Dianne DiPaRaMa

I stumbled across @arythusa’s The Glass Scientists webcomic early this year and fell in love, so I animated a little scene for fun 🧪

lotr AU o(〃＾▽＾〃)o

I LOVE how it turned out, especially the expressions! That last panel of Dori is just pure gold. The boys should be glad he wasn't in the mood for regicide. And Ori tied up with a little bow? Perfection!

An illustration of Bilbo and Roac(the mc) from an amazing fic The Burden of Choice by @fantasyinallforms

I went for the french braid this time, I think it suits him well.

Hot take on Gandalf and mercy.

so im watching the fellowship of the ring right (what else is new, I have no hobbies) and this scene has me thinking. Back the day, when Gandalf was called Olorin in the Undying Lands, he served under the Vala Nienna (Nienna is my favorite sad lesbian goddess, id die for her). Nienna weeps forever, grieving the marring of Arda by Melkor, and she turns that grief into wisdom.

now i think that the Valar the Istari served have more influence over how their minds work than we give them credit for. Sarumon served under the Vala Aulë, the smith with a mind made of metal and a big enough ego to create his own race (the dwarves) and enough cruelty to be ready to destroy them once Iluvatar discovered what he had done (very Abraham sacrificing his son to prove his faith/ Saturn eating his children, but thats a whole thing. i need some more discourse on Aulë ).

you know which other Maiar also served under Aulë? u guessed it, Sauron the Bitch. Aulë had a major influence on Saruman as a character and I think when Gandalf says, “His treachery runs deeper than you know.” I think he may be alluding to this? Or maybe I’m reading too far into it. Sauron serving as a Maia of Aulë speaks to how Tolkien sees industry as corruption, but BACK TO THE MAIN POINT

Because Olorin/Gandalf served under Nienna, he learned compassion, pity and patience from her, and I think this scene illustrated that perfectly. the mercy he shows fo Gollum reflects who he is.

As Elrond says in FOTR, there is nothing that is spawned as pure evil. It becomes that way through choice and influence. Sauron was corrupted by Melkor. Sauruman was corrupted by studying the works of Melkor amd Sauron. Aule’s connection to metal and craftsmanship does not equal the evil of industry and machinery!!

Aule’s willingness to destroy the dwarves is not cruelty or lack of empathy. In the story he’s described to be saddened, but the dwarves had no will or feelings of their own when he was ordered to do it. Eru saw the love Aule had for his creations, and granted them free will and thought, and they begged for their lives, making Aule realize what had happened. He did not destroy them once they had shown awareness that way.

Eru ordered Aule to destroy them as a test because Aule was working out of order of creation and without the support of Eru and the other Valar, as though a god of his own, and he did not have that power, which Eru brings to Aule’s attention. Aule is humbled.