#i am a lord of the rings nerd also yes

[alistoriswynning]

i've always viewed the wynncraft characters under the lens of like dnd races and classes and stuff. so like in my mind Tasim has always been the most generic human fighter character and Aledar has always been the most generic warhammer wielding dwarf character. probably because every SINGLE time i see Aledar my brain is like "oh my god. Gimli lord of the rings" because i LOVE Gimli and look at them. tell me these aren't the same motherfuckers

hey hear me out; tasim legolas aledar gimli

kinda a stretch BUT HEY BASED ON HAIR COLOR RIGHT? i'm kinda cooking yeah??? i don't see Tasim as an elf or really having much of an archer build but. you COULD theoretically see it

aledar is just 100% gimli in my mind though LMFAOO

[buckyshoneybunny]

Friendsgiving

College!Quarterback!Bucky Barnes + Curvy!College!Reader 

Summery- You and Bucky explore your new relationship while you and the gang celebrate Thanksgiving. 

W.C.- 4221 

Warnings- Smut, oral (fem), fingering, unprotected sex 

A/N- I am so so sorry this is late. I’ve been stressed and I didn’t know how I wanted to do this. But I keep it sweet with no drama, for now anyway, the next one will have lots of drama lol. I do hope you enjoy this. Home For Christmas will be long since it’s going to have a lot in it. But that one and the one for new years might be late and I apologize in advance for that. Anyway enjoy and see you next time my loves! (The picture of the kitchen is mine) (not proofread)

Taglist-  @calwitch @winterslove1917 @hi172826

Masterlist           Series Masterlist   

“He’s doing it again,” Sam snickers. 

“Doing what?” Steve hums. 

“Looking at her with those love sick puppy eyes.”  

Steve looks up from where he was fiddling with the lights for the back patio to see you and Bucky cuddled on the couch. Bucky had a small smile on his face as he watched you ramble on about this new book you were reading.  

“Give him a break, he’s happy.” Steve set the lights back in the box. Since you and Bucky had started dating the guys had been coming over more often, spending the nights too. You didn’t mind though; you had the room and if anything, it felt nice to have a full house. It made it feel more like home in a way.  

Sam looks back over to you and Bucky. He smirks, knowing damn good and well Bucky has no idea what you’re saying. He's too captivated by the way you look and the joy on your face to pay attention to the plot of your book. 

You and Bucky had been together almost two weeks now, when you had told the others they seemed happy and relieved. No more tip toeing around and no more arguing.  

You had laughed as a grumpy Steve handed $20 to a very happy Sam. Bucky grumbled and smacked Sam’s arm. Steve had bet Bucky would be the one to confess while Sam bet you would be the one to break first. 

Now even though you haven’t been together long, you were enjoying seeing this new side of Bucky. You were learning new things about him and seeing the side of him he didn’t even show Steve.  

You found out his favorite books were The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings. He loved to watch older movies; he was a big nerd when it came to anything space or scientific related. And what surprised you the most was he knew the answer to just about every history question you could think of. 

Bucky was also learning new things about you. How you procrastinated until the last second and somehow whatever you were working on always came out amazing. How good you were at drawing; how creative your mind was when it came to writing stories. He just about fell out of his chair when you told him you knew how to change the oil and tires on a car. 

You both were taking it one step at a time, exploring the unfamiliar grounds of this new relationship.  

Steve and Sam walk over and join you on the couch. Steve sits next to you while Sam sits next to him. 

“You know he has absolutely no idea what you’re saying, right?” Sam chuckles. Steve elbows him. 

“Yes, he does, right Bucky? Bucky?” You wave a hand in front of his face. “James,” you sigh. 

Bucky blinks his eyes, refocusing them. “Hmm?” 

“Seriously Bucky?” You scoff a laugh. 

“I’m sorry, princess. You're just so cute when you’re excited,” he smiles.  

You blush and hide your face while Steve and Nat coo. Sam and Yelena make gagging faces, those two like two peas in a pod.  

“Since Thanksgiving is in a couple of days shouldn’t we go food shopping tomorrow?” Steve asks. 

“Me and you can go after we get back from the fall festival tomorrow,” you answer. 

“Fall festival?” Sam asks, disinterest clear in his voice. 

“Yeah,” Natasha nods. “We’re going to the Barton farm; they’re having a fall festival.” 

“I thought we already went to a festival there?” Sam groans. 

“We did, but that was for Halloween. They have three festivals every year, one for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.”  

“Well, have fun, cause I’m sitting this out.”  

“You’re going,” Yelena says sternly. 

“No, I’m not.” 

“Yes, you are.” 

“No.” 

“Yes.” 

“No.” 

“Please?” Yelena sticks her bottom lip out in a pout and gives him her puppy eyes. 

“Fine,” Sam grumbles. He rolls his eyes when everyone laughs. It had been Yelena’s idea to go, there was a certain someone she wanted to see.  

A little while later you and Bucky lay in your bed rewatching a show you’ve seen a thousand times on your computer. You were just starting to doze off when he speaks up. 

“You didn’t go to the Halloween festival,” he says softly. His bushy eyebrows set in a frown.  

“What?” You yawn, blinking your eyes repeatedly and doing your best to keep them open.  

“The Halloween festival, you didn’t go.” Bucky closes the laptop and sets it on the nightstand.  

“No, I didn’t,” you sigh and snuggle into Bucky’s side. That same stuffed dog squished between you both. 

“Why? Was it because of me?” He whispers.  

You let out a small laugh. “No, I didn’t feel good that night, nor did I want to get dragged to the haunted house. I hate scary things.” 

“Oh, okay.” Bucky pulls you impossibly closer. “Goodnight princess,” he kisses your forehead.  

“Goodnight Bucky.”  

The next morning the six of you get ready for the festival. You and Bucky are the last ones to be ready, Bucky having gotten a little handsy while you were in the shower together.  

You wore snug blue jeans that hugged your thighs and ass. A silk tank top-one that accented your curves and made Bucky’s mouth water-under a long-sleeved shirt. You then stole one of Bucky’s jackets to wear, claiming it would keep you warmer, it went down to about mid-thigh on you. Bucky helped you put your boots on and laced them. You slid on some gloves while Bucky wrapped a scarf around your neck and slid beanie on your head.  

Though you were covered up, Bucky’s mouth still watered at the sight of you. He didn’t understand how someone could look so adorable yet sexy at the same time. 

Bucky, Steve, and Sam all wore jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and jackets. You practically had to force Bucky to wear gloves and a hat. And while he looked like a three-course meal you’d never understand how he could wear so little layers in this freezing weather. Some people just don’t get cold.  

Steve, Natasha, and Yelena took Steve’s car while you, Bucky, and Sam took Bucky’s car. Once you got there you pulled Natasha aside. 

“You know you’re gonna have to help her, right?” You say quietly, watching Yelena fix her outfit. 

“Don’t worry, babes. I’ve already got a plan,” Natasha smirks. You can see the sparkle of mischief in her eyes. 

You arch a brow. “And what kind of plan would that be?” 

“All you need to know is by the end of the day, Kate and Lena will be a couple.” You laugh and shake your head. 

Natasha links her arm with Yelena’s and drags her off in the direction of the face painting station, the one Kate Bishop was currently working. Sam tags along, eager to see what mischief plan Nat has.  

You and Bucky walk hand in hand through the festival, Steve on the other side of you. The three of you making your way to where they keep their homemade goodies.  

“If Nat’s plan goes well, Sam will be the only single person left in the group,” You wonder aloud.  

“Hmph,” Bucky hums. He couldn’t care less.  

“We should set him up,” You suggest.  

“You know, Sam has had his eye on someone for a while now,” Steve speaks up. 

“Who?” You ask a little to excitingly.  

Steve chuckles. “Lila Taylor? Lina Taylor, something like that.” 

“Leila Taylor?”  

“Yeah that.”  

“Wait, isn’t she on the college’s reporter team?”  

Steve nods. “Yeah, she also supports a lot of activist movements and stuff.” 

“Oh cool,” You smile. “I’ll circle back with the girls to come up with a plan and then coordinate with you.”  

“Hold up,” Bucky interjects. “You really think it’s a good idea to go snooping around in Sam’s love life?” 

“Hey! It’s not snooping,” You argue. “It’s more like giving him a little nudge in the right direction.” 

“Well, whatever it is, I want nothing to do with it. Cause if this blows up, it won’t be pretty.” You just roll your eyes.  

You and Steve pick out some jams and spices to use in Thanksgiving dinner before heading off to the face painting booth. There's not much of a line so you wait, looking for Nat, Yelena, Sam, and Kate. When it’s you guys’ turn, you walk up to see Cassie Lang running the station.  

“Hey Cassie,” You smile. “Where’s Kate and Lena?” 

She points behind her. “Back behind the station.” 

“Good for them,” You laugh. You get a bunny painted on your face, Bucky gets a cat, and Steve gets a dog.  

You thank Cassie and Steve heads off to find Nat and Sam, telling you to meet up at the hayride line. Bucky keeps his arm around your shoulders as you walk. You relax and lean into him, letting him guide you. 

It almost doesn’t feel real, being here with him. It's almost like a dream come true; one you never knew you had. You cherish the feeling of being in his arms, the comfort and warmth it brings.  

You, Bucky, Sam, Steve, and Nat meet up by the hayrides. Even Yelena and Kate tag along too. While you wait you make small talk and get to know Kate a bit. You learn that she’s mastered in archery and is taking an engineer course. You could see Yelena relax a little when she seen how well Kate got along with everyone. 

During the hayride, Bucky’s gaze kept drifting back to you. His heart fluttered as he watched you, the way your eyes shine in the sunlight. How your nose scrunched just like his when you laugh and smile. 

He wrapped his arm around you and pulled you closer. He buried his nose in your hair, closing his eyes as your peach scented shampoo filled his nose.  

From the moment he met you, something told him you were different. That feeling was just pushed back and blinded by a false sense of hate. One thing he knew for sure, even if this was just the start of the relationship, was that something was different.  

None of his previous relationships had ever felt this, what’s the word? Special. He just wishes you and him would have come to terms sooner. But later is better than never.  

You guys spend most of the rest of the day doing various activities. Just laughing and having fun, spending time with one another. A lot of people argue over what family is, whether it’s being blood related. Or just knowing someone for a long time, always being there for them and having their back.  

Whichever it may be, you knew this was the family that you would ever need. And while your heart does ache for the family you grew up with, you’d never felt more loved than you do with this family. Right here, right now.  

Before it got too late you guys called it quits. You and Steve headed to the store while the others headed home. You giggled at the sad puppy eyes Yelena had when she had to say goodbye to Kate.  

You and Steve browse the aisles, grabbing ingredients and checking them off the list. You're almost done when you pass the area they keep the turkeys, except, they’re out.  

“Crap, Y/n,” Steve sighs. He looks at the empty display that was once filled with Turkeys of all sizes. “What are we going to do?” 

You grin. “You know how they say women are smarter than men?” You snicker. 

“Yeah, but what does that have to do with the fact we won’t have a turkey for thanksgiving?” 

“Me and Nat picked one up last week, Steve,” you laugh.  

“Oh” 

“Oh!” You gasp. “So, I have a request to make,” you bite your lip. 

“What’s that?” 

“So, you’re cooking the turkey this year, right?” Steve nods and you continue. “Well, I was wondering if maybe we could smoke the turkey on the grill?” 

Steve pauses, considering the idea. “That actually doesn’t sound too bad,” he hums. 

“Right? I mean, any other dish we cook on the grill tastes amazing, so why not try it with the turkey?” 

“Yeah,” he nods. “I think that’s a good idea. So that’s what we’ll do then.”  

Once you have everything, you pay and pile everything in the trunk of the car and head home. Sam and Bucky help bring the groceries inside when you get home, you and Nat put them away.  

Since everyone was tired from the fun filled day and no one wanting to cook and clean the already prepped kitchen. You guys just decided to order some pizza. The TV is playing some cooking show, one that was actually decent.  

Sam and Yelena sat on the floor between the coffee table and couch, munching on the pizza. You and Bucky sat on one end of the couch, squeezed together under one blanket. Steve and Nat sat at the other end, hogging the bigger blanket.  

“So, what all are we having tomorrow?” Sam asks around a mouth full of pizza. Natasha nudges Sam’s shoulder with her foot, playfully scolding him about not talking with a mouth full of food.  

“Well, we’re gonna have turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, Nat will make her mac & cheese,” you list the dishes out. “Probably some corn too.” 

“What about homemade bread?” Yelena asks. 

“Absolutely,” you smile. 

“You make homemade bread?” Bucky asks, surprised. You nod. “Since when?” 

“Since I was like, 15 or 16?” You shrug. He hums and pulls you closer. 

“Oh, by the way, I invited Kate to come over after. If that’s okay?” Yelena says. 

You nod. “That’s fine, I invited Wanda.” 

“I invited Clint, too,” Nat adds.  

You, Bucky, Steve, and Nat head to bed early since you have to get an early start on cooking tomorrow. 

The alarm on your phone goes off at five in the morning, jolting you awake. Bucky groans and shuts the alarm off, tightening his arms around your waist. 

“I gotta get up, baby,” you whisper. You card your fingers through his hair. 

He buries his face in your neck. “No,” he mumbles, voice muffled.  

You smile softly. “Yes.” When he doesn’t let you go, you pinch his shoulder.  

Bucky grumbles and let's go. “You’re mean,” he pouts. 

You press a quick kiss to his lips. “Here,” you hand him your stuffed dog. “Fido will keep you company.” Bucky smacks the dog away, making you gasp. 

“How dare you!” You pick him up and coddle him to your chest. “It’s okay, I got you.” You kiss its head. 

Bucky rolls his eyes. “Are you really talking to a stuffed animal?” He asks in that deep, sexy morning voice of his.  

You hug the dog closer to your chest. “Don’t listen to him, he’s a big meanie,” you mumble against its fur. Bucky raises a brow. “You up set him, now you have to give him a kiss.” 

“I’m not kissing a stuffed animal, Y/n,” he huffs. 

“What’s that? He has to give you cuddles?” Bucky shakes his head. “Now, James,” you say, trying and failing to sound stern. 

He rolls his eyes again but takes the stuffed dog. He cuddles the dog and gives it a kiss. “Happy now?” You can see the hint of a smile on his face. You nod.  

You quickly use the bathroom, brush your teeth and pull your hair back. You quietly head back to your bedroom to grab your phone and meds. You have to cover your mouth with your head to keep from laughing. 

Bucky had already fallen back to sleep, but he was holding you stuff dog like it was his lifeline. You figured he’d chuck it once you left, but he didn’t. You snap a picture and head downstairs. You see Steve in the kitchen and a lump under a blanket on the couch. Sam.  

“Morning Steve,” you say quietly.  

“Morning Y/n,” he whispers with a smile. 

“Look at this,” you giggle. You show Steve the picture of Bucky to which he laughs. You hear Sam grumble something about being quiet. 

“You should have gone to bed sooner,” you snicker. Sam stuck his arm out from under the blanket, flipping you off.  

You get started on the bread while Steve fires up the grill. You both work in harmony to get things started and prepped.  

Around 8, Sam decided to give up on trying to sleep in. He made himself a bowl of cereal and plopped on the couch to watch some cartoons. By 8:30, Bucky had sauntered down the stairs and immediately plastered himself to your back. 

“Morning princess,” he mumbles into your neck. He presses a kiss there.  

“Morning Bucky,” you smile.  

After about five minutes of him hanging on you, you make him get off. He pouts but lets you go, grabbing a bowl of cereal and joining Sam on the couch to watch cartoons.  

By 9, Nat and Yelena had come down. Yelena joining the boys and Nat helping out in the kitchen. At 11, you and Nat force the three stooges to get ready and clean up. Slowly but surely, you, Nat, and Steve get ready.  

Bucky and Yelena keep up on dishes, so you aren’t running the dishwasher ten different times today. Bucky washes them while Yelena dries and puts them away. You and Yelena set the table, Bucky and Sam had cleaned up the living room by then. And finally, by 1, the table was being filled with food.  

Steve had cooked the turkey and while that was cooking, he did the gravy, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. Nat cooked her homemade mac & cheese and some corn. You had cooked the homemade rolls that, in Sam’s words, were to die for. You had also made some fudge and a pumpkin pie.  

Finally, once everyone sat down, Steve and Nat on one side, you and Bucky on the other, Sam at one end, Yelena at the other. The wine was poured and Steve said grace. Steve cut the turkey and everyone filled up their plates with food.  

While you ate, Bucky rested his hand on your thigh. After a while it started to slide up, his pinky toying with the hem of the long-sleeved dress you wore. He didn’t move it much more than that, just wanting to tease you.  

By the time everyone finished, Kate, Wanda, and Clint had shown up. They were just in time for dessert. You and Kate had fudge while everyone else had pie. After a little more pie and wine, everyone moved to the living room to hang out, leaving you and Steve to clean up the mess.  

You put the food away and loaded the first load of dishes in the dishwasher. Steve threw napkins and various things away, sweeping the crumbs up and taking the trash out. Steve went to join the others while you finished wiping the counters.  

When you finished you headed to the living room, pausing in the archway. Steve and Nat were cuddled on the couch under a blanket, watching a Christmas movie. Clint, Kate, and Wanda were playing some board game. Yelena and Sam were building a Castle out of Legos.  

You smiled. This was your family. This was your home.  

Your smile widened when you felt two arms wrap around your waist. 

“Hey,” you say, your voice soft.  

“You did a good job on the bread and pie,” Bucky says. He starts to kiss your neck. You tilt your head and relax against him.  

“Thanks,” you bite your lip. “Since everyone is preoccupied, what do you wanna do?”  

He hums and slides his hands to your waist, spinning you around. “I think I want some dessert.” You can hear the lust in his voice.  

“Didn’t you already have dessert?” You giggle, knowing full well that’s not what he’s talking about.  

“Not that kind of dessert princess, this one’s more...sweet.” He runs his nose up your neck to nibble on your ear.  

“I don’t know, that pie was pretty sweet.” 

He huffs and tosses you over his shoulder, making you giggle. You playfully grope his ass as he walks, he really did have a nice ass. He kicks your bedroom door shut with his foot and tosses you on the bed.  

Bucky kneels on the bed between your thighs, pushing the loose skirt of you dress up around your waist. He spreads your legs and rips your panties, growl coming from him when he sees you’re already wet. 

“You have got to stop ripping my panties! I’m gonna run out soon.” Your laugh turns into a gasp when he runs his thumb over your clit.  

“Sorry princess,” he mumbles absentmindedly, eyes focused on your pussy.  

“No, you’re not.” 

“No, I’m not,” he agrees with a smirk. He leans down, laying on his stomach between your legs, kissing and nipping the sensitive skin of your inner thigh.  

He makes his way up one thigh before switching to the other, causing you to huff. He presses one last kiss to your thigh before hovering his lips over your pussy. He blows on your pussy, causing you to shudder. He chuckles and runs his tongue through your folds up to your clit. 

You gasp and thread your fingers through his hair. He eats you out like a man starved, like this is his first meal in days. He sucks on your clit, making your hips buck. He throws his metal arm over your hips to keep them still. 

He runs his tongue down to your slit, sucking up your juices. He starts to fuck you with his tongue, he thrusts it in and out. His two-day old stubble rubs against the skin around your pussy, making you close your thighs around his head. 

He brings two fingers to your entrance, thrusting them in and curling them in that way that has you seeing stars. He adds a third one, fucking you with his fingers, his mouth back to sucking on your clit.  

He moans against your pussy, the vibrations running through you and bringing you that much closer to the edge. Your fingers tighten in his hair. With one last curl of his fingers, you cum, moaning his name. 

He helps you ride it out, lapping up your juices. He gives your clit one last kiss before sitting up. He pulls your dress over your head and throws it behind him, he flings your bra in the same direction.  

He pulls his shirt over his head and you run your hands over his abs. You don’t think you’d ever get tired of seeing this man naked. Once his pants are off, he covers you with his body, lips latching onto one of your nipples, his metal hand squeezing and pinching the other one. 

You reach down and grab his cock, stroking him a couple of times and making his hips buck. You run his tip through your folds and line him up.  

“Ready princess?” He pants. You nod. 

He slowly pushes in, burying himself all the way in with one thrust. He laces his fingers with yours and pins your hands above your head. You wrap your legs around his waist.  

When you give him the okay, he pulls out and thrusts back in, starting a slow pace. He buries his face in your neck, sucking and biting, leaving his mark on you. 

His pace starts to pick up, your moans and whimpers like music to his ears. Soon enough he’s pounding you into the bed. Skin slapping against skin fills the room, the air smelling of sex. You bite your lip to keep from moaning too loud, knowing your friends are still right downstairs. 

“Let them hear,” he pants into your neck. “Let them hear I good I can fuck you.” he angles his hips to hit that special spot, making you cry out. “There you go,” he grins. 

Each thrust hits that spot, bringing you closer and closer. The patch of hair above his cock rubs against your clit, adding to your pleasure. Bucky can feel you squeezing him, he knows your close.  

“Come on, princess, cum for me. Be a good girl and cum.” That all you need, the band in your stomach snapping and stars blurring your vision. Your back arches and you moan his name, probably a little too loud.  

Bucky fucks you through it before his thrust grow sloppy and he’s cumming inside you with a groan of your name on his lips.  

He collapses on top of you, panting and still feeling the after effects of his orgasm. You rub his back and run your fingers through his hair as you both catch your breath. He makes a contented sound and nuzzles his face into your chest. 

After a few moments of silence his phone vibrates on the nightstand, indicating a text message. 

He carefully pulls out and rolls over to grab his phone. He makes a ‘hmm’ sound before setting it down and pulling you back into his arms, spooning you from behind, ready for a nap. 

“Who was that?” You ask softly. 

“My mom,” he mumbles into your hair. 

“Oh..is everything okay?” 

“She wants us to come home for Christmas.” 

[the-light-finds-its-way]

Savathun and Sauron: a wild comparison

So I am, besides a huge Destiny nerd, a very devoted LOTR fan all the same. And when I was looking at photos tonight of Sauron from the films, I noticed there were a LOT of eerie similarities to their respective designs.

Both of them have a very tall, sort of crowned spike helmet, and the positioning of these spikes is also quite similar to one another, only Savathun's connect with another half ring at the back.

Additionally they also have similar shoulder plating with a somewhat similar shape, and also it's spiked for both. You can see it somewhat better in the next pic.

Even with Sauron doing the powerful hand gesture with his ring, and Savathun doing similar motions to let Immaru hover near her? That strikes some uncanny resemblance to me.

Their overall body language is immensely similar in many ways, the fact that both move in such inhuman patterns that defy nature.

Sauron is a beast of undeath who cannot be killed so easily as long as the One Ring exists.

And Savathun cannot be killed so long as her Worm exists, and or her Ghost.

Adding in the lore of both, Savathun began as Sathona. She and her siblings were promised a great power of immortality by merging with and hosting the Worm Gods. They believed this power was the future of their homeworld Fundament, and the people which were the Krill.

Those Worms were shared with the masses, but any and all who denied them were slaughtered. But merging with and hosting the Worms who granted the Krill power and made them into the Hive?

It corrupted them. It made them monstrous.

Yes it kept Savathun immortal, and her siblings.

But they became monsters of death and murder and destruction.

During this, Sathona became Savathun, but also later achieved many names including The Witch Queen. A liar of pure deceit and manipulation.

Sauron, similarly, was known by many names. He was Annatar, Mairon, Aulendil, many many things.

And he was created as a god of sorts. The Ainur were made by a higher being, but they themselves were immortal, with inhuman power, and considered holy beings in the way gods are seen.

Sauron was a liar all the same. He was called The Sorcerer and The Deceiver and The Dark Lord.

Countless trusted Sauron who held influence through his connection. He promised gifts in the form of the rings which he gave all races. And with the gift of these rings, Sauron promised great power to all who bore them, unity even, to Middle Earth, and yet all they did was tear Middle Earth asunder with war and destruction.

The Dark Lord manipulated, lied, and deceived the races of Middle Earth into trusting him. The Men to whom the 9 rings were granted became undead, mindless servants forever chasing down the One Ring at the behest of Sauron. They had no choice but to follow this pursuit.

They became akin to the Taken. Corrupted husks of their former beings, mindless and relentless in their pursuit of their master and maker, though for the Taken it was Oryx who made them, not Savathun.

But Sauron pulled whatever trickery necessary to achieve his dark goal, even commanding the destruction of Isengard through his servant Saurman.

He held many forms. A vampire. An Elf. A Man.

And Savathun, too, had many forms. She possessed Osiris, pretending to be him. She was a Krill named Sathona. She became the Witch Queen, the goddess of lies and wizardry.

And both served the command of a darkness beyond their own power, and spread that darkness. Sauron's master was Morgoth. Savathun's was the Witness.

But what strikes me most?

Savathun is The Witch Queen.

And Sauron's greatest commander was The Witch King.

So yeah! Food for thought!

[britcision]

Tell you what tho

I read Lord of the Rings when I was 10… and 11… because it took me that long to finish it

And I do remember reading it, and I remember being a little confused by the tangents and the history and geography and speed reading those bits trying to find the adventure, and first seeing the movies and knowing the story

But I hadn’t read them since

And I know the movies well enough that I can identify which scenes in the extended version weren’t in the theatrical release and which weren’t in the original shorter extended version

But reading the first book again now as an adult… I am absolutely reading it for all those tangents and the history and geography to devour the entire world and I’m barely interested in the Ring and the quest

And all of it feels new

Like, I very specifically remember single lines pretty much at random through the book so every time I’m sorta getting lost in “wow I don’t remember this at all” suddenly I’m finishing the next sentence before I turn the page

And I think that says something about growth and aging and time

Because I was always a little nerd, my bedtime stories were Discworld before I could talk, I read Lord of the Rings solely because it had 1000 pages and I considered that a challenge and I stuck to it even when I wasn’t all that interested in the extended lore because of that

(May Tolkien forgive me, but I was 10!)

And back then I was reading for The Quest and The Story Of The Fellowship and things that were happening now

And so little of it stuck with me that it’s almost all new all over again, and I’m discovering all of this wonderful extended lore and devouring the history and yeah the Silmarillion’s gonna come after the full trilogy and it’s all new to me

And it’s also so familiar

I remember half the songs, but I hadn’t remembered they were Tolkien’s

I just… kept singing them. I can do most of Gilgalad’s from memory, but I couldn’t swear that’s how you spell the name

And part of it is that my family also used to do the radio editions of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit on long drives or as family time in the evening, and I really did only read the actual book once

(Possibly not long after we finished the radio drama version, which is why I was so confused by the extended Shire adventures)

So it might just be that I know the now so well already, that’s so familiar, that I can finally focus on the rest of the world

But I think it’s also because the older I’ve gotten, the more I want to look behind the curtain. To see the lore, the making of, how things work and connect and see everything that made the story of now possible in everything I see

The more I read the more I see Tolkien’s hand, his pen, his values and what he believed mattered, and he was right. It matters to care for the land and the world and growing things, even if it doesn’t have monetary value. It matters to choose to do good, even with no reward

It matters to take your time, to do things the right way instead of the easy or cheap way, to cherish and value everything that lives, however small. It matters to care, more than anything shiny and golden

And also yes I am also learning that the way I write apparently has a lot more in common with Tolkien than I thought, so you can all blame him for the length of Dead And Loving It and all the lore and my need to expand the universe in every direction and obsess over every connection

I’m certainly nowhere near on his level, but even in a book I only read once… I think Tolkien shaped quite a lot of what I consider good quality writing and world building

And I think he’d appreciate that

And from now on I’ll be explaining my utter refusal to cut any “unnecessary” perspectives or world building with “would you have edited Tolkien?” Because the answer’s always “nope” his publisher said so

[scarfacemarston]

More Modern AU Cullen x Inquisitor

Link here for his background. Link here to the first set of modern au hc's. I'd LOVE if you all left hc requests! (No one shots for now) *Unsurprisingly, Cullen is old-fashioned in some ways because that’s what he believes he’s supposed to do - by this, I mean giving the Inquisitor flowers on a date or any other event or even just because he can. He always holds the door open, helps the Inquisitor out of the car, and offers to pay for dates. * Rides a motorcycle. He rode them during his time in the military, and it was one of the only things he bought after leaving. He loves the freedom it affords him and will sometimes go for a ride at 1 am when he can’t sleep. Yes, you bet he’s taking the Inquisitor on a ride. NSFW activities may or may not have taken place on said motorcycle.

* He would have asked Dorian out if he hadn’t been dating the Inquisitor. He was amazed by how much chemistry they had and all they had in common.

* He knows way more about DnD than you’d think he would - he used to be the mediator during game nights because the S.A.S. was full of competitive nerds who would sometimes get too into the story.

* Plays Civilization and is way too into it. He has been known to play it for hours. He has entire notes and charts to go with it. The Inquisitor sometimes sits on his lap while he plays. He doesn’t play many other games, but he’s enjoyed Fallout the few times he’s played. He'd probably enjoy Skyrim if he tried it. * Favorite movies are The Matrix, Braveheart, Deadwood, The Patriot, the Kingsman series, Shawn of the Dead and Lord of the Rings. He watches the extended edition of LotR at least once a year. He talks the Inquisitor’s ear off with trivia. *His favorite color is red, and his car is also a bright cherry red. It’s also one of his most worn colors.

* Wears a combination of button-downs, button-downs with sweaters on top, and a brown leather jacket. Yes, the leather jacket gets stolen.

* Wants to visit New Zealand and go on a LotR tour, but would also love to visit Yosemite or Mount Rainier.

*Loves to camp. He misses sleeping outdoors and camps often with his dogs when he needs to escape town. When he can’t leave town, he has every window open in his home to let the air in. He will definitely want to take the Inquisitor with him, but there are times when he’d rather go alone. 

[ask-sg-optimus-prime]

I got some potential dragon contenders.

Yes I am a nerd about these dragons.

Anyway— We’re starting off with the strike class!

Night fury: While being the least known dragon, they are given the title of “The unholy offspring of Lightning and Death itself”. They are a nocturnal species known for reaching deadly speeds and a destructive plasma blast. When they fly by I personally given the sound they produce when diving the “Whistle of Death”, but other than that, they are mostly silent flyers.

Skrill: The Skrill are a storm fairing dragon. They move where ever there is a storm and harness the lightning as a deadly attack. They are also natural predators against Night Furies. However these dragons are weak to water and are also attracted to metal things like actual lightning.

Triple Stryke: They are a scorpion like dragon with three stinger tails. They strangle you with said tails and often times will use them to hold and toss humans. On the off chance you piss the thing off so much you may earn a deadly sting. It also responds to click commands which can also calm them down if enraged or scared.

Deathgripper: These dragons seen used by Grimmel are mind controlled by their own venom. Similar to the Triple Stryke they also have a stinger tail. If the venom from the tail is concentrated enough any unfortunate dragon is under the control of who wields it. These dragons also are known for eating other dragons. They also have retractable tusks and a mucous/acid that they spit which ignites into fire.

Now our Boulder Class.

The Whispering Death and Screaming Death: These dragons live deep underground in colonies. Whispering Death’s are blind but are still deadly with rotating teeth like drills, and a ring shaped fire breath. Surprisingly there was Whispering Death that laid a Screaming Death, a much larger, louder, and deadlier relative. The Screaming Death is as said larger than these dragons, and they also have scales that are immune to dragon root, a plant known for overwhelming dragons

The Sharp class dragons (I know nadders are now in tracker but I’m goin’ by the original)

Razor Whip: The most stunning yet deadliest Sharp Class dragon to ever unfortunately meet. Their spines at the end of the tail are able to be flung like flying spear to kill their enemies. Their tears are also deadly which is a surprising fact. They are extremely territorial when brooding and have been known to kill SPECIFICALLY male dragons and vikings alike. Unfortunately they are very noticeable in the cold due to their metal scales making noise.

Deadly Nadder: Deadly Nadders are like the tropical bords of dragons. Adorning vibrant colors, but don’t be fooled. These dragons can and will hunt you down with their amazing sense of smell. Their spines on their tail are also poisonous.

The Mystery Class.

Grimknashers: These dragons pray on the weak. They hunt in packs and are primarily found on Vanahiem, the final resting spot of the dragons. Their predators are Sentinel dragons which look like stone statues, but are in fact dragons. Grimknashers projectile launch their teeth at the weak and sickly dragons to kill and later eat.

Lastly our beloved Titan Class dragons

The Red Death/Green Death: Depending on if it’s red or green determines if it’s a boulder or stoker class. This dragon is said to be the queen of dragons, making dragons of her nest bring her food to her volcanic home. She is one of the massive titans that can control the dragons, but not all like the king of dragons, the Bewilderbeast. She has a club like tail, large paws and talons, six eyes, a large maw, and a destructive fire breath. They are also known for eating other dragons. While they are not known for often flying, when they do it is the most terrifying thing.

Sorry if this is long my Lord.

I have no desire to read all of that. Just give me all of the dragons.

[themuseinthewoods]

Guidelines and Masterlist

Hello! Thank you so much for joining me on my writing journey! (I update my Masterlist every time I post a fic of some kind, except match ups as those are personal).

my only tags specific to me is:

muse writes fanfic

muse fucks around with a fandom

For best results, go to latest instead of most popular because latest shows everything I have written.

Feel free to ask for something! But please look at my general guidelines below the cut.

Feel free to like, reblog and comment on my work! Do not put it in an Ai generator.

What I won't write/or a grey area:

I do not write requests with anything including yandere, stalker, s*xual assault or involving characters unaliving thyselves.

I am a little new to 18+ and anything as such will be covered with warnings.

Almost anything else I will do my best to write! Platonic, or romantic.

I'll do head canons, imagines, preferences, one shots, custom incorrect quotes and match ups(please ask my brain needs a project)

If I ever run out of room for links here, then I will make a Masterlist part two.

General guidelines:

For match ups, just send me the fandom from my list and a little bit about yourself! I would need basic description of your physical features (hair color and eye color), some about your personality and hobbies and whether you want a male or female character! You can request more then one fandom.

For imagines and one shots send me a character or two and a general plot or just if you want fluff or something else.(Ex: Legolas teaching reader how to use a bow.)

For headcanons and preferences send in some characters, and what you would like headcanons/preferences for. (Ex: the characters favorite hugs with their s/o or what would this character be like with reader as a sibling.)

Doesn't matter your gender/sexuality, I will try and do gender neutral readers. I can definitely to female reader and I would be willing to try and write a male reader!

My fandoms are:

To Wong fu, thanks for everything, Julie Newmar

The Lord of the rings/The Hobbit

the Outsiders

Boondock saints

Tombstone 1993

top gun (1&2)

Star wars (the bad batch, the mandalorien, and movies 4 to 6)

Night at the Museum (1&2)

Enola Holmes

platonic!Breath of the wild/tears of the kingdom (these are legend of Zelda games)

the 13th warrior

platonic!Sherlock BBC

Princess bride

Prince of Egypt

Robin Hood: Prince of thieves

Robin Hood: men in tights

X-men

pirates of the Caribbean

Speed

some Disney

I will also write for the Iliad, the Odyssey and Greek mythology overall (yes, I am a nerd lol) and Arthurian legends and characters. And honestly, I'll try to write for anything because I love a challenge but I do reserve the right to not do one I do not think I can do.

Here is my quotev if you want to see my longer stories:

longer stories

Masterlist:

Tombstone 1993

Headcanons for romantic relationships with Tombstone men

Fancy- potential Wyatt, doc, or Johnny x f!reader

Wyatt Earp

Fancy- (Wyatt Earp's ending)

Doc Holliday

Fancy- (Doc Holliday's ending)

Platonic headcanons with Doc Holliday (gn!reader)

Johnny Ringo

Fancy-(Ringo's ending)

Troy (2004)/the Iliad cause I like both

Incorrect Troy 2004 quotes

Incorrect Troy 2004 quotes 2

Incorrect Troy 2004 quotes 3

Incorrect Troy 2004 quotes 4

General headcanons:

Modern au! Men of Troy (2004) with Spanish speaking gn!reader (Achilles, Patroclus, Hector, Paris, and Odysseus)

Men of Troy (2004) doing the trend to Rhianna’s song breaking dishes except in ancient Greece (Achilles, Patroclus, Hector, Paris and Odysseus)

NSFW Headcanons for asking the man of troy if you can ride their face. Female reader.

Headcanons for cuddling with the men of Troy (2004)

The Men of Troy (2004) reacting to the reader being groped unwantedly by a strange man

Headcanons for coming out to the characters Troy (2004) (LGBTQIA+ oriented)

Headcanons for waking up with the men of Troy (2004) gn!reader (features Achilles, Hector, Paris and Odysseus)

Soldier. Poet. King. - a song fic with endings for Achilles, Hector and Odysseus, unpublished

Achilles:

A quiet moment- Achilles x F!reader

Chance meeting- Achilles x F!reader

Sea shells by the sea shore- Achilles x gn!reader

the prequel- Captive hearts (told form Achilles pov)

the main story- Comfort in your arms- Achilles x female reader

part two- Haunted past. New beginnings.

You for you (Achilles edition) Achilles x female reader

Lament of friends Achilles x sibling!gn!reader, after Patroclus dies, his best friend is left hurt and tired of the constant war. (Angst)

Headcanons for Achilles as gn!readers older brother

Headcanons for a romantic relationship with Achilles with gn!reader

Imagine giving Achilles a back rub as he talks shit about Agamemnon...

Imagine Achilles comforting you when he finds you crying...

Hector:

Wedding dance- Hector x f!reader

Headcanons for Hector as a girl dad with daughter!reader

Headcanons for a romantic relationship with Hector with gn!reader

Imagine Hector comforting you after he finds you crying...

Odysseus:

Headcanons for a romantic relationship with Odysseus with gn!reader

Hands of healing Odysseus x reader fic that was requested

Briseis:

You for you (Briseis edition)

Star wars:

The Bad Batch:

Wrecker:

Imagine Wrecker trying to teach gn!reader to punch but.....

Disney:

Pixie hallow (4 to 6 fairys per request please for headcanons or preferances)

Headcanons for Tinkerbell, Silvermist, Fawn and Vidia with a platonic! female!human!reader who plays the Ocarina

Frozen:

Headcanons for Elsa and Anna having an adopted younger sibling (gn!reader)

Cinderella:

Headcanons for what if the blue fairy visit Ed Cinderella instead of the fairy godmother

Hercules:

Kiss the girl- Hercules x F!reader

Lord of the rings:

Aragorn:

Imagine Aragorn listening to your info dump about your current hyper focus and he's just happy you trust him enough to do so…

BBC Sherlock:

Imagine spending Christmas with your older brother John and his friend Sherlock.....

X-men:

Imagine wrapping Christmas presents with Professor X

Imagine Professor X and Logan taking you to a Christmas market

[elrondapologist]

RoP Episode 7 spoilers

Messy thoughts about what the-, and musing on theories

SO THAT WAS THE KISS. I need to admit I was disgusted more than a little looking at it xD. But Galadriel's face in the end kind of made up for that. But fr, Elrond. You had no other idea to give her lockpick unaware than to _kiss_ your future mother in law??? (Who is also apparently married, just with no husband in sight???) Can't deny it worked, but...

And... Did Arondir just... died? Like that? I was so hyped after the last scene that I kind of brushed aside in my mind and now I am like hum??? Did he? He can't just be forgotten like that, I love him :C. But many good scenes this episode. I highly enjoyed the siege, as it was both kind of nice to look at - you know, as far as killing everything in sight can be nice to look at - but also had this weight to it, the danger. I liked that we can see Elrond get more and more tired as the fight progresses. I expected problems with dwarves, and yeah, I got it... Although I am not sure how it happened that as Narvi said one dwarf, even with an axe and being a king, decimated an army?????? What? But like honestly generally what is happening there with the dwarves and Disa xD I sincerely hope no one touches her tho or I am going to riot! I liked the progression of Celebrimbor's plot. I was afraid that realising Sauron's deception will be end of his agency, that they will make him passive, but I love that he has his last stand. I soooooooooo winced at the whole finger situation cause what the actual-. I was at the same time like yes (fight him!) and no (aua). I also loved and despaired at the scene with Galadriel - it was the best possible option, Celebrimbor was giving all he had, and he was going into torture and anguish knowingly, willingly and head held high despite the fear. I didn't even know I needed Celebrimbor like that until I saw him. And the thing with Mirdania? I think her death, for that is kinda undeniable I am afraid, proved without a doubt she was not Celebrian - which is kind of a pity, I must admit. There was something there that could develop nicely, as well as it is the case with Adar = Maglor, which I also think is highly unlikely now, as Elrond did not acknowledge the possible connection in any way. But if I am mistaken, please let me now! Also, I applaud Elrond for not giving the ring for Galadriel's life. Despite the whole weird kissing scene xDDD. I liked to see him take his commander role seriously and as an orc said - holding his own better than expected (or sth according the lines xD). It is a win for nerds, I think. Lord Elrond "according to the lore" Peredhel. Leading a siege. Feel old yet? Anyway, the dwarves will come (when Durin finally usurps the throne, I am afraid) and Celebrimbor and Elrond will be totally fine because I am delusional :).

P.S Also, Gil Galad in an armour. In an armour. P.P.S There this whole slow motion scene in one place that has in a foreground just an elf running away from an orc. Slay, bro. I laughed, tho, not gonna lie. P.P.P.S The last stand of Gil Galad and Elrond's army was suprisingly... Not to use the word... There were really like ten elves left? From the whole army? I know they said orcs unnumbered them, but that took me by surprise. P.P.P.P.S I was happy that Gil Galad's armour was not very visibly that much different from the rest of the elves - you know, like some shows have this whole ass target point basically by giving the commanders extremely weird and visible armours. Shoot here. I like Gil Galad here, even if Elrond kind of outshined him xD.

[mask131]

If Middle-earth is Earth in the past, is there any possibility for the magic to return? The magical creatures are probably all dead, but I assume the more spiritual beings like the Maiar and the Valar should still be around, right?

Asked this to a couple of friends that are Tolkien fans and they couldn't answer me.

Now I am NOT at all a Tolkien expert. I will try my best to answer you but I can't recommend you enough to go check actual lore-wise people for Tolkien... I know there are a handful of Youtube channels dedicated to explaining little tidbits of lore and answering specific questions about Tolkien's works. "In Deep Geek" or "Nerd of the Rings" are good starting places for casual Youtube videos about Tolkien lore, to listen in some spare time or just as background.

Now it depends what you mean by "magic" but, taking into account the whole "Middle-Earth is just prehistoric Earth/England's mythology" angle, in this sense, yes you are right about the point.

Most of the fabulous and fantastical creatures of legends and myth are dead or gone, and it is the whole point of Tolkien's work. The Lord of the Ring is literaly the tale of how an entire Age ended. It is something that begins quite early in The Hobbit, with the death of what was the last great dragon, but one doesn't get the full scope until we reach The Lord of the Rings, and by the end of it we are hit with everything. The Elves are fading away, the Wizards have all broken off in various ways, Sauron and his underlings are no more, the rings of power have no power anymore, the Ents are doomed to extinction, even some of the last descendants of the eldritch horrors like the Balrog or Shelob are dead. The great wonders of Middle-Earth are gone, beautiful or horrible, and it is sad and an end - but also a new beginning for a new age. And in this sense, yes, magic is technically gone or going away by the end of the Lord of the Rings.

But, as you pointed out, it doesn't mean "magic" is still disappeared forever, because in the Tolkien universe, magic IS the world. As you said, indeed, the Valar/Maiar are still around, and will always be there until the end of time. They are just out of reach and out of sight: this is one of the big themes of the Silmarillion, since it is the book where we go from "The gods walk the same earth we walk today" to "The gods are nowhere to be seen and work in mysterious ways". The whole point is that the Valar slowly retracted themselves from the universe, isolating themselves in the West, acting less and less in mortals affairs, imposing indirect means of interacting with fate and events rather than direct action... And it is part of the entire aesthetic of Tolkien's Legendarium: the regression of magic is constant, and while the world described in The Lord of the Rings seems like the "magical world" we today lost, when one reads the Silmarillion you realize LotR's Middle-Earth was actually a pretty drab and mundane world compared to the earlier Ages of the World. It is just that the very passing of Ages means that less and less magic and wonders happen - it is the Tolkien's way.

But they are not gone. There is still of this "magic" left around, it is just out of reach, hard to spot, not usually seen - and you have to know what you are looking for. Just like the Valar, who will always be there, but mortals cannot reach them, nobody remembers them, and they don't interact with us anymore. I think it was in The Hobbit that Tolkien literaly began by saying that some Hobbits still lived around England, though they hide away from humans and thus one would need tough chance to ever find them. It was just a "child's story" narrative device, but it still set the tone for the idea that there are remnants of LotR's Middle-Earth in our day and age (well more like in the 19th/early 20th century England), the same way Middle-Earth had by the time of LotR remnants of the first ages of the world (Shelob reminding of the distant threat of Ungoliant, or Galadriel's vial containing a last piece of primordial light).

Plus, you have to remember Tom Bombadil. The guy is definitively still around. And that's his role. When did he get there, we will never know, because he was never born - but he was there at some point, and he was there long before everybody else, and he will be there long after everybody else, and he'll still be around probably until the end of the world. As I said in my previous post, many people dismiss Tom Bombadil in LotR because yes, he provides nothing to the plot - but they miss his importance, that he is here as a symbolic and almost metaphysical character, as a tool not just to worldbuild but also to show the whole idea of this world. Yes the elves and dwarves and orcs are gone, and there are no more great wizards or terrible dark lords... but there will always be somewhere this weird singing guy who is definitively not human and nobody knows where he comes from, with his nature-spirit of a wife, and his grumpy murderous neighbor Old Willow. And I think it is quite important to understand Tolkien's whole approach to the "fading of magic". Tolkien's world is one of constant "degradation" (to the point he even stopped writing his story about a Fourth Age because he realized it would be much too bleak and dark even for him), but it is also one that is tied to his production for children and an interest in fairytale and children stories, and as such it also teaches to go search the real magic today not in immense dragons, or powerful elf-queens, or cursed antique jewels, but rather in a few Hobbits living their life hidden in some shire, or in an excentric Tom Bombadil deep within beautiful old woods.

[sparklecryptid]

as someone who really wants to read the Silmarillion, but can't afford it and have never gotten the chance to read either The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings - can you give me the rundown as to how it fits in with the rest of Tolkien's works, and the characters?

me out here pausing my paleography studies to answer your ask.

Short and meme-y version: It's Elves Behaving Badly.

Long version:

The Silmarillion takes place before both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and sets the scene for what happens in those books. While you don't have to read the Silmarillion to read and understand both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings it is very fun to read those books with the knowledge of how Tolkien set up his universe if only to giggle at references.

It details the world of Arda from the beginning of the Song (aka the creation of the universe) to the end of the Second Age and Saurons defeat in the first War of the Rings. It basically provides background as it who Sauron actually is other than Mr. Dark Lord, how the Rings got made, why the Elves are leaving, and what a Balrog actually is.

Elronds also there. So is Galadriel.

Oh yeah and Glorfindel. Can't forget Glorfindel. He's there too. Even if last I checked there was debate over if its the same Glorfindel (I go with yes because its funny and I love a shiny Balrog slayer).

Anyway! You don't need to read it to understand what happens in the other books! I am just a nerd who picked it up at 12 years old and never put it down.

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "A Fool's Hope"/"Family Reunion And Farewell"

*singing*

~I'm glad that you were here with me/Here at the end of all things.~

Live reaction version.

Yeah be prepared for a lot of Lord of the Rings quotes and song lyrics in this one, lol.

Hey, don't blame me, the writers were the ones who made it clear they were hopeless Tolkien nerds.

And yes I am packaging both (all three?) episodes together. This is how it was aired, this is how it was experienced, you're gonna get the full treatment.

This does mean though that I will be very stingy with the pictures. Apologies. Blame Tumblr, not me.

Anyway, we start off the finale by gathering all the disparate parties that we completed the Friendship Fetch Quests for. Rex, Kallus, Gregor, Wolffe, Hondo, Melch, and Ketsu are all Back For The Finale. Which is a trope that I absolutely love in all shapes and forms, and it's even more appropriate for this show given that Ezra's main character "superpower" is literally making friends.

The connections and bridges he built all come back to aide him, not for any selfish motives of their own or because "the enemy of my enemy", but simply because Ezra has asked them to come.

"It's for Ezra," is all Hera has to say, and Hondo is immediately, genuinely pledging, "For that boy, there is nothing I would not do."

It is... incredibly heartwarming.

And I told y'all Hondo was a romantic at heart, and genuinely misses the days when the Jedi were around. And also that in the Rebellion Era, the Jedi still represent the nobility and goodness of the past.

After the titlecard, which still has no fanfare, we get this scene:

Come, you all knew I was going to cap it. Sabine's concern is so soft, the hand she places on Ezra's shoulder and the way she asks if he's okay so gentle.

The visual similarity in this scene and two scenes prior to this are interesting. This scene is firstly visually reminiscent of the Kanan-Hera scene in the beginning of "Kindred" (inviting comparison to the main canon ship of the show), and also the Kanan-Ezra scene at the beginning of "Jedi Night" (which emphasizes again that Kanan and Sabine are the two Most Important People in Ezra's life).

Ezra sits in the exact same pose, in the exact same place, that we saw Kanan meditating at, suggesting that he is also hearing the echoes of things to come, having similar visions of the future. This is certainly supported by his dialogue, where he mentions, "Something's changed... Something's happening." and that he's had a vision of Palpatine sending Thrawn back to Lothal.

Honestly I'm surprised it took Palpatine so long, lol. Thrawn: Treason supposedly takes place over the course of... a week? And the events of "Rebel Assault" to "A World Between Worlds" can't have been more than three or four days.

(This is why I reject the official canon timeline for Rebels, Season Four's events are crammed into the space of a month or two AT BEST.)

But anyway, Palpatine is pretty pissed off about the whole Temple thing so yeah, he's sending Thrawn back to retrieve Ezra personally. This seems to be a big ol' sticking point for our favorite blue bastard because he is NOT HAPPY when he turns back up.

You can't blame him really. He'd barely left Lothal and his TIE Defender project got literally blown up, so he had to spend the budget meeting arguing for what was essentially a smoking crater, and the wager he made with Krennic et. all. ultimately went nowhere because he lost on a technicality, and then the Emperor starts questioning his loyalty because his old Ascendancy friends showed up during the shenanigans, and then Palpatine dismissed him to go clean up the mess on Lothal and fetch him back a teenager for Sith sorcery bullshit.

...He'd had a very bad week, is what I'm saying.

I got off topic there, where was I?

Oh yes, Ezra's risky gamble. Fun fact, that was the original title of the episode, "Ezra's Gamble". I assume they axed it because it would give too much away. And like I've said before, if they could have avoided showing Ryder in footage taking the Dome for the finale previews, they could have really sold his false betrayal.

Pryce does not look like she's having a good week either lol.

Ezra continues to be cryptic about things, yet another hint to us that he's gotten "insider information" from the Force, as it were, and has made plans according to multiple possible outcomes. This is just one of the reasons why he outmaneuvered Thrawn, the other major one being that there was no possible way for Thrawn to predict Ezra throwing space whales at him lol.

This interference by the Force could have been a bit of a Deus Ex Machina but I think it's pretty clear that the Force only shared what might happen and left Ezra to figure out a solution on his own.

And his solution was space whales. XD

That comes later though, after this very risky gambit with letting Ryder broadcast their location to Pryce. A lot of things could have gone wrong. Hera might not have made it back in time. Ryder could have decided to genuinely betray them. Rukh could have gotten in a lucky strike and incapacitated him.

We are apparently putting a LOT of trust in the Force today.

This action setpiece is a great one so I'll just cover a few of my favorite highlights:

All the shots that track Sabine as she jetpacks around the battlefield.

Ezra versus Rukh.

Zeb going full feral with the minigun.

And of course on the other side of things Hondo trying to count the number of times he'd been collided with pulling off this exact maneuver they're using lol. The blockade seems to have thinned from "Rebel Assault", not as many capital ships?, so maybe I was right in that Thrawn called for reinforcements to repel the attack. Still gives Ezra the highest kill count by proxy at the end of things.

Oh and once again there's a moment where someone threatens Sabine in order to force Ezra to surrender. <3 Love that.

Pryce is awfully smug until the Ghost shows up, lol. (To heroic Main Theme fanfare into the Rebel Alliance theme of course.) Someone on the writing team understood the power of a good Eucatastophe. (Tolkien term, it means "the sudden happy turn to good".)

The clones also get a leitmotif fanfare as they debark the Ghost.

And we get a lovely Force Theme as Ezra gets his most badass shot.

Hell yeah.

The wolves sequence is amazing. The dramatic chorus, the chaos, the wolves skirting the veeeeeeeeeeery boundary of what's allowed on a Y7 show lol.

You know some of the troopers got ate.

One last shoutout to Hera using the Ghost to straight up smack a gunship out of the air and now we've come to the end of the setpiece. It can be hard sometimes to fill a full episode with one action sequence but this episode pulls if off perfectly. It never feels stale or boring, there are multiple bits and moments that just work. (I've always loved the moment where Ezra lunges for Ruhk's energy staff and uses the momentum of Rukh lunging for the same to straight up yeet him off the platform.)

Ezra's completely nonphased at Hondo's slung arm shoulder hug now aww.

Moving right along into the next segment...

This soft intro with Ezra talking to his parents' picture, telling them they are the inspiration behind his actions, how he wishes they could meet his new family, how he knows what he needs to do, but he's afraid. T_T Hgn he's precious and so mature and I love him so so much.

He knows what he might have to do, guys. He knows he might never actually see Lothal again and he's still prepared to make that sacrifice if he has to.

He's SUCH a good Jedi you guys I can't.

Kallus gets a token line here about his defection which is... okay. But again, really needed more from this arc for it to have a full impact.

"We come to it at last; the great battle of our time."

One casual wolf threat later, Pryce has agreed to transmit the victory codes and our heros fly off to the capitol to pull off their boldest venture yet.

I will never ever get over this moment. Sabine so attuned to Ezra even without the Force that she can tell just by looking at him how distracted and sad and scared he is.

How Ezra so clearly wants to tell her but holds back, and substitutes instead a declaration of absolute faith and trust.

And how she sees right through that and knows Something Weird Be Up With The Boy, Yo.

But like so many other conversations between the two, things are left unfinished, the mission and circumstances taking precedence.

Love the two quipping back to Pryce tho. <3

Still a crapton of air pollution over the city. This would clear up dramatically in the climax, for a bit of a symbolic moment.

There are SO many callbacks to previous moments in the show in this sequence, I noted a couple of them in my original liveblog but I'm certain there's a few I missed.

The music cue is great too, as is the effective silence once they've taken the bridge. A little bit of musical breathing space before things get hairy again, courtesy of Rukh ambushing the others back at base and stealing a gunship.

You know? I'm not quite sure what the plan was for if they managed to destroy the Dome before Thrawn got back. Seems a little shortsighted to blow up all the fighters and equipment and your city shields. A single Star Destroyer is more than capable of leveling cities and there are several in orbit around Lothal.

This honestly lends even more credence to the idea that, Force visions aside, Ezra was largely making this up as he went and had NO idea what he was doing lol.

Indy Ploy versus Xanatos Gambit. Indy Ploy wins by virtue of there was no way the Xanatos Gambit could predict the level of crazy Ezra's ideas were.

Amazing how empty the streets are when they've been emptied of Imperials.

Thrawn arrives, per schedule, and parks right over the Dome so that can't launch, lest they create catastrophic collateral damage. Important to note, for the people who want to nitpick No Endor Holocaust scenarios, the show specifically details that the city shields put out by the Dome deflected the Star Destroyer wreckage when the purrgil came, and that the Rebels directed the Dome to explode over the bay, not the city. The Cadet Academy is also a completely different building.

I mean, sure the debris from the Dome probably isn't great for the bay's ecosystem but honestly the water was probably already super polluted from the factories, they had to clean it up anyway.

Where was I? Right, Thrawn getting to be really awesomely creepy. The placid, "Are you quite finished?" gives me chills every time. Once again let me praise the expression work on this show because Ezra's soft Oh Crap look is amazing.

The dawning horror on Sabine's face too.

And then this music cue! The tension is drawn out just long enough for us to fully appreciate the horror.

:((((((

They even give us a nice wide-shot to appreciate just how much damage just those few seconds of bombardment did.

I had a rant here originally about the dumbass headcanon that Thrawn targeted empty buildings in this sequence (that may or may not have originated from Timothy Zahn himself) but if you've been following me you already know how I feel about it. It's asinine and I won't entertain it. Moving on.

Backed into a corner, Ezra knows he has no choice but to give himself up to Thrawn. This track in the score, "Sabine Sees Ezra" perfectly captures the sorrow and drama. It starts with a strained version of Ezra's theme, that doesn't resolve, fading instead into mournful original strings. Hera's entreaties for him to stay are painful, we can't help but think of what must be in her head--she just lost Kanan, she's afraid to lose him too. But Ezra is a Jedi. He is the guardian of Lothal. So he must make the sacrifice no one else can. He can't choose to be selfish.

So while Hera and the others try to figure out a way around the problem of Thawn, Ezra goes to confront it head on, secretly signaling to Chopper, who has been entrusted with so much of this plan.

And Sabine sees him.

It's a consistent theme throughout their relationship. She sees him. She notices him. She's attuned to when he's upset. She perceives him in a way that's unique from everyone else.

And he trusts her so implicitly that he silently asks for her help here, and after a moment of agony she does it, because she trusts him too.

These two just break my heart. :(

Sabine keeps looking back at the empty spot where he had been. T_T

There's a theme here about attachment and loss again, and it comes from Sabine. Like a Jedi, she's able to let go of her fear of loss and trust Ezra, whatever happens, and is able to encourage Hera to do the same. Her theme plays out here, strongly, before giving way to an excerpt of the Main Titles theme, uniting the Rebels in their heroism.

Ezra's theme playing again here, skittish and frightened. Once again the expression work is heartbreaking. Ezra looks like he's steeling himself, holding back his fear. He's resigned to his purpose, but that doesn't mean he's enjoying it.

AND NOW WE GET MY FAVORITE HANNIBAL LECTURE/SHUT UP HANNIBAL EXCHANGE! :D

The dialogue between Thrawn and Ezra here is so good.

"You could have chosen to let your people die. However... you chose to be a Jedi." Jedi cannot help what they are, the Jedi Code is like an itch he cannot help it *sobs in Kenobi feelings*.

Thrawn pontificating about how petty things like ethics get in the way of being efficient. He picks at Ezra from several different angles in this conversation, first by deriding the moral code of the Jedi, then by pointing out that their righteousness did not save the Jedi in the end, all that's left are frightened poorly trained children--a clear dig at Ezra himself. He laments what a shame it is that the Jedi didn't apply their powers in a way he deems would have been effective, implicitly suggesting that the Jedi should have used their power to dominate and conquer--Might Makes Right, after all, if you have the means to achieve a certain end you should use it.

Ezra tanks that calmly, pointing out that the Force isn't a weapon.

So Thrawn switches tactics, now lamenting that he must destroy Lothal (no you don't you asshole you can literally just disobey orders and defect, the total genocide of Lothal is entirely within your power to prevent) and oh, isn't it such a shame about Sabine.

And that hits Ezra's berserk trigger lol.

He snaps back at Thrawn. You're a tyrant, a bully, you didn't make or earn any of this, you just took it because you could, because you think your strength makes you right.

Thrawn essentially confirms that, "Yeah, having power does make me right." before leading him down to where the Temple doors have been set up for his meeting with the Emperor. Which kind of makes me think Thrawn wanted the opportunity to dress Ezra down and soften him up for Palpatine's manipulations because he could have just had the troopers shove him into the hanger first thing.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The way Ezra keeps looking around in astonishment, wide-eyed, at the sight of the Temple doors.

Palpatine cloaks himself in white like an angel of light for this final temptation, wearing the guise of a friend or kindly old grandpa. It's every bit as unsettling as it seems.

Meanwhile with the B-Squad, Mart reveals that--like Chopper--he has also been entrusted with a crucial part of Ezra's "Just in case" plan. (Theirs is an underrated friendship, fanficcers you have let me down, again, why do I have to write all the things I wanna see more of?)

That shot of the wolves running alongside and under the Ghost. *chef kiss*

I have no idea when Ezra found time to figure out a signal the purrgil would respond to but I very much want to see that scene.

Sabine: "He [Ezra] knows what he's doing." Lol are you sure about that, 'bine? I think he had no clue the whole purrgil thing would work.

Palpatine is so slimy here, ugh. Acting like he did Ezra a favor by desecrating the Jedi Temple. Ezra's all ready to fling back anything ol Sheev throws at him here until Palpatine takes aim right at the heart of his greatest weakness.

Because after all this time, Ezra has never quite fully gotten over and accepted the loss of his parents. He's still at heart a lost little boy who misses his mom and dad.

The score goes almost Stravinsky-esque here, suggesting the Faustian nature of the deal Sidious is offering.

Meanwhile down in the gullet of the Dome, the Rebels are working feverishly to regain control of the the shield generator. There's some great coordination here between the teams and the control, Sabine really shines as a leader.

Word of God behind the scenes confirms Ezra is seeing THE day his parents were taken, his seventh birthday, when he could hear his mom and dad calling for him but didn't come because he was goofing off.

Hey uh, can this boy's life stop being ENDLESSLY SAD please? That'd be nice.

Love how Gregor calls for "something drastic" and Zeb immediately thinks, "Right, yeeting myself at the enemy." lol.

Gotta respect a man whose strategy is to fling himself full force at the enemy.

And the obligatory Make TCW Fans Cry Moment with Gregor here.

Palpatine keeps digging. This is your heart's desire isn't it? Don't you deserve this? All you have to do is open this one little door. He tries to keep Ezra's attention and focus on himself, even when Ezra asks what will happen to his friends if he makes this choice.

You can undo their deaths, Palpatine promises, about Ezra's parents. You can save them. I can help. It's the exact temptation he offered Anakin all those years ago.

"I have the power to give you what you want. You won't have to face this loss."

Like a devil, what he offers is a two-edged sword. What he is offering can't actually exist. Because if Ezra goes to be with his parents on the day they were arrested, how will he be able to make it here to open the door for Palpatine? Will Palpatine have to trap him in a closed loop, retrieve him from wherever he will end up in the alternate timeline, to ensure he can't fix this one fatal mistake?

See Palpatine doesn't care about breaking the timeline, he will gladly do it and rule over the ruins. But if Ezra reaches for this vision, he dooms his friends. He allows Palpatine to gain power beyond his wildest imaginings, turn himself into lord and master of time itself, a physical god.

So Ezra must deny himself, accept the loss, and let go.

And he does.

The Emperor's hologlamour flickering and failing as his rage ascends is really effectively creepy. Also HOW ABOUT THEM RETURN OF THE JEDI PARALLELS?

Years down the line, yet another pure-hearted Jedi boy will stand before the Emperor, throw his offer in his face, and tell him where to shove it. Even the dialogue mirrors Luke's.

"You're wrong. I have a family. I don't need anything from you."/"Never. I'll never turn to the Dark Side. You've failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

"Unfortunate. Destroy him!"/"So be it, Jedi. If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed!"

Poetry. Pure poetry. <3

Ezra gets a nice little face off against the Royal Guards, with some lovely whump in the form of whatever those pikes are doing to him, but manages to weasel himself out of the situation. And then somehow fights his way all the way up to the bridge. So proud of him.

The Rebels get the shield up just in time to prevent Thrawn's full scale bombardment, Rukh frying rather dramatically in the process. Lol and ouch with how irreverent Zeb is over the comm.

So now all that's left to do is break the stalemate and remove Thrawn from the chessboard.

HELL YES.

Oh hoooo man this twist isn't even really a twist it just makes too much sense for Ezra, for his character, for the themes of the show, for how to take Thrawn out as a threat while respecting his acumen as a strategist. (Gotta throw something at him he would never suspect lol.)

The musical build-up is amazing. Dooming low bass notes, drolling percussion. The strings build up, crescendo-ing.

AND THEN THE "WRATH OF NATURE" CUE FROM "THE CALL" COMES IN WITH GLORIOUS FULL ORCHESTRA.

The Hyperspace theme comes in as well, and the purrgil proceed to utterly decimate Thrawn's fleet. By proxy this gives Ezra probably the highest kill count on the show, as the purrgil must have taken out the orbital construction stations, a good chunk of the Star Destroyers up there, and all three of the ones above the city. (Somehow Palleon survives to join the Council of Evil in Mando Season 3 lol.)

Sabine looks SO confused, ha ha.

What a great shot.

Thrawn tries to get in a final, Taking You With me speech only for Ezra to be like, "Joke's on you that was the plan all along. You're not taking me with you, I'm taking you with me."

I do love Thrawn's increasingly panicky WTF expressions as things progress.

THIS ADORABLE #MARRIED BANTER BETWEEN EZRA AND SABINE AND THEN HOW THEIR THEMES ARE TONALLY INTERMINGLED IN THIS CUE.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The way Ezra's left arm hangs limp after Thrawn shoots his shoulder and the pained grimace he gives when he turns around to seal the door behind them.

He looks exhausted.

Pained grimace number two as Ezra raises his injured arm to wind up IN AN EXACT TABLEAU OF THE POSE KANAN HAD AT HIS OWN HEROIC SACRIFICE.

HELLO YES, ALSO ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOMENTS BETWEEN EZRA AND SABINE AS SHE BEGS HIM TO GET OFF THE CHIMAERA.

ALSO IT BEARS EMPHASIS BUT LOOK HOW THE GLASS SHARDS STILL WHEN EZRA RAISES HIS OTHER ARM.

EZRA IS LITERALLY HOLDING THE OXYGEN INSIDE THE BRIDGE WITH THE FORCE, WHILE HOLDING THRAWN AND THE DOOR IN PLACE, WITH AN INJURED ARM.

Ezra Bridger is the greatest shut up.

The purrgil charge up. Everything goes white. His theme bellows at full heroic volume and then...

Quiet.

Utter awed quiet.

Right, so you wanna know the other of the two times I cried at this show? Ezra's sacrifice right here. Waterworks.

"We set out to save the Shire, and it has been saved. But not for me. I have been too badly hurt. The last pages are for you, Sam."

Sabine is handed Ezra's lightsaber by Chopper, and takes up his mantle, finishing his mission and leading all the rest of them to safety as the launch the Dome and blow it. (Her journey to becoming co-protagonist is complete.)

Chopper gives us a final goodbye message from Ezra (that makes me sad again), and they soar over a triumphant freed populace.

Fade out and then...

*SOBS ABOUT THE BOOKENDS FOREVER*

Shot for shot. Shot. For. Shot. And I am UNDONE.

Lothal is free. The Empire never had a chance to retake it. Likely couldn't spare the manpower from the rest of the galaxy, first off, also replacing all those ships they had in orbit has gotta be expensive, and I suspect Palpatine just put glassing Lothal on hold until the Death Star was completed. And well... we know how that turned out lol.

The Fellowship broke, but they seem to all keep in touch, if Sabine's voiceover is any indication. Kanan's legacy lives on. Our crew found peace.

And last...

A sworn promise to find a precious friend and bring him back home.

The finale of Rebels is near perfection. With a very few quibbles here and there (the purrgil could have been just a smidgen more set up, Kallus's arc still needs to have some decent onscreen content for his redemption happy ending to be earned) it is the best Rebels has to offer.

The callbacks and bookends undo me. The music is full of wonderful dramatic cues. The animation is gorgeous. Everything comes to full completion and it is a very satisfying end.

Overall Season Thoughts:

Season Four is almost a bit nostalgic, returning to the tightly written narrative of the first season, but even more tightly tied together. None of the episodes feel wasted or superfluous. The major character death midway through is given plenty of narrative weight and time for the characters to adjust and grieve. Objectively it's probably the best season overall, none of the episodes are misses.

Even with the unanswered mysteries, the season feels solid, and a fitting conclusion to the overall Rebels saga.

---

And that was Star Wars: Rebels, the little show about a Found Family that could. It is my favorite new Star Wars content and what actually dragged me back into fandom after years away. It is heartwarming and exciting, poignant and hopeful and I'm so so glad I was taken on this journey.

Here's hoping the lost son of Lothal can make his way home soon.

[its-okay-youre-adorable]

Intro Post :)

explanation point ❗ Hi! My name is music and I am in my twenties. Any pronouns! Whatever fits the vibe in your head.

Quick things before the cut: A. I cannot help you monetarily. I am flat broke. I have no reach on the internet to help your cause. I am sorry and hope you find the relief you are looking for. B. I would absolutely LOVE to be friends if it follows basic safety guidelines! Being: Not sharing personal identifiers, no soliciting or trying to get in my pants, no being a creep. Be respectful towards all people. You don't know what I am or amn't and frankly everyone deserves respect even if they're not actively in the conversation.

Here's the cut! Underneath is more specific stuff

Second quick rundown:

I swordfight under a ruleset known as Belegarth

I am a college student

Neurodivergent

Queer

I am also religious

Writer

Photoshop idiot (send me asks and I might Photoshop something cursed for you. If I have time, if I feel like it, and if it's SFW. Generally it's something I enjoy doing)

Disabled

I'm aro :hearts: and ace :hearts: . I know a lot of people like them combined, but for me they're two different pieces of my identity so I like to use both flags separately. I'm mostly mentioning this because while I like fandoms I'm not super into shipping. Not against it, just not my cup of tea usually. I like to have fun with the characters and explore lots of dynamics though! Just want to make sure expectations meet reality a little.

That being said, fandoms! (I'm open to new ones but these are my current interests):

Shows & Film Franchises - Pirates of the Caribbean. I will die for this. - BBC Merlin. I will also die for this. - Firefly (guys go watch Firefly it's so good) - The Amazing Digital Circus - Epithet Erased (halfway through s2) - Baman Piderman (wholesome) - LotR - Arcane (but NO SPOILERS! I still have 3 episodes left!!!) - Dr. Who (but I have seen very little, practically none, of it. Peter Capaldi is the best doctor but I'm waiting for a friend to watch certain other doctors) - I like Gravity Falls but the new stuff scares me /hj - also really like Zorro but haven't seen too much of it yet - Spider-Man is AWESOME!! I'm not the hugest of nerds in this area so bear with me. I've seen all the full-length movies I think (Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland, Shamiek Moore) but little of the shows. Not much of the comics either

Books & Authors - Brandon Mull. Yes, everything by Brandon Mull. Fablehaven, Beyonders, Five Kingdoms, Candy Shop War. Dragonwatch. I HAVE NOT READ Candy Shop War 3 or Dragonwatch 5. - Stormlight Archives are beautiful but I've ONLY READ THE FIRST BOOK (Way of Kings) and so many good people are keeping me in the dark and waiting for me to finish it in my own time so please. Join those people. Tell me nothing. - Chronicles of Prydain (highly recommend though I'm still on book 2) - The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. No time to read the Silmarillion yet but I will one day

I'm not super deep into any of these fandoms (with the exception of PotC and Brandon Mull) but I am an enjoyer :)

I also really love swords!

Tags I use are generally: #people are adorable - based off of my original concept for my blog which was gonna be my dad is adorable, but quickly expanded because people can be adorable even when they're not my dad #own post - original posts (now that I'm reblogging more). In these you will find #long post and #short post. There are an amount of medium posts tagged with neither of these, but oh well.

#get reblogged and #reblog are two similar tags. #get reblogged is the highlight reel of my reblogs, though to be fair if I'm reblogging I consider it a highlight to begin with. #thing that makes me smile - a sublevel of reblog more for me to find genre of stuff again, but you might enjoy it too.

#music___ will be for my characters and concepts. For me to find those posts again. (E.g. musicEvan)

Tbh I'll come back and edit this when I get a stronger feel for the blog and what I tend to post. If I say anything out of line, message me and I'll see if I can fix it.

I WELCOME ASKS BTW!!!! Ask me literally anything!!!! :D Good to be back on the internet.

[treesandwords]

For anyone who's into LOTR I am rereading (again) and took notes on the weirdest/most interesting bits this time:

There are/were other magic rings beside the main ones, which is part of what makes it so hard for other characters to believe that Bilbo's ring is actually The ring

At one point Tolkien jumps into the POV of a random fox walking by our protagonists' camp and then never brings it up again, no big deal

The ever-controversial Tom Bombadil has several other names we just never talk about? And the elves (at least in Rivendell) know about him and have known about him for many years now

They also consider giving him the ring but ultimately decide it would be a bad idea because "he'd probably just lose it"

A lot of what happens to Frodo after he's been stabbed by the Nazgul is less symptomatic of dark magic and more of just...having a severe shoulder injury?? Like "oh no my hand is numb and I'm weak and can't move it, must be the evils of Mordor" bro you probably just have nerve damage and blood loss

Bilbo straight up writes and sings a song about Elrond's dad in front of him and a bunch of other elves in Rivendell like. The audacity.

There's a river called "Wetwang" (yes it's called Nindalf in Elvish, but that's not important here)

Aragorn never tells anyone else that Boromir admitted to trying to take the ring, it's implied he even keeps it secret from Gandalf once he reappears

The "Two Towers" actually refers to Orthanc and Minas Morgal, not Orthanc and Barad-Dur as the films suggest

Eomer has met and possibly was friendly with Boromir

Also Aragorn, who doesn't look that old, straight up tells Eomer he'd met both his father and Theoden when they were younger and he just...has zero reaction?? Like if a guy who looked not much older than me wisely said "ah yes, I met your father and uncle long ago" in a way that implied they'd worked together as somewhat equals I'd be. A little uncertain to say the least.

Oh and he also hung out with Denethor back in the day

Eomer and Gimli have a running disagreement on whether or not Galadriel is real, and if so, how hot she is

This is common ish knowledge but there are elements of actual Old English embedded into Rohan's worldbuilding (esp. the names/ "Rohrric" language) and the whole location is genuinely just Tolkien's fantasy version of Anglo-Saxon Britain. He is very not subtle about it.

Saruman was FULLY RUNNING DRUGS BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE SHIRE AND ISENGARD

And this actually ends up contributing to a main plot in the third book

Instead of the Palantir falling out of Saruman's pocket when he dies like in the movie, Gandalf shoots a spell at Saruman and makes him run back inside Orthanc and Wormtongue chucks the Palantir down at him from the window in retaliation

I know the potato scene is *iconic* but let's be real the fact that Sam risks a fire and takes the time to make a full rabbit stew plus seasoning while they're on a dangerous secret mission to sneak into the Darkest Of Dark Lords' fortress is kind of hilarious

Minas Morgul is some serious eldritch horror cryptid shit

Denethor is honestly such drama queen. Like I know he's supposed to be a threatening and tragic character but holy shit.

Also the entire houses of healing segment is unintentionally comedic

Like between the old lady who runs the house giving absolutely zero fucks, and the herb master and Aragorn having a mini nerd off about what Athelas/Kingsfoil is called in different languages, and also Aragorn and Pippin roasting Merry - who has JUST woken up from an Evil Coma by the way - about not being able to find his weed

"This weed is better than I thought" -- actual quote by Ioreth re: kingsfoil

This is something I noticed that a lot of people don't mention - the "Evenstar" that Arwen gives Aragorn in the movies that's tied to her lifeforce/immortality isn't really a thing in the books. The closest to it is this green brooch that she gives him via Galadriel in FOTR - but the only necklace she gives to anyone is actually to Frodo, as a token that basically means if he ever wants to go to the Grey Havens (as he ultimately does) he'd essentially be taking her place because she isn't going

Ok the scouring of the Shire is pretty common knowledge but are we going to talk about Lotho Sackville-Baggins became Saruman's dealer and helped smuggle drugs pipeweed into Isengard (see I told you it would come back)

Also!! Lotho was possibly EATEN by Grima Wormtongue, or at the very least Saruman believes he was, yes this is an actual canon thing

Legit quote from ROTK: "Worm killed your Chief, poor little fellow, your nice little Boss. Didn't you, Worm? Stabbed him in his sleep, I believe. Buried him, I hope; though Worm has been very hungry lately[]"

Seriously what the fuck

Saruman is killed by Wormtongue (who is then shot by a bunch of Hobbit archers) and promptly....disintegrates?

Anyway if you're a casual fan who's only seen the movies, or if you haven't read the books in a while, I'd highly recommend.

[4amode]

Hi, if you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 7 (or top 10) favorite media ever (can be book, anime/manga, tv series, movies, games, etc)? Why do you love them?

Also, can I ask your top 10 favorite characters ever (from any media)? Are the characters that you can relate the most, in your pinned post included in your top 10 fav characters? Sorry if I ask too much, thanks if you want to answer....

Of course I don't!! Thank you for the ask ♡

First and foremost, I am a huge consumer of fictional media: I read, watch, and am (more or less actively) involved in a ton of fandoms. That said, I'll mention the ones I return to most often, even without being prompted by fandom content like edits, fics, fanart, and so on.

Here's my top media [the order is random] :

Harry Potter with a special mention to the Marauders era, because I've completely lost mind and soul to that fandom [I’ve even cosplayed Remus a couple of times]. I’ve also read most of Rick Riordan's sagas, although I grew up with Harry Potter, so I suppose that's the one I’m most emotionally attached to [despite my deep-rooted disagreement with and disgust for J.K. Rowling's opinions]. To this day, I think it’s the fandom I’ve read the most fanfiction of

Tolkien: anything that wonderful human being wrote. The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, other Middle-earth tales. I’ve watched the movies an infinite number of times [yes, I am that nerd]. I may or may not also own a replica of Aragorn's sword.

Anything Sherlock Holmes. I’ve watched the BBC series, old movies, read the books—basically anything I could get my hands on.

MXTX novels. I started with The Untamed and completely lost it (specifically my dignity, given this endless list of fandoms). I’ve read the novels, manhua, and watched the donghua of MDZS, SVSSS, and TGCF—with MDZS undoubtedly being my favorite. I’m currently planning a Lan Wangji cosplay. Other honorable mentions along these lines: 2ha and Word of Honor.

Genshin. I play video games often, but Genshin is one of the few I’ve played consistently over the years. I also love the characters and the story. That said, I don’t agree with some of the company’s policies, but the fandom-generated content is often of amazing quality and is what keeps me attached to it.

Marvel and DC universes. I know some people might kill me for grouping them together, but I’ve followed both, especially back in high school. I’ve seen almost every Marvel movie, while with DC, it’s mostly been Batman and animation. Gotham is one of my absolute favorite shows [don't get me started on Batman villains]. For Marvel, Loki and Spider-Man are def my top picks.

Studio Ghibli. I watch a lot of anime [of course, duh], and I’ve cosplayed a few characters [not as many as I’d like, I admit]. But I’ve always had a strong emotional attachment to Ghibli movies. They’re still one of the few things that help me calm down when I’m anxious or stressed [which, sadly, happens often]. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve rewatched them.

Japanese BL dramas—I’ve watched a lot, as well as some Korean and Thai ones, but the ones I’ve rewatched the most have always been Japanese (not sure why that is), but I’ve enjoyed and would rewatch many of them. If I had to name the ones I’m most fond of, they’d be Cherry Magic, Kieta Hatsukoi, Utsukushii Kare, Absolute BL, and Bokura no Shokutaku.

TMA. I got into The Magnus Archives fairly recently compared to everything else. That’s mainly because I wasn’t used to listening to podcasts before TMA, I only stumbled upon it because of a TikTok audio. Also, I love anything horror. I fell in love with the story, how carefully it was constructed, and the characters.

Cinema [yes, I know it’s a very broad category]. I’m a cinematophile. I’ve watched a ton of movies—old ones, really old ones, every type and genre. Photography is one of my passions, so that made me a fan of cinema as well. I love the technical side, the history [I chose cinema history as an elective], and everything that comes with it. There are so many movies I love and consider masterpieces, but if I had to name a few I'm particularly attached to, it would be Call Me By Your Name, the Indiana Jones saga, and any Wes Anderson film.

I know you told me 10, but I'm sorry and hopeless. Anything Dark Academia coded: The Secret History, If We Were Villains, Dead Poets Society, The Goldfinch, Maurice, Dorian Gray, The Dreamers and so on

I picked the ones I’m most emotionally attached to, either because I’ve followed them since I was a kid or they helped me through tough times. There are so many more I didn’t mention, like Good Omens or The Witcher, and many webtoons, and anime which I’m just as into, but they didn’t make it to the list.

My top 10 characters:

Remus Lupin and Regulus Black [I have no words to express how much I love and relate to these two]

Snufkin [I am him, he is me, we are]

Wei Wuxian [I would let the world burn for this man, tough, as you might have guessed, my character is more aligned with Lan Wangji's, so it comes with the personality ig]

Thranduil Oropherion [he's the elven king of wood and stone, and he's very loud and daddy about it]

Milo Thatch [he's (excitedly) into history, archaeology, and linguistics, and we both give the you-really-do-not-want-to-get-them-started nerd vibe.]

Jonathan Sims [if on a good day I'm Milo Thatch, on a bad one I'm Jon], also I love how in some fics he wears long skirts, paranormal fear avatars can't be bothered with gender norms.

Newt Scamander [I find him very relatable. His stress in social situations and preference for animals or plants got to me. Also, he's so passionate and caring, love a good example of healthy masculinity.]

Suguru Geto [nothing to say on this, I love this man]

Loki [look, I have an issue with dramatic, gender-defying villains AND mythology, it was inevitable]

Sun Jing from Tamen de Gushi [I wish I was as cool as her, I love her so much]

Generally speaking, I tend to like morally grey characters, villains with redemption arcs or byronic heroes with a complex history who, in the end, try to do the right thing, even at the expense of self-sacrifice. Not in a selfless "it's the right thing to do" hero-complex kind of way, but more in a "I think I'm worthless and expendable, at least I'll try to do something good," angst, hurt/comfort kinda way.

I hope I answered all your questions, but if you have others, or you just wanna chat about it, just dm me!

[whitnerd]

Get to know me 😙

Thanks @firstkanaphans for tagging me.

Do you make your bed? Yes, not neatly though

What’s your favorite number? 32. I guess because it's 4 x 8 which are also good numbers. Powers of 2 are satisfying.

What is your job? I'm an engineer. My degree is in computer engineering. Is the whole fixation on powers of 2 making more sense? lol

If you could go back to school, would you? I don't think so. I don't like working, but I'm not interested in a career change unless someone is willing to pay me an engineer's salary to play video games and knit sweaters.

Can you parallel park? Pretty sure the last time I parallel parked was for my driver's license test.

A job you had that might surprise people? I think people are surprised to learn that I'm an engineer sometimes? My jobs as a student were just things like tutoring, mentoring, babysitting.

Do you think aliens are real? Sure, it's a big universe

Can you drive a manual car? Nope

What’s your guilty pleasure? Spending entirely too many hours here on tumblr dot com. Also buying pretty yarn without a plan of what I'm going to do with it.

Tattoos? None. I'd like one, but I can't make myself commit.

Favorite color? Green! 🌱

Favorite type of music? Alternative rock?

Do you like puzzles? Sure!

Any phobias? I don't know if I'd call it a phobia, but I'm real freaked out by snails and slugs

Favorite childhood sport? Never liked sports. I did two years of dance and two years of soccer and was hated them all. Cello and art lessons were more my speed in the end.

Do you talk to yourself? For sure, myself and/or the cats

What movies do you adore? I enjoy a good Jane Austen adaptation. There are quite a few of those that I'll rewatch endlessly. The Lord of the Rings trilogy too like the big millennial nerd that I am.

Coffee or Tea? Coffee

First thing you wanted to be growing up? My parents tell me I wanted to be a K-mart cashier. First thing I remember wanting to be was an illustrator. Now I just settle for being "not bad for an engineer" when it comes to art. haha

If you want to do it, say I tagged you. 👍🏻

[luna13e-blog]

Hello

For the asks 3, 8, 13. I was going to be kind and copy and paste but the world is frustrating just now so sorry but I didn’t.

♥️♥️♥️a

Hello lovely,

And thank you. I really like to be asked. So here I come (I warn you, I am bored and chatty so it's going to be a long ass answer)

3. 3 films you could watch for the rest of your life and not get bored of?

Though one. I feel like since the pandemic my attention span shrank and since then I can barely watch 45min episodes so I'm afraid I'd get inescapably bored with any movie now. But I can tell you the movies I hold close to my heart that, perhaps, I can watch again and again even if I haven't watched them in a long time.

- Chocolat directed by Lasse Hallström, 2000. I had to google that but I know by heart that it has Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche. I can't remember the first time I saw it but I remember it was with my mom in a time we were both having a fangirling time over Depp. I know I watched it at least three times after that, once I forced my crush at the time to watch it when I was a teen and I know that I eventually developed a crush on Juliette Binoche (it was developed because the first time I watched I was 10 and unaware I could like girls, yes, I was already aware that I liked ratty men, blame my mom). What I love about that movie is the story it tells around women (empowered by Vianne and her sensual chocolates), strong women that leave their abusive husbands, strong women that realize the wonders of being throughly fucked, and of course the main storyline: A single mother with a 6yo daughter, trying to make a life, honor a mother and building a village when they had nothing but each other. Is sensual and magic and I love it.

- The lord of the rings trilogy. I believe I don't need to specify actors and directors on this one. I watched it several times and even when I have to admit that watching the three of them in one go is something I'm not going to do ever again, I can still fall into the comfort of any of the three movies at any time. I'm a bit of a geek about how things are done and all the work they put in that movie (the camera tricks to make the hobbits look smaller, the detail in the costume's design, the architecture, the hundreds of extras they had to dress up because CGI was still shitty) still leaves me in awe. That and the fact that I believe the battle of Helm's Deep is still the best night stormy battle ever filmed (cof, not like certain GoT battles in the last seasons, cof). And I like the music. I also spent many hours shredding this movies into pieces with my favorite cousin because we read the books and a bookworm doesn't forgive certain things, but I was 9 (yes, I consumed that fucking huge trilogy at 9yo) and he was 19 and I'm forever thankful for the bonding opportunity those movies provided that otherwise would've been complicated to have.

- Arrival, directed by Denis Villeneuve, 2016. This is probably the only movie that doesn't involve bonding with people I love, but it does involve something I love ferociously: language. And something that fascinates me: Deep space and its creatures and the relativity of time. You already know that I like to nerd about memory, and that I've researched about how memory is altered by the words we use to tell it, how it changes it so deeply that it can also alter the perception of a given fact for a whole community. This movie explores that but instead of memories with the future, with a language so powerful that can alter the way we perceive time. And I find this amazing and beautiful. Because I do believe that words can alter time.

8. any reacquiring dreams?

Sadly, no. I used to have some when I was little but I don't remember them anymore and lately it's uncommon that I dream, and when I do I don't repeat it (thankfully because it's mostly nightmares).

13. what are you doing right now?

A weird question since evidently I am answering this ask, but alas, as I stated I'm a bit bored so I can elaborate. I'm sitting in the dark on the little thingy that's not a stool nor a chair by my living room window in a hoodie and underwear. I was smoking while I was answering the first question but I've stoped now, so in this second I'm regretting the decision to stay here since this thingy doesn't allow me to rest my back, I keep crouching over my phone because I am blind and I don't have my glasses on and my shoulders and neck are killing me. This fact explain why the other thing I'm doing is craving a massage. I'm also singing incessantly in my mind "and for a fortnight there we were forever", just that sentence in a loop. I also am thinking (yes, I type things and think about another) about a draft I was writing about Moody!Barty before I decided I didn't have the energy to pull it off tonight and drifted to this ask and, at the same time, thinking about an Evan's reply I started for you but decided it was starting to get uncannily sad so I moved to sad Moody!Barty and ended up here. I promise if you read all this I'll get your reply tomorrow.

Sending you many many squeezing hugs.

Btw, I don't know if it was a random choice or not, but 3, 8 and 13 are among my favorite numbers because they belong to the Fibonacci sequence. The 5 is missing between 3 and 8, but it'll do 😉