u/peortega1

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We have to accept the vision of Chizuru about sexuality is very weird. Almost if she was a Showa lady who is determined to came virgin to her wedding at any price. It´s almost how if she would have suffered a SA attempt in her youth or something like that, seeing her... fear to men.

She doesn´t need be the fiancée of Kazuya to have sex with him. And of course, Japanese fetichization of sexual "purity" plays here too.

What do you think of Tuor and Idril's relationship and how they both seem like a realistic, down-to-earth version of Beren and Lúthien? To some extent, Tuor feels like a combination of Húrin and Beren, incorporating some of Túrin's traits —like when he wants to attack the band of Orcs on the road to Gondolin or when he starts shouting at Turgon that Gondolin has not yet fallen in the King's Square after Ecthelion's death-, but with more madurity and common sense -And yes, this includes if a Vala gives you a counsel, follow it, unlike what Túrin did with Ulmo's warning about the bridge of Nargothrond-

All this while Tuor lets Idril make all the important decisions for him, and it is Idril whom Tolkien portrays as the true leader of the Gondolin remnant, the one who ponders and reflects on what to do, while Tuor acts more like a Samwise Gamgee waiting for "Mr. Frodo" —I mean, "my wife Idril"—to tell him what to do.

The Idril of Lost Tale is probably a better literary reflection of Edith, in personality and actions, than the dreamlike and magical Lúthien ever was.

I am still, after a years, sad because I really was interested on the plot promised by the prologue about Suletta being a kind of traumatized girl with double personality like other previous Gundam characters, and even more after the second ED of the series, made by the same guy who composed Unravel (Tokyo Ghoul OP), confirmed the foreshadowing of Suletta had a second and darker personality associated with the Aerial and the funnels (also the ED confirmed >!Suletta was a clon of Eri the original FMC from the prologue!<).

At the end, this darker 2nd personality appeared in screen even less than Dark Kaneki in Tokyo Ghoul anime, this Dark Suletta appeared just two minutes at the end of the episode 12 (the infamous blood-tained hand scene) and that was all. So much deception.

Honestly, if WfM was to going to have the school-comedy focus it would had, it would be preferably the main series Point of View character would have been Miorine. She fitted much better with the tone of "rich kids having fun while the Earth Sphere is ruled by megacompanies.

My problem with Kimi Zero/Our Dating Story is not Luna, the FMC. She manages to win the viewer's sympathy as we get to know her better as the story progresses.

No. My problem is Ryuto, and it doesn't help that the author, Nagaoka, loves to humiliate the poor boy over and over again. And that's precisely why I bring up the infamous example of Kazuya Kinoshita (Rent a Girlfriend) and his relationship with his author, Reiji.

Despite how pathetic Kazuya is, the author gives him several feats of decision and bravery (like when he saves Chizuru from drowning) to explain what girls see in him and to show us that Kazuya does have a good side that compensates for his many flaws.

Ryuto has none of that; he has no feats, not even the typical scene of him carrying Luna on his shoulders. There are no defining moments for him, nothing.

Ryuto started the story as a coward and ended it as a coward —and yes, this makes his decision >!to emigrate to Indonesia in the last novel volume with Luna for work!< looks even worse.

It's almost as if Nagaoka's message was that Luna was so desperate and so far gone that all it took was finding a minimally decent guy to fall truly in love, that the bar was set too low, and that anyone could have met it.

Ryuto is cowardice and mediocrity personified and probably one of the weakest main characters in the last 10 years of rom-com anime and manga. The only positive side is at least he never fell as low as Kazuya did, this is my consolation.

Leaving aside Jon Connington's POV, which is obviously designed to be that of a lovesick fanboy who idolizes "my silver prince" (and maybe, and as much, Barristan chapters), I'd pay to know where the fandom gets the idea that "the books glazing Rhaegar" as an excuse to so toxically criticize him, while other, far worse individuals —and far more responsible for the ultimate fate of Elia and her kids— like Robert Baratheon, Tywin Lannister, and Gregor Clegane are swept under the rug, not to mention Jaime Lannister himself, who is a fifty times worse than the worst Rhaegar the fandom could possibly invent and directly responsible for the WOT5K.

I say this because any careful reading of the books will make it clear that the image painted of Rhaegar is that of a stupid, negligent failure who deserves the nickname "you know nothing" as much as, or even more than, Jon Snow, and who set the Realm ablaze for "love". It's another matter entirely that, compared to the toxic waste that was Robert as king, Rhaegar doesn't seem SO bad to the characters in the main series.

But overall, the image from Rhaegar who is depicted in the books, it´s quite negative, that of a tragic figure in the Greek sense of the word: that is, like Oedipus Rex or Anakin Skywalker, it is his own flaws that ultimately lead to Rhaegar's downfall. And yes, unfortunately, for Westeros, Lyanna Stark was already a nubile woman, perfectly capable of birth children —as George explicitly stated in a SSM— and that Ned Stark, with his modern views on the "adolescent", I mean, "child-woman" Lyanna, is the anachronistic exception, not the rule.

Some ask: "How could Martin write Rhaegar's arc during Robert's Rebellion without leaving him as an irredeemable POS?" Easy: By plagiarizing (his possible son) Jon's narrative arc in A Dance with Dragons. Jon died, just like his father, like an arrogant fool who didn't bother to explain anything to anyone and who considered himself entitled to everything.

In short, the image the books paint of Rhaegar is that of a FAILED Messiah. One who didn't live up to the challenge he set for himself. Whose obsession led to the prophecy biting his dick off. Etcetera.

PS. I don´t counting Dany chapters here because she obviously never met her brother and is only now who she is discovering the truth about Rhaegar and not the idealized prince who Viserys III sold it to her.

Leaving aside Jon Connington's POV, which is obviously designed to be that of a lovesick fanboy who idolizes "my silver prince" (and maybe, and as much, Barristan chapters), I'd pay to know where the fandom gets the idea that "the books glazing Rhaegar" as an excuse to so toxically criticize him, while other, far worse individuals—and far more responsible for the ultimate fate of Elia and her children—like Robert Baratheon, Tywin Lannister, and Gregor Clegane are swept under the rug, not to mention Jaime Lannister himself, who is a hundred times worse than the worst Rhaegar the fandom could possibly invent and directly responsible for the WOT5K.

I say this because any careful reading of the books will make it clear that the image painted of Rhaegar is that of a stupid, negligent failure who deserves the nickname "you know nothing" as much as, or even more than, his son Jon Snow, and who set the kingdom ablaze for "love". It's another matter entirely that, compared to the toxic waste that was Robert as king, Rhaegar doesn't seem so bad to the characters in the main series.

But overall, the image the books paint of Rhaegar is quite negative, that of a tragic figure in the Greek sense of the word: that is, like Oedipus Rex or Anakin Skywalker, it is his own flaws that ultimately lead to Rhaegar's downfall. And yes, unfortunately, everyone has to accept that, for Westeros, Lyanna Stark was already a nubile woman, perfectly capable of having children—as George explicitly stated in a SSM—and that Ned Stark, with his modern views on the "adolescent," I mean, "child-woman" Lyanna, is the anachronistic exception, not the rule.

Some ask: "How could Martin write Rhaegar's arc during Robert's Rebellion without leaving him as an irredeemable POS?" Easy: By plagiarizing his son Jon's narrative arc in A Dance with Dragons. Jon died, just like his father, like an arrogant fool who didn't bother to explain anything to anyone and who considered himself entitled to everything. If you applaud Rhaegar's death at the Trident, you should also applaud Jon's death.

In short, the image the books paint of Rhaegar is that of a FAILED Messiah. One who didn't live up to the challenge he set for himself. Whose obsession led to the prophecy biting his dick off. Et cetera.

There are some interesting clues throughout the Quenta Silmarillion that I believe aptly illustrate exactly what Eru intended when He wrote the Rebellion of the Noldor in His Music in the Ainulindale, and that the Valar were aware of this. This is why the Quenta emphasizes that the Noldor were indeed free to leave Valinor and go to fight Melkor Morgoth in Beleriand, protecting both the Sindar Elves and the Edain Men from the tyranny of darkness, provided they were aware of the martyrdom and bitter end that awaited them —something most of the Noldor seemed to be aware of, according to several references in the Quenta.

I'm referring primarily to the passages where the Sindar believe the Noldor are emissaries of the Valar sent to Middle-earth as an advance guard to fight Morgoth (and prepare the way for the Valar's arrival), which was technically true before the slaughter at Alqualonde:

>Then Melian looked in her eyes, and said: "I believe not that the Noldor came forth as messengers of the Valar, as was said at first: not though they came in the very hour of our need.* For they speak never of the Valar, *nor have their high lords brought any message to Thingol, whether from Manwe, or Ulmo, or even from Olwe the King's brother, and his own folk that went over the sea"
(...)
*Then Thingol was silent, being filled with grief and foreboding; but at length he said: "*Now at last I understand the coming of the Noldor out of the West, at which I wondered much before. Not to our aid did they come (save by chance); for those that remain in Middle-Earth the Valar will leave to their own devices, until the uttermost need. For vengeance and redress of their loss the Noldor came"
(Of the Noldor in Beleriand - Quenta Silmarillion)

And this is where Tolkien's essays in Transformed Myths would confirm that point: the original plan was for the Noldor to deliberately sacrifice themselves so the Valar could gain valuable time to properly prepare to counterattack Morgoth and destroy him once and for all.

And yes, I suppose that's why Tolkien emphasizes that Feanor's true sin at Alqualonde was his desperation and impatience, and that someone more diplomatic could have convinced Olwe to at least transport the Noldor to Valinor in the swan-ships, as Elwing managed centuries later, in exchange for their commitment to directly help Elwe Thingol and his people, kinsmen of the Falmari (remember that Feanor never intended to help Thingol even if he ended up doing so unconsciously, another example of Eru producing an even greater Good from a bad deed).

At the risk of stating the obvious, but which I still consider a necessary clarification, I think it's important to point out why the scene in Doom of Mandos that seems to go so clearly against the commands given by Eru to the Valar that Tolkien describes here, only makes sense if Eru directly approved it:

>With regard to Elves and Men Eru had made one absolute prohibition: the Valar were not to attempt to dominate the Children (even for what might seem to the Valar to be their own good), neither by force nor fear nor pain, nor even by the awe and reverence that their wisdom and overwhelming majesty might inspire if fully revealed. The minds of the Children were not open to the Valar (except by free will of the Children), and could not be invaded or violated by the Valar except with disastrous consequences: their breaking and enslaving, and the substitution in them of the dominating Vala as a God in place of Eru. (Nature of Middle-Earth)

Also:

>The Valar had no real answer to this monstrous rebellion — for the Children of God were not under their ultimate jurisdiction: they were not allowed to destroy them, or coerce them with any 'divine' display of the powers they held over the physical world. They appealed to God; and a catastrophic "change of plan" occurred. At the moment that Ar-Pharazôn set foot on the forbidden shore, a rift appeared: Númenor foundered and was utterly overwhelmed; the armada was swallowed up; and the Blessed Realm removed for ever from the circles of the physical world. Thereafter one could sail right round the world and never find it (Letter #156)

For all these reasons, I believe it reasonable to say that this line from Námo during his speech to the Noldor demonstrates that he could only have carried out this entire act with the purpose of terrorizing the Noldor, only after receiving the DIRECT and EXPLICIT permission of Eru Ilúvatar and as a deliberate divine punishment by the Kinslaying of Alqualonde, which is why The One uses Námo here as His spokesman/angelos to announce to the Noldor that they will be expelled forever from the Paradise:

Ye have spilled the blood of your kindred unrighteously and have stained the land of Aman. For blood ye shall render blood, and beyond Aman ye shall dwell in Death's shadow. For though Eru appointed to you to die not in Eä, and no sickness may assail you*, yet slain ye may be, and slain ye shall be: by weapon and by torment and by grief; and your houseless spirits shall come then to Mandos. (Quenta Silmarillion)*

If Namo is invoking the Holy Name of Eru so directly here—something that rarely happens in the Legendarium—it's because Eru did give him permission to utter these words, and Mandos is following orders from The One.