{ you will wander around alone in the house we've all abandoned. }

[delga]

So, heading to London tomorrow for a family gathering hosted by one of my paternal aunts. There I will be handed over to my aunt and uncle from N. (where I visited before coming home), and they're going to give me a lift back to Soton. Monday morning I have classes from 9am. Last teaching week this semester, then Reading Week, before the exam period. Normally this time would be spent on an essay and then some revision, but my deadline is for Ex.Writ. Oh, yeah, did I mention the deadline for that piece isn't this Monday, but in a fortnight? At least it's done now, I guess.

Note to self: buy some calendars.

--

Lord of the Rings! I don't really know why I haven't seen this before. I supposed because I missed the first installment and then never got caught up. I did try reading the novels once upon a time, but I never made it very far which is a shame because I'm ready to read them again and my book list is just too long. But, anyway, this is exactly my kind of story! Fantasy elements aside - and really, I never really pay attention to the fantasy elements of anything; that's all surface aesthetic - it has all the makings of the kind of epic that I am steadfastly enamoured of. Also: Viggo Mortensen* whom I love quite a bit, but have never really figured out why - I've only ever seen him in G.I. Jane which. Yeah. His character is rather smashing, though. Anyway, I've seen the first two today, and I'll probably watch the third before long. Excellent, excellent.

I think mostly I am perversely attracted to (a) the construction of battle scenes and (b) watching people die for noble reasons. OK, that comes across wrong, but I don't know. As much as I love it when they survive, there's something about a character's death which strikes me as fitting to their code of ethics. I mean, that's why Boromir was redeemed, after all. BUT. I don't like death for death's sake; the death has to mean something. This sounds like a contradiction, but it isn't really. Gratuitous death just for sorrow's worth has never done anything for me. Conversely, death for redemption, for sacrifice, that does actually make sense to me. Dying because that's what you were born to do, that makes sense to me. Being 'doomed' to survive makes sense. I have a fucked up tragic code; obviously I've read too many Classics/Arthurian legends.

(*) So, I just checked IMDB. HE IS FORTY-NINE. I am more than a little gobsmacked. He also speaks a handful of languages, rides horses, is a photographer, artist and poet. Case closed, y'all.

edit: Hahaha, I forgot to mention THE ARMY OF TREES. MAGNIFICENT.

--

Am reading Time Traveller's Wife, yay. Will let you know more once I've read past the first page. More yay.

--

Wow. I really can't be fucked with tomorrow.

Comments

[twincy.livejournal.com]

Oh, good, so there's no train-stress tomorrow?

I did wonder if you'd seen The Fellowship before, so that answers that question. It DOES hold a great deal of epicness which I find intensely appealing. I also like the implication that this happened before our recorded history, and that it's not therefore a parallel world (as many fantasy worlds are) but, well, a serial one. I like the idea of this slotting into reality in some sense; of it being, in a way, pre-series humanity fanfic.

Re: Boromir: he comes across much more sympathetic in the extended version of the films, mostly through interaction with his brother. (Who you also get to know better in the extended version, in a fairly heartbreaking fashion.) Not that that death scene doesn't redeem him all on its own, because, yes, and I love that scene so much. The LOYALTY, Meish. And how he reaches for his sword, and Aragorn gives it to him, and he clutches it to his chest, and ARAGORN and his *waves arms* - I have a large amount of love for that character (and the way thingie plays him). More on that later.

As I told you before, I'm rereading the books presently (first time not reading them in translation, huzz!), and I don't know whether this is due to external circumstances (i.e. not having any patience, and not being able to SEE properly) or because the books drag, but I'm not making ANY progress at all. It is an enjoyable read, though, if you're willing to take the time for it and to sit through all the damn songs. Personally, (re)reading the books, I'm ever more baffled by the characterisation of the Hobbits in the films, and the casting of Elijah Wood as Frodo. The latter is pretty bizarre. The other Hobbits are supposed to be several decades younger than Frodo - even accounting for the fact that Hobbits live longer than humans do (or at least, take their time growing up), Frodo should still not look like a twelve-year-old girl.

Anyway, the third is the best, in my opinion -- book and film alike -- though I'm very fond of the second as well. Eowyn!

The Ents are BRILLIANT. I wish I was a tree. (See also: that Virginia Woolf quote I posted a while ago.)

HE IS FORTY-NINE.
This is me NOT SAYING ANYTHING. Ahahaha. (Re: his character being smashing: Aragorn still makes me weak in the knees. He's so epic and tragic and moral and that social outcast/wanderer thing appeals to me so much. I can't quite decide whether I want to be him or do him [which, story of my life, really].)

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

No, just family shenanigans, wahey.

No, I've not seen any of them. I read The Hobbit when I was 12, and half of The Fellowship of the Ring. Epics are rather fantastic. I have an epic!kink, obvs. Hmmm, but Tolkien's verse is a parallel universe; it occurs in the past, yes, but not in our world (because his history isn't contiguous with ours). He also basically constructed his own geography.

re: Boromir, I quite like how he and Faramir are presented? On the one hand there's influence from the ring, but on the other, there's also a sense of human desperation there that I quite like. [Haha, I was going to ask what the uncuts featured. I'll ask again once I've seen the third film.]

Well, from what I recall, Tolkien gets sort of wordy and tangential at times, so it can take a while. One day I'll go back to it, I'm sure; I skipped most of the songs in The Hobbit, too. In fact, we read it in class, and the teacher was the one skipping the sections, lols.

Yeah, I wondered about that as I was watching. But I think it's an emotional thing? By that I mean, manipulation on the part of Jackson. (Also: haha, Sam appears in The Hobbit, yays. Man, Bilbo Baggins is fab.)

ARMY OF TREES. SO FAB.

FORTY-NINE, TWINCE!!! [I think that makes him an appropriate age for me, LOLS.] (He is TOTALLY moral! And sometimes manpain/angst makes me kind of PFFFFT but NOT WITH HIM. He pulls people out of harms way! He runs a lot! He is always prepared to fight! He is also QUIETLY charming, huzz. [Hahaha. OH YOU.])

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Also, re: Aragorn, his facial hair is rather yay.

[twincy.livejournal.com]

Family > trains, generally speaking. Though I suppose the issue of crowding remains.

True. Still: this is the - I'm not sure, I think it's the second era? The events of the trilogy take place during the second era, and the ending rings in the third era: the era of man. I KNOW this didn't actually happen and Tolkien didn't intend it to be read as such, but, you COULD read it as a humanity prequel, and sometimes I like to pretend.

Faramir's father (the steward of Gondor - I forget his name) is continually HORRIBLE to him throughout the uncut film(s?), for no other reason except that he's not Boromir. Meanwhile Boromir keeps trying to convince his father that Faramir's not a worthless sack of shit and, to Faramir, is all "Look, I'm sorry our father is such an asshole." Boromir is generally portrayed as a Nice Bloke. I think in the regular cut, it could be made clearer that Boromir is not naturally a power-hungry asshole maniac, but rather that the ring is influencing his actions. Because he is really a Nice Bloke.

A friend of mine keeps telling me that she enjoyed the books, but that they read rather like Tolkien wants to show off this big, complicated world he's created, with the geography and the history and the languages, and that it detracts from the story. She makes a valid point; the narrative keeps being interrupted for (mostly irrelevant) backstory, which, while interesting, can be very frustrating.

Emotional manipulation - this re: Wood as Frodo? Possibly. I wonder if that worked, because to me, he's just irritating and weepy. (Oh yes, Bilbo! Love! I think I read The Hobbit at some point, but I don't remember anything of it, so maybe not.)

!!!

[NOT SAYING ANYTHING. Lols.] (I think it's because his manpain is not weepy manpain? I'm not fully able to rationalise my Aragorn love, but a part of it at least is that he's so many different things, and he's not just the stoic troubled hero. He has this quiet humour about him.)

(His facial hair IS rather fab. Also: eyes! [Though when I used to sleep over at Sally's, she had this ENORMOUS poster of Aragorn and the eyes would FOLLOW you around the room; it was terrifying.] And in the third film he's dressed up all pretty! ♥Aragorn♥)

[twincy.livejournal.com]

Jesus. I just typed a comment in your old layout, and when it refreshed to show the comment you had a new layout. SHOCKING.*

*) I'll have you know I spelled that "SCOCKING" initially. Freudian slip of the keyboard?

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Heh, sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Or scock you, lols. (Packing: half-done. By which I mean, books, pens and DVDs are sorted, clothes are still in my closet.)

I cannot vouch for I cannot recall. I thought the age of man was the fourth age, but, again, I don't know.

Denethor (II), I do believe. I only really remember his name because Denethor I also had a son called Boromir. WAY TO BE INVENTIVE, THERE DENETHOR V2.0. Hahaha, I get the sense that you were rather TAKEN by Boromir? lols.

Random related lols: the outer wall of the keep? Called Deeping Wall, LOLS. That made me smile a LOT.

Your friend is right. But also: Tolkien's brain was just crazy vast with knowledge so I guess he had to spill it somewhere? I do remember that I kept getting Sauron and the Evil Wizard whose name I am currently blanking on. Saruman?

re: emotional manipulation, yes to casting, but also to collective age of the group. Children/Young People Halflings versus EVIL INCARNATE.

(This is truth. Also: the thing he's questioning is an ability to lead which he obviously comes to eventually, and quietly. But he's not like Frodo - there's no sense of things not being able to be done. He just does them, which is excellent. Five stars, monsieur! Also: his ability to speak Elvish! His fantastic sense of irony! And, his 'serious' face, aw.)

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Oh no! Is it difficult to read? It's okay on my screen but I know it might fuss other resolutions.

Hahaha, yes, I know. That was the first thing that had me gobsmacked. Until I calculated his age.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

UGH. Just realised that my comments text is all centraised. WHY? Need to fix that.

[twincy.livejournal.com]

True! Also: the cursor doesn't change when you hover over links. I do rather LOVE your patterned background.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Well. It's not supposed to? (re: centralising, I've actually had this problem before. The code actually has alignment to the right - which, why?? - but it's being parsed as central. HMMM.) Merci. All courtesy of minty_peach. I can take NO credit. Except for the blockquotes which I'm trying to change.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm hoping to change some of it soon? I'll try not to put interesting things behind cuts :)

Ah, age-variant relationships don't fuss me one way or the other, so that's less scandalous, haha.

[twincy.livejournal.com]

You can be very scocking. (Pens deserve special mention as a packing milestone?)

How do you know these things when this is your first viewing? Meisha: fountain of inexplicable knowledge. I didn't actually care for Boromir (aside from LOVING that death scene) until I saw the extended films, but I've always been taken with Faramir. For various reasons, only one of which is the ginger stubbliness. Really.

Hee!

True. Everything he couldn't somehow finagle into the story he just dumped into the appendices, lols. I read the publication history that preceded the introduction (and introduction to introduction) in my copy. CRAZY. Well, yes, those are similar-looking/sounding names. At least they're in the same camp? I hate when I keep mixing up characters in books. It's so hampering.

Oh, true! Hadn't looked at it that way. They could've just gone with the "They are tiny, EVIL INCARNATE BIG", which worked well enough for Tolkien.

(QUIETLY. I think this is the key word here. Another thing that attracts me about Aragorn? This sense of not belonging. I think deep down, he wanted to be an elf. I LOVE HIM A LOT, obviously. I've not even encountered him in The Fellowship; I'm still stuck with the Hobbits. Sam keeps randomly bursting into tears.)

[twincy.livejournal.com]

I know, ugh. I don't understand why people mess with cursors. (PUZZLING. Is there a parent class somewhere that's overruling your comment body class?) Yeah, I've just had a poke around their journal. Pretty things!

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

(I don't know, I'm looking for it, but I just don't know. SIGH. Also, the userpics borders are intersecting oddly with the comment borders which is getting to me, heh.)

[twincy.livejournal.com]

(Hm. You could set the userinfo container thing to have the light gray background image so it would overlap the comment box border? But then the userinfo container background would be slightly misaligned in relation to the general background. ... Am I being very DENSE and COMPLICATED?)

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

(I have MANY. I have to remember to pack them all or I get distressed.)

The Denethor thing? Haha, that was a wikipedia jaunt when the third film came out. I was trying to figure out actors or something. The real question is: how do I remember that, but not Evil Wizard's name? Faramir's face when he says "Frodo Baggins, we have come to see things the same way" or whatever that line is, IS WONDERFUL.

The publication history is INSANE. He had to retroactively rewrite things in The Hobbit to make it fit, heh! re: names, yeah, and Tolkien-verse is so bad for it because he's using Nordic nomenclature so everyone has super similar names because they're all related. (I LOVE their names, though. I'm pretty certain Eowyn quite literally means Lover of Horses which !!! because aren't her clan horse-breeders? And her brother's name is Eomer except I can't remember what the -ir/-er prefix means. Possibly Warrior? Or 'mighty'. Arwen's name literally means evenstar. FABULOUS.)

This is what I felt, too. I don't know. Guess they had their reasons. Possibly those reasons were 'Hollywood'.

(I concur! re: elves/not belonging, YES. Sam does that. A lot. I found the wraiths much scarier in the book than in the film, as an addendum.)

Did I mention that I can't wait to get time to watch the third film? Because I know that Aragorn totally STEPS UP and I'm super excited for that. Because I feel like he deserves it! It will be a throning of a sort, a WELL-EARNED coronation. I will feel PROUD when it happens!

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

(Haha, I think it's a padding issue? Fuck it, it's 3.30am, I need to pack the rest of my clothes. If I hate it that much, I'll just switch back to my last layout, lols.)

[twincy.livejournal.com]

(Oh yes, you are leaving tomorrow, get some shut-eye!

I should do the same. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is obviously not worth staying up for.)

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

(Hahaha. HAHAHA. Well. It might be? Um.

If you write the Friar Tuck thing, you have to email I to me. Yay gmail mobile application! I can't actually access the rest of the net properly, but gmail is MARVELLOUS.)

UGH. PACKING NOW. G'night! xx

[twincy.livejournal.com]

(Ah.)

Again: ah. Evil Wizard's name is Sauron, in case you were still wondering. I don't remember that particular face, but I do approve of his face in general.

Yes! Also: apparently even with dozens of revisions and new editions, there are still typos in the work. Astounding. (The linguistics and nomenclature are vastly appealing, yes. And, yes, her clan are. I had an introductory class on Middle English literature and there was actually talk of LotR and names and runes and it was all fairly awesome, but I can't recall much of it at the present. I have notes somewhere.)

Hollywood: making things irritating and weepy since FOREVER.

(I had a lot of Aragorn meta when I last watched the films, but I didn't write any of it down. I was busy real lifing. What a waste of time. They are scarier in the book, though, the thing with the swooping flying creature in the films is pretty impressive.)

Aw, I'm fairly sure that you'll LOVE the ending. I did. It made me weep a fair bit. (Also: it takes ages; be prepared. You'll think it ends, and then there's another bit, and then you'll think it ends, and then there'll be another bit, etc.)

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

No, I know Sauron, it's the other one I forget? Salumar. Saminar. Something. Salmon(ar).

(We did something similar in the first year. Except it ranged from Old English [runes] through to Early Middle English, which was fab. I think I'm doing it again this semester. Or maybe I'm too late for the rune stuff.)

(Well. Now I can be excited about his beard, and you can meta. Win-win! Yeah, that thing is pretty terrifying. There's another beastie that freaked me out, but I must have repressed the memory.)

Hahaha. I shall sit prepared with hankies!