Hello! Welcome, welcome. I see you've stumbled upon the door to my little hobbit hole, which, as you well know, means comfort. I hope you enjoy your stay.

About me...

Well, what can I tell you? I am first and foremost a conservative Christian. I don't explicitly bring a religious message into most of what I write, but I hope that as you read, you'll be able to recognize my faith and my Christian values coming through. What exactly does that mean? Well, first of all, I put a high emphasis on the importance of marriage and family. I was blessed to grow up in a home with two strong Christian parents who are committed to God and to each other, and I have three younger siblings with whom I am close. I know how precious a strong family is, and I like to show these types of family relationships in my stories. A necessary corollary of this is that I do not include positive portrayals of family models or relationships that I believe are not pleasing to God (i.e., same-sex relationships, adultery, or pre-marital sex). In fact, I tend to stay out of the bedroom for the most part. Even between a married man and woman, sex is something I believe should be private and special, and I don't want to intrude on that. Another aspect of my values you might notice is that I avoid profanity and uses of God's name in vain. Occasionally I'll mention that a character said something like this if I feel it's necessary, but even that will be pretty rare.

Probably the next thing you should know is the reason for my handle. If you couldn't guess, my love for J. R. R. Tolkien approaches the threshold of scholarship, and I enjoy delving deeper into his beautiful world. I have written two major papers examining Tolkien's writing, one entitled "J. R. R. Tolkien: The Father of Modern Fantasy" and the other comparing Sophocles' Oedipus the King with Tolkien's "The Tale of Turambar," both of which I someday hope to publish. Despite all this, I will not likely be writing much Tolkien fanfic, primarily because I have too much respect for the canon to dare to add my own poor ideas into his grand vision.

A few more things you might like to know: I have a degree in elementary education; much as I love writing, teaching kids is definitely my calling in life. I'm a former homeschooler and love to connect with other homeschoolers, so if you are one, feel free to message me! I'm a bit of an English nut, so you can expect virtually perfect spelling and grammar from me. (Let me know if you find any typos! I will thank you for it!) I also love to study other languages, though so far the only one I'm even close to bilingual in is Spanish, and I still have a long way to go. My personality type is ISTJ, the "Duty Fulfiller," which basically means I'm organized and detail-oriented, among other things. I've survived severe OCD and depression, so I know that OCD is not what everybody thinks it is, and I also know that if you have it, you can make it through and live a fulfilling life. (Feel free to message me if you want to talk OCD recovery together or if you're just curious about what it really is.) I currently own over a thousand books (some in my personal library, most for my classroom library). Finally, I give out constructive criticism generously in my reviews and am always grateful to receive it as well. Learning to be better writers is one of the greatest benefits of this wonderful website.

I, TolkienScholar, do solemnly resolve to review all the fics I read, regardless of the number of reviews, its age, or anything else. I have joined the review revolution.

Come join us at The Reviews Corner, where the spirit of the Reviews Lounge, Too, lives on!

Written for Me

"Music" (Greatest Showman) by starspangledpumpkin - During a bitterly cold winter, after he loses his father, Phineas finds shelter with a family that opens its doors to the needy.

Significant Works and Updates

I apologize for leaving so many of my works on hiatus for so long! My muse moves around a lot, and she has been woefully difficult to pin down of late. Nevertheless, I am going to attempt to get back on track. If you're one of my lovely readers, please hold me accountable! Below you will find my more significant works listed by fandom, along with any necessary explanations and updates.

Supernatural

What I'm Trying to Say - A oneshot collection exploring the many moments when Dean lies or keeps something to himself. Tags for each episode of Season 1. Weekly Updates each Tuesday. (Note: I'm going to try to restart this one as soon as possible! The issue is that now that I've watched up to the middle of Season 5, I've been having a hard time getting back into the minds of Sam and Dean during season 1. I'm now going back and rewatching season 1, editing and making changes as I go until I can pick up again where I left off.)

What I'm Trying to Say (Outtakes)- Extra little snippets that for various reasons didn't make it into "What I'm Trying to Say." Currently contains tags for 1x4, 1x6, and 1x12.

SPN100: And The Moment's Gone - A drabble collection written for the SPN100 Drabble Challenge. Weekly updates each Sunday.

We Don't Need No Education - A pre-series oneshot collection featuring stories about Dean's experiences in school, loosely inspired by real-life incidents with my students. Chapters written and posted out of order.

Christmas Wish - Christmas-themed AU for Ep. 2x20, exploring what might have happened if Dean hadn't been strong enough to break himself out of the Wishverse. Written for the MC4A Winter Bingo game. On hold for now.

Stranger Things

Unless otherwise noted, my Stranger Things stories will assume Season 3 never happened. I feel that Season 3 betrayed much of the excellent character development that happens in the first two seasons, falling back on tired tropes and exaggerated, cringy humor. As a result, many of the characters (particularly Hopper, but also Steve, Will, Nancy, and others) come off as pathetic caricatures of themselves. I won't try to deny that the season has moments that do capture the original feel of the show, but it's not nearly enough to counterbalance the poor characterization, in my opinion.

Don't Stop Believing - A oneshot collection tracing Joyce's developing relationship with Hopper. Set after Season 2. On hold for now.

Episode Tags

- One Day Is Fine and Next Is Black (Ep. 1x4) - A closer look at Jonathan's response to learning Will is dead.

- Scenes of Unimportance, Photos in a Frame (Ep. 1x4) - A history of Jonathan's relationship with staring and being stared at.

- Choose Your Own Ground (Ep. 1x5) - A glimpse of Jonathan's mental struggle over killing the deer.

- Feel You're Presentable (Ep. 1x5) - Why Jonathan would rather not wear a tie to his brother's funeral than ask Lonnie for help.

S3-Compliant

- Season Ticket on a One-Way Ride - An emotional exploration of Max's feelings toward Billy now that he's gone.

The Phantom of the Opera

Erik/Madame Giry - I currently have several snippets written for my obscure OTP for this fandom. They are listed below in rough chronological order, although I have not as of yet written a full story arc for this pairing.

- "Even the Night Shall Be Light"

- "An Audience of One"

- "Between Hate and Love"

- "How Far We Could Fall"

"Only for Christine" - An extremely AU oneshot in which the Phantom has followed through on his threat in "Down Once More" and taken Christine away. Written from Raoul's perspective.

Harry Potter

My Harry Potter stories have all been written in response to various prompts and have virtually nothing to do with each other, though all of them could be considered canon compliant to the best of my knowledge. They are listed below in chronological order.

"Hot Cross Buns" - Narcissa Malfoy goes Easter shopping and finds herself stranded in Muggle London.

"Your Mother and Mine" - A gift!fic for Pix, written to fill a little plothole in The Philosopher's Stone: Why on earth did Molly Weasley have to ask what the platform number was?

"Chocolate and Chamomile" - A fluffy little story about how Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbott got together.

"Move On" - After Draco and Astoria Malfoy's wedding, Pansy Parkinson is brought to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries after attempting suicide.

The Chronicles of Narnia

Beauty series - A trio of oneshots set after The Horse and His Boy giving some more depth and complexity to Aravis's conversion and examining the cultural issues she deals with as she adapts to life in the North.

1. "Skin Deep"

2. "Eye of the Beholder"

3. "Joy Forever" (in progress)

A Tale of Two Castles

This is a little-known fantasy mystery series by Gail Carson Levine, the author of the better-known Ella Enchanted. Most of my stories focus on my fandom OTP, Count Jonty Um/Older!Elodie. The last of these stories, "The Passing of a Dragon," remains one of my favorite things I have ever written. The stories are listed below in chronological order.

"A World Without Fences" - An exploration of the mind and motivations of Thiel just before the death of his father. (Set in the middle of Book 1)

"I'd Do Anything" - Elodie wonders at Mistress Sirka's devotion to Dror and wonders if she could ever feel the same way... perhaps about Count Jonty Um? (Set in the middle of Book 2)

"Return to Two Castles" - After four years of traveling, Masteress Meenore and a much grown-up Elodie return to Two Castles, where Elodie encounters someone unexpected. (Set after both books)

"Scheherazade" - Elodie puts on a grand performance to teach the people of Two Castles the truth about His Lordship. (Set after both books)

"The Passing of a Dragon" - Elodie has grown up, and Masteress Meenore's former central place in her life is now filled by her husband, Count Jonty Um, and her four children. Yet as a degenerative disease slowly takes the beloved dragon's life, Elodie is the one asked to share ITs last precious moments. (Set after both books)

Thank you for taking the time to get to know a little about me! I hope you enjoy my stories, and I welcome your feedback!