#Nostalgic Portrayals | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

xiaq · 3 months ago

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Favorite fantasy series: The Folk of the Air. I do NOT understand the hate this series gets on booktok/IG. The world-building is immaculate, the politics are juicy, the writing is engaging, and the romance is a slow burn that’s secondary to the plot and character development. I will read anything that Holly Black writes.

Favorite sci/fi series: The Murderbot Diaries. These are quick, quippy, and satisfying reads. I would die for Murderbot.

Favorite romance series: Not sure if they count as a series since they’re all standalones in the same universe, but Ali Hazelwood’s books ft. Women in STEM having unrealistic romances gets an A+ from me. If you need easy beach reads with happy endings, go for one of these (Also, the first book started as Star Wars fic; neat!).

Favorite graphic novel series: I’ve been following the Heartstopper webcomic for years, but I finally purchased/ re-read the print books this year. If you want sweet, nostalgic writing with diverse queer representation and whimsical art, Heartstopper is for you. If you want a historical/educational story, I highly recommend the Marchseries, which is an autobiographical view of the civil rights movement by John Lewis.

Favorite historical romance: I know I’m not supposed to judge a book by it’s cover, but I put off reading A Lady for a Duke despite rave reviews because I simply did not vibe with the cover. This was a terrible choice. I read this book in one euphoric sitting and then re-read it two additional times this year. The banter! The pining! The drama!

Favorite fantasy: A Taste of Gold and Iron and its follow-up short novella Tadek and the Princess. These books may have changed my brain chemistry. I loved this world and its characters and the novella made me cry like a baby.

Favorite science fiction: The Martian. I’d read this before but I re-read it on a work trip and fell in love all over again. Such an excellent science-y sci/fi book that nonetheless feels very approachable and fun.

Favorite non-fiction: They Were Her Property is the driest book I read this year but the content was fascinating (and horrifying). If you want to interrogate your perception of white women’s role in slavery (and, to a lesser degree, the role of Christianity therin) — take your time, and be ready to adjust your worldview—especially if you think Gone with the Wind was an accurate portrayal of the south. How to Survive a Plague, on the other hand, is less dry—you can tell a journalist wrote it—but it’s very detailed. It’s rare that I don’t finish a book in one or two sittings, but this took me over a month. If you’ve ever wondered about the social history of the AIDS epidemic and how a diagnosis went from a quick death sentence to an easily manageable condition (and how hard grassroots movements had to work to get some fucking help to make that happen), this is for you.

Favorite comic: Infidel. Damn. The art. The narrative. So short but so impactful. This is horror, so be mindful.

Favorite graphic novel: This is a tossup between If You’ll Have Me, a sugary-sweet sapphic romance, and The Prince and the Dressmaker which is an equally adorable story about expressing ones true self regardless of social expectations.

Favorite WTF: Butcher and Blackbird and Bride. I’m still not sure how I feel about B&B but it was certainly an interesting way to spend two hours. Bride is on the list purely because reading the word “knot” on a print page instead of an AO3 tab felt illegal.

Favorite feel-good/comedy: Monstrous Regiment. I’ve read this book so many times and, after the election, I read it again. I doubt any other book will surpass what has become an emotional support story for me.

Favorite YA: Cemetery Boys (Magic! Mystery! Queerness!) She Drives me Crazy(Athletics! Misunderstandings! Enemies to lovers! Queerness!), and A Little Bit Country (Country music! Thinly veiled Dolly Parton references! Queerness!) (Hm. Seems to be a theme here).

Favorite Sports Romance: Icebreaker (the Graziadei one, not the Hannah Grace one). You know how a lot of hockey books (my own included) can be light on the actual hockey? Not the case with Icebreaker. The character development was lovely, but the hockey was divine. Graziadei clearly knows and loves the sport.

Favorite historical fiction: What the Wind Knows (Mystery! Time Traveling! Love! Ireland!) and Kindred (Mystery! Time Traveling! Love! The Antebellum South!).

Favorite Space Odyssey: Gideon + Nona the Ninth. I had to make a special category because neither sci/fi nor fantasy feels appropriate for this yet incomplete series which is as rollicking good fun as it is completely confounding. I still have no idea what’s happening but I can’t wait to read the next one.

Favorite pleasant surprise: A Court of Mist and Fury. I waited so long to read the ACOTAR series because I got such conflicting reports from folks. I took the advice of a reader I trust and powered through the first book. ACOMAF was worth the contextualizing journey. I loved it. I’m still working through the rest of the series but this book was an unexpected joy.

Least favorite book: Lol, no. We don’t play that game here.

#mylife #books #book recs #happy reading!#2024 recap

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calsvoid · 4 months ago

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ten (sorta) thoughts on squid game season 2 (SPOILERS):

1. holy fuck this season was so beautiful and the creative genius behind it was so wonderful

2. the rock paper scissors minus one scene has got to be the most intense game scene out of every single one (not game, but game SCENE, as in watching these two friends who i didn’t even care about half a second before be forced to bet their lives against each other only for one of them to be placed with a guaranteed win and not take it was probably the craziest thing to ever happen and fuck having that be the first episode truly through me for a spin)

3. speaking of, the guy that lived (who is known as guy with the wife because me and my brother kept saying that he has a wife as a reason why we want him to live) is one of my favs for no reason, i hope he gets out alright DONT YOU DARE DO ANYTHING TO HIM CAP’N I TRUSTED YOU

4. i knew as soon as they started having two girls bond i was done for and i spent every moment of theirs begging for both of them to live because i think i’ve seen this film before and i didn’t like the ending

5. soooooo many characters and character dynamics were just absolute chef’s kiss and it helps so much with that buildup of hope and tension; last season obviously had some wonderful people and relationships (i’m still not and never will be over the marble game) but something about this new cast was just absolutely wonderful. there were almost no characters i didn’t like or wasn’t invested in, and i am very excited to see how they turn out next season. hyun-ju’s group, gi-hun’s group, hell even thanos’s group i enjoyed all of them. min-su’s betrayal fucked me up so bad though and him failing to save her and having to see her die FUCK. also young-mi’s death was so painful, especially since she was the first main group member death. the mom and son were hilarious im going to fight god if they don’t end up together in either life or death

6. all about women’s rights and women’s wrongs this season, number 11 i love you and i hope you find your child i will kill your almost rapists for you. i don’t care that i hate the military hyun-ju is hot with a gun and she can fuck me with one of she wants. i pray for that fetus please let them get out alive. the mom was fantastic and such a nostalgic character, very accurate portrayal of an auntie and i love her for that. shaman queen is batshit crazy and good for her

7. the set design yall fucking BEAUTIFUL. i can’t describe it, but it just adds so much to that deceitful hope with all the rainbows and clean lines. and also the use of the stairs during the gun fights, ugh so amazing what a great way to repurpose that set

8. ALSO THE ADDED KNOWLEDGE OF THE SOLDIERS SIDE, god i love the extra lore behind their recruitment, their system, all that. loved the twist and as i’ve said i love number 11 shes my queen

9. god seong gi-hun had me ROOTING for him. his sheer determination was felt by me too and i really hoped that he would finally get to get justice, that finale just hurt all that much more

10. i wanted so badly for inho to end up having a semi-redemption arc even though it was unlikely, i unfortunately fell for his manipulation and wanted to believe in him god it hurt watching him use the sounds of someone else’s death to trick gi-hun

#squid game #squid game spoilers #overall this was a nigh perfect season to me #i cannot wait to see the next and kudos to everyone who worked on it because they did a fantastic job

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elvisbdoll · 22 days ago

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Title: Elvis and Me

Author: Priscilla Presley

Rating: ★★★★☆

Pages: 352 pages

TRIGGER WARNING:

THIS IS MY OPINION ABOUT THE BOOK

This is a safe space for open discussions, not negativity. If you disagree or don’t like what I’ve said, that’s okay! Feel free to scroll past or ignore the post—there’s no need for hate or unnecessary criticism.

Priscilla Presley’s Elvis and Me is a memoir that has generated much curiosity over the years, largely due to the fame of its subject and the personal connection to one of the most iconic figures in music history. However, while the book offers a window into Priscilla’s life with Elvis, it ultimately fails to provide a balanced or deeply insightful account of their relationship. While not without value, Elvis and Me often comes across as a one-sided, idealized, and sometimes misleading portrayal of their time together.

At 352 pages, the book covers the span of their relationship from their early days to the eventual breakdown of their marriage, but it frequently glosses over key details and presents a narrative that is far more sympathetic to Priscilla than to Elvis. While Elvis certainly had his flaws, the way in which Priscilla depicts him can feel unfair, and at times, even exaggerated. The tone of the memoir often shifts between nostalgic adoration and victimhood, with little room given to the complexities of Elvis's own struggles or the emotional toll that Priscilla’s own actions may have played in their dynamic.

Idealization and Misrepresentation of Elvis

While Priscilla doesn’t go so far as to portray Elvis as the outright villain, the way in which she presents him in Elvis and Me is undeniably one-sided. Priscilla speaks of Elvis’s personal battles — including his struggles with addiction, his emotional withdrawal, and his infidelities — but these issues are often framed in a way that minimizes her own role in the deterioration of their relationship. At times, Elvis is depicted as a man who was ultimately a victim of his fame, the pressures of his career, and his own demons. However, Priscilla’s portrayal of him as an almost tragic figure fails to take into account the complex dynamics between them, which were far more complicated than the simple hero-villain dichotomy.

The way Priscilla discusses Elvis’s personal failings also seems designed to preserve the myth of the "perfect" Elvis. While it’s true that he was far from flawless, Priscilla’s version of their relationship makes him out to be a deeply misunderstood and abused man. She suggests that he was emotionally cold and distant, but the narrative occasionally borders on suggesting he was an abusive figure in their marriage — a claim that feels both unsubstantiated and unfair given the accounts of those closest to Elvis, including friends and family. Elvis was not a perfect man, but there’s little evidence to suggest he was abusive in the way Priscilla sometimes implies. Instead, he was a man dealing with immense pressure, fame, and personal demons — much like anyone might under similar circumstances.

Priscilla’s Own Motivations

A significant part of the book focuses on the lavish lifestyle that Priscilla enjoyed during her time with Elvis. While it’s understandable that she would reflect on the grandeur of their life together, it’s hard to ignore how much Priscilla seemed to value the material aspects of their relationship. There’s a palpable sense that her attraction to Elvis, particularly in the early days, was intertwined with his wealth and status. The story of their courtship and eventual marriage reads almost like a fairy tale, where the princess is swept off her feet by the charismatic, world-famous rock star. But there’s little acknowledgment of the financial motivations at play, which, while not unusual in celebrity relationships, feels like an important piece of the story that’s largely ignored or glossed over.

Priscilla was 14 years old when she first met Elvis, and the relationship quickly became one of power imbalance. As a young woman living in a world of affluence and fame, it’s clear that Priscilla was drawn to the perks that came with being involved with Elvis. In fact, some have argued that her initial motivation for pursuing the relationship was more about the financial and social advantages than any deep emotional connection. While it’s impossible to know her full intentions, there’s a sense throughout the memoir that she was living a life that she enjoyed — one filled with luxury, designer clothes, and the high society that came with being married to a global icon.

The Victim Narrative

One of the most significant flaws in Elvis and Me is the portrayal of Priscilla as a victim, particularly when it comes to the issues in her marriage. While there’s no denying that Elvis was emotionally distant at times and struggled with his personal demons, the narrative in Priscilla’s memoir seems to paint her as someone who had no agency or part in the breakdown of their relationship. There’s an underlying suggestion that Elvis was the primary cause of their marital issues, but this oversimplifies the reality.

In fact, as Priscilla acknowledges, her own desires and ambitions played a role in their separation. While Elvis was often criticized for his controlling behavior, it’s important to remember that Priscilla was also asserting her independence and trying to find her own identity. She was a young woman navigating the pressures of being in a high-profile relationship and trying to carve out a space for herself in an industry that often reduced women to mere accessories. Her journey of self-discovery and eventual career pursuits are mentioned in the book, but they never seem to be fully reconciled with the other parts of the story. Instead, the book presents a somewhat simplistic view of their relationship, where Elvis is the major force behind their problems.

Overemphasis on the Glamour and Missed Depth

Elvis and Me spends a significant amount of time on the glamorous aspects of life with Elvis — the parties, the extravagant gifts, the fame, the incredible homes, and the constant travel. While these details offer insight into their lifestyle, they also serve as a distraction from the deeper emotional and relational issues that were at play. At times, the material wealth that defined their life together becomes so central to the story that it feels more like an advertisement for the luxury they enjoyed than a meaningful exploration of their emotional intimacy or struggles.

Priscilla’s focus on the "shiny" elements of her relationship with Elvis creates an incomplete picture of their life. While she touches on the issues of addiction and Elvis’s declining health, there is little exploration of the emotional toll these took on their marriage. Furthermore, Priscilla’s own role in their separation is never fully explored in a way that would provide the reader with a more nuanced understanding of what happened behind closed doors.

Final Thoughts

Elvis and Me is a memoir that will likely resonate with readers who are deeply invested in the mythology of Elvis Presley, but it ultimately misses the mark when it comes to presenting a balanced, honest, and self-reflective account of Priscilla and Elvis’s relationship. While the book gives insight into their world of fame, wealth, and glamour, it often lacks the depth needed to fully capture the complexities of their emotional and personal lives.

Priscilla’s portrayal of Elvis as an emotionally distant, flawed figure who is primarily responsible for the breakdown of their marriage feels unbalanced, particularly given that Elvis’s struggles were widely known to those around him. Likewise, the narrative fails to fully acknowledge Priscilla’s motivations — particularly the materialistic elements of her attraction to Elvis — or her own role in the relationship's challenges.

In the end, while Elvis and Me is an enjoyable read for fans of Elvis and for those curious about life with one of the most famous men in history, it is ultimately a somewhat superficial and selective portrayal of a complex relationship. For readers seeking a more candid or well-rounded perspective on Elvis and Priscilla’s marriage, this memoir may leave them feeling that the full story has yet to be told.

#elvis presley #elvis #elvis fans #70s elvis #elvis history #elvis the king #elvisedit #60s elvis #elvisaaronpresley #book review #elvis books #priscilla presley #priscilla movie #elvis and me

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luckycapybara · 3 months ago

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Hetalia USUK Feels

Hetalia for all its problematic portrayals esp towards South Korea and Eurocentric focus, is still very entertaining to watch and rewatch. I’ve been a fan since 2014, over a decade ago. Rewatching it again for the new year made me feel so nostalgic and it’s such a fun way to start the new year.

Rewatching it made me think about how I felt about USUK too. I remember when I first watched it, I was leaning towards FrUk, thinking oh, these two are the enemies to lovers trope. Though I didn't really care about any ships outside of AusHun and GerIta. For the first four seasons of Hetalia, I did not consider a romantic relationship between America and England. It wasn't until season 5 that I began to question the relationship between them. America prank calls England, and they have annual Halloween scares, and America is always trying to rile England up? That made me rewatch the previous seasons trying to understand their interactions and begin reading the manga. The manga made it 100x worse for me and my shipper brain. And then it was just been downhill from there, I'm now still a hardcore USUK shipper.

There's a certain longing between them that gets brought up here and there, masked under banter and competition. And America is always trying to get England's attention, and only exclusively from England. He visits other countries and forms relationships with them but his interactions with England alone seemed to be special because he seemed to be always seeking him out. He prank calls England every new year, has annual scare competitions with him on Halloween, and he seeks him out to dress up with him as Batman and Robin for Halloween and Himaruya specifically points out that their costumes are from different versions Batman and Robin, with the Robin that America chose for England being one that didn't have pants. America is not known for teasing any other country, and certainly not the kind to try to get other people to show skin, and this attention is reserved only for England. My question for Hima is why? Why develop America's relationship with England in this way? I can't see it as siblings or parents, there's no hecking way you would choose a costume specifically to show off skin for a family member and then tell them to show off their legs??? Maybe if they were sisters and if America was trying to find a bf for England but I don't get that sense at all.

Their feelings for each other are very complex and layered, and America definitely holds grudges against England as stated by Hima. But even so, he can't help but want England's attention, and doesn't seek it out like parental or sibling attention. He loves teasing him and I think his physical attraction to England was hinted at during the Hetaween event. And there was also that panel from the BSV strip showing that America wanted chocolate specifically from England. America has other friends, why doesn't he want chocolates from them? So I think that America probably has a crush on England, buried underneath all his other complex emotions towards him from both his toddler and colonial times. And I think America is indeed aware of his own romantic feelings but chooses to swallow them because he's still not over the Revolutionary War and he's still navigating how to interact positively with England post war. It's hard to say when those feelings for England developed but I headcanon that he's had them since his teenage colonial days but modern America is good at compartmentalizing his emotions so I imagine he must have been that way then too. For the sake of his people, he cannot let his feelings for England get in the way.

After the war, America is shown to have insomnia and wanted to see England after hearing he became sick. It absolutely haunts him how broken the relationship between them has become and how it affected England. England is also canonically heartbroken for over 100 years and although it's never revealed who, it's obvious who. England gets sick every year on America's birthday. I think America knows how fragile England is emotionally and how heavy his emotions are. So he avoids having to bring out those heavy emotions as much as he can now, by covering up his own.

As for England, I theorize that his feelings for America are a little less complicated. I don't think he necessarily has a crush on America, as he's shown to dream about little America from the time he treated him as his brother in WW2. He's a tsundere and he does love America and he longs for him but I don't think it's necessarily romantic. It's reminiscent of the love Yoojin has for Yoohyun in The S-Classes That I Raised, although those two are actually blood related brothers. But the point is, Yoojin's been very heartbroken because of Yoohyun before and to him, his brother is the most important person. That's how I see England's love towards America, although I think it is changing because England is starting to see America as more than his ex-brother because it's also hard for him to reconcile America's treatment of him as purely brotherly. Plus they're not real brothers.

I think it's hinted at that America has a crush on England. And it's delicious to see. Hima is surprisingly good at writing romance. He loves to incorporate angst and underlying romantic tension between characters and making readers wonder, will they/won't they? He hesitates to confirm anything but leaves out of place hints for couples that strongly imply romantic attraction that makes you wonder how deep these feelings run for the characters. He does this for GerIta, he does this for SuFin, he does this for AusHun, and he does this for USUK.

Happy New Year everyone!

#hetalia #usuk

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veilder · 4 months ago

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War of the Rohirrim: My Thoughts

So, I just got back from seeing this movie and I thought I'd write up a little review, I'll give a brief overview first and put spoilers under the cut.

First off, let me get this out of the way: I really, really enjoyed it! Which isn't to say that the movie didn't have problems, just that I was thoroughly entertained throughout and also got way more invested in it than I thought I would! It was a nice, self-contained little story that did service to Tolkien's Legendarium while still allowing for creative changes and I thought it all worked really well the way it was told. The animation was absolutely stunning in a lot of scenes (notably the fight scenes!), though I did have some issues with it in others. Notably with the compositing of the 2D and 3D art together, some of those just did not look right, but they were few and far enough between that they didn't detract overmuch for me.

The cast of characters were vibrant and well-crafted, especially the supporting cast for me, and the voice acting for everyone was on point. I also really liked the general design and portrayal of the whole cast, I thought they all looked very good. Notable standout character for me would be: the princes, Háma and Haleth, the King's nephew, Fréaláf, and the shieldmaiden, Olwyn. And honorable mention to the Dunlanding general, Turgg, too. I can't tell if it was just the nostalgic Howard Shore score returning in some parts or if I just generally liked the whole soundtrack (notably not composed by Shore this time), but I felt like the music was very good as well. Very suitable to the world and Rohan specifically.

And, last but certainly not least, I thought the vibe of the film was just incredible. Even moreso than with the Hobbit movies, The War of the Rohirrim felt like Middle-Earth. The vibes of the movie were impeccable and it actually seemed like a genuine story set in the original trilogy's Rohan. The styles and dialogue and whole atmosphere of the film seemed very in line with Peter Jackson's original trilogy and I think that's what elevated the whole thing for me, enough to overlook its flaws, which I will get into more detail in below the cut.

Overall, I personally would rank this a solid 6.5/10. It certainly didn't match the original trilogy and likely wasn't even as good as my favorite of the Hobbit movies, either. (Which is the first one, of course. 😌) A very solid addition to the Middle-Earth series and enjoyable enough that I'll definitely be watching it again, but nothing particularly groundbreaking. If you are a LotR fan, I feel like you'll like it. If you're an anime fan, you might get a good story and some pretty characters out of it. If you're a more casual movie watcher, it might be a tad hit or miss. But overall, I consider it a very solid movie.

Now, on to spoilers.

So, first off, let's talk about Héra. I've seen a lot of entertainment outlets and reviewers criticizing her character (or lack thereof) and calling her a "Mary Sue" which is, in my opinion, just a very lazy critique of her. The movie sets her up as this free spirit, a warrior king's daughter who grew up learning to fight and ride and adventure alongside her brothers. She is a beloved princess of the realm who the people greet by name, who is kind and compassionate, clever and competent, who dreams of one day being free of her royal duties and be able to travel where she pleases. Oh, and she has an overprotective father who wants to marry her off to try and keep her safe. A textbook Mary Sue, right?

Well, no, I'd very much beg to differ.

Héra is a flawed character. Time and again, her youth and inexperience lead her into situations she can't handle and she is a liability just as often as she's shown to be a hero. And time and again her compassion is taken advantage of, to the detriment of herself and others. The fact that she is clever and headstrong and grows into a deadly warrior by the end does not make her a Mary Sue. But that's also not to say that I found her to be the most compelling, either.

Don't get me wrong, she definitely had some amazing moments (her conversation with Wulf in Orthanc, her wisdom in evacuating Edoras and her traps laid out before its siege, her amazing "I'm no man's bride." "Who are you promised to?" "Death!" line read?) but she was rather generic to me all things told. However, she's shored up by an excellent supporting cast and a great plot, so I didn't feel I really needed a super interesting protagonist to follow. She is excellent in her role as the POV character for the events happening around her and she becomes anchored enough in the main plot by the role her family plays and the obsession the main antagonist has with her.

Which, speaking of...

Another character I really want to call out is Wulf. Because he... was a missed opportunity imo. I get what they were going for with him I guess? Hm, a sort of Maeglin approach to him almost, for those familiar with the Silmarillion, where becomes obsessed with the object of his desire to the point of madness and villainy. However, I personally feel as if his character could've been so much better if they'd taken him in a different direction? These are all my own thought and you don't have to agree, but hear me out: I think they should've tried to humanize Wulf more. We are told early on that he and Héra are childhood friends, but we're only ever given the barest glimpse of a flashback between them to set that up? We have one short conversation between them at the very beginning after his proposal to her and after that he takes a sheer dive into villainy that he double and triples down on as the story goes. But if the movie truly wanted us to feel as if there was a connection between them at all, I feel like they should've emphasized that relationship a lot more. Show more of their time together as children. Give more scenes to Wulf of him experiencing discrimination because of his Dunlanding blood. Give him moments of hesitation and remorse when he's forced into conflict with Héra. Like, I genuinely believed that's where the movie was going at the end? I really thought that, after their big fight where Héra has him on the ground and shows him mercy, I thought he was leaping up at her to die. I thought he intentionally missed her with his blade because he wanted her to kill him after everything he's done and that was the only way he could accept it happening. I thought the movie might come full circle again to showing that, despite everything, there was something genuine to his affections? That he wasn't wholly evil or deranged and that his declaration of love had been true once upon a time, even if he'd since forswore it after his father was killed. I really thought they would give him some glimpse of humanity. But no, he was genuinely just trying to kill her again and she beat his ass and that's that. Honestly much less impactful to me. Like, don't get me wrong, I absolutely did not want him to be redeemed. (Especially not after the absolutely abhorrent way he killed Háma right in front of Héra and Helm, oof.) But just any show of him not just being some black and white villain would've been welcome. Just the tiniest bit of complexity to a truly vile villain makes them stand out all the more for me and I think Wulf would've been truly memorable if he'd had that.

Now, my issues with the two leads out of the way, I just wanna bring it back around to the positives again and say how delightful I found the rest of the supporting cast? For all that they were barely in it, I was just instantly captivated by Haleth and Háma, not even joking. As soon as Héra rode in to Háma singing his little song for her, I knew I had a favorite. Oh, what's this? He's a poet and a bard and a handsome warrior prince?! Well, I'll be. It seems he was specially crafted to be my new blorbo, lol! And then Haleth showed up and my mind just instantly associated the two of them with my two absolute favorite Tolkien character and I knew I was a goner. (Please tell me I'm not the only one to instantly get Maedhros and Maglor vibes from them, eh? Which, in retrospect, Haleth is much more how I picture Celegorm, lol, but still. That initial projection really stuck in my mind. XD)

Héra's servant, Olwyn, was also such a pleasant surprise? I didn't expect much of her at the start, but she really grew on me as the film went on. I love that you just have to piece together her backstory as a shieldmaiden of Rohan and then you can start using that to theorize about Héra and how she idolizes them and it all just clicks together so well? And it's always nice to see an awesome older woman kicking ass!

And then Fréaláf showed up and he was just like the coolest guy ever?! Yooooooo, I loved him so much, even though he got so sidelined in the movie. 😭 But his appearance at the end wearing Helm's armor and blowing that horn was just awesome. I don't even care if his whole arc was a bit derivative of Éomer's from the films, I still just dug his whole vibe and personality. And it's terrible how Haleth and Háma had to die (like oof, both their deaths were just... so brutal 😭😭😭), but it's obvious that Fréaláf will make a fantastic king for Rohan.

Helm Hammerhand was, of course, amazingly badass, they really kept that part intact. And though I wouldn't say he was particularly likeable as a character, he certainly was compelling to watch. And his death scene, of course, just went so hard.

And yes, shoutout again to Turgg, the Dunlander, for being cool and levelheaded throughout the whole movie. Honestly, if that guy became the Dunlanding leader instead of Wulf, things would've gone like 2000x better for everyone. And I do love that he finally just outright refuses to do Wulf's bidding at the end. It is certainly an instance of too little, too late by that point, but still. I appreciate that he at least had some sort of line he wouldn't cross, even if it was purely because he finally saw how mad Wulf had become. Cool character, I liked him a lot.

I already spoke a bit about the music and the animation up top, so I won't rehash all that, but I just want to highlight a few outlying thoughts I had.

What the heck was up with that Watcher in the Water just chilling in the woods there? That seemed so random. And also, it ate that entire mumik like it was nothing, wot?

In general, the scale of things was kind a crazy? It seemed to vary a lot scene by scene and it was hard sometimes to really tell the perspective of anything.

I absolutely loved Miranda Otto coming back to act as the narrator for this film? Not only was it wonderful to hear Éowyn again in a new project, but I loved how they used it as a sort of framing device, like it was Éowyn telling us a story of her people. (And I love the thought of her being inspired by this legend of Héra as a little girl and dreaming of being a shieldmaiden, too.)

I love that Olwyn didn't die?! I was just waiting for it to happen the whole movie, she had so many death flags it was unreal. But then it just... didn't happen! Yes!

What on Middle-Earth was that dang siege tower Wulf built? Omg, that thing was ridiculous. When they were raising it up and it just kept going higher and higher and higher?! It was like a skyscraper there for a minute, what? And then it just crashed down and didn't break? XD I'm pretty sure I audibly said "Yo, wtf?" in the theater when I saw that part, lol. (It's okay, I was literally the only person there. >_>)

I didn't realize Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd were the voices of those two orcs until I saw the credits? That was a neat cameo!

Why oh why is there no WotR AO3 tag up yet? 😭 How am I supposed to find fix-it fics about mah boi Háma now? 😭😭😭

That one eagle sure was helpful in this movie, omg. And lol, I like that they established that the eagles and wizards can talk to each other? Lol, Maia to Maia communication. XD

But yeah, those are my initial thoughts. Overall, a very enjoyable experience! I was really glad to be back in Middle-Earth again, especially since my interest in all things Tolkien has been massively reinvigorated lately by my newfound fascination with The Silmarillion. This movie hit at a perfect time for me and I enjoyed it greatly. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk movie review. XD

#war of the rohirrim #lotr #silmarillion #tolkien #movie review #spoilers #war of the rohirrim spoilers #long post #if you don't want to read all that just know that I really enjoyed this movie lol XD #not as good to me as the original three or my favorite of the Hobbit films #but still really good #definitely flawed but still a very enjoyable experience ^_^

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commsroom · 4 months ago

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What is it you love so much about Eiffel? Asking as a fellow Eiffel Lover, I'm just interested in your response!

i've been holding onto this one for a while, in part because i know there's no complete answer to this and i could probably just talk forever, but it's almost his birthday, so... in the spirit of dougmas:

what i love about eiffel as a character is that he feels like a real person. he's full of these very human contradictions: he's a coward, he can be exceptionally brave, he's considerate and thoughtful, he's got his head up his ass, he's a mediator by nature, he's frustratingly stubborn and will dig his heels in about the pettiest things, he's very technically capable, he's a master of weaponized incompetence. he's stupid in ways only a very smart person can be, and has a certain kind of self-hating self-centeredness. he has very firmly held morals and wants to do right by people, and he struggles to reconcile those beliefs with the unforgivable things he's nonetheless done; he has very real and serious flaws that the narrative doesn't flinch away from, but neither exonerates nor condemns him for. he's so entangled with the heart of the show, its themes and relationships, that you couldn't have wolf 359 without doug eiffel, and - as a friend of mine once said - if you put eiffel in any other show, he'd turn it into something resembling wolf 359 as well. and as gabriel urbina said about pan-pan: "he's the communications officer; without him, they stop communicating." he's a compassionate portrayal of an addict, and a very real and nuanced example of a kind-hearted man who's still used to thinking of himself as the "default" kind of person, and is still learning how to deconstruct the biases that come with that.

what i love about eiffel as a person is that he's someone i'd want in my life. he's a very sincere and emotionally honest person; he doesn't have hidden agendas, and you know exactly where you stand with him. he hates authority, he hates work, and he won't suck up or pretend otherwise - in fact, he'll create more work for himself if it means he can avoid doing his job, on principle. if he has a grievance about something, oh, you'll know. at the same time, he has this infectious enthusiasm about the things he loves, and the things that excite him, and he's a geeky guy into primarily 80s/90s nostalgic media who doesn't feel the need to gatekeep. i love his voice, i love how expressive he is, i love how you can hear the same mannerisms you can see in the live show just in the very open-body-language way he emotes. he has a very distinct former class clown type of energy, and i think that goes hand in hand with an underlying loneliness. he can be pretty clueless, he speaks before he thinks and has chronic foot-in-mouth disease, but… doug eiffel is the kind of person who would notice if someone was standing alone in the corner at a party, and would go out of his way to make them feel included. he's good at getting people to open up, even if it's in spite of themselves, even if it's while they're rolling their eyes at him. he's a staunch pacifist who - even when things piss him off - doesn't react to conflict with violence or threats of violence, and he can't stand to have things stay bottled up: if there's one thing eiffel wants everyone to do, it's talk about it. whatever it is. he has a good balance of traits that make him feel genuine and warm without coming across preachy or suspiciously softened; he's also very much still a gross dirtbag with a lot of annoying flaws typical of some average guy, and that's a huge part of his appeal to me. he's good with his hands. he likes building stuff and taking things apart. he's rough around the edges in ways that reflect his life experience, and he's just… a guy who has lived a life, who has a lot of life experience, but hasn't made a lot of true friends in the process. he's gotten used to being lonely, and gotten used to telling himself he's fine with it, and something in me really aches for that.

his birthday is a good - and timely - example: he's a man in his 30s still holding onto childhood hurt, having his birthday forgotten and overshadowed by christmas. i'm also a christmas hater, so it's nice to have something else to celebrate and prioritize, and i like imagining his disgust at all of the unavoidable holiday trappings; it makes me feel less alone. i wouldn't say i relate to eiffel, more that i feel we have compatible issues, and it's not a secret that he's the type of guy i find attractive. he feels like a real person that i already know and love, and at the same time he's representative of the kind of person i'd like to know, like his life would fit comfortably into mine.

#wolf 359 #w359 #doug eiffel #and i think he'd give great hugs.#this is so long and it could be longer i'm sorry i'm mildly insane #i know gabriel urbina would probably be mortified i feel this way about eiffel but. well. look. there's someone for everyone okay #also of course there are some other more personal things and this isn't even getting into the dynamics he has with other characters #and hera in particular and why that matters so much to me but well. this is sappy enough. you can infer whatever.#thank you for asking <3

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thesharktanksdriver · 7 days ago

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DMC Netflix rant

K so this isn’t really my usual thing but as someone who recently got into devil may cry and was really looking forwards to the Netflix show I thought I’d air my thoughts on it because I have some opinions. I just wanna say I’m not a longtime fan but a newer one who started playing the games, I started with 5 and finished it and then started getting more into the games from there.

Just wanted to say before it all though this is my opinion and if you disagree that’s completely valid. If you had fun with the show I’m genuinely happy for you! Don’t let my opinion ruin it for you especially if you had a good time!. I don’t want to take something people found legitimate joy in and sully it. If you enjoyed it please move on from this post and enjoy the show. It’s just I have some gripes with it that I want to air out because I have some legitimate issues with it.

With that said spoilers for the show ahead and please do not harass the creators or other people over enjoying this show.

My likes

Animation

I loved the animation. I’d say for the most part it’s smooth and expressive when it needs to. There was some clear love and effort put into this and it shows. After watching the original DMC anime from 2007 and enjoying that but wishing it had a bigger budget, this is what I wanted aesthetic wise at least.

Dante

Personally I love Dante in this! He’s fun and goofy and reminds me of his dmc3 portrayal with him being more younger, cocky and inexperienced. It took a minute to get used to Nero’s voice with him but honestly I think it fits pretty well, like uncle like nephew lol. But genuinely though, Dante was fun and I loved him whenever he was on screen and kept me from dropping the show besides me hate watching it to the end. His ddr section and “who are we shooting at?” Sealed the deal for me.

Enzo

I 100% didn’t expect to love Enzo like I did but i was pleasantly surprised! I haven’t read the dmc novel where he showed up in but I have played bayonetta so I knew him mostly from there. His dynamic with Dante was really interesting, especially since Enzo seemed to genuinely care for Dante in his own way and Dante also cared for him too. He was plain fun and I was actually upset with his death and the callback to how he said he’d take a knife for Dante.

The references

Admittedly I’m a sucker for references but I really found it fun seeing Lucia. The references I didn’t expect but loved even more though were the capcom references! The raccoon city mention, the megaman statue, street fighter arcade machine etc. I wasn’t really expecting references to other capcom materials but I was super happy they got thrown in.

The white rabbit

A genuinely great villain! I was really intrigued he got picked as the main bad guy after seeing he was a throw off baddie from the dmc3 manga. Through the show he was an interesting and captivating through and through. At some points I even rooted for him. I have one grip with him but besides that he was a solid character for me.

The soundtrack

Solid soundtrack, I’m a bit nostalgic for 2000’s and 90’s music like green day, limp bizkit, etc because of my dad playing it when I was younger lol. Solid, and I enjoyed most of the song picks for it.

My dislikes

The cg

Oh god why did they do this???? The animation was great why did they go this route? Listen I get them having a budget and a deadline but it just doesn’t look good. It feels so jarring especially when you have the pretty 2d character beside the ugly cg demon, it also makes fights kinda nauseating to me at least.

Not knowing until now if it was canon or non-canon

This might just be me thing but I’m not sure if anywhere they explicitly said if this was going to be non-canon. This isn’t a big deal but it would’ve been nice to be told beforehand especially since for a month I lowkey thought that this was a canon entry before jumping into the show and realizing it wasn’t, being ok with that and it being a new portrayal and then seeing the rest of the show lol.

The Sparda was wrong thing

Ok so I don’t really get why their doing this especially when their making it seem like his decision was monstrous? Because if Sparda didn’t do that then humanity was gonna be screwed. And like I get what they’re trying to say but making it seem like a selfish decision feels like a big fuck you to sparda’s entire character. He went against mundis and everything he was taught up to that point to do the right thing even at his own expense. He loved humanity and was willing to sacrifice his standing and everything he had to potentially gain with staying at mundis’s side to ensure its survival. Something he’d continue to do when he went to form fortuna and help the protectors. That’s not even mentioning him meeting Eva and having Dante and Vergil, shedding his demonic form to be a father and husband. Though it’s not known in canon as to how exactly he died or when he seemingly disappeared it’s safe to say that with everything known about him he disappeared to save humanity and probably died in the end. So to say his decision is ultimately selfish and that Dante needs to fix the mistakes of his dad is really just…what?? And like I know it’s the rabbit saying this so it’s biased but still. Suddenly framing Sparda as wrong and selfish just feels really weird and kinda shitty.

Dante not knowing he’s part demon

I feel like this takes away from Dante’s character quite a bit. I’d say that a theme through the entire series is Dante’s struggle with his humanity and his in-humanity. I mean the entire song of “devils never cry” that’s in the end credits is about this. It’s also the reason why at least to me in the games seems to try and push people away . So it just feels weird? I think they were trying to explode that revelation in the show but it didn’t really feel like it. And like come on, you’re saying he seriously didn’t know when he was shot point blank in the chest with a shot gun and has superhuman senses and speed? Dante isn’t dumb, and it’s kinda insulting to his characters that they’re trying to make it seem like he genuinely is dumb if he hadn’t clocked that in.

The side characters

Besides Enzo, Dante and the rabbit mom of the other characters besides lady (I’ll get to her later) and maybe the vice president had any impact or interest from me. The minute I saw lady’s crew I immediately knew they were gonna die and I did not care for any of them to remotely feel anything. The only side characters I felt bad for were the demon refugees killed in the apartment complex and flashback scene

How they butchered lady

Quite honestly I don’t give a shit how people are upset lady was able to beat Dante, I couldn’t care less about that when her character was in my opinion butchered to meat clinging to a carcass. She’s so genuinely unlikable it makes me upset because I love dmc3 lady so much. Through the show I couldn’t give a shit about her when she was such an ass in such unredeemable circumstances. Like the fact she was lowkey being racist to Dante. And in some ways I get it, new version of her, and in dmc3 she was antagonistic to Dante there as well. But I think there’s a big difference there and it’s timing and action. In dmc3 she just lost her mom and wants revenge on her dad that nothing else matters, Dante is in her way and a nuisance in that goal that she lashes out until they have their genuine moments. Yes, she hates demons but her mother just died and now this guy who is clearly not human is in her way of killing her father. In the show though her dad turning into a demon and killing her mom happened years ago, and yes that hate hardened as years went on but I’d say her dmc3 portrayal makes her more sympathetic, she’s grieving and she’s a teenager. That brings me back to the show though and her decisions, specifically the fact that she killed a shit Tom of refugees (admittedly the situation was shit but how am I supposed to like her after that) and after learning that demons can be good along with how the government doesn’t value her or their people she decides to stab Dante in the back and hand him in to become a super solider. Honestly it feels like such a disservice to her character especially with her and Dante’s ending conversation of dmc3 of “devils don’t cry” once again cementing Dante’s inner struggle with being part demon and her responding (after disliking him most of the game up until now) saying “ I see. Maybe somewhere out there even a devil may cry when he loses a loved one. Don't you think?” Basically showing how she acknowledges his humanity. They’re probably leading up to a lady redemption arc but honestly I don’t care. They’ve made her almost unredeemable to me and it’s gonna take a lot of heavy lifting for her to ever be likeable in my eyes….and this isn’t even mentioning her constant swearing like the show is trying to remind you it’s a mature show-

The rushed pacing

Yet another thing that I can understand but I can’t help but feel as if nothing and then everything happened all at once. Like all the plot went from was catching Dante - plane scene - apartment complex - flashback episode - finale.

The villain was just some guy

Ok this is a smaller point but like, what do you mean the white rabbit was just some dude. I don’t think we even learned his name which I guess doesn’t matter but still. Couldn’t have had some more build up? Or maybe just made him full demon? If the rabbit head is a mask why is it so expressive?? I guess the blood transfusion stuff explains his abilities but making him full demon could’ve just been the easier option.

Plot holes that could have been fixed

Normally I wouldn’t really care for plot holes but there were some that felt really apparent to me. Like the government and that scientist just learned about demon’s existing but suddenly their already understanding demon magic and figuring out how the Sparda sword works? They could’ve just made it so that they’ve been aware of demons but kept it as a secret to not cause widespread panic. That would’ve made them suddenly understanding demons and the demon world a lot more reasonable. Idk it just feels like such an easy fix that would’ve made the world building a lot more realistic especially considering darkcore or whatever it’s called being a pre-existing entity up till this point. Another thing, I guess this wouldn’t be a plot hole but when is this set??? It has 90/00’s music along with I think a few background characters using old flip/brick phones but they have futuristic weaponry. It’s just a bit jarring in my opinion I guess.

Vergil

Admittedly I’m not the biggest Vergil fan but wtf. You make him a WILLING servant of Mundus??? And that was hill nelo Angelo form?? Huh????? You’re telling me the guy with such astronomically bad mommy issues joins the guy who murdered his beloved mom in cold blood joins him????. This undoes so much of his character, not even to mention it seems like they’re doing the whole jealous twin thing in that flashback sequence which misinterprets a lot of his feelings. He wasn’t upset because she gave Dante an amulet before him be was upset because he thought she chose Dante over him and left him to fucking die. Visions of v pretty much explains everything with “I also wanted to be protected”. That’s not even mentioning how being nelo Angelo mentally fucked with him for years, giving him permanent trauma he purged from himself and woudl lead up to dmc5 and how desperate he is for power. Him being Nelo Angelo unwillingly I’d say is a big plot point for him and making him willing undoes a lot. Just boiling him down to “jealous mom liked Dante more” and willing working with mundus undoes so much of his character. Maybe they’ll explain it, but until then he’s on my dislike list for how they portrayed him so far.

Politics

Firstly as a disclaimer I’m not American, I’m Canadian so maybe take this with a small pinch of salt especially with international relations right now. But uh, I find it a bit weird how the creator Adi Shankar was at the trump inauguration and made the vice president villain look like Biden? And then make a whole thing about government bad, we need to save refugees and bombing hell to colonize for resources when considering what said president he was partying with is doing now??? Idk, I’m not educated enough in American politics to understand everything but personally I find it kinda hypocritical he’s making this commentary while he’s in a certain someone’s pocket.

Overall I’m just disappointed. I’m not really sure what else to say. I was really looking forward to the anime and I’m really let down. I guess that’s my fault for putting faith into something but it just kinda sucks to have your hopes dashed especially after good adaptations like castlevania. If you’ve read this far thanks for reading my rant, feel free to share your opinion as well.

#dmc #devil may cry #devil may cry anime #devil may cry netflix #rants

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