New Hopes, New Adventures
A look back at the blog's first year, and a look forward to this upcoming one.
Well, friends, we made it. One full year, plus a week, at The Tales That Really Matter. It’s a bit hard to believe, and I’m feeling a mix of joy, regret, pride, fear, and hope.
I still remember how I started my previous blog, The Theresianum, mostly as part of my (currently unsuccessful) strategy to buff my resume and make myself attractive to employers. That was my mistake. It became a chore to write for that blog, something that I had to do for my future advancement. Which is a shame, since the focus of that blog was history and culture, the more niche and obscure and personally fascinating to me the better. Its name comes from the military academy founded by Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa to not only professionalize the Habsburg armies’ officer corps, but also to provide advancement for anyone, noble or commoner; the first class of 200 cadets was split exactly evenly between nobles and high-achieving commoners. She told the first superintendent of the academy, Field Marshal Count Leopold von Daun, “Make me hardworking officers and honest men.” And Daun succeeded, leading a new and reformed Austrian army to numerous great victories in the Seven Years War. See what I did there? I just gave you almost an entire paragraph focused on the reign of Maria Theresa of the House of Habsburg. Not because I really needed to, but because I wanted to. Unfortunately, I lost sight of that when the blog was barely even three months old.
And it’s why I started Tales That Really Matter, because I wanted to talk about Tolkien and Rings of Power but didn’t want it to be attached to something I felt was a chore. I confess, some aspects of what I do here do feel like chores. Like the need to try and maintain some sort of schedule. Or balancing my passion for Galadriel and for Morfydd Clark so that I can tilt in my lady’s defense and honor, without forgetting all the other “minds and hands” who have done what Morfydd has done for other characters (and for Galadriel too; some of my other favorite depictions of her come from the pens of artists). Or how to decide when to actually hit “submit” on an essay; I’m something of both a procrastinator and a perfectionist. And these are all just the superficial things. On a deeper level, part of me would prefer that Rings of Power be given the respect it’s due as an adaptation of Tolkien faithful in spirit to his themes and ideals, or that the hard work of artists not affiliated with the Peter Jackson movies be recognized, or that Morfydd be acknowledged as a fine actress and worthy Galadriel without her Welsh name, her mental and emotional health, and respect for Tolkien constantly being called into question. All of these things make what should be a joy, and what is a joy, something of a chore.
But thankfully, not too much of a chore. And much more of a joy. I do genuinely love sharing my insights into Tolkien, be they in the form of long-form essays or shorter posts on social media that highlight individual points or quotes that stand out to me. I do love being able to make references to obscure historical trivia that might not be known to most of my readers, as I did earlier in this essay with my tangent about Maria Theresa and the Theresianum. To fuel the blog requires reading and research, especially of Tolkien and his work, and each new work makes me excited to read and learn more ever since I first acquired Unfinished Tales. I genuinely do appreciate not only the new works of art that I have encountered, but also have loved how the Jackson movies have grown richer the more I learn about Tolkien. And, of course, Morfydd Clark does bring me a lot of joy, as an actress and as a person; championing her and her depiction of Galadriel isn’t just a duty, but a joy. And this joy can be contagious to those in my Tolkien circles who interact with me.
With that in mind, I can look back at one year of activity on this blog, and its related socials, with happiness and pride. Not total satisfaction, of course; for one thing, I have seven drafts sitting in my folder at various stages of completion; many of them could easily have been finished over the course of this year. And there are a few ideas bouncing around in my head that I could have started working on but didn’t; one in particular could have been an essay timed for Christmastime discussing some of the most impressive examples of gift-giving, both in the books and in adaptations. This even ties into my social media, where some Instagram posts I wanted to make have not yet been published. BUT, that’s not to say that I’m ashamed of what I have been able to accomplish. A comprehensive biographical summary for the “About” section (it took me a VERY long time to realize that section could be personalized). Four essays on Galadriel as she appears in the show, reflections upon Rings of Power itself, The Fall of Numenor, and Unfinished Tales, and a lengthy analysis on what the Battle of Midway’s historiography has in common with RoP. Numerous shorter analyses on social media. An audio project recounting the story of the Elessar. 205 followers on Instagram, 46 subscribers to the blog, 91 followers on Facebook, and 51 on Threads. Progress and growth has been real and good.
And with a new year come, as the subtitle for this essay states, new hopes, new goals and new dreams. Here are some of them:
Those seven drafts currently sitting in my drafts folder? I intend to finish them all by June.
When I first started this blog, I was planning on publishing articles once every other week. While I’m not sure whether I am in a place where that is a feasible goal, one goal that is feasible is being able to publish more than once a month. So this year, I shall be shooting for at least twice a month. Sometimes three, if I can manage it.
This year is a big one for adaptations of Tolkien’s world; my friend Aleks/Pointyeared has a very pretty and helpful infographic listing them. I will be sure to be covering them to the best of my ability. Even if in some cases, like for instance the Tales of the Shire game, I may end up reflecting on them somewhat after the fact rather than reviewing them as they come.
In Aleks’ Discord server a couple of months ago, my friend Jen/Mountain Groves, one of the admins, conducted a rewatch and discussion of Rings of Power that was well-attended and generated many thoughtful, insightful and overall positive discussions. One of the most vocal participants in them was yours truly, to the point that Jen half-seriously suggested that we start a RoP-focussed podcast. It’s an idea that we both are very interested in pursuing, even if neither of us are in a position right now for it to be feasible. But the year has just begun.
In the past I have dabbled in fanart of my own. Not anything particularly fancy, but considering that they were essentially doodles in black and white, they were not bad. I will try to be more intentional about continuing my explorations into this medium in the coming year.
And, of course, those are all just my new plans, hopes and dreams. A lot of the old things that I’ve done this year have clearly been popular, as can be seen by my slow and steady growth across my platforms. So of course, those will continue to happen. And this corner of the internet will continue to be a haven for anyone and everyone who loves Tolkien, adaptations of his world that are faithful to his themes and ideals even if it seems that everyone else hates them, real-world history that I can tie into the legendarium, the real-world counterparts of the many surprising animal friends who show up in his works, and Morfydd Clark who so wonderfully brings the Galadriel of Unfinished Tales, The Silmarillion and the Letters to life. All of these things bring me joy. And I hope that as I continue to explore them and discuss them, you all will also find joy, both old friends and new adventurers. As The Stranger from RoP (who is almost certainly Gandalf, in his pre-Third Age form as Olorin) says, “Now adventures, they must be shared.” And I look forward to us sharing this journey together.