#especially after Moria and Isengard

[captainderyn]

[Fictober24] Day 7: "Follow me if you want to live."

Prompt: "Follow me if you want to live."

Fandom: LOTRO

Pairings: Wulfwryn/Raenor

WARNINGS (PLEASE HEAD): General dark tone, descriptions of battle gore, death, and violence. Mentioned character death. Implied/depicted trauma responses and PTSD.

SPOILERS: Battle of the Isen Ford questline, Troubled Dreams quest

Summary: After the Battle of the Isen Ford, Wulfwryn's mind dwells on the fight, much of the violence in her journey bubbling to the surface. An old friend appears to guide her through the darkness of her own thoughts.

-----

The battle at the Isen ford replayed again in Wulfwryn’s dreams, as though the waking hours of horror from that day were not enough. 

She’d fallen to sleep only after her body had hit the point of such sheer exhaustion that it had given out, only for her exhausted mind to revisit the events of the day. That itself was not a new experience for Wulfwryn, more times than not the nights after an encounter or a battle would be spent in fitful spurts of sleep as her mind unpacked and repacked what had happened. After the events of Moria and of Orthanc, the restless nights became more and more frequent and her dreams less vision of what had actually occurred, taking on embellishment that jolted her awake in cold sweats and gasping breaths. 

The bottleneck of the Isen Ford dissipated beneath Wulfwryn’s feet, materializing instead into Grimbold’s forward camp. The campfires flickered in dreamy blue, and no soldiers dwelled around or rested in the empty tents. 

“You are caught in the throes of sleep it seems, Wulfwryn.” 

In this camp she did not expect to find a figment of Candaith, and the noise that broke from her at the sound of the Ranger’s voice was that of scabbed over grief. The first time she’d met and traveled with Candaith felt so long ago, in such a distant past before everything spiraled so far out of her control. Yet here he now stood before her, an amused brow arched. 

He held out a hand, gesturing her to walk with him. 

“Walk with me for awhile, friend, perhaps we can leave this night behind.” 

Wulfwryn fell into step beside him, “You are not real.” she said, voice ragged. 

“I exist still in your thoughts, and your memories. That has not changed.” Candaith corrected gently. 

She stumbled as their hazy ground beneath her feet ripped again, as still water did when a stone was dropped in. She gasped, nearly falling in her attempt to leap backwards. 

Corpses surrounded them. Rohirrim in their greens, their steeds laid beside them. The fur bundled coats of the dwarves of the Misty Mountains and Moria, the grey and black cloaks of the Grey Company. 

So much loss along her journey, so many people ripped away senselessly. 

Wulfwryn took several stunted breaths, pushing her revulsion down, and forced herself to look at Candaith. The wraith of her old friend looked around, face impassive. 

“I do hope you are able to find restful sleep a the end of your road, friend.” He said. “This is quite a heavy burden to bear, if this is what your sleeping hours contain.” 

Shaking, Wulfwryn picked her way through the corpses littering the ground and fell into step next to Candaith again. She supposed neither of them had corporal bodies in her dream-state, but it almost felt like there was a friendly brush against her shoulder, a steadying presence. 

Wulfwryn tried to focus on Candaith’s words as he spoke to her, filling the silence between them. The words flitted in and out of understanding, seem to her to come from deep beneath water at times. She would then blink, give a shake of her head, and pick up again on what he was saying. Even if the did not catch all the words, the cadence of another voice inside her own head was comforting all the same. She latched onto that, and the horrific scene around her greyed out. 

Then he stopped, and held out his arm in front of her to stop her too. 

“The one who plagues you returns to disturb your sleep further.” he said. “Let us meet him, and keep him from disturbing you longer.” 

Though they only walked a few steps, the gate of Grimbold’s camp came into focus before them, the burning torches on either pillar failing to truly pierce the darkness before or after the gate. 

Candaith was no longer beside Wulfwryn, instead standing just on the far side of the gate. He waved her on, extending his hand out to her. “Come along friend!” he called. “Follow me if you want to live free of this horrible weight.” 

“You will never shake me.” A lumbering. looming shadow took shape in the shadows left by the torches. 

Weight slammed into Wulfwryn like a load of rocks being dropped into her arms and she scrabbled to regain her footing. Her knees buckled and she loosed an agonized scream. Raenor, broken and bloody just as Morflak promised he’d be every time she stepped out of line in Orthanc, lay limp her arms.  

Her knees hit the dirt and she cradled him close, brushing aside his dirt and blood crusted hair with shaking fingers. His skin was ice cold, blue tinged. His eyes and cheeks were sunken and bruised. 

“This is what will always await you.” Morflak snarled, his horrific face contorted into a grotesque smile. 

She choked on a sob, too breathless for it to escape. 

“Wulfwryn!” Candaith called, beckoning for her again. “You must follow me. Shake his malice, it is not real.” 

She shook her head, bending over Raenor’s body and hiding her face in his hair. “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.” she moaned in stuttering, gasping repetition. She could not bear to look into the beady, evil eyes of Morflak, could not force her rigid muscles to move and run by him. 

She heard Candaith as if from very far away, as he encouraged her to lay aside her fear, as that was Morflak’s power. That none of this was real, it was a shadow in her mind. She curled further in on herself, fingers tightening in the blood stiffened fabric of Raenor’s clothing. The tang of iron was going to suffocate her, the overpowering smell of a battlefield—

Then, smoke. Embers burst bright as stars behind Wulfwryn’s tightly closed eyelids. 

A torch, torn from the pillar of the gate, lay beside her now, though it did not burn or smolder the grass. A torch, as Amdir had wielded before the Nazgûl the night he and Aragorn had freed her from the dank prison cell. Such a simple tool, as Aragorn had weilded against Amdir when he had become gripped by Darkness. 

“Seize it!” Candaith shouted. “Hold onto that light and let it strengthen you.” 

Wulfwryn laid Raenor down, lunging forward to grab the torch. Morflak approached, laughing. 

“Your little sword was barely enough to down me, maggot. You think a torch will do the job?” 

She crouched, brandishing the torch in front of her. Never before had she felt so small, so helpless, so far removed from the warrior she’d trained and claimed to be. In the moment, she felt smaller than a child, painfully unworthy of the titles she’d earned for herself. 

She was no warrior, no guardian, no hero. 

She was terrified. 

The light of the torch spread around in a half-circle in front of her. The shadowy figure of Morflak flickered as the torch light touched him. His face screwed up and Wulfwryn gave a breathless, unamused laugh. 

That wasn’t supposed to work. 

“That’s it, Wulfwryn!” Candaith encouraged, beckoning her more intensely. 

She took another step forward, the light pouring over Morflak and his figure flickered more. Looking over her shoulder, she found that Raenor’s crumpled body was going translucent, like dissipating smoke. 

Tears streamed down her face as she gave another baffled laugh, pushing forward again. Though the figure of Morflak stepped back, his form shimmered into a haze. 

Gripping the torch for dear life, Wulfwryn hurried for the gate and flung herself through. 

Instead of finding Candaith waiting for her, she slammed back into her own body and jerked upright. 

Gasping, Wulfwryn pressed one hand to her chest to try and keep her galloping heart in her chest. With her other hand she reached out to rest on Raenor’s back. Deep in sleep, her hand rose and fell with his breaths. 

He was here, he was safe. 

She was here, she was awake. 

She scanned the camp around them, filled with the living, breathing soldiers remaining after the battle at the Ford. 

The gate was lit by the burning torches on either side, spilling light across the camp. 

There was no Morflak, and there was no Candaith. 

Wulfwryn drew her knees up to her chest, pulling her hand over her mouth, and muffled a sob. 

[orkishereemily]

These are all very old, but they still hold up pretty well, unlike most of my older stuff

The Witch-King, Durin (maybe VI), and a captain of Isengard

The WK's helmet/crown is sort of based off Tolkien's sketch of the crown of Gondor and some designs I drew up for some regular Gondorian helms He's dressed in a full-body outfit that's held to his body by leather straps, it's hard to make well-fitting clothes for him since his measurements are a biiiiit tricky to take Neither of his hands are good, his left especially (which is why it's subtly cropped out of frame), otherwise there's nothing here that I think is tooo clumsy Designwise there's not much I'd change, I'd just remove the spike from his helmet (I remembered immediately after I drew it that he wears his hood over it), add some more weapons and stuff to his belt, and decorate his armour a bit (i have a different design for him as the ruler of angmar that's much fancier and i reeeeeally wanna draw that again now, so stay tuned for that)

Durin's crown is based on the design on the West-gate of Moria, just fancied up a bit His shield is based on one from Tolkien's drawing of Smaug, but he really deserves a prettier one :P I thought a hammer would be a cool, it's ceremonial and made of gold, silver, and pearl I think his design and the drawing holds up basically to how I'd do it today, though the mail's a little too dark (oh and I wouldn't give him the chausses, since I mostly tie those to Dáin and the dwarves of the Iron Hills)

The Uruk is still really really good from every aspect to me The feathers in his helmet mark him as a captain, worn in a plume like Men wear them, and they're eagle feathers that he bullied out of some mountain Orcs for some extra flair The cape is just for decoration, unlike in Mordor where it denotes status Same goes for the fur over his shoulders He could use a shield and some other equipment I guess, but otherwise there's not really anything I'd change about him!!

(yeah pretty much every single one of my older drawings is in the same pose from the exact same angle, it was a hard habit to break XP)

[sesamenom]

Reverse Gondolin AU Patch Notes 4/22!

(tagging @general-illyrin @tar-thelien @who-needs-words @bilbo-baggins-is-a-fcking-vibe and anyone else who wants to join!)

🌟 New

Ar-Pharazon joins Sauron after getting disowned, and later becomes the Witch-King of Numenor (thanks to who-needs-words; also there's a fic by who-needs-words and art by tar-thelien now!)

Mordor steals the Numenorean tech. Mordor now has steampunk industrial-revolution level technology.

Lomion and Celebrimbor are married (thanks to the poll); Gil-galad is their collective and adoptive heir. Many feuds are resolved.

Celebrimbor survives but is wounded at the destruction of Eregion. He joins the White Council.

The Kin-strife becomes a proxy-kinslaying-war thanks to Sauron exploiting the tension in Gondor (thanks to who-needs-words)

FA 371 - Erestor Carnistirion born

FA 534 - Wedding of Lomion and Celebrimbor. Gil-galad [possibly son of Orodreth for balance?] is adopted.

SA 3411- Lomion dies to Sauron at the Dagor Orodruin / Battle of Mount Doom. Gil-galad named high king

TA 1640 - Elrond establishes the Elerondo Fortress in the ruins of the Dome of Stars in Osgiliath

TA 1976 - Surviving Numenoreans retreat to the Stronghold of Numenor in Imladris

TA 3018 - Elrond claims the title of High King of the Sindar (for decoy purposes)

TA 3018/3019 - The Fellowship departs. Gil and Glorfindel leave with the Lindon army just ahead of the Fellowship; Elrond and Erestor [Carnistirion] leave not long after. The passing of two armies conceals the path of the Fellowship.

TA 3019 - Dagor Anghabar [name in progress] / Battle of the Dwarrowdelf, between the army of Lindon and the orcs of Moria. Glorfindel kills Durin's Bane.

[ purple = new part of timeline ]

🛠 Fixed

Turgon dies in the Fall of Gondolin by being crushed by a building after going back to look for Elrond & Elros (thanks to who-needs-words)

Oropher & Thranduil find/rescue Elwing; Galadriel and Celeborn take her to Gondolin (thanks to thelien and bilbo-baggins-is-a-fcking-vibe)

Celebrimbor survives with some wounds after the destruction of Eregion. He later joins the White Council and lives with Lomion & Gil-galad in Lindon. (thanks to general-illyrin)

🚧 Ongoing

should Castamir found a naval-based Evil Power (Angros instead of Angmar)

how many Palantiri should be lost - does it make it too weird story wise if there's still a ton of palantiri floating around, especially since celebrimbor is fully capable of using them

how should the Scouring of the Shire work when Lindon is right there - does Lindon get destroyed earlier in the War of the Ring? Currently I have most of the army off w/ Gil around Gondor/Mordor

what happens to Celebrian

do arwen/elladan/elrohir get to do anything important

how to do the Breaking of the Fellowship?? Gandalf refuses to die so far - Glorfindel killed the Balrog (with full energy, full gear, and hair tied back) with far fewer casualties and now Gandalf won't go anywhere. should I still try to get rid of him?

🌱 Upcoming

Scale up major battles (helm's deep, pelennor, isengard, morannon) to account for the presence of two entire extra armies, comprised mostly of Last Alliance veterans (and a handful of Gondolin/Kinslaying/Wrath veterans)

Does Gil-galad die

Figure out the Witch King of Numenor logistics

Figure out what Galadriel and Celebrimbor get to do

⭐ Timeline Additions

SA

3319 - Downfall of Numenor. Tar-Miriel leads a greater force of the Faithful away. Lomion uses Nenya to protect Lindon from the floods.

3320 - Arnor and Gondor founded. Stronghold of Numenor founded at Imladris. Elendil named heir to Tar-Miriel.

3399 - Sauron takes Minas Ithil

3400 - Last Alliance formed by Lomion and Tar-Miriel, with Elendil as the commander of the Numenorean forces.

3401 - Numenorean divisions of Last Alliance march to Stronghold in Imladris.

3404 - Last Alliance marches to Mordor. Battle of Dagorlad and Siege of Barad-dur. The Sindar slow their initial rush under the word of Prince Elrond. Lomion and Elendil combine forces with Oropher and Amdir to break the Black Gate. Siege of Barad-dur. Shelob is slain. Deaths of Oropher and Amdir. Thranduil defers the High Kingship. Thranduil named King of the Greenwood. Amroth named King of Lorien.

3411 - Dagor Orodruin. Fifth use of the Nenya and Narya in battle. Death of Lomion Irission. Gil-galad named High King of the Noldor. Prince Elrond named herald to Gil-galad. Nenya given to Prince Elrond. Death of Elendil. Defeat of Sauron. Isildur named heir to Tar-Miriel. Isildur takes the One Ring. Celebrimbor warns against it.

TA

2 - Isildur plants a sapling of Nimloth in Minas Anor. Battle of the Gladden Fields. Deaths of Ciryon and Aratan. Isildur attempts to flee to Rivendell. Death of Isildur in the Misty Mountains. Elendur rescued by the Host of Elrond. Elendur named heir to Tar-Miriel.

8 - Death of Tar-Miriel. Elendur takes the name Tar-Elecano // Tar-Oromendur as High King of Numenor. Valandil named King of Arnor.

1000 - The Witch King of Numenor reveals himself. The Istari first appear.

1050 - The Shadow falls on the Greenwood.

1300 - the remaining Nazgul reappear.

1409 - The Witch-king invades Arnor from the North. Tar-Varandil [line of Elendur] comes to the aid of King Arveleg I. Rhudaur and Amon Sul destroyed. King Arveleg retreats to Cardolan.

1432 - Eldacar named King of Gondor. Beginning of the Kin-strife. Tar-Moreniel [line of Elendur] sees weakening support for the High Kingship.

1437 - Osgiliath Rebellion of Castamir. Prince Elrond breaks the brief Siege of Osgiliath and disowns Castamir for kinslaying. Castamir escapes captivity in the Stronghold at Imladris and flees to Ar-Pharazon.

1439 - Sauron funds Castamir's second attack on Osgiliath. Prince Elrondeleron endorses Eldacar and aids in the defense of Osgiliath.

1448 - Siege of Pelargir. Castamir becomes a Ringwraith. End of the Kin-strife.

1449 - Sons of Castamir establish Umbar.

1470 - Death of Tar-Moreniel. Laurelien marries into the line of Isildur. Lines of the High Kings and the Kings of Arnor merged.

1473 - Birth of Argeleb II son of Araphor and Laurelien.

1635 - The Great Plague appears in Rhovanion.

1636 - The Great Plague spreads to Gondor. Death of the White Tree. Osgiliath weakened. Barrow-wights appear. Celebrimbor begins to suspect Sauron. Prince Elrond uses Nenya to slow the spread of the Plague.

1637 - Castamir revealed as a Ringwraith. Castamir founds Angmar // Angros.

1640 - The capital of Gondor is moved to Minas Anor. The sapling of the White Tree is planted. Prince Elrond founds the Elerondo Fortress at the Dome of Stars in the ruins of Osgiliath to guard Mordor. Glorfindel dwells at the Elerondo Fortress.

1851 - Angmar temporarily defeated. Wainriders attack Gondor. Forces of the Elerondo Fortress come to the aid of Gondor.

1856 - Death of King Narmacil II. Sixth use of Nenya in battle by Prince Elrond to flood the Anduin. King Calimehtar repels the Wainriders.

1973 - King Arvedui calls for aid against the Witch-king of Numenor and the King of Angmar.

1974 - Destruction of Arnor.

1975 - Angmar destroyed. Two palantiri lost.

1976 - The surviving Numenoreans secretly retreat to the Stronghold of Numenor at Imladris.

1980 - Durin's Bane awakens in Khazad-dum.

1999 - Rumors of Durin's Bane reach Lindon.

2000 - Nazgul besiege Minas Ithil. Glorfindel and the folk of Elerondo Fortress drive back the Black Army.

2004 - Minas Ithil weakened but not captured. The Nazgul are driven back by High King Gil-galad and Prince Elrond. Ar-Pharazon's identity confirmed.

2050 - Death of Earnur. End of the Kings of Gondor and the apparent end of the line of Isildur.

2463 - One Ring discovered.

2510 - The Shadow emerges from Dol Guldur. Galadriel sends a warning to Gil-galad and Celebrimbor in Lindon.

2758 - Umbar attacks Osgiliath. Elerondo Fortress weakened.

2851 - The White Council discusses Dol Guldur. Saruman delays an attack. Gil-galad becomes suspicious.

2901 - Sauron becomes aware of the survival of the line of Elendur. Minas Ithil destroyed.

2930 - Ithilien deserted.

2931 - Birth of Aragorn. Aragorn is hidden with Elrond to be raised in Imladris.

2941 - Bilbo finds the One Ring. Battle of the Five Armies. Dol Guldur is overrun and Sauron is wounded.

2942 - Sauron returns to Mordor. Elerondo Fortress destroyed. Glorfindel returns to Imladris.

2952 - Elrond and Gil-galad reveal to Estel his true name and ancestry. Aragorn receives the Shards of Narsil and a Lamp of Celebrimbor.

2953 - Last meeting of the White Council. Saruman begins to fortify Isengard.

2980 - Aragorn and Arwen are betrothed. The High Kingship of Numenor is pledged to Aragorn.

3001 - Gandalf begins to suspect the One Ring is in the Shire. Bilbo's birthday. Frodo receives the One Ring.

3016 - Arwen returns to Imladris.

3018 - The War of the Ring begins. Prince Elrond claims the title of High King of the Sindar to draw the attention of Sauron. Mirkwood attacked by orcs. Lorien reinforces its borders. Osgiliath taken by Mordor. Gil-galad leads an army out of Lindon. Celebrimbor accompanies Aragorn to escort Frodo to Rivendell. The Nazgul are driven out of the Shire by one of the Lamps. Celebrimbor leaves one Feanorian Lamp in Hobbiton. The Council of the Eldar is held and the Fellowship of the Ring formed. High King Gil-galad travels ahead with Lord Glorfindel and the army of Lindon.

3019 - The Quest of the Ring. The Fellowship departs. High King Elrond departs later with Prince Erestor Carnistirion and the army of Imladris. The Fellowship meets Gil-galad and Glorfindel at the gate of Moria. Dagor Anghabar / Battle of the Dwarrowdelf. The army of Lindon drives out the orcs of Moria. Durin's Bane slain by Glorfindel. Far less casualties occur with the help of an experienced balrog-slayer. Gandalf is injured by the Shadow. Gandalf sends the Fellowship towards Lorien. The storm over the Caradhras clears. Elrond and Erestor cross the Caradhras with the army of Imladris.

[ green // blue means two main options, red means i need to think about it more, and orange means the character is invented for the line of Elendur ]

@general-illyrin @tar-thelien @who-needs-words I think you all mentioned being interested in the reverse gondolin au - is anyone interested in helping with wrangling the timelines, especially the second age stuff? Here's the current outline:

(Edit: anyone feel free to help out if you're interested!)

YT 14365 - Birth of Lomion

YT 14373/FA 1 - Death of Argon

FA

2 - Aredhel adopts Lomion

300 - Birth of Idril

316 - Turgon & Idril kidnapped by Eol

400 - Turgon & Idril rescued. Death of Eol

465 - Finrod more-peacefully passes throne to orodreth while on Quest. Everyone except beren still dies

472 - Nirnaeth. Turgon named High King of the Noldor.

476 - Turgon abdicates official title. Aredhel named High King of the Noldor.

496 - Tuor comes to Gondolin

502 - Wedding of Idril and Tuor

503 - Births of Earendil and Elwing. Idril begins to have foresight dreams about the Fall.

506 - Second Kinslaying. C^3 dead, celebrimbor stays in gondolin. Aredhel denounces the oath/kinslaying and disowns C^3

Elwing survives & is found by Oropher & Thranduil // Galadriel & Celeborn. oropher, thranduil, oropher's wife, and thranduil's then-gf // galadriel & celeborn take Elwing to Gondolin as refugees. The Silmaril is left hidden in the woods of melian's domain.

507 - Elwing comes to Gondolin.

509 - Idril captured by Morgoth. Idril reveals the location of Gondolin in exchange for an Oath to not harm her family (Turgon, Tuor, and Earendil). Idril rescued.

510 - Gondolin prepares for war with Morgoth.

513-522 - Siege of Gondolin. Deaths of Duilin and Rog. Gothmog slain by Aredhel the Huntress. First use of the Three Rings by Lomion and Celebrimbor in defense of Gondolin. House of the Hammer of Wrath destroyed.

523 - Maedhros believes a Silmaril is with Elwing at Gondolin.

525 - Earendil weds Elwing. Lomion weds ???. Adoption of Gil-Galad

532 - Births of Elrond and Elros.

538 - Third Kinslaying at Gondolin. Death of Amras. Elrond and Elros kidnapped by Maglor. Deaths of Elwing and Turgon. Second use of the Three Rings by Lomion and Celebrimbor. Deaths of Maedhros and Aredhel. Lomion named King of Gondolin and High King of the Noldor. Deaths of Salgant, Penlod, and Tuor. Earendil named Lord of the House of the Wing.

540-549 - War declared between Gondolin and the Feanorians of Himring over the Third Kinslaying and kidnapping of Princes Elrond and Elros.

549 - Elrond and Elros recovered. Feanorians and Gondolin severely weakened. Celebrimbor // Gil-Galad declared heir to the High Kingship.

552-554 - Second Siege & Fall of Gondolin. Third use of the Three Rings by Lomion and Celebrimbor. Deaths of Ecthelion, Glorfindel, Egalmoth, and Turgon. Idril and Celebrimbor lead survivors through the Secret Way.

555 - Gondolithlim refugees arrive at Sirion.

556 - Idril departs for Valinor.

558 - Earendil searches for Valinor.

560 - Havens of Sirion destroyed by Morgoth. Gondolithlim/Doriathrim survivors scattered. Elrond and Elros rescued (as adults) by Maglor.

572 - Morgoth controls Beleriand. Earendil and reembodied Elwing come to Valinor and rally the Host.

575-617 - War of Wrath

618 - Maglor claims the Silmaril from Eonwe's camp and casts himself into the Sea. Death of Maglor.

620 - End of the First Age.

SA

1 - Founding of the Grey Havens and Lindon under High King Lomion

2 - Elros becomes the first King of Numenor

c. 500 - Sauron returns to Middle-Earth in the East.

650 - Eregion is founded

1000 - Galadriel is given Vilya; Lomion wields Nenya

1170 - Annatar comes to Lindon and Lomion turns him away. Lomion warns Celebrimbor of Eregion of his suspicions.

1200 - Annatar comes to Eregion. Celebrimbor takes him in to monitor.

1250 - Celebrimbor creates the Seven; Lomion creates the Nine.

1410 - Annatar is kicked out of Eregion.

1600 - The One Ring is forged. Sauron remains in hiding.

1610 - Sauron begins to gather and prepare armies in the East.

1673 - War of the Elves and Sauron begins.

1675 - Sauron invades Eriador.

1677 - Fall of Ost-in-Edhil. Celebrimbor and Lomion remain at the House of the Mirdain. Death of Celebrimbor in battle // Fourth use of the Three in battle. Sauron does not learn of the Seven. Founding of Imladris.

1678 - Sauron defeated by the Numenoreans and the Elves of Lindon.

1679 - Sauron flees to Mordor. First White Council held.

3147 - Civil war in Numenor.

3225 - Ar-Pharazon seizes the Sceptre.

3228 - Elrond claims the Sceptre. Ar-Pharazon disowned. Tar-Miriel named Ruling Queen.

3232 - Sauron taken to Numenor as a prisoner.

3274 - Elrond kicks Sauron out of Numenor and outlaws the morgoth cult.

3310 - Morgoth cult publicly reappears.

3319 - Downfall of Numenor. Tar-Miriel leads a greater force of the Faithful away.

(green // blue means two main options, red means i need to think about it more)

The main details I'm figuring out right now are

does Celebrimbor still die at Eregion - I don't think he's getting captured/tortured, but he could still die in the battle. On the other hand, he could probably survive by using Narya & Lomion using Nenya, but that would definitely have repercussions further down the line

how does Idril's deal work - I'm currently thinking of Idril exchanging the location of Gondolin for her family's guaranteed safety, because it seems in character for Reverse Idril? But on the other hand, even if I limit it to immediate family at the time of the oath (tuor, turgon, earendil) then idk where turgon dies? Maybe Maglor can kill him but that seems kind of random

where and how does Turgon die

how does Prince Elrond's character even work

how does Numenor still fall when factoring in Prince Elrond - I'm thinking that the morgoth death cult gained enough traction during the time sauron was there that even after Elrond kicks him out, the cult still sticks around and reemerges later? The Fall still happens, but they never go to attack valinor and there's a good deal more Faithful (maybe 40-60%?)

[elvish-sky]

Some Main Musical Themes of the Lord of the Rings & an Explanation of Leitmotifs

Welcome to part 1 of who knows how many analyzing the Lord of the Rings soundtracks (I’ll get to The Hobbit eventually)! This isn’t exactly an analysis, more like me talking about cool things in each piece. Before I get started, I want to make it very clear that this is in no way complete or comprehensive, there are so many themes central to the movies, and I am in no way an expert. I’ll continue posting more analyses, this is just what I could fit in the first one!

So, I feel like to understand a decent amount of what I’m going to talk about here, you have to understand what a leitmotif is. It is defined as “a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation.” So basically any recurring few notes or bit of music in cinema is a leitmotif. (The Flight of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner is a famous example).

Howard Shore did a ridiculously complicated and incredible job creating leitmotifs for The Lord of the Rings, and I’m pretty sure there’s around 100 different ones (not counting the Hobbit films). The really cool thing that he did was not only create themes for characters, but also for places, cultures, and ideas! Here I’ll be talking about some of the main themes of the music in the movies.

The Main Themes of The Lord of the Rings, of which there are many so please don’t be mad if I forget some. There will be more parts to this soundtrack-analyzing series!

The History of the Ring. You probably know this as one of the three main-ish themes for the movies. It’s one of my favorites especially because of the way it’s weaved into other pieces. For example, if you listen to Gollum’s ‘music’ you can hear a distortion of the ring theme, symbolizing the effect the One Ring had on Gollum.

The Fellowship Theme. If you don’t know this one already then you’re quite possibly dead to me. This one is sooo cool because it starts off with that ‘bum, bum, ba da dum” which is known as the “there and back again” motif because it starts at one note, goes down, and then returns to the original. After that, you hear those nine epic notes. “Nine notes?” you ask me. “That seems familiar.” That’s because it is! Shore intentionally used nine notes to symbolize the nine members of the Fellowship! Another fun (or slightly depressing fact) is that after Boromir’s death we do not hear the full theme again until the Battle at the Black Gate, showing how the Fellowship broke.

The Shire Theme. The Shire theme has many different settings and themes, but is one of the most recognizable pieces of music in the series. It’s heard at the beginning of the piece Concerning Hobbits, in that lovely flutey sound, the hymn setting. This is restated in many different ways throughout the movies and is also used often to represent nostalgia. You also hear a little restatement of the ‘There and Back Again’ motif! Also, this is sometimes known as Frodo’s theme as well.

Lothlorien. This appears in the prologue for the first time when Galadriel is telling the story of the One Ring. It is ethereal and lovely and peaceful. Another very cool thing that Shore does through the movies is introduced here- whenever we hear a chorus/human voices in the music, they are singing in one of Tolkien’s languages. Here, obviously, they’d be singing in Elvish. When the Fellowship enters Khazad-Dûm, we hear men singing in dwarvish. This is also a very cool thing because it was a conscious decision between Shore and the filmmakers, especially Peter Jackson, as what is being sung is often lines/descriptions from the books that didn’t make it into the dialogue of the movie. It also includes lots of the songs that Tolkien had written in the books. This strategy gave the filmmakers an opportunity to really include everything of Tolkien’s they could, really making them his movies, and is one of the key reasons why the Lord of the Rings films are so good.

Isengard Theme. So epic. So evil. So awesome. The beginning is rather like the “there and back again” theme once more, which not only is super cool because duh, but also helps signify both Gandalf and Saruman’s leadership for each group.

The Realm of Gondor is a theme that is most often used to represent Aragorn and his heritage. It also ties a lot of Faramir’s memories to Boromir. We barely hear it in the first two movies, but it becomes the principal theme of Return of the King and plays in some of the most epic scenes, like when we see Gandalf riding up to Minas Tirith.

Moria. So again, the singing heard in this piece is in Khuzdul with some lines lifted verbatim from the books, which I think is super cool and really adds something to the atmosphere! The singing is only faint, hinting at the danger, until the Balrog is there and then it is aggressive. It is overall very dark, foreboding music, which I love!

Again- I am not an expert on music or composition or any of this- just a teenager who wants to share some knowledge!

That’s all for now, because I promised this like a month ago and here we are a month later and I really just need to post it. But there will be a part 2 that will go into a whole lot more detail at some point in time, never fear!

and i’d love to hear all your thoughts on this!

i’m tagging everyone who said they were interested! @gossip-girl-of-middle-earth @wishingtobeinadifferentuniverse @beenovel @themerriweathermage @the-reformed-ringwraith @anironnn @eru-vande @kumqu4t @cfjqueen @godblessthecactusess @starryeyedrogue @morrigan-of-beleriand @gremlinfaemess @fridaywormteeth @redfurrycat

[arrantsnowdrop]

Informalities - Éomer x reader

Request:  “Eomer x reader fic where the reader is from our world and Eomer listens to the stories the reader says of our world and he thinks that it is a grand place and so when they are finally getting together, Eomer feels kind of insecure cuz he feels he'll never live up to the reader's "standards" and the reader says that they are insecure because he is a prince and she has nothing"

Tags: @thewhiteladyofrohan

Warnings: mention of battles and death, about 2,200 words

A/N: Hoppy Easter lads and lasses, we are back from a many month writing hiatus. Hope y’all enjoy, I’m glad to be here :)

You genuinely had no idea how you’d ended up in Middle Earth.

It was one of those fever dream situations - one moment you were falling asleep in your own bed, and the next you were waking up at the bottom of a tree, surrounded by many bearded and concerned looking men.

Of course you’d been startled and so, so confused, but it had only taken you a few moments to recognize the characters from one of your favorite stories, and then you’d fully accepted your new reality.

By the time you first encountered the fellowship, they had already lost Gandalf at Moria and passed through the realm of Lothlorien. They were traveling in their fancy elvish boats when they’d spotted you from the river. You were extremely grateful for that - who knows what would’ve happened if the Uruk-hai tracking them had found you first.

Boromir and Gimli were quite intimidated by your presence, having been brought up in traditions that designated men for warrior roles. Aragorn and Legolas were much more accepting (female elves were just as badass as any male elf or man, and both of them knew that). The hobbits had all taken an immediate liking to you, and you’d been devastated to lose them during the Uruk ambush. Of course, this only gave you a stronger drive to track them into Rohan with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.

It was there that you met Éomer for the first time, after his riders surrounded your small group of assumed invaders.

He was handsome, there was no denying that, and you found his decision to protect Rohan even in exile extremely brave. He’d been startled by your presence (a group including a dwarf, an elf, AND a woman must’ve been an oddity for him), and thus had talked primarily with Aragorn, but you could not shake the way his eyes locked with yours as he offered you his condolences about Merry and Pippin.

You figured you’d never see the handsome blonde again, glumly complaining to Gimli about it several times throughout Rohan.

Thus, you’d been overjoyed when he arrived at the Battle of Helm’s Deep - half because he was saving your asses from almost certain death, and half because you’d get to see his face and hear his voice again.

You followed Aragorn after the battle, searching for Gandalf in the celebrating crowd. It did not take long, with his bright white robes being quite easy to pick out.

“Gandalf!” you screamed gleefully, weaving between the people around you to get to the smiling wizard.

“It is good to see you, (Y/n),” he said as you embraced him.

“Oh, it’s even better to see you,” you said.

“I have to agree with (Y/n),” Aragorn said from behind you. You pulled back, allowing Gandalf time to greet your friend, and quickly caught sight of a familiar face.

He had been laughing with some other men when his gaze fell on you, eyes locking with yours for the second time. You smiled a bit and offered an awkward wave, face flushing as he flashed you a smile.

“Ah, (Y/n), this is Lord Éomer, current heir to the throne of Rohan,” Gandalf said, noticing the two of you staring at each other.

“We’ve met before,” he said, walking towards you

“Indeed we have,” you replied as he stopped just in front of you. “It is a pleasure to meet you, oh-future-king,” you said, bowing a bit.

You could hear Aragorn slap his forehead from behind you and grinned.

“She’s not from around here, so do forgive her manners,” Aragorn said.

“Or lack thereof,” you added, straightening yourself once more and looking at Éomer’s amused face.

“I appreciate the informality,” Éomer grinned. You spun around and pointed at Aragorn.

“See? Someone appreciates me,” you accused.

You were extremely happy to meet Éomer. It’s not that you didn’t adore Aragorn and Legolas and Gimli, but they were also the only people you’d been around for quite a while. It was exciting to make a new friend, especially one so handsome and charismatic.

The two of you spent the entire ride to Isengard delving into each other’s lives, from childhoods to secret fears to favorite foods. Obviously, the two of you had led quite different lives, and he was fascinated by the world you had come from.

“These cars you speak of, are they like horses?” he asked.

“No, they’re much faster,” you replied. “They’re more like a carriage, since they have space for several people inside.”

“But it moves without a horse?”

“Yup!”

“Who steers in then?”

You were grinning ear to ear at the look of bewilderment on his face.

“One of the people inside,” you answered. “There’s a wheel to control which direction you go and pedals on the floor to control the speed.”

“That sounds terribly complicated,” Éomer said, brows furrowing.

“It’s not too bad,” you said, “I was even pretty good at it.”

Éomer shot you an alarmed look.

“You used to steer these...these things?” he asked incredulously. You laughed and nodded. “You have to be taught how to do it,” you explained. “It’s not like they throw you into it without any preparation.”

“It still sounds extremely dangerous,” he decided.

“I did break my arm in a crash once,” you said thoughtfully. He gasped.

“You can crash them?”

Éomer had quickly become one of your favorite people, which only made the continuous battles over the fate of Middle Earth even more stressful. You were terrified he would ride into a fight and never return, and even more terrified of what that meant.

You’d searched for him for hours after the Battle for Minas Tirith, heart growing more and more heavy as you continued. Every person you asked had no idea where he was, and by the time you returned to the White City, your hands were shaking with anxiety. Finding him outside of the makeshift infirmary that had been set up was the most relieving moment of your entire life.

You had gasped the moment you caught sight of his all too familiar golden hair, letting out a desperate sob as his eyes met yours, him rushing over to you and wrapping you in his arms. Your embrace was filled with all the emotions both of you were too terrified to say aloud.

“I thought you were dead,” you murmured into his chest, eyes wet and lips trembling.

“It will take far more than a few Oliphaunts to kill me,” he whispered, pressing his lips to the top of your head.

You wanted nothing more than to tell him in that moment how much you loved him, but decided against it. You knew the fighting was not over, the last thing you needed was for him to be distracted by you during battle and find himself impaled with some pointy object. If you both lived to the end of this, you would tell him then.

But then you were too scared to do it.

Of course you had won - the ring had been destroyed, Aragorn had led the crusade against the forces of Mordor, and Gondor was preparing to crown its long lost king. Everyone was staying in Minas Tirith until the coronation, but then everyone was leaving. All your friends would be heading home, but you did not have one of those here in Middle Earth.

Aragorn had already offered you a place in Gondor’s leadership, and thus a permanent residence with him, and the hobbits were more than happy to escort you back to the Shire with them, but you knew both of these options would separate you from the one person you wanted to be with.

All you wanted was to follow Éomer back to Edoras, but you were unsure if that would be best for him. He was about to be crowned king of Rohan, and probably had many ladies of Rohan’s nobility lined up to rule with him. It was selfish for you to think you had any right to his heart, especially when his duties and responsibilities were so much more important than an outspoken, title-less woman.

So you distanced yourself from him. You avoided him whenever possible, taking the longest routes you could to dinners and meetings. You tried not to be affected by his desperate gaze, or the way he called for you as you rushed out of a room. It hurt you more than anything, but you knew it would be better for him in the long run. You succeeded with your plan until the night before Aragorn’s coronation.

You’d been walking home from dinner (a huge, pre-celebration feast that qualified as a celebration itself) through an old, twisty corridor. You opened the door to your room only to see Eomer sitting on your bed, a worried look on his face.

You jumped slightly, startled by his presence.

“What are you doing in here?” you said breathlessly. “This is totally an invasion of my privacy and absolutely uncalled for at such a late hour, you almost gave me a heart attack-”

“Forgive me,” he interrupted, standing up from the bed, eyes fixated on you. You both stood there in silence for some time, the closest you’d been to each other for the first time in days.

“I missed you,” he murmured finally. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

You looked down at your feet and nodded. You did not want to see the look of betrayal that he was undoubtedly wearing.

“Why?” he whispered. You winced at the sound of hurt in his voice.

“You would not understand Éomer, but I promise it was in your best interest,” you replied.

“You are my best friend, (Y/n), how could ignoring me benefit me?” he asked incredulously. You looked up at him, trying to ignore the tears beginning to form in your eyes.

“Éomer-”

“Please,” he cut you off desperately, slowly walking towards you. “I have missed you more than you could possibly imagine.” “That is the issue,” you whispered, closing your eyes to avoid looking at him.

“How is that an issue?” he begged.

“Because you are about to be a king,” you shouted, eyes still closed. “And you will leave after tomorrow with everyone else, back to Edoras, where new responsibilities will be awaiting you and demanding your attention.”

“How does that have anything to do with you?” he asked, voice sounding a lot closer than before. You gulped, sensing him right in front of you.

“I would be a distraction,” you replied meekly. Éomer did not reply, but instead reached to grab your hands with his own, you gasping as he pulled you into his chest.

“(Y/n), you are not a distraction, how could you-”

“I do not want you to leave me here,” you interrupted, resting your forehead against him. “I am so scared I’ll never see you again, but your life is about to be so much more important than me.”

“I do not want to leave you here,” he said, wrapping his arms around your back. “I want you to come with me. You’re my best friend, how could I abandon you?”

“That’s exactly the problem,” you whispered, “even if I were physically with you, that would not stop me from...from…”

You stopped and bit your lip, terrified of the confession about to pour out of you. Éomer moved his hand below your chin, tilting your head up to face him.

“Stop you from what?” he whispered intensely, eyes searching your face desperately. You exhaled breathily.

“I love you, Éomer,” you said softly, watching as his expression softened. “So, so much.”

He blinked once, twice, registering what you had just said, and smiled, leaning down to rest his forehead against yours.

“I love you more than anyone, (Y/n),” he murmured.

“But, surely there are women back in Rohan who are far more suitable for-”

“(Y/n),” Éomer said seriously, pulling away to look you in the eyes once more. “I have the power to be with whomever I choose.”

“But why would you choose me?” you asked meekly. Éomer chuckled, brushing a stray bit of hair out of your face and tucking it behind your ear tenderly. You leaned into his hand slightly, relishing in the way he cupped your face.

“I was more nervous that you wouldn’t choose me,” he admitted. You look at him in confusion.

“How could I not choose you?” you asked.

“You’re much more interesting than I am,” he shrugged. “You come from a world that is so much more exciting than mine, and the last thing I want is for you to settle for me.”

“Éomer, you stab people with swords and ride horses all day. And live in a castle. That is insanely cool,” you grinned, wrapping your arms around his midsection. “Of course I choose you.”

“And I choose you,” he murmured, pulling you closer to him. “Please come home with me.”

“Yes,” you whispered, nodding fervently. “Yes, please.”

Éomer grinned, tilting your face up to his once more and leaning down to kiss you. Your heart leaped, hand reaching up to grab the back of his head to intensify the kiss. He moaned softly, bending down to pick you up and twirling you around. You giggled and pressed your nose against his.

“I’m thinking we make my coronation far less formal than Aragorn’s,” Éomer said, “as much as I’ve been loving these dinners, I don’t think I could stand hosting them.”

“You know I’m fantastic at informalities,” you replied.

[ohifonlyx33]

don't mind me, just over here still thinking about lotr and more specifically a tolkien's idea of the "eucatastrophe" or "good destruction", a word he used to describe Christ's resurrection. When the Messiah Himself was killed on a cross and lay dead in a tomb, then suddenly He arose victorious over death! I think that idea permeates his storytelling (at least, I can say I see it in Peter Jackson's trilogy--I confess I need to re-read the first two books and finally finish the third).

The way something good comes about to redeem the story at it's darkest points.... just as the enemy nearly wins, lo and behold! hope comes forth to destroy evil! It's especially beautiful.

i don't know how to explain it, but often stories can use bad luck as a plot twist: another even worse thing piled atop the situation and in SPITE of all these bad things happening, the characters barely make it through... but it's actually brilliant and so much more refreshing to see the plot twist where these bad things lead to a surprise good thing that allows the characters to make it through.

Gandalf falls in Moria? He comes back stronger after being tested against the Balrog. That strength allows him to aid the fellowship in more ways later in Rohan and Gondor. Boromir dies and Merry and Pippin get dragged away by orcs? It led them to Fangorn Forest where they inspired Treebeard to march against Sarumon at Isengard. All hope is lost at Helm's Deep? But watch for Gandalf's coming at first light, bringing reinforcements.... The good can prevail because they hold on, they get stronger, they don't give up... The great good comes and brings salvation, after at a great cost. But those sacrifices and trials and hardships are NOT in vain... actually culminate to bring forth a more rewarding victory.

It reminds me of what Joseph in the Bible tells his brothers, recognizing they tried to harm him but that God's providence was at work, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." (Gen 50:20).

I know Sam's speech isn't Toklien's words, but it's an iconic speech that I feel perfectly captures the whole picture of Eucatastrophe.

“It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why.

But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back. Only they didn’t, because they were holding on to something…That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.”

It's a subtle shift in storytelling that that gives significance to suffering and values the salvation of the characters in order to emphasize hope, rather than the plot twist that merely forecasts doom for the characters in order to merely give them obstacles to make the story more interesting.

[starryeyedrogue]

What is your favourite thing about Pippin's character :3

hey! thanks for the ask! hope you’re ready for a Pippin rant 😂 for the sake of mobile users I’ll use a break.

there are so many things I love about Pippin. to me, he’s the most underrated character by far. I mean, he’s the youngest of the four hobbits at 28-29, so to them he’s basically like 13-14 (or generally not yet of age/an actual child) while everyone else is 18-20s (by human standards anyway). big age gap! no one really expects anything from him, especially since he’s a rich kid (as his dad’s basically hobbit royalty), plus his...habits and personality (irresponsibility, recklessness, etc.). he’s a fool-hardy kid who seems to only be there for comic relief.

and yet he exceeds everyone’s expectations and goes with Frodo on the Journey to destroy the Ring. he recklessly throws himself into danger time after time to save his friends. in the battle at Moria, he’s the first to throw himself into the brawl. even Aragorn hesitated! and yet Pippin - small, young, Pippin - defied expectations and did what he could. there are way more examples of this too! at the battle of Mordor, saving Gandalf at Gondor, saving Faramir. and these are just a few! he’s incredibly brave and has so much character development. he’s always keeping an eye on his friends, making sure they’re happy (or as happy as they can be in the situation they’re in), safe, and looked-after. 

he’s seen so much death and devastation, and yet he’s always cheerful. that takes effort and is a lot harder than you’d think! he always tries to find a way to find the good in something, no matter how dark the circumstances. he’s very curious, brave, and unfailingly kind, no matter what. he’s also very intelligent; something people seem to ignore. it was his idea to have Treebeard and the Ents take down Isengard, thus winning half the battle. something even Elrond refused to do! he always puts others first, even if it means he could die or be seriously injured. I mean, he’s thrown himself into fire like 3 times to save or help his friends. and he does it all without hesitating! he’s very impulsive, but his impulsiveness has saved lives. keep in mind, he’s basically a child, especially by human/Elf standards (and basically a fetus to Gandalf lol), but he’s just as brave, if not braver, than Aragorn. 

don’t get me wrong, Pippin’s messed up a bunch, but who hasn’t? even when he’s really messed something up, he makes up for it in a big way. he takes criticism and learns from it, something that’s extremely hard to do. Gandalf and the others are constantly treating him like a child and bossing him around, but he doesn’t get all huffy or mean. he takes it, over and over again (which breaks my heart). he grows stronger (both physically and mentally) and becomes a better person. he never gets recognition for his deeds (at least not personally - the whole Fellowship is honored but not individually), but he doesn’t stop doing what’s right, even if it means he could die or never see his friends or home again. he’s my favorite hero of all time (LotR or not), and I hope to be like him one day. he’s resilient, kind, and wise beyond his years. he’d do anything for his friends - or even to help a stranger. he’s so much more than comic relief, and he deserves so much more credit.

[atamascolily]

One of the exercises in Julia Cameron’s The Vein of Gold is to compile a list of favorite movies--or ones with images that resonate with you--and note any patterns that arise. Here are some of mine, with observations below.

(For the purposes of this exercise, I’m sticking with live-action films, but there’s no reason why there couldn’t be animated films.)

1. Star Wars Original Trilogy (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi)

(Yes, I know this is technically three films, with three different directors and independent histories, but I didn’t feel like listing them all separately.)

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Ironically, I love the first Peter Jackson movie, but not any of the subsequent ones. Which is not to say they’re necessarily bad movies, but they’re not the ones I’d want on endless loop. (Part of this is because The Two Towers and The Return of the King are essentially war movies, and also because I have to watch Faramir act OOC, which hurts my soul.)

3. The Secret Garden

4. The Matrix

I actually don’t have strong feelings about Reloaded and Revolutions--like, the actual plot is weird, but I am so not watching these films for plot.

5. Return to Oz

6. Inception

7. Labyrinth

8. The Terminator

Don’t get me wrong, Terminator 2 has a lot going for it, but it’s not the one that I can’t stop thinking about (except for that one deleted scene with Michael Biehn, which is a totally different story).

Thoughts and Themes:

So at first glance, it seems like I have two separate categories: ‘80s and ‘90s-’00s films. Or maybe it’s sci-fi and fantasy? The Secret Garden is the only one that even approaches some kind of realism, and even that is a pastoral kind of world that would not be out of place in the more peaceful parts of, say, Middle-Earth (especially Fourth Age). How about high-tech vs. low-tech, or cyberpunk vs. fairy tale? Or, even better, what about reality vs. illusion (or story vs. truth if you prefer)--which is also a major tension within every film on this list?

I’ll also note that most of these films have an epic color palette, with memorable landscapes that either serve as characters in and of themselves, or symbolize the mental states of various characters. These films are beautiful works of art, reveling in The Aesthetic, whether that’s the idyllic peacefulness of the Shire or the grimy back alleys of 1980s Los Angeles.

The thing that really got me when I laid it out like this--the thing I hadn’t noticed before--was that all of these involve a (sometimes literal) rebirth, transition, or journey from darkness to light (or light to darkness to light again, depending on the work). You could also substitute life and death here, and not change much.

This is, again, often quite literal: Sarah moves underground in Labyrinth, the Fellowship descends into the Mines of Moria, the secret garden comes to life with the spring, Dorothy confronts the Nome King in his underground lair. Neo wakes up to find himself naked and soaked to the skin, and flushed down the tubes like garbage, in a literal hellscape where the machines destroyed the sun (a motif that also appears in Terminator’s dystopian future), then literally dies and is resurrected at the end of the film. Luke goes underground to confront his own double--another recurring theme!--on Dagobah.

Duality and the exploration of one’s soul through another world is HUGE  big theme--or, to put it another way, The internal mirrors the external. This is a huge motif of Inception, which is a literal inward journey into a character’s psyche; and you could also make the argument that both Return to Oz and Labyrinth cover similar territory. Is Oz real, or is it in Dorothy’s head? Is Ozma a part of her, or is Ozma a separate entity? Is Jareth a real foe or is he the embodiment of Sarah’s fears and desires, a fantasy she concocts based on a story in a book?  And Frodo realizes he’s not so different from Gollum, that the sad shriveled creature is what he could become if he fails at his task--and, ironically, his kindness to Gollum is what allows the quest to succeed when Frodo finally succumbs to temptation.

Frodo in the The Fellowship of the Ring sees the world differently when he wears the One Ring, and it’s terrifying. Sarah Connor realizes that she’s left her ordinary world behind and crossed into Kyle and the Terminator’s reality in a moving speech, and The Matrix doesn’t even try to be subtle. Even The Secret Garden uses the eponymous garden as a metaphor for the blossoming of Mary’s own soul, and the souls of those around her (especially her uncle and cousin, but also Ben Weatherstaff).

These stories are also concerned with ecology, though it’s usually a background motif, since the main focus is on saving the world (or what’s left of it, i.e, humans). The Shire is paradise; Mordor is a desolate hellscape, dominated by a giant volcano. Kyle Reese breaks down over the beauty of the world, and Mary Lennox seeks to bring the lost garden back to life. Dorothy retreats elsewhere after the grey grimness of Kansas/the mental hospital.

There’s also a real tension concerning humans’ relationship to technology in these films. The Matrix is an illusion, and machines control the earth. Or the machines don’t even bother farming humans and aim to kill ‘em all. Saruman literally transforms Isengard from a tree-lined field to an industrial hellscape. The mental institution uses that freaky electrical machine on Dorothy. Star Wars is more accepting of droids and technology, but even there, there’s tension: Obi-wan calls Darth Vader “more machine than man,” and it’s not a compliment; the Death Star is built to obliterate entire planets and must be stopped twice.

I’d argue this theme goes deeper than human/tech--it’s really human/other, with technology providing one kind of other. There’s human-alien interactions in Star Wars and Labyrinth, not to mention Mary’s relationship with the robin in The Secret Garden, Dorothy’s friendship with Jack Pumpkinhead and the Gump. On a less friendly note, Frodo’s relationship with Gollum is the emotional crux of the Lord of the Rings.

These films also feature the classic hero’s journey, but often through a female lens. The protagonist usually has no special skills other than their strong moral character and determination--or even if they do have skills (like Ariadne*), they still serve as an audience surrogate or substitute, a stranger to the new worlds they visit. The protagonist has at least one faithful friend/companion/love interest to help them (sometimes even a team/found family), and often a mentor as well (who may or may not be a crusty eccentric). In the end, the characters must take control of their own destiny--Frodo chooses to leave the Fellowship, Luke throws away his lightsaber rather than kill his father, Sarah declares to Jareth “You have no power over me”. Sarah Connor yells, “On your feet, soldier!” and keeps going to the bitter end, and Mary Lennox is unafraid of her bratty cousin’s wrath and puts a stop to it when everyone else enables him.

*(As an aside, I know Ariadne’s not the main character in Inception, but I find the actual main character way less interesting, so she’s the one I focus on, just like I find Trinity far more compelling than Neo.)

Characters often have Meaningful Names: Morpheus, Trinity, Neo; Ariadne; Luke Skywalker, Han Solo. These films also feature a question of fate and inevitability - Luke has precognitive visions, Neo consults the Oracle, Sarah is told “there is no fate but what we make for ourselves,” with Kyle serving as an oracle of sorts with messages from the future to come. The Mirror of Galadriel shows possible futures for the Shire, too.

Another theme is that the protagonist must suffer and/or work hard for their transformation. Mary has to do the actual work of gardening; Luke has to sweat and do handstands (beautifully, I might add); Frodo has to walk to Mount Doom; Sarah has to walk the labyrinth, and Sarah Connor has to survive a fucking nightmare. Dorothy has to rescue the royal family of Ev and free Ozma; Ariadne has to design a dream-puzzle for the heist to work. Even Neo has to train with Morpheus--though he’s able to use cheat codes to download martial arts directly into his brain without having to sweat for it; his real journey is in self-confidence. 

In keeping with the stunning visuals, impossible feats are regularly featured, and excellent, cutting-edge-for-their-time special effects are prominent. Many also feature stunning fight scenes--the classic Luke vs. Vader duel on Cloud City; the “I know Kung fu” sequence in The Matrix; the clashes in The Fellowship of the Ring. Jareth has some excellent moves in Labyrinth, too, although he’s more inclined to dance than traditional battles.

I couldn’t resist contrasting my favorite moment in Return to Oz--rescuing Ozma from the mirror prison--with Ariadne shattering her own reflection in Inception, because that is such a moment for me, encapsulating all of the reality/illusion, internal/external, self/other dichotomies I mentioned above. (See also the Mirror of Galadriel above.) Inception and Labyrinth also share the motif of impossible Escher staircases, which I freakin’ adore.

It will probably come as no surprise to note that I also enjoyed films like The Dark Crystal, The Neverending Story,  and What Dreams May Come, which tap into similar themes and imagery. You’ll probably be able to guess that The Sword in the Stone is my favorite animated Disney film, too.

I also love a number of Asian films like Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, all of which feature beautiful landscapes and color palettes, stunning fight scenes and special effects, along with a healthy dose of the fantastic, and a focus on story vs. reality (often with a plot twist or surprise reveal at the end). This is unsurprising when you consider the strong debt both Star Wars and The Matrix owe to Asian cinema in terms of style, plot, and aesthetic. In those films, the tension is more society vs. self, but duality is still very strongly present.

If you notice any other patterns or recurring themes, let me know; I’d love to hear them! Also, if you can think of any other movies I might enjoy based on this, let me know.

[lotrolulz]

I am a bit late to the party, but it seems LOTRO has made an announcement...

Allegedly launching on November 6th, The Lord of the Rings Online will be creating a “Legendary” Server on which level 50 will be the cap, and only Shadows of Angmar content is available. Eventually, the cap will raise and more expansions (Moria, Mirkwood, Isengard, etc) will unlock, possibly every 4 months or so.

I confess I am extremely intrigued and will definitely try this out, and I think it is an excellent idea. A few things to note:

The Legendary server is only available to VIP Players. In other words, you must have an active subscription to play on it. 

There are no character transfers. Everyone must start out new.

All classes and races will be available, even those which did not exist at the time Shadows of Angmar released.

Anniversary Gifts / Account Age will transfer to the new server. IE, if your account has been active for 9 years, you will receive 9 year awards.

There will be no PvMP on this server, at least at launch.

Account-based services purchased on current servers will transfer and be available on the Legendary server.

There will only be one Legendary Server, meaning everyone from all regions (US, EU, Oceanic, etc) will be on the same server.

I see some things I like here. However, I also see some things I do not like.

This server will not be a true “classic” or “vanilla” server. While it will have Shadows of Angmar level caps and content in place, it will not be Shadows of Angmar as it was in 2007/2008. That means that there will be Trait Trees, the LOTRO Store, new/current class updates and changes, and current/updated maps and regions. 

I understand to a point why it is this way, since this is the easiest and least resource-intensive way to make a server like this, and it makes adding/unlocking the next expansions a lot easier. It makes maintenance easy and allows the dev team to create a legacy/legendary-esque server without pulling away resources from the current servers and active development. Also, as much as I loved SoA, there were a lot of bugs in it that have benefited from updates and fixes over the years.

Nonetheless.. if the LOTRO team is going to make a legendary server, why not go all the way and give us an SoA classic server? Creating a server that hosted the original LOTRO as it was in 2007, with the classic classes pre-trait trees and trait lines, without the store, LIs, and certain added systems and features, would go much farther in pleasing and appeasing nostalgic and classic players. That has to be who LOTRO is appealing to here, since this server is VIP only and makes a point of locking out newer content. Sure, other expansions will open up over time, but that will eventually bring this Legendary Server in line with the current servers. That seems.. to kind of defeat the purpose.

There’s only two real reasons I can see for this, three if you count the aforementioned “it’s way, way easier to do it this way / doesn’t pull resources from main development since it’s basically a maintenance-only server” point. First, perhaps they are concerned that a server locked permanently at 50 with only SoA features, classes, systems, and maps in place would get old too quickly and would ultimately be abandoned once the mass majority of players reached the cap. Second.. perhaps the original code was deleted or overwritten in the 11 years since the game launched, and in order to create a “vanilla” server, the entire game would have to be re-written / recreated from older patches, essentially creating a development/resource nightmare. 

I am thinking it might be a combination of all three, but whatever the reason, it feels like a great idea with a half-assed execution. They’re trying to do something great, but I am not entirely sure they are going about it the right way or giving people what they are really after. 

I know I sound overly critical, especially considering this whole thing is entirely optional and nobody has to participate. I am still definitely going to try it out, and it has peaked the interest of a few friends who have stopped playing over the years for various reasons. 

I guess we will have to see how it all pans out. I welcome any discussion on the subject.

Also, since it’s basically just me in my kinship these days, I’m not going to drag it over there. It would appear that the fine and lovely people of Dwarrowdam are tentatively looking to pull together a squad over there. If you like the stupid shit I post, you’ll love them. Maybe you ought to join us.

[miloscat]

[Review] The Lord of the Rings: Conquest (PS3)

A multiplayer oddity.

After the movie tie-in games were done, EA tried to keep the ball rolling with their Lord of the Rings licence. While other companies continued making phone games and created an MMO, EA made RPG, tactics, and strategy games (I’ll be covering The Third Age but not anything from the latter two genres). Their final game before WB took over was this: they got Pandemic Studios—one of their newly acquired subsidiaries—to reskin their successful Star Wars Battlefront formula with a Middle-Earth spin... then almost immediately fired the lot and closed the studio down. Bummer.

Well, at least this game got released. It’s a funny old thing, clearly focused on multiplayer matchups with a couple of solo campaigns tacked on. Playing the single player mode feels just like you’re in a multiplayer map with a bunch o’ bots, but it does a better job feeling like a “battle simulator” from a ground view than any other LotR games I’ve played.

The setup is that you play as a disposable but distinguished member of the armed forces of one of the various factions (elves, Rohan, Isengard, Mordor, etc.). You can be a sword guy, a bow guy, a sneaky guy, or a magic guy, each with quite different playstyles. And yes, I know that Middle-Earth as written doesn’t really have “magic spells” or sorcerers, but all these games ignore that for the sake of having cooler gameplay which I can’t argue with. At certain times you can respawn as a hero unit, with better stats and tweaked abilities, although they still generally fall into one of the four classes.

I found the warrior and scout classes unsatisfying and spent most of my time as an archer. Their quick ranged attacks seemed to be the best option for dishing out fast damage, especially with all the fodder units in the campaign, and their cooldown skills are constantly useful. As such the brief chance to play as Legolas with a souped up spreadshot was a rush. Other heroes were underwhelming; for example, Éowyn makes no sense prowling around with twin daggers and hand grenades. I would have loved to try out Arwen as well—apparently she’s been granted flashy ice magic attacks—but she was only available as paid DLC that seems to have been delisted.

There’s two campaigns, goodies and baddies. The default one is more or less replaying battle scenes from the films, with varied contextual objectives to keep things interesting (it’s not all just going from one capture point to the next). They added a couple of cool scenarios too, such as retaking Moria with Gimli or besieging Minas Morgul. The secondary campaign is a big “what if” scenario starting with Frodo claiming the Ring and getting away with it... for a short while. You play as Sauron’s minions (Nazgûl, orcs, even the big boy himself) taking it back, then reviving the big antagonists from the story, and assaulting the enclaves of the Free Peoples while murdering the heroes. It’s a fun concept! Along the way there’s chances to operate siege weapons or even control Ents, trolls, or the Balrog.

All the while there’s a lot of shouting. It does add to that battle atmosphere to always be having someone in your ear telling you what the next objective is, I suppose. By the way, the only returning voice actor is Hugo Weaving as Elrond and they milk his smooth and severe tones as the narrator between maps as well, it’s lovely.

But for me it comes back to that feeling of being in an online deathmatch. It feels chaotic and messy, more a LotR-themed battle game than a Middle-Earth adventure. Conquest is just being what it is, so I can’t call that much of a criticism... I guess it’s just not what I’m looking for from a licenced game. I did have one play session actually doing local multiplayer, and had a fun time knocking fools into pits and messing around. But despite being well made and having decent production values, this isn’t going high on my list of top Tolkien times.