Jeff LaSala

Are we dusting off our costumes or what? #Silmarillion #OfBeleriandandItsRealms #Tolkien

I've loved everything about this map since I first saw it: From the scofflaw defiance of Tolkien writing right there in that margin to the helpful placement of Angband to HUAN getting his own territory (or hunting zone?) to the Dwarf-road drawn all the way to Menegroth.

I'm glad he keeps "angel" and "angelic" only in letters. The comparison is helpful, but it doesn't quite fit in actual narratives.

To all this I can only quote the late Professor himself:

♪ "Emotion transmitted
Emotion received
Music in the abstract
Positively
Elemental empathy
A change of synergy
Music making contact
Naturally" ♫

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVze...

If Queen Berúthiel's cats are sealed in a box with a device that might slay them—according to quantum rules—they are considered both alive and dead simultaneously until the box is opened and observed. I think that's how this goes? Or should this be Tevildo, in sealed halls, with hallowed mithril?

This looks like maybe the best version so far, but at the same time, I wish we had an early 20s Victor (per the book), or at least one closer matching Elizabeth's age (per the book), and a less tower- and lightning-based creation process (which is a movie thing). But . . . still excited for this.

If you think about Middle-earth at least once a day—or numerous times, all throughout, like me—you should allow the Roving Ranger to keep you informed!

Never mind how it ends. But this particular moment, where the bad guy experiences what it's like to be treated the way he's treated other people—it always stayed with me. It rarely occurs to fictional (or real) villains that THEY can be on the receiving end of the evil they inject into the world.

"Would you?" the clone asks, unconcerned, then proceeds to strip away the other man's clothing so he has something to wear. The dying Drucker just sort of mentally grapples with the sudden reversal, at being treated so callously by his other self; now he's just in the way.

Clone Drucker sees dying Drucker, realizes who he is, and casually starts to grab dying Drucker's clothing. "Aren't you even going to wait until I die?" original Drucker says to clone Drucker. He's genuinely horrified at the cold disregard the clone has for him, a replica of himself.

This way he can still "live" on, defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger, and continue his evil work despite his body's imminent demise. But the equipment is damaged and Drucker's evil clone wakes up a few minutes too soon—naked and physically incomplete.

So it's the near future. The primary antagonist is Michael Drucker, CEO of an unethical cloning corp. Near the end of the film, Drucker is mortally wounded. He has his right-hand man "warm up a blank" (a clone of himself that Drucker can transfer his mind into when its ready).

There's a scene from 2000's The 6th Day that I think of sometimes when contemplating some of our real-life villains. (It's a not half-bad Schwarzenegger film with a few interesting things to say, but also riffs/steals a bit from other films in the genre, like Blade Runner and even Total Recall.)

We longstanding D&D gamers have been amused and entertained with this phenomenon ever since the year 2000 when the rogue class was introduced (formerly just called thieves). Now it has a second life in the Star Wars fandom.

This cute little hobbit-sized orc is from a desk calendar I bought in the year prior to the release of Fellowship of the Ring. To the best of my knowledge, he never appeared anywhere in the movies. And I was looking. Poor little guy. Moria-orc left on the cutting room floor, I'm pretty sure.

It's so great, despite its legion of adaptation quirks. I had the read-along record as a kid. This not-appear-in-the-film still image, though, freaks me out. First, Bilbo's foot looks way too hand-like. And second, check out the stone on that Ring! Whaaaaa? :) I'm very fond of it all, though.

Who wore it best? (And by "it" I mean the helm and chainmail coif and amor.) Stainless Steel Cleaner & Polish by Thor Products . . . or the spriggan from 1983's Monster Manual II? One has the ability to temporarily grow to giant size. The other smells of fresh lemons. #dungeonsanddragons #spriggan

I mean . . .

The Continuing Story Of Bombadil Tom
The Fool of the Took
I Want To Hold (and Keep) Your Ring
Durin's Silver Hammer
Lothlórien Wood (This Eagle Has Flown To)
Oh! Gollum
Strawberries and Cream Forever
The Long and Winding Road Goes Ever On
When I'm Eleventy-One

Just to name a few.

Fun fact: Even though they both eat rotted flesh and can paralyze you by touch, ghouls and carrion crawlers clearly don’t always get along! At least, not *these* ghouls from 1987.

The more you know!

Right? And let's not forget Gwindor, who also had no choice! I think Gwindor could be considered an honorary right-handed Elf, and Maedhros an honorary left-handed Elf. Honorary because Elves are ambidextrous. :) And Beren . . . well, probably just a lefty, but likewise not by choice.

Drawing parallels between Middle-earth and the primary world—often unsolicited—is just one of the many services I provide for my friends.

Unlocking Middle-earth: Jeff LaSala on Tolkien, Lore, and The Silmarillion Primer Podcast Episode · The NoName StoryTeller Podcast · 08/08/2025 · 59m

Fly! Fly! Part 2 of my NoName StoryTeller podcast visitation is upon us! Lots of talk of The Silmarillion this time, and Orcs (in and outside of Tolkien)! And a few honest thoughts about The Rings of Power.

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/u...

Narnians unite! Dr. Sørina Higgins—who knows a thing or two (or eighty thousand things) about the Inklings—is conducting a course this fall on everything to do with lions, witches, and wardrobes beyond the lands of Spare Oom! I literally can't think of anyone more qualified.

Ah! This just dropped today. Part 1 of 2. It was much fun hopping into the NoName Storyteller Podcast! I talk more about D&D and Eberron and game writing than Tolkien in part 1. creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

For anyone able to reach NYC and didn't make this year's New York Tolkien Conference, I highly recommend next year! It was quite fun, and always informative!

Who's the publisher? Can an ebook be had? I, too, have had my first novel long out of print (along with most by Wizards of the Coast), except in ebook/audiobook form.

Ahh, cool! I don't know what your book is about yet, but I have to say, I now think a group of swans should be *called* a significance. A parliament of owls, a skein of geese, a significance of swans . . .

I will always recommend this book for newcomers to Tolkien!

Guess which man of the cloth from the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves represents an actual (and realistically flawed) Christian and which one is the perfect symbol for a MAGA Christian?

And isn't it curious how we just all instinctively know the answer, on a visceral level?

Ah! That showed up amidst some awkward plot reinvention, but it felt like a glimpse into what could have been some great book lore (even though descriptions of any physical form is scarse in Tolkien's text), and I was sad to see the reference generally go unexplored later. I did like it, though!