How do the elves and hobbits feel about the gender and sexuality spectrums? The dwarves seem very accepting but are the other races? I love your story! <3

Oh, thank you Nonnie!

Well, I am using a reasonable amount of Tolkien’s writings about Elven sexuality, really – and then imposing my own slant on things, hahaha! These bits in particular:

“In all such things not concerned with the bringing forth of children, the neri and nissi (that is, the men and women) of the Eldar are equal…”

But all these things, and other matters of labor and play…may at different times be pursued by any among the Noldor, be they neri or nissi.”

So, from this I take away that Elven gender roles and gender norms are basically nil. Therefore, I am headcanoning Elves as very accepting of the gender spectrum and of gender expression. They’re a slightly androgynous race already, so to push those boundaries doesn’t seem too much of a stretch to me.

Also, this: “It was the act of bodily union that achieved marriage.”

So, casual sex amongst Elves is a no-go. This is sliiiiightly different to the situation with Dwarves, who only love once. Love and sex are not necessarily connected. So a Dwarf might have a friend-with-benefits or a one night stand and no problems, thanks mate, that was fun: not so for an Elf.

I think that (as with Dwarves) such an ancient race would have full acceptance for all forms of sexuality. Ace/demisexual/greysexual Elves are pretty much canon in some respects, anyway. So there’s that.

So, anyway – in Sansukh, the Elves have a full respect and acceptance for all forms of gender expression and sexuality. Unlike Hobbits.

This is admittedly based on my own experiences with small-town life. Provincial isolated towns are… not always accepting. Sometimes they are, but in my experience, more commonly they are conservative and parochial and gossipy. So, I have made it so that Hobbits are very disapproving of a departure from ‘the norm’ – which fits in fairly well with the stated general attitude towards Bilbo and Belladonna Took and anybody just a little different in any way. Hobbits totally play respectability politics. They’re concerned with ‘properness’. I’m aware that this idea isn’t popular in fandom!

That said, queer Hobbits do exist. They are just considered, well, queer: odd and slightly scandalous. Less so amongst the great Families – the Tooks and Brandybucks, who are much more widely-travelled, learned and adventurous. Gender-noncomforming and LGBTQIA+ Hobbits would be far more accepted in Tuckborough or Buckland than in Hobbiton or Frogmorton or any of the other villages, which are full of Chubbs and Grubbs and Bracegirdles and Boffins and Proudfeet, all gossping merrily away. “Did you hear about that Hornblower lass, my dear? Isn’t it positively outrageous! Terribly so, my dear! What about the Brandybuck lad? Utterly shocking! Such a scandal!”

Someone posted a headcanon about how bilbo walks around with a knife in his boots after coming home to the shire. I haven’t the heart to tell them hobbits don’t wear shoes

PFFFFFFT

(OH I SHOULDN’T LAUGH BUT – AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh that is sort of priceless whoops)

snartha:

Somebody made a text post about “what if hobbits were the firstborn of Iluvatar” and how much less corruptible they are than elves aND I SWEAR I SAVED THE POST BUT NOW I CAN’T FIND IT, anyway this was supposed to be a response to it. u_u SOMEBODY FIND ME THAT POST.

What is the peanut gallery’s favorite hobbit? Thorin’s is obvious enough but I’m betting that by the end Merry is Frerin’s.

(That last bit – AUGH OUCH but also spot on, yep. MERRY AHHHH, FRERIN IS GONNA FLIP HIS LID)

Welp, Sam is Fili’s favourite. Absolutely. He thinks Sam is the most sensible Hobbit he’s ever seen: calls him an ‘honorary Dwarf.’

Pippin is actually extremely popular amongst the watchers. He manages to impress everyone when he lets the brooch of Lorien slip – that’s a bit of cunning that Dwarves can appreciate. There’s a certain ‘Oh, you!’ attitude, along with indulgent smiles and shaking of heads that happens when he is around: Hrera calls his antics his ‘nonsense’, but for many of the Company Pippin reminds them very strongly of Bilbo. Of course, Pip is very young whereas Bilbo was not, but they were both hopelessly out of their depth when they began, and they both grew so very fast and very far. Also: Tooks and disasters. Heh.

Yeah, Thorin is obvs very fond of Frodo. He’s watched him for a LOT longer than the Ring Quest, after all – he’s known Frodo from a young tween, 21 years old, all those years ago when Bilbo adopted him. But he also feels rather protective towards Merry and Pippin (no points for guessing why aha more pain). He calls Merry ‘brave little laughing warrior’, and Pippin ‘little Bullroarer, child of adventurers.’ And then there’s Sam. He admires Sam: calls him ‘lion of the Shire’; ‘a lion under his soft skin.’ He admires his care for Frodo, his refusal to give up, his steadfastness in the face of nightmares.

Ori is generally amazed at how Hobbit eyes go all sad and big and teary. How do they DO that?!

Frodo is also very important to Thrain and Thror but for a very VERY different reason.

They actually understand (in a way that the others cannot) what Rings of Power can do to you, all unknowing, whispering constantly in your ear. 😦