#Acting Captain Buckland

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[cynassa]

Then soon came the day when the Fellowship began its final journey. With neither a balrog behind them, nor stolen hobbits ahead, they meandered. Although Aragorn and Arwen had bowed to the bare necessities of traveling in state and allowed a Royal Guard, the guards acted as scouts and information-bearers, and kept largely to themselves, offering the friends privacy.

They cooked on a campfire as they had done so many days and nights, with Aragorn and Sam tending the food, and Gimli tending the fire, and if the rations were better than they had had then, it was still not a king’s table. They spoke of many things they had not had the heart to do during their dark journey. From Faramir they heard many stories of Boromir, in his youth and as a young captain. They sang of his deeds, and wept freely for the new age he had not been able to see, and the new Gondor he had laid down his life for. This worst of wounds began to heal.

Merry spoke of his parents and Buckland, Pippin spoke of his sisters and mushrooms, Sam kept a watchful eye on Frodo, and Frodo asked learned and courteous questions about Elvish tales to Arwen and Aragorn. Legolas was not entirely useless in this, but he freely admitted he was no scholar, and young besides, as their people counted these things. Occasionally, Sam could be distracted into asking his own questions or singing a song in his naïve but tuneful voice, or talking about his own family, who, he thought, must have given him up for dead.

Before Eomer departed, he and Legolas finally had the contest they had devoutly wished for, his sword against Legolas’ knives and fleet foot, and Legolas won soundly.

Immediately turning to Gimli, Legolas had laughed. “See how I keep your honour!”

“When it does not need keeping,” Gimli remarked. “Still, I leave it in your charge.” And this was truer than Legolas knew.

(4000+ words in, we're getting there)

"How do your people court then?"

The question was not as abrupt as it could seem, firstly because the news that his brother was courting had left Legolas in deep thought for a number of days, secondly because Legolas had long ago confessed his curiosity about the lives and customs of Gimli's kin, and thirdly because Legolas' grace was well-known to be in his light feet and not his manners.

However, Gimli saw no reason to let him have his own way entirely. "And by my people do you mean the Longbeards, or the Dwarrow of Erebor, or the wandering mender that I now seem to be?"

"I meant," Legolas said, "wandering jesters."

Gimli lightly drummed the stone drum he had been fixing so that the night's music might not be ruined. "That you should know better than I, master wit."

"You acknowledge my wit! Tonight I shall see Vingilot come down and bid me welcome," Legolas replies.

Legolas then threw himself down on the floor beside Gimli's seat and lost himself in the sound of the drumming of Gimli's inexpert hands. It was dwarven-made, but dwarrow themselves did not use such drums, Gimli had told him. This was purely a Gondorian affectation. Yet, the stone came alive under Gimli's hands. Never a stonesmith, but the worn out grooves and scratches had told him where to chip at the stone to rebuild it, smaller than before, yet the sound remaining. Legolas was as still as the drums, except his hair, strands floating with the breeze.

[abrazimir]

HERE is finally at least the outline of Boromir and Theodred’s life after Sauron’s defeat. @melnchly and @talesspin may have opinions on marriage and birth dates of children and if you two have daughter OC’s to throw me 👀👀 I shall eagerly add them to the list. 

3019 Third Age (Age 41) March 25th: One Ring destroyed, End of Sauron. May 1st: Aragorn takes the Sceptre of the Reunited Kingdom. Aragorn allows Boromir to retain his title of Captain-General for the extent of the initial war but no longer.  Midyear’s day: Aragorn and Arwen wed. July 22nd: Theoden’s funeral procession lead by Theodred leaves Minas Tirith. August 10th: Funeral of Theoden. September 21st: Minas Morgul is finally subdued and it’s evil remnants are destroyed. Boromir steps down from the Captain-General seat and takes up his full duties as Steward.  November 3rd: Battle of the Bywater.

3020 Third Age (Age 42) March 14th: Drúedain destroy remnant of Saruman's Orcs May 1st: Faramir and Éowyn wed. Last time Theodred and Boromir see each other for a year.

3021 Third Age (Age 43) March 24th: Last day of the third age by Gondor’s reckoning.  First day (Yestarë G.R): Éomer and Lothíriel wed. First time Boromir and Theodred see each other since last year.  September 29th (S.R) Midyear’s day (G.R): Frodo passes over the Sea. End of Shire reckoning of the Third Age.

1 Fourth Age (Age 44) October 6th: Elboron born.

2 Fourth Age (Age 45) Feburary 10th: Elfwine born. June 17th: Death of Lord Sirgon of Lebennin. His grandson, Falasser, becomes the Lord of Lebennin.

3 Fourth Age (Age 46) August 3rd: Theodred decides to cede the crown of Rohan to Eomer after failing to restore his reputation to a level acceptable for a King. Rumours also abound after, despite all urging both public and private, Theodred does not wed. 

4 Fourth Age (Age 47)  Feburary 10th: Theodred officially cedes the throne to Eomer after spending time helping with the transition. He remains for a while afterwards, but soon leaves for Minas Tirith and is welcomed into Merethond as the new liason between Gondor and Rohan. There he lives for some time and is allowed dual citizenship.  November 6th: Death of Lady Vanyalos.

6 Fourth Age (Age 49) Febuary 18th: King Elessar issues an edict that Men are not to enter either Drúadan Forest or the Shire. Elesssar makes the Shire a Free Land under the protection of the Northern Sceptre. March 1st: Peregrin Took marries Diamond of Long Cleeve.

7 Fourth Age (Age 50) Janurary 28th: Theodred and Boromir cease withholding their relationship from the public. The uproar is somewhat mitigated by the slow dissemination of information about it, due to their not truly announcing it in any way. However eventually, with the necessity of confirming it to a few shocked acquaintances, a significant social controversy surrounding it grows. A great many call for Boromir to cede his seat as Steward. 

8 Fourth Age (Age 51) Yestarë: Boromir does cede the Stewardship to Faramir and departs Minas Tirith to live on the island of Cair Andros alongside Theodred. They are welcomed there by the somewhat insular community, most of whom knew and remembered them both with honour and familiarity. With the war taking such a toll on Cair Andros, their presence and help is welcomed as well. 

9 Fourth Age (Age 52) September 8th: Birth of Faramir Took, son of Peregrin Took and Diamond of Long Cleeve. October 10th: After realising that the orphaned sons of Boromir’s old friend from the war, Pedir and Tollon, are living alone, the men ask them to stay with them. Pedir, fourteen, agrees, and eventually they formally adopt the two boys. 

11 Fourth Age (Age 54) April 3rd: Meriadoc Brandybuck, son of Saradoc and Esmeralda Took, becomes the Master of Buckland. Great gifts are sent to him by King Éomer and the Lady Éowyn of Ithilien. Theodred sends some of the pipeweed he has taken to growing and the two hobbits grudgingly admit it is quite good. October 2nd: Death of Lady Terenis.

13 Fourth Age (Age 56) January 8th: Peregrin Took, son of Paladin and Eglantine Banks, becomes the thirty-second Thain of the Shire. King Elessar makes the Thain, the Master, and the Mayor Counsellors of the North-Kingdom. Boromir is the one who journeys to bring them this news, after being asked yet again to visit the Shire. He stays for some months and agrees to return when he can. Mid-year's Day: Samwise Gamgee is elected Mayor of Michel Delving for the second time.

14 Fourth Age (Age 57) December 9th: Boromir and Theodred adopt the newborn daughter of one of Lothiriel’s oldest friends after her life became suddenly difficult and on shakey foundations. She is named Arasser.

15 Fourth Age (Age 58) March 25th: King Elessar rides north and dwells for a while in Annúminas by Lake Evendim. He comes to the Brandywine Bridge, and there greets his friends. He gives the Star of the Dúnedain to Master Samwise, and Elanor is made a maid of honour to Queen Arwen. November 15th: Death of Glóin.

19 Fourth Age (Age 62) August 28th: Death of Farmer Cotton

20 Fourth Age (Age 63) April 7th: Legolas brought south Elves out of Greenwood, and they dwelt in Ithilien, and it became once again the "fairest country in all the westlands." Midyear’s Day: Sam Gamgee elected mayor for the third time.

21 Fourth Age (Age 64) January 4th: Samwise, Rose and Elanor ride to Gondor and stay there for a year. During this period, Master Tolman Cotton acts as deputy Mayor. December 19th: Birth of Tolman Gardner, thirteenth child and seventh son of Samwise Gamgee and Rose Cotton.

27 Fourth Age (Age 70) Mid-year’s Day: Sam Gamgee elected mayor for the fourth time

31 Fourth Age (Age 74) October 1st: The Westmarch becomes a part of the Shire by the gift of the King. Many Hobbits remove to it.

34 Fourth Age (Age 77) Mid-year's Day: Samwise Gamgee is elected Mayor of Michel Delving for the fifth time. November 14th: Death of Imrahil, Prince of Dol Amroth. Elphir, son of Imrahil, becomes the twenty-third Prince of Dol Amroth.

39 Fourth Age (Age 82) June 1st: Death of Theodred after a protracted illness. 

41 Fourth Age (Age 84) Mid-year's Day: Samwise Gamgee is elected Mayor of Michel Delving for the sixth time. At Samwise's request, Thain Peregrin Took makes Fastred the Warden of Westmarch. Fastred and Elanor make their dwelling at Undertowers on the Tower Hills, where their descendants, the Fairbairns of the Towers, dwelt for many generations.

42 Fourth Age (Age 85) May 11th: Boromir returns to the Shire for the last time.

48 Fourth Age (Age 91) Mid-year's Day: Samwise Gamgee is elected as Mayor of Michel Delving for his seventh and final term. June 2nd: Boromir is welcomed to Edoras once again. He remains there for a few months, but dies quietly toward the end of the visit. 

[itsrattysworld]

Without Prejudice UK Is Not Racist Robert Buckland, Justice Secretary MOPAC Review Added BSB, SRA, Claims To CLCC Designated Civil District Judge Dight Misconduct Skip To Parfitt IOPC Caseworker Why CDA 1971, ECRO 2014, No Adherence Equality Act 2010 9/4

Without Prejudice UK Is Not Racist Robert Buckland, Justice Secretary MOPAC Review Added BSB, SRA, Claims To CLCC Designated Civil District Judge Dight Misconduct Skip To Parfitt IOPC Caseworker Why CDA 1971, ECRO 2014, No Adherence Equality Act 2010 9/4

See www.met.police.uk for moreON THIS DAY 4 years ago Mervelee Ratty Nembhard is celebrating love.Shared with PublicDaily www.express.co.uk Inspired Thinking “Do just once what others say you can’t do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again” Captain James Cook (1728-1779).I am showing all of them that I can take on the whole world…

[aion-rsa]

Marvel’s WandaVision: Vision’s Avengers and MCU History Recap

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WandaVision has been considered one of the more unique concepts for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The new Disney+ show takes two members of the Avengers and puts them in a new setting with a sitcom motif that is intended to be a comforting status quo but is anything but. As the layers begin to peel back on reality, this story of a wise android and his magic-wielding wife is more of a bonkers horror mystery than anything else.

To have this as the first step in the long-awaited Phase 4 of the MCU is a ballsy move. A move forced because of the worldwide COVID situation, but a ballsy move regardless. How do you even explain the concept of the show to someone who is taken in by the commercials or sees the icon on the Disney+ menu? Avengers: Infinity War also had a lot of baggage going in, but even that was easily explained as, “all the heroes team up to stop the big villain from gathering all the special power-ups before it’s too late.”

To help you prepare for WandaVision, I’m going to focus on the MCU history of Vision, as played by Paul Bettany.

THE JARVIS LEGACY

To understand Vision, you have to go back nearly a century to the life of Edwin Jarvis. A member of the British Armed Forces, Jarvis eventually left the battlefield to work as a butler for millionaire inventor Howard Stark. A loyal friend, Jarvis worked for the Stark family for roughly 50 years. Howard and Maria died in the early ’90s, leaving Jarvis to act as a father figure to the orphaned Tony Stark.

While the details of Edwin Jarvis’ death are unknown, Tony would ensure that his name, wisdom, and work ethic would live on. Tony invented an artificial intelligence called Just A Rather Very Intelligent System, otherwise known as JARVIS. With a voice and personality similar to Edwin Jarvis, JARVIS acted as a disembodied security system and information hub for Tony Stark.

This proved especially helpful when Tony Stark created the second incarnation of the Iron Man armor and installed JARVIS as his co-pilot, offering advice and information when necessary. JARVIS aided Iron Man in Iron Man’s trilogy of solo films, as well as the first Avengers movie.

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

The first Avengers movie involved the team fighting off an alien invasion led by the mad god Loki. Despite winning, Tony Stark retained a lingering fear that there would be bigger and more destructive aliens on the way eventually. Earth would never be truly safe. As he was in the process of leaving his Iron Man duties behind, Stark felt that Earth needed its own worldwide security system. As he put it, a suit of armor around the planet.

The Avengers defeated the terrorist cell HYDRA and, in doing so, obtained the Mind Stone. Previously, in Loki’s hands, the Mind Stone was a tool to conquer the minds of enemies and turn them into allies. In HYDRA’s hands, it was a tool to awaken latent abilities in those who survived intense exposure to it, such as twin siblings Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Tony Stark and Bruce Banner decided to play God by creating a brand-new and incredibly advanced AI out of the Mind Stone that would have the capacity to protect the entire human race and fight off any potential invaders.

While Stark and Banner were gone, the Ultron AI awakened. JARVIS attempted to coax it, but Ultron’s tabula rasa form being bombarded with so much information was too overwhelming. The Ultron AI immediately went mad and tore apart JARVIS’ programming. Ultron created a series of bodies, attacked the Avengers, and declared war on the world.

Read more

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Since Ultron was able to extend his consciousness to various robotic bodies, he intended to create the ultimate android body to make himself truly unbeatable. This host body, which included the special metal vibranium, synthetic tissue, and the Mind Stone, was stolen away from the Avengers.

What Ultron didn’t realize was that pieces of JARVIS’ programming still existed and were able to keep Ultron from spreading his AI to the internet or government nuclear programs. Stark chose to upload what was left of JARVIS into the android body and Thor gave it life with a blast of lightning.

A red, flying humanoid sprung to life, calling himself Vision. Other than flight, he could fire lasers out of his forehead and alter his mass so that he could phase through matter or turn himself so dense that he was borderline unbreakable.

While he had JARVIS’ voice and demeanor, he was not quite JARVIS…albeit not quite Ultron either. Explaining that he was on “the side of life,” he offered his assistance to the Avengers and proved himself noble and pure-hearted by picking up Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, a feat only possible to those considered worthy.

Then again, Captain America and Iron Man would later argue that Vision wasn’t so much “worthy” as his machine biology allowed him to bypass that magic (ie. an elevator could theoretically “lift” Mjolnir despite its lack of sentience). Thor refused to agree with their logic.

Thor also realized the true meaning behind the Mind Stone on Vision’s forehead and how it was part of the six Infinity Stones, which were otherwise scattered across the galaxy. Due to his powers and proven worthiness, Thor felt the Mind Stone was in safe hands.

Vision helped the Avengers defeat Ultron in the final battle in Sokovia. Ultron’s main body, as well as countless drones, were completely destroyed. Vision tracked down the final, mangled Ultron drone. This drone, the last home to Ultron’s consciousness, debated with Vision about the fate of mankind. Annoyed by Vision’s optimism, Ultron charged and was quickly vaporized. The Age of Ultron was over before it could truly begin.

In the aftermath, a new Avengers team was put together. Vision joined Captain America, Black Widow, Falcon, War Machine, and – most importantly – the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

An Avengers mission, that Vision is for some reason not part of, went horribly wrong when Scarlet Witch tried to move a suicide bomber away from the area with her telekinesis. The explosion went off before she could clear it from the area, causing many deaths. This controversy helped create the Sokovia Accords, which decreed that the government had oversight in the Avengers’ duties, else they would be considered criminals.

The various heroes had differing thoughts on the matter. Vision felt that the increase of superheroes and supervillains meant that the chaos would also increase and that government oversight was the right way to go. He also agreed that it was in Wanda’s best interests to remain at Avengers Headquarters and refrain from appearing in public until everything blew over. The two bonded during this time, but Wanda was not entirely comfortable with the pressure to stay in the complex, guilty feelings or not.

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The split over the Sokovia Accords led to everyone taking a side with either Captain America or Iron Man. Hawkeye entered Avengers Headquarters to get Wanda to join Cap’s side. Vision easily defeated Hawkeye in combat, but Wanda was able to overpower him with ease. She had enough of living in fear and wanted out.

The two met again on the battlefield as the two warring sides fought it out at an airport. Vision was indeed a heavy hitter for Iron Man’s side, but he wasn’t without fault. His feelings for Wanda muddied his robotic sense of accuracy. As he tried to blast a laser at Falcon, he missed and instead hit his ally War Machine, accidentally causing him to crash and lose the use of his legs.

Regardless, Iron Man’s side won. Wanda and some of the others on Captain America’s team were put in a special prison. Soon enough, they were sprung free by Captain America himself, now a fugitive.

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

Even though Wanda was part of Captain America’s covert team (existing in spite of the government’s wishes), she still found time to be with Vision. The two became romantically involved and Vision even figured out how to morph his appearance into something more human-looking. As they vacationed in Scotland, they quickly discovered that Vision was in the crosshairs of a major plot to annihilate half the universe.

The sinister alien villain Thanos had wanted to bring together all six Infinity Stones so he could wish away half of all life and therefore – in his twisted logic – prevent overpopulation. Having just discovered a lead on the Soul Stone, he then knew the whereabouts of all six and prepared and all-out blitz to capture them all over the course of a couple days.

That meant that Thanos wanted Vision’s Mind Stone.

A few of Thanos’ most powerful soldiers ambushed Vision and Scarlet Witch and came very close to removing the gem from Vision’s head. Luckily, Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon arrived to ward them off.

Read more

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At first glance, the answer was simple: if Thanos needed all six Infinity Stones to succeed, then they could just destroy the Mind Stone. Scarlet Witch’s powers were linked to it, so she presumably had the ability to break it. Considering that would kill the love of her life, she refused. Instead, they would go to the advanced African country of Wakanda, where the super-smart princess Shuri would be able to remove the Mind Stone from Vision’s head without killing him. Then Wanda could trash the gem and Thanos would be thwarted.

Thanos’ forces raided Wakanda, as expected. Eventually, Scarlet Witch and Vision had to take part in the battle rather than wait for Vision to get the gem removed. Although badly wounded in the process, Vision was able to kill Thanos’ henchman Corvus Glaive thanks to Captain America’s help.

Vision begged Wanda to destroy the Mind Stone, even if it would cost his own life. Reluctantly, Wanda did so while Thanos (armed with the other five Infinity Stones) arrived and easily dispatched the other heroes. Wanda succeeded in blowing up the Mind Stone. Vision was dead and Wanda broke down.

Thanos showed compassion for her sacrifice, but it meant nothing in the end. Thanos had the Time Stone, which allowed him to rewind the clock and bring the Mind Stone back. Thanos brutally tore it from Vision’s head and left the lifeless husk behind.

At first, Thanos succeeded in his mission and erased half of all life from existence. This included Wanda Maximoff. Five years later, the Avengers were able to bring everyone back and Wanda even meted out some form of vengeance against Thanos for a moment.

While all those snapped away returned, Vision was not so lucky. Not only was he still dead, but the Infinity Stones had been destroyed and there was virtually no way to rebuild him.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

So then…what’s he doing in WandaVision?

The post Marvel’s WandaVision: Vision’s Avengers and MCU History Recap appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[pikespendragon67]

Some Freid Stuff

By somewhat popular demand

Lyra from Ultimate Dragon, now a middle-aged woman in Freid, runs the gymnasium that the twins Manny and Gio work out in

She has a daughter named Roslyn, was the product of a one-night stand

Speaking of, Gio’s full name is now Sergio instead of Giovanni

Remy’s real first name is Liam

Remy’s family tree so far:

Dad named Buck. Insisted Remy call him Buck instead of any variant of dad growing up for military formalities

Unnamed Mom, still around thank goodness

Younger brother named Oliver. Oliver’s got the power to simulate crime scenes by making photos move. Gave Remy his nickname and code name of Desperado

Ex-wife named Natalie. Oliver jokes and calls her a gnat. Remy’s not one for romance, and Natalie thought his job of being a hitman was too dangerous so it strained their relationship.

Janet’s still his daughter, joint custody and all. He acts extremely casual toward her, but is still a wary father.

Manny comes up with team combo names. For example, if he worked with Austin, their team name is Sharknado because Manny controls the weather while Austin is, well, part shark.

Some new character concepts: 

Oliver, previously mentioned. CV may be Joe J. Thomas

Nolan Conrad and Samhain (pronounced saw-win). Nolan wants to be a superhero named Captain Cornucopia. Samhain’s a shadow cursed to walk the Earth forever without having the power to do much aside from be a person’s shadow. Decided to stick with Nolan because of the Halloween aesthetic. Nolan carries a toy scythe while Samhain has a chain-hook hand (think Scarecrow’s weapon in Injustice 2). CV: Bryce Papenbrook and Derek Stephen Prince

Ming Hua? Stoic woman with the powers of the moon. More of a bystander if anything, might show up in Ultimate Dragon instead, though. CV: Cindy Robinson

Ophelia/Effie. Spider maid scared of everyone. ...Probably Ultimate Dragon. CV: Stephanie Sheh

Eve. Chimera powers, girlfriend to Adam. GET IT CV: Kira Buckland

Cyrus is the only male siren in his family and feels really insecure about it because he already looks feminine

He wants to hide his voice so people can like him for himself and not because they’re drawn by his voice. Does so with face masks.

Jackson thought he was mute so he learned sign language to try and speak with Cyrus. Cyrus writes on a whiteboard to tell him otherwise but the two still grow close.

THE CUTE SHIT: When Cyrus confessed his love to Jackson (after Jackson confessed), he removed his face mask and directly said “I love you”. This moved Jackson to tears because he was so happy that Cyrus trusted him this much

Jackson gets really bad anxiety attacks

Trisha wants to be a role model but finds it really hard to do so later on

Gwen calls Cal Calico not only because it’s a cute nickname and his eyes look like a cat’s but also because Cal loves cats in general

Remy has a small crush on Gwen, but is mature enough to not try and win her over when she’s better off with Cal

Aaaaand I’ll update this as I think of more stuff, or make other posts

[the-dan-in-high-castle]

The Lord of the Rings: Were some film changes justified?

Hi there, peeps. So this is the first time I’ve done something like this, but I thought I’d dig into something a little juicy and which often provokes a lot of debate in the literary sphere: whether or not the changes made from the original LOTR books to the film trilogy by Peter Jackson were justified or not.

Every book-to-movie translation features changes, and I mean every single one. We see it all over, with movies like the Harry Potter franchise, The Golden Compass, Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia, and perhaps most famously with Lord of the Rings. 

The reasons for these changes vary greatly. Some directors choose to erase aspects of the source material to shorten the overall length of a film, or to stop a film becoming clustered with too many plotlines or characters. Others may change a certain scene, location or character to better suit their vision of the adaptation, and some go as far as re-writing the plot to end differently altogether. For this post, I’m going to split LOTR changes into three categories:

The erasure of characters included in the novels

The change of characters included in both the novels and the films, either in actions, context or personality

The alteration of certain plot-lines and stories

Character removal

Yes, we will be talking about Tom Bombadil here to start with. The singing, dancing forest-lurker introduced in Chapter VI of Fellowship of the Ring, Tom acts as a seemingly random inclusion into the story, guiding the four Hobbits through the Barrow-downs and saving them from the undead Barrow-wights, while gifting the Hobbits the Númenorean daggers, one of which Merry uses to help kill the Witch-King in Return of the King. Bombadil has become the butt of many jokes among fans for his spontaneous appearance in the storyline, his apparent lack of significance in the plot as a whole, and simply because all he does is sing to trees and dance around his house. With this in mind, it makes sense entirely that Tom isn’t included in the films. He doesn’t appear for the rest of the films, he has minimal impact in the overall story, and he’s a bit of a joke character.

One more aggravating removal is that of Elladan and Elrohir, the sons of Elrond, as well as the Grey Company. The Grey Company, a group of elite Dúnedain soldiers led by Aragorn’s close friend, Halbarad, appear first in Return of the King, following Aragorn through the Paths of the Dead and helping him reclaim Pelargir and then the Pelenoor Fields. Elladan and Elrohir accompany the Grey Company, though also appear earlier in Rivendell in Fellowship of the Ring, and are also responsible for re-forging Anduril for Aragorn. The characters did not diminish at all from the overall story, with the Grey Company allowing Aragorn to show his leadership and control before his eventual succession to the throne, while Elladan and Elrohir gave more representation to the Elves, while also furthering the family of Elrond further, as in the books. Erasing them not only removes the Dúnedain from any mention save a conversation between Aragorn and Eowyn, but also erodes Elrond’s two eldest children from existence. 

There are other exclusions which do make some sense, in my opinion. Quickbeam, an Ent that befriends Merry and Pippin, is quite a humorous character in the books, but also does little to the story and would simply take up time and budget. There is also no mention of Bill Ferny, the corrupt Northmen who tells the Nazgul of the Hobbits being in Bree, though he wasn’t necessary in this regard either. Finally, there is the absence of Glorfindel, though I’ll explore that one when we look at the next section.

The alteration of characters

Faramir. Good grief, how they annoyed me with the depiction of Faramir in the films. Book-Faramir is genuinely one of the most noble and generous characters in the entire trilogy. He shows care and attention to Frodo and Sam, and while he is suspicious of Gollum, he never abuses him as is shown in the movies. More importantly, Faramir never attempts to take the Ring from Frodo, identifying it immediately as a source of evil. However, most significant is that Faramir aids Frodo in his journey by giving him food, as well as advising him not to trust Gollum nor to pass through Cirith Ungol. The contrast with Movie-Faramir, who at first acts out of greed and desperation to bring the Ring to Gondor, while also mistreating and abusing the trio travelling to Mordor, is a crude corruption of the noble Captain seen in the novels. Faramir’s actions seemed only to justify the scenes in Osgiliath, though these would much eagerly be replaced by the scenes involving the Window of the West in my opinion, which featured some of the best settings and dialogue in the entire trilogy.

Next, we move to Arwen. Arwen is one of the few characters to actually receive a greatly expanded role in the movies. Not only do we see her far earlier in Fellowship of the Ring, bearing Frodo to Rivendell, but we also see her struggles with journeying to Valinor and her romance with Aragorn, which is only ever mentioned in the books. Arwen’s expansion does help give some depth to one of the few female characters in the series, but also comes at the expense of other characters. Not only do the scenes detailing her inner turmoil and her relationship lead to the removal or cutting down of some characters, but her inclusion in some parts usurps the role of other characters, such as when Glorfindel rescues Frodo in the novel. Arwen’s changes are 50/50, as while the exploration of a character we know little about is somewhat appreciated, part of her appeal in the novels was her mystique, if Frodo’s perspective tells us anything, and her expansion comes at the cost of many other side characters.

Other character changes are somewhat minimal. The age of the Hobbits is greatly reduced, with Frodo being shown as a young adult, even though he is middle-aged in the books, though this comes down to a narrative change. Denethor is slightly differed also: while the books present him first with cunning and wit, which gradually descends as the story progresses, the movie presents him from the start of Return of the King as a man already lost to grief and madness, denying the audience the chance to see why he became the twisted and desperate man we see in the novels.

Alteration of the plot

In respect to Jackson, he did a far better job than most book-to-film directors in keeping to the plot of the trilogy (more than I can say for the Hobbit cough cough) but he is not without his blunders.

Remember the Scouring of the Shire? Peter Jackson doesn’t. One of the final chapters of Return of the King, the Scouring of the Shire was the takeover of the Shire by brigands loyal to Saruman (no, he didn’t fall off Orthanc at the start of RotK) and their subsequent defeat by the rebellious Hobbits, with Saruman being murdered by Wormtongue in the aftermath. The Scouring is definitely an usual addition, seemingly placed in the novel to close out Saruman after his escape from Orthanc. It did make some sense to cut out the Scouring, since it would have taken up time in an otherwise lengthy movie, and Jackson does well to allude to it with the Mirror of Galadriel in Fellowship, but getting to see an army of Hobbits beat up a bunch of bandits and thugs to round out the trilogy would have certainly been entertaining. Still, it makes sense to cut it.

What doesn’t make sense is the inclusion of Frodo, Sam and Gollum in the Battle of Osgiliath in Two Towers. Why were they there? The inclusion was practically nonsensical, since not only did it draw out the scenes where the audience was met with an (unsuitably) arrogant Faramir who they weren’t growing to like, but the battle scene never even included the other three characters fighting. If you want to add in a battle, go ahead, but don’t add a battle that nobody takes part in except extras. The battle wasn’t even that special, with the battle scenes themselves being clunky and the inclusion of the Nazgul being completely unnecessary, since we had not only seen them not long before over the Dead Marshes, but would later see them rip everything up in Minas Tirith. It’s a clunky addition that also deprives us of the scenes of respite that the novel chapters with Faramir provide. The last thing we really need at this point is turmoil and battle, and it only adds to the cluster of action going on at the end of the film.

Some smaller changes connect to the past two categories, such as the Grey Company coming to aid Aragorn and the complete removal of the Old Forest or the Barrow-downs, as well as the scenes in Buckland we see in the book where the reader learns that the Hobbits are being spied on. One of the more egregious changes in my personal opinion is the removal of the meeting between the Elves, led by Gildor, and the three Hobbits; Frodo, Sam and Pippin. The meeting is diminished to the passing of a group of Elves by Frodo and Sam in the film, and takes away from the mystique of the Elves that Jackson later tries to build in Rivendell. The meeting is one of the lighter-hearted portrayals of the Elves in the series, and the absence of the meeting does nothing but maintain the presentation of Elves as sullen, miserable warriors without any cheer or heart. 

Conclusion

So which changes are justified from book to film?

Definitely the removal of Tom Bombadil. While I enjoyed the Bombadil chapters in the book, they wouldn’t have done much good for the movies. 

The Scouring of the Shire. An interesting little storyline, but not significant enough to add to the films meaningfully, especially not a movie as long as Return of the King

The expansion of Arwen’s character. Tolkien admittedly included very few significant female characters, and so it is good of Jackson to expand on Arwen as a strong female figure.

Which changes weren’t justified?

Faramir. Changing Faramir into a near-antagonist for the entirety of Two Towers did nothing but give the audience a character to hate other than Gollum, which wasn’t necessary, since Gollum acts perfectly as a troubled, two-faced villain for the audience to be indecisive on. Faramir should have stayed as the strong source of hope in an otherwise troubled kingdom. 

The removal of various Elf characters. This includes Glorfindel, Elladan, Elrohir and Gildor. Four Elf characters that show far more heart and charisma than other Elves, yet are left out. Their inclusion could have added another dimension to the Elf race, but this is unfortunately avoided by Jackson.

How Denethor is presented. Denethor in the books started as witty and cunning, if not also paranoid, and over the course of Return of the King the reader sees the paranoia slowly take over his more respectable aspects. From the start of the movie, however, Denethor is depicted as broken and shallow, and so the audience misses out on that immersive transition.

Did Jackson mess up some stuff? Yeah, absolutely. If you’re of the belief that the books are absolutely perfect, you’re never gonna think a film adaptation will be as good since things will definitely change. However, as far as film adaptations of novels go, Jackson did a respectable job. He contained all the vital plot aspects, maintained the personalities of most characters while expanding on others, and gave us some absolutely gorgeous settings and art designs. Not bad, PJ. Not bad.

[bbcphile]

Turning Over the Sands of Time

Title: "Turning Over the Sands of Time"

Author: BBCPhile

Word Count: 1759

Pairing: Horatio Hornblower/Archie Kennedy (in the background)

AO3 link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10534998

Summary: “It’s an injustice, Horatio.” Witnessing one cruel beating recalls the remains of another, ten years past, that Archie had hoped was long dead and buried under the sands of time.

Trigger warnings: Flogging, PTSD flashback, memory of past rape, blood, suicidal ideation

Written for the Shifting Sands Hornblower fic challenge on LiveJournal.

“Eight,” Archie murmured as the cane in Matthews’ hand struck its target again. Another mark of injustice, carved on the innocent in the name of His Majesty’s navy. Another boy, another child, brutalized, while no one intervened. Not that incompetent, spineless fool, Buckland. Not the sycophantic Mr. Bush.

Not even Horatio.

Archie clenched his jaw and shoulders to suppress a shudder. Of course, Horatio wished to obey the chain of command for as long as possible, particularly since he was in as much danger of being beaten with it by that vengeful, bloodthirsty tyrant as poor Wellard. But still, for Horatio to insist to him, to HIM, that it was merely discipline—

“Nine.”

His hands started to tremble as memories he had long hoped were forever locked away began to shake free. He swallowed, as though the mere action were sufficient to push them back to the recesses where they belonged. Not now. Not on this blasted ship, where Sawyer was as hungry for weakness among his officers as the foxhounds on Father’s estate were for their quarry.

“Ten.”

Archie forced himself to breathe slowly and deeply, tried to recall the beautiful hills and lake of the estate that he had once called home, tried to feel the loving caress of Horatio’s hands as they roamed over his body at their last shore leave--

The thwack of wood against flesh. “Eleven.”

Archie’s legs carried him from the scene and to his cabin before he had consciously willed it. He sat down heavily on his cot, his head in his hands, as he tried to regularize his breathing.

Those days were long dead. He had nothing to fear from mere memories. He was a lieutenant now—merely a 4th lieutenant, of course—but an officer nonetheless. There was no excuse for this embarrassing, unmanly behavior. Even young Wellard, withstanding his unjust beating with such stoicism, such bravery, was putting him to shame. He was a fraud, a pathetic, mewling, useless, disappointment of a—

“--midshipman. Oversleeping? Missing from your watch? Your indolence could have jeopardized the entire ship! What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Kennedy?”

Archie forced his eyes to stay the course instead of dropping under Eccleston’s irate inspection. He swallowed. “I--”

A rustle to his right. He glanced over. Simpson had slunk nearer, a menacing, triumphant smirk on his face. Of course that bastard would insist on front-row seats from which to celebrate his triumph. Despite the August heat, Archie became suddenly chilled and forced himself not to shiver. “I – I h-have no excuse, sir.”

Eccleston narrowed his eyes at him and took a step closer. “Mr. Kennedy, this behavior is unacceptable. Midshipmen must serve as an example to their men, not lounge about, modeling nothing but dereliction of duty and inveterate lassitude. Birching should teach you a lesson. 12 strokes will do the trick.”

Archie’s breath caught in his throat. The instant they made him kiss the gunner’s daughter and forcibly yanked down his breeches, the shameful evidence of Simpson’s abuse--the throbbing injury that had rendered him unable to sit, to sleep, even, apart from the rare moments his exhaustion plastered over the agony--would be laid bare for all to see. His eyelids fluttered as the vitriol, the shouts, the mockery that would rain upon him echoed in his ears. And soon, rough hands would close around his shoulders and shove him into the hold, where he would remain, hated, fitting, and alone, until the rope closed around his neck. He forced himself not to shudder. Perhaps it would be a quick death. And if not, well, there were worse things than death. And, perhaps, if he had some small degree of good fortune left rattling around somewhere, he could drag Simpson down with him. Dying might be a price worth paying if it could but purchase that.

He glanced at Simpson, who had begun to blanch, his smirk faltering, as even he, dunce though he was, did out the calculation of how this would end. Archie mustered the courage to meet his eyes, a last gesture of defiance before he’d see him in Hell. He braced himself and, head held high, met Eccleston’s eyes.

“Aye aye, sir.”

They led him to the gundeck. The boatswain approached, rattan in hand, and he was shoved rudely over the cannon. His heart hammered in his throat and he felt his legs grow weak with terror at the memory of the last time he was forced onto his stomach, his arse sticking up in the air, bracing for the inevitable humiliation and pain. He closed his eyes and tried not to flinch as hands touched his breeches. Not much longer now—

“No need for that. Breeches on,” Eccleston announced awkwardly to the boatswain. Archie glanced up, his entire body frozen in shock. Eccleston looked straight ahead, as though Archie weren’t splayed out in front of him, as powerless as a newborn babe.

He knew.

No other explanation was possible.

He knew. He knew, and he was turning a blind eye. Did Simpson have some hold over him? Over the Captain? Did he not want the scandal of a sodomy conviction on the ship?

“Aye aye, sir,” said a gruff voice behind him, and the hands disappeared.

What must everyone think? Was it such an open secret? Good God, then he truly was Simpson’s molly, and he’d been whored out with the blessings of those who had the power to stop it.

No one was coming. No one would intervene.

And not even execution would free him from Simpson’s talons.

He heard the whoosh of air before the sharp crack filled the air and blinding pain coursed through him. He bit his lip to keep from crying out.

“One.”

Another swoosh, another lance of agony. His lip began to bleed.

“Two.”

A third impact. Lights flashed before his eyes. The searing sting and heat as recent scabs tore open. The world shimmered, then narrowed to a point as his eyes fixed on a small knothole in a board. All else faded into the distance.

Voices. Numbers. Cracks. Moving air. All far, far away. Below him. Elsewhere. A different world, a different life.

“Twelve.”

“Let that be a lesson to you, Mr. Kennedy.”

Hands on his arms. The world shifted and swayed. The knothole disappeared. Stairs. Canvas. A cocoon from which he was doomed to emerge. A caterpillar to the bitter end.

Nothing would ever change.

A gentle hand on his shoulder. He blinked as the world wobbled into focus and turned his head. Clayton. Good old Clayton. Not that he ever lifted a hand to intervene. “That’s right, Archie, rest now. You’re not needed on deck until the next bell.”

On deck? It almost seemed laughable. Could he even move? He tried to shift his position and whimpered as white hot pain seared through him.

Clayton winced in sympathy. “Just . . . try to find something to occupy your mind: a task, or your favorite sonnet or soliloquy. It may help pass the time.”

Time.

Archie came to himself with a gasp, then looked about him. He was in a cot, not a hammock. He knew this cabin, separated by only a thin partition from where his beloved Horatio slept, and the wardroom just outside. He ran a shaking hand over his face and wiped away the tears that had fallen. It was over. Almost a decade had past. Everything had changed.

Or had it? The actors had changed, but the play had not. Sawyer, Hobbs, Randall, Eccleston, Keene, Simpson—a rotting weed by any name would smell as fetid.

He sighed and shook his head. Horatio’s method had failed. He refused to stay silent and let Wellard suffer. And if he became Sawyer’s new target, well, then that was a price he was willing to pay.

Archie set his jaw and slowly rose from the cot. He splashed water on his face to cloak the manner in which he had spent the last several minutes. He straightened his clothes, then his shoulders, and left his cabin to return to the deck before someone would notice his absence.

He stepped out into the sun-soaked deck, half-hoping to see Horatio, and to feel the calming presence of his gaze, and half-dreading the concern that would cloud it the instant Horatio glimpsed his expression. Horatio had worries aplenty without needing to add Archie’s wellbeing to the list. Perhaps they would speak more freely the next time Horatio came off watch.

Instead, Buckland was the first officer he encountered. Archie attempted to avoid eye contact and to plot a course around him without being openly mutinous. Bush, too, he gave a wide berth, though they shared the deck. He didn’t yet trust himself to speak, in case the diatribe he was holding in decided to make itself heard.

His opinion of the second lieutenant plummeted further when he watched the casual indifference with which he greeted Wellard, as the young man stiffly hobbled his way on deck: no sympathy, no compassion, no attempt to help. Archie bit his tongue to keep from saying something he would regret and forced himself not to clench his fists. Open insubordination at this point would help no one.

He had to do something. Wellard needed to hear a friendly voice. But what? He took a few paces towards him, then paused, scanning the deck for some reason to speak to him without rousing suspicion. Archie glimpsed the sandglasses, lying ignored and forgotten, on the table beside Wellard, and suddenly his course was clear.

Archie hardly knew what instructions he gave to the boy as he walked toward him, desperately hoping his acting prowess from what seemed a lifetime ago still held fast. He wanted to comfort him, to take him far away, safe from all this, to promise him he would never let something so unjust happen again.

But decorum and spies made that impossible. So he gave Wellard all that he had, and hoped he would understand:

“Concentrate on the task in hand,” he murmured. “It’ll help to keep your mind off the pain.”

It wasn’t enough. It could never be enough. But, from the look Wellard gave him, it was sufficient to get him through the watch.

They would survive, one day at a time, until the sand ran out.

[spanishmain]

The Gallery of Portraits: Sir Francis Drake, 1835

In 1589 Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Norris were joined in the command of an expedition, meant to deliver Portugal from the dominion of Spain. This failed, as many expeditions have done in which the sea and land services were meant to act together; and, as usual, each party threw the blame on the other. Drake's plan appears to have been most judicious: it was at least accordant with his character, downright and daring. He wished to sail straight for Lisbon and surprise the place; but Norris was bent on landing at Corunna, where he did indeed some harm to the Spaniards, but no service towards the real objects of the expedition. When the land-forces did at last besiege Lisbon, Drake was unwilling or unable to force his way up the Tagus to co-operate with them, and for this he was afterwards warmly blamed by Norris. He defended himself by stating that the time misspent by the English at Corunna had been well employed by the Spaniards in fortifying Lisbon; and we fully believe that neither fear nor jealousy would have made him hesitate at anything which he thought to be for the good of the service. This miscarriage, though for a time it cast something of a cloud upon Drake's fame, did not prevent his being again employed in 1595, when the Queen, at the suggestion of himself and Sir John Hawkins, determined to send out another expedition against Spanish America, under those two eminent navigators, the expenses of which were in great part to be defrayed by themselves and their friends. Great hope was naturally conceived of this expedition, the largest which had yet been sent against that quarter, for it consisted of thirty vessels and 2500 men. The chief object was to sail to Nombre de Dios, march to Panama, and there seize the treasure from Peru. But the blow, which should have been struck immediately, was delayed by a feint on the parts of the Spaniards to invade England; the Plate fleet arrived in safety, and the Spanish colonies were forewarned. Hawkins died, it was said of grief at the ruined prospects of the expedition, November 12, while the fleet lay before Porto Rico; and on the same evening Drake had a narrow escape from a cannonball, which carried the stool from under him as he sat at supper and killed two of his chief officers. Repulsed from Porto Rico, the admiral steered for the Spanish main, where he burnt several towns, and among them Nombre de Dios. He then sent a strong detachment of 750 men against Panama; but they found the capture of that city impracticable. Soon afterwards he fell sick of a fever, and died January 28, 1596. His death, like that of his coadjutor, is attributed to mental distress; and nothing is more probable than that disappointment may have made that noxious climate more deadly. Hints of poisoning were thrown out; but this is a surmise easily and often lightly made. "Thus,” says Fuller, in his Holy State, "an extempore performance, scarce heard to be begun before we hear it is ended, comes off with better applause, or miscarries with less disgrace, than a long-studied and openly-premeditated action. Besides, we see how great spirits, having mounted up to the highest pitch of performance, afterwards strain and break their credits in trying to go beyond it. We will not justify all the actions of any man, though of a tamer profession than a sea-captain, in whom civility is often counted preciseness. For the main, we say that this our captain was a religious man towards God, and his houses, generally speaking, churches, where he came chaste in his life, just in his dealings, true of his word, and merciful to those that were under him, hating nothing so much as idleness." To these good qualities we may add that he was kind and considerate to his sailors, though strict in the maintenance of discipline: and liberal on fit occasions, though a strict economist. He cut a watercourse from Buckland Abbey to Plymouth, a distance of seven miles in a straight line, and thirty by the windings of the conduit, to supply the latter town with fresh water, which before was not to e procured within the distance of a mile. He is honorably distinguished from the atrocious race of buccaneers, to whom his example in some sort gave rise, by the humanity with which he treated his prisoners. And it should be mentioned, as a proof of his judicious benevolence, that in conjunction with Sir John Hawkins, he procured the establishment of the Chest at Chatham, for the relief of aged or sick seamen, out of their own voluntary contributions. The faults ascribed to him are ambition, inconstancy in friendship, and too much desire of popularity.