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Just my thoughts on books/movies/tv shows, maybe some ideas or art She/her

[rahshande22]

Recently I felt the urge to watch the second Lion King - the movie I liked very much as a kid. It’s been many, many years since I saw it last time so I was naturally curious how would that turn out.

It appears that it does not meet expectations. I mean, it’s not bad, but it feels so rushed. I like the idea behind it and the main theme, but the execution is worse than I remembered. First thing is, and this is something that many movies have a problem with, that half of the movie happens basically at once. After years of indoctrination Kovu comes to the Pride Rock and the next day he’s in love with Kiara and supporter of Simba. Two heartbeats later we have a trap for Simba and the whole drama of Kovu being exiled and a battle between two prides. You barely have time to acknowledge what is going on and you have “they lived happily ever after” ending.

I didn’t like the “Upendi” song either. Or, maybe not even the song itself, but the whole “music video” that comes with it. I’m also irritated by the way they portrayed Timon and Pumba here. In the first movie they were still kind of a “comic relief” characters, but at the same time they played a significant role in the story. Here they are… just dumb duo doing “funny” staff for the sake of doing them and I guess I’m too old for that 😅

I got (probably) unreasonably irritated by the fact that it’s Kovu, who’s suppose to teach Kiara how to hunt. I know she’s been kept far from any kind of danger by her overly protective father, but damn. I mean, yes, lions do hunt too, but it’s lionesses who are “experts” in doing so. Why it’s the male lion teaching female one how to do her job?

It wasn’t a terrible experience, I still think it’s a decent movie and could have been much worse, but it’s definitely not as good as I thought as a kid 😄

[rahshande22]

I rewatched Holiday (it’s that time of the year) and I really think it’s a very decent Christmas movie. As a matter of fact, I think it’s one of the best in the genre I’ve ever seen.

Not because it’s very innovative or profound (it’s not,lol), BUT it’s a warm story about people finding their love and friendship, finding new purposes and reevaluating their lives.

What I like in that movie, is the fact, that our main characters are actually nice to each other. Maybe kinda a dumb statement, but often in romantic comedies you see one of the protagonists being mean/deceptive/manipulative/rude/taking advantage of that other person (you get the point). Sometimes it’s actually both of them who have issues, but here no. Characters communicate their problems and needs, no one is lying (you may argue that Graham should have told Amanda that he has kids right at the beginning, but at that moment he was more convinced he’s never going to see her again, so I think we can forgive him), no one is cheating on anyone (Miles and Amanda were cheated on, Graham is a widower, Iris is stuck in a very toxic quasi relationship), they just meet each other and take time to get to know each other (two weeks it’s still a relatively short time, but at least it’s more than few days).

It may be trivial, but I also like the fact that both female characters are quite well written. Iris is a little bit of a “victim” type of a person, but her situation feels very real and you actually feel sorry for her. At the same time, she’s very caring and kindhearted person, who’s always ready to help others. Amanda has a huge potential for being a “mean girl”, but she’s not. She never judges Iris’ small cottage (she even comments on a “cute dress” she spots in the wardrobe), she never complains about lack of luxuries and she’s good with Graham’s kids. And the same goes with male characters: they are compassionate and honest, not falling into “grumpy/hurt/ immature man” stereotypes.

There’s also an adorable sub-plot with Arthur and him getting sort of a new life, thanks to Iris’ help.

I think Holiday is a rare proof that you can make a romantic movie without any ridiculously overblown drama (often taken out of nowhere), and just write a story about decent, not necessarily happy people, looking for someone to share their life with.

[starling-illu]

[rahshande22]

Yesterday I needed sth to play in the background, so I decided to rewatch Brother Bear. I did (along with the part 2, but that’s irrelevant) and noticed one, kinda disturbing, thing.

I don’t really get why Koda decided to attach himself to Kenai. I mean, at the end of the story. I know Koda is a kid (done pretty well actually), but he absolutely does understand the concept of death. When Kenai realizes he killed Koda’s mother and explains that to him (btw, very mature move), he probably does that in a metaphorical way (“it’s a story kinda about the man, and kinda about the bear, but mostly about the monster”), but he clearly states “I did something horrible” and “you’re mother’s not coming”, which is quite clear. At first Koda is sad and runs away, but literally minutes later, when Kenai’s brother attacks him, he throws himself at that man to save Kenai and afterwards, when Kenai decides to stay as a bear, he hugs him as if he was his favorite person.

I know it’s a story for kids, about found family (among other things) but, damn, Kenai killed Koda’s mother. Koda most probably knows that (at least he knows Kenai is responsible for her not coming back) and nonetheless he’s all happy to stay with Kenai. It doesn’t sit right with me.

[rahshande22]

About the Fitz’s trilogies

(some spoilers)

The Farseer Trilogy

It was good, but nothing extraordinary. I struggled at the beginning (I repeat myself, but I think it’s important for the whole context) and didn’t love Assassin’s Apprentice. I was interested just enough to continue with the series, mostly because of the ending of the first book. I like Assassin’s Quest best here, even though I have some issues with it. My most loved character is Burrich. I’m not sure if I will ever reread that, but don’t rule out this idea. I think that now, after finishing the whole thing, I would like it more. Also, I have warmer feelings towards this trilogy now (after some time since finishing it) than when I was listening to it.

The Tawny Man Trilogy

That’s definitely my favorite trilogy out of three of them. The beginning was still slow, but generally there is more action here (my preferable option). Fitz is more mature than in the first trilogy and therefore less irritating, but still young enough to have a lot of strength and energy. He regains his life, gets a chance to cooperate with other characters which shows us his other side. It’s the funniest trilogy with many heartwarming scenes and fragments. There is, obviously, quite a lot of anxiety, not that little of suffering (which is, I presume, characteristic for the Realm of the Elderlings), but the balance is kept, therefore for me it was the easiest trilogy. In fact, Fool’s Fate is my favorite book out of all nine. I have a strong feeling I’m going to revisit this trilogy some time in the future, because I had a great time and I think these are very, very good books.

The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy

Well, that’s the trilogy I have the most issues with. I rather disliked Fool’s Assassin and even though it got slightly better afterwards, it absolutely didn’t reach the level of TM or even FT. It was the hardest and most emotionally draining trilogy in which all characters are constantly suffering, not to mention the amount of violence. My resentment partly results from the dissonance between the Tawny Man Trilogy and the Fitz and the Fool Trilogy. I expected something much more like the TM, with the relationship between Fitz and the Fool in the foreground. And, as far, as their relationship is a catalyst for the whole story, it’s definitely not what I hoped for. Once again I consider the last book to be the best and, as much as in my opinion the whole read is worth doing and am glad I listened to it, I doubt I will ever return.

The ending though was, in a weird way, satisfying. Do I wish it to be different? Yes, obviously. As much as it’s painful to hear/read, there is something poetic about Fitz, the Fool and Nighteyes merging into one stone being. I’m glad they had this chance. I rarely cry that much over books.

[rahshande22]

Fitz’s story: a summary

Because i’m not 100% ready to let it go, I’m giving here a summary of my adventure with the three trilogies from the Realm of the Elderlings (i.e. Fitz’s story).

This adventure had many ups and downs. The beginning was tough, If not for the audiobook, I’m not sure I would be able to finish even the first book, not to mention move to another two trilogies. There were moments I struggled to go through (even in audio format), because they were so tiring or boring, there were moments I was listening obsessively, desperately wanting to know what would happen next.

Robin Hobb is a very good writer, I’m going to bravely stand on that hill. The way she woves her story is, without a doubt, impressive. At first, the worldbuilding is not extraordinary, but she expands her world in many directions, adding more and more elements that finally make it unique.

I’m fairly impressed by the way in which Robin Hobb uses the first person narration. I tend to avoid it, it’s easier for me to get into story with third person narration. Honestly, there is a high chance that had I known Assassin’s Apprentice is in first person, I wouldn’t have picked in up in the first place. But Hobb somehow was able to create a compelling story with many three dimensional characters. Because it’s not only Fitz who gets some kind of personality, no, it’s all of them. Thanks to the Skill, she is able to give us a broader picture and show other characters in situations that Fitz doesn’t witness on person. But even with the Skill on the plate it still surprises me, how well she created her characters and how much life they have in them.

I absolutely understand how it can be a dnf for someone. First of all, every trilogy has a very slow beginning (definitely not for everyone). Secondly, most of them are not very action packed (slow beginnings are one thing, but these books can be generally rather slow), thirdly: Fitz is a problematic character. He can be very frustrating and irritating, I wouldn’t be surprised at all If someone told me they dislike him, which, most probably, makes these books unreadable since Fitz is not only the main character but also the narrator. I grew to like him, but many times wanted to slap him in the face. And I like him mainly not because of his personality, but because he feels like a real person. I rarely come across characters who mimic life that well. He is also given chance to change. He stays himself throughout his life, but he grows and matures.

The thing is, it’s worth the time. I am glad I didn’t give up with Assassin’s Apprentice and finished Fitz’s story. A part of me wishes the last trilogy was different, but nonetheless I am satisfied with the ending. Emotions accompanying me at the end made it all worth.

[rahshande22]

Assassin’s Fate

Well… that was the hardest listening out of all nine Fitz’s books.

- I shall start with good news: there was a different male narrator and it was SO much better!

- About the book itself: it’s long. It’s not a drawback itself, but, not gonna lie, it was tiring on a few levels. Even though there is finally happening more than in the previous two, it takes a relatively long time to reach the finale (i.e. it’s still rather slow). Another tiring thing is misery. It’s not new to this story, of course, but it’s the third book in the trilogy and they are all still miserable, which is emotionally draining. I mean, Fitz was in a sate that he could find joy in sitting wounded in the burning Clerres castle, just because he was with his friends and daughter.

- There is a lot of descriptive violence. It probably shouldn’t surprise me, since ROTE was never free of it, nonetheless I had a feeling this time it was even more, especially in Bee’s case. We basically read throughout most of the book how a child is abused… it’s… disturbing.

- I admire how Hobb managed to connect the Liveship Traders’s characters with Fitz’s story. I haven’t read that trilogy but had zero problems with understanding what’s going or who the characters are. We meet them through Fitz, who also sees them for the first time, so all necessary information is provided. Also, Fitz meeting Paragon was very funny.

- I must admit I’m a little bit lost with Nighteyes thing. Previously, after his death, he was only a reminiscence of his own self, despite Fitz’s words, more memory than anything else. And here, in the last trilogy, he can hold a whole conversation, he can transfer his consciousness into Bee’s mind and then back again into Fitz’s, he’s aware of what happens and basically there is little difference to what it had been when he was alive. I just had an impression Hobb changed her mind in the middle of the story and alternated the rules for the sake of the plot.

- I’m happy Fitz got his small company, because it brought some of his energy back. Spark, Lant and Per are graceful companions. I liked them and I’am glad they all survived.

- I expected to be more saddened by Chade’s death. I guess it felt so odd for him to just die, like any other man would that I distanced myself from that. It also happened rather “off screen” it probably also made a difference.

- I cried when Fitz “died” for the first time (even though I was very skeptical of him dying) and then cried when he was being mentioned in the next two chapters. I was so glad when it turned out he wasn’t dead, but then it became worse 🙃 I feel very sorry for Fitz and for the last two days I’ve been thinking about how he never really got things he wished for: never fully, always just some version of that. I’ve been thinking about how desperately he wanted to come home and how he didn’t get a chance, and how he basically died, suffering so much. But also I can’t stop wondering about the way he came: from a child taken from his mother, without anyone, alone, to a man who could die surrounded by his family, despite the fact he never fully believed he could be loved. But he was.

- I also feel so sorry for Bee. It’s like Robin Hobb wrote her only to be miserable. Apart from the fact that she was abducted, bitten, tortured (physically and emotionally), forced to fight for survival every single day for months and forced to kill (and it was AFTER her mother died in front of her) she was also forced into living a life she had never been thought (and no one seems to care about that fact, actually), she also thought her father died and THEN she actually watched her father “dying” while choosing to join himself with another person. If THAT is not a tragic story, I don’t know what is.

[rahshande22]

I’ve just finished Assassin’s Fate. Well… fuck

[rahshande22]

So in the meantime I’m rewatching Downtown Abbey (or, at least, the first three seasons) and just want to say I really pity Lavinia.

(spoilers, spoilers for the show!)

I’ve always rather liked her, even during my first watch, and always felt sorry for her, but now it’s even stronger.

She was such a sweet and kind person and she truly deserved so much better than she got.

I don’t believe Matthew deceived her purposely, nor that he had any ill intentions, on the contrary, I’ve always interpreted their relationship as true. I do believe he loved her, in some way, but it’s also painfully obvious that loving Lavinia was so much easier when Mary wasn’t around.

Both of them (Mary and Matthew) tried to be fair, and, for a time being, they managed that pretty well (or, they were as fair as they could have been in a situation given), up until the very end.

I actually wish the writers wrote it slightly differently, without a kiss and without the little conversation during the dance. I wish they gave Lavinia more peaceful death, without a broken heart. She was a decent person till the end, putting Matthew’s happiness on the first place (and preserving her sense of self worth). I do not believe she died of a broken heart, but I do believe that the overheard conversation made it more easy for her to part with life.

I don’t hate Matthew for that (it’s still so hard to), he was, after all, intending to keep his promise (and I believe he would have, given the chance), but the dance and a kiss were cruel mistake.

Poor Lavinia, it’s a specific kind of pain, to know you are “the second one” for someone you love so much, to feel that your own happiness should be given up for the sake of someone else’s and for the sake of keeping that sense of self worth. I wish writers weren’t so eager to make her suffer. I know someone was needed to make the drama and prolong “getting together” of Mary and Matthew, but why then create such a sweet creature as Lavinia and then do her so dirty? Such a pity.

[rahshande22]

Well, Bee’s dream of a man with an ax freeing a puppet and then falling down does not bode well for Fitz…

[rahshande22]

Fool’s Quest

Okey, I’m done with that one. It’s better than the Fool’s Assassin, still it didn’t bring me the same amount of joy as any volume of the Tawny Man trilogy.

- My overall impression of this book is that it’s… tiring? I mean, it’s full of hopelessness and misery. We are very much focused on Fitz (which is not surprising, of course) who is unhappy at best and devastated most of the time. In the two previous trilogies we usually had some other characters to balance his bleak humour, some other characters brining if not joy, than at least some hope or energy. Here, not so much. Other characters, if we have their feelings described and acknowledged, are also mostly unhappy or at least tired. Previously I relied on the Fool, his humour, jests and brightness. Now, the Fool is even more devastated than Fitz (which is an accomplishment on its own), which means there is literally no one to lighten the mood. It’s not going to be problematic for everyone, obviously, so I don’t consider it to be a drawback on its own, but it was taking some of the joy I previously had. Though I still had better time than with the first one, at the end it even became somewhat exacting.

- I like Ash/Sparkle and Perseverance. The first one is an interesting character, one that aligns nicely with the Fool and the second one is the type of person Fitz needs in his life.

- I suspected Shun/Shine to be Chade’s daughter (she’s less hateable than in the first book), but, for some time, I was thinking that Lant might be Nettle’s son.

- I liked how Chade linked people searching for the White Prophet in the Fraseer Trilogy with Servants looking for the Fool. That was neat.

Some things that slightly irritated me:

- I don’t think that building tension always works perfectly here, especially with Fitz not answering directly the Fool why he attacked him. We know it was because of Bee, we’ve already realized she is the “lost son”, I feel like there is no need to prolong “the reveal” to other characters this much.

- It feels slightly weird no one is saying anything when it turns out that Nettle and Riddle are married and Nettle is pregnant. Not that I wish them any problems, but why inventing the whole “they cannot marry” subplot if it all turns out as if there was no marriage ban? No tension, no quarrel… the only person who reacted somehow was Fitz. I know it was the queen who let them do that, but still, a little bit weird.

- I’m a little mad at Chade (and not only him) for revealing Fitz is still alive. I know Fitz is not unhappy with that at last, BUT he asked repeatedly to be left alone, to NOT reveal his identity. It’s just… it’s not how you act, when someone is asking for something. And then they are all surprised when Fitz does something weird regarding his family. Well, his family is not always 100% fair, is it.

- I think at this point of the story we could be done with “Fitz forbids someone from doing something” trope. We spent some time reading how Fitz tells different people they cannot go with him only for them do the exact opposite. I think all readers can already predict what is going to happen and frankly, Fitz should have done the same and just be done with these kinds of quarrels.

Some funny or sweet things:

- when the Fool recognizes sound Fitz makes when he sees alive creature hurting.

- „I know it makes you feel better when I mock you” - the Fool to Fitz

- „Kettricken would understand and Chade would have to live with it” - that’s what Fitz says when he remains longer with the Fool instead of going to an audience with the queen. I started laughing at that.

- „Do not play Chade with me” - Kettricken to Fitz.

- I love how Fitz claims he didn’t disobey Dutiful with going for Bee in his own, because he had stopped arguing before Dutiful directly order him not to do that. It’s very Fitz-like.

- a touching moment: when Fitz thinks he’s going to be judged and instead he finds himself among his family, who gathered there to be his support.

And, at the end: I’m kinda scared of the last book 😅 When Hobb introduced Bee’s pov my very first thought was: oh, is she going to kill off Fitz at some point?? But when I reached the fragment when he’s saying his goodbyes and prepares to go on his quest I actually started believing it’s not THAT unlikely to happen, so… yah

[els-moonleaf]

“Care to dance?”

“We already do.”

[rahshande22]

That is insanely cool 🥹

[rahshande22]

I made the Fool!

(Well, actually, I made Lord Golden)

it took me some time, I also had a crisis near the end (I changed my mind about the colour of his shirt and actually half of his clothes are different than my initial idea) but overall I’m quite happy with the result.

I give myself the credit for doing for the first time this kind of doll/figurine and also sewing pants (or trousers, whatever you prefer) from an actual pattern 😅 He even has a little brooch in his shawl.

(yes, I forgot silver fingertips, sorry)

[rahshande22]

Fool’s Assassin

Okey, so I’m done with this one and it’s probably my least favorite book out of all 7 Fitz’s books I’ve listened to by far. There’s quite a lot things I did not like here.

- I should start with saying that it was boring. Yes, I know, slow beginnings etc., but this time it was not a slow beginning, it was a slow book. Like, really, really slow. In addition, most of first 11 chapters or so felt more like a summary than a real novel. When the plot finally settles in one time and this very little action takes place, it gets better, but it’s still very far from what I expected. Only at the end (last few chapters) something finally started to happen.

- I strongly dislike Shun. That’s it. She made the whole listening even less pleasant. I hope that problem somehow will be solved in next books.

- I feel the lack of characters from previous trilogy, especially the Fool, Dutiful and Thick. Even Nettle, who wasn’t exactly present much of the time in the Tawny Man trilogy, but here it’s even worse. Additionally, Fitz functions so much better when he’s surrounded by other characters, the more, the better. The Tawny Man Trilogy was so good, because he had his companions with him nearly all the time. Here he’s even more alone than in the first trilogy, because even if there are people there, it’s rarely someone Fitz has an actual relationship with. So he wanders aimlessly in his home, pondering about his problems, flaws and life in general.

- Molly’s pregnancy was actually disturbing and probably the weirdest thing that had happened by far, but I do believe it’s going to be explained at some point (I have some ideas).

- I also want some explanation about why Bee is able to have a “conversation” with Nighteyes.

- It kinda feels weird that at the end of Fool’s Fate we left the Fool healing from tortures and now we have him… healing from tortures once again. I’m sorry, Mrs. Hobb, but do you truly love to sent your characters into misery this much?

- Honestly, I don’t think that all of the drama is very much needed here. Especially that weird conflict between Fitz Vigilant and Bee. The only way I can justify it is that Fitz V. still felt offended after his first encounter with Fitz Chivalry OR maybe after being sent to her as a tutor - but I don’t find it likely.

I have two quotes that perfectly sum up Fitz’s life.

- “ Chade had never regarded any part of my life as private since he learned about my existence. And he never would.”

- “I have confronted with that difficulty by ignoring it.”

- It’s also the first audiobook of Robin Hobb’s books in which the narrator bothered me slightly, distracting me a little from the content itself.

[milkperfume]

I do not know what made me do it. I went to his chair and sat on the floor beside it, as if I were eleven again and he my master.

"Oh, my boy. My Fitz. There you are."

[rahshande22]

Such a sweet piece of art

[rahshande22]

At the end of my Tawny Man Trilogy adventure here, my drawing of Lord Golden

[rahshande22]

Fool’s Fate

- That was a CRAZY ride all along. It was definitely more action packed, which was a nice change on the previous one. I also find it to be a good final to the whole trilogy and actually I wouldn’t mind if that was also the end of Fitz’s story (not that I’m unhappy that I have yet another three books ahead)

- The whole fragment with Alsevjal was very absorbing. I definitely liked the Pale Woman as a villain more than Regal. She was still EVIL, but at least not as much grotesque as him and even more malicious.

- I’m glad Fitz got to meet with Burrich one more time, but I’m sad Burrich died. I can’t help but think it was made primarily to clean Fitz’s path to Molly. I may forgive that, because, at least, he got to die protecting his son. One thing that makes me wander is why Fitz didn’t try to use wit to cure Burrich. I know he had no idea how does it work, but just a moment before Burrich was injured they had talked about that ability.

- It’s funny when Fitz sighs thinking how 15-years old boys are emotional, grateful he’s finally and adult. And then there’s the same Fitz, hysterically quarrelling with Fool, because some people may be thinking he sleeps with men. Here Fitz still has a tendency to toss aside everyone else’s emotions and concerns and do his own thing, later on guilt tripping about that or blaming others for his decisions. He still makes decisions believing they are right, but it often turns out they are not. BUT, as he’s older, he’s definitely more willing to admit he was on the wrong and even attempts to amend his wrongdoings. I see how he’s changed and how he matured. This time, in this trilogy, I was able to actually like him as a person too, though there were times when I wanted to strangle him so badly.

- I think the ending is good. Honestly, I haven’t expected to have here “and they lived happily ever after” type of ending - that took me by surprise. Funnily, I was slightly irritated by Fitz ending up with Molly ; yes, that’s how much I was fed up with their whole romance in the previous books. Starling getting to be pregnant was also a surprise turn, but not unwelcome one. Kinda the same one as Hap becoming a minstrel.

- Sticking to Hap, I must admit I don’t really see much purpose for him to be in this books. I mean, Fitz was not entirely alone, fine, but that's a bit too little for an entire new character to appear. It’s not even that Fitz could use his abilities of raising children with contacts with Dutiful or anyone else. Hap was a nice guy but kinda unnecessary, nearly entirely apart from the actual plot.

Here is the separate paragraph for Fitz and Fool’s relationship, because I actually didn’t expect to be so emotional about them. Fool being scared and then tortured was hard enough to hear, but Fitz’s quest for finding his body was even more. I expected Fool to survive somehow (I mean, the last trilogy is called “Fitz and the Fool Trilogy”), but still. I was not ready to hear “my dream was dead in my arms” as an answer to Pale Woman’s promises of making Fitz’s dreams come true. Nor was I ready to hear “He was withdrawing from my life and I felt as though I was bleeding to death, my life trickling out of me” as the Fool was biding Fitz farewell. I actually had to stop an audio to give myself a moment to digest it 😅. Fool’s parting gift for Fitz also made me tear up a little. They mean so much to each other that Fitz was literally ready to “dive into death” for him. For me that’s one of the two best relationships in both trilogies (that’s how much I have listened to for now), the other one being Fitz and Burrich’s relationship in the first trilogy.