Look, I’m an introvert, through and through.  You may disagree with me, if you know me IRL, but that’s probably because you’ve attended one of my yoga classes, where my energy is high af.  In general, though, I like to be left alone, I need to recharge after being around other people, and I’d be happy as a clam to just spend the rest of my life with no company other than my cats and my books and a huge bucket of tea.  Thus, most of my relatable moments with LOTR are hobbit-specific ones because though they like to party, they also like to squirrel themselves away in their holes and prefer not to be bothered.  And though it shouldn’t seem like LOTR, in its 66th year, would still be relatable, it hella is.

Though I’m not listing these in any particular order, Pippin with his aggrieved second breakfast is top of the list.  When he tries to stop them on one of their first days of travel to eat second breakfast, and Aragorn is just like???  THAT.  I feel that deep in my soul.  We always joke that my mom is 100000% a hobbit, and she is, but while I definitely have a lot of dwarfish qualities, I also fall in hobbit territory for a lot of reasons, and one of the main ones is food.  I love the idea of second breakfast so much.  Elevenses?  Luncheon tea?  Supper and dinner?  Bring it the heck on.

Are potatoes one of my main food groups?  Yes.  Would this line still be amazing even if I didn’t love them?  Completely.  This line is such a classic LOTR moment, and it fits with Sam’s character so well.  But also, it’s just hilarious, and I feel you, Sam.  Boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew.  But also, like, roast ’em, fry ’em, and add ’em to literally everything.  Potatoes are where my heart’s at, and they’re so versatile, so it makes sense that Sam is doing some mouth-watering over them.

I’ll level with you–I’m not a huge Martin Freeman fan, and I was more than a little annoyed when he was cast as Bilbo.  That said, the face that he makes in this gif is a face that I think every single human on earth has made at some point or another.  It’s the face of someone who’s been bothered way too much recently, who would really rather not be bothered, and who can’t believe someone has the audacity to keep bothering them, especially right now.  And given what Bilbo goes through after this moment, well.  The face is totally reasonable.

What I wouldn’t give to leave behind all the chaos that is the US, fly myself off to New Zealand, steal away into a hobbit hole, and then just sigh into a beautiful garden while I read my books.  I love Frodo for a lot of reasons, but the fact that the very first shot we ever see of him is him reading in a field leaning against a tree–that just sets such a powerful first image in the viewer’s mind for this character, and it’s forever the way I think of him.  He’s like that in the books, too, raised on Bilbo’s stories and a bit of yearning for adventure, and I definitely feel that itch, too, as I look out my doorstep and wonder how far the road could take me.

For two years in a row (not including this year because even without a pandemic, I’m done with this stupid activity), I’ve run a 5k.  It’s the only race I’ve run, and though I’ve done training to prepare for it both years, I have never–literally never–actually enjoyed running.  People used to tell me that I would like it the more I did it, but I definitely just hated it more with each passing second.  And so, when we see Gimli tumbling ass over tea kettle out of the mountains while he’s trying to keep up with the two big dudes, I feel that pain so viscerally.

Say what you want about Pippin, but we’re all secretly him.  We’ve all looked at something we’re not supposed to, or touched things we weren’t supposed to.  Hell, I can bring myself right back to being in museums as a kid and trying to climb straight over the barriers.  When Pippin picks up the palantir, I always want to yell at him because I know what it’s going to cost, but, at the same time, I know that I’d definitely be doing the same thing as him.  I mean, how can you not?  Look!  A shiny marble!  I wanna see, too!  (Especially me, I’d be horrible in this case given how sympathetic I am to Sauron.)

I know, I know, I know.  You’re all giving me a look right now because I’ve called Aragorn a weirdo time and time again for lurking in the corner of this scene, but like?  Yeah, same.  I also try to find the most unobtrusive seat in a restaurant and make myself melt into the shadows.  I just really can’t wrap my mind around extroverted people who live on high energy situations like being in a crowded room.  I’m all good, thanks, I’ll creep in the corner with Aragorn.

I’ve probably said these exact words before.  Who hasn’t?  Especially in this last year, when everything’s just been utter shit and I’d love nothing more than to escape.  And especially right now, as I’m in my first few weeks at a new job, and my normal routine has been completely turned on its head, and I’m exhausted every day, and all I want right now is to curl up in a quiet place with a couple of cats, a cup of tea, and just work on my book.

There are so many gifs to choose from!  Gandalf’s exasperation shows up so many times, even in really small moments where you can tell he wants to roll his eyes, but he also realizes that he’s supposed to be better than that.  And I so feel this over it mood.  So often, Gandalf is the “adult” of the situation, but, so often, he just wants to smash someone’s head off a wall.  His exasperation is so keenly felt, both because of Ian McKellen’s performance and because we get it.  When Pippin twists the arrow in the corpse, I, too, want to throttle him.  When Hamma tries to take his staff in Edoras, I, too, want to thwack him over the head.  When Aragorn is being all meh meh meh about taking the throne, I, too, want to chuck him from the highest level of Minas Tirith.  Gandalf’s exasperation is the best.

I’m sure I could think of a different moment than swinging back around with another hobbit, but I just love how shy Sam is.  He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s about to save the world, and yet, he can’t talk to the girl he likes.  It’s so sweet and so endearing and so painfully relatable because I hate talking to new people.  My first day at my new job, I brought in homemade croissants just so that I would definitely have a conversation starter that I didn’t actually have to think about or put that much effort in because the fact that I was meeting 15 new people at once was already stressful enough.  And, much like Sam, once I’ve gotten comfortable, talking to those new people isn’t that bad.

What moment in LOTR do you relate with most?