THOSE ROTTEN SACKVILLE-BAGGINSES *cranky Dwarf noises*
(tbh I sort of love Lobelia a lot… particularly bc of the Scouring of the Shire…but I can certainly see Thorin’s initial opinion of her being less than complimentary!)
It can be entirely said in the films that any good qualities Bilbo had he learned from observing Thorin. He demonstrably did not give a shit about the dwarves when they first showed up, he was a coward afraid to even TALK to Gandalf, he was a miser and greedy with his food, and as far as we can tell never did anything for anyone but himself ever since his parents died. Sure he had some inner love of adventure, carefully hidden, and within him were qualities which would eventually blossom into courage and wisdom, but the fact is that was his character arc to become a better person.
Contrast that with movie Thorin who basically has no sense of self (or self preservation, frankly) who throws himself into horrible physical and existential danger to get his people home which, yes, sometimes necessitates he gets kinda growly with people who give him shit while he’s trying to do that. He’s not perfect, he holds grudges (which are justified) but sometimes against people who had nothing to do with his plight (which is not). He can be rude but the fact is he kinda usually has something else on his mind when that happens (saving Bilbo from falling off a cliff face, for example, or getting to the hidden door in time when it comes to Kili’s injuries). The whole point of dragon sickness was that it turned him into something he wasn’t.
The whole point of Bilbo saving him from dragon sickness in ANY sense (which he actually doesn’t, as such, his words and those of many others come back to him and he frees himself after seeing how much he’s changed) is that Bilbo reminds Thorin of who he used to be. Bilbo by observing Thorin and becoming more like him now serves as a touchstone to help bring Thorin back to himself.
Thorin (and the plight of the other dwarves) inspired Bilbo to be a better person. All Thorin had to do on his emotional journey of being a better person was accept that maybe outsiders like Bilbo want to help them, and shouldn’t be so callously dismissed. Bilbo literally went from caring about no one except himself to risking his life to save his friends of another species he heretofore thought very little of. Bilbo’s moral improvement arc is HUGE compared to Thorin, who doesn’t even really have a moral arc in BotFA except to break free of a parasitic disease that twists him into something he isn’t, and achieve his goal of providing a home for the people he literally sacrifices everything for.
But, y’know, Bilbo can do no wrong, after all, and Thorin is such a meanie… ugh
So here I go, throwing my crap onto the pile of amazingness and shaming myself.
I wrote this with the mental image of Fili and Kili’s much (MUCH) younger days as little dwarflings in Ered Luin, being cheeky and causing just enough trouble to their uncle to be exasperating but endearing little scamps.
I wanted for it to invoke that feeling of winter days, when it’s far too cold to be outside, so they have to turn their energy and antics onto their favourite target uncle.
Well. Here’s hoping!
determamfidd listen to this! MOAR CUTE LIL NEPHEW MUSIC.
OH MY WORD OH MY GOSH OH GOOD GRAVY
WOWWWWWW
oh, it is like icicles! It is so beautiful and atmospheric – ahh, did you play this? I am in jaw-droppingly breathless awe, I love the hopefulness of it, the playfulness! Oh my gooddddddd this is beautiful! I LOVE IT, so so so much!
Yes. It does. they have some glaring similarities, after all, though they’d never EVER admit to them
Intra-house rivalry, bwaaahahahahaha. Both of them with their supporters and friends (of all houses), both of them jostling for leadership of Slytherin. Many nasty words, lots of sniping, lots of magical ‘pranks’, many lost house-points, heheheheh.
ALRIGHT ANON AND FOLLOWERS. SIT YOURSELVES DOWN AND SHUSH IT ALL UP BECAUSE I AM ABOUT TO BESTOW SOME HARD TRUTHS UPON YOU ALL REGARDING THORIN’S HOGWART’S HOUSE
Reasons for Slytherin Thorin Brought to you by a Ravenclaw Nerd
-1st it isn’t because he’s “mean” or “greedy” or any of that saying he’s a “””bad guy”””” leave your slytherin prejudices at the door BYE
-Slytherin is often noted for cunning, ambition, need to prove themselves, resourcefulness, and, while it’s not outright said, almost every slytherin shown has an EXTREME dedication to whatever it is they do and often to close friends/family. The family pride thing comes up with a lot of Slytherins man and not just in the “pure blood” sense but in The Malfoys, The Blacks, things like that.
-One of Thorin’s biggest drives, especially within the movies, is his ambition and NEED TO PROVE HIMSELF to…mainly himself. He has a lot of other traits but a huge thing that drives him is this need to be what he needs to be for his people, to live up to his own legend, to reclaim the honor of his family and his kingdom.
-Don’t say Thorin isn’t cunning either. He makes some…less than wise decisions but holy damn that entire set up against Smaug that he came up with on the fly??? Lighting the forges by LAUGHING AT A DRAGON is kind of a super slytherin thing to do. Use the enemy’s power against themselves and all that. Throw him in a dire situation and Thorin is a schemer like him and Bilbo could be SO DAMN DANGEROUS iloveit.
-His “FUCK THE ENTIRE WORLD EXCEPT FOR THESE PARTICULAR PEOPLE WHO I DECIDED ARE MINE” attitude is so….i can not even comprehend how slytherin that is.
-Like spoiler alert for everyone who is about to go “but he is loyal and therefore hufflepuff” Loyalty aint just a Hufflepuff thing. Slytherins show an EXTREME loyalty to something they decide is worth it. Slytherins are not selfless in their loyalty, which I see Hufflepuff and Gryffindor more being. They are loyal to either what helps advance them or what they are personally invested in. The Slytherin house sticks together viciously, they have a very “look out for your people” mindset and FUCK EVERYONE ELSE. Thorin is loyal to the ideals and legacy of his family, he is loyal to family itself and loyal to HIS company. He doesn’t follow the guidlines of anyone else but sets himself some very firm rules of honor (which is very important to dwarvish culture anyway but man does he seem to REALLY go for it until the whole uh…sickness misfortune)
-Also slightly unrelated rant here but tumblr. Tumblr. TUMBLR. Not all of your faves are Hufflepuffs. This is not at all directed at you anon don’t worry but godDAMN in every fandom do people love putting their faves in Hufflepuff. Like if a character is nice once or shows any hint of loyalty or like…works towards anything they are hufflepuff as if the other houses are the boring lazy charicature houses and Hufflepuff is the only legit one????? I know a lot of tumblrites are in Hufflepuff but SON you gotta give me a better reason than “well he’s loyal and works hard for a goal” like anyone does that. People do that all the time in any house. You gotta look at what DRIVES them and ok TLDR Hufflepuff is great but not all ur faves are Hufflepuff END RANT I APOLOGIZE
-Seriously though can’t you just SEE Thorin in Slytherin house being the guy who both has TONS OF HOUSE PRIDE and bleeds fucking green and silver but is also constantly in this weird internal and external battle against the stigma of his house??? He’s always striving to prove that they aren’t the bad guys and they’re more than the history says.
There… might be a tankard, a lovely brass-bound affair, with a carven tusk that serves for a handle, sitting on a forgotten shelf somewhere under Thorin’s workbench. He made it some time ago, and it has been entirely driven from his mind. It’s a comfortable sort of thing, easy and reassuring to grasp. It’s not a tool of war, or even a symbol of leadership. It’s a tankard, after all, meant to be used for merriment and peace amongst friends.
There might alsobe an axe, rather bare of decoration, but so perfectly sharp it could split a fiery hair clean in two, sitting neglected in his weapons-rack. It’s a weighty axe, the balance tipped towards the blade. Only a hearty and strong warrior who had worked with his axe for days on end – even years – could use it. As mentioned, it’s rather bare of all ornamentation… but there’s a small star etched into the base of the handle with unusual care.
Tucked in a drawer underneath a stack of half-finished designs, you might also find a long-toothed comb, wrapped in soft felt. Unlike everything else in the workroom, it’s not plain and serviceable. The comb is obviously meant to be worn, with a high embellished fan at the end that would perfectly adorn a mass of dark hair. It is twisted of the finest, most ornate silver filigree you can imagine: tiny jewels wink inside the elaborate coils, and the teeth are made of steel that has been polished nearly to the sheen of mithril. It is easily the most delicate thing in the place.
(You see, namad? I can be decorative, when I so choose.)
Whatever you do, don’t imagine her reunion with her parents. Thrain running his thumb gently across her face, across her cheekbone and stroking the side of her beard. Don’t imagine him smiling at her with trembling lips, telling her that he is so proud, nathith, so proud. Don’t imagine Fris wrapping her arms around her last child and holding her to her heart; don’t imagine Thrain tugging them both close and tight, cocooning them with his body, pressing whiskery kisses to his daughter’s temple. Don’t imagine the words they would say. Don’t imagine the tearing sound of Dis’ sobs.
Don’t imagine her grandfather kissing both her cheeks and her forehead, and then gathering her close. “Sparrow, our little sparrow,” he would murmur, and she would remember what it cost to lose him, what it cost all of them. Her grandmother’s clever hands stroking Dis’ hair, her soothing, no-nonsense voice, calling her “Dis, darling,” as she did, so so long ago. They have the same hands.
Whatever you do, don’t imagine her reunion with her (little) big brother. It has been centuries, she can’t even remember him clearly, but at the smell of his hair and the sound of his voice, it comes rushing back, so fast and powerful it is nearly a physical blow. His weight against her is so small, so slight.
Whatever you do, don’t imagine her reunion with her sons, her madcap bright-eyed darlings. Don’t imagine her crying into their hair. Don’t even entertain the idea that she cannot stop kissing them even for a moment, her grasping hands frantic, her eyes half-blinded by her tears, gripping their clothes so tightly that her arms shake. I’d advise against dwelling on the whiteness of her knuckles, the tenderness in her kisses, how her head bows and her shoulders shudder at the sound of those voices calling her ‘Amad’ again, at long last: Amad, Amad, we missed you Amad.
Whatever you do, don’t think of her pressing her forehead against Dain’s, her cousin, her borrowed-brother, and cursing him for leaving her as well as he throws his arms around her and rocks her back and forth. The last one, she was the last one. Don’t think of Dain gently prying free and wiping her eyes (hopeless, a hopeless task) before turning her around to face the one standing behind her. Don’t picture him giving Dis a little push towards her eldest brother.
You definitely shouldn’t visualise the look in her eye as she stares at Thorin, stricken. It’s not a good idea to imagine the harsh rasp of her breathing as she curses him and curses him, twice as hard as she ever did Dain, all the while stumbling over to him and throwing herself at him with outstretched arms. Don’t imagine how she clings to him as though he is a tree against a storm, how she buries her head against his shoulder and cries and cries, her whole body wracked with it, and he too smells just the same.
And the last thing you should ever do is imagine her greeting her husband.
idk, this is another private observation of mine: I think that the way he was portrayed in the films – and not just by Richard, check out the camera angles and music chosen for his closeups – really highlight a character who has no ‘middle settings’ when it comes to how he feels. It’s 0 or 10: he either doesn’t care, or he cares far, far too much (and is very poor at hiding it). Thorin does not half-ass how he feels about anything, hehehh.
So, now that he has unravelled how he feels? Full steam ahead, baby, as determined and unstoppable as the sunset! MAKE ALL THE PENS.
Someday, I hope that an artist takes it upon themselves to draw Thorin how he would have looked trying to squeeze into that mithril shirt that he gave Bilbo, just so I can link to it every time I see someone say he should have kept it for himself (or Kili, or Fili) so they would…
Aw Yiss 