Quote from ThyLordQ »Since this seems to be a recurring specific point you have, and I seem to have no luck with Googling this, where does Tolkien discuss the Dúnedain or whomever it is you're referring to as "a blessed and chosen people meant to incarnate the virtues of Northern Europe that Tolkien himself said tried to rescue after being corrupted by Nazism." Like, I can't find him talking about any specific group in the books like that.
I got a no politics warning so I'll just try to answer this particular address to my post. From his letter #45:
Anyway, I have in this War a burning private grudge – which would probably make me a better soldier at 49 than I was at 22: against that ruddy little ignoramus Adolf Hitler (for the odd thing about demonic inspiration and impetus is that it in no way enhances the purely intellectual stature: it chiefly affects the mere will). Ruining, perverting, misapplying, and making for ever accursed, that noble northern spirit, a supreme contribution to Europe, which I have ever loved, and tried to present in its true light. Nowhere, incidentally, was it nobler than in England, nor more early sanctified and Christianized.
How does this apply to Aragorn? Well, he clearly embodied Tolkien's ideas expressed in this extract, an ideal ruler, a leader of men par excellence, the true king who was to bring about an era of reconciliation betweent the human and the divine. Basically the "king" aspect or avatar of that noble northern spirit (much like Gandalf was the angelic/divine and Frodo the everyman). Now it's true that Tolkien was not a "nordicist" and much less a supremacist of any kind, as much as some people to this day still try to make the public believe (with good success; see what his own British government had to say about his works a few days ago). Regardless of that, Black Aragorn, black Galadriel, mixed race Éowyn, etc, just doesn't feel like Tolkien. It's just a deviation from what Tolkien tried to portray. It's purposely changing part of what the book was talking about, and for no other reason than marketing (how many black employees and artists does Wizards actually give work to again?). Obviously many of its themes and ideas are not linked to any specific real-world group of people and can be appreciated by anyone (and I hope they are for centuries to come!), but the visual appearance of the characters is what gave the story its cultural origin/flavor. Heck, Wizards are experts at this: we have a Greek plane, an East Asian plane, a pre-Columbian/American conquest plane, various other European themed planes, Indian, ancient Egyptian, etc, and for the most part the people inhabiting those planes, as well as the cultural aesthetic, artistic designs, etc, look like they come from the places and periods they are based on. And guess what, that is cool. It gives each world a unique feel. Well, Middle Earth is the OG of precisely that. Every Magic plane is essentially a smaller excercise of what Tolkien was among the first to do.
Now if you don't mind the swaps, that's great, more power to you, clearly Wizards doesn't either. But there's a lot of people who enjoy Middle Earth as a world inspired by a certain cultural identity and aesthetic even if they don't belong to it (I'm latino), and it sucks to be instantly treated as a bigot (not by you, speaking in general) if you don't like it when they change said flavor.
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Yeah my bad, I didn't want to derail it either, there's enough talk about ***** like this everywhere else in the world, I just get pissed about stuff like that.
I mean like I said, I've had three shots, but that was my own choice. I'm not going to force other people to do anything they don't want. Everybody just lives with the consequences of their own actions and then respect other people's choices. I still think he makes incredible art either way.
I just want to be blissfully ignorant really. Give me the blue pill and a big steak like Cypher. I don't want to live in this world anymore. Can't everybody just chill and be friends again
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this is what people are hating on him for now? What the **** is this world coming to man... (just for the record, I've had three vaccine shots, so I'm not anti anything myself.. I just hate that idiotic ***** like this turns into political "us versus them" type *****. It's ruining the world. I'm friends with a lot of people I don't agree with a lot of things. I don't care. This is ******* crazy)
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I look forward to seeing people argument for the Taylor Swift Legendary Creature card in a suit dual wielding glocks while driving a Tesla is in fact very Magic lol
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I disagree and I have explained a few times why the futuristic art style in this is way too sci fi, and that's coming from somebody who's favourite plane in terms of art direction is Kaladesh (the most "high tech" plane we've previously seen).
The DJ ***** is just too much for me. It looks ******* ridiculous to me.
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Lol what the **** is this ***** man
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You're really making me miss Chinese restaurants right now.... Haven't been to one in ages.
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I kinda see it as how Kaladesh has giant airships and mechs, but I still wouldn't consider Kaladesh sci fi or futuristic at all from the overall art direction. It's the same with the old urza stuff. They're both rooted in that sort of "fantasy world" and not "sci fi future world". Like steam punk stuff. I wouldn't call steam punk sci fi at all.
But you're right with us not having seen anything from the set yet other than a few pieces of artwork, so people should hold their horses a little. It's just what we have seen so far looks like a very huge step away from what we'd come to expect from a game set in fantasy worlds.