#I would love to see an adaptation of these books

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

A Darker and Sinister Interpretation of Sauron and Galadriel scene in "Rings of Power" (2x08)

* Trigger warning: mentions of sexual assault ahead *

I see Charlie has been reading "Morgoth's Ring".

Part V - "Myths Transformed": The Making of the Sun and the Moon

The maiden whom the Valar chose from among the Maiar to guide the vessel of the Sun was named Arien, and he that steered the island of the Moon was Tilion. In the days of the Trees Arien had tended the golden flowers in the gardens of Vana and refreshed them with the bright dews of Laurelin [...] she was chosen because she had not feared the heats of Laurelin, and was unhurt by them, being from the beginning a spirit of fire, whom nonetheless Melkor had not deceived nor drawn to his service. Fair indeed was Arien to behold, but too bright were her eyes for even the Eldar to look on, and leaving Valinor she forsook the form and raiment which, like the Valar, she had there worn, and she was as a naked flame, terrible in the fullness of her splendour.

Arien - Spirit of Fire by KuraiGeijutsu: source

This is, indeed, a direct reference to Galadriel's monologue in "The Mirror" chapter from "The Fellowship of the Ring" when Frodo offers her the One ring:

"And now at last it comes. You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair! " She lifted up her hand and from the ring that she wore there issued a great light that illumined her alone and left all else dark. She stood before Frodo seeming now tall beyond measurement, and beautiful beyond enduring, terrible and worshipful.

Peter Jackson adaptation of this scene (2001).

However, “Rings of Power” has been placing several Easter eggs and drawing inspiration from diverse bits and moments from Tolkien legendarium to build up their story.

Another interesting parallel here is Tilion, the Maia of the Moon: Tilion was a young hunter of the company of Orome, and he had a silver bow. He was a lover of silver, and when he would rest he forsook the woods of Orome and went unto Lorien and lay adream by the pools of Este in the flickering beams of Telperion; and he begged to be given the task of tending ever the last Flower of Silver. In Volume 1 of the “Book of the Lost Tales” it is said that he loved Arien, but she was a holier spirit of greater power, and wished to be ever virgin and alone; and Tilion pursued her in vain: [he] sought to come near to Arien, being drawn by the splendour of her beauty.

Celeborn is Galadriel’s husband, and his name (Sindarin) means “Celeb” (“silver”) + a derivative of ornā ("tall").

Galadriel herself has "gold" and "silver" associated with her, due to her legendary hair:

...and her hair was held a marvel unmatched. It was golden like the hair of her father and of her foremother Indis, but richer and more radiant, for its gold was touched by some memory of the starlike silver of her mother, and the Eldar said that the light of the Two Trees had been snared in her tresses.  Unfinished Tales

References to the Sun in "Rings of Power”

Nothing is evil in the beginning. And there was a time when the world was so young, there had not yet been a sunrise. Galadriel monologue, 1x01

He was here. Sauron was here. Tell the others to rest while they can. At sunrise we move on. We'll take the search further north. Galadriel to her company, 1x01

Galadriel sails to the sunset. You and I must look to the new sunrise. Gil-galad to Elrond, 1x01

It is strange. Most of my life, I've looked east to see the Sun rise over the sea. And west to see it set over the land. We're sailing into the dawn, and yet, to me, it feels like the coming of night. Elendil to Galadriel, 1x06

Perhaps we should bring our prisoners into the sunlight. Galadriel treatens Adar, 1x06

Celebrimbor: If only there was some way... of doing more with less. The Sun itself began as something no bigger than the palm of my hand. Elrond: And how could we possibly match the powers that wrought the Sun? We're out of time, Celebrimbor. We must inform the High King of our failure. Celebrimbor and Elrond are out of time to save the Elves from fading, 1x08

When Morgoth was defeated, it was as if a great, clenched fist had released its grasp from my neck. And in the stillness of that first sunrise, at last, I felt the light of The One again. And I knew if ever I was to be forgiven... That I had to heal everything that I had helped ruin. Sauron to Galadriel, 1x08

Do not ask of Daeron. Insufferable. But a voice, a voice that could make the very sun weep tears of fire. Círdan to Elrond, "Rings of Power", 2x02

I'm partial to the red. "Like the sun, rises a new monarch." It will show the people you're a new kind of ruler for a new day. They need change. Ar-Pharazôn to Queen Míriel, in 2x03

Down west sinks the sun Soon you will be gropin' Tom Bombadil sings, 2x04

Cold old be hand and heart and bone And cold be sleep under stone Never more to wake on stony bed Never, till the Sun fails and the Moon is dead Barrow-wights attack Galadriel, Elrond and co., 2x04

Many of Khazad-dûm plot in Season 2 revolved around the collapsed of this kingdom's sun-shafts, until King Durin finds the sunlight thanks to his ring of power, in 2x05: Pity those who dwell above. Slaves to the sun. Chained to its ceaseless rhythm of waking and sleep. In Khazad-dûm, we are free of its tyranny. Here, we bring the sun to us. At last, it is daybreak once more in our mountain!

Ar-Pharazôn: Have you ever seen it? Across our western seas. The white tower of Eressëa... the very gateway to the Undying Lands [...] Only the keenest eye can. And only from the peak of the Meneltarma. I reckon the Elves placed it there on purpose. So that every sunset serves as a reminder that our days must end and theirs will not. That no matter how high we climb, some things will be forever withheld from our grasp. Kemen: The Scepter is now in yours, Father. Is that not high enough? Ar-Pharazôn: All my life, I believed it was. The Scepter is what you make it. Kemen: The Age of Men is upon us, Father. Let us take it. Let us build the Númenor you have always seen in your mind's eye. Foreshadowing for Sauron x Fall of Númenor, 2x05

I am the one keeping the storm at bay. Balancing the very sun above your head. All to give you this one chance to prove your worth! Celebrimbor finds out Annatar's true identity, 2x07

And the sun yet shines. Galadriel final line in 2x08

Morgoth and Arien

The tale of the Sun (Arien) and Tilion (Moon) is present in “The Silmarillion” (a collection of myths, and legends written from the Eldar POV), but Tolkien expanded on it and Christopher Tolkien published it on “Morgoth’s Ring”. It should be noted that both publications are posthumous, and were edited by his son, Christopher.

Arien is the Sun-maiden, the Maia of the Sun, and she was a spirit of fire, a "naked flame", described as the most ardent and beautiful of all those spirits.

Part V - "Myths Transformed" of "Morgoth's ring":

This is named the First Battle; and though Manwe had the victory, great hurt was done to the work of the Valar; and the worst of the deeds of the wrath of Melkor was seen in the Sun. Now the Sun was designed to be the heart of Arda, and the Valar purposed that it should give light to all that Realm, unceasingly and without wearying or diminution, and that from its light the world should receive health and life and growth. Therefore Varda set there the most ardent and beautiful of all those spirits that had entered with her into Ea, and she was named Ari, and Varda gave to her keeping a portion of the gift of Iluvatar so that the Sun should endure and be blessed and give blessing. The Sun, the loremasters tell us, was in that beginning named As (which is as near as it can be interpreted Warmth, to which are joined Light and Solace), and that the spirit therefore was called Azie (or later Arie). But Melkor, as hath been told, lusted after all light, desiring it jealously for his own. Moreover he soon perceived that in As there was a light that had been concealed from him, and which had a power of which he had not thought. Therefore, afire at once with desire and anger, he went to As [written above: Asa], and he spoke to Arie, saying: "I have chosen thee, and thou shalt be my spouse, even as Varda is to Manwe, and together we shall wield all splendour and mastery. Then the kingship of Arda shall be mine in deed as in right, and thou shalt be the partner of my glory." But Arie rejected Melkor and rebuked him, saying: "Speak not of right, which thou hast long forgotten. Neither for thee nor by thee alone was Ea made; and thou shalt not be King of Arda. Beware therefore; for there is in the heart of As a light in which thou hast no part, and a fire which will not serve thee. Put not out thy hand to it. For though thy potency may destroy it, it will burn thee and thy brightness will be made dark." Melkor did not heed her warning, but cried in his wrath: "The gift which is withheld I take!" and he ravished Arie, desiring both to abase her and to take into himself her powers. Then the spirit of Arie went up like a flame of anguish and wrath, and departed for ever from Arda, and the Sun was bereft of the Light of Varda, and was stained by the assault of Melkor. And being for a long while without rule it flamed with excessive heat or grew too cool, so that grievous hurt was done to Arda and the fashioning of the world was marred and delayed, until with long toil the Valar made a new order. But even as Arie foretold, Melkor was burned and his brightness darkened, and he gave no more light, but light pained him exceedingly and he hated it. Nonetheless Melkor would not leave Arda in peace; and above all he begrudged to the Valar their dwelling on Earth, and desired to injure their labours there, or bring them to naught, if he could. Therefore he returned to Earth, but for fear of the might of the Valar and of Tulkas more than all he came now in secret. And in his hatred of the Sun he came to the North at night in winter. At first he would depart when the long day of summer came; but after a time, becoming bolder again, and desiring a dwelling place of his own, he began the delving underground of his great fortress in the far North, which was afterwards named Utumno (or Udûn*).

Let's break this down, and see how this dreadful episode can paralell Galadriel and Sauron's scene in 2x08:

Morgoth goes to Arien with both "desire and anger":

Morgoth "lusted after all light, desiring it jealously for his own". He intents to make Arien his wife and queen (like Manwë and Varda), and for them to rule Arda together.

Airen rejects Morgoth and taunts him that he will never be King of Arda. She also refuses to give him her light.

Morgoth dismisses Arien’s rejection and rapes her, desiring both to humiliate and take her light for himself (binding them together):

Due to Morgoth's assault, the spirit of Arien goes up in anguish and wrath, and departs from Arda:

The Sun was then forever "tainted" by the assault of Morgoth: "the Sun remained a Lonely Fire, polluted by Melkor".

Morgoth would not abandon his plans of conquering Arda, on the contrary. And soon, he would come to hate every source of Light. And his physical was "blackened and burned, and his form was thereafter dark". To Sauron, this only happens after the Fall of Númenor, when he loses the ability of taking on fair form. He also desires a dwelling place of his own, a great fortress named Utumno (or Udûn): Udûn is the name of the valley where the Black Gate of Mordor is located.

The Dome of Varda must have been contrived after the ravishing of Arie by Melkor, in order to keep out the Sun's polluted light, and Aman was lit beneath the Dome by the Two Trees. But on the other hand, it is an essential idea that the light of the Trees was derived from the Sun before it was 'tainted'. [...] the Sun is feminine; and it is better that the Vala should be Aren, a maiden whom Melkor endeavoured to make his spouse (or ravished); (10) she went up in a flame of wrath and anguish and her spirit was released from Ea, but Melkor was blackened and burned, and his form was thereafter dark, and he took to darkness. (The Sun itself was Anar neuter or Ur, cf. Rana, Ithil.)] The Sun remained a Lonely Fire, polluted by Melkor, but after the death of the Two Trees Tilion returned to the Moon, which remained therefore an enemy of Melkor and his servants and creatures of night - and so beloved of Elves later &c. (* [marginal note] But not to drive it away. It was necessary to have an alternation, 'because in Eä according to the Tale nothing can endure endlessly without weariness and corruption.').

Conclusion

This parallel seems very straightforward, except for the part where "Rings of Power" decided to include the "Original sin" symbolism, and it contradicts the scene itself, because "The Fall" (of Eve) was consensual, and she gave up into temptation (eating the apple of the Tree of Knowledge) willingly.

The end result is confusing and puzzling, because this “Eve and the serpent” symbolism shouldn’t be in this scene, at all. Especially when the showrunners have confirmed they are doing a Frodo/Galadriel x One ring/Sauron parallel in the show (and, as everyone knows, Frodo eventually succumbs and takes the One ring for himself). If this Frodo/Galadriel parallel is to be continued (and J.D. Payne did say it would), it was premature to have this symbolism in this scene in 2x08, where the subtext is, clearly, rape.

To me, this was due to a change in this scene. This idea wasn't probably their first, and for whatever reason the showrunners decided to have this happening instead. Maybe in the other version, Galadriel succumbed to Sauron willingly, and that explains the Original sin symbolism of the wardrobe and the marketing. And then, they decided to change the script to this rape subtext, but the costume design could no longer be altered, and we end up with a scene with conflicting symbolism happening.  

What does this parallel can tells us?

Blood binding theory is correct;

Sauron's intentions by stabbing her with Morgoth's crown were to harvest Galadriel's light for himself, and he gave her some of his own power in the process;

Galadriel is now "tainted" by Sauron.

[dinklebat]

not to be a hater but i wish the twst anime was original content or adapting the game special events rather than adapting the manga. I love the manga (I have the whole Heartslabyul set) but it’s kind of boring to just see the exact same story told over and over (book, manga, light novel, and now anime adaptation). don’t get me wrong it’s a great story and I love it but I would kill for new stuff I’ve never seen adapted outside the game!

[altocat]

What do you think Sephiroth's education was like? I can definitely see Hojo wanting Sephiroth to have the best education while simultaneously wanting to control how much he knows, but he refuses to teach Sephiroth himself because that takes away from his science time, but he's constantly critical of who ShinRa picks to tutor Sephiroth anyway

Sephiroth was more or less given several hundred textbooks to read through, of which Hojo would doggedly quiz him on later. Occasionally, he'd be given (propaganda-heavy) video tapes at well. No tutor was ever assigned to him because Hojo was not about to risk Sephiroth forming an attachment to them, especially after Gast. Gast had schooled Sephiroth one on one during his earliest years and is responsible for teaching Sephiroth to read and write. Sephiroth had loved the special attention and was a quick learner. So naturally, Hojo takes on a more rigid, clinical approach.

Fortunately, Sephiroth turned out to be rather brilliant. When he wasn't training, he was reading well beyond his current grade level. And physically watching Hojo work helped him pick up on his math and sciences a lot quicker than most kids his age. Sephiroth had to learn to adapt if he was to survive. So he perfects his knowledge in every subject as best he can, even if it is filtered under Shinra-nonsense.

As an adult, Sephiroth is a speed-reader and spends a great deal of his free time inhaling books, both for his personal enjoyment and just for the sake of assuaging his curiosity. He will endure heavy binges in the Data Room just going through text after text of research, regardless of whether or not it even interests him. Sephiroth is rather insatiable. Perhaps he's more like his father than he realizes.

[firstkanaphans]

GMMTV 2025 Tier List

Thanks to @rythyme for the template. You can make your own here.

Overall, I was very pleased with this year’s line-up. I think it’s the most solid line-up we’ve seen from GMMTV, possibly ever, and the people complaining about it are simply never going to be satisfied by anything GMMTV does. 

A break-down of my S and A tiers can be found below the cut:

Ticket to Heaven (S): I was raised in a Southern Baptist church which, for those unfamiliar with the different sects of Christianity in American, is basically a cult. I have a lot of unprocessed and unhealed religious trauma that still fucks me up to this day, but for some reason, I gravitate towards shows like this that show gay characters overcoming the struggles I’m still fighting. I’m very excited for this one and I think it’s perfectly cast. It’s giving me ITSAY meets Your Name Engraved Herein vibes and will probably make me cry, but I’m not mad about it.

Girl Rules (S): Toxic Yuri? Yes, please! To be quite honest, I’ve never been a huge MilkLove fan, but this trailer totally changed my mind. I think I just haven’t vibed with the characters they’ve played in the past because Love in this??? Oh my god. She’s going to kill me. All of the girls were hot and horny. What more could you ask for?

Dare You to Death (S): Listen. Do y’all remember that Amazon show Panic? I was obsessed with it for no obvious reason because I’m pretty sure it wasn’t even gay, but this is giving me that and I literally cannot wait. I also adore that they’ve finally let JoongDunk switch up their roles so that Joong is the one that actually gets to emote this time because boy does he look pretty when he smiles. 

Cat for Cash (A): Oh my god it’s so soft 😭 The found family feels are getting to me. I think it’s very obvious from this trailer that they only have concepts of a script right now, but I have high hopes that this could be something really special. P’Au was the director of MSP which is one of my favorite BLs of all time. He’s been stuck doing Japanese adaptations this year, which I don’t think he likes or excels at, but I’m excited to see him tackle an original script in the genre he’s most comfortable with. He’s P’Aof’s protege and their styles are very similar. 

Love You Teacher (A): This is my “hear me out” of the day. Age regression isn’t a trope I’m familiar with and I do have some reservations, but boy did this trailer make me feel things. If this was just a basic amnesia plot, it would probably be S tier for me. I think it was perfectly cast and I’m willing to reserve judgment until I see the finished product. P’Dome of Peaceful Property fame is directing, so I’m expecting that same brand of “romcom” where it’s actually not a romcom at all and instead makes you cry every single episode.

Only Friends: Dream On (A): I was going to put this in B tier, but EarthMix fucking on stage in an empty theater bumped this up to an A for me. I fully expect to enjoy this version of Only Friends more than the original because the original stressed me the fuck out. This time, I have no skin in the game and can just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Melody of Secrets (A): I’ve watched this trailer like four times and I still have no clue what’s happening, but I like the vibes. ForceBook proved in Peaceful Property that they can take on a serious script and I’ve always felt that Book especially is highly underrated as an actor. I’m excited to see them branch out and try something different.

Tagging a few people whose tier lists I would love to see, but feel free to ignore: @doublel27, @mbjw, @wangxianinventedromance, @elliebirdwrites, @khaopybara, @moonkhao, @boozles, @scrumptiousstuffs

And everyone else please feel free to participate and tag me in yours as well!

[galpaladvns]

So I’ve been devouring the Amelia Peabody books over last two months, and I know we all have Opinions about who should play Emerson in an adaptation, but what about Sethos?

I think whoever was cast as Emerson would HAVE to play Sethos, too.

Think how hilarious it would be if Amelia was arguing with Emerson, stormed off, and was talking to the same guy in a fake beard and sunglasses.

For scenes where they interact they could do the Orphan Black thing with a stunt double (Henry Cavill has at least one 😛)

And since we don’t even see his real face until after the Reveal, it would kinda make sense/be even MORE hilarious

[waitineedaname]

One thing that I think muddies the water re: SQQ acting like a buffoon is that he’s much more physically expressive in the donghua? In a very comical and memorable way, like chugging the medicine he tries to give Luo Binghe when the system is about to doc him points, noticing it’s for external use only, and then visibly fainting in front of Ming Fan and Luo Binghe. He’s much more of a clown, and it’s mostly in good fun, even if it’s not accurate to the book. Thinking about it more, my ideal adaptation would have SQQ properly maintaining his immortal facade at all times, but also include an expressive chibi version of himself acting out his inner thoughts and yelling at the system constantly. Only the audience would see his flailing, and also probably SQH when he’s introduced. Also! Showing him get more expressive with Binghe as book 3 goes on and he lets out more of his real personality around him.

that's a really good point about the donghua! I'm charmed by how SQQ is in the donghua because he's such a fucking loser (affectionate) but it definitely isn't very accurate to the novel. tbh the difference between SQQ's inner monologue vs outward appearance/actions is one of the things that makes it hard to adapt from a written form! having a little chibi SQQ to express his inner thoughts is an option, or hiding his expressions behind his fan or waiting until he's alone to scream into a pillow or something lsdkjflksdjf it's tough! it's really one of those things that works best as a book, which is such a shame because GOD i want to see so much of it visually

also him being more expressive with Binghe as their relationship develops is really good :') especially post-canon! Binghe complains that SQQ smiles more at other people, can you imagine what it'll be like once SQQ starts letting more of those walls down and fully grins at him while teasing him? I think Binghe would just straight up short circuit for a second

[frootbyethefoot]

house of leaves is so incredible to me because i don't think you could ever completley adapt it into something like a movie or a tv show or a play or even a game. myhouse.wad is the closest from what i know, but that's more so based on 1. the horror of an endless house where you are so unbelievably tiny in the grand scheme of it. and 2. johnny truants no good very bad terrible breakdown (in the form of diary entries from steve nelson.) but. house of leaves is a book, and an essay first and foremost and i think the footnotes and the WAY the book is written is at the very least, INCREDIBLY difficult to translate into a visual media like film, tv, etc.

[vice-like]

having read the manga i can't help but wish this natsume season would have 2 cours, there's so many fantastic chapters they prob won't get to that i want to see so bad

[dye-it-rouge-et-noir]

"For particularly important things, it's always more reassuring to write them down like this." - Zhang Beihai

[ID in alt text]

[wellzofyouth]

That one post of my mine predictably aged like fine wine. Never let somebody on comic twitter in the writer's room😭😭😭 Like imagine a 1 to 1 adaptation of literally any event?? -1b at the box office. "Who are these people???"

[s4pphoiduser]

in a world with an aftg show (because it Has to be a show, not a movie) seth would have a Pretty Guy actor playing him who looked even prettier when he was sneering or scowling and people would make edits of him with the velocity + slo-mo effects and be like "i can fix him"

[oozeandgoo-art]

had an odd dream that i was reading a comic book. sketched a couple of the pages i could remember.

[elevenenthusiast]

The Amazing Spider-Man should have been adapted into a tv show instead of movies.

[pharah-airways]

Put your reasoning in the tags if you feel like it I'm very curious

[astrxd]

the delight i feel seeing u on my dash again literally cannot be overstated. you are literally the reason i have a tumblr lmao. when i was just a little tween trying to find content for the movies i loved so much ur blog and fanfics were literally like finding the holy grail

i still think about “just fur you” with incredible frequency and forever hold the idea that hiccup made her hood close to my heart. (also your coffeeshop soulmate fic was the first time i ever saw either of those tropes and is also so near and dear to me 🩵)

also! as a live action remake hater seeing a reminder of the og movies is fantastic ;) i hope wherever you’ve been you’ve been well!!

HELLO!!! hi. pardon me i have to bounce around the walls like i am a DVD logo pingponging within the confines of a TV screen. i will return once i strike a corner [ x days later......... ] really, though — this message is so heartwarming; thank you for reaching out, for writing it, for sharing your kindness with me. it's wildly affirming that my art meant that much to you back then and that some of that joy is still felt today :') <3 i've been repressing some Self-Consciousness about my old work getting read again because the live action is rippling through the community, but you've put so much of it to rest with this. thank you. truly. ogughgHH i'm glad that there are people in the same corner about not loving live actions. if any movie were to encourage me to be more open-minded it *would* be HTTYD, and if nothing else i'm so excited for the resurgence of people enjoying the world and its characters and themes and music. i just,,, probably won't see it in theaters? idk? i'd like to, it would be fun, i'd enjoy Talking About It and exchanging opinions, but in general it's been hard for me to start new things. i've been finding a lot of comfort in rewatches and being in quiet corners where hype doesn't make me feel pressured to create, so i totally second you — it's a welcome reminder that the animated trilogy will always be there for us! and i am hopeful that i'll get to share my growth as a writer with this lovely circle again :3 thanks for the well wishes — it's been a ROUGH year, but i've learned a lot and i'm happy to be where i am. how are you?? if you had to describe your feelings for the last month of 2025, what are three words you would use???

[anonymousjunco]

mannnn am I disappointed after watching the arcane finale

I went into the tag and was surprised to see so many people gushing about it because it thought it was. Not good.

It's already been said by a lot of people but one of the main issues was the breakneck pacing. They tried to shove so many plot and character arcs into such a short time that none of them really had the impact they were going for. There were a lot of ingredients that could have become something good, but the execution was lacking. I do think the story could have been vastly improved by adding episodes without changing what was already there.

However, I also had a lot of issues with the story that couldn't be fixed by slowing down the pacing. The Piltover/Zaun class/political conflict being abandoned, Jinx's (fakeout?) death, the time paradox???

idk I'm just really sad about how things turned out after such an amazing first season

At least it was nice to look at