Found this on Pinterest. Would love to have one in a long-sleeved version . . .
I just saw the latest TV trailer for BOTFA. Not a lot of Thorin, but, oh! That scene where he turns his eyes–those beautiful, expressive eyes–to his company, and asks, “Will you follow me, one last time?” And that lump comes to my throat again and I feel the sting in my own eyes.
Found on Pinterest. Not my edit, and not that scene to which I referred, but the expression captivates me.
Of course I will follow, my king. You may be a dwarf (but what a charismatic, majestic and beautiful one!), and I, a mere human, and completely useless with a sword or axe or bow and arrow, but I will follow. Heck, you might actually be a fictional character, but your CReAtor made me believe in you, believe in your quest, agonise over what is to come for you, the returned King Under the Mountain, and your kinsmen.
I know Peter Jackson has complete faith in the CReAtor’s ability to bring you to life, with all the lights and darks of this complex character, deeply flawed in some respects and yet so kingly, so admirable and so easy for us to follow both in spite of and because of it all.
This was one of my vocabulary words for the day delivered to my inbox this morning, and it struck me as an apt description of what RA achieves with his acting:
chiaroscuro: In painting, the use of deep variations in and subtle gradations of light and shade, especially to enhance the delineation of character and for general dramatic effect. Rembrandt was a master of chiaroscuro.
(Dictionary.com’s Word of the Day)
Richard is the master artist of the detailed character; we learn to appreciate the subtle and varied shading of emotions he delivers from his palette. From a wistful remembrance of past glories to a fellow relaxed and enjoying a hearty meal with his family and comrades . . .
The arkenstone-ck.tumblr.com
Yennifer-ice
From the proud and fierce warrior, always ready to enter the fray . . .
To a roaring lion, a force to be reckoned with . . .
One who can express a myriad of emotions with the flicker of an eyelash, a tilt of his head, the tightening of that jaw–silence speaking of an inner storm.
He’s an amazing actor and, I believe, a wonderful human being to boot. And so, dear Thorin, I will follow you into The Edge (local theater) with my Kleenex in hand in a few weeks. And Richard, although I have short breaks away from you due to work projects, health issues and money woes (we had limited/no access to internet for the past 10 days due to the la), I keep coming back. There’s just something about you . . .
And I swear, it’s not just the tush. Although it’s Grade A like the rest of you (inside and out). 😀
the armitage effect 
Lovely post. Those eyes do me in every time. Chiaroscuro perfectly captures the Man.
Thank you! It’s been so long since I could post, that in spite of the fact I have a lot on my plate at present, I just had to take the time to share. It was serendipitous! 😀
What a lovely post (ending on that cheeky note *ggg*). And great t-shirt, although I’d prefer it if it was printed from my POV…
Hope your internet access is re-instated and that things are going to look up, soon. (Which reminds me to be in touch with you behind the scenes about something that I am supposed to give you ;-))
I can’t seem to resist being a little cheeky when it comes to Mr. A 😉 I see what you mean about having the tee printed from your own POV. That old tune just keeps playing in my head, “I will follow him, wherever he goes . . .” Now I am imagining the dwarves singing it. LOL Yes, I was able to pay enough yesterday to get our internet back–I have to make another small payment Friday and then the balance off next Friday, but at least we are back in business (and literally, it is a way we promote our video company). People have been very kind and supportive in various ways and it is all much appreciated. Look forward to hearing from you 😉
Hahaha, what an image – the dwarves breaking into a gospel version of “I will follow him”. Priceless.
Beautiful post. Hope arm is better. About shirt, you could buy a longsleeved shirt to go under it.
Thank you. It’s giving me some trouble today, but we’ve had some very cold weather here for this time of year in south Alabama, and weather extremes do affect me. Actually, I don’t even know if you can order that shirt . . . I am thinking of creating a design of my own and having it printed if I can scrounge together some money. 😀 Things are picking up a bit again for the video production company and for my writing assignments with the paper.