[ SECRET POST #2573 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2573 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.


__________________________________________________



02.


__________________________________________________



03.


__________________________________________________



04.


__________________________________________________



05.


__________________________________________________



06.


__________________________________________________



07.


__________________________________________________



08.


__________________________________________________



09.


__________________________________________________



10.


















Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 073 secrets from Secret Submission Post #368.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

04. http://i.imgur.com/cc0kTua.png

[(Anonymous)]

I don't know. I'm cool with "Gandalf thought it would be funny."

[(Anonymous)]

the best reason! :)

[(Anonymous)]

Agreed. I think Gandalf just thought it'd be hilarious. Also, a bit of an experiment. It's canon that he's fascinated by Hobbits. I think he just wanted to see what would happen if he plucked one far out of their comfort zone. Which sounds like a bit of a dick move, but Bilbo was a wise choice.

[kaijinscendre]

I always thought he chose Bilbo more for Bilbo's sake. He wanted Bilbo to get out and have adventures.

[queerwolf]

this is what I thought too

[(Anonymous)]

+1

[ryttu3k]

Yeah, basically. "It'll be very good for you, and most amusing for me", wasn't it? Although in the book, he does start showing distinct leadership skills, so maybe Gandalf did have a good measure on his personality.

[loracarol]

I always wondered if there was a reason in the books that was different from the movies, because that did confuse me a little in the movies.

For now I'm going to pretend that Gandalf found out ~somehow~ that Bilbo going on the trip was important, but didn't actually know why.

(I know it probably doesn't work for the books, but I haven't read them, and I'm probably not going to- Tolkien just isn't my kind of writer, unfortunately.)

ITT: people who have not read the book

[(Anonymous)]

A BETTER REASON???? ASDFGHKKUFAQDGHTFCH AAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHH

yeah yeah get off my lawn

[philstar22]

The impression that part of Gandalf's specific Maia abilities involved sometimes having a sense as to the right path to take/right thing to do. So I think he had a sense that Bilbo was the right choice but didn't necessarily know why. His powers in the movies are a lot less clear (and a lot more focused on the typical magic powers side), so its more confusing.

[dreemyweird]

I think that in the books, ~fate~ (or some kind of quasi-fate, whatever) played a huge role in all the events. Like, Bilbo needed to have this quest happen in his life, and so this quest happened. Perhaps Gandalf, being a wizard, sensed some relevant vibrations in the fabric of Tolkien's universe and simply acted as a medium.

[(Anonymous)]

It's been a while since I read the book, but I remember having the impression that Gandalf thought an adventure would be good for Bilbo. Which kind of takes on a different cast when its being presented as an adventure you might die on.

[intrigueing]

I think you've completely misunderstood the entire point of LotR and The Hobbit -- that perfectly ordinary run of the mill people who stumble into a situation out of pure chance can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and be heroes.

Like, it's literally the central theme of these stories.

[(Anonymous)]

Let's be honest. The book doesn't make that much sense. In it the Dwarves actually expect Bilbo to steal *all* of the treasure and Bilbo has to explain to them like slow children that that would be impossible given how much there is. (The movie's changed it to him only stealing the Arkenstone.)

[littlestbirds]

well the thing that most irritated me about the adaptation was that SRS BSNS tone, how competent and heroic everyone was. I remember the dwarves surviving mostly by luck and Bilbo's sneakiness and creative lying. It was like Jackson didn't want the Dwarves to look too silly, so Bilbo ended up looking less useful...? I thought he was chosen because Gandalf knew that hobbits are tougher and more useful than they appear (or see themselves).

[(Anonymous)]

It's been ages since I read The Hobbit but I seem to recall there was implication that Bilbo, when younger (and first met Gandalf through his mother), was rather quite adventurous for a hobbit. That Gandalf recalls this later on and so why he chooses Bilbo specifically for the quest since it was likely any other hobbit would have refused since its not their nature to quest.

[(Anonymous)]

I always thought at least part of it might have been that if you're going to send someone to accompany a king with a history of gold-madness in his family on a quest to steal a giant treasure from a gold-hording dragon, in the middle of a politically unstable region with a lot of old grudges knocking about, and with the history Middle Earth has of massive, catastrophic wars being fought over shiny things, then you really ought to send the most sensible person you know on matters of greed and money and shit of that nature. Hobbits don't give a crap about shinies, they care when dinner's going to be arriving. They're nice and relaxed like that.

I'm fairly sure that one of Gandalf's base rules, ever since he discovered hobbits, is that if any quest is going to involve jewels, jewellry, treasure or shiny things, for the love of Eru, send a hobbit along to be the voice of reason and/or a sneaky thief come crunch time.

After that, it's just a matter of which hobbits he happens to have his eye on in a particular generation, is all.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, hobbits DO have skills that other races, particularly dwarves, have not. They are very quiet, they are good seekers, they make great thieves. What they are not is adventurous. But Bilbo have adventurous ancestors, like Belladona Tuk (her mother). So Gandalf knew that he had it in him. And he also thought it would be good for him to go out and see the world. He was an ordinary hobbit, but Gandalf knew that he had the skills to grow capable given the circumstances, he didn't send him to a sure death! (just to a very likely one).

[cbrachyrhynchos]

Bilbo did have a special quality, he's the only one of the company not blinded by greed, pride, and resentment.

ETA: AND able to betray Thorin when it's the right thing to do. I think a few of the Dwarves realize Thorin is wrong at the end but have ties of family loyalty.

[(Anonymous)]

But Tolkien does?

He had Gandalf having a moment of foresight that Bilbo going on the journey would be crucical. Whether or not Bilbo's presence allowed the dwarves to succeed, idk*, but more importantly, Bilbo discovered the One Ring which sets in motion the events of LOTR.

Granted, this isn't in the main text, but 'The Quest For Erebor' published in Unfinished Tales. So PJ doesn't have the right to this text and he might not (and, imo, probably wouldn't) have used it in fear of alienating a modern audience, but it does exist.

* as far as the version told in the book goes, yes - the dwarves were all rather useless. Later writings (e.g. LOTR appendices, Quest for Erebor) viewed Thorin and the dwarves rather differently.

[(Anonymous)]

I always thought it was because Gandalf knew he would be a good... what did he call it, thief? The group needed someone small and clever and Gandalf knew Bilbo was the right person for the job. It's pretty obvious he knew a lot of things the others didn't, being a powerful wizard/maia/whatever and all.

What font is this?

[(Anonymous)]

I like your font choice.

Didn't he used to be some kind of thief or adventurer as a kid?

[nyxelestia]

The lines in the movie were kind of confusing, but I got the implication that Bilbo did a lot of adventuring and burglary type things as a kid/younger man, and he 'went straight' or settled down but Gandalf needed those skills he saw in Bilbo as a youth.

Was that not what happened? *hasn't read the book and is now confused*

do pay attention

[(Anonymous)]

Bilbo was chosen for basic Hobbitty stealth skillset, that whole ''lucky number'' thing - and I agree with other commenters, to bring a non-stubborn Dwarf-onna-vendetta voice to the table -
... and because Hobbits are basically unknown outside the Shire AND THAT's WHY HE SURVIVED TALKING TO SMAUG AT FIRST, remember? The old worm was intrigued by a [quite clever] creature he had never smelled before, despite living millenia, whereas a Dwarf bumbling into the hoard would be insta-toast.