#aadarshinah reads

[catofadifferentcolor]

The Old Guard: Force Multiplied

It's always easier to just ignore your sins than to confront them.

I stumbled quite by accident on The Old Guard two weeks ago, as part of a crossover with another fandom. At that point I’d only heard of the comic as the inspiration for a movie that came out on Netflix shortly after I got rid of my account, but I was intrigued enough that I went looking for more. 

Contrary to my usual order of things, I ended up reading a lot of the fanfic first - and then went looking for the movie. Unfortunately, it was only on available on Netflix - and such was my intrigue that after three days of wrestling with myself I reopened my account just to watch the movie.

I was able to get my hands on the first two installments of the graphic novel this weekend and read Opening Fire yesterday - and was largely impressed. Force Multiplied leaves me with much different feelings, mainly because it doesn't make sense.

Don't get me wrong. I understand where Noriko is coming from. I get that she feels betrayed for not being rescued and that anyone is bound to be a bit mad after endlessly drowning for the last five hundred years. What I don't get is how one goes from all of that to and so the whole of humanity has to suffer. Of which there are certainly easier and more thorough ways to go about it than human trafficking and organized crime - a war, for instance. That she'd want to get back at Andy - yes, sure. That all of humanity has to pay for it - not so much.

Honestly, it kind of makes me glad they altered her character to Quynh for the movie, because at least it gives her a reasonable expectation of being rescued and therefore a better reason to feel betrayed.

Leaving Andy at the end doesn't make sense either - unless it was a ploy to figure out what Noriko was up to. Setting aside all issues of judging the past by present standards and writing off those same issues as just the way it was then, one must acknowledge character growth. Whatever Andy might have once done, whatever she might once have believed, she is currently trying to do good by helping people. Is she perfect? No. Should she be forgiven for doing things she knew to be wrong? No. But abandoning her for not always being a beacon of modern morals seems... wrong. Especially when it's the youngest making that call.

Not everyone starts on the right side of history. If we cannot grow as people - if we cannot acknowledge we have done wrong and work to better ourselves - if we are not allowed to change and have our change acknowledged - than why bother changing at all? Just because most redemption arcs end with the redeemed dying doesn't mean we should ignore that the redemption happened. The path is hard and the past unforgivable... but if someone tries to improve, you have to let them.

I'm not sure what I'm going for here other than that the narrative seems confused. Which I suppose is understandable when you're trying to boil down deep issues of philosophy and ethics into a hundred page graphic novel. Maybe I need to do a couple rereads to find some nuance I'm missing... but mostly I'm just confused.

...and a little apprehensive about TOG2. The first movie followed the first installment fairly closely. If the second follows the same pattern, well, I hope the additional screen time can flush out the narrative that really needs about six issues of backstory and another six of context to make better sense.

Beyond that, there's much I still want to know about these characters and all the ways they touched history and slow, creeping feeling of certainty that I'll never get it. Maybe Tales Through Time will have some of the character-driven backstories I'm hoping for, but we'll have to wait and see.

A regretful three out of five, mostly just for the WTF I'm left feeling.

[spurious]

HELLO feel free to ignore this obviously but you seem like the best person to ask - i’ve had a shitty week and am in desperate need of mcshep fic recs. what are the coziest most sweetest soppiest saddest ones youve ever read???

I am so sorry to hear you’ve had a bad week anon!!!!!!! Let me grab some of my best Warm Blanket fics for you 💖

Painted Blind by aadarshinah

John rather thinks he would know if he and Rodney were dating.

Or: Idiots in love, take twelve.

This one is soooo sweet and funny and THEM

I Do by cathalin

The feeling expands and grows and words are pushing up his throat, and he finds himself speaking. “Is that a promise?”

This is just. 🥹🥰🙏💖

Comfort Break by @salchat

On the usual mission-gone-wrong, John and Rodney are hiding in a ruined house. John is hurt and being overly stoic about it as usual and Rodney wants John to admit to being in pain and accept his help. They talk.

Rodney being caring in his stubborn, bullheaded Rodney way 💖

four boots, five thousand two hundred and eighty feet by Pares

"So what you're saying is, learning to love yourself really is the greatest love of all!"

Just a really fun, well-written, sexy body swap fic.

In Plain Sight by lamardeuse

The day they repealed Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Rodney marched into John's office and dragged him out.

Soooooo romantic I love this one!!!

Number Theory by Valdomarx

On another version of Atlantis, John is a mathematician who is better with numbers than with people.

But he's going to have to learn to get on with his team and their bossy leader, Rod, if he wants to survive here.

Set in the parallel universe from McKay and Mrs. Miller.

Hard-won and gradual vulnerability with a lot of team feels!

Monomial Factors by anonymous

Rodney wants a cat. John's always been a dog guy.

SOOOOO sweet this one.

The Reverse of Fascination by shrift

"I only have one idea left," Rodney said, because the situation was dire. It was desperate. It was this, or Rock Paper Scissors, and he didn't have a handy copy of the official strategy guide.

One of those fics where you can just HEAR the dialogue

Loop the Loop by alsaurus

One man's quest to comfort a friend. And maybe himself, just a little.

(AKA the one where John takes Rodney out on a million dates without realizing it.)

One of my absolute FAVES. This one is SO good and SO sweet and SO them!!!

The Suite Life by CartWrite

John did not ask to sprain his ankle, to be reassigned to the best quarters in Atlantis, or for Rodney McKay to become his new neighbor. But that’s what happened. Post-series.

Bit of a longer read but GOD is it worth it. Absolute comfort fic, it’s SO good.

Bare by @alienfuckeronmain

“Did you not know,” Teyla says carefully, shooting a concerned look at Ronon over their mostly empty plates, “that Lt. Colonel Sheppard enjoys the company of—”

“No, I did not!” Rodney manages to grit out, sucking in air desperately before grabbing his glass of water and downing it. “Since fucking when?!”

According to my ao3 history I’ve revisited this 79 times. Rodney thinking he’s homophobic when in fact he’s jealous is SUCH a good amazing trope. Also the sex scene in this is SO incredibly good 🫠

Okay I’m stopping there but like, if anyone wants to reblog with their own fluffy faves for this anon? Yes!

[redfurrycat]

🏌️‍♂️🇺🇸McShep Fic Recs🇨🇦💻

🇨🇦🏌️‍♂️💻🇺🇸McShep Goodies to Read🇺🇸💻🏌️‍♂️🇨🇦

Jumpers and Possessive Behaviour by DemiraWatson (orphan_account)  {T}

In the two weeks Derek had graced their team with his murderous presence they’d been involved with three major battles, two attempts at ritual sacrifice and Stiles had found himself at the mercy of the fucking Genii before Derek had burst through the doors and had a merry old time slaughtering the nuclear loving bastards.

When Life Hands You Werewolves by uraneia {T}

Four hours—that’s how long it takes after the Daedalus II drops off the new contingent of baby scientists and Marines before Rodney starts taking bets on who’ll be the first to get into Derek Hale’s pants.

* A month ago John's team rescued a former runner named Derek Hale. He's great to have on offworld missions--he's like a danger magnet; nobody else gets so much as a splinter. But there's just something different about him. John can't quite put his finger on it....

The Plan by LogicGunn

The Plan  {G}

Who better than the self-proclaimed smartest man in two galaxies to be the first addition to the team?

The Pursuit {G}

Five times John tries to ask Rodney out, and one time he doesn't.

De of Atlantis by escriveine {T}

Rodney’s been through Ascension and come out the other side, and no one else seems to get how much it sucks. He copes by trying to tell them anyway.

John had to help Rodney learn how to leave this plane of existence, then watch him die. Because that’s what you do for a, you know, friend. Since then, he’s had problems of his own.

Atlantis sees the makings of a love story.

Look, Listen, Learn by unadrift {T}

"You can be such an idiot," Jeannie snaps, and huh, this wasn't quite how she'd intended to start this conversation.

in these hands of mine by Hideous_Sun_Demon {T}

The team runs across a world in which soulmates exist, forcing John to confront some things that he would have much rather left uncovered.

A Little Nudge by BunnyBopper {T}

You can do this, Teyla told herself as she navigated her way through the winding maze that was Atlantis’ living quarters. Of course she could. Her skills as a diplomat were practically unrivalled. During her time spent both as the leader of her village back on Athos as well as here on Atlantis, she had lost count of the number of trade deals she had negotiated or peace treaties she had helped draw up. And, as a general rule, she prided herself on doing all of this while staying true to her principles. Honesty, openness, and trust: those were the things every negotiation needed in order to be successful.

Usually.

Because sometimes, very occasionally, Teyla had to resort to methods that were a touch more...underhand.

And sometimes—just sometimes—she was downright sneaky.

Inseparably Entwined by valdomarx {M}

When you go around touching mysterious Ancient devices, sometimes you end up bound to your team mate and unable to be more than 10 feet apart at any time.

Life on Atlantis is like that.

Proof by Contradiction by astolat {E}

What sucked most was the sinking feeling that McKay was handling the whole thing better than he was.

No Refunds or Exchanges by astolat {M}

It shouldn't have been that hard to get good help.

Ordinary Life by astolat, Speranza {E}

"So, uh," Wharton said, with a little nervous cough. "You're not so much his mathematician as you are his—mathematician."

Soul-Name by ami_ven {G}

Every person is born with a name on their wrist, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll ever find their soul-mate.

Painted Blind by aadarshinah {T}

John rather thinks he would know if he and Rodney were dating.

Or: Idiots in love, take twelve.

BONUS/My two favourite Mcshep Fanvids:

Space Idiots - Rodney & John - Humor by Randommind Time

Sass Masters - Rodney & John - Humor by Randommind Time

[x-authorship-x]

📚 and ✍️for the ask game?

Hey anon~~~~

📚- is there a fanfic or a fanfic writer you recommend?

Hm, I'll do three of the fics that I'm currently revisiting and can't stop going back to; (I'll do a fic per recent fandoms)

1) BNHA: Parallax by petrichor

Which is Todoroki-centric, technically reincarnation but it's very subtle and sensitive, where Todoroki breaks down his quirk to the thermo-manipulation aspects and it's all really amazing, world-building and quirk-Shenanigan-y are peak satisfaction, and there's a growing protect-Shouto gang.

2) Naruto: Black Hole Heart by LadyNyxRavus

Team Seven-centric. Inner is a symbiote and everyone is more bloodthirsty and protective in spades. I'm a sucker for a cohesive Team-bonding fic and making everyone a little animalistic and feral? Chefs kiss.

3) Percy Jackson Fandom: The Kistos Trilogy by aadarshinah

Technically a trio of fics but idk. I don't read much PJO but fuck- Percy is grittier, he actually interacts with Lord Neptune, and there's some delicious world-building. I'm a sucker for ancient cultures. This fic also takes a 'shots fired' stance on canon and I love it, it's so refreshing and satisfying. Is there anything better than gnawing on characters like a dog with a bone?

✍️- what's your ideal writing setup?

At my peak of productivity, I'm writing 15K a day on my laptop with only short breaks. I'm blasting one or two songs that are hitting the vibe perfectly. The next day, I edit on my docs app on my phone by abusing the predictive text keyboard. The chapter is finished in three days max and four weeks ahead of schedule (R.I.P writing routine in lockdown... I completed the word count for NaNoWriMo in half the time... You were the only good thing that year :')

[songofsunset]

Stargate Fic Recs

Because I needed somewhere to put these fics that wasn't on my Teen Wolf/Stargate fic rec list

Mostly SGA here cuz I'mma be honest, the tropes are right up my alley xD

------

The Importance of Imaginitive Flexibility https://archiveofourown.org/works/7464159 Triskellion

This 7k Calvin and Hobbes crossover is better than it has any right to be and I love it

------

Pegasus Non-Verbal https://archiveofourown.org/works/2639861 igrab

AU where Rodney is mute, and John knows just enough sign language.

------

Pastor https://archiveofourown.org/works/260361/chapters/407376 aadarshinah

first fic in the 300k Ancient!John verse series Compellingly done, I always enjoy stuff that explores the old atlanteans, and also they have fun with the latin/ancient!

------

Written by the Victors https://archiveofourown.org/works/15 Speranza

Epistolary, set after an end of the atlantis expedition, has a podfic, absolutely essential reading. If I could get this fic in hard copy and put it on my bookshelf I would do it in a heartbeat.

------

Time in a Bottle https://archiveofourown.org/works/18731026/chapters/44428921 esama

Assassin's Creed crossover! "500 years ago Ezio Auditore disappeared with only a ridiculous unbelievable story explaining where or how - according to his wife-to-be, he was taken up into the sky in a flying great machine, never to be seen again."

I love all esama's crossovers and this is a lovely one

------

The Dragon-King's Temple https://archiveofourown.org/works/6211903/chapters/14231311 Kryal

200k of an ATLA/SG-1 crossover (where atla is on a different planet). Does real delightful worldbuilding things and gives toph and zuko the life changing fieldtrip they DESERVE. I have reread this so many times!!!

------

As I Live and Breathe https://archiveofourown.org/works/10947942/chapters/24363648 Sorka42

This is an interesting time-travel fix-it story!

------

Small Primes and Square Roots https://archiveofourown.org/works/123926 Liviapenn

DOES IT COUNT AS KIDFIC IF THE KID IS A PRETEEN? IDK BUT IT HAS MY FULL FUCKING APPROVAL, the characterization of the kid is fucking great, as is the take on Rodney as a dad, and look, this is one I def reread every so often

------

Legal Alien https://archiveofourown.org/works/3479477/chapters/7640108 esama

look when I said I like esama's crossovers I'm not kidding, anyways here's a SGA/Harry Potter crossover featuring clone Jack O'Neill you're welcome

------

Decade https://archiveofourown.org/works/1618925/chapters/3450383 canis_lupus

"Ten years ago, an expedition left for Atlantis. They were never heard from again." :3c An Independent Atlantis story!

------

Shore Leave https://archiveofourown.org/works/4473026 smilebackwards

This two part series takes a moment to think about the culture clash when marines come back to earth from atlantis and vice versa, and I love it

------

Vathara likes to do Stargate crossovers, and is literally the reason I got into the damn series in the first place

We got SAO, we got Saiyuki, we got Gundam Wing (oh this is a fave), we got that zombie train anime, we got monochrome factor, we got bleach, we got this rurouni kenshin and airwolf one that is def a fave, we got plenty of godzilla and airwolf in that same series, have FUN BYE https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vathara/pseuds/Vathara/works?fandom_id=1331

------

My Home And Native Land https://archiveofourown.org/works/622241/chapters/1123145 copperbadge

RONON AND CANADIANS and cultural differences with the the expedition and the locals YOU'RE FUCKING WELCOME PLEASE READ THIS ONE

------

There's infinitely more where this came from- when I'm reading I tend to filter for anything with Sentient Atlantis, Independent Atlantis, or Outsider POV (esp featuring any of their siblings!) Good stuff abounds, have fun!

[ao3feed-tenxrose]

Daughter of Earth

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2L4r4Lu

by aadarshinah

Jackie Tyler has questions. Someone better have answers.

Follows "Christmas Day".

Words: 3050, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 5 of The Doctor and The Spinner

Fandoms: Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who & Related Fandoms

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Jackie Tyler, Harriet Jones

Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Rose Tyler, Jackie Tyler & Rose Tyler

Additional Tags: Bad Wolf Rose Tyler, Time Lord Rose Tyler, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s01e14 The Christmas Invasion, Mother-Daughter Relationship

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2L4r4Lu

[ao3feed-doctorxrose]

Begin Again

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2QkeOfW

by aadarshinah

It's not exactly domestic, but some questions still need asking.

Follows "Daughter of Earth".

Words: 1619, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 6 of The Doctor and The Spinner

Fandoms: Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who & Related Fandoms

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Tenth Doctor, The Doctor (Doctor Who), Rose Tyler, Rose Tyler | Bad Wolf

Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Rose Tyler

Additional Tags: Post-Episode: s01e14 The Christmas Invasion, Bad Wolf Rose Tyler, Time Lord Rose Tyler, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2QkeOfW

[nimbleinquiry-blog]

Get to Know Me Tag Game

cI got tagged by two people @distinctivelibrarians and @omgbrainstorming !  I’m so used to my social media use being me in a corner talking to myself this is kind of exciting.  

Rules: Tag 9 people you want to get to knowThe Librarians and The Lost Lamp (Greg Cox), Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods (Rick Riordan), Percy Jackson Greek’s Heroes (Rick Riordan), Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (the Slytherin special edition by JKR), Max Havelaar (Multatuli - college stuff), Into the Wild (Jon Krakauer - same), Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen - excuse to re-read it again #947301 “it’s going to be in one exam of my course, I’m actually studying”) better

Relationship status: Old married, not official but we’ve been together for a really long time. 

Favorite Color: Blue and Red

Lipstick or chapstick: Chapstick, if anything at all.  I’m a big perfume fan, but most cosmetics just feel sticky and gross to me. 

Last Song I Listened To: I’ve been listening to this mix on repeat for like a year: https://8tracks.com/aadarshinah/we-will-be-i

Last Movie I Watched: The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)  I am now absolutely sure that this was a huge inspiration for Leverage, particularly Nate and Sophie.  Totally worth watching. 

Top 3 TV Shows: The Librarians, Leverage, Stargate. I feel like it is unfair to the fandoms I was raised in not to mention Doctor Who and Star Trek.  I’m still trying to get into Discovery, and I’m sure it will happen. I’m super excited for the new Doctor

Top 3 Characters:  Eliot Spencer (Leverage), Daniel Jackson (St@argate), and even though Jacob Stone is my POV character, I’m going to have to go with Flynn who has the lovable trickster hero thing that I have always loved about Doctor Who.

Top 3 Bands: The Mountain Goats, Grimes, Zoe Keating, 

Books I’m Currently Reading: Skull Wars, fantastic book that puts the Kennewick Man controversy into historical perspective.  I try to read one book at a time because that way I actually finish things. The next book in the queue is The Information, and then either The Once and Future King or Seven Surrenders by Ada Palmer.

Tagging:

@excaliburfeels, @kingdomkeeperofthelibrary @ezekiels

[ao3feed-doctorwho]

Daughter of Earth

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2L4r4Lu

by aadarshinah

Jackie Tyler has questions. Someone better have answers.

Follows "Christmas Day".

Words: 3050, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 5 of The Doctor and The Spinner

Fandoms: Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who & Related Fandoms

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Jackie Tyler, Harriet Jones

Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Rose Tyler, Jackie Tyler & Rose Tyler

Additional Tags: Bad Wolf Rose Tyler, Time Lord Rose Tyler, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s01e14 The Christmas Invasion, Mother-Daughter Relationship

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2L4r4Lu

[catofadifferentcolor]

The Old Guard: Opening Fire

We are all you’ve got.

I stumbled quite by accident on The Old Guard two weeks ago, as part of a crossover with another fandom. At that point I'd only heard of the comic as the inspiration for a movie that came out on Netflix shortly after I got rid of my account, but I was intrigued enough that I went looking for more.

Contrary to my usual order of things, I ended up reading a lot of the fanfic first - and then went looking for the movie. Unfortunately, it was only on available on Netflix - and such was my intrigue that after three days of wrestling with myself I reopened my account just to watch the movie.

And I was hooked.

After watching the 2020 movie twice last weekend, I managed to get my hands on the first two graphic novels and read the first this morning. And I have to say, the movie follows Opening Fire fairly closely, with some minor deviations... and so my feelings for the movie and the first novel are largely similar.

I love the concept. I'm not sure if I've seen immortals who can die just don't stay dead before, but if I have it obviously didn't stick. The fact that these characters die over and over again - that their lives are shaped as much as death and pain and war and loss as anything else - makes for a more complex take than the Byronic vampires of so much recent media.

I am disappointed that we don't get to see more of these characters' histories, particularly their origin stories, but I hold out hope those will follow in the next two chapters. Or at least be hinted at. At least half the reason I became intrigued by this fandom was the idea of Joe and Nicky - enemies who killed each other multiple times and then somehow found their way across all that war and hate and enmity to fall in love and stay in love for centuries. I want to know everything about that. Perhaps I'll get it, but the hint we got in Opening Fire was just enough to whet my appetite.

As for the rest... I think the movie does a better job of creating an emotional connection to these characters than the comics, but that just may be because I've never been a huge fan of graphic novels. Even the best artist can only do so much with comic illustration. Faces and expressions and actions are only suggested, and unless characters are distinctive I find myself getting confused as to who as doing what more often than I would like. Though the movie and the comic are essentially the same story, I'm not certain I'd have been able to follow the comic as well as I did without knowledge of the movie first. But that may just be a personal problem.

Otherwise I'm eager to read the next installment - and get my hands on the third chapter. I give this a solid four out of five stars, but think I'm more likely to go back to the movie before the comics when it comes to rereads/rewatches.

[catofadifferentcolor]

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

...he thought to make a great shield-wall at the last, and stand, and fight there on foot till all fell, and do deeds of song on the fields of Pelennor, though no man should be left in the West to remember the last King of the Mark.

I first read The Hobbit in sixth grade. It had long been one of my mother's favorites, and the fact she delayed so long in giving it to me to read was almost certainly so I could appreciate it fully the first time I read it.

I read The Lord of the Rings a year later, but there was some sort of delay between when I finished The Two Towers and when I started The Return of the King - a family trip that was so chaotic that even I couldn't read find time to read - and so my overriding memory of RotK beyond wow was frak, where did the palintir come from?

That being said, Part V remains one of my favorite parts of LotR - though I know I've said that a lot by this stage in the game. If Book III is graven on my heart, this one is probably on the ribs which surround it. I bawl like a baby every time I get to the Battle of Pelennor fields - Theoden's death! Eoweyn and Merry against the Witch King! Eomer's reaction when he finds them dead! Eomer's speech when he sees the black ships on the river!

I often say Faramir is my favorite, but frak if Eomer isn't a very close second. To say nothing of the growth of Merry and Pippin! And Aragorn's final acceptance of his mantle - although one of the few things I think the movies do better is show this journey rather than have Narsil reforged at the beginning and Aragorn announcing to all and sundry in Rohan who he is before the bitter end.

Part VI is... well, who doesn't cry at the Crack of Doom? And maybe there are a few too many endings, but there are many heroes and many tales, and each person's part finishes at different times. I do adore Faramir and Eowyn finding each other... and both loathe and love that Legolas and Gimli are always mentioned together, because they were able to shine fully in Part III and their role feels much reduced in RotK and I love them dearly.

Also, the first time I read The Return of the King I didn't appreciate fully "The Scouring of the Shire" - indeed, it felt a bit like the narrative was ramping up unnecessarily again - but with age comes wisdom, or at least the ability to see narrative echoes in the pity of Bilbo for Gollum and the pity of Frodo for Saruman - and Wormtongue. The Rangers went to aid Gondor, and for that the Shire suffered, and all things can fall to darkness - but so too can be they be healed.

And frak, being the terrible nerd I am, I even love the appendices. ("Then Legolas built a grey ship in Ithilien, and sailed down Anduin and so over Sea; and with him, it is said, went Gimli the Dwarf." !!!!!)

But now that I have reached the end - having read all of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in four days - what can I say? What is left to say about something that is so perfect though it follows almost no convention? It is too long, too dependent on a history only hinted at, has too many characters with too many names and too many passages untranslated or unexplained - and yet that is the very reason it succeeds. It was not written to meet a deadline or a publisher's standard. It does not spoon-feed the audience. It is rich and deep and the tip of a glorious iceberg.

But at the heart of it is a simple premise: hope always prevails. It may seem dark, and your own life and people may fall to darkness and despair, but while there is hope all things are possible. And more than magic rings or Dark Lords or hidden kings that is a story which resounds.

Tolkien knew what he was doing. If I could have even a sliver of his talent, I would never need anything else.

[catofadifferentcolor]

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.

I first read The Hobbit in sixth grade. It had long been one of my mother's favorites, and the fact she delayed so long in giving it to me to read was almost certainly so I could appreciate it fully the first time I read it.

I read The Lord of the Rings a year later and one cannot possibly understate the impression they made on me. I read a lot of books, but only a handful have ever jumped up, grabbed me, and glued me to a seat the way LotR has. Despite that, this is only my third read of the series. The Hobbit movies really did a number on my enjoyment of Tolkien and, well, I read a lot and have a to-read pile taller than I am at all times.

The Two Towers has always been my favorite book of the series, which is a bit odd in retrospect. It's very hard to get middles right. It's also organized in a manner that no modern publisher would allow to print - but it works. Misinformation, uncertainty, and hope in the face of overwhelming odds is what LotR is about. Half of the terror is not knowing if your friends are okay or if the Ring is still on the way to Mordor - even if half a book on wandering hobbits is a bit on the tedious side.

Part III has always been my favorite - Legolas and Gimli shine at the start of the book, as of course does Aragorn; Pippin starts growing into his own; and Eomer is a treat I'd somehow forgotten the extent of. Honestly, if you were to crack open my ribs you'd probably find the better part of this book graven on my heart.

Which isn't to say that Part IV isn't still brilliant - but it wears a little, as the Ring wears on Frodo, and if Faramir wasn't there to add some much needed brilliance (if inexplicable lack of desire for the Ring, which is near unique to him) I'd be driven to madness by much of Gollum's speech.

And yet it works perfectly as a book. Nobody knows what anybody else is doing - especially the all-seeing evil powers, though they think they do. It is a glorious parallel for the state of modern warfare, and the overconfidence of evil. Indeed, the powers of good admit their mistakes. Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo - over and over again they lament their mistakes - but Saruman alone says inevitable and certainty.

Sigh. I remain truly jealous that Tolkien was able to write something so beautifully full of depth and character and history while holding a full-time job and that I can barely get anything off the ground and often end up hating every word I've ever written. The fact that he managed this massive undertaken - and that it was appreciated by the world - gives me hope in dark times.

As always, The Two Towers stands brilliantly as the picture-perfect middle for an outstanding trilogy. I love and adore it in every way.

[catofadifferentcolor]

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.

I first read The Hobbit in sixth grade. It had long been one of my mother's favorites, and the fact she delayed so long in giving it to me to read was almost certainly so I could appreciate it fully the first time I read it.

I read The Lord of the Rings the next year, spurred in part because I loathed my seventh grade English teacher and her insistence that everything I wanted to read was too mature/difficult/long for someone my age, but also because my mother knew I would love it.

And I did. I can think of only a bare handful of other books where I immediately and irrevocably fell in love, and they are few and far between. This was helped by the fact that the absolutely brilliant LotR movies came out a few years later (and somewhat dampened by the fact my first roommate had an actual shrine to the more handsome characters). The movies brought everything so perfectly to screen that I'll admit to having rewatched the extended editions and their extras multiple times over the years... and having reread LotR only once, shortly before The Hobbit movies came out (and those turned out to be more off-putting than my roommate's shrine.)

But I recently felt a deep and desperate need to return to Middle-Earth, and after much debate chose to start at the beginning, with The Hobbit.

...and right from the first page, I was hooked again. Because the thing about The Lord of the Rings is that you hear so many good things about it and have such fond memories of your first time reading it that you start thinking to yourself: I must be exaggerating. My memory must be making the good parts better and forgetting the bad parts entirely. It may be just a little overrated. And then you start rereading and think: I was wrong. It is even better than I remembered.

At least, that's the case with me. I was worried that my fond memories of LotR wouldn't hold up to the reality after so long away... and from page one I was blown away. "The Shadow of the Past" is in particular a beautiful, perfect chapter accomplishing so much and doing it so very, very well that I weep from beauty and envy. (Although, by contrast, I find Tom Bombadil and his chapters quite trying.)

Even having read the book before, I was mildly surprised by how many pages it took to get to Rivendell when it retrospect it is one of the least important parts of the journey - but Part I showcases so many wonderful things about hobbits I can see why Tolkien felt the need. They are hearty and courageous and stubborn and loyal and more than anyone has any reason to believe they are, including themselves. Frodo survives 17 days being pierced with a Morgol blade, and that is not something many could attempt even halfway.

(I also continue to be jealously in love with how Tolkien manages staging of all his dialogue. Sam's clippers are heard and not heard before it becomes a plot point. Frodo knocks over his stack of pillows and Gloin helps put them back in order. All such little things, but make it all more than just dialogue and show something about the characters at the same time. Indeed, "Many Meetings" might be Gloin's first line of dialogue in the canon, despite having been there all throughout The Hobbit.)

And oh! The characterization! Aragorn and Gandalf and Frodo all admit they make mistakes, while the overconfidence of the Enemy and his servants is ultimately their undoing. Our heroes are people. They despair and they hope and they sing - and why can't we have more of that these days?

Part II is equally a delight - Gimli is brilliant and Legolas is such an awkward little turtle (and now might be a good time to state that I have been an inveterate Gimli/Legolas stan for as far back as I can remember, before I even understood what I was hoping for; I was a sheltered child) and Aragorn's slow evolution towards the confidence of kingship and Boromir's slow devolution towards desperation... Though it was something of a surprise to remember the book and the movie end at different places.

Still, beyond the repeated thoughts of the movie really captures the heart of this book and I can't believe I waited so long between rereads and I'm glad I stocked up on highlighters and post-it flags there is little I can say that hasn't already been said.

Tolkien created a masterpiece. I am glad to live in a world where I can read it.

[catofadifferentcolor]

The Hobbit

It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.

I first read The Hobbit in sixth grade. It had long been one of my mother's favorites, and the fact she delayed so long in giving it to me to read was almost certainly so I could appreciate it fully the first time I read it.

I read The Lord of the Rings the next year, largely because one of my teachers said it was too difficult for a child my age, and fell rather more in love with it - and the movies which came out a few years after that - but The Hobbit always had a special place in my heart because it was my mother's favorite. Words like second breakfast and elevenses peppered our conversations long before I knew their source.

I read the book again about a decade later, shortly before the first movie came out - it is a rare book I read more than once every 5-10 years, even my favorites - but was so disgusted by the movie that I never saw the second two despite the love I have for the source. Indeed, for many years the movies and the inexplicable love the internet seems to have for them turned me off everything but solitary rewatches of The Lord of the Rings extended edition and its extras.

Over the past few weeks, however, I've felt the deep desire to reenter Middle-Earth and, somewhat against my better judgement, decided to start at the beginning: The Hobbit. (Actually, once I decided this I put it off for almost a week because The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey really did traumatize me and my love for the source material that much.)

But The Hobbit remains a good little book. I can easily see why I enjoyed it so much when I first read it as a child. It remains enjoyable as an adult, though I do have to pinch myself from time to time and say this is a children's book.

My biggest complaint is actually that we have 13 dwarves... and are given very little detail about them. They are interchangeable save for the brief mention of cloak and beard colors at their introduction. None of the lineage stuff that comes to be so important later, or indeed any hint of how any of them are connected to each other until page 150 of my HarperCollins edition. Hell, I'm not certain half the dwarves have speaking lines. (I can understand why Peter Jackson did what he did with the dwarves in his movies, to make them unique and memorable, but there's little-to-no basis for any of it and frak if it isn't so over the top it's in fraking orbit.)

Also: the complete lack of female characters, other than a passing mention of Bilbo's mother.

Otherwise... that's all I really have. It's a good little book and a nice little adventure, but I prefer the meat LotR gives us. I remain baffled how anyone managed to eek 3 movies out of it, but I love it and now must lie in wait for the little ones in my own family to be old enough to appreciate it. Maybe then I'll recapture some of the delight I had at my initial reading. Until then, I'll just have to remind myself I may one day be old enough to truly enjoy fairytales again.

[catofadifferentcolor]

Wiedźmin: The Witcher &c

I came into The Witcher fandom quite sideways, following a series of white rabbits to the books that honestly feels, in retrospect, like a series of red flags warning me away.

My journey starts, ignominiously, sometime in college, when The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt came out. I was desperate for anything new to play... and got as far as the first tavern in the game before losing interest. This repeated twice more over the next few years, but I never got farther than that first tavern.

Fast forward to 2019, when Netflix released the show based off the books. I was tempted, but ultimately stayed away as my feelings on Henry Cavill can be summed up as pretty, but overrated and wooden. I got rid of Netflix not long after, and considered the matter finished.

Then earlier this year I fell back into the Dragon Age fandom, and came across a music rec in the truly excellent and epic the forest is dark and deep and i've seen you here before for Joey Batey's band, The Amazing Devil, and I got hooked. Around the same time I started stumbling into fics in other fandoms based off the remarkable Accidental Warlord series and that was enough. Despite having never read the books or seen the show, I had to find out more. So I ordered the books, dipped my toe in the fandom, and soon had scraped the barrel of fics clean trice-over.

Which brings me back to the books. This weekend I was finally ready to start. I had the first three books by Andrzej Sapkowski, a three day weekend, and no other plans.

I picked up The Last Wish. I read the first two pages. I put the book down.

I tried again an hour later. I made it through the first chapter - barely, by the skin of my teeth, but I made it. I put the book down again and texted the one person who has always shared my book tastes, my mother, and asked if she knew any reason I should continue. I forced myself through a few more pages before I got an answer: no, she'd not made it more than 50 pages into the book either, nor more than 5 minutes into the Netflix series. Relieved, I put the book and its ambitiously purchased sequels into my I really need to find a used bookstore to sell these back to pile.

So here I am. I feel somewhat guilty for attempting to review a book I couldn't force myself to finish - but I feel in some ways that's a review itself. Maybe it's an artifact of it's translation, but everything I did manage to get through felt clunky and forced, all info dump dialogue without any descriptors or even consideration that what info is being dumped is strange to just dump on a complete stranger, even if you're expecting him to solve all your problems. People lie. People don't know the whole truth. Et cetera, et cetera.

Perhaps I should have tried harder. After all, I made it through The Mortal Instruments series - drunk, mind you, but I made it. I made it through Twilight. I even made it through The Magicians - though by quarter of the way through that I was already composing my one star Amazon review. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to finish The Last Wish, despite truly enjoying some of the fan fiction based on it, just as I couldn't bring myself to finish Wild Hunt or even start the show.

Make of this as you will. I certainly won't be giving the books another shot. I tried, but whatever it is that drew in so many people, I couldn't bring myself to stick along long enough to find it.

[catofadifferentcolor]

Greco-Roman Mythology: Percy Jackson &c

After recently having gotten back into PJO via Lorixjake's excellent Reading Percy Jackson fics, I decided to try rereading the books for the first time in well over a decade.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

The Lightning Thief

The Sea of Monsters

The Titan's Curse

The Battle of the Labyrinth

The Last Olympian

The Heroes of Olympus

The Lost Hero

The Son of Neptune

The Mark of Athena

The House of Hades

The Blood of Olympus

The Trials of Apollo

The Hidden Oracle

The Dark Prophesy

The Burning Maze

The Tyrant's Tomb

The Tower of Nero

I've also been reading some of the companion works:

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes

Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo

Camp Half-Blood Confidential

Camp Jupiter Confidential

The Demigod Files

The Demigod Diaries

Plus some general Greek historical/mythological books:

Edith Hamilton's Mythology

Ancient Greece: An Illustrated History

(Photo: Medusa and Perseus by Doc Zenith)