#I met an actor from LOTR

[thesolarangel]

💜🌝🔥for your ask game!

Thank you for asking! ❤️

💜 describe yourself in five words or less!

Creative, loyal, empath, resourceful, kind

🔥 craziest thing that’s ever happened to you

Hmm idk... The only thing that comes to mind is how I spontaneously met Jed Brophy after the LOTR soundtrack concert. We didn't know he would be the host! At the end of the concert he announced that he was staying a while and giving autographs and taking pics with fans so I very nervously went up to him and got both ❤️ so exciting! Such a funny and great guy!

🌝 a show you would recommend to anyone

Parks and Recreation? Idk there are so many shows, but this is one of my all time favs!

Ask game

[oblivionscribe]

I love Dragon Age so much. I'm slowly collecting all the books and comics. I have a DA tattoo that I plan to make an entire sleeve (it's Grey Warden armor but I have the templar shield inside because I made choices and nobody was there to tell me no lmao). I love talking about Dragon Age. I met the love of my life here on Tumblr because we were geeking out over our OCs.

I played Origins shortly after it's release. I had been in a pedestrian/motor vehicle accident and was housebound for a long time as I regained the ability to walk. I was already a big fan of high fantasy and I loved reading all the codex entries. The lore of the series is lovely despite some things not being explained which I hope we get some answers in Veilguard or related content. I love Dragon Age 2 - the companions were amazing and I loved the being a sassy little shit. Inquisition opened up the world to explore, something I hoped for, but was a bit disappointed with how empty the world was. You could definitely tell some areas were kind of meh with how little there was to it. I hope this is balanced in Veilguard where we get a mix of DA2 and Inquisition. I know the series has its issues, especially with certain voice actors being douchewaffles and certain fan groups that are ravenous and toxic. It's a stain on the fans and the series but on the whole, the world is amazing and I love learning more about it. I'm so excited to go to new areas and all the NEW LORE to ponder and over-think about. All the new discussions we'll have like some big symposium. I know some people are upset that it isn't as intense as Baldur's Gate 3 but the series has never been that intense, perhaps Origins because it was obvious there was some inspiration from the LotR series (listen to the LotR OST and then Origins OST). And it's okay to feel that way, BG3 flipped the table on RPG expectations and is an amazing game, sometimes we grow apart from series (I was big into Mass Effect but after I learned Andromeda, my favorite entry tied with ME2, wasn't getting a sequel I got real meh about it. I still love it but Dragon Age will likely be my favorite BioWare IP if not my favorite video game IP. Ugh, it's gross how much I love this series I'll be screwed if GoodSmiles makes a line of Dragon Age Nendos because I'll have to get them. I can't wait to import my Inquisitor and make him the old man he's supposed to be. And I love talking about OCs! Andraste's tits, y'all make such great OCs and I love it when people commission me to draw them and I get to learn so much about them. I'm nervous as fuck that I'll make some really regretable decisions my first run of Veilguard but we will endure this together TwT Anyway, I'm done talking, thanks for reading this if you did TL;DR : It's me, Bobo the Clown, simp for all things Dragon Age

[buffyfan145]

Finished "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart" and so happy with how this adaption came out!!! :D The cast were all amazing and the ending was so good too. I did miss one thing about it knowing how the book ended, but everything else was there and I actually cried during a few scenes. More spoilers will be behind a cut but also I loved that scene of the book June made and gave to Alice and it had baby/childhood pictures and everyone's story, including an actual baby photo of Charlie Vickers!!! :D Was surprised to see that and I shouldn't be surprised he was an adorable baby, so that was nice to see him and the cast actually use their own photos for that scene with the book. Also including a paragraph about how this miniseries again is a great preview of how Charlie will be as Sauron in season 2 and beyond of "Rings of Power". But again so happy with this and the did so well with it.

I cried multiple times first when Alice finally got away from Dylan and reunited with June and Twig. Then again when she finally met her little brother Charlie!!! It hit close to home for me as my little brother is one of my best friends and I can't imagine my life without him in it. So happy the siblings got that and Alice finally knows the truth about everything including her sister Gemma, and having Sally and John as well as Candy and Twig in her life now (and she kept the dog, but if I'm remembering right I think John died in the book so I'm glad they changed that). Then I cried again after June died and that letter she left her making amends and how much she did love her. I lost one of my grandmothers earlier this year so it brought that back for me too, and my other one is sickly with dementia too, so it was emotional.

That brings me to the part the show didn't have at the end and how it took another time jump revealing that Alice became an author and one of her books was about her past and to help other survivors of domestic violence. The show's ending alluded to it and that she was going to do it but the book actually revealed it and that she stayed close with her brother and the Morgans too.

Then for us Charlie Vickers fans the LOTR show "The Rings of Power" picked the perfect actor to play Sauron as we got another flashback here too and how could easily switch from normal to violent like that, and almost having two personalities. Also getting the reveal that Agnes was the one who killed Clem not Alice. Then Alice revealed to her brother Charlie that their dad wasn't always bad and had good in him, especially with his artist abilities. It seemed so similar to something Galadriel's daughter Celebrian would say in one of our fics where Sauron/Halbrand is her biological father. I'm really looking forward to seeing Charlie fully as Sauron now and this felt like a great preview for it.

Really hope they submit this show for some awards. It being from Australia it'll mostly be there but could get some Emmy noms, especially for their international Emmy Awards which is separate from the main US one.

[madlori]

[from Dear Prudence, 10/5/17]

Dear Prudence, I’ve known my friend “B” for around five years. We met as students and had a wonderful companionship through school and still remain close. The only problem is her escalating interest in the cast of a television show, particularly one male actor. It began with a minor interest in the show while we were students. She was going through a rough time personally and began watching; over the years, she has become so obsessed with one of the lead actors that she now spends thousands of dollars to go to conventions across the country, attends related events, and generally finds reasons to be in his neighborhood. They have “coincidentally” met several times, and he was rude to her on multiple occasions. This is only a fraction of what B has done to research, stalk, and meet this actor, who is twice her age. He now recognizes her.

I’ve never spoken to her about how I feel although the whole thing creeps me out. Now she has a group of friends that she met online, and they are all intensely involved in the “fandom,” too. When I have met them, they only discussed said actor, who most recently saw him, and what’s happening in their online community. Many of her pre-fandom friends are ghosting her, including her closest friend from childhood, and I’m considering doing the same. Others have told B that her behavior is odd, and she has responded with anger. Should I tell her that this is why her other friends have stopped speaking to her? (She is completely unaware of the reason they dropped out of her life.) Or should I avoid the confrontation and fade out as well?

—Caught Up in Fandom

Your friend B’s behavior isn’t odd, it’s worrying and dangerous. Having a significant interest in a particular show, or spending a lot of time thinking about celebrities, is harmlessly odd, in much the same way that getting really into any hobby or pastime is a little odd but ultimately rewarding for the enthusiast. What you’re describing—stalking an actor to the point of immediate recognition, the fact that he clearly does not like running into her, turning on friends who don’t share her all-consuming interest in the object of her affections, an apparent inability to recognize her own behavior as socially inappropriate—is highly distressing, and since you’re already on the verge of giving up your friendship with her, you have nothing to lose by telling her the truth. You already know that her immediate response is likely to be anger, so prepare yourself for that outcome and say it anyway. Tell her that you care about her, that you value her friendship, that the change you’ve seen in her over the last few years has worried you profoundly, that you’ve seen her react to gentle criticism with defensiveness and anger, that she’s lost friendships over her all-consuming obsession with this actor and recentered her social life around people who validate and support her stalking, and that you’re worried about her and want her to seek help to make better choices. If she decides not to take your advice and stops speaking to you, you’ve lost nothing, and at least you’ll know that at least once, someone tried to reflect reality and truth to her. I wish both of you the best.

---

Okay, raise your hand if you immediately thought of like six different people this could be about.

And then started wondering who the actor is. My guess is a) Mads Mikkelsen, b) one of the LotR guys, c) Benedict or d) Jensen Ackles.

[photogirl894]

Man, you guys, FanX Comic Con was seriously the greatest! Definitely an experience I'll never forget! 🥰💜 I had so much fun and got to meet some celebrities that I had been so excited to see! A couple of them were some of the best encounters I've ever experienced! I want to share some of the photos I got and tell my favorite parts of the weekend, so I'm gonna put it under the cut cuz it'll probably be long 😅

THURSDAY:

We got there that night and got to see Zachary Levi (Tangled, Shazam) perform his first ever concert, which was freaking amazing! I really hope he continues to do more music cuz he's such a great singer! We got to take pictures with him afterwards cuz we'd bought premium tickets for that. He told me he liked my eye makeup, too 🥰 (He has a black eye cuz he'd fallen and busted his face earlier that day 😫)

FRIDAY:

That was when I wore my Merida cosplay and I had a few people actually ask to take pictures with me, which was sweet 😊 A lot of them, of course, were with some younger girls. I loved it!

Sadly, the Mandalorian armor my husband spent a lot of time making wasn't staying together before we went, so he had to leave it, but he kept the helmet at least! We got a picture of it all together, though. (Though he later admitted it was probably good he didn't wear it cuz he figured he would've died from how hot he would've been in it)

We got photo ops with Ashley Eckstein and Katee Sackhoff, which were pretty cool! They both told me I made an amazing Merida and my husband told Katee "This is the Way" and she said it back 😆

I got an autograph from Jim Cummings and he also recorded a personal voice message for me in both voices of Winnie the Pooh AND Tigger 🥰 (and I'd only asked for Pooh) It seriously made me cry when I listened to it cuz Pooh Bear is my whole childhood and hearing his voice say my name was just amazing! 🥹

Then...this was the best part of the whole day (more like the whole weekend)...I got to meet John Rhys-Davies from Lord of the Rings!! 🥰😆 He's one of my favorite actors of all time (and the reason I wanted to go to FanX in the first place) First of all, we get up to the table, he says hello to me with a big smile, my husband takes his helmet off and John goes, "Oh no, put it back on!" We busted up laughing and he did, too. I gave him my copy of "Fellowship of the Ring" (the book) to sign and I told him how LotR has influenced much of my life and he's one of my favorite actors ever and he said I was very kind. Then, no joke, we go to take the pictures, he puts his arms around us and says, "All right, no fooling around, this is a serious picture" and then proceeded to TICKLE US!!!! 😆😆 He tickled us and then looked down at me as I was laughing and said, "Behave!" It was so unexpected and funny! Then after a minute, he turns to my hubby and says, "Now you, go over there", nudged him to the side and then turned and hugged me! I can't even tell you how happy I was!! 🥹 I told him that made my day and he hugged me even tighter! I'm not even kidding, I don't think any other celebrity encounter will ever top this! It was fun, sweet and funny; everything I wanted and more from the one person I wanted to meet the most! I loved John Rhys-Davies so much before and now, having met him in person, I love him even more now 🥰💜 This was literally a dream come true!!

SATURDAY:

I wore my Bad Batch getup as well as some new Lego Hunter earrings I bought the previous day 🥰

Got to go to the Star Wars panel they had with Daniel Logan, Carey Jones, Katee Sackhoff and Gina Carano and man, they were so fun and funny!

I got in line to ask a question and was literally TWO people away from the front of the line when they had to end the panel 😝 But that was okay cuz my question would've been for Daniel, so I just went to his booth later and asked him there! So I got to meet young Boba Fett himself, too! 😊 I asked him, "How often do you keep in touch with Temeura Morrison?" His answer: "Never. I hate that guy. He stole my character!" 🤣🤣 Then he told me they keep in touch often, Tem is very much his dad and they're probably gonna start doing cons together! "Once I get his ass off the island and back to the States," he added 🤣🤣 He was awesome to talk to and I'm so glad I ended up going to see him, cuz I didn't originally plan to. I was the last one in his line for a little bit, so I got to talk to him for a while. He was so sweet! He also appreciated my Bad Batch outfit, which I knew he would since I know he loves the show! We both agreed we can't wait for season 3! Then his autograph was so nice, too! He took the time to do the drawing for me and even left a kind little message. Then when I went for the picture, he said, "Come here and give me a hug!" 😊 He was absolutely delightful!!

We saw a lot of fun cosplay, got some fun merch and overall, just had an amazing time! I really hope to get to go again next year and I look forward to seeing what celebrity guests they get next time 💜

[meginator]

2023 - thanks for the growth!

The refreshing part about this time of year is looking back. I write everything down in my calendar throughout the year, then at the end, it's like a little summary in the palm of my hands. Would you like to join me in looking back?

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

Spring

At the start of the year I was rather hopeful with a few new friends by my side, but unfortunately they didn't end up being the friends I thought they were. One of these friends even became my roomie for awhile, but that crashed and burned in less than a month with the police involved and everything. Lucky me.

After that fiasco I got even closer with my other friends, the kind of friends who show up and make the time. On another positive note, I joined my Strata Council in February and became the President soon after. In April I celebrated owning my home for a year with free club seat tickets to the Canucks game along with a gift card from my boss, go Canucks go!

Summer

My summer was spent working 6 day weeks between two jobs, having a few more shitty dates, and getting way too many blood tests. However, it wasn't all bad! I got to explore Whistler a few times, go to the Airshow with my family, travel to Ontario to visit my second cousins, and finally feel at home again in Harrison Hot Springs. It had been years since my grandma passed and our place at Harrison still didn't feel the same, but this year I brought a friend and I was able to find that connection once more. I miss my grandma, and I miss my grandad... but I cherish every moment now that I get to spend visiting my uncle because it no longer breaks my heart to be there.

Fall

This Fall I was still working 6 day weeks, but I did manage to visit Osoyoos for the weekend. Here I was able to rest and recoup, for a few days anyways. I got some edibles and topicals to help me relax AND I got a new ear piercing! I even managed to nap, how crazy is that?!

Having two jobs wasn't all bad though, I really enjoyed the experiences I've had with my catering crew. I even got to attend an award show this year and met some actors from Virgin River, the 100, and a few Hallmark films. Another cool event was hosted on a massive yacht, I want a yacht now.

October also pulled at my heart strings when I got to reunite with an old friend. It's amazing how much time can pass, but your feelings remain.

Winter

December has been a big one for me, as I'm a Sagittarius and this ol' gal turned 30 this year. It meant everything to me to be surrounded by friends & family on this memorable day. Last Friday my dad took me snowshoeing and then we met up with the rest of the fam jam for dinner. Then Saturday night I met up with 9 of my close friends for drinks and appies before we headed into downtown to party. I don't know how we did it, but we celebrated until 6am. We were straight wildin' out there! I am beyond grateful for my friends and family that made my celebration special, and I'm happy to say that I even met some boys. I know, how scandalous!

This month has more to come with Christmas events, but I am grateful for the year I've had so far... even if it was really testing me at times.

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

As I sit here listening to LOTR music, it reminds me how much of a journey life really is, and how it's supposed to be. This year I got a heartfelt reminder of how important it is to make time for loved ones. Between Ontario and Harrison I realized how grateful I am for everybody in my life, and how truly important it is to make the time.

Make. The. Time.

Another important message I got this year was health. I tried to focus on my fitness this year but it really took a back seat to stress, illness, and anxiety attacks. These are things that I will be working on in 2024. BALANCE IS KEY! I know this, and yet I failed. It's okay to fail, but you have to acknowledge it in order to make the necessary changes. Next year I hope to prioritize this more, because that's exactly what needs to happen.

Balance. Is. Key.

Through and through I can say that this year was challenging but also hopeful, and I can see my growth as I repeat situations and react differently. I'm still happy with who I am and where I'm headed.

Are you ready to start your next chapter?

[hollowwhisperings]

that awkward moment where you re-read a crack post only to find that you accidentally edited out the "crack" part.

i'm sorry hugo weaving: it's not your fault they used the character you played to make drama for "character growth". > _ <

additionally must i apologise to:

Fans of the Live-Action Adaptions, old and new, whose introductions to the Legendarium through said works has undoubtedly gifted us all with new friends to nerd out with.

Fans of the above who met the books first & nonetheless enjoyed the motion picture: adaptions allow us all to better analyze our own, personal readings of "canon" through new perspectives. The Legendarium's uses Adaption (in the form of "Translation" to ENG) as its Framing Device: contesting canonicity is Encouraged within the text itself (which paints itself as "unreliable").

Hugo Weaving, for acting the role as it was written for him (no matter my Opinions on Said Writing): apparently Aragorn & Arwen needed a Direct Antagonist to "grow" from.

the employees of Weta Workshop, who did incredibly meticulous work for Tolkien's Legendarium (& continue to do so).

Sir Christopher Lee, who fully conveyed the Might & Majesty of the Wizard Saruman and wielded fully his Greater Experience (with Tolkien's works, stabbing people & just ~generally~) for the bettterment of LOTR's production. The good Sir rests now in Valinor but is ever One Of Us.

Sir Ian McKellan, for his fearsome & canny portrayal of Middle-Earth's Most Persistent Busybody. He has ever been "Mellon" to Fans & Fandom.

Cate Blanchette, who embodied "Galadriel" in all her beautiful glory: she ascertained the power of the character, subtle and fearsome and ancient. Her Graceful Swooshing of The Big Swishy Sleeves prompted my younger self into gaining an interest in the films at all (& thus Those Books I Forgot I Had). If I ever successfully sit through all three films, I'd gladly argue for her place as an Honary "Great" of Chinese Fantasy Dramas (LOTR isn't xianxia but it certainly resembles it in some parts, at least with its Immortals).

Viggo Mortensen, whose castmates found in him a "Strider" worth following, and who has everafter provided the Tolkien Fandom with its very own Cryptid.

Kiran Shah, for whom we can thank wonders untold in the cinematic Legendarium, in his roles as Frodo and Stunt Actor for all four hobbits. Rightfully was he named "Lord of the Scale Doubles" by his castmates: his laurels are well deserved!

Shah's Fellow Doubles in the LOTR films¹, who have long shared in his obscurity: I have added Footnotes that name The IRL Fellowship in its entirety, as best I could ascertain (corrections welcomed!).

Sophia Nomvete, who suffered first and worst in the Racist Backlash against TROP (her image amongst the very first released in Amazon's Promotions): she is beautiful in the role, even in her beardlessness.

the remaining POC cast of TROP, in its first season & those upcoming: they trailblaze against everything set against them² and I collate them in hope that "Tokenism" become a thing of fable... but mostly because TROP has enough of Us in its cast them to make "namedropping" the work of a paragraph (to which i say: took you long enough, Hollywood).

Alex Tarrant & Kali Kopae: they, amongst others cast as "Numenoreans" in TROP, are the first Polynesian actors to star in Tolkien works with their own faces³. They carry with them the Weight of Legacies, fictional and truthful: may the writing do they & their characters justice.

every & anyone who sets the Legendarium to Song, its "truest" incarnation by a Watsonian's metric. yes, even those responsible for the whole "they're taking the hobbits to Isengard!" meme.

Footnotes below the cut: there I touch on Prejudice & Politick, as found throughout Tolkien works: Racism is the primary focus (Anti-Semitism is tied-therein, made "implicit" because This Is Tolkien afterall) though I make reference also to Ableism.

¹The IRL Fellowship of the Ring: Doubles & All

Frodo Baggins was played not only by Elijah Wood but by Kiran Shah, who doubly served as "Size" & "Stunt" Double for Wood.

Sam was played by Sean Astin (principal), Bhoja ‘BK’ Kannada (size) & Kiran Shah (stunts).

Merry by Dominic Monaghan (principal), Martin Lenisson Gray (size) & Kiran Shah (stunts).

Pippin by Billy Boyd (principal), Praphaphorn ‘Fon’ Chansantor (size) & Kiran Shah (stunts).

(Yes, Kiran Shah was apparently the stuntsman for all of the hobbits: finding this out required my reading of More Recent Journalism, as Wikis only credit their principal actors & size doubles in the roles, with Shah's stuntwork credited only generically in-film & in wikis)

Gimli was primarily played by Brett Beattie but, despite Some Effort from his colleagues to confer co-crediting, only John Rhys-Davies was named in main billing ("movie politics", apparently). Beattie was initially cast for stunt & scaling work, but soon became a full-time "stand-in" for much of principal photography (Davies was Infamously Allergic to the Gimli Prosthetics, which restricted how long he could work).

An Aside: I remain personally ??? at why the production bothered to cast anyone, only to give them a full-face of prosthetics. The prosthetic wig & facial hair? Yes: modern beauty standards made it unlikely that a "fully haired" actor would be found for the role. The prosthetic nose, forehead & [whatever else] too? Those served no narrative purpose save, perhaps, an idea that "dwarves should look Old and [conventionally] Unattractive". This is my conclusion upon recalling the general "effect" of Gimli's changed characterization in the films & PJ's Pointed Rejection of casting "little people" in principal roles to begin with.

Legolas was played by Orlando Bloom (principal), Paul Randall (size) & Morgan Evans (stunts). Though Evans was only credited as Legolas in Fellowship, given that the entire trilogy was shot together, it can be Assumed that Evans retained the role as theirs is the only name that came up.

Aragorn was played by Viggo Mortensen (principal), Paul Randall (size) & Kirk Maxwell (stunts).

Gandalf was played by Sir Ian McKellen (principal), Paul Randall (size) & Basil Chapham (stunts). Chapham was credited as a "riding double" (or otherwise under "stunts"). A photo exists of all three Gandalfs in costume together: it's adorable.

Boromir was played by Sean Bean (principal), Paul Randall (size) & Lance Louez (stunts).

Paul Randall did indeed play as Legolas, Aragorn, Gandalf AND Boromir. Though I could only found him specifically credited as Legolas, interviews & cast photos do indeed name him as a "Stand-In" for all four roles. At 7"1, Randall could be used to scale "Big Folk" into scenes with the principal hobbit actors.

²Hollywood Racism in Fantasy Film Casting: Watch This Space?

We all Cringed at the blatant yellow & brownface of the Live-Action "Avatar the Last Airbender" film. The author of the Wizard of Earthsea series has long battled for its primary protagonist, Ged, to look like himself on book covers: he came to adaptions "pre-whitewashed" (to the great frustration of his creator, writer Ursula K. Leguin).

While there is no Public Ado About TROP from its BIPOC cast, save their grace in the face of Racist Backlash, Amazon's making the series at all was inspired by the success of HBO's Game of Thrones. The nature of Streamed Media is something currently protested: actors & writers own nothing they make, can say nothing of their work nor on its reception, and this has yet to Change for the begger.

Those Aware of how GoT handled its canonically POC characters (the Dornish, the peoples of Essos & the Summer Islands) are likely Aware of its Incredulous Killing-Off of the only black woman in its primary cast (Missandei, adapted to screen as an adult woman). Missandei's actor, Nathalie Emmanuelle, has been Very Diplomatic in interviews on her experiences while filming & later watching the show.

Additional instances of how racism has affected more recent Big Budget Fantasy Productions, "internally" (through casting & writing choices) and "externally" (racist backlash against adaptions & actors) can be found in the Star Wars sequel trilogy (Disney) and the televisation of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" (Freemantle). Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico, SW) & John Boyega (Finn, SW) have spoken on their respective experiences with both (both went on to work on other Disney projects but Disney is its own Balrog) , while Orlando Jones has spoken of the racial discrimination within the production of American Gods.

The ongoing Writer's Strike is Informative on the limits of speech imposed on those working on Streamed Media such as TROP, writers & actors both. While TROP's 2nd season had already "wrapped" prior to the Strike, its production team & cast are still very much affected it: their speech is policed, by contractual obligations & self-preservation. Many of TROP's cast is "fresh": they do not have the clout to break convention, especially those acting as "trailblazing minorities" & whose continued employment is more vulnerable for it.

³The (Accidental) Diversity of the LOTR film trilogy & its (Deliberate) Othering of its BIPOC

PJ's films are sometimes joked as being (very long) tourism ads for New Zealand: the islands had been "cast" as Middle-Earth, something retained in pop culture ever since.

To fill out the wide landscapes of Middle-Earth required more cast than Hollywood could affordably export: thusly was casting opened to the local populace. This is how PJ's LOTR films' were made Accidentally Diverse.

Much of the Cavalry in the LOTR films (all those extras on horseback) were IRL Eowyns: the majority of the locals with the horsemanship the production required turned our to be female. Given that entirety of Eowyn's Plotline requires gender-exclusion in Rohan's armies? All those female riders in the background were "disguised" with beards.

Lesser known (certainly less publicised) is the quickness of the LOTR production in deciding which local New Zealanders would be cast & in what roles: a myth of whiteness in "New Zealand as Middle-Earth" was actively chosen at every opportunity.

Tolkien's Imperialist Guilt kicked in, eventually, for his depicting the Enthralled Armies of Sauron as... IRL peoples traditionally colonized (in many cases enslaved) by European Powers. He'd accidentally-on-purpose written "reverse racisn" into Middle-Earth. He'd also depicted & decribed orcs with much of the dehumanizing rhetoric used against peoples of African. This prompted both White & Catholic Guilt in his personal writings (...that never made it into printings of the Legendarium).

Decades later, when filming a big budget live-action adaption to Tolkien's Legendarium, the Production (Peter Jackson definitely included) decided that all their visually BIPOC extras should be cast exclusively as... Orcs and Foreign Invaders of Middle-Earth. Y'know: the very same Enthralled Armies of Sauron that had so troubled the Professor (very belatedly) for the Blatant Racism of it all.

Amongst those Visually BIPOC persons cast as Foreign Invaders? Just about everyone who was Maōri: Maōri, the very people native to "Middle-Earth", and a country that was very much colonized by European Powers (there were also some Attempted Conquest, though "there were no New Zealand Wars" was still the "historical canon" taught during LOTR's filming: mayhaps that explains how the Irony went unrealised).

I will note that it's been twenty-ish years & several more films yet we're still waiting on PJ to have his Belated "Crisis Of Conscience" RE: Racism. TROP, at least, cast its Maōri actors as Proper Numenorean Conquerors so... progress?

[seraphsfire]

things i did and didn’t like about rings of power (so you don’t have to watch it)

disclaimer: if you do want to watch it for whatever reason, please don’t pay for it, find a way to pirate it, don’t give jeff bezos any of your money. If you did really like it i totally respect that, i hope you enjoy it, these are just my personal opinions.

things i did like: 

the worldbuilding and set design is gorgeous, on par with the movies and i’d tentatively say the cgi is better than the hobbit trilogy. If that’s the kind of thing you’re interested in, i’d say it’s worth a watch. However, you’d probably waste less time by googling screenshots 

the dwarves are DELIGHTFUL. they’re a little different than Hobbit movie or Lotr dwarves, but they feel like Tolkien dwarves and they have a ton of personality and charisma. Disa is gorgeous and hilarious. And while she doesn’t have a beard, she does have sideburns that you couldn’t really see in the promo pics of her. (the dwarves don’t show up until episode 2 tho). They were probably my favorite part of the show so far.

The girl they cast to play Nori is super adorable and cute. The actors in general for the hobbits are very charming even if they look horrifically stinky and filthy. 

Morfydd clark doesn’t exactly feel or look like galadriel, but she does feel like an elf (unlike all the other elves in this show). If you forget she’s supposed to be galadriel she’s cool to watch even though the elves in this show are, in general, absurd. She’s clearly a good actor even though you can tell the directing on her part wasn’t great, there’s a lot of Very Dramatic squinting and Staring on her part and she has some ridiculous lines.

I actually really like the guy playing elrond. He also does feel like an elf and although he looks like a fancy hobbit, he’s the only one in the show i feel like is trying to be the character from the books he was cast as. If they did better stuff with his makeup and hair he could really be great. Idk maybe season 2 they’ll give him better hair or some Fenty diamond veil.

the elves’ (regular) costumes actually look a lot better on screen than they do in promo pics. Not super elfy, but enough of a fancy king-arthur feel for me to give it a pass. Much better than house of the dragon costumes (so far) or most of the non-important costumes in game of thrones.

things i didn’t like: 

hoo boy. 

i Mean i could go on and on about what the HELL were they thinking with the elves. Maybe not all the elves in the hobbit movies or lotr looked super elfy themselves (craig parker ily but you do look like A Dad) but the nasty looking short hair? 

neo-n@zi style undercuts?

 If they were going to do short hair they could have tried something. Idk. more romantic looking? or like cherub curls or soft floaty waves? there is so much hairspray in those elves’ hair. The ears are massive, thick and ugly looking. Their Token Diverse Elf guy is, other than galadriel’s brother, the only sort of unusual looking one to be passably cast as an elf but either he is a very bad actor or he was Very badly directed. His lines are awful. He’s supposed to be in love with this human chick but there is nothing about how they met, why they like each other, what they have in common, anything. No chemistry whatsoever. He’s also got a very stupid, plastic-looking costume. 

Also. They cast maybe the strangest oatmeal faced dudes they could find in britain as elves. What is this

The elves armor is very stupid looking. Plain plate armor that is a matte grey for some reason, which i assume was to give it a softer look but really just ended up looking like it was spray painted, same with the chain mail they have under the armor. 

so much of this show had me going “wait, WHAT? why is that happening?” i knew this was mostly made up and wouldn’t have a lot directly from the silm or appendicies, but just trying to understand it narratively was baffling. They reference all these things they never explain. 

Galadriel talks about all the people she lost that the orcs / morgoth took from her but all you get is a seconds long scene of her looking at her dead brother. None of these other multitudes of people she’s lost are mentioned. A lot of stuff happens like this, just some character being like “oh this happened so thats why i have Emotional Damage,” and just moving on without any explanation. No chance to really get to know the characters, apart from a little bit with galadriel and she has very little backstory other than being Full of Need For Revenge.

WHY ARE THE HOBBITS SO DIRTY. WHY.

they clearly know how to live off the land and build things, they’re not anywhere far away from water, but they are just COVERED with dirt and their hair is matted and absolutely nasty, their clothes are stained with sweat, their teeth are super yellow. they all look disgusting and i have no clue why. All the hobbits having an irish accent and there being a decent number of brown people among them unlike the elves or humans but them looking so gross feels Bad like a microaggression. but like i said in another post since I’m white and also not irish i feel like this isn’t something that’s my place to break down and discuss. The whole time they looked so gross that i was just cringing. They do act like hobbits tho. 

Just random plot threads and scenes that were so bizarre and cliche that they didn’t need to put in when there’s So much more interesting things to pull from in the appendicies. Sauron apparently leaves this Mark everywhere that looks like a trident and the elves just DON’T KNOW what it means. 

why is sauron marking his victims like a serial killer? Why are there orcs poisoning cattle? why the hell did bronwyn’s son find that orc sword / morgoth’s sword / sauron’s sword or whatever? These are plot threads that are obviously put in there to make it supposedly interesting, but they’re all overused tropes from other stuff that afaik aren’t related to/established by anything that happens in silm or lotr, while they could have used so many other interesting things from the text instead. It feels VERY geared towards like, 8-12 year olds, but way too slow for them. Some things they rushed through, while other scenes, especially dialogue scenes with the humans, just dragged on without really giving any interesting information or character development.

there was this whole scene with galadriel escaping a sea monster for some reason which didn’t make sense, i don’t see why we could have seen more of her backstory instead, but i mean peter jackson did that kind of thing pretty often in lotr and the hobbit so whatever. It wasn’t actually even that interesting of a fight and they didn’t even show more than a fin either which was kind of disappointing.

galadriel being a Girlboss full of Revenge. I guess there’s ways to do that that i could have believed but it’s just So dramatic i just kept grimacing the whole time. Since she’s the main character pretty much, this doesn’t help. Opening with her as a very dour looking child building a boat out of paper was a really strange choice.

the “diversity” being all talk and no substance. Wild to me that amazon went to all that trouble to toot their own horn about diversity and piss off the racists and then didn’t actually bother. Yeah there’s brown hobbits, and a few brown dwarves. Galadriel’s company that she commands is 100% white and male. I saw maybe one east asian person. The border guards where the love struck elf guy works are all men. The dwarves with speaking roles are men other than Disa.

it’s bizarre, it’s all over the place, the lines sound like generic fantasy rpg #28, only a couple of them were actually taken from the text, it’s a sausage fest, the elves suck. The dwarves are cool and the one thing that really feels like Tolkien in the whole show. The worldbuilding is pretty. The music is kind of nice but not really noticeable. It has very little resemblance to anything middle-earthy, it’s very juvenile, and very boring. anyway. That’s about it. 

[coe-lilium]

Copy-paste from this Reddit thread:

1. Potentially plot related:

Daniel Weymen (The Stranger/Meteor Man) said that his character had a "deep source of purpose,... a primal need". The character also seems to have very few lines. You may draw your own conclusion what that says about who he actually is.

Apparently the Harfoots' storyline is pretty isolated from the other storylines since they never met the cast from other sets (with maybe one exception?). The Stranger also apparently stayed with them, at least during the first season.

2. Cast/characters related:

The theatre/stage background of some of the actors (especially the actors of Celebrimbor, Elendil, Pharazon, The Stranger/Meteor Man) really shows. Their voices and the way they use their voices are just different, and it fits their characters well. Lloyd Owen (Elendil)'s voice, just wow! I want to listen to this man reading all of Tolkien's books.

Charles Edwards (Celebrimbor) is knowledgable about the lore. He not only knows the Tolkien books, but also what Christopher said about his dad's work. He became a big fan of Tolkien from a very young age, he would copy the Elvish script, he even wrote his own LOTR play (he has a deep background in Shakespeare)! I feel like he's a great pick for a complex and tragic character like Celebrimbor, even though his appearance may not match people's imagination.

Robert Aramayo (Elrond) started out not knowing that much about the lore (he didn't know the First Age stuff), but after he got the role, he started reading everything to the extent that people on set would consider him a sort of expert. I really liked his motivation for doing this: he said that he felt Elrond would eventually become such an accomplished lore-master that he had to read a ton of Tolkien lore to become the Elrond he plays.

Trystan Gravelle (Pharazon) has a great grasp of the lore. His explanation of Numenor's politics and what mortality means for Numenoreans and how Pharazon fits into all this told me that Pharazon is in safe hands.

Lloyd Owen (Elendil) also gave a nice explanation of Numenor's history. He also made a great meta joke when he was chatting with Isildur's actor. He said: "Isildur is not a problem child in any way shape or form."  But of course we all know how Isildur caused a lot of problems down the road lol. He went on to say: "All I can say is, don't always blame the parents." It probably takes a decent level of familiarity with the lore and maybe also the memes to slip in an offhand joke like that.

Ismael Cruz Cordova (Arondir) spent many hours working with others to create a new Elvish fighting style that combines dancing and Brazilian martial arts and more. His fellow actors said he was in the stunt gym all the time. He also said he would sneak into other sets of the show to have a peek (they're technically not allowed to do that). I found that pretty funny.

Daniel Weyman (The Stranger) had very few lines, so he had to rely a lot on non-verbal acting. But according to one of his fellow actors, he was so good that in one scene his acting made her cry without saying a single word.

Owan Arthur (Durin IV) has a ton of energy and fun. He's just the kind of person you'd immediately want to have a beer with. Great pick for a young Dwarf prince. Go listen to his story about how his beard and costumes would get in the way of him eating and going to the bathroom. It's hilarious!

Sophia Nomvete (Disa) attended the audition 2 days before she gave birth. The costume department custom made her costumes so she could get out of them easily to breast feed her baby on set. She just looks like a regal Dwarf queen.

Benjamin Walker (Gil-Galad) has a good sense of humor while maintaining a sort of deadpan face, which is surprising but awesome.

3. Production and details:

There are Tolkien experts on set in case people need to consult them on lore. Sometimes people would also argue about the lore on set to try to get everything right.

Most of the Numenorean and Elf actors had to take calligraphy lessons with Daniel Reeve (the artist who designed the awesome calligraphy and cartography in all the PJ movies) so they can actually write correctly. Emma Horvath (Earien, Elendil's invented daughter) had to spend 3 hours with Daniel Reeve every week to learn how to write and draw because her character is an architect. Apparently Daniel Reeve also had to invent a brand new alphabet for Numenor.

The actors (especially the Numenorean and Elf ones) put a lot of care into the pronunciations of words and language in Tolkien's books. You can hear it when they speak. It sounds pretty Middle-earth already.

Numenor has large practical sets that you can explore and interact with: full alleyways and flowers and everything. They even had incense burning in some places presumably so the sets have the right smells even though the audience can't necessarily see that.

The Harfoots have mobile proto "hobbit holes" they carry with them on carts when they migrate. The carts have everything in them that you can probably live in them.

The person that designed Galadriel's armor said she's gonna really make the cosplayers have to work hard for this one. I thought the mental image of the costume designers consciously competing with cosplayers was pretty funny.

They imported giant rabbits from Europe so they made the Harfoots look small. Also, potential easter egg for Radagast's rabbits?

Obvious caveat: it's possible (even likely) that most of the questions were sent to the cast in advance. But I feel that you can still learn a lot about the show and the cast from the Q&A sessions.

[thesolarangel]

Guys, I just met Jed Brophy!

My sibling and I were at the Lord of the Rings / Hobbit / Rings of Power concert (with the Ukraine National Orchestra whaaaaat!!) in our city and he was the host and he also sang and played guitar! He's such a silly Kiwi❤️❤️ he told some behind the scenes storys from LOTR and the Hobbit😉 I just bought the tickets back in December as a surprise for my sibling and I didn't see anywhere that Jed was gonna be hosting, so it was a great surprise! He's so lovely, he autographed my ticket and asked my name and when I said "Riley", he spelled it correctly and said his son's name is also Riley with the same spelling❤️ I'm just glad I was able to form actually correct English sentences with "thank you" and "happy to see you"😂👍 he's such a lovely guy! So, so silly during the show!

They only played one track from RoP sadly (I think it was "Sauron"), but otherwise it was so much fun! They had 2 singers, one from Broadway (she was Rafiki on the Lion King) and one other award winning singer, I wish I could remember their names... With the seats we had, we could glimpse through the curtains on the side of the stage and we could see them both in their white elven dresses dancing around backstage to the music, it was so wholesome😍❤️

And they played videos from Christopher Lee on the big screen between songs sometimes where he told some parts of the LOTR story...

It was such an amazing surprise, I'm so happy, I still can't wrap my head around it! I can now say, I've met an actor from LOTR😍❤️

(yes the pen exploded when he wrote his signature, but he was like "well, no one else has one like this now! It's unique!" 😂)

@lazymeriadoc @starlady66 @elronds-pointy-ears @fenharel-enaste @lotrnonsense @jefferson-in-the-tardis @grinkitty @ichabodjane @runawaymun @niennawept @mistergandalf @eremeldanin @reginaldmaudling @bananaphanta @depressedplatypus @elrondscalaquendi

[theblogofdurin]

Evening with the Hobbits || FanExpo Dallas Highlights. || Fandom PSA ||

So for my birthday (June18th) a friend and I drove 3+hrs to Dallas to see the 4 hobbits from Lotr and here's my top 5 Highlights.

Sean being shocked by the Texan Heat and humidity, "at least Mordor wasn’t this humid"

All of them learning how to line dance to Cotton-eye Joe (pretty decently for newbies I might add.)

Sean Astin falling trying to kept up with Dom and Billy Line Dancing and ends up tripping Dom.

Dom and Billy shamlessly promoting their podcast The Friendship Onion-> click here to subscribe <- (on Spotify) in Dom's own words "You don't have to listen to it. Just subscribe!"

Elijah Wood laughing happily at everything the guys did and just his big blue eyes shining the entire time.

I just want to say that I might not have met many actors or celebs before but you could just tell how genuine these guys are. They were so effortlessly funny and sweet. You could see how much they cared for each other.

We are a very lucky fandom to have such amazingly enthusiastic and humble actors playing our characters and becoming our idols cause these guys are just wonderful.

Have I said how humble they were?

This was such an amazing experience and I honestly recommend every fan that is able to go see them or any member of the cast of these films, to do so cause it gave me a deeper reasoning as a fan.

Elijah, Sean, Dominic and Billy were so lovable and honestly I am really grateful that I saw the post for this Expo, (just the weekend before actually!) And had the ability to cancel my previous plans for my birthday and go see them cause this was a birthday to remember.

^this photo isn't mine and I forgot who posted it so my bad & credit to them.

[morannon]

Rings of Power: Episode 3

Before I get to the actual episode itself, looking at the title sequence, I have found that it’s a really terrible fit for the series or anything attempting to pass off as Tolkien. I mean it doesn’t to begin with but this sequence doesn’t help at all. It has a very sci-fi feel.

They really are trying hard to make all the Elves look like Regular Joes so the random casual viewer looking to kill some time could feel represented. The opening scene of the episode finds Arondir thrown in with a whole bunch of folks, most of them human. He finds that guy, you know... the other one in his group. The camera pans out and turns out they’re the shortest people there.

All the Orcs are monkeys now.

Galadriel is on crack. And out of hair dye.

What the fuck is is with the R? What’s with the RRrRrRrrrrrrr.... I just want everyone to know that this is something Amazon came up with and not how Tolkien himself pronounced the names that he invented.

Galadriel. Where is your husband? For I much wish to speak with him. Celeborn? Remember him?

I find it very hard to make peace with the fact that Galadriel says Elendil saved her from “certain death” while she leapt off the boat in the middle of the ocean essentially, knowing there was nothing out there for hundreds of miles. 

Galadriel and Halbrand met while adrift in the Sundering Seas, East of Númenor. But then somehow Elendil just happens upon them. Suddenly it’s the next morning, Galadriel and Halbrand go up on the deck and magically they’ve already arrived in Armenelos? Because they go ON FOOT to see the queen regent from the port? Or have they simply moved the capital to Rómenna, because as they arrive on boat they’re shown to have the wide open sea behind them, instead of traveling by the river inland or something. Make it make sense.

Númenor is underwhelming. There’s a LOT of VFX and they’re trying to give an impression of scope, but you’re better off looking at everything from a distance. The sets continue to look artificial. The pattern, colors, ornaments and architecture is not telling the same story, or one that is believable. All of the elements look as if independent objects picked from existing cultures in the real world and like they’re literal loans rather than allusions and references. Moreover, so far the visuals are really inconsistent with the existing references to númenorian artefacts in the LOTR films. This makes it feel even more like something that isn’t at all connected to the Middle-earth we know and love, but more like a disneyfied byzantian knockoff Atlantis.

Isildur is like having a sailing lesson while his capten zooms about the ship shouting out random sailing inspo one-liners. 

No but really, what’s with the fucking Rs? What’s even more hilarious is that they’re not a part of anyone’s natural speech or appear in verbs or regular sentences or in some of the names. But here’s Tar-Miriel about to swallow her tongue saying the word ‘Valar’.

The writing is absolute shit. And none of the actors believe anything that they’re saying. Their mouths may be moving, but their eyes are vacant as if they’re mentally planning their lunch order while delivering their lines.

Bare-legged Orcs whose skin folds like fabric, because it’s loose, ill-fitting latex leggings. Where’s the billion dollars? Where is it Precious? 20 years on and triple the budget, but everything looks like a downgrade.

How on earth would Arondir know that the Orcs are searching for a weapon from peasant villages? You know, instead of anything made of iron that could be melted, food and water or tools?

Also why isn’t anything ever explained? Like how did Arondir’s pals end up in the same hole? Clearly the Orcs are all more capable than them so why bother having those clowns roll around in a mud pit? 

This is an actual billion dollar television show and they’re constantly ignoring one of the key rules most fanfic writers could tell you. Show me, don’t tell me.

I’m sorry, but Morfydd Clark is a terrible actor. She simply can’t carry the role given to her. As poor as the script may be, she is unable to convey any real emotion. It doesn’t help that she’s such a Hobbit and that everyone she has her scenes with overpower her with physical presence and charisma alike.

This isn’t Clark’s fault obviously, but the writers have turned Galadriel into a terrible character. She’s so profoundly unpleasant and obnoxious she might as well be asking to see the manager. Althogh it doesn’t help that Clark can’t convey emotional depth to at least make Galadriel feel like there might be reason for her being this way, beyond just *because*. 

What’s up with random *aesthetic* slomo?

At this point it’s taken me around 3 hours to get through half an episode. I just don’t want to watch any more. Might add some other points to this point later on.

[coopsgirl]

It only took a week, but Amazon is finally showing reviews/ratings for Rings of Power on their site. I'm not a bit surprised that it's got a "good" rating (3.6 out of 5 stars) because much like IMDB (that Amazon also owns), they may be filtering out some of the bad reviews to improve the score.

I'm not doubting that some people are enjoying this show but it's certainly not perfect (56% gave it the highest rating). I know that this can be subjective but there are so many things wrongs with this show from a storytelling perspective.

My overall take is that this show has absolutely no heart or soul. Each scene feels like these actors have just met for the first time and they are doing a table read (initial read through of the script) while in costume. Where is the passion for this project? Why can't I feel it through the dialog, the acting, the story they are trying to tell?

Let's look at one example where they just drop info on us without any context and then move on. Elrond and Celebrimbor are speaking to each other in Eregion and Elrond sees a hammer on display and says it's Feanor's hammer, the tool that wrought the Silmarils, jewels that captured the light of Valinor. Let's pretend I have not read any of the books and I've only seen the movies (LOTR, The Hobbit) or maybe I haven't even seen those. Who is Feanor? What is the significance of the Silmarils outside of being beautiful jewels? I wouldn't know because they don't explain it. We don't even know that he's Celebrimbor's grandfather and that would have been very easy to include in the scene here.

The wooden acting, the often nonsensical dialog, the incredibly slow pace, the shifting accents (mostly with the not hobbits-Lenny Henry in particular can't quite land on what his is supposed to be) just do not add up to 5 stars in my opinion.

[qqueenofhades]

I heard that Legolas and Gimli are being shipped and I am intrigued. May I ask your opinion on this ship?

Oh. Oh boy. Oh man. You want me to feel about 800 years old this morning, don't you. Sheesh.

/Galadriel voice/ History became legend... legend became myth... and some things that should not have been forgotten... were lost.

How old am I? Old enough that I remember watching the Fellowship of the Ring in the theater for the first time, and subsequently enthusiastically reading all the books and converting my sisters to the cause (they were afraid that it might be too scary). From there, I, an enterprising and precocious teenager with a lively imagination and possibly too much free time, got into the online fandom community at the time it was literally JUST emerging. We are talking pre-FF.net, old-school Geocities, message boards, locked archives that you had to know how to get to, the whole nine yards. THIS WAS 2001. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? TWENTY YEARS AGO.

/pause for muffled weeping

Anyway, as you might imagine, LOTR was a slash writer/reader's paradise (as it was called back then). Tons of attractive dudes enacting devoted non-toxic masculinity at each other and very few women. Everyone you can imagine being shipped together, was shipped together. (This included the actors who played the characters, which was the first time I learned about the existence of RPF.) And since this was, again, twenty years ago, there is no WAY that stuff was openly posted or accepted in mainstream fandom spaces. I was also a dumb teenager who had no idea why I was so drawn to Gay Stuff (this was a long, long time before I figured out the fact that I was a big old queer). But I was likewise very concerned with doing Fandom The Right Way, especially since the traditionalist Tolkien fan community had been very worried and critical about Peter Jackson's adaptation and had a field day critiquing every single miniscule change from the books, even some that were clearly for the best (see: Tom Bombadil. The Bombadil Wars were a big, big thing. Truly).

So (we are getting to the point, I promise) I remember encountering some kind of Legolas fan-board where he was being shipped with Gimli, and being like Oh No This Isn't Canon, Probably Bad while simultaneously becoming guiltily intrigued. I didn't get into Legolas/Gimli as a pairing specifically (though if you want the rundown on why it remains @buffaluff's favorite legacy LOTR ship, you can ask them at some point), but I DID get into reading LOTR slash on the separate archives where it was allowed to be posted. (Anyone remember the Library of Moria? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?) LOTR fic was simultaneously a thriving industry and a thing where the entire subgenre of slash wasn't  accepted in mainstream archives. (Once again, this was when FanFiction.Net, today regarded as hoary and antiquated, was only beginning to be regularly used, and you could and would get Flamed.) Movie fans, or "revisionists," were regarded as possibly suspect or not as good as "purist" book fans, who jealously policed any change from book canon or preference of the movie's version of things. Because of the proliferation of self-insert female characters (aka Mary Sues) who were often shipped with Aragorn or Legolas, we had "Protectors of the Plot Continuum" where people would literally write themselves into other people's fics (often people they had never met or spoken to before) and "erase" all changes deemed contrary to canon, so...

Yeah. What I'm saying was, those was dark times. Dark times. You youth have no idea. You dredged up decades of ancient dusty fandom flashbacks here, youngun. As I said, I didn't get into Legolas/Gimli, but they did lead me to other LOTR slash, and thus my first fandom, and now here I am today, extremely gay, still involved in fandom, and still writing fic. So... in conclusion, clearly, it was all their fault.

[alittledizzy]

Advent Day 23: LOTRIPS

This prompt showed up in my advent form and it’s been on my mind since I saw it. It’s not a fic but I hope you’ll enjoy it in place of one today!

Hi! This isn’t fan fiction per say but I’m very interested in early fandom history and saw you mention lotrips— it’s difficult to find good information about what the fandom was like back then and I’m especially curious about the real person shipping/ domlijah aspect of it. If you’d like, could you say what it was like back then and what happened to it/ how fandom and opinions have changed? Have a great day!

This answer really ended up being more about my experiences specifically than the shipping, but if you want to ask specific questions about that I’m happy to share opinions! I think I just don’t know how to approach that from such an expansive perspective. Also lotrips friends please jump in!! 

When I think of my time in lotrips fandom, I think of three main things: 

Fic: This was not the first fandom I wrote for, it wasn’t even the first fandom I actively participated in, but it was still a revelation. I fell into lotr/lotrips during the second half of my senior year of high school, at the same time I had just been outed at my rural Mississippi high school by my childhood best friend. I did not have a good senior year, and this fandom dropped into my lap right when I really needed escapism. 

My origin story: my senior english teacher was out on maternity leave and the sub was a massive fan of Tolkien and had us watch Fellowship. (The Two Towers had just hit theaters, so FOTR was the only one available on DVD). Over that Christmas break I found the fandom and I found livejournal. I lurked for a while (longer than I’d ever lurk in a fandom now) but within a few weeks I hit up someone for an LJ invite code, since at the time you still couldn’t just sign up. (Shoutout gabbyhope, wherever you are, from the once upon a time seventeen year old that emailed you saying please read my (shitty) fic and also help me, a total stranger, get on this website.) 

I started writing and posting fic fairly quickly after that. It’s funny because I know I made friends, I know people liked my fic, and I was passionate about writing. But when I look back the things that really stand out to me aren’t what I wrote or the reception I got, but the amazing writers in that fandom that I knew and followed. Some of them became what I hope are lifelong friends, some of them were only in my life for a short time, and some of them I never even talked to but their work influenced me so much. That fandom more than any other helped shape who I am as a writer. 

AIM Chatrooms: There was no social media! There was no performative fandom creative output for the purpose of trying to get notices from the actors online. The fic was on livejournal, you posted there, people commented. No one from the cast was in that space. That just wasn’t a thing. So the social bond of the community seemed a lot stronger. 

But people still wanted to get together and talk in a more immediately way, you know? so the main group of friends I had in that fandom came from an AOL Instant Messenger chat room that we called “fandom chat.” The awesome thing about AOL is that you could invite yourself into a room, so all you had to do was know the name of the chatroom and boom you were there. I invited myself in and after, idk, a few months I just felt like a natural part of it. 

Every single night we would gather and chat about everything under the sun. I met the longest relationship I’ve ever had in that chat room. I had my first (and second, and third and fourth, shhh look we were all young and kinda horny) kisses with women from people who were in that chatroom. I met friends that would change my life. I was exposed to so much from other countries and other cultures and other ways of life that I’d never had my eyes opened to before. Even as I type this, a part of me just misses what a pure social experience that felt like for me.  

Conventions: I went to every single Lord of the Rings convention there was. I stayed with people that I knew from fandom chat, but I also met so many people there. I flew on a plane for the first time going to a convention. I had those first kisses at conventions. I fell in love with a new side of fandom culture I’d never really felt before, and the reality that the people in my computer screen didn’t have to only be there. Meeting the celebs was exciting but nothing compared to the bonding experiences. And like, yeah, there was absolutely drama. Amongst people who were around my age I think we all (well, the queer ones) had weird crushes on each other and there was jealousy and some pettiness and it was like any social group of baby gays dipping a toe into the world for the first time. But I love those people so much, even the ones I haven’t talked to in years, and I love how many other people I just never would have met otherwise. Maybe I have some rose colored glasses on but if so it’s just because LOTRIPS gave me the building blocks for what I expect a fandom to be for me and what I want to get out of it. 

[drakessis]

not even kidding I think at least half of franchise/worldbuilding enjoyment comes from being able to fill in the blanks. obviously the individual stories are largely character-driven or event-driven within the rules of the world but then why do people still want to see that world with other characters? in other time periods? in other places?

it's difficult to even talk about in an entertainment industry dominated by reboots and spinoffs but there is a reason some succeed and others fail. the most glaring failures generally come from oversaturation, but also contradiction. and not even "going back on their word" contradiction, but "introducing material that blatantly did not exist prior to this spinoff" contradiction

did people need to see obi wan babysitting leia while darth vader's powers followed looney tunes logic to know that they had a bond before the original trilogy? no. and now because "canon" reigns above any meaningful exploration of the worldbuilding, the obi wan show "actually" happened prior to the original trilogy

but, it can go the other way. the mandalorian succeeds because it's new. it's exploring a world outside of but adjacent to the worldbuilding that excites people. at its best it's a new, character-driven story which doesn't influence or contradict the storyline which established the worldbuilding in the first place

the line between marketability and recurring audience enjoyment and wherever "fandom" falls is a weird one. talking about something that is first and foremost a product for its artistic and creative merits feels like pushing a stone uphill. there are passionate people behind these projects, certainly, but they're now almost exclusively directed to create them by companies who aim to appeal to the largest audience possible. whether it's star wars or lotr or game of thrones or marvel or lion king or whatever. but I do still believe that people watch worldbuilding-driven franchises to speculate. imagine what might come next, imagine what came before, imagine what else could have happened, all within the established rules and known features of a world. if there was no room for imagination people wouldn't be able to build more stories from these franchises, people wouldn't want to see their expectations met by the new stories from these franchises

that's why the mcu is so shit btw. there literally is no worldbuilding. anything they want to be true or possible can just be true or not at given moment. as old characters are inevitably scrapped as their actors get tired, new characters are gonna get harder and harder to get people to connect with because they don't have any investment in the "world" in the first place. you can't build loyalty to the marvel universe when there's absolutely nothing unifying it anymore except for the occasional crossover episode