The New Hobbit Hole

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The New Hobbit Hole
Concerning Hobbits
The New Hobbit Chronicles

This is a continuation of the infamous thread New Zealander Builds Hobbit Hole originally posted on January 26, 2001 by John Farson, who at the time undoubtedly thought he had found a rather obscure article that would elicit a few replies and die out. Without knowing it, he became the founder of the Hobbit Hole. For reasons incomprehensible to some, the thread grew to over 4100 replies. It became the place for hobbits and friends of hobbits to chit chat and share LoTR news and views, hang out, and talk amongst ourselves in the comfort of familiar surroundings.

In keeping with the new posting guidelines, the thread idea is continuing here, as will the Green Dragon Inn, our more structured spin-off thread, as soon as we figure out how to move all the good discussion that has been had there. As for the Hobbit Hole, we will just start fresh, bringing only a few mathoms such as the picture above with us to make it feel like home, and perhaps a walk down memory lane:

Our discussion has been light:

It very well may be that a thread named "New Zealander builds Hobbit hole" will end up being the longest Tolkien thread of them all, with some of the best heartfelt content... Sorry John, but I would have rather it had been one with a more distinguished title!… post 252 - HairOfTheDog

However, I can still celebrate, with quiet dignity, the fact that what started as a laugh about some wacko in New Zealand has mutated and grown into a multifaceted discussion of the art, literature, and philosophy that is Tolkien. And now that I've managed to write the most pompous sentence of my entire life, I agree, Rosie… post 506 - JenB

Hah! I was number 1000!! (Elvish victory dance... wait, no; that would be too flitty) … post 1001 - BibChr

Real men don't have to be afraid of being flitty! Go for it. – post 1011 – HairOfTheDog

Seventeen years to research one mystical object seems a bit excessive… post 1007 - JenB

Okay...who's the wise guy who didn't renew Gandalf's research grant?… post 1024 – Overtaxed

To the very philosophical:

…Judas Iscariot obviously was a good man, or he wouldn't have been chosen to be one of the Apostles. He loved Jesus, like all of the Apostles, but he betrayed him. Yet without his betrayal, the Passion and Crucifixion would never have occurred, and mankind would not have been redeemed. So without his self-destruction infinite good would not have been accomplished. I certainly do not mean this to be irreverant but it seems to me that this describes the character of Gollum, in the scenes so movingly portrayed above… Lucius Cornelius Sulla

To fun but heartfelt debates about the integrity and worth of some of the characters…

…Anyone else notice how Boromir treats the hobbits? He's very fond of them but he seems to think of them as children - ruffling Frodo's hair, calls them all 'little ones'. He likes them, but I don't think he really respects them… post 1536 - JenB

Yes... Tolkien told us not to trust Boromir right off the bat when he began to laugh at Bilbo, until he realized that the Council obviously held this hobbit in high esteem. What a pompous dolt… post 1538 - HairOfTheDog

…I think almost every fault of his can be traced directly back to his blindness to anything spiritual or unseen. He considers the halflings as children, because that is what they look like. He considers the only hope of the ring to be in taking it and using it for a victory in the physical realm. He cannot see what the hobbits are truly made of, he cannot see the unseen hope of what the destruction of the ring might mean--the destruction of Sauron himself, and he cannot see the unseen danger that lies in the use of the ring itself… I just feel sorry for Boromir--he is like a blind but honorable man, trying to take the right path on the road but missing the right path entirely because he simply cannot see it… post 1548 - Penny1

Boromir isn't a jerk, he's a jock… post 2401 – Overtaxed

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Oh, I think by the time Frodo reaches the Cracks, he's not even himself anymore! I think he's not only on the brink of a dangerous place physically, he's on the brink of losing himself completely during the exchange with Gollum. But for some reason, the take-over isn't complete till he actually has to throw the Ring in. The person speaking to Gollum is not Frodo, but the "Wheel of Fire" that Sam sees. After the Ring is destroyed, Frodo not only comes back to himself, but comes back with the unbearable (to him) knowledge of what it's like to be completely without compassion. I think that's why it's so important to him to be compassionate in the Shire… post 2506 - 2Jedismom

…Regarding Frodo's compassion... it's a little too much at the end. Even Merry tells him that he's going to have to quit being so darn nice. But you're right. He's learned a lesson about evil that very few ever learn since it wasn't an external lesson but an internal one. (Those kinds of lessons have the greatest impact) Not only did he totally succumb to it, but he was rather ruthless to my little Smeagol… post 2516 - carton253

Well that Frodo was a big mean bully! (to Smeagol)… post 2519 – Overtaxed

So as you can see, everything JRR Tolkien (and Peter Jackson) is welcome here in our New Row, our soon-to-be familiar New Hobbit Hole…; philosophy, opinion, good talk and frequent silliness.

[Sam Cree]

Yes, that's true, you're right, I was thinking of bullets...greater velocity, energy and shock.

What's a NATO 9MM FMJ?

"It dropped him like 5th period math..."

I think that's now my all time favorite colorful description of the effect of a bullet. Can't wait to use it.

[Corin Stormhands]

... quote all you want.

I'm just not sure it's cool with NaNoWriMo...then again they aren't reading the darn things...

[ksen]

You guys should just do like JRRT did. He just sat down at his desk and wrote, no outlines, no story line sketches, no nothing.

[Sam Cree]

"I think so. I like the plot enough to want it to evolve into a finished project"

YEAHGHH!

Now I'm happy.

[Sam Cree]

Bye everyone, have to go, unfortunately, this is a nice little meeting.

[Corin Stormhands]

He just sat down at his desk and wrote, no outlines, no story line sketches, no nothing.

Well, I've had to go way beyond my outline anyway. It just wasn't enough and I'm making some of it up as I go.

My problem is that my writing style has always been more journalistic. Short and to the point. Tell the story. State the facts. Draw the conclusion.

I don't have Tolkien's (or anyone else's) skill of descriptive writing. I can do it if I work on it. But that's for the re-writes.

[Overtaxed]

He just sat down at his desk and wrote,

I was trying to do that last night but the ballgame was on.

[carton253]

I think the orcs were playing possum....note that one that raised his head when he thought no one was looking.

I bet that exasperated PJ to no end (if he even noticed it during the filming). Here you go... the principal actors do their battle scenes flawlessly... that's the main concern. Technically, everything goes well. The film is in the can. Then you have some fool extra who doesn't know that you don't move until he hears the director say cut! Even my 7 year old drama students know that much.

Do you reshoot? No! Expense, exhaustion of actors (who really do put out in that scene), lighting, etc.

Stupid, silly actor. I'd have fired him.

[Corin Stormhands]

Later Sam.

[Overtaxed]

I don't have Tolkien's (or anyone else's) skill of descriptive writing

Yeah. Most of what I have is a bunch of narrative with some dialogue thrown in. A couple of days ago, I did wrote some character development stuff to stick in earlier scenes but I still have cardboard settings.

[Corin Stormhands]

Then you have some fool extra who doesn't know that you don't move until he hears the director say cut!

PJ could've done what Selznick did in Gone with the Wind and used live actors beside dummies to make them move occasionally...

[g'nad]

...but if Legolas can defy the laws of nature by having perpetually clean hair while others around him have greasy and matted do's...

[Corin Stormhands]

Later folkses. I gotta go do some writing for work...how silly...

[Overtaxed]

Then you have some fool extra who doesn't know that you don't move until he hears the director say cut!

He's not dead yet. I think he was getting better. In fact, he might pull through!

[carton253]

That is a powerful scene isn't it... It's the first ever crane shot...

Again, expense was the reason, and the fact that they couldn't get enough extras to fill the scene.

[Overtaxed]

did wrote

Whimper, whimper, whimper....can I go home now?

[ksen]

You have hit on an interesting theme that seems to be repeated throughout on different levels, that of 'seeking after hidden knowledge.' It corrupts on all levels, from Valar down to Man.

And even in our own world it is true. Those who dwell on Satan and demonology in an effort to understand them are in real danger of falling under his thumb. That's probably why God is so strong in His condemnation of anything to do with the occult in the Bible. When you come right down to it the study of the occult is the study of the enemy.

Even at the Fall, what was one of the temptations Satan used on Eve? He told her she would become as God and would know good and evil. Eve took and ate, Adam took and ate, and now the human race is in the image of its greatest enemy instead of remaining in the image of its greatest friend.

[NewCenturions]

"did wrote"

I was going to axe you about that.

[Overtaxed]

Hehehe....no "profreader", I

I think I've been overdoing the crap thing. :)

[ksen]

Stupid, silly actor. I'd have fired him.

Maybe it was just an Uruk recovering from being beaned in the helmet by Merry & Pippin.