MEC Day 29: Your LOTR Collection

"What business is it of yours what I do with my own things?"

"I think you've had that Ring quite long enough."

"You want it for yourself!"

"Bilbo Baggins! Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks! I am not trying to rob you! I'm trying to help you."

My LOTR/Hobbit collection... get ready, folks. This is gonna be kinda lengthy. I cut as much unnecessary description out as I could. And I apologize in advance for not including pictures. I currently don't have a camera accessible to my poor self.

It all began when my parents picked up a green copy of The Hobbit for us at Wal-mart. From there it grew into getting copies of FotR, TTT, and RotK, and they were all with movie covers. My brother has since gotten his own copy of FotR, and I have The Lord of the Rings, all three books in one volume. Which is pretty spiffy. And for Christmas a few years ago, I got The Silmarillion, which I've read twice. 

Then we got into the bookmarks and action figure stage. In total, we have 4 LOTR bookmarks (one for each of the older kids), and mine has Legolas and Gimli on it. Each bookmark came with a replica One Ring, all four which have seen altered levels of usage. For action figures, we used to have a rather large collection of Arwen, Helm's Deep Aragorn, King Aragorn, Eowyn, Faramir, and then two each of Eomer and Legolas. 

As far as movies are concerned, we have all three extended of FotR, TTT, and RotK. We also used to have the original films, but we gave them to someone else in the great hopes to make them LOTR fans, too. Guess what? It worked! We have yet to get The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as we're waiting for Christmas to roll around so we can get the extended edition of that as well. Yes, we are majorly extended edition people.

Although we don't own any of the soundtracks, we've gotten a few of our favorite songs off Amazon, so we're not totally without music. And I have the piano music for all three LOTR films, the majority of which I have memorized, pretty much. 

And in addition to that, my brother adds to our collection with his Battle for Middle-Earth PC game, his Hobbit calendar, and Middle-Earth poster map. And then there's the Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit game that we've played a million times and that my brother can win in one turn. I usually do it in two.

I have a feeling I'm missing something, but we'll wrap it up there! So, have at it, folks! What does your Middle-Earth collection look like?

For more details about the 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge, please visit here!

Namarie!

MEC Day 27: Coolest Visual Effects

"That still only counts as one!"

Coolest Visual Effects... this one I toyed with for a long time. What to do, what to do? Legolas killing the oliphant? The cave troll? Smaug? My list was rather long. But I feel I must give credit where credit is due. So, for today's post, I say the coolest visual effects award goes to...

The character Gollum. Andy Serkis did a fantastic job bringing Gollum to life, and I have to hand it to PJ's animation team. Gollum is completely computer-generated. He's all CG, peoples. Andy Serkis dressed up in a green suit for this, and did the voice and actions and everything, but it was the people at the computers who made Gollum look the way he does. In fact, I think Gollum was voted the best CG character. EVER. He was either first or second, I don't recall, but the point is still valid. 

Entirely CG... I'm blown away.

For more details about the 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge, please visit here!

Namarie!

MEC Day 25: Epic Actor's Saying

"My dear Frodo, you asked me once if I had told you everything there was to know about my adventures, and while I can honestly say I've told you the truth, I may not have told you all of it."

So... all the actors' sayings I've collected for this challenge; all of them epic in their own right, but the most epic appearing last. Enjoy!

"As many facial actions as I have in real life." *grins*

The cast of The Hobbit tries to name all thirteen dwarves.
Epic fail for Cate.

"Which one??"

If this isn't epic, I don't know what is.

Only Billy Boyd...

Peter got a real dragon?!? I need one!!

Dom (Merry) on John Rhys-Davis (Gimli)

They took Faramir to all levels...

And the best...

John Watson from BBC's Sherlock + Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit = same actor.
NO WAY!!!!

For more details about the 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge, please visit here!

Namarie!

MEC Day 23: Favorite Soundtrack Song

"Now... where to begin? Ah, yes! Concerning Hobbits."

Favorite song from all the Middle-Earth soundtracks... this was hard, peoples. Very hard. Especially since  music is an occupational hazard for my family. And since Howard Shore is an amazing composer, it's nigh impossible to pick just one absolute favorite. But, okey dokey... ONE of my favorites is this...

The Adventure Begins
From The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey soundtrack

I couldn't get a clip of the song to upload here, nor could I find a decent link to the song on Youtube, so you'll have to listen to it otherwise. I apologize for the inconvenience, but it is a great song!

For more details about the 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge, please visit here!

Namarie!

MEC Day 17: Favorite Male Character

"Then something Tookish woke up inside him and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine trees and waterfalls, and explore the caves and wear a sword instead a walking stick."

No contest here, folks. Favorite male character, hands down...

Bilbo Baggins

Really, peoples? What's not to like? Okey dokey, I'll make this post a little bit longer. *clears throat*

While Ian Holm made Bilbo real to the world, Martin Freeman took that image and multiplied it by a thousand. I will say that before first watching The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey I was very nervous about Martin Freeman taking over the role. Ian Holm had always been Bilbo to me, so I felt as if someone was stealing the character that I admired and running away with it. Watching the trailers a few (or million) times put my mind to rest a little bit, for Martin Freeman seemed like he could pull off a decent Bilbo. But I was still not convinced. 

I watched AUJ. 

I'm convinced. 

Martin Freeman made The. Best. Bilbo. Ever. Oh, don't get me wrong; Ian Holm was amazing and did marvelously, but Martin Freeman really gave Bilbo character. Ian Holm made him real; Martin Freeman made him a person.

But what is it about Bilbo that makes him my favorite male character? As a hobbit, all he wanted to do was live a normal life and fit in with everyone else. However, there was a little bit of adventure and wanderlust in him from his mother's side, the Tooks. Yes, that is the same last name of a certain, scarf-wearing, foolish, beacon-lighting hobbit in LOTR. If you hadn't guessed, they're related. But, I digress. 

The Tooks had a rather wild reputation, and Bilbo being of the same blood, people do expect something Tookish to pop out of him. And it does. When Gandalf and the dwarves appear on his doorstep, Bilbo stubbornly claims that he wants nothing of their adventure, yet after hearing the dwarves sing, something Tookish woke up inside him (absolutely love that line!!!), and he signed the dwarves' burglar contract. 

No longer did the little hobbit sit at home and eat his fish in peace. Now he was out on the road, on an adventure, on a journey of epic proportions, going to meet a dragon and reclaim a treasure. He didn't think much of joining the quest from the beginning, save for that little something Tookish that woke up inside him, but as the journey drags on, Bilbo begins to think that he was wrong to go running off into the blue. He realizes that he may not be cut out for adventures after all, and tries to go home. It is here that Bilbo's attempts are foiled by the goblins capturing the company. Or rather, most of the company. Poor Bilbo Baggins was separated from the others and fell (literally) into the lair of Gollum. The two have a game of riddles in the dark and Bilbo's question, "What have I got in my pocket?" won him the game and the honor of Gollum showing him the way out. 

And what was in Bilbo's pocket?

The one Ring. Bilbo didn't know how highly important such a little piece of jewelry was at that time; he only knew that it was something precious that Gollum lost and that it made the wearer invisible, the second fact proving extremely useful when escaping the Goblin halls. 

But the whole adventure changes Bilbo. Once that initial zeal for the adventure grows dim, Bilbo wishes to go back. He could have used the Ring to escape the mountains and return to Rivendell.

But he didn't.

He overheard the dwarves talking to Gandalf about him; Thorin saying that the hobbit never belonged on a quest like this, and he's right. Bilbo's been lost ever since he left home. This was more than he expected; he's not too proud to admit it. But does he let that get to him? No! He decides to go on with the dwarves, to see the quest to the end. 

And that, my friends, is character.

You can't have a whole post about Bilbo without making some mention of the hobbit's wardrobe. After all, hobbits are rather known for their fun, unique clothing styles. Bilbo sports a red coat (very debonair for a hobbit of the Shire) and a vest with acorn buttons. I love the bits about those buttons in the story -- how they initially pop off when he's escaping the goblin tunnels, go pattering around on the doorstep, leaving the goblins horribly confused at the sight, and then how at the end, Tolkien states that if Bilbo noticed that Balin's beard was longer and that the dwarf wore a jeweled belt, Balin also noticed that Bilbo had real gold buttons on his vest. I really like how they kept the continuity between Bilbo's costumes in both LOTR and The Hobbit. Bilbo, though played by two different actors, wears relatively the same color scheme and the same styles; it makes it as though you really were just seeing one character rather than two different people.

Bilbo's also got some of the best and quotable lines out of anyone who ever lived in Middle-Earth. For example...

And...

And we won't even begin with the movie quotes.

For more details about the 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge, please visit here!

Namarie!

MEC Day 16: Best Antagonist

"The halfling was dear to thee I see. Know that he suffered greatly at the hands of his host. Who would have thought that one so small could endure so much pain. And he did Gandalf, he did."

The good peoples of Middle-Earth come across many great enemies during their adventures.

By name...

Sauron

Saruman the White

Azog the Defiler

Goblin King

Witch King

Gothmog

Shelob

Shagrat

Lurtz

Gorbag

Gollum

Mouth of Sauron

Yazneg

By race...

Orcs

Uruk-Hai

Haradrim

Southrons

Goblins

Wargs

Spiders

Oliphants

Trolls

And so many more!

Let me tell you, it was hard to pick a best antagonist. But I did, for the sake of the challenge. And yes, I think he's horribly disgusting and vulgar, but I mostly picked this one because he's the most quotable.

The Great Goblin King

Goblin King: Well, well, well, look who it is! Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King under the mountain! Oh, but I'm forgetting, you don't have a moutain, and you're not a king, which makes you nobody, really.

~*~*~*~*~

Thorin: Azog the Defiler is no more. He was slain in battle long ago!

Goblin King: So you think his defiling days are done, do you?

~*~*~*~*~

Goblin King: Did you think you could escape me? (throws Gandalf back) What are you gonna do now, Wizard?

(Gandalf slashes Glamdring through the Goblin King's throat and belly)

Goblin King: That'll do it.

For more details about the 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge, please visit here!

Namarie!

MEC Day 15: Best Steed

"Is he a great wizard? Or is he more like... you?"

Arod, Bill, Brego, Shadwofax, Minty, Snowmane, Mertle... too many favorite steeds. And then you've got wargs, fell beasts, oliphants, eagles, and so many other animals. But the best steed in all Middle-Earth? Technically, you'd wouldn't normally classify these animals as a *steed* but they fall in the category by being of the animal kingdom and providing transportation.

Rhosogobel Rabbits

*Your* but otherwise correct.

For more details about the 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge, please visit here!

Namarie!

MEC Day 13: Funniest Quote

"You'll have a tale or two to tell of your own when you get back."

Bilbo: I can't just go running off into the blue! I am a Baggins of Bag End!

Gandalf: You are also a Took. Did you know that your Great-Great-Great-Great Uncle Bullroarer Took was so large he could ride a real horse?

Bilbo: Yes.

Gandalf: Well, he could! In the Battle of Greenfields, he charged the Goblin ranks. He swung his club so hard it knocked the Goblin King's head clean off and it sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit hole. And thus the battle was won, and the game of golf invented at the same time.

For more details about the 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge, please visit here!

Namarie!

MEC Day 7: Favorite Weapon

"I will give you a name," Bilbo said to the sword, "and I shall call you Sting."

Glamdring, Sting, Sam's frying pan, Legolas's Galadhrim bow, Eomer's blade... how to choose a favorite weapon... but guess what? I managed it!

Ori's slingshot

We won't need to expound on the slingshot because it's pretty awesome in it of itself... but I did think this (below) was pretty funny. Typical Ori. *grins*

For more details about the 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge, please visit here!

Namarie!

MEC Day 6: Best of Thorin's Company

"Think furnace... with wings. Flash of light, searing pain and poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash!"

Thorin

Balin

Dwalin

Kili

Fili

Bifur

Bombur

Bofur

Oin

Gloin

Dori

Ori

Nori

Gandalf

or

Bilbo

Who is the best in Thorin's company? This was a hard choice for me because I like each one, but for different reasons. But I have to pick someone... and just one someone, so I'm going with...

Bofur

Okay, I'll admit it. Bofur was probably my favorite of the dwarves on the first viewing of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey mostly because he was one of the ones I could pick out of a crowd and give a name. His hat singled him out, you might say, and I was very proud that I recognized and could name at least one dwarf (Thorin really doesn't count, I'd say, as everyone knows what he looks like).

But on second and third viewings (and fourth and fifth) Bofur remained a favorite, even after I could recognize and name each dwarf (and give the actor's name as well) because he was a great character. Not only does he have that identifying hat, he's the one that everyone loves on the quest. He's always ready to lend a helping hand or an encouraging word. Let me give you a few examples.

When Bilbo panics and stops their journey with the news that he's forgotten his pocket handkerchief, it's Bofur who rips his own shirt for Bilbo to use as a handkerchief. 

When Kili and Fili are tending to the ponies (during which time they seem to misplace a few), it's Bofur who remembers them and sends Bilbo with stew for them to eat.

When Bilbo falls off the cliff after the thunder battle, it's Bofur who first misses him.

When Bilbo later confronts Bofur while trying to sneak out, he insults the dwarves by saying they don't belong anywhere, yet Bofur still gives him a smile and wishes him all the luck in the world.

And those are just a few examples. 

Bofur also has some really quotable lines:

Bofur: (after falling down a chasm) Well, that could have been worse.

(Goblin King falls on top of them)

Dwalin: You've got to be joking!

~*~*~*~*~

Dori: (about the trolls) You can't reason with them; they're half-wits!

Bofur: Half-wits? What does that make us?

~*~*~*~*~

Bofur: Oh, you hear that, lads? He says we'll blunt the knives.

~*~*~*~*~

Bofur: (hearing the table creak beneath Bombur's weight) Bombur! Catch! (throws him a sausage)

(Bombur catches the sausage; the table creaks and collapses under Bombur)

I won't make this post as long as yesterday's but I'd like to add one last thing in before I sign off. There's a mysterious rumor going around that sounds like this...

And let me tell you, folks, that ain't true! Bofur does indeed lose his hat, and only once in AUJ, yet he keeps it on during all that is mentioned in the above picture. Bofur loses his hat when he first enters Bilbo's house in the beginning of the film. After Kili and Fili's big entrance upsets Bilbo, the other dwarves pile up on the doorstep and they all fall into the hobbit's front hall when Bilbo yanks the door open. Please watch that scene closely. Bofur's near the bottom of the pile, and kerplunk his hat falls right off. Ironic, isn't it, that he can keep his hat in all the epic and dangerous action of the film, yet he can't keep it on stumbling over the doorjam. Ah, well, such is life, I suppose.

For more details about the 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge, please visit here!

Namarie!

MEC Day 3: Favorite Quote

"If you're referring to the incident with the dragon, I was barely involved. All I did was give your uncle a little nudge out of the door."

So, I'm sure most of you have noticed by now that every post in this challenge has begun with a quote. Yes, I love quoting all things Tolkien, and no, I don't think it's cheating to incorporate all of my favorite quotes when technically I'm only s'posed to be doing my one favorite quote. But guess what, peoples? I don't have *one* favorite!! No!! Who could?! So, I'm getting most of my favorite quotes quoted in my posts, and today's favorite quote post will be what I reluctantly picked as a favorite for the purpose of this challenge. 

Please ignore the fact that this is an entire scene rather than one quote. I couldn't figure out how to type it all out so that it looked like one quote. Besides, there's too many good lines in here.

Bilbo: Good morning.

Gandalf: What do you mean? Do you mean to wish me a good morning, or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good this particular morning, or are you simply stating that it is a morning to be good on?

Bilbo: All of them at once, I suppose.

(Gandalf sighs and awkward silence ensues)

Bilbo: Can I help you?

Gandalf: That remains to be seen. I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure.

Bilbo: An adventure? No, i don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures. Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner! Eh-heh! (reads his mail while trying to ignore Gandalf) Good morning!

Gandalf: To think that I should have lived to be good morning'ed by Belladonna Took's son, as if I were selling buttons at the door!

Bilbo: Beg your pardon?

Gandalf: You've changed, and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins.

Bilbo: I'm sorry, do I know you?

Gandalf: Well, you know my name, although you don't remember that I belong to it. I'm Gandalf, and Gandalf means... me.

Bilbo: Not Gandalf the wandering wizard who made such excellent fireworks. Old Took used to have them on Midsummer's Eve. No idea you were still in business.

Gandalf: And where else should I be?

(Bilbo coughs noncommittally)

Gandalf: Well, I'm pleased to find that you remember something about me, even if it's only my fireworks. Yes well, that's decided. It'll be very good for you, and most amusing for me. I shall inform the others.

Bilbo: Inform the who? What? No, no! We do not want any adventures here, thank you, not today. I suggest you try over the hill or across the water. Good morning.

For more details about the 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge, please visit here!

Namarie!