One subway to rule them all
July 10, 2014 11:39 AM Subscribe
Artist William Puck creates a set of LOTR-inspired notices for the New York Subway.
The MTA is not amused, apparently, but if you're lucky you'll find your very own MiddleEarthCard.
More photos on Puck's Instagram. Via LaughingSquid.
The MTA is not amused, apparently, but if you're lucky you'll find your very own MiddleEarthCard.
More photos on Puck's Instagram. Via LaughingSquid.
This side door was created by zjkrb6rg during the reign of Fasbuk.
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posted by Pudhoho at 11:47 AM on July 10, 2014
Unlock the following permissions to gain admittance...
posted by Pudhoho at 11:47 AM on July 10, 2014
Honestly, I wasn't amused by most of them either, but the wedding notice one is probably the most clever of the bunch.
posted by Curious Artificer at 11:50 AM on July 10, 2014
posted by Curious Artificer at 11:50 AM on July 10, 2014
You what happened to the second avenue subway right?
They dug too far and too deep.
posted by The Whelk at 11:59 AM on July 10, 2014 [10 favorites]
They dug too far and too deep.
posted by The Whelk at 11:59 AM on July 10, 2014 [10 favorites]
So is the entire New York Subway system slopped on a 45 degree angle?
posted by Kabanos at 12:00 PM on July 10, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by Kabanos at 12:00 PM on July 10, 2014 [6 favorites]
I like how each poster is shown from three to ten times always at the same 45-degree angle and always with with the bottom cropped out or else too minuscule to read before we get to see what is on it. This is an excellent design choice and not at all repetitive, tedious and irritating.
I can only imagine that this is intended to reproduce the feeling of being in the train itself. You get on the A at 103rd, at 76th you say, "Hey, did that service notice say something about Narsil?" and you squint at the poster every succeeding station until you get out at Spring Street and get to read it.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:01 PM on July 10, 2014 [12 favorites]
I can only imagine that this is intended to reproduce the feeling of being in the train itself. You get on the A at 103rd, at 76th you say, "Hey, did that service notice say something about Narsil?" and you squint at the poster every succeeding station until you get out at Spring Street and get to read it.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:01 PM on July 10, 2014 [12 favorites]
The ring Wraiths are coming! Well ..once the G gets here they're totally coming after us!
posted by The Whelk at 12:03 PM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by The Whelk at 12:03 PM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
This train is being delayed due to dragon activity at a nearby station. Please be patient.
posted by The Whelk at 12:11 PM on July 10, 2014
posted by The Whelk at 12:11 PM on July 10, 2014
So, one does not simply...ride the subway into Mordor?
posted by ShutterBun at 12:17 PM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ShutterBun at 12:17 PM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
If the ring wraiths rely on the G, we'll be fine.
posted by JaredSeth at 12:17 PM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by JaredSeth at 12:17 PM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah, the way the pictures are displayed is really irritating (also, one of them says "from whence" which I am pretty sure is wrong).
That said, I might appreciate these more if I had any damn idea what actually happens in Lord of the Rings. I watched part of the first movie and read the first two books in high school because I had a crush on my physics teacher so I know just enough to drive my roommate bonkers and every few months when we're drunk he tries to explain it to me and it's very, very confusing. Apparently there are two evil wizards? But only one of them is friends with the eagles? And also three good wizards but two of them are Gandalf? Also the god in Lord of the Rings is a huge dick and I absolutely hate him so now my husband and roommate bring him up a lot to piss me off and it always works because that guy is such a jackass. I've tried to ban the mention of his name in my home but it doesn't work because no one listens to me and I still have no idea what actually happens in the books.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 12:24 PM on July 10, 2014
That said, I might appreciate these more if I had any damn idea what actually happens in Lord of the Rings. I watched part of the first movie and read the first two books in high school because I had a crush on my physics teacher so I know just enough to drive my roommate bonkers and every few months when we're drunk he tries to explain it to me and it's very, very confusing. Apparently there are two evil wizards? But only one of them is friends with the eagles? And also three good wizards but two of them are Gandalf? Also the god in Lord of the Rings is a huge dick and I absolutely hate him so now my husband and roommate bring him up a lot to piss me off and it always works because that guy is such a jackass. I've tried to ban the mention of his name in my home but it doesn't work because no one listens to me and I still have no idea what actually happens in the books.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 12:24 PM on July 10, 2014
They're taking the hobbits to Isengard...even though the car was clearly marked as the express to Rohan via Gondor.
posted by PlusDistance at 12:38 PM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by PlusDistance at 12:38 PM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
So is the entire New York Subway system slopped on a 45 degree angle?
Yes. That's how the trains run. On gravity. It's a Soapbox Subway.
posted by Naberius at 12:39 PM on July 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
They say you can get to the Grey Havens from Rivendell but there's a bus transfer invovled so it might as well not exist.
posted by The Whelk at 12:40 PM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by The Whelk at 12:40 PM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
The posters are funny, that 45 degree angle on every freakin shot is maddening.
posted by Wretch729 at 12:45 PM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Wretch729 at 12:45 PM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah. I scrolled through the first few images, noticed I was bobbing my head back and forth like I was watching some sort of Escherian tennis match, and gave up.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:52 PM on July 10, 2014
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:52 PM on July 10, 2014
That's great. As an aside, there used to be a graffiti artist (or maybe just a vandal) back in the 70s who tagged "Frodo Lives" in all the train stations.
posted by cazoo at 1:14 PM on July 10, 2014
posted by cazoo at 1:14 PM on July 10, 2014
The thought of entering a Track Troll never even occurred to me. But I guess enough people have attempted it that it requires a warning sign?
posted by MsVader at 1:21 PM on July 10, 2014
posted by MsVader at 1:21 PM on July 10, 2014
I like how each poster is shown from three to ten times always at the same 45-degree angle and always with with the bottom cropped out or else too minuscule to read before we get to see what is on it. This is an excellent design choice and not at all repetitive, tedious and irritating.
Kudos also on the repeated use of super edgy, original instagram filters. Especially like the 'distressed' edges.
posted by signal at 1:37 PM on July 10, 2014
Kudos also on the repeated use of super edgy, original instagram filters. Especially like the 'distressed' edges.
posted by signal at 1:37 PM on July 10, 2014
This is an excellent design choice and not at all repetitive, tedious and irritating.
AND, what the hell is wrong with good, old-fashioned graffiti?
posted by sneebler at 1:39 PM on July 10, 2014
AND, what the hell is wrong with good, old-fashioned graffiti?
posted by sneebler at 1:39 PM on July 10, 2014
Mind the Gap of Rohan.
posted by grubi at 1:40 PM on July 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by grubi at 1:40 PM on July 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
This is an excellent design choice and not at all repetitive, tedious and irritating.
I made it through actually seeing the first two posters before giving up. Stop being so fucking precious and just display your art, for God's sake.
Also Mrs. Pterodactyl, there isn't really a 'god' as such in LOTR. There's Iluvatar, who created the universe, but has no interaction with Arda (the world), and isn't mentioned anywhere in LOTR--movies or books. He's delegated the rule of Arda to the Valar (for simplicity's sake you can think of them as the gods of Olympus).
Apparently there are two evil wizards? But only one of them is friends with the eagles? And also three good wizards but two of them are Gandalf?
Not exactly. Gandalf (good guy), Saruman (once a good guy, now corrupted), and Sauron all come from the same race of essentially hemi-demi gods called the Maiar. All of them in turn serve the Valar. One of the Valar (Morgoth, who created the Balrogs and orcs, amongst other bits of nastiness) had Sauron as his chief lieutenant.
The Maiar can't die; Gandalf sort-of died and was reborn once Saruman openly showed his corruption by Sauron. Once Sauron was defeated (and Saruman dead), there was no more purpose in Gandalf remaining in Middle-Earth, so he went back to live in the West with the Valar, and the Elves. The only other good wizard mentioned by name is Radagast, who presumably also sailed to the West, but it's never explicitly stated in the books anywhere.
Kind of an oversimplification but hope it helps. (Also, really, spend a day with intoxicants of your choice and watch all three movies. They really are a masterpiece of filmmaking.)
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 2:43 PM on July 10, 2014
I made it through actually seeing the first two posters before giving up. Stop being so fucking precious and just display your art, for God's sake.
Also Mrs. Pterodactyl, there isn't really a 'god' as such in LOTR. There's Iluvatar, who created the universe, but has no interaction with Arda (the world), and isn't mentioned anywhere in LOTR--movies or books. He's delegated the rule of Arda to the Valar (for simplicity's sake you can think of them as the gods of Olympus).
Apparently there are two evil wizards? But only one of them is friends with the eagles? And also three good wizards but two of them are Gandalf?
Not exactly. Gandalf (good guy), Saruman (once a good guy, now corrupted), and Sauron all come from the same race of essentially hemi-demi gods called the Maiar. All of them in turn serve the Valar. One of the Valar (Morgoth, who created the Balrogs and orcs, amongst other bits of nastiness) had Sauron as his chief lieutenant.
The Maiar can't die; Gandalf sort-of died and was reborn once Saruman openly showed his corruption by Sauron. Once Sauron was defeated (and Saruman dead), there was no more purpose in Gandalf remaining in Middle-Earth, so he went back to live in the West with the Valar, and the Elves. The only other good wizard mentioned by name is Radagast, who presumably also sailed to the West, but it's never explicitly stated in the books anywhere.
Kind of an oversimplification but hope it helps. (Also, really, spend a day with intoxicants of your choice and watch all three movies. They really are a masterpiece of filmmaking.)
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 2:43 PM on July 10, 2014
NONE SHALL PASS through the doors once they have begun to close as this can cause injury and delay the trains.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:48 PM on July 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:48 PM on July 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
I just realized that I wrote "slopped on a 45 degree angle" rather than "sloped", which is an entirely different question.
posted by Kabanos at 2:49 PM on July 10, 2014
posted by Kabanos at 2:49 PM on July 10, 2014
The Maiar can't die; Gandalf sort-of died and was reborn
"Hello, I'm The Wizard."
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:55 PM on July 10, 2014
"Hello, I'm The Wizard."
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:55 PM on July 10, 2014
Any time I see an unnecessary dutch angle I hear Bob Odenkirk yell "Straighten that camera out!" from this Mr Show sketch. So this page was pretty intense. Fun signs though.
posted by AndyP at 2:58 PM on July 10, 2014
posted by AndyP at 2:58 PM on July 10, 2014
Thank you gingerbeer for the post. Cheers - PUCK
posted by Puckworks at 5:45 AM on July 17, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Puckworks at 5:45 AM on July 17, 2014 [1 favorite]
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