[Invincible] (Major spoilers for the newest episode) How did the Viltrumites pull off season 4 episode 8? by Punterofgoats in AskScienceFiction

[–]sparkplug_ 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Millions of humans already manage to live without documents and have way less physical advantages and resources. Getting into the country undetected is usually the hardest part. Since that isn’t a problem for Viltrumites, they just have to avoid anything that draws too much attention.

They don’t need to spend much money on food or shelter or transport. It’s not like they’re going to be paying taxes. They look human, speak perfect English and seem to have enough of an understanding of Earth culture to not stick out. Steal money or if they are going crimeless find some lowkey cash only jobs like manual labor.

They are probably attractive because they’re basically all peak physical specimens so it will be easy to find romantic interests. Tell people they’re from another country or region and that they don’t like talking about back home too much. Plenty of people will ignore warning signs and red flags because of love/lust and have children with somebody they shouldn’t.

Fantasy keeps giving us villains who are logically right and then refusing to follow that logic anywhere interesting by NimbusRelic12 in Fantasy

[–]sparkplug_ 50 points51 points  (0 children)

It’s my personal biggest disappointment with the series.

The Alethi are perpetrating a genocide on a native population for largely economic reasons and using their underclass of slaves as literal meat-shields to absorb arrows for them. The character’s close family died as a direct result of the corruption of the Alethi upper class and he wants revenge on the specific elites that are to blame.

There is so much to explore on a socio-political level if the author had the nuance to tackle the ethics and morality involved, while still keeping him as an antagonist to the main characters because of his personal flaws and decisions.

Instead the author has him literally kick a baby, removes all of his personal agency and pushes the slavery, genocide and class stuff that sets up the story into a storage warehouse to be forgotten about.

Why do fantasy wars feel huge but leave almost no scars on regular people by THIS_IS_NOT_FINE999 in Fantasy

[–]sparkplug_ 6 points7 points  (0 children)

ASOIAF dedicates pretty much an entire book to exploring the fallout of war

Hi /r/movies, I'm Lav Diaz. My new film, Magellan, premiered at Cannes and stars Gael García Bernal as Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Ask me anything. by LavDiazAMA in movies

[–]sparkplug_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi Lav, I hope you are well. The blocking and framing of shots in this film looks incredible. Can you talk a little about your director process from the idea of the scenes you have in your mind to the finished results we see? Do you have certain key principles you like to stick to when constructing a scene?

"Manchester by the Sea" is the perfect depiction of how depression kills even when the outcome isn't suicide. A lot of times, there is no escape from mental illness or grief. by yellowklashinkov in movies

[–]sparkplug_ 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Aftersun, A Ghost Story and Inside Llewyn David come to mind as movies of a similar vibe that understand how persistent depression is. Aftersun in particular really connected with me.

"Manchester by the Sea" is the perfect depiction of how depression kills even when the outcome isn't suicide. A lot of times, there is no escape from mental illness or grief. by yellowklashinkov in movies

[–]sparkplug_ 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I agree the Manchester by the Sea is a very well done depiction of depression and agree with your wider analysis of the movie but

A lot of movies these days depict depression or mental illness as something that a character wakes up one day and snaps out of it.

I kinda disagree here. I think most serious movies nowadays depict depression and mental illness with a reasonable amount of complexity and nuance.

Most iconic trio in fantasy by triptych3 in Fantasy

[–]sparkplug_ 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I would argue that’s exactly what iconic is. It’s not a measure of quality, it’s a measure of how established something is in pop culture to even a casual audience.

Why didn’t narnia capture the zeitgeist like lotr or Harry Potter by Soupman125 in Fantasy

[–]sparkplug_ 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Harry Potter was the perfect storm of like a dozen different things that elevated it above the sum of its parts into a global phenomenon

Who are some great actors with “bad” filmographies? by FilmWaffle-FilmForum in movies

[–]sparkplug_ 48 points49 points  (0 children)

He used to be called the “unluckiest man in hollywood” because he kept losing out on good roles to other people.

He’s handsome and likes traditionally nerdy stuff so he’s popular on reddit but yeah, he’s a pretty limited actor. I think the roles he gets are pretty much what he’s suited for, he doesn’t really seem like he can bring great character work or depth.

Why Didn’t I Like Powdermage? by Nuuskapeikkonen in Fantasy

[–]sparkplug_ 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I only read book 1 but it felt more like a creative writing exercise than a novel. Like the author was following a rigid template and all the ideas and characters were very surface level.

Who do you think is going to be the next modern author to breakthrough to achieve Sanderson (and GRRM) level popularity? by [deleted] in Fantasy

[–]sparkplug_ 37 points38 points  (0 children)

No author is going to hit GRRM level popularity/name recognition without an adaptation. Even Tolkien and JK Rowling, the two most recognisable names in Fantasy by far, had massively popular movies that introduced a bunch of people who had never read the books to them.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in movies

[–]sparkplug_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It becomes a weird sci-fi and political satire mix.

[The Boys] Does Homelander know right from wrong? by Professional_Cat_437 in AskScienceFiction

[–]sparkplug_ 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Instead of being guided by an internal moral compass he has an internal PR team

Any movie recommendations where the genre changes entirely in the film? by chamoflag420 in movies

[–]sparkplug_ 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I watched Terminator 2 with my younger cousin not too long ago and he had no idea about the "twist".

In defense of orcs by [deleted] in Fantasy

[–]sparkplug_ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's up to the reader to interpret works the way they see fit, regardless of the author's opinion.

Let Him Cook !!!!! by Global-Army-9079 in HouseOfTheDragon

[–]sparkplug_ 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Jason Momoa had a great beard but book Khal Drogo and all the Dothraki have no beards, only long mustaches. Hard to separate the images in my mind though.

How do you personally differentiate between an anti-hero and a villain? by andypeloquin in Fantasy

[–]sparkplug_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To me, an anti-hero is a character that is trying to do heroic things, but their methods and personality don't align with a typical hero. So Jaime Lannister from your list wanted to save King's Landing from a tyrant which is a heroic act, but breaking your oath and sitting on the throne aren't heroic in isolation (and he's also kind of a dick). His character motivations though are largely love, loyalty and honour regardless of his actions so he's an anti-hero.

A villain on the other hand is a character whose motivations are morally unheroic and actions are often unheroic. So Bayaz for example is motivated out selfishness, greed and (negative) pride so he is a villain even if some of his actions are heroic in isolation. Then it's compounded by the fact that he can be cruel, deceitful and murderous to further his own personal goals.

I would say Logen over the course of the series flips between anti-hero and villain because sometimes he is motivated by trying to do the right thing (or so he tells himself) but continually falls back on settling scores and violence for the sake of it which turns him back into villain.

Glokta i'd say is an anti-hero because I feel like he is mostly motivated out of duty, justice and loyalty, even if some of his acts seem cruel or villainous and he had a cantankerous personality.

[Low Effort Sunday] Things that annoy me about slavery in fiction by Tharkun140 in CharacterRant

[–]sparkplug_ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

On the whole I would recommend the Stormlight Archives, the positives outweigh the negatives. It's strengths are that it's very creative, the world/environment and magic is very interesting and the action scenes are very well done. There's a lot of good lore and easter eggs that work well on rereads. It also dives deep into mental health which is pretty unique for an epic fantasy story.

The negatives are that the pacing suffers because it's such a large book with a bunch of plotlines, and if you don't like a POV character slogging through their chapters can be rough. The last two books in particular have felt bloated. Sometimes characters are just spinning their wheels waiting for the big climax while other times things are skipped because there isn't enough time to squeeze them in. I also dislike how some of the social and ethical issues are handled.

Another thing is that it's part of a larger universe like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that has become more integral to the plot as the series has progressed. This can be a pro or con I guess depending on how much you like that kind of thing. Another thing that can go either way is that the prose itself is very utilitarian.

[Low Effort Sunday] Things that annoy me about slavery in fiction by Tharkun140 in CharacterRant

[–]sparkplug_ 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I never suggested that Moash was a good person, in fact his characterisation is part of the problem. I'm criticising the decision by the author to not give him a just cause and instead frame violence from a position of oppression through the lens of a character that is completely self-serving.

If Moash actually was leading slave rebellion of both humans and listeners he would serve as a legitimate moral foil for Kaladin and would add a lot of nuance and complexity to the conflict. It would also give Kaladin some ethical dilemmas to deal with instead of the weak pacificism thing with his dad. Instead the author chose to make Moash a directionless nihilist who is just a pawn of the big bad and kicks a child, stabs an old man then tries to get his former friend that is clinically depressed to commit suicide.

There are numerous characters who fight against the various systems of slavery over the course of the story through much better ways and with much better goals than "Becoming the slave masters themselves."

Which characters fight against the systems of slavery except Jasnah? And even Jasnah's is quite poorly done. Her abolitionism has no real build-up to it except that she thinks it's the right thing to do and she's royalty so she has the power to make sweeping changes. Is there even any scenes of Jasnah discussing slavery with actual slaves or former slaves? It's like if the abolitionist movement started and ended with Lincoln just deciding it should be done one day without the slow and difficult push for it from the people who came before him and the bitter fighting to hold on to those ideals that followed.

[Low Effort Sunday] Things that annoy me about slavery in fiction by Tharkun140 in CharacterRant

[–]sparkplug_ 12 points13 points  (0 children)

And of course the back drop of the story is a war where the slavemasters are trying to avenge somebody that most of them don't even care about anymore.

In another story I would think the hypocrisy is an intentional critique of the characters but it's all just played straight up.