How do you like this one? This is the next in a series of character posters for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. I'm going to try and make my own little countdown of sorts with pictures for The Hobbit on my blog. We've seen Thorin's poster, so now it's Bilbo's turn! Doesn't he look so brave and adorable with his hobbity clothes and Sting?

It's kind of funny. I started out with The Lord of the Rings and not The Hobbit, actually. (By the way, for any of you out there reading this blog- if there are any lurkers, I mean-, I do not recommend doing that. By all means, read The Hobbit first. Everything will make much more sense that way.) I had seen, but not understood very much of, the animated Hobbit movie, and there was a short explanation in the Prologue of LOTR that I thought would tell me everything I needed to know. It didn't. So I was a little confused when I read LOTR the first time. I didn't know what was the deal with the Eagles, and I didn't have much appreciation for Bilbo. To me, LOTR was everything.

I did go back and read The Hobbit later, though, I assure you.

However, I have recently taking to re-reading The Hobbit before classes in preparation for the upcoming movie. Even though the narrator's voice (absent in LOTR) kind of turns me off, I have been amazed at how good The Hobbit actually is. I love Bilbo now, I seriously do! He's such a plucky Hobbit for someone who didn't even really want to go on the journey. He didn't even know how to use a sword at the beginning of the book, and then in "Flies and Spiders" he's chopping away at them like nobody's business, trying to save the dwarves. And then he tells off the dwarves when they're complaining, and taunts a dragon. He gets a little singed for it, but that tells you just how amazing Mr. Baggins really is.

So, yeah, I am now a Bilbo fan. BEFORE the movie comes out!

As another note, yes, I do like Fili and Kili. They're the youngest two dwarves, and they're just as adorable as Bilbo. However, I consider myself to be of a different caliber than the fangirls they will inevitably attract in the movie, since I liked them BEFORE I saw pictures of them from the movie. They're the most cheerful dwarves in the book, always running around with Bilbo (and Balin), helping him and scouting around. All the older dwarves always make them go do stuff they don't want to do themselves, but they don't really complain. Just gotta love Fili and Kili.

Plus, there is one moment I found rather heartwarming- the scene where Smaug is ravaging the slopes of the Misty Mountains in an attempt to find the secret door and kill all the dwarves. Thorin orders the dwarves to help him haul up Bofur and Bombur, as well as their supplies, to get them inside the secret door before the dragon spots them. However, he sends Bilbo, Fili, and Kili already inside the door, saying that "at least some of them should live". I just went, "Awwwwww," when I read that. Since Fili and Kili are young dwarves, they're always being told to do stuff since they're stronger. However, in this moment, when their youth and strength would be an advantage to rescuring Bofur, Bombur, and the supplies, Thorin gets them out of the way, trying to keep them safe. It's like, see, he really does care about his nephews. Awwwwwww.

And that makes the end of the book all the sadder. *sniff*

...I think I'm going to have to console myself with watching all the trailers and TV spots again.

In Pace Christi,

Elyse