Tag: dwarves

What do you think would happen if Middle-Earth dwarves and Discworld dwarves ever met?

“What Misty Mountains? Does he mean up by Copperhead?”

“Nah, he ain’t a Lancre Dwarf.”

“Uberwald, you reckon? There’s MMBU, after all*.”

“I dunno, think he’s a bit daft. He doesn’t even know the words to Gold, Gold, Gold, Gold**!”

“Poor bugger. Definitely daft. Look, he doesn’t even know how to quaff properly! It’s landing in his mouth. And when we gave him a rat-onna-stick, he went off on a proper rant – about honour of all things!”

“Shame! D’you think he’d mind if I had the rat then?”

“Nah, go for it. Only there’s no ketchup.”

“Oh. Well, no wonder he went off about honour. You don’t have a rat-onna-stick without ketchup. S’a mug’s game, giving a bloke a rat-onna-stick without ketchup.”

*Miles and Miles of Bloody Uberwald.
**The all-time classic.

Is messy hair a Durin thing? Like the nose and the angst?

LOL, the hereditary Durin angst! very accurate!

I don’t actually think so – Before death, Thorin’s hair was remarkably photogenic well-behaved. It’s only since his death that he’s been struggling with it!

Fili’s hair is lovely, as we all know. Thrain’s is enviable. Like, hellooooo sir. 

And Thror’s should be enshrined as hair-and-beard perfection, tbh. 

(I bet that this is all Hrera’s painstaking work, though…)

Even the extended Durin line we see in the films has hella hair. I mean, Balin’s is plain as plain – but pure white and absolutely lovely. Dwalin might be bald, but it is long at the back – also beard respect. Oin’s hair is FABTACULAR, curly braids ftw!! And Gloin’s – welp. Nuff said. My fave hot dad also has my fave hair and beard. And both are A GLORIOUS ABUNDANCE. 

And then, ofc, there is the fiery magnificence that is Dain. 

The only dwarf of the Durin line we see with fairly scruffy hair is Kili, I suppose. And even then it’s not scruffy-scruffy, more “movies-scruffy” (it appears that Dwarves do not frizz even in wet weather. Bastards). 

Psst Thorin Stonehelm is dark-eyed right?

He has dark blue eyes, actually! The Stonehelm is a blocky, burly, beefy, strapping sort of Dwarf. He’s what they had in mind when they coined the word ‘brawny’. His skin is light brown and his hair is black – both of which came from Thira’s side of the family. 

BUT, he has inherited the rusty-coloured beard of his fathers! It’s a bit startling to look upon, but many men (in our world, even) who have brown or even black hair on their heads grow rusty-brown or ginger beards. He normally keeps it bound in one braid from his chin, with silver clasps descending along its length in even intervals. (of course, he just chopped it all off, the duffer…)

He also inherited his blue eyes from his father’s line… though his are nowhere near the pale blue of the elder Durin line. His are far far darker, more a deep blue. 

you should totally check out poplitealqueen‘s awesome sketch of the Stonehelm here! It’s super close to how I see him now 🙂

Hrera totally arranges for a giant pile of pillows in her apartments in the Halls before Thror dies. Because preparation never hurts.

Okay, sadness ahoy…

I think she probably began making them the minute she began watching Thror in the waters. Pillow after pillow, each one a product of her frustrated love. All in the knitting she so disliked – but her hands had to do something, they had to work on something. Each one as fine as she could contrive, covered in angular patterns and little bobbles and tassles at the corners, names and pictures, the works.

The pile on the cold side of the bed would grow higher, and she would turn to it again and again over the course of those terrible years. Because she had grown used to so many pillows at night. Because she was lonely and worried and frantic. Because when she rolled over, it felt right when something soft met her arms – even if it didn’t snore gently or have terrible bedhead or snuffle into her embrace.

Hrera probably disapproves of Thorin being so anti-decoration? Like, her stuff is always decorated so tastefully and beautifully, always looks gorgeous. And then there’s Thorin’s work. Master craftwork, but. So. Damned. Plain.

She certainly would. Just as she disapproves of the terribly plain beard and hair choices of her adopted Longbeards. To Hrera, taking a bit of care is showing pride in yourself and your work. To leave it (or yourself) so unadorned is to devalue yourself somewhat.

*shrug* she has Opinions.

I have the distinct feeling that Frerinith spends a lot of time after ch37 ends going around doing cuddlehugs. Because he doesn’t like people being unhappy.

LOL, Frerinith is such an imperious bossy little boots, he would probably wander around frowning at people and declaring ‘Up!’ and patting at them and their face and hugging legs etc. Until he was satisfied they wouldn’t be sad any more. 

Then he’d point sternly at them and announce, “I tooked your sad away!” 

The person in question may indeed look startled. 

“Don’t. Let it. Back,” Frerin would say in the most adorable emphatic manner possible. And beam at them.

And then Frerin would toddle off, content that he’d saved the day. 

I really like how your characters have regular strengths and weaknesses beyond their key points? It makes them more real. Like, a Thorin who is such a bad cook that he could burn water. Hrera who is a mediocre knitter but does projects anyway.

Awwww, Nonnie! I am so glad – you have made me so so happy! Yeah, I find ‘perfect’ characters absolutely boring to read about (I have nothing in common with someone so utterly flawless, lol) and so I have inserted all sorts of little likes and dislikes and failings and flaws and foibles all over the shop… Hrera who hates knitting but perseveres BECAUSE SHE WILL DEFEAT IT, Gimli who is a rubbish blacksmith but a good miner, Thrain who is a very good metalsmith when it comes to anything BUT armour, Thorin who won’t add decoration to a damned thing (unless it’s for a Hobbit),  Gimris who is a good sewer but finds it dull as dishwater, a perfectionist Stonehelm who frets over leatherwork, Laerophen who finds everything warlike a bit distasteful but does his duty anyway (though he’d much rather be reading a book), Bomfris who HATES cooking (much to her brother’s despair), and so on… yeah, I am so happy you like that little detail! 

Thank you SO much for telling me, you’ve really brightened my day!