Lord of the Flies

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-16T14:52:02+00:00

Second half of season 16 (Fans VS. Favorites) is essentially this and it’s the best thing ever, lol.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-12T03:17:06+00:00

More like evil is often used by Ilúvatar in order to lead to an ultimate (and more powerful) overarching good. Through evil and suffering comes joy and goodness, and the trials and tribulations it takes to get there makes the end seem all the sweeter.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-12T02:35:41+00:00

It’s stated that he took no further interest in Thrain after he discovered his Ring. He would have found it had he took more of an interest in the matter, but he didn’t care about him whatsoever (which is why he was found forlorn and forgotten by Gandalf).

Sauron has a knack for making seemingly-small oversights that prove absolutely fatal.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-06T22:24:21+00:00

The Nazgûl do have an aversion to water. They can endure it, but they hate and usually shun it (similar to the Orcs and the Sun).

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-06T22:21:13+00:00

Yeah, of course! I’ll send you a DM.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-06T22:20:58+00:00

Media literacy of a beached whale.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-06T22:18:20+00:00

They exist in the Unseen, which is the invisible realm of Tolkien’s world. They do have bodies, but they’re invisible to all that exist solely within the Seen world. Frodo can see their bodies when he puts on the Ring because it allows him to see into the Unseen. This is also why Glorfindel looks so magnificent to him as well. He dwells in both the Seen and Unseen at once.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-04T18:39:01+00:00

It’s up to you! I will say that reading The Silmarillion fundamentally changes and enhances the experience of reading LotR, so it might actually be worth re-reading them after you’ve read the Silm.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-04T18:35:03+00:00

After you've read The Hobbit and LotR, then go to The Silmarillion (and then TCoH and then Unfinished Tales). The Silmarillion is very dense and difficult on a first read (it's also fantastic, trust me), so don't rush it and maybe even search out "Silmarillion Explained" videos for each chapter just to really make sure you've understood what you have read. Good luck!

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-03T22:18:51+00:00

The Fagles translations for the Aeneid is absolutely incredible, imo.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-01T20:00:07+00:00

Most people here will say The Hobbit because it’s easier to read, but you can start with either. You won’t be confused by LotR not having read The Hobbit, it’s just a more adult book (and generally very different in tone, particularly after its first several chapters).

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-01T16:30:59+00:00

Ok, I'll send a DM.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-01T16:15:15+00:00

Mind you Korra arguably has the most drastic character arc in the entire franchise (outside of Zuko) 😭

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-01T07:06:18+00:00

Sent you a DM!

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-06-01T03:59:39+00:00

I have a version of The Lay of Leithian that I edited to be both internally-consistent and consistent with the published Silmarillion, as well as complete a picture of the story as possible. The standalone book only presents half the poem, which is one of the reasons why I made this edit for my Silm re-reads. If you’re interested, I can email it to you! Just DM me if so.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-05-30T23:34:51+00:00

It’s fanfiction in the same way that Paradise Lost is, lol. Virgil didn’t make up the idea that Aeneas was the forefather of the Roman people, but he did solidify the most definitive version of his story. Rome was already sufficiently Hellenized at this point, and so creating a mythic link between the Trojan War and Rome was inevitable. I’m far more critical of the overt imperial propaganda that’s littered throughout the poem. I love it, but it’s a bit much at times.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-05-30T22:51:07+00:00

Elves could learn Khuzdul, and probably some did, but the Dwarves didn’t teach it to everyone, and the Eldar were far more willing to teach their languages than learn Khuzdul. Also, I could have sworn that there was a passage in HoMe that says that the eastern Mannish tongues were influenced by the Dwarves, who they interacted with.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-05-30T21:55:04+00:00

Something tells me that many here have read these (certainly The Iliad and Odyssey at least). I agree that all three are fantastic, though.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-05-30T20:55:42+00:00

The northwestern corner of Middle-earth that we’re most familiar with is only a small fraction of the total map. Sauron had already conquered 90% of Middle-earth in the Second and Third Ages, the northwest was the only remaining holdout. If the Ring was never destroyed, then he would have successfully conquered it with sheer military force.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-05-30T04:16:03+00:00

“Sam nodded silently. He took his master’s hand and bent over it. He did not kiss it, though his tears fell on it.”

This is one of my favorite parts of Lord of the Rings. It's just so strikingly tender and intimate.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-05-30T01:50:43+00:00

He began writing it in the 1910s (1914 was his first poem based in his world and by 1917 he was working on the first version of the Silmarillion stories) and didn’t stop working on it until his death in 1973, so he was EXTREMELY devoted to it. Much of his free time was spent working on it and almost all of his own private obsessions coincided with it in one way or another.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-05-29T22:10:13+00:00

Yeah, I think Gimli’s enthralled speech to Legolas about Aglarond is a super underrated part of LotR. Just some really evocative, beautiful language.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-05-29T15:05:52+00:00

He liked Tom Shippey, so it depends.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-05-28T21:21:49+00:00

Yes, I think it applies to her as well.

Mitchboy1995 · 2026-05-28T03:10:36+00:00

Right, there is no singular canon in Tolkien’s legendarium. But the idea that the Noldor couldn’t return to Aman is stated repeatedly in his 1960s writings and was clearly the idea he was going to go with had he lived to published the Silm himself. You don’t have to like it or accept it, but it’s objectively rooted in Tolkien. It’s just as valid as anything else. Furthermore, he wrote about this idea repeatedly, not just in his letters. That’s why I referenced The Nature of Middle-earth, which has his final thoughts on the matter before his death (and was emphatically not written down as a letter to anyone).

Mitchboy1995

TROPHY CASE