I never properly got a day after finishing Harry Potter to have people send me fandom-created brilliance so I could see what I missed out on. I don’t want to diminish what I’ve read before for Mark Reads, but finish The Lord of the Rings truly feels like a gorgeous, beautiful journey, and I felt just as sad/weepy during the ending as I did when I wrote that ridiculous play about the ghost Hogwarts Express. (No, for real, I wrote that in between work at my old job, and, at one point, I was crying so hard I had to leave the office and go walk around the block.)
I’ve also come to realize that the Lord of the Rings fandom is one of the oldest fandoms ever, which means I’ve got over half a decade of fanart, music, videos, playlists, interpretive dance, and other shenanigans that I’ve missed out on. I want to know what I am missing. Here are the rules:
1) There are no rules.
Well, okay, don’t break the site rules, but honestly, I want to know EVERYTHING. Please label if something is from the movie or uses clips from the movie. I’m not particularly keen on being 100% unspoiled for the films, so I’m totally fine watching some things, but let’s just be careful, okay?
I will be spending today posting more comments than you can shake a stick at, so you’re welcome to interact with me as I learn what a true loser I am. I MEAN THAT IN THE MOST AFFECTIONATE OF WAYS POSSIBLE. Bring it, The Lord of the Rings fans.
As requested, here’s the schedule for LotR-related posting!
Schedule
3/21-3/23: LotR Appendices Posts
3/24: The Hobbit (animated) liveblog
3/25: The Hobbit discussion post/review.
3/26: Mark Reads The Princess Bride
3/31: The Fellowship of the Ring liveblog
4/01: The Fellowship of the Ring discussion/review
4/07: The Two Towers liveblog
4/08: The Two Towers discussion/review
4/14: The Return of the King liveblog
4/15: The Return of the King discussion/review
IMPORTANT: ALL LIVEBLOGS AND DISCUSSION POSTS WILL BE ON MARK WATCHES. Follow me on Twitter @MarkDoesStuff for updates and times. I will post the time of the liveblogs once I’ve figured out the logistics of them.Â
Mark Links Stuff
– Check out my eBook store. Mark Reads Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Mark Watches Firefly are both on sale now.
– I now have a Lulu storefront where all my previously released eBooks are now available as printed books, including a complete edition of Mark Reads Twilight.
– I am going on tour in April/May to promote Mark Does Stuff in the western half of North America. Please RSVP for any dates and help find a venue!
– I am on Twitter:Â @MarkDoesStuff
- I have a Facebook page for Mark Does Stuff that I’m updating regularly. Feel free to like it and spread it to your friends!
– I start Mark Reads The Princess Bride on Monday, March 26th!
Listen to the movie scores by Howard Shore! They’re a masterpiece. And there’s a lot of lyrics from Tolkien’s songs and poems used on the score, and performed by the cast.
Question: Will you read and review the Silmarillion? *crosses fingers*
How Lord of the Rings should have ended.
Its sorta a parody of the movie (and by extension the books) but it doesn’t use any clips from the movie. Its all done in animation. So I would say its movie spoiler free.
But Its funny. You should watch it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yqVD0swvWU
Yes. I was going to recommend this. Watch it now, please.
It isn’t a fan created work, but ‘Leaf by Niggle’ is a short story written by Tolkien. It’s a charming story that explores the consequences of living as an artist and sheds light on how Tolkien viewed his own masterpiece.
I know you don’t really like Cassandra Claire/Clare….BUT, the very secret diaries of Lord of the Rings are hilarious.
So, check them out if you want! (They’re best read in order from top to bottom)
http://www.ealasaid.com/misc/vsd/