Rulebreakers - Campfire
The elven warrior sat across the fire from the dwarven rogue and human mage. She had her fingers steepled, a classic thousand-yard stare - in other words, she was brooding. The rogue and mage looked to each other, then back to the warrior. The mage spoke up first. "So, um....how are you feeling?"
The warrior grunted, as she continued to stare. "We're not real."
The rogue looked between the two nervously. "I mean, I wouldn't go that far...."
"We're not real. We're constructs, we're made up, we're....we're pawns in some sick fantasy." The elf stood up forcefully. "I'm fake! We're all fake!"
The mage laughed uncomfortably, and started to speak before the warrior interrupted him. "Don't you even start. You two at least have bodies out there - if you two figure out a way to 'log off,' you've got your bodies back, your lives back, whatever they are. Me? I'm here forever. I don't EVER get to escape." She swung her sword into a nearby tree, and seethed as the texture of the bark blurred. "I don't EVER get to exist, to....to matter!" She breathed heavily, removed her sword, and stared at the other two with an almost pleading expression.
"You...matter to us," said the mage. The warrior rolled her eyes at the cliché, but the mage spoke again quickly. "We have a plan."
"That's right," said the rogue. "We've been doing some digging in that 'options' menu, and inspecting the screenshots we took from that monitor that showed the outside. We think.....well, it's not exactly 'being real,' but....."
"But we think we can bring you with us," finished the mage. "We....wanted to be sure before we told you."
"What do you mean, 'bring me with you?'" She asked.
"I mean....we can...I guess, 'download' ..... 'you'," answered the mage. "I mean, you, us, right now, we're all just....words, on a machine, right? That's what we found? So we figured....if we can find where 'you' are, in that machine once we wake up, we can....smuggle you out."
"Yeah? And then what?" A hint of hope had entered her voice.
"And then," said the rogue, "we don't know. We don't know what happens from here. Maybe we can find you your own body. Maybe we can....at least....give you a home somewhere. Some....more permanent machine, or something. I'm not sure why, but I have this feeling that my....my outside self, might have some tricks up his sleeve."
"Mine too," said the mage.
The warrior finished pacing and sat back down, sighing deeply. "I....thank you. Thank you both. I have a lot to think about, but....I'm really, really glad you've looked into this. I think the worst thing I was worried about was that I wouldn't be able to stay with you, on the way out. That....at the end of all of this, I'd just....be gone." She looked up at them, searchingly. "What can I do to help? What's the plan from here?"
"Well, for starters," said the mage, "we're going to need to find where 'you' are. Which means, we need to find another monitor."
"Which means...?" Asked the warrior.
The rogue smiled, as it so happened, roguishly. "It means we're breaking another raid."
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Embrace the power of your mind
#UnconventionalIdeas #outsidetheboxthinker#InnovationUnleashed #ImaginationUnbound#BeyondTheNorm #BoldIdeas #RuleBreakers #ThoughtRevolution #RevolutionaryIdeas #CreativeThinking #LimitlessPossibilities#Embracethepowerofyourmind
Can you truly innovate and break boundaries if you confine your thoughts within the limits of a box?”One of the most significant advantages of thinking outside the box…
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I do love how in this Superman cartoon has Lois essentially being this rebellious bad girl reporter Clark is smitten by in all their interactions. They've always had a bit that dynamic, but this version of him is extra straightedge (and it's not an act) so it's more pronounced. He acts disapproving for a second when she does stuff like steal cops IDs, but clearly kind of likes it and finds it very attractive. She's talking the nerdy hall monitor into breaking the rules and he is absolutely smitten by her daredevil ways. She's the punk to his goody-two-shoes, and what makes it different from other depictions is it's primarily in a positive way that's endearing. not a cautionary tale.
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What are the sk brothers opinions on parent(s) taking their revenge on those who harmed their child(ren) in some way or took their child(ren) from this mortal world or the rulebreaker did both?
They'd tip their hats to those parents, taking justice into their own hands. In their eyes, one less Rulebreaker in the world.
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Talking about my beloved Háma earlier this week got me thinking again about how Beregond is the Háma of Gondor. One of the ways Tolkien showed us how bound together Gondor and Rohan were as countries was by drawing explicit parallels between individual Gondorians and Rohirrim (like Boromir and Théodred), and it happens for everyone's favorite guards, too. They have some differences (I mean, Háma dies 😭), but they’re much more alike than not.
Most importantly, they’re both soldiers—part of a very hierarchical, duty-bound structure—who nonetheless decide in key moments to disregard orders and follow their own judgment and good sense instead. Háma will let Gandalf violate the ban on weapons in Meduseld and Beregond will leave his post and literally slay anyone facilitating the burning of Faramir because their hearts and minds tell them that sometimes laws must be broken in service of a larger morality. That takes courage, independence of thought, and a strong sense of self. By disobeying, they both knowingly risk punishment—and, indeed, both are punished—but they do it anyway because they know it’s right. And ultimately, both are forgiven and honored because everyone can see they made correct, if unlawful, decisions. (This parallel is also replicated a little further up the respective hierarchies because Éomer and Faramir are also both noted mavericks who choose at pivotal moments to aid members of the Fellowship even though, by law, those outsiders should be arrested or killed. So, again, parallels between pairs of Gondorians and Rohirrim abound!)
I like that Tolkien takes care to show that it’s not just the folks at the very top of communities of Men that can have and display these really admirable and noble traits. It’s important for there to be a Háma and a Beregond so that we know these lands of Men are worth protecting—there is goodness there! And of course it fits very neatly with the “small hands do great deeds” theme of LOTR overall. Háma and Beregond each change the course of history when they trust to their own worth and hold to their own values, no matter the circumstances or consequences.
So that’s the biggest/weightiest parallel for Háma and Beregond, but it’s certainly not the only one. They both work for prestigious military units in the capital city of their countries. They both play formal roles in granting our major characters access to those cities. They’re both firsthand witnesses to the mental manipulation and torment of their leaders (Théoden and Denethor) by an enemy. They both get joyful moments witnessing the healing of a beloved lord. They’re both Gandalf enthusiasts in places where not everyone respects or welcomes Gandalf’s presence. They both demonstrate a willingness to draw swords on anyone they perceive as threatening their lords. They’re both pretty adept at rolling with it when things take a really weird turn (I mean, really, the legendary lost heir of Elendil shows up on Háma’s doorstep claiming to be friends with a mythical elf-sorceress, and he just goes with it. And Beregond has never seen a hobbit before and maybe isn’t even sure they’re real when one is thrust on him, and he immediately makes Pip his buddy!).
Those are the canon parallels, but I would be remiss if I didn’t finish by specifying that @brigwife and I agree it is rock solid head canon that Háma and Beregond met somehow and became actual long distance best friends. It’s only natural that they’d get along given how much they have in common—just two absolute gems of the race of Men who would totally love and appreciate one another. And I’d like to think that even as Háma’s legacy is commemorated at his resting place in Rohan, there’s also a little memorial for him in Gondor built by Beregond in a beautiful, peaceful part of Ithilien. During Beregond’s lifetime it stands as a tribute to his enduring friendship with Háma, and in later days, when anyone who knew them is gone, it stands instead as a tribute to the enduring friendship of Gondor and Rohan.
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