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Schrödinger's Hobbit: Director's Cut: Table of Contents
I can't keep track of who owns what regarding Tolkien's works. Rest assured that I own none of it. This is a transformative work made for fun and I do not make any profit from sharing it. ATTENTION PLEASE! You are reading the Director's Cut, which is full of expandable author's notes. These author's notes contain UNMARKED SPOILERS. If you've never read this fic before, I strongly recommend reading the uncommented version!
Chapter 2: An Unexpected Pity-PartyStory BeatsQuick overview of Sméagol’s overly troubled birth and orphaning | Gollum has some banter with Merry and Pippin and Bilbo, sets up some of his emotional conflict (fears he will not be accepted long-term, wants to reconcile with Bilbo after being really quite awful to him)
Chapter 3: A Small ThingStory BeatsGollum meets Boromir, who will become his unlikely friend, and sets up some of the busy-work of the fic’s plot by revealing himself as an orc expert. We meet Eardwulf who will be a prominent OC (he has stepped in as a caretaker for Gollum, a role that required an OC because no canon character would be appropriate unless- at a thin stretch- I wanted to be really mean to Sam and Frodo)
Chapter 4: Lost And FoundStory BeatsGollum is lonely, restless, seeking emotional connection and recovering his physical abilities. This lets him pester Bilbo and the other hobbits.
Chapter 5: Meetings in the GardenStory BeatsRelationship/arc work with Boromir and Bilbo. Boromir reveals the ugly truth of his grab for the Ring, which freaks Gollum out in the moment but will be the foundation for them sharing a unique and special bond. More of Gollum wanting to reconcile with Bilbo, which is currently a desire buried so deep that he doesn’t acknowledge it. Gollum offers to do blah blah whatever orcs. (B-Story)
Chapter 6: Indelible InkStory BeatsGollum rediscovers literacy, which unlocks a new way for him to communicate his persona and interests from pre-Ring. Sam and Frodo take an active role in helping him remember how to write, as they helped him recover himself.
Chapter 7: A Cat May Look At a KingStory BeatsGollum meets with Aragorn. They check in on Gollum’s current character development. Gollum panics at the realization that he is under Aragorn’s control more than he knew, and escapes his room to explore Minas Tirith under flimsy pretenses of something something orcs.
Part Two
Chapter 8: Gollum EscapesStory BeatsHistory of Sméagol’s childhood and pre-Ring self, which provides the information necessary to know when his present day self is lining up with who he always was (and is not a product of corruption or trauma) | Gollum explores Minas Tirith. He tries to behave in his old patterns of being a freaking weird animal who lives in the dark and is creepy. (Fun & Games/"the promise of the premise")
Chapter 9: A Walking Tour of Minas TirithStory BeatsGollum continues to explore Minas Tirith and finds out he doesn’t like his old behavior, discovers what it’s like to have somewhat normal social interactions.
Chapter 10: Answers in the LightStory BeatsGollum continues to explore Minas Tirith much more publicly, finally has a little too much fun, gets lost and gets rebuffed, runs across Bilbo Baggins and has a reverse-Riddles in the Dark encounter where Bilbo treats him with kindness and empathy when given the chance to react however he wants.
Chapter 11: The Abyss Stares BackStory BeatsGollum discusses at length what his ‘deal’ is with moral behavior, his thoughts on society and how he should behave, etc. with Sam, Frodo and Boromir. Gollum has now moved beyond the level where he can hide and be purely reactive and needs to figure this stuff out.
Chapter 12: Reunions and IntroductionsStory BeatsGollum now has to contend with Faramir as well. He ends up confronting who he really is, not liking the answer, and making the choice to reach out to the people around him and be a little more civilized.
Chapter 13: This Participant Wishes To Remain AnonymousStory BeatsDenethor shows up for one final 'who are you really’ conversation. This is the harshest of the three conversations and makes clear that while Gollum can no longer be Weird Freak Alone forever, he can’t be Normal Guy either, not even Normal Freak, because he also had a huge important part in the War of the Ring and is actually famous oops. ("Bad Guys Close In")
Chapter 14: Matters of OpinionStory BeatsGollum spends time with Boromir and two very nice OCs, three characters who know all the available information about Gollum and whom he is quite honest with. This is a 'breather’ after Denethor, and demonstrates to him and the reader that he actually can find acceptance and real friendship while still being who he is. Hopefully. Frodo is here too.
Part Three
Chapter 15: Blood Is Thicker Than WaterStory BeatsDéagol dies. Reminder of all the vile filth in Gollum’s past that he still needs to address once he’s gotten past 'not being feral’ | Pippin, Merry and Boromir all spend some time with Gollum (on the way to a place to do a thing, so it’s disguised as action) and their discussion shows that the disconnect between Gollum and the shire-hobbits is becoming more strongly felt, while he’s drawing closer to Boromir and his city
Chapter 16: Meat is Off the MenuStory BeatsThere are finally some orcs. Gollum confronts the horrors he’s committed and makes such a strong moral turnaround that he’s now taking pity on the orcs and urging others to clemency. (A story and B story combine and reveal solution)
Chapter 17: Getting Along SwimminglyStory BeatsSam and Frodo discuss this new development and also dig into what it will mean for Gollum to be known for his part in the War. He decides he will have to accept the truth of what happened.
Chapter 18: A Story and a LessonStory BeatsGollum has more friendly interactions with random strangers in Minas Tirith. He’s given a new room, which is tailored to his preferences and needs in a way that show how much empathy and understanding the Gondorians have for him, and there’s a conversation with Eardwulf that lets Gollum reveal some interest in the natural world that he’s always had and never had a chance to express. Gollum puts together a carefully edited account of his part in the War that he feels he can 'own’. (Final Push)
Chapter 19: Baggins Guessed It Long AgoStory BeatsGollum reconciles with Bilbo. Actually he discovers Bilbo is such a nice guy that he was never really mad at him, which shakes his worldview.
Chapter 20: The Voice of the RingStory BeatsGollum goes to the River and completes the reconnection with his past self, talks to Boromir and decides he wants to make a gesture of public penitence.
Chapter 21: Trial by FireStory BeatsSméagol is banished from his village for committing terrible crimes he never owned up to or tried to make up for | Sméagol publicly accounts for all of his crimes and acknowledges that he deserves strong punishment; and Aragorn proclaims that Sméagol has gone through so much horrible stuff that there’s no way to punish him that he hasn’t faced already, and anyway he’s sorry and Aragorn doesn’t want to punish him. So he gets a public pardon and is set free to live a new life without shame. (Finale)
Epilogue: "The cold hard lands, they bites our hands..."Story BeatsSméagol a few months later in his new envrionment. He’s done as well for himself as was reasonably possible, has accepted the help and forgiveness that was offered, and is content. He is making a gesture of generosity towards Eardwulf, showing a level of caring for others that he would not ever have considered at the beginning of the story. (Final Image/Aftermath)