One overlooked thing that really sets the Lord of the Rings films apart from other franchises is how earnest they are-
Most movies are so afraid of being “cheesy” that whenever they say something like “friendship is the most powerful force in the world” they quickly undercut it with a joke to show We Don’t Really Believe That! 😉 Even Disney films nowadays have the characters mock their own movie’s tropes (”if you start singing, I’m gonna throw up!”) It’s like winking at the camera: “See, audience? We know this is ridiculous! We’re in on the joke!”
But Lord of the Rings is just 12.5 hours of friendship and love being the most powerful forces in the world, played straight. Characters have conversations about how much their home and family and friends mean to them, how hope is eternal, how there is so much in the world that’s worth living for…. and the film doesn’t apologize for that. There’s no winking at the audience about How Cheesy and Silly All This Is; it’s just. Completely in earnest.
And when Lord of the Rings does “lean on the fourth wall” to talk about storytelling within the film, it’s never to make jokes about How Ridiculous These Storytelling Tropes are (the way most films do)…. but instead to talk about how valuable these stories can be. Like Sam’s Speech at the end of the Two Towers: the greatest stories are ones that give you something to believe in, give you hope, that help you see there are things in a bleak violent world that are worth living for
lately i’ve been replacing my “i’m sorry”s with “thank you”s, like instead of “sorry i’m late” i’ll say “thanks for waiting for me”, or instead of “sorry for being such a mess” i’ll say “thank you for loving me and caring about me unconditionally” and it’s not only shifted the way i think and feel about myself but also improved my relationships with others who now get to receive my gratitude instead of my negativity
People have been cool enough to recommend Q-Jo, and I would be remiss if I didn’t pose some similar recommendations:
What’s Normal Anyway?—A classic in trans comics; transman coming-of-age story; includes French lesbians and a cat named Dr. Skateboard
Rooster Tails—Autobio comic featuring a transman living la vie bohème with his partner; strikes the perfect balance between cute and cathartic; Bert and Ernie in New Zealand
Manic Pixie Nightmare Girls— A transwoman’s autobio comic; super snarky and clever; I am in love with the style!
Knights Errant—I AM JUST GETTING INTO THIS BUT I AM IN LOVE. KNIGHTS. NON-BINARY KNIGHTS.
Transgirl Next Door— Cute one-shots from a transwoman’s everyday life; wins the Consistently Coherent and Hilarious Despite Having a Multi-Day Update Schedule Award
Eth’s Skin—Mystical, mythical tale set in British Columbia. Non-binary characters and selkies. Sweet baby seals. Have you seriously not clicked this yet
Go Get A Roomie— (Occasionally NSFW; non-graphic sexytimes and boobs) Queer hippies in love; there is a bar and a Viking bartender with axes. Also cats
GQutie— Genderqueer shenanigans! (* quietly covets outfits and gradient skills*)
Girls With Slingshots— Talking cacti; queer ladies; positive portrayals of open relationships; disgruntled writer-type protagonist: A+
Solutions Without Problems 