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anghraine · 3 months

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On the one hand, I absolutely love the high tragedy of Denethor's arc in the book, think it's amazingly well-written, and that he is one of the most complex and fascinating characters that Tolkien ever wrote.

On the other, there's part of me that's also a little frustrated by how much it has to happen because Tolkien kind of wrote himself into a corner with the Ruling Stewards. He's insistent on a few things about them:

Their initial rise to power as perma-regents of Gondor was squeaky-clean. Mardil was a paragon of virtue, he tried to prevent Eärnur from getting himself killed, there were no clear successors, and retaining the regency prevented another Kinstrife and created a stable institution that would hold Gondor together for 900+ years after the failure of the kings.

They are a high Númenórean family descended from Elendil, even if they're not formally of the line of Elendil (for unknown reasons, but most likely because they're descended through women).

Denethor is notably very similar to Aragorn, in intellect, wisdom, stature, ability, even appearance. He is a towering and respected figure, and he and his sons are highly popular with their people (even with children).

Denethor's military tactics in the book are very good, and UT says Sauron hoped Denethor would be less prepared than he actually was.

Denethor is proud, unbending, and personally dislikes and distrusts Aragorn. He thinks Gandalf is using him against Sauron for now while planning for Aragorn to take power later (this is filtered through his pride but ... um, is he wrong?).

Faramir, now Denethor's last heir, is a fantastic if reluctant warrior and captain, a super special Númenórean throwback, and a thoughtful, intelligent, and wise person who is humbler than Denethor, but also established as wary about Aragorn.

Gondor formally rejected the claim of Aragorn's family before the Ruling Stewardship even existed.

What all this means is that Denethor, if alive, is someone who will never willingly give way to Aragorn. Denethor has legal precedent on his side, he is himself a perfectly good ruler from a long-standing, stable, legitimate ruling family and a highly capable military leader in war, he is liked by his people, and he even has a viable heir regardless of the personal strain between him and Faramir.

There's just no reason for Aragorn to take power that Denethor, as written, would find remotely persuasive. But Denethor is also too noble and capable and special for a power grab on Aragorn's side to feel right, esp given how destructive it would be in the middle of a war (as Aragorn acknowledges!). Despite the sparkly kingliness and mystical airs, this is fundamentally a dynastic dispute between two different houses descended from Elendil, based on the minutia of Gondorian and Númenórean law and precedent, and a fight over that is ... not the kind of story this is.

Denethor has to be driven to self-destruction by the plot so that Aragorn's rise can happen. It simply would not occur if Denethor was alive and in his right mind. Faramir has to be mystically healed by Aragorn so that his reservations will dissolve and he will voluntarily remove himself from the picture in a way that doesn't feel bad.

And both scenes are fantastic, and make sense for the characters. But I do feel that they kind of get steamrollered by the plot to make way for Aragorn.

The thing that makes that doubly fascinating, though, is that Tolkien didn't have to prop the House of the Stewards up so thoroughly. He could have written a version where the Stewards are inadequate or really sketchy or simply can't be compared to Aragorn's greatness and it's clear why they should be replaced by him and his house. Tolkien could have made this a lot easier for himself! And I do respect the more difficult and nuanced approach Tolkien took with the Stewards by making them genuinely impressive and noble and capable in their own right and not just cardboard-cutouts for Aragorn to kick over.

But, well.

#anghraine babbles #long post #legendarium blogging #legendarium fanwank #húrinionath #denethor #faramir #mardil voronwë #etc #ondonórë blogging

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frodo-with-glasses · 7 months

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More Reading Thoughts: The Prologue

I will never not love Tolkien’s framing device of “my fantasy epic is 100% a translation of an ancient historical book like Beowulf, it’s totally real, you guys, definitely”

“[Bullroarer Took] was surpassed in all Hobbit records only by two famous characters of old; but that curious master is dealt with in this book” is an incredibly intriguing line to me. You’d think it refers to Frodo and Sam, because of what they did to destroy the Ring—but the rest of the hobbits didn’t really care all that much about that. They saw Sam as just another mayor (if a very tenured one) and Frodo as a strange recluse. I think this line refers to Captains Meriadoc and Peregrin, actually, for their courage and leadership during the Battle of Bywater.

“To the last battle at Fornost with the Witch-lord of Angmar they sent some bowmen to the aid of the king, or so they maintained, though no tales of Men record it.” This cracks me up. First of all, the fact that hobbits claim to have sent some aid to the King’s war, but either they’re lying or mistaken or they’re literally so small and unremarkable that everyone completely forgot they were there. Secondly, this is the first and not the last time hobbits are gonna be a pain in the Witch King’s butt

“They were, in fact, sheltered, but they had ceased to remember it” is a line that goes so hard bruh

Today’s vocabulary word is “ramify, v: form branches or offshoots; spread or branch out; grow and develop in complexity or range.” So “large and ramifying tunnels”, in this case, paints the picture of the hobbit holes sprouting rooms and hallways that branch off like tree roots. Fascinating.

The fact that Merry probably has some Stoor blood in him still makes me giggle because they’re the only hobbits that could grow any sort of beard. I still maintain the headcanon that Merry has three (3) hairs on his chin, and he shaves them regularly and is inordinately proud of them.

“Sometimes, as in the case of the Tooks of Great Smials, or the Brandybucks of Brandy Hall, many generations of relatives lived in (comparative) peace together in one ancestral and many-tunnelled mansion.” That little interjection of “comparative” was not mine, it’s right there in the text, and it has me cracking up X-D

Merry’s little personal asides in “Concerning Pipeweed” are absolutely darling—including the shade at Breelanders, the almost wistful descriptions of how much better the plant grows in Gondor, and the fond way he speaks of Gandalf.

Okay so I once claimed that the book never refers to Frodo as Bilbo’s nephew, only as his young kinsman; but here at the end of section three he is actually called “Frodo his favorite ‘nephew’”, with the quotation marks and all. So the idea is already planted in our minds that their relationship is sort of avuncular (throwback to that old vocab word!) before we start the story.

“With [Thorin’s company Bilbo] set out, to his own lasting astonishment…” 🤣🤣🤣

Boy I still need to do Bilbo-With-Glasses someday

Tolkien taking several pages of prologue to explain the inconsistency of the riddle game in The Hobbit will never not be funny

“And no one else in the Shire knew of [the Ring’s] existence, or so he believed.” Except for Merry, who watched him put it on to escape the Sackville-Bagginses that one time.

It’s called the Red Book of Westmarch because it came from Undertowers!! Guarded by the Fairbairns!! ELANOR’S KIDS!! HI HELLO I’M HAVING EMOTIONS

“The original Red Book has not been preserved, but many copies were made, especially of the first volume, for the use of the descendants of Master Samwise.” I AM HAVING ✨EMOTIONS✨

PIPPIN BROUGHT A COPY OF THE RED BOOK TO GONDOR WHEN HE WAS OLD

AND THEN ARAGORN HAD IT COPIED AGAIN

AND THAT’S THE ONE THAT WAS “TRANSLATED” INTO LOTR

HELP

The fact that Merry wrote so many books and Pippin wrote none is honestly so in-character for both of them

And Merry frequently visited Rivendell!! You guys I cry

#chapter review #lord of the rings #lotr #my writing

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theicarusconstellation · 26 days

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Ok cool I now see we are the same.

It's interesting because everything you said about Alia is real but I'm sups interested in contexts, sometimes that's what makes the entire appeal of the story for me (oftentimes).

because what appeals to me in Dune is the rift between JRR Tolkien and Frank Herbert?

Cuz Frank read LOTR and was such a little fanboy, like he couldn't even believe his little eyes what he was reading and then he created Dune and was like look at me father are you proud and JRR Tolkien HATED Dune. The entire time. Didn't like the violence, the anti-hero, the harsh world, Tolkien is like "bruh I just created Elvish and whatnot and then needed a place to put these languages and created a HERO and heros are important and you want me to care about your villain crusade" and he NEVER appreciated Frank?

And that just.

That.

I think about this often because actually I think Frank's world is a lot more realistic than Tolkien, only in the sense that we are all kind of doomed and easy to sway to the dark side and rare are the actual heros who will be able to rise and fight against destiny. There are so many in Tolkien and it gives hope, right, but it's also...patently false (imo).

AND THEN you compare this to RL where they each wrote their little story that each had strong impacts on people for different reasons but all Frank wanted was to become besties with Tolkien.

But Tolkien became the villain in Frank's story? Cuz he didn't like him and his little invented world?

And if that shit isn't a relfection of their book I don't know what is.

YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!!!!!!!

a lot of people (me included) think that the reason tolkien was so against dune was because he was deeply devoted religious man, and dune warned against charismatic leaders of organized religions and the following of messianic figures. tolkien’s christianity was interwoven with his works as well, so to read something that challenged the very basis of not only his beliefs but his own works must have been a very unpleasant experience for him💀💀

not to say that lotr isn’t brilliant, because i do enjoy it, but where dune blurs the boundaries between “good” and “evil,” “heroes” and “villains,” lotr is 100% black and white “this is the only way,” and we see that this was tolkien’s worldview in regards to everything, not just his books. not only did he woefully misinterpret dune and paul’s character, but he was also unwilling to consider the message and even told people he didn’t like it because he wasn’t a fan of “darker stories.”

i love lotr, (dune is my favorite for always and forever) but if i was to describe tolkien in one hyphenated word, it would be “narrow-minded.” in the context of their era of history, frank herbert was definitely narrow-minded as well, but tolkien was devoted to everything herbert warned against.

i just find the differences in how their views are reflected in their works fascinating yk?

#astra’s asks #dune #dune dune dune dune dune

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chiliadicorum · 10 months

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12, 13, 14, 18!

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

Cirdan! He's honestly one of the most amazing Elves in ALL of the legendarium and I blame Tolkien for burying all his gold nuggets. That's the only explanation for how he's so overlooked and dismissed. Has to be. Even C. Tolkien expressed amazement with Cirdan. Wisest of all Elves, greatest foresight of all Elves, saw the Star of Earendil 10,000 years before it happened, has one of the palantiri, Ring-bearer, could've wielded the One Ring itself...i need to just finally make a list of why I love him so much

ok this is a two-part answer bc I realize the prompt probably means a character that is actively disliked. For that, Thingol. I'm honestly appalled at the (general) fandom reception of him. He doesn't deserve it (don't have time to get to the why)

13. worst blorbofication

Nobody hit me, but my answer is Melkor. I love Melkor, like a lot. He's so darkly fascinating, so interesting and addictive to explore, and so often he's stripped of everything that makes him fascinating all for the sake of making him a little less villainous, a little more right, a little whatever (i'm generalizing here, and this isn't about shipping. I don't read melkor/ships so i have no comment on it) He's so complex and so often he's made so shallow instead. Sauron comes in a close second for the same reason.

14. that one thing you see in fics all the time

One-sided characterization? (idk what to call it) I'm not crapping on anyone who does it and I know I was guilty of it myself at one point but it's that thing where ONE aspect of the character (good or bad, usually bad) is then blown up to be their whole character. And in the Tolkien fandom this happens a lot with Feanor, his sons, Eol, Saeros, Finarfin (of all people!), Galadriel, Finwe, Thranduil, Thingol, etc (honestly the fandom's way with thingol pisses me off probably more than any other character, at least right now)

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

The balrogs!!!! After Glorfindel and Ecthelion killed two of them! How groundbreaking and shocking it had to have been. Not just to the people of Gondolin who made it out alive but to EVERYONE in Beleriand. From the Feanorians to the Sindar to Dwarves to all Men EVERONE.

You know what, here's the link, I hunted it down: https://www.tumblr.com/chiliadicorum/159569845327/balrog-slayer-a-new-word?source=share

Read that for more info bc I'll start fangirling and won't shut up here. I'm commented on this before^^ and someone graciously wrote a beautiful fic exploring it as a result (can't remember who they were I'm sorry!), but except for that one fic I've yet to find one single fic entailing this! (plz point them out to me if they're there bc admittedly i haven't searched for fics the way I'd like to in a loooong time)

Bc yeah, really how has fandom been sleeping on this?! especially a "hopeful" thing to write about in the First Age lol

Also Word of Honor answer bc I'm craving it: (spoiler warning) After the events of ep36 or during the time of ep37, where are all the fics exploring the reactions of people to the "two immortals on the mountain"? bc come on, immortals don't exist. Right? It's been explored some (and those fics are GOLD) but UGH its so entertaining to think about! Especially when they become legendary and of course the true story gets exaggerated and rumors start and fly and get ridiculous and what's true what's false nobody knows! "I dare you to go up the mountain, see if the tales are true" "no way! you go if you're so desperate" "what are you chicken?" "shut up a-hole i just have no desire to climb a mountain" hahahaha Endless entertainment potential with this!!

choose violence ask game

#this was fun thanks!#celebbun #gwedasks #ask #silmarillion #word of honor

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benperorsolo · 5 years

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Can we really call SW a fairy tale? Because the modern understanding of the fairy tale is very much shaped by Disney and that’s just in the 20th and 21st century. Older fairy tales tended to be a lot darker if I’m not mistaken, and SW always seemed to draw on older things like myths and heroic journeys. I’ve listened to the commentary where JJ said “if” SW was a fairy tale, but I think he was making a comparative point about how it wasn’t a fairy tale. I don’t know I’m probably wrong

Yes, we can call it a fairy tale. George Lucas has called it a fairy tale multiple times.

“Rather than do some angry, socially relevant film…I realized there was another relevance that is even more important — dreams and fantasies, getting children to believe there is more to life than garbage and killing…Once I got into STAR WARS, it struck me that we had lost all that — a whole generation was growing up without fairy tales. You just don’t get them anymore, and that’s the best stuff in the world — adventures in far-off lands. It’s fun.” (x)

“I realized a more destructive element in the culture would be a whole generation of kids growing up without that thing, because I had also done a study on, I don’t know what you call it, I call it the fairy tale or the myth. It is a children’s story in history and you go back to the Odyssey or the stories that are told for the kid in all of us.” (x)

“Well, I had a real problem because I was afraid that science-fiction buffs and everybody would say things like, “You know there’s no sound in outer space”. I just wanted to forget science. That would take care of itself. Stanley Kubrick made the ultimate science-fiction movie and it is going to be very hard for somebody to come along and make a better movie, as far as I’m concerned. I didn’t want to make a 2001, I wanted to make a space fantasy that was more in the genre of Edgar Rice Burroughs; that whole other end of space fantasy that was there before science took it over in the Fifties. Once the atomic bomb came, everybody got into monsters and science and what would happen with this and what would happen with that. I think speculative fiction is very valid but they forgot the fairy tales and the dragons and Tolkien and all the real heroes.” (x)

“Indeed, it was his fascination with children and his penchant for looking at the world as if he were still a child himself that led him off on his whole “Star Wars” odyssey. And it was in no small measure because he had young children of his own that he continued trying to see the world through youthful eyes. It was from this impulse that what he calls his “modern day fairy tale” – formed out of a transnational pantheon of mythological figures that became the serial morality play known as “Star Wars” – continued to develop.” (x)

Additionally, George talks often about how Star Wars is not meant to be realistic but rather irrationally romantic and idealistic:

“So I made my bid to try to make everything a little more romantic. Jesus, I’m hoping that if the film accomplishes anything, it takes some ten-year-old kid and turns him on so much to outer space and the possibilities of romance and adventure. Not so much an influence that would create more Wernher von Brauns or Einsteins, but just infusing them into serious exploration of outer space and convincing them that it’s important. Not for any rational reason, but a totally irrational and romantic reason.” (x)

“You can’t, and how do you explain a Wookiee to an audience, and how do you get the tone of the film right, so it’s not a silly child’s film, so it’s not playing down to people, but it is still an entertaining movie and doesn’t have a lot of violence and sex and hip new stuff? So it still has a vision to it, a sort of wholesome, honest vision about the way you want the world to be.” (x)

“I wanted to make a kids’ film that would strengthen contemporary mythology and introduce a kind of basic morality. Everybody’s forgetting to tell the kids, ‘Hey, this is right and this is wrong.‘” (x)

So.

Yes. Star Wars is a fairy tale. Period.

Not only is it a fairy tale, but it is a fairy tale that does not even pretend to be real science fiction. George expresses total disinterest in making Star Wars anything resembling ‘hard’ sci fi, as well as a total disdain for realism. Star Wars, as George says, is planetary romance in the vein of Edgar Rice Burroughs (John Carter, etc) whose purpose is to uplift children (yes— Star Wars is for children) with a modern fairy tale that touches them the same way campy pulp like Flash Gordon touched George Lucas. Star Wars is supposed to inspire children and the child in all of us to aspire to a better, more moral way of life. It’s supposed to make us believe, as George says, that ‘there is more to life than garbage and killing’; to remind us ‘of the possibilities of romance and adventure.’ Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what you think the definition of a fairy tale is. This is what George means when he talks about Star Wars being a fairy tale. Pulp, romance, and idealism taking people to the stars. There are so many quotes by George detailing this from one article that I quoted alone that I couldn’t fit them all. To claim that Star Wars ever was about realism or some sort of gritty dark mythos in outer space is just ignorant.

Additionally, I think you are making a false dichotomy between myths and fairy tales. They are the same thing. Fairy tales are an iteration of mythology. Older mythology is not magically darker than current mythology— the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen are not the only people who ever wrote fairy tales, and frankly speaking, they are early modern authors from a historical standpoint. To set up the Hero’s Journey in contrast with the optimism of modern fairy tales is also just…factually not correct. The basic steps of the Hero’s Journey are in Campbell’s own words:

“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” (x)

The structure of the Hero’s Journey is one of leaving the ordinary world, encountering trials and suffering, reaching the Abyss (this is Campbell’s term) or lowest point, overcoming this abyss, and then returning to the ordinary world full of wisdom to share with your fellow man. To suggest that this journey is a) separate or different than the structure of the fairy tale or b) more ‘realistic’ or ‘darker’ than a fairy tale is incorrect. Fairy tales are examples of the Hero’s Journey, and the Hero’s Journey basically outlines a happy ending: the hero overcomes his demons and returns victorious back to his home to share what he has learned with others.

Lastly, I don’t agree with your interpretation of JJ’s commentary quote. The quote is:

“For example, we looked at it like a Western, or a fairy tale…You’re probably going to have a castle and a prince and a princess, if you’re looking at a fairy tale. We wanted to have these fundamental, not cosmetic, but prerequisite elements, these locations in which we can set our new story and our new characters…But when his mask comes off, you see Adam Driver, and he just looks like a sort of prince.“ (x)

So, not to be rude, but I think you’re just not interpreting this quote correctly. JJ didn’t say, ‘If this were a fairy tale x would happen, but it’s actually y so z will happen.” He explicitly said —like literally, I have it bolded—:

“We looked at it like a Western, or a fairy tale.”

JJ is explicitly saying that they viewed TFA as a fairy tale, and because they viewed it as a fairy tale, they included elements like castles, and princes, and princesses, and then goes on to say Adam Driver is made up to look like a prince. He’s saying: if Star Wars is a fairy tale, then it must have these elements, and then goes on to explain how it does, as a direct consequence of intentionally shaping it to be one.

#nonnie #asks #meta #fairy tale #for my own purposes so i can find this ask again bc this took a long time

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kingofthereunitedkingdom · 6 years

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All right my dudes, let’s talk about this Amazon LOTR series. (Aka, the two cents that no one asked for ever. Seriously, all opinions are valid, I’m not here to fight, this is just what I think. Anyways.) Please read til the end.

I for one was initially very very upset. Because I don’t trust Amazon, okay? Peter Jackson’s LOTR trilogy was a once in a lifetime miracle. Him and Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens poured their heart and souls into making the best possible adaptation of Tolkien’s masterpiece that they could. Everyone on that production, from Weta to the stunt people to the cast to Howard Shore were committed to bringing Tolkien’s vision to life. Was it perfect? No. Was it as close to perfect as we’re gonna get? Yes! There’s a reason it got all the Oscars. People who think that Peter Jackson’s LOTR wasn’t faithful enough are so deluded that it boggles my mind. It’s like people think he could just snap his fingers and turn the book page by page into exactly what you envisioned in your head when you read it. Modern day filmmaking has so many constrictions it’s not even funny. Producers, lawyers, marketers, auditors, people giving the project money who in return are in it for the money. And these are the people that Jackson had to work with in order to get the film made on the scale it was, rather than a home movie shot on a camcorder in his backyard. With this in mind, it’s a miracle that the films were as amazing as they were. You should actually all go watch the behind the scenes appendices footage on the extended edition DVDs. If you can’t get your hands on the DVDs, a lot of it is actually up on YouTube. The part where they talk about the process of converting book to script is very fascinating and explains a lot. Tolkien did not write these books with a movie in mind. The pacing is a screenwriter’s nightmare, he spends a lot of time on details we don’t necessarily need, and the time frame is positively loopy. You say Frodo was thirty three when he received the ring and fifty when he left the Shire, I say did we need to see Frodo moping around in the Shire for seventeen years? You say that the Fellowship’s travels were rushed, I ask if anyone ever wished they could spend a month in Lothlorien while absolutely nothing happens except resting and crying about Gandalf? I love the books, I truly do. But even I admit that a shot-for-shot adaptation would be awkward and at times difficult to watch.

Now, as for the show in question, do I think that Amazon read the Silmarillion and said ‘wow, let’s spend billions of dollars to make a faithful and heartfelt adaptation!’? Um, no. Somebody in a highrise read that Game of Thrones was ending and realized that now there’s gonna be an open market for that genre of show. Now, who else can think of a series that checks the boxes of fantasy, long and complicated af, pre-existing fan base, and minimal barriers when it comes to obtaining rights? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Tolkien is the million dollar answer (or billion, in Amazon’s case). What gives me hope is (now this might be hearsay, don’t take my word for it because I cannot confirm) that apparently they only have the rights to events that take place before The Hobbit and LOTR. Which is essentially just the Silmarillion and/or the appendices. Now, this could be interesting. The Silmarillion doesn’t have a screen adaptation, so whatever they did would be groundbreaking. There would be nothing to compare it to. But what I’m afraid of is that Amazon would be afraid of it. The Silmarillion is a lot to chew. It’s wordy, the characters would be hard to adapt on screen, and it would be really hard to market it because the concept of the Silmarillion has (unfortunately, but truthfully) long been associated with ultimate geekdom.

This is why Amazon is probably going to pick the lower-hanging fruit and reinvent popular characters we already love. I’ve been hearing a lot about how they’re doing it as a young Aragorn prequel. Which, for surface level selfish reasons depresses the heck out of me because Viggo Mortensen is and always will be my Aragorn. If this was happening years ago and they got Viggo to be the character again in a TV show, I’d be all for it. But unfortunately Viggo cannot age in reverse and if they were gonna use him they’d have to use a shit-ton of CGI a la Carrie Fisher in Rogue One which… *shudders* *war flashbacks*. But then again, Viggo has aged remarkably well. Did you see Captain Fantastic? Maybe with some heavy makeup and nice camera angles- Ah, it’s all just a pipe dream anyways. As long as they don’t bring back Stuart Townsend. Cue more shuddering. But I wish Amazon would understand that they’re investing their money in the wrong horse! We don’t want to see Aragorn reinvented! We’re happy with what we have!

Think about it realistically for a minute, in the hypothetical event that this is a young Aragorn TV show. Amazon is a studio giant, trying to establish themselves among other streaming services known for their original TV shows such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO, etc. We, as Tolkien fans, understand that Aragorn’s history prior to the events of LOTR is pretty straightforward. He grows up in Rivendell, is informed that he’s Isildur’s heir, goes into the wild to become a Ranger, fights for Rohan, fights for Gondor, falls in love with Arwen, etc. There’s a sixty year block of time between his childhood in Rivendell and the War of the Ring. That can’t possibly all be covered in one show, as hard as they try. They won’t be able to resolve his storyline, because his storyline and character arc get resolved during the War of the Ring. They would have to establish the fact that he’s the heir to the throne of Gondor, establish the fact that he’s conflicted about his destiny, establish the fact that he goes into self-inflicted exile as a Ranger, and then end the show without ever showing the resolution that he eventually does reclaim his throne and his destiny. Unless they were to just bite the bullet and remake the original trilogy. And then there’s the matter of a love interest. Arwen is his first and only love. Their courtship is fast-paced and they go long blocks of time without seeing each other. Noooot very marketable for a mainstream audience. So how are they gonna spice it up? Give Aragorn another love interest? That would literally completely ruin his character. How about no. Make it seem like a lot more happened between Arwen and Aragorn before the War of the Ring? I mean maybe, but how!? They still wouldn’t be able to complete a story arc, because the meat of the changes in their relationship take place during the original trilogy: Him lowkey wanting her to go to Valar and not die for him, her refusing because she believes in their love, their ultimately getting married and her being crowned Queen of Gondor. Again, you can’t give us any of that without remaking the original trilogy! Cue all the annoyed Aragorn faces.

So, that was a lot of negativity. Maybe this is too little too late, but: I remain hopeful. All is not lost. There is still some good in this world, Mr. Frodo! And maybe Amazon will prove me wrong. There may yet be light at the end of this tunnel. We may yet prevail, and get a thoughtful, heartfelt adaptation. Because done right, we could all use with some fresh LOTR content so we can stop rewatching the original trilogy. Tolkien wrote a lot, and the current screen adaptations have barely scratched the surface. As a fandom (and I most definitely include myself in this), we get very protective over our material. I think this is because we are one of the rare few whose material has remained untarnished and stayed behind the line of corporate greed and terrible adaptations (The Hobbit trilogy walked that line like a tight rope but even it managed to escape the true jaws of the beast.) Maybe, just maybe, this Amazon series can be a chance for us all to take a risk. Because if it pays off, you can all call me a fool of a Took and we can grab popcorn and watch a kickass LOTR TV show. And what would be more awesome than that?

So, in conclusion, I have a lot of feelings about this Amazon show. If you made it this far, thanks for bearing with me. We’ve got a wild ride ahead.

#lord of the rings #amazon lotr #amazon lord of the rings #opinion piece #lotr tag

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arofili · 7 years

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Fandom Fic Rec Days!!

Happpy Fandom Fic Rec Days, have some fic recs!!! (These are 90% Hobbit fics, but there are a couple other Tolkien fics here too.)

I Tadui Hanar by @fishfingersandscarves - A "What if Faramir went to Rivendell instead of Boromir?" AU // Faramir travels in Boromir's stead to Imladris, there he joins in the Council of Elrond and becomes part of the Fellowship of the Ring. Similar to Tolkien's own style, the perspective will change back and forth between Faramir's account of events and Boromir's. @fishy when is the next update?? I love this fic so much, it’s the fic I always wanted to read and I’m so glad somebody finally wrote it, and I’m even gladder that it was fishy!! I love Faramir so much, and I NEED to know what happens next!

Paper Echoes by @mirkwood-meriwether - Kili had never gotten an actual snail-mail letter before, at least not a personal one. And yes, technically this letter wasn’t for him, but it had still arrived at his door. It was weird, and Kili was always drawn to curiosities. I looove this fic! Maggie’s reincarnation AUs are always delightful, and this one is just beautiful. Kili and Tauriel are so in character and I love reading their letters to each other.

Of Journeys and Ripples by @cirth-ithil - Post-BOTFA. Canon-compliant. Ghost fic Ouchhhh. This fic is delightfully angsty and so, so good. Maybe I’m biased because it was written for me, but I love it. I want the next chapter!!

Warmth by @milesofkeeffe - When a cold night has everyone in camp huddled for warmth, Tauriel decides the safest place to sleep is between Kili and his brother. I am a sucker for Tauriel and Fili bonding, and this fic gave me exactly what I wanted. Super cute!

Memories are Haunted Places by @feanope - From the beginning of the world to the departure of the Istari - the story of Eönwë, Maia of Manwë. A fascinating and heartwrenching look at Eonwe. Really well written, I don’t usually think much about Eonwe but this fic was very powerful!

Almost, But Not Quite by @serenbach86 - Dis never forgets her accidental meeting with a young hobbit, even after all the years that go by since then. But she has her family, her duty to her people, her home, and has no time to seek out love for a second time. Besides, everyone knows that dwarves only love once. I never really thought about Dis/Belladonna Took before as a pairing, but this fic was so good that it pulled me into shipping them. I knew going into it that there would be no happily ever after, but I was still sad when the story ended.

Ever On and On by @yubiwamonogatari - The road goes ever on and on, but before they head out, Bilbo and Thorin have one last party to attend. Super cute fem!Bagginshield fic. I don’t read much Bagginshield but this was just truly lovely, I love how this story melded canon and AU together to make something totally believable.

Remembrance by @whilewewereyetsinners - The Dwarves' flight from Erebor brings forth shadows of Tauriel's past, while their return sheds light on her future. This story brings out so much in Tauriel’s backstory and helps explain so much in canon. I cannot wait to read the next chapter!!

For One Shining Moment by Morvidra - After the death of Smaug, Kíli and Tauriel have a little time to talk. A short little oneshot showcasing how adorably awkward Kili and Tauriel are.

The Art of Searching for Yourself by @euseevius - “Do you ever feel like you can't breath right? Like you get oxygen, but not enough?” // In which Fili goes to a trip around Europe in order to find himself. I love ace!Fili and this story is one of the very few I’ve found for that headcanon that I myself didn’t write. It’s so beautifully written and really gets into Fili’s soul.

Paths in Starlight by @asparklethatisblue and @hattedhedgehog - Kili has never set foot in the magical land he was born in, but the search for a fallen star leads him beyond the Wall and into world of Arda. The star he finds is not what he'd thought she'd be, and Kili is pulled into an adventure that takes him over hill and through the air, joins a crew of Sky Pirates to help them aid their King, and finds out the truth about his family. The Stardust AU we all need in our lives. I’m slowly making my way through this fic.....very slowly. What I have read is just incredible though!!

Under the Mountain by @mirkwood-meriwether - "...for mine is the choice of Luthien, and as she so have I chosen, both the sweet and the bitter." -J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King // A series of glimpses into Kili and Tauriel's family life. Basically chronological. Filled with fluff, domesticity, turning points, dwelf kiddos, and other sweet things. A great series about Kili and Tauriel and their kids. My personal favorite story in this series is Mirkwood, where Kili and Tauriel’s kids get to meet Legolas!

So Comes Snow After Fire by @milesofkeeffe - In the weeks since the battle, Kili has kept his meetings with Tauriel secret. Yet when a fierce snowstorm looms, he would rather dare Thorin's displeasure than leave the exiled elf unsheltered on the mountainside. Once Tauriel enters Erebor, of course, it is only a matter of time before her feelings for the dwarven prince are discovered. And despite Kili's hope that there is a place in his life for all those he loves, he may soon have to decide whether his loyalties lie with his kindred or an elf. One of my very favorite fix-it fics! I’ve rec’d this one before but it just ended and honestly it’s so good that it deserves all the recs. I love how much plot is in this, and all the characters grow so much through the story.

Really, just go read all of the fics written @milesofkeeffe and @mirkwood-meriwether, those two are my favorite Kiliel authors!!

For more, you can take a look at my awesome writing tag and you can always check out my fics! My own AO3 is starlightwalking, and you can search through my writing tag too!

PLEASE go out and comment on these incredible fics, and if some happened to come my way too, well, I wouldn’t complain :) They all deserve so many comments!!

#fic recs #too many people to tag #tefain nin #wonderful writing #there are so many incredible fics!!!

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curlygirl79 · 4 years

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First Second Coming, the debut fantasy/supernatural/romance/suspense novel by Jeff Pollak, was released on 1st August. Prior to it’s release, I sat down for a virtual chat with Jeff, and I am delighted to be able to share this with you all today. Let’s jump straight in, and then I will share all the important information about the book with you all.

What was the inspiration behind First Second Comings?

When 9/11 occurred, I watched the World Trade Tower collapse just as everyone else did. Of course, I was horrified by the spectacle. Perhaps more so than others, because I had connections to that building. Born and raised in New York City, I’d been in the building a few times as a child. In my adult years, my law firm would hold annual seminars in the Top of the Tower conference centre every May, to update our New York/New Jersey corporate clients about California law and important appellate decisions. As a partner in the firm I’d function as a speaker, a panelist, or just a meet-and-greet guy. I had some clients in the building and gotten to know some of the conference centre’s staff. So the collapse was very hard to watch – some people I knew in that building didn’t survive, I later learned. That day a random thought came to me, that this planet really needs a new god, someone who is a planetary turnaround specialist. Some fourteen years later, when I’d decided to spend my future retirement writing fiction, the concept of a character who is a planetary turnaround deity came back to me as the seed of a story. I developed it and First Second Coming is the result.

What are your favourite books as a reader?

My all-time favorite books? I’ll break it down by genre. Historical fiction: James Clavell’s Shogun and Tai-Pan novels. Also Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth and Iain Pears’ An Instance of the Fingerpost. Fantasy: Tolkien’s Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Science Fiction: Frank Herbert’s Dune and Douglas Adams’ Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Thriller/Suspense: Tom Clancy’s Hunt for Red October and John LeCarre’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Horror: Stephen King’s The Stand. Magical Realism: Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 and David Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks. Non-fiction: Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin about Abraham Lincoln’s Civil War Cabinet, and Simon Winchester’s Atlantic about that little pond that separates England from the U.S.A.

Which authors inspire you as a writer? Is there a particular author who it would make your day to be compared to?

At the moment the authors who inspire me the most are, in no particular order, Iain Pears, David Mitchell, Haruki Murakami and Daniel Silva. The first Pears book I read, An Instance of the Fingerpost, is told from the point of view of four different individuals. Each POV character narrates the same events entirely differently, leaving the reader amazed that the story comes together. Pears is a master at that sort of intricate plotting and character development. As for Mitchell, the man’s off the charts as a writer. Incredible talent. I don’t read his books, I savor every sentence in them, especially The Bone Clocks. As for Murakami, I started with 1Q84 and it was a revelation. Something different in its Japanese setting, in the richness of the details of both the real world and the alternative world he creates, and in the uniqueness of the story. Finally, Silva – he writes espionage thrillers along the lines of LeCarre or Follett. Silva’s ongoing series of about twenty books now all involve Israeli Mossad spy Gabriel Allon. Silva’s books are a bit formulaic, but he often incorporates real world events into the story and he has a conciseness to his writing style that I try to emulate in my writing. At this point in my development as a writer, being compared to Silva would probably make my day as I’m not yet at the “master writer” level of a Pears, Mitchell or Murakami. I aspire to get that good, though.

What did you learn over the course of writing First Second Comings that you wish you had known before you started?

Good question. I was learning the craft while I wrote, so I suppose the short answer is “everything.” I attended writers conferences, participated in critique groups, did online courses and researched answers to the “how to” things that came up. If there’s one thing that stands out that I didn’t learn but instead experienced, it’s getting so close to your characters that they actually talk to you unbidden (in your head) while you write. The first time my female main character, Brendali Santamaria, started talking to me I pretty much freaked out. I wasn’t expecting that and didn’t know this is a fairly common occurrence in the writing world. She’d tell me what was actually going on in the story, as differentiated from what my outline said was happening. I enjoyed hearing from her before long. Her romance with Ram Forrester, for example, wasn’t something I had planned to include in the story – but it happened and is now a major piece of First Second Coming.

Do you have a regular writing routine? If you do, what does it look like?

I do now, yes, but while writing most of First Second Coming I’d write as time allowed, around my work and family obligations. Now, as a retiree and empty-nester, I have plenty of free time. I do most of my work in the morning, from about 5:30 to 11:30, taking breaks for exercise and to get showered and dressed. In the afternoons I’ll hike for an hour or so, do any errands or chores that need doing, and write or edit as time permits. I don’t write in the evening, leaving that time for reading or other leisurely pursuits.

Do you have a plan in mind for your next book?

I’ve begun writing the second book in the “New God” series, or to put it another way, the sequel to First Second Coming. I’m also doing research for it and writing a novel that will be a spin-off from the series but not part of it. All those things – the two novels and the research – are in the start-up stages. I hope to have a first draft done on at least one of the two novels by year end.

Thanks so much Jeff, for taking the time to talk to me. Now, onto the all important blurb!

BLURB:

In 2027 the deity known as NTG – short for New Testament God – retires after more than two thousand years of minding the store for his employer, Milky Way Galaxy, Inc. The new god, a planetary turnaround specialist, must decide whether the Earth’s dominant species should or should not be included in his plan to bring the planet back into full compliance with Milky Way Galaxy, Inc.’s planetary operation standards.

Earth’s new God introduces himself to humanity by unexpectedly appearing on the Ram Forrester Hour talk show. Ram, an atheist, and co-host Brendali Santamaris, a devout Catholic, are stunned. God’s interview, beamed worldwide, shocks and infuriates viewers. They learn that a sixty-day conference will take place in Los Angeles to determine whether humans are capable of helping him implement his planetary turnaround plan. All that those in attendance must do to assure that mankind earns a coveted spot in this God’s good graces is eliminate religious violence forever, without his heavenly help, before the conference ends. Failure means extinction.

God designates Ram and Bren as the conference’s only authorized media reporters. This assignment, fraught with peril, ignites their romance. Not only must the harried couple attend the conference meetings by day and do their show at night, they must also outwit a group of religious fanatics bent on killing them. When conflicts with the conference intensify, it’s up to Ram and Bren to do whatever it takes to protect their budding romance and assure mankind’s survival.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jeff Pollak, the author of First Second Coming and sequels to come, was raised in the Riverdale section of the Bronx by a single mom and two grandparents who lived eight floors up. After graduating from college in Buffalo, Jeff headed west to Los Angeles for law school and spent his entire legal career in and around civil litigation. Now retired, writing fiction is Jeff’s new passion.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Goodreads

Website

Twitter

Thanks again Jeff, for taking the time to talk to me. I think this sounds like a fascinating book and I am very much looking forward to reading it.

Join me for a virtual chat with @jspollak author of First Second Comings #bookblogger #q&a #meettheauthor #fantasy #supernatural #suspense #romance #fictioncafewriters #spoonshortagebookclub First Second Coming, the debut fantasy/supernatural/romance/suspense novel by Jeff Pollak, was released on 1st August. Prior to it's release, I sat down for a virtual chat with Jeff, and I am delighted to be able to share this with you all today.

#@jspollak #fantasy #Meet the Author #q&a #romance #supernatural #suspense

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