Subject: Either that, or hobbits aren't as appealing as elves.
Author:
Posted on: 2015-04-14 12:17:00 UTC
To that, I say "bah". Elves are a dime a dozen in fantasy stories. Hobbits not so much. (Also, I laughed very loudly at the rabbit comparison, thanks. XD )
It's a story inspired by a conversation on this very Board, specifically AdmiralSakai's musings about equality in fanfiction, and my response. The question that arose was: how far from Tolkien's cultural norms can you stray before you twist the canon out of alignment?
Intransitives is my answer, and the answer is: a very long way. None of my five main characters are the ones Tolkien would have written, but I've tried very hard to fit them into his world. Along the way, I've had to come up with names for Entwives, Dwarves, Hobbits, Sindar, and Gondorians (and honestly, I don't know which was hardest); I've taken you everywhere from Second Age Eregion to Third Age Southern Gondor; I've discovered that Tolkien invented a currency, and discoursed on the ritual of dwarven marriage.
Intransitives is five chapters, and is complete (unless I get any really good new ideas). Each chapter is more of a character profile with a hint of story, rather than a complete tale - full-length stories wouldn't focus so heavily on what makes these characters different! Apart from that, if I've written something that seems offensive, please point it out to me - I certainly wasn't trying to!
And in general, I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on the stories. Every writer loves reviews, no?
(Intransitives is a spiritual sequel to Tenth Walkers, wherein I proved that Tenth Walkers can make perfect sense. If you haven't already read that one, why not go back and do so now? ^_~)
hS
I liked "The last Entwife" best. Maybe because I love thoughtful tree-people, or maybe because one of my nieces decided recently that he’s actually my nephew.
HG
Can't decide which one's my favorite, though. Probably the last one, because who doesn't love hobbits? They were all excellent, though.
Anyway, from what I know and/or have experienced myself, these seem pretty inoffensive. Well done, Huinesoron, well done. *offers lembas*
Yeah, who doesn't love some fuzzy little hobbits? They're like rabbits - you adore them unless they're actually in the process of biting you. ;)
Seriously, though, I'm kind of surprised there aren't more disabled hobbit kids in fanfic. The Shire has the tech level to make it not too much of an inconvenience for storytelling (Hal has a little cart pulled by a pony, for the record, though it didn't make it into the story), and if you're including hobbit children at all, you're doing it to tug heartstrings. ;) So it seems like an 'easy' thing to write in (though not necessarily to write well).
On the other hand, there's not whole heaps of stories set purely in the Shire; maybe that's it. Or maybe they do exist, and I've just never seen them.
hS
To that, I say "bah". Elves are a dime a dozen in fantasy stories. Hobbits not so much. (Also, I laughed very loudly at the rabbit comparison, thanks. XD )