Meanwhile, in Rivendell . . .

⸻  He was as noble and as fair in face as an elf-lord, as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer. The Hobbit ⸻  Since The Lord of the Rings movies were a staple in my home long before I was old enough to watch them, I had certain preconceived notions about the characters before I ever actually "met" them.  Trading cards, soundtrack inserts, stills in piano books — all of these ensured that I was familiar with the faces of Middle-earth, and with that familiarity came assumptions.   Occasionally, I would ask various family members different questions about the characters I'd see:  What was this one's name, what was that one's relationship to this one, things like that.  In the course of this pre-viewing questioning, I developed a kind of anticipatory dislike of Elrond.  I still hadn't watched the movies, but I preemptively decided that I wouldn't like him when I did.  This was because ...

[If you don't know, Cynthia is a character in Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters .  I have read the book, but only once, so this discussion will be exclusively informed by my multiple viewings of the 1999 mini-series adaptation (which happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time ).  Cynthia is a somewhat complex and somewhat controversial figure: both flirtatious and reserved, both selfish and thoughtful, both reactive and contemplative.] Before we get started, let's recap the plot of the story real quick: Molly Gibson's father decides to remarry after several years of widowhood.  His new wife, also a widow, brings her own daughter (Cynthia) into the union.  All four come together under the same roof after the wedding and must adjust to the initially jarring integration of their lives. The stepsisters bond quickly, but Cynthia is apparently harboring a distressing secret (O_o).  This mystery threatens the reputations and futures of all ...

I watched Frozen a few times earlier this year, and it really reinforced how much I like it and what a good movie I think it is. Specifically, what struck me again is how relatable Elsa is for me, and what a stellar treatment of anxiety the makers give us through her. I struggle with a very specific anxiety that's difficult ⎼ or well-nigh impossible ⎼ to talk about with others because it's of such a nature that I imagine others would recoil from me if they knew about it.  I'm not the only one who has grappled with this specific fear, but it's not one that's widely talked about and one of the tricks I think Satan uses to keep me afraid is making me feel like I am the only one.  (Thankfully, that doesn't tend to work that much anymore because, again, I know for a fact that I am not. ;)) And in Elsa, I see myself. Elsa is terrified ⎼ terrified ⎼ that one day she might hurt or even kill her loved ones.  She has this power that she didn't...

Some people are a little confused when they find out that Faramir is my favorite Lord of the Rings character.  Not only my favorite, in fact, but my favorite by a long chalk . Just a little puzzled, you understand.  Not judgmental or contemptuous, just puzzled. "I mean, he's nice and all, but . . . what does he do ?  What's so great about him?   Why isn't your favorite Aragorn or Gandalf or SAM or Frodo? " And honestly?  Up until about two days ago, I was still floundering a little bit myself as to why.  I knew that I loved him deeply and unchangeably and would protect him from all comers, but I didn't know--fully-- why he had such a hold on my heart.  My general answer would be that I loved how he remained gentle and kind despite the emotional abuse his worm of a father dished out.  And, on the surface, that's still the answer.  But I just uncovered a whole new layer to that, and that's what I'm going to talk about today. ...

First off, a quick clarification:  I don't actually love Amy.  I like her and I think she deserves a little more love and a lot less flak.  So here I be. ;) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Much like Susan Pevensie, Amy March seems to have been universally (or almost universally) deemed the "bad one" of her siblings.  People say that Amy is spoiled, bratty, selfish, vain . . .  Or, they simply invalidate her.  They say that they just don't like her, that she's just unlikable, usually for the aforementioned reasons. I myself might have considered her my least favorite of the March sisters once upon a time.  But lately I've come to realize that this attitude toward Amy is all wrong. Let's review :  Amy, at the start of the story, is twelve.   She is, ergo, the youngest of the March sisters. It is generally concluded that Amy is a little spoiled, and that she tends to be vain, selfish, and "flighty," and tries unsuccessfully to use ...

*grins*  Yes, it's that post. To those of you who have seen the show, I apologize for all the feelings contained in the pictures and gifs that follow.  To those of you who have not, I admit that in including this somewhat overloaded stream of visuals aids, I am partially motivated by the hope that if you see enough you will want to watch it.  (Which is kind of mean of me, given the circs.  I mean, it's a damaging show, what.) Anywho. As you all know, I'm a big fan of the BBC's Robin Hood .  But why is that?  What is it about the series that so latched onto my heart?   After all, it's not the highest-quality show (at least, so I assume).  The sets aren't the greatest, I get the feeling it's rather corny (I'm kind of a bad gauge of corniness, having a somewhat high tolerance), it could be accused of being melodramatic and even soap-operatic, and the costumes are inaccurate, to say the least. (Though I think the costuming inaccuracies ...