#with lotr. i watched the movies. and now what am i to do with myself. i guess i could read the books >_>

[snowflop]

I rewatched the hobbit recently (as evidenced by my posting i must imagine) and i cannot express to you how smitten I am with Thranduil this time around. it's like he was cooked up in a lab to be my type of guy.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

( 🟦 🎞️ 🟦 )

AITA for telling my coworker that he’s stupid for liking an objectively TERRIBLE film?

I (27M) and my coworker (25M) usually have “movie nights” on our days off. We find time to sit down and watch a movie together. He’s usually agreeable on what movie I want to watch, but sometimes I do let him choose the movie, as long as I don’t find it too unbearable. (His taste in cinema is below average.)

Earlier today, he reminded me that neither of us were scheduled on Friday or Saturday, and he asked me if I wanted to do a movie night. I agreed, and asked him if he wanted to watch anything in particular. (This is more of a pleasantry. He usually never suggests anything specific when I ask this.)

Surprisingly, he said that he did have a movie in mind! Unfortunately, the movie he had in mind was the 2009 movie, Avatar. The one with the blue people.

After he said this to me, I laughed at him, because no one actually LIKES that movie. The best anyone can say is that it’s visually appealing! The plot is drawn out, bland, and not worth nearly three hours of my time. I asked him if he was serious about wanting to watch it, because I never took him for the type to enjoy something so dull.

He frowned at me and said that he'd watched it a few times with his ex-girlfriend when they were still dating, and that he’d really liked it… and not just for the visual aspect? He said that he wanted to watch it with me too. He continued to justify it by bringing up the fact that I like other sci-fi movies and shows, and that he didn’t see how this was any different from those.

I told him that it was different because there was no reason for a movie to go for so LONG and to give so LITTLE, and he started whining about the first Lord of the Rings movie (which we’d watched a few months ago) and how it was longer than Avatar.

I told him that there was a HUGE difference: LotR is actually good! This only seemed to upset him more. He scoffed at me, saying that I couldn’t see a good movie if it was right in front of me. He said this jokingly, but I could tell he was upset. I glared at him, but didn’t say anything.

After a few seconds of tense silence, he asked AGAIN if we could watch it on Friday, because I’m the one who always picks the movies, and that it was unfair that he never got to pick any. I told him no, because Avatar is an awful film, and that he was really stupid for liking it.

I don’t think I’m wrong for telling him that Avatar sucks, considering it’s common knowledge, but calling him stupid might’ve crossed the line for him. I’m pretty sure that this comment is what made him mad, because it sparked a bigger argument, which eventually led to him sleeping on the couch for the night. I’ve called him stupid in other situations before, so I’m not sure why he’s making such a big deal about it now.

I don’t think I’m the asshole… If I am, I’m definitely justified. The only reason I’m asking is because a close friend of mine (28X) said that I was too harsh about it, so now I'm second-guessing myself. AITA for telling my coworker that he’s stupid for liking an objectively TERRIBLE film?

[deus-sema]

The first time I read LoTR as a kid, right after watching the movies - when I had been newly introduced to fantasy - I had a very oversimplified perspective of the genre. For me, fantasy meant going on adventures with friends, fighting the bad guys, saving the world and living happily ever after. My childish self couldn't come to terms with endings where everyone went their separate ways and resumed their normal lives and used to retreat into headcanons where the adventure never ends.

Another time I reread the books, I was coming, to put it simply, from a bad place. I was angry at everyone around me and the world itself for several reasons. I needed an escape. At that time, I had a sour and pessimistic outlook and could be very, very irrational. So, I inadvertently ended up mentally projecting my frustrations on the story. I vented to myself about the futility of the Fellowship's quest. What are they even fighting for? The world they used to live in can never go back to the way it was even after Sauron is defeated. The Elves will still leave Middle Earth. The Entwives will still be gone. Magic will fade. Frodo, even after going through severe trials and torment, will not get to enjoy everlasting happiness in the Shire. Why couldn't anyone else take that damned ring to Mordor? What even is the point of it all? All those feelings were completely misplaced. Needless to say that angsty phase of my life, like all others that came before it, was just a passing one.

Quite recently, I decided to revisit the books once more. Currently, I am exhausted. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally. Life is filled with uncertainty. Whatever's going on in the world isn't making anything better for anyone. And the last thing I needed right now, on top of everything else, was a financial crisis. But here we are. I wish to quit and relax. Sometimes, I harbour escapist fantasies. I wish to just sleep without being woken up. I wish to run away somewhere and cut myself off from everyone. But neither is that possible nor appropriate.

Sometimes, I long for the past. It's not exactly specific things about the times gone by that makes me nostalgic but rather how I used to feel back then. At times, I miss the feeling of safety and comfort I had as a kid. I miss the naive person I used to be who had an idealistic view of the world. I miss those moments when I could afford to be carefree. Only if I had known better back then, I wouldn't have taken that time for granted.Still, the passage of time is all pervasive. Everyone and everything is powerless before it. All we can do is adapt to the changing circumstances and keep moving on.

Right now, all these characters inspire me. They are fighting to salvage what remains of their world and save it from further destruction. Even if not all of them will get to partake in its future. If they had the luxury of choosing a different path, they would've availed it. But all they have with them is the present and each must do all that's in their power to contribute. Especially Frodo.

Each of us must do our part in the world. What's meant to happen, will happen and we have no power over it. Tiresome as they might be, our responsibilities are ours to bear and carry out.

A wise old friend once said and I quote, 'The evil (of Sauron) cannot be wholly cured, nor made as if it had not been. But to such days we are doomed. Let us now go on with the journey we have begun!’

[greypetrel]

Fanfic Writer Questions

Tagged by @melisusthewee, and at least another person. I'm sorry if I ignored the tag, I was away and it's a busy period, let me know ;_;

Tagging forward: @ndostairlyrium @shivunin @inquisimer and YOU who are reading and would like to do it!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 12, right now.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 497,183 ... I'm chatty.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Dragon Age, and a crossover with LOTR/The Silmarillion.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Home Was Never on the Ground (long fic, concluded, it's anthological and mainly me filling blanks in DAI as inspiration stroke)

She of Many Names (ongoing, a LOTR/Dragon Age crossover. A follower on Instagram asked me if Aisling was Sauron, the idea made me laugh so much that my mind took fire.)

Saturday Prompts (a collection of prompts I posted here. I never uploaded every one of them, oops)

Death and All of Its Friends (ongoing, a DA2 collection)

The Night Before First Day (Two chapters, concluded. One it's in rhyme and illustrated. Aisling taught her daughter that the Dreadwolf is Santa out of spite. Solas tries to disapprove.)

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes, always!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I do love angst, but I don't like angsty endings all that much ahahahahah. I think the one that gets closer, in a bitter-sweet way, is One for the Road. Call me a sucker for rare-pairs, this was also prompted here and my brain took fire (LavellanxFenris)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? The Night Before First Day. Listen I'm not a Christmas person, I turn into a seasonal depressed Grinch at Christmas, living in a catholic country doesn't help, and that is my way of giving myself some joy.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not that I know of.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Not any that I publish.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? Yes I do. She of Many Names is a Dragon Age and LOTR crossover. I love it dearly, I'm slow to update it because I have the greatest love for Tolkien (with all his flaws, but my brain rewired when I saw the first movie, and the book has been my entire personality for two years. I wouldn't be the same person without it) and I do care of rendering it as I want.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? ... Not that I know of? I hope not, ahahahah :"D

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? If you consider that English is not my first language, all my fics are translated? xD Other than that, no.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, but I'd love to.

14. What's your all time favorite ship? EowynxFaramir, hands down. Out of pure lenght. Maybe LeiaxHan Solo (my parents are both nerds, I think my mom made me watch Star Wars the first time... I don't remember, the vhs were always around in the house. I was very, very little.)(we don't talk about the sequel trilogy.)

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I tried to write a third chapter for the aforementioned One for the Road... But it ends up in a love triangle and I don't like love triangles that aren't a poly relationship. So, it's sitting in my folder and I'll never finish it. I was considering ditching the second chapter and rewrite it as a "Aisling as a companion in DA2" fic... But MEH.

16. What are your writing strengths? I think dialogue. I am trained as a comic artist, which means that the writing parts that get polished are dialogue. I have much more experience with that. ... I am also terrible at judging my own work in a positive way, tho, so you tell me.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? English not being my first language and leading to mis-spellings. Other than that... I started writing fanfiction after YEARS of not writing anything in prose that wasn't screenplays for comics (which follows different rules). Since I stopped because of being hurt by it, I went on to it by not planning stuff.

I'm rusty with prose, and my retelling -the first thing I tackled- clearly had little planning ahead.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? It's a no, for me, unless you specifically wants your audience not to understand what's being said and create a sense of isolation and of not knowing what's going on. A sentence here and there with a translation is fine. But if it's something long... You want the reader to understand well. Italicized text it is.

19. First fandom you wrote for? I wouldn't call it a fandom, but: Greek Mythology. I drew a parody comic of the Iliad in my first high school year, alongside friends. It had been so fun. I also wrote, still in high school, something heavily inspired by Eragon, which only my friends had the pleasure of reading. (I'm only saying it involved my now most hated trope: THE SECRET TWIN.)

20. Favorite fic you've written? The next one.

I'm very invested in Ashes and Sparks, aka the Dreadwolf AU. I'm putting ideas in it and going fully canon divergent and writing it as I would like Inquisition to have gone. No Corypheus, more crazy tevinters, and the focus ON FUCKING TIME TRAVEL.

In a modern setting because yes.

It's also tackling something I absolutely hate in fiction when it's done wrongly, which is time travel, and I'm sweating and hoping I'll do it with logic. It's something niche and not so focused on a single ship, so probably it'll interest only me, but I'm happily writing and trying to contain myself from posting chapters of more than 10k.

Blank Form Under the Cut

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5. Do you respond to comments?

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

16. What are your writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

20. Favorite fic you've written?

[bardic-inspo]

Unsolicited Lore Dump

Thanks to the wonderful @paganwitchisis and @pinkberrytea for the tags! This is such a fun get-to-know you game!

Do you make your bed? No and I have no shame about it because I honestly don't really see the point. I straighten the covers at night before getting in.

Favorite number? Numbers greater than 10 with 2 in it! 12, 22, 32, etc.

What's your job? I work in HR, but not in hiring/firing/performance management. I do benefits administration, specifically for a closed pension plan. This means I work with a lot of retirees and older folks. I also work on transitioning active employees into retirement, benefits for beneficiaries when someone passes away, and setting up benefits splits resulting from divorces.

If you could go back to school would you? Not full time, no. I am too burnt out to flourish in that environment. I did 18 credits + two jobs my last three or so semesters of undergrad and that fried me something awful even this far removed from it. BUT, if I could cut my work schedule in half (without a drop in income) and take 1-2 classes at a time, I certainly would. I'd like to take foreign language classes, and I've always really love social sciences courses. I have a minor in poli sci that could be cool to turn into a complete degree/major.

Can you parallel park? Decently, yes. I could with my old compact car, but I'm much better now that I have a back-up cam.

Do you think aliens are real? Yes in the sense in that the universe is vast and it seems highly unlikely we're the only life forms in it. But I don't think it's anything like movies or video games might make it out to be. I think it's also possible that lifeforms used to exist elsewhere or will someday exist elsewhere but have either gone extinct or haven't yet emerged.

Can you drive a manual car? Nope, and I don't really have interest in learning.

What's your guilty pleasure? I'm working hard to have less and less guilt about any pleasures I have. But I suppose I'd say fanfic and hyperfixating on video game characters in general. Beyond just enjoying the game itself; really deep diving and getting sucked into a character or character(s) and running through rabbit holes imagining them in all sorts of scenarios, AUs, etc.

Tattoos? Yes! I have carpe diem on one foot, and a celtic triple spiral on another, gotten at age 18 and 19 respectively. I want to get a dragon someday, and have toyed with the idea of getting a 'sister' tattoo with it of willowherb (said to be the first sort of plant that comes back after a forest fire). I've also toyed with the idea of the dragon in more of a resting position, breathing to life a little campfire.

Favorite color? Purple or blue. I also like winey colors (reds and purples)

Favorite types of music? My music taste is incredibly eclectic, but I'd broadly say pop rock or pop punk.

Do you like puzzles? Sort of! I like ones that are hard enough to make me feel smart. I get easily frustrated by things I can't figure out somewhat quickly, though. I enjoy sudoku.

Any phobias? I struggle with bugs, though I've gotten marginally better over time and can handle small spiders on my own, now. Due to a real, real rough apartment experience, I generally freak out about mice as well. I can keep my cool if they're in an enclosure like in a pet store, though I don't like looking at them there, either. I also have a recurring dream about accidentally driving off a cliff and so I get super tense and nervous driving on bridges.

Favorite childhood sport? Swimming.

Do you talk to yourself? In the car, or if I'm alone for a longer period of time. I work from home on Mondays/Fridays and find myself doing it more often those days.

What movies do you adore? Oh gosh, I honestly don't often rewatch movies, I'd generally prefer to watch something new instead. But uh, the LotR trilogy is pretty precious to me. Dune 2 was great! I liked Get Out and Nope. I remember liking Dr. Sleep a lot, too, but I only watched it once and it's sort of a blur in my memory. Recently watched Saving Private Ryan for the first time and it kind of fucked me up. I'm pretty eclectic in what I like with movies.

Coffee or tea? Black coffee. Death before decaf.

First thing you wanted to be growing up? I think maybe an author. Also a fairy godmother for a long time. I still kinda wanna be both.

No pressure tags!: @electricshoebox, @halkuonn, @snowfolly, @tragedybunny, @tallymonster,

@scrytpe, and @mutualcombat <3

[victoriouscabaret]

I was tagged by the forever lovely @chaeza! Thank you friend! <3

Do you make your bed? When I remember to/feel like it. Mornings are usually chaos for me, so getting dressed and making myself look presentable usually takes priority over making the bed.

Favorite number? 9

What's your job? Office Manager. I’m happy with it. Definitely not burnt out like I was when I did funerals. I do really miss being a mortician though. Helping people and taking care of them during a tremendously hard time was so fulfilling, and I don’t think I’ll ever not be fascinated by death from a psychological, cultural, and medical perspective. Alas…

Can you parallel park? With a good deal of swearing and asking myself why I’m even doing this.

Do you think aliens are real? It would be stranger if they weren’t.

Can you drive a manual car? Better than a few, worse than most.

What's your guilty pleasure? Hmmm… I don’t really like sweets or candy, but I could absolutely devastate a package of dark chocolate covered orange peels. Those little things are unfairly tasty.

Tattoos? A teeeeeeny tiny Tolkien illustration of Smaug above the crook of my left arm, a hand holding a candle and a flower with the solar system around it (the universe I guess according to the artist? That’s what she called it at least. Its dope and I love it) on my right thigh, a tribal-esque snake that I drew when I was 19 and decided I needed it on me permanently, so it’s between my shoulder blades and has aged terribly. Going to get that covered up with a Big Ass Panther or something probably. Aaaaand a tragic stick n poke on the inside of my left ankle that I did when I was 17 and thought I was edgy. It looks like nothing. Just a bunch of faded dots of ink in the suggestion of a circle. I love tattoos and held off getting any after my snake for so long because I was worried about family and society judging me, but I’ve recently realized how absolutely fucking ridiculous that is, so I’ve already got my next three planned out lol.

Favorite color? Green

Favorite types of music? Any and all. If it’s got a danceable groove or great lyrics, it’s for me.

Do you like puzzles? Hyperfocusing on jigsaw puzzles is one of my favourite pastimes, but I have two cats, and one of them especially likes to “help” so I just don’t bother these days lol. Some brain puzzles stress me out, and numbers don’t work properly in my brain so stuff like Sudoku isn’t for me. I really enjoy riddles and logic puzzles.

Any phobias? Spiders, enclosed spaces, and heights.

Favorite childhood sport? I really enjoyed most sports as a kid and am a naturally athletic person. I really wanted to do hockey, but certain people thought that dancing was more appropriate for a girl, so into ballet I went for years. I did enjoy dancing a lot, and after I quit ballet and jazz, I started ballroom dancing and competed in country ballroom and swing until I turned 18.

Do you talk to yourself? I think my head would literally explode if I didn’t.

What movies do you adore? Oh man… so many. Comfort ones that I’ll always be happy to watch are: The Princess Bride, Kill Bill Vol. 1&2, Only Lovers Left Alive, the lotr trilogy, Moulin Rouge, and Wristcutters: A Love Story

Coffee or Tea? Coffee, but have ventured more into tea over the past year or so. My caffeine sensitivity went bananas when I still did funerals - I think because the funeral coffee I drank all day, every day was so strong my body was eventually just like “nope” so I can have like… max one coffee a day now otherwise I’m just anxious AND tired but can’t fall asleep at bedtime.

First thing you wanted to be growing up? An acrobat lol.

Non-obligatory tags: @thefallenangelsgang, @preciouslittlebhaalbae, @allofthebarks, @myheartismadeofstars, @inkymoonbunny

[nocompromise-noregrets]

20 questions for fic writers

The impossibly lovely @mihrsuri tagged me in this a couple of weeks ago, and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get round to it - but I find myself in need of distraction, just a little bit, as Last Cat Standing is in the veterinary hospital getting his radioactive iodine treatment for his thyroid, and we can't have him back for maybe ten days as he's going to be somewhat radioactive for a little while; I'm sure he's going to be fine (this is the treatment described to me by the treating vet as both 'the gold standard' and 'magical', in that it's effective in 99.5% of cases, and in the 0.5% it isn't, they just give it another go and then it's effective), but we haven't had an entirely cat-free house for this long in 20 years, and I'm feeling a bit weird about it. Also I'm procrastinating finishing off an essay plan (I'd rather just write the damn essay but no, we have to submit a plan for tutor feedback to make sure we're on the right lines, and as you all know by now, that's really not how I work XD )

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 362 (plus another 76 on the other account for the fandom that does not speak its name...)

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 1,491,388 (good grief; nearly 1.5 million?! and if you add in the 270,606 on the other account, that's 1,761,994 O.O )

3. What fandoms do you write for? Tolkien (chiefly the Hobbit movies, and LotR, a mix of movie and book-'verse); King Arthur (2004); Fisherman's Friends (fandom of one); The Alienist (TV; occasionally); Marvel (occasionally, chiefly bits of the MCU and X-Men comics/Evolution); Top Gun (here and there) - and a bewildering number of others...

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? My Heart Is An Empty Vessel (621); Shape Up (422); Safe (414); Not Alone (413); The Unworn Jumpers of Molly Weasley (343)

This is bewildering but also a fine illustration of the vagaries of AO3 and the absolute folly of measuring anything by the amount of kudos a fic has: Empty Vessel is three and a half years old, took two years to post and has 115 chapters, so was at the top of the tag many many times over those two years. Shape Up and Safe were written and posted not long after Top Gun: Maverick came out (I don't know how busy the tag still is, but it was very busy when the film came out so the fics in that fandom got a lot of interaction because a lot of people were there looking for fics) and are both one-shots. Not Alone is also a one-shot (for X-Men: Evolution) and has been up on AO3 for nearly twelve years (and has had a bit of a boost with the release of X-Men '97). And Unworn Jumpers (on which I really ought to put some sort of disclaimer, along with the small handful of other ancient HP fics I've got up there) is a seasonal one-shot that's been up for over ten years and tends to get a bit of a boost every December. So *shrugs* go figure. And if anyone wants to help the only HP fic in the top five not be in the top five any more, Come Home is only 36 behind it, and it is fluffy and cute and has Elrohir persuading Maglor to come to Imladris for Midwinter somewhat in the guise of the Elfling he hasn't been for a very long time... :D

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes. Sometimes it takes me a while (oh god six months, but I got up to speed with them all and now I'm trying to make sure I do it within a week) as I am a champion procrastinator but I feel it's important for me to say thank you. And sometimes squee a bit. :D And sometimes it makes me a new friend, which is extra-awesome.

I have a few very very old comments on the stuff I posted before 2020 which I never did get round to answering, which I feel bad about, but I also feel like it would be weird to go back and answer them now...I dunno, what do you guys think?

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I don't do angsty endings very often, but The Last Watch (in which Bard dies) is really sad, and Never Forgotten and See This Storm Through (in which Sigrid and Thranduil comfort each other after the funeral, and Legolas comes home to Dale to look after his father and his family and grieve with them, respectively) are almost as sad although they both end with a small amount of hope.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Ah, most of my fics end happily :D I'm far too tired for anything but, most of the time, these days. But let's face it, My Heart Is An Empty Vessel ends with a coronation and a wedding (spoiler alert! XD ) so let's go for that one.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I am lucky; the closest I've had was some anon complaining about Empty-Handed being a spoiler for the then-unposted Empty Vessel although the events it 'spoiled' were inevitable in the context of a mortal-immortal relationship, and someone whingeing in a bookmark comment that Thorin and Bilbo don't even talk until the end of Mr Underhill's Finest Seafood Specialities, thus completely missing the point of the fic (and the 'past' after the pairing tag) - it wasn't about them - which made me chuckle as much as the rudeness annoyed me.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Sometimes. I have phases when I feel like it, and (much longer) phases when I don't. It's generally only fairly tame and euphemistic (with the single and solitary exception of that one hanahaki fic about the twins the premise for which, although not the smut, came to me in a dream) and probably not all that imaginative since, as the acest of aces, the whole idea completely bewilders me XD

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Not unless you count various different parts of the Tolkien legendarium. My brain just doesn't work that way.

11. (there doesn't seem to be a question 11; I feel like this might be one of those Tumblr traditions, as I've definitely done question memes on here before that have been lacking in a question 11...)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? I have! I am deeply honoured that my KA fic Anniversaries was translated into Russian by Elenabu some years ago, and It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like... appears on Lofter in Mandarin, translated by AntheaXi. There were a couple of other Russian translations of some of my very old stories, but that was 15 or 20 years ago and I can't actually remember which or where.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I have! A long long time ago, the fic that eventually became the original novel that is Two of a Kind, the tale of Hal and Jack, was a co-production, and I really enjoy bouncing ideas back and forth - and of course, there is the Tudors OT3-'verse fandom stuff that @mihrsuri and I have been pinging to and fro just recently, which is also hugely enjoyable. :D :D :D

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Oh, too many to name! Gawain/Galahad from KA2004, the bi widower dads, Legolas/Imrahil, Elladan/Elrohir, Erestor/Glorfindel, Sigrid/Tauriel, to name but a few.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I am determined to finish All I Want Is You. I am also determined to finish part whatever it is now of It's Always Been You, although that's been on the back burner for a long long time. There's one WIP on the other account which I'm also determined to finish although who knows if I'll ever get there. I'm not one for saying never, though. I was out of Tolkien fandom for 16 years, and after the fandom that does not speak its name fizzled out, I genuinely thought I'd never write again. And yet...here I am.

16. What are your writing strengths? Ooooh, I dunno. Spelling, punctuation and grammar, dialogue, leavening the serious romantic stuff with a bit of humour, kindness and love for the characters and settings, happy endings and quite a lot of fluff. :D

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Plot. XD Can't plot to save my life.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Only when necessary for character reasons, and always provide a translation. Otherwise you're shutting out readers who don't understand (unless it's not important that they actually understand precisely what's being said as long as they get the gist).

19. First fandom you wrote for? Knowingly? X-Men (comics), and that fic is here, although I posted it ten-odd years after first posting it to ff.net.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? All of them. I cannot possibly choose.

Thank you so much for the tag, lovely! Entirely no-obligation tags go to @lemurious, @verecunda, @writerman, @scary-grace, @seagull-energy, @herawell, @thenookienostradamus, @sallysavestheday, @myeaglesong, @palavapeite, @bigneonglitter, @bishkebab, @peonybroadbeltofbuckland, @redeemer46, @spiced-wine-fic and anyone else who wants to do this - if you see this and fancy it, please consider yourself well and truly tagged!

[the-sky-queen]

I WAS ABLE TO WATCH PRIME SEASON 3 EPISODE 2 AND I AM SCREAMING!!!!!

Thoughts and spoilers under the cut :D

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

So, I gotta talk about the Grim Birdies first. They are really cool and super powerful! Like they are just epic. Their screams are haunting, but i wish they had more than two. It gets a little annoying to have to listen to the same two sound effects over and over again. But I really like the main one who got her face crushed. I kept looking at her in the trailers and seeing that little 'scar' she has and wondering how she got it, and now I know! Yay!

Next, OH MY GOODNESS THEY WASTED NO TIME GETTING EVERYONE TO TEAM UP. I wish they spend a little more time on everyone's reaction to each other, rather than just having the two Bigs look at each other, but it's fine. THE ROSE TRIPLETS HAVE UNITED AND I LOVE IT. I noticed how when they were all saying what they were gonna do when this is over, Thorn said jungle, Black said adventuring, but Rusty didn't say anything, which I hope means she's gonna go back to No Place. Whatever happens to her, I'm putting her in No Place for With Great Power Comes because I can't bring myself to separate Rusty from Black. They're too perfect. :)

Let's see, uhhhhhhh oh yeah! So, Nine being a giant floating head is kinda silly. Like yeah, it makes total sense, but just not being able to see what the rest of his body is doing leads to some awkward bits. I kinda wish they just didn't make him able to do this? I was imagining Nine only getting info from his bots and like, making it so we don't see him as much can help build some suspense for the finale, you know? Not showing your villain can do WONDERS for the story and the fear factor. Take Sauron from lotr for example. We barely see him throughout the trilogy, but we FEEL his presence in every single movie. If he was shown more, his fear factor would decrease. He would become less impressive. So, yeah, I don't think Nine should be a floating head, but that's just me. I hope he won't feel the need to pop up constantly in the coming episodes.

And of course, CAN WE TALK ABOUT SONIC??????? So, it looks like one of my original predictions was semi right in a way. Sonic's going to be losing his energy gradually over the course of the season. GOODNESS JUST. THE WAY HE STUMBLED OUT OF THE ROOM. BOY YOU ARE NOT OKAY. YOU BETTER NOT JUMP RIGHT BACK INTO THE ACTION NEXT EPISODE. SIT DOWN. TAKE A NAP. IT'S NOT GOING TO FIX THINGS BUT IT MIGHT HELP A LITTLE BIT.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Oh yeah! And also MANGEY IS THE CUTEST LITTLE BOY EVER. During that one scene where they were talking about Nine I think he was slinking out of the room because he felt bad for being connected to Nine and I was like aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT LO AND BEHOLD, HE'S ALSO STILL A GENIUS EVEN THOUGH HE'S A FERAL BOY AND I LOVE THAT SO MUCH. Mangey also seems to be sticking close to Sonic and I love that. He's filling in for Tails. :( aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Also, where is Shadow?????????????????? We're seriously not checking back in on him????? aaaaaaaaaaaaaa Boy really is doing that one Undertale AU down there. (says the girl who has no knowledge of Undertale besides the comics for said AU)

And to end it off, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy did you leave the rest of the Kraken crew in No Place???????? Did you think you'd be coming back?????????????? There's no way you thought that, the entire world is falling apart. Come on guys, we're in the final showdown, the time for dumb mistakes is over.

Let's see . . . I think that's all my thoughts. Still not big on the council, but I don't think anyone is. (I kid you not, I was begging Grim Birdy to tear Babble's mech open and kidnap him so we don't have to listen to him for a few episodes. Alas. Not so.)

So, that's everything! YOU GUYS CAN TALK WITH ME ABOUT MY PREDICTIONS AND SUCH BUT PLEASE NO SPOILERS.

[alpineshift]

get to know me!

I've been bestowed a tag from @imperatorrrrr ! 🥹 so now I'm on your dash hehe.

Do you make your bed?

Yes! Every single morning. It's really just rearranging my pillows and layering my blankets properly. I am entrenched in the routine.

Favourite number?

4. Perfectly even, perfectly square.

What's your job?

I'm a writer at my day job too, just less creatively inclined. I do a lot of technical writing, communications, and edit stuff like legal docs. I've read so many terms and conditions docs back to front lmao.

If you could go back to school, would you?

I already have! Halfway between my old job and new job I got an additional certificate.

Can you parallel park?

Yes, mostly because you need it to pass your driver's test where I live LOL. I don't use it often but I'm good at reverse parking so it kinda helps keep the skill fresh.

Do you think aliens are real?

100%. To quote Mr. Nico "I'd pragmatically approach the alien" Hischier, I'd be curious about them too.

Can you drive a manual car?

Absolutely not! BUT to echo imperatorrrrr it's kinda hot to watch someone who's good at it driving stick lmao

Guilty pleasure?

Garbage reality TV I can throw on in the background and just let it run. 90 day fiancé, selling sunset, selling the OC, singles inferno, things like that haha.

Tattoos?

More than 10!

Favourite colour?

Anything dark blue, dark green, or pastel pink.

Favourite type of music?

I will truly listen to anything at least once the only genre I haven't really enjoyed is opera. I lean more towards rock and metal rn. Just know that I edit all my fics to house music LOL idk what it is about that genre but it fucking slaps when I have to dial in.

Do you like puzzles?

I'm terrible at them but I like it.

Any phobias?

Trypophobia. I don't even know if I spelled it right but I am 2000% not gonna even risk checking.

Favourite childhood sport?

I was pretty sporty; I loved and still love figure skating, snowboarding, skiing, swimming, diving lol.

Do you talk to yourself?

Constantly. imo it's also literally the only way to guarantee your writing makes sense lololol I am always talking myself thru my writing at work and for fics.

Tea or coffee?

Tea in the mornings and coffee in the afternoons.

First thing you wanted to be when growing up?

A teacher, and then a journalist.

What movies do you adore?

The LOTR trilogy (of course), most studio ghibli films that came out before and including Howl's Moving Castle, the Matrix Trilogy, Pacific Rim, Anastasia, and sooo many more.

And that's me! I'm feeling shy today so this is just an open tag to anyone who follows me and comes across this - feel free to participate (and tag me after! so I can get to know all of you!) 🥰

[nikethestatue]

Hello New and Old Followers!

I was inspired by @gracieart and her cool intro to herself, so I figured I'd do something similar, because it's been a hot minute and I have thousands of followers and it feels like it's time to do this.

My name is Nike and I am an Elriel

It's funny, but I don't really remember how I became an Elriel, but I think I got so mad over Azriel's POV that I started looking for other Elriels and I found them! (phew). The first 2 people i got to talking to were @elriell and @tswaney17

But I actually started off as a MAD Feysand(er) and Rhys is my first love in SJM books.

Before SJM, I never really read fantasy, beyond LOTR, and one day, my Kindle suggested a 'sexy dark fantasy' and I was like, what's a sexy dark fantasy? And it was ACOTAR. I read the first 2 books, and then ACOWAR came out and I read that, and I just wasn't enamoured with ACOWAR at all, so I sort of lost interest. And then it was Covid and literally months of nothing to do, so I picked up ACOFAS, and then ACOSF was coming out soon after. So I re-read all the books in the mid-2020 and got into the fandom.

A little bit about me.

Food: I love anything that swims. Any seafood. In general, I will pretty much eat anything. Don't particularly love sweets.

My least favourite food is pasta.

Hobbies: I write and sometimes I paint/draw. I have a case of extreme wanderlust and love to travel. Anywhere, everywhere. I love art--hence the amount of art I post.

TV: I am known for not watching TV and having no clue as to what is popular.

My life revolved around football (or soccer in the US). I watch it all the time--in fact, I am watching it now. I am a massive Premiere League and Seria A fan. Otherwise, I like House of the Dragon and Euphoria.

Music: Best way to describe my music style is chaotic. I love everything.

I loath Adele.

Books: Dark romance is where I am at. I don't actually read a ton of fantasy--only very specific fantasy and only from authors I like and trust.

I love Angel Lawson, Amelia Hitchins, and my girls Peckham and Valenti, I love David Ignatius and Daniel Silva, and I used to love the Pendergast Series, until it jumped the shark.

Dude: I have a dude. He looks exactly like Cassian. He often acts like him too. I love him.

Sometimes, he BETAs my fanfics. He's got strong opinions on fantasy dudes. (Cassian is his fave. SHOCKER)

Ships: Darius Acrux and Roxanya Vega is the ultimate ship of my life. That is love. And I am waiting for Elriel. I love Nessian.

Edu: I have a BA in International Relations, a Masters' in History, and an MBA

What am I like? The closest you can compare me to is Lance Orion. Kind of bitchy, but loyal, and only love like 4 people.

I HATE fighting. I am not confrontational, especially not online, with people I don't know. I am not going to waste time proving something about myself to a gray box.

There are definitely people in this fandom that I hate. But I try to avoid them.

Distinctions: I am fluent in 3 languages, know 2 more.

I've not been to the movies in like 10 years. I've had one, maybe two blogs dedicated to just hating me. LOL

I don't have any other social media that's associated with this fandom, so no need to look anywhere.

That's me and my sister.

We don't look like that anymore.

[bugs-bolts-beer]

Right... so a pinned post.

You all can just call me BBB~ it sounds like the right thing I suppose, I'm rather new to all this tumblr stuff but I heard it is good for sharing your hobbies and intrests so... here I am. Just slowly sinking back into my holy trinity of intrests and enjoying every moment of it.

Bugs, Bolts and Beers.

The best way to describe all my loves in a simple way thou I don't actually drink beer to be honest, meds kinda make it so I can't. But I love dwarves and they love beer plus BBB just sounds better then BDB ya know? Why dwarves? I blame hobbit and lotr to be honest, I watched the movies all the time when I used to go visit my Gram in the summer and my god it is some of the best memories. Plus like if I had to pick only one fanasty race to play then dwarves all the way, we got space dwarves, fantasy dwarves, modern dwarves each with differences that make them simular but different. Plus Deep rock is one of my favorite games along with Dragon age, Warhammer and Baulder's gate. Oh! And Dwarf Fortress.

As for Bolts~ I've always been a techy gal, enjoying building stuff with my hands or working hard on my computer. I do alot of graphic design even thou it's not my fav, I rather be spending my time slowly building mech models. From gundams to robotic bugs and computers, I try to keep my options open~ I've been rewatching the original gundam but there is a inch to replay armored core that I can't ignore. Leagues of Votann are my main army in WH40K but I also have a bunch of Tyranids to put them against, man I need to open some of the boxes one day. I can fix omost anything if you give me enough time and reasourses, thou I might need a few cups of coffee to keep myself awake.

And the one closest to my heart.... Bugs. Now why that is sort of a mystery even to me, it's just been a intrest in my life forever. From little larvae to full grown beetles I can't help but love them and how they grow and adapt. I own a ton of bug plushies and a couple dozen books on bugs, my lovely partner says that we could raise some in my terriarium but I haven't worked up the courage for it. My favorites have to be mole crickets, any sort of beetles, bees and giant water bugs thou the diving spider is up there too. I could probably go on and on but I don't want this to be to long. So I'll leave it here.

-Rock and Stone

-Sea-bugs are bugs

Oh and I'm extra queer so this is a safe spot for anyone looking to escape a lil like me~ be yourself and enjoy what you like~

[kirango-rouge]

(to all my undertale followers, i deeply appologize for these drawings coming out of nowhere on your dashboard ><)

lotr Melkor and Mairon doodles heavily inspired by @ranuunculus 's work! i love their art style, it has this dark softness/soft darkness aura that i appreciate. (some of their drawings were used as references in pic 1 and 3 and in hair/horn designs while i was searching myself in drawing the two world peace menaces, as i never drew them ever before).

go check their 🎨[work]🎨, it's amazing! ^w^

pics legends under cut

pic 1: the experimental pic where i tried to visualize how i wanted to draw my version of Morgoth. Idk why but i immediately imagined him with nocturnal vibes, like a very moody owl, so i literally gave him an owl mask and made him very fluffy and poofy (do not be afraid of him stretching his neck, come closer). The crown was the hardest part. i initially wanted to draw something different from other artists, but i wasn't very successful at that.

pic 2: my take on the man Sauron. He was easier to do as i was parasitized by his design in the movies, but i still wanted to try something different. Even though i am not very satisfied with his armor, i still like the idea of a giant single blazing eye-opening on the helmet. I also like his more straight and rigid horns compared to Morgoth's more wavy and untamed ones.

pic 3: trying a mentor/lieutenant pose, because why not.

pic 4: my attempt at drawing humanoid faces (which I'm not used to at all xD) Yet i very much like the result!

pic 5: "interest"

pic 6: surely my favourite pic! Morgoth is here closer from what i picture him in my head: a wild force of raw emotions coated in a fae-like shape. Both terrifying and yet attractive like a black hole.

pic 7: "before everything went wrong" featuring Melkor the owl, Manwe the eagle, and Nienna the hummingbird (because i like her a lot, and i just decided that all Valar now have bird masks).

pic 8: literally Sauron as a wolf and Morgoth as a cuban prehistoric owl (or Ornimegalonyx for when you'll check Wikipedia. and yes, this thing did actually exist and i had to make it xD).

and there were the pics! thank you for watching ^w^.

[abyssal-werewolf]

uuurrrrgh I hate this feeling of "what if I am faking being autistic??? I for sure am nOt AUtiSTiC EnoUgH"

So. In an attempt to cope with this, I'm gonna write shit down

reasons why I think I am "not autistic enough":

I can use irony and sarcasm and it's a 50/50 chance if I understand it when other people use it

I am very low to no support needs, because I am extremely skilled at masking and "just pushing through struggles"

I don't have violent and/or screaming meltdowns

now: reasons why I am FUCKING OBVIOUSLY autistic and not secretly faking:

I mask all the damn time. if I didn't mask, I'd constantly stim, make weird noises, etc in public

There is exactly one person I feel comfortable being myself around, which is my boyfriend who is probably autistic too. I am like 98% sure he is. we communicate through meowing mote often than I'd like to admit lmao

I stim. all. the. time. In public I try to be subtle but it's still there. I do the feet rubbing against each other, vocal stims, biting my lips, pulling my hair (gently, not actually pulling it out), cracking knuckles, rubbing fingers against each other, etc etc etc

special interests. I mean they get blurry with hyperfixations sometimes, but my obsession with Warrior Cats, The Big Bang Theory, horses and Pokémon is on a different level. I always was like this, after I watched LotR for the first time, it became my whole personality for five fucking years. I watched the movies over 20 times each and the Hobbit around 10-15 times. same with BBC Sherlock and Supernatural (the later is still ongoing, the others have faded over time).

I love love LOVE repeating things. it's most noticable with what I watch, I'm currently on my 30th or something run of TBBT. same with routine, although that's less noticable, cause I don't have a set daily routine - but in my head, I always plan like a week ahead and I fucking hate sudden changes in my plans. and by "sudden" I mean four days or less of mental preperation time.

ugh eye contact. I just. can't. social situations in general, I feel so fucking uncomfortable unless it's with people I 100% trust (or if my boyfriend is with me, then I feel safe too)

I could eat the same 10 foods allllll the time. I do like trying new things because cooking is fun but it needs to be under my control and I need to plan it out in my head. and I simply won't ever get tired of chicken nuggets, pasta and pizza.

sensory issues UGH- light too bright, sounds too loud, texture to ewww - you name it. high-pitched beeping noises make me go nuts, they fucking hurt my brain, they're the worst but there are other bad ones.

I have ADHD and had severe depression and anxiety in my teenage years and also was bullied, which isn't criteria but indicators, so...

I have pretty damn high scores on any autism test I take. every single one, even when I downplay my symptoms.

this is all I can think of for now, I might add on in the future

[scurvgirl]

Weekly Tag Wednesday! (is that the order? I can never remember)

Ah! I missed the last few, I'm so sorry! Thank you to all who have tagged before and this time <3 @mybrainismelted @energievie @michellemisfit

Hello Wednesday friends! I hope you don't mind but I decided to be CrEaTiVe and try something different today. I hope it's okay!! 🚑💨 Get in bitch, we're going on a mystical adventure through space, time, and reality. (in ian and mickey's ambulance of course) ✨ Name: Scurv (y'all, I am so tired, I almost wrote my government name)

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Personality type in enneagram, myers-briggs, or both: I think my Meyers-Briggs' is INFP but not to get all psych degree but it's actually hella unreliable and not accurate and -

Before we hit the road, what snack are you gonna bring for our trip? Peanut M&M's and Jalapeno Chips

Navigator gets to pick the music so what song are you turning on? Telephone by Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce

What is a universe from a fantasy tv show you would like to visit? Avatar: The Last Airbender! I wanna be a bender (a water bender!)

And what about a fantasy movie? Howl's Moving Castle. I almost said LOTR but to actually be in...I think the magic aspects of Howl's Moving Castle fits my vibe better overall

Okay, how about a scifi tv show? Oh man, I don't watch many scifi TV shows, hmm....I really don't know, maybe Star Trek but I never really watched it!

And a scifi movie universe? I guess Star Wars, I think it'd be cool to see Coruscant

Any other tv show or movie universes you'd like to swing by before we move on? Fuck it, let's go to the Shire and get blazed

Okay hold on to your butts we're switching gears to fanfic universes. Tell me which fanfic universe we're visiting first? Like by an author? I don't really follow anyone religiously in the Shameless fandom and I skew towards more realistic AU's if that makes sense? Now if we are talking about ALL of my fandoms, I am sending myself to the LG Frat AU I made YEARS ago with friends in the Dragon Age fandom that to this day remains one of the coolest fan things I've ever contributed to.

Cool, do you have one more you'd like to stop at before we head home? Can I choose one I made? Because I'd also like to visit my House Witch AU I made for Dragon Age OC's. Still proud of that as well. (to my Shameless folks, I originate in the DA fandom here, so most of my catalogue is gonna be from there)

Alright, on our way out of fanfic land you get to snag some tropes to bring home and apply to your own life, think fast! soulmates or enemies to lovers // coffee shop or flower shop // fake relationship or slow burn // amnesia or time loop (neither lol) // body swap or miscommunication // love triangle or arranged marriage // sharing a bed or drunken confession (BOTH)

Wow okay, hope those tropes work out for you!! Our adventure has finally come to an end, where in the world am I dropping you off? Georgia, USA

tagging @lupeloto @golden28s @jademickian um...I am so sorry you guys, I am so tired I can't think of anymore off the top of my head - if you see this, I tagged you!!! <3

[goalsyoudontake]

Get to know me

I was tagged by @mikathemad tysm 🩷

Do you make your bed?

No, but I live with my parents and my dad is obsessed with the beds being done so he just do it, and then he's like "you are welcome" and I'm like "I literally don't want this".

Favourite number?

It's 22, both because it's my birthday and because of Diego Milito 🖤💙

What's your job?

I'm a student. My mum used to own a bookstore so I worked there sometimes (no pay) and then sometimes as book fairs too, but not right now. Sometimes I translate stuff as a job.

If you could go back to school, would you?

I mean. I'm studying a master's degree, so I guess the answer is yes. But am I enjoying it? Not really 😅

Can you parallel park?

I don't know how to drive but I'm taking lessons soon, so I guess I'm learning soon too 🤷🏽‍♀️ I hopefully I'll learn to parallel park.

Do you think aliens are real?

Do I think there's life in this vast universe? Absolutely. Do I think they are hanging here on earth??? Absolutely not 😅

Can you drive a manual car?

Refer back to the parallel park answer. And I'm not actually learning to drive manual, so NO.

Guilty pleasure?

🤔 maybe dating shows, I mean I enjoy them, but a bit guiltily.

Tattoos?

I don't have any, but I would love to, I already have ideas and everything. My parents hate them so it makes my life difficult. Also I have one tattoo artist near me that I like and her schedule is always full.

Favourite colour?

Probably pink.

Favourite type of music?

I like like rock, pop, folk and any mix of those including country. But I also like other types of music, it's just what I gravitate more towards because I grew up listening to it.

Do you like puzzles?

My mum loves them so I have done some with her, I wouldn't on my own.

Any phobias?

I have a few things I'm scared of idk if I would say they are fully phobias, maybe bats, also motts and in very specific situations heights but not always (more when I'm alone idk).

Favourite childhood sport?

Football (soccer), I used to like swimming because I like water but only did it for a short period of time. I really liked to watch ice skating and gymnastics when I was a child.

Do you talk to yourself?

Not out loud. But yea I talk to myself inside my head like nonstop yapping. Lol.

Tea or coffee?

I like tea and like sweet coffee or not too strong coffee.

First thing you wanted to be when growing up?

Maybe a veterinarian, because I always loved animals, but then learnt that I don't like to see them suffer and that was a no go.

What movies do you adore?

Letterbox four favourite movies!!! The lion king (1995), The Holiday, maybe Midnight in Paris (but problematic) and LOTR (if pressed I would say The Two Towers, but like I love the 3 movies).

I'm tagging @huccimermaidshirts (sideblog tag for u!), @barkovsasha @rattkachuk @my-fall-from-grace @jiminy-crickets @narrativesbrainrot and anyone else who might want to answer these.

[novelmonger]

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of the Tolkien 20 questions.

If you could be the Middle Earth race you would like to be, which would it be?

There's always been something about Numenor that I've really liked - in its glory days, not its decline. And yes, I consider that a different race than what I already am, because they were much more long-lived and robust than we are today.

2. If you were the Middle Earth race that your personality most matches, which would it be?

Hobbit. I like to stay at home, stick to my routines, and eat good food. No adventures, please. Makes you late for dinner.

3. When did you first come into contact with Tolkien's work? Who or what introduced you?

My dad is entirely to blame XD One time when I was six and my brother was eight, we'd just been on a long trip and were severely jetlagged to the point that we were getting up at 3 a.m. and such. So my dad, in a desperate attempt to bore us and get us to fall asleep, started reading The Hobbit to us. I'm sure he thought the language would be so far above our heads we wouldn't understand it, but his plan backfired, and we kept begging for him to read more, poor guy.

(Secretly, it did go way over my head, but I still liked it - and would rather listen to a book being read to me than lying in bed in the darkness. I walked away with no real understanding of what had happened - all I remembered were a bunch of dwarves that I imagined like the ones in Snow White, a spooky forest with black squirrels, and the impression that Hobbits were little anthropomorphic hedgehog things with waistcoats.)

Fast-forward a few years, and in 2001 my dad decided we were old enough for him to try reading LotR to us. I'm not sure if the impetus for that was that he'd heard they were making movies of it and he wanted us to read the book first, but the timing was impeccable. At the age of 10, I was much more able to grasp the language and the story (though I labored under the mistaken impression that Merry was a girl for an embarrassingly long time), and I liked it a lot.

But then we went to see the movie...and in those three hours, my life completely and irrevocably changed. I remember staggering out of the theatre, dazzled by the normal, everyday December sunlight, and wondering how everybody could just...carry on with their lives when such ineffable beauty existed in the world. As soon as we got home, I grabbed the copy of TTT we were reading together and ran off to my room to read it myself, because I could read so much faster. My life has never been the same since ^_^

4. What passage in Tolkien's books or in any of the films/shows/media speaks to you the most?

There are so many great passages, but the one that has always stood out clear and beautiful, like the star peeking out from the clouds over Mordor, is this passage from TTT:

Sam looked at him. The early daylight was only just creeping down into the shadows under the trees, but he saw his master's face very clearly, and his hands, too, lying at rest on the ground beside him. He was reminded suddenly of Frodo as he had lain, asleep in the house of Elrond, after his deadly wound. Then as he had kept watch Sam had noticed that at times a light seemed to be shining faintly within; but now the light was even clearer and stronger. Frodo's face was peaceful, the marks of fear and care had left it; but it looked old, old and beautiful, as if the chiselling of the shaping years was now revealed in many fine lines that had before been hidden, though the identity of the face had not changed. Not that Sam Gamgee put it that way to himself. He shook his head, as if finding words useless, and murmured: 'I love him. He's like that, and sometimes it shines through, somehow. But I love him, whether or no.'

5. Ruthlessly rank the main projects of the Tolkien universe (the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Rings of Power, the Silmarillion). You can break Lord of the Rings into three books for additional chaos, if you like.

Oh, I'll do you one better and also rank all the adaptations I've seen too ;) Please understand that, though I'm splitting up the three installments of LotR, I only like one marginally more or less than the others. They're all amazing, and best taken as a whole.

The Two Towers (book)

The Return of the King (book)

The Fellowship of the Ring (book)

The Fellowship of the Ring (movie)

The Return of the King (movie)

The Two Towers (movie)

The Silmarillion

The Hobbit (book)

The Lord of the Rings (BBC radio drama)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

The Hobbit (animated movie)

The Lord of the Rings (animated movie)

Rings of Power does not belong on this list because it has nothing to do with Tolkien except what it has plundered and then trampled underfoot. Also I haven't technically seen it, just extensive reviews that expose every last flaw for the world to see.

Tolkien Twenty Questions