You know what if no one else is going to say it I will.  

The Rings of Power show is extremely racist, Eurocentric, and xenophobic.  And probably homophobic, too.  

A brief list (there are probably more):

If I wanted to see various groups stereotyped and mischaracterized I’d just go outside.  Also, side note: making Míriel (played by a woman of some African descent I think—please correct me if I’m wrong) the Ruling Queen does nothing progressive at all.  It just assures she’ll be blamed for Sauron’s rise :).  Yeah.  The black woman takes the fall.  Yayyyy progress.

@hannonleblr saying “ignore their race” and then saying “they were pretty white” feels…contradictory at best.  Racist at worst.  No, I’m not enjoying the show.  I think it’s bullshit and whitewashed, and it makes a caricature of me.  An Irish person.  I assure you, you are wrong.  A quick google search would have proved you wrong.  :)

As for you @hddlstn.  Just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s not xenophobic.  Segregation was common.  Does that mean it wasn’t racist?  No!  Get your clown ass out of here and maybe, just maybe, actually learn about the word “xenophobia” before incorrectly telling me I’m incorrect.  

Good fuckin’ day.  

Some thoughts about promoting modernisation of tales that are supposed to be old.

This is from an interview Cynthia Addai-Robinson did about Amazon's LOTR series, and I thought about it for a while in the context of this show's promotion in general. I understand and support the desire to tell modern stories suited for modern sentiments and aimed at a modern audience.

However, I don't think Tolkien's work is suited for modernisation if they want to stay "true to Tolkien" – yet this is the other pillar of Amazon's promotion. Nobody is forcing Amazon to stay "true to Tolkien", mind you, they have many options what they want to do with the show. But the series' showrunners have repeately stated that they want to stay "true" to Tolkien and that they always "go back to the books".

I have an issue with this marketing because I don't think these things can work at the same time. Not because it couldn't be done theoretically (it can be done with any story), but because Tolkien set his stories in the past on purpose. They are not meant to be modern.

Tolkien was inspired by British literature, Germanic, Celtic, Greek and Finish mythology, and Christianity. His writings often imitate the style of older traditions, including songs, which are of great importance to his legends. Not for nothing is it the one of Fëanor's claims that not even Manwë can deny – that their stories would live forever in songs...

Tolkien's stories feel like memories of something long gone, heroic epics that were written down and passed through records and dreams until they reach us here in our time. They come in diaries and tales of adventure, they come in texts of knowledge, chronologies, annals, and poems. They are recorded in the Red Book of Westmarch by Hobbits and Gondorian scholars, by Ælfwine and Pengolodh on Tol Eressëa, and dreamed by Alwin Lowdham or Alboin and Audoin.

I understand the purpose of the modernisation done in the show, but the focus they put on it every time cast and crew discuss the show feels off. From the show's promotion I get the feeling that there is no understanding of the atmosphere that especially the tales of the First and Second Age of Middle-earth are supposed to convey. The focus on making these tales appear modern stands contrary to Tolkien's efforts to make them appear as if they belonged into very old history, as if they come from myths and legends. My impression from reading Tolkien's work and his letters was always that he hoped for people to get interested in myths, legends and fairytales – and not to adapt his writings to suit modern interests.

Not adjusting to suit modern principles and “staying true” to the author’s original intent are lovely!  Unfortunately, they are also often used as the cudgels of bigotry and that awful “x group can’t be in Tolkien!  at least not as good guys” argument often thrown at queer people and people of color to justify exclusion.  We CANNOT allow those things to exist in this fandom.  I don’t want to hear justifications.  Bigotry is NEVER okay, even when the author might have* supported it.  HP Lovecraft, anyone?  (Look up his cat’s name, I dare you.)

TL;DR: “We should stay true to Tolkien’s works” and “bigotry has no place here” are two takes that can and should coexist.  

My apologies for going off on your post, OP.  I just want to make sure no right wing nuts take it over and use your excellent point to spread hatred.  

*The messages in Tolkien’s works go directly against this, too.  If you, the person reading this, blather on about “x group isn’t in Tolkien”, you’ve never actually read the books at anything beyond the barest surface level (see: Legolas and Gimli, the Númenoreans being Egyptian), and should be quiet before you embarrass yourself further.

…the urge to write an epic poem version of how mairon turned evil lies deep in my soul.

help.

i am about six lines in now. this is being written in iambic tetrameter, as an homage to the Lay of Leithian.

i once did iambic pentameter for something simillar and i will just warn you trying to fit "admirable" into a poetic context is THE WORST

Thank you for the advice I am very afraid

The worst word can’t be that one! I can tell that ‘admirable’ really fits quite well within the strictest scansion-driven verse of five iambs a line. Some words are worse:

like ‘anticipation’, for something to show; or ‘circumlocution’, plain speakers’ old foe; or ‘misattribution’, the quote writer's bane; or ‘overrotation’, the bringer of pain!

Though Shakespeare’s plays may usually consist of five iambic feet per line, desist from singling out poor ‘admirable’, since examples shown above should make you wince!

A rigid rhyme and metre bring a curse: the calcification of poetic verse!

...how dare you write a whole ass poem. how dare.

it's not...that bad i guess? it's just awkward with tetrameter because it's four iambs a line, and having one word be half a line is SUPREMELY weird

I’m dabbling with a poem of 2 iambs per line.  Some lines are a single word.  Some words don’t fit at all

oof. godspeed and good luck, that sounds extremely difficult

…the urge to write an epic poem version of how mairon turned evil lies deep in my soul.

help.

i am about six lines in now. this is being written in iambic tetrameter, as an homage to the Lay of Leithian.

i once did iambic pentameter for something simillar and i will just warn you trying to fit "admirable" into a poetic context is THE WORST

Thank you for the advice I am very afraid

The worst word can’t be that one! I can tell that ‘admirable’ really fits quite well within the strictest scansion-driven verse of five iambs a line. Some words are worse:

like ‘anticipation’, for something to show; or ‘circumlocution’, plain speakers’ old foe; or ‘misattribution’, the quote writer's bane; or ‘overrotation’, the bringer of pain!

Though Shakespeare’s plays may usually consist of five iambic feet per line, desist from singling out poor ‘admirable’, since examples shown above should make you wince!

A rigid rhyme and metre bring a curse: the calcification of poetic verse!

...how dare you write a whole ass poem. how dare.

it's not...that bad i guess? it's just awkward with tetrameter because it's four iambs a line, and having one word be half a line is SUPREMELY weird

…the urge to write an epic poem version of how mairon turned evil lies deep in my soul.

help.

i am about six lines in now. this is being written in iambic tetrameter, as an homage to the Lay of Leithian.

i once did iambic pentameter for something simillar and i will just warn you trying to fit "admirable" into a poetic context is THE WORST

Thank you for the advice I am very afraid

melkor should get to have a little chub. you know as a treat

@outofangband im so sorry you had to go through that that is awful

Lord Business from the Lego movie and Sauron are the same guy. Evidence:

The difference is that Sauron was attractive at one point and Lord Business never was

…i may or may not have created a silm heist au

@fingonbestboy​​ here’s the link!  Also get out of my doc bro that’s…literally what’s happening.  not saying what went down exactly but that’s basically what i’m writing about rn lmao

@fingonbestboy​ NO.  GET OUT OF MY DOCS.  NO.  BAD.  STOP BEING SO SMART DAMMIT

…i may or may not have created a silm heist au

@fingonbestboy​​ here’s the link!  Also get out of my doc bro that’s...literally what’s happening.  not saying what went down exactly but that’s basically what i’m writing about rn lmao

I think maybe Sauron should get a kiss you know as a treat

MELKOR?!!

look i know i have 3 followers and i amOne of them but does want to talk to me about aragorn. doesn’t have to be cohesive please i just think that he

he and arwen prank the twins all the time this is canon now

Okay but genuine question now: between Morgoth and Sauron, whose ego is more fragile?

Melkor 100% he literally cursed someone's entire bloodline for being rude to him

Sauron's just fuckin scary

i LOVE  their names !! How did you come up with them ?

Their names are combination of Orcish and Old English! I took pieces of names from realelvish.net's Rohirrim name list, and pieces from this site's Orcish translator. The reason for this combination is that they are older Uruks (both are around 19-20 at the time this all happens). The older the Uruk, the more Rohirric the name. Over 20 = 100% Rohirric names. Under 18 = 100% Orcish names. But physically and mentally, all Uruk-hai are grown adults, and have been for all but about a month of their lives.

Here are the meanings, too, while we're at it:

Gramkoth - "gram" (fierce, Old English) + "koth" (claw, Orcish)

Dunagori - "dun" (dark, Old English) + "agori" (blood, Orcish)

Orcish names are typically just good attributes someone should have, btw. And they tend to be fitting!

This is the best thing I have ever read ever I love all of this headcanons ACCEPTED

why did the tolkien fandom collectively decide sauron was white that's extremely boring

actually why do we keep drawing 90% of the characters as white I think we're past the need for 90% of Tolkien characters to be white everyone's poc now unless they are Rohirrim

@erynlasse thank you for clarifying! I'm sorry if I came off as harsh!

why did the tolkien fandom collectively decide sauron was white that's extremely boring

actually why do we keep drawing 90% of the characters as white I think we're past the need for 90% of Tolkien characters to be white everyone's poc now unless they are Rohirrim

My only statement was that he didn't need to be white I don't think his physical attractiveness is relevant like. at all. Please don't derail a post about including poc in Tolkien by assuming I meant he shouldn't be hot. Also equating imagining a character as poc to imagining them as ugly is kinda racist. If that's not what you meant, please let me know, that's just the way it came across. I can be bad at reading tone.

does anyone want me to talk about the angbang oneshot series i have in the works or no

@fingonbestboy no no see the babysitting part is essential because they wind up at a festival and they dance together (against mairon's will poor bby he just wants to be a recluse and make shiny stuff) and then melkor catches Feelings. and mairon has no idea. and they're oblivious idiots and it's great

BUT. BUT. they may or may not wind up being forced to live together/spend ridiculous amounts of time together bc Feanturi shenanigans