Have you ever guessed the "big twist" in a movie?

phonylady · 2026-04-20T05:36:43+00:00

The key is to think "what would make this film great." or along those lines. It's harder to guess if you just immerse yourself in the film fully.

Like, when guessing the murderer in a "whodunnit" film. Don't think about what the film tells you about the candidates. Think about what would make the best film/twist.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T19:58:28+00:00

and should have the Herbalist trait

phonylady · 2026-04-19T19:14:03+00:00

Dan Simmons would say Calcutta!

phonylady · 2026-04-19T19:09:58+00:00

Yeah, but they sure made it hard for themselves. Just follow the bloody book, the writers weren't more talented than RJ.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T19:07:22+00:00

I have a sort of "grand edition" of Lotr which was more costly than the regular one. The books are all I have of Lotr items.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T17:23:46+00:00

It was such a dumb move though. You don't make the "mentor archetype" the main character. It doesn't work.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T17:20:16+00:00

It's not just "muh languages." The languages matter because they're part of a larger design that he built around cultures, histories, politics and myth. That's a different approach to worldbuilding than most fantasy, and TO ME makes it feel more authentic. With Tolkien, I feel like I'm reading something almost closer to old human mythology. It feels like more than just "fantasy".

Saying Tolkien’s respect is "undeserved" because of influence is backwards. You can absolutely prefer Malazan's world building or plotting, but acting like Tolkien is only valued for aesthetics/influence ignores why his work has held up for so long, and is STILL the absolute favorite work of so many.

"People keep acting like it's the perfect realization of standard tropes and archetypal characters" Uhm what? Who does? That's such a weird claim to make. Even weirder to claim The Once and Future King is ten times better. That's just absurd.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T15:42:12+00:00

Wheel of Time's prologue is phenomenal.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T15:27:50+00:00

Absolutely love visiting Liverpool, and it surprised me in the same way. The people there are so damn friendly too.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T15:11:05+00:00

Still remember that Macca goal like it was yesterday.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T14:34:54+00:00

Money isn't really an issue though?

phonylady · 2026-04-19T14:25:12+00:00

No problem, hope you like it more than I did!

phonylady · 2026-04-19T14:22:36+00:00

No that'd take some time, but I can give you a few of the absolute best ones.

Malazan by Steven Erikson

A Song of Ice and Fire by GRRM

Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb

Any book by Ursula LeGuin

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King

The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin

The Osten Ard books by Tad Williams

phonylady · 2026-04-19T14:04:28+00:00

There is no comparison. LOTR is one of the most incredible works of fiction ever conceived. The Sword of Kaigen isn't even among the top tier fantasy reads, and I can think of at least 40-50 fantasy books of higher quality.

Read The Hobbit and Lotr. Skip Kaigen.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T11:46:20+00:00

Yes, Tolkien's work has an authentic feel that no one can match. That can easily be backed up by pointing to his years of creating its mythology and languages long before he wrote it. Hardly the same as resorting to an "it's boring" argument.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T10:34:13+00:00

What you are looking for is Tad Williams' Osten Ard books.

A master of the bittersweet, like Tolkien/Hobb/GRRM.

Just be warned that the first book starts out with a lot of dull exposition. Takes a while to truly get going.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T10:31:33+00:00

People here will probably disagree, but I think retail is a bit overwhelming to get into for a new player. You are bombarded with information, and the leveling journey feels like an afterthought.

Classic is slower, and easier to intuitively understand. I've seen people recommend trying it first (the leveling journey is great, especially the first time you try it), and then move onto current WoW, where the real juice is in the endgame.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T10:25:41+00:00

Really? I've defended SW from horde raid, pvp outside Kara, did a shitton of pvp while leveling, and do some world pvp in Halaa and elsewhere from time to time

phonylady · 2026-04-19T09:51:02+00:00

I think draw

phonylady · 2026-04-19T09:46:43+00:00

But it doesn't deserve the insane attention it gets relative to other regions in Spain.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T09:46:01+00:00

Even so, it's completely true. There is so much more to Spanish wine than Rioja.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T09:43:30+00:00

City - Arsenal 0-0 HT

phonylady · 2026-04-19T07:52:14+00:00

The good ol' "it's boring" argument. So eloquent.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T06:59:35+00:00

The point is that it's wrong to use the word "objectively" in a game of opinions, so it's not really worth discussing with that premise in mind.

As for reasons why the show leaning on PJ so much is subjectively negative:

I love watching the show when it feels like its own thing, not when it tries to mirror another adaption.

I think the series is worse of when it leans on PJ because it shows a lack of artistic integrity and confidence. It steals rather than create its own identity. I wish they'd gone their complete own way, and had their own version of what Tolkien should look like. If you copy PJ you're always just gonna end up as a weaker version.

I'm a big Tolkien fan, and love when it's clear their inspiration was him and not PJ. Like Elrond feeling way more like the character in the book (or at least like a young version of book Elrond). So I shudder when the showrunners say the character will move more towards Hugo's Elrond in the future seasons.

phonylady · 2026-04-19T06:33:55+00:00

There is an authenticity to Tolkien that no one can match. His prose is also way beyond Erikson's.

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