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Harry isn’t quite out of his teens when it fully hits him—the war, the blood and the guts spread across the corridors of Hogwarts, the screams and sobs, the nightmares, the shadows that never seem to leave him.

It’s too much.

He gets a flat in London—Muggle London. Hermione and the Weasleys give him space. Kingsley ensures the wizarding world gives him privacy. Not that some aren’t reluctant. Rita Skeeter releases articles every day, wondering when their Boy Who Lived will return.

But Harry doesn’t see those articles.

He tries to forget who he is for awhile.

His flat is cozy. He stuffs it with plants and paintings and books. He has a cat (or three). He wears sweaters and blazers with corduroy pants. He goes to the market every morning to buy fruits and vegetables. That’s where he meets the kindly old woman who lives down the street.

She lived through World War II and so many other wars, wars that Harry has never experienced but can only imagine.

She goes to his house and she goes to hers. There’s always tea and small cakes and dinners and cocoa—apparently she believes that a teenager needs cocoa—and baking and reading and knitting.

Harry uses magic to brew the cocoa one day, not realizing that she’s standing in the doorway. She calms him by telling him that she knows all about magic. 

Their conversations shift after that. They talk about their favorite creatures and how hard it was to watch them perish before their eyes. They talk about the wall that seemingly gave way to let them enter the magical world. They talk about lions and friends and family and love and betrayals and life and death.

“When did you leave?” Harry asks one day.

She pauses, a hand resting on his cat’s head. After a moment, she looks up with a heaviness in her eyes, a heaviness that Harry sees when he looks in the mirror everyday. 

“I was young,” she says. “Younger than you are now. But I had already grown up. I didn’t want to leave, not really, but it became too much.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Some days I do, some days I don’t.” 

“Yeah…”

It’s a few months later, when he’s helping her shovel the first snow from her walkway, that he asks, “Did you ever try going back?”

“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t,” she says, shoving a cup of cocoa into his hands. “I was shut out as soon as I hesitated.”

He pauses, nearly dropping the cocoa, before whispering, “That’s horrible.”

“What about you?” She escorts him inside, her cane tapping against the floor that he’s magically heated to warm her feet. “Would you be welcomed back?”

“Oh, yeah,” Harry says. “Til they turn on me because they don’t like the color of my shirt or because I sneezed the wrong way or because—you name it.”

She laughs and he smiles.

“Imagine that,” she softly says. “Rulers of our worlds and we’re not even allowed in them.”

“Imagine that.”

He does go back to the wizarding world, of course, but he never forgets his London flat. He visits the street from time to time, knowing that Susan Pevensie will be there, ready to push a cup of cocoa into his hands.

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Wizarding Robes: A Personal Guide

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Today I had the realisation that best bros Gandalf and Pippin are linked by (one of) their names: Mithrandir (Grey Pilgrim/Wanderer) and Peregrine (pilgrim/wanderer)

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The Australian Ballet is doing Alice in Wonderland again and on one hand I’ve seen it before, and on the other, their Queen of Hearts has my favourite costume in anything every

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To pick out some highlights:

Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel is just fantastic. It took me until season 2 to warm to her, but I’m now fully on board with the character and with Morfydd Clark’s performance. Soft and sharp, strong and brittle, relatable and otherworldly. I also realised this time round that she basically doesn’t blink?? Great acting/directing choice.

To quote Gil-Galad, DWARVES. Yes I know they’re great, yes I knew they were great when I was first watching it. But I’m properly appreciating it this time round. Others have said it much more eloquently than me, so I’ll just say again, DWARVES.

The costumes and set design, particularly in Numenor. Now I’ve made my peace with the fact that 90% of them wear teal or orange 90% of the time (and that they wear the same type of clothes regardless of whether they’re attending court or learning a manual trade), I can relax and enjoy the gorgeous fabrics and draping, the jewellery and all the sea-themed details. I also loved that from the first shot of Galadriel waking up on Elendil’s ship we know she’s somewhere (on balance) good and wholesome - it’s in the warm colours, the simple but thoughtful decoration, the fact that everything is worn but clearly good quality and well maintained.

One of the marks of a good plot twist or mystery reveal is that when you know it’s coming the journey to get there is just as good, if not better. I’m much more interested in Halbrand and his interactions with Galadriel now that I know he’s Sauron, and I know where their storyline is going up to the end of season 2. His manipulation of Galadriel and others is even more enjoyable now I know what’s behind it, and when it’s not clear what’s in his head it’s fun to speculate.

There are several characters I liked much more in season 2 than in season 1, and I’m enjoying them more in my rewatch now I know where they’re heading - particularly Isildur, Theo, Celebrimbor.

Half way through my Rings of Power S1 re-watch, and I'm enjoying it SO much. The first time round I was constantly asking myself Is this Tolkien-y? Is this good? Do I like it? Whereas this time round I'm laughing affectionately at the parts I find silly, ignoring the parts I don't care for, and enjoying the parts I enjoy, and it's just GREAT.

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"The face of Elrond was ageless, neither old nor young, though in it was written the memory of many things both glad and sorrowful.”

The Fellowship of the Ring: Book II, Chapter 1 - J.R.R. Tolkien.

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Seconding House of R and adding That's What I'm Tolkien About - Mary Clay and guests recap and discuss each episode, bringing in lore in an accessible way for non-loreheads like me. They're enthusiastic about what they love and respectful about what they critique. She doesn't make a big deal about it, but Mary Clay clearly cares a lot about inclusion and turning the volume up diverse voices, and I always enjoy and learn from the different perspectives.

Looking forward to checking these other podcasts out when I finish my RoP rewatch with associated re-listen of House of R and That's What I'm Tolkien About.

Rings of Power Podcast Recs

If you're looking for podcasts that dive deep into Middle-earth and all its messy bitches, here are a few that go beyond simple recaps. These podcasts really dig into the themes of the show and explore what makes the world and its inhabitants so damn compelling.

Rings Reforged (@ringsreforged)

Nat and Pau combine sharp analysis of themes with delightful unhingedness. They dive into topics like redemption, why we’re drawn to dark ships (and whether we should be), who’s on the chopping block, and the little details that drive us bananas — all with a level of media literacy that decodes every scene.

House of R

Jo and Mal do their best Fëanor and dive deep into the latest episodes, beginning with their opening snapshot, before a deep dive into each scene and a special spoiler speculation section. Together they have an impressive amount of Tolkien lore knowledge, as well as literature takes. Bonus episodes for music, promos and interviews with the cast!

Girls Nerd Out (@southernmotherofdragons )

No two people complete each other's thoughts like these two. Amanda and Andrea remind me of me and my best friend, if I could shake some sense into her and convince her to watch RoP. They ask the right questions and together they figure it out. Bonus, costumes!

Where The Shadows Lie (@wtslpod )

Kat and Wren always find I haven't noticed in a scene that gives me pause and makes me rethink the plot. Their nuanced take on Earien, for example had me rethinking the whole Numenor arc. Excellent.

Cast of the Rings

Very deep (3h) dives. Take an oxygen mask.

Ancient History Fangirl ep. Hot Sauron Summer

Mythology obsessed friends watch RoP and chaos ensues.

These are the ones I listen to and favour, if you know more and they're positive, add them. In a sea of unearned hate, let's celebrate what's made by fans for fans.

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Half way through my Rings of Power S1 re-watch, and I'm enjoying it SO much. The first time round I was constantly asking myself Is this Tolkien-y? Is this good? Do I like it? Whereas this time round I'm laughing affectionately at the parts I find silly, ignoring the parts I don't care for, and enjoying the parts I enjoy, and it's just GREAT.

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Imagine that when the Fellowship goes through Khazad-Dûm, they come across this old dining room with a dead tree inside, only a skeleton, all of the leaves disintegrated onto the stone floor, shards of mithril surrounding it as if someone had frantically tried to heal it long ago... but could not.

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— J. R. R. Tolkien, “The Hobbit”

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Inktober Day 16: NASSTV pt 5/6

Mithgalgrandelfriel: the ship we can all agree is hard to spell

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Inktober Day 15: Not All Ships Sail to Valinor Part 4/6

The ship no one asked for but is it the ship everyone needed

No

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Inktober Day 14: Not All Ships Sail To Valinor Pt 3/6

He shoulda never put that Nenya on

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Inktober Day 13: Part 2/6

So wholesome — the yin to Saurondriel’s yang

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Inktober Day 12: Welcome to part 1/6

I really am sorry this time

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Rewatching season 1 of Rings of Power. I did not expect to see parallels between Elrond and Sauron. In the initial scenes of Elrond at Khazad-Dum, Elrond is as effective a manipulator as Sauron. He knows just the right thing to say at the right time to get the result he wants. And, as is often the case with Sauron, the manipulation is all the more effective because he’s speaking the truth - he does love Durin, he does value their friendship, he does want to meet his family and learn more about his culture. But every action, every word that leaves his lips, is calculated precisely to achieve his aims.

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I personally would follow Pharazôn, for three reasons:

hair

beard

eyebrows