#can you feel Frodo's longing for the shire in here

[tossawary]

The last time that I rewatched "The Fellowship of the Ring" (extended edition, of course), my favorite new detail that I noticed is that the characters, once they set out on their journey, are pretty much always traveling from screen-left to screen-right.

It had been a few years since I'd seen the films and I'd learned more about filmmaking in that time. I'm completely biased regarding the LOTR films; they're not perfect, but I grew up on them, I love them. I was trying to take notes on all of the little details that made the world of the films seem so rich and so enchanting to me. The camerawork, character staging, and editing is one of the many things that just happened to jump out at me at this time.

When Frodo and Sam are leaving the Shire, the camera is set up in such a way that they start on the left side of the screen (<- that side) and travel across it to the right side of the screen (-> that side).

This way to go the farthest you've ever been from home. ->

As the hobbits travel from Bree to Rivendell, as the Fellowship travels from Rivendell to the Misty Mountains, all of those gorgeous scenic shots of the Nine Walkers show them moving from screen-left to screen-right. I haven't rewatched the entire trilogy lately, but in "The Fellowship of the Ring", it is so beautifully consistent.

There are a handful of reasons why this is done. In staging and editing, consistency regarding where the characters are placed on the screen is a storytelling tool. For example: the "180 degrees rule" says to generally keep the camera on one side of the characters within a scene, so that the audience can mentally keep track of the characters within the environment and focus on the action/dialogue. If we're watching two characters talking in a diner, even in the close-ups, one character will usually be kept on screen-left and be shown facing screen-right, and the other will be kept on screen-right and be shown facing screen-left. It feels stable. (People will sometimes choose to break the "180 degrees rule". It can be a tool to create a sense of disorientation and/or instability in the audience.)

In "The Fellowship of the Ring", the maps that the audience is shown of Middle Earth tell us that the Shire is located in the West (left side of the map) and everything else of relevance (Rivendell, Moria, Rohan, Gondor, Mordor) is East (right side of the map). As the characters consistently travel screen-right, the audience builds up a firmer mental map of Middle Earth and can better keep track of the characters' progress on their long journey. With every step that Frodo takes towards screen-right (->), we know that he is traveling East, taking another step towards Mordor.

Left to right may also instinctively feel like the way forward in a culture that writes and reads from left to right. Regardless of which way you write: if your film establishes extremely consistently that one direction is forward, then this visual language can be used to tell the audience that something is wrong if the characters start traveling from right to left. They might be lost! It builds suspense in the visual depiction of the characters going backwards and undoing progress! This all suits the lengthy hero's journey of LOTR very well, in my opinion.

There's an old joke that knowing how anything is made ruins the magic, and another old joke that knowing anything about filmmaking makes you insufferable to watch movies with, but I've never felt that way, especially not here. How does that quote go? It's still magic even if you know how it's done. (GNU Terry Pratchett.)

I find it enchanting, honestly, that so many people can work so hard for an effect that can seem so simple. Actors, directors, camera operators, editors, storyboarders, and so many others on the crew of the films consistently placed characters, sets, and props just so! So that the audience could more easily keep track of where everyone was and lose themselves a little more deeply in the story.

It's such a simple rule! And it works so well! Left -> Right. West -> East. Shire -> Mordor. Home -> Adventure. Known -> Unknown.

I personally recommend trying to keep track of character movement across the screen in films, especially if you have any interest in visual storytelling (films or illustration or something else). It's fun! It's impossible for me to unsee, watching "The Fellowship of the Ring" now, and I think it's a wonderful piece of movie magic.

#tossawary tolkien #frodo baggins #samwise gamgee #long post

[flowercrowngods]

thinking about time travel au steve meeting eddie in the school bathroom, finding eddie smoking and reading. and he doesn't mean to stay, but it's quiet here and he can see all the walls in case they start to move again with another monster wanting to break out and attack him, attack everyone around him.

and so steve joins him. eddie feels so awkward, because steve harrington doesn't hang out with him, doesn't hang out in abandoned bathrooms!!! and he wants to be obnoxious about it so he starts reading out loud.

it doesn't have the desired effect of making steve fuck off, though. instead, steve pulls his knee to his chin and watches eddie and listens. eddie is reading lord of the rings – somewhere in the third book. and steve finds himself in frodo, or in the wisdom gandalf brings, in the elves speaking of days long passed and the agony over war. in the nostalgia for days he cannot bring back. in the grief of peace lost.

he finds himself between the lines. asks eddie if they will make it, this frodo and sam. if these most unlikely heroes can succeed. because suddenly save needs to know like he needs to breathe.

and eddie just raises his eyebrows and says "if you really wanna find out, come here again tomorrow." and he does. eddie eventually finishes the book with steve, who pretends not to be crying when eddie gets to, "But I have been too deeply hurt, Sam. I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them."

and to, "In this hour, I do not believe that any darkness will endure." 

and, "Oft hope is born when all is forlorn." 

and he wonders, when frodo goes into the west and speaks of "white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise" if that is where eddie went, too. and robin. nancy, dustin, the rest of them. is that where you went? is it really not that bad?

just. steve and eddie as frodo and a very unaware sam. because "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!"

#time travel au #steddie #god i'm so. i'm so okay y'know? just very normal about it all etc etc

[popquizhot-shot]

i was inspired by @allysunny 's fic where miguel watches snow white and i loved it so much its literally so wholesome. GO READ IT.

and after that i watched a lotr fanart reel with the evenstar theme and i began to wonder how mig would like Lord of the Rings. cuz he has to if the relationship is going to work im sorry-

So here's the product of my labour lmfao im doing the first movie only because this would be way too long if it was all three

MIGUEL WATCHES LOTR(extended edition ofc)

-I feel like he'd come across you either looking at fanart or edits of the characters and be intrigued.

-"what's that, tesoro?" nosy mf he'd smush onto your shoulder from behind, your hair ticking his nose lightly.

"it's lord of the rings, babe. how have you-"

and you realise mans is from 2099 how tf is he going to know what lord of the rings is.

and thats how you end up sitting in front of the tv at 8am in the morning with tea and breakfast and the shire theme playing from the tv.

-"They're dwarves?" Miguel asks when he sees Frodo next to Gandalf

"No, they're Hobbits."

"But Hobbits are basically dwarves?"

"Nope, different race, honey." you kiss his cheek as his eyes squint in confusion.

=Merry and Pip remind him of ahem certain spider people

-He gasps when Bilbo disappears and is like wtf when he sees him reappear and have a meltdown over the ring.

-He gasps AGAIN when you tell him that gandalf actually left frodo in the shire for 17 years and not like a few hours or days

-gets annoyed at merry and pippin AGAIN

-fucking loves samwise but thinks he needs a bit more spine(give him a chance wait till the end of the series)

-he will raise an eyebrow at you trying to stop your squeal when looking at the first glimpse of this strider and his pipe.

-i feel like the nazgul would freak him out(just a little but its the horses)

-THE HORSES i feel like he wont give af honestly about them because he can co exist with widow on the team but since he has the phobia he wouldnt fawn over them(not me pssh i love the pretty horsies)

-absolutely thinks frodo is going to die when hes stabbed by the nazgul

-his eyes widen when arwen our queen rides in and you squeal again

-he admires arwen and her abilities, that scene with the river and the nazgul makes his jawdrop.

-"tesoro i like this movie." "slut" "im YOUR slut" *mwah*

-he loves the rivendell and the set design is honestly breathtaking he gets so into it

-arwen and aragorn are adorable and he holds you tighter when the flashback scene between them is shown

-you clap when you see legolas ride in and he sideeyes you yet AGAIN

-sees the appeal tbh

-he loves that you're so passionate about something and want to share it with him and he sees it as an honour that you're willing to do this, spend an entire day watching a movie series with him its baffling to him

-you on the other hand get worried that he finds it boring but then when he gets into it youre ecstatic that he likes it too and you both can enjoy something thats so close to your heart.

-it can be hard to relate to someone who's so different from you, like mans is spiderman, a geneticist, leads an elite strike dedicated to the multiverse-

-but you both gel in a lot of ways (which is why dude loves you and would die for you and kill for you either way what bliss)despite leading such different lives and now there's one more thing you can bond over and it fills you with happiness and you have to snuggle into him and he holds you tighter in response, smooching the top of your head

-absolutely despises boromir at first(it changes)

-thinks elrond is bossy asf(look whos talking babe)

-he gets worked up when boromir starts coveting the ring and is like he should die

-sniffs when the man actually dies in such a heroic way

-i think he has to cover his mouth when aragorn finds boromir and kisses his forehead because its such an emotional scene and this man has gone through such loss and probably similar things in his own battlefield except he wishes he could have given his teammates better goodbyes.

-when the movie ends yk the way it does he immediately puts on the next one.

-"babe wait i have to pee!" "pee fast then and come back!" *pats your ass as you walk past him and you try to swat him because that doesnt help after holding in your pee for like 3 damn hours

-he really likes it and he loved experiencing it with you, listening to your commentary sometimes, rolling his eyes lovingly when you grin at aragorn or legolas or sam or arwen, but he loved it even more because it was a piece of you that was bared to him and he accepted it and loved it too because it was YOU

-and because its a legendary piece of art.

#miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o’hara x reader #atsv #spiderman 2099 #miguel o'hara fluff #echo actually writes

[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

[obsidiancreates]

Concerning Hobbits Who Cause A Great Deal Of Concern

Sequel to There and Back Again (Starting From The End)

Bilbo picks over the pile of supplies in front of him. "Extra clothes, good, maps, good, plenty of water jugs- won't be making that mistake twice, not after that holiday when Frodo was a lad-"

Gandalf clears his throat in the doorway, and Bilbo waves him in without looking up. "Come in, come in. Do you suppose I could find a good walking stick somewhere out in the desolation? Nevermind, I expect not. Let's see here- ah! Yes, yes, perfect." Bilbo holds up a small chain, meant for a delicate pendant. "Frodo wore the ring on a chain such as this, to resist it's temptations. I think I shall follow his lead. He was the one to do this quest first, after all."

"Bilbo Baggins," Gandalf says, slowly entering the decrepit supply room of Erebor's less ruined halls. "You owe us all some answers, I think."

"I explained it already, didn't I? I've been sent back from countless years in the future to prevent- well, prevent it all." Bilbo rifles through the pile some more. "The war, the misery, the deaths. I'm making grand plans for the coming years, Gandalf. Frodo told me as many stories as he could in the years before my return, and there's more souls in need of saving than I'm prepared for yet. We'll have to finish up this quest as quickly as we can, if I'm to settle in here and then get back to The Shire before poor Drogo and Primula meet their ends."

"Every word you utter brings more questions than answers," Gandalf huffs. "You told Gloin his son would face Sauron himself, prophesied my death and resurrection, and in the same breath pulled Thorin Oakenshield to your lips and have left him in a daze ever since!"

"I've tried telling him to come help me pack," Bilbo mutters. "Of course he's dazed, Gandalf, I myself didn't realize what exactly I felt until after his death before! It's only been a couple of days, he'll shake it off."

"Bilbo." Gandalf puts his hand on his dear friend's shoulder. "I ask you as not only a friend, but a wizard concerned for the safety of Middle-Earth... and your own mind. What did you see, before facing the kings?"

"I 'saw' nothing, Gandalf, I lived. And it's hard to say, exactly, what I lived. After my hundred and eleventh it all goes a bit... hazy, and grows hazier the longer I'd gone on, frought with only fits of clear mind. But I remember enough." Bilbo pulls a broken spear shaft from the pile, tests it's weight and width in his hand, and then grabs a small whittling knife and begins to attempt to shape it into a good walking stick.

Gandalf sits next to him. "Then help me be prepared, my friend. You seek to lead us all into the heart of Sauron's very fortress. What did your young nephew face on his same journey?"

"Well, we shan't be taking quite the same path, I think." Bilbo pulls a map out of his bag. "He went somewhere along this path, lead on by that foul creature Gollum from about here to here. I shouldn't like to encounter the mother of the Mirkwood spiders like he and Samwise did- but I shouldn't like to go to the Black Gates either, if they yet exist."

Gandalf watches Bilbo with his pipe sitting unpuffed in his lips and palm, his ancient eyes fraught with concern. Bah. Bilbo's seen that look for- well, not even he knows how long. It's hardly a deterrent.

"How often have you used The Ring, Bilbo?"

"I expect you have your suspicions. I used it first in the goblin tunnels, of course, and then again in Mirkwood- terrible, terrible business in Mirkwood. Such a strange thing, Gandalf, to have it guide my hands. I knew it was evil then, but also that I needed it." It's hard to push the words out, though one would never guess by Bilbo's strong and steady tone.

Some part of him still shrieks to keep it secret, safe, unknown to others. But that part is very new, very young, and the older feeling of Obsession mingles with it in a way that diminishes them both- like adding together equal parts vinegar and honey, until it taste like neither and is altogether repulsive to taste.

"And then in Thranduil's halls, of course- did we ever explain that part of the journey to you? Ah, Thanduil mentioned it when I brought the Arkenstone, so I'm sure you don't need me to. Again with Smaug, though it was very little use against him. Then again when I ran to Ravenhill, and again to kill Azog. That's how often I've used it in this life and body, at the very least."

"And in the life before?"

"Too many times to count," Bilbo groans. "I used it to hide from unwanted visitors and relatives! Can you believe it? The thing that could destroy all of Middle-Earth, and I used it to avoid neighbors. Well, I didn't know any better, I suppose, and I'll admit I'm likely to miss the ability when I return home- not to stay, mind you. I left Erebor all those years ago because I couldn't stand living here when Thorin, Fili, and Kili weren't around to fill it. Thorin most of all."

Bilbo shakes his head. "But I'll still need to settle things with Bag End! I hope you're grateful, by the way, Gandalf. In the past before I returned home within thirteen months of running out my door and they'd already auctioned off most of my belongings. I expect I'll get home to a smial full of Sackville-Baggins belongs and a Shire full of my scattered heirlooms. It'll take me ages to round it all up again to leave for Frodo and Sam and Sam's sweet. Perhaps this time I'll get to know those children as they grow- Sam was always telling us about how impressive his children were, heh."

Gandalf finally puffs on his pipe, seemingly relaxing. "You're quite a different fellow in your old age."

"Yes, it does tend to do that," Bilbo mutters. "As do a great many other things. I should like to blame some of my later eccentricities on The Ring, but in truth I think I should have become so odd even without it." Bilbo gives up on the broken spear shaft with a huffs. "Right, I'm going to search outside for something more suitable."

"Perhaps take a companion with you." Gandalf's eyes twinkle. "A certain wide-eyed Dwarf king is in great need of some air, after you stole it from his chest."

"Ha!" Bilbo grins, wide and bright, in a way Gandalf has rarely seen- if ever. It's full of hope and promise. "Good idea, old friend."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bilbo leads the way as he and Thorin go out to the mountain side. Thorin watches him, wary and wondering all at once, and Bilbo could savor the feeling of it forever.

"Alright now, Thorin, I'm the same Hobbit as before," Bilbo says, bending down to try an ancient branch broken from a burned tree corpse. "No need to get all strange about talking with me."

"But are you?" Thorin watches Bilbo with analyzing and admiring eyes. "You speak differently than you did only days ago."

"Alright, I've gotten wordier in my years," Bilbo admits. "And more sure of the words I wish to say before I say them. But that doesn't mean I'm some strange new hobbit unknown to you."

"Does it not?" Thorin picks up a stick as well, though it's clear he's not focused on it, merely feigning participation in the activity. "The Bilbo I knew wasn't one to..."

"Pull you in for a kiss?" Bilbo guesses. "Believe me, I wanted to, but I only admitted it to myself when it was... too late. That kiss was ages overdue, Thorin."

"How long overdue?" Thorin moves even closer. "How long did you live, beyond my death?"

"It's hard to recall, exactly." Bilbo pauses, hands on his knees, looking out at the snow-dusted mountainside. "I can't seem to track the years after I went to Rivendell again, but I was a hundred and eleven then, and I know a great many years passed after that. I could be thousands of years old now for all I know, though few of those years lived in a stable state of mind, so I don't know if they should count."

"Is a hundred and eleven... old, for a hobbit?"

"Well, my grandfather Old Took lived to be one hundred and thirty, so it's not impossibly old, but I barely aged until I passed The Ring to Frodo. And then it all sort of... caught up to me at once. I'd intended to return here, but deteriorated far too much by the time I made it to Rivendell."

Thorin picks up another stick and offers it to Bilbo for examination. "So you know very little of the quest ahead of us."

"I know enough," Bilbo says pointedly, shooting Thorin a look. "I know that if we wait, Sauron will grow armies larger than even what we faced already, and whole kingdoms will fall to ruin under his heel. I know that Gimli, only a lad as he is now, will venture into Moria with his Fellowship and find the bodies of our very own Balin and Ori before losing Gandalf to Durin's Bane."

Thorin sucks in a breath. "Durin's Bane? It still lives in the depths?"

"Lives and rages, and my terrible Took cousin leads it right to them," Bilbo says, shaking his head. "I'd often thought Fili and Kili had been reborn as hobbits, when Meriadoc and Peregrin began their antics." Bilbo's mouth twitches into a smile, a familiar expression to Thorin and something Bilbo had been told he'd stopped doing on a rare visit from- well, he can't quite remember which dwarf it was who came to visit, actually. Only that they'd said he'd changed quite a bit, but it wasn't bad change- simply unexpected.

'Like you lot,' he remembers saying back, 'Nearly knocking down my door.' He remembers they'd laughed. He still can't place who it was. Perhaps his memory is not as sharp as he'd hoped it'd be, in this new life, new youth.

Now, in the New Present, Bilbo finally finds a suitable walking stick- it just needs a little adjusting and it'll be perfect.

"Now that, is an amusement," Thorin chuckles. "I can't imagine it."

"You won't have to, someday." Bilbo puts his hand on Thorin's arm. "I intend to make trips to Hobbiton every few years, after all- I should like to save dear Frodo's parents, save his heart from that grief, but I won't remove myself from his life for the sake of it. He'll go mad without my stories, as will little Sam. I hope you're prepared to have about... four more nephews."

Thorin's eyebrows raise. "Very presumptuous of you, Master Baggins."

Bilbo rises to his tip-toes and pecks Thorin's lips. "I don't believe it's an unfounded presumption, though. The mithril shirt is a bit of an obvious show, I think."

Thorin blushes.

"Worth more than the entire Shire, apparently. And here I'd tucked it into a chest for sixty years."

"Into a chest?"

"Don't look like that, I was in grief. Besides, I passed it to Frodo, and it apparently served him very well."

"I'm impatient to meet this nephew of yours. He sounds like he'd belong with us as much as you do."

"No, no. He's a brave, kind, worthy soul, but a soul who belongs to the little rivers and rolling hills of The Shire more than he belongs to the world at large. Perhaps it'll be different this time, with no need for a terrible quest, but I have some doubts. Still, I think you'll get along. He has great spirit."

Bilbo, arm-in-arm now with Thorin, leads them both back to the entrance. "Dain will do very well looking after Erebor while we journey, by the way. I'm sure you knew it already, but I thought it might help to know that he was a great ruler in my life passed- according to passing stories, anyway."

"It makes leaving no easier."

"I know." Bilbo rubs Thorin's arm with his thumb. "But we'll be home soon, Thorin. And then we can truly rebuild."

#the hobbit #fanfic #my attempts at fanfic #bagginshield #bilbo baggins #gandalf #thorin oakenshield #thorin x bilbo

[notinusesworld]

“my hero” Frodo x hobbit!reader

synopsis: g!n reader. you have had a crush on frodo for years, but after his sudden disappearance for 13 months, and rumours of war, you eagerly await him coming home. his nickname for you is “bug ”, affectionate but you can imagine something else in its place

warnings: not angst but a little bit emotional, very fluffy, mentions of drinking and being drunk

words: 500-600

Requests are open!

for @mynameisaury

May, 3018

Frodo seems to be acting strange, him and Sam have been acting in secret ever since Gandalf returned to the shire. They have not been as social as they usually are, I worry for them.

February, 3019

They’ve been gone for too long, I hope they are well. I hope that they are just with Bilbo in Rivendell. But after that dark figure invaded the town not long after they’ve left, I fear they may be in danger.

March, 3019

Not a day passes where I don’t think of them. The sky have been dark for longer then usual and rumours of wars out south have reached our ears. As well as rumours that two hobbits have been involved. We do not know where Merry and Pippin are if who they speak of are Sam and Frodo, we previously believed they were all together.

May, 3019

I have heard there is peace now, the king have returned Rohan, people at the Green Dragon Inn are speaking of there being a new ag-

“Dang it!” Your inc spills over your diary, you are unable to finish your entry. You scramble for paper towels to clean up your mess, you manage to salvage the book and didn’t cause much damage to the table beneath you. You sigh and look around, cheers and laughter of hobbits and men are heard thoughout the halls. Defeated, you decide that you have drunk enough tonight and head back home, especially considering the light of day is beginning to peak over the hills.

It may be the alcohol in your system, but the air is fresh and you feel a calm wash over you, the kind of calm you haven’t felt in months. You walk slowly to sink in the sunrise, when suddenly, in the distance, you hear the clattering of horse shoes.

“Frodo!” you run excitedly to the familiar faces, they are dressed in fancy robes, the likes you have never seen before. But you don’t pay much attention to it, focusing on the boy stepping down from his horse opening his arms to you. You pull him into a strong embrace.

“Careful, y/n!” Pippin giggles, “You almost knocked the poor guy over!” The four of them laugh, they continue to ride past you two, giving you both some privacy. You only squeeze him tighter, tears forming slightly in the corner of your eyes, despite your wide smile. He is warm and smells of herbs. You sway slightly in his arms.

He pulls back slightly, putting his hands on your shoulders, you pull out a handkerchief and wipe away the small tears staining your cheeks, “There’s no need to cry, bug.” He coos softly, “I am here again aren’t I?”

“Why were you gone for so long? You worried me sick!” You shakily question him, looking into his big blue eyes, the sparkle and hope he previously had in them only a year ago is missing. He explains to you in short about the ring and how he destroyed it, while showering his friends with praise. He chokes up retelling what he went through, and promises he will go into more detail soon. You are in complete awe, you have the utter most respect for him.

In a moment of your own drunken bravery, you hold the sides of his head and pull him into a soft kiss, he’s stiff at first, but then moves his hands to your waist and deepens it. You both pull away slowly. “You’re the hero you always dreamed of being Frodo.”, you whisper to him, moving your hands to the back of his head.

He pauses for a moment, putting his forehead against yours, “And I hope that from this point forward, I will be yours.” He then moves one of his hands to the small of your back, and places a soft kiss on your forehead as your cheeks turn red.

a/n: i love this boy :’)

#lord of the rings #the return of the king #lotr #lotr x oc #lotr requests #lotr imagines #lotr headcanons #lotr hobbits #lotr x y/n #lotr x you #lotr x reader #lotr fanfic #lotr frodo #frodo baggins #samwise gamgee #merry and pippin #frodo x reader #frodo x y/n #frodo x you #frodo imagine #frodo imagines

[samueldays]

A friend recommended Deadworld Isekai to me the other day. To damn it with faint praise: it was good enough that I finished reading all three volumes, and the author has a solid grasp of spelling and grammar.

It has the usual LitRPG problem of re-reifying abstractions to produce weird round-trip-translation nonsense that has become the heart of the LitRPG genre, one of the most finely polished turds in the world.

The thing that stood out to me as the most 'fixable' problem, though, was the fake suspense and the fake threat. Oh no, the protagonist is in over his head, however will he survive? Oh no, the protagonist is on the verge of death, what asspull deus ex machina is going to save him now?

The cast is too small and the premise too specialized for there to be a serious threat of replacing Matt as protagonist, and once you've introduced CRPG Healing you can't threaten injury short of death, so I roll my eyes at every new danger, confident he'll be perfectly fine (and powered up!) a chapter later.

I want to contrast this with Lord of the Rings, which looms over the wider fantasy genre so much that it gets taken for granted, and I sometimes see people thinking of it in terms of the popular cliches that were copied the most. But I feel it's pretty good about threatening Frodo, and that's less copied.

At some point in The Return of the King, the reader has seen Gandalf die and Boromir die and the Fellowship broken, and then parts of the Fellowship met new cool people, and then those cool people started dying too, with Theoden bravely dead on the battlefield and Denethor horribly dead in attempted murder-suicide.

It starts to look like Frodo might die, IMO, it's genuinely plausible that Tolkien will kill off another major character at this point. The deaths are mounting, Frodo's psyche is fraying, and the savvy reader sees Sam is right there to take over if Frodo dies. The main protagonist will probably still survive because that's how stories go, but it's not all that obvious.

It looks like death when Frodo is stung by giant spider and carried off by orcs, but it's much less of a deus ex machina to hear that the spider was using paralytic venom to save a meal for later. Frodo isn't getting a sudden powerup or new ally, it's just a spider being a spider.

With no magic healing, several magic items lost, and Frodo increasingly traumatized, the quest gets closer to Mount Doom. Here Frodo puts on the Ring, which is not how these stories normally go! No heroic last-minute surge of willpower. Frodo is sick and tired, looks at the Ring of Power, and decides that in fact, he would like Power for himself.

Gollum bites Frodo's finger off, falls into the lava, and the Ring is destroyed nonetheless. Tolkien again makes it look like Frodo might really die in the resulting volcanic eruption, now that his importance to the story is over and the Ring is destroyed and the rest looks like cleanup from the army marching on Mordor in the other plot thread.

But the book isn't over yet. If you're reading Lord of the Rings in print, you can feel there's another hundred pages left to go at this point. Frodo is saved, Aragorn is crowned, our heroes are victorious, there's celebrations and marriages and vacations and songs.

Then Frodo heads home at long, long last and finds Saruman got there first and started polluting the Shire.

The last surprise is that Saruman dies really fast. The rest of the book is appendices. What, you expected a hundred pages of Frodo fighting the Shire Wizard War? Nope, we're done here! Also Frodo has to leave, Sam takes over at the very last. It's a good series of plot twists, without being a plot swerve.

#all #sam reviews #literature #litrpg #lord of the rings

[friendofgeorgeharrison]

"I feel torn in two, as you might say.’

‘I see,’ said Frodo: ‘you want to get married, and yet you want to live with me in Bag End too? But my dear Sam, how easy! Get married as soon as you can, and then move in with Rosie. There’s room enough in Bag End for as big a family as you could wish for.’"

"And if Sam thought himself lucky, Frodo knew that he was more lucky himself; for there was not a hobbit in the Shire that was looked after with such care."

"The first of Sam and Rosie’s children was born on the twenty-fifth of March, a date that Sam noted.

‘Well, Mr. Frodo,’ he said. ‘I’m in a bit of a fix. Rose and me had settled to call him Frodo, with your leave"

"‘I wish I could go all the way with you to Rivendell, Mr.

Frodo, and see Mr. Bilbo,’ said Sam. ‘And yet the only place I really want to be in is here. I am that torn in two.’

‘Poor Sam! It will feel like that, I am afraid,’ said Frodo. ‘But you will be healed. You were meant to be solid and whole, and you will be.’"

"‘Where are you going, Master?’ cried Sam, though at last he understood what was happening.

‘To the Havens, Sam,’ said Frodo.

‘And I can’t come.’

‘No, Sam. Not yet anyway, not further than the Havens.

Though you too were a Ring-bearer, if only for a little while. Your time may come. Do not be too sad, Sam. You cannot be always torn in two. You will have to be one and whole, for many years. You have so much to enjoy and to be, and to do.’

‘But,’ said Sam, and tears started in his eyes, ‘I thought you were going to enjoy the Shire, too, for years and years, after all you have done.’

‘So I thought too, once. But I have been too deeply hurt, Sam. I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them. But you are my heir: all that I had and might have had I leave to you. And also you have Rose, and Elanor; and Frodo-lad will come, and Rosie-lass, and Merry, and Goldilocks, and Pippin; and perhaps more that I cannot see. Your hands and your wits will be needed everywhere. You will be the Mayor, of course, as long as you want to be, and the most famous gardener in history; and you will read things out of the Red Book, and keep alive the memory of the age that is gone, so that people will remember the Great Danger and so love their beloved land all the more. And that will keep you as busy and as happy as anyone can be, as long as your part of the Story goes on.

‘Come now, ride with me!’"

The Return of the King, Book 6, Chapter 9, The Grey Havens, J.R.R. Tolkien

#i can't stop crying #lotr #lotr newsletter #samfrodo #*mine #crying tag

[forelevenses]

we can just dance to this

rating: G fandom: the lord of the rings characters: frodo baggins, sam gamgee pairings: frodo baggins/sam gamgee word count: 1148 summary: during the midsummer festivities, frodo tries to grow the nerve to ask sam for a dance. written as part of samfrodo month 2022.

read here or on ao3! It was the biggest (and most important depending on who one asked) night of the Midsummer festivities for every young hobbit in The Shire. 

The Night of Blossoms is held every year on Midsummer’s Eve under the stringed lights of the Party Tree. No one knows how this tradition began (although the whole ordeal did smell a bit Tookish if you ask some sensible hobbits). However, it did not stop the eager hobbits from every corner of the Four Farthings to gather in droves under the Tree every year. 

It was rather simple: a big dance is held and those wishing to participate were to bring a flower of their choosing. If a hobbit were to ask another to a dance, then they must pin their flower onto their partner (it wasn’t unusual to see some lads or lasses with their torsos completely covered in pinned flowers from so many dances). If a hobbit wants to continue being with their dance partner, then they must pin their own flower onto the other. And that reciprocity was what some hobbits were after, for it’s said that a dance couple is destined to be together if they returned each other’s flowers. 

Frodo didn’t actually think that superstition is true, perhaps it was just a tease to a couple from long ago that grew a life of its own over time. But as he watched Sam, who was practically drowning in pinned flowers, politely bow out from a second dance with his current partner and get pinned for a dance as soon as the band struck up the starting note for the next number, he felt a little relieved.

He eyed Sam’s dance partner’s elusive prize: the small bunch of red camellias pinned on the lapel of his waistcoat. The festivities have been well underway and Sam showed no sign of giving it away anytime soon. 

However, Frodo was ready to change that. 

(Or attempt to change it at the very least)

For months, Frodo was aware his feelings for Sam had surpassed what was deemed acceptable among sensible hobbits (but when has a Baggins been known to be ‘sensible’?). Since his discovery, he had schemed and plotted on ways to confess his feelings to his dear gardener, however, Sam always seemed to have the upper-hand. It wasn’t as if Sam was doing it on purpose, if The Shire’s most handsome and eligible lad smiled and paid you any of his attention, you would also melt on the spot and forget everything that was on your mind. 

Frodo downed the ale in his mug, his face set in determination. But not this night! Tonight will be finally be the night he confesses, even if he has to stumble through clumsy words to do so. However, he won’t need to stumble through his confession. Frodo would never admit it to anyone (maybe one day to Sam) but he’d been imagining how this situation would play out: Frodo confidently pinning his yellow lillies onto Sam’s waistcoat, them swaying and moving along to the beat of the band, both of them laughing at the stir they may have caused among the other hobbits, and then when the music was over and before the band could start up again, Frodo would finally tell Sam the words he had been meaning to say for so long, and hopefully, Sam would pin his camellias onto Frodo and they would start another dance. 

He closed his eyes and sighed, the scene replaying in his head. It was silly, but it did help calm and distract him from his jitters a bit. So well, that Frodo didn’t notice being dragged up from his spot on the bench. 

“Mr. Frodo!” Frodo looked up, startled to see that it was Sam. His face was flushed, his brown eyes sparkling under the lights of the Party Tree. Frodo’s tongue turned to mush and before he figured out what to say, Sam pinned his flowers onto him. 

“Come, this one is my favorite!” Frodo was dazed as Sam led him to the dance floor, everyone else getting ready for the next number. His mind was reeling, is this truly happening, he thought. They got into position, Frodo felt Sam’s broad hand on his hip, their fingers intertwined in the other, the music started back up, and they fell into the beat.

(It’s really happening.)

Frodo knew the song and danced to this countless times before, but it felt as if he was dancing to it for the very first time. Not as if he was stumbling around with Sam like a newborn calf (and thank the heavens that he didn’t make a fool of himself), but because of how aware he became of everything. How lights in the tree made everything look so ethereal, how the music blended in with the cheerful sounds of the dance, but most importantly: Sam. 

They twirled and weaved through the crowd in time expertly, leaving Frodo breathless (had Sam always been this good a dancer?). He pulled Frodo in closer when they got too close to another couple but Frodo made no move to pull back after the close call. Frodo had never been this close to Sam before, and feel of Sam’s soft body against his own sent a thrill down his spine. How did they fit perfectly against each other so well? Frodo looked up, and was caught under Sam’s gaze. Tender, brown eyes looking at him as if nothing else mattered in the world except for Frodo, a small smile on his lips. He wanted to say something, anything, but Frodo felt the words die on his tongue. All he could do was gaze back, praying that he wasn’t misconstruing his dear Sam. 

The song drew to a close to cheers and applause, and they slow to stop. Neither of them pulled away, and Frodo swore he could feel Sam’s heart beating against his own. Sam blinked as if he was pulled out of some wizard’s trance, and the flush on his cheeks grew darker. 

“It was a bit forward of me sir, begging your pardon,” Sam stammered. Something flashed in his eyes, and Sam straightened out. “There’s something I-” He stopped short, staring as Frodo pinned his flowers onto Sam. 

“I would dance with you forever if you’d have me,” Frodo said, feeling his cheeks burn hot. 

They could hear the band striking the first note of the next song, and Sam laughed as he pulled Frodo back as they both tried to find the rhythm. Frodo held on, laughing at how much of a sight they probably were and feeling his heart soar out of his chest. 

(Many dance-goers would later say Mr. Frodo and Sam did not leave each other’s arms for the rest of the night, not even as they walked back up The Hill but of course, that was none of their business). 

#samfrodo #lotr #lotr fic #frodo baggins #sam gamgee #samwise gamgee #miki.fic

[moonchild-in-blue]

yoooo omg i didn't know you're into lotr!! not to go on a thousand tangents but it's also one of my fav media properties, are you a movie or book person or both? are you into any of the supplemental books like silmarillion, beren and lúthien, etc? fav characters or plotlines/moments? :0

HA! It seems we're once again bonding over our shared feral love over media, Aqua. Get out of my brain (joking, this is extremely cool to me!!!)

You have no idea the ancient can of peas worms you just opened. To say I love LOTR is an understatement lmao. Also, I can't help but go off a million tangents and write Way Too Much, so I feel you, really. Let's get to it then (this is so loooooong i apologise) 🧝‍♀️

Movie or Book Person?

Both! Although I have to confess, it has been many years since I've read the books. I've been meaning to re-read them, and for some reason I have been noticing a spike in LOTR content on my dash, so I guess I kinda really have to now! I absolutely ADORE the movies (yes, even The Hobbit trilogy with it's unnecessary plotlines -> looking at you elves and that weird romance. Everyone did such a great job! Also, Thranduill, my beloved elf daddy, and Sauron, you sexy evil dragon), and have re-watched them an ungodly number of times.

They are beautiful, iconic, and just so comforting. AND THE SOUNDTRACK AAAA. I still get chills hearing Pippin sing "The Edge of Night" while Denethor destroys that tomato. It's such a beautiful, chilling, and poignant tone shift and portrayal of Pippins loss of innocence due to the cruelty of the world, and the realities of war.

Supplemental content?

Not yet! I have read The Hobbit a long time ago, and I really want to read The Silm. I tend to procrastinate a lot, but I want to get them done during this next year! I have yet to watch Rings of Power as well. Speaking of Silmarillion, may I nudge you in the direction of @summeringminor? I have only recently discovered their account, and they make BEAUTIFUL Silm fanart, among others. I can't recommend them enough!

(oh, if you're into asmr and/or audio books, I'm leaving here these links of Cavern, a guy on youtube who read Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of The Hobbit, in sort of a soft-spoken, cozy tone. He does all the voices and accents - his voice is so so beautiful and warm to hear! Also he's cute lol. He has done some other soft-spoken reading as well, like E. A . Poe! I find it super calming and relaxing 😚)

Fav Characters/Moments/Plotlines?

Samwise Gamgee my beloved 💙🥔

If I'm being honest, I can't really say I have A Favourite. The 4 Hobbits are just!! my babies. Legolas is SO COOL (also Orlando Bloom has 100% influenced my view of him, sorry). My girlies Éowyn and Galadriel, Gandalf my beloved. I just love them all hehe.

This may be a bit of a cop-out answer, but rather than a favourite plotline, I am just so so in love with the underlying themes. Some of my favs:

-> All the different types of friendship and love portrayed:

Sam and Frodo - how they rely on each other, and have genuine pure love for one another, and constantly acknowledge it! The whole Samwise The Brave scene, and of course the Mountain of Doom climb 😭😭 | Gimli and Legolas - how despite of centuries of prejudice and hatred between Hobbits and Elves, they form a beautiful bond and fight side by side as friends!!! | Aragorn and Arwen "I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone" | Boromir and Aragorn - how Aragorn cares and honours him to the very end, and never blames him for being corrupted by the ring, "my captain my king" | MERYY AND PIPPIN MY MOST BELOVEDS | the general friendship and self-sacrifice displayed by the fellowship for Frodo and the other hobbits throughout the whole journey

-> The parallels with war and its ugliness; The effects of the corruption by the ring and how different characters react to it:

The last scene when the 4 of them return to The Shire. The movies and books differ a lot, but both are incredible portrayals of how war is never quite over; how it changes you forever; how your home changes as well | Again, that scene with Pippin in the Gondor court in contrast with Sam's speech "There is some good in this world, Mr. Frodo" from the Two Towers. I just !!! yeah | How Saruman gave in to fear and power vs Gandalf and Aragorn who refused power in fear of being corrupted | How Smeagol was shown no compassion for his condition, for which he had very little control of, aside from Frodo, who understood exactly how the Ring operated and was afraid of facing the same fate

-> All the gender/stereotype subversions

Éowyn my beloved!!! How determined she was to prove she was as capable as any man, and SERVED | Galadriel and her immense power and presence | How no one had faith in 4 little Hobbits, and yet they were the ones who saved them all and changed the world forever - "My friends, you bow to no one" (i am tearing up as I write this) | How Radagast was mocked and cast aside, treated as lesser, ONLY TO BE RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!!! ; and how him and Gandalf, "lesser/minor wizards" turned out to be LIKE THAT in comparison to Saruman | the huge pressure put on Frodo, a little halfling, to go and do the most difficult task of all - something something the true heroes were the outcasts and how wonderful it was to see those who had actual power and means to aid them and put their faith in them

-> Anytime Merry and Pippin interact or make an appearance; LEMBAS; Po-tay-toes

There is A LOT MORE but I'm stopping myself here. I just adore LOTR so so much. Me and my friends are huge fans of the series, and it was one of the earliest thing we bonded over when we met, so it has an extra special meaning to me 💙💫

#sorry for taking this long - i wanted to make this as complete as possible!! #feel free to drop by and send me aaallll of your thoughts on lotr!!! it's one of my fav things ever!!! #lotr #lord of the rings #darya answers

[ebaeschnbliah]

One evening Frodo and Sam were walking together in the cool twilight. Both of them felt restless again. On Frodo suddenly the shadow of parting had fallen: he knew somehow that the time was very near when he must leave Lothlórien.

`What do you think of Elves now, Sam?’ ...

... he said. `I asked you the same question once before-it seems a very long while ago; but you have seen more of them since then.'

'I have indeed! ' said Sam. 'And I reckon there's Elves and Elves. They're all elvish enough, but they're not all the same. Now these folk aren't wanderers or homeless, and seem a bit nearer to the likes of us: they seem to belong here, more even than Hobbits do in the Shire. Whether they've made the land, or the land's made them, it's hard to say, if you take my meaning. It's wonderfully quiet here. Nothing seems to be going on, and nobody seems to want it to. If there's any magic about, it's right down deep, where I can't lay my hands on it, in a manner of speaking.'

'You can see and feel it everywhere,' said Frodo.

'Well,' said Sam, 'you can't see nobody working it. No fireworks like poor Gandalf used to show. I wonder we don't see nothing of the Lord and Lady in all these days. I fancy now that she could do some wonderful things, if she had a mind. I'd dearly love to see some Elf-magic, Mr. Frodo! '

'I wouldn't,' said Frodo. `I am content. And I don't miss Gandalf's fireworks, but his bushy eyebrows, and his quick temper, and his voice.'

`You're right,' said Sam. `And don't think I'm finding fault. I've often wanted to see a bit of magic like what it tells of in old tales, but I've never heard of a better land than this. It's like being at home and on a holiday at the same time, if you understand me. I don't want to leave. All the same, I'm beginning to feel that if we've got to go on, then we'd best get it over.

'It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish, as my old gaffer used to say. And I don't reckon that these folk can do much more to help us, magic or no. It's when we leave this land that we shall miss Gandalf worse, I'm thinking.'

'I am afraid that's only too true, Sam,' said Frodo. `Yet I hope very much that before we leave we shall see the Lady of the Elves again.'

Even as he spoke, they saw, as if she came in answer to their words, the Lady Galadriel approaching.

JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Mirror of Galadriel

#the lord of the rings #the fellowship of the ring #the mirror of galadriel #jrr tolkien #lothlorien #caras galadhon #frodo #sam #galadriel #movie pics #peter jackson #left out scene #black and white

[overthinkinglotr]

you're one of if not the biggest lotr blog on here and i dont understand why you won't use a tagging system. it would be so much easier to go through your archives and find posts if you tagged them. please consider tagging consistently. please.

KSDHFLKSDF I'm the biggest LOTR blog on tumblr???? Thanks for the compliment but I am very certain that I am not. i'm just some guy. Sometimes a few of my posts randomly blow up, and if I mention that Frodo/Sam are gay my posts blow up with homophobic slurs and death threats. Even though I'm RIGHT. I'm objectively right. But I really don't have too many followers, relatively speaking. I've also basically been on unofficial hiatus for....a long while. I want to get back into it at some point though! I love rambling about random lotr stuff, it's fun, especially with friends, although the internet fandom can be a lot sometimes.

And even if i was the biggest lotr blog on tumblr (and I'm not)...I feel like being the biggest lotr blog on www.tumblr.com is like being the tallest hobbit in the shire. big fish in a small pond, ykwim. Not much of a title. Tho I also wish I could search my blog more easily, sometimes-- but tbf I do tag things more on my les mis sideblog, and it still often doesn't really help with searching for posts. :P I tag all my original posts "overthinkinglotr" and maybe I'll do more tags in the future, if I remember, but otherwise I guess that's just life on tumblr sometimes.

#sldsflksdfsdfsdf #thanks? i guess? #i normally wouldnt respond to an ask like this but everything else in my inbox is Slurs so this seems nice by comparison #the struggles of being the number one lotr blog on tumblr #XD #theres not too many slur asks though just a couple. most of the death threats are on the posts which is whatever #oh wait theres older asks about random video games #i missed those intitially #Ill probably answer those eventually

[almost-gabrielle]

Three Year's Past

Imagine: It's the third-year anniversary of the anniversary of Weathertop, and the pain in Frodo's right shoulder, obviously, comes back, and the reader has to comfort him in any way she can.

Today was like any other day in the Shire. It's been almost four years since we saved Middle-Earth from further destruction from the once-mighty Sauron.

The entire Shire was quiet, like it usually was. I sat in my usual chair in the living room of Bag End. While Frodo and I aren't married, we're both really close friends. But recently, we've confessed our feelings to each other. He said that I am the reason why he'd delayed his voyage to the Undying Lands (aka the Valinor).

He said that I was his rock.

His support.

His lifeline.

It was quite quiet, until a sudden crash came from the room that Frodo and I shared. That immediately caught my attention, and I immediately realized, with a jolt in my stomach, that it was the third "anniversary" of the night on Weathertop when Frodo got stabbed by the Morgul Blade. It had been a really stressful time for all of us at the time. For me, especially. We were all desperate for Frodo to make it out alive when he got stabbed.

"FRODO!" I cried out in alarm. I set down my book, only to have it drop to the floor. I didn't bother putting it back on the chair. I was much more focused on getting to Frodo quickly than worrying about a simple book.

I reached the room the two of us shared, and immediately found Frodo tossing and turning in the bed. His eyes were squeezed and closed in pain, his body wrapped tightly in the bedsheets that we had, trying to prevent the cold from becoming too much. I hated to see him be in pain.

I stepped carefully over the broken glass cup that I'd set down for him last night when he had one of his gruesome nightmares, and I was at his side in an instant. I held his hand, preventing him from messing with his mostly-healed wound. Slowly, Frodo opened his eyes, which were full of pain. He relaxed slightly when he saw me.

"Frodo," I murmured softly as he stared up at me with his big blue eyes. I put my other free hand on his cheek as he struggled to breathe properly. I could tell that he was trying to focus on me. I held his hand tightly and he squeezed it back for support. "Focus on me, sweetheart," I tried to reassure him. "Focus on my face." He tried to focus on my face, but ended up giving another cry of pain. He squeezed his eyes shut, and whimpered with pain. A tear slid down his cheek and I gently wiped it away with a shaking hand.

"His blade," he managed to choke out. "I-I can feel his blade."

"Miss y/n?" said the sudden, concerned voice of Samwise Gamgee.

My ears pricked up whenever I heard Sam's voice.

"Sam?!" I said in a hopeful voice.

"Y/n? Where are you?!"

"In the bedroom, Samwise!" I shouted in reply. "I need you here for a second! It's urgent!"

Sam's hurried footsteps sounded across the hall and into the room. When his eyes fell on Frodo, his face immediately went pale. His eyes then went up to me.

"I'll get the Athelas plant that Aragorn sent with us. It won't take me long, I'll just need to boil the water with the Athelas quickly, and I'll bring it over here as soon as I can."

I nodded hastily.

"Alright, Sam. And can you bring me a washcloth as well?"

Sam nodded. "Of course, Miss y/n."

And with that, he took off. The entire time Sam was gone, I continued to comfort Frodo with the best of my abilities. I held his hand and ran my fingers softly through his hair, as he once admitted that this action made him relax. I often brushed my fingers gently through his soft brown curls whenever he felt stressed, when he felt sick, or when he had just woken up from a nightmare. His breathing shook as he took in each pained breath.

"Y/n. . . . y/n. . . .," he whimpered as he gripped my hand tightly again. He seemed almost delirious with pain. His blue eyes clouded over and his eyes rolled into the back of his head momentarily.

"Shh," I whispered in a soft voice. I got down on my knees and placed a hand gently on his cheek, stroking his cheekbone softly. I wiped away another stray tear that slid down his skin. "It's alright, sweetheart. I'm right here."

"Everything hurts." He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, to get rid of the pain.

"I know," I murmured, still trying to keep my voice soft. "Sam will be here with the Athelas plant soon. The Athelas should help soothe the pain."

A few minutes later, Sam came back with the bowl of Athelas-infused water, and a washcloth.

"Thank you, Sam," I said in a grateful voice as I took the bowl and the washcloth away from him.

"Of course, Miss y/n." He glanced anxiously at his best friend. "Call me if you need anything. I'll be here around the house."

I nodded and Sam walked out of the room.

"Okay, Frodo," I cooed in a soft voice. He glanced up at me with pain-filled, wide eyes. "I'm going to treat your wound. You can hold onto my hand if the pain becomes too much for you, alright?"

He nodded, whimpering slightly, and he managed to shift his body, wincing as he did. I unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt (without trying to feel embarrassed), grabbed the washcloth, dunked it in the boiling water, and gently placed it on his wound, gently massaging it. He winced but managed to keep himself calm. I could soon see the look of relief washing over his face as the Athelas plant began to get into effect, and he relaxed a little bit, much to my relief.

Once I could see that he was no longer in any pain, I put away the bowl and the washcloth and climbed into the bed that we shared. In an instant, Frodo snuggled up to me, resting his head gently on my chest, and an arm around my waist. I returned the same favor by wrapping a gentle arm protectively around his waist, bringing him closer to my side to keep him safe. I smiled softly to myself, getting rather comfortable. I began to drift off to sleep again before I heard Frodo's sleepy voice speaking.

"Thank you, y/n."

I chuckled softly and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. He responded by snuggling further into me.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," I cooed softly. I ran my fingers through his hair, comforting him with the best of my ability. "Anything to make my sweet hobbit feel better. I will do anything to protect you, and to keep you safe. I promise."

#frodo baggins #frodo baggins imagines #lotr frodo #adorable #lord of the rings #fluff #frodo fluff #frodo x reader #cute #lots of fluff #fluffiness #who doesn't love him? #he deserved better #they deserved better #an absolute sweetheart #can you not see how adorable he is? #comfort #post-war #frodo is adorable #he deserves the world #he needs a hug #i love him so much #he deserves all the rest he can get #my comfort character #for real #exactly #cute hobbit #he's so underrated #anniversary #concerning

[frodo-with-glasses]

More Reading Thoughts: The Scouring of the Shire

YOOOOOO HECK YEAH LET’S GOOOOOOOOO

(Okay so I downloaded Phil Dragash’s reading of this and listened to it on the longest plane flight of my trip and may or may not have made a total fool of myself grinning at it throughout LOLOL)

(But I didn’t have time to write my reactions to it until now so here we go)

“On the further side of the river they could see that some new houses had been built…all very gloomy and un-Shirelike” Uh-oh.

BAHAHAHA the way Sam immediately goes OFF

“SCREW YOU AND YOUR STUPID SIGN TOO”

I love Merry trying to be a diplomat

Frodo like “oh goodness gracious, now what trouble has that Lotho gotten up to with MY house”

(Also that little bit of stealth sass like “well I’m GLAD he’s not calling himself a Baggins anymore, I can pretend I’m not associated with him”)

Merry be like “Fine, if you won’t open this gate, I’LL OPEN IT FOR MYSELF”

YO WHAAAAAT?? BILL FERNY?????

I mean I can’t say that I’m happy to see him but also it’s kinda fun to be this surprised. I’d forgotten all about him being here!

Haha the way he immediately runs away from Merry once he’s challenged tho

“Neat work, Bill!” HAHAHAHA

EAT PONY HOOF, LOSER

GOOD JOB BILL (the pony)

I love the fact that 50% of the hobbits’ intimidation factor comes from the fact that Merry and Pippin are so BigTM (and the other 50% is Swords)

Pippin listening to all this talking like “heck, I’m tired and wet and I don’t have time for this, just let me sleep in a shack if you want” is such a mood

Also Pippin tearing down the rule lists LOL

Sam has had it up to HERE with this nonsense

Me, at all the burning going on: “Uh-oh.”

“Looking both important and rather scared” Heehee X-D

“‘What’s all this?’ said Frodo, feeling inclined to laugh.” Me too, Frodo!

“Calling your Chief Names, Wishing to punch his Pimply Face, and Thinking you Shirriffs look a lot of Tom-fools.” OKAY SAM GO OFF LOLOL

OKAY SO at this point in the audiobook Mr. Dragash had the most BRILLIANT reading for this line:

“To the discomfiture of the Shirriffs Frodo and his companions all… [dramatic pause, then raucous laughter erupts in the background] …roared with laughter.”

I LOVE IT SO MUCH IT’S SO PERFECT AHAHAHA

He also had a great reading for this part:

The sheriff, shouting after them, insistent but nervous: “But don’t forget! I’ve arrested you!” Frodo, with the softest voice ever: “I won’t. Never. But I may forgive you.”

Sam has a friend! :-D

I mean I’m sorry that this is the way we find it out but he has!! A buddy!!

Now I’m sure “cock-robin” must have had a different meaning in Tolkien’s time…

“If I hear not allowed much oftener, I’m going to get angry.” Same, Sam.

Eeeew the table hasn’t been scrubbed for WEEKS?? I can only imagine it looking like the underside of a restaurant table, months-old crusty chewing gum stuck on it and all. Blergh 🤮

LOLOL “They would have started earlier, only the delay so plainly annoyed the sheriff-leader”

Our four hobbits have come back from their adventure so delightfully full of SassTM

My word, if I keep pointing out every funny thing that happens here I’ll be writing down the whole chapter. Look at the hobbits hustling the sheriffs who were supposed to be “arresting” them!

NOW WHO’S ARRESTED WHO INDEED 🤣🤣

For someone who’s supposed to be arrested, it sure looks like Merry is the one who’s in charge :-3

And all the sheriffs like “WE GIVE UP” and the hobbits like “okay :-D”

ROBIN WAS ONE OF THE SHERIFFS THAT THEY WERE MESSING WITH OH NO 🤣🤣

“We shall break a good many things yet, and not ask you to answer. Good luck to you!” OKAY PIPPIN GO OFF

(......This is getting very long so I’m gonna put the rest under a read-more)

Nooooo look what they’ve done to Hobbiton D-8

This whole conversation is so tense. I find myself wanting to cheer on the hobbits’ comebacks, but the ruffian here always gets the upper hand in the next line…

DON’T SNAP YOUR FINGERS IN FRODO’S FACE!! Heckin’ RUDE! Only the Sackville-Bagginses have ever done that, and that’s BEFORE Frodo saved the world! D-:<

HECK YES, PIPPIN!! TELL ‘EM!!

“Down on your knees in the road and ask pardon, or I will set this troll’s bane in you!” >8-D Friendly reminder that Pippin stabbed a troll in the gut to sAVE BEREGOND— *is slapped*

The fact that Pippin, Merry and Sam immediately jump to Frodo’s defense, but Frodo does not. That says so much about their friendship, and about Frodo, and how they all see themselves and their roles in this story…and it’s so sad that Frodo hangs back, not even willing to defend himself…

But also how bad*ss is that, letting your three armed friends charge to your defense while you just sit there impassively?? It’s like the “cool guys don’t look at explosions” trope.

Pippin has exactly the childish drive for revenge that you’d think he would, but Frodo sees the reality of the situation and knows Lotho has been played as a puppet and is now a prisoner to his own schemes. Good stuff.

Frodo: “Violence isn’t the answer.” Merry: “You’re right. It’s the question, and the answer is yes.”

MERRY’S SPEECH HERE YESSSS

(The way the music swelled here in Dragash’s audiobook was so good ahahaha)

“Come on! I am going to blow the horn of Rohan, and give them all some music they have never heard before.”

OH.

HECK.

YEEEEAAAHHH!!!!!!! >8-D

(And this was the part of the audiobook where I grinned like an idiot and clapped my hands and bounced a little in my seat and probably confused the guy in the seat next to me LOLOL)

Sam HIMSELF wants to turn back for the horn call!! And so does Bill! Aaaaahhh!!

AWAKE! AWAKE! FEAR, FIRE, FOES! AWAKE!!

This was so well foreshadowed by the Ringwraiths in Buckland at the beginning of the book I cannot bELIEVE—!!

TOLKIEN YOU GENIUS

(Writer Brain is just buzzing with this right now, sorry, LOL)

“And your face is no worse than it was, Sam.” Is Farmer Cotton calling Sam ugly?? 🤣🤣 He’s roasting his future son-in-law LOLOL I love him already

Even Farmer Cotton ships Sam and Rosie ROFL

Rosie just asked why you left Mister Frodo! What do you do??

>Tell her you love her

>Run away

Sam ran away! (What a mood)

I love that they built the fire just for fun and because it’s against the rules, LOL! A fire is exactly the thing that would cheer me up too!!

I assume Robin was one of the sheriffs that took off his feather and joined in the revolt :-D

Merry like, “See, Frodo?? Violence!!”

“Good for the Tooks!” HECK YEAH

“I’ll bring you an army of Tooks in the morning!” HECK YEAH!!

It’s so sweet of Frodo to be like “I still don’t want anyone to die” but also still turning the logistics over to Merry’ cause he’s The Plan Guy

What have I said all along?? Merry is the Smart One :-D

FARMER COTTON JUST SITTING BY THE FIRE

WAITING FOR THEM TO COME

Okay Sam’s father-in-law is heckin’ BAD*SS I LOVE HIM

This is literally “put down your weapons, I’ve got a sniper with a bead on you”

“He aimed a savage blow at Merry who stood in his way. He fell dead with four arrows in him.” YOOOOOOOOO!!

I like to think Merry didn’t even flinch. Just like…watched him keel over dead. HECK.

I love how bad*ss all the hobbits get to be in this chapter ahahaha

Aaaaand all the others give up. Nice >:-D

Aww, Farmer Cotton and the Gaffer are friends! And Cotton would have housed the Gaffer himself if he could have!! I love how sweet they all are to each other ^-^

HA! Okay, Lobelia, that’s pretty cool, I admit. Maybe you’re all right after all. ;-P

The Gaffer just telling Frodo off for leaving 🤣🤣 And Frodo politely apologizing!! Because even though the Gaffer’s problems are small in comparison to everything else happening in the world, they’re still important! I’m love

AAAAAHHHHH FRODO GASSING UP SAM IN FRONT OF HIS DAD AND ROSIE AND EVERYBODY 8-D 8-D 8-D

This is so stinkin’ cute. Lookit my silver-tongued Baggins using his Words of Affirmation again! It’s the least he can do to repay Sam for all he’s done, but I think it’s the thing that means the most to Sam.

Frodo: “Indeed, if you will believe it, he’s now one of the most famous people in all the lands, and they are making songs about his deeds from here to the Sea and beyond the Great River!” Sam: 😳😅☺️ Rosie: 😲😍🥰 The Gaffer: “Sounds fake but okay”

THE TOOKS ARE HEREEEEE

I frickin’ love the “lure them into a trap and surround them with hobbits” tactic. You never think hobbits can be scary until there are A LOT OF THEM VERY SUDDENLY

I also think this is a fun use of the hobbits’ canonical superpower of staying hidden in plain sight.

HECK YEAHHHHH MERRY LET’S GO

Seventy ruffians dead, and only nineteen hobbits on the other. As casualties go, that’s not bad! Sad that any hobbits died at all, of course, but it’s a relatively clean victory.

Also the book gets Very Historical for a moment and I think that’s Very Funny

Heck yeah Cottons!

HECK YEAH MERRY AND PIPPIN!!

And Frodo does his part by protecting the ruffians who surrendered! The pacifist has a role to play. :-D

Noooo, look what they’ve done to Bag End!! D-8

NOOOOOO THE PARTY TREEEEE 😭😭😭

ME TOO, SAM, UWAAAAAHHH—

(Ted Sandyman accidentally foreshadowing Sam going over the Sea??)

Frodo is very right. If more hobbits are like Ted, the Shire is in real trouble. Worse is the enemy within than the enemy from without. :-/

“Save your breath! I’ve a better.” HAHAHA YES MERRY LET’S GO

Oh but look what they’ve done to Bag Endddd 😭😭😭

“Yes, this is Mordor.” Thanks, I hate it :-C

“If I had known all the mischief he had caused, I should have stuffed my pouch down Saruman’s throat.” Dude Merry sounded so angry in Phil Dragash’s audiobook here. (Also can’t believe that Merry’s bag has become the running joke that it is LOLOL)

>8-O >8-O >8-O SARUMAN!!

Saruman: “Ah, yes, they called me Sharkey in Isengard! A sign of affection, possibly.” Tolkien, in a footnote: “It was not, in fact, a sign of affection.”

I….do not like….how Saruman casts such aspersions on Gandalf. Nor how his accusations almost seem to have some merit at the moment. “When his tools have done their task he drops them.” That is dangerously close to accurate, or at the moment it feels like it is. Gandalf did leave them, even knowing that things were going wrong in the Shire…

But at the same time, it’s not Gandalf’s job to fix everything himself! The hobbits got to participate in the saving of their world, and they got the honor and the renown and the incredible experiences and the personal growth that comes along with it. Same thing here; they get the opportunity to be the heroes and save their own home. It isn’t easy, but it is good, and it has its own rewards.

“Well, if that’s what you find pleasure in, I pity you.” Frodo couldn’t be more right. Anyone who takes pleasure and comfort in the pain and misery of others is a pitiable person.

Frodo still refuses to kill. His home was defiled…his last comfort stolen…and his honor insulted to his face…and he still refuses to kill Saruman. Holy cow that takes some major strength of character. What an absolute chad.

YO WHAT

SARUMAN TRIED TO STAB FRODO

(And Sam leads the charge to avenge Frodo because Of Course He Does)

AND FRODO STILL WILL NOT KILL

THE ABSOLUTELY CHADDERY OF THIS HOBBIT

Talk about heaping coals on your enemy’s head, bruh. Even Saruman has to respect it.

And Frodo extending the olive branch to Wormtongue. Truly the G.O.A.T.

>8-O

EYOOOO??

WORMTONGUE KILLED LOTHO??

AND MAYBE A T E HIM????

Holy COW this got dark 0_o

(Also Dragash made Wormtongue sound absolutely miserable on that “you told me to; you made me do it”)

Aaaand Saruman is dead

And Wormtongue is dead

Something something Saruman’s spirit looking to the West, from which he came, and where he can never return again, and then being blown away to nothingness…

It really is the saddest thing that the end of the war happens at the door of Bag End. Nowhere is safe. The movies have the hobbits return to an unchanged Shire, realizing that they’re the ones who’ve been changed by their experiences, and they’ll never be able to see home the same way again (which is, I think, analogous to the experience of American Vietnam vets)…..but here in the book, the war comes home, marring the very land that our heroes set out to protect, which is what Tolkien experienced at the end of the Great War. They’re different kinds of tragedy, and they both hurt, but I think this one is just an edge more bitter.

…..Anyway, I loved this chapter! It ends with on a downer note, but the rest of it was a lot of fun. X-P

#frodo baggins #samwise gamgee #meriadoc brandybuck #merry #peregrin took #pippin #bill ferny #bill the pony #robin smallburrow #farmer cotton #rosie cotton #saruman #grima wormtongue #lord of the rings #lotr #my writing #assorted thoughts

[obsidiancreates]

There and Back Again (Starting From The End) 

Bilbo closes his eyes one night after another one of the innumerable days he's spent in The Undying Lands.

It sounds quite grand at first, really, immortal life. But it's only grand as long as things are new. And he's explored all that The Undying Lands have to offer now, and all that's left is something not unlike his life he'd lead before Gandalf came to his door and he'd said "Good morning."

Except now there's a sorrow. A quiet one, but potent. Sam has been here for many long years, as have Legolas and Gimli. But Merry and Pippin had stayed behind, and apparently passed and were buried in Rohan and Gondor as heroes. He'd known those boys since they were infants, and now he's outlived them.

He's outlived a lot of people.

He's a bit tired of it.

Frodo has never recovered. Bilbo himself hasn't either, of course. He still finds himself reaching into his pocket every day with his weathered, skin-and-bone hands, hands that can barely hold a walking stick, let alone Sting or a good solid rock.

It's not really being young that he misses. It's being... studier. Less eaten away.

He thinks Frodo often feels the very same way he does, and it makes his heart sink. He'd give anything to take the burden away from him. Some days he even wants to take it away for Frodo's sake, and not his own. Some days he wishes he'd never given Frodo The Ring and had kept it himself, and some days he wishes he'd taken it to Mordor himself, and some days he wishes he'd left it as is, and some days he doesn't even remember why The Ring was that bad.

That's another thing. The in-and-out nature of his grip on reality. He likes when he's himself, but hates the grief and great regret that comes with it. And he hates when he's but a floaty, half-minded ghost, yet likes the absence of the soul-crushing guilt.

It makes him tired to think about, all of it, and yet it's all he can think about these days, with the adventures run dry and Frodo spending all his time with Sam. A change of pace, change of scenery, change of experience.

A change.

Any change.

Bilbo closes his eyes one night after another one of the innumerable days he's spent in The Undying Lands.

And opens them when he stumbles over a rock and is steadied by a gloved hand.

"Careful, Bilbo," a familiar voice warns, low and tense. "There's injury enough ahead for us."

But Bilbo doesn't move. He stares.

Stares up into the face of Gandalf The Grey as an army of elves marches forwards all around them.

"Bilbo?" Gandalf waves his hand in front of his face. "We need to mo-"

"Gandalf?" Bilbo breathes, and then startles! He puts a hand to his throat. "I- good heavens-"

"What is it?"

"This is- no, it can't be-"

But it is. As Bilbo turns around in a circle, it is.

It's The Battle Of The Five Armies, and Dain hasn't yet come down the hill. Sting is on Bilbo's hip, and a mithril shirt drapes his torso, and that means Thorin and Fili and Kili are inside of that mountain and they're alive.

"WAIT!" Bilbo sprints to the front of the army, startled elves jerking out of the way and Gandalf shouting after him! Bilbo rushes up to the front just as Dain descends, and Bilbo runs right up between the King Of The Iron Hills and The King Of The Woodland Realm.

"WAIT!" He's exhausted in a way he hardly remembers, and it's exhilarating. It is bone-deep and brought on by days of non-stop adventuring and hardships and problems endured, and he's missed the feeling more than he ever realized. "You can't fight each other now, not when we're about to be besieged!"

"What is your halfling talking about?" Thranduil growls to Gandalf.

"I don't-"

"Orcs are coming, Azog's army!" There's a clarity, a wisdom, and he remembers it all like just yesterday but sees it all through over a century of experience now. "If you fight now, you lose warriors we can't afford to spare!"

"Why should I trust ye when I don't even know who ye are?" Dain demands.

"I am Bilbo Baggins of The Shire, and I've lived this once before." It must sound like he's eaten one too many funny mushrooms, but he doesn't care.

"Bilbo!" Gandalf surges forward. "What's gotten into-"

"Sauron's back, yes?" Bilbo hisses, just for Gandalf to hear. "You faced him while we were in Mirkwood, he's responsible for it being Mirkwood. You told me all about it in The Undying Lands, long over sixty years from now."

Gandalf's eyes are wide. "How did you-"

"You're right to be wary of my ring, by the way. But I need to hold onto it for just a bit longer."

"Stop whisperin' to yer wizard so we can get on with this!"

"You'll be getting on with nothing!" Bilbo turns to face Dain, and then looks at Thranduil. "I'm of The Company of Thorin Oakenshield, and I can testify that we've been pursued by Orcs all throughout our journey! And, I know that they passed into Mirkwood, so you, King Thranduil, know I speak the truth!"

Thranduil clenches his jaw, staring daggers at Bilbo. So what? Bilbo met him so often in The Undying Lands that they started having tea together. It took ages, but he eventually dug through the bitter exterior to the actually okay elf beneath. Never did get him to see Thorin's view of things, but they moved past that.

"So stop being a bunch of stubborn clotheads and save your armies for the orcs!"

"CLOTHEAD?" Dain points his warhammer at Bilbo. "Yer speaking to-"

"I speak to all of Durin's line that way! And, frankly, all Elven royalty when they deserve it."

"You whimpering little-"

And then it comes. All eyes turn to the hills.

And The Orcs descend.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bilbo is already on Ravenhill when Thorin arrives.

"Bilbo!"

"Turn around, right now."

"But-"

"It's a trap, Thorin. Another army will be on their way soon. I won't see this happen again."

"Again, what're you-"

"A blessing of The Valar, a cosmic joke, who knows? But I've lived this, and many years passed it, and you did not." He looks at Fili and Kili. "None of you did. Well, save Dwalin here. But this time, everyone will live, and trust me when I say we'll be preventing many tragedies by making this happen."

"Have you hit your head?" Kili has Bilbo's head in his hands to check it over before Bilbo can respond.

"I'm sounder of mind than I've been in years! Now let go! Here, I'll prove it to you. Kili, your Starlight Lady met me in The Undying Lands and told me about how you entertained her more than that feast could, that night in the prions, just with your stories."

Kili's eyes widen. "How did you-"

"And Thorin, I know that you threatened Dwalin with death before coming out here, and before you came to your senses."

Thorin looks at Dwalin in shock.

"I didn' tell him," Dwalin confirms.

"And Fili, you fought an Orc in Laketown with a table."

"But how-"

"Now get off of this hill! I'll gladly kill Azog myself for all the pain he's caused, I've got over half a century of Durin-less sorrow to take out on him!"

"You can't possibly be thinking of taking Azog on yourself," Fili protests.

"I can, and I am. Because I can do this." And he pops on The Ring.

There's shouts of alarm, and he laughs. "Still here, don't worry! And I won't be doing that often in the future, this needs to go to Mount Doom before Sauron's armies can recover from this battle. Now get off this hill, or at least go get more reinforcements to fight with you! Four warriors, the mistakes of youth."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It ends.

And everyone lives.

Because there had been no death prior to the arrival of The Orcs, the armies were better matched. Because Thorin had gotten to Ravenhill earlier thanks to not being as sorely needed on the battlefield, Bilbo had been able to provide ample warning.

And he had, indeed, killed Azog himself.

He hadn't even made a fuss of it.

Azog had been at the top of the hill, commanding his army, and Bilbo had come right up behind him and stabbed him in the leg, and when he'd gone down Bilbo had given the strongest shove he could muster.

And so ended Azog The Defiler. And so lived on Thorin, Fili, and Kili.

And now Bilbo sits in a private medical tent, all of The Company being treated for thankfully minor and non-lethal wounds around him, as Gandalf paces.

"I don't understand how this is possible."

"Surely at your age you've also learned to stop questioning things like this." Bilbo watches as his arm is bandaged.

"I must question it! This isn't something to be tucked awa-"

"Oh, speaking of." Bilbo pulls out The Ring.

He feels the hold of it's long, long years in his possession from his prior life... yet he doesn't. It's like an echo, resounding off of the short time he's possessed it as far as this body knows. It's such a muddled, confusing feeling, that it's almost easier to think through it.

To know why he feels it. To recall clearly, in a way he hasn't even since first being told the tales, of what it truly is. What it's caused. What it will cause.

"This is The One Ring." He holds it up for all to see. "The One Ring of Sauron. We need to take it to Mount Doom, because otherwise my dear nephew Frodo will in sixty years time or so, and along with him will go three other young Hobbits, as well as Gloin's son Gimli and Prince Legolas, and Aragorn Heir to the Throne of Gondor, and Borimir of Gondor who will die on the journey." He looks at Gandalf. "And you, who'll die as well, but come back as Gandalf The White, because Saruman is not to be trusted and in fact will align himself with Sauron, if he hasn't already."

Silence. Gandalf is dumbstruck, and most of The Company look ill. Gloin has passed out.

"And I do expect you all to come with me," Bilbo informs them, "Because he's barely got any armies now, and I know dwarves are similarly resistant to this Ring's power as us Hobbits are. And I'd rather not rely on Gollum to lead the way into Mordor if I can help it, Gandalf, because he bit off my nephew's finger in the end."

"... Well? Surely we can all handle another adventure after a few weeks recovery. Oh, and, Thorin, I have something specific to tell you as well."

Thorin steps forward, still in shock and unable to speak.

A situation which isn't helped by how Bilbo grabs Thorin by the coat and pulls him into a passionate kiss.

Then the silence ends by the sounds of uproarious shouts and celebrations.

(If you recognize this it's because I posted it on AO3 weeks ago and forgot to post it here too)

#the hobbit #bagginshield #bilbo baggins #my au #fanfic #my attempts at fanfic

[justanotherpersonsuniverse]

Today I watched Lord of the Rings for the First time, here are my live reactions;

Do note, I already knew so many crucial details and also I watched the last movie first for some reason. Anyways suffices to say I enjoyed it! My mom has wanted me to watch these movies with her for a long time so I’m glad I can finally make her happy in that way. Here’s the reaction;

I wonder how Sauron gets his ring on every morning

OH HIS FINGERS

Oh Sauron’s just, defeated

Oh no he’s got the ring

Oh he’s dead that’s rough

Golem!

Hes so gross

OH GOD HIS EYES

Ring just has a mind in its own

Bilbo! I sorta know you!

Shire! So pretty! Hi Elijah Wood. GANDALF.

Sassy Frodo! Aw they’re friends.

Oh this place is so delightful.

I love them.

This is so pleasant.

New Zealand

“Alright then keep your secrets”

OH SMAUG MENTIONED

Fireworks! How pleasant!

Such pretty music.

THE HOUSE.

Friends!!

The chandelier!

Tell Frodo what? Oh he’s planning to do the ring thing instead.

That’s a huge pipe.

Pippin and Mary!

Oh no dragon fireworks.

Oh no the ring. Bilbo no. “Why shouldn’t I keep it.”

OH GOD GANDALF SPOOKY.

“I’m trying to help you.”

Good job dude! He gave up the ring! “And he lived happily ever after.”

Oh bye Gandalf.

Oh he’s just here at the castle now! Ooh he’s reading. I love all these set pieces. Oh god “it is precious to me.”

OH NO. WHY ARE SCARY PEOPLE HERE.

“One ring to rule them all.”

“Sauron was destroyed!”

Ring whispers: “No I’m not!”

OHNO GOLLUM KNOWS.

“Don’t TEMPT ME FRODO”

Sam: I DIDNT HEAR EVERYTHING I JUST HEARD EVERYTHING

I know not to trust Saruman

“I have seen it.”

“When did Saruman the wise abandon reason for madness”

They’re gonna bust a hip fighting

SAM THANK YOU

I like the gate guy is polite! Has a little hole for hobbits and doesn’t question their shit!

Aragorn!

Ah the shrek scene!

NOOOOO THE GATE GUY THE BEST CHARACTER NOOO

OH GOD WHAT THE WHAT STABBING??

Ring Wraiths.. spooky..

Pippin looked the other way from the area the apple smacked him.

NOOO THE TREES.

Gandalf is on the roof?? Uh oh.

Seeing the trees fall I think of that one thing Tolkien said about a land without life and it’s the like barren wastelands of war.

Aragorn gave his friends good sized swords.

“They’re stupid” -Mom

“They’re fools. They aren’t stupid for loving and missing home. They’re fools for thinking it applies here.” -Me

-my mom and I’s argument

FUCK. ARAGORN COME BACK YOU LEFT THEM UNSUPERVISED AND NOW THE CHORUS IS HERE.

HES BACK.

The way they show how it feels to wear the ring is so triply and horrifying.

OH GOD THATS HOW THE ORCS ARE BORN WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT. That’s so fucking sick I’m mortified.

Elf?? Home girl your discord light mode is on. She’s pretty.

Oh oh they have they have a thing?

She’s so rad. Ooo cheek cut.

Love these horse actors! Good job you beautiful horses!

Oh my god is she a water bender she is oh my god oh my god she’s so cool. Very frozen 2.

PFJFJRJEED THE MEME

Gandalf?? Hi! You’re okay! And here?? Poor Frodo has had a wild 24 hours.

“I was delayed.” HARD CUT TO HIM GETTING SMACKED.

Bird!

“So you have chosen death”

Aw Sam! Gosh this place is so pretty. BILBO??? HE GOT SO OLD- old guy.

“I’m ready to go home!” Four movies to be seen.

Hey the rest of the guys!

“Destroy it! Cast it into the fire! Do it!”

“No.”

HEY I KNOW THAT LINE.

The one true king.

Boromir!

“Hey.” “What’s up.”

I like Aragorn a lot.

“Gandalf I’m uncomfortable.”

Boromir no this is how you die.

Legolas don’t out him.

“ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY WALK INTO MORODOR”

Gimli don’t talk to your husband like that.

Poor Frodo. Ah the “you have my..”  Aw team friendship!

Ah glow stick sword! OH GOD BILBO. Oh poor guy.

Oh no the birds. hey the snow! bOROMIR GET YOUR HANDS OFF THE RING.

How’d they get off the mountain? Eh whatever. Gandalf is really doing every password.

Bye bill!

There’s a creature in the black lagoon. Oh poor Gimli. He was really excited for thHHHIIIISSSTTESNRACLES.

“This is no mine this is a tomb.” GOD.

Gollum!

Gandalf I love you lots.

Oh wow this setting. Unfortunately I know what must appear in here and also what occurs. Poor Gimli.

“We cannot get out.”

“They have a cave troll.” Oh joy. Frodo’s sword is slightly glowing! I think.

OH GOD THERES SO MANY GOBLINS. I love the make up. OH SHIT HERE COMES THE BALROG.

“RUN.”

“NOT THE BEARD” BAHAH

Here it fucking comes his whah a cool design. What gorgeous affects.

Oh she’s beautiful

“All will fall” glances to Boromir

“Hope remains” she looks to the hobbits

OH GOD SPOOKY

Boromir…

Hello lady..? Are we.. chill..?? Mirror?? I’m slightly scared. I love your voice though.

Okay so that freaky stuff was the Hobbit thank you mom. Oh she’s talking about.. oh deeear.. DONT GIVE IT- Oh this kinda funny. The effects. Oh dear. Hi queen you okay? Good job lady!

Even the smallest person can change the world…

Oh no here it comes, Boromir … this is tragedy.

The change in his voice from resentful and deranged to fearful and worried.

“I would have gone with you to the end.” GUH…. The tenderness in his tone.

BOROMIR NO NO THE ARROW

NO I KNEW IT WOULD AND YET…

ARAGORN

HOLY FUCK THE HEAD

BOROMIR….

“My king.”

I’m so sad. My eyes are so dry though. <- Has dry eye syndrome

That was really good.

#lord of the rings #lotr