Bilbo Remains in Erebor
| Tropes and genres | |
|---|---|
| Synonym(s) | Bilbo Stays in Erebor, Bilbo Returns to Erebor |
| Related tropes/genres | Canon Divergence AU (The Hobbit), Consort Bilbo |
| See also | Alternate Universe, Canon Divergence AU |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
Bilbo Remains in Erebor is a very common canon divergent alternate universe for fanworks in The Hobbit.[1] The premise is that Bilbo Baggins either stays in or returns to Erebor after the quest. The trope is ubiquitous in Everyone Lives works;[2] it also occurs in some canon compliant post-Battle of Five Armies works.
Sometimes Bilbo returns home to settle his affairs (and collect Frodo Baggins). In these cases, Thorin's Company is usually aware that he intends to return, but sometimes they don't realize, or Bilbo doesn't initially intend to. In some cases, one or more dwarves travel to the shire to retrieve Bilbo and bring him back to Erebor, often with Frodo in tow; this trope is sometimes referred to as Bilbo Returns to Erebor.
AO3 has a canonical tag for Alternate Universe - Bilbo Remains in Erebor. The site also has a canonical tag for Consort Bilbo, wherein Bilbo remains in Erebor and marries Thorin.
Origins
The trope originated as part of a happy ending outcome in movieverse fandom.[2] It was first proposed on hobbit_kink,[3] but it was picked up on several other sites as well. The trope was used more often in later fandom, especially as the third movie approached and in the few months after its release.
Example Fanworks
Archives and Resources
- Bilbo Remains in Erebor on AO3
Fanfiction
- Say It With Mushrooms by FoxDragon
- If You Give Your Dwarves a Mountain by AMMO121
- Quadrivium by onsenorita
- Safe and Distant by Lindzzz
References
- ^ 60 works tagged with Bilbo Remains in Erebor on AO3 as of March 22, 2015, but the trope is significantly under-tagged.
- ^ a b On April 12, 2015, 30 of the 63 Bilbo Remains in Erebor works were also tagged with some variant of "Everyone Is Alive". 30 of those 63 works were also tagged with "Fluff".
- ^ Early hobbit_kink prompt Thorin/Bilbo Bilbo adjusting to life with Thorin from December 18, 2012, was the first to explicitly state that Bilbo remained in Erebor; it was also an Everyone Lives prompt.