#I feel like a big part of it is how different Gimli is in the films

[twicearoundthebend]

Okay so this makes perfect sense in my head but idk if anyone else thinks like this-

In the books, it’s Legolas x Gimli all the way. They’re in love and their round the world trip is clearly their honeymoon. It’s the classic enemies to lovers, rivalry to teamwork (while still making it a competition), Romeo and Juliet but gay and happy.

But! In the movies I very much understand the Legolas x Aragorn vibes. Like- their banter? Top tier. How quick Legolas is to defend Aragorn? That’s his husband. The poster child of best friends to lovers relationships.

Also- the two ships have very different vibes, but I appreciate both. Legolas/Gimli is all about the slow burn, watching their relationship develop from rivalry into companionship, and what that means in relation to their cultures. But Legolas/Aragorn start out close already, and that bond really raises the stakes in dramatic moments

[live-laugh-legolas]

hii!! so your previous crush-post (xD) was so. cute! may I ask for some more romantic fluff and the Fellowship (and Faramir and Arwen, if it's okay?) proposing to the reader?

I added pictures of what the rings might look like because I have a Pinterest addiction and figured I could put it to use

How the fellowship proposes (+ Faramir & Arwen)

Aragorn:

-To be completely honest, I don’t see him being particularly traditional about it

-And by that I mean he doesn’t make a big thing of it and doesn’t do the whole kneeling thing

-I imagine him proposing just happens in a loving conversation that is pretty casual

-But honestly every conversation with him feels kinda intimate so it’s still very romantic

Legolas:

-He is restless

-He plans it to be thought out and to give a little speech

-But it just kinda comes out

-Not in an awkward or rushed way; but he is just so in love he can’t wait any longer

Gimli:

-Actually shitting himself

-I really think he would have planned to propose on multiple different occasions but got too scared and chickened out

-It’s not because he isn’t sure about it, or thinks you won’t say yes; he just wants it to be perfect

-He covers for his anxiety with a forced confidence that is frankly adorable

-Blushes profusely

Boromir:

-Very traditional

-I’m talking secluded paradise with rose petals and candles everywhere

-He spares no expense; no he’s not extra…he just wants to show how much he loves you…that’s it

-Down on one knee giving a honorable and sweet speech about how you are the best thing in his life and how he will spend eternity loving you

-Definitely gets a little emotional but for the most part he keeps it together (the same cannot be said for your wedding)

-He had Faramir help him find a ring because I refuse to believe Boromir knows anything about fashion, let alone jewelry

Frodo:

-He’s a bit restless, but in a giddy sort of way

-He’s just so excited about the idea of marrying you that he isn’t even thinking too much about the proposal

-He knows you will say yes

-I could also see him putting the ring somewhere you will find it; maybe on your pillow, and hide in the next room all giddy like a little kid as he waits for you to find it

-This is what my dad apparently did and I think it’s cute

Sam:

-Ok I know I said Gimli is shitting himself; but this guy is actually having the squirts

-But he’s nervous because he gets very down on himself at times and he worries you might say no

-Logically he knows you will be so excited because you have talked about marriage before; but he can’t help but worry

-Doesn’t take you anywhere too fancy; he keeps it kinda casual but romantic

-Maybe in the garden

Merry:

-He has had this planned for months

-He has one of his friends distract you for the day while he sets up a romantic picnic dinner

-Like a surprise party that you are kinda expecting because the person getting you out of the house is kinda sus

-But it’s so sweet and Merry is dresses so nicely

-Seriously a dapper little hobbit

-He has practiced some speeches to Pippin, but he doesn’t end up doing any of them

-Instead he opts for just a natural conversation that is sweet and to the point

-Big expensive gem

Pippin:

-He has been pretending to propose for a while

-Well not really pretending, but you know it’s not his official proposal

-That being said every “proposal” he does comes with some sort of offering; he once did it with your dinner plate

-All his fake proposals were to have some fun with it, but mainly to get over his nerves; he’s practicing

-Will continue to fake propose even after you are married just for the fun of it

-Likes to see people’s reactions (plus maybe get a free cake slice at a restaurant or something idk)

-I wanted to add a joke picture of a tiny with three plastic carrots but alas you are only allowed 10 pictures apparently so just imagine I did a funny thing

*Bonus Faramir

-He is just the sweetest and I love this man

-He seems like the type to propose pretty early on in a relationship

-Not because he’s rushing, but he just knows you are the one

-Surprisingly calm about it; or at least he appears that way

*Double bonus Arwen:

-She is probably the most confident of them all

-She is just so sure spoken

-She makes sure you both are dressed in your best clothes and will take you to a beautiful secluded place in Rivendell

-Idk why but I felt strongly that the gem would be blue

-(sorry hers is short, I wasn’t particularly inspired idk why)

——————————————————————-

Just a little reminder that Gandalf isn’t included because I don’t generally write him for romantic prompts unless specifically asked

[roselightfairy]

How about DVD commentary on some hurt/comfort bleeding into angst from Ripples in the long, long stream? This bit, in particular:

“Is that better?” came the elf’s voice, as though from a great distance through the rushing of blood in Gimli’s ears.  “Do you need” – Gimli took a shaky breath, trembling with relief.  “Yes,” he said, letting the leather fall from between his teeth.  Gingerly he lifted his arm and rotated it in a slow, careful circle – the pain was not entirely gone, but so much reduced from what it was that he felt almost drunk with it.  “Thank you.” “Of course.”  Legolas was rummaging in their pack now, searching for the spare roll of bandages they had taken to carrying with them.  “Here.”  Gimli sat passive, his frustration drained away with the pain, and allowed Legolas to wrap his arm and secure it carefully to his body.  “We will get you to a healer as soon as we return.  I think any deeper exploration here had best be postponed for now.” “Mmm.”  Gimli closed his eyes as Legolas swept a hand over his forehead, all his irritation fled at the elf’s gentle touch.  “I trust you.” “That is because you have singularly poor judgment.”  Legolas laughed, but his voice was tight.  “You are bone white, love.” “Well, nothing can be done for that until we return to Ithilien.”  Gimli did not open his eyes, but he smiled at the sound of his husband’s laugh.  “The sun will cure me soon enough, but summer is a ways off yet.” “Faultlessly spoken, and yet entirely wrong.”  Legolas sighed, but his lips pressed against Gimli’s hairline and his hand was still cool against Gimli’s sweaty brow.  “As always.”  Without looking, Gimli could feel Legolas moving around him to sit beside him on the boulder.  “We will just sit here until you recover your strength, then, and then we will turn towards home.” His voice was obstinate, as though preparing for an argument – but in truth Gimli would not complain at cutting their expedition short.  In truth, he still felt a bit shaky; his body did not seem to recover from shocks like this as quickly as it had when he was younger.  I am too old for this, he would have jested if it were another of his dwarven companions at his side now – and the words were hovering at the tip of his tongue before he remembered who sat beside him and clamped his lips around them.

I love them <3. Thank you!

Ooh ooh ooh thank you so much! This is the first time anyone has ever sent me an ask for this and I so appreciate it hehehe.

Okay, so as the DVD starts to roll, I do the overall commentary on the episode, which was that I was in the mood for a very specific sweet spot of hurt/comfort: I wanted it to be injury, requiring some kind of improvised solution, kind of random, but not so serious that it would lead to Big Angsty Feels. I settled on "dislocated shoulder," which was partly inspired by a scene from Thundera Tiger's "While the Ring went south" in which Gimli dislocates a shoulder while the two of them are trapped together. The difference is that in that fic they are enemies at each other's throats, and in mine they are, uh, married, haha.

Gingerly he lifted his arm and rotated it in a slow, careful circle – the pain was not entirely gone, but so much reduced from what it was that he felt almost drunk with it. - I had definitely read descriptions of dislocated shoulders before, but I did do some very basic research on the motions required to re-set a dislocated shoulder and how it feels afterwards.

“We will get you to a healer as soon as we return. I think any deeper exploration here had best be postponed for now.” My biggest biggest challenge in short fics like this is feeling like I have to do a huge setup for everything, and then realizing that I don't need to write the entire backstory of how they got where they are. I think (though it's been awhile), I was imagining that Gimli had dragged Legolas out to do some exploring in part of Aglarond that they hadn't really been working on much, or some other cave system, and is kind of at the point where he shouldn't be doing this anymore but isn't ready to admit it. Hence the "deeper exploration" bit.

Gimli closed his eyes as Legolas swept a hand over his forehead, all his irritation fled at the elf’s gentle touch. I just love when they touch each other gently! I just love it. The hand over the forehead, brushing back hair, soothing - You know. The inherent eroticism of a forehead.

Legolas laughed, but his voice was tight. Just - my favorite thing about writing Gimli physical h/c is that I get a side of Legolas angst, which I think anyone who has read ANY of my L/G stuff knows is my favorite thing in the world.

In truth, he still felt a bit shaky; his body did not seem to recover from shocks like this as quickly as it had when he was younger.  I am too old for this, he would have jested if it were another of his dwarven companions at his side now – and the words were hovering at the tip of his tongue before he remembered who sat beside him and clamped his lips around them.

And this last bit is one of those things I love most about writing fics like this - so often I start out with a scene I just want to play around with, and then I accidentally stumble into the real truth of it after several hundred words. Initially all I wanted was a little bit of h/c, and it wasn't until I got to this point that I realized what the story was really about - Gimli slowing down, not quite ready to admit it to himself, but forced to do so in a way that neither he nor Legolas can deny - one they can both feel, but aren't quite ready to say aloud to each other.

One of the time periods in their lives that I'm interested in is how their lives must have changed once Gimli really did start to slow down, once the challenge of their situation became a little too much for him, and how they must have navigated that. It's something I want to explore at some point, but haven't figured out how exactly to do it - so little peeks like this might have to do for now.

Thank you so much for asking! It was so fun to revisit this little fic, and I'm so glad that you enjoyed it enough to ask for the DVD commentary! :) <3

And anyone else is welcome to send in a passage, as well!

[pruning-the-minds-garden]

For the Ask Tumblr game, 6, 35, 68, 99? Any or all, as you feel comfortable

6. What is your favorite season? Why?

That's a hard one. I like different things about different seasons, and especially I like different seasons in different places. Where I live now (the Deep South) for instance, I would never in my life say "Summer" because that is the Season of Mosquitoes, but there are probably places where it is much better. Where I am now, I really like Spring and early Fall, though with the latter you have to worry about Hurricane Season so there's a bit of an asterisk to that one.

I like Winter, from the other side of a pane of glass and with a mug of hot cocoa. I cannot stand the cold for deep-seated health reasons it's not worth going into here, but I grew up in the Midwest so snow was a big part of my childhood experience. I remember walking to school, then stepping off the side of a hill and into a snowdrift and finding myself lost in a white wonderland because the snow went from 3 inches to 5 feet deep with no warning whatsoever, and having to find my way out like I was Gimli venturing up Caradhras. I loved it, but also no.

Anyway, that's a long way to say Spring. It's mild and pretty and there are tons of flowers and birds and it's just nice. Oh, and nature is busy trying to fuuuuuuuuu-

35. What jewelry are you wearing right now, and where did you get it?

68. Describe your hair.

It's past my shoulders, wavy, and dirty blonde. I haven't cut it in about four years. I put it into a pony tail sometimes when I am going to work (I work in a science lab) or my wife braids it for me. Because I never learned how to braid it as a kid I don't have the muscle memory to do it for myself, and I have trouble doing it in a reasonable amount of time in the mornings.

99. Odd or Even Numbers?

Zero.

From the Ask Away Tumblr Ask Game!

[lucy-verse]

I appreciate you adding your two cents from the other side of the argument. This was in no way an attack on people who ship Tauriel and Kili, and enjoyed the romance as a whole. It was merely a critique of how the movie handled their relationship and the issue of pivotal female characters in male-dominated movies nearly always having their character arcs based around romance.

Just a few refutes I want to make:

-I think it comes down to this, for me at least, that a lot of what their relationship is happens through connections we may not see. The way I like to look at it is that one talk in the prison was not their only talk. If you combine book timeline with movie timeline they could have been talking for a month.

It's clear in the movie that the party are only in Mirkwood for a short amount of time - between the dwarves' arrest, imprisonment, and then their escape, we can say they were there for a week at most if we're being generous, given Bilbo infiltrates the place pretty quickly to rescue them. The writers could have easily implied that they had been there for longer, and had Tauriel and Kili have brief interactions to show the growing attraction - hell, they could have even stuck with the love at first sight thing, but simply given Tauriel and Kili more in-depth dialogue and insight into their personalities.

But most of the film's attention was focused on action scenes, so a lot of the more intimate scenes were limited, which is why it felt like the romance was just shoehorned in for me. Of course, fans are free to fill in gaps, and thank God too, because fanfic writers often make far more interesting stories than canon ever does. But I'm just basing this off what we were given onscreen.

-This also is a relationship that leaves a lot of opening for imagination. What you don’t see in the movies is what I can create in my head.

As an avid writer of fanfiction, I agree. But that doesn't take away from my points in my post, which is focusing strictly on their relationship onscreen.

-He [Tolkien] didn’t seem to have a problem pairing elven/dwarven couples since he hinted at a deep admiration between Gimli and Galadriel and he made a solid pair (romantic or otherwise) between Legolas and Gimli.

My issue here is that Legolas and Gimli's relationship (and Gimli and Galadriel's, to an extent), was significant because it was the catalyst for the elves and dwarves putting their differences aside. It played a big part in their character development in both the books and movies - they go from despising each other to Gimli being the first dwarf to be permitted into the Undying Lands because Legolas can’t bear to be without him. From a canon perspective, I feel Tauriel and Kili's relationships strips away the importance of Legolas's friendship with Gimli breaking the glass ceiling. But that's just me being picky.

-As far as Tauriel not being a strong character I don’t agree here either. It takes incredible strength to leave everything you know behind, even disobeying your king, to follow your heart and what you believe to be right.

I never said Tauriel wasn't a strong character. I agree that it takes incredible strength to abandon tradition and walk your own path. My gripe is that her motives were driven by a man she barely knew. It plays into the old cliche that a woman can only discover her true purpose when a dashing male enters her life and opens her eyes. Not everyone is bothered by this, which is their own prerogative. It's just a personal pet peeve of mine.

-And I still think Legolas considers her more a sister. I know what’s insinuated and maybe he has deep affection for her, but I still think it’s best friend/brother kind of thing.

Once again, everyone is entitled to their own perspective. However, Evangeline Lily herself confirmed that the dynamic between Tauriel, Kili, and Legolas is supposed to be a love triangle, which she wasn't happy about because she didn't want Tauriel to be involved in a romance subplot. The movie was apparently shot one way, and the love triangle edited in afterwards.

-Emotion, love, and passion are not weakness.

I didn't say that. In fact, I explicitly stated that women can fall in love and still be strong characters. My issue is when a woman's character arc relies on her romance with a man. Take the romance subplot out of The Hobbit movies, and there would be little need for Tauriel to be there at all, whereas Kili would still serve an important role regardless. (I want to state that I made a similar post about Legolas, and how this applies to his character in The Hobbit as well. I feel he and Tauriel were both handled poorly).

For example: both Arwen and Eowyn were involved in romance subplots, and are still purposeful characters on their own. But that's because they're given a purpose other than their love for Aragorn.

Arwen's story revolves around her sacrificing her immortality to live the life that she wants for herself. Yes, this is partly because she's in love with Aragorn, but she makes it very clear that she's doing this for herself and her own future too. Aragorn tries over and over again to talk her out of it, but she refuses to back down; this is what she wants, and she's doing it for herself as well as him. She's a great example of a strong female character who is also a love interest. Her actions are motivated not only by her love for Aragorn, but for her own happiness.

And then there's Eowyn, who wants to be recognised as a great shieldmaiden who protects her people, before she sees the horrors of war and realises she'd rather dedicate her life to healing. Though he does inspire her, Aragorn is not the driving force behind her actions; she felt this way long before she met him, and long after he rejected her feelings.

These are both strong women who fall in love. What makes them stand out from Tauriel is that they serve a far bigger role than just being connected to Aragorn.

Tauriel has snippets of wanting to do the right thing and having a desire to break free from the isolation of Mirkwood, but ultimately her actions always tie back to Kili. When the Orc is taunting her about their forces taking over, he mentions that Kili got hit with a poisoned arrow, which motivates her to leave. When Tauriel and Legolas reach Laketown, she's there to heal Kili rather than protect the townsfolk. During the final standoff, she's there fighting beside Kili and Kili only. This is what I mean when I say she was reduced to a love interest; Kili is the driving force for the majority of her actions in the movie. Take him out of the equation, and she serves almost zero purpose to the story.

-Finally, Legolas didn’t flinch because he knew she would never hurt Thranduil.

If someone threatened my dad with a bow and arrow, regardless if I thought they would actually do it or not, I'd be dishing out a serious ass whooping, friend or no friend. Legolas didn't seem to give two shits that Tauriel had just threatened his own father, and Tauriel was made out to be the victim of the situation when she was the one who started it.

Thranduil's character was really butchered in the movies because the writers seemed determined to make him look like the bad guy in order to garner more sympathy for the dwarves. His confrontation with Tauriel was another attempt to make him look like an unreasonable asshole, and her the compassionate heroine. Which really backfired with a lot of fans, given the whole rushed romance thing, and Thranduil's hostility towards the outside world actually being pretty understandable when you know his backstory.

-Her argument was to help stop the bloodshed…it would make no sense for her to kill and shed blood when she’s trying to stop it. She just ran out of options to make him see what she sees and used a desperate measure to get her point across.

This is where I have to firmly disagree. Tauriel wasn't giving Thranduil a choice in the matter; she was outright threatening him with either death or violence if he didn't comply with her demands. All this did was say to him that she was willing to sacrifice her king and fellow soldiers for the sake of a single dwarf. I don't blame him for going off on her.

Thranduil was abandoning the fight to save what little of his army he had left. This is an elf who watched his own father fall in battle, lost his wife, and saw his homeland fall to ruin under Sauron's reign. He wanted to get the hell out of Laketown before more of his kin were lost. And he's rewarded with his own guard captain threatening him and calling him heartless because he won't sacrifice his people for a bunch of dwarves who hate his guts. Tauriel was telling him to prioritise the lives of the dwarves over his own people, and saying he had "no love in him" for refusing to do it, all the while surrounded by the bodies of fallen elves who had given their lives to protect a human village under Thranduil's instruction.

Both of them were being selfish in this scene, but for entirely different reasons. Thranduil was being selfish for a selfless reason; the wellbeing of his people, including his own son. Tauriel was being selfish because she wanted to rescue Kili, which might have been selfless had she not expected the rest of her kin to follow her into what was essentially a slaughter. Thranduil didn't owe Thorin and his company any loyalty, and didn't deserve to be made into the villain for wanting to keep his people safe.

TL:DR I have no issue with people enjoying the Tauriel/Kili romance. This post was simply a critique of how the movie handled it, and my own personal grievances with the handling of her character. I know not everyone feels this way and that's absolutely valid. I just feel like it could have been so much better than it turned out.

The Hobbit really did Tauriel dirty, for more reasons than one.

I like the fact that they added a pivotal female character into an otherwise male dominated movie. But as per usual, her purpose was of little more than to be a love interest for two attractive men, as much as the writers tried to pretend that wasn’t the case. After interacting with Kili a staggering number of three times, she’s head over heels in love and ready to turn her back on her own people - as well as kill her king - to save him. Despite the two of them being raised together, and Orlando Bloom himself saying that he sees their relationship as a sibling bond, the movie was recut to have Legolas crushing on her like an angsty teen, ready to throw everything away just to please her. Doesn’t even bat an eyelid when she’s ready to murder his own dad.

They could have easily included a strong female character without reducing Tauriel to a love interest. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that women can’t fall in love and be strong characters at the same time, but given that most movies seem incapable of doing it right, I think it’s sometimes best to just not do it at all - especially for a book like The Hobbit, where romance is neither present nor necessary.

As is always with this trilogy, there was so much wasted potential.