#a more sympathetic and complex portrayal of orcs is NOT one of them

[lunamond]

The most annoying thing about all the self-proclaimed Tolkien lore purists, upset about Rop's orc family, is that the show doesn't just have the most interesting depiction of orcs but also the most faithful of all adaptations.

Rop's orcs have families like Tolkien's naming convention of "Bolg son of Azog" in the Hobbit strongly suggests. They are actually quite reluctant to go to war if they don't have to, which is sth we also see in the Lotr when a couple of orcs complain about Sauron forcing them into war and they wistfully speak about going back East and being free together. Even the orcs aversion to Sauron’s leadership and clear lack of respect shown in the new season's opening is sth found in Tolkien's own writing. In Nature of Middle-earth, he writes that the eastern orcs ridiculed and made fun of Sauron’s fair appearance.

Rop is by no means perfect, neither as a show nor an adaptation, but it is quite telling that some of the loudest detractors continue to make the most asinine complaints.

[gone-series-orchid]

oh jeez this is a lot but uhh for the ask meme 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 19, 23, 24, 36, 40, and 42?

3. favourite character?

orc is my most favorite, but astrid is close behind. i love orc’s character development and general demeanor. i love that he’s unapologetically flawed and isn’t engineered to be as likable as sam or caine, but still ends up endearing thanks to mg’s sympathetic writing. i’m a sucker for bullies who get redeemed, so this fits that perfectly, and i think his arc is written very well. i also think he has great chemistry with pretty much anyone who interacts with him--drake, astrid, howard, dekka, dahra...he always ends up revealing something interesting about the character opposite him, be it a surprising sense of kindness a la astrid or empathy a la dekka (seriously, they should have had more scenes together after first connecting in the later books, can’t remember which one) or personal nastiness a la drake. he works well as a morally gray antagonist and an antihero, and i love how he undergoes a sort of return to innocence by the end of his series.

6. character you like that most people don't?

eh, i think lots of people like orc, but i think i like him a lot more than some people. i’ve thought about his character and his development a lot, haha. also, does astrid count? i remember her being pretty polarizing earlier on in the fandom, but i appreciate her a lot, flaws and all.

7. character you don't like that most people do like?

caine, i think. sorry, guys, i just don’t see the appeal!

8. least favourite ship?

caina. i think it’s too toxic to be romantically compelling and too predictable to be “car crash” compelling.

9. least favourite character?

caine. he’s just so one-note and boring to me. plus, it’s hard to take a character seriously when he’s pontificating about how much he wants power when he’s fourteen.

15. which power would you like to have?

i think it’d be cool to have astrid’s retconned power of seeing other’s potential through weird visions. but i also really think taylor’s “bouncing” would be useful for getting out of danger!

16. favourite scene?

the scene where orc and astrid hang out at coates academy in plague, starting at the end of page 363 to page 367, picking up on page 435 to page 439, and picking up again on page 443 to finally ending on page 448. i call it “the coates scene.” i love it; i think it’s a brilliant depiction of astrid and orc undergoing their respective dark night of the souls, where they face the worst parts of themselves. i think it’s the most complex scene in the series, personally.

19. worst death?

orc’s death got to me because it happened for no reason and caine caused it (another reason why i dislike him), but also because the poor boy was bleeding out of his eyes and mouth! he died never knowing that underneath the stone skin, he was still a human boy! i love that visual though, gruesome as it is. i think it’s very symbolically poignant.

23. scene that made you cry?

the scenes in plague where orc is rampaging around being depressed and suicidal get to me every time. i don’t really cry, but i do find them terribly sad. very emotionally affective.

24. something you dislike about the series?

little pete’s ableist portrayal, the sexualization of diana, brianna and dekka’s age gap, astrid and sam getting back together at the beginning of fear, caine getting redeemed, little pete dying permanently...those are the big ones, i think.

36. most gruesome scene?

i think the scene where the three jennifers get the titular plague in that respective book is very gross and sad.

40. a side character you really liked?

does orc count? i also really liked duck zhang, cookie, mary, francis, hunter, and toto!

42. why do you love the series?

it’s stuck with me a long time because it was the only young adult series i read in my teen years that didn’t pull any punches involving gore (and wasn’t a paranormal romance, which i haaaated). i was reading stephen king books at about the same time, and they really reflect each other in a lot of ways (sexism and all). i also appreciate the wide range of characters and mg’s writing, which is really quick-paced and exciting. i might have problems with certain aspects of the series, but rest assured, i was never bored!

thank you for sending questions, anon! :) i hope these answers are sufficient. feel free to send more!