#a friend inspired me to do this blog :)

[theheirofthesharingan]

tolkien said sam was the chief hero of lord of the rings. also frodo wouldn't have made it out of the shire without him. sam carried frodo on his shoulders in mordor and fought shelob all alone.

tolkien said sam was the chief hero of lord of the rings.

He didn't, apparently. The chief hero quote is a heavily misquoted, perverted phrase LotR fandom has perpetuated without using any critical thinking because it serves their bias. The entire quote, within the context of the letter, means and says something else entirely.

Since we now try to deal with 'ordinary life', springing up ever unquenched under the trample of world policies and events, there are love-stories touched in, or love in different modes, wholly absent from The Hobbit. But the highest love-story, that of Aragorn and Arwen Elrond's daughter is only alluded to as a known thing. It is told elsewhere in a short tale. Of Aragorn and Arwen Undómiel. I think the simple 'rustic' love of Sam and his Rosie (nowhere elaborated) is absolutely essential to the study of his (the chief hero's) character, and to the theme of the relation of ordinary life (breathing, eating, working, begetting) and quests, sacrifice, causes, and the 'longing for Elves', and sheer beauty. But I will say no more, nor defend the theme of mistaken love seen in Eowyn and her first love for Aragorn. But altogether it would hardly amount to the excision of a single long chapter.

People miss the whole context. Here, the theme is that of Love. The characters in question are Sam (rustic, simple love) being compared to Aragorn (higher, nobler love). Tolkien also mentions Éowyn because of her feelings towards Aragorn. It's not a comparison between Frodo and Sam. LotR is a story about the hobbits and all four serve a purpose in the story. They all start out as fairytale heroes but only three return with a gain. Frodo is the tragic hero of the tale.

Furthermore, in many of his letters, Tolkien talks about Frodo as the central character.

Here is a small consignment of 'The Ring': the last two chapters that have been written, and the end of the Fourth Book of that great Romance, in which you will see that, as is all too easy, I have got the hero into such a fix that not even an author will be able to extricate him without labour and difficulty. Lewis was moved almost to tears by the last chapter. All the same, I chiefly want to hear what you think, as for a long time now I have written with you most in mind. (letter #91).

Many people think since Sam is the only one (physically) present there, Tolkien is talking about Sam; but in truth, the one character who is in 'fix' here is Frodo. The main objective of the story is how will Frodo, with Sam's help, go to Mordor and destroy the Ring. Since Sam abandons the idea of destroying the Ring and chooses to follow Frodo's 'dead body', hence endangering the fate of the world, I doubt it has to be about him. We need Frodo to save the world. And we need Sam to save Frodo. Without Frodo, Middle-earth is doomed and the story and the plot cannot go any further than this.

In another letter to David Masson (1955), Tolkien says this:

'Surely how often "quarter" is given is off the point in a book that breathes Mercy from start to finish: in which the central hero is at last divested of all arms, except his will?

(emphasis is mine)

Frodo is the one who divests himself of all arms. And it's his will that's repeatedly talked about throughout the story. The central hero Tolkien talking about here is him.

In The Silmarillion, Frodo is the only character mentioned from the Fellowship. Gandalf is mentioned as Olórin, not Gandalf. Surely, it's a bird-eye view of LotR, but the sentence that was phrased as 'Frodo with the help of his servant destroyed the ring' could also have been said differently with Sam being in focus instead. In the letter #246, JRRT goes in extreme detail regarding Frodo, his heroism, his contribution to the quest, and his relevance in the story thematically. Frodo was the antithesis of Sauron and fought against him singlehandedly. The battle of wills, not any physical battle. In the Field of Cormallen, both Frodo and Sam are honoured, but Frodo is still bestowed with the highest honour for his service (they sang 'Frodo of the Nine Fingers in his honour). Tolkien's words on this:

Frodo deserved all honour because he spent every drop of his power of will and body, and that was just sufficient to bring him to the destined point, and no further. Few others, possibly no others of his time, would have got so far. The Other Power then took over: the Writer of the Story (by which I do not mean myself), 'that one ever-present Person who is never absent and never named' (as one critic has said). (Letter #192)

also frodo wouldn't have made it out of the shire without him.

It's been many years since I read the book, so my memory might betray me, but if I remember it correctly, Sam helped them in the Old Forest because he was the only not under the spell of the tree (Old Man Willow, I suppose). In other instances Frodo took precautions himself. He knew whom to trust. The rest was handled by Merry and Pippin while they left their home and met Strider. Frodo saved his friends from Barrow Wight at the Downs, was the only one to summon courage enough to get back at the Nazgúl while the other three hobbits were terrified. Are you sure you aren't making any overstatements in your comments?

sam carried frodo on his shoulders in mordor and fought shelob all alone.

His contribution in helping Frodo and getting him to Mordor, even on his shoulder, are undeniable. He has a long list of accomplishments, for which he was generously rewarded in the end. But his accomplishments don't make him the 'true hero of LotR', definitely not greater than Frodo.

I can't recall the taste of food, nor the sound of water, nor the touch of grass. I'm naked in the dark. There's nothing — no veil between me and the wheel of fire. I can see him with my waking eyes.

This was Frodo's condition while they were nearing Orodruin. He still didn't give up. No one else, I repeat no one else, was put through these conditions, not even Sam. There comes a time when the Ring physically forces Frodo to put itself on. He resists it and then finds Galadriel's phial. When Sam carries Frodo on his shoulders, he states Frodo hardly weighed more than a hobbit child. It was either Sam was rewarded for his kindness or Frodo had actually lost so much weight that he didn't even weigh more than a child at that time.

'All gave some and some gave all' is a quote I read somewhere. Frodo was the one who gave all he had. He was the kindest, bravest, and most selfless hobbit. Tolkien might have meant Sam to be the chief hero/main character, but that means that for a 'supporting character', Frodo is far more heroic, relevant to the story, because without him, the story wouldn't even exist.

___

I hope this answer was convincing enough for you, anon. Thanks for reminding me why I grew to dislike LotR fandom so much. Apparently, anything pro Frodo must be responded with "sam is the true hero" and "tolkien said so" without looking at the context of the phrases because it helps you with your own bias.

#frodo #lotr frodo #frodo baggins #tolkien #jrr tolkien #lotr #ask #anon #i don't write for anything other than naruto on this blog but this ask had me do it #i gave up on LotR fandom a long time ago for this reason #and haven't written anything for years #for a fandom that has tons of scholars and the books that inspired modern fantasy literature lotr has some of the dumbest fans #though sometimes exceptions are necessary i guess #anyway if you love frodo we might be best friends already

[orkowhereheshouldntbe]

[ID in ALT!]

Hey everyone,

As of January 20th, I'll have been running orkowhereheshouldntbe for two years. It's been so much fun, and I've learned so much about photo editing and media. But I don't feel like I can keep up with the daily posts anymore, and I don't want to keep half-assing things in hope the spark comes back. In other words, as the bio warned, the joke's gotten old.

That's not to say this blog is going away - I plan on leaving it up, and I'll still take requests and suggestions. I may even make a post of my own here and there when the mood strikes me. But I think taking the burden of daily posts off my shoulders will help.

I could never have anticipated a one-off inside joke like this becoming such a big part of my life, or taking up so much of my time. I'm proud of myself for managing to keep things going this long, even with the breaks I've had to take. And I'm endlessly grateful for all the love and support I've gotten on my posts. I'll have a special video on Saturday, to commemorate the blog's anniversary, and as a gift for all of you.

This isn't a permanent goodbye. It's just a change from how things have been. <3

#notorko #announcement #to clarify: 'daily' posts means making a bunch of orkos at once and then queueing them to post daily. i am not making one a day #honestly my main two struggles have been inspiration and motivation. #bless my friends and family for putting up with my regular requests for the former lol #but yeah that last break i took last year really got me thinking about this blog and how much more i can give to it #and i think cutting things off at the 2 year mark is a good move. a good spot to end things #(even tho i'm not ending things not really. ykwim) #i'm not sure what the 'theme' will be for posts this week. usually i do one but nothing feels right #so i'm just gonna carry on as normal! and do things that sound fun! #if you've read all of this you're a saint. thank you

[kiwibirdlafayette]

vavoom moment

finished good omens 2 last week and. im so emotionally distraught but also yeah watch this *combines my two otps like a boss*

#inspired by adammonter's mianite gomens AU i gotta give credit where credit is due bc mans did it first #i just wanted to give it a go myself >:]c #ill make my own tag uhhh #mianite: ineffable champions au #syndisparklez #tom syndicate #captainsparklez #jordan captainsparklez #more on this eventually this is mostly just me being silly because i was talkin to a friend and this was the Idea #again mainly because all thats been going about my head is good omeans and unreal unearth #so yes. gay urge to make more AUs? yessurrr #lafakiwi draws #gkm arts #not on my art blog bc. idk im embarrassing #artists on tumblr #mianite #mianite au #i have some. scenes i want to redraw #which is on my very long list of things to do. eventually #jordan design is by my friend! im not gonna tag them in case i gotta ask first

[dragonsongmakhali]

Birthday time 😎

#going to dinner with my husband tonight and then seeing friends on the weekend :> #I did want to do a makhali/khasan piece as a gift to myself but January is exceedingly busy so belated gift instead #a makhasan piece. witness my new portmanteau #the real gift was seeing that y'all tagged me on that xiv blog post #like I'm so glad that y'all enjoy this lil blog! this community is so inspiring and skilled so to be able to give back makes me so happy :'> #did i maybe cry a tiny bit in a good way. yes. i did. it truly touched my heart to be thought of #and now!! i'm gonna try and catch up a bit this afternoon to all the things i missed! #alright tag soliloquy over it is work time 👍 #the mun speaks

[kalloway]

tumblr’s feeling pretty dead for me (in terms of engagement) anymore so i don’t feel so shy about sharing this dumb Bloodborne art i did back in november im never gonna actually finish lmao

it’s for a fic i haven’t finished (or even posted) yet... there is a trend here 🙈

anyway Micolash is the slug man, change my mind

#art #artists on tumblr #fanart #bloodborne #bloodborne fanart #bloodborne oc #myart #despite the fic not centering on the augur of ebrietas in this picture... it really ought to be lmao #was very inspired by a fic i read where a choir member fed their augur some crumbs or smth from a table and i was like !!!!!! #LET THE FUNKY LITTLE GUYS BE THEIR OWN ENTITIES #also slugs are cute anyway so this is perfect #anyway i stg my one friend almost disowned me when i admitted i have read manymanymany fics with Micolash in it and like #i dont simp for him i just think ppl have some interesting ideas/headcanons for him thats all #he’s the resident weirdo and honestly im more 👀 for Valtr anyway if im being honest LMAO so this is fine #I wanna go full brainrot for Bloodborne again so the fic can like exist lmao but... im so close to finishing Sekiro #and finishing Sekiro means I can FINALLY play Elden Ring lmao so like... i have to be STRONG 😤 #fics will wait even if I’d posted part of it already ya know? #anyway maybe tumblr will just turn into my wip/sketch blog #the lack of notes on anything when I *do* post just kinda draw further attention to some doubts ive been having lately #namely like... my value? like people only value fanart and it took me so long to get *out* of that mindset #but now im like staring into the void again like ‘damn maybe i should give up the oc shit and go back to fanart only’ 😔 #so maybe i need to sit down and reassess my relationship with art again... i feel kinda stagnated atm anyway #but in my defense i have been busy so i haven’t drawn as much as I’ve wanted to #but blehhh NOT ME TACKING THIS STUFF ONTO A FUN POST #i should try to do this dumb idea i had based on the fact I had like 50+ pearl slugs in my inventory when i beat Bloodborne last time #tfw ur pockets are just filled to the brim with slugs

[anorexic-bitch-from-the-swamp]

I LOVE YOUR ACCOUNT! YOU ARE APPRECIATED! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, DEAR SIR!!! :) <3

(The ask won't let me change to my grants-blue-eyed-stare account but it's still me :,))

thank you for your support citizen. welcome to the swamp. you are cherished and appreciated. due to your kind words you can be my secretary of war, (or whatever else,)* for when i inevitably get elected president this year, if you should choose to accept the honor. and not to fear, i knew it was you miss blue-eyed-stare, i would know you anywhere. you're the reason i always know what marker to use when i draw grant.

*vp and sec. of state are taken but the rest are free

#by the way i like your blog a lot and #it has been a discussion between myself and a friend as well recently #your post about finding symptoms of autism in grant was super interesting and i know you know more about him than i do #i just draw him in like hamster cages or whatever #but it helped inspire me to research him more cuz i too am intrigued by his behavior and it would be interesting to see where it originated #if anywhere of course #i never was much for him in general (general? ha.. ha...) but i find him a lot more interesting now than i used to #and following you has encouraged that in me greatly #so basically your insights are intriguing and your propaganda is working #presidential inquiries

[prosebushpatch]

Alright, so, yesterday, I recorded every single POV in each chapter in The Lunar Chronicles like a normal person and that's what this blog post is about. So if you want to want the overview of me going pepe silvia over the fact that one of the love interests has less POV chapters than two side characters, boy have I got a post for you!

#rose and rambles #the lunar chronicles #marissa meyer #my dudes im losing my mind over the lunar chronicles #in the best way possible of course #its just #okay #so it's always been a huge source of inspiration for me but ive only just recently gone back to reread them #and i don't know im analyzing things no one else will probably care about BUT LISTEN #THIS SERIES IS INCREDIBLE #i think the actual blog post comes off less unhinged than i feel about it but boy oh boy #know my mind is nothing but pepe silvia #might do East next because the povs there also captivate me #East and then West? hmmmm yes #anyway happy turkey day! #hope you're all eating well and having a lovely time with family and friends

[eleanorfenyxwrites]

WIP Wednesday

So okay I don't know if this is like...a cool thing to do or not, but there's a fic I claimed from the 2022 kink meme list (I couldn't resist, in large part because Tales From Jianghu Shopping Center was listed by the prompter as one of their inspirations for the prompt) that I'm not sure when I'll actually finish writing but I have started it and I'd like to at least acknowledge that I'm doing it even if the prompter won't see this. But the prompt is something along the lines of anything highly specific and niche (like my strip mall AU lol), and I actually happen to have a growing little stockpile of very very niche knowledge about my chosen professional field, which is ceramics! I specialize in wheel-throwing (though I'm also a...passable hand at plaster mold-making/slip casting and handbuilding, I just don't enjoy them nearly as much) so I've started a little something from Lan Wangji's point of view that's a love letter to throwing ♥

--//--

As is tradition, Lan Wangji works in porcelain.

The Lan family have been respected masters of porcelain for centuries, generations stretching back, back, back nearly to the beginning of the imperial kiln production in Jingdezhen. They once produced the enormous pots that adorned emperors’ palaces – there are (very distant) cousins of his in Jingdezhen who still do so for wealthy patrons.

It’s easy to forget such a background when he enters his personal studio on the other side of the world and flicks on the lights to begin the day’s routines. It’s precisely what he wants – a quiet life like this, simple and unassuming, is much more suited to his desire than the weight of tradition that could otherwise press him and his work down into something he would never want to be.

Not that he deviates very far from tradition anyway, but it’s the principle of the thing. Lan Wangji takes quiet pleasure in simplicity, in function that is beautiful in its hard-won mastery. There are very few non-traditional ways to accomplish this that he’s interested in, but he likes having the option should he want to take it. 

Lan Wangji had learned to throw at his uncle’s knee as soon as it was possible to do so. He has continued to do so since childhood with a single-mindedness that once surprised even his uncle. All he’d ever wanted to do was to sit at the wheel for hours and hours on end, only pausing to warm the water in his bowl with a fresh influx from the kettle and to transfer full wareboards (once he was strong enough) to the drying racks in the corner of his uncle’s studio.

Lan Wangji has always struggled to find the words to convey how integral the motion of the wheel and the smooth slip of clay through his finger and against his palms is to feeling like he fits into his skin properly, but his family seems to understand just the same.

Yesterday, as the sun was westering, Lan Wangji had weighed up a few bags of fresh porcelain. The lumps are waiting for him now, tumbled together under their protective sheets of plastic, ready to be molded and shaped by hands and hypnotic motion. There’s enough of a chill in the studio this time of year that there isn’t any condensation on the plastic when he lifts it, so he folds it away neatly and settles into the easy rhythm of wedging his clay to prepare it for the wheel.

There is, in the middle of the studio, a sturdy butcher’s block workbench. He built it himself right there in the studio, the first piece of furniture that had filled the space even before he’d purchased his Shimpo wheel. It’s very likely too heavy to lift – it’s certainly too big to ever get through the door – but he has no intention of ever leaving this studio to begin another, so it suits his purposes just fine.

Wedging the clay on this sturdy, hip-height table is nearly as meditative a process as all the rest of it. A bit more of a workout than sitting at the wheel, but it’s a good way to warm up in the morning, his muscles well accustomed to the push-turn-push-turn-push-turn of spiral wedging that it’s gone beyond second nature, it simply is. His mind wanders pleasantly as he watches the misshapen lumps of pure porcelain become smooth and rounded beneath his palms. Perhaps he’ll spend the day on bowls. They’re quick and simple, suited to his mood today, and he’ll have plenty of them done by lunch when he already knows his typical solitary routine will be interrupted (and can therefore plan for it so far in advance). 

The sun is up properly by the time Lan Wangji finishes his wedging, and once he’s transferred the first batch of prepared clay to the wheel he pauses to stand in the open doorway and look out over the garden that sits between his studio and his home. The grass and the flowers are glittering fresh and dewy in the sunlight as he rolls his shoulders, stretches out his back in preparation to be seated for long hours.

When he returns, the wheel welcomes him, familiar and comforting. He fills an old bird seed bucket with warm water from the tap and arranges the small mirror at the back of the wheel’s tray to the perfect angle to watch his own hands before he settles in and takes a deep breath, sleeves rolled up and apron cinched comfortably tight around his waist as an unnecessary reminder to keep his back as straight as he can while he works.

The first ball of porcelain hits the perfect bullseye of the wheelhead and Lan Wangji leans in to begin centering, the porcelain buttery soft where it runs under his hands. Porcelain, he knows, is notorious for being difficult to work with, particularly for beginners. This far into his career, it’s simply polite and responsive to each confident press of his palms. He cones it first, hands curled around it to coax it in and up; presses it down again with the flat of his hand, every movement focused on the centerpoint of the wheel gliding silently through magnet-powered rotations. 

Up. 

Down again. 

Up.

Down.

Push.

Press.

Lan Wangji loves every part of the throwing process for what it is, but if he were to have to choose only one, this would be his favorite: the moment he can feel the clay running smoothly, perfectly centered the whole way through and ready to become whatever he will tell it to be, the possibilities – for this moment – endless.

#the untamed fanfic #WIP Wednesday #Lan Wangji #If I'm not mistaken the name of the prompt in the list is 'Bring Your Yiling Laozu To Work Day' or something to that effect #and I do plan on WWX showing up later in a way that's inspired by some of my friends in the studio #who work MUCH more chaotically than I do #(ie one of them currently goes mudlarking and digging for wild clay then brings it all in to chuck it in the kiln just to see what happens) #the other one can't remember anything that they do because they take no notes and treat highly precise chemical processes like they're #still a chef adding a dash of this and a dash of that to whatever's in their mixing bowl #and then there's me with my extensive notes and thoroughly researched glazes and all being like #'.....sometimes I don't mind if my glaze ingredients are a gram or two off' #anyway for anyone who didn't know I'm a ceramicist and it's one of my special interests lol #my profile picture and header images across both my blogs are photos of my current work #oh and the Shimpo wheel?????? IT'S A FUCKIN DREAM #the museum I sometimes teach workshops at borrowed one from a different college than mine in town and it was just #so fuckin NICE. It's DEAD SILENT and smooth as silk #and the pedal stays where you put it so if you're doing something large scale you can stand up to get your arm down in it #without having to balance on one foot or sacrifice speed or anything #it was like heaven #it's also like 4k to buy new so LOL NOPE

[lemonduckisnowawake]

You know, when I was younger I used to keep up with a LOT of story blogs run by friends and acquaintances. There was this one writer who posted a short novella with a fascinating scifi worldbuilding that sometimes I still remember, though I admit that the most memorable of their stuff for me personally was this urban fantasy world they posted one shots from. There was another blogger acquaintance/friend from class who had a pretty memorable superhero story based on emotions that was seriously fun to read. And another classmate who wrote for their novel project this unlikely friendship (it might've been romance) with really poetic writing. Some bloggers did tag games, sometimes they also posted seriously amazing art they did, some clasmates posted random things inspired by the great books from our philosophy/lit class, and some others posted life updates. And from every one of the 20+ blogs I stalked, there's a story or musing or poem that's been etched as a permanent resident in my long-term memory.

And more than that, I also remember this novel a friend wrote on google docs that they only shared with a few people that I still remember (and reread once just because the funky premise combined with their writing style made it so pleasant). And this poem another classmate shared with us about life and death that stuck in my brain enough that I accidentally plagiarized it for an essay's title (I apologized profusely, especially since I think the teacher complimented it, and they were more amused and flattered than offended, though). Then there's also the fanfics and other poems, the short stories and one shots shared privately that I still have some remnants of. And a collab project novel outline that never went anywhere beyond the novel I wrote based off it (that I still have!). I don't even really talk to them anymore, or have lost contact with almost all these people. But there were a lot of stories I read not shared to their blogs that sometimes randomly pop in my brain like "yeah, this happened and you read it."

All this, really, to realize for myself that no matter how "badly written" (we were like...15-18) or unfinished my stories are, or even if they're only shared to a few people, it still might matter a lot (or, in my case, stick like a fly to a flytrap) to one person. I sure know that the stuff the friends I have now share with me, privately or on a "public" but perhaps not far-reaching medium, are going to stick around in my head for life.

#lemon duck quacks #literary lemonade #for the words! #i have a lot of those blogs (some which have tragically died) saved #and my current friend's don't know that i save their stuff privately to look back on >:) #got paranoid because a collab blog i did with a few people way back was one day deleted #(don't worry i undeleted it and saved the stories and deleted it again heh) #also not featured in this rambly post is the fact that someone in the far future may find your blog and eat it up #inspired by a friend saying she did that for me and another friend's blogs #and also me doing it to my bff's blog that had posts from the early 2010s and live reacting to her about it ;p

[pokimoko]

Shoutout to all the little guys in my phone who help to bring joy to my day. I love you all equally I swear! there is absolutely no blatant favouritism towards @mockspector​ here absolutely none.

#me #my stuff #beloved mutuals #not gonna tag all of you because save for two of these guys you all follow me #but in order: mockspector (new bestie <3). be-they-do-crimes. smokeyrutilequartz. pizzee (beloved). tiptapricot (also beloved) #ayratheaverage (BEST FRIEND TO WHOM I AM DEVOTED). owlpip (art envy and my new secret crush). mrcspectr. rabblerebelreject. #love how all my favs are either 1. nonbinary/trans or 2. bisexual (or both) #don't mind me just playing a game of Nonbinary/Trans or Bi Tic Tac Toe with my favourite mutuals #Also Moon Knight or Queer Blog Tic Tac Toe #(though let's be honest most Moon Knight blogs are ALSO queer it's just a fact) #happy to be everyones lil cryptid who just shows up in their notes constantly but barely says a word #was inspired to make this post thanks to a conversation that will not be mentioned here because i know a certain someone will hear #and i'm not ready for the horrors #(but hell yeah mockspector we are totally besties now as if i wasn't already secretly in love with you) #(you were almost at 25% the other day and I was like 'damn i think i might be a bit little too obsessed with your posts') #ALSO COMMEMORATING ME FINALLY REACHING 4000 TOTAL LIKES AFTER 7 YEARS ON HERE #that's like 571 likes a year #which is not a lot in the scheme of things I have seen ayra's total like amount and it scares me #it's like that big book little book meme #with your help beloved mutuals i can shorten the distance

[mobpsychoheritageposts]

the concept of you'r blog detracts from the comedic value of every mp post ever made. you are not a fan, you are just here to kill the buzz in exchange for attention

I'm glad you got to get that off your chest, but you sorely mistake the purpose of this account I'm afraid

#sorry you find the captions annoying #to be honest with you my intention was to get ppl more excited abt mp100 again by helping rmr fun posts #and my friend inspired me to do that by making an acct like this #i know it's ill advised of me to respond to a message like this but it's honestly a concern ive had before #regardless though i think accounts like this have nothing but fun intended behind them #at least for the most part #like why would i spend hours some days just going through long since abandoned blogs if i wasnt a fan? i do that anyways #i like the sense of community these kinds of accounts bring and wanted to have something like that for mp100 #you're free to remove the captions from any posts that you like. i do when i reblog to my main lol #this is a side account i rlly don't check the notifs. just like giving new enjoyers of the series a chance to see some funny posts #and letting older fans rmr the fun stuff #ask

[epitomees]

I’m to punch your writing bad vibes so get your butt ready.

To be slightly personal, your writing has been one of my inspirations for a while now. If I had to describe your style, it doesn’t dip into overly flowery purple prose that makes it difficult to tell what is going on, but it's meaty enough to put me into a character’s shoes and really give me a sense for the emotions they feel and why they feel that way. Little details like usage of punctuation, bolds, italics, caps, etc. truly sell your muses as their own person, complete with distinct voices. These little things may go unnoticed, but to me, It’s the little things like these that really show how much care and effort you put into your writing.

And generally, it really gives me motivation to sit down and write, whether it’s for a reply or something personal.

Your writing is very satisfying to read, and I know I’ve said it multiple times before, but it has truly opened my eyes to characters I would have normally been apprehensive or understood little about if not for you. There’s something about how you write P5 related content that makes me wish you were in charge of the game. You really hit all the things I enjoy about the game and seamlessly incorporate it to your writing, as well as improve its shortcomings.

(To be slightly personal again, your enthusiasm for this game, through IC content or OOC posts, is one of the reasons why I’ve been able to slowly come up with ideas on how to slap my P4 muses into P5, but more importantly, enjoy the game for what it is. Without you, I have no doubts that it would have taken me much longer to appreciate it.)

Of course, your writing achieving this effect would not be possible without your understanding of the game, its themes and its characters. Not just P5, mind you. P4, too. Despite me knowing the events of the game almost by heart, you always bring up something fresh about it that makes me view it in a new light and keep the P4 era going in my heart, and by P4 era, I mostly mean Naoto.

I know you’ll make me fall in love with P3 all over again soon, so I’m looking forward to that :^)

There is a lot more for me to say, you being a cherished friend is one of them, and also that you are a horrible little gremlin for encouraging my illness known as Naoto Disease, just to name a few things, but that’s for a later date, since I don’t want to make this ask stretch on for miles.

PS remember that I won’t stop loving you dani-lion xoxo

((You are a damn good, genuine friend, Liz. I needed to hear this.))

#out of cards #mun stuff #chibitantei #long post #((....I really have nothing I can say to this #there have been times recently where I get too into my head about my blogs here and whether or not my writing has been bland or boring #and I let it get to me...which then kills my motivation to write anything #whether it's long form or something short #I don't feel like I'm portraying their voice the way they want me to or I'm doing a horrible job characterizing them #it's an internal struggle because then I have my logical side start fighting this emotional side #I know it's just me letting my thoughts get to me but man...it tires me out when I'm fighting with myself #this is a hobby and it's supposed to be fun; that's what I remember at the end of it all #I think I just let my perfectionist side get to me sometimes because there's a lot of amazing writers here #and I feel like I have to keep up with them in order to be seen as a good writer #including you Liz #your writing style and characterization have been an inspiration to me as well; from the time I first delved into Persona RPC #I needed this...I really needed to hear this so thank you so much for punching the bad vibes and negativity #I know I put this all in tags but...thanks to anyone who happens to read all of these #we'll be back to the regularly scheduled shenanigans and fluff and angsty-riddled threads #but again thank you thank you THANK YOU Liz; you know I love you so so much as my friend and the friendship we have is so important to me #I won't let these writing bad vibes stick around <3))

[starswallowingsea]

Every single one of those posts that tells people they should at least reblog some of the stuff they like has the replies FILLED with people saying that you can't tell anyone what to do and like. yeah i guess there's always been lurkers on here but like. you realize the people saying this are doing it because they love the culture on this site and don't want to see it taken over by people who refuse to engage with content in a meaningful way.

you don't have to reblog every single thing you like (and hell since reblogs are now something that can be turned off, sometimes you cant) but like. you should reblog some things. whether its memes or fanart or fanfic or informational posts or whatever. you could also try to start a gimmick blog that posts a specific type of content and you can utilize the tags to get out there since plenty of people do check general tags on this site. you can also have side blogs if you want! which can be themed around specific things! this is also a super common thing!

you're new here so you're still feeling things out and trying to get your foot in the door so just start reblogging content and following people. i know some of you are looking to gain a big following really quickly but tbh growth on this site is incredibly slow so you have to be patient and you have to put in the effort to get real people interested in following you, and your reblogs can say a lot about you

#like its so weird to me that some of you are soooooo adamant about not reblogging things like what do you get out of this #if you want to make friends on here people have to think there's a real person behind the url #and being a blank blog is not going to inspire confidence in other users #and i need to reiterate that you dont have to reblog every single thing you see but you should reblog some of it #i get followers sometimes who have reblogs going back like two years but there's only like. 10 reblogs total #which is also something i dont understand unless they have smth somewhere saying #they use a sideblog as their actual main which also happens sometimes #shout out to eri and reede who ik have done this #its just so baffling 2 me conceptually like i get being nervous but u just gotta jump into it #once you start interacting with content you'll find other users who will follow you and interact with you #and then you can make friends and mutuals! #also you dont have to be mutuals w someone to reblog something from them #im mutuals with maybe a fourth of my followers and like 60% of the people i follow im not mutuals with #and i still reblog from non mutuals and my followers who arent mutuals still reblog from me and thats FINE #thats how things SPREAD #tumblr is an active social media site. you have to put in the effort to enjoy your time here #shay speaks #ok2rb

[strangefable]

mkay, listen. as a bona fide expert on this, if you say your interpretation is "objectively" the truth, then... you are doing media literacy wrong.

no such thing no such thing no such thing

#i am annoyed #i am cranky #this is My Field of Expertise #and i hate seeing people throw around words they don't know how to use correctly #taking my field's jargon the fuck away from fandom until y'all learn #there is no 'objective' truth there is only interpretation #and it is always colored and dependent on many factors #you cannot be objectively correct about a character in a piece of media oh my LORD please stop #sometimes i regret following main tags for things #but i am doing the appropriate thing and making this post #instead of yelling at people on their blogs #because oh my word do i ever want to throw the whole book at someone #the literal book on critical theory in fact :| #is this also inspired by people being shitty to a friend of mine? yeah #but it's also about a new post that popped up in the tags that REALLY PISSED ME OFF

[retellingthehobbit]

Retelling The Hobbit Chapter 16: The Song of the Lonely Mountain First chapter / Previous / Next

To view full comic: Webtoon/A03 / Tumblr post with links to all chapters

Other blogs: TikTok/Instagram/Tumblr Sideblog

*crumbles into dust after finishing this* Thank you for reading! This The Hobbit webcomic adaptation thing takes a lot of effort to put together and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate every comment. I also really appreciate the people who’ve spread the word of this comic to their friends! <3

And finally, we’re at the Song of the Lonely Mountain! Within Tolkien’s canon, The Hobbit is an in-universe book that was “written” by Bilbo Baggins, who occasionally lies/embellishes/exaggerates things. The tonal differences between The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are explained by Bilbo and Frodo/Sam being different kinds of storytellers, with different relationships to “the truth.” This idea is the core of how I’m adapting the novel!  Bilbo is an unreliable narrator who is literally ‘drawing’ from his own limited experiences;  the different art styles reflect the different perspectives of other characters.   The “dwarf art style” in this chapter is inspired by stonework/metalwork in general— but especially by a mix of art deco, Celtic art, and European folk art. 

The central tension of the comic is between Bilbo and Thorin, who each have wildly different ideas about what kind of  story they’re in. Thorin is in a grand fantasy epic, while Bilbo is in a lighthearted children’s book adventure.  The tragedy is, obviously, that only one side of the story ever gets to be fully told.

On a sillier note, a few years ago I had my first gay crush on a lesbian who sang while playing the piano. This chapter is dedicated to the piano lesbian. I hope they’re doing well, wherever they are. XD

I think I might need a bit of a break but I’m hoping for the next chapter, titled “Dawn,” to arrive on January 13th. And your comments/support really do help motivate me to get more done! ^_^

#lotr #the hobbit #bagginshield #the hobbit comic #retelling the hobbit #lord of the rings #thorin oakenshield #bilbo baggins #YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET #anyway *crumbles into dust* #the slowest burn bagginshield fic of all time??? #it will become canon in approximately 84 years #i would say its the most high effort fanfic in the hobbit fandom but ive got lots of competition for that #god works hard but Hobbit fans work harder and etc etc #long post

[underwhelmingalchemist]

So apparently the version of the "Isn't It Bromantic" interview that gets passed around isn't the full thing

So after seeing a tumblr post I can't find, about two and half hours of intensive internet digging, and one purchase from a sketchy second-hand site later (full story under the cut, I promise it's interesting, but also long), I got the physical magazine and scanned it

So here you go: the full "Isn't It Bromantic?" TV guide interview with Robert Sean Leonard and Hugh Laurie

Feel free to repost wherever you want- I want people to be able to find the full thing

SO, as for how I found it:

I saw this tumblr post forever ago that I can't find anymore because tumblr is just Like That with a cropped screenshot of an interview with Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard. In the interview, they're asked about the "bromance" between their two characters. Leonard makes an annoyed comment about how "everyone [is] obsessed with homosexuality", followed by the interview apologizing and Laurie immediately jumping in with, "No, no, let's talk about it. Wilson and House have an unusual relationship so you have to explore…" and the screenshot cuts off there. Cue funny comment from the OP about the interaction, roll credits.

Except, as these things tend to do, it ended up becoming a bit of a brain worm, and I wanted to find it again. But I couldn't find the tumblr post. I looked absolutely everywhere, and in the process of looking everywhere, I found what I thought was the original interview- a blog post with the full quote from the actor. I didn't think too much about it, I figured it was just a short quote given to a popular blog in 2008. There's a magazine cover above it, but I don't think too much about it, because I'm focusing on the quotes in the article instead of the rest of it.

So I send screenshots to a couple friends to make jokes, and it probably should have died there.

However, late at night I end up thinking about that interview again, because of course I did. I start to think about how it's weirdly formatted for, what I assumed at first reading, was just an entertainment news blog reaching out for comment and getting a response. So I pull up the screenshots of the article (because weirdly enough, the old-ass blog only loads on mobile) and look at it again.

This is when I realize that this isn't an original piece from a blog interviewing these two after reaching out for comment. This is a blog post quoting and commenting on a full interview from a magazine, which I had originally thought had just been the inspiration for the piece.

So naturally, I go looking for the magazine.

Luckily, the name of the magazine is displayed on the cover, and so is the title of its main piece. This should be easy to find, right?

Wrong.

This is an interview in a physical magazine. From 2008. October 13th, 2008, to be exact.

I know this exact date because searching the article title and magazine name leads me to an archive on the TV Guide website.

Of covers.

And nothing but covers.

I spend like forty-five minutes searching everywhere I can think of on the web. Internet Archive, the TV Guide website, any search result that comes up when I search any combination of the words "House" "Interview" "Bromantic" "Bromance" "TV Guide" "Archive" etc. Over and over, all that's coming up are that original blog post and the cover from the official gallery.

The only things I could find online were:

The cover and date of the issue on the TV Guide website

The original blog post that was screenshotted in the original tumblr post

Another blog post that had a much shorter version of the quote, references something Leonard says from later in the article, and makes a comment on the nature of his reaction to the term "bromance"

An entry on Leonard's IMDB page's "interview" list mentioning it in title only

And:

5. A single listing for the issue on what seemed to be a second-hand site that looked like it hadn't had its UI updated since the mid 2000's, with a listing with no date or additional information besides what issue it is.

This is the only listing anywhere. I checked every other second-hand site I could think of, and then some that only came up through google searches. There's not a single listing for that issue on any of them. There were plenty of listings of TV guide magazines, including one that seemed promising because it included issues from that year, but it was missing all of October.

It seemed like the only listing for this issue on the entire internet was this one copy on this one obscure website. For all I know, this was listed in 2008 and abandoned, and just never got marked inactive. It could also be a complete scam.

A few quick google searches show that that website seemed to be legit, albeit a bit loose on quality control (which makes sense, this website seemed like the kind of thing you'd have to use the Way Back Machine to access). It also had an option to pay via PayPal, which meant I could file a chargeback if need be.

It was $11.50 when you include shipping.

So at about half past midnight, I bought the listing.

Naturally, about an hour later, I manage to actually find a scan of the interview. I had to follow a link in the comments of a post on FanPop, taking me to an old wordpress blog, and I'm sitting in front of the damn interview at last.

But something doesn't make sense. Why would their cover story only be two pages of text that aren't even full pages, and why would it cut off so strangely? There was no concluding sentence or paragraph, even though it started with a fairly long lead-in. It also led right up to the edge of the page, which felt like there should be more to it. There were more images in the interview than text, and the fact that there are so many of them and they clearly did a whole photoshoot indicated that they had them on hand for a while. The silly string one, for instance, I imagine probably had to require a couple takes, which means cleaning off Wilson's hair and face, adjusting makeup, etc. for it. Meanwhile, the conversation itself seems like it could have taken ten minutes total. I could have been totally wrong and that was where the article ended, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there might be more.

So I hold tight. A couple days pass with no update, and then the PayPal purchase gets updated with a tracking number. Promising, but it could still be a scam. Whether or not I get the actual magazine becomes a source of anxiety for the next week.

Until today, when I get told it was delivered. And when I opened the envelope it was sent in: there it was.

When I tell you I was happy stimming in my bedroom just holding the damn issue in my own hands... And then opening it and finding out that I was right, there was a missing page... I was elated. I still am, just typing this.

So I spent half an hour getting my scanner to work, and I give you the above issues.

Like I said above, feel free to repost however and wherever you want. I want all this to mean something.

In the meantime, I have two more House-themed TV Guide magazines coming to try and get articles from.

#i am so psyched to have found this you have no idea #house #house md #hatecrimes md #malpractice md #gregory house #james wilson #hugh laurie #robert sean leonard #tv guide #magazine #interview #house interview #isn't it bromantic #hilson