain by Raphaël Albert (The Extraordinary and Fantastical Investigations of Sylvo Sylvain, 2010-2017), or Les Confessions d'un automate mangeur d'opium by Mathieu Gaborit and Fabrice Colin (Confessions of an opium-eating automaton, 1999).

Jacques Baudou described with enthusiasm the originality of French fantasy, whose main specificity is - according to him - a tendency to go to the margins. "The best works of French fantasy [...] operates a subversion of the codes, they practice the art of mixing, and as thus come off as greatly original literary objects". It seems indeed that, due to its late apparition, French fantasy benefited from a certain look-back on its own genre, making it easier for French authors to play with or subvert its codes. Anne Besson, however, nuances this opinion: she points out that the small number of French fantasy authors (compared to the mass of English-speaking authors) makes the differences in tones, themes and motifs much more obvious - which creates what is merely a feeling of a greater diversity.

Another element of French fantasy that seems to be born of its "lateness" is its reflexive dimension: French authors have a strong tendency towards the commentary and the erudition. For example, the fantasy anthologies of the Editions de l'Oxymore include between its short stories things such as critical files or textstaken out of classics of French culture. These practices seem to be an attempt at legitimizing a genre that still has a hard time being recognized as "true literature" - even though modern days receive fantasy works with much more benevolence than before.

V) To the conquest of the world ?

If French fantasy grew enormously since the first experiments of the 70s, and if it now benefits from a much better visibility, its market stays quite weak. A proof of that: the numerous funding campaigns launched these last years by different actors of the genre. French fantasy also has a hard time crossing the frontier. Le Livre et l'épée by Antoine Rouaud (The Book and the sword, first volume released in 2013) was translated in English, German, Dutch and Spanish. Le Secret de Ji of Pierre Grimbert (Ji's Secret) was also published in English via Amazon Crossing in 2013. But these are exceptions to the rule. But there is hope for future French publications - for example the Bragelonne publishing house established a partnership with the British Gollancz, a science-fiction specialist.

#fantasy #fantasy literature #french fantasy #french literature #history of fantasy #french stuff #french culture #fantasy novels #foreign fantasy

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tickles-ivory · 11 months

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"A Hobbit in the Woods: A Retelling of the Brothers Grimm 'Little Red Riding Hood'

by Ticklesivory (dedicated to @shantismurf)

Rated: T for violence

For Bagginshield Week 2023

A short little Bagginshield fairytale inspired by this Tumblr post: (2) Ticklesivory on Tumblr

Happy Bagginshield Week everyone!

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Once upon a time in a small village that lay just outside of a dark forest lived a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. He was a kind hobbit who lived alone and kept to himself. He enjoyed cooking and would often take food to his friends and neighbors whenever one of them had taken ill.

One of his oldest friends, who had been a close friend of his grandfather’s, was known throughout the village as Gandalf the Gray because he wore a gray cloak and hat. After his grandfather’s and parents’ deaths, Bilbo took it upon himself to visit the old man regularly. He would often take him food and drink, and ease his own conscience by checking on the old man’s health.

At least once a month, Gandalf would ride in his small carriage which was drawn by a sorrel pony with a blonde mane to the village to visit Bilbo as well. When the old man’s visit was delayed, Bilbo sent a messenger to Gandalf’s cottage that had been built in the middle of the forest.

The messenger brought back word that Gandalf was suffering from a bad cold and was confined to his bed. Immediately, Bilbo began gathering items to take to his oldest friend. Before he left, the messenger tried to warn him.

“Do be careful, Mister Baggins,” his neighbor, Mister Gamgee said. “I met a woodsman along the way, and he told me there were wolves in the area. One is particularly large. It is the white wolf that was attacking Farmer Maggot’s sheep last winter.”

Bilbo continued to gather supplies and poured a pot of chicken broth into a small crock to take with him as well as several biscuits and a jar of blueberry jam he had put up last summer.

Gandalf may be known for his gray cloak, but in the village of hobbits, Bilbo was known for his dark red jacket. He wore it often and there were those who called him The Hobbit in Red, though not to his face.

On his way out his door, he donned his red jacket and grabbed his favorite walking stick. He promised Mister Gamgee he would stay on the path through the forest which was traveled often by hunters and woodcutters and was considered the safest route to Gandalf’s. He thanked the messenger for his service and paid him the agreed wage, waved goodbye, and set off down the road.

The woodland realm beyond his village was dense with foliage that blocked out the sun. The ground was covered in shadow and occasionally, Bilbo would hear the trill of a bird or the cry of a rabbit. What he was listening for was a deep growl, heavy paws breaking sticks, or even a glimpse of white fur.

An hour into his journey, not having seen anything to be alarmed about, Bilbo relaxed and began to enjoy his surroundings, only to be suddenly so badly frightened that he nearly spilled his basket.

“Forgive me. I didn’t mean to startle you.” A deep voice told him that was coming from a very handsome stranger who stepped out from the heavy brush. “I am Thorin Durin, a woodcutter by trade. I don’t believe it is safe for someone of your station to be walking through this forest alone.”

Bilbo took offense. He was a full-grown hobbit and could take care of himself, thank you very much!

“I will be all right, but thank you for your concern.”

The dark-bearded axe-wielder stepped onto the path right in front of Bilbo and gazed down his sharp nose at the traveler. He was slightly taller than the hobbit, a dwarf, Bilbo believed based on the size of his hands and feet, but he wasn’t about to be bullied by him!

“You’re not even carrying a weapon,” the woodcutter told him with a smirk that Bilbo found to be surprisingly attractive, as was the clothing he wore – which consisted of coarse dark tweed and leather. Not at all to Bilbo’s taste, but they looked remarkably well on the muscular dwarf.

In Thorin’s hand was a long-handled axe he no doubt used to chop down the trees required to sustain his livelihood. Bilbo gripped his tall, thin stick a bit more tightly.

“I’m quite capable of taking care of myself,” he informed the dwarf proudly. “And I have no intention of straying from the path. I won’t be fooled by the wit of any wolf, white or not.”

The dwarf gazed at him with the most beautiful pair of blue eyes Bilbo had ever seen. “The pale wolf travels on and off the path where he wills, and he disguises his appearance. Sometimes he’s a wolf, sometimes an elf or an owl. Be careful who you talk with in these woods and the things you say.”

Bilbo nervously shuffled his feet. He usually wasn’t shy around people, but he found the dwarf incredibly attractive and was considering asking if he would escort him to Gandalf’s cottage.

As if reading Bilbo’s thoughts, the woodcutter smiled and stepped forward, eyeing Bilbo up and down before gazing into his basket of goods.

“What’s in your basket?”

“Just a few things I’m taking to a friend,” the friendly hobbit replied. “To Gandalf the Gray. Perhaps you know him? He lives beyond the north meadow in a brown cottage overlooking the Long River. He’s taken ill I’m afraid and needs some looking after.”

Thorin’s dark brows furrowed. “How do you know I’m not the white wolf in disguise? You’ve just told me everything I need to know to set a trap not only for you but your friend as well.”

Bilbo lost his smile and shut his mouth. He had no doubt that Thorin was just a woodcutter, but he needed to be more careful.

“I just know, but I will be more careful from now on. I promise.”

“Good,” the dwarf said. “I would hate to discover you were dead. Not before I get to know you a little better.” The smirk had returned which made Bilbo blush hot beneath the collar of his red jacket.

“Thank you for your concern. Perhaps we shall meet again.”

“Perhaps so, Master Baggins. Be careful and do not speak with any more strangers.”

Bilbo nodded and watched as the woodsman disappeared into the shadows created by the dense canopy of the forest.

He continued on his way with a bit of a skip to his step as he recalled how the dwarf’s eyes shimmered and how big his muscles were, and the thoughts reddened Bilbo’s cheeks.

Some time later he came to a game trail crossing the path and watched with delight as a few small brown rabbits scurried across it. They were saying in their tiny, nervous voices, “Do not step on us!” as they hopped away and soon disappeared.

Bilbo didn’t always encounter animals within the forest, but it always surprised him just a little when he heard them speak. For you see, the forest outside of his village was not only dangerous but enchanted. Almost all of the creatures that lived inside of it had the ability to communicate with others. Some Bilbo found quite entertaining and witty, while others were slow-witted and not very intelligent. Much like the hobbits in his own community, he thought to himself with a chuckle.

Along the way, he watched a turtle move slowly beside the path who greeted him with a ‘good morning,’ in its slow tortoise drawl. At a turn, he spotted an owl in a tree. Bilbo said good day to the bird, though it did not look very pleased to have its rest disturbed. As a whole, Bilbo found owls believed themselves to be a bit superior and above the concerns of, well – everyone else.

Bilbo continued on, his feet never straying, his eyes carefully taking in everything he could see. At this point, he was halfway through his journey, and he stopped to drink from a stream running nearby and to take a nibble or two from one of the seed cakes he was taking to his friend.

As he lifted his head and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, he saw movement in the trees on the other side of the water. Much to his surprise, a beautiful white stag stepped into view. Its striking, icy-blue eyes viewed Bilbo cautiously before it stepped into the water and crossed the stream. Bilbo stepped back to allow the animal room to move onto the bank and to stay clear of its broad set of antlers.

“Good day,” he announced to the animal who lifted its head to gaze down at the hobbit. “You are the prince of the forest, are you not?”

“That I am,” the large animal told him with smooth and deep vocalizations. “Are you alone in these woods? It is not advised for someone so small in stature.”

Bilbo tried not to take offense to that statement. He knew how tall he was and that this creature towered over him!

“I’m not long on this journey,” he exclaimed. “In fact, I’m headed straight to my friend’s home in the woods. I’m nearly halfway there and should be able to make it back home by nightfall. If not, then I shall spend the night there.”

The stag’s eyes widened as he tilted his head. “Perhaps you should keep your business to yourself, Master Hobbit. There are those that walk within these woods that would take advantage of such a helpless creature as yourself.”

Helpless! That was the second time today someone had questioned his abilities!

“I’m not afraid to walk through these woods,” he stated firmly while standing up tall and straight. “I’ve done it many times in the past and have never required bow, axe, or sword.”

The creature didn’t look that impressed. “I am sorry to hear about your friend. There a great many things that may happen to those who choose to live here and who do not belong.”

What was that supposed to mean? “Well, Gandalf has lived here for many years, and he does just fine. It’s just a trifling cold he’s picked up. You know, with that last late snowy spell we had, I know many a hobbit who are suffering from the same thing. I do what I can to help since I never seem to catch anything.”

“That is good to hear,” the mighty stag told him. “I will leave it to you then Master Hobbit. Be safe on your journey.”

Bilbo watched with some fascination as the powerful muscles of the beast carried him upriver and out of the hobbit’s sight. He just then noticed that to get a drink from the stream, he had strayed from the path. It wasn’t the first time, however. He had often stopped to get a drink here. He found the water to be cool and refreshing. No harm had ever come from it.

The path wasn’t very far away, and soon, Bilbo’s feet were back upon it. A narrow gap in the canopy above him allowed a stream of sunlight to peer through and Bilbo glanced up to allow the warmth to shine down upon his face. That was when he heard the snap of a twig on his left and he spun around, holding his walking stick out to protect himself if it was required. He was relieved to find it was only the woodcutter again, the sight of which brought a smile to the hobbit’s face.

“Are you following me?” Bilbo said, half-jokingly.

“No. Why would I do that?”

The words Thorin had said didn’t quite match the dwarf’s expression. Embarrassment was evident on his handsome face and Bilbo found it to be quite charming.

“I’m on my way to work in the clearing which I believe is just west of your destination. If you wouldn’t mind, I could walk with you for a while.”

The invitation was well received and increased Bilbo’s smile. “Of course, I wouldn’t mind.”

“You’re making good time,” Thorin noted after a moment. “You should reach your friend before noon I should think.”

“Yes, I’ve been lucky on this journey,” Bilbo told him. “There have been times when I’ve twisted an ankle or the weather changed so quickly I had to turn back. Today is a beautiful day, don’t you think?”

The woodcutter only grunted in reply and kept his eyes on the road. “You’re from the village of hobbits, are you not?”

“I am,” Bilbo answered, his brow lifting curiously.

“And is that where…I mean…do you live alone?”

Bilbo smiled shyly at Thorin’s question, though not nearly as hesitantly as his new friend. For someone so obviously strong and fierce, finding Thorin was a bit bashful wasn’t only surprising but endearing, and it caused his heart to flutter.

“I do live alone, although just recently. My parents passed a couple of years ago and left the property to me. Do you live close by?”

“Not exactly,” Thorin explained. “I’m from the dwarven realm of Erebor at the foot of the Lonely Mountain some ways from here. I come here during the spring and summer to find work.”

“Ah, I see,” Bilbo exclaimed, trying to recall the distance from his village to the mountain. If he was assuming correctly, it was just a few hours’ journey by carriage. An easy trip he just might have to take in the near future.

“If I were to say…wish to come visit you at your home…Maybe I could provide you with some firewood or perhaps we could…”

“Share a meal or enjoy a cup of tea over delightful conversation?” Bilbo suggested trying to be as helpful as he could be and ease some of the dwarf’s discomfort.

“Aye,” Thorin responded with yet another pink blush on his face.

“I’d like that. Really, I would,” Bilbo answered back, while secretly observing the small smile that spread the woodsman’s mouth.

“Good,” Thorin replied. “For now, I will leave you to your walk. I should return to work.”

“It was a pleasure talking to you, Thorin,” Bilbo told him as he began to walk away.

“We shall speak again soon, Bilbo,” the woodcutter said in a way that caused a wave of delight to sweep across the hobbit’s skin.

“That we will,” he whispered as a promise to himself just before continuing along the path.

Following another two hours, the road curved and opened into a small field, wherein sat a small stone cottage with smoke coming from its chimney. He had made it to Gandalf’s house and Bilbo hurried down the path to come to the wooden fence and the sturdy gate before it.

It was unusual to find the gate ajar, he thought before brushing any worry aside. Gandalf was ill and he probably didn’t have the energy to secure his property, Bilbo decided, only to become even more concerned when he found the carved wooden door on the front of the cottage wasn’t latched either.

He stepped slowly inside, pushing the door back on its hinges, and called out.

“Gandalf? Are you here? It’s me, Bilbo Baggins! I’ve brought you some goodies from home that will hopefully make you feel better!” He waited for a moment and listened carefully, unable to hear a reply. “Gandalf?” Bilbo called out once more before stepping further in and shutting the door behind him.

The cottage had four rooms, and the one directly opposite him was the main bedroom. Bilbo had been inside the home plenty of times and he didn’t think Gandalf would consider this an intrusion, so he continued on and pushed back the curtain divider.

There, on the four-poster bed beneath piles of handsewn quilts, he saw a form, and Bilbo sighed in relief. But then he noticed it wasn’t moving and hurried over to make sure his friend was actually all right.

Gandalf looked a little more pale than usual upon first notice, but he was breathing, which settled Bilbo’s nerves.

“Gandalf?” Bilbo repeated the name softly, trying to rouse his friend to make him aware of his presence without frightening him.

The old man’s blue eyes shuttered open and his smile became broad. “My dear fellow,” he said with a rasp that sent him into a coughing fit. Bilbo immediately grabbed a pitcher and filled a glass on the bedside table to offer the man a drink.

Gandalf took a few sips and then waved the offer away. “Thank you,” he said. “What have you brought me? Is that broth I smell? And perhaps some of your delicious biscuits?”

Bilbo had never been an overly cautious hobbit. He was trusting to a fault. In the past, that had led him into a variety of dangerous circumstances. He was trying to learn, and the woodcutter’s warnings replayed in his mind.

How could Gandalf smell the broth he had brought if he was suffering from a cold, which should make that feat entirely impossible!

“Ah yes,” Bilbo replied, trying not to gather suspicion. “I brought some broth, a little wine, as well as some biscuits and jam. I sent Mrs. Hardfoot earlier this morning to check on you after you hadn’t shown up for a few days. I was worried about you. Did you find her company soothing?”

The ill man eyed him and the smile that followed was unusually forced. “Oh, yes. Mrs. Hardfoot is a delightful woman. So full of cheer and such good company.”

“Well, that would be quite miraculous,” Bilbo replied, just before he took a step backward. “Seeing that she died two winters ago.”

Gandalf’s blue gaze narrowed, and his typical pleasing smile turned malicious.

“You should’ve listened to the woodcutter,” he said in a voice that didn’t belong to him. “Even I, myself, tried to warn you of the dangers of the forest, but you hobbits think you’re so smart and cunning. We see who the most cunning is now, don’t we?”

Bilbo recognized that deep voice and watched with some stunned fascination as the man upon the bed transformed into a large, white wolf.

“Azog,” Bilbo uttered, fear causing his voice to tremble. It was the one he had been warned about time and time again – the shape-shifter, the enchanted creature who could change from any creature he desired. “You were the white stag! Where is my friend Gandalf?”

“I have placed him in safekeeping for now until I am ready for him. He is old and will be tough to chew, while you, on the other hand, are far more delectable. Young and plump. I shall enjoy this very much.”

With those words, the wolf leaped up from the bed to attack Bilbo, but the hobbit moved out of the way quickly, causing the wolf to stumble and crash into the armoire. The door burst open and Gandalf, bound from head to toe, bruised and battered, tumbled out onto the floor.

The white beast slashed its giant claws in Bilbo’s direction and he had been too concerned about Gandalf to move out of the way fast enough. The claws stripped through his dark red jacket and pierced his skin, creating bloody marks across his back. He cried out in pain as well as terror and hurriedly glanced around the room for some type of weapon. Nearby, he had laid his walking stick and he grabbed it, swung it as fiercely as he could toward Azog. It came in contact with the beast’s nose.

The impact didn’t even cause the wolf to blink, and he dropped down on all four paws to stare at Bilbo with a deadly and hungry gaze, saliva dripping from his razor-sharp teeth. Bilbo backed away until he bumped into a table, on which was a kerosene lamp.

Just as the wolf pounced, Bilbo broke the lamp, grabbed the largest shard, and plunged it into the beast’s throat. The wolf howled in pain but wasn’t the least deterred, knocking Bilbo down onto the floor, to hover over him. Now, not only was the wolf’s spittle dripping down onto Bilbo, but its blood as well.

“I’m going to enjoy every last bite of you,” the creature hissed before opening its mighty jaws.

Bilbo slammed his eyes closed. If this is the way he was going to die, he really didn’t want to watch it happen. He waited for the excruciating pain, but it didn’t come. After a silent moment, he glanced up to find the wolf’s mouth was indeed open, but out of it came only a small squeak.

Before Bilbo realized what was happening, the wolf was knocked off him and it slid across the floor.

Bilbo sat up, his heart pounding, his eyes wide with fear, and yet there was hope. It had come in the form of a handsome woodcutter who was wielding his axe. The blade of the weapon was now covered in the animal’s blood, which was streaming from the wolf’s side. The beast cowered in the corner, hissing and growling at Thorin, who seemed entirely focused on nothing but him.

The hobbit watched in growing alarm as the woodcutter approached Azog, embedded his axe into him not once or twice, but three times. When he was finished, the wolf lay very still and Bilbo closed his eyes to block out the sight. Regardless of its attack on him and his friend, he didn’t enjoy witnessing violence against any creature for any reason.

Suddenly, there were gentle hands cradling his scalp.

“Master Hobbit. Bilbo. Are you all right?”

That was Thorin’s voice and Bilbo forced his eyes open, doing his best to avoid looking at anything but the tender and concerned gaze searching his own.

“I’ve got some scratches on my back, but I’ll live.”

“Come,” Thorin said, gingerly assisting Bilbo to his feet. “Let’s leave the creature behind for a moment and help your friend.”

The two of them freed Gandalf and entered the common area where Thorin immediately insisted that Bilbo remove his jacket and shirt.

With a solid red blush, the hobbit complied, hissing in pain to discover the blood-soaked material was sticking to his skin.

“There is some salve in the corner cupboard,” Gandalf told Thorin from a chair he had sat down heavily on, his breathing raspy, his voice hoarse.

Thorin retrieved the ointment and applied a generous amount to Bilbo’s injuries. For such a strong dwarf with incredibly thick fingers, his touch was surprisingly gentle, the hobbit thought.

“I’m afraid your lovely red coat is ruined, as is this shirt,” Thorin informed him as he began ripping cloth he apparently found as well and started wrapping it around Bilbo’s chest.

Once he stood in front of him, Bilbo realized how very close the woodcutter was to him, and it caused his skin to turn ruddy and his breath to come out in pants.

“Are you sure you’re quite well?” Thorin teased, a smirk lifting up the corner of his mouth.

“Just scratched up is all, I assure you,” Bilbo answered back as Thorin tied the ends of the bandage over his ribs.

“I’ll be at your house in three days to check on you and make sure your wounds haven’t become infected,” the dwarf informed him.

Bilbo would like to say there was no need for that, but he couldn’t think of anything more pleasant than spending additional time with such a lovely dwarf.

“I’d like that.” His words had come out much quieter than he had intended, and it caused Thorin to lean in. Oh, if only they were alone, Bilbo would close the distance to thank the dwarf properly.

But Gandalf was sitting close by, huffing and puffing, and staring at them quite incredulously.

“What about the wolf?” the old man asked once the tender moment had passed.

“I’ll drag it into the woods as a warning to others who may have the same idea.”

Bilbo swallowed hard. “You mean…there are others?” he squeaked.

“Oh aye,” Thorin replied. “As I told you, these woods are full of dangerous folk and you would do well to…”

“Not speak to strangers,” Bilbo chuckled. “I get it. But if I hadn’t, then I would have never met you.”

A dark brow lifted on Thorin’s face. “In that case, consider yourself lucky, as do I.”

“Pardon me,” Gandalf cut in. “But is there anything in that basket you brought Bilbo, or do I have to look for myself?”

“Oh! Of course, of course there is.” Bilbo replied, his thoughts quite distracted by the magnetic blue eyes that were following his every move.

“I’ll take my leave now,” Thorin announced. “And I’ll take the carcass with me.”

Bilbo stepped aside, grimacing at the trail of blood that was being spread across the floor. Before the woodsman left, however, all Bilbo had for him was a smile, and he did his best to make it one worthy of remembrance.

Once they were alone, Bilbo returned his attention to Gandalf and proceeded to warm up some broth and pour him some of the watermelon wine he had brought. Then, he went about the task of scrubbing away the blood from the worn, wooden floors.

It occurred to him as he rinsed out the bucket and brush and listened to the old man slurp that there were better ways to go about doing things. He had never wanted a housemate, but having Gandalf closer would certainly be more convenient and free up a lot of his time. And if he paid his neighbor, Master Gamgee, to look in on the old man from time to time, Bilbo could even manage to take a trip. Maybe as far away as Erebor.

He dropped the scrub brush back into the bucket of clean, sudsy water and smiled innocently at his old friend. “Gandalf, my old friend. Perhaps it’s time we consider relocating you to the village.”

THE END

#thilboweek23 #bagginshield #ticklesivory #the hobbit

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shy-blue-blossom · 9 months

Text

The Unseen Princess

Chapter Two: The Beginning to the End

Chapter 1

Normal PoV

When the day came for Gandalf to call upon her was a day when he was running from Orcs. With the help of Lady Galadriel he and his companions were flown to safety. When they landed Gandalf had asked her to help him with Thorin the future king of the lonely mountain.

"Alright set back please." She asked as she had a hood on her head for many reasons.

When everyone moved back she began to enchant a spell.

"Mi le ni ki ms ta ru no ko ruly." She began he began to glow.

"Futo male kana midi cala." She finished enchanting as the light disappeared.

"He is fine he should wake in a couple of seconds and he will think he didn't go against whoever in the first place." She told Gandalf standing up.

"Thank you and I would like you to help us on our journey to the mountains." Gandalf had thanked and asked of her, which she nodded her head to.

Then Thorin woke up and started to go off at Bilbo and that was the beginning then but she did not take her hood off. They began to make their way to the lonely mountain but when Gandalf left to do something and they were told to stay on pace, yet they somehow got lost while being chased by giant spiders, but in that time they had grown close to the princess without seeing her face and not knowing she was indeed a princess.

For when the elves of Mirkwood had taken them, Bilbo and y/n had not been caught, but y/n didn't know that as she made her way around the woods to another exit which was surrounded by Orcs when she saw the dwarves in barrels in the river. At one point Kili had gotten shot in the leg and got it binned not noticing it was poisoned.

"You need to get that looked at otherwise you could die." She said startling them.

As they were arguing about what to do next the princess heard something behind her and before anyone could do anything she already had her bow drawn with an arrow ready to be fired facing a man with black hair to his shoulders.

"I would lower your bow ranger." When she spoke these words the dwarves stopped arguing with each other and she lowered hers to show she was not going to harm him.

"What are dwarves doing out here." The ranger asked.

"What is a ranger doing so far here when they are supposed to be collecting barrels." The princess said before the dwarves could say anything.

The ranger put his bow down and they talked and eventually got the ranger to agree to sneak them into Lake town. While they were on the boat the ranger was watching the princess as if he knew her from somewhere before.

"What is your name?" The little hobbit known as Bilbo asked.

"Bard but can you tell me who that young lady is?" He answered and asked the hobbit.

"That's y/n. We don't know what her last name is or what she looks like, but Gandalf seems very protective of her when he was with us." The hobbit told him as he was looking at her.

Bard just nodded and told them to get in the barrels, but y/n just stayed where she was since there wasn't enough for them all. Even with her there they still got in alright as though she wasn't even there. When they got there a boy said something about their house being watched and the dwarves would have to go through the toilet. When they got in the house y/n couldn't stop her giggles as she had just walked through the door. Soon the dwarves left when Bard had to do something but y/n stayed because she had a feeling something was going to happen.

"Y/n why do you hide behind a hood?" The youngest Tilda asked her.

Instead of saying anything she just pulled the hood down and took it off. When the girls saw her they couldn't believe how beautiful she was. With her silky, smooth middle thigh length h/c hair, and magnificent e/c eyes. But what they couldn't miss was the gorgeous crown placed upon her head.

"Where did you get the crown from?" The oldest Sigrid asked, and she got a smile from her.

"It was my mothers before she passed." She answered still with a sweet smile on her face.

"Can I do your hair for you?" Tilda asked her.

"I would like that but while you do it you will have to look after my crown upon your head so I know where it is." She said with a smile and a giggle as well.

The light in Tilda's eyes was magical as she has never since someone so happy before. She put her crown upon her head as the girls began to play with her hair until they could think of something to do with it. As they were playing with her hair they didn't hear their father and brother come back in as they had just come up with something to do her hair. Bard and Bain his son were just watching them, but Bard saw her ears.

"You're an elf." Bard just said it.

"Yes and if you are thinking I was wearing a hood because the dwarves don't like elves then you are wrong there. It was a different reason, but it seems that secret will come to light soon." She said not looking at him. "So girls do you need flowers for my hair." She asked them.

"Yes please!" They both shouted with excitement and she let out a little giggle then close her eyes and put her hands in front of her.

"Malani ofara kawa." She said and pure white flowers were in her hands.

She turned around to place the flowers in the girl's hands then turned back around to face the wall while they enjoy putting the flowers in her hair. When it felt like they were done she faced them and Tilda put her crown back on her head. She kissed her forehead along with Sigrid as a thank you.

"Now would you like dinner because I could cook for you all?" The princess asked but Bard was just staring at her along with Bain as it was their first time seeing her face.

"No it's alright y/n I will do it but you can help if you like," Sigrid asked her.

"I would love to." She said with her smile as she followed her.

They cooked dinner for everyone and sat down to eat. They all had fun talking about random things until they went to sleep. The next morning they were all talking again about random things until there was a knock at the door. Stood on the other side were four dwarves and one of them was Kili who looked very ill.

"I told you to get your wound looked at," Y/n said as she was getting everything off the table.

When everything was off the table Kili was laid upon it as y/n was looking at the herbs that they had.

"Kingsfoil do you have any?" She asked.

"That's a weed we feed the pigs," Bard told her.

"Bofur go get it." She said facing him then looked at Bard. "Take the black arrow and kill the dragon." She whispered to him.

He did what he was told and left with the black arrow. She then began to look at his wound when she was about to touch it the door broke and in came some Orcs, she grab her dagger that was on her waist and began to fight them as more came. As she was fighting them she didn't see two elves come and help.

"Y/N WATCH OUT!!" Tilda shouted as an Orc sneaked up on her.

She spun around and silt the Orc's neck and it dropped dead.

"Thanks, Tilda." She thanked her when the Orc's had left. "Bain look after your sisters I have someone to call," Y/n told him and kissed the foreheads before running out of the door while grabbing her clock.

What she didn't realise was that a young eleven prince was watching her. He then called out to Tauriel but she was looking at Kili and as she walked out the door Bofur came and she then did some elven healing magic. As they were sorting Kili out they didn't know what was happening in the lonely mountain, they only knew when the roar of the dragon was heard.

Soon Kili was healed and they set out to join their kin in the lonely mountain. The dragon set loose from the mountain and began to burn lake town down to the ground.

Chapter 3.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

•Mi le ni ms ta ru no ko ruly kaa - stars come forth at my call and heal.

•Futo male kana midi cala - come sun light and help.

•Malani ofara kawa - come grow precious flowers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Unseen Princess

Masterlist

#x reader #reader #lord of the rings x reader #lord of the rings #lort #lotr x reader #legolas x reader #legolas #legolas greenleaf #the unseen princess

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