1-small-world

[1-small-world]

The fact that The Hobbit is such a lighthearted family-friendly book, especially when compared to LOTR, actually breaks my heart when you consider that it is Bilbo’s writing. That journey was anything but a fun trip for him. He went through real dangers and horrifying moments. He saw violence for the first time. At the end of it, he lost his love. And he went home traumatized, heartbroken, and forever changed.

Yet when he wrote the story down, he emphasized the more successful and fun parts, and glossed over the depth of his pain and grief when the losses happened (even leaving Fíli and Kíli’s deaths to a throwaway line.)

Because what else could he have done? Nobody else could possibly understand his pain. Bilbo wasn’t like Frodo. He didn’t have a Sam who he shared the experience with and could talk to about it every day afterward, to help him work through writing down the details of the darker parts of the story. And his other friends lived far away and could only visit occasionally.

And the hobbit children were all full of wonder about Elves and dwarves and trolls, so he put the focus on that.

I feel like that was his way of dealing with his trauma.

[1-small-world]

I don't know if this was obvious to everyone else, but I just realised that one of the reasons why the Hobbit is so effective as a children's book is that while Bilbo is an adult, the skills that make him a hero are all those of a child.

By human standards he's child-sized, which makes him unobtrusive and light on his feet. He can slip by unnoticed where bigger people can't.

He's good at playing games, and even cheats (successfully!) in a way that - let's face it - is not so different to how children try to cheat at games. He's polite in a way that's fully comprehensible to children (rather than, say, being able to perform courtly manners). He's quick-witted, but the trick of keeping the trolls talking is also one that would be achievable for a child.

He doesn't have magic powers, he's not a great fighter, and he's not some kind of Chosen One. There's not much that he does that couldn't be done by a ten-year-old, but the story shows just how valuable all those skills and traits are. It's very empowering.

[1-small-world]

“But now that you tell me more about him; he sounds like a swell guy! Much better than all of them other brothers knocking about, that’s for sure. Now, let’s head to my Crab Shack and I’ll cook us up some Cal Amoré, and show you just why they call me Shrimply Irresistible on these old Lindon shores!”

Couldn’t find my giant pencil so enjoy a pen sketch of my “Maglor during his wandering by the sea years but less sad seaweed soul and more “incredibly tanned older dude you meet at the local surf pub who has circumnavigated the globe in a kayak and needs you to hear about it” headcanon from earlier this evening 😇

[1-small-world]

Listen, I understand the whole Figwit phenomenon but my question as someone who joined the fandom relatively late is this: did you guys have the same energy for this guy at Aragorn’s Coronation? Or did everyone, like me, just assume this was proto-Glorfindel?

I think of this guy like. Once a day. He is my Roman Empire. Who is he meant to be? Why does he look like the Giga-chad meme? Is it meant to be Glorfindel? Because only if he is Glorfindel would the amount of sheer fucking BALLS this guy has make sense. Why balls?

Imagine you are at an event where your liege lord is publicly losing his daughter. A loss he has, in this filmic universe, spent years moping about and sulking over. And what’s more, at said event you’re standing close enough to him that your assholes are roommates. He’s basically turning fifty shades of elf-colour, sweating, shaking, throwing up, screaming and crying, a manifestation of the clenched fist Arthur meme and you’re standing close enough to smell the tears. And you just stand there looking like a smug little fucker for no reason whatsoever.

Like look at the man. The balls he must have. If Elrond turned around it would have been game fucking over. He would have been Celebrim-wedding-bannered in two seconds. His hair mismatches his brows so badly that I even think he may have dyed them on purpose to match Elrond for peak trolling levels. This is Glorfindel to me. I don’t care who he’s meant to be. He is Glorfindel. Nobody aside from the reincarnation of the guy who saved your dad’s toddler ass from a Balrog would ever get away with standing at what to you is your daughter’s advance state funeral and just grinning away like:

[1-small-world]

When other people talk about the lost potential or the tragedy of what the sons of Fëanor could have been in another world, they picture noble monarchs, tender family men, renowned craftsmen. When I wax poetic about the tragic lost potential of the sons of Fëanor, I’m talking about International Cock or Ball.

You probably have not have heard of International Cock or Ball, and understandably assume it involves showing a photo of a bit of skin and chanting “is it cock or is it ball?” That is not what I am talking about, though that is a variant. No, I mean how when I was doing my undergrad, there were two guys in my friend group who took International Cock or Ball to new and inspiring heights, made it a social experiment: spent their 3 years at university convincing friends, strangers, tutors and parents that “International Cock or Ball” was a historical drinking game widely played at every party. The rules of this “game” involved the entire group of players standing in a circle, holding hands, one by one downing their drinks as the rest of the group chanted: 🎶 INTERNATIONAL COCK OR BALL, IS IT COCK OR IS IT BALL? 🎶 to the tune of Ring of Fire. Nothing else. That was it.

This was, for lack of doubt, not a widely played game. That was what the International Cock or Ball Project was about. Convincing people that not only did such a game exist in such a form, but that it was commonly played, to the point not-knowing it was proof you lived under a rock. And it worked. My god, did it work. By the time we graduated, not only was International Cock or Ball common knowledge at our university, it was even played at large public gatherings, like sports socials. Nobody would admit they didn’t know what it was. One of my most deranged memories involves International Cock or Ball being played at my graduation ball, where the Director of Education at this large, old-fashioned, elitist university, was part of the circle, singing along. And all this, the brainchild of two men who had incredible skills of persuasion, a screw loose in their minds, and a dream.

I suppose what I’m trying to say here is this.

RIP Celegorm and Curufin. Rest in Peace, my loves. In another world, you would have loved playing International Cock or Ball in Doriath, hand in hand with Thingol and Beren.

[1-small-world]

Fucking hilarious that after the helcaraxe everyone is so at odds with the Feanorians, even after Maedhros is rescued through the power of Fingon and divine intervention only he and Maglor are able to interact with the other princes without horrible insults getting thrown around, etc, and Aredhel is just. So chill. Her sister in law died on the journey, and she’s out here like “yeah Celegorm is my best friend. Honestly all five of the younger feanorian brothers fucking rule. no the ice didn't change that at all. Yes I know no one likes them. Celegorm being a dick is a part of our friendship. You wouldn’t understand.”

[1-small-world]

When Elrond and Elros are sent away/released to Gil-Galad’s camp, Gil-Galad is concerned that they might try to maneuver for the throne. (Even if he is Fingon’s son, someone capable of uniting the Noldor and the Sindar into one kingdom would have a lot of clout. If Gil-Galad is not Fingon’s son, the twins are ahead of him in the succession.)

He’s really surprised when Elrond’s opinion about being king is “LOL no I don’t want to die.”

The evidence that kings die is pretty strong: High King Finwe, High King Feanor, High King Fingolfin, King Finrod of Nargothrond, High King Fingon, King Orodreth of Nargothrond, High King Turgon, King Elu Thingol of Doriath, King Dior of Doriath.

Evidence that not being king can keep you alive: Tuor, Earendil, Cirdan, Celeborn of Doriath, Maglor who gave the throne back to Maedhros, Maedhros who also gave the throne away and is still alive at this point

Elros doesn’t actually disagree with the premise that kings die; he just found a loophole out of getting killed, which is the scary part, by choosing Men.

Gil-Galad starts to wonder if letting small children be raised by mass murderers was such a good idea after all, but on the plus side there’s not about to be a civil war.

[1-small-world]

Hot Takes and Conspiracy Theories About the Silm by Fourth Age Gondorians

(this post stemmed from the idea of the Silm as a part of some very ancient manuscripts Tolkien was just translating, and how it may compare to real world epics like Edda - stories that may have started as poems and songs written down centuries after the fact in a completely different mode and by someone with very different cultural background than the original context of the poems and possibly with motives about promoting himself or his ancestors. so what if this was how Fourth Age Gondorians regarded the Silm as well and had schools of thought and self-taught enthusiasts debating what the stories actually mean? what kind of takes would they come up with?)

The Two Trees

Valinor did not have some special light-emanating trees and they did not actually die, it's just a nature myth that metaphorically talks about a period when the sky literally darkened; this was caused by some unknown natural disaster (like the explosion of a supervolcano).

references to Tree-light and Elves being enhanced by it is just Noldorin propaganda. 

The Silmarils were not real. At least not as they are portrayed in the Silm. 

there are various theories as to what they really were (religious artifacts? some mandate of rulership? just really pretty jewels and everybody exaggerated how special they were? some kind of a super weapon?), but also more philosophical suggestions that the Silmarils are the elements of air, water and earth itself (hint hint that's why they eventually become part of these), and the struggle over them represents the struggle over rulership of Beleriand/Middle-earth. that in the end the Silmarils aren't really possessed by anyone reflects how all kingdoms eventually fall and nobody under Eru can be a master of the world. 

Fëanor was not a real guy and the sons of Fëanor were not actually related to one another.

like who even is that great and perfect?

he's probably just some kind of a bogeyman made up by the Sindar

did anyone in Beleriand ever even see him? CONVENIENT that he spontaneously combusted almost immediately after he came to Beleriand

also who names their kid "the spirit of fire"??? what if it's not a personal name of any elf but more like a title? or a name associated with some entity that had religious following in Valinor?

there's a clue to this in how Fëanor's supposed sons are mostly referred to as "the sons of Fëanor" or "Fëanorians": it bears thinking that they were not actually related to one another, but "Fëanorian" was a title in a same way that "Fëanor" was a title. It doesn't mean an ACTUAL son to a guy named Fëanor but a devotee to whatever the entity or title named Fëanor represented. 

(they couldn't be real brothers because there just can't be that many hair colours in one family.)

MAYBE FËANORIANS WERE SOME KIND OF A CULT

it was probably some kind of a death cult obsessed with blood and murder, considering their body count 

also because of this they were kicked out of Valinor and all stories about how they WANTED to leave are propaganda. 

Celeborn was at least three or four different guys.

How else do you explain the different versions about who he was?

the one who fathered Celebrían was Galadriel's real true love, but he died in obscure circumstances

this theory you don't really want to talk about much, because you don't want to insult Queen Arwen. Also the current Celeborn may come after you. 

Beren did not actually die and come back

his first death is a symbolic one: he had been estranged from his relatives and people, but by marrying Lúthien he completely leaves behind that life and "dies" as a member of the House of Bëor to become a part of the House of Elwe

he did not come again among Men after marrying Lúthien, in other words he was dead to his original society

the sequence in Mandos where Lúthien pleads for pity was originally a description of a courting scene that got bastardised along the way; she had to go to the remaining members of the House of Bëor and ask for Beren's hand in marriage. They would not agree unless Beren gave up his claim to the title of chieftain, i. e. he has symbolically died. 

Melian was actually Ungoliant

that's why Doriath lasted so long, Morgoth was still scared shitless of her and didn't dare go anywhere near her

Nan Dunghortheb was literally her backyard!!!

why else Lúthien would be able to weave weird dream cloaks???

Húan wasn't a dog, he was an Elf

the idea that he was a dog came from: 

he was the best tracker in Aman, so in Beleriand he was called "The Hound of Valinor". Later generations thought this literally meant he was a dog.  

whoever wrote down the legends about him was a wishful idiot who loved dogs and wanted them to be able to talk (understandable)

Something Weird Was Going On With Maeglin

aside from the obvious, of course

were Aredhel and Eöl really his parents though? was Aredhel even married to Eöl? 

maybe Maeglin was a thrall of Morgoth, or was born in captivity and brainwashed to be loyal, and his task from the beginning was to bring Gondolin down

Aredhel did leave Gondolin like the Silm says, but stuff did not go down like the story tells. 

-during her wanderings, Aredhel somehow found Maeglin and saw him as her shot to stage a coup in Gondolin by claiming he was her son (and male heir for the kingdom). Eöl never existed. Or if he did, he was a random guy Aredhel met and used to her own ends. 

Turgon found out about Aredhel's plans (but not about Maeglin) and he was the one who actually killed her.

maybe she was a Fëanorian cult member in secret and was trying to take over Gondolin for them

Túrin son of Húrin, Mormegil, Turambar and the other aliases associated with The Children of Húrin were actually all different guys

nobody can get up to that much weird shit

the real Túrin probably died in Doriath and Melian covered it up

Elured and Elurin survived. They changed their names and became Elrond and Elros. 

Maglor is the Bigfoot of Middle-earth. There is a dedicated fanclub that keeps track of sightings (which are as obscure and bonkers as you could imagine). 

if you subscribe to "Fëanorians were a death cult" theory, then Maglor is actually an ominous cryptid that foretells misfortunes. 

Thingol is alive and lives as a hermit somewhere in Mirkwood.

Thranduil is aware of it and in fact he has helped to keep it secret all this time.

There are also hot takes about Eärendil and Elwing and whether they were real people. 

Eärendil is a half-elf, actual Star and God's favourite little guy. He has a flying ship and travels in space. He keeps an eye on Satan himself. His birth was foretold, he fought and killed the biggest dragon in history in a massive air battle that caused an entire mountain to collapse, and he may have killed Ungoliant. No real person is that special. 

Elwing wouldn't do what bunch of men (who were maybe in a death cult) told her, she's obviously a villain if she existed. She can't die (was directly prevented by divine powers when she tried to) and chose to be immortal. Also being God's favourite little gal and having the ability to turn into a bird? Very suspicious. 

Silmarien and her descendants were the true heirs of Númenor and if they had ruled, Númenor would still exist

the ruling line had many problematic characters that were not well suited to the role

it also culminated in Ar-Pharazon and all the tragedy that his actions brought

Silmarien inherited some of the most important heirlooms from the First Age, which proves that even her father thought she was the true heir

also Silmarien's descendants survived to maintain was what left of the culture and wisdom of Númenor; further proof of Silmarien's right.

[1-small-world]

[1-small-world]

tibetan inspired fingon wearing a pulu chuba, jade, turquoise, and amber jewelry, a red wool hair accessory, and his golden braids.

my other practices: pasifika círdan | kyrgyz dís

[1-small-world]

Important Oaths

Feanor & Sons: swear to pursue anyone who has a Silmaril

Finrod: swears to help Barahir and his family

Gollum: swears to fall into lava if he tries to steal the ring

Sam: swears to throw self into lava if Frodo requests it

Turin: swears not to knowingly sleep with his sister

Eowyn: swears to stay behind, but oaths don’t count for your secret alter ego, Durnhelm…

[1-small-world]

Some practice with Eowyn

[1-small-world]

Anyone else think about the Bragollach and Maedhros actually seeing the Gap up in flames? Barely able to command his fortress between panic attacks because he doesn't know if Maglor is alive or dead or (gods forbid) captured. He thinks of his precious baby brother in the hands of Morgoth and Gorthaur and he can't breathe, he can't see, his heart is going to burst from his chest if he doesn't tear it out himself.

Then what is left of Maglor's cavalry arrives, Maglor burned and coughing black phlegm but alive and safe and Maedhros hugs him so hard his bones creak and he doesn't ever want to let go.

Because i do 😢

[1-small-world]

Feanor and Fingolfin accepting Maitimo and Fingon dating, not because they approve, but because Feanor said Maitimo is too good for Fingon and Fingolfin said Fingon is too good for Maitimo. This offends their half-brother so now they let them date out of spite to prove to the other their son is the better lover.

Feanor smuggly checking his nails as he brags how Nelyo forged a beautiful piece that Fingon never takes off and planned a beautiful heartfelt date by the beach. His Nelyo is a provider and a skilled one at that 💅🏽

Fingolfin bragging that Fingon wrote Maitimo a love ballad that made the whole city weep AND brought Maitimo a bouquet of roses bigger than Feanor's ego. His son is a true romantic 💐

The boys are just happy they get to smooch at family dinners 💙❤️ (even if it is kinda awkward to hear their dads argue who does it better)

[1-small-world]

yavanna, giver of fruits and nienna, lady of mercy

[1-small-world]

hi!!! I wanted to create something for TSAW by @arwenindomiel, so here’s my interpretation of a South Indian Luthien!! This is actually an idea I’ve wanted to do for years now! The attire is very inspired by the designs in Ponniyin Selvan, and Luthien here is actually based on myself, from a picture taken during my Bharatanatyam arangetram!

"The leaves were long, the grass was green,

The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,

And in the glade a light was seen

Of stars in shadow shimmering.

Tinuviel was dancing there

To music of a pipe unseen,

And light of stars was in her hair,

And in her raiment glimmering.

There Beren came from mountains cold.

And lost he wandered under leaves,

And where the Elven-river rolled

He walked alone and sorrowing.

He peered between the hemlock-leaves

And saw in wonder flowers of gold

Upon her mantle and her sleeves,

And her hair like shadow following.

[1-small-world]

Just two princes of the Noldor, enjoying the treelight (and each other) 💕

Only thing I have for @russingon-week , but at least this old wip is done now.