Do you think dwarves or elves have the concept of surrogates? Like, say a dwarf decided to have relations with someone, but for whatever reason didn’t want to court anyone or marry. Then, perhaps said dwarf gets pregnant on accident. They don’t want to be a parent for whatever reason (since it’s not for everyone) but children are special to their race and so they wouldn’t take herbs or whatever to terminate the pregnancy. So, they decide to find a couple, or person, who wants children [1/2]

but for whatever reason is unable to have them. They’re still able to visit if they want to, like an open adoption type thing, but someone else raises the baby. Or what if elves or dwarves did figure out some way to do surrogacy similar to what’s done now, so that couples who want a baby that shares part of their genes are able to? [2/2]

Hey Nonnie!

God, I really don’t know. I think they would likely use surrogacy as well as adoption, but the particulars of this scenario are not something I know a lot about. I don’t think it would be very appropriate for me to speculate, either: I think this is something that people who have had life experience with surrogacy – either as a surrogate themselves, or as a child of a surrogate – would be in a better position to answer.

Everyone goes to Vili’s for breakfast. Vili makes the best breakfasts. So tasty. Such filling.

Awwww! And considering too that Vili is a fantastic odds-and-ends budget cook, there would also be the unspoken shared thought of “???? WHERE DID HE GET THAT AND HOW DID HE MAKE THAT FROM THAT”

Thorin the stress-forger making ALL the kitchen implements. Knives and colanders and pots and pans and dishes and knick-knacks and things to slice apples when you push them down and graters and garlic crushers and mashers and …. anything he can do and/or saw Bilbo use. Hrera is the recipient of so many practice implements. Thorin also makes sets of mixing bowls that all fit in each other. Turkey basters. Cookie sheets.

Ooooh, I would like those mixing bowls, tbh.

AWW THORIN, YOU CUTIE. Make all the hobbity things!!!

Fili and Kili totally do everything they can to have a badass bedroom in the Halls. Vili carved them a badass double bunk bed thing out of the stone (Frerin & Frar helped). Thrain made them really cool racks for stuff- and Thorin made weapons for some and Fris made musical instruments for others. Hrera made them (ugly, hard-won) knitwear. Zhori and Ori and Nori made them awesome blankets and linens (w/fighting patterns). All sorts of cool doodads that they made or traded for or were gifted.

OOOOH very cool ideas! Heh, I wrote a music/drabble thingy about Fris making a violin for Fili: perhaps she made him a stand, too!

(double bunk beds set into the walls always and without fail make me think of Red Dwarf. It is a curse I must bear.)

Part of the reason that Laerophen keeps finding people kissing is that he has discovered that there are several libraries in Erebor. He’s trying to go through them all. He is determined!

I am imagining him bumping from smooch to smooch like a confused and slightly-annoyed roomba. 😀

As well as all those pens and cooking things, Thorin has made an awful lot of gardening things for Bilbo. Trowels and hoes and weeder tools. The little wire things you put tomatoes in so they grow right. Buckets. Wire forms for holding up bushes (in conjunction with Fris, wire expert).

OH GOSH YES THIS PERFECTION

Who hasn’t Laerophen accidentally caught kissing in a random corner? He almost tripped on Thorin 3 and Bomfris on his way to the toilets near the council rooms once. He was walking with Gimizh and managed to steer the kid around Beri and Genild in a broom closet (those noises are totally someone reorganizing the cleaning products. Totally not worth investigating). Laerophen and Merillin went for a walk in the moss gardens only to see Gloin and Mizim happily locking lips. Laerophen is so put upon

My poor socially incompetent flamingo Elf, awww ❤ Gangling his way from blush to blush, freezing in place when he stumbles across yet another romantic rendezvous, NO I AM NOT AT ALL TAKEN OFF-GUARD SEE HOW VERY COMPOSED AND IN CONTROL I AM AT ALL TIMES, WHAT DO YOU MEAN, MY EARS ARE NOT RED

You just know that he was only looking for the library. 🙂

Laerophen catches Merilin and Selga making out in a corner and is just – instant tomato. Generally awkward.

I AM HERE FOR THIS YES

culumacilinte:

everyonelovesrobots:

adventuresinstringrepair:

pianoaround:

Does anyone know what this instrument is called? Its like a Marimba but it is very large and made out of huge stones. Listen to that tone! haha Love it!

It’s a type of Vietnamese lithophone (literally rock sound instrument) called a đàn đá. Some ethnomusicologists think that these are likely the oldest type of man made instrument.

this is some good rock music right here.

@determamfidd, Dwarves would definitely have some version of a massive lithophone, y/y?

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I was 100% sure at one point Radagast was going to bitch slap thrandy

could have gone either way, tbh! I’ve written it so that Radagast irritates the heck outta Thranduil, and vice-versa. Radagast is all, ‘goddamn stop it with all the grand airs and graces, stop taking everything so seriously and personally, silly Elf’ and Thranduil is all, ‘THIS IS IMPORTANT, FOR ERU’S SAKE, STOP DITHERING ABOUT AND CONCENTRATE, YOU OLD TWIT’.

They respect each other enormously. Their personalities just don’t agree at all 🙂

(Dorwinion consumption in the Elven Kingdom triples when Radagast is visiting, heheh)