A Tolkien Party of Special Magnificance Tag: Better late than never?

A wizard is never late; he always arrives precisely when he means to.  Me, on the other hand... not so much.

It's the last day of Hamlette's Tolkien Party of Special Magnificence at The Edge of the Precipice, so technically I'm posting this in time, but I'll be joining the rest of the party rather late.  There will come a day when I will be punctual about something... but it is not this day.  =)

Here's the tag:

1. Who introduced you to Tolkien's stories?

I'm not exactly sure, come to think of it.  It seems like Tolkien's stories were just always there on our family's bookshelves, dripping Middle earth into my unconscious.  Though I did see the movies well before becoming acquainted with the books; so I suppose you could say Peter Jackson properly introduced me to Tolkien.  x)

2. How old were you when you first ventured into Middle Earth?

Oi.  I have no idea, but I think I first read The Hobbit when I was about twelve.

3.  Did you read the books first, or see the movie versions first?

Movies.  See above.

4.  A dragon or a balrog -- which would you rather fight?

Definitely a dragon.  Balrogs have a certain demonic nastiness I wouldn't care to combat given the choice.  Dragons also have lots of sparkly treasure to reclaim post-battle.  Muaha.

5.  Who are three of your favorite characters? (Feel free to elaborate on why.)

Gollum - has always cut me to the bone, tragic character that he is.  I love/hate watching his struggle over the pull of his Hydeish Gollum self that demands the ring, and the Jekylish Smeagol self that has been redeemed by Frodo's love and care.  It's also so ironic that Tolkien describes how deeply invested he originally was in investigating everything's roots and origins.  But when he comes across the ring he doesn't bother to look into its origins at all.  The ring must have already had such a strong grip over his character even then, otherwise he might have been kept from such a doomed life.

Bilbo - might be an obvious choice, but his character really is so rich I can't not pick him.  A funny, charming, grumpy, homebody - what's not to love?  His character development over the course of The Hobbit is a delight to track, in particular how each new event leaves its mark on him and changes his behavior in subsequent adventures (I think I just defined character development, didn't I?)  From hardcore Baggins to a slightly hesitant Took.  Good stuff, great fellow.

Gandalf - because Gandalf.

It's a little scary to think I probably wouldn't have held these characters in such high esteem were it not for the actors that portrayed them so brilliantly on the silver screen.  Certainly a potential pitfall in seeing the movies first, but thankfully one that was quite expertly averted by Jackson and Co's casting team. *yay*

(It just occurred to me that two out of those three are the same as I put in last year's tag.  I guess you can't blame me too much for inconsistency,)

6.  Have you ever dressed up as a Tolkien character?

We went with a large group all dressed in Middle Earthish garb for the premiere of An Unexpected Journey, though I think our Witch King was the only specific Tolkien character.  We had hobbits, a ring wraith, and a handful of elves (myself included.)  The high-schoolers in line with us had a lot of fun at our expense; but we had a blast, and stayed warm in our velvet cloaks (despite the below-freezing weather.)

7.  If someone asks you to go on an adventure, how do you respond?

"Let me get my pocket handkerchiefs first."

8.  Have you read any of the "history of Middle Earth" books?

Not yet!  Haven't even finished LOTR as of yet, ashamed to say.  But anything Middle Earth is something I'd like to read.

9.  Would you rather drink a bowl of Ent Draught or a glass of Old Winyards?

I was going to say Ent Draught, since I thought I could use a few more inches' height; but I'm actually quite content with my stature as it is.  And I'm sure hobbits make a lovely vintage.

10.  List up to ten of your favorite lines/quotes from the books or movies:

(oldies but goodies:)

"Is it niiice, precious?  Is it juicy?... Is it scruumptiously crunchable?"

"Excuse me... That is a doily.  Not a dish cloth."

"But it's full of holes!"

"It's supposed to look like that. It's crochet."

"Flash of light, searing pain, then puff!  You're nothing more than a pile of ash."

"It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him."

(and some new favorites:)

“You may not like my burglar, but please don't damage him.”

“May the hair on your toes never fall out!”

(I need to start using that one.)