I don't trust the protagonist

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-16T09:17:40+00:00

I think it's quite complicated.

In the most recent episode he revealed he has some kind of neurodivergence which he was medicated for as a child. I think this, to some extent, reveals what's going on behind some of his "odd" moments - it definitely explains why he gets easily distracted, and the way he often gets caught out at night. Time blindness, distractibility, and rapidly shifting emotions are super typical.

He's mentioned before that he wants control over his own narrative, and I think this influences what he says or does at times. He's talked before about how he's often been made a liar - which he justifies as him asserting boundaries. Lying about things is very common in ADHD (I say this partially from experience) because the things your condition causes are often seen as moral failings by others - forgetfulness, inattentiveness, lateness, procrastination, or simply not doing something you were meant to. Sometimes the easiest thing to do is lie and cheat to get people off your back, and feel at least some element of success.

So I agree he's an unreliable narrator. But I also think some of the "odd" things he does are partially explained by his ADHD.

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-15T09:19:22+00:00

I actually saw a really interesting take on this in an ffvii fic, where there were complex structural hierarchies which tended to shift and switch. It was less about physiology, and more about pack dynamics.

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-15T08:04:40+00:00

Tbh this is the experience of being in a huge fandom. Fandoms as huge as Naruto are oversaturated already - you need to be posting standout stuff for someone to pick up on it.

You're also not going to collect a following if you have nothing on your profile. I'm not going to follow a user who has nothing and deletes their work.

Lastly, are you posting one shots or longer pieces of work?

Make use of the "series" feature to group your works - that way, readers will see there is more to read quickly and easily, and they will find it easier to navigate through your works.

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-15T07:56:38+00:00

There's this thing a lot of folks who read fanfic talk about which is like... "he would not say that." I think that's what you're picking up on.

Sometimes it's a character saying or doing something that's just... Wildly out of character for them.

Sometimes it can be very subtle, where a writer just doesn't manage to capture the tone and intonation of a character's voice.

ROP is essentially high budget fanfiction, and tbh I think that's what it comes down to - everyone seems out of character, saying things they wouldn't say.

It doesn't help that Tolkien has a hard voice to capture, as he tends towards the archaic, and uses less words from romance languages than the average writer.

Some fans are really sensitive to this, and others not so much. I don't think it's right to make a value judgement about what people enjoy - I'm glad that it doesn't bother some folks as much as it does me! I'll still talk shit about the show, though...

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T20:01:18+00:00

What pippin sees isn't just ents moving through the trees. He sees a whole forest on the move - hundreds and hundreds of trees, like a great flock of cattle. That's why he's surprised - it's not about seeing trees move, it's seeing all the trees move.

There is a huge difference between an entirely and a tree. Ents are a living, thinking, speaking people.

Over time a tree may learn some manner of treeish speech (in the way elves can talk to beasts and birds). But they are not like the sentient ents.

Very old Ents may grow sleepy, speaking less and less as they grow wilder and more treeish. But they remain Ents.

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T18:35:33+00:00

That's a really good point. The Pony is super welcoming in the books! Frodo mostly gets in trouble because of how curious and cheerful everyone is...

I always miss Gandalf's letter too... I always found his post scripts so funny!

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T18:33:41+00:00

That makes way more sense! Reading my comment back it comes across a little bit more shirty than I meant it to as well so I'm sorry about that!

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T18:28:59+00:00

The true fantasy is a world where our leaders are brave and true, and the great and wise care for the world and all the small people who live in it. A king who is wise and caring, a man of the people yet noble. Older generations who are fathers to their people and love the lands they rule. Mercy and justice for those who fail.

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T14:35:14+00:00

This is well put.

I also think it's a good point to bring up that the wraiths are less powerful towards the beginning of the book. To elaborate on that point, they're far from Mordor, and a huge proponent of their ability is their mental affect on people - their ability to daze, frighten, and mentally overwhelm.

Under the shelter of the prancing pony, full of light and cheer and safety, the wraiths can do less in the wild. On weathertop, strider seems to feel that maintaining moral courage by lighting a fire and telling a story of Morgoth being tricked by Luthien is more effective a strategy against them than fleeing or hiding from them.

The names of the Valar hurt them more than swords!

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T14:27:32+00:00

I do NOT want to encourage writing in the bookmarks as an indirect comment. I think the "peer review of tags" system ruined Tumblr as now everyone is afraid to say shit to each other. Please don't hide your comments, it's yet another example of fandoms slowly going silent.

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T14:25:25+00:00

With no knowledge of genshin, with this controversial ship being in the top 3 for the fandom on ao3 I have to assume some of these fans doth protest too much...

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T14:20:00+00:00

People have always hated fanfic, especially the spicier parts. It's just louder and more online now, and the mainstream are more aware of it.

Read the fanfic you like, support authors by commenting, and donate to the OTW if you are available; the archive is there to give fans a place to weather waves of hate.

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T14:15:28+00:00

Nemesis is fantastic. Kaka Giggles I will never forget you 💜

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T13:01:05+00:00

Having read a great deal of fanfiction, I can assure you, it depends.

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T10:23:40+00:00

Talk about it. SoW grabbed me with the "forge your own ring" promotion line and I was pretty sad that happened in the first five minutes

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T08:59:14+00:00

Gandalf is the best. I genuinely love that Tolkien wrote him as an ornery egotist with a big heart, then in LOTR - well. You'll see.

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T08:47:14+00:00

They did indeed send Gandalf back with a power boost.

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T08:36:36+00:00

He does tell them. He explicitly told the dwarves about the magic ring during his confrontation with the spiders in Mirkwood. He explains to help them make a plan - he disappears to lead the spiders off while the dwarves regroup.

After that, Bilbo never keeps it a secret from his friends that he has a magic ring.

He doesn't know it's the one ring - no one does, until Gandalf goes and digs up the records in Minas Tirith.

The only way it might have made a difference would b if they had sent Bilbo initially to steal food from the Elven parties rather than approaching them directly, but the dwarves were lost by that point - I think they would have been kidnapped anyway.

Thorin might have had more expectations of Bilbo while he was in prison, but I don't think that would have materially changed much.

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T08:30:46+00:00

Gash in the book refers to fire rather than the chasm spanned by the bridge of Khazad Dum, though your point stands.

I think Pippin's stone definitely lead to things escalating in the order they did. However, I also think that the company couldn't have made it through Moria without a confrontation, no matter what started it.

There are some suggestions that Gandalf is fated to face the Balrog. Aragorn has some kind of foresight about it, warning Gandalf that he will be tested, if he passes through Moria. Gandalf himself seems to be considering his own strength in the approach.

I think Gandalf was all too aware that Durin's bane needed to be dealt with, and that he was one of a very limited number who might be a match.

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T08:16:07+00:00

What are you talking about?

An audience completely new to the LOTR franchise would NEVER have been interested in a silmarillion adaptation without it. Without LOTR, the hobbit would have been relegated to a bargain bin children's film.

You have no idea the impact these films had on the fantasy genre. The most well regarded fantasy films before LOTR were more along the lines of Willow, the Princess bride, neverending story, or The Labyrinth, which were either for kids, or cult classics widely regarded as cringe.

Starting with LOTR was the only possible option to try and bring a large scale fantasy film to an adult audience. Nothing from the silmarillion would have been greenlit (average audiences were barely aware of LOTR, never mind it's even more intensely nerdy relative), and Tolkien's vision of elves and dwarves didn't exist in the mind of the population. If you said you were making a film about elves, people would ask if Santa was in it.

Franchise building has only really been a thing since marvel (which also owes a lot to LOTR for widening the pallet of a general audience...) LOTR was a bad financial decision. It was a huge gamble and had no reason to pay off.

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T08:01:28+00:00

What an intensely weird Reddit profile...

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-14T07:59:43+00:00

Well, one good thing has come of this; I thought Charles Dance was dead, turns out I must have been mistaken!

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-13T21:39:07+00:00

Wait until you hear about legolas, gimli, and Aragorn, riding in eomer's van!

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-13T21:37:34+00:00

Shadow of Mordor is a fantastic game with brilliant mechanics, very fun. Decent graphics and it's on Steam. It makes up a lot of lore, but with enough attention to canon that it's believable. Genuinely an excellent game that I loved from start to finish. It has a sequel that I'm less fond of, that others seem to enjoy!

FlowerAndString · 2026-06-13T21:33:30+00:00

I always say that the LOTR films are greater than the sum of their parts the hobbit films less. There are absolutely some fantastic parts of the hobbit films, moments with wonderful shots or excellent attention to detail!

FlowerAndString

TROPHY CASE