A combination that just now occurred to me: can you imagine the Fellowship if Severus Snape and Puddleglum were both part of it? Add in Eeyore instead of Bill the Pony and you have quite the Glum and Dour Fellowship! haha
For elves from the northern polar regions, I'd suggest subbing in Hermey from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for Buddy, due to his extensive experience with long quests and facing legendary monsters.
(His version of Jackson's Legolas vs the Oliphaunt scene ends with him standing next to a pile of enormous, expertly extracted tusks.)
I can’t help but think of Wit from Sanderson’s Cosmer as an interesting wizard option. And how about throwing Lopen (one armed) into the mix while we’re at it?
Hey! Not to make these comments about platforms! But I just hopped over to your Medium! I’ve been on there as well for some time. It’s a great second place.
Straying into different genres, but if you wanted stealth and speed for your Fellowship you couldn't do better than Batman. Plus he's got mad detective skills so he'd be good at solving riddles, and Moria? Psh. Batman could handle Moria in a cinch. He's probably got a freeze ray stashed from when he last fought Mr. Freeze; let's see the Balrog stand up to that.
My only other suggestion would be swapping up Matthias for Martin the Warrior, and maybe throwing in Poggin the Dwarf from the Last Battle. With all the running around in the woods they did, Poggin's got stealth down flat. And as for Martin, Matthias is cool, but Martin is the OG warriormouse in Redwall. Unless you're going to trade up for one of the Badger Lords or the Long Patrol (and wouldn't THAT be cool) I'd go with Martin.
Howl from Howl's Moving Castle (the books) would be an interesting swap for Gandalf, since he is good-natured and powerful but lazier and vainer than Gandalf. More likely to be best buds with Pippin and Merry from the get go. Plus friends with a fire demon, so some potential to twist up the Mines of Moria ending.
Love this article. A lot of fun thinking about swapping out different characters and how that changes the dynamics. Really leaning into how good stories are not just interesting plots, but interesting characters thrown into an interesting plot.
I know you said it as a joke, but perhaps the Fellowship IS all the characters we read along the way? None of us experience life the same way and part of who we are is what we read and carry along with us. So, even though Tolkien created the Fellowship, we get to bring with us our on history, thoughts, and biases into his world...including all the characters we have read along the way ❤️
Super fun! My personal fave is Buddy the Elf. Maybe we can get PJ to do a re-make?
Also, there have been several signs this week that are pushing me toward reading Discworld. I’ve read Good Omens and recently read Stardust (both just delightful), so I guess I need to listen to the universe.
There’s a great writing prompt in there somewhere. The “Bad Idea” writing tool is one of the most versatile approaches to writer’s block in my opinion, and this is a prime example.
I can imagine sitting down to write a book in which nine companions—adapted from different books/stories—are thrust together in seemingly the worst combination in order to complete a quest. I might just give it a go!
A combination that just now occurred to me: can you imagine the Fellowship if Severus Snape and Puddleglum were both part of it? Add in Eeyore instead of Bill the Pony and you have quite the Glum and Dour Fellowship! haha
For elves from the northern polar regions, I'd suggest subbing in Hermey from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for Buddy, due to his extensive experience with long quests and facing legendary monsters.
(His version of Jackson's Legolas vs the Oliphaunt scene ends with him standing next to a pile of enormous, expertly extracted tusks.)
I can’t help but think of Wit from Sanderson’s Cosmer as an interesting wizard option. And how about throwing Lopen (one armed) into the mix while we’re at it?
Hey! Not to make these comments about platforms! But I just hopped over to your Medium! I’ve been on there as well for some time. It’s a great second place.
Here I am
https://medium.com/@Bob-Marcus/what-i-bring-to-the-good-fight-616740836132
Straying into different genres, but if you wanted stealth and speed for your Fellowship you couldn't do better than Batman. Plus he's got mad detective skills so he'd be good at solving riddles, and Moria? Psh. Batman could handle Moria in a cinch. He's probably got a freeze ray stashed from when he last fought Mr. Freeze; let's see the Balrog stand up to that.
My only other suggestion would be swapping up Matthias for Martin the Warrior, and maybe throwing in Poggin the Dwarf from the Last Battle. With all the running around in the woods they did, Poggin's got stealth down flat. And as for Martin, Matthias is cool, but Martin is the OG warriormouse in Redwall. Unless you're going to trade up for one of the Badger Lords or the Long Patrol (and wouldn't THAT be cool) I'd go with Martin.
This is excellent content. Thank you. 😂
Ugh, Jar Jar Binks!
I thought of Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice. He would be completely worthless. Haha.
"Meesa Jar Jar Binks! Meesa ruin Star Wars...and LOTR!"
This was genuinely hilarious. So much fun imagining these scenarios/interactions.
Howl from Howl's Moving Castle (the books) would be an interesting swap for Gandalf, since he is good-natured and powerful but lazier and vainer than Gandalf. More likely to be best buds with Pippin and Merry from the get go. Plus friends with a fire demon, so some potential to twist up the Mines of Moria ending.
Love this article. A lot of fun thinking about swapping out different characters and how that changes the dynamics. Really leaning into how good stories are not just interesting plots, but interesting characters thrown into an interesting plot.
I now demand a Fellowship with Gilderoy Lockhart and Buddy the Elf. LOL!
I know you said it as a joke, but perhaps the Fellowship IS all the characters we read along the way? None of us experience life the same way and part of who we are is what we read and carry along with us. So, even though Tolkien created the Fellowship, we get to bring with us our on history, thoughts, and biases into his world...including all the characters we have read along the way ❤️
Super fun! My personal fave is Buddy the Elf. Maybe we can get PJ to do a re-make?
Also, there have been several signs this week that are pushing me toward reading Discworld. I’ve read Good Omens and recently read Stardust (both just delightful), so I guess I need to listen to the universe.
There’s a great writing prompt in there somewhere. The “Bad Idea” writing tool is one of the most versatile approaches to writer’s block in my opinion, and this is a prime example.
I can imagine sitting down to write a book in which nine companions—adapted from different books/stories—are thrust together in seemingly the worst combination in order to complete a quest. I might just give it a go!