#but ok even in lotr

[rotationalsymmetry]

"Tolkien does not write conventional heroes and the Lord of the Rings is a powerful statement about how all power corrupts" is a decent first order approximation, and it's certainly closer to that than a generic power fantasy action movie.

It's not fully accurate though. The Ring does not represent all power -- powerful items in the wider Legendarium are generally dangerous, but not necessarily uncomplicatedly bad things, and some powerful things like the two trees are uncomplicatedly good things. The Ring is a specific powerful item made by a vicious Maia that causes harm because that Maia crafted it with his ill intent and will to dominate. It doesn't represent power in general.

But there is a very strong general theme of wanting power over others -- mastery -- being a bad thing. While acting out of pity, in the sense of being moved to act towards the common good, is elevated as a good and important thing. Basically, "I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people", except on the form of several books trying to explain just that. (And I'll count the hobbit in that -- it's a simpler adventure story, but not without a great big "hey maybe you can put aside your greed-based petty squabbles with basically good people in order to deal with the real enemy for a minute?" at the end.)

But there's also just a whole lot of people being messy. Feanor sucked and his oath was a terrible idea, and obviously the downstream effects of the oath were morally heinous and pragmatically disasterous -- except that the oath and Feanor wanting his special gems back is the only reason the Noldor were in Belariad in the first place, and the Noldor were the only ones mounting an effective resistance against Morgoth that wasn't just holing up in a walled kingdom and everyone outside your borders (including all the humans) fends for themselves. If they weren't there, presumably Morgoth would have ended up dominating the continent much sooner and enslaving and torturing more people. Whereas the sensible elves that stayed behind got to enjoy, effectively, their gated community while the world outside burned. So. It's complicated.

[rosetinted--clouds]

rewatching lotr, as you do, but there's something hitting about Isildur getting killed by three arrows (to the back) while abandoning his men versus Boromir getting killed by three arrows (to the chest) while doing everything to save Merry and Pippin and the influence of the ring over men, idk but my heart did a thing when i noticed it :(

[autistook]

I thought about Boromir and started crying

[catz4ever]

IM SO SCARED IM GOING TO LOSE HIM BY THE END OF THIS SEASON.

They hyped up his character so much with adds and multiple interviews with Sam. Sam has been non stop promoting the show and Adar and I can't but hope that maybe there's a reason for this? Does he have a bigger part to play? He even said "next year" in one of his interviews when they were discussing black speech and I've been holding onto that for dear life. Please someone comfort me 😭

I've legit had some real anxiety about this whole thing. Probably some PTSD from the recast last season but I can't lose another Adar. We just got Sam 🥺

[frogayyyy]

just some ramblings on the rise of rebranded homophobia in relation to shipping and fandom etc (i watched lotr yesterday)

the way people will say "healthy friendships between men are important and we need representation!!!!" (this is true) in response to shipping as if there's an abundance of mlm relationships in media and yknow. homophobia hasn't existed??

“>:[ us men aren't allowed to be just friends anymore!!!! because of the homophobia!!!! that we created!!!!!!”

i've definitely seen this sentiment grow more again over the last few years as the number of canonical mlm relationships (often badly written or lacking any substance) increases.

before it was just a blatant "no homo" or something but it's now becoming a bit more subtle and "how dare you imply this character could be gay? do you hate men being friends?! go back to your handful of bland designated Gay Characters that we so generously gave you" from the same people who have spent years adding to the very same toxic masculinity and homophobia that stopped them from having deep and healthy friendships with other men in the first place. dare i say gaslighting?

(and just to be extra clear i am not talking about ace/aro people, or characters who are headcanoned as ace/aro, or qprs, etc. or even anyone interpreting a relationship as 'just' platonic. i'm only referring to that specific "no homo" kind of argument against shipping)

[curufiin]

Also another unpopular opinion: the WWE dudebros are NOT LOTR. THEY ARE SILMARILLION ELVES. aragorn could NEVER be kit wilson here are 10000000 reasons why

[sesamenom]

Some design sketches for Bilbo and Lobelia, plus a bonus thorin

[acornsandoaktrees]

after thinking about making thirst trap edits for giggles, here is Elros! I think he might be my new favourite guy. oops

wanted to do something different with him, particularly his hair, so that he stands out from the typical style of the rest of the Woodland Guard. because he deserves to :<

i have eight total images of him, one of which is blurry af, and the other is a model from lotr lego bc apparently he was in that???

(i'll post the edits if anyone asks)

comparison and flat colours:

oh yeah!!! the reason i got here is because i'm thinking about including him in aaot, as part of the greenwood kids group to give him a taste of development. he, Tauriel and Legolas would be the youngest of the five (Tauriel by a hair's breadth with Alphes). i randomly assigned them 'leaf trio', which i rather like

[thisisntseriousbusiness]

the dwarves in these first three episodes of rings of power s2……. lord provide me with the strength………..

[hopeless-eccentric]

man boromir was just a guy. he was just a man. he just wanted to keep his people and homeland safe and bore the weight of the world on his shoulders his whole damn life and always had to do it alone and never fail. and then getting told in his last living moments that he didnt fail? that at the end of the day, he overcame the ring and died boromir, rather than some corrupted shell of himself, and that was what mattered? and being comforted all the while? man

[edennill]

I really like to think there is some debate among scholars on whether Tol Fuin is part of the Reunited Kingdom on a technicality, since its Kings are straight-line descendants of the last Lords of Dorthonion.

...

The opinion of His Highness King Elessar on the subject: It would, you know, make about as much sense for me to say we're still the Lords of Andunie.

The opinion of Her Highness the King's youngest daughter: That would actually be immeasurably cool and dad is a spoilsport.

The opinion of any given random inhabitant of Middle-Earth: I mean Gondor-and-Arnor is welcome to it; no one lives there for a reason, but if they want a barren wasteland with a feel altogether too similar to Mordor on sentimental grounds, who am I to stop them?

[transeliot]

[nerdyqueerr]

How to tell the beautiful older trans woman on my rugby team that she's so incredibly charming and I would die or perhaps proclaim some kind of sonnet for her if she needed me to without making it like. Weird

[wizardlyghost]

dnd sourcebooks: elves don’t sleep, and are immune to magical sleep and effects such as the 5th level spell dream. also, in many worlds, one of the two major elvish deities is the goddess of dreams.

me: well that’s fucking stupid, i’m gonna rule that the no sleep thing was something the elves made up to punk the dwarves.

[jankillbride]

finally reading through orv with the intent to finish and the venn diagram i will make once i am done... insane.

[im2tired4usernames]

Huh do you guys remember the book tuck everlasting? How the main girl Winnie was a fat ten year old with an immortal love interest who was "17" but actually like 100 n something and the whole thing with him was he wanted her to drink the everlasting water when she turned 17 so shed be 17 forever and they could get married like that was kinda weird he would.like take her just the two of em and talk up marriage with her and she was like TEN ? They changed it in the movie and made her a skinny fifteen year old but still wow I'm surprised why so many christan parents let that romance book be allowed but like....pride n prejudice was a debate? I don't understand the logic of homeschool mother's AT ALL WHY WAS THAT BOOK ALLOWED BUT WHY WAS I SCREAMED AT FOR CHECKING OUT OLD YELLER AT THE LIBRARY BY A HOMESCHOOL MOTHER IN OUR CO-OP???