#chrononautical

[shantismurf]

"The Mushroom Mine" sign by @shantismurf, with assistance from @tickles-ivory

As part of the celebration of the one year anniversary of the Bagginshield Book Club, we asked the lovely @chrononautintraining a few questions about this wonderful work.

June 2024 Author Q&A with Chrononautical

Q1. What name would you like us to use and what are your pronouns?

A1. Chrononautical or Chrono, She/Her

Q2. How many years have you been writing? 

A2. Most of my life, but posting publicly for about 15 years.

Q3. What do you think of as your writing style - are you a plotter or pantster?

A3. Pantster, primarily, though I've learned my lessons and do like to know where a story is going to end when I start it these days so I try to plot. 

Q4. What’s your favorite genre/trope to write? 

A4. Speculative fiction: stories about magic or science fiction, primarily. 

Q5. Is there a genre/trope you haven't written as much of yet that you're excited about for future writing?

A5. I'd like to do more comedy.

Q6. Was there an idea or scene that inspired A Passion for Mushrooms?

A6. Passion for Mushrooms is one hundred percent inspired by the quote I used for an epigraph: "Hobbits have a passion for mushrooms, surpassing even the greediest likings of Big People." - The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien. 

When I decided to write it, the fandom already had more than a few stories about Bilbo planting gardens and deciding to stay in Erebor with a miraculously alive Thorin. I was completely here for all of that, of course, but I wanted a story where the garden wasn't special because of gold or rare plants bought with gold. I wanted there to be a treasure that Bilbo could appreciate with the Baggins half of his heart, as well as the Tookish bit. And I know next to nothing about mountains, but I do know mushrooms do okay in caves, so... 

Q7. Did you do any special research before writing the work?

A7. If you're asking this because I go deep on How To Pluck A Chicken In A Medieval Kitchen during the cooking scenes, you're right and you should say it. I am a middling cook, but all of my ingredients come from grocery stores. I had to do a fair bit of research on the cooking aspects of the story that were furthest from my own experience. Fortunately, the professor already put tomatoes and potatoes in Middle-earth, so I didn't have to go Full Historical. 

Q8. Did the story change from how you originally envisioned it? Were there scenes or plot elements you had to cut out?

A8. It absolutely did. Because I am, as previously said, a pantster. I wanted a bigger bang for the ending of the story than I was set up to get. I could have stopped with Bilbo and Thorin getting together and had some simple falling action, but that didn't perfectly tie the subplot of Dis and Tauriel back to the main pairing, which I knew I wanted. Having Doron try to poison Bilbo was actually a late in the game choice. If I'd planned that from the start, I would have threaded him into more of the middle sections of the novel. 

As for cutting things out, the additional stories in the series started as deleted scenes/reader requests that I couldn't find use for. So most of what I cut didn't end up in the rubbish bin. Anything that wound up there really wasn't worth posting. 

Q9. Do you have a favorite moment from the entire series?

A9. I still really like "A Spy In The Shire" a lot. I know it's so self-indulgent to say that about a story focusing on an OC, but if the point of the Battle of Five Armies is to reclaim Erebor for the dwarves, then I want that to mean something. I want the average dwarf to be in a bad place. I want the average dwarf to need Erebor the way Thorin needs Erebor, to be willing to do anything to get back to the Lonely Mountain. Because if that's the case, then all the sacrifice means something. When I talk about this one luckless dwarf on the world's silliest quest to figure out how to help the king hook up with a hobbit, I'm talking about hope for the future. I'm talking about all the people who long for and dream of the home that Thorin was willing to die to reclaim. I think about them going back there and living better lives. It brings me peace.

[lapseinrecs]

A Passion For Mushrooms

By Chrononautical @chrononautintraining

On Archive of Our Own

Status: Complete; 89,912 words; Mushroom Mine series

Summary: There are many trials for a hobbit attempting to make a life among dwarves. A hobbit wants a garden. A hobbit wants to eat regular meals. A hobbit wants friends, good books, and comfortable chairs. Bilbo does his best to carve out a little hobbit life for himself in the mountain. If only there were not one final obstacle. For a hobbit heart wants love, and among dwarves that is a sticky subject.

My thoughts: I like it when the other Hobbits get involved. Also they are so verbose.

[green-fifteen]

I'm so pleased to finally announce the completion of my longest podfic project! The Mushroom Mine parts 1-9 are now finished and uploaded.

I fell in love with A Passion For Mushrooms in 2020. Shortly thereafter, I started getting serious about podfic. It has always been a goal of mine to make this series accessible in audio format -- for myself and everyone else who loves it.

My heart is so glad because I get to share my favorite story with you all! Thanks to @chrononautintraining for making it all possible. Your writing delights and inspires.

Thanks also to @elany for cover design and cheerleading. 💚💚💚

[classicartverso]

Sean Murphy - Chrononauts

[chrononautintraining]

Happy Birthday to Bilbo and Frodo! I spent the day writing to celebrate.

Fandom: The Hobbit Pairing: Bagginshield, background Frodo/Sam Rating: Gen Word Count: 3,184 Summary: Thorin Oakenshield needs to speak with the proprietor of a local flower shop. Some piddling allergies won't be enough to stand in his way.

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

THE THREE WIZARDS OF TRUE BRITISH DOOM.

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on the founding members and/or original line-up of English occult stoner/DOOM metal band, ELECTRIC WIZARD (1994-2002) -- eternal @!%¢#$®*& hails!!

Jus Oborn – lead guitar, vocals, effects

Tim Bagshaw – lead bass, effects

Mark Greening – drums, concussion

Sources: www.picuki.com/media/3439807154287308449 (Picuki 2x).

[superheroes-or-whatever]

Big Game #2 by Mark Millar & Pepe Larraz

[travischarestcomics]

Chrononauts: Futureshock #1 variant cover (2019)

Prodigy #2 variant cover (2019)

Space Bandits #1 variant cover (2019)

By Travis Charest

[atlantablack]

Started reading a fic and got about three paragraphs in and went ohno immediately which means this is going to HURT ME (it is a 90k slow burn and I am already suffering)

[queerlyloud]

1000000/10, definitely recommend knitting while listening to the Dwelves of Gothlorien's podfic of Sansûkh. The very best way to spend a sleepy, rainy weekend 💕

[card-of-the-day]

Today's Card Is: Inverter - Halt Attack

[green-fifteen]

Last installment of A Passion For Mushrooms is finally up!!

Thank you so much to @chrononautintraining for allowing me to read my favorite story out loud to other people who love it 💚 This is just such a fun hobby!

[hufflepuffwritingstuff2]

Petition to rename time travelers to Chrono-Nauts

[classicartverso]

Pasqual Ferry - Chrononauts

[chrononautintraining]

Besides how you've written it before (unless that is your absolute favorite idea), how do you or would you headcannon Bilbo and Thorin accidentally proposing or getting engaged and how would they proceed when they find out or the other accepts the proposal?

Among hobbits, these things tend to be done quietly. Sensibly. Oh, the Tooks have their own ways, and every once in a while a Brandybuck will cause something of a to-do at a birthday party. But good manners in Hobbiton necessitate that such private affairs are, well, private.

Two young people who have been walking out together for some time reach an agreement. Parents are told. Then siblings are told. Then wedding invitations are written and good natured gossip handles the rest. In all honesty, once he reached fifty as a respectable bachelor, Bilbo Baggins felt he was quite safe from anything of the sort ever applying to him.

The point is, that if something of that sort happened to him, it ought to have been a discrete, blushing conversation with a person whom he had "gone a' courting" as it were.

Thorin was holding court. That was something very different and not at all related aside from any esoteric linguistic comparisons. Thorin was sitting on his ridiculous throne in front of hundreds of dwarves talking about taxes and zoning regulations and Balin's schedule for renovating a particularly sacred hall. Then Thorin just turns to Bilbo and says, "You and I will marry in August."

Thorin Oakenshield! How like that awful dwarf to not even make it a question. To just say such a bold thing in front of hundreds of people and expect Bilbo to agree. All of Bilbo's hobbit heart wants to wriggle and blush and despair at hearing something like that from a person he hasn't ever even kissed. Unfortunately, he was sadly used to Thorin's utter lack of manners.

And he was a Baggins.

"April 26," he corrected. "I'm terrible with anniversaries; I shan't bother remembering two."

Nodding regally, with just a hint of red coloring the cheeks above his beard, Thorin turned back to Balin. "Plenty of time to restore the masonry properly, then."

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

RAISING OCCULT HELL IN CAMDEN TOWN '02.

PIC(S) INFO: Mega spotlight on English Stoner/DOOM metal band ELECTRIC WIZARD, during the band's power trio "golden era," performing live at the Camden Underground in London, UK, c. September 2002.

ELECTRIC WIZARD were:

Tim Bagshaw (fuzz bass, effects)

Jus Oborn (vocals, guitar)

Mark Greening -- drums & concussion

Source: www.picuki.com/media/3298475343995367338.