K E A R S T I L L 🌸

what is winters if not yearning for all the fruits that grow in the summers?

every single person you know has something in their life and past that is probably worth collapsing to the ground in an uncontrollably sobbing heap over, so be nice to each other and tell good jokes

It sucks that there's only 20 minutes in each day. If there was more than that I would get more stuff done I'm sure

i have not booped half of you as well as i would have liked, and i have booped half of you half as well as you deserve.

is anyone else constantly afraid they’ll be “caught” doing stuff they’re obviously allowed or even supposed to do

uh oh 😖 I’m playing video games 😰 on my computer 🫢 that I own 😨 if anyone sees this I’m going to have to fake my own death

if there’s one thing in existence that awakens a buried longing within my spirit, that makes everything slow down for a moment, where the pressure in my chest can finally be relieved, where everything feels so far away …

it’s the two minute horn solo in Tchaikovsky’s 5th symphony 

The anime that started it all for me. Naruto has a special spot in my heart.

I watched it about 3 times before watching another anime. Once by myself. Once with my sister ( she would only watch it if I watched with her! She has an itachi tattoo now) & once with one of my best friends!

Happy birthday to the man himself, Naruto! Btw, I cry everytime I watch this scene 😅😅

That'll do moo that'll do

U may be fooled by my constant melancholia and generally pathetic state of being but take heart in knowing that i am trying unfathomably hard to live

I do love that you can see the influence of Tolkien meaning for Eowyn to die throughout her arc. That girl just screams "doomed by the narrative". She's set up for this grand yet tragic death, and wants for nothing else than a grand exit and a glorious end to all things.

But having her live is so much more interesting. And having her live to find happiness especially. She seems like a tragic character. She thinks herself a tragic character. She is overwhelmed by a sense of doom and helplessness. Her narrative is overwhelmed by a sense of doom and helplessness.

But she isn't doomed.

Turns out, decent healthcare, clued in and concerned family members, and a decent support base, go a long towards towards un-dooming her narrative.

There's a bit of a role reversal with Faramir and Eowyn, in terms of how their narratives include tropes and plot points that are often traditionally applied to characters of the other sex.

Eowyn goes to war because she refuses to be left behind to be burned inside the house when the battle is done, as is often the fate of women.

Faramir actually is nearly burned alive at the hands of the patriarch of his family when said patriarch believes the battle is over and hope is lost. While Eowyn is out on the battlefield, fighting, Faramir is stuck inside the home, burning.

Between the two, Eowyn is the one we see go on more of an inner journey. She changes more over the narrative, and has to deal more with her own flaws and personal demons, as well as the injustices inflicted upon her. The climax of her story comes with a great moment of heroism and courage in battle. She is rescued by a hobbit, but as an ally in battle, not as a damsel in distress.

Faramir in the books doesn't feel tempted by the ring, and is almost a paragon of virtue. About as much as a Man in Middle Earth can be. He's closer to Arwen and Galadriel than Eowyn is, in his near perfection, in how he inspires and guides others. He is also rescued by a hobbit, but in that moment he is helpless, a damsel in distress. He is rescued because others love him for his virtue and goodness.

So often it's the other way round. Not only is the woman usually the one trapped inside, in need of rescue, while the man is out there fighting, the woman's heroism traditionally comes from the list of virtues she possesses, while the man's heroism comes from his deeds and the things he accomplishes. The man fights, the woman inspires.

But during the Battle of Pelennor fields, it is Eowyn who fights, and while she does inspire Merry, she inspires him not as a paragorn, but as an example of courage that Merry finds himself compelled to live up to. He is inspired to fight by her side, instead of fighting for her.

Faramir is sick and unconscious. His agency is denied him by his father, who decides on his behalf there's nothing left for him to live for. And it is a rush for the heroes; Pippin and Beregond, to save Faramir, and it is explicitly stated that Beregond only broke the law because he was inspired to do so out of his great love for Faramir, which is shared by all. In that moment, Faramir's role is closer to the traditional fairy tale princess, whose goodness inspires the heroes into fighting for her during her peril.

And afterwards, it is Eowyn who has to fight to find meaning in life again, to choose joy and hope over despair, which Faramir, with his loving kindness, wisdom, and gentleness, inspires her to do.

I love that, and love thinking on how that affected their relationship going forward.

Eowyn must have liked that with Faramir, she's not being married to someone who will require her to take on every aspect of the so called "woman's role" (necessary, but limiting) which has been inflicted on her at her own expense by the men in her life, so they can be free to partake in the "man's role". Perhaps in turn, Eowyn's predisposition for more martial pursuits; even if she has embraced healing and gardening and no longer lives for battle, would also mean she can take on some of the certain necessary duties that Faramir finds taxing.

Between the two, there must have been a more equal division of labour and responsibilities, and therefore more freedom on both sides. Neither one of them fully suits the roles that society has assigned to them due to their gender, and in marrying each other, they no longer have to.

thinking about “my brother, my captain, my king” and i know realistically it’s meant to be a brothers in arms thing but consider boromir and aragorn actually forming a brotherly relationship in the time that they knew each other

then later when he meets faramir he’s like “welp, your my little brother now” and obviously not replacing boromir, but forming their own kind of brotherly relationship, supporting each other, being there for each other, teasing the fuck out of each other and never giving the other a moment of peace, like siblings do

isnt it insane that merry and pippin spent like the span of weeks apart in different countries and immediately made new besties whose lives they save in their final battles. like merry strikes the blow on the witch king that lets eowyn kill him and pippin pulls faramir out of denethor's pyre. and then eowyn and faramir ended up marrying each other. isn't that wild. were merry and pippin conspiring in the houses of healing like hey i think my new best friend would be great with your new best friend how quickly do you think we can get them to fall in love. was there great hobbit cacophony when faramir kisses eowyn on the ramparts. i think yes.

Thinking about how faramir was considered too soft by his father, an inadequate soldier and leader and thus a lesser man than boromir

And how Eowyn felt trapped by her role as a woman in court, how she dressed as a man and rode to war

And they found peace and love and acceptance in one another.

I like Gimli/Legolas not because of Gimli or Legolas but because it forces Aragorn to grimly third-wheel all the way from Rivendell to Mordor.

obsessed with the way they’ve paired up the lego lotr brickheads. arwen and aragorn, the married couple. legolas and gimli, the married couple. and gandalf and the balrog, the…married couple??

Eowyn went through the very relatable process of thinking she had a crush on Aragorn to realizing she just had gender envy of Aragorn.