#Crickhollow Crafts

[rohirric-hunter]

Well, well, well, if it isn't the consequences of my actions again

[frodo-with-glasses]

More Reading Thoughts: Three Is Company

Frodo calling it “Our Birthday” is making me feel things. Oh would you look at the time, it’s Crying About Bilbo and Frodo O’Clock again TT~TT

It’s honestly such a mood that Frodo says to himself “I’m following Bilbo!” so he doesn’t have to think about “I’m carrying a thing of great evil into danger and unseen ends”. Me too, Frodo. Me too.

“And see that Sam Gamgee does not talk. If he does, I really shall turn him into a toad.” 🤣

“Bilbo went to find a treasure, there and back again; but I go to lose one, and not return, as far as I can see.” OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THE TIME—

Also “and not to return” is so heartbreaking, especially knowing that by the time he gets to Mordor Frodo is fully expecting to die at the end of his journey TT^TT

“It may be your task to find the Cracks of Doom.” JUST DROP THAT FORESHADOWING RIGHT THERE LIKE IT’S NOTHING, HUH, TOLKIEN??

Also teehee crack

Yes I am a twelve year old boy on the inside, moving on

The local shade towards the Sackville-Bagginses is HYSTERICAL

“Ah yes Merry is looking out for a house for me in Buckland.” INSTANCE #2 OF MERRY BEING ORGANIZATIONALLY GOATED

I’m honestly very impressed by how neatly Tolkien crafted Frodo’s backstory and interwove it into the story. The idea that he’s going back to Buckland where he grew up really does seem credible! None of the hobbits would suspect a thing! I almost have to wonder which came first in Tolkien’s mind, Frodo’s backstory or the fact that he’d need a good excuse to go East. It’s so well-crafted and it makes my writer brain happy.

F in the chat for Folco Boffin; we know your name and nothing else about you

Frodo draining the last of the wine like “lol at least the Sackville-Bagginses won’t get THIS!” is very funny to me

I have said it before, I’ll say it again, Frodo looking in the mirror and going “geez I’ve gotten fat” will NEVER NOT BE FUNNY

“Frodo did not offer [Lobelia] any tea.” I hereby name you Frodo Sassville-Baggins.

Aww, the Gaffer agreed to Sam going to Crickhollow to work for Frodo!

If only he knew just how far he was really going

“…though it did not console him for the prospect of having Lobelia as a neighbour.” o7 for the Gaffer, everybody

And they had tea by themselves and left the dishes for Lobelia 🤣 FRODO SASSVILLE-BAGGINS

“‘Coming, sir!’ came the answer from far within, followed soon by Sam himself, wiping his mouth. He had been saying farewell to the beer-barrel in the cellar.” LOL

Also I can’t blame him, knowing what he’s walking into

“He waved his hand, then turned and (following Bilbo, if he had known it) hurried after Peregrin down the garden-path.” OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THE—

Frodo, whining: "My bag is so heavy" Sam, lying: "I could carry more, sir!" Pippin: "Oh no you don't, let him suffer"

Honestly the dynamic of this trio is super underrated LOL

I'm honestly not sure whether "well, we all like walking in the dark" is meant to be sarcastic or genuine—the way it's repeated later on makes me think it's genuine, but I can't be sure—so just to be safe I'm bringing the Frodo Sassville-Baggins score up to 2.5

I'm taking the time to read the walking bits slowly now, and honestly, the way Tolkien describes the countryside of the Shire is so beautiful. I want to go there, and I want to walk there, and I want to see what the hobbits are seeing. Every little piece of nature and topography elicits an emotion; from the enclosed safety of Hobbiton, cradled in its cozy little valley, to the great fir tree standing guard over the hobbits as they sleep, to the road winding endlessly on before them, promising still more work and beautiful scenery and adventures to come. Is this slow reading? Yes. But I love it so much.

Frodo wakes up and the first thing he does is grumble to himself about his back and neck. He really is an old man. I love him.

Honestly this entire scene is comedy gold

Frodo: "Wake up, hobbits! It's a beautiful morning." Pippin, a literal teenager: "What's so beautiful about it?" ROFLOL

Pippin, literally out in the middle of nowhere: "Sam, draw a bath!"

And for that, Frodo steals his blankets and makes him roll over. Frodo Sassville-Baggins score: 3.5

Pippin: "Water! Where's the water?" Frodo: "I don't keep water in my pockets!" SASSVILLE-BAGGINS SCORE: 4.5

And then he makes Pippin come get the water with him, since he wants it so badly. I love Exasperated Older Sibling Frodo and I wish we got to see so much more of it.

Pippin, after Frodo randomly bursts into poetry: "Wow, was that Bilbo's poetry, or yours? It's kind of a downer."

I'm so glad they kept the "it's dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door" line in the movies, because it really is so good.

Sam's canonically good hearing returns!

Frodo suggesting they prank Gandalf for being late is honestly so cute lol

Twice in this chapter we get the eucatastrophe of Frodo just barely not putting on the Ring, right at the last second. The first time, the Black Rider just walks off on his own, and the second time the Elves show up and scare him off. I will praise Frodo's virtues 'till Spring turns into Winter, but I think this is clear evidence right from the beginning that Frodo was not, and could not, be saved from the temptation of the Ring by any virtue of his own. He is saved; he does not save himself. All of which is honestly very Christian of Tolkien.

Pippin, to Frodo: "All right, keep your secrets!"

I love the walking song. I might do a revised recording of it, if you guys will tolerate my singing voice again X-D

Can we just acknowledge how bad*ss it is that Frodo sneaks up and spies on a Black Rider, just out of curiosity?? Like, I know this is more a feat of stupidity than it is of courage, but given everything we know about them by the end of the book, that is honestly WICKED cool.

Sam, having to be dragged back by his arms: "ELVES! ELVES!"

GILDOR!!

GILDOR MY UNDERRATED BESTIE

I can't wait to draw Gildor. He's gonna be so PRETTY

"But we have no need of other company, and hobbits are so dull" is so funny tho

The Elves, with all the love in their hearts: "You can't sit with us, you're boring!"

FINROD MY MAN

I have not read the Silmarillion, but I know enough about it to know that Finrod is the G.O.A.T.

The Elves: "You're being followed by Black Riders?? Okay you're coming with us now"

Frodo speaking the High-elven tongue like a NERD

I love him

And Gildor immediately like "LOL y'all watch your language, the babies can understand us!" I love him dearly

....Okay wait I have a thought about the hobbits walking with the elves until they nearly fall asleep on their feet. A thought about soldiers and Tolkien's experience in war. Wait. I'm gonna have to make a post about this.

Eyyyy it's the Turin constellation!

Something about the Elven hall did indeed become a core memory for young Lady Glasses. I spent quite a few years building a fantasy world that would capture that sense of mysticism and wonder. Just like Sam and Pippin, I never really remembered the details, but the emotion stuck with me, and it enchanted my imagination.

The Elves bringing out a Thanksgiving feast and saying "sorry we don't have better food" is like going over to your friend's immaculately cleaned house and them saying "sorry for the mess"

Frodo speaking the Elves' language and charming them all is so cute

Sam falling asleep at Frodo's feet as he talks to Gildor is SO CUTE

“At last Frodo asked the question that was nearest to his heart: ‘Tell me, Gildor, have ever you seen Bilbo since he left us?’” OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT—

"My faithful Sam" UGH THE FEELS

Gildor: "But it is said: 'Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.'" Frodo: "And it is also said, 'Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes.'" HAHAHA GETTIM FRODO

SASSVILLE-BAGGINS SCORE: 5.5

Gildor saying "you don't need to understand the Black Riders, just stay away from them" is honestly very Christian of Tolkien too. The best spiritual warfare advice I've ever heard is "don't try to understand demons; just get as close to your Protector".

Anyway Gildor complimenting Frodo is very cute and that is all

[crickhollowcrafts]

[shiromir]

Here are some crafting pics from about a year ago to prepare for the long journey ahead!

[southfarthing]

i really enjoy reading your thoughts on lotr!! esp what you've said/reblogged about the films' characterisations of faramir, denethor and gimli. that made me really curious so i wanted to ask along the same lines, what do you think the films did well in adapting the books vs what do you think they did badly?

thank you so much! that really means a lot 🥺 I'll start with things I think they could've done better and then do things they did well to end it on a more positive note <3

things the lotr films didn't do so well when adapting the book

as already mentioned, several characters were changed for the worse

faramir was portrayed as much more downtrodden and useless than he is in the book

denethor was made stupid and selfish and incompetent

gimli was stripped of his wonder and passion and played for comic relief

there are also things to be said for the adaptations of legolas, boromir, frodo (the way the film has him distrust sam and send him away?), and others

the pacing of the two towers. fotr is brilliant, rotk is great, but the two towers feels bloated, which makes sense seeing as they crammed in the whole shelob plot into rotk instead. this then meant they made the battle of helm's deep a lot bigger than it needed to be (which I feel detracted a bit from the battle of the pelennor fields - like some things were repeated e.g. motivational theoden speech, and mounted rohirrim charging in at dawn to save the day). and they also added a load of other side plots like aragorn flying off a cliff? and elves of lothlorien - of lothlorien! - coming to help men of rohan?! when the films could have been focusing on eomer (gimli and eomer! aragorn and eomer!), faramir, and frodo and sam in shelob's lair

cut out some very valuable plots and characters. I understand some things, like getting rid of tom bombadil and gildor, and the way they absorbed beregond's character into faramir's and halarad's into haldir's (though I would've done anything to have the grey company my BELOVED). but some should not have been cut.

the scouring of the shire

the nazgul attack at crickhollow and fatty bolger raising the alarm (sorry this is one of my absolute favourite scenes in the book and it would've been so easy to include it alongside the scene of the nazgul at the prancing pony)

they could have kept at least one out of the old forest and the barrow downs

more scenes from the houses of healing!!!!!!!!!! faramir and eowyn get a whole chapter in the book! we deserved to see a nice, healing end to both their arcs!

and it would've been nice to see gondorian reinforcements arriving at minas tirith, both to show a little more diversity and to show that gondor hadn't just completely given up?

and on the topic of diversity... yeah. sam is described as having brown skin, and some of the other hobbits may well have been less white than they were shown to be. gondorians are meant to have black hair, not brown/blond. many gondorians not of numenorian descent would have been darker skinned (so showing the reinforcements from lossarnach would've been great). like it's not much, but what little positive diversity tolkien did give was removed by the films, and that stuck in people's heads, and now we have people claiming that middle earth was all white or whatever.......

things the lotr films did well when adapting the book

brought middle earth to life with so much love. you can tell this was a passion project, and not just for the actors. the score, the cinematograpy, the costumes, the architecture - all of it. it all has such a genuine quality to it, and it shows onscreen. so much meticulous planning and crafting in all areas. the authenticity of the armour and weapons, the elvish in the music, the grainy & rugged aesthetic... any screenshot from those films will fill me with such yearning. it all just feels both so magical and so real.

some characters were changed for the better! book aragorn starts off great and then disappoints me more and more as the story progresses. film aragorn is incredible, and they definitely gave him more of an arc

did a wonderful job of helping us visualise this new world. I grew up watching the films and only read lotr when I was older. I read the hobbit when I was 8, and then immediately went on to lotr but found it tricky. I kept trying every year or so, and I'd usually get through fotr, but I'd run out of steam in ttt. I was 16 when I finally read the whole thing + appendices, and I loved it so much. and having the films playing in the back of my mind really helped me bring middle earth to life in my head as I read. the locations in particular - rivendell, khazad-dum, minas tirith, minas morgul, the shire...

the way they switched between all the different characters and plots. in each volume of the novel, there's one book for frodo and sam, and then one book for all the others. the way the films seamlessly transition between these is great storytelling

I know this seems like a much shorter list but the first point in this section could have been twenty points. I am SO grateful they went into making these films heart first. the current climate of fantasy and film/tv is... dark. yes of course there are wonderful exceptions, but what seems to sell these days is cynicism and sex and gratuitous violence and suave, cool characters. I'm so grateful to have these films passionately made to uphold earnestness, compassion, friendship and courage (even when it's lonely and doesn't look stereotypically cool or impressive). yes there are silly moments of humour (and I wish these wouldn't all have come from gimli and pippin), but there's no laughing at the story itself. that is adapted with full heart and soul

and thanks to the films, there's so much more to be enjoyed! video games and board games and fan films and more! and they have given us a way to create more fan content! without the lotr films we wouldn't be sitting around here on tumblr making and reblogging gifsets and edits! and there would be much less fanfiction and meta! the films further popularised the novel and brought it even more into mainstream knowledge, and I cannot be thankful enough <3

[thorinsbeard]

Wondering how in lotro you find a kin that suits you? Or maybe I don't really need a kinship but I'd at least like to find some friends. I mostly play on Gladden/Landroval/Treebeard now though I have some things to do on Crickhollow where I play with another newbie. I know if I DO join a kin, I wonder are there smaller ones? Ones where the players/people actually matter? I have a lot of social anxiety so a huge kin just isn't going to work for me. I don't want to feel ignored or like the rest is a clique if that makes sense. And my pace for the game/doing content is veeeeerrryy slow. I do not rush anything. It's taken me 4 months to learn how to farm/craft and I'm still working on it lol.

You can look up my high elf twins Belegrion/Eldiwing or my stout-axe Eevi or my hobbits Ivykins and Chelsey on Treebeard if you want. :)

[crickhollowkins]

Black Forces Aligned

BFA is a kin which is mainly for RP, but will have raids, instances, deeding, crafting and other activities as well. The kin is brand new, so it will need members to rank up! 

Kinship Leader: Naherun

Additional contact(s) grandthieves#4189 on discord

Kin Activities: Social, RP, Raiding, Deeding, Crafting, Parties, Events.

Playstyle: RP

Age restrictions: 17+

Languages: English

Kin size: Large

Voice server: Discord

Recruiting: Yes open

How to join: Send tell to Naherun on Crickhollow or message on Discord

[noriseyebrow]

Trying to put into words how I feel is....difficult. I love Lotro, I do. The start, the intro, some of the people I encounter(others not so much) because rude. But I feel lost still. Like a bug someone is waiting to squash. That might be due to my crippling I mean non-existent self-esteem issues.

Even when I tried a group the last two weeks I don't really enjoy it, in fact I've had a nervous breakdown after it TWICE. Because I am not ready for it I don't think? Not with super pro, experienced players anyway. Maybe with one experienced player who can explain it to a dumb noob like myself.

It seems like there are no other newbies, or at least, I don't know where I can find them. Or people who might be willing to come along at my pace? Which is not always the fastest. Sometimes it's slow. Mostly it's been doing the tutorials over and over because it's the only place I feel safe. I get about as far as the Crafting Hall in Combe and freeze. Crafting?? Quests?? So many quests?? Class this, it's like another language to me.

Forgive me. I know there are awesome, nice players out there because I have encountered you. Also there are 2 of us noobs on Crickhollow so maybe that will help.

[rohirric-hunter]

Part of me is like, Past Me can eat her heart out about finishing the entire RT in 12 days that one time after what Present Me just did in 5. But I know very well that this is because of the availability of the Moria crafting instance exploit on Crickhollow due to the fact that I have multiple characters there.

[crickhollowcrafts]

[crickhollowcrafts]

[crickhollowcrafts]

[crickhollowcrafts]

[crickhollowcrafts]

[crickhollowcrafts]

[crickhollowcrafts]