how do you just get up and deal with the fact that there’s a last time for everything. there was a last time you sat on your dads shoulders and there was a last time your mom tucked you into bed. there’s going to be a last time you kiss your sister on the head and there’s going to be a last time you hug your best friend. there’s going to be a last time you feel exactly as you feel right now and there’s going to be a last time that person says i love you. i need to lay down
Iain Thomas, The Light That Shines When Things End
one of the reasons why “what if people went on a road trip and it was weird” is one of the oldest story types is that a lot of sense of personhood has been, historically, tied to place. the weird road trip says “what if we went somewhere else, where no one knows us, and tried out being a different person”.
Odysseus, the famous liar, goes on a weird road trip & over the course of it becomes several different people, and then comes home & is all those people as well as himself, wearing the echoes of those other people
What’s that quote? There are only two kinds of stories: a man goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town.
I saw a post saying that Boromir looked too scruffy in FotR for a Captain of Gondor, and I tried to move on, but I’m hyperfixating. Has anyone ever solo backpacked? I have. By the end, not only did I look like shit, but by day two I was talking to myself. On another occasion I did fourteen days’ backcountry as the lone woman in a group of twelve men, no showers, no deodorant, and brother, by the end of that we were all EXTREMELY feral. You think we looked like heirs to the throne of anywhere? We were thirteen wolverines in ripstop.
My boy Boromir? Spent FOUR MONTHS in the wilderness! Alone! No roads! High floods! His horse died! I’m amazed he showed up to Imladris wearing clothes, let alone with a decent haircut. I’m fully convinced that he left Gondor looking like Richard Sharpe being presented to the Prince Regent in 1813
*electric guitar riff*
And then rocked up to Imladris a hundred ten days later like
Some people have been wondering about the raccoon. Listen. Listennn. Don’t ask about the raccoon.
But does the racoon survive the Uruk-Hai? Does he curl up on Aragorn’s head, or does he go straight to Faramir? Does he bite Denethor?
My friend. My colleague. My brother my captain my king. I too have been pondering this question, and in my mind there can be only one ultimate outcome.
A few months later
All hail the High Warden of Gondor.
Epilogue: It ADORES Faramir.
I’m going to wear this on my head like a raccoon and show everyone
My favorite Tolkien illustrations by Cor Blok in no particular order:
Bilbo and Gollum. Bilbo is the moon for some reason which is cool i guess
Smeagol and Deagol. I love the seaweed in the background, great attention to detail
Frodo serving Robin Hood-realness at his and Bilbo’s birthday party. Literally iconic
Isildur taking the ring from Sauron. Its great but I would like to see more of Sauron than just his hand, because I think he has the potential to look really cool
Pippin jumping into the bath at Crickhollow… no comment
Bilbo gives the Mithril coat to Frodo. Great poses, very stiff and awkward. I like it.
The fellowship. This one is a classic.
Gandalf and the balrog. Amazing
Boromir trying to take the ring from Frodo. I love the way he reaches for his sword, it looks very natural
Merry and Pippin and Treebeard. I like his legs and the fact that it looks like he’s wearing shorts.
The battle of Helms Deep. This one is just great for a lot of reasons. I like how the orcs in the background are just happy and sad smileys. Gimli is throwing a rock at them. I don’t know who the guy with a red hat is in the background, but I love him.
Gandalf, Theoden, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli finding Merry and Pippin in Isengard ft fucked up Shadowfax. Look at them smiling!
Sam, Frodo and Gollum. Frodo got rid of his Robin Hood hat which is a shame, but Gollum with a beak makes up for it.
Eowyn protecting Theoden from the Witch King. The fellbeast is a crow or perhaps a raven. Merry is hanging on the side, stabbing Witch King in the leg and he looks amazing
Mt Doom. Frodo looks very chill about getting his finger bit off, and Sam is just kind of floating there. I love everything about Gollum
