3 Days!: Thundera Tiger

It's technically the 13th, but I haven't gone to bed yet, so I'm calling this the post for the 12th....

And it's about one of my all-time favorite FanFiction authors, Thundera Tiger.  She (although it might be a he) is an incredibly versatile author, but her many stories have one common denominator: they're all phenomenally well-written, gripping, and all-around wonderful.

In the mood for humor?  Try "With Many Fond Acknowledgements", which gives you Gimli, Aragorn, and Legolas' takes on the Red Book of Westmarch.  Or if you're looking for something longer, check out "When the Ring Went South," a gapfiller that takes place after the Fellowship has left Rivendell but before they arrive at Caradhras.

If you're in a contemplative mood, read "The Day After" and "The Day Before", musings by Gimli and Legolas respectively about time and the nature of their friendship.  They're real tearjerkers.

Finally, I would like to recommend a timely story that has to do with the Hobbit.  Ever wonder where Gimli was during "The Hobbit"?  Find out by reading "Questing"!

The best part is that Thundera Tiger has written over 50 stories on various subjects, so you'll never run out!  Enjoy, my friends!

4 Days: Ten Minutes of Manflesh Madness

The Lord of the Rings movie franchise has spawned innumerable Youtube videos poking fun of it.  Whether it's  "Boromir's Retarded Idea" or "How the Lord of the Rings should have ended", there are always fans ready to make the rest of us laugh at the expense of our favorite characters.

But today's post is about a special class of parody, one that is simultaneously extremely funny and incredibly annoying.  I'm talking, of course, about people who take a few seconds of one of the Lord of the Rings movies and turn it into something else.

"Ten Minutes of Manflesh Madness" is the same seven-second clip on repeat for 10 minutes -- hilarious!

For the stronger of heart, there's always "They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard", which is secretly really catchy, although I've never met anyone who has made it through all ten hours!

There are buckets more of these silly, sometimes stupid, videos.  If you like this kind of stuff, shoot me a message or leave a comment and I will do another post about them.  But for now, this will have to suffice.

5 Days: Nili

Ever wonder what life was like for Aragorn growing up among elves?  Had he met Legolas before the Fellowship was formed?  One enterprising fanfiction author, Nili, has endeavored to bring us the missing chapters of Aragorn's childhood, in a series of suspenseful, dramatic, and fun stories about the adventures of Aragorn, Legolas, Elladan, and Elrohir.

Nili has completed 7 stories in her universe and is working on an 8th.  Each of the stories follows the same basic format: Aragorn and his friends get into some mischief, are subject to torture, and just when all hope seems lost manage to save the situation.  The stories are highly entertaining but they are also rather long, and they get repetitive if you read them all in a row.  The characters are sometimes OOC, but I can't bring myself to mind the fact that the author has made the normally staid elves as carefree and fun-loving as children.  That is, after all, how Tolkien describes them.

Another strong point of this series is that it fleshes out the personalities of some important elves that are barely mentioned in Lord of the Rings -- Glorfindel, Thranduil, and Erestor.  Not to mention Elladan and Elrohir!  This really is a fantastic set, and I have them listed in chronological order below, along with the story description from FF.net.

6 Days: The Littlest Orc

There and Back Again: A Little Orc's Tale is a fan-made black-and-white movie about a missing scene in the book.  The movie is adorable, short, and features some old favorites as well as some exciting new characters!

Actually, it's really just a cute little thing where all of the characters are totally OOC (out of character) but somehow it's the better for it.  I won't give you a description because the movie is too short to do so without giving away the whole thing, but I will say that two of our heroes meet and unexpected friend in the woods.

I hope you all enjoy this great short film!

1 Week (Late!): Rankin Bass' "Return of the King"

I have to preface this post by apologizing for putting it up a day late, and qualifying that even though this blog is for fan production only, I'm making an exception today for "The Return of the King," produced by Rankin Bass in 1980.

First, let's take a look at the movie poster:

So there's a dragon... wierd
There are some random dwarves... what?
And two hobbits are riding a horse at the head of an army... ... ...

So it's not a particularly good movie, nor one that is particularly faithful to the book, but it has an absolutely wonderful soundtrack.  Absolutely wonderful.  It features songs like "Where there's a whip, there's a way" that anyone who's ever been to school/had a job can relate to.  Never mind that it's not one of the many wonderful songs that Tolkien wrote.  Nor is this catchy song about the Towers of the Teeth.

Unfortunately, the full movie is no longer available online.  Someone has been systematically taking down every illegally uploaded version of this movie as well as the Ralph Bakshi version of Lord of the Rings.  But I'm sure that you can find it on a torrent, if not at your local library.

Watch this movie if you enjoy some catchy tunes and a kitschy interpretation of the last couple scenes in Lord of the Rings... don't expect a good movie that is faithful to the book!

8 Days: Where the Grass Grows Green

"Where the Grass Grows Green" is a fanfiction series that promises to approach the epic proportions of Tolkien's own work. Although only 1 1/2 books of the projected six have been written, Ragnelle, the author, is steadily working her way through these wonderful masterpieces.

The basic premise to this series is that Sam killed Gollum before the quest was completed; therefore, Sauron was able to defeat the armies of the West and all of Middle Earth is currently under his tyranny.  All of it?  No! for a small company of "Faithful" remain at work in the shadows, ever attempting to foil the enemies plans...

Accordingly, the first book in the series follows the actions of Eomer, who manages to escape the Battle of the Morannon.  The book takes place ten years after this battle.  At the risk of telling too much, We May Yet Stand chronicles his journey to Minas Tirith with several other Faithful in a desperate bid to free.....

The first book ends on a terrible cliff hanger and the second book, On Bended Knee, is a work in progress. I won't even give you a hint of what it's about because that might risk shattering the suspense of Book I, but it's dark, thrilling, and beautiful all at the same time.

In addition to the wonderfully crafted storyline, Ragnelle has a way with words that makes her writing extremely enjoyable.  Her tone is similar to Tolkien's without slavishly imitating his writing, and she does it well, unlike many other FanFiction authors.  The only downside is that chapters are posted at the rate of one per month, which means the wait between chapters is nigh-on unbearable!

9 Days: The Music of Colin Rudd

With only nine days until the Hobbit comes out on the big screen, I'm showcasing the talents of Colin Rudd.  I know nothing about this man except that he likes geeky things and has set many of Tolkien's beautiful songs and poems to music.  My personal favorite is his rendition of the Song of Durin. I love this song in the book too, when Gimli sings it to Frodo outside of Moria, but this man really brings it to life.

Rudd's Lament for Boromir is also worth checking out, as well as the ever-popular Lay of Leithian.

Judging by the number of subscribers this man has, he's a pretty popular frood and when you hear his covers of various popular songs you can easily see why!