#pippin's full song

[ink-splotch]

I ran across your reply in a post about Pippin’s version of Edge of Night, about how it was originally a happy song and he changed the lyrics and key to be sadder. Could you explain where he changed the lyrics? I can find plenty of sources for the changed version, but not for the original. Thanks!

Sure thing! In the book, the full version of the song goes like this. Frodo and his buds sing it as they hike across the Shire, before any of the bad stuff has really gone down at all:

Upon the hearth the fire is red, Beneath the roof there is a bed; But not yet weary are our feet, Still round the corner we may meet A sudden tree or standing stone That none have seen but we alone.   Tree and flower and leaf and grass,   Let them pass! Let them pass!   Hill and water under sky,   Pass them by! Pass them by!

Still round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate, And though we pass them by today, Tomorrow we may come this way And take the hidden paths that run Towards the Moon or to the Sun.   Apple, thorn, and nut and sloe,   Let them go! Let them go!   Sand and stone and pool and dell,   Fare you well! Fare you well!

Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are all alight. Then world behind and home ahead, We'll wander back to home and bed.   Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,   Away shall fade! Away shall fade!   Fire and lamp, and meat and bread,   And then to bed! And then to bed!

In Denethor's hall, in the movie, Pippin sings an adaption of that song. In Doylian terms here, Peter Jackson chose to change the words and tone; in Watsonian terms, which I much prefer in this case, Pippin took this fairly cheerful walking song that Denethor demanded of him and turns it into something befitting the world that Denethor is creating, allowing, and abetting in his realm:

Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadow to the edge of night Until the stars are all alight. Mist and shadow, cloud and shade, All shall fade, all shall fade.

Pippin first removes the section "then world behind and home ahead/we'll wander back to home and bed," which denies Denethor the comfortable hope and domestic happy ending he was demanding of the hobbit.

Then, with that removal, the lines of "all shall fade, all shall fade" do a very changed duty in Denethor's hall than the "away shall fade! away shall fade!" in the original. Instead of mist and shade fading, pushed back by fire and bread, by the comforts of home and a warm bed, the rendition in Denethor's hall rings melancholy and tragic-- the fading of good things, the fading of life, of homes and paths and light, of good men like Faramir.

Knowing the original, it's made all the more rich in meaning by Denethor crunching through his bread and tomatoes, at home in the seat of his power. This place, its fire and lamps, its meat and bread, its good men (cut to Faramir riding toward certain doom) -- they will fade under the coming shadow (Pippin even exchanges "twilight" for "shadow" in his off-cuff rewrite). Pippin is mourning them and trying to rekindle some of that sorrow and that horror in Denethor's heart.

He's been ordered to sing the cheery songs of his people to please the cold echoing hall of his freezing-hearted, fallen man -- and so he does, and he makes the song instead about the foregone fading of Denethor's house. Love it! A+ Peregrin Took.

[eddiemunsons-missingnipple]

can i get a lil sum sum with soft eddie? maybe he’s telling you all about his favorite movie while you watch it? little behind the scenes facts while you lay with your head in his lap 🥹 you can’t help but smile at how excited he gets over the movie, making you happier than ever

Eddie munson x reader

Warnings: none, fluff. Soft!eddie

"C'mon babe, I'm putting in the movie!" Edde yelled from across the room.

You were busy getting the snacks together for your weekly movie night. You had one every day of the week if Eddie didn't work too late. Since today is Thursday. That means it's Lord of the Rings night. Or as Eddie refers to it, Tolkien Thursdays. This week, you and him would be watching Return of the King together.

He's seen these movies probably more than you can count. Yet every time he presses play, he's like a little kid watching it for the first time. Eddie knows every single piece of trivia there is to know right down to the actors' shoe size. He's watched all of their interviews and will quote "when will you wear wigs" at any given opportunity. Eddie thinks that interview is the funniest thing to exist.

"I'm coming!" You yelled back, dumping the bag of popcorn in a large bowl.

You rush to join him on the couch, setting the bowl down on the table next to the sodas you brought in earlier.

"Hurry, hurry." He waved

"Eddie, you haven't even pressed play yet," you smile, shaking your head.

"You can't miss a single second, babe, not one." His said eyes trained to the screen in front of him.

You watch him with amusement as the opening title finally appears. Your eyes locked on him while. You couldn't help but think it was so cute how animated he got at times. As the movie went on, Eddie seemed to calm down a little. You just knew if you put your palm to his chest, you could feel his heart beating a mile a minute.

Smiling softly, you move to lay your head in his lap and watched the ending battle. Eddies favorite part besides Denethor tells Pippin to sing for him. He knows the song by heart, and you do too now. You often hear him humming it in the shower after he gets off work.

You felt him jump and gasp as is he doesn't know what's about to happen.

"You paying attention, baby?" His voice sounding panicked. He moves a hand to gently stroke down your face before placing it on the curve of your hip.

You chuckled slightly, "Yea, Ed, I'm watching."

This was the part he looked forward to most. The scene where Eowyn defeats the witch king. You felt him shift as he leaned forward. He's trying to contain his excitement since you're lying on him. Normally, he would be jumping out of his seat, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"I am no man." He whispered, yelled to himself. You don't have to touch him to know he has goosebumps all over. Eddie was always at his happiest at these moments. You heard him repeating his favorite lines to himself all throughout the movie.

"Psst! You awake? " Eddie gently shook your shoulder.

"I'm awake."

He leaned back after getting a handful of popcorn. out stretched his legs, getting comfortable himself.

Did you know Frodo falls down 39 times in this?" He snorted with a mouth full of popcorn.

"He sounds a lot like me." You laugh as he continued telling you little facts here and there. The credits have started rolling, and Eddie still hasn't stopped educating you on his favorite trilogy. You soaked it all in every little detail he told you about. He even taught you how to say "I love you" in Elvish.

"So that's what you've been saying to me this whole time?"

"Yep." Eddie grinned from ear to ear.

You could listen to him ramble on forever. His face lighting up at the mention of Lord of the Rings is enough to keep you asking him about it. His smile was infectious. You never want it to go away. The way you both relaxed into one another during these moments was very special to you both. There was instant peace it felt like all of your worries just melted away.

"Eddie?" You call out to him.

"Yeah?"

"Can you read to me tonight? " Your eyes grow heavy as you turn to look up at him.

"Of course, baby. Ready for bed?" Eddie smiled down at you.

You nod. "Mmhmm."

"Kay, let's get you to bed then." He let out a loud yawn and popped the knuckles on his hands.

Eddie spent the next hour and a half reading The Hobbit to you. Trying your damn best to stay up longer. He was an amazing, great storyteller. He liked to make up little voices for each character as he read out loud to you. Eventually, sleep won and took over you and him.

Eddie fell asleep a little after you with the book tucked under his chin. Your head leaning against his shoulder. This became another part of your routine together. Movie nights and then a book before bed. You loved the way he would get so immersed in them both. Now you really understand why the kids loved having him as their DM. He made it fun and exciting. You didn't think you could fall in love with him more than you already were. But you were wrong. You were very wrong.

[secretmellowart]

"The Last Goodbye" Pippin animatic! The fact that Billy Boyd sings The Last Goodbye always makes it feel like a 'missing Pippin song' to me. The line "I saw the light fade from the sky" always reminds me of the moment in Gondor where Pippin sees the stars vanish behind the clouds of Mordor. This animatic is also directly based on/is a study of shots in ROTK-- so if you're really Deep Into It you might be able to pick out exactly what specific scenes I'm referencing. I may continue drawing out the full song, but I've had this opening bit in my head very vividly for a while.

[live-laugh-legolas]

Hi it’s me again 💀 anyway my request—

The fellowship reacting to reader dancing and singing on a table then asking them to join them up there?

So fun! Idk if I need to put a warning but I imagined these being in a pub so alcohol is mentioned (please drink responsibly)

Tabletop Dancing

Aragorn:

-He watches with a smile behind his cup of ale

-Kinda like the smile he gives when he sees Merry and Pippin high as hell in Isengard

-He is very amused and loves watching you have fun

-But he was not expecting to be asked to join

-I don’t think he is much of a dancer and although he does sing, he doesn’t necessarily do it in a pub sort of fashion

-He won’t get up on the table with you

-But he will hold your hand and walk around the table with you

-Another reason he won’t get on the tables is because he is too tall

-I’m pretty sure he is canonically 6’6

-His head would bust a hole through the ceiling and scare the living shit out of the people in the room above

Legolas:

-He’s a little shocked at first

-Elves party different from other races; and this seems a bit… uncivilized

-But he is nothing if not open to learning new cultures and traditions

-He finds it very fun to engage in; much to his surprise

-I think movie Legolas may not want to get on the tables; but if we are going by the books then he absolutely will jump up and will walk around on the backs of chairs because he’s a show off

-He does fancy twirls with you

-He possibly accidentally throws you off the table doing this

Gimli:

-Ok; he is fully accepting of this and has no hesitation to join

-Dwarves love a good party, and especially this dwarf

-Even more so if he’s had a bit to drink

-Maybe don’t pull him up on the tables though

-Dwarves may be short, but they are solid and should not jump on tables if you want to have a table afterwards

-He will sing his heart out with you

-He is so loud it drowns you out but that’s alright

Boromir:

-He is clapping and singing along the whole time

-Like Aragorn he also is a bit too tall for table dancing

-However he is not deterred once he’s drunk enough

-He’s definitely a light weight though so it’s doesn’t take long for him to get up there and belting his heart out with you

-He steals the show if we are honest

-He will fall off the table

-Every time

Frodo:

-We know this Hobbit will get up on a table to perform

-He’s not shy to having a good time

-He is happy to be pulled up onto the tables with you to dance

-He definitely kicks a few cups over because he’s a little clumsy

-But no one can even be mad at him because he is so cute

-Seriously that smile is even worse than puppy eyes

Sam:

-Probably the hardest to convince to join you

-He’s just not one to enjoy being the center of attention

-But he loves watching you having a great time

-He will need to be a few drinks in to join

-He is more worried about you falling off the table

-He will kind of dance around the table but really he’s just there in case you trip

-He will be singing whatever song you were singing the next day

-It is stuck in his head and he’s much more open to singing when not in a crowd

Merry:

-It all depends on his mood

-He doesn’t want to say no to you and he does enjoy a good table tap dance

-However he also likes just observing the joyful scene

-He will sing duets with you

-He is less involved as Pippin though, and instead favors hyping you up over putting on his own show

-He joins in with cheers to call and response type songs

Pippin:

-You don’t even have to ask

-He’s already up there with you

-Every table is this a stage for this hobbit

-You two are absolute menaces but the life of the party so it evens out

-Full choreography

-You always get a standing ovation

-This is like a weekly thing for you two at least

-You guys have loyal fans

Gandalf:

-This old wizard loves a good jig

-At first I was thinking he would never get up on the tables

-But then I realized he absolutely would if he was drunk enough

-Idk why but I have decided he knows how to break dance but will complain about how sore he is the next day

-He will deny ever dancing on the tables or belting out songs

-He’s too old and dignified for that…

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

I hope this is a good enough response. I realize this isn’t really their reaction to the reader as much as just how they join in lol.

[cynassa]

countermelody

1.

Gimli has witnessed, before this, the grief of a father or a mother who has outlived their child. Even as his craft lay elsewhere, like all young and strong Dwarves half his life was in the military. As he grew in stature and wisdom, he had begun to lead patrols, or even the occasional skirmish against orcs and spiders and other dark creatures innumerable and unnamed. With this came the duty of going to parents and telling them that their child had perished bravely and gained much glory, whether it was true or not. Perhaps it brought them some peace, although Gimli doubted it.

Some of that grief he could see in Elrond's face, from time to time, as the day wore on, and the gentle lordliness occasionally slipped away to reveal the father. More than one parent, in Gimli's knowledge, quietly gave themselves to the forge after completing their child's last rites, but elves, of course, had no such recourse.

So Gimli dances, when Legolas and Pippin drag him off, and drinks as much as he can to the King and his new Queen's happy marriage, he scatters gold according to his own customs, and flowers according to elven, and cheers when the bride and groom dance on a shield until it is beaten flat, as the custom of Gondor calls for.

And when the wedding ends, he walks long with Legolas, hither and thither, to balconies and roofs, but when they reach the final juncture he unhesitatingly goes to his own room. He does not ask.

2.

Despite what elves seem to believe, occasionally to Gimli's amusement, Dwarves too can love living things. Sometimes they even love Dwarves back. Gimli has had to gently counsel a young dwarf, not even two full decades old, to let go of a wild parrot that she had found half-dead and nursed back to health. It was almost as much a task to coax the parrot away from her, she who had fed it grain by grain when its beak was barely capable of movement. Yet, once it was out of the cold and dampness of the Mountain, it immediately burst into song, voice going from a stale croak born of disuse to the richness born of joy, calling forth many of its own kind to come sing with it. In forty years, the parrot has ever and anon come back to the edge of the forest, but it grew too dangerous to allow their children, so it could only sing from afar. Even were it willing to come back, Gimli told the dwarf, it would waste away again so far from the greenness of its home and the song of its own kind.

In the Glittering Caves of Aglarond, Legolas is as a tall young tree, and as silent as one, a shock to the eye amongst the lovely veins of ore that go line by line unending into the far deepness. His green and grey travel cloak conceals him entirely, and yet the rippling gold of his hair marks him out to the eye at once.

In Fangorn, where finally they walked only two alone, Gimli sees much to wonder at, not only in the trees and fauna around him but in his companion. Legolas seems young indeed, laughing and singing, even more than usual.

And so, even as they make a fire and lay their bedrolls, Gimli does not ask.

3.

After they had walked a long road, they rest, weary yet happy. Unknowingly, Gimli comes to tell Legolas the story of a Firebeard bride. Her Ironfoot husband took her to the far South, and she left all she had to follow him, but after the marriage they came to much misfortune. Many of his kin died and those who lived a while before succumbing told of a terrible beast who ripped them apart with claws alone.

Gimli pauses and Legolas says, with surety, "It was the bride."

"Yes," Gimli says, "and it ends very sadly, with her laying hands on her own babe. Unable to accept it when in her right mind, she ultimately took her own life."

"I pity her, although you may not," Legolas says.

"You are mistaken, she is indeed pitied by all," Gimli replies. "But we also take it as a lesson, that a diamond must be set in its own place and coal in its own."

Legolas laughs quietly. "And yet, even I, ignorant elf that I am, know that one cannot have diamonds without first having coal."

His eyes glint challengingly at Gimli, who finds himself rising to it on instinct, who says, "And yet one would not expect diamond to burn like coal, or a parrot to live long in a cave, or a father to outlive his son."

Then he flinches. I did not ask, he tells himself, surely I did not.

Legolas laughs again, ringing out like bells or the sound of a waterfall from far off, beckoning. "A parrot may nest in a tree outside a cave, and with time coal may do a diamond's task. I have outlived the deadly quest we were on, and what there is beyond this is not in my ken, but my father will not have cause to grieve me for many years yet."

"Some things cannot be asked for," Gimli says, his heart beating like it would escape his chest and fly to his love, if Legolas holds out his hand for it.

"You need not ask," Legolas replies and leans down to hold his furred cheek and chin in two long-fingered hands and kiss him like gentle rain after scorching summer.

[wakingupthetrees]

the fellowship of the ring and how they are on a night out drinking (obvs tw for alcohol mentions!)

Aragorn;

likes a range of different drinks but tends to stick with beer

normally the most sober in the group, unless its just the three hunters, in which he is smashed to prove a point to gimli

drunk crier when hes alone

designated driver (arwen ends up picking them all up most of the time anyway)

holds his alcohol like a champ, never once seen throwing up even after the craziest nights

gets crazy hangovers though

Legolas;

loves a good fruity cocktail or wine

though he'll drink pretty much anything

and i mean anything. you could hand this elf a mixture of beer, moss and horse hair and he'd down it with an 'aight bet'

stomach of steel

somehow still pristine even after way too many shots to be healthy for anyone

only gets drunk on elf wine

hangovers? what's that?

the type to wake the others up at 7am the morning after to make him food

Gimli;

similar to aragorn, likes beer but will drink anything as long as its alcohol

gets WAY too into drinking games, one tease from a hobbit or elf and suddenly theyre 5 pints in

does not hold his alcohol that well, no matter what he says

passes out at a certain point and does not move for at least 10 hours. like he becomes a whole rock. just there. one time sam freaked out because he thought gimli was dead

wakes up in pain but soldiers through, makes THE best hangover pancakes

Boromir;

cider enjoyer

normally one of the more sober of the group at the start, then the first to descend into madness

is the one to suggest they play the drinking games, chaos unfolds

always ends up being dared into something dumb, later denies this

eggs the others on, also later denies this

wakes up with a killer headache

'im never doing that ever again' proceeds to do it again

'ill take this one easy guys' spoiler alert he does not take this one easy

offers to carry the hobbits home, they make it one street before getting picked up by the others

Frodo;

likes a good old pint from the green dragon

honestly anything thatll get his mind off of Things

happy to just sit and watch the chaos

gets weirdly philosophical after a few too many, dont let him near legolas they will start speaking in riddles even gandalf is lost on

always prepared with hangover remedies bilbo recommended him

Samwise;

the sensible one

also likes a variety of wines

likes to sing songs with everyone

gets anxious over getting too drunk

doesn't really know whats going on is just here to be with his friends and have fun :)

makes sure everyone drinks plenty of water and gets home safe

if he gets REALLY drunk he might cry over his potatoes. dont worry though, mr frodo, he knows just how to grow more even better next season

Merry;

another who'll drink literally anything, though he has lots of opinions and recommendations on what the best brands are

gets louder the more he drinks, especially once the songs start

him and pip are a 2 hobbit band, once they start a song theyre off.

on the tables, singing and drinking with a full planned dance routine to match

loves a good gossip, shares all the tea from the shire

do NOT let him and pippin start with the shots it will not end well for anybody

is one of the drunkest and yet never gets a hangover

Pippin;

drinks whatever the others order

a very giggly drunk

tries to sneak in a few pranks, always gets caught but no one really minds

plays all the games, sings all the songs, is just there for a good time

first to start singing, the first to get up on a table

needs to be carried home, will collapse laughing at some point and not get up

avoids the hangovers by just sleeping for hours and hours, always mia until the next evening after a night out

Gandalf;

prefers his pipeweed to drinking

though hes been seen with a glass in his hand at more than a few events

only person im the fellowship whos seen him drunk was pippin, who witnessed him shove a wild squirrel up his hat before winking and running away

everyone thinks pippin is joking, except legolas who's just been around long enough to think 'yeah that checks'

pip now has a phobia of squirrels ('but merry, what if he enchanted them!! what if he has a secret squirrel army!!')

[imagines--galore]

||A Confession Years in the Making||

Summary: A reunion between two friends, turns to something.....more.

Pairing: Legolas x Reader

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Fluff. A little mention of blood and death. And some kissing in the end.

A/N: @aidansloth​ and @chocotacobread​ suggested that I continue this and I couldn’t help myself so here it is!

The battle of Helm’s Deep was won.

It was hard-earned and brutal. So many lives had been lost.

You were one of the few elves that had survived. It had not been easy. The enemy had seen to slaughtering you whatever chance it could get. Yet you had been steadfast and true in your skills as a warrior. You still had so much to live for and one mere battle would not deter you from your true purpose.

Sustaining no life-threatening injuries, you had taken to carrying out other tasks. One of them being searching for survivors amongst those fallen. More then once you had stooped down to carry an injured soldier to the Healing Halls. Your elf strength aided in carrying them, though it didn’t take long for your clothing to be stained with blood and grime from your task. You had removed your armor earlier, or rather what was left of it. You had used several pieces of your armor as ammunition during the battle.

Despite your relatively high level of endurance, you were beginning to tire now. You had not rested after the battle, and now it had been nearly a full day since you had any rest. Before that there had been the long march across Middle-Earth. Suffice to say when Aragorn approached you tell you there was a room where the remaining Fellowship and elves were resting, you were quick to follow him.

Entering the room you were greeted by the sight of several figures slumbering upon the ground underneath warm blankets. You were too exhausted to notice anyone or anything as Aragorn guided you to an empty spot and handed you a blanket and a rough looking pillow. You barely thanked him as you pushed off your boots and outer tunic, revealing the slightly cleaner one underneath. You would’ve preferred a bath but you were just so tired. As soon as you laid down you were asleep, unaware of the elf that lay beside you, lost in his own dreams.

                                             ————————-

A warmth enveloped your hand, prompting you to open your eyes, staring sleepily at the eyes of the elf lying beside you. He seemed to have just woken as well, since his own eyes were barely open, yet there was a small smile playing on his lips as he stroked his thumb along the back of your hand. You closed your eyes with a gentle smile, your body subtly moving a little closer to his.

“Thank the Valar you are safe.” He whispered so softly that the words reached no other ears but your own. You lifted his hand to your lips, pressing them softly against his skin. “And I am glad that you are safe as well, Legolas.”

The both of you fell asleep again.

                                             ————————-

You had been to countless elven festivities during your lifetime. And those of men was not so different from your own.

There was drinking involved, of course, songs, dance, merriment and laughter. Wherever you looked, you saw families reunited with their loved ones, soldier’s sitting together and remembering their fallen comrades. The Hobbits, Merry and Pippin, as you had been introduced, were dancing on the table. The White Wizard, Mithrandir, was watching amused. He caught your gaze and gave you a warm smile, which you returned. However, your gaze was directed towards a certain elf and his dwarf friend. You navigated your way over to them, amused to see what they were up to.

There seemed to be some sort of drinking competition, you deduced from the many many tankards that were now resting upon the table. As the Prince of Mirkwood appeared from behind a tankard, once he had drained it of course, you couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Would not be cheating if you were to win? You know their ale cannot effect us.” You whispered to him as you watched Gimli reach for yet another tankard.

Legolas smiled mischievously before pressing a lips to his fingers. You couldn’t help but laugh softly at his antics. It didn’t take long for Gimli to promptly keel over and begin snoring as the ale finally got to him. You couldn’t help but laugh at the smug yet unbothered manner in which Legolas stated his victory. “Game Over.”

You patted his arm gently before moving to the unconscious. Together the both of you managed to pick him up and carry him out of the Feasting Halls. Finding the rooms where you would be sleeping, Gimli was deposited there, and after throwing a blanket over him, and listening to him curse at Legolas for winning, though in jest, the two of you stepped out of the room and into the hallway.

The two of you turned your heads to look at one another, before you reached out to clasp his hand within you own and began to lead him down the hall. Past the crowd of happy people and out into the cool evening air. The both of you stood next to one another, hands still clasped. The silence seemed to stretch on and on, yet it was one of comfort.

“I did not think we would survive.” You finally spoke, allowing a slight tremble to your voice as you did. Legolas nodded. “There was a moment I thought as such as well.” He responded. If it had not been for Mithrandir and Éomer’s timely arrival they would have been overwhelmed quickly by the enemy.

“We elves tend to not think about death, given that were are immortal.” You turned so you could face him. “But during the battle, watching our kinsmen fall, I realized we are just as vulnerable as Man.” He gave your hand a light squeeze as if in reassurance. Your gaze flickered to your joined hands and raised them between the two of you. You lifted your other hand as well as you began to play with his fingers, and drawing patterns against his palm. “And though I had resolved to tell you even before the battle of how I felt, I realized I should’ve done it a long long time ago.”

You finally looked up at him, eyes shining with unshed tears to see a storm of emotions darkening his gaze. Yet he looked at you so tenderly. You had never seen him look that way before, though little did you know, over the years, when your gaze had been fixed on something else, he had looked at you with that expression quite often.

“I suppose it was a mistake on both our parts, to keep something from one another for so long.” He finally said, reaching up with his other hand to push some of your hair behind your pointed ear. The wind was blowing softly, allowing strands of your hair to dance in the breeze. You had borrowed a dress from Lady Éowyn for the occasion, but it hardly mattered to Legolas what you wore. You looked just as beautiful as you did after the battle at Helm’s Deep. His hand lingered at your ear, fingertips only barely brushing against the pointed tip. The sensation prompted you to inhale a shuddering breath, unable to look away from him.

“Shall we promise never to do that again?” You asked, clasping his hands in both of yours, stepping closer to him as you did. The scent of pine and wood enveloped you completely as you drew comfort from simply being in his presence. He gave a small nod of confirmation, his hand cupping the side of your face as he drew you even closer.

“I promise, never to keep a secret from you Y/N, again.” You had been expecting his lips to meet yours. Your eyes had closed, which was why you were a little surprised when he passed your mouth completely. “And here is my final secret.” He finally stopped a mere breath away from your ear as he whispered his final secret, his final undoing. His breath was warm against your skin. His closeness and scent was making your head spin, and yet you had never felt so grounded, so alive before.

A shy yet delighted smile stretched across your features as your body leaned against his completely and you turned your head to whisper your final secret to him as well.

The promise the two of you made that night was sealed with an embrace that was both passionate yet gentle. His lips found yours at the same time yours found his. There was no denying that whatever spark there had been between the two of you only seemed to shine brighter as you kissed. It had always been there, but this would be the first time you were both allowing yourself to explore for the first time.

You pulled back from the kiss, your nose brushing against his for a moment. You opened your eyes to see him looking back at you, and the emotion that lay within urged you to fuse your lips together once more. The first kiss had been soft and gentle, this was anything but.

With a hand at the back of your head, Legolas tilted your head slightly to allow him to better slant his lips against yours. The slight shift had him making the kiss even deeper.

You poured every ounce of love and devotion into the embrace, trying to convey the depth of your feelings to him. Legolas seemed matched your pace perfectly, as he wrapped his arms around your waist, his hands stroking along the length of your back. Your hands were occupied with his hair, before roaming down to his shoulders.

He was the one who pulled back this time, taking satisfaction at your breathlessness the blush across your cheeks. “No more secrets?” He asked, as his thumb ran along the bottom of your lower lip. You shook your head. “No more secrets.”

You pulled him back down, your giggle at his startled expression muffled as your lips met once more.

[tookishcombeferre]

Metamorphosis & Mutation: A Cedric the Sorcerer Playlist

My hand slipped and made a 2+ hour playlist. My challenge for myself was that I was not allowed to use *any* of the songs from the series.

If you know how much I love music, you know I love a good challenge. There are one or two songs that cuss in them. (Only one "f-bomb" from a Passenger song, but it's worth it because the song "Fairytales and Firesides" is beautiful. The line "We are bitter losers, snarling through our smiles" was just too perfect to pass up.)

"The Incident" and its immediate aftermath is represented by "The Sacrifice of Faramir" for ... reasons. It just felt perfect. Any LotR fans will likely understand that and where my mind was going with that one. (Surprising number of parallels between Sofia and Pippin, Cedric and Faramir, and Goodwyn and Denethor. Might make a post about this eventually. Due to the casting in movies, which don't get me wrong, overall I love, very few people remember (or know) that, in the novels, Pippin was 28 at the beginning of the book and turns 29 in Gondor near the end of the trilogy. Hobbits don't reach full cultural maturity, and are considered minors, until 33. Billy Boyd was actually the oldest of the hobbit actors. So, most people forget that/ don't know that fact. But, now you know! :D) (I may or may not have spent four years of my life researching these books and relationships in almost monastic levels of isolation except for when my [now] spouse and our mutual friends would drag me out my dorm room to ensure I ate and hydrated myself. The sad thing is I am only kind of hyperbolizing.) A note on the song "I Found" by Amber Run - that is meant platonically/ paternally. If people read anything else into that DON'T. Just DON'T. (For people who have read "In the Flares of the Sun," and continue to read it, this song will hit different. The whole idea of "I found love where it wasn't supposed to be, right in front of me, talk some sense to me." is just ... it hits. Platonically. It hits from two directions for folks who have read the chapter "First, Do No Harm." Honestly, this song has always given me *deep friendship* vibes more than anything else anyway. The first playlist I ever used it on was an adopted mother-daughter relationship in a dystopian novel I was writing. It was used right alongside "You'll Be In My Heart" from Tarzan. So, if you want to know the vibes I get from this song, now you know. The kid was based on Thomas Paine so it was actually a "Common Sense" pun. ;D) "Show Me" by Idina Menzel is also intended platonically. I first heard that song on an Anna and Elsa tribute video so I've always thought of that song platonically. But, if you're gonna weird about either of those songs, just don't. With that out of the way, there are some very "me" choices in here. "This is the Moment" from Jekyll and Hyde was my *jam* in middle school. I almost broke my CD of the "dream cast album" with Anthony Warlow as Jekyll/Hyde playing it so many times on my CD player before I got an iPod. (I NEVER claimed I was not old, y'all. Also, I'm actually auditioning for the role of Jekyll/Hyde in December. XD) The fact that there is both Jason Robert Brown and Marianas Trench on this playlist is a very "me" choice. Also, yes, I did put two songs from the new Hunchback of Notre Dame with Michael Arden as Quasimodo on here. Don't *judge* me. (Made of Stone is a perfect song for Cedric, COME ON!) Also, if I chose to set Cedric's rant to Roland as "If It's True" from Hadestown. It is *my* prerogative to give my sad trash-panda this beautiful rant. If I wanna play that pre-dungeon moment as a little more justified because it felt a little more true than not ... it's *my* playlist. (Hadestown is based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The song "If It's True" is set just after Orpheus has just gotten his butt whooped by Hades and told that he's worthless, that he's basically lower than dirt, and that music and love are meaningless.) (1. I'm absolutely setting this playlist in the universe of "In the Flares of the Sun." So, mild spoiler, in the first verse of this song, for backstory about something that has only been implied so far, but is coming up in a future chapter. The spoiler is very blink and you'll miss it. It's like a line and a half of the song. But, it's there, and I did choose the song intentionally because of the backstory I built in the world of that fic/ other fics I'm planning for future. So, you'll get a brief glimpse into my brain. 2. But, let's be real:

"'Cause the ones who tell the lies/ Are the solemnest to swear/ And the ones who load the dice/ Always say the toss is fair/ And the ones who deal the cards/ Are the ones who take the tricks/ With their hands over their hearts/ While we play the game they fix/ And the ones who speak the words/ Always say it is the last/ And no answer will be heard/ To the question no one asks" Mmmmm ... so perfect. So angry. Also that: "Tell me what to do" - so many different characters that could be directed towards.) But, this is also why I put the world's best anti-villain anthem that sounds like a Disney-princess "I want song" right before it. It's about the *juxtaposition.* It's about the *nuance.* (Cedric basically is Dr. Jekyll. Okay? It's probably why I love him. Jekyll/Hyde has long been a favorite character of mine.) Also, I'm obsessed with Collabro. Their covers are so good, and the story of how they came together is so supremely weird and serendipitous. Look them up. They do not disappoint. Also, "Chosen Family" is one of my favorite songs ever. I used the one where Rina Sawayama and Elton John sing together. Though, Rina Sawayama is the original writer. I love both versions, but I also just love Elton John so much, and I love the version where he sings with her. I hope y'all enjoy it too. I will spread the gospel of this song forever because I just love it. And, I had to end with the credit's song of "The Tigger Movie" - "Your Heart Will Lead You Home" - because that movie destroys me every single time I watch it. The end. That's my notes on this. There are a whole bunch of other songs I didn't cover. But, yeah. These are the ones I wanted to make notes on. This got really long. If you can't tell music is something of a special interest of mine. I managed to refrain from putting full blown oprea on here. You're welcome. I'm not sure exactly where I would have gone if I *had* decided to put opera on here. But, it's not an impossibility or something I wouldn't do, or haven't done, for other character playlists in the past. XD

[eggcompany]

Legolas- Hobbit Mama

What did you expect when you put four young hobbits, who are far too far from home, with someone who protects them and keeps them safe? Especially one that has a quite warm cloak and quite welcoming arms in the deep of the night.

“Legolas? What’re you- what’re you doing?” Aragorn asked as he stared at the... pile. The elf laid wide awake against a tree with the four little hobbits laying semi around semi on him. The two twins cuddled up on his left and Frodo and Sam lay cuddled on his right. Each of them had an arm or leg thrown over him. Pippin had his head resting on Legolas’s hip and Merry had an arm around the elf’s middle. Frodo had a leg on top of Legolas’s and Sam was laying back on the elf’s side and arm.

“I did not do this! They just- they did this! Crawled over to me in the night! I do not know how to handle the little ones so I fret to move them.” Whispered to the ranger. This caused one of them to move- Pippin- to roll and snuggle into the worn fabric of the elf’s tunic.

By now Gimli had come over too and was stifling a laugh.

“Looks like you have some pups there huh? Mother goose and her ducklings!” The dwarf exclaimed oh so happily. The elf looked exasperated. Aragorn laughed a bit at this too.

“They like you! You should be happy!” Gimli said as the hobbits began to roll and wiggle into a more comfortable position. Meaning Sam now had his arm thrown over the elf’s chest and had snuggled into his arm and Frodo now had Legolas’s leg trapped between his two short ones and Merry laid his head on the elf’s chest.

Aragorn and Gimli both couldn’t help barking out a laughter at the sight. It really was a mother hen and her ducklings now. The white haired man looked down at the little ones with his mouth open in disbelief and eyes full of nurturing love.

“They are... quite light. Perhaps they got chills in the night. Searched out for my cloak for warmth.” Lagolas thought out loud. He wondered what brought the halflings to him in the dark.

“Maybe they searched out a mother’s hand!” Gimli laughed out.

“A mother’s heart!” Add Aragorn.

The two started laughing again and to Legolas’s secret dismay the hobbits started to move and awaken.

“Oh hello Legolas” said Sam as he stretched his arms.

“Hi” said Merry as he sat up and stretched his back.

“‘D mornin” yawned Pippin.

“Good morning Legolas” finally said Frodo as he stood and pulled Sam up.

The hobbits went to their packs and got ready to make breakfast.

The Ranger and Dwarf both bid their good morn to the hobbits as they passed and then looked back at the wrinkled white haired man who was still laying against the tree. His cloak was spread out around him and his tunic and pants were wrinkled from sleep. He looked almost disappointed.

“What’s wrong Elf? I thought you said you didn’t bring them over here. What’s got you glum?” Aragorn picked at him. Gimli was talking to the hobbits.

“What brought you over to the elf in the night?” Asked Gimli to the four little hobbits as they broke out all their supplies for making a hearty breakfast.

Pippin spoke first.

“Well I was homesick and he smells like safety and mother’s cleaning solution! I thought he wouldn’t mind and if he did I always could just come back to Merry.”

Merry spoke next.

“Yeah and when Pippin left I got lonesome so I followed him and well... he’s so gentle when he patted our heads and wrapped his cloak around us.”

Next was Sam.

“Well I came over ‘cause he kinda looks like a lady and well he’s soft and gentle and stuff and I miss my bed. He was so welcoming when I laid next to him. He even kissed my forehead like my mama used to!” Sam was happy and well rested. He was thankful for the elf.

“How about you Frodo?” Gimli prompted. The ring bearer replied quietly.

“He’s warm and gentle and will keep us safe in the night. I came to him because he will protect all of us in the dark. And he shared his cloak and hummed us a song.” Frodo said solemnly but said the last part with a big smile. The rest of the hobbits nodded from where they were busy cooking.

Gimli smiled and nodded. He hid his laugher till he got back to Aragorn who was still picking at the elf. Legolas was now dressed with his quiver on his back.

Aragorn nodded at the dwarf as he walked up to them. Legolas looked even more exasperated now.

“Heard your givin out kisses now Elf. What ‘bout you hum us a song?” Gimli barely got out before him and the Ranger started laughing jovially. They laughed barkishly like dogs and the poor pale elf was redder than a proper apple.

“You two will- will get NOTHING! I was simply... offering some comfort for the little ones. It’s their first time being this far from their home and and I was helping! No thanks to you two! They were scared!” The elf was red and flustered. How dare these two men make fun of him! He was so angry.

The two men giggled a bit and stopped. The poor elf was so angry looking.

“Fine fine sorry. It’s nice though. It’s nice that your uh” Gimli said but couldn’t think of the end.

“Mother henning them. I mean protecting them and looking after them. It’s kind of you.” Aragorn finished.

Before the elf could respond Pippin hopped over with a large bowl of... something that smelled divine.

“Here you go mama, brought you some breakfast! As a thank you for protecting us last night and being so kind!” The small one smiled greatly and when the ranger, dwarf, and of course elf looked over at the other hobbits they all smiled too.

Legolas look down at the bow- did this hobbit call him mama? Did- wh- no. Maybe. Maybe Legolas liked it. Maybe it warmed his heart. Maybe if he doesn’t say anything the other two won’t say anything about it.

Legolas bent down to be eye to eye with the halfling.

“Thank you Pippin. I appreciate this gift immensely.”

The elf stood again to call to the other hobbits.

“Thank you, Merry, Sam, Frodo, for this wonderful meal.” The elf smiled widely showing off his pearly white teeth.

The hobbits nodded and talked among themselves as Pippin returned.

Legolas dig into his food without looking at the Gimli or Aragorn. He heard the two walk away but not without hearing.

“Hobbit Mama huh? At least they’ll find some comfort while we travel. Especially poor Frodo. Mama though..”

“Maybe it’s the lack of facial hair or maybe it’s the long hair and fair skin."

[boundleaf-inn]

The travellers hung up their cloaks, and piled their packs on the floor. Merry led them down the passage and threw open a door at the far end. Firelight came out, and a puff of steam. "A bath!" cried Pippin. "O blessed Meriadoc!" "Which order shall we go in?" said Frodo. "Eldest first, or quickest first? You'll be last either way, Master Peregrin." "Trust me to arrange things better than that!" said Merry. "We can't begin life at Crickhollow with a quarrel over baths. In that room there are three tubs, and a copper full of boiling water. There are also towels, mats and soap. Get inside, and be quick!"

Merry and fatty went into the kitchen on the other side of the passage, and busied themselves with the final preparations for a late supper. Snatches of competing songs came from the bathroom mixed with the sound of splashing and wallowing. The voice of Pippin was suddenly lifted up above the others in one of Bilbo's favourite bath-songs.

- Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

[3months2mordor]

Elves and Hobbits love to sing! Here’s the songs we’ve heard so far. Any favorites? Also for those audiobook listeners, how’s your narrator’s signing voice?

For those who love the movies. Frodo’s Dwarf Remix is sung to the tune of the Misty Mountains Cold and Frodo’s Walking Song is Pippin’s song (Edge of Night) from Return of the King!

Let us know if you want more polls!

For the full lyrics see below from Tolkien Gateway

1. Bilbo’s Travel Song

The Road goes ever on and on,

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

2. Frodo’s Walking Song

Upon the hearth the fire is red,

Beneath the roof there is a bed;

But not yet weary are our feet,

Still round the corner we may meet

A sudden tree or standing stone

That none have seen but we alone.

Tree and flower and leaf and grass,

Let them pass! Let them pass!

Hill and water under sky,

Pass them by! Pass them by!

Still round the corner there may wait

A new road or a secret gate,

And though we pass them by today,

Tomorrow we may come this way

And take the hidden paths that run

Towards the Moon or to the Sun.

Apple, thorn, and nut and sloe,

Let them go! Let them go!

Sand and stone and pool and dell,

Fare you well! Fare you well!

Home is behind, the world ahead,

And there are many paths to tread

Through shadows to the edge of night,

Until the stars are all alight.

Then world behind and home ahead,

We'll wander back to home and bed.

Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,

Away shall fade! Away shall fade!

Fire and lamp, and meat and bread,

And then to bed! And then to bed!

3. The Elves’ Eerie Forest Song

Snow-white! Snow-white! O Lady clear!

O Queen beyond the Western Seas!

O light to us that wander here

Amid the world of woven trees!

Gilthoniel! O Elbereth!

Clear are thy eyes and bright thy breath!

Snow-white! Snow-white! We sing to thee

In a far land beyond the sea.

O Stars that in the Sunless Year

With shining hand by her were sown,

In windy fields now bright and clear

We see your silver blossom blown!

O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!

We still remember, we who dwell

In this far land beneath the trees,

Thy starlight on the Western Seas.

4. Pippin and Sam’s Hangover Song

Ho! Ho! Ho! to the bottle I go

To heal my heart and drown my woe.

Rain may fall and wind may blow,

And many miles be still to go,

But under a tall tree I will lie,

And let the clouds go sailing by.

5. Pippin’s Bath Song

Sing hey! for the bath at close of day

that washes the weary mud away!

A loon is he that will not sing:

O! Water Hot is a noble thing!

O! Sweet is the sound of falling rain,

and the brook that leaps from hill to plain;

but better than rain or rippling streams

is Water Hot that smokes and steams.

O! Water cold we may pour at need

down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed;

but better is Beer if drink we lack,

and Water Hot poured down the back.

O! Water is fair that leaps on high

in a fountain white beneath the sky;

but never did fountain sound so sweet

as splashing Hot Water with my feet!

6. Frodo’s Dwarf Remix Goodbye Song

Farewell we call to hearth and hall!

Though wind may blow and rain may fall,

We must away ere break of day

Far over wood and mountain tall.

To Rivendell, where Elves yet dwell

In glades beneath the misty fell,

Through moor and waste we ride in haste,

And whither then we cannot tell.

With foes ahead, behind us dread,

Beneath the sky shall be our bed,

Until at last our toil be passed,

Our journey done, our errand sped.

We must away! We must away!

We ride before the break of day!

[lotrmusical]

here it is: the Big Wheel of Things People Love About Watermill Lord of the Rings!

spin here

optional: use what you get as a creative prompt for fanworks to celebrate the anniversary of the production! (full info here)

a couple stats from sorting the responses, just for fun:

louis/frodo is the most commonly mentioned, followed by nuwan/sam, aaron/aragorn and folarin/gimli.

a full 10% of responses mention the characters' physical affection: hugging, holding, reaching for each other, etc. this is truly the world's claspiest musical

louis and nuwan are tied for the most quoted line deliveries, followed by tom

everyone really loves the ent noises and falling leaves in the fangorn scene. (5 separate mentions)

full list of responses & credit below the cut 🍃

@cicelythereaper:

The Ents being represented by the sound of wood striking wood in the walls

The actor-musician setup - the way everyone is musical and telling a story!

Galadriel standing within her giant wreath - which turns into a sort of Ring of fire when she's considering going darkside

The choreography of Flight to the Ford

Frodo and Gollum's parallel body language

Folarin's performance in Moria

Saruman. Everything about Saruman

Aragorn's habit of clasping people's heads

@mischieffoal:

Matt Bugg's Gollum thirst traps

Lobelia

Evil flute magic

I want the ring/risk to be mine alone

Day May End

The breath like choreo at the first "lorien laure"

clutching our heads in his hands

Mrs. Bracegirdle

Samfrosie 5ever

GIRL PIPPIN

"our lives are woven together yours and mine"

aoife's voice

sioned's extremely eldritch elf queen

brown sam and black rosie!!!!!

yazdan's just really hot

extreme divorced energy saruman/gandalf

that bit in the council of elrond where Legolas speaks just as the turntable has put him directly facing the audience

Boromir's death and wake

Boromir's ghost/Faramir

Aragorn/Arwen, they do it SO WELL

@nowandforalways:

The new arrangement on specifically Frodo's verse of Now And For Always

"SAM LOVES ROSIE SAM LOVES ROSIE"

The way that PDukes says the words "a far, green country"

Frodo constantly slinging his arm around Sam's shoulders

Plum cake

Bilbo kissing Frodo's hands

Ensemble hobbits reaching their hands out to Frodo when Sam helps him up before Wonder

Hobbit hug after Gandalf falls in Moria

"Heyday" stupid-foot-tap-jump-thing

The change in Gollum's voice after Frodo calls him "Smeagol"

Sparkly elven cloaks

The way Arwen holds her arms

Stab Wound Continuity™️

Shelob puppet

PDukes standing behind Theodenothor looking so SAD

Arwen & Aragorn's matching arm movements during Lasto i lamath

The "beat drop" in Lothlorien (when they start singing in Quenya lol)

"Master Elrond, WHY there is a dwarf here I do NOT know"

The lighting during Song of Hope (reprise)

The Black Speech being projected on the back wall when Gandalf takes it out of the fire in Bag End

Frodo mostly hanging back at his own birthday party and then immediately getting SO INTO IT when the dancing starts

Frodo fully forgetting his pack at the start of The Road Goes On and Sam grabbing it for him

Louis' voice

Frodo directing the other hobbits and encouraging the Breelanders during The Cat And The Moon

The red waistcoat with Louis' dark hair and eyes

How physically affectionate Frodo is with the people he loves

TIRED AND COLD

Frodo grabbing Smeagol's arm to counter-balance as Smeagol falls into Mount Doom

Louis being the resident freak in all of the cast interviews

Frodo being on the lower harmony for the first time in the whole show when he joins Sam singing at the Gray Havens

@eelfleece:

BIG! SPIDER! PUPPET!

little small leaves floating down in the ent scene and the soft Boom Boom accompanying them

anonymous:

It drove my sibling's wife insane for several months. Sometimes the most important thing about a production is how much it means to people you care about.

the actor-musicianship

the intimacy of the theatre

the cast themselves

the strong south-asian inspiration in the music and choreo

It felt like such a genuine production. No big stage or huge light shows, just actors having fun and delivering one hell of a performance. The smaller venue helped with that a lot

The pre show where Bilbo walked among the crowd greeting people and chatting with them as if they too were hobbits.

I walked from Newbury station to the theatre so getting there and seeing that the outside of the theatre was decorated as well was such a good way to arrive there after an hour of walking

All of the actors being the ones who play pretty much all of the music as well made me have so much more respect for the amazing cast

The parts where actors played outside of the stage like gollum climbing the decor or Aragorn (I think) suddenly being on the balcony.

The leaves falling when the ents are in the scene made it so much more immersive

The costumes made for the production were amazing. Each one suited the character well

I saw the actress who played pippin smiling throughout the entire show. She was having genuine fun and that made it so much more authentic to me

I am Astonished that they managed to fit all the three books into one musical.

I just really hope this musical will someday return to the watermill theatre as it was the best performance I have ever seen. Nothing will top this

the way louis maskell says "mr gandalf - please" with a laugh in his voice as he kneels next to sam to "protect" him from being turned into anything unnatural

the final show where sam scurried behind frodo during "don't let him turn me into anything… UNNATURAL" so frodo just knelt with his hands out in front of him like "Mr Gandalf… please"

Legolas! and! Gimli! forehead! touch! and! head! clasp! during wonder after talking about seeing the caves and the forests together

Louis Maskell's wiggles

Yazdan's northern accent for Legolas

the Look TM and intonation on Frodo's "…goodbye, Sam" before they do the foot tapping as Sam heads off to the Ivy Bush with Rosie

looks like /you've/ got ALL the company you need

oh yes! lots of FRUIT around here

Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli doing different rituals whilst kneeling over Boromir's body

Aarongorn's ritual gesture - hand to head, chest and lips

boromir: 'and defeated him!!' elrond: '…...yes. 🙄'

'don't adventures ever have an end?' bilbo's heartbreaking tone

circle of light holding gandalf captive in isengard

the pattern from the moria doors also used on gimli's costumes

NAZGUL PUPPETS. horse skull my beloved

the blue cloths rippling down from the ceiling for flight to the ford

amelia's high harmony in road goes on

council of elrond turntable and curved benches blocking that effortlessly puts everyone where they need to be to keep the scene moving, clear, dynamic

'go forth in hope that the small may succeed where the great could not' tom's tone and gentleness with frodo making me cry every time

STAR OF EARENDIL A CAPPELLA MOMENT. CHILLS FOREVER

all the times merry, pippin and sam support frodo and help him along, emotionally and physically

EVERYONE MIRRORING SAM AND REACHING OUT THEIR HANDS TO FRODO BEFORE WONDER

nuwan's beautiful floral guitar strap

sioned's galadriel becoming increasingly terrifying, her distant gaze and lilting intonation

matt bugg gollum upside down moments

the audience helping to rebuild the shire for the epilogue

the big white sail for frodo to exit behind one final time, and his last look back as he goes

all the people playing instruments but ESPECIALLY elliot getting so so energetic and hype during song of hope reprise

'w-w-what she means is… how about a song?' and the other hobbits immediately dying inside

FOLARIN'S LAMENT FOR MORIA and his bowing to the surroundings before he starts and the depth and reverence and awe he brings!!

CHARLOTTE GRAYSON ROSIE 'i've been expecting you since the spring!!' making me cry every time

aarongorn's gentleness and reluctance to come out, and the way he sits during the council trying to fade into the background while everyone's talking about the lost sword

bridget and reece's cartwheel/lift choreo in cat and the moon!

the lights in the big tree by the outside stage

'that's often how it is in a forest, pip' geraint's hilarious delivery, and him and amelia clearly having the MOST fun together

The ensemble acting as an extension of Sam! He represents the people ✊

The way Aragorn falls to his knees after Song of Hope (Duet)

The nazgul lighting

Incorporating the environmentalist message from the book with the wildflower packets, the orcs' industrial look, and the emphasis on rebuilding at the end

The ensemble narration :)

The sense of loss that clouds the production, as it tells of the end of an era and doesn't quite finish where it started (same place but so much is missing) (again with the rebuilding theme)

Rosie Cotton

Creative use of the physical space in the house!

The ents being represented by Noises

Being a major adaptation willing to mess around with gender! I hope this starts a trend of more genderfuckery in Tolkien adaptations

the detail of the set and costume design!! e.g the pattern on gimli's costume matching the moria floor pattern

Folarin's Lament for Moria - absolutely incredible voice, was swept away

The hobbits hurriedly putting their waistcoats on and rolling up their shirtsleeves as they transition from Mount Doom to Gondor

Yazdan's wide eyed wonder and smile as he sings Lorien

Sam's quiet, muttered "no Frodo" when Frodo says "goodbye Sam" during the final (I love to have my heart smashed into a thousand pieces)

Charlotte as Rosie - so joyful and sweet and strong and A++++ fiddling

whoever's job it was to stick their hand through a hole in the ceiling and drop leaves one by one while the ents were talking

Nuwan's Sam and Louis' Frodo, how tender and in love they were

HANDS

Tiny weirdo powerhouse Georgia Louise Galadriel!! Best Galadriel performance ever.

Boromir and Sioned-Elf’s mesmerising interaction at Lothlorien

Legolas and Gimli's arm clasp / forehead touch during Wonder

Bilbo’s birthday party in the garden and getting to wish him a happy birthday

Frodo’s expression when Elrond gives him his blessing

Elf hand choreography and hand speak!!

Literally everything about Nuwan and Louis in Now and for Always

Sassy Elrond/Saruman

Aaron’s soft boi Aragorn. I stan a gentle king.

Nuwan's Sam being decisive and protective with Frodo and taking no sh*it. "Lots of fruit around here!" comes to mind.

[realtacuardach]

I love Legolas & Gimli banter. Banter is one of my favorites to write (and read)! 😁

The harmony of the company and the river might have carried on forever, but then the lilting song of the elf broke off into a light hiss of frustration. Looking wistfully at the twig that had fractured beneath his blade, Legolas shook his head and surrendered it to the currents. "Alas, and farewell," he sighed.

Beside him, Gimli snorted. "So fragile."

Legolas arched his brow. "Fragile, master dwarf?"

"The arrow, master elf," the dwarf clarified, grinning. "Deadly the arrow may be, especially from your bow, but how easily it can be defeated even in the hands of its own maker."

Gimli's eyes gleamed with amusement, and Legolas' eyes lit up in kind with recognition of the game. 

"Not defeated," Legolas replied, "it simply did not feel up to being an arrow and so managed to tell me before I pressed it into service."

"Fine words," Gimli laughed, "and a finer dodge of my own." His eyes tracked the path of the broken twig as it floated around a bend and out of sight, never pausing in the sharpening of his ax. "A pity."

"What, dare I ask?" Legolas replied.

"That you put in all that work to make your arrows," Gimli grinned, "only to lose them and have to begin the whole process over again."

"I would not say that I lose them," Legolas laughed, "they go precisely where I mean them to."

"At any rate, you end every battle with less than what you started," Gimli said. "Whereas my ax remains close at hand both before and after battle."

"Ah, but what for the enemies not close at hand?" Legolas asked. "Indeed, it is better to take out an enemy sooner rather than later, and with my bow I have the advantage there."

"Perhaps," Gimli admitted. "But at least I do not have to retrieve my ax or make it anew after every battle."

"What about your throwing axes?" Legolas asked. "They do not fly back to your hands once they have been thrown, you have to chase after them."

"That is still only two I must get back," Gimli answered. "As opposed to the entire quiver-full you must find – or not, as the case may be."

"Are you trying to convert me to the ax?" Legolas' eyes twinkled. "I have battled solely with the bow and the blade for centuries, I am too old and set in my ways to pick up any new weapons."

"Far be it from me to convince an elf of anything," Gimli said. "I am simply saying that the ax is a far more efficient weapon of war."

"Are you saying," Legolas affected a tone of scandalized shock, "that my bow, a gift from Lady Galadriel, is a substandard weapon of war?"

Pippin, who had tucked his dagger away and was watching the verbal sparring with interest, let out a low "ooooh." Merry let out a quiet whistle and grinned.

Reverence softened the lines of amusement crinkling Gimli's eyes at the mention of the lady he so esteemed. Awe mingled with righteous indignation as he spoke. "I would never defame a gift from my lady," he said, hand pausing in its work to rest protectively over where he had tucked the precious golden hairs. 

"Indeed not," Legolas agreed.

Gimli patted softly over his heart where the hairs had been secured, lost in thought for a moment. His gaze, soft and dreamy with memory, suddenly blazed with enthusiasm and he grinned at the elf. "But I have no quarrel with the efficiency of your bow," he continued, "merely with the efficiency of your arrows. Which my lady did not give you."

Here be more banter (and Fellowship Shenanigans)!

[airandangels]

As I continue with the LOTR audiobooks I’m struck by how different the sense of pace and urgency is from the movies. We know, of course, that a movie is different from a book and can simply and directly show us things that an author may need a few paragraphs to describe, also events in the plot may be brought closer together or be combined or dropped altogether, and dialogue generally needs to be more concise. I think I’m allowing sufficiently for that, but still.

With the abduction of Merry and Pippin, surely every minute counts in terms of the trail growing cold or the orcs reaching their destination, yet still, after caring for Boromir’s body and giving him the best funeral they can under the circumstances* (as they do in the movie, it’s just that it’s elided between scenes while in the book we have the full description, including a touching detail, that they made a pillow for his head from his folded Lothlorien cloak and combed his hair, because it’s such a human**thing that even knowing our friend or relative won’t feel it and doesn’t need it, we need to make sure they would be comfortable and they look nice) after setting his boat loose to go over the falls, because Lord of the Rings is a musical, they’re singing a song they must have improvised just now - not just Boromir’s favourite song if they knew it, or a pre-existing Gondorian folk song that seems fitting, but a new original song about missing Boromir, because not only does it have his name in it, it has pretty specific references to the geography of his journey and so forth.

The only way that makes sense is if you bear in mind that Lord of the Rings is a musical.

Also, I generally don’t harp on differences between the books and movies, but I would like to note that in the book Boromir is still alive, in his last moments, to feel Aragorn hold his hand and kiss his forehead, and I prefer that version.

Oh! Also Andy Serkis did come up with better voices for Elrond and Legolas than the rather irritating wispy fairy ones he did for the earlier elves. They still have a trace of the wispiness and a certain rhythm to their speech that’s distinctively elvish, and I think that was a good way to handle it. I guess Glorfindel and that dude the hobbits met on the way out of the Shire just have stronger accents when they speak the common language? I’ll let it go at that.

I bet he was glad Tolkien wrote that Galadriel had an unusually deep voice for a woman.

* I don’t blame them for the choice they made, they discuss different options but conclude that with no shovels to dig a grave and not enough rocks suitable to make a cairn over his body, the river is their best option. However, I’ve never liked the thought that, after going over the waterfall where the boat would break up at the bottom, what actually became of Boromir’s body was no different from if they’d just thrown him in. He would bloat and float and so forth. Yucky. Therefore I decided today that there was a huge fish (maybe a sturgeon) swimming not far down the Anduin and it ate him up in one go while he was still fresh. I think that’s more dignified.

**Here I’ll use the more expansive Ryoko Kui definition of human because I’m not excluding elves or dwarves (or indeed hobbits) from feeling this way. Also, I warmly recommend the New Zealand TV series The Casketeers.

[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.

[obsidiancreates]

Recounting A Long-Expected, Never To Pass party

Part of the There and Back Again (Starting From The End) series

They're not even a day out from Erebor when, after a bit of somber silence at the knowledge of the quest ahead of them, Kili speaks up.

"So, Bilbo," he says. "Uncle tells us you knew two Hobbits who reminded you of us."

Bilbo chuckles merrily, puffing a pipe scrounged from the ruins even as he walks- they're not making much haste yet, still recovering from their journey to the mountain itself- they'd all been terribly pained to leave, but it couldn't be helped. Bilbo isn't sure if he can resist The Ring as Frodo did, and Gandalf agrees it's best to travel with a large band in case they are still yet hunted. Even with Azog gone, dangers roam the wildlands.

Even so, Bilbo drinks in this time with his long-ago companions, family, like a sapling tasting of rain for the first time in many long years among a desolate patch of land. "Going around telling all of my business, Thorin?" he teases.

"They'd asked about what you'd shared with me," Thorin says, a small quick of his lips showing he knew Bilbo's comment was in jest.

"Yes, I did know two hobbits quite like you boys," Bilbo says to Kili, and he hears Kili and Fili murmur to each other in excitement. "Steady now! You won't meet them for some time yet. But I have plenty of stories to share, if you like."

"I think we'd all enjoy a merry tale or two," Balin says, grimmer than the young princes. "We're not likely to see much merry ourselves on this journey."

"Exactly my thinking, Balin. Let's see, where to start... well, one of their grandest muck-abouts was at my own birthday, my hundred-eleventh near sixty years after returning home. Gandalf rode in for the party of course- we always kept a close friendship after the journey- and brought with him his magnificent fireworks."

"You make fireworks?" Bofur said in surprise, looking up at Gandalf.

"Indeed I do. They were the only thing Bilbo recalled about me when I came to his door."

"Yes, well, you brought many for my party, of course. I'd invited half the shire, and the other half had turned up anyway!" He let out a laugh. "And Merry and Pippin- nicknames spoken more often their their full names- they of course got themselves into a spot of trouble. They went and rifled through your cart, so I was told, and pulled out a firework in the visage of a dragon! I imagine you'd intended it as the party-ender show, and a treat for the children who adored my stories."

"You told hobbit children about this quest?" Dwalin looks at Bilbo skeptically.

"Oh, put away that look, Dwalin. I told them uh... approximations, of our journey. Close enough to inspire wonder and teach some valuable lessons, but changed a bit to add some fun. I made up a wonderful song for the incident with the spiders- ha! If only I'd thought of it in the moment and not years later." Bilbo smiles fondly as he talks, his pipe resting in the corner of his mouth and occasionally drawn and puffed from.

"You, singin' a song?" Nori snorts. "Can't imagine it."

"Hobbit sing often! I've come up with a good few myself, even along our quest. I just didn't find it entirely appropriate to sing them. But you're getting me off track! Merry and Pippin stole the dragon firework and lit it- inside one of the tents, Frodo told me they'd later discovered. Burnt and flung into the water by the flight. The dragon swooped down upon us all, and I remember- yes, I remember Frodo grabbing me and telling me there was a dragon, and I told him 'Nonsense! There hadn't been a dragon in these parts in a thousand years!' He pushed me to the ground as it flew overhead, and the whole of Hobbiton watched with baited breath as it flew away before bursting into showers of light! Quite a good show, we all thought, and I later saw the dirty faces of Merry and Pippin washing up the dishes as Gandalf smoked and watched."

Gandalf laughs now. "Perhaps this time around you'll get them to be better behaved."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," Bilbo ways with a glint in his eye. "I was just as bad by then."

"Got stuck with the sticky fingers, eh?" Nori grins approvingly.

"Not quite, Nori. But at the same party, oh I made it a night to truly remember. The memory is a bit soured now, knowing the nature of The Ring, but even so it's a good one."

"How did The Ring play into a party?" Ori is throughly confused between his two older brothers.

"Oh, I used it to get into all sorts of mischief over the years. In particular, I was prompted to go and give a speech as the party was reaching a natural high- and of course I'd planned to give one anyway. I got up on one of the ale barrels, and I remember exactly what I said, as I'd planned it for many weeks."

Bilbo clears his throat, and tries to adjust his voice to match his older tones more- a strange sensation to be sure.

"My dear Bagginses and Boffins, Tooks and Brandybucks! Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bolgers! Bracegirdles! And Proudfoots!"

He interrupts his own recreation to shakes his head. "Got that name wrong, but it drew a laugh from the crowd when he corrected me so it hardly ruined the event."

"That's a strange lot of names, laddie," Dwalin says.

"I could say the same about yours. All entirely respectable Hobbit families- well, depending upon who you ask. Now what came next... ah, yes."

"Today is my one-hundreth and eleventith birthday! But alas, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits. I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."

It draws some surprised barks of laughter from the company, including Gandalf, and Bilbo thinks it might bite the end right off of the pipe if he smiles any harder hearing the laughs of his dear friends- Thorin, Fili, and Kili most of all.

"The looks on their faces! They didn't grasp onto it very well, and the ones who did didn't appreciate it! But I knew it'd bring amusement somewhere, in some day."

"I'm going to use that whenever we have to start sitting in on Court Meetings," Kili snickers.

"You will do no such thing," Thorin warns.

"Let the boys have a bit of fun, Thorin," Bilbo chides. "Life is too short to not, even when it's longer than an age. Otherwise you may end up like Thranduil did- took many years of tense teatimes to soften him up, I tell you. Don't give me that look you lot, there's few others to talk with in those lands and by the time I awake back here I'd spoken to just about every elf many lifetimes over. Now, I went to say- I feigned a bit of nervousness here to sell it, and don't allow anyone to tell you otherwise, purely for show did I stumble on my words and I include them now to give the most accurate impression of the event-"

"I uh, I ha-have things to do. And here I reached into my pocket, and pulled out The Ring so that no-one saw it, and put my hands behind my back. And I went on to mutter a bit to myself- nasty habit I picked up on this very quest- and put my attention on Frodo."

"I regret, to announce, this, is the end. I'm going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell. Goodbye."

The company are all leaning in, enraptured- including Gandalf, though there's a worry to his expression not unlike when he'd heard the speech the first time around.

"And in front of the whole of Hobbiton, I vanished! There one moment, completely gone in the next! The crowd went into an uproar, of course, or as much of one as a party of well-drunk and fed hobbits can be. I raced back up to Bag End and didn't take The Ring off until I got back inside and shut my door."

Bilbo near giggles at the memory. "Oh, the looks on their faces! I got quite a scolding from Gandalf afterwards, as you can imagine. Magic rings are not to be taken lightly, and of course in the moment I couldn't imagine why that was. And then, ah..."

"Well, then it turned to a moment more befitting of the evil The Ring holds. But even then, the memory of that final great prank kept me smiling and laughing for many years!"

"... Well... if it wasn't such an evil ring, I'd ask you to borrow it and do something similar," Kili admits, smiling. "Can you imagine, Fili?"

"And you'd rally us all up into a search party," the eldest brother says with a small smile. "Imagine Nori with an ability like that. None of us would be able to find anything ever again."

"Perhaps," Balin interrupts, "We shouldn't speak so lightly of the powers it gives. Temptation is easily felt, and not so easily dismissed."

Fili and Kili share a look, and then nod.

"We didn't mean anything by it," Fili says.

"Purely admiring our own Bilbo Baggins becoming a mischief maker," Kili adds.

"And I've got plenty more mischief left, once this whole nasty business is done," Bilbo says, head held high and smile bright with amusement.