#so clearly it can't be *that* big a difference in likability

[lgbtlunaverse]

Most annoying NMJ or JC take is when someone that dislikes them is like "oh you're a fan of him? *scoff* Well obviously you've only seen cql, where he was super watered down. In the novel he's a dislikable asshole and that's the objectively superior canon I'm working from instead of your woobified fanfic." Meanwhile your main canon is novel canon and you genuinely find novel Jiang Cheng and Nie Mingjue complex sympathetic characters.

[shrimpalbuspotter]

This post was made in request from one of my best friends who I had a long discussion with last night about James Potter being an asshole so it's a bit messy. Anyway here

There's a specific way the Marauders fandom seem to characterise James that appears to be a fanon made thing. It's never pointed towards in canon, infact it's probably more so denied in canon, but I want to talk about how it actually works as a descriptor... sort of.

"James is like the sun"

Now, to describe someone as being "sunny" is to call them happy, optimistic, positive, and upbeat. They wouldn't be quick to anger, they'd often be told they light up a room just by being there, and they'd just be incredibly likable.

I just don't think this version of the term fits him. We see in Snapes Worst Memory that when Sirius and James get bored after their DADA exam, James first idea is to bully Snape. And it's obvious this isn't the first time they've done it so spontaneously. This isn't something a sunny person would do, a more realistic depiction of what a sunny James would say is "Let's go grab our brooms!" Or "Lets go take a dip in the lake!". The first fits the fact he was literally fidgeting with a snitch before he got up to walk over to Snape, and the second one fits more with the rather spur of the moment, fun-chasing personality we see him with. They wouldn't be malicious, and he'd be so hyped up about it that even if Sirius didn't want to do either, he'd get excited anyway. And also, you can't describe someone as a sunny person just because they made a large group of people laugh when it's at the cost of another (and not from something like a prank, which I'd accept as being un malicious if it affected more than 4 people at a time), because that's not being sunny, that's just being a dick.

But even so, I do think describing James as "like the sun" is a better version. Because it can mean something different from being "sunny".

A sun is a star, infact it's the largest star in our galaxy! For someone to be "like the sun", they could be the center of attention. James may enjoy doing things like "pranking" Snape (which lets be real, was clearly the best target for them simply because he was a nobody Slytherin who had one friend, meaning noone would care if they did bully him) for the sole purpose of people thinking he's hilarious. Doing big stunts in the Greathall or strutting about Hogwarts like he owns the place, because he feels like a king.

But the sun also does other things. Firstly, it burns. It's an angry flame that destroy eveything. much like James! Harry describes Lily as looking at James with utter hatred, and he can't blame her for the fact. Then James proceeded to Bully Snape even after he got together with Lily, but this time more secretively. No more flashy pranks or hexes in the hallways when Lily is on his hip. He got what he wanted, and he continued to burn those around him anyway. Also its knowledge that he would just hex people in the hallway for fun.

Another thing the sun is is "overwhelming". Its too much to take in, and it gets incredibly annoying at times, but you know you'd miss it when winter comes so you would never wish for it to be gone. This one is a bit more of me being speculative and assuming things than actually pointing shit out from the books... but i think this is reminiscent to how Remus felt. He was Bullied as a child, he had no friends, mixed with how he was a Werewolf? Weesh.. So by the time he was at Hogwarts, he was most likely expecting to just be lonely again. But no! He met Peter, and he wasn't popular but Remus would've been glad to just talk to somebody. Then he met James (and Sirius, but this aint about him), and by god, he practically shone. To Remus, being friends with someone who seemed so popular and excited and loud would've been an extremely far away dream. Then James asked him to be his friend and why would Remus turn that down.

Then you cut to further into Hogwarts, and it becomes obvious James was more of a troublemaker than Remus expected. And sure, watching another person get bullied when he knows he used to be that person might be cowardly, but what was he supposed to do besides a little reprimanding? James offered him a hand when he had nothing, then the rest of the Marauders proceeded to become unregistered Anamagi for him aswell, and seemed more than happy to help out during the full moon. If he really did give them in trouble, they could get angry (he knows how quick to anger Sirius and James can be), and they might even dislike him enough to tell everyone about his furry secret. So he decided to keep playing blissfully ignorant, because they "aren't always like that".

So yeah. He's overwhelming the way the sun is! He can just be too much sometimes, and is honestly a little scary, but you know you'd need him.

ANYWHOO. yeah. That was the post! I'm not sure if it makes sense as I did just barely wake up but ya know, I had my brain juices flowing. If there's anything that doesn't make sense or you can add anything on please do because I think I had alot more to say when I was talking about it last night but I can't remember currently.

[lloydfrontera]

Is there a difference between manhwa javier and novel javier? What is it? I never noticed it because it wasn't obvious like Lloyd's as his was exaggerated and he difference is too noticeable

there are,, some differences yes but nothing as bad as what they did to lloyd.

manhwa javier is a lot more expressive than novel javier. which i suppose is a consequence of manhwa being a visual medium but it can be a bit jarring at times.

novel javier is a lot more subtle and serious, not completely stoic of course, just more even-tempered i suppose. it's not that he doesn't feel things, he does, he's just careful about what he shows or shares with others. he's also very proper and respectful at all times. it's why it's so funny that he's such a little shit when he's just with lloyd, he would never tease and joke and laugh in front of anyone else, this is a side of him that only lloyd gets to see. this is not a guy that would be fighting for his life to keep himself from laughing when in front of other nobles like we see from manhwa javier in episode 80

he's also more... quiet. not in the sense that he doesn't talk, he does, especially with lloyd, it's actually kind of ridiculous how much banter between them has been cut in the manhwa, but the way he expresses himself isn't loud or overly expressive. even at his angriest, he never explodes or raises his voice, instead he gets colder and snappish, lloyd describing it as 'a heavy snowfall', his responses 'cold and icy'.

which, speaking of lloyd, javier is just closer to lloyd in the novel than he is in the manhwa. which is ironic because in the manhwa they actually are more honest with one another than they are in the novel and yet!

a big part of this is that aforementioned cut banter. in the novel these two are always speaking with each other, they're commenting on things, they're sharing their thoughts, they're joking with one another, they just... won't stop talking between them. it is constant. so you very clearly can see them growing closer and slowly becoming friends as much as they won't admit it at first. this is something that i've mentioned before but like,,, javier genuinely likes being around lloyd. he's annoyed about it and he actually throws a tantrum when he realizes he finds lloyd likable but he just can't help it! and he knows that he's also lloyd's closest friend, he even teases him about it! in the novel you completely believe them when they say they're friends because you've seen them grow closer to one another the entire time.

also javier just,,, seems to care more for lloyd in the novel? it's difficult to explain but javier is constantly thinking about lloyd's safety, a part of him is always worrying about keeping him safe. i complained about it before but in the manhwa javier seems to take his responsibility to protect lloyd less seriously than he should. when to javier that's his main worry! even as early as in the llojavi bridge we already get these sort of comments from javier's pov:

Javier finally let out a sigh of relief after knowing that the most dangerous part of the job was now done, and Lloyd was safe. The latter alone was good enough.

like. it's not much. it's nothing big. it's just tiny moments like these sprinkled here and there. but they're constant. whenever there's danger, whenever they're in risk, one of the first things javier always does is to check on lloyd, see if he's okay, if he's safe. the idea that javier wouldn't care for lloyd's safety doesn't even really cross your mind cause. well. you see him constantly worry about it.

fthere were a couple of changed in the bone dragon arc?? but i've talked about those before. they make javier less,,, kind?? helpful?? less of a hero type than he is in the novel. i dunno it's weird.

oh and a big one which i've also talked about before. javier in the novel does care that lloyd replaced the son of his lord. like. that is very much a point of conflict for him. he's not completely indifferent to it, he's genuinely shaken and distressed when he finds out the truth. it's a bit insulting to his character that they changed this. it undercut the extreme character development it took to get javier to this point, the amount of trust and loyalty he has for both arcos and lloyd, it's such an important moment for him and they just. changed it like that. i'm still mad about it akjshdksf

but,,, yeah i think those are the main ones. i guess if you scroll through my tag for him you'll find more info about how he is in the novel but,, i think that about covers it?? the important bits anyway. so... yeah :]

[azraanth]

Rant / Naruto and One Piece's protagonists.

I've been reading up analysis on Naruto and Luffy's to see how people perceived both of them as protagonists. Of course, everyone is biased by the fandom they are in, which is fair. But they do always compare both of them and don't think of the context of the story that's being told. And since I am in the mood to ramble about this...thought I would make a post.

Tdlr; Naruto and Luffy are great protagonists for their individuals stories and both are trying to say differents things.

About Naruto :

His childhood ; discriminated against because the Kyubi/Kurama reside inside him and the Tailed Beast injured and killed a lot of the villagers // loved ones of many ninjas and more or less deem Naruto responsible for it because he represents Kyubi, not making a difference between the child and the beast. That's the adults faults. Added to that, he has no family to count on and isn't taken care of by anyone instead. The child is completely isolated from everyone and everything and he doesn't understand why. He makes pranks and stupid jokes to gain attention from people because it's better than to be ignored. The only other kid who he's more or less in the same situation as him is Sasuke.

He grew to learn that he needed to be useful to the village in order to receive love or attention from them so he sets the goal of becoming Hokage. The system he is in partcipated in that mindset, it's very logical that he would end up setting such goals, if you think about it with the context of the worldbuilding and what is valued in it.

(That being The Village and Peace and a world who value sacrifice for the system set in place and put 13 years old kids on missions and create soldiers out of them.)

So, when you think about it, it's only logical that Naruto would grow to value other people's opinion of him a lot. On top of that, the people who have goals that are more individualistic are heavily punished or portrayed as traitors by the narrative. (Which could be related to the fact that Japan is a country that favor's the community more than the individual goals / well-being of its people. It makes sense that it's translated in what mangaka write about.) Think of Sasuke. He wasn't looking for a way to destroy the village at the beginning, just a way to kill Itachi which wasn't even related to village business and was his personal goal. Yet he was called a deserter for not serving the village. Why would Naruto try to go against the system?

That's the question I asked earlier and I have some thoughts on the matter. The thing is, Naruto is earnest, it's a big quality as much as it is a flaw. That's what permitted him to empathize with a lot of the villains he encountered during the manga but it's also what stopped him from getting back at the village for their mistreatment ; he wants to be loved above all else. I mean, it's not the title of Hokage he wants, it's the love and respect that comes from it.

He's clearly a product of his environnment. He can't change the system because the narrative created by Kishimoto never gave him the occasion to completely dismantle it but it did gave him the tools to question it. Throughout the series, he's confronted by people who are victims of the system of the manga and he does promise to change things later on. But he doesn't even realize that he is as much of a victim as they are and he can't fulfill his promises.

But that doesn't mean he's not a likable or a bad protagonist because of it. I would say it makes him compelling and interesting. It's just that shonen fans want more simplicity (and I would argue that simplicity doesn't equate to badly written protagonist or even less complex protagonists) in their protagonists, someone who inspires them to be better version of themselves. They want a story about hope.

Naruto is partly that. It is about hope, but in a more grounded, realistic way. It's hope about changing things little by little, with each step you take. Naruto (the series as much as the character) is not doomed to eternal sadness or happiness. He's just there and try do things with the tools at his disposal, like everyone else.

Naruto is a story about hard work, discrimination, cycle of hatred, critcism of war and its horrors but also a deep exploration of trauma, emotions and what makes a person who they are and how to understand each other in a very complicated world and how to find love with it and that's why Naruto is the perfect protagonist of this story. Because he did learn what love really meant at the end just not the way he thought he should have it.

About Luffy

From the very start, One Piece's story is about hope and realizing your dreams. It's a hopeful story in which hatred doesn't take the precedent over people's choices and freedom. It's about a big journey you undergoe in order to grow, learn and then get to your goal while eating, drinking and fighting with your friends. All of that while also aknowledging that the world is not fair to everyone that's in it and no one is born equal to another.

Luffy is the perfect protagonist for this story. He's written to inspire people. Not just in the manga but the readers as well. "His selfishness is selfless" is a sentence that describe his principles and morals quite easily. Luffy is freedom. That's just it, really.

He's a simple character to understand because he's consistently the same throughout the manga while undergoing subtle character development. The thing is, Luffy is a character who changed as he learned from his adventures. He learned to deal with things in differents ways as he went on his journey. He went from resolving his problems with a good punch to learn that he can solve his problems by apologizing and bending the knee for the sake of others. He went from escalating to a fight with a crewmate who felt like he didn't belong in his crew to saying that he couldn't become the King of Pirates without them.

But, through and through, he stayed selfish. He was selfish when he fought an Emperor when he was specifically told to not do it at that precise moment because said Emperor was drunk and destroying a village with innocent people in it and Luffy couldn't even think of the possibility of wasting those lives for a plan. He was selfish when he punched in the face a Celestial Dragon and didn't think of anything else other than the fact that this man is a complete asshole. He's selfish when he beat the shit out of Doflammingo or Crocodile. He's selfish when he helps Nami ; he wants her as his navigator and no one else. So he destroys what stops her from being by his side. The thing stopping her being her village under the tyranny of Arlong. He's selfish when he asks Soge King to burn the flag of the WG because he wanted Robin to live. She could die later if she wanted, but not there. He's selfish when he says to Chopper to shut up and come with him on his ship.

He's so selfish that he liberates anyone he meets from the limitations they have imposed on themselves by simply giving them what they need ; uncondionnal love and support. He's very much the embodiment of freedom and portrays it so well that it is only natural for him to be the protagonist. His story is about liberating the world. (One Piece is not finished when I am writing this.)

As you can see, I have not mentionned Luffy's past as I have with Naruto. It's because Naruto's past is central to his character and his journey. Luffy isn't. Luffy's past explains who he is and Naruto's past define who he is. Neither are bad ways to approach the writing of a character.

Knowing the past of a character in One Piece is not that important, as long as you know them as they are, now. It explains why they are the way they are without defining what they can be. (Most of the time, I wouldn't say that that learning about Kuma's story didn't change my perspetive on his character. But then again : it explains his actions.)

That's what I think fundamentally makes the difference between Naruto and Luffy : the way they were written by their respective authors and the goals behind the character and what purpose they serve the respective stories.

I have tried to remain neutral during this rant, mostly because I think I can go on a while when I am not. I do have to add something personal, though. I love both protagonists a lot but for very different reasons. I really like to dig in with Naruto, especially his past and where it lead him as grew in tohe story as a character. I think he's very interesting to analyze and fun as well. Especially when you look at his story though differents lenses : either being japanese culture being reflected in the manga, history, politics, a story of love, a queer love story about repression in un unjust system (it is my favorite reading), an author being the product of his culture or a feminist reading (either to empower the characters or to analyze the sexism within the manga). It's just an endless ressource to exchange on. One Piece is also interesting in the sense that, yes, of course if you read the story in various ways (history, politics, feminism, queer reading, artistic, morals...all related to differents cultures) you can learn a lot about the manga itself, what inspired Oda but also about the world and very important life lessons, even. But what makes it interesting is the characters as much as the lore and the mystery behind the One Piece and what I love the most about it, is frankly, the hope it gives me about a better world, about realizing your dreams and not giving up on them. As much as I love analyzing Naruto, it never gave me that.

[elliepassmore]

These Vengeful Wishes review

4/5 stars Recommended if you like: Southern Gothic, horror, wishes, family secrets

Big thanks to Netgalley, Zando Young Readers, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The book started out quite interestingly and you can't quite tell where it's going to go or how our MC ends up back in her mother's hometown. This part of the setup progresses fairly quickly and I was actually pretty amused at how it played out.

I have to say, I didn't like Ceci very much at the beginning. The very beginning was interesting, but she's quickly painted as a spoiled, capricious character. Luckily, things seem to change once her mom and her head to Santa Aguas, and I found myself liking Ceci much more after that. She's definitely a character who has gone through difficulties, despite the seemingly privileged facade (and honestly, reality). She also grows over the course of the book and comes to realize her own flaws while also understanding and forgiving her mother for some of hers.

Santa Aguas clearly has something...off about it from the get-go. For one there's the horse-headed statue of a woman with mustard seeds outside the gas station. For another there's the sheer number of missing person cases and drunk people who wander into the woods and return wrong. There's actually a couple layers to the mystery, and it's hard to tell at first how they all connect with one another. I definitely figured some aspects of it out before the characters did, but there were also parts that took me completely by surprise.

The well of La Cegua and the wishes it grants was definitely an interesting aspect. Wishes being magically granted is, naturally, very seductive and hard to resist. Who wouldn't make a wish or two given the chance? But all magic comes with a price, and the wishes La Cegua grants have a nasty sting...just not always for the wish maker. It was definitely interesting to see how the dark side of these wishes played out and how the desire to make life just a little bit better battled with the need to prevent bad things from happening.

I wasn't sure how the wishes and the missing people connected (except for the obvious: La Cegua), and it was fun trying to figure it out alongside the characters. While the two bits of magic are seemingly separate, there was a really interesting thread connecting them, and I really liked how it was all revealed.

The main side characters are Jamie, the friend who discovers La Cegua's wishing well with Ceci, and two of Jamie's friends, Myra and Di. Jamie is a giant teddy bear who's always looking out for people and trying to make sure they're taken care of. But just like how Ceci is hiding a vulnerable core, Jamie is hiding his own difficult family background behind his sunny exterior. The two of them are able to connect over shared, but different, family troubles, and it makes sense why they're both drawn to the wishing well. Myra and Di seem like polar opposites, but they vibe off each other fairly well. They're also more than willing to bring Ceci into their friend group, and I liked that she had someone other than Jamie that she could be herself around.

I'm not really sure how I feel about Ceci's mom. For most of the book she acts one way: rich, out to keep her money, and wanting to keep up appearances. But throughout the book there are moments of softness with her and she and Ceci get some genuine moments together. She does seem to shed some of the superficiality the longer they stay in Santa Aguas, but then something will happen and she'll snap back to her old self. The ending felt a little too neat with her, imo, though there is a time jump from the last chapter to the epilogue, so I suppose it's feasible she worked on herself.

Overall, I found this to be a great horror read that has wishes gone awry, family secrets, and a nice dose of Southern Gothic. While Ceci doesn't start out as the most likable, I did enjoy her character once she was in Santa Aguas, and she definitely undergoes some major character growth.

[chordsykat]

Do you have tips on writing strong and even powerful characters who are OCs? I am new to Metalocalypse and I want to write some stories but I don't know how to make a character feel like they're not too overpowered and they fit naturally in the story. How do you do it?

Gosh, Anon, I wanted to point you to an answer I did for this question a few years ago, but... it's been a few years and Tumblr's search function is... Tumblr's search function. So let me just go around again with this one..!

Let's start with the obvious: Metalocalypse is a wonderful opportunity to write a bunch of stuff that's utterly ridiculous and you should not be afraid to do it. People who tell you "you can't have crazy/supernatural/magic powers" in this universe are clearly watching a different show than the rest of us. Go nuts. It's fine.

So, typically my response to this question is the standard one you'd get if you just googled "how do I make a character not feel overpowering" - which is, anything is possible if you write it believably enough. And that is a big part of it, but lately I've looked into the nuances of this just a litte further than I have in the past, and can add a bit more to this wisdom.

Especially. ESPECIALLY-especially, if you're introducing a character into an already-established world, pay close attention to one thing: How are the established characters relating to the type of character that your OC is.

This goes beyond them being powerful, too. Maybe they're normal and pretty vanilla. Maybe they're a bad guy. Maybe they're a bi-monthly curated box of snacks -- hell, I dunno! But whatever they are, your goal in that introductory story should be to not just showcase who this character is - but in order to endear the audience to them, you must make the canon cast believably respond to the type of character they are, preferably in the most interesting way possible. That's it. That's your biggest job as the writer when it comes to making... well... any kind of character introduction, I'd suppose. Another way of saying this would be, don't come out of the gate giving them a gold star in the form of plot-armor and intrigue because this is their story. I'm not saying it isn't their story, but give the audience some credit and make your characters earn their spot as central cast members. Remember: no matter the writer's skill level, readers are always stingier with their gold stars.

Consider Nathan Explosion meeting a random fan who he invites back to Mordhaus, for no reason, versus Nathan Explosion meets a guy who can shoot lightning bolts out of his ass, and he invites him home because in his mind he's already got about fifty new ideas for drinking games with this dude. Both are perfectly viable stories, but if I'm honest, the second one sounds more believable, despite the superpowers, does it not? In the first one, it's less so not because the person is a normie - but because there's literally no reason for Nathan to drag them home excepting the fact that the character exists.

The trick to making characters likable lies in the audience's trust that you're going to handle the characters they already know, in a consistent and in-character way. That's it. You earn it with them, there, and I guarantee they'll eventually stop riding on the shoulders of the canon cast and start willingly hopping onto your OCs' as time goes on.

So once you have this conflict planned out (and make no mistake -- meeting someone new for the first time is often one of the biggest conflicts in any "new kid in town" story), you just gotta make sure your character is consistent with who they are -- both in abilities and limitations. The usual "don't warp the world around them" rules apply. I trust you know how to keep your own character in-character, so the rest is just assuring everyone else is also going to be acting appropriately. That's it.

Anyway, hope this helps as an answer, Anon. And I hope you share your stories with us when you finish them! Best of luck - you can do it! :D

[crazykuroneko]

Tbh I think a lot casual viewers / non book fans are probably going to not continue the show after s2 unless it diverges quite drastically on louis's storyline? iwtv is very bleak and I genuinely think they underestimated how much show viewers ended up hating lestat after s1 (and they may end up in a similar situation with armand in s2) and then you're asking the audience to watch an entire season of this guy's whole backstory. plus you're killing off one of the two likable characters by the end of s2 and shifting louis into more a side character.

a big red flag to me was the lady who hosts the podcast who doesn't have a book background saying a lot of the same stuff as show-only people. like she clearly does not like lestat or loustat at all lmao and its literally her job to promote the show.

First, I want to address the "shifting louis into more a side character" because no I don't agree with that. Contrary to fans believe, Hollywood-standard wise (from the number of episodes they are in, how integral their characters are to the story), both Jacob and Sam have been considered as lead actors/cast of IWTV. You can see industry news outlets calling them both as such. But because IWTV is about Louis' past specifically and AMC knew IWTV still has some hope in Emmys even though it's small, they put them in different categories to not split the votes between them (they even only submit one actor in each category for it). So, look at what we have now, Louis is the narrator yet we still get Lestat in all episodes, and he's leading the NOLA narrative forward together with Louis despite not existing in the Dubai narrative. I bet we'll still get Lestat in most, if not all episodes, in S2, because Rolin has said many many times, the show is about both of them. And I expect they'll do the same in TVL season(s); Lestat is telling the story while Louis is leading whatever will be going on in the modern time. (No, i don't believe they'll make Louis stuck on a couch the whole season to listen to Lestat's story even though it sounds tasty. He'd definitely have a way to know what Lestat's saying, but I don't see anything good writing-wise from sticking your well-developed character in one place for such a long time)

About whether the audience will be willing to listen to Lestat's past, I'll see how S2 goes first before judging that. A lot of people don't like him, but there are a lot of them who are like, "I will miss him if he dies, he's an interesting character".

And IWTV is a niche show, its genre is gothic horror/romance. Who the hell is doing gothic romance for a series in this decade? (Hannibal doesn't count, it's not gothic and still about will/won't they). Like, what AMC is doing with IWTV now is extremely daring. And with a niche show, it's always the same: you can't please everyone. There will always be part of the general audience who will leave because either it's simply not their cup of tea or they can't stomach it. Especially now when there's this purity sentiment going so strongly in general (apparently now we shouldn't ship fictional characters, every sex scene has to have a grand purpose, and you shouldn't watch any portrayal of abuse even though it's produced by the victim herself). God forbid IWTV would ever want to please those people yikes. So, IWTV won't ever get as "mainstream" as what, Succession, Ted Lasso, Better Call Saul. But IWTV would still appeal to people who appreciate good writing, people who are "idc how bad the characters are as long as they're exciting!", and people who really love horror (not that "comfort horror" BS) - there's this review of IWTV from an horror website who is like "I wish they gave us more gore and horror of vampires", oh these people would love S2.

So, tl;dr you could say it's a natural selection (hell yes Darwinism), it's inevitable. I'd rather have that audience leave than stay and ruin fans' experience by whining about the plot that won't ever satisfy them. And I'd always applaud writers who don't give a shit to what people say and stick to what they're meant to do. They slay!

EDIT: ah I forgot about this. but don't underestimate the number of old fans who will probably check the show again when the TVL season(s) come. Because no matter how big their hatred for AMC is, it will be the first time ever for TVL to be adapted on screen. First time in 38 years (yes no one considers QotD movie ever existed). That's too big a temptation!

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - a truly delightful sequel

As a big fan of Knives Out, I was really looking forward to Glass Onion. With the reviews being so good and loving the first movie, I was very excited. I have enjoyed Branaugh's Hercule Poirot films too. As someone who loves such movies and Knives Out, I can honestly say that this film lived up to those high expectations. I really wish I had gotten the opportunity to watch this in a theater because I am a sucker for murder mystery movies.

When you have a film that is as well liked as Knives Out, it could have been very easy to just ape its structure. But Rian Johnson resists that temptation. Like with Knives Out, there is a core group of characters. In this movie, there are actually fewer characters than in Knives Out. And like in Knives Out, whose moral center was Ana de Armas' Marta, this film's moral center is Janelle Monae. This film plays out structurally different. Whereas Knives Out threw us into events after the main death had already occurred and then slowly pealed back the layers of what happened through each character, this film shows a fairly conventional chronology of events before upending things midway through the film and then showing the same set of events through a different Lense and adding more context. We don't even know what the main mystery is until halfway through the film. Because Rian Johnson is playing with the audience just as much as he's playing with the characters, it keeps us on our toes, not really knowing what will happen next. As with Knives Out, Rian Johnson subverts the audience's expectations by focusing on what happened, rather than who did it. And its a clever tactic, because it makes the film a lot more rewatchable, the same way it did with Knives Out.

This film is also really funny. There is definitely a looser and more comedic tone to this film, compared to Knives Out, which wasn't a serious film by any measure. But the humor in this film works. It also has a much more open and brighter setting. Thankfully the film doesn't put too much focus on the pandemic setting other than to poke at how the rich handled those restrictions. The film makes a lot of fun of the elite. You could say there are very strong allusions to really live billionaires as well as references to real life celebrities. I also love that the character of Benoit Blanc is such an innately likable guy. Quite often, these uber smart detectives are always tortured and introverted. Blanc is brilliant but he's also just an empathetic nice guy.

If there are any complaints, you can maybe say that the actually 'who is the murderer?' is not very complicated, but that is sort of the point.

The performances are all terrific. Daniel Craig really leads the way in this film. While he was every present in Knives Out, he largely lurked in the background until he needed to make his presence felt. Here he is more front and center and he is clearly having a blast. Again, the sequence in which he unveils the mystery is hysterical. I love his accent, no matter what anyone says. Janelle Monae is fantastic. There is a very sharp turn in her character which gives her so many different layers to play across the movie. Edward Norton, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick, and Madelyn Cline are all great. Kate Hudson and Edward Norton are particularly notable. There are some who get more scope than others but all actors managed to leave a mark.

All in all, a really fun movie. Laughed a lot, enjoyed the mystery and all the performances. Can't wait for more Benoit Blanc mysteries from Rian Johnson. A 9/10.

[astrologista]

Just saw Wish. I know it's getting hate, but... overall... I thought it was very... meh? Like literally meh.

(whinging)

The protag was likable, though a bit derivative in her motivations. The message was... ok, I suppose. The animation was fairly good in most places.

It does definitely have quite a few big issues, exacerbated by what it's trying so hard to be. All the pieces are there for a great movie, which is what's so frustrating about it.

For me, I felt that the textures and lighting in particular had some kind of issue. They look okay in some places, but the whole thing looked like it was un-rendered on purpose. Like it looked like the behind-the-scenes draft version before they do the final render on it. This was probably to give off a sense of "storybook" quality to the 3d models by rendering them all flat and matte but tbh it looks rather cheap for Disney. All the colors in the movie seem to also be quite muted. The color palette they chose is very cool and understated which made me want to take a nap. And since much of the movie takes place at night, that exacerbates matters a lot. There's also very little variation in setting, colors, or lighting, which makes things boring.

The songs are the biggest problem imo. I can't remember any of the songs at all, they're very forgettable to me. I'm sure there are kids who liked them and I'm not aiming to undercut that, but the fact of the matter is that these songs can't hold a candle to classic Disney songs. Classic Disney songs have a showtune quality. The melodies will stay in your mind for decades after hearing them once. The lyrics are perfectly suited to the characters and story. You want to sing along with them. And... these songs ain't that, sorry. It made sense when I learned that these songs were composed by musicians whose main background was writing Top 40 hits, not Broadway musicals. It sounds like the assignment was to try to be Lin Manuel-Miranda without paying for Lin Manuel-Miranda. They failed spectacularly at that. If there was one movie to get Lin Manuel-Miranda for, it would be this one. Had they done that and had a few absolute banger songs in this, it would have made a HUGE difference in this film's staying power.

As it is, I can't remember much about the music, so it's hard to comment on it. It wasn't offensively bad, just a very generic sound to it that didn't feel Disney-movie-esque (or at least, not major animated feature from Disney-esque. Certainly not 100-year anniversary material). The worst song is This Is The Thanks I Get because it had so much potential and they threw it away. The animation and staging during the song is great, it's actually the highlight of the film for me. They were clearly aiming for this to be the "Let it Go" of the movie, a huge hit that people talk about for a long time. And it's been a very long time since there's been a straight-up unapologetic villain song in a Disney movie, so I was excited for this one. Here's the problem. THE SONG IS NOT IN A MINOR KEY! Why? No, seriously, what were they thinking?? It has all the hallmarks of a big, grandiose megalomaniacal villain song AND IT'S NOT IN A MINOR KEY! The tone of the song is clearly meant to evoke fear as evidenced by the animation and clearly the storyboard artist was aiming for a big, frightening number. The song doesn't match that at all. Instead it's kinda happy? Playful? Like a Top 40 hit that your mom might play in the car? What the fuck? The lost potential is so sad because Maginifico could've been a great and funny villain. He's got the narcissism, comedic qualities, cartoonish mustache twirling and hot DILF-ness to carry the villain role. For some reason though, the big cartoon-y bad guy stuff feels a bit... restrained by the fact that he's trapped in a 3D model. Like the over-the-top maniacal 2D slasher faces that they keep trying so hard to give him just don't translate to 3D very well. He would've looked so much fucking better in 2D, I'm sorry. His voice work is done quite well, though - actually all the voice work in the movie is. (The goat was not that bad honestly)

Apparently one of the concept arts has Magnifico's wife (does she have a name) being evil as well. What the fuck, Disney, where was that?? They could've been an evil power couple, that would've ATE. They also whitewashed her, which... ok, interesting choice. It seems they were also going to have Star take the form of a boy and have a romantic arc with Asha which I'm glad they did NOT do, adding romance to a film like this probably would've served to make it even more generic.

As a movie for little tiny children I think this film is okay. For the Disney fans this was supposed to be a love letter to, let's all go watch Aladdin, Mulan, Lion King (THE ORIGINAL), Beauty and the Beast, and all the other films that weren't created in a boardroom lab. Wish has a generic look, a generic sound, a generic message, and as much as I support those who enjoyed it, I can't help but commiserate with the fans who are disappointed in the less-than-stellar Disney flicks of the past few years. It's like they are allergic to taking risks, hiring creatives and letting them work, or keeping greedy corporate hands out of their projects. Hopefully their revenues keep tanking until they get the message but it looks like Iger is still drinking pure copium based on his recent comments that "audiences don't want films with a message anymore". OK. Yeah, that's what you should take from this, Iger. Have fun continuing to censor your films, gotta get those bucks from the Russian and Chinese markets, pal.

[wolfnanaki]

hello, im an absolute bypasser who sorta stumbled upon a somewhat political post of yours. as someone with a significantly different opinion than yours, i just wanted to say i admire how mature and respectful you are! as people we all have different opinions and at some point we need to agree to disagree, and nowadays it’s hard to find people like that on the internet where everyone wants to use their platform to preach. i hope you’re having a super nice day!!

Thank you for the kind words, Anon. c:

I try my best to always be clear, respectful, and thoughtful when I'm talking about my political opinions because I think it's important that people understand the thought process and intent behind my beliefs. More than just being able to back up your words with facts and data, it's also crucial for people to like you. And you don't be a likable person by being an asshole, lmao. Plus, if you don't communicate clearly, you leave room for bad faith actors to twist your words and lie about you.

I made this motto that I try to live by: "When the world is ruled by hate, rebel with love." I think a big problem in how social media has conditioned us to communicate is by encouraging conflict. People posting their hottest, worst takes as "bait" to get people angry and arguing, shouting past each other in hate. I don't engage in that. I literally can't; when I get angry, I get physically sick. And I know that no matter how respectful or thoughtful I am, I can't convince everyone.

So I do two things. For the people on the opposite side of me that are open to change and hearing arguments against their beliefs, I have that information ready. And for the people who are struggling in the world as it is now, I show them love, compassion, and support in every way that I can.

Anyway! I hope you're having a nice day too! 🎵

[crowscommunion]

I have a lot of feelings toward people, but not much attachment to them. Just my immediate family who played a role in raising me, for the most part.

That's what's so weird about my relationship with my fiancé.

He's the only real, healthy attachment I've actually had to anyone outside of my family. If my best friend walked away and never talked to me again tomorrow, I'd be confused about it, but not hurt by it.

It's not even about other people or disliking people, or whatever. I just don't view people as my property, and if I assert a boundary and they can't respect it, I view not being their friend as more of a "we're just not compatible" type of thing. I have boundaries you clearly can't respect, and I'm not keeping you in my life because I value my boundaries and my sense of self more than I value any friendship. I remove people from my life relatively often, and most of them I don't have any real ill will toward.

"Best wishes, but goodbye" is usually my view on it.

I don't even feel like I need to give a reason, which would probably upset some people. But I also never ask for a reason if anyone steps out, because it doesn't actually matter. Ultimately, there are billions of people on the planet and one not talking to you isn't that big of a deal. All of them are unique and most of them are also likable, so I never really saw a point in putting myself around people I don't have positive interactions with for that reason.

People who take it personally just seem weird to me.

My fiancé though? Different story.

I've found he's not replaceable.

Probably avoidant attachment, but I'd prefer that to the other ones. I would say it's made my life much safer and less complicated, for the most part. I wouldn't even consider it a disorder, looking at it from my end, because it hasn't inhibited me from living my life on my own terms in a healthy and self-sustaining way. I've seen a lot of people be severely attached to other people in a really unhealthy way, and I'm really glad I'm not them.

Makes it a lot easier to look at actions instead of feelings when it comes to people. It's more objective than attachment.

What's annoying about people is that usually when you choose to walk away from them, they feel insulted by your lack of attachment to them. People really want to be the center of the universe in everyone's life. They want the loss of them in your life to be painful for you in some way. It's a self-centric thing, because it makes them feel like they have value when they can't sustain the feeling of value on their own.

Well, sorry to disappoint.

[applejuicemania]

I wasn't expecting a reply @chaos-bringer-13 , so I hope I'm not too forward when I say that I am pleasantly surprised! You definitely made my day! :)

I am about to get lengthy down below (and also kinda cringe), so I will be putting this linebreak!

[ - - ]

And Yes!! Mediator Danny, just some dude coming in and saying "alright everyone, circle time", and everyone stopping to listen like children lmao. I like the concept of him being a neutral party, because he feels like the sort to empathize with a whole slew of different ideas, backgrounds, and characters, and with his natural charisma, it's hard to hate a guy that tries so hard. Danny is a likable person, a "do no harm but take no shit" sorta dude and honestly? What a vibe.

His ability to calm people/entities/ghost/etc down and resolve a situation, or give good advice that really helps another should be uncanny. I feel like it should anyways, but that might be because he has a genuinity to help. Leaning into that "come on guys, can't we just like? calm down? talk about it or duke it out somewhere else? maybe eat some souls of the innocent?" attitude and everyone following along with an "well alright."

Maybe, if we lean into the idea of Danny symbolizing Balance, that being Balance can produce a natural calming aura that can help soothe those in distress. Like, a 'life aura'? In opposition, he could also have a 'death aura' that makes others cower in fear or feel subjugation under a domineering force? If he can utilize both, I think Danny could be prime Mediator material; imagine the situations! But I feel silly now, talking about something like this haha,,,

You just can't stay mad at him for long either? He's like this little (powerful) thing and he's looking up at you with the most disappointed mom look[tm], not actually mad at you but damn it'd be better if he was because what're you supposed to do with that?? "Yes Sir, Sorry Sir (;´Д｀)"

Haha, had a story idea:

Big scary Entity, on a rampage and is just so Mad, and they're just destroying everything, a lot of property damage really. The J.L. is at a complete lost because they can't calm them down or land a good hit, resorting to doing what they can in the background. (ie. evacuation and reducing damages as much as possible)

Que Danny, having heard about the commotion, and he's walking up without a second thought. Cool as a cucumber, hands in his pockets like a suave MFer despite being the epitome of a human toothpick.

Entity looks down at this Dude[tm] and is clearly raising an eyebrow, like who is this? By description, probably that chihuahua that everyone keeps talking about, being some peace maker or whatever. This big scary entity is still big time mad though, so they really don't want to entertain pipsqueak here.

Doesn't stop Danny, he's so stubborn that not even death has a grip on him. He's like, hold it right there buddy boy, we've got words to share 'ere. Mid-western politeness taken to a whole other level, he ain't just stopping you at the door but at city destruction now.

Thing's gotta be rigged, because somehow Danny is making this Entity vent out their madness in a safer manner. Danny is thinking he's channeling Jazz Fenton like a pro, like this is what my sister would do right? In a way, he's right, but there is a difference between mediator and therapist. The Entity comes back to reality at a complete loss, because they were just destroying the buildings - how did they find themself sitting down and talking??

The J.L. is equally dumbfounded; excuse us, what just happened? They aint a clue, because Danny did what they were trying to do, but Better[tm].

Danny, after consuling the Entity: - and what would your Mother think? She'd be so Upset wouldn't she?

Entity, tearing up: M, mommy?? (´；д；｀)

[ - - ]

Omg, aaaa!! I like how you mention that Tucker gave such vital information for the sake that his friend gets to stargaze whenever he wants. Like!! They're such buds!! brohams!! They have a great relationship with one another!!

On the other hand, J.L. sighing in relief over an easy trade; like oh wow that's it? so easy, thank goodness, haha.

Danny thinking he's just having good ol' friendly debate with this random being that popped up outta nowhere, but he's actually solving a crisis that may or may not disolve a kingdom or two. Like, "oh yeah, maybe doing such-and-such and so-and-so could help with that tension", and the random being is hurriedly jotting down notes. Danny saying something along the lines of, "It'd be nice if this Kingdom and that Civilization would get along better, because I think they'd benefit from it more." And here's ten reasons why they would benefit. Then whoa, who just drafted this entire in-depth peace deal, with great trade from both sides and a strengthening in their economics?? Must be Gary, he's always had a way with words.

I wonder if, at any point, Danny will realize he has essentially taken on a leading role in how the Ghost Zone/Infiniti Realms functions or that he is the leading cause of its new laws/treaties/etc. Or will he be completely oblivious/in denial of the entire situation?

Danny: Well, I can't be King - I don't have a death certificate!

Observant, revealing said certificate with a magic poof: You do, actually, have one.

Danny, taken aback but not surprised: Alright well, uh. I can't because I don't have a higher education?

It's as if he had a Gotcha moment, because Danny points triumphantly: Right yeah, I don't even have a highschool diploma!

The Observant isn't phased, and they present that customer service smile: You needn't worry, we are a very inclusive realm where your former education doesn't matter in terms of qualification for kingliship.

Danny, stupified, trying to come up with something: Uh um well. My parents said... no?? You uh don't have their signature or whatever??

The Observant, a little confused but looking through their paperwork anyways, and finds that NO they didn't get a guardian's signature (since Danny is technically a minor ghostling): Drats!

Danny, looking at you like in The Office:

[ - - ]

I am not good artist, but I did really like your prompt; I thought it was funny scenario haha! :)

• • • 》

[ script; Listen, I don't really care. (Actually cares a lot.)

end script. ]

I had the idea to draw more, but I unfortunately had neither the time or energy to do so; I'm sorry about that. :(

If I manage to do so, I'll be sure to add it onto the thread! But until then, I hope this little piece is alright!

I've seen a lot of people writing Danny as a space ancient and Dan and Dani as ghosts with moon and sun cores, being sort of parts, versions of Danny and therefore weaker. Now, consider: Dan and Dani are both powerful ghosts with really cool cores and stuff but Danny is just some guy™

Dan, who came from an alternate timeline and is kind of from the future but also not, is Clockwork's apprentice and will eventually become an ancient of time. He probably only agreed to have some lessons with Clockwork to understand better what happened to him, but he enjoys his apprenticeship now.

Dani, with her love of travelling, loves seeing all the different places the world offers to her, and that includes space and different planets and maybe even parallel universes, and she accidentally ends up being an apprentice of the space ancient. For now she's probably a baby ancient of freedom or something like that, but she might become an ancient of space in the future.

We can also have something like Dan having a core of destruction or Dani being the Speed Force if you want it to be dcxdp, or any headcanon of yours about their cool powers.

And then there's Danny. And yeah, everyone knows that he's super powerful, but also he's just some guy.

It can go different routes. Does everyone know that Danny is just Danny? Or do they think that with siblings (well, technically a clone and an alternate version, but whatever) so powerful, he must be even stronger? Is Danny actually something terrifyingly eldritch and ancient and strong, almost a god, but he just doesn't know himself? Or is he just really some guy?

Now, because it's obvious that I have a dcxdp brainrot, have a regular "JL summons/meets a powerful ghost" but its Dan and Dani, and they keep mentioning their original/brother who won a fight against them at some point. The JL is very concerned about Dan and Dani's godlike powers, and they can't imagine what Danny is like. And then they meet him (in his human form), and it's just a young adult in casual clothes, very friendly and helpful, with no evident powers. Imagine the confusion. Imagine Dan and Dani, radiating power, in their eldritch ghost forms, admitting that fighting Danny for real is the dumbest thing to do and not even they would succeed... And then there's Danny is jeans and silly t-shirt, waving shyly.

[casmybelovedass]

I can sympathise with Mary. Always had. She never wanted any of the shit she got, and was forced in many roles she didn't want. She clearly wasn't fit to be a mother, but that was all the "normal" she could aspire for, and she took it, and all it came with.

She was a shitty cook, didn't know how to be a house wife and didn't have a real idea of what a normal family should look like or behave. Her husband wasn't happy, she wasn't happy, her son wasn't happy AND he was the one consoling her when j*hn took off.

And when she came back, her husband dead, her children grown, friends and family gone, everything changed, she coped with the one thing she knew she was good at. Hunting.

The motherfucker, on the other hand, just fucking decided killing the thing that took Mary was more important than giving his children a normal happy life after a MASTODONTIC traumatic experience. Literally putting the life of a newborn in the hands of his 4 year old brother, telling him to protect him and, if needed, kill him.

A fucking child. Traumatised for life. Turned into the ultimate killing machine, while also working so hard to be someone who never even existed. Perfect pure mother Mary.

They both made decisions and did things that one way or another hurt their children, but there is a big fucking difference between distancing yourself from 40 years old relatives you don't even know, and physically and emotionally neglecting and ABUSING two children for 20 years.

Chuck or no Chuck, they weren't ment for each other, and neither deserved what happened to them. Mary didn't deserve to have her life stripped away and her identity erased. J*hn didn't deserve that life to be thrown at him and being given the choice to forget or destroy.

No matter how likable and charming those two are made to be in the prequel, I cannot bring myself to root for them. Especially that piece of shit. Especially knowing he was already an asshole before the whole demons shit, and that, at least, she was trying, surviving.

I can't.

[holocene-sims]

1 12 13 and 14 for grant and paivi

these are good questions 👀

1. what were their first impressions of one another?

i posted a drabble about them first meeting a while back and covered a little bit of this but i feel like they mostly had positive impressions of each other! they definitely both found each other attractive. grant was intimidated by her (of course he was) but he has a problem with liking to be intimidated by women so that really just...won him over in a weird way. and she found him to just be sort of a lovable weirdo. like she was so bewildered by his choice to lie about something so small and useless like language fluency but it was funny to her. funny enough it made her like him.

12. what would they say each other’s worst quality is?

grant would think that päivi's worst quality is that she's, well, a bit mean. he would never say it to her face and conveniently he tends to forget when that trait is applied to him...but in every other circumstances, he notices this. and she's mean in a way that embarrasses him jdfjfksdjkflsd. she runs her mouth big time. she's also the type that has and will say something snotty to a waiter or some public employee like that. she does not care who you are. if you get on her nerves, she will say something and it won't be nice. and grant HATES all of that because of course he does and of course he should. he appreciates that she's willing to speak her mind but believes there's a point where you gotta shut up or where you need to mince your words and be nice about things. she doesn't know where the lines are.

i think i've said before that it bothered päivi that grant can be sort of emotionally volatile and i think this is still true in her opinion that it's his worst quality. she's someone who likes to be in control and she doesn't really like to feel LMAO and she doesn't really know what to do when other people have big emotions. she appreciates that he's done well for a long time to manage his emotional issues but they can get out of control in the right circumstances and sometimes you really don't know what to expect from him. and for her, like she cares and wants him to not feel that way...but her way of helping is just trying to shut it down because she can't stand to deal with other people's emotions. practical problems, sure, but not emotions. they really annoy her...

13. what would they say each other’s best quality is?

on the flip side, ironically...i think grant would see päivi's willingness to speak up as her best quality. and i mean in a normal way this time, not her being rude or bitchy about it. he absolutely can and does appreciate that she's honest, straightforward, and won't allow people to slight her. he admires that because he has no idea how to do that hfdshnfkjds. and on that note, she's also by proxy very confident and a comfortable speaker and she can be really charming when she wants to be. it reflects her intelligence, in his opinion. there's a downside to everything, clearly, but this good side is likable.

the obvious answer is just that grant is very sweet. she tends to roll her eyes at overly saccharine displays of love and affection or appreciation but she always felt like he was very genuine about it, like it was just a huge part of his personality and not something he was putting on, and she liked that after a while. she can appreciate the fact that he's just, you know, a good guy and that's all he wants to be. she hated it at first anyway but then realized it wasn't him trying to win her over and that's just how he was. and it made a big difference in her opinion of him after he told her stuff about his childhood because it all kind of clicked for her then.

14. how would they describe one another if asked?

i'll do this as if they were still in a relationship LMAO because i think their current answers would sting a bit. normally in their relationship they'd be joking about it so i'll give a funnier answer

grant would just call her his emo queen and päivi would call him lovable idiot sandwich <3

[attheexactlyrighttimeandplace]

Go for it! It's a blast!

It's only 8 episodes, so it's not that hard to catch up!

It's fun, aesthetically sublime, will intensely awaken your love for Middle-Earth, make you want to reread the books and/or read the books from Tolkien's universe that you haven't read yet, will also remind you of the emotions you felt while watching the films…

It's clearly not the books because it can't be the books (any more than the films were): it's an adaptation that has the constraints and limitations of television in general as a medium, but succeeds nevertheless to present a very well executed interpretation of the Second Age, as told in The LoTR Appendices (mostly the timeline), and which is very well documented thanks to the contribution of The Tolkien Estate, who were 100% involved in the compression of the timeline.

So the show begins after Morgoth's final defeat, Sauron has disappeared from the face of Middle-Earth for centuries, and the continent lives in peace under the watchful eye of the Elves of Lindon, led by Gil Galad. Using this base and context, the show expands to offer 4 sub-plots, each centered around a race. Some of them include very popular characters (Galadriel, Elrond), others completely rely on new characters as likable and charismatic as the famous ones.

The cast is mostly amazing: I'm not going to lie, there are people who seem miscast to me, but I have not given up hope of seeing them improve and finally appropriate their character (the actress playing Galadriel and the poc actors are killing it, the actor playing Elrond is not on the same level).

Season 1 is a season of experimentation: even the most popular characters take a path that doesn't necessarily conform to the canon at the start, but this choice makes sense - the writers wanted all the characters to start at a specific place, in order to shed light on how their arcs and personalities progress over the next seasons before they become the people we get to know in the books. So the lanscapes of Middle-Earth and Arda feel familiar (it's still New Zealand), but the characters feel new and different.

Since i mentioned the races:

The dwarves are the biggest stars of this season: actors, personalities and relationships, costumes, Kazhad Dûm, their musical theme, everything about them is a success story. They stole the show and ran away with it.

But Men have still the best arcs, the most iconic locations and my favourite characters so i'm loyal to them, probably until the end of the show.

A new race of Hobbits is presented and it takes time to accept them, but their arc really pays off during the last three episodes...

The Elves live up entirely to their reputation when it comes to the characters (Galadriel, Gil -Galad, Arondir) but their arc as community was weak in term of consistency and action. I'm convinced it's only because they'll do better next season.

It's not an adaptation of The Silmarillion because the producers don't own the rights to the book, but given that the writers centered the action on one of the Silmarillion's most popular locations, it's fair to assume that they will tell its story entirely as told in the Silm. I'm not giving names because it would be a big spoiler for the 1st season (the way this location is presented is an unexpected twist, even for book fans because the beginning of this arc is not canon), but it will earn your patience: it's spectacular to behold visually and one of the show's greatest achievements.

The production values are top:

Season 1 was shot largely in New Zealand so the scenery is to die for and very reminiscent of the films.

The CGIs are breathtaking: there's a small summary of the wars of the 1st Age at the start, which alone is enough to reward the series with 5 stars. There's so much more visual delight in the early episodes: it's a feast for the eyes and ears.

If you're a big fan of the books, there are plenty of Easter eggs carefully planted by the production and the writers that are great fun to spot and directly reference The Silmarillion.

The soundtrack is exceptional: Howard Shore did the main theme and the genius Bear McCreary took on his mantle brilliantly. McCreary's score received numerous nominations and awards. He deserved every one of them for bringing Arda to life through his musical themes and songs (some of the actors sing songs integrated to the show) in a vibrant and epic way, and for illuminating the importance of music in Tolkien's work.

The directors and writers aren't equally experienced, but they've managed to maintain an overall consistency in the quality of the episodes. Some episodes are definitely at the top of the TV production of last year (like episode 6 which is exceptional in every way).

Don't waste your time with unnecessary polemics about the Elves short hairs (as if Elves wouldn't feel the need to experiment and change their look a bit over the Ages) or sexist arguments about Galadriel as a fighter (she shows a wide range of emotions and the actress nailed it): they were invented by haters to sink the series at a time when the competition with House of the Dragon was raging.

It's a fantasy tv series: the idea of strict canon accuracy when Tolkien spent his life changing his mind about every detail, is just plain stupid and a dishonest argument.

Y’all I’m not gonna lie… I’m kinda curious about the Rings of Power now and I kinda wanna watch it.

Ik the short haired elves and girlboss Galadriel are things ppl have opinions on but like besides that is it worth it ? I don’t really want to waste my time especially since I won’t be watching it through Amazon so is it any good?

[booasaur]

As much as I like Panchito, I can't get over the fact that he has his own family. It is his family right? He's got a wife and kids?

Yep, he does. 

I think...this series is not really one where you’re meant to judge the characters like that. Except for Johnny and Servando, who the show wants you to hate, they’re all kind of sympathetic or likable in one way or another. Even Alacran gets his goofy moments with Eva.

Panchito gets called out on it in the show, but beyond that, it’s not like the audience wants him staying with a woman he doesn’t love either. It’s not necessarily about things being excused or justified, it’s just a lack of judgment overall. 

Even Sergio, who I personally still hate, gets a much kinder framing in the cultural context in which the show exists than the one I apply (and I can also admit that I don’t love him for his involvement in Juliantina). That’s a whole different discussion, how our background influences how we see things, compared to how they’re written to be seen by their target audience. There are different lens to look at this through, and they’re all understandable.

It’s not like I have to like Sergio or you have to like Panchito, it’s just not that big a deal in the show. Hell, look at freaking Lucho and the hero’s sendoff he got, even when his penultimate action in the show was to break Sergio’s confidence and go off and tell Val about Sergio and Juls, in a scheming manipulative way the general audience would have recognized.

And another anon:

Am I the only one who still kind of wants to slap Lupe?? Liiiike lady u didn't notice how much Val loved your daughter Before she got kidnapped?? Val legit hooked y'all up with a nice, safe place to live??? She supported your daughter while you were in the hospital, risking her own safety??? She makes Juls smile in a way that she rarely gets to Bc of urs and chinos shit!! Damn Lupe!! But then I'm happy she turned it around Bc it's what Juls deserves.

I wanted to answer the ask above first because I think that same reasoning applies here. The show and its writing are pretty lenient on most characters. All your valid points aside, Lupe especially was serving a specific storytelling purpose, a loving parent getting over her homophobia because it’s the loving, right thing to do, and that’s that. We can spend our time continuing to hold a grudge against or just shrug and move on. I should probably do that with Sergio too, he had an even more specific purpose to serve (but we’ll see how successful I am at that, lol).

And another anon:

do we like el chino/beltrán? i mean clearly he does love Juls but like he really treated her and Lupe like shit in the past. also is he actually nice to Beltrán’s kid? i saw a scene of home feeding him soup and he seemed oddly fatherly..

Pulling up another older question to answer now because it fits with the theme. You asked this before his recent attack on Lupe but the thing is, I don’t really think even that’s really changed anything. He literally freaking attempted to rape her and yet, within the show, the way he apologized before leaving and then how we see him talking to Barbara about it, there’s still mostly likely an incoming redemption on the cards and we’re supposed to want it. 

I really didn’t like his character regression when watching, but presumably the purpose of THAT was to have Lupe finally get over him as the culmination of her longer arc, she’s been fruitlessly chasing after him for the whole show, and also to get them to move from the house.

Do we like him? That’s up to you. As I said above about Sergio, how Beltran’s intended to be read as a character is pretty different from how some of us will. We’re used to regarding rape attempts as goddamn inexcusable, but within the show, it might just get skimmed over. And with these kinds of issues it’s really hard to say, oh, well, it’s just a difference of culture. But the important thing to understand is even if you do think a certain framing is harmful and that it’s not “just a TV show”, who and where and how you target your frustration is important. The general audience for this show are the people who live with those attitudes and suffer from them the most. So while the default behavior is now to cancel him, I’m not going to judge people who continue to want to be okay with him or who still want him and Juls to be in an okay place, even if just for Juls’s sake.