A visitor

[Isilarma]

I've never read anything like it. I really liked the way the Valar were designing all the galaxies, and all the little details like Varda's mistakes being black holes. I haven't finished it yet, I jumped back to EI2, but I love what I've read so far. Of course, I'm never going to be able to read anyone else's interpretations of the Valar now because they just won't feel right I never thought I'd like Námo of all people so much, but his writing is just incredible.

[Kitty279]

Oh, I know what you mean, you're not the only one who feels like that. His version of Tolkien's world feels so right that it's hard to accept other versions in some cases, and the way he depicts the Valar is amazing and fits so well that any other story with a different view would feel completely wrong. Maybe it's good that there are barely any stories about them out there. Fiondil certainly gave many of us a completely new appreciation of the Valar and Maiar, didn't he?

Some of his OC's have grown on me quite a bit, too - by now, Finrod without Laurendil, Gilvagor and the others feels wrong to me.

In any case, I am glad you enjoy these stories as much as I do!

LOL - just realised that we have completely hijacked this thread

[Isilarma]

Feb 6, 2013 11:17:42 GMT -5 Kitty279 said:

LOL - just realised that we have completely hijacked this thread

Haha, just a little bit Oh well, it's good to get away from Harry Potter for a bit now and then, and these stories are definitely worth it. I normally get really annoyed at OCs, but his are so three-dimensional that I'm becoming quite attached to them. My favourites are definitely the Valar *cough* Námo *cough* though.

Thanks again recommending these; I really appreciate it

[Kitty279]

Same here. Too many OCs tend to look like Mary Sues, or are just more annoying than doing anything for the story.

LOL - I think when your other commitments allow it, you will have to read the Elf Academy series as well. More Glorfindel, more Valar ... it's the first 'Elves in modern day times' that really worked for me, but then, Fiondil can pull off anything.

You're very welcome, I am just happy you like them so much. It's nice to talk about them with someone, too.

[Isilarma]

Sounds good to me I'm working my way through 'In Darkness Bound,' and unsurprisingly loving it so far. The Elf Academy sounds interesting; I'll definitely take a look when I get the chance.

[Kitty279]

Haven't even read that one myself so far. When it was posted, I was already stressed out and not in the mood for a story that was bound to be rather dark and serious, I needed something lighter to cheer myself up.

Why do I suspect you will find the chance very soon to read it? You are already addicted, after all

You know, talking with you about it brought me more back into the LotR world, and now I can't even properly concentrate on HP stories any more, because there are always gorgeous Elves traipsing through the scene - and not the ones Gilderoy was talking about to King Elessar

Right now I am torn because I really, really need to catch up on my email inbox, but I feel much more like re-reading Elf Academy for the umpteenth time. It's really becoming the standard medicine for PHSS aka 'I'm fed up with the winter' for a good number of people, lol.

[Isilarma]

It's pretty good so far. It's interesting seeing how Feanaro (can't do those accents) convinced everyone to join him, and things like that. I'm on chapter 67 so far, so quite a way still to go. I'm sure I'll get to Elf Academy very soon though

I know what you mean; I'm trying to write the next chapter of my Founders story, but keep gettting distacted by imagining what Námo and Glorfindel and the others would do if they were there. I can't even say I'm that upset about it

I'm not surprised; I only finished it last week, but I already want to read Elf Interrupted again, and I don't know how many times I've been through his oneshot collections. And recommended them to my brother and friends. It's just so good!

[Kitty279]

The best about Fëanor (I can give you a list how to do accents) and his sons so far was that Freud story and the oneshot in the Tapestry series that now is extended to a longer story. For some reason Maglor is the only one I somewhat like, and mostly because he didn't die and go to Mandos until the Dagor Dagorath, but lived on and suffered for so long. That's why in the end I want him rescued and brought to Valinor, and reunited with his foster-son, despite everything.

*snicker* Yes, and that's the problem - the Glorfindel and the others take over the story and you don't even really notice that they distract you. (Though I'd like an update of your story, too). Pity that there aren't any really good crossovers - but then, I'd want Fiondil or Larner to do it, and I doubt they would do it. And others simply can't do it in a way I like. (And now I am having that idea of Salazar having therapy with Vorondur ... definitely reading too much Elf Academy!)

LOL - you are even worse than I, reading it nearly in one sitting and already wanting to re-read. I guess you'll be very busy for a good long while I'm more and more amazed what that little mention of Larner's 'Gilderoy in Minas Tirith' story caused! Oh well, as long as you enjoy yourself - and that can't be doubted ;D

[Isilarma]

A list of accents would be great, thanks. The only one I know is ë, and that's only because it's in my name.

Haha, I loved that Freud one. I quite like Maedhros and Maglor, but I'm not that bothered about the others. I've read a couple showing Maglor looking after Elrond and Elros that were pretty good.

Pretty much I'm getting more ideas for my story now, so i should be posting soon, though I keep wanting to read a oneshot with Salazar and Námo meeting. They're quite similar, and it would be interesting, but I'd never be able to do it, and somehow I doubt Fiondil would. Oh well, that's what daydreaming's for.

I know! I only started them last Saturday, and I've already been through Elf Interrupted, Wars of the Valar, In Darkness Bound, A Long Expected Wedding and all the oneshot collections, all of which I expect I'll be reading again soon. I think I may be slightly obsessed I do want to read Elf Interrupted again now that I know more about Ingwion and Ingoldo in particular.

[Kitty279]

Mail is sent

That's how my interest in these two Fëanorionnath started, too. As usual, fanfictions were entirely to blame! Ha, tomorrow is update day, then there's going to be a new chapter about Maglor, assumed Fiondil can post at all, after that huge storm hitting the East Coast.

That one wouldn't be bad, either. But Fiondil has somewhat of a monopoly of writing Námo and the other Valar now, at least for us, I fear Though Vorondil would be fun, too, he at least knew Jung and Freud and is a psychiatrist, so that would be interesting, too.

Only slightly obsessed? *clears throat* You might want to rephrase that!

Anyway, I look forward to the new chapter - and will have an eye open if there's someone lurking in the shadows who's not exactly from that same universe

[Isilarma]

Thank you That'll be useful if I do ever getting around to writing anything.

That sounds interesting. I'll have to add it to my long list of things to read I do hope he's all right, the reports did not look great.

Oh no, no one else can ever write the Valar. I tried a couple yesterday out of curiosity, and just couldn't keep going because I kept comparing them to his, adn they kept coming up short. Oh well, he's got plenty to keep us going.

Haha, all right, maybe completely obsessed Of course, it is all your fault

Thanks. I've got most of it written out, so I just need to type it all up. Unfortunately, going on the computer just makes me want to head straight to SoA again It'll get there eventually; this is the one where the plot really starts, so I'm quite looking forward to finishing it. I keep coming up with more and more ideas

[Kitty279]

Or just for knowing how it works in the first place. One never knows when one needs that sort of thing.

Somehow I get the feeling I've hooked up all your free time for the foreseeable future Yeah, I hope the same. That's the disadvantage of all the many friends I have found online, I am always worried for someone *sigh* I've got very good friends in NY, NJ and CT, so these storms are always a problem for me. And only yesterday, my Aussie friend had a bushfire just around the corner. Thankfully they could put it out before it did real damage. It's not good for my nerves!

Exactly, that's the problem! I remember a story many years ago I tried to read, with a few Valar and Elves - let's just say it was the sort to put you off fanfiction altogether. That's why I was so happy to find SoA, even if I had to polish up my English to understand them. Finally a webarchive with some quality! Since then, I've pretty much given up to read any LotR fics elsewhere, they just can't hold a candle to these stories, and it's too tiring to dig through all the rubbish to find some gems. On FFN, where I started, I couldn't even read any Hobbit fics any more. Pretty much everything I tried had them as small, child-like, completely helpless beings who had to be carried by the big folk at every turn - it annoyed the heck out of me. It took Dreamflower, Baggins Babe and Larner to get me back to reading them at all.

LOL - and you know what the worst about it is? I can't even force myself to feel somewhat of a bad conscience! ;D That place is way too much fun.

Sounds good to me Just write the ideas down before you forget them! (And I can't blame you for the temptation of SoA at all, for obvious reasons. After spending my online time there for years, it would be too hypocritical)

[Isilarma]

Just a little bit, but that's fine. I know what you mean; I'm really glad I've met all these people online, but I do find mself getting more and more stressed whenever I see the news now.

The only Hobbit fics I liked on ff.net were Shirebound's ones, but they're on SoA too, aren't they? 'Holding Back the Flood' was one of the first LotR fics I ever read, and I've reread it loads of times since, but yeah, most Hobbit fics are depressingly bad. Not quite as depressing as the endless Legolas/Mary-Sue ones though *shudder*

Haha, and I wouldn't want you to I am really glad you introduced me to all this, even if it has turned into a major distraction. It's worth it.

Will do. I've got the entire thing planned out now; it's just a question of getting it all down. It is kind of enormous though, it'll probably be around 60 chapters at least by the time it's finished. I may have to try and compress some of it. Although that's not nearly as long as some people I know *cough* 143/151/131 chapters *cough*

[Kitty279]

Yeah, that's the problem. Bushfires in Australia, storms in the USA, the attacks in Mumbai when hostages were taken, the earthquakes in New Zealand ... always there's someone I know and in some cases directly involved

Yep, Shirebound is on SoA, too; one of her stories was among the Elrond stories I mentioned in the beginning. Still love a lot of her stories, particularly her 'Quarantined' universe.
Ugh, not even touching these Legolas/Mary-Sue stories with a ten-foot pole! *runs away and hides behind the twins*

Glad you feel that way. And it's so much fun to have someone to talk to about my favourite fanfiction archive

What are 60 chapters? A good story is never too long, it's exactly as long as it is supposed to be! And you actually started with the longest stories on the archive, I think beyond these only Larner's 'Acceptable Sacrifice' got over the 100-chapter-mark. All others were only oneshot collections and don't count. Besides, the chapter number alone doesn't say too much, some have chapters of around 10 pages, others rather 20, and I remember when I at work meant to just print out an update to read in the metro on the way home - and ended up with about 70 pages!

[Isilarma]

Excellent, I'll have to read more of her stories when I get time. My list of things to read is becoming alarmingly long I started rereading Elf Interrupted yesterday; if anything, it's even better the second time round!

It's great to have someone who knows which ones are the best and can give decent recommendations too. I'm really glad I made that comment originally

Thanks. Personally, I love longer stories, but I'm worried that people might get tired of it, or get put off when they see how long it is. I've got enough of a plot to keep it going, I think, but some people might find it a bit daunting. Oh well, I'll just keep going and see what people think. If they enjoy it, I'm more than happy to keep writing.

Good point. Thing is, my chapters usually end up being around 7000-10000 words each, which some people have said they struggle with. Then again, there are others that really like that. *shrug* I'm not that fussed really, I know what I want to happen and when. I'm having too much fun with it to stop now anyway

[Kitty279]

While we are at it, let me add to that list: If you like Shirebound, then you'll like Baggins Babe and Dreamflower as well, I believe. *snickers and ducks* I know, I am a bad girl!

Oh, I am glad, too - SoA is relatively small, and I am always happy to point a new fan or two to this wonderful place. The stories deserve more readers!

As for me, sometimes I put an interesting sounding long story off a bit when I don't have much time and come back to read it later, but in general, I like it when people take the time to develop the plot properly and not rush through the story in a gallop. For me, that would be a decent chapter length; I find it annoying when I see a new story with 3 to 5 chapters, but only 1500 words. Usually I don't bother to even try that, particularly when it took months for the author to get that much out. I believe you will *always* get complains, no matter how short or long a chapter or story is, so in the end, I'd do what you feel is right for the story. You never can please everyone.

[Isilarma]

You are such a bad influence. But I suppose I'm just as bad for welcoming it Thanks for those, I'll definitely take a look. I've got pretty much all Fiondil's on my kindle now, so I can enjoy them anywhere

Yeah, I really like developing characters and the relationships between them, so my stories always end up quite a bit longer than I expect. I hate finding stories which have brilliant ideas, but could have been so much better had the author taken a bit more time to develop everything. And chapters that are shorter than 2k just feel like a bit of a waste to me, unless they're meant to be oneshots.

True, and I know I'd feel a lot worse if I was disappointed in the end result, than if other people said they didn't like it. Thank you

[Kitty279]

Yeah, I'd probably not recommend as much if you weren't so eager to follow me

Completely agree. Sure, sometimes people take too much time describing too much irrelevant stuff, but mostly my complaint would be that they rushed way too much through the story. So I appreciate it when you take time to develop the story properly.

2000 words sounds like the least length for a chapter that makes sense. With much less, you can't really tell much of the story, after all. A bit more wouldn't hurt, either. Of course, there are some oneshots that are shorter, and that's ok, not to mention drabbles, which are supposed to have only 100 words (even though half of FFN seems to believe that's another word for oneshot ). But they aren't multi-chaptered stories. And there's a reason why on SoA the owner asked for people to put these together into these collections, so they don't post an endless stream of tiny little ficlets separately.

Sometimes we are our own worst critics, aren't we? But that means that you think about the story and wants to do a good job, not just push out chapter after chapter just to post something, or, worse, only write what the reviewers want, no matter if that even fits with your plotline or not. So in my eyes, you are on a good road.
Hm, I should go back and re-read your story one of these days, too. I am pretty sure I reviewed elsewhere already, but I can't remember for sure. Maybe I should just start again ...

Only problem is, I just did a little shopping. When looking for new Hobbit books, I stumbled over some puzzles and went to look if I get them here before ordering online. There were three, and I couldn't decide ... sooo ... despite having a few already and not really needing even one, I couldn't resist to get all three ... So, I'll not be bored any time soon

[Isilarma]

Yeah, I'm happy to read oneshots of any length. Mine vary between 600-4200 words, depending on the subject. Drabbles do frustrate me a bit though; I always want to know more than can be said in only 100 words. I know that's not the point, but I just prefer details. Posting them all in one collection makes a lot more sense too; a series of mini ones would just be annoying. The founder of SoA has a lot of very sensible ideas

Thank you I'm pretty sure some people aren't going to like some of the things I've got planned, and definitely some parts of the sequel, but I'm not too fussed about that. It's been planned out for months; I'm not changing it because not everyone likes it. Hopefully it won't be too much of an issue though.

Yeah, you reviewed on yourfanfiction I think. I really liked that site; it's a shame it wasn't able to continue. Though I can understand why it was suddenly overwhelmed by people fleeing ff.net.

Haha, that sounds like one of my shopping trips. I always end up buying things I don't technically need, but look so cool that I can't resist. Have fun with those

[Kitty279]

Oh, I know a slash writer who is a master of drabbles. It's amazing what you can tell with so few words. But not everyone can do that.
Couldn't agree more - I know why I love that site so much! As far as I know, it once started because the owner was annoyed with another fanfiction archive and wanted a place to post her own stories. A few of her friends joined her there - and you see where it led to. It was from the beginning very well thought out, and I always felt it was very user friendly. Much more so than FFN.

To me, it is clear that in pretty much every fic there will be something I don't particularly like, but save some special cases, I just ignore it and keep reading. If others can't do that, well, their bad.

Same here, YFF was on such a good way, it was sad when the site vanished. And I think you are right about me reviewing there.

Normally I don't do that, but I decided that I deserve some reward after all that stress at work, and besides, my inner geek wanted out! Now that we finally got the Hobbit movie, I need some of the cool stuff that's now available, and the world consists of more than just books.

Thanks! They prove very time consuming. It's shortly after midnight, and I am just having a look in here before going to bed after playing with my new puzzle all evening. Got quite far

[Isilarma]

Sounds good. I've only come across a couple of drabble authors that I actually like; the rest just seemed a bit pointless.

Yeah, I really like how SoA is organised. It didn't take long at all to get used to it, and I like how easy it is to search for authors and stories. Which is good, because I seem to spending an awful lot of time on there at the moment

By the way, I finished typing up the next chapter for 'Strange Visitors' this morning, so I'll be posting that once I finish proof-reading. It's quite long (10,300 words) though, so that may take some time. It was originally going to be shorter, but I just kept coming up with more ideas. Oh well, I take so long to post that I think people appreciate longer chapters.

Yep, that sounds about right. One of my first purchases this year was a massive poster of Bilbo, Gandalf and all the Dwarves. My aunt always used to get loads of things like that too; my brother and I would only ever play Monopoly if we could use her LotR edition I'm glad you're enjoying them.

[Kitty279]

I know what you mean. Again, I was lucky to stumble over the exception by chance.

Always loved their review-reply system, too. We had a good laugh when FFN annonunced so proudly that authors now can answer to reviews privately instead of in the next chapter, when SoA did have one step better already years ago!

You know, my signature would fit very well for you, too!

Already reading the update, thanks! Will have to try and get back to reading from the beginning, but I really, really need to read two books and answer my emails, too ...

Just was chatting with my Aussie friend, we spent quite a while on bemoaning the fact that the Hobbit DVD seems to have been pushed back from March to April (and just on the day after I leave on holiday) and to drool over the hot dwarves and exchange pictures. Fun way to spend the morning And I pre-ordered the second Falconer book from Weta *rubs hands in anticipation*
Oh, didn't even know there's a LotR Monopoly! But then, I saw a LotR version of another well-known game, the other day, too.

You know, one of my online friends (which I have already meet in RL twice) lives in a city where a whole quarter is named for Tolkien characters. There's a reason why I totally love to send her snail mail, just for the fun of using her RL address. And now I have even a face to her address, lol - she lives in a street named for Bofur ;D

[Isilarma]

Private review replies are so much easier. Funny how SoA seems to have come up with everything good before ff.net. What does that say about the people running them?

Haha, definitely! I need to come up with a good signature, but yours would certainly fit.

Thanks. Don't worry about it; I know how busy life gets, and my story is getting pretty long. It's so much fun to write though, I can't help it. Although I'm not going to be able to update for a couple of weeks now. Our tutors have set about four deadlines for this week and I'm slightly behind. I wonder why?

April? But that's ages away. *grumble, grumble* I can't wait to see it again. I saw it the day it came out with our sci-fi & fantasy society (which was great because there were about forty of us just walking down to the cinema quoting LotR) and I then saw it with my best friend the day after I got back home. My brother and I then spent most of the holiday discussing it and bemoaning the fact that we had a whole year to wait until the next part.

Yep, there's LotR Monopoly, with Barad-dur and Mount Doom as Park Lane and Mayfair. Much more fun than normal Monopoly, which I normally get bored of after about half an hour.

That is the most epic area ever! I'd love to live there, or even just visit. It would be so much more interesting if more towns were named like that

[Kitty279]

It says a lot, doesn't it? SoA was made by a fan for fans. FFN ... I can only wonder about sometimes. Of course, the latter has by now a size that's not really to control any longer, but still, the features on FFN seem more flashy than useful for me sometimes.

Ahem ... might that be due to a certain website with LotR stories? *whistles innocently*
If it weren't up to you how much you read, I'd actually feel guilty Good luck on completing everything in time and getting good marks!

Lucky you! Had to actually wait until after Christmas, because I wanted to go with friends from work, but we all were so insanely busy that we didn't manage, and even less with four that needed to have time on the same day. But I made up for it with two more times I even found a transcript online and downloaded it, but my computer doesn't know the format, so I guess I have to wait for the subtitles on the DVD for the exact dialogues *grumbles*

At least I now know for sure that somewhere before the second part is released, we will get an EE again *happy dance* The ones for the LotR trilogy still are the best I have ever seen in the way of making-of, and I've watched the appendices at least as frequently as the movies themselves. So I always hoped to get the same for the Hobbit. And knowing Peter, it will be good.

Speaking of DVDs, today I got another one: Reclaiming the blade. Stumbled over it accidentally and decided it sounds interesting. Not to mention that I know so many who were involved in that! Viggo Mortensen, Karl Urban, John Rhys-Davies, and even Swordmaster Bob Anderson. Alone to see them train will be worth it.

Recently saw another game - I only know the German name (though I never played it), but I went to google and found what I think is the English version: Risk. Maybe interesting for you, too, if you don't know it already?

Yeah, felt the same. Was always teasing my friend that she ought to move to Elrohir Can't wait to return her visit one day, I can promise you I'll drag her on a walk through the whole quarter, just out of curiosity!
She told me that every time she sees the street sign 'Balin', she has that urge to add 'son of Fundin, Lord of Moria'. Balin alone just doesn't seem complete.

[Isilarma]

Maybe a little bit Thanks; I'm managing to stay on top of everything for now. I found a forum for Harry Potter challenges though, adn I've signed up to about 40 of them. That probably wasn't my best plan. It's a lot of fun though, and it's given me loads of ideas for good Founders stories.

Yes! I'm so glad we're getting EEs I can't watch the original releases of LotR because they just feel too incomplete. I managed to get my friend to watch them all with me last year (somehow he'd never seen LotR before and I couldn't have that) and he absolutely loved them because of all the detail. They really are superb.

That DVD looks really interesting. I'll probably get it just for the cast, though it will probably be very useful for some of my stories too. It's slightly worrying how often I think in terms of what will make my writing better...

That game is even cooler! I've played Risk before, but not for a good few years, and I always ran out of patience back then. I very much doubt I'd get bored playing this one

[Kitty279]

Oh, good, I don't want to ruin your career, after all Though that challenge forum doesn't sound like a good idea when you are hard pressed for time already ...

Same here, usually I just watch the EE, it's even better. Pity the studios and cinemas don't want 5-hour-movies - these should have been about right ;D And yes, that's what I always found so fascinating - not just how relatively close they stayed to the books (had expected much worse!), but the love for detail, the many tiny little things on props, costumes, weapons you barely, if at all, see on the screen and theystill did it. Which crew would have hired potters, weavers, weapon smiths and all these other craftsmen to make everything from scratch, instead of just buying it or use what the studios have already in the way of costumes and all that?

IMO it's completely normal that you try to use your knowledge for your stories. I mean, when you write a normal book, you often have to do some research as well - and not only for the historical ones. So, yes, it might even be useful for LotR stories or the Founders one.

So that may be something for your birthday wish list or something

[Isilarma]

Haha, my housemates said exactly the same thing. I seem to work best when I'm under pressure, so I prefer it when I've got a lot to do. I'll probably feel differently when it comes to exam period though

My dad said when they came out that they should have just made 4 hour films and put an interval in. That would've been cool. They cut so many good bits! I'm so glad they gave us the EEs. I was impressed at how close they were to the books too; most films *cough* Harry Potter *cough* go off on so many tangents that it hardly feels like the original sometimes, but the LotR ones were very good. Admittedly, that wasn't such a good thing when I was younger (I was 9 when the first one came out and the Nazgul terrified me) but I really appreciate it now.

Definitely. I couldn't believe it when my aunt told me they'd made every single weapon and costume etc by hand. I don't think I know any other film that went to that extent. It certainly made it feel a lot more authentic.

Lol, I love how this has just turned into a 'rave about LotR' thread.

[Kitty279]

Ok, if you are sure ... and the exams are hopefully faaar away, because you don't have time for them ;D

Someone (Sean Astin?) said they have filmed enough to make five five-hour movies. So, why did we get only three three-hour movies?? Nine hours instead of 25? *pouts* Btw, my friend and I decided to sneak away from work a bit earlier on Monday and watch the Hobbit again. After all, she has only seen it twice and I three times.

There was a case when I watched an Agatha Christie and couldn't pinpoint the story, despite reading tons of her books around that time. Later I checked the title and realised I had read the book about 2 weeks before - and still didn't even recognise the story! To top it off they had changed it from Hercule Poirot to Miss Marple. It confused the heck out of me. And there's a German author whose work was filmed, too - these movies have only the titles common with the books, the story is so wrong it's not even funny. That sort of experience made me wary of films made after books, and when you consider how complex LotR is, it's amazing how close Peter stayed to the books.

Anyway, there's a reason why The Hobbit already overtook 6 out of the 8 HP films in the box office results, and it's only released in China today! Seeing that they are already at 959.9 millions, they're going to get the billion soon, I suspect. And I am glad for Peter.

The Nazgul were really creepy, weren't they? Always suspected that the Dementors are based on them. You know, I wonder if the Patronus would work against the Nine, too?

More authentic, indeed! That's why I got all these books showing the props, weapons and costumes in detail - it's so fascinating! And which other director would have another camera on set just to film the filming, so that they end up with a worthy making-of? Peter is really amazing, and I am so happy for him that it paid off so nicely.

Told you, we completely hijacked it! ;D Theoretically, we could take the discussion to PM, but I like it where it is now, and maybe one day someone feels like joining the discussion. There's never enough talking about LotR, after all.

[Isilarma]

Haha, don't worry, the exams don't start 'til May. Or June. They haven't told us yet. I've got a couple of essays and practical reports, but I can handle all that.

25 hours of LotR... That would be epic. Can you imagine doing a marathon of that? I've done a couple of EE version marathons and that was great fun, although I then wasn't able to watch them all again for about 6 months. O well, it was worth it.

Some film 'adaptations' are just ridiculous. The one I really hate is Troy; it bears hardly any resemblance to the Iliad. I read it when I was 11 and then saw the film, and just kept shouting at the TV. That Poirot to Marple thing sounds even more stupid, especially because it's just so unnecessary. Peter definitely did a great job accuracy wise. I know a lot of people moan about him, and yeah the films aren't perfect, but I'd like to see anyone else do a better job.

Yeah, they're definitely going to hit a billion. It's amazing how popular it's been. I have to say, I am wondering how they're going to make three films out of it. Two I could understand, but three sounds a bit optimistic. Not that I'm complaining, the more the better, but I'll be very interested to see how he does it. Including the White Council stuff will be awesome; I want to see Elrond in action in particular.

*shudder* I hated the Nazgul; they gave me nightmares for weeks. I was getting so worked up that my aunt broke her cardinal rule and told me what happened to the Witchking. Unsurprisingly, that ended up being my favourite moment in the entire film when I first saw it. I think I remember reading somewhere that JKR used the Nazgul as inspiration for the Dementors. I wonder what a Patronus would do. Probably drive it away a bit, though I doubt it would have as much of an effect as it would against a Dementor.

Very true there ;D It's just such an incredible achievement. How many other fantasy writers could build a completely new world, complete with histories, languages, and all the other detail that Tolkien did? Its incredible.

[Kitty279]

Oh good, that gives you some time to enjoy SoA

*grin* I'm probably going to do an EE marathon one of these days, I just need more time ... But I would be crazy enough to try the 25 hour one if I could, at least once. Though this time at home, not in the cinema. Still grumpy because I saw too late that our cinema offered a triple feature EE recently :')

Never saw Troy, despite being a bit curious due to some of the cast But then, it's been decades sinde I did read the Iliad and I can't remember much, so I might be able to enjoy it, who knows. In any case, you are right, there are so many good films with Poirot out there that I fail to see what use it was to change the book so much. The film itself may not be bad, but it annoys me too much to know how much they changed.
As for changes in LotR - they *had* to cut some stuff out, even 9 hours and more aren't enough to show everything, so I admit that I agreed with cutting Tom Bombadil. He didn't have any more relevance to the rest of the story, after all, save giving them their swords, and Peter put that bit elsewhere. IMO leaving that episode out was better than cutting a bit of everything that happened. The scouring of the Shire ... well, I'd have prefered to see it, but I know that already too many complain about 'too many endings', and it takes away from the climax of the story a lot, so I understand, even if I'm not happy. I so wanted to see Pippin and Merry leading the Tookland Archers and the other Hobbits!
Another change I understand but am not too happy about was Arwen at the Ford of Bruinen and elsewhere. Of course, they needed to include her more, I know in the books when she came to marry Aragorn I was going 'Arwen who??' To explain that just in the appendices wouldn't have worked for the films. But I totally wanted to see my awesome Glorfindel!!
About Faramir, I still have mixed feelings. While I understand the arguments of Peter and the others for changing that bit, I am not sure I like it.
That's what I can think of right now. Yeah, you can argue about these things, but overall, the changes were few, and they stayed still very close to the books.

Not too sure about the third film myself, but I hope Peter knows what he is doing! Maybe we get to see Bilbo sneaking around in Thranduil's stronghold a bit? And knowing Peter, the battle with the spiders in Mirkwood is going to be epic. (How can he film that when he's so arachnophobic himself??) That could fill a lot of the second movie, I guess. And of course, the White Council. And I suspect there may be a bit side story to show off our favourite Elven Prince to compete with the Dwarven heartthrobs

Oh, poor you! My friend said the music during the Nazgul scenes (Weathertop!) was enough to give her the creeps, too. But they, and particularly the Witch King, certianly got what they deserved in the end.
At least the Patronus could distract them enough till Aragorn and Glorfindel get within sword reach Btw, after reading the end of EI 1, I had the idea that Glorfindel used a Song of Power at the Ford - what do you think? Considering that they had to take on all the Nine, and only two of them were really ready to fight, I thought it might have been possible, even if the book doesn't say so.

SO true! When you look over fantasy literature nowadays, how many use his world? Sometimes I wonder if the fantasy genre would exist without LotR, and how it would look like then. I doubt anyone took the time to develop that much backstory, either.

Oh, btw, saw the DVD I told you about. It's a lot about medieval fighting styles, and even without text I learned a few tricks how to disarm your opponent, lol.