Heads in Dreams

‘I do not know what you mean by that,’ answered the leader of the Elves. ‘They are fair garments, and the web is good, for it was made in this land. They are Elvish robes certainly, if that is what you mean. Leaf and branch, water and stone: they have the hue and beauty of all these things under the twilight of Lorien that we love; for we put the thought of all that we love into all that we make.”

- Fellowship of the Ring, Chapter 8: Farewell to Lorien

This is how I think of Jackson’s movies. Yes, there are serious flaws - Gandalf’s de-powering, Gimli as comic relief, and Faramir, namely - but come on.

Remember when the guys making their chain mail invented a new method for quickly producing large amounts of it by hand? Remember Miranda Otto walking down the street, practicing sword positions? The guys who forged all of the swords - for leads and for extras? The men and women riders who volunteered to be riders of Rohan? The costume designers who designed the inside of Theoden’s armor (which no one would ever see) so beautifully that Bernard Hill said he felt like a king? The friendships between the cast, and their size doubles, and the stuntmen?

“The film’s art director and Kaynemaile’s founder Kayne Horsham worked with his team to construct each garment from plastic plumbing tubes, coating them in pure silver. Once filming wrapped, Horsham dedicated himself to creating a change to the liquid state assembly process to mass produce the polycarbonate chainmail for architectural applications — products that were light, but strong enough to protect the interior or exterior of a building. Now an industry-leading manufacturer, Kaynemaile produces mesh for everything from small interior screens to large scale exterior façades. Their mesh is easy to install and can be custom created for specialized applications.”

https://architizer.com/blog/practice/materials/kaynemaile-mesh-facade-systems/

every scene you see in the 11+ hours of glory that is the LOTR masterpiece is most like ridiculously elaborate or expensive–from model towers to the all-new motion capture technology used for gollum to the costumes and sets to the aerial on location shots of mother-fracking new zealand and the big impressive battle scenes and horse charges.

but then the story and the screenplay too–there is just SO much lore that is there in the background lurking if you want to look for it, yet it still remains simplified for the average viewer. Crazy impressive feat.

And the acting is heartfelt and real and makes you love the characters.

That being said, whatever bromance Zhou Shen and Ayunga have going on has my full support. I didn't realize they'd been friends for so long before Our Song. This video got randomly recommended to me on youtube today (someone translated into in English in the comments section so go watch it on the site) of Zhou Shen calling Ayunga on stage. Just chaos and nonsense:

And here they are being chaotic again during a romantic duet. Ayunga forgets a line, Zhou Shen tries to kick him. Dummies:

They're so funny whenever they interact I love it. Have some gifs from Our Song too including running hug and a cameo from Xiao Zhan while they watch an old man fail miserably at DDR lol

I am demonstrably sad, and lonely, and full of fear. But there are other people who will hold my hand, who will point out the hawk overhead, who will give you That Look in a public place. The other day at a coffee shop a child said "look! It's snowing!" so all of us strangers went to go look out the windows. It wasn't the first snow and it won't be the last but wasn't it lovely like that?

How wonderful to live in a world where birds and frogs both say beep! How wonderful to have an ocean of beautiful sharks with their dinosaur teeth! How wonderful the moon and her changing face, how wonderful the bees and their dancing to communicate, how wonderful shrimp and their forbidden layers of vision! How wonderful, you, and what you will give the world! The way we love things enough to spend entire blogs devoted to them? How people will let me explain my Pokemon team to them? How we will both jump at the scare in the movie, how we laugh so loudly, how it feels to give someone your baking? How wonderful to be alive. I am sorry for forgetting.

Had to draw something for this man - I hope you don’t mind. 

But god - this one shot was gorgeous. So painful to read what the poor guy was going through throughout it all (and damn your descriptions were written so beautifully. I could see it all so clearly in my mind) - but you could really sense how the window was his final tether to so much - the world, his sanity, hope.

On one hand it seems like an act of kindness on Grindelwald’s behalf - but I can’t help but think it was more a matter of establishing power over Percival - making him vulnerable by giving him something precious that he could lose. 

Never be afraid to recycle an idea you already used for a finished WIP. Sometimes the idea becomes different enough with a different set of characters or a different setting. And even if it doesn’t, this idea may be your personal style, one of your defining themes or writing characteristics.

“And I for the folk of the Great Wood,” said Legolas, “and for the love of the Lord of the White Tree.” (The Last Debate)

I adore this line not only because here we have Legolas saying explicitly that he loves Aragorn, but it demonstrates just how deeply he does.

“Love” is a word Legolas uses only twice in the LOTR trilogy, and only when speaking of Aragorn: he uses it once in describing the love Aragorn inspires in others (himself included), and then here in this quotation, declaring he wants to follow the war’s uncertain path to the end for love of Aragorn.

And there’s this profound juxtaposition Legolas makes, placing Aragorn right alongside Mirkwood: Gimli cites the honor of his people and his home for why he fights on; but for Legolas, Aragorn is tantamount to family; Aragorn is tantamount to home.

Then it makes sense why after the war, while Gimli goes to live with Éomer in Rohan, Legolas chooses to live under Aragorn’s rule in Ithilien. Home is Aragorn, after all.

And it makes sense why Legolas packs up Gimli (with Galadriel’s help of course) and leaves Middle-earth immediately following Aragorn’s death. Legolas had said, following the war, that he would deny his Sea-longing to remain in Middle-earth “… a while: a month, a life, a hundred years of Men” (The Field of Cormallen). Indeed, Aragorn’s life ends after 122 years of rule. And suddenly Legolas, still young by measure of Elves and living in a thriving Elven colony, departs Middle-earth. 

Like, give me a once powerful man who was brought to his knees, forgotten by all, and who slowly tries to live beyond his trauma.

Or give me a once lawful man, who due to a series of events starts to doubt the truthfulness and fairness of the laws he upholds. Give me a lawful man who slowly start to sway to Grindelwald's side. Give me a charismatic Grindelwald, able to rally even the incorruptible to his cause.

Give me a heart-stopping rescue -- Graves on the brink of death being saved thanks to the help of Newt's creatures. Give me Tina and all the Aurors drowning in their own guilt, trying their damnedest to find the man they all so utterly failed before it's too late.