30 Days of Tolkien

Here's the 30 Days of Tolkien Blog Challenge...

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#01. Your Introduction to Tolkien

My dad always had one of those huge Athena posters by Jimmy Cauty up, so I guess that was my first introduction. The characters are all kind of grotesque on it, even the supposedly beautiful elves, and I used to find it fascinating picking out all the little details. I'm not sure how old I was when I read The Hobbit for the first time, probably about seven or eight?

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#02. You Cried When...

The Battle of the Five Armies. Just the senseless destruction of war. :(

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#03. Books or Movies?

It's sacrilege, I know, but though I loved The Hobbit I have never actually finished The Lord of the Rings. It was just so boring. Give me the movies any day. So, I guess it depends on which title we're talking about...

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#04. Favourite Costume

Eowyn's green dress from The Two Towers - who doesn't love a bit of faux medieval couture? (The dress in the picture is actually by Volto Nero Costumes, but even if it's not 100% faithful it is a very beautiful replica!)

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#05. Favourite Hobbit

Sam. He's the most hobbitty Hobbit of all of them, but he scarcely thinks twice about heading straight into danger if it means keeping his friends safe. ♥️

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#06. Favourite Tolkien Inspired Song

Rivendell by Rush (1975). Here's the handwritten lyric sheet by Neil Peart (RIP) -

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#07. Favourite Scene

I really liked the cave scene in the first Hobbit film where Bilbo is going to leave but Bofur's just so sweet and nonjudgemental about it he doesn't stand a chance. It is no surprise I wrote c. 40k of Bilbo/Bofur in the aftermath of that movie!

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#08. Coolest Character Design

The orcs were epic.

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#09. Favourite Location

Rivendell is gorgeous and everything, but I'd most want to visit The Shire. No contest.

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#10. Best Bad Guy

There are bigger and better for sure but, in terms of showing what selfishness turns us into, nobody can beat Gollum.

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#11. Favourite Quote

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#12. Canon OTP

Sam/Frodo. (What do you mean it isn't canon? I saw those movies with my own two eyes!)

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#13. Fanon OTP

Gimli/Legolas. I love all that Romeo & Juliet-eque 'our people hate each other' stuff.

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#14. Favourite Colour Illustrations

Probably a toss up between Pauline Baynes and the Hildebrandts...

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#15. Favourite Dwarf

Bofur.

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#16. Character We Needed More Of

Ori. He's so adorable.

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#17. Favourite Parody

George R.R. Martin and J.R.R. Tolkien go head to head for the Epic Rap Battles of History...

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#18. Favourite Merchandise

The Evenstar replicas are very pretty - and available from like 99p on eBay.

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#19. Best Hair

Nori. Just look at that 'do.

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#20. Favourite Human

Eowyn. She was badass.

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#21. Most Fabulous Hair

Thranduil. Obviously.

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#22. Favourite Non-Hollywood Adaption

It would probably have to be 1985's Сказочное путешествие мистера Бильбо Беггинса Хоббита (The Fabulous Journey of Mr. Bilbo Baggins the Hobbit.) Literally no expense spared. Or should that be 'spent'...

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#23. Scene You Would Have Cut

Haha, where to start! Pointless love triangles (Arwen/Aragorn/Eowyn and Kili/Tauriel/Legolas), overblown deaths, too long battle sequences, Frodo's dubious ring-induced facial expressions, whatever those elephant things are... All the films needed a damn good pruning, really.

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#24. Least Favourite Character

Tom Bombadil. Need I say more?

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#25. Favourite Elf

Legolas. I'm a child of my times - who didn't have a massive Orlando Bloom poster on their walls?

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#26. You Laughed When...

The dwarves sang Blunt The Knives (That's What Bilbo Baggins Hates).

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#27. Favourite Line Illustrations

Another tie, this time between Tove Jansson (yep, Moomins-fame Tove Jansson) who illustrated the Swedish and Finnish versions, and the Danish illustrations by Ingahild Grathmer - aka Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

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#28. Most Underrated Character

Grima Wormtongue. He was one intensely creepy dude.

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#29. Favourite OST Song

I See Fire - Ed Sheeran

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#30. Elvish or Dwarvish?

Khuzdul and the runes are very cool, but Sindarin was based on Welsh and, being forced to learn the latter, the former was of special interest as something it could be used for beyond watching live reports from Young Farmer's Conference or repeats of Sam Tân. (I grew to like Welsh as I got older, but back when LotR was hitting cinema I was really hard pushed to find a good word to say about WAG's decision to make it a compulsory GCSE subject!)

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#01 - Your Introduction to Tolkien
#02 - You Cried When...
#03 - Books or Movies?
#04 - Favourite Costume
#05 - Favourite Hobbit
#06 - Favourite Tolkien Inspired Song
#07 - Favourite Scene
#08 - Coolest Character Design
#09 - Favourite Location
#10 - Best Bad Guy
#11 - Favourite Quote
#12 - Canon OTP
#13 - Fanon OTP
#14 - Favourite Colour Illustrations
#15 - Favourite Dwarf
#16 - Character We Needed More Of
#17 - Favourite Parody
#18 - Favourite Merchandise
#19 - Best Hair
#20 - Favourite Human
#21 - Most Fabulous Hair
#22 - Favourite Non-Hollywood Adaption
#23 - Scene You Would Have Cut
#24 - Least Favourite Character
#25 - Favourite Elf
#26 - You Laughed When...
#27 - Favourite Line Illustrations
#28 - Most Underrated Character
#29 - Favourite OST Song
#30 - Elvish or Dwarvish?

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