#like: does the fact that the elves coming to helm's deep make no sense and also VANISH from the plot as soon as it's over irritate me? YES!

[tathrin]

📽 action!: rank all six of the films (or three if you're a hater)

Answers for this LotR ask-game.

Ahh okay so at this point I have to confess something terrible: I still have not seen the third Hobbit movie. I'm sorry! I just couldn't do it. The fuckery of it all, especially in the second movie with Mirkwood and Thranduil and Legolas ("a lowly Silvan elf" what the FUCK what the fuck PJ WHAT THE FUCK), was just too much for me. Character-assassination is one thing, and I thought after Denethor I knew what I was going to be getting with Thranduil but NOPE! It was literal world building assassination and I just CANNOT.

Don't get me wrong, Lee Pace did an amazing job and actually seeing Mirkwood was amazing and it was genuinely delightful to see Orlando put those ears on again; but the OuTrAgE that filled my heart at the yeet-ing of what minimal canon we even have for the Mirkwood elves was just intolerable, and while I did mean to go see it, really I did, I just...couldn't actually get the motivation to go before it was out of theatres. I've heard the EE are better (less studio fuckery) so I'll watch them someday! Honest! I just...haven't. yet.

And as to the Lord of the Rings trilogy...man, I don't even know how to do this. In terms of which is the best film, or in terms of which one I enjoy watching most, or in terms of which on hits me in the heart hardest or...? I don't know if I can objectively rank my feelings about these movies even in my own brain because RotK ends with Into the West and I have FeelingsTM about the Undying Lands and Sea Longing okay. So the last scene of RotK at the Grey Havens is a fucking spear through the heart every time and I can't even describe the knot of feelings it engenders, and I think overall TTT may be my favorite but also it has Plot Issues that piss me off even more than the Plot Issues in RotK I think,...yeah, we're going to do this in terms of Film Crafting rather than personal favorites because I'm having too many feelings lmao. So! In order of most-well-done-movie to least:

Fellowship of the Ring

The Two Towers

Return Of The King

The Desolation of Smaug

An Unexpected Journey

[soyeahitsmiddleearth]

Elmer's Glue pt.1

Éomer/Reader

God you just can't get his name right, and it's a shame cause's he's cute af

Awkwardness Humor and Fluff

----

Someone like you shouldn't have survived nearly as long as you did.

You first came tumbling into Middle Earth a few days before departing for some big important quest to destroy a powerful ring, having landed yourself in a place called Rivendell that's full of elves and lovely scenery.

You were presented at some meeting and urged to join this 'Fellowship' and became a valuable member of the group even despite your lack of fighting knowledge, because you somehow had some sort of 6th sense regarding things that have yet to happen.

Just barely did you and your friends survive Helms Deep, The Hornburg, after all of those horrible events (losing Gandalf, Merry and Pippin being captured, and Frodo and Sam departing to continue on on their own), but once all is said and done, you're ecstatic to finally have a moment of rest and celebration.

A grand party is thrown in the royal halls of Rohan, but you're none to interested in the drinking or dancing.

Instead, you opt to watch everyone else enjoy themselves.

At some point after Legolas wipes the floor with Gimli in a drinking game, the prince, and brother of the sweet woman Eowyn, ends up meandering over to where you idly sit.

You remember riding with him to and from Isengard during your journey to reclaim your hobbit friends, though the two of you didn't speak much. It was kind of embarrassing for you to sit so close to him and attempt to share a conversation while looking straight ahead, so you didn't speak much at all, and he didn't engage himself often either.

It was surprising to you how comfortable the journey was, though, all things considered.

His horse was huge and he was just as large, but you never felt afraid or feared falling even once during the ride.

It's not a big deal, but it still stuck out to you since he's so clearly a very skilled rider.

Even after all that, however, you still totally blank out on his name when he suddenly approaches after helping Legolas bring Gimili to the resting area.

Your mind begins to race as you try to remember the name that belongs to him, and all too soon do you realize that you're both staring at each other and he's waiting for your to say something (probably after greeting you, which you did not catch).

"L-Lord... Elmer..." You say slowly after a moment, praying to god you got it right since you took inspiration from your favorite brand of kids glue.

He raises an eyebrow when you say his 'name', and a smile creeps on to his face. "Elmer?"

Ah, shit. You definitely didn't get it right.

"Elmo?" You mentally kick yourself for that one, he's definitely not a small red puppet monster, you would've noticed if he were.

He shakes his head this time, amusement painting his features as you struggle to come up with his actual name.

"Emir?"

Another head shake, and also a full on smile.

"It's not Edgar, is it?" It definitely doesn't sound right, but maybe you'll get lucky.

At this point, you know for a fact that your face is on fire, this is so embarrassing, but you simply can't remember.

"Would you like me to tell you?" He offers after you don't guess again for a time, leaning his arm on the table next to you, leaning closer to you.

Getting help at this point would be mortifying, so you deny his offer for the proper answer and take another crack and guessing. "No, no wait. I've got it! Your name is... Elinor..." You mentally smack yourself in the face for that one; he doesn't even look like an Elinor (mostly because he's not a woman).

"Not quite. Eomer is my name may I remind you."

So your first guess was the closest, but still so far away.

"W-Well, this is extremely embarrassing." You stutter out, adverting your gaze from his eyes which have suddenly become so close.

Eomer can't help but to laugh, and the smile that graces his lips is positively dashing.

You glance back up at him and notice right away, and once more your face begins to burn like a furnace.

"I-I didn't mean to forget, I swear! And I definitely wasn't trying to make fun of you either!"

His chuckles die down when your slightly panicked speech betrays your concern of being disrespectful, and he wastes no time in assuring you that it's perfectly fine. "If you are worried that you've upset me, then do not fret. I'm not offended, simply amused."

Well, that's a relief.

"Um... well, that's good- I guess," you tell him your name, then continue, "I feel so bad. You took me on your horse and everything and I didn't even remember your name! Gosh, I suck."

The tall blond-haired man looks at you oddly when you insult yourself so strangely, and you realize that you forgot to keep your other-word slang to a minimum since it can be hard to understand.

"Right, well, I came over to ask if you would like to join me on a walk outside. Are you interested?" He leans down a bit closer when he asks you this, acting as if he doesn't want anyone else to hear.

Typically you'd be more cautious than this, but you find yourself nodding along regardless.

---

Lord Eomer (you'll definitely remember his name this time, you swear it) took your hand in his and led you outside after you nodded your assent, and while you'd normally dislike being grabbed so casually, you allow it for some reason.

He releases you from his gentle hold once the both of you are beyond the party halls and outside in the cool night air at the bottom of the steps, and you finally find your voice to ask about his intent.

"So... did you want to talk to me about something or...?" You look up at him curiously with your hands clasped in front of you, twisting your heel in the dirt to ease the anxiousness.

"No, nothing in particular. I do have questions, but I simply wanted a moment alone with you," he pauses, then adds slyly, "Your friends have taken up al your time since we arrived, so I had hoped to steal you away for a time."

You aren't sure if you should be flattered, flustered, or both.

"I-I see... well, you've got me now." You mean it as a joke but it's hard to sound humorous when you're so flustered.

He only smiles and nods his head once, "I do."

Cue the awkward silence.

It appears that he's once again waiting for you to say something, so you decide to pull no punches and go straight for the heavy hitting topics.

"So, hows about that battle, huh? Crazy..."

His eyebrows knit together as he thinks over your strange speaking mannerisms, but he doesn't question it and only nods his head instead. "You could say that. The men fought bravely and we lost many, but our victory does not go unrewarded."

"Are you talking about the party?"

"Yes. That, and the knowledge that some of my men get to return home tonight and see their families."

His words bring a small, sad smile to your face, and you speak much more softly this time, "I'm afraid it isn't over, though. With everything going on, it's only a matter of time before we're all sent away again."

"We?"

Oh, right, he doesn't really know about your role in this merry group of misfits.

"Um, yes. I fight, er, kind of. I do my own thing really, but I can't afford to stay behind." It's hard to explain since you aren't sure what the extent of his knowledge is.

His uncle, Theoden, knows almost all about your deal, but does Eomer? He should since he's a key part of this whole Rohan operation, but it's not necessarily your place to tell him either.

"A shield-maiden?" He wonders aloud, taking a seat on the stone steps next to you two.

Even when he's sitting down he's taller than you, and it shoots an arrow of envy through you. The bigger you are, the more intimidated your enemies are, after-all.

"Not quite. I'm not the best at fighting really." It's kind of a lie, actually, because you've got some hidden skill that makes you pretty good at that kind of thing, but it has to do with your foresight to you choose not to explain much further.

Your answer seems to only confuse him more, however, for his eyebrows knit together and his smile tugs downwards into a frown. "You are not? But they bring you into battle regardless?"

Well, shit, now you're making them sound like negligent, reckless idiots.

"N-No- I mean, I'm okay but, uh, it's hard to explain." It's like you somehow just know how to affectively fight; it's like something inside of you just takes over and keeps you from dying, and it proved to be both extremely useful and also unexpected.

They found out about this 'hidden ability' (for lack of a better term) during the battle in which Boromir was slain and you first lost your hobbit friends. You were surrounded and everyone else was fighting for their lives, and in that moment of hopelessness, something inside of you snapped and the floodgates were opened.

Your skill lies in defense, not offense, but it was all you needed to make it through the fight alive and intact.

"I-I know it seems like they were being irresponsible, but there's more to the story- I swear!" You try to defend, taking a step closer to his seated form, "Really, they need me, so it'd be even more irresponsible if they didn't bring me along."

He doesn't seem to get it, for his doubtful expression remains and his frown deepens, but he tries not to judge too much either. "I... see."

A subject change seems like the best course of action, so you decide to ask him a question of your own. "W-Well... anyways. Why'd you want me to come out here with you?"

"I simply wished to learn more about the beautiful newcomer that graced our halls, and I find that I'm even more entranced than before."

Lord Eomer's words bring a flush to your face and leave you flustered, and it seems you can't get your brain to form a coherent thought either.

"Have my words troubled you?" He asks when you still don't manage to find your voice.

"N-No, it's not that..." You trail off and cover your mouth and nose coyly, looking off to the side when you find that you can't meet his gaze any longer. "I'm just not sure how to reply to that. I've been here so long I don't even remember how to flirt." Your words are, of course, an embarrassed joke, and it seems to land well for he chortles with amusement.

"If that is all it is, then it must be fine that I say you've caught my eye, and I'm afraid I cannot get it back until I know more."

"Know more about... m-me?" You repeat slowly, simply trying to wrap your head around it all, "Like... Like what?"  

Another dashing smile brightens his handsome features, and this time your heart flutters nervously when he does, "Anything."

You twiddle your thumbs in front of you and dip your head down, racking your brain for any information that would be interesting but not super telling in terms of your 'earth of origin.'

"Um... I can do this-" You raise one of your hands and bend your fingers all the way back until they're perpendicular with your palm, displaying your double jointed fingers effortlessly.

He stares at your hand trick for all of 5 seconds before he's standing up and worriedly asking, "Have you broken your hand?" He takes your hand in his own, delicately turning it around in search of bruises.

"N-No," you pause and look at his larger hands taking yours, then add shyly after, "It's just a trick. I'm double-jointed."

"Double-jointed?" He repeats slowly, not releasing your hand though he does cease his search for damage. "I... see."

He sure does say that a lot.

"I can also do this." You take back one of your hands and reach into your pocket and pull out a lighter that you've had with you all this time, then you ignite a flame and brandish it proudly.

The blond-haired man looks on with wide eyes, and he reaches out towards it, asking with amazement in his voice, "You created fire so effortlessly!'

"Yeah, this little device has, er, oil in it and it ignites it using a spark." It has been helpful many a-night when everyone else has been out and about doing stuff and you were left to tend to the fires. "Don't get too close though, it's hot."

He nods his head once and drops his hands to his dies, watching the small flame dance on the lighter before you blow it out and place it back in your pocket.

"Where did you find such a magnificent contraption?" He asks once it's out of sight, looking down at you with curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

"I, um... made it." You think it best to lie, though he doesn't appear to fall for it, and change the subject. "So, how about that weather we're having?"

Your sudden and shitty subject change makes him raise an inquisitive eyebrow, but after a moment he starts to laugh, "Yes, the night sky's are very clear tonight. As it should be the morrow after a raging battle."

It's strange and none too awkward since you're no good at this, but this normalcy actually almost makes you forget all the shit you've seen up until now.

"I would very much like to see you again." He says suddenly when the conversation dies down and you both just stand there in silence.

You look back up at him and offer a small smile, repeating softly, "Sure. I'd like that as well. But I'm still here, so we don't have to talk about later just yet, right?"

"I suppose not." He reaches down and grabs your right hand gently, raising it up while he also leans down, then he presses a feather soft kiss to the middle of the back of your hand.

Eomer looks up at you while he does so, and you find that your face has begun to heat up once more.

When he doesn't move to stand normally and continues to look up at you expectantly, you ask uncertainly, "Am I supposed to kiss your hand too, or...?"

It seems you're quite the comedian to this guy, for he stands up straight again and bursts into joyful laughter, reaching down to pat your shoulders, "No no, but if you wish to offer me one somewhere else then I would not deny it."

People in this place really waste no time beating around the bush, though you suppose they can't afford to waste much time when things like the Battle at Helms Deep happen every so often.

There are murderous orcs everywhere and danger at every turn for them nowadays, do you actually feel a sense of appreciation for his forwardness.

This time you find yourself laughing too, and you readily reply, "Maybe next time, Lord Eomer. We only just met, you know. I could be trying to steal a place in the royal line, for all you know."

His smile does not waver despite your warning against yourself, for he only shakes his head and squeezes your shoulders gently, "No, such motives always make themselves clear early on. Unfortunately for me, you're honest."

"Unfortunately?"

"Unfortunate for my heart, yes."

[paradoxcase]

Something that isn’t really communicated well in the movie when they are speaking to Saruman at Orthanc after the Ents have destroyed Isengard is that Saruman’s voice is actually magic, and he casts spells by speaking that make people agree with and believe him, and also distrust people who contradict him.  In fact, this whole chapter in the book is called “The Voice of Saruman” and there’s a lot of description of his voice having an effect on the Rohirrim who came with Gandalf and Theoden to meet with Saruman, they are even verbally agreeing with what he says in some places despite just having fought the battle of Helm’s Deep where Saruman clearly tried to wipe them all out with a huge army of orcs.  There’s some tension in that until they speak you’re not really sure that the regular normal people like Eomer and Theoden are going to resist Saruman’s spell and there’s even a time when it’s not entirely clear if Gandalf is under the spell or if he’s just given Theoden his space to say his piece.  They do make his voice a little echoey in the movie, but I think there’s no real good way to portray what was described in the book.

Most of the dialog is straight from the book in this scene, until Gandalf starts asking Saruman for intel and Saruman pulls out the Palantir and starts talking about some new evil thing that Sauron has planned in very vague terms, but before he can actually say anything useful he’s killed by Wormtongue.  None of that happens in the book at all, Gandalf is actually pretty well informed about everything that’s happening at this point, before meeting with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli he had just got back from a grand tour with Gwaihir the Eagle and seen a lot of stuff from the air, he also communicated telepathically with Frodo when he was at Amon Hen, etc.  It’s also not true at all that Saruman is “deep in the councils of the Enemy” as movie!Gandalf puts it, Sauron consistently hide shit from Saruman and Saruman doesn’t have any real idea what he’s doing.  The movie seems to imply that Saruman gets some insight into Sauron’s mind via the Palantir, but this is not how it works in the book.  And, as far as I remember, the movie never follows up on this and reveals whatever evil thing Saruman was talking about here, when it’s made to seem like it’s actually important.  Are we meant to take away from this that Saruman was bluffing?  Saruman and Wormtongue also do not die here, and actually reappear in the story at a later date, but I guess Peter Jackson didn’t want to include that part of the story and didn’t want to leave everyone wondering what happened to Saruman, so he included this little drama with Wormtongue.  In the book, Saruman simply slinks back inside after Gandalf breaks his staff.

In the movie, Saruman’s first words to Gandalf are to accuse him of wanting the keys to Orthanc, Barad-dur, and the staffs of five Istari.  Which is kind of weird, because Gandalf hasn’t said anything yet, and also, this makes it sound like Saruman is accusing Gandalf of asking Saruman for these things, which makes no sense, since Saruman can’t give Gandalf most of that stuff anyway.  But this is a line of dialog from the book, it’s just been taken out of context.  What happens in the book is that Saruman first tells Gandalf he should ditch Theoden, basically telling him that he is too good to associate with the likes of the Rohirrim (this is the context where he describes the people of Rohan as brigands and ruffians, which in the movie is used to trigger Wormtongue’s reaction) and asks him to come up into the tower so that they can work together.  To which Gandalf tells him that he won’t come up, but if Saruman comes down and surrenders the keys to Orthanc and his staff Gandalf will let him go free wherever he wants, and won’t sic the Ents on him, etc.  It’s at this point that Saruman accuses Gandalf of wanting all five staffs, and the keys to Orthanc and Barad-dur, which makes total sense, since Saruman is working off of the assumption that Gandalf wants similar things to what he wants.  Saruman also addresses Gandalf as Greyhame in the movie, which is odd because Greyhame is specifically just the name of Gandalf in Rohirric (modernized, because Rohirric is supposed to be essentially Old English).  Perhaps we’re meant to connect this to when Theoden called Gandalf Greyhame when he was possessed by Saruman, as if it were an insult of some sort, but it actually just means grey-cloak, it’s not a pejorative at all.  There’s also no real reason to think Saruman might be speaking Rohirric here, as opposed to Westron, especially since at least Merry, Pippin, Legolas and Gimli probably don’t know any Rohirric.

In the book, the Palantir is thrown down by Wormtongue, who may have been aiming for Saruman and may have been aiming for Gandalf.  What’s interesting about this is that the previous day, the Ents did their utmost to destroy Orthanc, but although they managed to destroy a lot of the surrounding stuff in Isengard they were not able to really do any damage to Orthanc because Orthanc is Super Magical.  But when Wormtongue threw the Palantir, it crashed down and actually destroyed the stairs, which the Ents were not able to touch.  Unlike in the movie, when it has at this point been shown being used multiple times, in the book we don’t yet even know what the Palantir does.  There was a reference very early in the Fellowship to a seeing stone that the Elves use, but it is in no way connected yet to this thing that Wormtongue threw.

[poetictrekkie]

Holiday Headcanons for the Voyager Crew

Kathryn Janeway:

As Voyager’s captain, it is Janeway’s responsibility to organize holidays for the crew.

But Christmas is her personal favourite.

The ship’s crew definitely has the fondest memories of their captain during this holiday.

She takes it upon herself to give presents to each department, and all the children on the ship.

And though she hasn’t got the best voice in the world, she’ll be singing Christmas carols with a cup of spiked eggnog in her hand.

The holidays, unfortunately, result in Kathryn’s cooking efforts multiplying.

Chakotay has had to stomach too many of her homemade fruitcakes.

Of course, he lies through his teeth when asked how it tastes.

Sometimes, he uses the excessive stickiness of the cake as an excuse not to reply.

But as much as she enjoys the side of Christmas that involves getting together, she loves spending Christmas Eve in her quarters, looking out at the perpetually starry sky and thinking that it looks like winter flurries in space.

It’s also the time when she’s homesick the most.

For the real Christmas tree that Mark would chop down and bring home every year.

For Mollie’s little Santa hat, that would always fall off ten seconds after Kathryn wrangles it onto her.

And for the snow. Always the snow.

Chakotay:

Chakotay has never been one to celebrate the holidays with anything other than a glass of spirits by the fireplace.

However, as first officer and former captain of the Maquis, he feels an obligation to join the yearly festivities.

He’s always been responsible for putting up the Christmas tree in the mess hall. 

Each year, he decorates it exquisitely.

He saves up replicator rations for ornaments.

If he doesn’t have as many as he wants, he’ll get the kids to make decorations themselves.

The Borg children always make incredible paper snowflakes, and give some as gifts to Chakotay.

He also makes sure to attend the celebrations for each holiday. From Hanukkah, to Kwanzaa, to the Orthodox Christmas in January, he’ll always be there.

He takes it as an opportunity to learn about the different cultures of Earth – something he’s always been fascinated by as an amateur anthropologist.

Most of all, the holidays are a time for Chakotay to spend time with his Voyager family, and reflect upon his journey in life so far.

Tuvok:

Whenever the holiday season comes around, Tuvok has a habit of receding into his quarters to escape the noise and bustle.

However, he likes to join the crewmen who are celebrating Hanukkah.

There’s something very beautiful and meditative about the nightly celebrations: the lighting of the menorah, the songs and prayers.

The crewmen always welcome him to join them each year, and teach him how to pronounce the prayers in Hebrew.

Tuvok has also displayed a surprising talent for Hanukkah cooking.

His sufganya are all eaten within ten minutes of him setting the plate down on the table.

And he’s tested out recipes for latkes with Vulcan flavours, like plomeek or gespar.

After the festivities, Tuvok will often meditate by the menorah.

The messages that Hanukkah brings, like faith and standing up for what you believe in, guide him through his nightly meditations during the holiday seasons.

Tom Paris:

Tom has an annual Christmas tradition of wearing antlers and a red nose while at the helm.

He thinks of himself as Rudolph driving Santa’s sleigh.

He calls Captain Janeway “Captain Santa Claus” for the whole day.

He calls Commander Chakotay “Commander Mrs. Claus” for the whole day.

Neither of them are amused.

Tom also loves to help decorate the ship and organize the Secret Santa exchange.

One time, he hung mistletoe right over Tuvok’s station on the bridge.

Needless to say, all the ensigns coming to hand in reports to their superior officer couldn’t decide if they were more amused or terrified.

He also organizes holodeck events leading up to and on Christmas Eve.

Holiday karaoke.

Sleigh races.

Holiday-themed movie nights.

But the event that Tom will be remembered for the most was the Starfleet vs. Maquis snowball fight.

It was brutal, incredible, and a ton of fun.

However, he’ll never go near B’Elanna if she’s holding a projectile made of snow – holographic or otherwise. His lesson has been learned.

Harry Kim:

Harry loves the holidays. If every day could be a holiday, he would not mind one bit.

Loves everything about them: the food, the gifts, the time spent with his friends.

Harry always gives his close friends homemade presents that he’s spent months working on.

One year, he gave Captain Janeway a framed photo collage of the crew, which she hung on the wall of her office.

And Kes was surprised when he presented her with a jar of homemade preserves made from the fruits grown in Airponics.

She was even more surprised when it turned out to be delicious.

Harry is also responsible for starting the annual Seollal (Korean New Year) celebration.

He’s adapted a few of the traditions for the Voyager crew.

After a ritual meal, the younger generations of the family pay respect to their elders by taking a deep bow called sebae. Then, the elders offer their blessings and wishes for a prosperous year.

For this tradition, Harry has replaced the younger generations with the junior officers, and the elders with the senior officers.

He also taught both the children and adults on the ship traditional games played during this time.

It always gives him a sense of pride to see his Voyager family celebrating traditions that he has observed since his childhood.

B’Elanna Torres:

Christmas is the one day when B’Elanna’s human and Klingon sides stop warring in her head.

In fact, it’s a day when B’Elanna reflects on her happy childhood memories, celebrating Christmas with her Mexican family.

While B’Elanna might be a little too old for the Christmas pinata, she always sets one up for the children, filled with candy canes, chocolates, and lollipops.

She always asks Kes to grow lilies a month or so before Christmas, so she can decorate her quarters with them.

Sometimes, she gets a melancholy, nostalgic feeling when she smells the lilies first thing on Christmas morning.

But she never cries… alright, maybe once.

B’Elanna also likes to make farolitos, intricately designed paper lanterns made from brown bags, with her friends.

She once made one in the shape of the ship’s warp core.

She’ll invite some of the senior crew a few days before Christmas to make lanterns and share food.

It’s one of her favourite nights of the year, when they string up the lanterns that they made together and place little lights inside.

The Doctor:

When it comes to the holidays, if there’s an excuse to sing, the Doctor is all for it.

And with all the carols being sung at Christmastime, the Doctor is kept content for the entire day.

He’ll organize the musically talented officers in a holiday band, and they’ll perform for the entire crew on Christmas Eve.

Unfortunately, the Doctor does sometimes get a little busy during Christmas.

After the infamous snowball fight, he spent his entire night treating minor injuries.

But all in a day’s work for the EMH, even on Christmas.

He loves learning about all the different human traditions during the holidays.

Since he doesn’t have to eat as a hologram, the Doctor always has tons of replicator rations saved up.

And he gets all his friends slightly extravagant presents.

But Seven really did like the necklace he got her one year.

All in all, Christmas is a time that the Doctor is thankful that he has such good friends.

Tom is proud to say that the Doctor has never once made a snide remark to him on Christmas.

Seven of Nine:

The holidays are a time for Seven to reconnect with her humanity and the traditions she used to celebrate.

She spends plenty of time with the Borg children, and gets them all gifts for Christmas.

The year she gave Mezoti a miniature chemistry kit was one of her successes.

And the Doctor insists that she sing a Christmas carol or two.

But it’s also a time with more socializing than necessary.

Excessive socializing is irrelevant.

And exhausting.

There’s a yearly tradition on Voyager, that one of the crew members will be drawn randomly to turn on the lights on the Christmas tree and give a toast.

And Seven, of course, is selected one year.

She’s never been more terrified in her entire existence.

She spends the entire lead-up to the holidays agonizing over her speech.

But in the end, Seven manages to make a very poignant toast.

“To my second family on Voyager: I thank you for showing me that resistance is not as futile as the Borg had me to believe. The values of your holidays – love, forgiveness, togetherness – capture the essence of all that you have taught me.

Kes:

Kes is always very busy in the lead up to the holidays.

The Airponics gardens are positively overflowing with poinsettia and holly, and whoever comes inside will comment that it’s already beginning to look like Christmas!

She also grows the mistletoe herself, a plant that is highly in demand by the couples onboard Voyager.

It doesn’t take telepathy to know who’s in a relationship that year, depending on who comes in to pick up a sprig or two of mistletoe.

Kes often helps Neelix with the holiday parties.

She has a flair for baked goods, and her gingerbread with Airponics-grown ginger is always a hit during the Christmas party.

When it comes to giving presents, you can be sure that Kes will be delivering flowers to all her nearest and dearest.

The Christmas season is also the time of year that Kes is on the receiving end of the most elf jokes.

One year she decides she’s had enough, and dresses up like one of Santa’s elves for the entire Christmas day.

The kids absolutely love it.

So do the other officers, but they’re better at hiding it.

It’s actually kind of adorable.

And that’s how Kes has now made it an annual tradition to dress like an elf on Christmas.

Neelix:

As morale officer, the holidays are Neelix’s time to shine.

And what other holiday does Neelix love better than Prixin?

Right answer: no other holiday.

He always puts a lot of effort into the Prixin festivities, because he loves sharing the traditions of his people.

It also makes him feel just a little less homesick for Talax.

But in regards to the other holidays, he loves them too.

Especially Christmas. Christmas is definitely Neelix’s second favourite holiday.

He’s always planning fun things for the kids and crew alike.

And the cooking… Neelix makes more food on Christmas than on any other day.

No one could quite forgive him for adding leola root to the turkey stuffing, though.

But one year, Neelix is absolutely swamped with work. And they’re running low on food reserves.

So he suggests a potluck dinner for Christmas.

The potluck is such a hit that Neelix begins to do it every year.

The only downside is the amount of dishes that Neelix has to clean at the end of the night.

[hopelesstvaddict]

A Case for Boromir

There is never enough praise for Boromir so here are some thoughts :

First and foremost, he’s not a villain. He was never portrayed as much. His character served as a living example of the destructive power of the Ring.

He was a good man, good-natured with plenty of qualities.

He was a skilled warrior with good experience in leadership. Among the members of the Fellowhip, he was probably the one who was the most versed in the art of commanding men, strategy and battle planning, having done it for most of his life. He would have been a formidable asset during the Battle at Helm’s Deep or at the Pelennor Fields.

He is most probably familiar with Gandalf already since Faramir says he took lessons with him when he was younger.

Boromir starts off as a very skeptical man, hesitant to trust other races for his own fate and the fate of Gondor. That’s because he was always alone in defending both Osgiliath and Minas Tirith against Mordor; they never got any help from anyone and they were left to fend for themselves essentially. That certainly takes a toll on the mind. Plus, Mordor was literally their neighbour so the Gondorians must feel a little pressured. That probably hardened him to the point of second-guessing everything and being just a tad cynical.

As a result, Boromir has learned that he can only rely on himself in life BUT at the same time, his role as a commander implies that he bears responsibility for the men he leads. See the contradiction here ? And Boromir must have lost countless men.

That’s how he knows how Frodo must feel after Gandalf’s death and why he tries to tell him not to blame himself. He has been there before. Countless times. Not to say that the others haven’t - Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli probably have lost friends too - but Boromir probably was the one who had the most experience in death and mourning because he was a leader of dozens of men. That’s also why he begs Aragorn to let the Hobbits rest and mourn right after they exit Moria. He has been there before.

His military background also makes him practical and quick thinking. After Gandalf falls, he is fast in retrieving the Hobbits and forcing them to move on - while Aragorn is still in shock - because he knows that seeing men die does not mean those who still live are safe. He only thinks of mourning once they're out of Moria when he thinks they're safe - which Aragorn points out is not the case.

Speaking of the Hobbits, he loves them so much. Merry and Pippin especially. Perhaps because he feels they’re the ones that need protecting most. And that speaks about Boromir’s character so much. He takes it upon himself to teach them basic swordfights - meaning he’s a patient man. He probably has done this before.

He would have been good with children.

He loves too much in general but he has had to learn not to show it.

And like mentioned beforehand, he was a skeptical man at first but he gradually has to change his mind and learn to respect, value and rely on the others as they are all forced to do. His mind opens gradually and he accepts that he can count on others in life.

This is perhaps Boromir's first real adventure that's completely different from the military campaigns and battles that he is familiar with. As he goes through this journey and is forced to rely on this group of strangers, he can't help but appreciate them more and more and admire them for skills and resilience he didn't think they could necessarily have.

He is an honorable man. He doesn’t like to lie and tries to speak the truth whenever possible. When Denethor sent him to the Council, he was not willing to go and it was Denethor who put the idea of using the Ring for good in his mind and to bring it to Minas Tirith. So he went to the Council and joined the Fellowship with kind of a double purpose - because if we’re being honest, he was all about protecting the city so his joining a quest he doesn’t really believe in and leaving the defense of his beloved city to ... ? “Ah baby brother will take care of it, Father will be so happy about it” - anyway, a double purpose, but he was never really ok with it. Thus why he kept suggesting going to Minas Tirith so that maybe the others would agree and then he’d feel better about it. Not the best way to cope with secrets and lies, but hey, he was only human. Headcanon that the more he travelled with the Fellowship, the more he became against the idea. Basically he struggled with this internal conflict during the whole time he traveled with them.

But the pressure from his father was too much so that’s why he could never go against his wishes. I’m not going to dwell very long on the relationship between Denethor and his sons because he loved them for sure, but the pressure he put on both was detrimental to their mental states.

He loved his brother to bits. Above anything else. Always defended him against his father and called his father out when he judged he was being too harsh.

Though his father was the prominent parental figure, Boromir didn’t take after him and grew into his own person and had the sense of loving both his father and brother even though his family was completely dysfunctional.

They lost their mother when they were very young. They had to grow up very fast and the hard way. They had no choice but becoming men before their time, no choice other than becoming strong, brave and valiant.

His whole relationship with Aragorn. He never disliked the man. At first, his initial reaction is totally understandable - I mean, when you think about it, you’ve been fighting your whole life for your city on your own, you’ve probably learned when you were younger that your role as Steward was to wait for the King to return ONE DAY but that said King has never appeared in what? Centuries? And then, a stranger is suddenly revealed to be that King ? Are you really going to say ‘Well, here are the keys to the kingdom” ? No. Of course you’d be wary of the whole situation. He needs to judge and feel the man before making a decision. His very nature called for that reaction.

But he doesn’t stick to that view. Like I said, he is not close-minded. His journey with Aragorn shows him that yes, the man is capable, a good man, a skilled warrior and a potentially great leader of men. That’s why he comes to bond with him - or at least tries to - about Gondor and the strength of men. Because he thinks that Aragorn would do well with his role. He sees this, and Aragorn, though he respects Boromir, doesn’t want/isn’t ready to assume the role he is meant to have and that frustrates Boromir because he knows what Aragorn can be. He doesn’t realize that Aragorn has been raised by Elves who are a little more on the downside when it comes to what the race of Men can still do and bring to the world. So he is honest with him and tells him in his face - “I know you’re more than up to the task but you refuse to see it yourself, wake up man”.

I think what’s potentially even more frustrating to him is that in Aragorn, Boromir probably saw a kindred spirit with whom he could share the burden of taking responsibilities in wartime. Headcanon that though Boromir was the most skilled warrior between him and Faramir, he sometimes was just like his brother and dreamed of peacetime and retiring quietly to sit back and enjoy life. Headcanon that he sometimes suffered little bouts of semi-depression when the pressure of war and the pressure from his father became too much and headcanon that with Aragorn, he thought “maybe this is someone who can understand what I’m going through and who can help me, share the pain with me and maybe ease it". Split the leadership if you will. And when Aragorn refused he felt rejected and that he was alone after all.

He feels alone - yes he has his brother - but he has lost too many men and too many friends and he has had to learn to harden himself but he feels alone.

He is blunt and a bit tactless. Not at all like his brother who handles wording a bit better than him.

He has hope for Men because as a leader of men and a captain, if you don’t have hope, that’s just not going to work so he just HAS TO cling on hope; otherwise what’s the point ? And then, of all people, the potential King throws it back in his face that no, he personally doesn’t hold any hope for the race of Men. Like OK...

And even with that, when the Fellowship breaks apart, he has already decided that Aragorn would be his captain and King. That’s not just some redeeming words uttered just for the sake of peace of mind. He really meant them and he’d probably come to that conclusion at some point before Parth Galen. Headcanon that had he lived, he would have become that annoying voice that whispered to an increasingly amused Aragorn “King”. OK maybe not.

He was burdened all of his life by having to protect his people. Because that’s what he wanted to do first and foremost, to fulfill what he felt was his duty. And because his father put immense pressure on him. All his actions stemmed from this desire to protect.

The Ring took advantage of these deep insecure feelings, the pain and the fear of having to defend Gondor alone, the pressure from his father and turned it all against him.

He still realized right after, when his madness spell was over, that he had made a grave folly and he tried to redeem himself by fighting hard for Merry and Pippin.

The man was strong as hell. Two arrows in and he still had the strength to get back up and fight some more. That’s how powerful a warrior he was. His prowess on the battlefield was a known fact among Gondorians and that extended to the Rohirrim as well, with Eomer praising him highly. Can you imagine if they had met?

[rollertoasteroflife]

These Things Are Fun Lets Give It a Go

Tagged by @katyaton heyyyyyyy!

RULES: answer all questions, add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions. (…yeah I don’t know that many people...)

tagging: @deaded123 @showmethestarlight and if anyone that follows me wants to please do but you two are the only ones that actually reply to these things and I can’t be arsed to go through all of my followers when no one does them anyway :D

1.      coke or pepsi: coke definitely

2.      disney or dreamworks:  oh god ummm i love disney cos that was my childhood but dreamworks have done some truly amazing films and they gave me how to train your dragon which i love far more than is probably normal...

3.      coffee or tea: *whispers* both definitely both...I drink so much coffee and tea and currently green tea I’m probably 70% hot beverage at this point

4.      books or movies: ah fuck. um I have to say finding a favourite book feels so much better than a favourite film but like I literally work in the film industry so I honestly love them too but yeah imma have to say books (that was really difficult D:)

5.      windows or mac: windows cos it’s what i know

6.      dc or marvel: um I’ve seen more marvel so I’ll say marvel but I’m not particular opinionated on the matter

7.      xbox or playstation: I am abysmal at playing games so again not really my question. however i have finally worked out how to use my housemates xbox as a dvd player so woo

8.      dragon age or mass effect: I don’t play them

9.      night owl or early riser: Permanently tired pigeon here but more of a night owl.

10.  cards or chess: Oh god um  actually can’t choose because i grew up playing card games and i really love them but i have a massive sentimental personal thing about chess so yeah i can’t choose here

11.  chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate what am I? dumb?!

12.  vans or converse: Converse 

13.  lavellan, trevelyan, cadash, or adaar: I do not understand

14.  fluff or angst: um in like fic reading or my life?? because my favourite fan fics are often angsty ones but I get wayyyyyyyyyy too emotional about them and yet still tend to read them over fluffy ones. Yet in actual life my life has enough problems please cover me fluffy things i’m tired

15.  beach or forest: beach because there’s sea but i fucking love forests so much!!

16.  dogs or cats: Cats!! but puppers are great too!!!

17.  clear skies or rain: Fucking rain I love rain!!

18.  cooking or eating out: I really like cooking it’s what I resort to when I’m having issues with life not working out.

19. Spicy food or mild food: I don’t like massively spicy food but I will fight you over bland food so like somewhere between the two??

20.  halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas: I only really started doing halloween like a couple of years ago but i do enjoy it (woo for fancy dress) but i do really love christmas!

21.  would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: cold definitely i hate the heat. It was 15 degrees c today (59 fahrenheit thanks google) and i was dying and complaining most of the day

22.  if you could have a superpower, what would it be: Shapeshifting!!!! 

23.  animation or live action: Again with the whole job thing, live action but i love animated films too!!

24.  paragon or renegade: eh?

25.  baths or showers: i shower more often but my house doesn’t have a bath and i really miss it. also currently with my leg injuries i would love a bath because they ache so bad D:  

26.  team cap or team ironman:  umm i don’t know?? I’m not gonna choose sorry

27.  fantasy or sci-fi: Fantasy but scifi is awesome!

28. do you have three or four  favourite quotes? if so what are they: Presume not that I am the thing I was - Shakespeare Henry V

The planets and heavens will move for you. - this is a quote from a poem @deaded123/ @breathingtheworldinwords wrote for me which is my favourite poem

I am constantly coming across quotes i want ot remember but i never write them down so yeah...

29.  youtube or netflix: netflix

30.  harry potter or percy jackson: Harry potter but am currently working my way through the percy jacksons series which i do enjoy and rick riordan is an awesome human!

31.  when you feel accomplished: when i remember how far i’ve come from what i was and how hard i’ve fought to be where i am now. Also I once forgot what happened in a battle on an history exam so proceeded to talk about the battle of helms deep and cut the orcs and elves. I got 100% on that paper. ;)

32.  star wars or star trek: star wars......it was my childhood and i love it so much

33.  paperback books or hardback books: i do love me a good hardback but my paperbacks have kept me company for a long time

34. horror or rom-com: ummm i’m not great at horror but it depends so i’d probs watch the rom com and just be cynically sarcastic throughout...(the fact that i enjoy rom coms when i’m not great and actual romance annoys myself)

35.  to live in a world without literature or music: that is just mean :P but i’d have to chose literature as my life is based around stories

36.  pastel colours or dark colours: dark definitely!! other people look aweosme in pastels but i don’t like wearing them and honeslty just feel kind of suspicious of them as a colour group (i have no idea why i have such storng opinions on pastels or why i am suspicious...)

37.  tv shows or movies: Tv shows as you go through so much more. Also it suits my attention span better

38.  city or countryside: can i have like a town?? i love the countryside but i also need to be around other people or i get very morbid

39.  if any other zodiac sign could describe you, what would it be: i don’t understand??i’m a leo and honeslty haven’t looked at the others enough to know the traits!

40.  if you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life what would it be: i would currently choose one of sia’s albums as just yes

41.  cinema or theatre: cinema because i love films but i do enjoy theatre

42.  if you could be any fictional character’s best friend, who’d you be: hmmmmmmmm i honeslty don’t know as my favs are people like me but being around someone like me as a best friend is kind of an odd thought...pass?

43.  smiling or smirking: smiling to me means just being free and comfortable to be happy and smirking in my mind is the silly little in jokes that tyou have with friends in the middle of a conversation or when you’ve thought of something inappropriately funny both of which i do a lot.

44.  are you an ‘all or nothing’ type or are you more consistent: all or nothing probably

45.  playlists or your whole library on shuffle: shuffle because i’m too lazy to make playlists

46.  travelling or staying at home: Travelling,but i like to have a base somewhere. but yeah i get bored of places easily and am not attached to anywhere as a ‘home’ as a concept i’ve never really got that feeling about anywhere? um it’s hard to explain so i’m just gonna stop cos i don’t know what my point is

47.  books or fanfiction: both are literature and they’re both stories and i fucking love stories in all forms! right now i’m reading more fanfiction because when i need to work lets get lost in emotions about fictional characters right?! but seriously i have a bunch of favourite fanfics which i keep rereading and most are novel length so like not much of  a difference!

48.  If you could live in a fantasy world, what world would it be: the chronicles of ixia world probably but like god there are so many that i’d want to be in!!

49. your favorite cartoon: um i don’t really watch that many cartoons... cacn i claim the Dragons tv series that accompanies httyd? it’s animated......

50.  name the weirdest five songs on your itunes, current or past: um ok so i have a bit of  a weird thing about my music in that i don’t like talking about it too much...i’m getting better but yeah i don’t want to answer this :)

51. mountains or plains: Mountains!!!!!!! they give me liiiiiiiiiife

52. favorite anime (or tv show if you don’t watch anime): Yuri on ice is the first anime i’ve watched and honeslty have fallen in love with it and it has ruined my world right now (it’s what my anxieties are currently directed out instead of at my work which i’m cool with) and the only other one i’ve seen is ouran high school host club which i actually watched half of yesterday whilst working as a friend loves it, it’s amusing :)

53. which social media platform are you most like yourself on: err i don’t really do social media much. i have facebook to talk to uni people, a couple of group chats with home people and it’s the only contact i have with my dad’s side of the fam as most don’t live in england but i don’t actually post anything except about work i’ve got donea dn funny photos of my friends. obvs i have tumblr which i overshare about myself way too much but this is probs a very accurate summary of my shit sense of humour, tv shows, and everything else in my head! though i do sometimes get concerned about my oversharing on here cos y’know internet safetyand all D: oh i have snapchat too but i mainly use it to talk to 2 friends one is in germany so i can’t ring her like i used to and the other we pretty much just send each other selfies with a lot of heart emojis! i’ve been debating getting instagram but haven’t decided yet...

54. What are some of your passions:anyone that knows me or reads my frequent oversharing will know i work in costume stuff so yeah i can literally talk about costuming and historic fashions for days and not get bored so yeha don’t ask about that unless you ready to learn!! ;) um i’m also an archery instructor, really love drawing, and just yeah the various tv, film and book obsessions that i go through (currently it’s yoi but i do try and keep my obsession from fully taking ove rthis blog-80% of it is still my shit sense of humour

55. Favourite food: I will fight everyone to get a proper roast dinner with yorkshire puddings and also chocolate.....and pomegranates.....and sugar snap peas......

This was fun!!!