A Free to Play Player's Guide to Middle Earth

I am one of the low in number women out there who enjoys online gaming. Due to my current financial state, and the fact that I don't always know when I will have free time, I play Lord of the Rings Online. The game is free to play, although you are only allowed access to 4 areas of the game before you have to pay with Turbine Points to access other areas. This blog is going to focus on the fastest and easiest ways to earn Turbine Points, and what to expect if you're a new player.

Having played this game for over 3 years now, I have unlocked most of the game with the Turbine Points, or TPs, as they are called by the players. To earn these points, you have 2 options: you can either go online or to your local gaming store and purchase them in bundles from 500-2000 points, or you can take the slower way and earn them yourself. I did the latter and have unlocked almost every available area, plus a few other bonuses on the side. What I have done to do this takes a lot of time, but I found several ways to earn points that will not take as much time.

The way that points are earned is by deeds. 98% of these deeds immediately pop up to you once they are available. The other 2% are hidden so that you don't earn them unless you find them, such as hidden dungeons or falling down a great big well in Moria (yes, you earn points for that, even though you usually die in the process). The deeds that you can earn are primarily in these categories:

Quests - by completing a certain amount of quests, you are awarded a minimum of 5 TPs. These quest deeds are done in introduction, advanced, and final. Each completion provides and extra 5-10 TPs for which level you finish.

Kills - the amount of mobs you kill. For example, if you kill 30 orcs, you earn 5 TPs. After that deed is completed, you then are given the option to kill double that amounts for 10 TPs. Every area, depending on the level, will have varying numbers that you will have to kill. Depending on which race you select to play, each one will have you as the "enmity of" a certain mob, such as they orcs. By slaying a larger number of these mobs, you will not only earn more TPs, but you also unlock specific racial traits that boost your character. There are also deeds for slaying mob bosses.

Areas - each region of Middle Earth has specific areas you can find. Some of them follow the Fellowship from the books, some are battlefields, some are mob bases, some are places in the wild, and many are ruins. There are other types of areas to locate, but most fall under those categories. All you need to do is find every area in your deed log and you earn 5-10 TPs. Some of these areas, however, will not show up as an attainable deed unless you find it first. In the area of Enedwaith, there is a hidden fishing hole (which also has 2 lootable items there, so checking every few minutes gets you at least a good handful of change and maybe some good crafting items too). When you find it, your deed log automatically pops up, telling you that it has been completed and you have earned 5 TPs. Unless you look it up on the main site, you would not know about this deed.

Specific Items and Drops - in certain areas, usually in dungeons and other fellowship/group instances, the mobs will drop items like old weapons, plans of war, pages of old books and other unique items. When you collect all, you will earn TPs. There are others, like finding objects in specific areas. For example, in the Old Forest, there are 8 flowers that you can locate. By using each flower that you find, you complete the deed and are then automatically awarded the points. These types of deeds are most prevalent in the fellowship instances. The other item drops are items that, when used, earn you anywhere from 30-700 rep points with that faction. You can also craft reputation items, but each craft only benefits one faction.

Reputation - your reputation with the Free Peoples of Middle Earth is one of the best ways to earn TPs. With most peoples, you start at a neutral reputation. As you complete quests for these factions, or locate items that give you rep with that specific group of people, you earn TPs. When neutral changes to acquaintance, you earn 5 TPs. When acquaintance changes to friend, you earn 10. When friend changes to ally, you earn 15. And finally, when you reach the final stage of kindred, you earn 20 TPs. This particular deed, however, does also offer better deeds in the process. If you are able to reach the kindred status of every faction in Eriador, you wind up earning 50 TPs. This is the highest attainable amount of TPs that can be earned, and can usually only be completed after level 65.

Tasks - certain drops from mobs, such as weapons or animal furs, can earn you both reputation and deeds. By turning in 10 of an item, like a broken dagger, you earn 300 reputation with the faction in that area (warning: not all task boards offer rep). You are limited to 5 tasks a day, but every time you reach another 100, you earn 5 TPs, plus an additional task slot. You can have up to 15 task slots. However, if you level up too fast in the area you are in, the tasks will no longer be available, as they are only open to a certain level span.

The Epic Storyline - the storyline is, in my opinion, the most unique part of the game. It shows players what has been going on since the Fellowship left with the ring, and what you can do to protect Middle Earth, as well as interacting with the Fellowship at certain points. The epic storyline is currently divided into 3 volumes, each containing many book quests. When you finish half of each volume, you earn a minimum of 10 TPs. The storylines, though they take a while to complete, do keep you engrossed the entire time.

So those are the primary ways to complete deeds and earn TPs. Now, how to complete enough to make the game workable?

Believe it or not, the fastest way to earn a buttload of TPs is within the first 20 levels. When starting a new character, you are instantly thrown into the middle of the epic storyline. Once you complete that first part, your character starts out in either Bree-land, Ered Luin, or the Shire. If you choose the race of men, starting out in Bree-land will not do you much good, and I'll get to that reason in a minute.

The best area to start your character out at is Ered Luin. The reason for this is the fact that both elves and dwarves have quests in this area. Since there are two races, there are double the race deeds available. If you use the deed accelerator that you get at level 14 in the right area, you can easily complete all the slayer deeds and earn over 100 TPs in 3-4 hours. What also makes it so convenient is the fact that, despite there being two separate starting points, it is a small area. With the different regions closer together, you do not have to worry about trips that are too long to get from one quest to another. You don't even have to specifically be an elf or dwarf to start there. If you choose to be a man/woman or hobbit, you can complete the intro story and then zip over to Bree or Michel Delving and ride a horse that will take you instantly to either Thorin's Hall or Celondim.

If you choose to play your character in the Shire or Bree-land, that is your choice. However, both of these lands are enormous, and it makes covering territory a longer process, especially if you use your rental mount right away. There is also the fact the Bree-land isn't like Ered Luin or the Shire, in which both areas are for levels 1-15. Bree-land is for levels 1-22. At level 15 for Ered Luin and the Shire, you then transfer to Bree-land where you can start the quest deeds and earn more TPs. By starting in Bree-land, you knock out the quest deeds right away, thereby robbing you of over 100 TPs that you could have earned. Ultimately, it's your choice, as the epic storyline for the race of men is particularly fun, and the quests they have there are fun and pretty intense (LOTS of spiders!). But if you're out to harvest TPs, do not start in Bree-land.

Here is a more thorough synopsis of the free areas:

Ered Luin - area furthest west in Middle Earth, for levels 1-15; starting points for elves at Celondim and dwarves at Thorin's Hall. This area has more location deeds to compensate for having 2 races start here. There is also the Sarnur dungeon for minimum level 45 to return to for rep with Thorin's Hall. There are no reputation item drops outside of Sarnur, and there is only one task board, which is located at Gondamon and provides rep for Thorin's Hall. The dwarf quests will earn you rep with Thorin's Hall, but the elf quests will not earn rep with anyone. Being a smaller area, all of the quests and deeds in this area can be completed within 3-5 hours if you have that amount of free time and use the 24 hour rental steed.

The Shire - east of Ered Luin, west of Bree-land, for levels 5-15, starting point for hobbits. This area covers a lot of ground, and if you complete all the quests, you will be well past level 15 when you finally have to transfer to Bree-land. There are no rep item drops, but you can earn gift mathoms by completing certain quests which will earn you rep with the Mathom Society . There is only one task board located in Hobbiton, and this area is usually a hub of holiday activity when there are festivals going on. If you are out to earn rep right away, the Shire also offers quests that earn rep with the Mathom Society. After completing every quest, you are usually a high ranking acquaintance or friend by the time you go to Bree-land. There is also an unconfirmed rumor that the daily Hobbit presents that you get once a day tend to be better if you finish every Shire quest.

Bree-land - east of the Shire, for levels 1-22, starting point for men and women. The eastern portion of this area is for levels 1-15, while the rest of the area is for levels 16-22. This area provides the dungeons of the Great Barrows. There is one task board in Bree-town, which earns you rep with the Men of Bree. There are rep item drops for both the Men of Bree and Mathom Society, but they are only found in tombs in the Barrow-Downs. In a small area near the Henstader Farm, there are a few quests that earn rep with Thorin's Hall. The northern and southern portions of the Barrow Downs, as well as the Old Forest, are specific regions of Bree-land that hold their own extra deeds, but are rather difficult to do solo. It is usually more logical to start your character off in Ered Luin or the Shire in order to gain more TPs with deeds, as the deeds in this area know no levels. There is also the area of Ost Alagos, which is for a minimum level of 55 and is a little too close to the level 15 area. Be careful venturing too far east!

Lone Lands - east of Bree-land, for levels 22-30, and includes the Garth Agarwen dungeons and the Inn at the Forsaken Instance (which is not free, you need to unlock it). This area provides reputation for the Eglain and Thorin's Hall. There are no item drops in this area (with the exception of mathoms in the Garth Agarwen dungeons), but there are 2 task boards, and there is a reward vendor in Ost Guruth that will offer you crafting quests which will award you with 700 rep points for every crafted item you turn in. Reaching kindred status with the Eglain provides you with an instant guide to Ost Guruth for you to transport to that location. This guide will come in handy if you are not an elf, warden or a hunter (more info on this towards the bottom).

After completing the Lone Lands quests, you will need to start unlocking the other areas of the game to upgrade your character. Your choice of area should be one that will better advance your character in both experience and reputation.

Here is a list of areas that you will need to unlock:

Eriador

North Downs - north of Bree-land, offers quests for levels 20-35, and includes the Fornost dungeons for levels 41+. This area provides reputation for the Men of Bree, Thorin's Hall and the Rangers of Esteldin. There are 4 task boards, and only 2 of them offer rep and each one has rep for a different faction. However, the quests and task boards alone for the Rangers will not earn you enough rep to become kindred. Reputation items are found in the battleground of Dol Dinen or in the minimum level 40 region Angmar to the North, but you will need a fellowship to survive either one. Fornost also offers plenty of rep with the Rangers, but only one level of the dungeon comes with the quest pack, and you will need to unlock the other levels individually. There is also the Stoneheight dungeon, but that is only accessible through the level 65 "In Their Absence" storyline.

Evendim - north of the Shire, offers quests for levels 30-40, and includes the Tomb of Elendil and Anuminas dungeons. This area provides reputation for the Mathom Society and the Wardens of Anuminas. The Mathom society has both quests and rep item drops in this area, but their drops can also be found throughout most of Eriador. There are 3 task boards, but only 2 provide rep, and each one of those is for a different faction. The Wardens of Anuminas are probably the easiest to become kindred with due to the prevalent item drops in this area. It is common to become kindred with them before reaching level 38. The downside is the giant Lake Nenuial that takes forever to swim if you're not a paying VIP who gets swift travel for free, hence this area's nickname of "Everswim." There is also the level 65 dungeon of the Northcotton Farm, which begins the "In Their Absence" storyline.

Trollshaws - east of the Lone-Lands, offers quests for levels 30-45 with no major dungeons, but almost half the area has only elite mobs. This area provides reputation for Thorin's Hall and the Elves of Rivendell, has rep drop items for the Mathom Society and the Elves of Rivendell, and there are 3 task boards. Like the Rangers of Esteldin, the quests alone are not enough to earn kindred reputation and you will need to rely on the item drops for rep. Only 2 types of mobs offer the drops in the area, and this area has relatively fewer quests than other areas. There is only the one dungeon of the Lost Temple, but it can only be accessed through the "In Their Absence" storyline. Since there aren't any open dungeons, there are many areas with mobs that are all elite bosses which you cannot complete on your own. Also, the trip to Rivendell is a major pain in the behind to find. There is a way to get there without the trip by speaking with Gandalf in the Prancing Pony back in Bree-land after you complete the skirmish training. He will automatically transport you there when you accept his quest to learn about the Erebor skirmishes (which you will need to unlock separately).

Misty Mountains - north of the Trollshaws, offers quests for levels 38-50, and includes the 12-person Helegrod dungeons and Goblin-Town. This area provides quest and task reputation for Thorin's Hall, but the rep drops found in Goblin-Town and outside Helegrod provide rep for Rivendell. There are two tasks boards, and while you can earn the rep for Thorin's Hall here, a better area would be Sarnur, mentioned in the blurb about Ered Luin. There is also only one area you can travel to if you're a VIP. Travel time takes long, and there are lots of mobs in the way; not the least of which is the semi-rare elite master dragon, Kindle-maw, who tends to pop up at inopportune times right in the one path that will take you from the western area to the eastern and bake you if you get too close. There are also only a little over 70 quests available in the pack.

Eregion - south of the Trollshaws, offers quests for levels 45-50, and includes the Tham Mirdain dungeons, plus the Walls of Moria instance to start volume 2 of the epic storyline. This area offers no rep for any faction in the quests, tasks or drops (except maybe a mathom here and there), although there are 3 task boards. The only way to earn rep is by completing the slayer and area deeds, which will earn you 700 rep with Rivendell each time you complete one. Tham Mirdain has fun dungeons, and those deeds will earn you Rivendell rep as well. The main bonus to this area is with the crafting materials. If your crafting options including farming, prospecting or woodworking, you will find tons of those materials around here, plus plenty of animals to get hides from if you are into leather working.

Forochel - north of Evendim, offers quests for levels 44-50 with no major dungeons, but several public battlegrounds. This area provides reputation for the Lossoth of Forochel and Thorin's Hall. However, when you start with the Lossoth, instead of starting at neutral standing with them as you start with everyone else, you start as an outsider and have to work your way to neutral before earning TPs as an acquaintance. The rep items for the Lossoth are prevalent in the mobs, but the Thorin's Hall quests and rep items are solely in the Zigilgund cave. The downside in this area is, again, a giant lake. Unlike Lake Nenuial in Evendim, the Bay of Forochel will freeze your tush off if you try to swim it and will eventually kill you if you don't get out. Travel works out better for VIPs due to the size of this area. There is also the closed, hidden dungeon of Sari-Surma for players doing the "In Their Absence" storyline.

Angmar - north of the North Downs, offers quests for levels 40-52 with a ton of dungeons; the Carn Dum dungeons are the most popular. This enormous area provides reputation for the Council of the North and the Eldgang. There are also rep drops for the the Rangers of Esteldin and the Mathom Society. This area is filled with over 200 quests, both individual and dungeon. Like the Trollshaws, there are also many areas that are filled with elite mobs that you cannot complete on your own. This area also has 4 different task boards for your to turn in your daily tasks. One of the perks to this area is if you find yourself in the level 50-52 zone near the Circle of Despair, there is the possibility that you can loot a legendary weapon that you can stash before completing the quest that teaches you how to equip and use them. Even if the item isn't usable by your class, you can deconstruct it for the relics to add to your own weapon. The Eldgang are furthest east and there is no way you can make it to their camp on your own unless someone summons you or you can sneak in with your stealth skill. All the quests there match you with elite masters, so you will need a fellowship to earn anything in that area.

Enedwaith - south of Eregion, for levels 65-70, with the 12-player Ost Dunhoth raid. This area provides quest rep only for the Grey Company and Algraig. Since there are no rep item drops or task boards in this area, you need to complete every quest to get yourself to at least ally status. There are, however, several repeatable quests that will provide a decent amount of reputation, but you can only do them once every 6 or so hours. When kindred with Algraig, you can purchase a guide to Lhanuch, which will prove useful. There are also several hidden deeds and quests in this area that can be a little tricky to find. Ost Dunhoth is an open dungeon, but is also the final chapter for the "In Their Absence" storyline.

Dunland - south of Enedwaith, for levels 65-70, also includes Isengard and the Gap of Rohan. The dungeons in this area are completely separate from the quest pack. This area provides reputation for the Men of Dunland and Theodred's Riders. Like Enedwaith, there are no rep item drops, but there are some task boards and repeatable quests. The downside to the task boards is that, if you follow volume 2 of the epic storyline, you may be well past the maximum level for the task boards by the time you get here and you won't be able to turn in anything. Dunland is unlike the other areas in Eriador, where there are different areas that offer only 1 level of quest deeds to complete; however, if you complete them in every area of Dunland, you earn 10 TPs. This area is also unique, as some of the quests offer multiple outcomes based on a choice you have make, or by the number of quests you completed in that specific region. Guides to the main city of Galtrev are purchasable by players who make kindred status with the Men of Dunland.


Rhovanion

Moria - east of Eregion, offers quests for levels 50-60, which has many dungeons, although only the Grand Stair and Filikul are included in the main quest pack. The other dungeons, which also include a ton of deeds and awesome rewards, are completely separate; but when purchased, will throw in the 2 advanced classes of Rune Keeper and Warden (which is cheaper than getting each separately), plus two additional character slots per server. The factions to gain rep with are the Iron Garrison Minors and Iron Garrison Guards, and there are drops everywhere. You can become kindred to both these factions as easily as the Wardens of Anuminas. Moria, as mentioned above with Dunland, has several different areas that only offer 1 level of quests deeds per area. There are also many hidden quests, shortcuts, and a buttload of deeds you can complete. There are task boards in every major region, although once you reach level 61 you can no longer turn in deeds. You cannot use horses or ponies as mounts, so you will need to get a goat from Thorin's Hall, which you can only buy if you are kindred with them. Some of the holiday festivals offer goats as steeds in exchange for festival tokens, but they usually require a high number of these tokens. In addition, this area is full of mazes, deep crevices that will kill you, and very dark nooks that you can get trapped in. Too much time spent in Moria can take its toll on you, but the titles you earn in there are way cool, and if you earn enough Moria tokens to purchase them, you can get armor that will last you through to Dunland.

Lothlorien - east of Moria, for levels 60-65, with only 3 dungeons that will earn you rep, but they are located in Moria; even if you have unlocked Moria, these Lothlorien dungeons will only be open to you if you have unlocked the area itself. This area provides rep for the Iron Garrison Guards and Miners, and the Galadhrim. There are only rep drops for the Iron Garrisons, and no task boards. Like Enedwaith, there are repeatable quests, only there is a wider variety and more in number in Lothlorien. The main city of Caras Galadham is only accessible if you reach friend standing with the Galadhrim. This area offers a low number of quests, requiring you to take on the repeatable quests and/or dungeons to reach kindred status.

Mirkwood - east of Lothlorien, for levels 60-65, with the Dol Guldar dungeons. This area provides rep for the Elves of Mirkwood. There are no item drops and no task boards, but like Angmar, this area is enormous. Travelling, however, is much easier, as there are many sites you can travel to without having to be a VIP. This area does offer a few repeatable quests, but if you manage to complete every quest in this area, you should be able to reach kindred status; the downside is that there are so many quests here that it's rather time consuming. The Dol Guldar dungeons are best to do in the epilogue of volume 2 of the epic storyline, as they will provide you with not only deeds, but a large number of skirmish marks that you can trade in for great armor.

The Great River - south of Lothlorien, for levels 70-75, with the Limlight Gorge battle ground. This area provides rep for the Riders of Stangard and the Heroes of Limlight Gorge. This is another location that has several areas that only offer 1 level of quests deeds per area, but when every area is completed, you earn more TPs. There are no item drops, but there are 5 task boards that cut off at level 80. You earn rep with the Riders of Stangard by completing deeds as well, and it is very easy to become kindred in this area. The Heroes of Limlight Gorge take place in an extremely difficult area like eastern Angmar's Eldgang region, but if you can get a fellowship together, it provides a lot of deeds and separate rep for the Heroes. However, while the Heroes do offer repeatable quests, you cannot do them on your own, and the rep you are earning will probably take time. A plus in the area is that when you become kindred with Stangard, you can purchase a guide for this city and add it as a transport area, saving time and cash in travelling.

Eastern Rohan - south of the Great River, for levels 75-85, with the following areas: the Wold, East Wall, Norcrofts, Sutcrofts, Entwash Vale and the Eaves of Fangorn. Each area has different cities and encampments that will earn you TPs if you complete all the quests for that location; each area is also its own faction for rep. The basic quest pack will offer enough quests for you to reach at least friend status with each faction; the expansion pack, which also includes dungeons, includes extra quests that will eventually open up opportunities to become kindred to each faction. There is also the city of Hytbold that you can rebuild by doing repeatable quests in each of the aforementioned areas, but you are limited to 5 per day, and they alternate between 11-13 different quests in each area; whichever area do complete these quests in will provide you with a minimum of 1000 rep points for the faction in that area. There are no rep item drops in Rohan, but there are many task boards that stay open to you until level 85. You also are required to earn the mounted combat steed in this area, which is getting mixed reviews on its quality. If you opt for combat on foot, you will not earn as much experience as you will while mounted on your war steed. Finally, there are also bosses that patrol certain areas that you can earn a bounty on if you cross their path. Not all of these bosses can be slain solo, but the rewards are excellent.

Wildermore - west of the Wold area of Rohan, for level 85, with no major dungeons but the arch-nemesis frost giant Nurzum patrolling the area. This area provides rep for the People of Wildermore and the Survivors of Wildermore. There are no item drops in this area; only task boards are available. The geography of this particular area is rather harsh and difficult to maneuver around mobs without them attacking you. What makes this particular area unique is that every quests follows Nurzum's story line. After every quest is completed, other repeatable and alternating quests open up for the Survivors of Wildermore rep. Some of these require raids and take a long time to complete.

Western Rohan - self explanatory location for levels 85-95. This area went live on 11/18/13, and all the information on this area is available on the website. I will most likely not be able to play this for a while, but I can definitely earn the 4300 TPs to get it!


Getting Started

When first starting the game, you have the choice of the four races already mentioned, and 7 classes. There are 9 classes altogether, but the rune keeper and warden are not included in the free to play package. See the Moria blurb for details. Some of the classes are limited to which race can play them, such as burglars only playable by men and hobbits, and rune keepers playable by elves and dwarves.

Each race has its pros and cons, but I prefer the elves, unless you choose the hunter or warden class. Wardens are an advanced level class, and hunters are basic and not that impressive. However, both have the ability to transport to the major cities or encampments in Middle-Earth, which saves time and coins. If you opt to go with another class, elves provide a bonus: the ability to transport to Rivendell.

Each race is the enmity of a certain mob. For example, the men and women of Middle Earth are enmities of wargs. If you complete the second tier of slaying wargs, men and women will automatically gain a transport ability to Bree-land. The same goes for hobbits and dwarves; when they complete the second tier of their enmity deeds, they automatically gain transport abilities to Michel Delving and Thorin's Hall. However, these three towns are all in the western region of Eriador, and each town has a travel destination that will take you instantly to those other towns. When elves complete the second tier of orc slaying and earn the Rivendell transport, they have better access to the eastern regions of Eriador. If you choose not to play an elf, hunter or warden, focus instead on reputation with the Eglain to get the transport to Ost Guruth. It will still save travel time.

Now if you choose to start a character in Ered Luin or the Shire for the extra TPs, you will accumulate a large amount before reaching the Lone Lands. At that point, you can start planning for other areas of Middle Earth to unlock. What I would suggest doing first is purchasing the riding ability and unlocking the bank. When you first start out, you are given a rental horse that only lasts 24 hours, but riding a horse or goat gives you a +62 or +68 speed and cuts travel time in half. The basic riding ability only costs 90 TPs, and you can either buy a mount or earn one with festival tokens. Then, unlocking the bank is a prudent idea. Without unlocking the bank, your coins are limited to accessing a maximum of 2 gold pieces. For the first 30 levels, it's not that big of a deal, but once you level above 30, you will need to use more coins for better items. Unlocking the bank does not take very many TPs and is definitely worth doing.


Choosing Your Class

Like every MMO, LOTRO has different variations of popular classes, so if you're a complete newbie to the online gaming experience, you should be careful with which class to start with first. If you're planning on having multiple characters, start out with an easier class so you can get used to handling them.

Champion - this all-offense tank is one of the most basic classes. Champions have the ability to dual-wield or use a two-handed weapon. They may be basic, but pack a lot of punch when it comes to tanking in raids. Playable by dwarves, elves, and men.
Similar to: warrior class

Guardian - another tank with strong defensive capabilities. This class is also pretty basic in terms of playing, but guardians can take a lot of damage. They have use of heavy shields and one handed weapons, or two handed weapons. Every race can play this class.
Similar to: knight class

Captain - a moderate experience jack of all trades. The captain can be a tank, DPS, or healer. They also have a soldier-at-arms that assists them in battle with both combat and performance enhancing abilities, and can make another player a "shield brother/sister" to share their defenses with. They can use two handed weapons (halberds are the best), shields and one handed weapons, or dual wield, and have the ability to revive fallen comrades both in and outside of battle. Only playable by men.
Similar to: warlord class

Hunter - another basic class that is perfect for new players. Hunters dual wield and can use bows or crossbows. Unfortunately, the melee combat lacks and they can be easily defeated. They do, however, have the transport ability which can easily spoil you when it comes to quick trips across the map. Playable by every race.
Similar to: ranger class

Minstrel - the healer class. After the "Riders of Rohan" reboot, minstrels became powerhouses. They can heal, battle, or do both at once with a little less effect. Minstrels can deal a ton of damage but do generate a lot of threat, causing them to be attacked more often, particularly in raids. They can use a variety of instruments and battle with shields and a few types of one-handed weapons. Playable by every race.
Similar to: monk and bard classes

Lore Masters - one of the more advanced classes, lore masters are more DPS oriented and have the ability to summon animals and use them in battle. Their defense kind of sucks, which is probably why they have the animals to assist them. However, once they get past level 50, their abilities become much more powerful and they become forces to be reckoned with. They hone the powers of nature and the elements in power play, and in melee use a quarter staff, although you can dual-wield with a sword after level 50 if you unlock the trait slot. They can also provide minor healing powers at the expense of their own health. Playable by men and elves only.
Similar to: druid class

Burglars - another advanced class that focuses on stealth attacks and dealing additional damage in the forms of tricks and gambles. Their reliance on stealth cuts into their defense, and there are many times in questing that a burglar will need assistance from another player, as they can only attack one mob at a time. Their tricks are fun, but they often need lots of healing potions to survive more brutal battles. They are dual wielding fighters, and if you chose the weapon crafting trade, you can make throwing axes and caltrops to use against your enemies to debuff them. Playable by men and hobbits only.
Similar to: rogue class

Rune Keepers - not included in basic game and needs to be purchased separately or with the Moria expansion pack. Rune Keepers only use rune-stones to deal damage in the form of ice, fire, and lightning. They are primarily healers, but like the minstrels, are also powerhouses when it comes to damage. However, when doing raids, you will have to switch traits to deal healing instead of damage. Playable by elves and dwarves only.
Similar to: runepriest class

Wardens - also not included in the basic game. Wardens are the most unique class, as they are tanks that can also provide DPS and some minor healing. They have what are called "gambits," in which they do a certain tactic of attack, defense, or taunt, where doing certain combinations will create stronger or special attacks, greater defenses, or single kill blows. They use shields, javelins, and one handed weapons, but the spear is a better weapon for the one hand. They also have transport abilities. Playable by men, hobbits and elves.
Similar to: knight and warlord class


Choosing Your Craft

Once you become an expert in your field of crafting, you are eligible for guilds, which open up better recipes for weapons, armor, potions, and even legendary items. However, keep in mind that legendary items are available after level 51 and have the ability to gain experience, thereby taking up any weapon crafting skills if you are free to play and don't unlock your crafting guild. In this case, you should take a look at the following trades and see which one best suits which class.

Cooking - basic cooking and baking skills. Usually requires farming abilities, but certain ingredients can be purchased through a supplier or the auction house, or even by basic fishing skills. The items you cook can boost healing and power generation, remove wounds and other infirmities, or give you a boost to one of your skills or stats. Some recipes can also cook up items to assist the pets summoned by lore masters.
Faction you can earn rep with using cooking skills: the Mathom Society
Best classes to pair with: Lore Masters

Jeweler - creating jewelry, pocket items, and rune stones. Must be paired with prospecting abilities. Jewelers can create lovely pieces of bling that will boost your stats and sometimes even promote armor. Jewelers also have the ability to create books of lore that can summon a different variation of an animal by a lore master, or a pocket book that can boost a lore master's stats, or create rune stones for rune keepers to use in battle.
Faction you can earn rep with using jeweler skills: Thorin's Hall
Best classes to pair with: Lore Masters and Rune Keepers

Scholar - creates scrolls to buff you and your allies, healing and power potions, dyes, housing paints, and special crafting journals so that any tradesman can achieve critical success in rare single use recipes that create extremely powerful items. They also have the ability to create potions that boost captain skills, and chants, journals and oils for hunters. Most mobs drop scholar items, but searching for them can be difficult, as they are usually only in areas with ruins in them. If you're in a hurry to level up your scholar skills, then using the auction house saves time but is often costly.
Faction you can earn rep with using scholar skills: the Elves of Rivendell
Best classes to pair with: Captains and Hunters

Weapon Crafting - create your own weapons, even some with special damage. Weapon crafters can also make throwing axes, caltrops and traps to deal ranged damages. Once you get your legendary weapon, weapon crafting becomes obsolete unless you unlock the weapon crafter guild or dual wield.
Faction you can earn rep with using weapon crafting skills: the Wardens of Anuminas
Best classes to pair with: Burglers and Hunters

Metal Smithing - forging heavy armor and shields. Metalsmiths can also make crafting gear for any vocation if you don't come across a universal toolkit.
Faction you can earn rep with using metal smith skills: Council of the North
Best classes to pair with: Wardens, Champions, Guardians and Captains

Woodworking - woodworkers are able to create a wide variety of weapons, instruments, chisels and carvings to assist different classes. They tend to have more to offer in terms of crafting abilities, but some areas are notoriously devoid of wood.
Faction you can earn rep with using woodworking skills: Men of Bree
Best classes to pair with: Minstrels, Hunters, Wardens and Rune Keepers

Tailor - working leather to create light to medium armor, and signals for fellowship maneuvers. Tailors can also make men-at-arms clothing for the Captain's allies, but they can also be purchased by the trainers and are a waste of skills for that class. Some areas don't have as many animals as others to recover the hides from, so it's best to hunt as many animals as possible, particularly aurochs and mammoths as they can give you more than one hide to loot.
Faction you can earn rep with using tailor skills: Rangers of the North
Best classes to pair with: Burglars, Lore-Masters, Rune Keepers, Hunters, Wardens and Minstrels

So this is the introduction to playing free in Middle Earth! And now that this is completed, I think I'll delve into Dunland with my Burglar and kick some goblin booty!

The Newly Represented Stock Character: The Hans!

Pic Source: cheezburger

I can safely assume that most people in America have seen the Disney movie Frozen by now, and are very familiar with the characters. We can all agree that the character of Hans is one of the lowest lifeforms they ever animated. What made him unique as a Disney villain was the depth of his deception, and how hard it hit us when we realized just how evil he is. In addition, he has inadvertently become the face of a stock character for the role that he played!

I came to this realization the other night when my sister and I were watching the film Austenland (don’t worry, no spoilers!), and she said this about one of the protagonist’s romantic prospects: “I hope he’s not a Hans!” Now we've seen guys like Hans in films for decades now who drag the female love interest along, only to break her heart or betray her in some way, and vice versa with femme fatales and their male victims; but Hans hit the internet almost as hard as his betrayal of Anna in the film. Everywhere you looked on Disney affiliated fan sites were memes about how Hans is a jerk. When watching a film (romantic, animated or otherwise), Hans can be used as a reference to who the types of characters we suspect are only putting up an honorable front.

For those of you who aren’t too sure what a stock character is, they are characters that are imbued with specific character traits and roles. They first originated in Renaissance Italy with a form of theater called commedia dell'arte (which is a blast to do if you get the chance!). These characters were always portrayed as the same types but in different and very wacky and irreverent situations. For example, there was Patalone, who was the dirty old man who likes to chase after younger ladies, such as Groucho Marx. Another was Dottore, who was generally a slow moving character who spouted useless and often confusing information to make himself sound smart, like Cliff Claven of Cheers.  There was also the innocent, perky ingénue, known by names like Isabella or Clarice, who was hopelessly in love with her boyfriend and generally not too bright, like Juliet. There are many others, but you would have to look into these plays and characters yourself to see how much they influenced writers in their character development.

In today’s television and films, we see modern stock characters arise and show up in what we watch: the socially awkward nerd who can’t make it with the ladies, the hooker with the heart of gold, the badass biker boy who’s really a softy, the mean cheerleader, or the sleazy businessman who can charm everyone around him but is totally obvious to the audience, to name a few. Stock characters are everywhere, and we can usually find them in just about everything we watch and read about. Characters like Hans are few and far between, which is why he is spearheading the new type of stock character that bears his name.

Hans is the typical love interest: he is a prince, handsome, easy conversationalist, and easy on the eyes. When we first meet him, he assumes the role of the stock character of the Disney prince. He and Anna fall madly in love upon first meeting each other and want to marry right away. We've seen this happen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and The Little Mermaid for starters: true love happens right away for these way too lucky Disney princesses. Anna seems like no exception. And for all our judgments, he seems like quite a catch! When Elsa’s powers are exposed and she runs, Hans doesn't immediately take her as the threat the rest of the kingdom does. When Anna leaves him in charge to follow after Elsa, he assumes the role of caring steward by making sure all of the citizens of Arendale are warm and protected from the harsh weather. Seriously, how could we see this coming?

The introduction of Kristoff to create a love triangle (for my views on this overdone plotline, please see this blog) for Anna does appear as a dilemma at first. Kristoff doesn’t come off as the very warm type, and doesn't treat Anna so well at first. We’re made to root for Hans and Anna despite the fact that Kristoff is pointing out the obvious fact that Elsa also pointed out earlier: true love doesn't happen in one day! As the film progresses, we do soften toward Kristoff, and Hans begins to look more extreme as he takes more drastic actions to ensure Anna’s safety. Hans comes off as more of a leader who is willing to make the difficult decisions rather than a jerk. He even orders his men to keep from harming Elsa as they try to detain her.

When Hans’ men bring her back to the castle and lock her in the dungeon, all he does to confront her is ask her to stop the winter. He doesn't make any threats or try to manipulate her; it almost seems clear that he’s holding her in chains not because he thinks she’s a criminal, but because he’s trying to keep her from harming anyone else. When Elsa tries to explain that she doesn't know how to stop the winter, he appears to believe her! Even when the dying Anna is brought back, he reacts with all the relief we would expect to see from any boyfriend.

Now here’s where we catch a very slight glimpse of his intentions: the Spanish diplomat tells Hans that he would lead the kingdom if Anna isn't found. He appears to be considering that options, but not so much that we would suspect anything. It’s when he refuses to kiss Anna for the saving act of true love that we find out his true intentions. Though the audience would halfway expect it from the earlier mention from the Spanish diplomat, Hans proceeds to monologue about being the youngest of 13 sons and never having a shot at ruling in his lifetime, and had come to seduce Elsa so he could be king!

Hans’ reveal is so drastic, it’s nearly impossible to see it coming. Any Bond villain would be proud to see the lengths of deception he pulled off. However, unlike any Bond villain (let’s face it, those dudes are pretty memorable), he came off as the good boy until that moment. Again, characters like Hans have appeared in films before, like Benny in the 1990 version of Total Recall, or the Butler character in just about any murder mystery. This is a plot twist that does happen. In fact, betrayals like this are quite popular in today’s less creative entertainment environment in order to keep the viewers engrossed. How about the Red Wedding from Games of Thrones? This plot twist is everywhere.

Hans is different because of the way he is written epitomizes the term “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Not only was that wolf dressed up like a sheep, he may as well have been bleating and acting as stupid as one of them. Thanks to the keen writers of Frozen, we can recognize any turncoat character who fools the audience this thoroughly as “The Hans.” Maybe the older viewers of this film felt it more personally because it came from a Disney movie, and this is a more adult issue to tackle when the target audience is supposed to be children.

As they say in the movie, Hans is “a bit of a fixer upper” now, but he’ll probably never be able to escape this label that he now has. Hans is now the poster child for the charming, traitorous stock character. Do you think we’ll see more villains like him now? Probably. The question is whether or not that character will be able to keep up fooled as well as Hans did!

Awesome Moments in Geek History, Part Deux

Iiiiiiiiiiiiit's back!

The thing about geek culture is that there are so many moments that are creative, daring, disgusting, wonderful and lovable and it all somehow seems to work when it's done right. So if you haven't read my previous blog, then you'd better do so before continuing. I'll also try to cut back on the Star Trek moments.

So, without further ado, here are more awesome moments in geek history!


Awesome Moment: Paul rides Shai-Hulud
Source: Dune (1984 David Lynch version, any edit)
Awesomeness classification: coolest mode of transportation without propellers or wings

The book is weird. The movie is screwed up (Patrick Stewart adds the coolness element). There are also two other edits out there that both add to and screw with your head more than the theatrical cut. However, one scene rules supreme in both book and various cuts movie: Paul Atreides rides the sandworm.

Even with the 80s special effects and music, this scene is cool in terms of bringing the character of Paul to a new level of development. By conquering the incredibly dangerous (albeit mightily cool) task of riding Shai-Hulud, he is establishing himself as one of the Fremen, the natives of Arrakis, as well as a tactical leader. If only we had tasks like this to establish decent leadership!

Also, the Syfy channel version of the movie, which was arguably easier to follow, wasn't even able to get that first sandworm ride down as good as this one. And they used CGI!


Awesome Moment: One of the best twists in PC Game history
Source: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Awesomeness classification: George Lucas proving that his plot twists are his strength

When you first start out in this game, you're an amnesiac Jedi who is trying to find and destroy the Star Forge and find out what happened to Darth Revan, a Sith Lord who has been missing for years. Your ragtag crew includes Bastila, a Jedi who is unusually passionate about this mission. Through a series of missions, you get to choose to go Light Side or Dark Side. Either way, it always comes to this: Bastila confronts you and says, "What greater weapon is there than to turn an enemy to your cause?"

Regardless of your character's gender or alignment, when Revan's mask comes off, the face is revealed as your character. You are the very person you have been seeking. This particular plot twist brought the term "game changer" to life, hearkening back to the old "I am your father" twist back from Empire Strikes Back.


Awesomeness Moment: Loki becomes Captain America
Source: Thor 2: The Dark World
Awesomeness classification: Loki at his very best!

A lot of my blogs will just rave about Tom Hiddleston. I love that man. This scene was almost a toss up with the (SPOILER ALERT!) scene where Thor is fighting his way through portals and Mjolner can't figure out where to go next.

What makes this scene so amazing is that, according to this article by CinemaBlend, Hiddleston donned the Cap's uniform and did the scene as Loki would spoof Captain America. Then Chris Evans studied the shot and did Captain America as Loki as Captain America. A bit of a headache to explain, but the end result is a fantastic movie moment that tickled fans worldwide. Looks like great teamwork really can transcend between squeaky clean heroes and diabolical villains!


Awesomeness Moment: Robin kills Brian
Source: V: The Final Battle, Part 3
Awesomeness classification: Revenge is a dish best served by a woman's cold fury

The original V Miniseries and TV show were classics that did not need to be rebooted (shame on you, ABC!). While the two miniseries were full of awesome moments, there is one to bring to attention, focusing on one of the most annoying characters in sci-fi: Robin Maxwell. Robin is a teenager who tends to cause nothing but trouble which in turn leads to all sorts of horrible aftermaths, not the least of which is the death of her mother. In the process of her multiple crises, she slept with one of the Visitors, Brian, not knowing he was ordered to for a specific purpose: interspecies breeding. After she learns she's pregnant, we learn that she can't have the abortion she's demanding due to the alien DNA linking to her internal organs, and that Brian and his superior officer lover, Diana, watch the video of his and Robin's encounter to both study and poke fun at. In the clip below, the scene I am referencing for the awesomeness factor can be found below, at the 20.30 mark, as only the full episode can be found.

Robin winds up giving birth to twins: the full alien twin dies from exposure to Earth's atmosphere and the half human hybrid twin, Elizabeth, experiences abnormal growth, shooting her from a newborn to 5 years old in a matter of days. In the meantime, the resistance captures Brian, as he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, to test a serum derived from the dead baby's DNA that Julie developed as a biological weapon against the Visitors. Robin exacts her revenge on Brian in one of the most delicious and evil ways possible: by telling him she'll let him out of his cell to hug the daughter he didn't know he had.

As he slowly succumbs to the deadly affects of the serum that she throws at him, Robin sinks to the ground outside of his glass cage, watching in satisfied shock at what she's done. And not once, during the rest of the miniseries or the TV show that followed, does she express regret or guilt at what she did. In her mind, she did the right thing. Whether or not it was is still open for debate. She never reached this level of awesomeness before or again.


Awesomeness Moment: Aidan's allergic to garlic!
Source: Being Human, Season 1, Episode 7: "I See Your True Colors, and That's Why I Hate You," US version
Awesomeness moment: vampires need to pay attention to what they fake eat!

The US version of Being Human is one of the very few TV series from Britain that made it across the pond as a better show. In this particular episode, the vampire, Aidan (who, in actuality was named after Aidan Turner, who played the vampire in the BBC version), drops by his werewolf best buddy/roommate Josh's family's house for moral support. To hide the fact that he's a vampire, Aidan partakes of dinner.

Without thinking of the consequences, Aidan starts to sputter and gag in reaction to his dinner. It turns out Josh's mom cooks with garlic, and Aidan is now going nuts. Garlic doesn't kill vampires in this universe, but acts as a catalyst to get them buzzed into a blood fever. The dialogue and the interaction between Aidan and Josh is fun, and brings a better twist to vampire lore than Stephanie Meyer could ever wish to sneeze out.


Awesomeness Moment: Meet Marion
Source: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Awesomeness moment: introducing a new type of female lead

This classic knocks you on your butt in the first 10 minutes with the incredible awesomeness that is Indiana Jones. Just when you think you've met the best character ever, we get zipped over to Nepal, and this is who we meet:

We meet Marion Ravenwood, a young lady who owns her own bar and can outdrink chubby dudes who look like they have a huge alcohol tolerance. At this point in history, stronger women characters were few and far between, and none of them gave an introduction like Marion. Some movies featured women kicking butt or sweeping the attention of every man in a room with her good looks, but knocking back shots with the guys was something completely different. To top it off, when Indy drops back into her life, she gives one of the best introductory lines ever: "Indiana Jones. Always knew someday you'd come walking back through my door." Karen Allen kills it. And she keeps it up, even after 30 years in the horrible 4th movie.


Awesomeness Moment: The best "NO!" you'll ever hear
Source: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Awesomeness moment: reboots done right!

While I hate the excessive reboots that are invading our movie theaters these days (seriously, what's next? An Escape From L.A. reboot?), RotPotA was a good idea. Andy Serkis does a fabulous job, as always, bringing animated characters to life onscreen. This movie is chalked up with many amazing scenes, but the best one comes from the scene that both reboots and pays homage to the original: "take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!"

This scene could have been way cornier. The lines weren't over done, and Caesar's "NO!" was the perfect length. Had this been any other director, this particular scene probably would've been ruined with a very long and drawn out "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" instead, but that's not what happened. It's short, it's direct, and it changes the entire feel of the rest of the movie. Also, seeing Draco Malfoy get his butt roasted by humanistic apes is also regarded as being very satisfying to watch.


Awesomeness Moment: Contractions on the battlefield
Source: Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004)
Awesomeness moment: momma ain't going down without a fight

Yep, another birthing scene. Farscape can be summed up as being one of the more surreal and weird TV shows of the sci-fi genre, but those little factors didn't make it any less fun. So what do you do when you're pinned down with enemies all around, you're outgunned and outmanned, and your best fighter, who is pregnant, suddenly experiences water breakage and goes into labor? Well, don't tell Aeryn Sun what, she has her own plans!

Instead of getting herself out of harm's way, like any normal woman would in a situation like this, she grabs her big gun and starts firing away. Even when the doctor and her comrades tell her to get out of the way, she keeps firing until she possibly has to let someone examine her. And after she gives birth, she and John fight their way back to Moya and survive. Don't tell Aeryn that women who have just given birth are supposed to take it easy. She won't rest until everyone is safe, including her kid.


Awesomeness Moment: Best exit EVER
Source: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (film)
Awesomeness moment: the quickest awesome moment

For those of you who aren't familiar with Scott Pilgrim, he dates a high schooler, Knives Chau, when he falls for Rowena Flowers and has to battle her 7 evil exes to win her over. This movie is chalked FULL of amazing moments from pre-opening credits to end, but the award goes to this particular scene:

No matter how incredible or surreal his battles are, none of them compare to Scott's quick exit when Knives suddenly drops by. If only all movies could be this clever!


Awesomeness Moment: The barrel scene!
Source: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Awesomeness classification: bringing an aspect of a book to a level of epicness that even the biggest sticklers can enjoy

The most recent installment of The Hobbit featured a lot of things that many Tolkien fans did not appreciate. The barrel scene was not one of them. In the book, they just escape in the barrels and that's that. In this film, the dwarves are being hounded by orcs and battled by elves. The action is intense, the teamwork between the dwarves shows a connection between all that is difficult to make in any film, and let us not forget Bombur as he Donkey Kongs more critical hits in 30 seconds than you can make in a full game of Mortal Combat.

This particular clip only features 2/3rds of the actual scene, but if you pause it at 1.42, you can clearly see Kili showing genuine delight at the fun he's having!


Awesomeness Moment: Changing history for a best friend
Source: Frequency
Awesomeness classification: the best usage of production placement

This movie isn't considered a geek classic, but it definitely holds its own. Long story short, police officer John finds out he can communicate with his late dad through a portal in time via an old timey radio connection. During of these conversations, John's younger self comes into the room with his dad and best friend, Gordo. John is still best buds with Gordo in the present, and he is struggling financially and ruing the day he didn't invest in Yahoo stock. The clip itself is unavailable, but here is a trailer for the film:

Back to the scene: younger version of John and Gordo come into the room while John's dad is on the radio. John asks to speak with younger Gordo, then tells him he's Santa Claus and that's he's going to give him and early Christmas present, and it's one word: "Yahoo." The end result is Gordo winding up extremely rich at the end of the movie. If ever product placement was used for good, it was here.


Awesomeness Moment: The perfect song for the fateful moment
Source: Warm Bodies
Awesomeness classification: an unlikely song used at the most appropriate moment

Another young adult book-turned-film-featuring-annoying-love-triangle, Warm Bodies depicts zombies learning to love and beginning to turn back to their human states. The main character, R, comes across Julie as she, her boyfriend Perry, and their squad repel the hungry zombies. This is what happens when R sees Julie for the first time:

This clip is a bit long, but you can zip to at at 1.28. R watches as Julie slides out and shoots a zombie through the head as John Waite's hit "Ain't Missing You" plays. It's not the first song that comes to mind when that fateful first encounter occurs, but Warm Bodies isn't your typical romance. The song works the scene brilliantly and you'll never be able to hear that song again without thinking of this first encounter.


Awesomeness Moment: Do your homework on your clients before insulting them
Source: Game of Thrones, Season 3, Episode 4: "And Now His Watch is Ended"
Awesomeness classification: how to take the first step in invasion....and leave a message no one will forget!

Games of Thrones may have a lot of gore and gratuitous nudity, but it is one of the few shows out there that does produce strong female characters. People who are not very familiar with the show know who Daenerys "Khaleesi" Targaryen is because she's the one with the dragons. In her rise to power, she uses a translator to buy an army in exchange for one of her precious dragons.

Daenerys is shrewd in her purchase, as she already speaks the language of the seller, who has been insulting her. By then turning her army on slave holders, as her house was against slavery, she shows how brutal she can be, and how serious she is with her political moves. In this game, you win or you die. We may not know if she will win, but she will definitely make it to the end when she plays her cards like this!


Awesomeness Moment: The "gun kata"
Source: Equilibrium
Awesomeness classification: boldly using guns as they've never been used before

Sean Bean bites the dust 15 minutes in. I just had to put that in there :) Anywho, Christian Bale has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid, and before he did Batman Begins, he introduced the "gun kata" in this futuristic film about global emotion suppression. Guns are common in films, both in sci-fi and realism, but generally the purpose of using them in aiming, firing, and praying that you hit the guy who's trying to kill you. Equilibrium turns using a gun into pure art.

With the gun kata, the shooter doesn't just aim and fire. The shooter lets instinct and training take over and executes every movement with various forms of martial arts. The shooter keeps moving, shooting and fighting until all of the enemies are dead. Not only is it effective and deadly, but also incredibly stylish. Whether or not the gun kata is possible in our future, Bale sells it so well that you want to learn it too.


Awesomeness Moment: Flukeman
Source: The X-Files, Season 2, Episode 2: The Host
Awesomeness classification: creating a monster that never ceases to give you the chills

The X-Files was pretty much a "monster-of-the-week" show, and it gave us lots of chilling, weird, and grotesque monsters, and sometimes even normal people with those qualities. The one that stood out the most is the "flukeman" from the episode "The Host." He inhabits the sewers and infects hosts with his spawn, similar to the Xenomorphs in the Alien films.

This is another one where clips of the monster aren't available, but the preview for the particular episode is. The flukeman is disgusting and terrifying, leaving you feeling thoroughly filthy afterwards because you know you want to throw up but are scared to go near the bathroom. Even with this episode turning 20 soon, it still leaves those eerie feelings, no matter how old you are when you see it.


Awesomeness Moment: Sam turns the tables on Kevin
Source: Quantum Leap, Season 4, Episode 6: "Raped"
Awesomeness classification: a defeat becomes a victory that makes you cheer

Quantum Leap was a TV show that had no problem tackling controversial subjects, as many sci-fi shows are known for doing. In this particular episode, one of the few where Sam leaps into a woman's body, he finds his host, Katie, having just been a victim of rape. Through some extreme alterations to the quantum leap computer, Al is able to bring the girl in holographic form to Sam as he gives her testimony in a trial against Kevin, the alleged rapist, who claims it was consensual and that she's trying to destroy his reputation. Sadly, he wins the case. Sam isn't ready to leap yet because he feels there's something else he can do. This clip briefly shows how in depth they went in the subject:

The tail end of the video shows a brief clip of the scene where Sam gets his revenge. He is still in Katie's body, but if there's anything we've learned about Sam over the last 4 seasons, it's that no matter whose body he is in, he still possesses his own strength and skills. He, in Katie's body, is sitting by himself when Kevin returns to screw her over again for trying to make sure he got what was coming to him. Since Sam is in her body, and he has combat experience, he beats the living crap out of Kevin just as Katie's parents come out to witness that Kevin was out to repeat what he did before. And then he leaps. It's a huge relief to see him take out Kevin after the intensity of this episode, and it pegs Sam as one of the best kind of men out there to endure what he did for Katie's sake.


Awesomeness Moment: Sisko deletes his log
Source: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 6, Episode 19: "In the Pale Moonlight"
Awesomeness classification: Seeing what a good man will do to tip the scales in war

Every Star Trek captain was unique in their greatness. Benjamin Sisko was handed a lot of crap to handle in his series, and we all knew him as an upstanding human being. However, every man has his breaking point. His comes in this episode, as the Federation takes devastating losses in the Dominion War and even loses a planet to enemy occupation. He secretly strikes up an alliance with Garak, a Cardassian who is, quite literally, a tinker-tailor-doctor-spy. The guy even has his own dress shop. Anyways, the choatic neutral Garak is one of the most slippery, conniving, clever, and well-written anti-heroes ever created in TV history. Sisko and Garak team up to bring an enemy who has chosen to remain neutral in this war, the Romulans, to the Federation's side by convincing them that the Dominion has plans to invade them after the Federation is defeated. In the process, they lie, cheat, and murder their way into succeeding with their crazy plan. Sisko, needing to tell someone about this after it's over with, tells it to the computer as a log entry. Here is the ending of his log:

In the remarkable performance by actor Avery Brooks, Sisko confesses that everything he did is something that he will not feel any guilt about. "I can live with it," he says several times, almost to convince himself of this revelation. And then, when he's finished with his log, he deletes everything. Garak is not the kind of man to exploit the things he does in secret, so only Sisko is the other person who could have shed the light on what really happened. By deleting his log, he is erasing what happened from history. No one is ever going to know how the Romulans were coerced into fighting a war that didn't involve them. Sisko was willing to get his hands dirty when he reached his breaking point, showing just how far he will go to ensure the survival of his fleet.


Awesomeness Moment: Joss Whedon rises to royalty in geek culture
Source: Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog (2007)
Awesomeness classification: creating a brilliant piece of geekiness and putting it out there all by himself

Joss Whedon reigns supreme in the geek universe, and when the Writers' Guild of America went on strike in Hollywood in 2007, he set off on his own little project called Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog. Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day, Nathan Fillion and a pre-Big Bang Theory Simon Helberg, Whedon launched a web sensation that took the internet by storm.

This less than an hour long film focuses on Dr. Horrible, a villain, as he tries to complete a crime so diabolical that it will get him accepted into the Evil League of Evil. Filled with catchy songs, memorable quotes, and one of the strongest casts ever assembled, Whedon officially became the king of geeks. Since then, community theaters have done their own productions, movie theaters have done shadow casts, and there have been rumors abounding that it would come to the big screen or even Broadway. Without taking the initiative that he did, Whedon would not have risen to the respect he earned that would eventually land him as the director of The Avengers. Whedon changed the face of geek culture with this one film and finally got the respect he deserved as a film maker and writer.


Awesomeness Moment: The 10th Doctor Regenerates
Source: Dr. Who, "The End of Time Part 2"
Awesomeness classification: taking an absolutely heartbreaking moment and transforming it to something exciting

I could probably do an entire blog about the awesome moments that came from Dr. Who, but I would have to watch every episode and I don't have the time for that yet (someday!!!!!). We all knew in this episode we would be losing David Tennant, but we hadn't realized it would be so sad. Having been fatally infected with deadly radiation, the Doctor says goodbye to all of his former companions and friends, not expecting to come out of this alive. At first he is resigned to his fate, and then, at the last second he utters this line that is still resounding throughout time and space: "I don't want to go."

We're all in tears as his regeneration begins because we feel in twice as hard in our own hearts because the Doctor has his two that can each handle its own pain and we only have the one to take double the pain. But in the midst of our tears, we get Matt Smith, who gleefully attacks his new form with excitement at the prospect that he is still alive. We always feel sad and excited when the Doctor takes on a new face, but for the record, I think it's time we get a ginger after Peter Capaldi!


That does it for this edition! I'm going to do a little more research for my next one because while I am familiar with a lot of fandoms, there are a few I haven't seen as much of and I want to incorporate them as much as I can.

See you next time!

Kili & Tauriel: A Geek Girl's Perspective

If you have read the book The Hobbit and have seen the latest movie installment, The Desolation of Smaug, you probably have some pretty strong opinions on the changes that are not in either the book or any of the other writings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Hollywood in this day and age feels the need to embellish on already good works of literature, but The Hobbit was unique because it actually had other sources to draw on to give the story more meat. There were other aspects, however, that fell rather flat.

The main aspect of the film that everyone was skeptical on was the addition of the female elf, Tauriel, played by Lost lead Evangeline Lilly. Now the book came out in the 1930s, and that was a different age for everyone, not just fantasy writers. Strong female characters were, unfortunately, not very common in literature or film in those days. While the Lord of the Rings trilogy introduced the butt-kicking Eowyn, The Hobbit was all men. A testosterone filled cast isn't necessarily a bad thing, but for a movie of such long standing geek appeal to reach out to younger generations and to women, adding a girl character helps in bringing that missing element which finalizes something for everyone.

Most everyone who saw the trailer for the film expected Tauriel to be a possible love interest for LOTR alum Orlando Bloom's Legolas. To the mixed reactions of audiences everywhere when the film was released, she also became a love interest for the new heartthrob in town: Aiden Turner's Kili.

This blog is going to focus on three different perspectives of this odd and rather disliked love triangle. The first will be from the perspective of the Tolkien fans, the second from the sci-fi/fantasy geeks, and the third from the hopeless romantic side. My focus will be on the particular strengths and weaknesses of these changes, and a verdict of how this story ultimately weighs in the film. If you have not read the book and have only seen the movies, then please be prepared for spoilers. It's not like the book has been out for 70 years or anything.


The Tolkien Fan Perspective

I'm not one of those die-hard Tolkien fans, but I am a Trekker so I know how it feels to watch the stories you love get rebooted into something you can appreciate but also feel betrayed about. I have also played The Lord of the Rings Online for over 4 years now and have more than 10 main avatars. Now I play this game because it's free to play and I have successfully unlocked 90% of the playable areas without spending one penny. What makes this game unique is that it not only effectively creates the geography of Middle Earth, but many of the quests are taken from Tolkien's other works. You also learn the history of not only the different races, but other factions including the Dunedain, the Dunlendings, and the Angmarim who follow the Witch-King. If you play often enough, you can easily learn about the histories of these other peoples simply by reading your quest log. You can also follow the forums online and in the game chat rooms. If there is anything that I have learned about Tolkien fans, it's that they are extremely picky about one thing and one thing alone: canon.

Tolkien wrote so many books and histories of Middle Earth that if they were all eventually put on screen, you'd probably wind up with enough watchable material to keep you occupied for an uninterrupted half year. The details are so intricate that you can tell what he wanted you to imagine while reading. However, his work was not perfect. There are plenty of instances throughout his works where he goes into such detail that it's almost too much for a brain that is not used to such writing to handle. There are also instances where he just gives you a brief description and moves on. The Hobbit does have such instances. Take for example Bard the Bowman.

The book merely puts Bard in the right place at the right time. Smaug comes? No problem. Just load that iron arrow in the ballast, wait for the opportune moment, and fire. We get almost nothing else from him in the book except that he slew Smaug. In the film, he is introduced (played by Luke Evans, who looks suspiciously similar to the aforementioned Bloom without his makeup or wig on) as a bargeman who struggles to support his children. Adding more to the story so we get to know him as a real person instead of a deus ex machina is a nice move. In the process, we also learn about the people of Laketown and how the political system is affecting its subjects. This particular back story alone adds to the film instead of making any major changes, as it fills in time between the barrel sequence and reaching Erebor. The changes that aren't as appreciated mostly don't involve Bard and the Laketown citizens, but the dwarves.

Now for the subject of this blog: Kili and Tauriel. Tauriel is an original character, so the writers could do whatever they wanted with her. Kili, on the other hand, does appear in the book. He is the youngest of the dwarves, doesn't speak very much, and is mostly alluded to in the action sequences, or that he's with his older brother, Fili. Like most of the other dwarves, he's just there. There isn't much of a character description about him. What we do know is he is second in line to the Throne of Durin behind Fili. On screen, there is a deleted scene in An Unexpected Journey that pegs Kili as a flirt. That little trait added a layer to his character, but didn't alter the story line. Yet.

When Kili and Tauriel first meet, Tauriel merely appears as a slight change to this portion of the book. She slaughters spiders left and right while the defenseless Kili looks on, not quite sure what to think of it, but definitely smitten right away. Here is where the problem begins. Having Tauriel as a love interest for Legolas alone may have been tolerated by the Tolkien fans because it would have added to the story instead of altering the main premise of the book. By turning Tauriel into the center of a love triangle, being the object of affection from Legolas and Kili, it began to change the original story.

Peter Jackson does do a wonderful job in making the dwarves in his film distinct characters. By giving the dwarves real personalities, it enriches the movie and the story, and generally doesn't change much. Kili, on the other hand, would helm the changes first in Desolation of Smaug with his relationship with Tauriel and the poisoning result from the orc arrow he takes to the leg. The wound and residual poisoning did not appear in the book; and while it brought an excuse to bring Legolas and Tauriel into the action, it changed the fact that not all the dwarves enter Erebor. Kili, affected by the poison in the film, is ordered by Thorin to stay behind, and Oin opts to stay with him because he has healing skills, and so Kili won't be alone. Then Fili, being the best big brother in Middle Earth, stays behind as well because family comes first for him. Later, a hungover Bofur appears, having slept through the early morning alarm (another change which will undoubtedly be explained in the extended cut. Can't wait to see that!) and missing the dwarves' boat as they push off for their former home and treasures.

Ordinarily, this wouldn't be a big deal, but we are dealing with Tolkien here, and his chronicles of Middle Earth are so intricate that changing his works is not a welcome idea to his fans. In the book, all thirteen of the dwarves were present for the hidden door to be opened. From there, we have the encounter with Smaug, and some drama between Bilbo and Thorin regarding the Arkenstone (which was also changed), and then goblins attack and there's an epic battle. Considering how long the first two movie versions of this book are, the third film is expected to be around three hours long like its predecessors. Well, at the end of Desolation of Smaug, Smaug is heading for Laketown to do some serious damage, and there are four dwarves there, two of which are not going to make it out of the upcoming goblin battle alive. Since we have to wait a year to see how this is going to work out, Tolkien fans are left to stew over how Peter Jackson is going to satisfy them after all the changes he's made.

The love story between Kili and Tauriel is the headliner for all these "problem" changes. Many Tolkien fans aren't appreciative of the fact that the new heroine has completely modified part of the lore they have loved for so many years. It's not the actors' faults, as Turner and Lilly are excellent in their roles and do have good onscreen chemistry, but since the love story involving their characters is the most notable change and addition, it does make them a target for much frustration. Their love story is seen as an unnecessary change, which disrupts Tolkien's canonical history. To many Tolkien fans, this is not okay.


The Multifandom Geek Perspective

This particular viewpoint covers the fans of fantasy. There are some who love fantasy but aren't die hard Tolkien fans. There are also multifandom geeks out there who are into sci-fi, fantasy, anime, cosplay and other similar geek venues (that's where I fall). Many who prefer the fantasy aspect can admit that Tolkien was the one who set the standard for most modern fantasy.

First off, let's cover the two main points of the Kili/Tauriel relationship: 1) it is a love triangle that also involves Legolas, and 2) it is an interracial romance that is not often found in fantasy.

Most geeks out there can admit that love triangles in just about any film, geek related or not, are extremely overused these days. A lot of these love triangles can be traced back to the popularity of the young adult Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. The popularity of this supernatural series focusing on the love triangle between very unlikable characters. As this series grew in popularity, other young adult books and series rose to popularity as well. Some of the popular series and books that have been made into movies in the last few years include Beautiful Creatures, Warm Bodies, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (in which Turner plays a supporting role as a werewolf), and, of course, the blockbuster hit, The Hunger Games.

Many films such as these brought in millions of dollars worldwide, whereas others just barely broke even. Regardless, each of these popular series had a love triangle involved. Young adult books and films are not the only ones that are guilty of overusing this plot device, but they are what many people, geek and otherwise, tend to think of today when a love triangle is mentioned. Which brings us back to the Kili/Tauriel/Legolas love triangle.

The trailer for The Desolation of Smaug made sure to focus on a potential love story between Tauriel and Legolas. In some ways, it almost seemed like that would be Tauriel's sole purpose in the film. When sparks ignite between Kili and Tauriel instead, it almost feels like overkill. The Lord of the Rings trilogy had a slight love triangle going on when Eowyn clearly had a crush on Aragorn despite his love for Arwen. To bring in another love triangle when we've already had one almost feels cheap.

However, this brings me to the second point of this section: the interracial romance. Kili is a dwarf, and Tauriel is an immortal elf. Ask any dungeon master about this and most will make this statement: dwarves and elves are not compatible together. The list of playable races for just about any version of Dungeons and Dragons does not include half-dwarf, half-elf. The popular half-elves that are playable are half human, and sometimes elves can be cross-bred with other races, but dwarves are never included. It almost never happens.

What Peter Jackson has done by linking Kili and Tauriel together can almost be considered groundbreaking. There are probably other works of literature and fantasy that do allow for elves and dwarves to marry and have children, but to many, it does seem rather implausible. This makes Jackson first one to really shed some light on this almost controversial topic in fantasy realms, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Fantasy and science fiction has the unique ability to cloak social and political issues in metaphors that are not always obvious to the reader or viewer.

One of the reasons why fantasy and sci-fi are so appealing is because writers can make anything happen in this genre. To quote the amazing Rod Serling, creator of the TV series The Twilight Zone: "Fantasy is the impossible made probable. Science fiction is the improbable made possible." (Geek Wisdom, Stephen J. Segal, Quirk Productions, 2011. Page 211) Jackson is merely putting into practice what Serling makes reference to: the impossible made probable. Are dwarves and elves incompatible? Maybe, maybe not. But that's what makes fantasy just that!

As mentioned before, Tolkien is one of the "fathers" of modern fantasy. If you take a look at the many definitions of the word itself in the Oxford English Dictionary (a Shakespeare buff's best friend), one of the meanings of the word fantasy is "an idea with no basis in reality." Fantasy is completely separate from reality, which means there are no bounds. Tolkien may have spearheaded the parameters used in most fantasy lore today, but he merely introduced the ideas. As long as a fantasy writer has an imagination, they can do whatever they want! Jackson is clearly exercising this right by pairing Tauriel with Kili, and I must say, it's about time someone finally tried to popularize such a pairing!

In a way, the Kili/Tauriel story line is almost an oxymoron in terms of multifandom: it uses the overworked plot device of the love triangle, but it also introduces an almost completely unused fantasy aspect. The middle ground lies in the the heart of the story, which brings me to my third and final perspective:


The Hopeless Romantic Perspective

As a geek girl, I do enjoy a well written love story that transcends normal romance from time to time. The romance genre? Not so much. I find it way too predictable to be satisfying. In my DVD collection, the number of romance films I own is second to last in the category list. So taking a look at Tauriel and Kili, how strong is their romantic story line?

Let's take a look at Kili, which every fangirl is currently doing right now. We met him in the previous film, An Unexpected Journey. He is royalty, a direct descendant of Durin, and his brother, Fili, is overprotective of him. He has a tendency to be reckless, isn't the sharpest ax in the shed, very savvy when it comes to weapons and using objects around him as weapons, a bit of a ladies' man, and has no appreciation for furniture but is adept at handling china. He is also noble, in that he will not turn from danger so long as his friends and family are in harm's way. He is handsome and daring, and does not give up easily. He seems to know exactly what he wants from life and from the adventure he embarks on. And then he meets Tauriel.

They first meet as a weaponless Kili is being chased by giant spiders and Tauriel literally swoops in and slaughters them effortlessly. Though she refuses to give him any weapons for him to defend himself, he is still taken by her. If you watch Kili, he looks at Tauriel like she is a beautiful type of butterfly that he's never seen before. Then, as she's locking him up in the dungeon, he pulls a dwarvish innuendo to get her to frisk him: "I could have anything in my trousers!" Her cool reply of, "Or nothing." is the best put down to his boldness, but that still does nothing to keep him from watching her. When Legolas brings up the subject, it's clear that she is flattered by Kili's interest, and possibly intrigued. If you ask me, Legolas' statement that Kili is "no less ugly" than other dwarves is just Orlando Bloom's realization that, for the first time, his title of "hottest guy in Middle Earth" is now threatened.

Tauriel then meets with Legolas' father, Thranduil, who tells her not to encourage his son, as he has now taken a liking to her. Considering how she has worked with Legolas for over 600 years, it's probably too late for them already. Tauriel's behavior implies that she once had feelings for him, and the fact that he's noticing her now after so many centuries is something she probably didn't expect. Though Thranduil has given her orders, she demonstrates later that she won't always adhere to his commands. When she goes to the dungeons to check on the dwarves, it is possible she does so in part for her interest in Kili.

Though Kili's teasing her about his mother's runestone is clearly a bad method, he remedies it immediately, gaining her attention. The other dwarves are oddly silent in this scene, so they may be asleep or just silently watching this whole thing (there'd better be an explanation in the extended cut!). Instead of Kili trying to bargain and flatter his way out of getting her to help him escape, they manage to connect. He tells of his promise to his mother (oh, the heartstrings! How they hurt!), which most women would take as him being a mama's boy. Tauriel doesn't think so; she finds Kili's promise to her sweet. Then she talks about her love of the starlight, to which he says, "I always thought it was a cold light." He isn't trying to start an argument with her, but is merely stating what he thinks. Tauriel is smart enough to realize this and further explains why the starlight makes her feel alive. Then Kili remembers some astronomical phenomena and tells her of that.

We have already seen how differently the Mirkwood elves treat the dwarves in comparison to the Rivendell elves in An Unexpected Journey. The Mirkwood elves are fierce and defensive, and handle the dwarves rather roughly for trespassing on their territory. We witness through Thorin's meeting with Thranduil how proud the dwarves are too, even in dire situations. Kili and Tauriel step around these established traits of their kin and manage to connect. Their chemistry isn't forced, but comes naturally. There are no undertones of seduction, manipulation, or coercion; they are merely taking time to get to know each other. Though it probably wasn't either's intention to establish a relationship of any kind, their personalities make it so. But was it enough?

When Bilbo springs the dwarves from the dungeon, Kili shows no remorse in leaving Tauriel behind, nor does Tauriel seem ready to show mercy to the dwarves as she and the other elves hotly pursue them after the escape. It seems like their moment together was all for naught, until Kili takes the poisoned arrow to the leg. Tauriel watches him float away in his barrel down the river, but shows no impulse to follow Kili. It is when the captured orc reveals that Kili is already dying from the poison that she makes her flight to follow.

Now here's where we get a good look at who Tauriel really is. It's clear that she is loyal enough to her king that she will do what she needs to fulfill her duty honorably. She probably had no intention to follow the dwarves after their totally awesome escape because they were already too far gone. Once she learns of Kili's critical wound, she high-tails it out there against her king's wishes, knowing full well that Legolas will follow her. When Legolas catches up to her, she tells him she knew he would follow; it is unclear whether she knew he would follow her because she knows he is taken with her now, or because he is duty bound and will not allow his best captain to break his father's orders. In any case, she brings forth the argument that they need to stop the orcs because it is their duty as the people of Middle Earth to watch out for each other. She has lived most of her life bound to the protection of her people alone, and this is probably a trait that all of her kin are very much aware of, since they've spent hundreds of years together. She also knows Legolas well enough and can use his knowledge of her to give a convincing reason why she's taking on a squad of orcs on her own. She was forced to leave the orc interrogation after learning of the poisoned arrows, so she didn't hear about the impending war. This would make her reason for going off on her own be to catch up with Kili in time. Her hundreds of years of experience makes her shrewd.

When Tauriel and Kili finally reunite, the poison in his system is this close to killing him, but he's still fighting off orcs with Oin and Fili, while Bofur runs off to find some kingsfoil to counteract the affects of the poison. Tauriel and Legolas wipe out orcs left and right, and as they retreat, Legolas tries to get Tauriel to follow. However, she stays behind to help Kili when Bofur returns with the kingsfoil. Legolas, for the first time in all of Jackson's movies, gets his butt kicked, but still doggedly follows Bolg as he flees. His actions here show that he is bound to duty rather than his feelings.

Thanks to Tauriel, the kingsfoil is applied just in time to purge the poison from Kili. As she tends to his wound once the danger has passed, Kili, in a delirious state, begins to talk of her, not believing that she is really there with him. As he talks of her, he says one of the best lines in the movie: "She walks in starlight in another world." His fingers gently brush hers, and she barely entwines her fingers around his. Then he asks her, "do you think she could have loved me?" She does not answer.

Okay, that's done with! All in all, Kili and Tauriel have a decent love story. They care for one another, but have different goals that take precedence over pursuing a relationship. They don't obsess about each other, and they don't try to force each other into something they don't have time for. Kili fell first, but Tauriel made the move when she defied Thranduil and Legolas. Their feelings for each other come naturally.

Those of us who read the book know that Kili dies in battle, so the potential for a happy ending for these two is almost nil. The only thing I can come up with for these two to have some sense of a happy ending is if Kili suffers a mortal wound, but Tauriel manages to take him west to the undying lands. With that ending, it would stick with Tolkien's canon and remove Tauriel at the same time. Their particular love story in this film is a refreshing one, not only due to the naturalness of their actions toward one another, but also due to the acting done by Turner and Lilly. They manage to create compelling characters that romantics roots for, and their chemistry is impeccable. Although it is a change to the well-loved story, we still want to see them get together and have a happy ending.


Final Verdict

Having seen the movie three times, this particular topic kept me weighing the three perspectives, trying to find the best way so categorizing Kili and Tauriel's love story in The Hobbit films. Ultimately, it was unnecessary. While it is a good love story, the book did not have it initially, and it brought too many changes to the beloved story. There were already enough additions that didn't change much, but the love story couldn't be ignored. It is forgivable to many, but the movie could have done without it.

However, there is still the fact that it is a decent love story. What's done is done, and I'm going to enjoy it while I can.