#the fall of gandalf

[retirement-home-rumble]

Retirement Home Rumble: Semifinals

Side B

*DISCLAIMER (PLEASE READ):

This poll is referring specifically to the characters played by these streamers. However, Technoblade, the youtuber, tragically passed away last year. I do not want to see anyone being toxic or disrespectful to his legacy. Feel free to spread propaganda and vote for who you want, but anyone crossing a line will be blocked

Why they would crush the other geezers under the cut:

WARNING: There may be spoilers

Grandmother Fa, Gandalf, and Pines Twins (old) Propaganda:

Philza and Techno Propaganda:

[jessiarts]

Pumpkin Stencil Game: Round 2!

Last week I started a fundraising game where I would create whichever pumpkin carving stencil won the poll, in exchange for you guys helping to raise a certain amount of money for this verified GFM by the end of that week.

Not only did you guys do that, early, but you also surpassed the goal set for that week!

So, we're going to do it again!

But first, here's the stencils you won last week. Bill Cipher won first place in the poll. And, as a reward for beating TikTok, I made a second stencil with the second-place winner of the poll, Deadpool.

As promised, both of these stencils are available for free download on my Ko-Fi.

Alright, on to this week's game/goal:

Here is a Verified GFM organized by Tasnim Alhamss (on line #663 of Operation Olive Branch's spreadsheet), with a goal of $35,000.

If we can increase the amount currently raised from $33,146 to $33,300 by Saturday, Sep. 14th, I will make another pumpkin carving stencil of whichever fandom character wins the poll below, posting it for free download on my Ko-Fi.

That's roughly $150 dollars in a week- slightly higher than last week's goal, but this is still super doable! You guys were able to surpass last week's goal, I have no doubt we can meet this week's!

Oh- You guys will also be playing against TikTok again! Same rules as last time. Whichever opponent meets their goal first (and/or raises the most by Sep 14th) wins an addition stencil!

I'll be updating with these progress bars frequently so you guys can see how far you've come!

(Tip to help ensure Tumblr's victory: reblog this so it reaches more people!)

Tumblr's Progress bar: 19% [🦀🦀🦀🦀➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖]

TikTok's Progress bar: 4% [⏰➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖]

[americankimchi]

wish i knew what to do with this helpless frustration i feel every time i see people vilify the jedi for their way of life when the person doing the vilification doesn't even understand them properly. it's one thing to criticize and dislike them if you have an accurate picture of who they were and what they're trying to do vs. hating them because you straight up don't understand them at all 😭

[anghraine]

@brynnmclean's reblog just reminded me that they reciprocally tagged me in the Tolkien-specific version of the fave characters meme! It seems doubly appropriate given that the result of my original fave character poll just came in and Faramir managed to defeat both Darcy and Luke Skywalker!

(This result is especially entertaining because, as a teenager, I got up the nerve to stop lurking on the Internet and actually talk to people in online fandom spaces specifically because my Faramir feelings were so strong. This was some 20 years ago, but my basic feelings are the same :D)

So, a Tolkien specific poll, slightly adapted from Kate's version:

Tagging @child-of-hurin, @kareenvorbarra, @rain-sleet-snow, @bretwalda-lamnguin, and @ladytharen!

[catsandbats13]

Dump of drawings I’ve made over the past few years for various “draw x character in x outfit” drawing challenges

Baby yoda/grogu was really difficult to draw lol it’s hard to make him cute while also including all his wrinkles 😅

The last pic someone requested the Cheshire Cat as an e-boy which I thought was hilarious

Also apologies if these are hard to look at, I really like colours that hurt your eyes for some reason 😆

[curious-trickster]

Pretty sure this is a lyric from a song but not positive, "I'm better as a memory than as your man."

I can really picture it for Bagginshield, especially in the healing tents after the battle of the five armies. I think it works well as a line coming from Thorin, perhaps when he wakes up after Ravenhill and Bilbo is like don't you dare! You are not going to decide for me if you are a better memory than a romantic partner. I expect all the courtship after you have recovered or so help me, Mahal will not save you from my wrath. So of course Thorin has to recover.

Also I can see it working really well for Johnlock, perhaps right before Reichenbach, coming from Sherlock. I'm not sure how John would respond. I can see multiple options like no way, no matter how frustrated I can get at you I love you and then alternate John gets to help/no reichenbach at all or much more angsty of John is shocked because they don't acknowledge feelings and then the whole things happens and John is left with that memory until he sees Sherlock again and he assures Sherlock that he is much better as his man than a memory.

Any opinions on either pairing? Who do you think would use the line? Any other pairings you think it would work for?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

Oh my, YES!

I can totally picture a guilt ridden Thorin saying something like that and Bilbo just standing there, totally floored at first. And then the indignation starts to rise and Thorin is faced with a furious little Hobbit, who didn't fight in a thrice damned war Thorin, even though Hobbits really aren't made for facing orcs, bloodshed or fighting against an army, thank you very much!, just to be to told that he would be better of without the guy he fought so hard for! How Thorin could even consider him leaving, after everything they've been through! And especially after Bilbo got a glimpse of the future they could have together, in those short few hours after the reclaimed Erebor, before the gold sickness set in! They had wandered the great halls, which would be filled with life again soon, talked about the stuff that needed fixing first, and imagined the future that was to come. The future which had Thorin on the throne, with his nephews to teach for the future generation, Balin and Dwalin as advisor and guard right beside him, Nori as spymaster and Ori as the one in charge of the library, while Dori helped train and form the younger generation, Bombur taking over the role of kitchen headmaster, Bofur with his own toyshop, Bifur helping Dori train the warrior's, Oin keeping watch over the fires in the halls of the blacksmiths, Gloin filling the role as treasuremaster. And right there with all of them, a little Hobbit, who finally found people who he could call family. And really, Thorin had also pretty much declared his intent to court him in front of everyone, so he better get himself out of bed soon to be able to really start courting him, and Bilbo was expecting all the stops, really Thorin, there will simply be no skimping it!

After this really spectacular rant, Thorin is just staring dumbfounded at Bilbo and wondering aloud, just when exactly he declared his intent to court Bilbo?

And the Hobbit just stares back, hands on his hips, and tells him: 'I don't know if you really are as much of a fool as you are making yourself out to be or if you think me a fool, but gifting someone a piece of armour - impenetrable armour even - which is worth nearly more than the receivers homeland and staring deeply into the receivers eyes while you hand it over in front of everyone is not considered a show of simple affection between friends even by dwarven standards. And don't bother arguing with me on this, I asked!'

I think there's no need to mention, that Thorin started courting Bilbo properly as soon as he was well enough to do so. The courting was a thing of legends, a story told to the future generations as a sort of fairytale and to make them see, just how serious you should be about impressing the one you love.

Bilbo is just glad Thorin finally got his head out of his ass.

As for the Johnlock: I could see it, especially as an internal monologue that plays in Sherlocks head as he stands on top of the roof, preparing to jump. It would be the kind of bittersweet story that makes you ache with the longing. And then the reunion. Sherlock realising what a fool he was to ever give this up. Being back in John's presence is like finally finding colour again after spending a long time feeling as if the world is washed out and faded.

There could be this kind of confession scene, where after they had an ugly fight Sherlock just spills his guts and admits, that he thought John would be better of without him. That he didn't think it would impact John this much and that he hadn't ever imagined how much the separation from John would hurt-

Safe to say there is a big strong hug waiting at the end of the emotional conversation the two have about their feelings for each other. It isn't forgiveness but understanding. And they can build up from there.

This is really long and I can feel that I will probably spend time writing fanfiction today. Thanks for the inspiration @amloveabledeathmo!

[mesaydumbshitwithfunnyvoice]

these guys absolutely nailed being old and my life goal is to be like them

[wizard-legs]

One Samwise Gamgee with some of his BOUNTIFUL award winning harvest!!!! (And a Gandalf for scale!) I already added my images to this post but thought I should post my own in case it ever gets deleted. EASILY one of my favorite posts of all time!!

[incomingalbatross]

I am, in general, a SUCKER for the concept that the Story ended poorly the first time around but then someone in the younger generation comes back to the Story, years later, and REOPENS the narrative to bring the people who didn't make it out the first time HOME.

[afaramir]

do you think faramir ever found out about gandalf’s part in denethor’s death. oh yes i do think he had a part in it. i think he knew him too long to not know the effect of what he said. i’m generally very enamored by the concept of the gandalf faramir wizard-pupil relationship being very close so just a blanket disclosure that that is the theory i am operating from but like…no matter how much he cares for and trusts gandalf. it was his father he cried out for at the end. and everyone tries to keep the specifics of what happened in the house of the stewards at the end from him but i mean, he is who he is. if he sits beregond or pippin down and very seriously says to them i will not have you keep secrets from me any longer, even if it is for my own sake. i mean it is over for them. i just think that it would take him a certain amount of time to process through how he feels about all of it at all and eventually he comes down solidly on the side of being absolutely incandescently angry. which is an emotion he has never ever directed towards gandalf and i don't think either of them come out of the confrontation particularly well at all.

i mean its so complicated because faramir cannot tell if what he's feeling is grief at all and in there is also a certain amount of guilt for feeling. relieved? freed? by the absence of that presence at the same time as there is an enormous gaping hole in the middle of his life. a part of his foundation has been torn out and people address him as lord steward and the tower guard salutes him as he goes by and he thinks that isn't me that should never have been me. and i think maybe he thinks i would have traded any amount of scorn for having him back. and when he finds out that gandalf was there, that he stood by and watched - no, he may as well have lit the pyre himself - no, it is neither, but the point is that he did nothing to stop it. he did nothing to stop it and by doing that he has robbed faramir of any choice in reconciling - OR CHOOSING NOT TO - with his father because his father is dead and he will never know how he would have loved him without the war. it IS his father's own fault but he cannot blame him for it. not when he knows precisely how he got there and precisely why he made the choices he did. and of course it is the fault of the war but he cannot shout at the war and the war is gone and over and they have won but faramir is not feeling victorious in the least and gandalf is Right There and he is Someone To Blame.

gandalf does not want to tell him what he said, at the end. but faramir makes him, or perhaps is he so angry that he takes it by force - for a moment he is the very image of his father and his mind is the same keen lance that denethor's had always been - and he should not be able to but perhaps gandalf lets him - if faramir takes it then he does not need to be responsible for needing to tell him. and faramir goes very still and quiet and terribly, terribly coldly he says you should never have taken me from him and gandalf says you do not understand he would have burned you with him and he says maybe you should have let him. and he says i would always have died for him. and he says perhaps it is you that does not understand.

i don't know how much of it he means. i don't know how he reconciles all this with his very real love for gandalf (perhaps easily. after all, he has spent a very long time knowing love as a double-edged blade). i don't know if he ever completely forgives him (it is always a scar, even if he does). but. just thinking about it.

[thranduilofsmirkwood]

These made me lmfao waaaay too hard:

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LOTR Memes

Hobbit Memes

When I was a kid "where is the dog?"

Parents "he's gone to stay at a farm"

Same vibe lol

[retirement-home-rumble]

Retirement Home Rumble: Round 2

Side B

Why they would crush the other geezers under the cut:

WARNING: There may be spoilers

Gertrude Propaganda:

Gandalf and Pines Twins (old edition) Propaganda:

[jessiarts]

Pumpkin Stencil Fundraising Game: Round 3!

Welcome to Round Three of our fundraising game, where we're fundraising for this Verified GFM organized by Tasnim Alhamss (line #663 of Operation Olive Branch's spreadsheet), and in exchange for meeting our weekly fundraising goals I make free pumpkin carving stencils based on whichever fandom character wins the poll that week!

This week our goal is to increase the amount currently raised from $33,176 to $33,300 by Tuesday, Sep. 24th. That's a goal of roughly $120 dollars- We can do it!!!

That said, there won't be a poll this week. You will instead be raising to earn the Gandalf Big Naturals stencil that won last week's poll. Last week's post had difficulties reaching people, which resulted in us being unable to meet our goal. But, seeing how much of a lead Gandalf Big Naturals had, I wanted to give you all a second chance at earning it before we move on and resume the game as normal next week.

That said, you guys did earn your second choice stencil (Danny Phantom) simply by raising more than than TikTok, so here you go! (Along with the previous stencils you earned from the 1st round lol)

Again, all three of these stencils are available for free download on my Ko-Fi, under the "Free" section of my shop.

Here's how you can help us meet our goal and earn the Gandalf Big Naturals pumpkin carving stencil:

Like this post

If you are able, please donate to the GFM above.

If you can't donate, please REBLOG this post so it can reach more people!

We can do this!

Update: The Goal has not only been reached, but surpassed! Stencil coming soon! Progress Bar: Raised: $310 / Goal: $124

[antianakin]

Me about Obi-Wan: Obi-Wan would NEVER go dark in canon, it goes against the entire point of his character within the story if he does, and if anyone DOES try to have Obi-Wan go dark, they clearly just don't understand his character or they hate the character he was written to be.

Me about Ahsoka: That bitch should've gone dark 10 years ago, stop trying to make her a Paragon of Light, she's had one foot in the Dark since at least Mortis if not earlier, make her fall, punt her off the cliff to do it if you have to!

[i-did-not-mean-to]

Fishing Expedition II

Join a wonderful exchange event with lots of art, writing and fun!

-> Info Post

-> Rules Update

Many arts per person, multiple claims, and open many open prompts!

Théoden Tribute: here

What more does your heart desire? If you have any questions, feel free to hmu or contact @fall-for-tolkien!

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

thinking about that post about character death being beneficial etc. and, obviously because it’s my current fixation, LOTR came to mind as a great example of this wherein most of the characters who died needed to die. 

Boromir’s death makes sense. It needed to happen. Boromir not dying would have made for a weaker story in terms of the narrative stakes. Denethor dying makes sense. Theoden dying makes sense. &c. 

All the deaths make sense within their own terms.

However, I think Tolkien falls into the trap of accidentally undermining one of his themes because all the people who it makes sense to kill actually die. One of them needed to live and make good because of love. Because someone offered them a hand. 

Without one of them making it, I think Tolkien weakens his argument which is so perfectly summed up in Frodo’s response to Saruman: it is pointless meeting hate with hate. 

So, out of Gollum, Denethor, Saruman, Grima etc. one of them needed to make it. Pick one! Any of them! But just one needed to walk out alive with the prospect of change because of love and hope. 

Sorry to Boromir & Theoden, I love you guys, but both of you do need to remain dead for the narrative. (Honestly Denethor does too, but I think I could make a case for him being included in the above list)