{"id":92927,"date":"2016-07-12T04:13:02","date_gmt":"2016-07-12T04:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2016\/07\/12\/vickysnest-summa-awilum-im-utterly-baffled\/"},"modified":"2016-07-12T04:13:02","modified_gmt":"2016-07-12T04:13:02","slug":"vickysnest-summa-awilum-im-utterly-baffled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2016\/07\/12\/vickysnest-summa-awilum-im-utterly-baffled\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

vickysnest<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

summa-awilum<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

I\u2019m utterly baffled at why people think Fili and Kili are immature, idiotic children who can\u2019t do anything right. Like, did we watch the same movie? Did we? Because this is what I saw:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Fili and Kili traveled from Ered Luin to Hobbiton, by themselves, <\/strong>with no problems\u2013and if this is their first time traveling any distance away from home, then they did REALLY WELL, because (a) they were on time, (b) they had no discernable injuries, and \u00a9 that is,\u00a0at the least<\/em>, a distance of approximately 160 miles (sorta depending on which map you\u2019re looking at), and that\u2019s if you\u2019re traveling as the crow flies, to the closest mountain to Hobbiton.<\/p>\n

Think about that\u2013two young men, who\u2019ve never traveled away from home, are able to travel at\u00a0least<\/em>\u00a0160 miles,\u00a0by themselves<\/em>, and they are\u00a0fine<\/em>. That isn\u2019t the mark of immaturity or stupidity\u2013that\u2019s the mark of resourceful young men who know how to work together, and how to survive on their own.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Kili (barely) messes up Bilbo\u2019s surname.<\/strong> Now, considering that dwarves, elves, and men don\u2019t seem to have surnames, it\u2019s pretty damn nice and considerate of Kili to use Bilbo\u2019s surname when addressing Bilbo. I mean, Kili is literally using cultural sensitivity of a culture\u00a0that is not his own<\/em> to address someone. And yes, he gets Bilbo\u2019s name wrong (by one vowel, guys\u2013I have people slaughter my name on a daily basis, and it\u2019s not by one vowel), but he\u00a0calls Bilbo by name<\/em>. Kili\u2019s the first dwarf to do so. Dwalin didn\u2019t call Bilbo by name, and neither did Balin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What happens with Fili and Kili is that they knock on a door. A hobbit answers. Fili and Kili politely introduce themselves and bow; the hobbit\u00a0does nothing<\/em>, so Kili diffuses the tense and impolite situation,\u00a0which the hobbit is creating<\/em>, by saying, \u201cYou must be Mister Boggins.\u201d He\u2019s giving Bilbo an out; either Bilbo\u00a0is<\/em> Mister Boggins, and he can say, \u201cYes, yes, come in,\u201d or he can say, \u201cNo, sorry, you\u2019ve got the wrong house.\u201c\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kili is being fucking politic.\u00a0<\/em>He\u2019s an heir to the a throne, and he\u2019s been trained to be culturally sensitive and polite. And yes, he fucks up Bilbo\u2019s name\u00a0once<\/em>, but at least he had the sensitivity and wits to use Bilbo\u2019s name.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0The boys tease Bilbo about orcs.<\/strong> And this is definitely a two-man endeavor. Kili just says that the screaming sounds are orcs; it\u2019s Fili who begins the teasing, by talking about how many orcs there must be out in the lowlands. Then Kili picks it up, and talks about orcs slaughtering people. And yes, it\u2019s not a very good joke\u2013but remember that we\u2019re talking about dwarves. Fili and Kili have doubtlessly been raised on stories about wars with every race, but especially with orcs. And Fili and Kili shouldn\u2019t be laughing at Bilbo\u2019s fear, but Fili and Kili are also cautioning Bilbo, in their own way. There\u2019s a reason there\u2019s always someone awake to keep watch.<\/p>\n

Also, this is the only time Thorin reprimands his nephews in the film, and he doesn\u2019t get mad at them for talking about orcs. He gets mad at them for\u00a0laughing<\/em>. He\u2019s angry because they\u2019re giggling over something that could very easily kill them (and did very easily kill most of their relatives). Fili and Kili are young, and they still think that they\u2019re invincible, and\u00a0that<\/em> is what concerns Thorin, and is what prompts Thorin\u2019s reprimand.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Losing the ponies. <\/strong>Okay, I really want to know how Fili and Kili missed the first two ponies getting snatched by trolls, but can we look at how competent Fili and Kili are in the situation? First, look at what Fili\u2019s wearing, or rather, not wearing. It\u2019s nighttime, which means it\u2019s cooler and it\u2019s darker, and Fili\u2019s coat, while warm, is also a light fawn color, which would stick out like a sore thumb. Buthe\u2019s not wearing his coat; he shucked off his coat, and he\u2019s moving around in just his shirt, which is a darker color, easier to blend in. Is that on purpose? I dunno, but I like to think it is.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And Fili and Kili realize that the ponies have been snatched by trolls very quickly. Like, a broken tree and some suspicious noises fast. And they really should have alerted Thorin and\u00a0not<\/em> sent Bilbo into harm\u2019s way (though he is supposed to be a burglar, so their expectations aren\u2019t completely out of line). But they mostly keep their promise to Bilbo. They stay close by, and while Bilbo isn\u2019t perfectly safe (in truth, he\u2019s in more than a fair share of danger), they do rush in (Kili) and fetch the others (Fili) to save Bilbo.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And if you considering the amount of time Bilbo spends trying to free the ponies, and the distance between the dwarves\u2019 and trolls\u2019 campsites, Fili and Kili aren\u2019t sitting around eating their stew, snickering into their fists. Fili\u2019s fetching Thorin & Co., and Kili\u2019s keeping an eye on the trolls\u2019 campsite. They both react in time to get Bilbo out of the trouble in which they first embroiled him.<\/p>\n

5. All the fighting.<\/strong> Fili and Kili show themselves to be as capable as the other dwarves when it comes to battle, and most importantly, they follow Thorin\u2019s orders. Kili shows frustration and anger when Thorin lays down his sword in the Trollshaws, but he follows Thorin\u2019s lead. When Thorin nods at Kili\u2019s bow, Kili moves out of the relative safety of the rock, exposing himself, in order to shoot the warg and orc. When Thorin tells Kili to shoot the wargs and orcs, Kili does so; when Thorin tells everyone to stand their ground, Fili stands his ground (though he was already standing it).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fili and Kili don\u2019t act any more reckless in battle than any of the other dwarves, and they continually and reliably listen to Thorin\u2019s commands. They\u2019re literally the perfect soldiers\u2013even when they’reangry and scared, they do what Thorin says, with little to no hesitation.<\/p>\n

Also, Kili isn\u2019t failtastic with the sword. I mean, let\u2019s just tally about weapon usage, shall we? Trollshaws: sword; the moorlands: bow; Goblin Town: sword; the burning trees of doom: sword. You guys, the sword is winning hands down, and he\u2019s doing fine with it. He has nearly as many artistic sword-twirls as Balin and Thorin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And beyond that, Fili and Kili both think on their feet. Fili cuts the ropes of the bridge without being prompted, and Kili uses a ladder to create a make-shift ram&shield. They are adept at fighting, which isn\u2019t surprising, because this is literally what they were raised from birth to do. They\u2019re meant to be kings, and it is kings who ride out to war. They know how to fight, they know how to protect themselves, they know how to think on their feet, and they know how to follow commands of their elders and betters.<\/p>\n

6. They\u2019re generally kind to everyone else<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/strong>though it\u2019s certainly not without an amount of teasing. But let\u2019s run a quick recap: Fili takes Ori\u2019s plate, beginning the clean-up of Bilbo\u2019s dishes; also, Fili is the one who\u2019s fetching everyone more beer. Fili and Kili are constantly teasing Bilbo, but their teasings are also interspersed with kindnesses: they help him onto his pony, they express genuine concern when Bilbo is missing, and they express even more relief when Bilbo shows up again. Fili helps Bombur up after the thunderbattle, and Kili shows confused interest in all the stuff Bifur is digging through outside the troll cave. Also, Kili\u2019s not the derp who nearly falls off the burning tree\u2013that was (the utterly flawless) Dori. Dori throws up his arms, waaaay too excited about scaring the wargs away with fire, and when Dori loses his balance and begins to fall, Kili lunges forward and catches him.<\/p>\n

You guys, these aren\u2019t the actions of heartless and\/or hopeless children. These are (young) grown-ass dwarves who genuinely care about their companions, and who\u00a0take care<\/em> of their companions, to the same degree that their companions take care of them. They help, support, and protect\u2013and, most of all, they trust each other, and they are trustworthy themselves.<\/p>\n

7. And they have undying loyalty for their uncle,\u00a0<\/strong>though perhaps I should call that dying loyalty? In their world, everything is Thorin and nothing hurts (though their deaths might). In all seriousness, they\u2019re pretty damn stuck on their uncle, and it\u2019s more than a little bit wonderful and heartbreaking, all at once. They want to please him, and they want to see him safe and whole. But for all that, they also give him some pretty grumpy looks from time to time, especially Kili. And I think that shows the complexity of their grown-ass selves more than anything else.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re loyal, and they will listen to their uncle, but they will also quietly disagree; they\u2019ll grow angry and frustrated, and they\u2019ll throw down their sword, but\u00a0they will still follow him<\/em>. The level of maturity they have, to follow their uncle and their king, even when they disagree\u2013the degree of self-control\u2013is not something to scoff at.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Are they perfect?\u00a0<\/strong>God, no. And if they were perfect, they\u2019d be really fucking boring. But they\u2019re not idiots, they\u2019re not utterly immature, and they\u2019re not hopeless. They are complex characters. They\u2019re really nice, but they\u2019re also little shits.\u00a0They make mistakes, just like everyone else. But their successes far outweigh their mistakes.<\/strong> They\u2019re cocky and self-assured and also scared to death, they love their uncle with their whole hearts, but they also disagree with him at times. They tease and poke and prod, but they\u2019ll also lunge out of a fucking burning tree to save their companions. They\u2019re young, but they\u2019re also trustworthy and competent, and\u00a0when you consider all their complexities, their faults and their triumphs, they are utterly perfect.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

vickysnest: summa-awilum: I\u2019m utterly baffled at why people think Fili and Kili are immature, idiotic children who can\u2019t do anything right. Like, did we watch the same movie? Did we? Because this is what I saw: 1.\u00a0Fili and Kili traveled from Ered Luin to Hobbiton, by themselves, with no problems\u2013and if this is their first … <\/p>\n

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