Fannish band aid and chicken soup
The week: happened. I'm still ping-ponging between horror, disgust, "rage, rage against the dying of the light" whenever I'm thinking about it, but it's bloody exhausting, and we need to gather emotional strength for what's ahead. So I treasure reminders of humanity in the better sense, of resilience, kindness, compassion, which we're also capable of. Real or fannish. Which is why I offer this tiny package of links:
Lord of the Rings/The Rings of Power:
Rivendell: The survivors of Ost-in-Edhil have found the hidden valley of Imladris. How long can this safety last? A lovely, short and poignant story about Elrond after one cataclysm, not knowing whether the next one is around the corner, doing his best for the survivors and finding it in him to carry on.
Now, one of several reasons why I've enjoyed RoP as much as I did was that Bear McCreary is writing gorgeous music for it. ((And I actually used to skip the songs when reading Tolkien back in my younger days.) Here are some of his most beautiful compositions for the show, Poppy's song This Wandering Day from season 1, and Old Tom Bombadil (lyrics: JRRT), both in the original versions from the show and in the covers by Rachel Hardy.
This Wandering Day (original)
This Wandering Day Cover by Rachel Hardy
Old Tom Bombadil Original
Old Tom Bombadil Cover by Rachel Hardy
(I'm not quoting Gandalf-to-Frodo this time around, I did that already in 2016, but I'm thinking it. I am also thinking of Celebrimbor-to-Galadriel, the one from the finale.)
From Middle Earth to Agatha All Along:
The Ballad of the Witches Road, live performed by the cast at D23. Which I didn't watch pre show as I didn't want to spoil myself, but it's amazing how they are in character in this performance.
Memories that never fade away: In which Ghost!Agatha and Billy start to adjust by bickering and extending the odd comfort. Agatha pov.
Lord of the Rings/The Rings of Power:
Rivendell: The survivors of Ost-in-Edhil have found the hidden valley of Imladris. How long can this safety last? A lovely, short and poignant story about Elrond after one cataclysm, not knowing whether the next one is around the corner, doing his best for the survivors and finding it in him to carry on.
Now, one of several reasons why I've enjoyed RoP as much as I did was that Bear McCreary is writing gorgeous music for it. ((And I actually used to skip the songs when reading Tolkien back in my younger days.) Here are some of his most beautiful compositions for the show, Poppy's song This Wandering Day from season 1, and Old Tom Bombadil (lyrics: JRRT), both in the original versions from the show and in the covers by Rachel Hardy.
This Wandering Day (original)
This Wandering Day Cover by Rachel Hardy
Old Tom Bombadil Original
Old Tom Bombadil Cover by Rachel Hardy
(I'm not quoting Gandalf-to-Frodo this time around, I did that already in 2016, but I'm thinking it. I am also thinking of Celebrimbor-to-Galadriel, the one from the finale.)
From Middle Earth to Agatha All Along:
The Ballad of the Witches Road, live performed by the cast at D23. Which I didn't watch pre show as I didn't want to spoil myself, but it's amazing how they are in character in this performance.
Memories that never fade away: In which Ghost!Agatha and Billy start to adjust by bickering and extending the odd comfort. Agatha pov.