Hello, I'm Sage (they/she/he, over 30 y/o). I've been playing Tales of the Shire and thought it might be useful to start a new page just for my hobbity things.
I self-ship with Merry Brandybuck (especially book Merry).
I adore Bilbo in a more kinship way and ship BagginShield.
So I expect this to be mostly filled with TotS screenshots, LotR memes, and lots of reblogs of Merry and Bilbo.
I pretend to be complex and clever but in reality, nothing has ever made me laugh harder than those bad Chinese subtitles from the bootleg Lord of the Rings DVDs. Tears streaming down my face, core aching, slowly suffocating because Iām laughing too hard.
a/n: the target audience for this is ME and maybe 2 more ppl because y'all pay him DUST smh. but if u like this, we will be buried next to each other someday ā£ yay. enjoy and also comments+reblogs feed the author!! never beating my hobbit agenda allegations
disclaimer!! never have and never will use AI in my writing, this bs is from the heart :)
A = AFFECTION (how affectionate are they and how do they show affection?) Heās affectionate at first in a more playful, teasing way, because initially he tries to downplay his feelings and seem more unbothered than he is, but he adores being close to you. However, once he gets over that phase and admits to himself he is actually in love, you can say goodbye to your personal space, most of the time. There will at least be a hand around your waist or shoulders at all times in public, a whole bunch of kisses and surprise hugs! However, he does his best to be in tune with you and not overwhelm you if you donāt seem to be enjoying it. But at least some smaaaall point of contact, please?
B = BEST FRIEND (what would they be like as a best friend and how would the friendship start?) Merry gives me āfriends for lifeā vibes and youād meet as very small children and be basically inseparable from thereon. Heās loyal to a fault, and definitely equally talented for both creating troubles and getting you out of them, which is one of the reasons you find him so lovable in the first place. Basically in Top 5 best friends of all time.
C = CUDDLES (do they like to cuddle & how?) Actually it depends on his mood - heās either going to be perfectly content with just having you within an arm's reach as both of you do your things, or heās going to flop down half on top of you at the most random time and just hold you as if youāre going to evaporate. All cuddling positions are good cuddling positions because it means being close and cozy; the only thing that is a must is having you play with his curly hair, and he will forget any problem he might have had before. For some reason, also, he likes touching your face, and also squishing your cheeks to get a reaction out of you.
D = DOMESTIC (do they want to settle down; how are they at cooking/cleaning?) Merry is actually quite organized, clean and neat, has systems for his stuff; but he especially exaggerates that in order to impress you and, most importantly, help you with whatever you may need. He loves playing your knight in shining armor, even when out of his depth in certain situations and tasks. Heās an acceptably fine cook, and he claims that youāre way better and wants you to teach him your ways, so that he can treat you to delicious homemade meals as much as you treat him. Not just that, he likes learning some new things, especially alongside you itās a very fun activity. All that being said, he finds it to be a very happy thought settling down in a cozy home with you, tailoring everything to your tastes (he likes being very involved with everything) and building everything together. š„° Naturally, the adventures and silliness never stop!
E = ENCHANTED (what was their first opinion/feeling about you when you just met?) OH boy was interesteddd and slightly intimidated! He found you interesting, smart, and thought he could see a glint of mischief in your eyes, immediately wanting to know you better. However, he was convinced straightaway that you were way out of his league ā but damn if he wouldnāt try his hardest anyway! When he realized he could talk to you pretty much about anything, that you would listen to his random thoughts and had plenty of your own to share, he started to develop a crush in record-breaking time ā BUT being kind of in denial about it! His eyes wandered towards you from afar more often than he wanted to admit, and seeing anyone else get close to you made him tense, but it took him a bit to get acquainted with the fact that he caught some serious feelings for someone.
F = FIANCE(E) (how do they feel about commitment; how quickly would they want to get married?) Merry likes to brag about you to others, and he cannot help but think that saying āmy spouseā has a certain ring to itā¦ One side of him would want everything to be as perfect as possible before making such big decisions, but the other one would just do it on a whim because you looked especially radiant during your morning tea and you laughed a little louder at his jokes. Who knows! He used to think that such a serious commitment would feel like a burden, but the love and joy you share proves him wrong, day after day. Of course itās you. It could be nobody else, ever.Ā
G = GENTLE (how gentle are they, physically and emotionally?) On the outside heās carefree, with playful roguish charm, but he absolutely has emotional depth once he lets you in. Then you get to realize heās very emotionally intelligent and super caring with a strong desire to protect you in any way he can. When youāre officially together, he treats you like the most precious thing in his life (for a while cannot believe you really choose him), and canāt believe he was ever hesitant about letting down his walls and allowing you to really get to know him. But he will always remain teasing and joyful and treat you like a best friend whom he also loves to kiss.
H = HUGS (do they like hugs, how often, what are they like?) Merry likes hugs, especially surprise hugs, and especially coming up to you from behind when youāre least expecting it because it makes you laugh. If it somehow happens that you donāt see each other for a while, if you run towards him and tackle him in a hug, it will absolutely melt his heart. Also lots of side hugs because itās a very easy way to keep you close while youāre out and about.
I = I LOVE YOU (how fast they say the L-word) Walk with me: youāre actually the one who says it first! He managed to rein himself in and not go crazy on you with his feelings, and impose, thus putting you maybe in an awkward position if you arenāt ready to return it. He can relatively easily get over anything, but he had no clue how heād get over that. So you pulled the trigger ā and confessed the BIG word after a particularly stressful day on the quest. You got hurt a bit and he was trying not to fret over you (but he did) so you reassured him that you werenāt going anywhere and that you loved him. Firstly, his brain definitely short-circuited and he looked at you with wide eyes, but when you tugged him closer to further confirm your statement, he was so relieved it was indeed for real.Ā
J = JEALOUSY (how jealous do they get and how they act then) Honestlyā¦ maybe medium jealous ā itās not you, whom he trusts completely, itās just a secret little insecurity mingled with a whole lot of protectiveness if some pushy stranger approaches you. He has no issue appearing by your side and sliding an arm around your waist, inquiring about the personās intentions ā he thinks he looks more threatening and serious than he actually does, but you let him have itā¦ most times š
K = KISSES (what are their kisses like, where do they like to kiss you/be kissed?) There is never a lack of them and you can be absolutely sure of it! Wherever he can reach you, but lips are a certified favorite, as well as playfully chivalrous hand kisses to make you smile. Heās a menace so definitely lots of unprompted makeout sessions and sneaking away. ALSO: kisses to interrupt you when youāre rambling about something not because he wants you to stop, but because youāre so cute and irresistible. If you do that to him, he will almost explode with happiness, and most definitely blush. He canāt explain why, but if you brush a kiss on his shoulder he will melt into a puddle (or if you give him a playful bite).
L = LOVE LANGUAGE (what is their love language and how they show you love) I canāt pinpoint just one - itās a solid mix of all of them, with maybe a slight emphasis on physical touch, and he is awesome at gifts. He loves you more than heāll ever be able to explain to himself or you, and he needs to express it in any available way. When he enjoys something, he goes all in.
M = MORNINGS (how are mornings spent with them) Merry really loves a lazy, slow morning with you, especially if the weather is gloomy. In that case, he will crawl out of bed just to start a fire for you š and then come back with a book for the two of you to skim through together until the weather clears up a bit ā even though in 90% of cases the book ends up long forgotten on the side. On sunny and warm days, his favorite thing is for the two of you to sit outside in the garden with some tea, people-watching and giggling as you share a couple of sneaky comments.Ā
N = NIGHTS (How are nights spent with them?) Mostly in a social environment ā either going out for a drink and night of dancing with your friends, or hosting a lovely yet chaotic get-together. If you go somewhere together, on the way back home you will make a million detours, most likely a bit tipsy, because the evening is so nice and oh look that lake sparkles so beautifully under the moonlight and it would be a damn shame not to kiss right there.Ā
O = OPEN (when would they start revealing things about themselves; everything at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?) Initially he wants to play it cool and wants to seem like the kind of person whoās quite unbothered, breezing through life. Over time he begins to confide in you about most things, but on his own time. Merry is a decently good listener when you want to rant about something though, and he will really do his best to either help you or at least make you laugh. Occasionally he still needs a little push to talk about serious matters, and a reminder that you donāt love him any less in the moments when heās not the life of the party. If nothing else, it means a lot to you that you can see all sides of him.
P = PATIENCE (how easily angered are they?) By you? Absolutely never. He gets annoyed with othersā shenanigans sometimes and then needs to blow off some steam, but thatās not too common. Especially since youāre by his side and you can just ditch the group socializing and go do your own thing.Ā
Q = QUIZZES (how much would they remember about you ā every little detail you mention in passing or do they kind of forget most things?) Whenever you speak about something you (dis)like or enjoy he is all ears and he tunes out everything else, making mental notes to himself, maybe even has a notebook or calendar to put down the most essential things. Even when you donāt think heās actively listening, he usually is, while looking at you like a lovestruck idiot because goodness, youāre so pretty! He remembers most things ā he really likes completing the puzzle of your personality day after day.
R = REMEMBER (favorite moment in your relationship) At the same time it is a traumatic memory and a sweet one; after the battle of Pelennor fields when he was injured and you stuck with him regardless, looking after him and basically not leaving his side, day or night. If it wasnāt for your love and support in those times, who knows whether he would have made it through the darkness. It was when Merry finally became convinced that you wanted to be with him no matter what, in cheerful and horrible moments just the same. Moreover, there is one moment before you got together that holds a special place in his memories: during the quest, one night a few of you stayed up talking around the fire, but you dozed off and subconsciously curled up against him. You tease him by saying he was simply sitting the closest to you, without ulterior motives, but he disagrees! š
S = SECURITY (how protective are they; how they'd like to be protected and how they protect you) We already know that he is loyal to a fault and fiercely protective even when heās going against all odds, so he would absolutely be like that when it comes to you as well. As much as he enjoys seeing your fighting skills and how you stand up for yourself, youāre too dear to him and he doesnāt want to take any chances. Therefore in some mostly harmless situations heāll gladly kick back and watch you being a badass with an absolutely smitten look on his face, but if anything seems to escalate heās by your side immediately. In subtle ways is how you protect him, usually behind his back when you shut up some mean or too curious comments after the quest. Would you throw hands for him though? No doubt about it.
T = TRY (how much effort do they put into dates, gifts, anniversaries, everyday stuff) Quite some effort, actually, all the while trying to seem like heās not doing all that much (yet internally screaming if something isnāt going exactly the way heād envisioned). Heās the kind of partner who would try to win you over time and time again, and never stop, and is there a better way of doing it than planning some special little things just for you! However itās not always planned, it can also be super spontaneous and super fun - having a picnic somewhere youāve never been before, getting you that one book that you mentioned once, or just bringing you a new kind of tea to try, from the market, for no special reason. Definitely shamelessly flirts with you in public occasionally as if heād never seen you before ā itās like a fun little game when you get sent a drink from a āmysteriousā admirer in the corner whose laugh youād know anywhere.
U = UGLY (some bad habits of theirs) On the surface, most people wouldnāt guess, but he tends to overthink things quite often, and absolutely has perfectionist tendencies when it comes to things he plans and executes. When he is being suspiciously quiet, itās usually that.Ā
V = VANITY (how concerned are they with their looks?) He always attempts to look put together, but itās not end-all-be-all. However, he will most definitely try to show off in front of you a bit and his heart will skip a beat if you pay him a little compliment. Although he seems confident, he does NOT know how to take a compliment without brushing it off, turning it into a joke, or returning it back to you tenfold.Ā
W = WISH (something that they really want to do/experience with you?) He lets himself get lost in grand daydreams once itās clear that the two of you are in love; then he starts visualising and wanting a huge wedding celebration with you. Obviously something like that couldnāt happen without a giant party, and heās looking forward to showing you off in front of everyone that matters. Not only that, heās good at planning things and he would have a time doing it all with you, to the point of you sometimes having to counterbalance some ideas and suggestions of his.Ā
X = XTRA (a random headcanon for them) Has very neat handwriting! Gets you flowers often! Goes to bed at the same time as you even if heās not sleepy at the time, but if you are going there and are going to be snuggly and warm and soft under the blankets, there is no chance he is missing out on that. Better at giving advice, surprisingly, than following anybodyās advice ever.Ā
Y = YUCK (what are some things they dislike generally or in a partner?) Heās absolutely not a fan of people who donāt think outside the box and have a lack of creativity. After all, not all rules are meant to be strictly followed - sometimes theyāre more like suggestions, and he wants a person he can be a little mischievous with, now and then, someone who sees the world as full of possibilities. He hates lack of communication or silent treatments, and lying (with harmful intentions ā itās not the same as when heās preparing you a surprise).
Z = ZZZ (a sleep habit of theirs) Post-quest he often wakes up in the middle of the night after a bad dream, but heās so quiet in those situations that you can barely tell heās up. Multiple times you told him that itās okay if he needs you in those moments, but if he doesnāt want to burden you with his struggles, he will just shuffle closer to you and hold you until he falls asleep again. Also, despises the thought of sleeping alone ever since you got together. He can, of course, itās just that he doesnāt want to!
my lotr taglist angels <3 @sweetheartrosesz @stars-n-spirals
My Lord of the Rings stationary set for SDCC and Lightbox Expo! Cozy hobbit themed sticker sheets, mini prints, sticky notes, as well as a Fellowship washi tape! I'm so happy with how they turned out!
I am a defender of Tales of the Shire until my dying breath yāall
People really be complaining about or at least sleeping a game that gives us MORE Hobbit Lore????
Iām sorry but I already am in love with and devastated by The Scouring of The Shire and now youāve given me a game that makes me CARE EVEN MORE about the Hobbits that live in Bywater (as in THE BATTLE OF BYWATER)
As in, learning their names, living and thriving amongst them, burdened with the irl knowledge that this village is gonna know a terrible of level of violence in like 20ish years time?? Especially since one of the characters you befriend is like, a five year old?!
And they ACKNOWLEDGE THAT in some of the points you self reflect where your hobbit goes (paraphrasing) āhopefully thereāll never another be a battle hereā while enjoying the breeze in the ruins of a SIEGE TOWER??
Youāre gonna sit here and tell me youāre not desperately sponging up every little bit of Cotton family lore because they get to be so cool and indispensable in the Scouring and you DEMAND Rosie content??
You gonna sit here and tell me yāall arenāt constantly thinking about what these lil dudes will/would be doing if theyāre around for the Battle of Bywater? Nobody else thinking about Orlo squaring up against big folk to protect the post office or Delphi doing triage?? Yāall the POTENTIAL, the BEAUTY, the TRAGEDY & HOPE of it all!
Sam has Con. Dude manages to continue on, carrying Frodo on his back despite how much heās already been through. Stout hearted and brave!
Merry is obviously Int. Studying the maps in Rivendell, piecing together Frodoās plan to leave the Shire. Writing his own books later on!
And Pippin is Cha. Singing all the time. Charming despite his foolishness. Makes friends easily. Shows up to Minas Tirith and immediately enters Denethorās service and makes a bestie.
"No," said Merry. "It's no good getting under cover. That's just what people have been doing, and just what these ruffians like... No, we've got to do something at once!"
"Do what?" said Pippin.
"Raise the Shire," said Merry. "Now! Wake all our people. They hate all this, you can see! All of them except one or two rascals and fools that want to be important. But not all understand what's really going on. The Shire-folk have been so comfortable so long they don't know what to do. They just want a match, though, and they'll all go up in fire."
- The Scouring of the Shire, The Return of the King, JRR Tolkien
You know ANOTHER thing that's been sticking out to me about Merry as I'm rereading the LOTR books is how uncannily open minded and egalitarian he is as a Hobbit even amongst his friends in the books.
Race, class, gender never seem to really matter as a "oh they're an X so they can't Y or Z" assumption. He's the least scared of and most informed about Big Folk from the get go, very much an embodiment of knowledge being the enemy of fear of our main four Hobbits. Where Sam, Frodo and Pippin all embody other virtues that fight fear/despair like compassion and loyalty and such.
Merry is the first member of the Fellowship to regularly stick up for Sam's hidden virtues multiple times over. I mean it's not as though Pippin and Frodo don't like Sam because (they obviously do very much) but it's Merry who goes "no but fr he's really smart!" and doesn't outwardly underestimate him which Frodo openly admits to having done in the beginning.
Everyone talks about how amazing his relationship with Eowyn is and that's true and correct. It's not just about her though, he was genuinely already like that! Which enabled Eowyn to probably have her first REAL friend that wasn't blood family.
Sage Longleaf @sage-longleaf - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
