[REDACTED]

30s, they/them, lighting designer, video production

[villainesslove]

yeah sex is cool and all but have you ever had someone just hold you and press your skin to theirs and make you feel safe and warm and loved

[lunarblazes]

after a lifetime of hearing about aragorn but not reading the books or watching the movies, genuinely nothing could have prepared me for his actual introduction. the hobbits picked this man out of a dumpster. he is a textbook softspoken angst prince and he is covered in dirt and he probably smells so bad. he’s the coolest man alive and is so casual about it. his number one skill is Knowing Where They Are and his number two skill is Having A Horrible Destiny That Torments Him. tolkien got it in one i’m afraid aragorn son of arathorn you are the guy of all time

[miss-nerd-alert]

And then the movies went and understood the assignment by casting Viggo Mortensen.

Described by legendary fight choreographer and Olympic fencer Bob Anderson as “the best swordsman I’ve ever trained”, and insisted on using a real steel sword to get the movement right. Actually bonded with the horses he rode and worked with over the course of filming. Was noted by cast members as being the natural leader of the actors when they were together. Went hiking and fishing in full costume for the sake of authenticity, even repairing damage to the costumes himself to better convey the life of a self-reliant ranger. Actually learned Sindarin, and speaks it more frequently in the films than any other character including the elves. Is an actual polyglot, speaking four languages fluently and having a passing knowledge of six more. Personally composed and performed music for the soundtrack.

They needed someone to play the guy of all time, and they actually GOT the guy of all time.

[ryttu3k]

Didn't just bond with the horses, he bought the horse that played Brego after the movie. (He also bought the horse that Arwen's stunt double rode for her.)

During the fight with the orcs at the end of Fellowship, one of the orcs is meant to throw a knife at Aragorn. There was a mix-up with the props and the orc actor threw an actual knife instead of the blunt prop. Mortensen casually managed to block it with his sword anyway.

As well as hand-repairing his costume, he also was the one who suggested Aragorn have a small bow for hunting, since he lived in the wilderness and would need one. No one else had thought of it.

It was also his suggestion to take Boromir's arm guards and make everyone cry.

He and Peter Jackson once had a whole conversation where Jackson called him 'Aragorn'. Neither of them noticed for about half an hour.

[parkchanwoohoo]

I've posted about this before but back home at my old job I used to get pho so fucking often that the owners of the place stopped asking me what I wanted and stopped handing me menus when I walked in. After I moved to NY and I could only go back to Chicago like once a year, I sat down and they gave me a menu and I was like "Oh no I already know what I want, can I get--" and they were like OHHH #36 WITH EXTRA NOODLES YOU'RE BACK and I almost cried

[animentality]

[househunting]

$777,000/2 br/2 ba

Jacksonville, OR

Built in 1981

[househunting on substack]

[househunting on instagram]

[freenarnian]

During my last re-read of The Lord of the Rings it really sunk in for me how often the protagonists encounter not only danger and betrayal, but unexpected help and friends in unlikely places. Tolkien had a sojourner's heart and said yes, we may be small, but be encouraged. Evil always tries to make itself look bigger than it is. Keep faith with ordinary goodness. Never underestimate the power of simply doing what is right and kind, against the convoluted machinations of evil. The gates of Mordor will not prevail against it.

[freenarnian]

During my last re-watch of The Return of the King it struck me how ugly and stupid evil is. Kudos to PJ and Co for not aestheticizing the baddies, even resisting the temptation to make Sauron sexy. The Witch King is scary but without substance, defeated by a depressed girl and her pint-sized bestie. The army of Mordor is huge in number but quakes at the sound of Rohan's arrival. They can't even keep a crown of flowers from forming around the fallen statue of a king, only replace his head with a dumb rock and scraps of rusty, twisted metal. The Dark Lord is powerful and dangerous, yes, but he's not all-powerful and he's not infallible. Even his great burning eye is focused in all the wrong places. He uses smoke and mirrors to impress and corrupt Saruman, and to drive Denethor to despair—Denethor, who could have welcomed home the King. (Instead, he wallows in grief, capitulates to fear, and grows bitter in grumbling over Rohan's presumed betrayal. Note how this parallels Gollum instilling suspicion and doubt in Frodo regarding brave and loyal Sam.) The enemy is a liar and a deceiver, and Aragorn knows this when he silences the Mouth of Sauron and says, “I do not believe it. I will not!”

And I want to emphasize this point, this rebuttal of Sauron's divide and conquer tactics: The Fellowship gets weakened. It suffers losses. It becomes scattered across the larger battlefield. But its members remain true to each other, and to their shared mission, even when they find themselves parting ways to accomplish it. At the end of the first film, Aragorn tells Frodo, “I would have gone with you to the end. To the very fires of Mordor.” And where is Aragorn, at the end of the last film?? The gates of Mordor, with the remaining members of the Fellowship (and some new friends, too), exactly where Frodo needs them to be at that moment. No one expects to survive, no one can guarantee victory, and no one but the audience sees the tiny bud on the Tree of Gondor, hope blooming in response to faithfulness even while the sky remains overcast and the city lies in ruins around it.

To repeat my previous tags: #I've said this before and I'll say it again #the devil WANTS you to feel overwhelmed and already defeated and like the small acts of everyday love and faithfulness aren't enough #but in fact each one is chipping another stone out of the foundation of his dark tower #and from your vantage point you may not see the people chipping stones on the other side (but they are there!) #you don't need an extensive understanding of architecture to bring it down #just the willing hands of a hobbit

I love these books and these films.

[freenarnian]

During my last re-read of The Lord of the Rings it really sunk in for me how often the protagonists encounter not only danger and betrayal, but unexpected help and friends in unlikely places. Tolkien had a sojourner's heart and said yes, we may be small, but be encouraged. Evil always tries to make itself look bigger than it is. Keep faith with ordinary goodness. Never underestimate the power of simply doing what is right and kind, against the convoluted machinations of evil. The gates of Mordor will not prevail against it.

[freenarnian]

During my last re-watch of The Return of the King it struck me how ugly and stupid evil is. Kudos to PJ and Co for not aestheticizing the baddies, even resisting the temptation to make Sauron sexy. The Witch King is scary but without substance, defeated by a depressed girl and her pint-sized bestie. The army of Mordor is huge in number but quakes at the sound of Rohan's arrival. They can't even keep a crown of flowers from forming around the fallen statue of a king, only replace his head with a dumb rock and scraps of rusty, twisted metal. The Dark Lord is powerful and dangerous, yes, but he's not all-powerful and he's not infallible. Even his great burning eye is focused in all the wrong places. He uses smoke and mirrors to impress and corrupt Saruman, and to drive Denethor to despair—Denethor, who could have welcomed home the King. (Instead, he wallows in grief, capitulates to fear, and grows bitter in grumbling over Rohan's presumed betrayal. Note how this parallels Gollum instilling suspicion and doubt in Frodo regarding brave and loyal Sam.) The enemy is a liar and a deceiver, and Aragorn knows this when he silences the Mouth of Sauron and says, “I do not believe it. I will not!”

And I want to emphasize this point, this rebuttal of Sauron's divide and conquer tactics: The Fellowship gets weakened. It suffers losses. It becomes scattered across the larger battlefield. But its members remain true to each other, and to their shared mission, even when they find themselves parting ways to accomplish it. At the end of the first film, Aragorn tells Frodo, “I would have gone with you to the end. To the very fires of Mordor.” And where is Aragorn, at the end of the last film?? The gates of Mordor, with the remaining members of the Fellowship (and some new friends, too), exactly where Frodo needs them to be at that moment. No one expects to survive, no one can guarantee victory, and no one but the audience sees the tiny bud on the Tree of Gondor, hope blooming in response to faithfulness even while the sky remains overcast and the city lies in ruins around it.

To repeat my previous tags: #I've said this before and I'll say it again #the devil WANTS you to feel overwhelmed and already defeated and like the small acts of everyday love and faithfulness aren't enough #but in fact each one is chipping another stone out of the foundation of his dark tower #and from your vantage point you may not see the people chipping stones on the other side (but they are there!) #you don't need an extensive understanding of architecture to bring it down #just the willing hands of a hobbit

I love these books and these films.

[stonefoxkneesocks]

there is the beautiful possibility that great love can grow out of sadness if it is well-tended. Sadness can make us bitter or wise. We get to choose.

Theo of Golden, Allen Levi

[stonefoxkneesocks]

the one great love wasn't for long, but the woman took my heart in her hand. Maybe a man gets only one of those in his life. Even if it breaks his heart.

Theo of Golden, Allen Levi

[bluewillowmoon]

“Living with sadness, accepting it, is easier than trying to pretend it isn’t there. It is another of life’s great mysteries that sadness and joy can coexist so compatibly with one another. In fact, I wonder if, on this side of heaven, either one can be complete without the other.”

— Allen Levi, from Theo of Golden (Atria Books, 2025)

[dk-thrive]

The best portion of a good person’s life is the little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.

— Allen Levi, Theo of Golden: A Novel (Atria Books, October 3, 2025)

[villainesslove]

yeah sex is cool and all but have you ever had someone just hold you and press your skin to theirs and make you feel safe and warm and loved

[herssian]

"there is no way you're not using chatgpt for at least a few things here and there no matter your stance on it" what the FUCK are you talking about

[allykatsart]

[my-dailydreams]

[goth-queen]

Goddess of Depression by Victor Nazarenko

[enbaluka-tokyo-drift]

[amithsyt-deactivated20260523]

“you’re so quiet” thanks! i actually tried to speak twice but you kept talking over me

[amithsyt-deactivated20260523]

“you’re so quiet” thanks! i actually tried to speak twice but you kept talking over me