Can’t Fight the Friction

It’s Meet Cute time again, this time with Thorin! Now it may appear that Thorin & I are at odds a lot of the time, but just keep in mind that friction can be good.

 

Meet Cute: Thorin Oakenshield

 

1.) What was your first impression of me?

in one word: Stubborn

did you stop to ask for directions? of course not

 

2.) What is your idea of a truly romantic evening with me?

this one is tricky, because I know your limits. if we go out, the same thing always happens: we go to a movie, you leave the theater crying. no matter if it’s a romantic comedy or a superhero flick, you cry.

stubborn

 

then you confront the first person who happens to look you in the eye, insulting them for no good reason.

was that really necessary?

 

your buddies show up,

when you’re a Dwarf, you’re a Dwarf all the way

 

and you all end up in jail. every time.

whatever you’re about to say in your defense? don’t.

 

so. a romantic evening for us that I can actually enjoy, is when we sit around the fire after dinner and read aloud to one another.

no, you cannot check Twitter first!

 

3.) Something that you’d like to change in me but don’t have the nerve to tell me

your friends. find new ones.

‘Duuuude!’

 

4.) Which 3 parts of my body are your favorites, and why?

all of this:

no explanation needed

 

and your sword too.

‘that isn’t a body part…’

 

5) 3 qualities that attracted you when we first met, or once you got to know me

you’re strong, arrogant, and have a knack for annoying people without even trying

 

6.) What is our favorite movie to watch together, and our favorite song?

our favorite movie is Reign of Fire – you like fighting dragons and I like Christian Bale, win/win! our favorite song, on the other hand… I’m sure you’ve convinced yourself that it’s We Will Rock You (but it’s really Heigh Ho).

 

7.) Fruit or vegetable I resemble, and why

a Chili Pepper, because you’re hot headed

alright, alright! I shouldn’t have revealed your favorite song.

 

8.) Our first date, where did it take place and what did we do?

it took awhile for me to agree to go out with you, but you kept creeping around until I finally gave in.

 

for our first date you took me to a family dinner. I spent half the night in the kitchen, washing dishes with your rowdy nephews

 

while you where off who knows where, doing who knows what with your cousins.

I don’t even want to know

that memory still makes me mad! you suck!

‘yes, Dear’

 

9.) If we hadn’t met, where would you be right now?

 

10.) What was on your mind the last time we were intimate?

your sword.

Oh Yeah

 

11.) What was the first thing we said to one another?

you ordered me to take your cloak as soon as you came through the door. I dropped it on the floor and walked away.

still my favorite memory

 

12.) What do you like the best about me?

despite your faults, you look damn good in a suit!

 

 

Fanvid Friday: I Lived

As I continue to see clips from the special features of The Hobbit:the Battle of the Five Armies-Extended Edition floating around the fandom, this fanvid really stood out to me when I stumbled across it recently. it documents, through still photographs, Richard’s journey in relation to his involvement with The Hobbit franchise. along the same vein, I happened to read an older fandom discussion yesterday that centered around where Richard’s career was headed, pre-Hobbit, and so the way this video touches upon all that he has seen and done because of Thorin Oakenshield- it hit me in the feels!

I Lived by KingAslan4

I particularly like the use of Richard’s Twitter selfies and how they highlight the geographical places he has visited: the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Soccer Jersey and his trip to Brazil, the Great Wall of China and exercising in the park,etc. Richard has traveled the world because of/for The Hobbit– the places he’s seen, the people he’s met, the experiences he’s had, on top of the chance to portray such a complicated and iconic character as Thorin Oakenshield. that’s the stuff dreams are made of, and he’s lived it.

Prince Thorin

The first Richard Armitage character I became acquainted with was Thorin Oakenshield from The Hobbit: an unexpected journey. My first impressions of Thorin centered around the heavy responsibilities he carried upon his shoulders and how he seemed to wear his pride like a protective armor. I thought Thorin resisted the friendship between himself and Bilbo due to a superiority complex, and that it was less a case of accepting the friendship as becoming resigned to it. Thorin grew to respect Bilbo because he willingly subjected himself to the hardships that they all suffered along the journey, while also becoming a useful addition to the company. I still see those things in Thorin, but now I see so much more. 

Prince Thorin was a protector– he was softer before the dragon came. his father and grandfather were ahead of him in line to the throne–he was expected to observe, to learn, to hone his bravery on the battlefield. there is a lightness to his being when we see the younger version of Thorin in the flashback scenes– his stance isn’t as rigid and rooted as it becomes later, and there’s almost a shyness there. Prince Thorin is capable, can jump into action and take charge, as we see when he realizes it’s a dragon that is on the wind. Thorin shouts out orders immediately and grabs Balin to save him from the first attack of fire. but there is also fear. later, Thorin will try to mask that fear with arrogance and authority, but young Thorin wears his heart on his sleeve. when the Elves turn away and refuse to help– the incredulity upon his face. Prince Thorin had a trusting heart. 

After the dragon came, Thorin quickly became weighed down by responsibility, his stance changed to carry that load. his face became closed off, making the eyes stand out more than they did before. with age Thorin became more stoic, his body owning the space around him; older Thorin was solid. he no longer wore his heart on his sleeve, I would even venture a guess that he no longer believed he had one. Thorin was a leader now, a provider, and he would be damned if he let youthful fancies cloud his judgment. 

Prince Thorin wasn’t gone for good though, just hiding. when the keyhole didn’t appear: the vulnerability, the defeat, the loss of purpose. the acorn scene with Bilbo: the smile that made my heart hurt and soar at the same time.

Bilbo was able to reach the young Prince that was still inside of Thorin. the friendship that grew between them was the one thing that Thorin felt was his– apart from titles and responsibilities, from expectations and limitations. Bilbo saw Thorin, valued him for who he was, not who he was “meant” to be. I imagine that was scary and comforting and everything in between for Thorin, but it was real. the one real thing that Thorin possessed.

I see you Thorin. I see me reflected back in you.

Thorin On the Brain

Last evening I was watching one of my favorite television shows, Cutthroat Kitchen. If you’re not familiar with this Food Network show, each episode centers around a cooking competition between 4 professional chefs. What is unique to the show is that they can bid on “sabotages” throughout the competition to trip-up their competitors. It’s always something unusual, like taking away a key component of their required dish and replacing it with candy, junky snack foods, or something equally as undesirable like canned meat (I basically just described my diet) or making them cook on upside down frying pans, taking away their cooking utensils, etc. it’s always a challenge and really fun to watch!

So last night, when I saw a particular contestant I couldn’t take my eyes off him… because he looked like Thorin Oakensheild! Okay, maybe saying he reminded me of Thorin would be more apt since Thorin isn’t an extremely tall, slightly balding Italian chef with an accent.

The criteria for winning this show is to discern whether or not the dish presented reminds the judge of the required dish, not necessarily if it is the dish or even looks like it. So Chef Alberico reminds me of Thorin; do I just have Thorin on the brain or do you see what I see? Thorin-esque or not, he was very cute to watch.

(Edited to Add: video was removed from Youtube)

On a slightly different but equally random note: this evening we will be adding yet another animal to our household. we’re “rescuing” a bearded dragon from an abandoned situation. because we need another animal in this house; 4 cats, 2 birds, a 3 ft. Iguana, a very rotund hamster, and various tropical fish just aren’t enough. My son was trying to come up with a name for the lizard but didn’t know any appropriate Australian names (because Bearded Dragons were originally from Australia. Thank You Wikipedia!) I suggested we name it Smaug. Son kind of crinkled his nose at that but my reasoning is that not only is it a “dragon” but when our two youngest cats sneak into my son’s room to hassle it, which is inevitable, it will be Fili and Kili trying to slay Smaug.

Bluff

I’ve been thinking of Thorin a lot lately, what with The Thorin Project and the final Hobbit movie approaching. I thought this song by Pilot Speed was perfect for a little Hobbit trilogy lyrical pic spam.

 

Bluff by Pilot Speed

(the link will take you to the song on Youtube, in a separate window,  so you can play it in the background while viewing this post)

 

It ain’t kind and it ain’t right,

but when you wore away the shine what did you find

 

Still you would say you’re not afraid,

to lay down your bones on the bed you’ve made

Someone made a sound,

it turned you right round
I wasn’t cold enough to care, but brother I dared

See it tear you up, and it calls your bluff
When the lie that keeps you warm, is the truth you’re counting on

There’s a shadow in the sun,

and it crawls along the path

from whence you’ve come

 

It’s not as clear as you had planned
Feel the sun go down, turn and make your stand

Trying to account for the troubles you’ve found
Hey could you use a little help

to be honest with yourself

See it tear you up, and it calls your bluff
When the lie that keeps you warm, is the truth you’re counting on

Up in the clouds,

tell me sister are you coming down

There’s a lie in every town oh …
And every word and every sound oh …

See it tear you up, and it calls your bluff
When the lie that keeps you warm, is the truth you’re counting on