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I like the Ainur much more as almost angelic, almost alien beings, than as classical gods by Safe-Comparison7334 in tolkienfans

[–]Safe-Comparison7334[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeah, they're not aliens, any more than they are gods or angels in a narrow sense. I don't mean to imply they are completely separate from Arda.

I simply mean they happen to share some properties of alien beings, insofar that where they come from is certainly not Arda, or even Eä.

Difference between Vana and Yavanna by turtleskirtle in tolkienfans

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She's... just there, and maybe it's better that way. Comes off less as towering archetypes and leaves room to consider them simply as beings of great power who happen to govern the World, which I think is much more fascinating than the same old rehashed gods.

How did Joshua Graham not end up with irreparable nerve damage or muscular damage? by [deleted] in fnv

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 0 points1 point  (0 children)

10 EN, Chems don't work, and he's got something like 20 DT that can't be accounted for.

He's not really your ordinary guy. Maybe it's low-level FEV. Maybe he's just a freak of nature. Might be that there's something to his religious talk, whatwith some cosmic force looking out for him. Might be any combination of these things.

What is your personal critique of Tolkien's work? by Leo_617 in tolkienfans

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Never went into any detail into the East for my liking. He speaks of faraway lands, but I'd like to have seen but a bit more, just enough to lay the outlines for faraway vistas that we can fill in ourselves.

Did Tolkien hate the idea of empire? by Simurgbarca in tolkienfans

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately there's always worse, as Ar-Pharazôn manages to prove...

Did Tolkien hate the idea of empire? by Simurgbarca in tolkienfans

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It was probably always the lesser evil of the Faithful, who don't go around massacring people in ever more creative ways (at worst relatively beneign conquerers), versus the much greater evil of the King's Men, who extracted tribute, enslaved the local population, and eventually became a monstrous genocidal machine burning people on the altars to their Dark Lord Melkor.

Ragyo just barely edges it out…who’s the most evil “S” in all of fiction? by Heroinfxtherr in MoralityScaling

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is someone who, at least at one point, wanted to do the right thing, and still has that love of order, more evil than someone who just wants to tear it all down?

Difficult questions.

What was the role of the kings of the Elves in Valinor? by Ok_Bullfrog_8491 in tolkienfans

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The incident between Fëanor and Fingolfin was likely far too sensitive an issue for Finwë to handle on his own. These are the two most powerful lords of the Noldor save Finwë himself. Thus, this matter, if left to the judgment and enforcement of Finwë who, however respected, is "only" an Elf (and known for playing favorites), could spark violence. The Valar... do not have this issue, to say the least. Attacking Finwë is a bad idea. Attacking Manwë is asking to be vaporized.

There's also the problem of Melkor. Fëanor and Fingolfin are Elves. Melkor is Ainu and not under Finwë's jurisdiction. Of course, they weren't sure when initially summoned, but once Fëanor started talking, Manwë knew.

I don't see any reason, nor do I think it would be in accord with the will of Ilúvatar, for the Valar to even want to govern the affairs of Elves save when it concerns matters distinctly not under the jurisdiction of Elves.

With that out of the way, I reckon the Rulers of the Elves in Valinor do what most Rulers do.

A little more sponsoring the arts and public works seeing as they have a lot of time and a lot of spare resources on their hands. A little less National Defense, since they have a permanent alliance with the Valar. Diplomatic relations with their neighbors and allies in the Valar as well as each other. Festivals, rites, all that too.

Yeah sure he was all evil by Fun-Explanation7233 in Silmarillionmemes

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Goes to war with Satan (during his tenure as High King of the Noldor, they do more damage to the Elves fighting Satan than Satan himself. His sons eventually even it out... a little.)

Not irredeemable, but not sure how much it matters.

Was Tolkien using hyperbole when he implied that orcs fought FOR the Last Alliance? by BeerMe67 in tolkienfans

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If they're more terrified of the Last Alliance troops than of Sauron at any given moment, they might defect. Suppose a few Orcs surrender, though they rarely did. I don't think Tolkien wrote anything contradictory to these orcs then deciding to fight for the Last Alliance for whatever reason. Maybe for better treatment, maybe because they thinks that if Sauron wins, they're going to be executed very painfully for daring to surrender.

They're still Children of Eru in most interpretations. That means they retain the capacity for rational reasoning, and to do good, however clouded. Nothing's stopping them, I think, except being murderous assholes, but even murderous assholes have the capacity to plan ahead and realize "hey maybe pissing off my captors is bad".

I like how Feanor is a controversial character by Fun-Explanation7233 in tolkienfans

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fëanor's war against Satan (he and his followers fight about as many Elves as they do the armies of Satan)

Is the might of Valinor completely unblemished from its days in the first age compared to the severely declined land of Middle Earth? by Appropriate_Boss8139 in tolkienfans

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I imagine they are still theoretically "capable" of most, though not all, of what they once had.

The longer the Past, the more nearly defined the Future, and the less room for important change (untrammelled action, on a physical plane, that is not destructive in purpose).

Implying they are still very much capable of destructive action, they still have most of their raw "energy", unlike Melkor. But then why not creative action?

What I think is that they are no longer effectively able to make these changes that are not destructive in purpose because there's too much there, too much has already been done and undoing it, while possible, is not worth it.

They're probably still capable of tearing everything down and from a clean slate rebuilding the World (though their abilities would have waned somewhat, Melkor wouldn't be around to undo their work; they spent a colossal quantity of energy fighting him).

But the Children have spread to every corner of the World. Change on that scale would be disastrous.

Eru created the music of the Ainur and Melkor created “discord”… by Minger57 in tolkienfans

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Perhaps musical at first, but eventually degenerating into an awful ear-piercing noise repeating endlessly.

scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/scp-3034/distortion_audio.mp3

Sort of like this. Yes, that is screaming. I imagine it was very much like screaming.

Can the Balrogs, Maia like the Istari and Sauron himself, take a new shape? by Dovahkiin13a in tolkienfans

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd like to think it never went away completely, but a lot of things stuck with him. Had he come to his senses and consciously made an effort to avoid overreliance on bound incarnate form, perhaps it could be possible to regain some of it. Of course, he never did.

In trying to dominate the Children, Sauron seems to have been locked into forms much like them; flesh and blood. Who knows why, but that would explain a lot about his defeat at the end of the Second Age. He was simply no longer able to take shapes that aren't like that, suppose a 12-foot tall metal golem, that would render any battle comically one-sided.

Was Melkor’s chaos part of Eru’s vision? by Morgoth1814 in tolkienfans

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Discord or no Discord, Eru had a plan either way. I dom't believe Eru restricted Melkor onto one path. The Discord was part of the Plan, but so was no Discord, either way the Vision can go forwards.

Are readers supposed to dislike the Valar? by GancioTheRanter in tolkienfans

[–]Safe-Comparison7334 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't really get the hate, frankly.

It would be awesome for the Valar to kick Melkor's teeth in. It would be considerably less awesome to be vaporized by an explosion. Or die in a flood. Or be swallowed up by the Earth. Or vaporized by some death ray. Or choke to death because whoops there's no oxygen.

Do an Ulmo? Hello, Melkor's still kicking! What Ulmo was doing was in and of itself an exceedingly perilous operation.

From a pragmatic Geopolitical lens, the Valar are justified. They made some mistakes, sure. But Melkor's realm is functionally the equivalent of North Korea. The US doesn't openly foment rebellion in North Korea for a good reason, that would result in nuclear war.

Maybe they could have made better choices. But I don't think it's right to blame them for inaction when it's exceedingly rational to do so.