A few headcanons about Belladonna Took
- her father spoilt her and her sisters rotten, while their mother was often rather strict
- her father made sure she learnt diplomacy and the basics of elvish (and possibly of a few other languages as well). After all, being a Took was not all about going on adventures, but about being a member of a influential family that often made contracts with outside folk for the Shire and also had representative duties
- her mother Adamanta wanted her to marry Rorimac Brandybuck, both because she wanted a closer tie between the families and because she thought he wouldnât mind her adventurous ways too much. Belladonna resented her meddling and at any rate, her younger sister Mirabella got along much better with him anyway
- in the evenings after little Bilbo is in bed, she tells Bungo about her adventures. Even though she has told the stories a thousand times, he still loves listening to them (it was one of the reasons he fell in love with her in the first place: while he would have hated going on an adventure, he loved hearing and reading about them). He may have written some of them down, but he never mentions how the stories get wilder and more elaborate over the years. When Bilbo is a bit older, he gets told the stories too
- she keeps the first baby tooth Bilbo lost in a little pouch on a necklace
- while she doesnât mind a bit of a mess in most areas, Belladonna always keeps her crocheting things really neat
- despite all rumours, Bungoâs mother Laura thinks Belladonna is good for her son, loosening him up a bit. Bungoâs father Mungo agrees, like he does with most of his wifeâs opinions
- her favourite animal is the mole. Others think this strange, but if she wants to know more about the animals living on the ground or birds, she just needs enough patience to watch them, while with moles, it isnât that easy. She saw one peak its head out of a mole hill when she was little and she has been fascinated with them since then. She made maps of their hills with her brother Isemboldâs help and imagined them having vast underground cities full of architectural wonders, cozy homes filled with green little pillow piles and heaps of treasures (shiny stones, insect wings and strangely formed roots). When she got older, she knew this wasnât true but she still defended this theory against anyone who doubted it
- Belladonna loves dancing, even though she is not particularly good at it. In her youth, she may once have flung up a leg so wildly that she nearly knocked out one of Hob Whitfootâs teeth
- she is closest to her brother Hildibrand. Since he was a bit small for his age, they used to be taken for twins when they were children, even though he is three years older. Belladonna was always slightly gleeful when this happened, especially since Hildibrand hated it
- she may have stopped going on adventures when she married Bungo, but she isnât exactly the epitome of reliability. If a butterfly she hasnât seen before flutters across the path, she is still likely to go chasing it across a meadow, which occasionally makes her late for tea
- despite her own slightly wild nature, she tries to teach Bilbo the Baggins values to help him fit into hobbit society more easily
- Belladonna sleeps with all limbs sprawled out. This isnât a problem for Bungo because he usually rolls up to sleep anyway, and thus fits perfectly in the space Belladonnaâs arms and legs leave
- her handwriting is a mess. She is rather glad Bilboâs handwriting turns out to be a narrower, spidery version of his fatherâs impeccable handwriting and not at all like her own scrawl
(For the Tolkienreadalong bingo and the square âBelladonna Tookâ of the Took card.) (x)
