Volume 113/Issue 1

[caras_galadhon]

Volume 113/Issue 1

Circulation: One thousand, one hundred and sixty-three. Welcome all!

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MEDIA NEWS:

• Via belleferret:

~Then and Now
Sean Astin and his family were invited to attend the world premiere of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in Los Angeles. He posted this comparison photo of himself and daughter Alexandra then, when she played Elanor in Return of the King, and now, at the premiere. My, has she grown up!

• From TheOneRing.net:

~Collecting The Precious -- Dwalin Reviews The Bridge Direct's The Hobbit Wave 2
Forum member Dwalin has returned again this year to give us a thorough review of the second wave of figures from The Bridge Direct. These figures are pretty awesome and, I believe, after reading Dwalin's review you'll see why fans are so fond of these figures. [More]

~Five things USA Today wants you to know about our deadly Draconic friend
He's the biggest star of the movie, so there was a lot that went into creating Smaug, the dragon the size of a 747 that rules over Erebor with greedy malevolence in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Here are five things you need to know about the dragon Smaug. [More]

~Are Tolkien's dwarves an allegory for the Jewish people?
In this piece, Matt Lebovic of The Times of Israel explores the eternally fascinating question of the parallels between Tolkien's dwarves and the Jewish people. Allegory is almost certainly too strong a word for the relationship, the quotes that Lebovic draws from Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien and various interviews make clear Tolkien's dislike of the allegorical style...and his sincere admiration of the Jewish people. [More]

~Rings comedy film 'Rise of the Fellowship' debuts on Netflix on January 3
The Independent Critic has positively reviewed The Rise of the Fellowship, the 'buddy-comedy written in honor of online gamers and The Lord of the Rings that will debut on Netflix on January 3. [More]

~'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' is 2013´s most pirated film
While this probably isn't a distinction that anybody involved with the film would be particularly happy about, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has topped 2013's list of most pirated movies. According to TorrentFreak, the film was illegally downloaded on BitTorrent networks an estimated 8.4 million times. [More]

~The Desolation of Smaug has passed 600 million worldwide
After taking out the #1 spot in Australia since its opening on December 26th, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has now passed $600 million worldwide. [More]

~Gender switched Bilbo makes The Hobbit a better read
From boingboing.net; Michelle Nijhuis's five year old daughter insisted that Bilbo Baggins was a girl. After arguing about it for a while, Michelle decided to read her The Hobbit, switching Bilbo's gender-pronoun throughout. And it worked brilliantly. [More]

~Knitted Hobbit characters from the UK
We know that Tolkien fans are a creative bunch -- we've seen fan made paintings, drawings, sculptures, even cakes! The latest Hobbity handicrafts to come to our attention are the brilliant creations of a lady in Wales. Denise Evans knits characters from the Hobbit films, planning her own designs and sometimes taking over a month for one piece! [More]

~Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien: The iconic storyteller's little-known, gorgeous art
J.R.R. Tolkien was born on this day, January 3rd, 1892. During his lifetime, he created a world that came to life in our imaginations, and that we've come to love and cherish. While many of us can recite some of his prose an poetry by heart, and are familiar with his illustrations that appear in his books, there's a whole treasure trove of lesser know drawings and paintings by the mulit-talented man. [More]

~Adam Brown, 'Ori,' to do a Q&A at charity screening of "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug."
Those of you living near Newbury, U.K. should take advantage of this special screening of "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" being presented by the Corn Exchange theater on Tuesday, Januray 14, 2013. [More]

~Are Hobbits human?
Are hobbits human and just really short? Or are they some entirely other species, like a gold-hoarding dragon? In high-school biology class they teach you to define species in terms of interbreeding. [More]

~Smaug breathing fire: not as implausible as you might think
From scientificamerican.com: What does a narcissistic flying reptile that loves the taste of crispy dwarves have in common with a beetle that shoots hot, caustic liquid from its butt? More than you think. [More]

~'Smaug: Unleashing the Dragon' now available for pre-order on Amazon.com
Due to be released on April 1 (no, not an April fools joke), the new book Smaug: Unleashing the Dragon comes from the same wonderful team behind the three The Hobbit: Chronicles books. This release will be 96 pages, exploring the creation of the title character of the second Hobbit film from concept art to digital realization. [More]

~Academy Award winning Producer Saul Zaentz dies at age 92
Film Producer Saul Zaentz has passed away at the age of 92. Many Tolkien fans will know him as the man who held the film rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings -- but he was so much more: a true Hollywood legend, with countless film projects to his name. [More]

COMMUNITY NEWS:

Note from the Mods: We would like to invite the moderators of other fandom communities to become 'reporters' or 'scouts' for middleearthnews. All we ask is that you send us formatted updates on your own communities for posting here.

• tolkien_weekly (drabbles) updates:

They Were Remembered in Many Songs (Gilraen, Aragorn; G) by hhimring

Watching the World Turn (Eärendil; G) by silverstarspray

Acknowledgement (Thranduil, Celeborn; G) by engarian

Foreign Food (Frodo, Sam; G) by baranduin

The Messengers of Celegorm (OCs; T) by lignota

And Another Thing... (Elladan, Elrohir, OFC; G) by curiouswombat

Conflict (Elrond, Elladan; G) by the_winterwitch

Memory (Thranduil; PG) by the_winterwitch

His Boys (Fili/Bilbo/Kili; G) by mahmfic

Sugar and Spice (Galadriel, Lúthien; G) by silverstarspray

Under Strange Stars - The Dancing Girl (Aragorn, OFC; G) by engarian

Memory and Spice (Cirdan, Fingon, Maedhros; PG) by hhimring

By Any Other Name (Thorongil, Young Théoden, Morwen of Lossarnach; G) by kortirion

Under Strange Stars - The Mount (Aragorn, OMC; G) by engarian

Many Uses (Galadriel, Lúthien; G) by silverstarspray

Remedies and Repentance (Aragorn, Halbarad; K+) by brennanspeaks

Cinnamon biscuits (Un-named elf in a kitchen; G) by curiouswombat

Chicken with Ginger (Un-named elf in a kitchen; G) by curiouswombat

Strawberry Kisses (Un-named elf in a kitchen; G) by curiouswombat

A New Experience (Thranduil, Master of Esgaroth; G) by the_winterwitch

My Brave Hussar (Thorongil, OC; G) by kortirion

• silwritersguild updates:

January 2014 Newsletter Posted by dawn_felagund

• oeam updates:

Dwalin's Treasure (Chapter 7; Dwalin, Balin, Dwarves, OFC; NC-17) by gwaelinn

Comfortable (Chapter 7; Gamling, Éomer, OFC, Lothiriel; NC-17) by gwaelinn

Be good and be warned (Finwe, Elu Thingol; No Rating) by mangacrack

His Boys (Fili/Bilbo/Kili; G) by mahmfic

• hobbitfilmfic updates:

Marriage of Convenience (Dwalin/Ori, Dori, Bombur, Balin, Thorin; PG) by mahmfic

It's Cold Outside (Thorin's Company; PG-13) by mahmfic

Clarity of Vision: Chapter 25 and Chapter 26 (Thorin/Bilbo, Kili, Fili, Balin, Dwalin; G) by mithen

Heart of Stars: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 and Epilogue (Tauriel; PG) by grav_ity

Sudulthurkh (Chapters 1-6/32; Thorin/Bilbo, Fili/Kili; NC-17) by nightchaser_sla

Orphans of Flame and Shadow (Glorfindel, Thorin, Elladan, Elrohir; G) by _likimeya

His Boys (Fili/Bilbo/Kili; G) by mahmfic

The Very Unexpected Diary of Bofur (Bofur; PG) by windfallswest

To Find Our Long Forgotten Gold (Part 3/?; Bilbo Baggins, Fili, Kili, Thorin Oakenshield, Dwarves; PG-13) by wealhtheow21

The Other Side of the Coin (Kíli/Bilbo, Fíli/OFC, Arwen/Aragorn; No Rating) by rata_toskr

• sons_of_gondor updates from co-mod., caras_galadhon:
Friday, Dec. 6 through Friday, Jan. 3 inclusive.

As Tears Go By by noalinnea
(Sean/Viggo; G; Four times Sean and Viggo spend the holidays apart and one time they spend them together.)

A Touch of Frost by lordhellebore
(Denethor/Finduilas; PG; With trouble stirring in the East and Ecthelion ill, Denethor is weighed down with worry and responsibilities. His wife and son remind him that he is more than only the future Steward of Gondor.)

The Steward's Gift by j_flattermann
(Faramir, Others; PG; The first year of the Fourth Age. Yule Tide, has the Steward forgotten about the tradition?)

While these are the LotR FPF and RPF fics/art that have been posted to sons_of_gondor this week, the mods would like to remind everyone that the comm also carries other FPF/RPF featuring the Gondorian actors in non-LotR roles.

• lotr_sesa updates:

Once again, lotr_sesa has been another wonderful success, with twenty-eight pieces of fic and art posted to the community!

Dwarves:

• I Will Not Let You Fall by iavalir for nuinzilien
(Dwalin, Fíli; G; Artwork: Dwalin is called to help Erebor once more by a grieving Fíli.)

• Just Sit Right There by monkiainen for iavalir
(fem!Kili/Bofur; PG; Kili looks back to her childhood.)

• Listen and Obey by savageseraph for empy
(Thorin/Kili; NC-17; Kili was letting something unpredictable and unsteady control his actions, and Thorin didn't approve of surrendering to either.)

• Together and Theory by empy for mahmfic
(Dwalin/Ori, Nori/Bilbo; G; Two ficlets.)

Elves:

• Between The Shores Of Our Souls by burning_night for silverstarspray
(Eärendil/Elwing; PG-13; Elwing relishes solitude, but she does not always like to be alone.)

• Come Morning Light by astris_eldalie for burning_night
(Maedhros/Fingon; PG-13; Fingon pays a visit to Himring and the cousin he has not seen in several years--and finds Maedhros changed in more ways than one.)

• Gifts from Afar by aglarien1 for minuial_nuwing
(Elladan/Erestor; PG; Elladan and Erestor have an unexpected journey on the way home from Lorien.)

• Gold, Silver and Lead by moetushie for ladyelleth
(Indis/Míriel, Finwë/Míriel, Ingwë; Teen; A young Indis meets Míriel Serindë for the first time.)

• I took the stars from your eyes and made a map by larienelengasse for keiliss
(Glorfindel/Gildor, Erestor/Lindir, Elrond; R; Glorfindel and Gildor are reunited.)

• In the Time of the Burglar by alexcat for larienelengasse
(Thranduil/Glorfindel, Legolas, Lindir; PG-13; An unexpected love for the King and his son in Mirkwood.)

• Longest Night by minuial_nuwing for kenazfiction
(Elladan/Haldir; Teen; Elladan and Haldir share a midwinter night in Imladris.)

• New Traditions by red_lasbelin for aglarien1
(Glorfindel, Erestor; PG; Glorfindel and Erestor make new couple traditions for the Winter Solstice celebration.)

• Poetic License by silverstarspray for moetushie
(Fingon/Maedhros; G; "Well. That was the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen," Maitimo said.)

• Reunion by kenazfiction for red_lasbelin
(Haldir/Erestor; PG; While Elrond awaits a reunion with his sons, Erestor awaits the coming of an old friend.)

• Start at the Beginning by nuinzilien for samtyr
(Thranduil/ Elrond; PG-15; A hidden scroll is discovered in the library.)

• The Talisman by keiliss for alexcat
(Gil-galad/Erestor, Elrond, Glorfindel; PG-13; Gil-galad rides to Forlond on an important errand which may not turn out quite as he, Elrond or Erestor expect.)

Hobbits:

• The Magic by seanlijahlove for aliensouldream
(Frodo/Sam; PG; Frodo Baggins lets himself in the front door of Bag End, a pleasurable flush of warmth spreading across his skin as he moves from winter-cold into the heat of the smial.)

• Mr Frodo's Ghost by koulagirl666 for nathaniel_hp
(Frodo/Sam [Legolas/Gimli]; PG-13; 'What's the matter, Mr Frodo?' said Sam./'I am wounded,' he answered, 'wounded; it will never really heal'. -- Lord of the Rings, Book VI, Chapter IX 'The Grey Havens')

• New Beginnings by nathaniel_hp for seanlijahlove
(Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Hobbiton folk; PG; Sam was a gardener, and no amount of adventuring and questing was going to change that.)

• Out with the Old by aliensouldream for nathaniel_hp
(Frodo, Sam; G; Book verse, post quest. Sam worries how Hobbiton will get through Yule.)

Interspecies:

• From the Ashes by mahmfic for monkiainen
(Thorin/Bilbo; PG; Bilbo wakes to find death all around him.)

• Wreath in the Rapids by ladyelleth for astris_eldalie
(Nellas/Niënor; PG-13; After Niënor is gone from Doriath, Nellas cannot simply sit deedless.)

Men:

• Ascension by caras_galadhon for alex_quine
(Thorongil/Halbarad, Ecthelion II; G; Mount Mindolluin would provide Thorongil and Halbarad with the views needed to advise Ecthelion on better strengthening the defences of the White City.)

• For Gondor and the White City by raise_the_knife for savageseraph
(Aragorn/Éowyn/Faramir; R; Aragorn feels the weight of his new role and someone decides to do something about it.)

• The Making of A Spy by samtyr for lordhellebore
(Gríma; PG; The story of Gríma's early years.)

• A Touch of Frost by lordhellebore for caras_galadhon
(Denethor/Finduilas; PG; With trouble stirring in the East and Ecthelion ill, Denethor is weighed down with worry and responsibilities. His wife and son remind him that he is more than only the future Steward of Gondor.)

• The Trial by alex_quine for uisgich
(Eomer/Theodred; PG-13; Eomer faces an unexpected trial and Theodred has a choice to make.)

• A Winter's Tale by delanach/uisgich for exchange defaulter
(Aragorn/Boromir, Arwen, Faramir; PG-13; In the middle of winter, Aragorn meets someone in the Citadel he never expected to see again.)

Thank you all so much for being part of lotr_sesa once again; we hope to see you next year!

CHALLENGES/WORKSHOPS/AWARDS:

• From silwritersguild:

~ The Silmarillion (Re-)Reading Project 2014
The (re-)read starts with the official introduction post on Tolkien's birthday (January 3) in 2014 and wraps up on December 28, 2014. With a few exceptions (very short chapters), a new chapter will be "due" every two weeks. "Due" means that one of us is going to post an introductory post, featuring a short summary of the chapter, questions that may have popped up during reading, notes concerning alternative versions of events in this chapter (after all, Tolkien regularly changed his mind about stuff), quotes that resonate with us, potential topics for discussion... and whatever else comes to mind. There are three basic components to this project: Reading, Discussion and Creativity. [ How to Take Part] [ FAQ, Guidelines, Schedule]

• From tolkien_weekly:

~ Next Prompt for Mulled Wine Challenge
The next prompt in the "Mulled Wine" challenge is Mace.

• From hobbitstory:

~The Hobbit Story Big Bang
The main rule is that the stories should be related to The Hobbit (book/movie(s)/RPF). Crossovers are allowed.
Authors Sign Up, Artists Sign Up and Pod Fic Sign Up @ LJ.
Authors Sign Up, Artists Sign Up and Pod Fic Sign Up @ DW.

FIC/ART NEWS:

• The Circles of Power Book Five: Through the Valley of Death by angmar-elfhild
(Epic AU; Mature; Chapter 30 of Book Five of the epic AU series, The Circles, has been posted to the Library of Minas Morgul. The Southrons capture a wounded orc who stumbled into the stream where Elfhild and Elffled were bathing.)

• The Circles of Power Book Five: Through the Valley of Death by angmar-elfhild
(Epic AU; Mature; Chapter 31 of Book Five of the epic AU series, The Circles, has been posted to the Library of Minas Morgul. As the Haradrim assail the hapless orc who stumbled into the stream where the slave girls were bathing, the line between man and orc becomes blurred.)

• 'Tis the Season: An afternoon moment by morethanacandle
(Celeborn, Galadriel; G; An afternoon of teaching archery.)

• mechtild is celebrating Tolkien's 122nd Birthday with vintage photos and a new poem by jan-u-wine, 'Mea Cuppa' (No Rating).

• From AO3 - Archive of Our Own:

- TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works
- Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
- The Hobbit - All Media Types
- Lord of the Rings RPF
- The Hobbit (2012) RPF

DISCUSSIONS OF INTEREST:

• From silwritersguild via aelfwina:

~ Fan Fiction: A World of What-ifs - from 10 December 2013 Boston Globe
pandemonium_213 posted a great article about fanfiction over at the silwritersguild. The article, from the Boston Globe, is very positive, and is generating some interesting discussion. [ More]

CLASSIFIED:

• From lotrips_finders:

~ Looking for...
I'm trying to find these old fics:
- "I, Aragorn" and "Aidain" by Shaan Lien.
- Caught in the Twilight series by Amebrinda
- I have never read this story but the description about the story caught my attention and I would love to know if someone has this fic. The person who first asked for the story wrote: "There's a fic where Legolas is being raped nightly by someone (Isildur?) after a battle. Legolas is distracted and walks in front of a target and Glorfindel grazes him with an arrow and takes him to Elrond. Elrond and Legolas kiss until Legolas freaks out. Elrond sees hand-shaped bruises on him and realises Legolas is being raped and follows him that night and protects him. Then the two of them fall in love and have sex. I think there are flash backs to Legolas first being raped against a rock in a river, and later against a tree."
- I'm looking for stories called 'Close your Eyes and Learn to See' and 'Into the Night' by cheysuli.

~ Specific Fic
Here's what I remember: It was Legolas-centric and post-Return of the King. Mirkwood is under attack and Legolas goes to Gondor to ask Aragon for help. Aragon has to consult some people who refuse. (I think a sort of council.) I think Gandalf refuses as well. (It's too dangerous, Mirkwood is already lost, something like that.) Aragon does come to help, but it's too late. (Mirkwood is more or less destroyed and the elves-Legolas' father is with them--have escaped to a hidden place.) Meanwhile, Legolas is captured and tortured. It's a series (a long one with two or three parts). The Fellowship rescue Legolas in part two, but (i think) he's disabled in a certain way. (I have a recollection of him having white eyes or something, but I maybe wrong about this.) Legolas' family has a big role (especially a brother who encourage him to forgive his friends' delay in answering his plea). I think he has a brother who dies when Legolas is captured. I think Gimili is also there. It wasn't slash. (In fact, I recall there being a female elf who was OC and Legolas' love interest.)

~ Sean/Orlando? Legolas/Boromir
Sean (I think) is a military officer, or maybe a pilot, and one night when he is going home, a man has been beaten, and I think it is Orlando, and he takes him home... I remember it was snowing...

And the other one...was Boromir/Legolas and I don't remember a lot of it, but I know that Legolas has to share his body heat to avoid Boromir's death from frostbite.

~ Humorous Snow Storm Orlibean
I am looking for an Orlibean fic from years ago... From what I remember, it started out very silly and humorous -- winter time, Orlando rents this fancy sports car & then drives it out to Sean's cabin in the mountains in the snow, and ends up getting stuck. Sean's perspective about the "prissy elf" was hilarious, lots of squealing & flailing on Orlando's part of course -- and quickly turned HOT HOT HOT.

RESEARCH AIDS:

• From estelanui:

~The Grey Havens - Dwarves
How did the dwarves procreate from Seven Fathers? What were the origins of the Dwarves? Did Dwarf women have beards?

TRIVIA:

• December 9's BOOK question: What is the name of the Lord of the Eagles of the Misty Mountains, friend of Gandalf, who aided him many times?

Answer: Gwaihir.

rakshi, juliebeth, offski, namarielorien, frolijahfan, helenllama, lindahoyland and msilverstar all answered correctly.

More next week!

SEND MATHOMS:

• A very HAPPY 122nd BIRTHDAY to the man responsible for all of this, the Professor himself, J.R.R. Tolkien!

• HAPPY BIRTHDAY, west_of_moon and t_s_publicity!

• HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY, siouxieq and shirasade! Enjoy your weekend!

The mods would like to wish anyone having a special day the very best. Please send your special wishes to middle_earth_news@yahoo.com.

COMICS:
(Link contributions are welcome)

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