#tolkien blog party

[retellingthehobbit]

Welcome! This is the official tumblr blog for my webcomic adaptation of The Hobbit.

When does it update? I post a massive 20+ page chapter every few months. If you want to see one page a week, viewing a chapter as it slowly comes together and getting “sneak previews” of everything— you can support me on my Patreon.

Where can I find it? For all information about the comic and a full official archive, visit retellingthehobbit.com.

You can also find it on Ao3 here, or on Webtoon here. You can also see pages early on Patreon. Finally, I also crosspost to tumblr. You can start at chapter 1, or any of the links below:

Chapter 1: A Bedtime Story/Tooks and Bagginses Chapter 2: A Very Respectable Hobbit Chapter 3: Very Old Friends Chapter 4: An Unexpected Party, Part One Chapter 5: An Unexpected Party, Part Two Chapter 6: An Enormously Important Dwarf Chapter 7: The Lonely Mountain Translator's Note Chapter 8: A Tangled Web (note; this chapter can be skipped! Consider it a bonus.) Chapter 9: Ash and Smoke Chapter 10: The Heart of the Mountain Chapter 11: Polite Nothings (note; this chapter will be edited down and shortened in the future.) Chapter 12: The Company's Quest (note; this chapter will be edited down and shortened in the future.) Chapter 13: The Necromancer Chapter 14: Terms & Conditions Chapter 15: Unattached Chapter 16: The Song of the Lonely Mountain Chapter 17: Dawn Chapter 18: Over the Hill and Across the Water (Coming TBD, first twenty pages up on my Patreon) Chapter 19: Roads Go Ever On (the grand finale of this arc! Coming TBD)

Chapter 20/21/22: Q & A, character sheets, miscellaneous fun (Coming TBD) In this adaptation, titled “Retelling the Hobbit,” the book is reimagined as a bedtime story told by unreliable narrator Bilbo Baggins to a younger Frodo. The art style changes depending on which character is telling the story; most of the story is in Bilbo’s art style, but when Thorin explains the history of the Lonely Mountain or Gandalf explains the history of the Necromancer, it shifts into the different art styles of those characters. The comic's typography, art, and writing gradually improves over time :). For more information on the reasons behind the way I’m adapting Tolkien’s work, visit the About page of https://retellingthehobbit.com.

On this tumblr blog I will post all of the chapters (tagged #chapters and #chapter number.) I will also post additional art, which I will tag #not chapters, #wip, #misc, and #announcements.

Where else can I follow you? My main is @secretmellowblog, my general art blog is @secretmellowart, and my lotr sideblog is @overthinkinglotr. I am also on instagram at @blog.mellow and on Tiktok at Mellow_art8.

Feel free to send me asks about the comic, or to @ me if you post about it! :3

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy. <3

[sgiandubh]

Anon rebelde.

A Cait le ha costado pero ha aprendido como intentar hacer creíble su relación con Tony aunque el sigue tan poco colaborativo como se ve en el vídeo de IFTA

No hay llegada a los premios porque la ultima vez, el papel de guardabrigo de Tony a la salida del coche de Cait quedó bien patente y ese paso atrás como buen asistente ha quedado para la historia.

No hay desfile en la Red Carpet con Tony porque la velocidad de Cait para alejarse de el saben que es carne de gifs.

Las manos de Tony debajo de la mesa porque sus últimos aplausos denotaban un cierto manierismo muy poco varonil.

Cait radiante, esperando el barrido de la cámara, mientras Tony parece ajeno a lo que sucede alrededor con una sonrisa que podríamos describir como una mueca.

En resumen, la enésima puesta en escena del circo Tait. Si aún hay alguien que compre entradas para ese espectáculo es su problema, no el nuestro.

Dear, dear Anon Rebelde,

¡Te extrañé! Bienvenida de nuevo, en uno de los momentos más bajos que parece que nos gustan con tanto masoquismo, de este lado de la valla. Pero primero, la traducción:

'It did cost Cait, but she learned how to try and make her relationship to Tony look credible, even if he still doesn't seem willing to collaborate, as the IFTA clip shows us.

There is no arrival at the awards because last year, Tony's role as coat handler when leaving Cait's car was blatantly obvious and that relegation to good assistant went on record.

There is no parade on the Red Carpet with Tony because of Cait's haste in getting away from him. They know it's gif material.

Tony's hands are under the table because last year's applause denoted a certain, very unmanly, mannerism.

Cait beams, waiting for the camera to pan, while Tony seems oblivious to what is happening around him, with a smile that could rather be described as a grimace.

In short, the umpteenth staging of the Tait circus. If there is still someone who buys tickets for that show, it is their problem, not ours.'

I overall agree, as always, with your very balanced evaluation of the current state of play. But I also think tickets for that particular show will always be a hot sale in this fandom, either because it will be just up some people's alley (Mordor - I am amazed at the stupidity of their discussing the concept and some of them never heard of Tolkien: mind boggles), or because of the collective trauma/Stockholm syndrome many of us, here, still display. What I mean by that is very simple: for eight years now, we, shippers have been hostages of that Narrative and when something happens along those lines, we will surely react, giving all its toxicity renewed space and airtime. I am not judging anybody, here, because this is only human (and to many, the trauma is palpable) and there is nothing to judge. This is, however, a well-known group behavior dynamic that never fails to deliver. What she did was simply to double down on her PDA. But the experiment failed, because even five years after that Remarkable Week-end, the man still can't be arsed to show any organic enthusiasm or even involvement in his whereabouts. Cue in the SC nostalgia pic galore on shipping blogs and I have to say I am not really a fan: it just fuels that disco inferno cycle and exposes us to the same old, vile criticism, when the core of the shipping belief system is to be found elsewhere. Again, not judging anyone, just trying to understand behavior patterns, here.

Plus, I am really sorry, but he has been looking all sorts of terrible for quite a while, now. Blaming the camera angle (cortisone bloating) or the lighting systems is as mendacious and idiotic as the people circulating it. This kind of free propaganda is also known by all the interested parties and it also never fails to deliver, for many reasons it would be useless to further analyze.

Looking forward to read your witty take on things next time, darling. Siempre un placer leerte, corazon.

[lya-dustin]

Grab your knives and togas and join me on this Tumblr Holiday where we celebrate the murder of Julius Caeser.

a multifandom event since this is a multifandom blog*

OCs are welcome, encouraged even.

🥖send a prompt for a fic or moodboard where the only requirements are: must have a murder, a knife, and/or a party

🍷 write a fic or make a moodboard with the same requirements from the list above

🫒 let's play Caption This! Send a gif or picture of a character(ocs welcome if you have a face claim or drawing of them) And I'll supply the caption. You can also send the caption and i will find the gif or picture

🗡 the Gladiator Arena: send me a poll and the participants and let's see who wins the fight

*(fandoms allowed into the party:asoiaf/got/hotd, magnificent century, the ewanverse and the last kingdom, will make an exception for Tolkien)

[adventuresofalgy]

People I'd Like to Know: Tumblr Tag Game

Algy was tagged by his friend @edinburgh-by-the-sea in Scotland's beautiful capital city, whom he thanks very kindly for choosing him. Algy wasn't sure whether his friend really wanted to know about his own fluffy bird tastes or those of his assistant, so he has answered for both 😀

Algy's current obsession: finding his way home in time for Christmas 🎄 His assistant's current obsession: maintaining health and finding time and energy to produce exciting new work for Algy's assistants' new collaborative tumblr blog @novelties-and-notions in addition to assisting Algy with his adventures every single day…

Algy is looking forward to: Christmas, Hogmanay (a tumblr party?), and his 13th tumblr birthday on 13th March 2025 (definitely a tumblr party!) Double 13! 🎄🎉🎁 His assistant is looking forward to: all kinds of new adventures in creativity

Last book Algy read: The Oxford Book of English Verse. As many of Algy's followers will know, Algy loves good poetry and has his own Algy-sized collection of volumes of verse. Last books Algy's assistant read (re-read): The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, in translation, and Joy in the Morning by P G Wodehouse.

Algy's assistant is sometimes asked for reading recommendations. She spent much time on her own when young, and therefore started reading, and learned to love books, at a precociously early age… there was nothing else to do! Significant influences which persist to this day include, roughly IN THE ORDER ORIGINALLY READ from early childhood: Beatrix Potter and the Winnie the Pooh stories; many classic collections of fairytales (esp. collected by Andrew Lang and the Brothers Grimm) and the works of Hans Christian Anderson; The Wind in the Willows; fairytale/fantasy works by George MacDonald; Peter Pan; the Dr. Dolittle stories by Hugh Lofting; Lewis Carroll; The Cuckoo Clock by Mrs Molesworth; The Secret Garden and The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett; works by Rudyard Kipling; C S Lewis; J R R Tolkien (first read at the age of 9 but only occasionally since); P G Wodehouse (20th century master of the use of English and of humour – a lifelong indulgence in reading); Charles Dickens (his descriptive powers have rarely if ever been equalled); Arthurian Romances; and all works by Jane Austen, Henry James, Thomas Mann, Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller and – beyond fiction – Ludwig Wittgenstein. And of course Shakespeare, who inevitably has some influence on anyone who has ever studied English, plus many, many other more forgettable writers in various genres.

Although many of the titles above were written as fiction for children, she has continued to re-read those works over the years, as may be evident in Algy's adventures 😀

And for those who have asked for reading recommendations, especially those folk of an older generation who have not yet had the opportunity to read very much – and also for aspiring writers – she would say that if you have not yet read much literature, but wish to, then don't waste precious time on lesser authors but read the very best stuff first 😊

(And anyone who wishes to "be a writer", in no matter what kind of genre or style, is advised to first of all master the use of language – and the best way to do that is by reading past masters extensively. Like any other highly skilled activity, if you want to mess around with it and make it jump through hoops, you have to thoroughly master the basic skill set first.)

Last song Algy listened to: When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along 😀

Last movie Algy watched: Mary Poppins (the original 1964 movie) Algy is fascinated by the incredible animation with live action sequence, and by the remarkable Dick van Dyke, who has just celebrated his 99th birthday! Last movies Algy's assistant watched: W C Fields' International House and the Marx Brothers The Cocoanuts… Why a duck? 🤣

Last TV show: Algy and his assistant NEVER watch televsion, though they do watch movies. They have better things to do with their time than watch TV 😀 Algy's assistant's family didn't have a television until she was about 10 years old, and much of her adult life has been spent without television too.

Sweet/spicy/savory: Not really. 🌰🍏🍉🥦🍓🧀🥕🍚🍅🥛🥒🍞

Favourite colour: Green and yellow and orange 💚🧡💛😀

Last thing we googled: Google Translate – for help with communication with tumblr friends who don't speak English ☺️ And Google Maps to find out where is where, as Algy has followers all over the world. His grasp of geography is fluffy, and his assistant's is not much better!

Relationship status: Algy is of course in a fluffy relationship with his rather incompetent assistant, who is permanently united with her lifelong partner and spouse.

Tagging: Algy understands that he is supposed to tag friends to prompt them to play too, but he suspects that the folk he would most like to know about might feel too shy or unduly pressured to do this. So he invites ALL his friends to play this game, and leaves it up to them. He would love to know more about you 😍

[goredowninsouthpark]

WELCOME TO GORE PARK!

Hello, and welcome to my first ever ask/comic blog! I have gotten some inspiration from the comic Hellpark by Chickenstab! All characters are aged up!

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WHAT THIS COMIC WILL INCLUDE:

•Swearing

•Cartman

•Sex references

•Gore(obviously, lol)

•Violence

•LGBTQ characters

If anything above triggers you, please click off the blog instead of spreading hate!

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CHARACTERS INCLUDED IN THIS COMIC:

•Stan Marsh

•Kyle Broflovski

•Eric Cartman

•Kenny McCormick

•Butters Stotch

•Marjorine Stotch(maybe as Butters' twin instead of Butters' female persona, idk)

•Estella Havisham

•Gregory Bellarose

•Pip Pirrup

•Damien Thorn

•Craig Tucker

•Tweek Tweak

•Jimmy Valmer

•Tolkien Black

•Clyde Donovan

•Wendy Testaburger

•Bebe Stevens

•Nichole Daniels

•Red McArthur

More characters might be added soon!

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This is a WIP(work in progress)! please note that i'm trying to get VA's, artists and writers! I will be a writer. If you are interested, message me on this blog about what position you'd like! 8 spots for the artists are open, and 9 spots for the writers are open!

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THANK YOU FOR READING! <3 FOLLOW FOR MORE IF YOU'D LIKE! AND DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS!

https://www.tumblr.com/goredowninsouthpark/769964860656287744/part-1-party-and-disappearances?source=share <- start here!

[doodle-pops]

Do you think elves care about which person specifically proposes marriage? Is there a rule? In my culture, it's supposed to be the guy but younger people have normalized either person proposing as acceptable (which I think takes a lot of the pressure off the guys). I was curious as to what you think or if you had any information to share on that. Thank you, again, for writing this blog.

A pleasure to be of service writing for you all 🫡

As for your question, nope. In elven culture, they court with the intent to marry and spend forever with the person of choice. With this being said, neither parties are pressured since it doesn't matter who proposes for marriage is the goal for them. They know they must marry otherwise they wouldn't court—the dating ethics of the modern world isn't something that is found within Tolkien's culture, so the same rules don't apply.

What I do believe is at a certain point in the courtship, they would come together and decide if now is the time to enter that next stage in their life which brings them to the engagement. This is an act both parties agree upon and exchange silver rings on a chosen day with the family present. From there, they enter an engagement period that can range from a few months to a year before they wed.

So elves don't go through marriage proposals the way we do in the modern world, and it wouldn't matter who suggests. All that matters is that they can come together and exchange their silver rings to mark their betrothal and journey to marriage.

It's rare for an elf to skip the betrothal period and rush into marriage. The elf that occurred to was Aredhel and it was pure tragedy for her. I don't know of any other who skipped the betrothal period and went straight into marriage.

Hope this helped! 🤗

For more info: My Info Corner

[theresattrpgforthat]

Found your blog by chance, seems like a very cool concept!

ʕっ• ᴥ • ʔっ🫖🍵

I wonder if you have played Warhammer Fantasy RPG, and if you have any thoughts on it, or who you would recommend it to bonus question, any rules light one session RPGs with ready example scenarios you'd recommend?

Hello there! I do not have any experience with Warhammer in any of its forms, unfortunately. The closes I’ve gotten to experiencing anything Warhammer is the actual play episodes hosted on Fandible. I’ll post links to each of their episodes below.

Only War | Black Crusade | Age of Sigmar | The Black, the Grey & the Skaven | Wrath & Glory

Now, let’s see if I can do anything about the second half of your request!

Theme: Rules-Light Single Sessions.

A Complicated Profession, by Always Checkers Publishing.

A Complicated Profession is a light-hearted sci-fi TTRPG for 3 to 5 players. It's a one-shot that usually lasts a few sessions. What do bounty hunters do when the galaxy no longer needs them? In this game, they start new careers hosting intergalactic cruises!

Reunite your disbanded crew of jaded sidekicks, shabby droids and shady accomplices. Then pick a hosting role and start a new life together. 

While it may last a little longer than one session, I’m really excited about A Complicated Profession, as my game group will be playing it in about a month or so! Character creation is something of a fill-it-in mad-libs style process, which I can foresee being pretty quick and easy to set up. The tone of the game is really lighthearted as well, which I think is a great thing to look for when playing one-shots, especially if you’re playing games with folks you don’t know very well. I I don’t know game doesn’t have a predetermined scenario, but the focus of the game itself is pretty narrow, so I think it would be pretty easy to figure out what kinds of obstacles your retired bounty hunters will be up to.

Never & More, by Small Stories.

You are the newest recruits of The Society of Ushers, an occult secret society. Your mission is to prove yourself to your superiors, master the rituals required to move up a rung, and learn how to talk to ravens. Your direct superior and teacher, the Belfry-Devil, has finally deemed you suitable to circulate by yourselves amongst greater society, trusting you to remain faithful to the Ushers in the face of attempted poaching, targeted seduction, and superior parties.

This is a simple example of the kinds of games that exist in the Lasers-and-Feelings family of games, all designed around the concept of two core stats that tell us about your characters’ strengths and weaknesses. Many L&F games come with a few quick steps to create your character, a specific setting or mission, and a series of roll tables to help the GM construct a threat and series of obstacles. If you like rules-light games that are quick to read and occult settings, you might want to check out this game.

For Moria, by Luis Lasbelin.

With the Balrog dead, the hope of retaking Moria is more alive than ever. Thousands of dwarves gather from the great fortresses hidden beneath the mountains with the sole purpose of fighting to reclaim the once great dwarven stronghold.

For Moria uses the Breathless game system for games of terror and tension.

Breathless games are meant to put your characters in heavily dangerous situations, with resources that are guaranteed to run out. Because of this, I think they are a good fit for one-shot games, because there’s always the chance that your character meets some kind of doom. Because this game is about dwarves retaking Moria now that the Balrog is dead, I’d say that the setting does a lot of heavy lifting, assuming your characters are familiar with Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Definitely worth checking out.

Wolf Head, by A.C. Luke.

The King is just. Rather than execute you, he cursed you with the head of a wolf. Instead of death, you were exiled to be hunted for the rest of your days.

But now, the King needs you, or someone like you. There is a great crisis threatening the realm. If you were to solve it, he would remove the curse, pardon you of your crimes. What would you be willing to do for absolution?

WOLF HEAD is a dark fantasy tabletop role-playing game about medieval fable and what you will, and won't, do to be let back into the fold. Players take on the roles of wolves, criminals cursed with a wolf head and banished from society. You have become defined by your crimes—did you commit murder, foment revolution, speak heresy, or love the wrong person? And will what you did help or hinder you in clawing back what they took from you?

Wolf Head looks to have the capacity to be either a one-shot or take place over a large campaign. The game is meant to be zero-prep, which means that you can get a game up and running in no time, and the structure of quests means that you can start a one-shot with a specific quest that ends the session once it’s been accomplished. I don’t own this game, so I’m not sure if it comes with pre-written scenarios, but if it doesn’t, I’m expecting some tools to help you create your own quest pretty quickly.

Escape from Dino Island, by Sam Tung & Sam Roberts.

Escape from Dino Island is a thrilling adventure game about intrepid heroes trapped on an island overrun with creatures from a lost age—dinosaurs!

Players take on the role of everyday people who are brave and competent, but also in over their head. The game is designed to help you create the kind of stories that are full of action and suspense, but in which fighting is rarely a good option. Will you escape with your life? And what kind of person will you become in your quest to survive? There’s only one way to find out…

As a one-shot PbtA game, Escape from Dino Island starts you with a pretty tight premise: you’re trapped on an island populated with dinosaurs. Your characters all have different strengths that can help them get off the island, but one thing you have very little of is time. This is another story-first kind of game, but unlike other PbtA games, which require multiple sessions to tease out all of your character conflicts, Escape from Dino Island is meant to be played in one sitting, which means that any advancements available to your characters are expected to show up before the end of the first session.

Operation: Final Monarch, by poor students.

Operation Final Monarch is a one-page Tabletop RPG for 4-6 players. One player will act as the GM, providing obstacles, portraying passengers, and describing the Watchful Luftrahmer. You play as Infiltrators, spies from the fallen countries around Arstarkan. Your final mission is to kill Aleksander Von Korte.

When situations get risky you gamble with danger and can always push your luck to try to succeed in any situation. Be careful not to roll a 1 though, as a devastating consequence will soon follow. Use can also use your leverage over the passengers of the Watchful Luftrahmer, asking them questions they don’t want to answer or enacting your special abilities. When it all comes crashing down you will have to reveal your secrets to the other players. What do you really think about them? Are you secretly in love or hold a seed of resentment?

I keep an eye on one-page rpgs because they tend to be good candidates for single-session play. With only a few rules and not much room for character advancement, these games focus on giving you the basic premise of the game and the tools you have to play through it. Operation: Final Monarch gives your a very specific goal - assassinate Alexander Von Korte. You’re given a bottle setting to play this in as well - on Alexander’s blimp. I’m really interested in this game because it knows exactly what kind of experience it wants to give you, and it’s succinct and well laid out, which means that learning how to play isn’t that hard at all!

All Hands on Deck, by Alice V.

A gm-less, storytelling, Descended From the Queen game for three to six people about  a ship, its crew, and the sea they sail on. It is a game about the relationships between those people, about relying on each other, about being an individual in a team.

I wanted to spotlight a Descended from the Queen game because these games have a very unique mode of gameplay, which makes them really good for one-shot play. These games usually consist of a series of prompts attached to a regular playing card deck. Each turn consists of pulling a card from the deck, and answering the prompt related to it. Descended from the Queen games tend to be rather introspective, focusing on relationships and the ways they can affect our perceptions of events. The scenarios are also tied to each individual game, so in All Hands on Deck, the scenario involves a ships’ crew on a voyage, and the conflicts that may exist between different members due to the relationships they have to the Captain and each-other.

This Ship Is No Mother, by Thomas Manuel.

This Ship Is No Mother is a game about people in space, working jobs that are probably going to get them killed. Inspired by movies like Alien and games like Mothership and Dread, this is for fans of tension, creepy-crawlies, and general horror. Mechanically, it's a card-based Forged in the Dark game, first in the series of games currently called the Cardsharp Sonata.

In this game, players start with a full deck of cards and as you play, that deck will run down. When the deck ends, there is a climactic moment of panic as one of the characters is going to do something stupid and get themselves (and maybe everyone else) killed.

I got a chance to play this game with the creator last year and it really delivered! This Ship Is No Mother was originally designed as a way to run Mothership scenarios using a narrative system, with a time limit built in due to the fact that it uses cards instead of dice. You’ll use cards as resources, and since there’s only so many in the deck, you’ll run out of them one way or another. If you like suspense and alien horror, this is definitely worth checking out.

Games I’ve Recommended in the Past

Koboldly Go, by CoffeeSnake Studios.

Lady Blackbird, by John Harper.

Something is Wrong With the Chickens, by Elliot Davis.

The Great Soul Train Robbery, by Cloven Pine Games.

Faewater, by A Smouldering Lighthouse.

[kylobith]

Last updated: 3 January 2025

Greetings, traveller!

Since I am planning to write more from now on, having retrieved a bit of creativity over the past few months, I thought it would be handy to create a masterlist to make it easier to find them here.

At the moment, my writing is focused on Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings in general, so brace yourselves for quite a few of those, even if they're just drabbles! I am currently working on a five-part story on Éomer, but I expect to write a bit more on my favourite character, Faramir.

I do expect to write some drabbles centred on the characters of Baldur's Gate 3, probably centred around Astarion, Karlach, Gale and Halsin.

Eventually, I might dabble in The Boys as well for obvious *cough* Karl Urban *cough* reasons.

I will add some of my old ones on Stranger Things as well, some of which I must admit I don't think I will finish (just lost the inspiration for those I'm afraid!)

If I have enough time to write in the future (it's tricky for now), I might even accept some commissions for short stories, but we'll see about that in time, no promises haha

Expect to find fluff and angst, but also some smut from time to time. Everything will be properly tagged.

Note: Some older fanfictions with multiple chapters will only contain the Ao3 link. I don't know yet if I'll really post every single chapter on here.

Anyway, if you take the time to read my stuff, I'm extremely grateful and I hope you will enjoy whatever I put out there! If you wish to be tagged on new releases, don't hesitate to ask and I'll make sure to do so :)

Everything is available on my Ao3 account

Enjoy!

Tolkien/Lord of the Rings

Engraved On My Heart

(Éomer x FemOC) Éomer unexpectedly bonds with Éorhild, a maid in his service. Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 (Note: Part 1 was published on my sideblog, but the other parts will all be posted on this blog instead) In progress

Long Live The King!

(Faramir x Éowyn) Faramir supports Éowyn as she mourns Théoden. Completed

By the Blade

(Boromir x FemOC) War prompts Boromir and Nauriel, the daughter of the master-at-arms, to rally under the same banner despite a lifelong rivalry... but swords are not the only things bound to cross. Part 1 In progress

Lord of the Rings Week 2023

Event organised by @lotr20 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Return of the King. One to three prompts per day. Day 1: Home (Poem - Merry, Pippin, Faramir, Éowyn, Sam, Rosie, Éomer, Lothíriel) Day 2: Language | Culture | Beauty (Faramir x Éowyn, Éomer) Day 3: Fear | Courage (Éomer, Merry, Pippin) Day 4: Friendship | Loyalty (Legolas, Gimli, rest of the Fellowship except Boromir) Day 5: Loss | Despair (Boromir, Faramir, Denethor) Day 6: Triumph | Healing | Hope (Sam, Frodo) Day 7: The Return of the King 20th anniversary (The Fellowship, Arwen, Faramir, Éowyn, Elrond, Théoden, Éomer, Théodred) Completed

Lord of the Rings Week 2024

Event organised by @lotrweek. One prompt per day. Day 1: The Road Goes Ever On Day 2: Histories and Legacies Day 3: The Green Earth in the Daylight (art instead of writing) Day 4: Gifts, Burdens and Choices Day 5: Here With Me Day 6: Songs and Tales Day 7: Free Day - Hobbit Day! In progress

Baldur's Gate 3

The Little Tiefling

(Gale of Waterdeep x Tav) While Tav is resting, Gale seizes the opportunity to bond with his daughter by reading her a story. Completed

The Trick

(Gale of Waterdeep x Tav) In all his life, Gale never imagined undertaking such a difficult task. But he must. Short prequel to The Little Tiefling Completed

Under the Oak Leaves

(Halsin & Gender-neutral drow Tav) After the Tiefling party, Tav feels melancholic and isolates themself from the camp. Halsin finds them and is set on alleviating their pain. Completed

Little Town Tails

(Halsin x Fem!Tav) After saving up for years, Halsin settles and opens his veterinary practice in a quaint little town. Beyond patients, he finds friends and love, but also trouble. When a business mogul agrees with the mayor to buy local shops for the implementation of his coffee chain to make Heawick more touristic, Halsin's practice is threatened. It will take more than a good word to save his lifetime project. Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 In progress

Memory Lane

(Astarion & Gender-neutral Half-Drow Tav) Astarion is submerged by a desire to recover memories from his past. Before Cazador, before his transformation. And Tav is determined to help him. Could it be that there is somebody out there still waiting for him? Completed

The Unwanted Saviour

(Rolan x Fem!Tav) A restless night turns into a tacit confession. Upcoming

Star Wars

The Inner Battle (Ao3 only)

(Kylo Ren/Ben Solo & OC Bounty hunter) One year after the destruction of Starkiller, the First Order still dominates the Galaxy. Kylo Ren ventures in the Mid-Rim territories, tracking a target on Ord Mantell, whom he knows will help him achieve a secret mission he has been planning since the beginning... In progress - Editing Note: Chapters might be eventually posted on Tumblr, but for now it's a bit tricky due to the fic's size (I have about 50 chapters written!)

Stranger Things

Swords and Hoops

(Steve Harrington x Reader) Steve meets you at the Palace arcade after you come back from your holidays in California. Completed

Steady (Ao3 only)

(Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington) As they recover from the final confrontation with Vecna, Eddie and Steve bond and realise that they bring out the best version of each other. But not only... Completed

Time After Time (Ao3 only)

(Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington) Sequel to Steady. Steve and Eddie start over in Seattle, yet a new obstacle comes to stand in their way: coming to terms with their queerness. In progress

The Holiday Fling (Ao3 only)

(Eddie Munson x Fem!OC) Summer of 1987. Arwen Lewis spends her holidays in Arkansas after moving to the USA from Wales. One night, she meets Eddie Munson, who turns what was supposed to be a camping trip into the best summer of their lives. In progress

Rock You Like A Hurricane

(Billy Hargrove x FemReader) [NSFW] [Smut] Billy pays you an unexpected visit when you're home alone. The night ends quite differently than you thought... Completed

[straynoahide]

about / masterpost

(if you're looking for my previous pinned, Tolkien meta about the Ainulindalë creation myth and legendarium, it's available in the link)

hi!! since i've been posting more than fandom stuff, this is for potential/new followers or just people who are interested.

this isn't exhaustive and if you've landed here from a particular post you can just ask/DM me and i'll be more than happy to answer.

a bit about myself: you can call me Thry. i'm spanish, male, i self-id as queer/LGTBIQ bc of several reasons, and i'm a roman catholic of hebrew tradition. aside from a fandom blog i may post about several other interests like history, fantasy, literature, languages, theology...

i'll also often get into social issues and all sorts of politics, so i've tried to summarize my views and what you can expect. longer detail below the cut, along with what hebrew catholicism is about.

POLITICS

POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY:

-i first and foremost support universal-hearted democracy over autocracy, theocracy, and authoritarian dictatorships, that is forms of tyranny. some call these values 'secular humanism', although they predate liberal ideas of the enlightenment in a few traditions.

-i believe in principles over parties and political identities. i'm not a contrarian, nor a radical individualist, but i am radically individual and tired of external projections of incompatibility where i don't see it. "Y person can't be X" - someone saying that doesn't make it true.

-i think right-wing and left-wing are breaking down in most countries. i think identity politics are harmful and purely geared towards performative activism & electioneering. this benefits the political class and opportunists, not broader society.

-i believe western political philosophy overall has developed better societies due to individual liberties and self-expression values, although the enlightenment was crippled without the abolition of slavery, women's liberation, and other intersectional issues like those of neurodiversity, psychosexual diversity, etc.

-i believe fundamentally in western values, arisen from western tradition AND innovation. i also regard non-western intellectual traditions with respect. i reject cultural relativism as such, but i think we learn more when we don't see one tradition as all-good and others as all-bad which is simplistic and misguided.

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC POLICY:

-all economic systems, which are epochal human realities, have flaws that artificially cause inequality and human suffering. i believe this can be ameliorated by reform. i don't think current understandings are exhaustive, so we should remain critical of 'theories of all' where science doesn't allow for actually accurate predictions.

-i agree with the marxian intuition that material conditions and the labor relations they enable, lie behind the cultural narratives and people's views on power and labor relations. in any given moment in history, people's worldview is shaped by what kind of society they can and do live in. economic changes lead to ideological ones. but ideals still matter and we should imagine better alternatives.

-i believe in workers' rights, unions and a right of peoples to revolt against tyranny, including ethnic communities, but also recognize not all revolutions result in better constitutions. all political revolutions so far, no matter the theory, created new hierarchies. statelessness is the abyss, so we should always tread lightly.

-i don't think any amount of social justice rhetoric can justify anti-egalitarianism, obscurantism, censorship, dehumanization or sadism. i'm anti-marxist / anti-leftist yet also agree with the marxian criticism of 'progressivism' as transversal - seeing the issues of collectives in the binary template of bourgeois/proletariat, advocating for identity politics - as fundamentally misguided and fruitless. the sectarian nature of many creates echo chambers and hate cults.

-i have some right-wing intuitions. i believe in the value of tradition, national and religious identity, and hierarchies of competence. i believe in the rights to life, liberty, property, self-defense, bodily autonomy, free speech and freedom to develop one's personality.

-i see national, religious rights as the rights of individuals to associate, but individuals should be protected from communities of coertion that place ideas over people. any person has more inherent dignity than being a vehicle of others' customs. i reject every form of chauvinism, racial or cultural. every community is entirely human. "nothing human is alien to me"

-i believe in inalienable rights. i oppose the capital punishment, brutality, torture, atrocity, and the exercise of collective punishment. i support accountability, rehabilitation, restorative justice, deradicalization, and (mental, holistic) healthcare. i center "victims" as survivors, an active party in their own healing, and reject all mental health stigmas. as long as there is life, there is hope.

GEOPOLITICS AND FOREIGN POLICY:

-warfare is the moral nadir of humanity and is itself a crime which disproportionately destroys young men physically and countless lives and hopes for the interest of a few, who often are safe from it. as far as i'm concerned, all wars are civil wars whether we're there yet emotionally or not. that does not mean i support equidistance between every two causes. diplomacy is not always a solution, or even option. i'm hawkish within reason, not a radical pacifist.

-i don't believe a "multipolar world" is necessarily better if the poles are tyrannical governments just because they're led by non-western imperialists who are "whitewashing" their intent with anti-colonial rhetoric. i support israel in its wars against iranian-funded jihadism and international antizionism. i support a free and european ukraine, democratic hong kong and taiwan, political self-determination.

-antisemitism is one of the most pervasive, insidious and oldest forms of discrimination in the world and the west. meanwhile, half the west is reactionary to LGBTIQ values and half the world remains traditionally violent towards LGBTIQ humanity, despite this being the highest point in human history in terms of individual rights.

-because of that, i think that together with anti-LGBTIQ discrimination, tolerance for antisemitism has become a litmus test in the XXI century for both illiberal and anti-western factions. these forces -reactionarism and antizionist antisemitism- are two sides of a same internal threat to the western world, susceptible to lobbying by foreign agents, like pro-russian and pro-iranian forces, for example.

-these interests will often result in the radicalization of young men to become ultranationalists, christofascists, revolutionary leftists, even jihadists (preying on western muslims), via disinformation / interference. far-right politics have become a proxy of political masculinism for a reason.

-understanding gender roles' impact on men, men's issues, male disposability, misandry, is key to deradicalization as much as fighting political propaganda that preys on young men to use them for organized violence. i no longer identify as a feminist, but i align with sex-positive, queer-friendly and egalitarian feminists. i also align with the defense of men's interests intrinsically and not because it serves any political goal. males are half of humanity and have all its dignity.

-i affirm jewish indigeneity. i'm a jewish ally from a place of recognition of jewish humanity, not political interest nor religion. i oppose all forms of antisemitism (white nationalist, christofascist, christian, secular, international, leftist, soviet, progressive, antizionist, islamic...) i support all the jewish people, observant or not, zionist or not, israeli or diaspora, as jews. as free and living jews. on "white jews": askhenazi indigeneity is intrinsic to jewish indigeneity.

-I/P: jews should have both individual rights, and also the right to a self-determined, secure national existence in their ancestral homeland. any caveat is an unacceptable double-standard and creates a two-tiered vision of human dignity i cannot see a compromise with in the future. never again is now.

PD: i don't think of myself in any particular terms, even less as a "centrist", rather than politically houseless. 'extreme' and 'moderate' are not principles, but distances from whatever is the overton window, so neither is inherently virtuous.

i hold some social views seen as progressive in the US and as transversal or demochristian in the EU; i also identify with many right-leaning positions, including some not present in Europe like the right to bear arms. i used to be an anticlerical leftist.

i can criticize right-wingers, leftists and centrists in the same breath with no dissonance at all. i don't think other cultures are exempt from western criticism either. if a certain political space is plagued by antisemitism, i'm not there.

RELIGION AND THEOLOGY

I'm a gentile Hebrew-speaking and Hebrew-tradition Catholic. What that does mean in our communities:

Roman Catholicism in Israel & Hispanic countries where there is a strong presence of the Bnei Anusim / Conversos / Meshumadim, and a particular if minoritary tradition. Hebrew language and liturgy is associated with the St James Vicariate in Jerusalem.

Relation of spiritual kinship between coreligionaries, jewish & non-jewish, as Catholics. Towards other Israeli/Palestinian Christians, same as any other believers, I support ecumenism. No specific relation or association with other Jews although most Hebrew Catholics are part of the Israeli national community.

What it doesn't mean:

Messianic Judaism (these accusations are fighting words)

Any heretical/schismatic movement away from the Vatican

"Christian Zionism", "Hebrew Christian movement", religious philosemitism with eschatological undertones, or anything associated with Evangelicals or Protestants

"Cultural appropriation" or claiming a Jewish identity

Proselytism towards Jews

What it does mean individually:

Hebrew Catholicism is a spiritual movement, not a single set of 'rules' or a denomination. All rites are Catholic. Observance of Mosaic traditions occurs as cultural and family heritage and NOT as religious observance of Judaism, to different degrees. It is entirely optional but welcome and cherished by all members as Christians make no ethnic or national distinctions.

It represents a historical reversal of the de-hebraization of ethnic Sephardim who have come to sincere belief. This is about heritage, mixed families, fraternity, faith, etc; and about the right to have a national and religious identity at spiritual ease and in social harmony. It may include things like dietary restrictions, holidays, prayers, etc.

I speak some Hebrew and participate/observe some cultural traditions, respectfully, mostly through the study of religious texts. I do not respect people who oppose mixed marriages, families or conciliatory transcultural existence and values.

I know and recognize the anthropological ethnoreligious nature of Judaism, and believe that Judaism should be recognized as centric to Jewishness, worldwide. I also respect the ethnic Jewish identity in those Jews that for secular or other reasons dissociate Jewishness from Judaism, and still see themselves as Jews.

Christians in Israel constitute the infrequent situation of a majority Jewish society with a religious minority in a need of legal protections. I support anti-discrimination efforts for Jews who identify as Christian, as they still face legal and social challenges for their faith, including Shoah survivors who were Jewish enough for the enemies of life and shouldn't be a second thought in a national homeland. I stand with the broader pro-reform and interfaith spirit of solidarity in modern hilonim, not the vision of kahanists, hostile Haredi, (Judeo-)Christophobes, etc.

If you want a more detailed read of my views on Christianity, Judeo-Christian relations, Hebrew Catholicism, theology in general:

On Judeo-Christian relations (polemic against Supersessionism) - I consider Supersessionism one of two doctrines the Church has to seriously address theologically in the spirit of reconciliation, the other being Jewish Deicide, already rebuked decades ago.

On the spirituality of evil in society (somewhat related: destructive v constructive activism as the main pitfall of social justice rhetoric)

On bodily autonomy, religious identity, communities of coertion and heritage (regarding baptism and circumcision)

I may add more eventually

One last comment for people who read this - I don't apologize for voicing my mind and I take what anyone has to say seriously. I don't block people and I don't do 'DNI's.

I try not to be judgmental. Even if something is wrong or comes from unwellness a person is saying it for a reason. The reason is not always obvious at first glance, but it may be sth legitimate and worth being heard. I'm the kind of person who wants to know rather than not.

If you treat people like they're disposable just bc it's inconsequential to you, I'd rather you just go your own way, cos you're gonna find me irksome. I don't understand why someone who clearly doesn't like another person would go their way to like their posts or interact with them, which happens more than you'd expect. Be principled, or at least, be coherent.

For anyone else if you're unsure but open minded about things that's no problem at all, I try to be open minded too. Pls don't be shy if you wanna reach out and talk about anything!

[silmforrookies]

WELCOME TO MADNESS, YOU FOOLS

Are you new to Tolkien? Did you read the Lord of the Rings, but are too intimidated by Silmarillion? Have you read the thing ages ago and want to refresh your memories? This blog is just for you! Join me in my silly retelling of tragic elven textbook - and pick your criminal to write apologism for :)

About Me

Noldo, she/her. Main @that-angry-noldo

Do I know what I'm doing? No. Will I do it anyways? Absolutely

I'm not a Tolkien scholar, but I know a thing or two

I claim I'm a neutral party but secretely I think that everyone who isn't Finarfin is an idiot

About "Silm for Rookies"

this is a simplified humorous retelling of the Silmarillion which is intended to help new fans get into the Legendarium

why intended? because I have no idea whether it'll be successfull

has too many memes. too many. just. don't even try it if you don't like memes. i'm sorry.

Important Links

Navigation

Masterpost

Taglist

(sign up here! )

Now that we're done, good luck! See you around :)

- your angry noldo

[the---hermit]

Hypothetically, you are only able to keep 20 of your books. Only one book per author/series. So what books are you keeping?

Thank you @fluencylevelfrench for tagging me!! This was a struggle, not because I had to pick only 20 books, but because I would have definitely picked more than one book by the same author. (most of the books I mentioned have a review on this blog if you're interested!)

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly

Her Body And Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman (the pain I feel in choosing just one of his books will end me)

The Armadillo Profecy by Zerocalcare

The Humans by Matt Haig

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

The Book Of Lost Things by John Connolly

Legends And Lattes by Travis Baldree

The Complete Tales And Poems by Edgar Allan Poe

Salem's Lot by Stephen King

Fairytales by the Grimm brothers

The Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (I still have the copy I used to study on in high school and it's filled with doodles and annotations I could never give it away)

Through The Woods by Emily Carroll

Per Curarsi Con Le Erbe by Francesco Borsetta (it's a vintage book about herbalism and how to use medical herbs, probably my biggest niche interest, I have many but this is the oldest I own at the moment)

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Cinzia by Leo Ortolani

I tag @just-a-cup-of-anxietea, @oneanxiousstudybuddy, @bennistudies, @bulletnotestudies, @upside-down-uni, @dreamofghosts whoever sees this and wants to do this!

[maddmuses]

mun is superior, pass it on.

Basics

Name: Madd, Maddlynn Maddithan, Maddie, Maddster, The Maddest, Waffles, Maddwaffles, Maddest One Around Age: 27+2 we ain't countin' them COVID years Gender: pebsi (fluid)

Favorites

Food(s): Barbacoa, Tacos, Tomato, Steak, Corn on The Cob, Salsa, Mint Ice Cream, Stroganoff, (still true af untouched except ig we can add caldo de res which I have been really about lately) Drink(s): Bepsi, Milk even tho it hurt me, Coors, Vanilla Bepis (even tho I can't fucking find it) Book(s): The Legends of Drizzt, Percy Jackson and The Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, Assorted D&D Manuals, Any decent Graphic Novel, Strong Manga series; Hajime no Ippo, Eyeshield 21, Boku no Hero Academia, Bleach, Dragon Ball, Hikaru no Go, Yu Yu Hakusho, Yu-Gi-Oh/GX, Naruto, Slam Dunk, karate shoukoushi kohinata minoru, One Piece. We also addin' Chainsaw Man Favorite Author(s): R.A Salvatore, Ed Greenwood, Akira Toryiama, Tite Kubo, Masashi Kishimoto, Oda, Rowling (Pre-TERF) nah fuck that bitch not even pre-TERF she was wildly overrated, Tolkien Song(s): We don’t have time to be here all day, I’ll list some recent listens; Ocean Avenue - Yellow Card, No Flex Zone - Karmin and Watsky, I’m Something Else - SomethingelseYT, Dammit - Blink182, Punk Rock 101 - Blink182, Almost - Bowling For Soup, Stan - Eminem feat. Elton John, Absolutely - Nine Days, Simple Plan - Summer Paradise, So many Ninjasexparty songs, Rambe - Slow, Rambe - Don’t Greed, Zombie Love Song - YFM, Maroon 5 - Sugar, Reunion - Busted, Year 3000 - Busted Honestly those all slapped so imma add a few more recents: Montero, Good 4 u, My Nonfiction, Boyfriend Complex, anything by the nerdcore rappers

Movie(s): The New Guy, Spider-Man Homecoming (okay just that whole trilogy was best honestly), Spider-Verses too, Star Wars: A New Hope, Ed, Edd, ‘n Eddy: Big Picture Show, Hairspray (Musical)

TV Show(s): AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Ed, Edd, ‘n Eddy, The anime adaptations of most of the manga I listed above, Ash Vs. The Evil Dead, King of The Hill, South Park (It fell off), Community, One-Punch Man, Gravity Falls, Scrubs, Venture Bros., Bob’s Burgers, Futurama, Daria, Star Vs. The Forces of Evil, The Boondocks, Saturday night Live when it’s decent, King of The Hill, Futurama, The Conners, As Told By Ginger, The Bear

Band/group(s): Busted, Blink 182, Maroon 5, Sum 41, Bowling For Soup, Ninja Sex Party Solo Artist(s): Rambe, Owl City, Billy Joel Place(s): Oregon, San Diego School Subject(s): Drawing, English, History Sport(s): Boxing, Karate, Football Male Actor: ?????????? Female Actor:  ???????????? I CAN LIST CRUSHES I GUESS BUT YOU DIDN’T ASK I DON’T THINK ABOUT ACTORS THAT MUCH

Life

Best Friend: Brandon (no longer roommate, he still isn’t on tumblr) Significant Other: Am the Single Pringle ;'( Siblings: TONS Dream Job:  Online Content Creator, Teacher, Professor Tattoos: Nada Piercings: Nope Languages: English, Spanglish, Spanish Lite

Tumblr

Reason Behind URL: Well Madd is a component to my standard web handle maddwaffles, for prefix being appropriated from an ex while we were dating (it was a cute thing because we matched) that just hasn’t really evaded me. When it was yallneedahero I would have a more clever answer for you. Reason Behind Icon: I love Isane Nami and you should too # of Posts: 20,535!!!! HOLY SHIT BEFORE IT WAS ONLY 5,235 I SCALE SO HARD Why You Joined: idk!?!!?!?!?!? # of Blogs: P much just this one now

tagging: @pick-your-poison-please @burdenedreverance @midnightactual @waspandr @thundertempo @linklewinklewoman @rangikuxmatsumoto @baiika @auburniivenus @badassbarmaid tagged by: stole from @orihimex and stealing again

[lindseybyrd]

LOTR Read Along Live Blog

So this year I turn 33.

I have been a Lord of the Rings fan since childhood, and the year 33 has always been something I have deeply, deeply, looked forward to.

In honor of this event, I am granting myself a few gifts.

One. I will read through the Lord of the Rings series during this year, and maybe expand that to other Tolkien works.

Two. I will have a LOTR birthday party at some point.

Three. I will allow myself to buy one LOTR themed gift of my choosing within the $ 0-500 price range and not feel bad about it.

I love these books. More than words can say. And I want to share that love with the world, so during my read through I'll be doing a live blog. Hope you enjoy :)

And Gina, if you're out there, thank you for teaching me the ways of LOTR at summer camp. I'll never forget you.

[wanderingarcherviola]

No explain right now how they know each other

BUCKLE UP, PALS! LORE DROPPING FOR MY MUSES OG HOME VERSES.

Info for Viola and Tobi (who is over on @natures-lost-warden)

Tobi is technically one of the first D&D characters I created (despite Viola being made into a tumblr muse first)

Viola has been used in 2. Her OG verse, and the homebrew Tolkien verse I set her into for this blog.

Tobi has been used for 4 campaigns now (3 in his Canon line and 1 in a 'I'm the only non-newbie so I need something easy so i can help them.' line.)

Bare bones explanation is that Tobi will eventually mentor Viola and she will become the first member of his Grove after he teaches her to control her powers.

LONG EXPLANATION::

By the 3rd campaign, his final one (a campaign the DM made themselves, from scratch) Tobi was a renowned adventurer and known hero across multiple Plains. At the same time as this campaign I had Viola in her first one. So the DM had an idea to use Viola as an NPC to further Tobis end storyline.

The main reason for them knowing eachother is from when Tobi was searching for other offspring of the Eclipse Court fae.

Tobi found Viola living in the wilds and recognised her magic was similar to his own. Fearing she'd end up dragged into the final conflict he took her to Avernus, and left her in the care of his ex, a Cambions named Leruxis, until the Grove was dealt with.

Leaving her with Leruxis under strict instructions that who and what she really was be concealed from all others. Leruxis did that a bit too well and ended up losing track of her when she was off doing an errand for him.

Which led to the events of Violas first campaign, her sitting in a tavern waiting to give a message to one of Leruxis' contacts, assuming he'd call her back when needed. She met her party, and decided to go kick some evil asses until her babysitter dragged her home (Spoiler: It took him over a year)

TLDR;

Both Tobi and Viola were meant to be part of a twisted game for the entertainment of an Archfay. They and other children like them come from the Fae of the Eclipse Court, only existing to grow strong enough to earn notoriety, and then fight other children of the Court for the entertainment of the Archfay.

Tobi and the gang put a stop to the sick practice, all while Viola was learning to curb stomp corrupt Paladins (And while Leruxis was shitting himself knowing Tobi was gunna come back for the kid he misplaced)

[disgruntledexplainer]

for new followers

for any new followers confused about my personal politics, I am not a conservative. I am not a liberal. I am not even a centrist. I do not subscribe to capitalism, communism, or especially fascism. to me, the republican and democrat parties are both despicable abominations, at odds with the will of God. I do not believe in the existence of race, let alone racial supremacy. I despise eugenics, I loath abortion, I condemn genocide and lynching. I call out greedy capitalists and crazy rioters alike. I support the poor, the working class, small business owners, academics, immigrants, jews, and catholic clergy above all other demographics unapologetically.

I do not allow my religious beliefs to be subject to my politics. my religious beliefs determine my politics. I am a Catholic, first and foremost, and that is where my loyalties lie. Not to political party, not to nation. only to faith.

personal experience has taught me that I can count on Jews to be my friends. Outside of my faith, it is only they who have consistently treated me like a person, despite my disability. I will always stand up for them, regardless of any danger to myself. I’ve also become rather fond of quakers over my time studying history to get my degree, but i’ve never actually met one.

this is a blog devoted to screaming into the void, because there is nowhere for me to physically scream IRL. on top of my autism, I also have depression AND an anxiety disorder, which makes my need to scream rather frequent, be it from too much noise, to much pressure, or just existing.

you will occasionally see me quote the Bible, encyclicals from Pope Pius XI, Pius XII, and Pope Francis, the writings of JRR Tolkien, or A Canticle for Leibowitz. you will also see me vacillate between extreme optimism and extreme pessimism. I will sporadically talk about history (my major), physics (my minor), or D&D (my hobby). my favorite superhero is Rex Salazar from Generator Rex, my favorite band is Rush, and my favorite books are A Canticle for Leibowitz, the Lord of the Rings, and Deltora Quest.

there are certain things on this blog I loudly denounce, while there are other things i’m quiet about. this is because I have a sequential order of things i’m willing to spend energy getting mad about, and some things are so low on the list that I can’t be bothered. for example, I do believe that homosexual relations are mortal sins. but you won’t hear me talk about it much, because it’s just not worth it. i used to hold the same hands-off approach to the trans issue, but they seem so intent on making themselves a hypocritical, hysterical, unironically bigoted nuisance that they completely flipped my stance on them over the course of three months. the dodger’s acceptance of the hate group known as the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” was the last straw, and for now they’ve managed to get into my top 10 things i scream about, up there with fucking q-anon.

oh yeah, I also “swear” a lot, though i never take the Lord’s Name in vain. ever. If bad words aren’t your cup of tea, this isn’t the best blog to follow.

if anything I have said here makes you uncomfortable, you might want to unfollow me to avoid my sporadic barrages of angry posts. just saying.

[sillylotrpolls]

No surprises here. Everyone loves Sam, and "There's some good in this world..." is everyone's favorite quote by Sam. No wonder it took first place with 20.5%, and was probably all over your dash in motivational poster fashion besides.

"I wish it need not have happened..." came in second at 15.8%, which A) legit, I am also exhausted, and B) is actually indicative of the overall hope present here on Tumblr.

If you combine all the non-hopeful options, you get 15.8% + 7.8% + 1.8% + 14.2% = 39.6%. That's nowhere near a majority, and if we remove the votes by people sick of the quotes entirely, is only 29.6% of the total (15.8+7.8+1.8 / 100-14.2). Less than a third! Galadriel was absolutely right; hope does indeed remain.

If you take the time to peruse the ~1900 replies and comments (which, good lord, that's a lot for this blog), you can find many more messages of such hope, plus thankfulness for Tolkien and suggested quotes that didn't make it into the poll. Two of my favorites:

@thevillainofthisstory #i will be a healer and love all things that grow and are not barren#let us cross the River and in happier days let us dwell in fair Ithilien and there make a garden

@cleanfreakandshittyglasses #in place of a dark lord..you wOULD HAVE A QUEEN#not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn!!!#treacherous as the seas!!!#stronger than the foundations of the earthhh!!!#all shall love me and despairrrrr….

Not gonna lie, that second one hits especially hard given, you know. The possibilities. First woman US president when?

Last, I want to get into the performance of "If I see one more quote..." This option started at around ~10% of the vote, climbed to ~12% by day four, and eventually finished at 14.2%. That might not seem like a big difference, but as you may know if you pay any attention to the aftermath of an election, it's quite difficult to make up ground as votes are counted. A detailed explanation of how this works is under the cut below.

Let's say Blorbo and Shitto are both running for Mayor of the Shire. It's election day and the votes are being counted. When 1000 votes have been counted, Blorbo has 60% of the vote, because this is convenient math land (home of the friction-less plane and spherical cow!). Shitto has 40%, because in this example there are no third parties and no one left their ballot blank or filled in two bubbles or anything else.

Let's also say that 3000 votes total were cast in the election. It's the end of the day and the polls are closed, so the total number of votes is known. It's only the contents of those votes that's still being tallied.

The timeline then looks like this:

Zero votes counted Blorbo needs 1501 votes to win (50% + 1) Shitto needs 1501 votes to win (50% + 1)

Local hobbit reporters are hanging around polling places and doing exit interviews, but nothing is yet known.

1,000 votes counted Blorbo: 600 votes (60%) Shitto: 400 votes (40%)

Blorbo needs 901 more votes to win, ~45% of the remaining votes Shitto needs 1101 more votes to win, ~55% of the remaining votes

Shitto's campaign manager says "It doesn't matter; the votes from Buckland aren't even in yet!"

2,000 votes counted Blorbo: +500 = 1100 votes (55%) Shitto: +500 = 900 votes (45%)

Blorbo needs 401 more votes to win, ~40% of the remaining votes Shitto needs 601 more votes to win, ~60% of the remaining votes

Shitto's campaign manager says "We're trending in the right direction!"

All 3,000 votes counted Blorbo: +450 = 1550 votes (~52%) - WINNER Shitto: +550 = 1450 votes (~48%)

Shitto's campaign manager sends out text messages asking for donations to pay for a recount (that, mathematically, is extremely unlikely to succeed).

As you can see, once you have a deficit, it's extra-hard to gain ground in an election (or tumblr poll) where what matters is not the number of votes but the percentage of votes gotten. Given infinite time and votes, Shitto could potentially have pulled out the win, but there was a very finite number of votes cast with a very specific deadline.

Similarly, Tumblr polls may not have a cap on votes, but they do run for a limited amount of time. And when you reblog a poll for "awareness" or a "bigger sample size" or to try and propagandize in favor of your favorite, yes, you might get more votes for your preferred choice, but at the same time votes are still coming in for the other option(s).

Anyway, given the large number of votes (for one of my polls) and the clear pro-Tolkien leanings of most voters (who were also the most likely to see this poll), not to mention the 12-way race, it's actually very impressive that "If I see one more 'inspirational' Tolkien quote on my dash today I might hurl" made up as much ground as it did.

However - and this was not intentional, but you better believe I'm gonna remember it - at least some people who voted that they were sick of the quotes still reblogged the poll. They did so with a comment or tags that indicated their irritation, but - they still reblogged and shared the poll, spreading the inspirational quotes they themsleves were so sick of.

When I create poll options, I usually try to cover as many bases as I can (unless it's funnier not to). Frequently, I'll throw in an "other" as a catch-all. This is because I'm trying to capture the electorate (so to speak) as best I can and am genuinely interested in the results and what voters think. But, if I simply wanted a poll to spread as far as possible because I had delusions about the advantages of going "viral" on tumblr, there's clearly a case to be made for including an option that boils down to "actually, I hate this poll and everything about it." A hate reblog is still a reblog, after all.

Use this information as you will.