#but anyway the point is i think the hobbits know how the world works

[rohirric-hunter]

Also I'm vaguely offended at the implicit assumption that hobbits as a general rule don't already know who Morgoth is

#this is about something i posted a long time ago but its been eating at me #like obviously they know who morgoth is #they know who sauron is #or at any rate have as much of an understanding of him as anyone else who isnt a scholar or resident of gondor #so it stands to reason that they would also have a basic understanding of morgoth #a dark lord who has just about the same amount to do with them and their lives #i mean i think people get this impression that hobbits are dumb and dont know things from pippin and sam #pippin is a child #and while sam himself is curious and smart and eager to learn and know things #i would put money on it that you could tell the gaffer that the earth was round and he would immediately forget that information #because it doesnt have anything to do with his life and he therefore doesnt need to know it #so sam hasnt really been told as many things as a lot of people #both of them are bad examples #compare them to bilbos ability to infer things in the hobbit based on a general background knowledge of the world at large #like he knows what a furrier is! i dont even know what a furrier is! #but anyway the point is i think the hobbits know how the world works #they keep to themselves but theyre not isolated lmao #like idk if yall are aware of this but theres this road that runs right through the middle of their country called the GREAT EAST ROAD #they turn suspicious people back at the borders but there are plenty of perfectly respectable people who come through #down. you know. the GREAT EAST ROAD #they know whats out there. they just dont care

[astronicht]

Okay I'm almost done with Fellowship, here's an incomplete list of shit I noticed and thought was buck fucking wild on my first ever read-thru: medieval edition.

In literally the second line of the book, Tolkien implies that Bilbo Baggins wrote a story which was preserved alongside the in-universe version of the Mabinogion (aka the best-known collection of Welsh myths; I promise this is batshit). This is because The Hobbit has been preserved, in Tolkien's AU version of our world, in a "selection of the Red Book of Westmarch" (Prologue, Concerning Hobbits). If you're a medievalist and you see something called "The Red Book of" or "The Black Book of" etc it's a Thing. In this case, a cheeky reference to the Red Book of Hergest (Llyfr Coch Hergest). There are a few Red Books, but only Hergest has stories).

not a medieval thing but i did not expect one common theory among hobbits for the death of Frodo's parents to be A RUMORED MURDER-SUICIDE.

At the beginning of the book a few hobbits report seeing a moving elm tree up on the moors, heading west (thru or past the Shire). I mentioned this in another post, but another rule: if you see an elm tree, that's a Girl Tree. In Norse creation myth, the first people were carved from driftwood by the gods. Their names were Askr (Ash, as in the tree), the first man, and Embla (debated, but likely elm tree), the first woman. A lot of ppl have I think guessed that that was an ent-wife, but like. Literally that was a GIRL. TREE.

Medieval thing: I used to read the runes on the covers of The Hobbit and LOTR for fun when I worked in a bookshop. There's a mix of Old Norse (viking) and Old English runes in use, but all the ones I've noticed so far are real and readable if you know runes.

Tom Bombadil makes perfect sense if you once spent months of your life researching the early medieval art of galdor, which was the use of poems or songs to do a form of word-magic, often incorporating gibberish. If you think maybe Tolkien did not base the entirety of Fellowship so far around learning and using galdor and thus the power of words and stories, that is fine I cannot force you. He did personally translate "galdor" in Beowulf as "spell" (spell, amusingly, used to mean "story"). And also he named an elf Galdor. Like he very much did name an elf Galdor.

Tom Bombadil in fact does galdor from the moment we meet him. He arrives and fights the evil galdor (song) of the willow tree ("old gray willow-man, he's a mighty singer"), which is singing the hobbits to sleep and possibly eating them, with a galdor (song) of his own. Then he wanders off still singing, incorporating gibberish. I think it was at this point that I started clawing my face.

THEN Tom Bombadil makes perfect sense if you've read the description of the scop's songs in Beowulf (Beowulf again, but hey, Tolkien did famously a. translate it b. write a fanfiction about it called Sellic Spell where he gave Beowulf an arguably homoerotic Best Friend). The scop (pronounched shop) is a poet who sings about deeds on earth, but also by profession must know how to sing the song or tell the story of how the cosmos itself came to be. The wise-singer who knows the deep lore of the early universe is a standard trope in Old English literature, not just Beowulf! Anyway Tom Bombadil takes everyone home and tells them THE ENTIRE STORY OF ALL THE AGES OF THE EARTH BACKWARDS UNTIL JUST BEFORE THE MOMENT OF CREATION, THE BIG BANG ITSELF and then Frodo Baggins falls asleep.

Tom Bombadil knows about plate tectonics

This is sort of a lie, Tom Bombadil describes the oceans of old being in a different place, which works as a standard visual of Old English creation, which being Christian followed vaguely Genesis lines, and vaguely Christian Genesis involves a lot of water. TOLKIEN knew about plate tectonics though.

Actually I just checked whether Tolkien knew about plate tectonics because I know the advent of plate tectonics theory took forever bc people HATED it and Alfred Wegener suffered for like 50 years. So! actually while Tolkien was writing LOTR, the scientific community was literally still not sure plate tectonics existed. Tom Bombadil knew tho.

Remember that next time you (a geologist) are forced to look at the Middle Earth map.

I'm not even done with Tom Bombadil but I'm stopping here tonight. Plate tectonics got me. There's a great early (but almost high!) medieval treatise on cosmology and also volcanoes and i wonder if tolkien read it. oh my god. i'm going to bed.

edit: part II

#astro lotr #at what cost

[camille-lachenille]

Was thinking about just how much characters in the Silm and LOTR deal with pain an injuries on a daily basis. It’s not always said plainly but they exist in the story, they live, they are important, and I wonder how much of them are inspired by Tolkien’s own experience of war injuries/illness. How many of his fellow soldiers came back home disfigured and disabled and were faced with disgust or contempt?

Sure, there’s the whole fairy-tale/mythic aspect of loosing a limb in your heroic quest to get the Magic Object, but what about Gwindor, who was captured by Morgoth and, when he finally managed to escape, was so changed by his sufferings that his beloved rejected him? Gwindor’s not a hero, he’s a simple soldier who suffered through war and captivity and became disabled because of that. How much pain did he live with daily even if it’s never said on the page?

And, still in the CoH, there’s Brandir the Lame. He was born disabled, couldn’t be a warrior, yet held a position of power until his people wanted action and scorned him. Brandir is a healer, a man of wisdom and lore; how much of it is because he tried to cure himself? To ease his pain but also try to "fix" himself in the eyes of his people and be the worthy leader he thought they wanted.

There is Sador ‘Labadal’ too, who chopped his foot off in an accident and is looked down for that by several character (not the least of them being Morwen).

These three characters are all disabled and looked upon with pity, contempt or outright disgust. They did not become disabled in the doing of great deeds, their stories aren’t heroic, and so their disability makes them worthless in the eyes of many.

If you take Maedhros, on the other hand (pun fully intended), he is seen as made greater by his disability. He suffered unthinkable torments and was freed at the price of his right hand, and did many great and terrible things after that. It is similar for Beren, who also lost his hand (arm chopping is not a love language!) but it always portrayed as a good and heroic character, because his disability is the direct result of him taking part in the great designs of the world rather than a banal accident.

And that’s only for the Silm characters, because we don’t want to forget about Frodo of the Nine Fingers, who bore the One Ring to the very fires of Mt Doom. Frodo who returned home sickly and traumatised, plagued with chronic pain, nightmares and a poor health and was only looked at down by the hobbits who did not take part in the quest if the ring. Frodo may be a hero for Men and Elves but he has little to no recognition in his homeland.

Another character I nearly forgot (shame on me!) is Celebrían, She was captured and tortured and despite her physical wounds healing she was never the same again, to the point she had to leave her family to seek healing elsewhere. I see this as a form of mental illness, probably depression and PTSD. And Celebrían is not thought as lesser because of her disability. She is seen as a tragic story, yes, but it’s better than most of the other disabled characters in the Silm.

Anyway, I don’t really know what my point is here, just that I noticed a pattern in the representation of disabled characters in Tolkien’s works, first of all that they exist at all, and second that how they are treated certainly reflects the views of society on disabled people during Tolkien’s lifetime. The way he writes disabled characters isn’t perfect, far from it, but they are here, and I, as a disabled reader, am immensely glad for their existence and I play in the gigantic sandbox of the Legendarium with these characters and others whom I imagine as disabled in any way.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #the lord of the rings #gwindor #brandir #sador #frodo baggins #celebrían #disabled characters #tolkien legendarium #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan #tolkien meta

[rocksanddeadflowers]

something I've been thinking about is how interesting it would be to see the goblincore/gremlincore/corvidcore type aesthetic to evolve into an actual subculture. obviously for starters we should change the name bc anything ending in -core just doesn't sit right with me? unless of course it becomes that "placeholder name turns true name" sorta deal but ANYWAY.

main three key elements I've noticed that tend to make up a subculture is: style/outfit presentation (the optional part), belief system, and music genre(s).

style and presentation: (like what you wear), that part is already obvious if you ever followed the aesthetic at any point. (it was trendy for a time I think, is it still trendy? bc idk if it is but that's not stopping me from loving it.) basically wearing majority earth colors like browns and greens, stuff like hobbit-esque cloths or sweaters and stuff. definitely LOTS of nature based themes or just wearing weird trinkets. gotta go for that "creature directly out of the chronicles of spider wick" type look you know?

with the clothes (and often interior design I've noticed, which my entire bedroom would probably fit the aesthetic actually) one thing I've noticed for most who are into the aesthetic is there is a LOT of DIY. also going out and collecting things you find (anything from mystery trinkets to dead bugs and sticks and rocks, which I grew up doing and would call myself a tinker bc I made stuff out of what I found very often).

belief system: I feel like, above all else, beliefs commonly held among people in this aesthetic is to respect and be in nature, as well as do not waste, reduce and reuse. a lot of environmentalist like stuff, as well as seeing and respecting the beauty of nature, from butterflies and flowers to dirt and corpses. I don't have a solid concrete answer for belief system, but hopefully that sums up my view on it.

music genre: folk/folk punk, fantasy DND type genres, and nature based lyrics and vibes. from my experience and digging around, there's less artists who catch the vibe of this aesthetic all around (bc that's not what they're trying to do), and moreso having a couple or handful of songs that fit so very well. unless of course it's a genre of music that is enheritly matching to this aesthetic.

anyway, I'm not great at explaining the music aspect of it, but I feel like if it's magical and yet sorta punk-like that can work. no limits here yet, I have a playlist on my youtube that definitely pushes the boarders but who cares? the thing has celtic woman and httyd score on it. I just think if this evolved into having music for the genre (idk if we could call it a music based genre since it didn't start that way but I mean overall having a genre of music dedicated to this aesthetic-turned-subculture) it would be really interesting to hear what comes of it.

circling back for a minute, I feel like punk comes hand-and-hand with a couple of things here, but specifically mainly eco-punk. like diy, reduce and reuse, etc. as well as the music, while not deeply punk still feels like it would have a punk undercurrent.

I also think this could parallel well with goth, with the dark romantic sorta stuff. the music and belief system having love and adoration for the strangest and darkest aspects of nature, similar to goths seeing beauty in the darkness and creepiness of the world.

if anyone actually read this I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on my little rant (suggestions for bands/musicians and similar subcultures/subculture parallels are very encouraged) bc I grew up doing pretty much everything within this aesthetic long before I knew it was a thing or maybe even before it was a thing. that isn't meant to be gate keepy. I mean that when I found out just how many other people liked and did the same things as me, it was just so cool. so I just really wanna talk to people about this and I think something like this aesthetic could easily become a subculture one day.

#i am ALWAYS open wanna talk about this style in general #nature based stuff is very important to me pls feel free to reply or reblog with literally any positive points #goblincore #gremlincore #corvidcore #crowcore #nature #alternative subcultures #alt subculture #goblin aesthetic #goblin vibes

[wordbunch]

Hobbits and cuddles AND kisses!

a/n: some sweet anon requested Frodo & cuddles, then @queenmeriadoc​ wanted the other three as well, and THEN someone asked for headcanons abt kisses... 🥰 BEHOLD I am here to give you all of that!!! y’all eat this up and my soul heals when I write it. enjoy. i love u. MAJOR fluff incoming!!! 💕💕💕 lmk how you liked it, reblogs greatly appreciated and encouraged 😍

MERRY

♡ cuddling ♡

nobody would really get him to admit it, but he’s a huge fan of cuddling

if you’re sitting down and reading, or lying in bed, he will drop whatever else he thought of doing and just plop down

loves to just wrap around you as much as possible

he will very rarely ask to be the little spoon but you know he sometimes needs it

deep down he’s actually a bit insecure, but when you hold him it all just melts away

he doesn’t need to be smart, funny, brave, anything, he can just be

surprisingly, he’s okay just being quiet while you cuddle

and he can just listen to you talk or even read to him and he’ll drift off to another plane of existence

many times you caught him looking at you like you’re the very creator of love, beauty and everything good there is in the world

♡  kisses ♡

 he is particularly inclined to making out with you, without a care in the world

someone is nearby? literally who cares

couldn’t be him

and he will have your face in his hands while kissing you

afterwards he will playfully squish your cheeks just because

bonus points if that gets you slightly annoyed

this is my personal headcanon 100% based on nothing BUT

he is absolutely the type to interrupt your rant with a kiss, like that is a guilty pleasure

he might sometimes be annoying on purpose so that you would do that to him in return, and his face all but burns for like ten minutes afterwards

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

PIPPIN

♡ cuddling ♡ 

on the one hand cuddling is sometimes too slow of an activity for his energetic self

on the other hand he would glue himself to you if that was possible

he likes cuddling with you but every now and then he will sit up because he remembered something or he will retell a story so animatedly that you’ll accidentally get hit in the face

of course he will apologize a trillion times, paired with just as many kisses

he loooves when you two lie down facing each other, noses almost touching, who needs personal space anyway

not him

you figured out how to magically make him calm - brushing your fingers through his curls works like magic

and it’s even better if he can lay half on top of you

♡  kisses ♡ 

he basically has no idea what he’s doing but that has absolutely never stopped him before

and it is not about to, especially when it comes to being affectionate to his favorite person

he will attack your cute face with kisses until you laugh breathlessly

long and tender kisses are saved for more private and special settings

short and sweet kisses are the more common kind 

100% the type to give you a quick little kiss on the lips, move away, and then come back for a longer one

sometimes your noses or foreheads would bump due to too much enthusiasm and then you giggle and he’s FLOORED like how are you real

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ 

FRODO

♡ cuddling ♡ 

 in his opinion there’s almost nothing better than cuddling with you while reading

the two of you would even make some snacks and tea to bring with you so you don’t have to move anywhere for a while

settle comfortably in his lap with your back against his chest and all will be well in the world

the feeling of your weight against him calms him down immensely - it’s so reassuring to know that you’re there and so close and that he can just hug you and kiss you whenever he wants

 you’ll tease him for distracting you, but the soft blush of your cheeks tell him otherwise

at this point he basically cannot fall asleep without cuddling with you

of course he doesn’t immediately tell you that, and he thinks he’s being oh so subtle, but you can read him better than that, and sometimes you lovingly tease him for it

♡  kisses ♡ 

he will literally kiss you wherever he can reach, depending on your position

forehead, lips, cheeks, temple, anything

it’s basically second nature to him when you’re alone

kisses to your fingertips when you’re holding hands

he 100% takes his sweet time kissing you

if you kiss him in public, he will need a few moments to stop blushing and regain composure

one thing that GETS him more than anything else is if you gently pin him down during a cuddling session and you’re hovering over him, some strands of your hair tickling his face

and when he’s looking up at you with those unbelievably blue eyes, you can’t help but kiss him with all you’ve got

his heart is guaranteed to skip a beat

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ 

SAM

♡ cuddling ♡ 

asking him for a cuddle session is a guaranteed way to get him to stop working and fussing

you surprise him with a picnic and a relaxing day for just the two of you and his heart almost explodes

so there you are, on an emerald green grassy hill, his curly head is on your lap and he’s tracing his fingers up and down your leg while you make a flower crown out of some of his favorite wildflowers

he will blush when you place it on his head

and then immediately pull you down to lay down beside him

your head on his chest and his arm wrapped securely around you as you look up into the sky and look for clouds in funny or interesting shapes

whenever you raise your hand to point at one, he will intertwine his fingers with yours and brush a quick kiss against the back of your hand

♡  kisses ♡ 

this sweet lil thing is a very big fan of kisses, actually

his go-to, when you’re somewhere, is a soft kiss to the back of your hand (a.k.a. how to subtly show off his beloved)

in private, though, he will kiss you anywhere and everywhere and he just can’t get enough of you

but ESPECIALLY neck kisses omg

thank-you kisses

if he’s in a particular lovey-dovey mood, he will pick you up and kiss you deeply, making you feel like the main character of a love story (I mean… you are)

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

if u got this far congrats 💖

✨ taglist my beloved ✨ @lotrnonsense​​​​​​ @starlady66​​​​​​ @queenmeriadoc​​ @entishramblings​​​​​​ @thesolarangel​​​​​​ @silversword7000​​​​​​ @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog​​​​​​ @averys-place​​​​​​ @valkyriepirate​​​​​​ @emmaarenstarr​​​​​​ @noldorinpainter​​​​​​ @asianbutnotjapanese​​​​​​ @adamgetawaydriver​​​​​​ @fenharel-enaste​​​​​​ @ironmandeficiency​​​​​​      @starryeyedrogue​​ @dinofromspac3​​  @wisheduponastar​ @lady-of-imladris​ @frodo-cinnamonroll​

#frodo x reader #merry x reader #pippin took x reader #sam gamgee x reader #samwise gamgee x reader #merry brandybuck x reader #frodo baggins x reader #pippin x reader #lotr x reader #lotr imagine #lord of the rings fanfiction #lord of the rings x reader #lord of the rings imagine #lotr #lord of the rings #from my pocketses

[frodo-with-glasses]

More Reading Thoughts: A Long-Expected Party

There’s something so incredibly endearing about the slow, meandering beginning of LotR.

Even today—in a day and age when every author tries to grab you by the eyeballs in the first five words—Tolkien’s writing still has that gentle, irresistible draw that takes you by the hand and leads you slowly but surely into adventure. Something about a “birthday party of special magnificence” just appeals to all our inner children, I think; and the tiny mysteries, and the joy of a world of fantastical creatures living in peace and comfort, just adds to that. You want to go to Middle Earth, and you want to get lost in it. It’s like a lazy river at a water park; you wade in, get settled, and relax, and the next thing you know you’re far away from where you started.

All of that to say, Tolkien’s writing is goals and I aspire to be even a fraction of what this man was someday.

Anyway. To the bullet points!

Isn’t it hilarious how quick people are to begrudge one another their good fortune?? If Bilbo had been poor and died in a timely manner his neighbors would probably have liked him just fine, but he gets a lot of wealth and lives a long time and all the hobbits go >:-(

They’re not wrong to be suspicious, of course, but it’s still a biting social commentary. And very funny!

“As Mr. Baggins was generous with his money, most people were willing to forgive him his oddities and his good fortune.” 🤣

“You should come live with me so we can celebrate our birthday parties more comfortably together” belongs in the same category as C. S. Lewis’ “and they got so used to arguing that they married each other to keep doing it more conveniently”

“And suddenly, all the old people found that everyone actually WANTED to hear their rambling stories!”

GAFFER GAMGEE MY BELOVED

Hobbits are all so terribly prejudiced. What endearing morons.

Ooh, confirmation that Bilbo and Frodo look similar!

“There never was much to tell of him! … Till he was drownded.” “DROWNDED??”

I love that the only things we know about Drogo Baggins are that he was unremarkable and fat and married a strange woman

The Gaffer: “Thank goodness Mr. Bilbo saved young Mr. Frodo from those strange, dastardly Bucklanders…”

Meanwhile, Merry feels his eye Twitch and doesn’t know why 🤣

The spelling of jewels as “jools” is adorable for reasons I can’t describe

Tiny Gaffer Gamgee saw Bilbo come home from his Adventure!!

The Gaffer’s words are strangely prophetic. Sam did indeed land in trouble that was bigger than him—and thank goodness he did.

The Gaffer basically says here “if generosity is being strange, we could do with a lot more strangeness!” and honestly that’s a motto I want to live by

I love that Sam is most likely the one who started the rumor about the fireworks X-D

I wish we’d gotten to see the Dwarves visiting Bag End in the movies. It’s a shame they were cut. Imagine what cool costumes they could have had!

“G for grand!” and Gandalf’s smile. Ugh, my heart 🥹

Pity that September 22nd fell on a Friday this year. We were so close to it being a Thursday, like in the book! Oh well. Try again another year, I guess X-D

Are small business owners grumbling about your purchases from foreign parts?? Here’s an easy solution! Just BUY OUT THE STOCK OF EVERYONE FOR MILES AROUND IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS

Also the fact that the post offices are absolutely flooded 🤣 Bilbo, you madlad

“Old Gaffer Gamgee stopped even pretending to work on his garden” LOL

The brief paragraph of NOOO BAD WEATHER THE DAY BEFORE THE PARTY is honestly spectacular. It’s so nerve-wracking for just a second there—which is hilarious in light of the war and death and GIANT SPIDERS we’re going to read about. I think it has a flavor of Tolkien’s beliefs on eucatastrophe hidden in there—it’s not out of Bilbo’s own effort that the weather cleared up just in time for his party, it was just happy providence—but I’m too tired to write an essay about it right now.

“Half the Shire’s been invited…and the rest of them are turning up anyway!”

The hobbits who came through the gate again to get a second present 🤣🤣🤣

“The hobbit-children were so excited that for a while they almost forgot about eating.” That’s impressive!!

I love that some of the toys are dwarven-made. That’s such a cool detail that makes the world seem both fantastical (because dwarves!) and real (because you can Amazon order toys from them!) at the same time.

The names of the fireworks!! Especially the ones that are onomatopoeia, like “backarappers”! It just makes brain go ✨✨✨

Pfffft, yellow rain

There’s the express train reference!

Notable difference here: in the movies, the big dragon firework was set off ahead of schedule by Merry and Pippin, and all the hobbits freak out. In the book, the big dragon firework is set off right on time to signal supper, and all the hobbits freak out (but are immediately pacified by food).

Small detail I’d like to see in more fanfics: “Bilbo had been specializing in food for many years, and his table had a high reputation.” Yes, the idea of Bilbo and Frodo eating like the bachelors they are is hilarious, BUT! We have textual evidence to the contrary! I don’t know if this line means that Bilbo was a magnificent cook himself or simply hired magnificent cooks, but either way, it’s canon that the Bag End bachelors ate like kings!

“The feast was so incredible that everyone was incredibly full and took home leftovers and no one bought any new groceries for weeks. The good news is that Bilbo had bought out all the grocery stores anyway, so it was fine.”

Why is the detail about the golden buttons on Bilbo’s waistcoat so enchanting to me?? I really think this chapter just activates the Inner Child Mode in my brain, and suddenly even something as simple as shiny buttons becomes beautiful and magical. Also it’s just a lovely way to paint a vivid picture in my mind.

I’m so glad they kept so many of the jokes in Bilbo’s speech for the movies 🤣 “PROUDFEET!!”

And now here we see Tolkien, author of the fantasy epic that has defined the genre for a century and counting, unironically using caps lock. Folks, you can’t make this crap up.

The sneaky way Tolkien says Bilbo vanished before he mentions the flash of light is Very Good and hints at the fact that there’s something else at work here

Rory Brandybuck is the G.O.A.T.

“But at the same time he felt deeply troubled: he realized suddenly that he loved the old hobbit dearly.” Aww, Frodo…

Incredible that the debate between Bilbo and Gandalf over the Ring takes up almost four pages, but it doesn’t feel like it. Excellent suspense.

I wonder where Gandalf is going “to bed”. It doesn’t look like he’s staying in Bag End, so did he get a room at an inn somewhere? Is he sleeping in his cart??

Also it’s implied later in the book that Gandalf the White doesn’t sleep. Inconsistency?? A slight untruth?? Secret powerup to Gandalf the White that we’ve overlooked??

“The sun rose. The hobbits rose rather later.” Pffft

The SHADE in all the presents oh my WORD

Except for the ones for the poorer hobbits. Bilbo’s gift for the Gaffer is so simple in its contents, and yet so generous and thoughtful 🥹

MERRY MY LAD

MY FAVORITE HOBBIT (don’t tell the others)

How old would Merry have been here?? Like nineteen?? Incredible that he was already such a logistics guy that Frodo trusted him to keep an eye on the house while all the chaos is happening.

“Do you hear that, Merry? That was an insult, if you like.” “It was a compliment, and so, of course, not true.” HAHAHAHA DRAG HIM MERRY

“IF YOU DON’T LET ME IN, FRODO, I SHALL BLOW YOUR DOOR RIGHT DOWN YOUR HOLE AND OUT THROUGH THE HILL” 🤣🤣🤣

Frodo: “I’m so sorry, I thought you were Lobelia!” Gandalf: “Understandable, have a nice day”

“I would give them Bag End and everything else, if I could get Bilbo back and go off tramping in the country with him.” N’aww, Frodoooo 😭

“Look out for me, especially at unlikely times!” Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.…

“Frodo did not see him again for a long time.” Ooh, ominous.

#chapter review #gaffer gamgee #bilbo baggins #gandalf #frodo baggins #meriadoc brandybuck #merry #lord of the rings #lotr #my writing

[drmaddict]

Mood Ring

Summery: Eddie and reader share a quiet moment on the trailer roof. (bestfriend with a crush, may miss it if you blink)

Trigger warnings: light use of drugs

Eddie looked up at the starry night sky.

Every day he wondered anew if he might have turned out all right if he had had other parents. Parents who would have actually cared for him and not disappeared from his life at such an early age.

He blew the smoke of his cigarette into the cold autumn air and let his mind wander as he often did.

What would have become of him if his father had had an office job, or been a doctor? His mother a teacher, or kindergarten teacher? Boring people, just living their boring lives in a small town, in a small house with a white picket fence? Would he still be himself? Would he appreciate it? Would doctor-kid-Eddie know what he had, or would he just artificially complain about the bad, bad world like most teenagers?

He did not know. He was not the son of a doctor or a teacher. He was the son of a drug dealer and a woman who was afraid to leave the house. He had moved in with his uncle. The uncle who scraped together his little money to feed him.

And yet, this man had been the one to teach him how to ride a bike because his parents had never done it. His uncle was the man who had taught him how to shave. He was the man who had given him a home when the world had not wanted him. To his uncle he owed everything he had.

How selfish was he to wish for anything else? To want more, when in most of the parallel worlds of his life he would not even have what he had now. How ungrateful was he to still be on his back?

He should have just quit after the first screwed-up graduation and gotten a job. He could make money, but his uncle had objected. He shouldn't waste his talent. He would be intelligent. Eddie didn't notice much of that. He stumbled from one test to another. He was bad. Really bad. He didn't have to kid himself. He knew it wouldn't get him into college. And for what, anyway?

History. Sang the little voice in his head. He shook off the thought. What was there to do with it? Become a teacher or a professor? He and teacher? He grinned. Probably not. But otherwise, all that was left was to be a cab driver and continue to sell drugs. He sat up with a sigh.

A light shone intrusively at him from the side before it dissipated in a flash. Once more.

He turned to the left and looked from the roof of the trailer, where (Y/N) was standing with a flashlight and waving at him.

She had gotten into the habit of calling attention to herself that way because she didn't want to be too loud. In genrell she was one of the quietest people he knew. He pointed his head in front of him where the ladder was still leaning against the wall of the house.

(Y/N) wordlessly climbed onto the trailer roof and dropped down next to him. Without saying anything, he held out his lighter for her to light her joint. She plopped down on her back and stared up at the sky. Eddie did the same. 

"Head-chaos?" asked Eddie into the silence.

(Y/N) blew the thick smoke into the air. "It's like a damn train that just won't stop," she muttered, taking another big drag.

Eddie turned his head toward her. "What was it this time?"

She shrugged. "I was going to do math. Then I wondered why we have to studying something like that in the first place. Then I thought about Mr. Miller. Then of my teacher in elementary school. Then of a comment from a girl I went to elementary school with. Then of her now living at some fancy boarding school. Then about me being here. Then I thought about my relationships with other people and came to the conclusion that none of my friends actually ever really liked me." She continued to stare at the sky. "Now I'm thinking that I should work out more and watch what I eat so that maybe someday I'll be attractive to someone." Her eyes flicked to him.

"Hobbit.", he sighed. "We all like you."

She dropped her head to him. "Why?"

"Just like that. For no reason. Because you're you."

She shook her head and looked back up at the sky. "I don't even know how I feel." She was silent for a moment, thinking. "What if I'm a psychopath and I don't have any feelings at all? How do you know you have feelings?"

Eddie chuckled. "You had tears in your eyes when ET said goodbye to go home. I think we can be sure you have feelings."

"Well now I don't know what I feel," she mumbled, pouting.

He looked at her for a moment until he pulled the ring off his left middle finger. He reached for her cold hand and placed the ring on her index finger before pressing the two metal arches of the size-adjustable jewelry closer together.

She looked at him in irritation. "What are you doing?"

"It's a mood ring." He shrugged and smiled at her. "If you don't know what you're feeling, all you have to do is look at the ring."

She looked at the now black stone. "And what does it say?", he asked.

"Probably that my hands are cold," she murmured.

He smirked. "You have no sense of magic."

She boxed him, but smirked, too. She tried to pull the ring off her finger, but he stopped her. "Keep it. You can use all the magic you can get."

She boxed him again without emphasis before lying back down next to him.

They both looked out into the nothingness of the universe. "We had mathhomework?", he asked.

She laughed.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x yn #eddie munson x you #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #eddie munson fluff

[lindirs-gaze]

20 questions for fic writers

@thatbluelight thank you for tagging me!! here's to another year of writing and girlbossing etc

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

19. but 26 on ffnet :|

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

496,029

3. what fandoms do you write for?

so right now it's danganronpa (i KNOW and i DON'T wanna hear it) but the majority of my works are for the hobbit and lotr

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The New World, Taking Back Time, Archery Lessons, The Fallen Oak, A Distraction. kind of surprising to find oneshots in there but ig it's what people like

5. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

only if i have something to say, i don't really like replying just to say thank you. idk it feels like i'm trying to boost my comment count :| not that i judge people who do do that i just don't

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

probably The Fallen Oak? the ending is supposed to be somewhat optimistic but it is about grief and letting go so...yeah

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

maybe Home and Heart? that was just a two-shot but the whole thing was basically straight fluff so the ending was very happy. how the hell would you write boffins angst anyways. don't answer that

8. do you get hate on any fics?

christ i've gotten way too many transphobic comments on Playing the Hero. i got this one really spiteful comment and peeked at their profile and it was someone who had written a ton of fics themselves. like if you're a loser with an empty profile and you leave hateful comments i kind of get it but if you're also a writer like...why would you do that...

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

yes. vanilla. next question

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

i write a lot of fusion fics but i guess the closest thing i've gotten to a crossover was Embers. Thorin enters the world of The Witcher to train for fighting dragons, etc etc. very self indulgent, boy playing with action figures premise but people seemed to enjoy it

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

i actually still have the screenshots, i stumbled across this one hobbit fic way back when that was this weird frankenstein piece of cobbled together bits stolen from a bunch of different authors. i was just casually reading it and then i was like "what the fuck this is so similar to the first chapter of Feangren..." anyway the author got a lot of hate and deleted the story

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

naur

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

naur

14. what’s your all time favorite ship?

ugh i mean i don't think anything will ever hit like bagginshield. i know i don't write for it anymore but it still feels like home a little

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

stop there are so many and i'm so embarrassed. if i had the motivation i would rework the plot for Children of the Apocalypse and try to finish it. i feel bad because it is a sequel and at one point i was really pumped to write it but just. the moment has passed

16. what are your writing strengths?

i think i do pretty well with like a sprinkling of humor. i can't do straight up crackfics anymore. maybe plot too?

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

probably finishing fics i've been getting better but sometimes i struggle to write long chapters. like i have to stretch to hit 3k.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i feel like it only works if you know the language or if you just use short phrases

19. first fandom you wrote for?

legend of zelda. in my composition notebook in third grade lmao

20. favorite fic you’ve written?

it's hard to choose but i have a soft spot for Where Heroes Lie. very self indulgent but it has such a fun mix of action, humor, angst, shlock. feat. my only OC that has healthy parental relationships.

this was actually so fun omg. tagging @nejires-hado @chrononautintraining and i'm definitely forgetting people but if you want to do this just say i tagged you

#tag game

[unnamedelement]

Rings of Power ‘Review,’ featuring wood-elves and gender

I’m writing this for two reasons. Firstly, processing things in writing sometimes lets me stop obsessively thinking about them and actually get on with my life, which has been a major issue for me this past week. Second, people keep asking me what I think of the show and who I think The Stranger is (which I won’t actually be talking about here, but short answer is one of the Istari, probably Gandalf, which doesn’t make canonical/historical sense but does make narrative sense, though the Blue Wizards make historical/timeline sense, based on drafts/notes – phew!). Anyway, it is exhausting and anxiety-provoking to give the same thoughts to people across different parts of my life repeatedly, so I am putting it all in one place, though I would not count on this every week. So. Transitioning to the essay, which will be heavily footnoted, just like the Professor himself. I am not sorry. 

Thoughts on Rings of Power: Episodes 1 and 2

Rings of Power (RoP) has proved to be a different story than most of us could have guessed, given the scant scaffolding provided on the First and Second Ages in the The Hobbit (TH), The Lord of the Rings (LotR), and the LotR Appendices, those sources show-creators actually have access to directly use. (Admittedly, info on the Second Age anywhere is sparse, per not only Tolkien’s own admission in Letters but fans’ own scouring of the texts and drafts for scraps of lore.) In this post, I want to talk about some of the things I loved and did not love about the first two episodes of this particular adaptation. I will try not to get super into the weeds with lore here, because most people who follow me in these spaces already understand how this adaptation changed major plot, character history, and historical points. Instead, I want to talk about (a) my personal experiences with RoP, including (i) pre-watching anxieties and beliefs and (ii) watching- and fandom-related joys; and (b) my ongoing and developing thoughts about (i) Silvan and Nandorin representation in the context of intra-elven relations in the larger legendarium and (ii) concepts of gender reflected in RoP design choices.

Personal Experience

First, I want to talk about how I prepared for this adaptation, which is that I acknowledged it, ignored it, and then went feral with excitement (and debilitating anxiety) about it, all within the course of a one-year period. Anyone who knows me in fandom probably knows that–when I have enough energy to consistently engage–I try very hard to make the Tolkien world a welcoming place for people. As someone who was a child/teen in online Tolkien fandom as Peter Jackson’s adaptations were coming out (yes, I discovered fanfiction perhaps way too early), I was quite traumatized by some older, lore-heavy fans who vehemently corrected–and sometimes even subtly mocked–me as I was working my way through the appendices, the Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales. I am therefore very passionate about civility (within reason–I draw the line at supremacist nonsense) in fandom spaces. Ultimately, I never want rejection or belittling–subtle or outright–to be how people experience Tolkien fandom, or even scholarship: gatekeeping helps no one. (Insert boost for the new blog @tolkienfandomagainstgatekeeping!).

Still, while I did preach kindness and encouraged welcoming behavior in the year preceding the release, I nevertheless experienced a lot of change-related anxiety as a neurodivergent person preparing for the potential fandom-related change bound to happen in online Tolkien communities as we processed the new show; dealt with some people’s real (and, admittedly, sometimes scary) rage regarding–and therefore their disingenuous attempts to derail the success of the show due to–race and white supremacy; and, finally, prepared for the influx of fans to the open system of online fandom. I had to take a break from actively engaging with fandom because I could not handle the constant RoP-related emotional stimulus from all sides. However, when I saw the final RoP trailer, their sweeping vision of Middle-earth blew me away–my anxiety morphed into excitement by the end of those three minutes. I did not sleep the night before it came out, and I had to take off work the days after to emotionally recover from it.[1] (I unfortunately do not make the rules for how, when, and why my brain is overstimulated.)

Appreciated Moments

At this point, I will transition to a few things that I absolutely loved. This section is less critical and lore-heavy than the following ones, but we will start with a pseudo-lore moment I loved: the symbolism of the opening scene with Galadriel and the other children. While the show cannot talk about the Kinslayings–which is hugely problematic to me from an elven relations and politics perspective (more on that later)–this scene is very clearly an allusion to the Kinslaying at Alqualondë and the burning of the Telerin swan boats.[2] Whether these children who are harassing Galadriel are actually her Feanorian cousins or not, we cannot guess for certain, as we don’t have a clear birthdate for most of the younger Finweans.[3] (Further, if we think about it too hard, things get complicated and confusing very quickly.)[4] Still, it was a nice little homage to the parts of history the show is not allowed to talk about–I teared up due to the beauty of the setting combined with the lore it evoked, which is a very near and dear part of the legendarium to me. That being said, I think that opening scene made some of the lore choices that followed hurt all the more for those of us who did immediately understand the reference, as it alluded to an imminent complexity and nuance that, for me, the show ultimately did not–and, frankly, cannot–deliver. Still, I liked it. Mostly.

Next, I appreciated moments of the dwarven representation, and every single moment of the dwarven design. Having been introduced to LotR prior to Peter Jackson’s (PJ’s) adaptation, I latched onto a few characters at a young age and, for me–for some reason–that was Legolas and Gimli. Gimli in the books is rational yet passionate but, more than anything, he is silvertongued and poetic. As much as I love John Rhys-Davies’ performance in the PJ films, the writers made some mistakes in their choices regarding his role as, almost entirely, comic relief. The representation in the dwarves of Khazad-dum/Moria in this adaptation goes some way in repairing the lasting image of dwarves that took hold in fan communities following the PJ films. I found the opening scene–in which the dwarves challenged Elrond to a…show of strength?–a little hard to follow and a bit strange and othering given the show is told almost entirely from an elven point of view thus far, but I was overall pleased. I found Durin III and Disa likable, and the scene at the kitchen table went a long way to endearing Elrond’s character in this adaptation to me, while cementing Disa as an excellent original character in her own right. Overall, the design team blew me away with their conception of Khazad-dum. The ferns hanging off the side of the cliff inside the entrance illogically moved me to tears, and the dwarven ingenuity represented by the pulley-based elevator system felt very true to how I have always imagined dwarves. My only hope is that Celebrimbor and Narvi have some screentime. Elrond can't have everything.

Finally, like almost everyone, I enjoyed the Harfoots. [5] While I have heard a lot of commentary about how “hobbits weren’t supposed to be involved in the major events of the Second Age!!”, I also think it’s worth reminding the world that (a) hobbit-like folk were living in the Vales of Anduin by the Third Age, and it would be absolutely bonkers to think they never interacted with or minorly influenced characters who do have a “documented” role if they had been out and about earlier; (b) almost everything Tolkien wrote about history is written “within” his Secondary World, i.e., by one of the characters he imagined kept historical records and, thus, there is likely inherent narrative bias to what we do “know” about the Second Age; and (c) wood-elves were mostly only mentioned in the context of the Second Age in relation to Sindarin and Noldorin migration and expansion, but no one is complaining about Arondir. (Okay, they are, but they’re complaining about him for racist reasons, not simply because wood-elves exist in this telling.)

Oh, and the music! I am not the right person to talk about the music, but that–combined with the gorgeous design and setting–will keep me coming back for the rest of the season, regardless of what happens.

Nandorin-Silvan Elves, Intra-elven Relations, and the Related Significance of Omitted Elven History

Now, on to the critique. Let me start by saying: this section is heavily influenced by the utter bewilderment I have felt over the past year trying to understand how a show can be set in the Second Age without rights to most of the material of the First. What is the point in making a show when you cannot actually adapt the material realistically? While that is not the point of this section, it is hard for me to disentangle, so it feels only right to mention it.

Since I started writing this review, I came across @itariilles own excellent review on elves in the first two episodes of RoP. I recommend reading her piece as I will not be rehashing the points she made here regarding Galadriel’s character and motivation(s) or the complexity of casting an actor of color as a Silvan elf, with particular attention to her sections “Galadriel’s Motivations” and “Fantasy Racism Against Elves.” To understand more where some of the frustrations expressed by Itariiles, myself, and many other fans come from, I would further, and selfishly perhaps, recommend reading the section Consequences of Resettlement: The “Sindarizing” of the “Wild,” “Lesser” Elves by the Sindarin Princes and Noldorin Exiles of Beleriand in my linked paper here. Because I cannot write this section without at least mentioning elven ethnicity and lore, I do suggest refreshing your brain if you are not familiar with elven cultural groups across the Ages; and then proceed while keeping in mind the following: “Within Tolkien’s elven worlds, these [elven] hierarchies are governed by (a) proximity to Aman and the Valar and, within Middle-earth, (b) proximity to the Noldor, with the Nandor and then the Avari being most distant. Characteristic phrases used to describe the Silvan and Avari are ‘lesser Elves,’ ‘lesser Silvan race,’ ‘wild,’ ‘savage,’ ‘rude and rustic,’ and ‘more dangerous, less wise’” (...me, 2021). [6]

Itariiiles’ does an excellent job outlining why it is odd Silvan elves would be reporting to the High King Gil-galad at this point in Second Age history. She additionally reviews the complexity of the showrunners placing the Tirharad (the human people we see in the Southlands parts of the episode) under Elven dominion. She notes, “A line said by a Silvan soldier reasoning their station over the men of Tirharad as ‘descendants of those who served Morgoth' is uncomfortable as it plays into the established trope of South/Eastern men being inherently evil which links into Orientalist ideas of the East being perceived as fundamentally Other.” This is something I want to take a step further. In this adapted world in which, presumably, Silvan elves answer to the “higher” Noldor, what does it mean that the Silvan folk are being used to carry out what essentially amounts to Noldorin occupation of Mannish lands?

I have a few issues with this, and it has taken me a while to really pinpoint why, and I’m still not quite there on expressing it and do not expect to be until I have more data from the show.  Still, the first thing that bothers me about this setup is that–in this adapted universe–the Silvans reporting to the High Noldor creates unique issues across multiple contexts:

If we are fans of the traditional legendarium, this choice in the adaptation puts the Silvan in an even more more subservient context that Tolkien’s explicit and implicit language originally placed them (which is highly impressive); and

It tells us that within the adapted universe, the Noldor use another ethnic group–one traditionally ranked less highly–to carry out suppression and oversight of a third ethnic group.

This approach has not been uncommon in colonial and neocolonial history and, certainly, utilizing another group of people to establish and maintain strategic governmental and military control is part and parcel of imperialism. While all elves–in the ethnic hierarchy of Middle-earth–may be ranked higher than Men (due to being valued as firstborn by Illuvatar) and, thus, this oppression is not exactly lateral, it is still using one group of people to manage another, while the person in charge essentially handles war, decisions, and paperwork elsewhere.

Of course, all of this whining and speculating could be blown out of the water by something I could never have expected in this RoP universe as the episodes progress–in that they go “on record” changing the history of these ethnic and racial groups, or they reveal that the Noldor are already integrated with the Silvan at this point–but my hopes are not high. Itariiiles’ point–one also made by a speaker on the RoP reaction panel at Oxonmoot, as well (@fernstrike​)–still is not insignificant: What does it mean that the only actor of color cast as an elf thus far is a Silvan reporting to the Noldor, while all the Noldor we have seen–in the first two episodes, at least–are white? We cannot escape the potential impact, as choices in the Secondary World/in-universe are inherently consumed by those of us in this Primary World we share.

My next issue with the flattening of elven history and culture centers on the Sindar, part of the Teleri group to which the Silvan also belong. As @skyeventide asked in her reaction thread (featuring my highly articulate response):

So then: where are the Sindar at this time? And the “Sindarin Princes of the Silvan Elves”? Given the fact that Durin III is alive and Eregion and Celebrimbor aren’t wasted or strung up, respectively, we can guess a timeframe of a few hundred years for the show, during which the Sindar are certainly out and about, depending on the draft/source (Celeborn in Lindon, Oropher & co. already settling with the Silvan across the mountains). And it is not as if the Sindar are forbidden by copyright to be discussed: Though Doriath is destroyed by the Second Age, it and Thingol are still discussed in the LotR appendices; there is a paragraph exclusively dedicated to how the Sindar migrated and integrated with Silvans in the woods during the time Gil-galad is High King [7]; and Nimrodel’s story and associated Sindarin and Noldorin woes are mentioned in LotR. Certainly it is not unreasonable that this is a storyline that will emerge throughout the season (or the next four, which could ostensibly cover thousands of years), but considering the placement of Silvans beneath Gil-galad at this time, I am wary. Should Thranduil emerge (as Oropher is not mentioned in LotR or the Appendices)–or Amroth or Celeborn (who all also have messy histories across various versions and drafts)–what shall happen? Will the Sindar be placed under the High King’s jurisdiction? Will the Silvans who are not already, apparently, ruled by Gil-galad be lumped in with them, under the High elves, as well?[8]

I can only hope there will be some thoughtful delineation of groups and meaningful and realistic group dynamics based on Elven history and–gasp–even informed by modern political science, social psychology, sociology, or migration studies. Even if the “why” is not immediately apparent in the show, interested viewers can easily look up the backstory and, thus, the show avoids unintentionally rewriting cultural histories (which, real history or not, is tiresome), a constant risk in stories with colonial and neocolonial settings/actors. Ultimately, my biggest concern as a person who thinks way too much about Elven ethnic hierarchy and social stratification is that instead of using the actual history of elven migration, conflict, and the long-lasting effects of the Kinslayings to explain the creation of differing elven realms, the very same effect will be attempted in another manner, i.e., by pinning a split from the Noldor as a personal flaw or choice of some yet unknown Telerin leader, or by having Silvans rebel against Gil-galad’s leadership and thereafter align themselves with certain Noldorin-type leaders (e.g., Galadriel and Celeborn) or Sindarin leaders with skeptical attitudes toward all things High Elven (e.g., Oropher Thranduil).[9] I can see these approaches making narrative sense based on some things that have already been set up in the first two episodes. However, I am still giving myself permission to be skeptical about it and to also just… not particularly like it.

Now, of course, all of this relates to that omitted Elven history, one genre of omission more glaring than all the rest: the flight of the Noldor, the Oath of Fëanor, and the three Kinslayings that followed. The inability of showrunners to incorporate, or even really reference, these events surrounding the Silmarils is disappointing. War is complicated and, to most sides, generally unjust for one reason or another, which is certainly something viewers can relate to. Furthermore, flawed characters are interesting, even if they are flawed because they participated in or failed to actively oppose actions most would now consider unthinkable. Still, the political intrigue and narrative arcs that facilitate this kind of in-universe justification of atrocity in fictional worlds has long been a compelling storyline in myth, religion, and fiction alike. Even Galadriel’s character could be complicated by acknowledging this complex history, or–given copyright limitations–at least creating some alternative scenario that evokes the same historical complexity that the entirety of the First Age embodies, pitting elf against elf against man against elf, all of which barely pales in comparison to The War of Wrath. Galadriel’s behavior in “The Noldor in Beleriand” chapter of the Silmarillion during her conversation with Melian of Doriath (about why the Noldor returned from Aman) lays the groundwork for the type of high political drama this show could evoke, regardless of copyright.[10]

Ultimately, while Tolkien is well-loved by many due to his skill–intentional or not–in creating morally ambiguous characters, perhaps the showrunners are not prepared to address such complexity on screen. As those of us in the Silmarillion fandom know, discussing the human–elf?–rights violations at Alqualondë, Doriath, and Sirion can be tetchy [11], and inviting such tension to a show in the midst of the political uproar surrounding its very existence may have been too much to expect. However, because so much of elven history and hierarchy is situated within splits and migrations directly associated with the story of the Silmarils, it does feel that we are being cheated–especially fans of the Telerin Sindar and Silvan–of the complex story the elves deserve.

This Section Was Supposed to Be: Gender in the Primary and Secondary Worlds of the Original Legendarium and the RoP Adaptation

In this section, I meant to define Primary and Secondary Worlds according to Tolkien’s definitions in “On Fairy Stories,” weave a pretty little tale, and then right-left-punch you with the historical, modern, and in-universe implications of the weird decisions the show made about women.[12] While there is a lot to be said about the racial and ethnic implications of costuming decisions, this post was going to specifically focus on gender, clothing, and gender-related roles in those first two episodes.[13] I was also going to discuss gender-related costuming and cultural-cult-religious implications in some of the other imagery here. (Rest assured, I am certain I am not the first person who did a double-take at that boat scene.) However….  I am tired, I have a project for my research supervisor due tomorrow, and I am not going to let something I love (Tolkien) give me a mental breakdown once again, so I am abandoning that original plan. Instead of a well-crafted section, allow me to ramble at you about gender and, canonically, why I think the elven women in Lindon are ridiculously designed.

Now.

Tolkien and his legendarium were never the height of gender equality and progressivism, but they were also not exactly the worst, if we ignore the fact that he didn’t particularly care for short-haired women wearing pants (Letters) and also that he thought–at least at one point–that elven woman would be pregnant (and thus secluded from larger society??) for 100 years (Nature of Middle-earth, 2021). (Yeah, that’s absolutely bonkers, I know.) However, the text most fans have relied on for years–and which is not directly contradicted in NoME–is “Laws and Customs of the Eldar,” or LaCE in fan parlance.[14] LaCE fairly explicitly describes the similarities and differences between elven men (neri in Quenya) and women (nissi in Quenya), as reported by an unknown Mannish loremaster. Tolkien (said loremaster) writes:

In all such things, not concerned with the bringing forth of children, the neri and nissi (that is, the men and women) of the Eldar are equal - unless it be in this (as they themselves say) that for the nissi the making of things new is for the most part shown in the forming of their children, so that invention and change is otherwise mostly brought about by the neri. There are, however, no matters which among the Eldar only a ner can think or do, or others with which only a nis is concerned. There are indeed some differences between the natural inclinations of neri and nissi, and other differences that have been established by custom (varying in place and in time, and in the several races of the Eldar). For instance, the arts of healing, and all that touches on the care of the body, are among all the Eldar most practised by the nissi; whereas it was the elven-men who bore arms at need. And the Eldar deemed that the dealing of death, even when lawful or under necessity, diminished the power of healing, and that the virtue of the nissi in this matter was due rather to their abstaining from hunting or war than to any special power that went with their womanhood. Indeed in dire straits or desperate defence, the nissi fought valiantly, and there was less difference in strength and speed between elven-men and elven-women that had not borne child than is seen among mortals. On the other hand many elven-men were great healers and skilled in the lore of living bodies, though such men abstained from hunting, and went not to war until the last need.

As for other matters, we may speak of the customs of the Noldor (of whom most is known in Middle-earth). Among the Noldor it may be seen that the making of bread is done mostly by women; and the making of the lembas is by ancient law reserved to them. Yet the cooking and preparing of other food is generally a task and pleasure of men. The nissi are more often skilled in the tending of fields and gardens, in playing upon instruments of music, and in the spinning, weaving, fashioning, and adornment of all threads and cloths; and in matters of lore they love most the histories of the Eldar and of the houses of the Noldor; and all matters of kinship and descent are held by them in memory. But the neri are more skilled as smiths and wrights, as carvers of wood and stone, and as jewellers. It is they for the most part who compose musics and make the instruments, or devise new ones; they are the chief poets and students of languages and inventors of words. Many of them delight in forestry and in the lore of the wild, seeking the friendship of all things that grow or live there in freedom. But all these things, and other matters of labour and play, or of deeper knowledge concerning being and the life of the World, may at different times be pursued by any among the Noldor, be they neri or nissi.

(Morgoth’s Ring, HoME 10).

So then, why does elven gender in RoP weird me out a little bit, Galadriel–and her complicated characterization–notwithstanding? (And, yes, it was necessary to include the full quote to only point out how much more ridiculous what follows is.)

This:

Why are all the attendants female? And why are they all dressed like this in the background? Where are the rest of the women? Are they locked away, pregnant? Did we take NoME that seriously?

Bizarre.

Conclusion

In the big scheme of things, I suppose I was mostly pleasantly surprised. It was entertaining to watch for the scenery, settings, and music; and I was moved to tears by some of the beautiful cinematography–I’ll continue to be giddy about the scenery and design whether I want to be or not. I also think it is very important that BIPOC were included in casting. However, I am not going to hold out on feeling the story of the Second Age was done justice. I will–forever and always–always be hung up on Silvan representation.[15] But, unless something truly egregious happens, for now I am okay with a mediocre and mildly frustrating storyline.

FOOTNOTES

I have still not recovered, so this will be a long 1.5 months.

Not to mention the boats she will one day have in her own realm, in Lothlorien.

As Sky Eventide notes in her reaction thread on Twitter, the scene even includes one red-headed child, which may be harkening to Maedhros, though Amrod or Amras might be more realistic given I would expect Maedhros to be the ringleader of the band, were the red-headed child meant to be him.

See Itariilles’ piece and my own linked paper for more on this. It is confusing to think about in the show context because while Galadriel thinks the kinslaying are unfortunate and does not take an oath like Feanor and colleagues, she doesn’t think her Feanorian cousins are crazy for wanting to return to Middle-earth, though her motivations to return are different (yay colonialism). Again, see links.

Though an Irish Times article provides an interesting critique that, as an American many generations removed from Ireland, I would never have noticed. As someone who often complains about fandom’s jokes about wood-elf and Silvan culture/language as a stand-in for less cultured “hick” accents and cultures, the linked article really moved me and put these European-based English choices into perspective for me. And it also spoke to the odd feeling I got as I noticed that while watching, once again, an adaptation used different accents that are cultural- and class-marked in the ‘real world’ to sort of delineate place in Middle-earth.

And yes, some of this quoted language comes from material the show has explicit access to.

Keep in mind, this is only ONE version of Sindarin migration. Tolkien wrote more on this across his lifetime that is not reflected in the Appendices as published. See my linked paper for more on this.

 Dare I even ask if the show plans to somehow reference a group of elves like the Avari, given the showrunners’ interest in the Southlands thus far? I don’t know if my poor heart could handle the stress…

 Which conveniently echoes Oropher’s choice during part of the Last Alliance that left his people wildly diminished…

A political intrigue which we have seen snippets of, perhaps, with Elrond’s character–it’s just not a tension and positioning I can, yet, easily follow. I don’t ‘get’ this world well enough yet to do so.

I, too, have been guilty of this, as someone who spends way too much time thinking about the Sindar. While I am still very much opposed to atrocity crimes in our real world–obviously, it’s literally my job–I have come to see the issues of the Silmarils as more complex than I once did, taking into account cultural and political motivations for character behavior. (Though that has not stopped me from writing Sindarin accounts of the Kinslaying at Sirion to balance things out, “victors write history” and all that.) I have some patient acquaintances to thank for helping me develop a more complex view on Feanorian behavior in the First Age.

Do not judge me. I know nothing about boxing terms and I made that up.

Again, please read Itariiles’ piece (specifically the section “Neoclassical Aesthetic Given to the Noldor and its Unfortunate Implications”).

And, if you want to get really particular, one of the two drafts of LaCE is titled: “OF THE LAWS AND CUSTOMS AMONG THE ELDAR PERTAINING TO MARRIAGE AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED THERETO: TOGETHER WITH THE STATUTE OF FINWE AND MIRIEL AND THE DEBATE OF THE VALAR AT ITS MAKING”...

And yes. I have lived through PJ’s TH. I will survive it again.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to my acquaintances from the Silmarillion Writers’ Guild/Dreamwidth for encouraging me to finish writing this after I became discouraged. And thanks to my new acquaintances at Alliance of Arda for being interested in what I have to say. I would have just stewed in my anxiety without outside prompting to write this silly little thing that I actually really wanted to write.

#rings of power #long post #tolkien #lord of the rings #silmarillion #commentary and analysis

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Ask the Blorbos! Healthcare edition

@silvercaptain24 @factorialsfandoms

Wind: I’ll go first! I wanted to be a pirate when I was a kid. That way I could take all the bad guys out on my ship and steal their stuff! >:)

Legend: Pirates are the bad guys, genius.

Wind: That depends entirely upon your point of view. Anyway, I still haven’t given up on that dream.

Wild: You gonna be a respiratory therapist that steals things?

Wind: Only from the bad surgeons.

Time:

Wind:…Which you are not.

Warriors: I wanted to be whatever it took to get out of the foster system.

Sky, sheepishly: Same. But I always loved the idea of flying, so being a pilot was a big deal to me. I’m glad I got to do that.

Hyrule: I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be, just something that allowed me to travel wherever and feel free.

Legend: I wanted to be a mechanic like my uncle.

Hyrule: What changed?

Legend: Eh, long story. Somebody died, somebody got hurt blah blah I nursed them back to health and was like “yeah ok I like this too.” And when I looked up the possibilities, nursing had the most promising path. So many different opportunities and the like.

Warriors: Somebody died?? There’s a lot you’re glossing over in this story!

Legend: We don’t have to all spill our secrets, you know.

Everyone:

Time: I wanted to be a fairy when I was a kid.

Warriors: …? How does that work?

Time, smiling fondly: My father told me stories about the forest fairies, and I always loved the idea of spending my time in the woods away from the rest of the world, in an enchanted land where everything was safe. But reality came soon enough. After that I wanted to be the person who protected others, whatever that meant.

Wind: So then you became a surgeon!

Time:….Something like that.

Four: I considered going into biomedical engineering, but I decided that I wanted to be more directly involved in patient care. Feel like I’m making more of a difference this way. But I am still very interested in how the medical tools are made. Maybe someday I can blend the two together and work for a biomedical tech company or something?

Twilight, smiling fondly: Honestly, I wanted to just work on the family ranch.

Wild: Why didn’t you?

Twi: I did. But life has a way of sweeping you into things, and I got… swept.

Wind: Do you… do you want to go back to the ranch?

Twi: I miss it, yeah, but this is way too much fun to go back. Besides, things change, and… yeah. I love my family but after everything I’ve seen and done I’m not ready to just go back and settle, you know?

Everyone: *stares at Wild expectantly*

Wild: *sweating* Uhhh… I—when I was a kid…. *glanced at me* spoilers??

Legend: Oh, brother, how did you get specific questions?

Warriors, smirking: Because I’m just that popular.

Twi, rolling his eyes: Attention is the last thing you need.

Warriors: Well, you can be as jealous as you like. Anyway! Favorite book. Hmm. I honestly like history books a great deal, especially war history. I think my war periods differ from yours, though, so I’ll settle for something else and say that my favorite non history book to read was The Hobbit. I used to read it to Wind during the war.

Wind: I love that book! :D

Sky: Me too! Though I don’t think I ever got through the whole thing…

Wind: You didn’t, because you went AWOL!

Time: We’ll have to rectify that.

Warriors: Yes, we will. As for favorite patient, I don’t know if I have a specific favorite patient so much as a favorite type. Namely, the kind of patient that fits two conditions. One, they have a legitimate reason to be in my ER and two, they’re polite and don’t lie to me.

Hyrule: Honestly, you can get away with just about anything if you’re polite and appreciative about it.

Warriors: True. Though wastes of resources still get on my nerves. But anyway, third question. My least favorite piece of equipment is the vocera.

Legend: YES

Hyrule: Oh, those phone things that hang on you like a badge?

Warriors: Yes. These little monsters are supposed to make your life easier. You press a button and you can call anyone in the department. But they never freaking understand what you’re saying, so they’re pointless.

Legend: Last time I tried to use it I said “call ED Charge Nurse” and she tried to call some random transplant coordinator from a clinic.

Warriors: Like I said. Pointless.

Four: My favorite thing to do with vocera is tell it to log off and it can’t even get that right.

Wild, laughing: He was ready to throw it across the nurse’s station trying to log out the other day.

#ask the blorbos #lu in healthcare #what else do y’all want to ask #we still have breath of the sky and BotW link’s parents

[x-authorship-x]

48. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

I’m hungry for fics that a brilliant writer recommends. (You)

I always stalk my fav writers bookmarks in ao3

I do the same, Anon, but fair warning to you that I have over 6000 bookmarks on AO3 lmao

I'll do a variety of fandoms, since I'm jumping around a lot since I'm writing more than reading this week, but these are the last five reads in my tabs

Naruto:

to dwell inside (a hearthfire heart) by Ellory

Senju Tobirama is not a samurai. He is not bound in oaths of honor. Yet, he finds himself revealing a long-kept secret to settle a debt with Uchiha Madara. A brother’s life for a brother’s life. That is the only reason he saves Uchiha Izuna from the Hagoromo.

Tobirama/Izuna, Warring Clans Era, lots of world building, this author always has a great Tobirama, very much chef's kiss

My Hero Academia:

Foresight by akcugrai

Izuku's quirk is simple, it tells him exactly what he needs to do.

It tells him to grab an umbrella and that afternoon it rains unexpectedly. It tells him to bring cash and it turns out the card reader is out of order.

His quirk tells him to rob a bank.

Well, might as well.

- - -

Does the name All for One mean anything to Izuku? Nope.

Will he tear down the empire of a powerful villain who has been terrorizing Japan for over a century anyway? Sure.

Gen, What-If, Quirk Shenanigans that are cosmic horror but also amazing and as lighthearted as they are heavy, I dug this fic out of someone else's bookmarks I think...

Percy Jackson Fandom

Sand Dollar Child by withay

There's far too much divinity in Percy Jackson. It oozes from him, to the point where he's sometimes mistaken for Poseidon. Percy doesn't know this yet. All he knows is that this nereid is asking to borrow five drachmas.

I don't usually read PJO but I love mythology, world building, and a Percy who is too godlike for a demigod, a great piece

The Hobbit:

Her Mother's Daughter by imaginary_golux

Bella Baggins has her mother's wanderlust and her father's business sense. We all know how the trip to the Lonely Mountain ought to go...

Female!Bilbo/Dwalin (gender changes that make sense and have impact upon the narrative are a-okay in my book), I like Hobbit/LotR fics that allow people to be excellent and have character depth etc, this 'Bella' is very compelling and I love Dwalin for his gruff genuineness

The Mandalorian:

Willfully Oblivious by NeedleFrost

Din isn't like the Kid and the Jedi.

He's not a Space Wizard.

Sure, he's always been a quick study, and he and Paz throw blaster bolts at each other by bouncing it off their armor, but he's still normal, right? Right?

---

Or alternatively, my attempt at writing a "Five Times Din Ignored that he was Force-Sensitive and the Nth Time(s) he Didn't" that rapidly spiraled out of my control.

Pre-Din/Luke (I usually swing more Din/Boba but I'm never too fussy), with great bonding between Din and Grogu and I love when Din is genuinely impressive

✨

And that's my five recent fics! Hope you enjoy any that you give a try, Anon ☺️

#torship #torship talks #torship recs #ask game #anon

[writingwordsanddrawingpictures]

So, I did a thing...

As any of you who, for reasons best known to yourselves, still follow me (and aren’t a porn bot!) you’ll know that it’s been a couple of years since I posted anything original, either writing or art. Fair to say I’ve been in a slump and I’ve not really done anything creative for *gestures wildly* reasons...

However...

I saw last Friday’s FFF prompt - An Eternal Summer - and it spoke to me. More to the point, it wouldn’t give up so I started typing on my phone while waiting for some rice to cook (rock & roll!). I then had to leave it to one side (work and other commitments getting in the way), but picked it back up again this Friday (armed with the new FFF prompt as well - What Comes Next) and ended up writing until about 2am.

It’s ended up being rather more than a flash fic at around 3,200 words (so I hope you don’t mind being tagged in anyway @flashfictionfridayofficial), and as I said, it’s the first thing I’ve written in a couple of years, and it’s rough, but I hope you enjoy it.

An Endless Summer / What Comes Next?

People often say that they wish things could last forever - a day, a night, a holiday - but they never stop to think what the consequences of that could be. Me? I was living them.

Years ago, when I was in my awkward early teens, I had an experience that changed my life. I'd never been a popular person, certainly not one of the 'cool' kids as I was far too shy and, dare I say, nerdy. It was the start of the summer holidays, and I'd been looking forward to the break from school - not so much the place, more the other students. People can be cruel, especially if there's something different about you, and teenage girls can be some of the worst offenders. Anyway, I was going to be taking a trip to the countryside to visit some distant relatives and, hopefully, de-stress. It was a gift from my parents for acing my exams, plus I think they didn't want to face having me around the house for the whole summer. It was somewhere down around Devon and Cornwall, I can't remember the name of the village, but it was a picturesque place with winding, tree-lined country lanes that made you feel like you were in Middle Earth and you were going to stumble across a group of hobbits heading off on an adventure around the next bend. My relatives' place turned out to be a small farm on the edge of the village - not what I'd expected, but a world away from the city I'd come from. For some reason, I'd never really heard my folks talk about these relations - a pair of sisters, I thought - other than in slightly hushed tones as if they were the black sheep of the family. The reality, as I experienced it, was that they were warm, welcoming and very friendly. We hit it off from the moment I turned up with my backpack, and I loved helping them out on the farm with the animals and crops. They were more family to me than some of my closer blood relations - funny how these things work - and they took me under their collective wing, teaching me a lot about life including why they were treated the way they were by the rest of the family. But, I digress. I need to set this down so there's at least some record of why things are the way they are now, and my role in causing it. Even though I worked hard at the farm, I still had plenty of time to explore the surroundings. The 'sisters' had told me some of the local folk tales, and cautioned me about certain areas, but I didn't regard some of the folksy warnings as being serious - I mean, fairies, goblins and that aren't real... One afternoon I was wandering through a local wood and came across a beautiful clearing. The sun was breaking through the leafy canopy, giving a gorgeous dappled lighting to the place. I could hear sweet birdsong and, if I was still, I could see a rare red squirrel on one of the nearby trees was eyeing me nervously. "Don't worry, your nuts are safe around me." I told them, giggling to myself. To my surprise, they settled down on the branch they were on and just regarded me with curiosity. Slowly, I set down my small day pack at the foot of a sturdy oak and pulled out my sketchpad. "You don't mind if I...?" I asked the squirrel, feeling a little foolish. I still swear to this day that the squirrel gave me a small nod, while repositioning slightly, as if to say 'okay, but this is my best side'. I don't know how long I was sat there under the broad branches of the oak, sketching my subject in the most perfect light, but I became aware of a presence behind me. "Oh! You've captured Peter's cheeky character so well there!" A melodious voice exclaimed behind my right ear. "Thank you, I... Wait... Ahhhhhh!" I jumped, remembering I was in the woods and had no idea who this was. I scrambled, clutching my pad and pack to my now heaving chest, and turned to where the voice had come from. I swear it was a trick of the light, but the figure I could see was bathed in a greeny-golden aura and I'm sure I saw slightly pointed ears. The most surprising thing was just the sheer feeling of positive feelings that were radiating from this figure - beauty, confidence, serenity, playfulness...actually, a lot of playfulness. I was awestruck. Then I blinked, and saw someone about my own age, still beautiful, but slightly rugged with it. Dirty knees, some grass stains on their wispy skirt and top, which looked really out of place with their boots. They - she, I think - regarded me curiously, head cocked to the side almost like the squirrel earlier. Then she looked concerned. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you. I thought you'd heard me when I walked up, but I think you were too engrossed in your drawing - which is beautiful, by the way." Her voice was strangely deep, not what I was expecting it to sound like, but it was also warm and soothing like a warm bath at the end of a hard day's work. "I... I... Thank you?" "Do you think I could have a closer look at it, please? Peter tends to be so shy, so I'm surprised he was such a willing subject for you." The mellow sound of her voice was definitely calming, although my heart was still pounding for some reason. "I... I guess so. Wait, Peter?" "I may have named him when I first saw him. I come here a lot, so it seemed rude to not name my friends." While my brain was struggling to comprehend what it was hearing, she stepped closer to me, extending her hand. She moved with the poise and grace of a dancer, but carefully as if trying to not spook a scared animal. She succeeded. "I forget my manners, I'm Faye" I blinked again, gave my head a little shake, then placed my hand in hers. "R...Riley." "A pleasure to meet you, Riley. That's a lovely name. Suits you." Faye said, looking into my eyes which felt like she was gazing into my soul. "Th...thank you. Faye's a beautiful name too." I could feel my shock and nervousness ebbing away, even if my heart was still pounding in my chest. She smiled at me, and I'm sure I felt my heart melt. It wasn't a 'million dollar smile', but it was sincere and just made me feel...happy. She nodded to the pad I still held in a death-grip. "So, can I?" "Huh? Oh, hell. Of course!" We sat back under the oak tree and talked. Faye complimented my art, which I tried to brush off until she insisted, so I showed her some more and her face lit up. I clumsily complimented her, which she seemed to like. Turned out she was a local - had always lived in the area, and loved spending time outside, whatever the weather. A proper outdoorsy girl. I explained about being there for the summer, and enjoying the mix of farm work and exploring the outdoors... I glanced at my watch. "Hell! I need to get back." "So soon?" Faye seemed disappointed. "Sorry, I've got jobs to help out with. Can I... er... Could I maybe...?" "Tomorrow? Here? Absolutely!" She grinned. "Perfect" I said as I dropped my pad back into my pack. "Oh, what time?" "Whenever you can. The trees will tell me when you're here." She winked at me and I'm sure my heart briefly stopped. "Huh...? Okay, sure. See you tomorrow, Faye!" "May your feet guide you safely back, Riley." I was a little late back, but the 'sisters' could see I was happy about something, so let it go without comment. My meetings with Faye became the part of my day I looked forward to the most. She just made me feel more at ease than anyone else I'd ever known, including my parents. We'd talk, laugh, play silly games and just enjoy each other's company. She even managed to persuade me to draw her. It's not something I do, as people are so hard to get right, and it took a couple of sittings, but I finally got something I was reasonably happy with. "Can I see? Can I see? Can I see?" Faye was practically jumping up and down with excitement and anticipation. I knew I couldn't put this off any longer. "Okay, but just remember I've done the best I can - I'm no portrait artist." "Show me! Show me! Show me!" I opened the pad and handed it to Faye. She looked down at the paper and her face shifted into a look of utter shock. "What's wrong? Don't you like it? I knew this was beyond m..." Faye pressed a finger to my lips, still staring at the picture. A tear formed in the corner of her right eye, rolled down her cheek and dripped onto the edge of the page. She closed her eyes, still keeping her finger on my lips. My heart was pounding fit to burst. I reached out my hand to her shoulder, and she was trembling. What had I done? My mind was going into overdrive with all the ways this was going to go wrong. Faye's finger briefly pressed harder on my lips, then she lifted it away. "Faye?" I asked, worriedly. Without saying anything, she turned to face me, then threw her arms around me, holding me tightly. I could feel her still shaking, her warmth, and the pounding of her heart as well. We stood like this for an eternity, or so it felt, neither of us saying a word. Me, too scared to, Faye, I didn't know. I felt her cheek move against mine, followed by the warmth of her breath against my ear. "It's beautiful beyond words. You are such a special person, Riley, and you have a rare talent." I felt tears start to roll down my cheeks, and held her tighter. It was hard heading back to the farm that evening after such an intensely emotional afternoon. I think the 'sisters' could tell I was struggling with something, so I was given a free pass on the jobs for the evening, and they both came to see me individually later to see what was wrong. I was torn - I knew they were genuinely trying to help, but I couldn't put into words what I was feeling. In retrospect, I know they would have known exactly what I was feeling, but that's hindsight for you. I didn't sleep well that night. I had so many things running around in my head. The end of summer - and my time there - was looming like a black cloud on the horizon, and I didn't know what to do. I wanted to stay, but knew I couldn't. I wanted to keep seeing Faye, but I'd be so far away from her. What had happened to me? I'd sort of had friends, but I'd never had someone I felt so close to, so much a part of. The following day was a blur. I was on autopilot during the morning until I'd done all the jobs I'd been asked to do. Then I grabbed my pack and set off to our clearing. It was still as beautiful there as the first time I saw it, and I think that's what started the first of the tears. I sat down under the oak and then the floodgates opened. It wasn't fair. The first time I'd felt comfortable, the first genuine friend I'd made, and it was all going to disappear in a couple of weeks. I sobbed my heart out. As the tears subsided, I realised there were arms wrapped around me, holding me tight, and a warmth pressed against me. "Oh Riley, my dear." "Faye?" I croaked. "I'm here. It's okay." We sat like that for a while, then Faye moved round to sit in front of me. She gently placed her hands on my cheeks and rested her forehead against mine. "Faye?" "Yes, my dear?" "I... I wish this summer could last forever." Silence. Strangely, not even any birdsong. It was like the world was on pause apart from the two of us. "An eternal summer? Would that make you happy, Riley?" "If... If I..." I sighed "Only if I could spend it with you." I heard Faye's breathing hitch in her chest. "I... I would also like that, Riley. It's been lonely." "Then I wish for an eternal summer, together with you." "Are you sure, Riley?" "I am, Faye." I heard Faye exhale, as if she'd been holding a breath in for an eternity. "Then it shall be so, this I promise." Faye took one of her hands from the side of my face and lifted my chin up until I was eye to eye with her, the tips of our noses now touching. "I promise." She tilted her head slightly to the side, then kissed me on the lips. I was not prepared for that! It was the first time I'd been kissed on the lips, and the passion I could feel behind it was incredible. I placed a hand on the side of Faye's face and kissed her back. My world was exploding, and I didn't care. I now knew what I'd been feeling, and I wanted to say it out loud. I pulled back gently and looked at Faye. "I..." She softly put a finger on my lips and leant forwards so she could whisper in my ear. "I love you too, Riley." And then she whispered something else, a name I think, and I was overcome with a flood of emotions, images that made no sense, and a cacophony of voices. All was still. "Faye? I don't feel..." The next thing I remember after that was waking up in my bed at the farm with the 'sisters' sat nervously by the bedside. I don't know what happened, but I'd apparently been out cold for a day. Someone had brought me back - although they couldn't say who, and when I asked "Faye?", they shared a knowing yet scared look. I was on bed rest for the following day, which really annoyed me, but I wasn't given any choice in the matter. I resolved myself to going to see Faye the next day, but the best laid plans, and all that... I was in one of the barns when the 'sisters' came to find me. They'd had a phone call and my folks had been in an accident. My mum was okay, but dad was in hospital in a bad way. I needed to go back now. I hurriedly packed up my backpack, thinking about Faye and my folks, and headed out to the 'sisters' truck for the ride to the station. On my way to it, I spotted a fox sat next to a package wrapped in a wispy fabric. I'll swear the fox nodded at me, then the package, then back at me. Getting the message, I grabbed the package on my way past and received another nod from the fox before it wandered off. I ran the rest of the way to the truck and jumped up into the flatbed so I could get my last lungfuls of fresh air before the train ride back to the city. As we drove, I checked the package I'd picked up. There was an intricately carved stone of some description threaded onto a  thin strip of leather to make a necklace; my sketch pad, which I'd forgotten I'd left with Faye; and a note, written in the most beautiful hand I'd ever seen: Riley, my love. I know you have to go back, but I will be here waiting for you to return and enjoy our eternal summer together. If you feel lost, hold the stone and think of me. Keep it close to your heart. May your feet guide you safely back. I couldn't make out the signature, but it looked too long for 'Faye'. I'd decipher that later, I decided as I tied the necklace together around my neck and stowed the note, my pad and the fabric into my pack. The journey home was uneventful, and I spent the rest of the holiday before school resumed going back and forth to the hospital. Luckily, my dad was always stubborn and managed to make a decent recovery. No-one noticed anything odd with the weather until about October... Everywhere was still experiencing summer weather, even though it was supposed to be autumn. Climate change was the answer that satisfied people... ...until it was 30 degrees on Christmas day. And it didn't stop there. It was summer in January, February, March, April...all year round. That meant far less rain, rivers and reservoirs drying up, crops starting to fail... Not in the first year, there were still ways to mitigate at that point. But the longer the summer lasted, the bleaker - ironically - the outlook was. Being on an island, desalination plants were trialled, and were successful in some areas. That's where the deregulation of sewage release into the sea came back to bite firmly on the arse. During this time, I studied, I worked, and I joined a gym to keep up my fitness. I also learnt to box, which definitely helped reduce issues at school. I also missed Faye terribly. I tried calling the 'sisters' to see if they'd pass a message on for me, but as soon as I'd mention Faye, they'd get nervous and change the subject. I didn't remember about the eternal summer promise until our 7th year of summer. Scientists had given up trying to find a cause, and were just fighting to keep us alive. We ended up going underground instead of going ever skyward, because it was cooler. There were also some underground watercourses that were still viable. For now. I tried and tried to contact Faye, but to no avail. The 'sisters' had vanished, and a lot of villages had either been abandoned or demolished in the pursuit of going underground. I studied the necklace, note and fabric, having no other leads. The carvings were similar to some designs said to relate to the 'Fair Folk', or Fae. That set me off to learn everything I could about them. Maybe it was coincidence, or maybe they did exist. I also studied contract law, hoping if they did exist it might give me a hand in bargaining. Either way, I'm here, ten years on from a wish I made as a teen that's completely changed the world. I am not a 'chosen one', I don't have years of combat / magic training to make me a force to be reckoned with. There is no prophecy foretelling my defeating this problem. I'm a woman with an eclectic mix of skills, a desire to put things right, and a need to find the Fae I love - whose real name I now remember. I will move heaven and hell to solve this, or die horribly in the attempt. What comes next? Where do we go from here? Cornwall seems a good place to start.

@contes-de-rheio, @bookishdiplodocus, @pheita, @siarven, @aeschknight, @madammuffins, @esbarrison-author

Hope you guys don’t mind being tagged here

#writeblr #my writing #fff197 #fff198 #back from hiatus #but for how long?

[greenbeetle1201]

Sam and Frodo

“Don’t go where I can’t follow” is one of the most anguish inducing and crushing otp lines out there and the fact that this line originated from Samwise Gamgee, a brave gardener with tender hands, just? Aches. There’s literally no heterosexual explanation for how Sam and Frodo treated each other

thranduils

“No heterosexual explanation”? Have you ever had a true friendship? Tolkien did. He was in a war. He knew exactly the kind of bonds that form with your brothers-in-arms when you go through hell and back together.

Also, Tolkien’s works were heavily influenced by early medieval literature, in which close male bonds are an extremely common theme. In fact, until the 12th century, strong platonic bonds were valued far above romantic ones (not that Tolkien dismissed romantic love, of course, quite the opposite - but he knew that it is far from the only strong bond one can have). As CS Lewis put it:

“There can be no mistake about the novelty of romantic love: our only difficulty is to imagine in all its bareness the mental world that existed before its coming — to wipe out of our minds, for a moment, nearly all that makes the food both of modern sentimentality and modern cynicism. We must conceive a world emptied of that ideal of ‘happiness’ — a happiness grounded on successful romantic love — which still supplies the motive of our popular fiction…The deepest of worldly emotions in this period is the love of man for man, the mutual love of warriors who die together fighting against odds, and the affection between vassal and lord (gardener and ‘master’?). We shall never understand this last, if we think of it in the light of our own moderated and impersonal loyalties. We must not think of officers drinking the king’s health: we must think rather of a small boy’s feeling for some hero in the sixth form. There is no harm in the analogy, for the good vassal is to the good citizen very much as a boy is to a man. He cannot rise to the great abstraction of a res fuhlica. He loves and reverences only what he can touch and see; but he loves it with an intensity which our tradition is loath to allow except to sexual love.”

Anyway, Sam was already in love with Rosie.

If you want to ship Sam and Frodo, go ahead, but you can do so without belittling friendships. Not everything needs to be sexualized and romantic feelings aren’t required for the narrative to make sense.

captain-wuzz

Oh god, thank you, thank you THANK YOU for saying this. 

I have no problem with ships. (I don’t ship anything in LOTR but I ship Bofur and Bilbo from The Hobbit, even if it’s practically non-existent in the book lol) but to insist that they’re CANON and there’s no other explanation for the bonds males have in Tolkien’s work drives me up the friggin’ wall. 

When you have bombs and mustard gas coming for you in the trenches and you would die for the man next to you, then of course you’re going to develop a strong bond, and Tolkien understood that only too well.

I was even reluctant to ship anything for fun at first because the platonic non-toxic male bonds in Tolkien’s work are so important. There’s so little of it in literature/mediaof any kind and to insist that any sort of strong bond between guys is only something gay men can experience is so damn toxic tbh. Straight men need to know it’s okay to show affection to another male friend.

Enjoy your ships, people. it’s absolutely fine. Tolkien has a lot of fun subtext in it you can play around with. But don’t attack people when they point out that was never the real context of the literature. 

Source: littlestpersimmon

lotrmetafandomshippingthis is very well put(i'm often a low-key multi-shipperwhich mean i'm cool with shipping but i also very much support NOT shipping)

46,695 notes

See eregyrn-falls's whole Tumblr

[doberbutts]

ralsei-kin

I think actually we should remake the "OG trilogy" but have more changes to established lore. (ALSO LIKE regardless of changes to lore you uhhh Have To Change Stuff because That's What An Adaptation Is???? All movies change at least SMTH because what flows well in a book doesn't look good on screen!!!) But also fuck it why shouldn't Galadriel be black??? And Legolas?? They already added more women & better female roles in the first trilogy we should do it again

CANNOT comment on the hobbit movies cause uhhh I watched the first one and was so bored I never bothered w/ the other 2. Its just WILD how deep rooted the Racism goes because nobody ever questions my white ass on whether I've read all Tolkeins works (I haven't! I read The Hobbit and I got halfway through Fellowship but couldn't get on with the flowery language, the only other Tolkein I've read through is his Beowulf translation).

IDK sorry for rambling but like, I don't understand how anyone can look at the questions ur receiving and not go "oh hang on, maybe this isn't abt me, maybe I should listen to someone telling me they're worried abt racism" when like the whole point of Privilege as a Concept is that u don't KNOW what privileges you have until someone tells u shit they experience and u don't! like white privilege is microaggressions like me never being questioned on my Tolkein Authority!

IDK about having Galadriel specifically as black since she is described specifically as being “pale-skinned” though that does give me the idea for literally everyone to be black and thus the “pale-skinned” Galadriel is just my skin tone in a world of people 5 shades darker than me tada fixed the story.

Since Tolkien’s a bit too flowery for you: Legolas’ hair color is a matter of debate because he’s usually depicted with dark hair due to in-universe reasons however Orlando’s Legolas really popularized the character being depicted as blonde so you can tell in illustrations whether the illustration was done before or after the PJ movies. And people get really mad at each other over this. Like, really, really mad. So now Legolas is both black and blonde fucking deal with it.

Also Glorfindel is back to being a woman now, yeah when he reincarnated he specifically asked for a female body and so she’s a woman and y’all got your Glorfindel scenes back but she’s still a woman because fuck you that’s why. At the end of the day these are fictional characters and thus it doesn’t really matter, it’s an adaption, it’s not meant to be word-for-word.

Anyway yes your point 100% agree, the entire topic here is “I think you folks are ignoring a race-based blindspot you have because you’re convinced you’re Good And Right And Moral but your reasons are overall hypocritical and there’s probably a different reason this specific adaption caught your ire” and “just because the post you agree with says it’s for XYZ reason I’d pay a lot of attention to the fact that they’re deliberately leaving out some racial context here” and “hey it kinda sucks that the first adaption of this universe to feature black people has a targeted campaign against it, feels kinda like white fanboy nonsense to me”

[the-cat-chat]

April 30, 2022

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)

A timid nursing assistant gets a new lease on life when she and a neighborhood loner track down the degenerates who broke into her house. 

JayBell: You never know what you’re gonna get with these random Netflix picks. If I was describing the plot of this movie to someone, I’d probably say it’s as if depressed, adult Nancy Drew met the local, weirdo hobbit and they decided to work on a case together. It was an unlikely duo, but the movie really made it feel like them vs. the world, so it was easy to root for them.

The tone of the movie is very nihilistic. It’s all people suck, nothing matters in the end, and what’s the point of it all anyway? But of course, Nancy Drew (I honestly can’t remember the main character’s name) finds out that there’s at least one person that isn’t an asshole and befriends him, so the nihilism lightens up a little in the end.

The movie felt like a comedy, but it never actually had any laugh-out-loud moments for me. The movie was relatively mild and sedate but also featured these random instances of graphic violence. Those violent moments seem so much more intense as a result. The end of the movie is the embodiment of the term, “well this escalated quickly.” I’m glad the pacing picked up nearer to the end, because I thought the middle of the film had a bit of a slower pace.

I was kind of lost on what the bad guys’ motives were, but I’m not sure if I just zoned out or if they didn’t have as much character development as I wanted. But they were definitely creepy and needed a good killing, so all’s well that ends well I guess.

In the end, this movie was simply okay. It wasn’t terrible, but I’m probably not going to recommend it to anyone else. Of course, I know the burning question on everyone’s mind: Did Elijah Wood’s rat tail survive? Well that would be a spoiler.

Rating: 5.75/10 cats 🐈‍

Anzie: Nearly every time I scrolled through the never ending choices for movies on Netflix, I saw this movie and thought, “oh, that looks interesting,” then I would just keep looking at other options. I don’t know why because the premise of the movie sounds interesting, and I like Melanie Lynskey in all the other things I’ve seen her in.

So finally, it came time to watch this movie, and it was pretty good. I wouldn’t say it was amazing and life changing and I’ll always remember it, but it was a good way to spend some time and be entertained for a bit.

All the acting is performed very well and believable- although you’re still stuck thinking Elijah Wood is Elijah Wood , rather than his character but that’s only natural when it’s Elijah Wood. The “degenerates” of the movie are most definitely unlikeable. I do think it has a message of how we treat others and how we allow ourselves to be treated, but the reaction to that within this movie is a tad outlandish- and while a great message I wouldn’t be looking too deeply to this movie’s plot unless you want to go down the slippery slope of being a victim and criminal simultaneously. I will say the snake scene- I totally called it- and when I was kayaking the next day I was totally creeped out and looking for snakes. 🐍 🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍

Rating: 6/10 snakes 🐍

#film #film review #movie #movie review #netflix #elijah wood

[frodo-with-glasses]

Continuing this ask from weezlbot: Sam and Frodo!

2. “My favorite scene of them”

I answered this one here! TL;DR: I can’t decide, but it’s probably split between Whether or No, the Tower rescue, or Frodo’s laughter on the path of Cirith Ungol.

4. “My favorite thing about them”

I HAVE TO CHOOSE??! 🤣

Okay but in all seriousness, I’ll have to go with the emotional vulnerability. The loyalty is in a close second, of course, but really, you could have the most die-hard bromance in the world and it still would not be Frodo and Sam without the insane level of emotional intimacy that they have. I think it’s why Frodo and Sam just always draw me back; there’s just something so alluring about a friendship where literally nothing is hidden.

Frodo confides in Sam his despair and grief and pessimism because he trusts Sam, and he’s not afraid to be vulnerable and weak around him. Sam piles expression of love onto expression of love on Frodo because he trusts him, and he knows he won’t be mocked or jeered at for being “sentimental” or “sappy” or “unmanly” (if that last one is even an insult to a hobbit).

And because nothing is hidden, they just….get each other. They know what the other is thinking, to the point that Sam straight up predicts what Frodo is going to do at the Falls of Rauros! They work like two halves of a single mind, but it’s two halves with love and trust and full disclosure in between, and that’s what makes it even better.

Not to get off-topic, but I think that’s why they don’t even bat an eye to see each other naked every now and again. After all, what’s a body when you know every inch of someone’s complex and beautiful mind and soul?

7. “What makes me like their friendship”

Oh. Oh my dear weezlbot. I have spent my entire blog trying to answer this question. I have drawn doodle after doodle and written essay after essay on this topic and still, I have not expressed even a fraction of what I want to say. They say that you don’t really understand something until you can explain it to a five-year-old, but I have trouble even just getting it that concise, so I can only assume I still have more to learn and uncover.

I feel like Sam, full of emotions he can hardly express, and thinking to himself, “if I just knew elvish words, I could write a real song that could say what I’m thinkin’.” But I don’t, and I can’t, and what I’m left with is a love that leaves me nearly speechless.

I love how unassuming the relationship starts. I love how steel-plated and forged by fire it is at the end. I love how Sam makes Frodo laugh. I love how Frodo makes Sam want to be wise and kind and noble like him. I love their loyalty. I love their vulnerability. I love how easily they say “I love you”. I love how differently they say “I love you”, and that it’s still valued and understood to matter how it’s expressed. I love how the relationship that saved Middle Earth was not one between fearsome warriors with the blood of ancient kings, but between a bookish hobbit of the upper middle class and his gardener, who remain kind and soft and bleeding-heart until the very end.

I love how Frodo slowly deteriorated under his burden, and Sam still loved him anyway. I love how Frodo’s mind is ultimately poisoned and corrupted, and Sam still loved him anyway. I love how Frodo left the earth itself, and Sam still followed him, and FOUND HIM, because HE STILL LOVED HIM ANYWAY.

What makes me like their friendship? What is it that keeps drawing me back? Love. Agape love. Love whole and complete and unconditional. Love that sets my soul on fire with an emotion I can’t express, but it feels like coming home to a place you’ve never seen but that you know you were made for all along.

“I love him. He’s like that, and sometimes it shines through, somehow. But I love him, whether or no.”

FRIENDSHIP ASK GAME!

#ask game #frodo baggins #samwise gamgee #lord of the rings #lotr #my writing #EDIT: added the link oops LOL