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quillyfied · 9 months ago

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Hellaverse Theories: Hazbin Hotel S1E4

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Second episode for tonight is the absolute masterpiece that is Angel’s episode, which might not get my head turning on many theories but does give me many feels, so let’s crack on.

Hazbin Hotel, s1e4:

I SEE IT. 3:38, there’s another Morningstar family portrait in the background right next to Angel’s head, far right. I’ve seen this one up close elsewhere, but it’s nice to see it in the show; Charlie looks a little older, maybe preteens, and her parents are clearly nowhere near each other. Separation impending if not already implemented. Sad. But more importantly: it was painted at that very hotel. The background details of the painting are the same. I just sort of find it significant that Charlie took over a building clearly falling to ruins that not only belongs to her family (and isn’t being used so is perfect for her to just…move into), but might have been the last place she saw her parents together and still making an effort for her. Hmm. Hmm hmm hmm. Interesting.

“Why is this so hard? What am I doing wrong?” PRINCESS OF PRIDE, FOLKS. Said it before. I’ll say it again. She’s a natural at overestimating and underestimating herself all at once, inserting herself into situations she has no business being in and thinking she can do just about anything she sets her mind to, while simultaneously downplaying her own strengths in favor of trying to be what she thinks everyone else needs. Chef’s kiss, perfect character conflict, no notes.

(Angel’s butt has freckles. It’s a detail that makes me giggle every time.)

“I’m—coming!” “Not off camera, you’re not!” Perfect line delivery. Hysterical. Low-hanging fruit but way funnier for going for it instead of passing over it. Nice.

Alright, another aside about Valentino: he’s an idiot, but he isn’t stupid. Not entirely. I’m glad we all reached the same conclusion that Val licking Charlie’s arm is a power move, as is his physical imposition into her space. A reminder to her that she’s in his domain right now, and a clear setup for himself to have all the chips in this interaction despite his wretched poker face. Then again, what need does he have for a poker face when he DOES have all the power in that situation, at least all the power that matters—power over Angel himself, whom Charlie cares about? His ace is right there, out in the open as both symbol and warning. This metaphor is falling apart. I don’t know anything about poker. But y’all get what I’m saying, right? Val doesn’t need to be the smartest man in the room when he’s already made himself the most powerful through fairly simple and effective tactics. Licking his way up Charlie’s arm and offering her a job and making her deeply uncomfortable is him regaining the power she takes from him just by existing in his space as a more powerful demon than he is by default. It’s slimy. It's foul. It’s effective. And it works, dammit.

Charlie. My love. My princess. My dearest. Did you really just try to suggest…more WHOLESOME SCENARIOS for PORN?? Like I believe she can do it, and especially given what she’s watching Angel about to be subjected to, I can see where her mind is at with “more wholesome,” but. The wording. The gumption. Charlie this is pornography, not romance. Not saying the two can be mutually exclusive, but given what kind of studio Val runs and what people go to porn for as opposed to other kinds of storytelling…baby. Honey. No. Bull in a china shop, thy name is Charlie Morningstar.

Alright, this here: the first time we see a demon contract. Obviously no fine print to get our greedy little eyeballs on, just a simple bit of imagery (almost like the contracts in The Little Mermaid, tbh, same color, same sort of vibe, why am I imagining Val swanning around his tower singing Poor Unfortunate Souls and why would Joel Perez absolutely CRUSH it—), but combining that with how casually Val abuses and later assaults Angel really drives home how helpless the contractee is. They’re entirely owned. The only thing they have of value, their souls, their Free Will, belongs to someone else. I imagine soul contracts are of particular abhorrence to Lucifer; they’re actively throwing away his gift when they enter into those. Though he probably never thinks about them at all, tbh, he doesn’t need to own a soul to have power. And the power of souls and owning of souls and what that power can do and manifest as is so nebulous but SO interesting, and I’m especially excited to get to talk to it in regards to Alastor and Husk, but I have to get through the Poison number first, excuse me for a moment.

(Angel is so brave and so good for defending Charlie even though she’s literally the Princess of Hell; I don’t know that she could squash Valentino like the bug he is, not until she gains more confidence in herself, but Lucifer and Alastor certainly could and they both have vested interest in keeping her safe and happy. Though for very different reasons. The point being: Charlie doesn’t need Angel to protect her, but he does it anyway and I love him for that.)

(Additional sidenote: I think Val might have some scary vocal stuff happening when he’s threatening Angel, but that’s as close as I personally remember seeing any other Overlords even come close to what Alastor can do. Which begs the question: is it because Alastor is special, or is it because Alastor is a dramatic bitch who throws his power around because he can?)

The nature of Angel’s contract with Val is so interesting too, especially when put with the visual cues we have about Husk’s even just in the Loser number; Val owns Angel, but can only force him to do things in the studio (which very handily lends quiet strength to Angel’s presence in the first episode and his hurt feelings in the second, and gives more context for Val’s hissy fit in the second episode. If Angel isn’t living in the studio, Val can’t do whatever he wants whenever he wants. Angel gains some independence and it’s powerful). Val can throw Angel around outside of it because he still owns Angel, but the power seems less; however, the look of his chains no matter what are wispy and insubstantial, clearly a callback to Val’s toxin but still not the strongest-looking chain in the world (though because it looks like the toxin, there's also elements of Angel choosing this, Angel being addicted to the situation, Angel's loss of control because of his addiction, Angel wanting to leave but he can't, etc). Angel’s ropes in Loser are a mess, tangled but loose-looking, like he could wriggle out given enough time. Husk, on the other hand, is bound tightly and his chain, when we see it next episode, looks significantly more substantial and real. None of this is new information, we all know it, but still. Establishing this for my own benefit while I spin off into wild tangents about the nature of Overlords and Hell, because Husk says something incredibly interesting during Loser that I have sunk my teeth into and apparently can’t let go of.

But before that: detour to mention how amusing I find it that loan sharks apparently are a constant in Hell, no matter if they’re sinners or Hellborn, but I also really have to wonder if any of the sharks in HH are actually Hellborn and they just didn’t get the black blood that Hellborn have in HB because they’re not allowed to exist in the same universe anymore. I have another example to support this theory but it isn’t until the last episode so I’ll leave it alone for now.

Alright, back to Husk and Overlords and blahdiblahdiblah: I don’t know anything about casino games, so I would love some guidance on this, but…did Alastor win Husk’s soul with a game of “pick a card, any card?” Bc that’s sure as heck what it looks like. I think the flashback might be more symbolic than literal, but with Husk leaning forward with a finger extended, it sure LOOKS like he’s picking a card out of Alastor’s hand and hoping it isn’t one that’s going to screw him over. But even that feels at odds with the wording of Husk discussing his own deal: “So when you’re down on your luck, you’ll do anything to keep yourself afloat, even making deals yourself.” And later, in the song: “I sold my soul to save my power.” What…does that mean? What does it mean for Husk and his abilities now? What does it mean for Alastor and what he gets from the deal?

What Alastor gets from it, I’m building up to, because I’m pretty sure the ultimate show of it is in the finale. But what HUSK got from the deal…is really unclear. He sold his soul to save his power, to keep himself afloat—and yet he doesn’t own a casino (if he ever did in this version, but come on, he was an Overlord, you don’t get to be one of those without at least a base of operations), he’s at Alastor’s beck and call, he doesn’t exhibit any abilities more powerful than any other bog-standard demon. The exploding dice and fighting with cards is cool, but so is the ability to pull six tommy guns out at will. The specifics of what this means might not become clear for a while, but while Husk has a lot of strength that’s more internal than external—his wisdom and compassion are nothing to sneeze at, even if he hides both under layers of cynicism and apathy—it would be very interesting to see Alastor use Husk for something other than bartending and see what utility he might have apart from that. Because Husk as a source of endless entertainment could certainly be all Alastor has Husk for, but this is a guy who made no bones about destroying Overlords, canonically multiple very powerful Overlords, and using them for his own entertainment and power. And yet Husk is more or less just himself despite having once been an Overlord too. Not destroyed, not subsumed, not will-broken. He’s scared of Alastor, as he has every right to be, but not so scared that he won’t grumble and complain and try to talk to his boss when he’s clearly in the middle of a pissing contest with the King of Hell, exCUSE you Husker.

Anyway. My current theory is that maybe Husk made a deal to not be killed or destroyed by someone he got into much deeper water with than he was prepared for, and throwing his lot in with Alastor was better than facing destruction. But still, that element of randomness that appears to be in Husk’s flashback…it haunts me. Sinners sell their souls because they’re desperate. Was Husk even still an Overlord by the time Alastor got to him? Did Husk still own any souls, and if he did, what happened to them? Because as will become clear in one episode, you can have someone else own your soul and still be in control of your own contracts. But whether that’s a special clause of the deal Alastor made, or if it’s usual for even Overlords to sometimes be in thrall to greater Overlords…not sure. Not enough data.

And while I would love to continue typing like a madwoman while I pause these episodes for long stretches of time, I must obey the demands of my body and rest.

#quilly's hellaverse theories #hazbin hotel #quilly writing

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sarangbe · 2 years ago

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sarang’s done this song and dance before, and while he’s nervous to know what sr media has in store for him, he has an inkling that he’ll fit in much better here than at studio delta. while he was appreciative of his past opportunities, he knew before going into them that he would have a hard time fitting into a company that prides itself on “creating artists” as opposed to “idols.” frankly speaking, he’s not going into this career path to create music, nor is he pursuing a passion for singing, dancing, or rapping. instead, he sees it as a means to lay the groundwork for other ( much larger ) goals of his; as a way to create a solid foundation of fans that will be more than eager to purchase his clothing line, and cosmetics brand, and whatever else he’s dreamt of creating with his own artistic vision. simplifying it, he’s becoming an idol to garner fame, and to boost his already decent following, so his longterm goals are secure.

maybe his reasoning is superficial, but he doesn’t care much about what others think. he may not be the most talented trainee that sr media has ever signed, but there’s no doubt that he has endless potential, star power in droves, and the visuals to make a lasting impression, and he knows this because of his win on next gen season one. he’s riding high off of attaining first place, and he hopes to use this momentum to make a big splash at the company, but before racing into anything, he needs to get settled in first, and what better way to do just that than by catching up with a friend of his, who just so happens to be training at the same company?

with break-time finally rolling around, he catches yuji skipping over to him and decides to meet her halfway; so glad that he actually knows someone here. once their arms are linked, he leans into her a little more; placing his head practically on top of her’s due to their height difference. it isn’t often that he’s much taller than someone else, so he takes advantage of it here. “ah, you have no idea how excited i am!” sarang coos, lifting his head to make eye contact with her. “i am still so shocked at the results, to be honest. i don’t think it’s fully hit me yet, even though i’m definitely feeling like a winner.” going into the competition, all he really wanted to do was have a good time; enjoy the arts. never in his life did he think he’d walk away with the gold.

“i’m already feeling really, like, ‘at home’ here, which is weird. i remember being terrified when i arrived at studio delta on the first official day of training, but i don’t know. here, like, i don’t feel that impending sense of doom all the time.” angling his feet toward the door, he guides them out of the practice room they’re in and towards the cafeteria; aching for some coffee and a pick-me-up before the rest of the day continues. “how are you feeling, though? i’m sure you’re busy, and that very soon, i’ll be just as busy, too, but catch me up with all that’s been going on here! please?”

a starter for @sarangbe !! ( so far so good )

new faces popping up in sr media aren’t bad. sure, maybe yuji is a bit tense at the prospect of more girls joining because of her own spiraling and daydreaming– but it’s not the worst. change is just intimidating. and yuji doesn’t like change that she doesn’t give the okay too. control issues, she’s sure of it– but it’s also not the end of the world, even if her head is convinced that it is. it’s all about adjusting, she feels. it just takes time.

sarang makes it easy to adjust. having heard sr media was the one he choose, yuji is pretty thrilled; a familiar face, but a sweet one too– one that’ll likely help take her attention off of whatever it is sr media is planning with all the girls. if they even are. it helps that they’re friends, too.

as soon as there is a free break during practice, yuji practically skips over to sarang, smile pulling on her face despite the fatigue she feels from the day. yuji doesn’t hesitate to link their arms together once she’s close enough. “congratulations and welcome,” her eyes crinkle at the corners from the force of her smile, small but genuine none the less. “first place, huh?” one brow raises pointedly. she hadn’t watched every bit of next gen, too busy and tired to keep up, but the things she had seen had impressed and surprised her. “so, how’s it feel?”

#ㅤ* ╱ 염사랑. ━━━━ YUJI.#ㅤ* ╱ 염사랑. ━━━━ 555.

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pines-troz · 4 years ago

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Weekend With The Warners Chapter Two - Animaniacs & Pinky and The Brain

Summary: When the CEO tasks Pinky and The Brain with the important assignment of watching over the Warners for the weekend, Brain is prepared for any antics that the children have in store. What he didn’t take into account was forming a familial bond with the kids.

Word Count: 3,017

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27849962/chapters/68388166

The mice continued on their way through the studio lot, holding hands as they went. As they found themselves alone near the lot entrance, Brain decided to discuss his latest plan with his partner.

“Listen close, Pinky, for I have devised a surefire plan to take over the world. Your ingenious decision of choosing The Iron Giant as our date night movie the other evening has greatly inspired me, Pinky. We will build a giant robot to assert our dominance over humanity!” Brain eagerly declared, choosing to ignore the pacifist message of the beloved animated movie. “I’ve already made calculations for our finances, and we would need exactly five million dollars to buy the necessary parts. Fortunately, I’ve come up with a brilliant way to acquire the funds.”

Brain pulled Pinky closer as he explained. “We will start a family-friendly crafts tutorial channel on YouTube, teaching children how to make slime among other wholesome DIY-projects. After we grow a substantial following, we’ll shamelessly peddle overpriced merchandise! Once we make a fortune from selling our wares, we will then purchase the necessary materials to construct our mech which we will use to intimidate the Canadian Prime Minister and ascend to power!”

The Brain began to chuckle evilly, and Pinky joined in with his eager giggling.

“But first, we must purchase filming equipment from the electronics store and return to the lab!” Brain commanded.

“Say Brain, how do you spell DIY?” Pinky asked, taking out a pen and notebook.

Brain blushed furiously upon hearing his boyfriend’s moronic question. “Pinky, you are without a doubt the most imbecilic mouse I’ve ever met. But, by Ptolomey, I am madly in love with you.”

“Aw Brain!” Pinky cooed, moving his tail into the shape of a heart.

As the lab mice were about to exit the movie lot, they were stopped by Ralph the security guard.

“Uh, hold it right there.” The bumbling guard ordered. “The CEO wants me to bring you two to her office by cone, duh-I mean drone!”

The mice were immediately swooped into a net and carried above by the drone. Ralph had some difficulty controlling the drone, but he managed to fly the rodent actors over to the main office building in the middle of the studio lot.

“This is utterly mortifying.” Brain commented as he tried to prop himself into a more comfortable position.

“Oh cheer up, Brain,” Pinky consoled. “Think of it like we’re on a magic carpet ride!” The taller mouse wrapped his arm around Brain, pulling him close as he began to sing. “I can show you the worl-”

But Brain clapped his hand over Pinky’s mouth while wearing an indignant frown. “Don’t.” The smaller mouse spat.

As the drone flew through an open window in the office building, the mice were immediately greeted by the company CEO, Nora Rita Norita. The businesswoman brought out a pair of scissors, cutting through the net. Upon liberation, the mice fell down onto one of the leather chairs facing the front of her desk.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.” Ms. Norita addressed.

“Frankly I would have preferred some prior notification about this emergency meeting, such as an email or a text message, as opposed to being captured in a drone and flown over against my will, but here we are.” Brain soured.

“Are we in trouble?” Pinky asked worriedly. The taller mouse paced back and forth on the chair as he started to panic. “I swear I didn’t do anything wrong! I’m innocent, I tell you! Innocent! You can’t make me go back to the big house!”

“No, I can assure you that you’re not in any serious trouble.” The CEO told the buck-toothed mouse.

Pinky was immediately relieved by the news. “Oh thank goodness.” He sighed. “Sorry if I got a little carried away there.”

“A little?” Brain snapped sardonically.

“Gentlemen,” Ms. Norita curtly alerted the mice, who gave her their undivided attention. “I’ve called you here because I have an important task for you to complete over the weekend. I have a very important business conference with some very important people in the Warner Brother’s office and I don’t want the Warner children to cause any problems. And since I became aware of your friendly rapport with the Warners, I have decided to give you two the important task of watching over the Warners starting tomorrow afternoon, where you will take care of them outside of the movie studio until Sunday evening.”

Pinky stood up and cheered. “Oh, we’re going to have so much fun with the little angels over the weekend!”

Brain, on the other hand, was shocked that the CEO would disrupt his regular routine and plans for world domination, one of the few things he had complete control over.

The CEO confidently smiled, happy that at least one of them was on board. “And to sweeten the offer, I already booked a nearby hotel with five-star accommodations and you can use the company credit card for any additional payments over the weekend that aren’t related to world domination.” She said, showcasing the golden credit card. Pinky’s eyes glistened as he gazed at the card, clearly enamored by how shiny it was. Brain, however, let out a defeated groan since he couldn’t use the card for his own selfish purposes.

Ms. Norita continued to speak. “I sent you all the information in an email, and-”

“Why are you assigning us to complete this task?” Brain interrupted.

“Because I noticed how well you and your partner get along with the Warners.” The CEO answered with feigned enthusiasm. “And who can do a better job at watching those troublesome kids than people who could put up with their antics.”

Brain cringed when she referred to the energetic kids as mere troublemakers. He genuinely enjoyed being around the Warners ever since the original run of Animaniacs. He recalled the days where he and Pinky spared some of their free time to check in on the Warners. From sharing the same table during lunch hour to visiting them in their home in the water tower before sunset, when the mice had to leave for Acme Labs. Even though the kids had a knack for craziness, the Warners were genuinely good kids who craved validation and attention.

But despite being on good terms with the children, Brain was far too upset that his usual schedule had been suddenly modified by a force outside of his control. He didn’t want another chance to take over the world to skip off into the sunset.

“But Pinky and I already have plans for the weekend!” Brain argued. “And besides, shouldn’t you recruit a more qualified candidate like Bugs Bunny?”

“He’s busy filming for the Looney Tunes Cartoons and the new Space Jam movie.” Ms. Norita explained. “And what, may I ask, did you have planned for the weekend that’s so important to you?” She asked dryly.

“We were going to take over the world by making a crafts YouTube channel for the little kiddies!” Pinky answered.

“I think you can put your little pet project on hold,” Ms. Norita explained to the smaller mouse. “So I suggest you accept the task like the grown-up that you are or I’ll fire you, inform the press it was a matter of ‘creative differences’ and have Edgwin on board as your replacement.”

The two mice exchanged shocked and horrified glances at the sheer audacity the CEO had for even considering the idea of messing with their brilliant chemistry.

“Why would you do something so cruel!?” Pinky remarked, but Brain gently took the taller mouse’s hands into his own.

“Please, ignore my partner’s outburst, for I’m more than happy to cancel my weekend plans!” Brain exclaimed with a nervous chuckle. “After all, we do have the previous child-rearing experience, making us more than qualified for the job!”

“That’s what I like to hear.” The CEO got up from her desk and walked over to the door, opening it up and gesturing the two mice to make their leave. “Have a fun weekend.”

Brain grabbed Pinky by the hand and they made their jump from the chair onto the floor. The pudgy mouse tugged his lanky partner as they exited her office.

Once the mice were gone, Nora Rita Nortita retrieved her cell phone, scrolled through her contacts until she found the name she was looking for.

Inside the water tower, Wakko and Dot were watching a competitive baking show on Netflix while Yakko was snug in his ball pit bed, watching a shounen anime that Wakko constantly infodumped on his tablet while eating a bag of potato chips. While he initially watched the show so he could better connect with his sibling, the eldest Warner became emotionally invested in the story. As the big fight scene was about to start, he felt his smartphone vibrate in his pocket. The eldest Warner fished out his phone, saw Nora Rita Nortita’s picture on the home screen. He pressed pause on his tablet and quickly answered the call.

“Yello, Warner residence! Totally responsible young adult Yakko Warner speaking!” He answered, trying to sound as mature as possible.

“Hi, this is Nora Rita Norita.” The CEO answered. “And I have some rather exciting news to deliver.”

“Oh?” Yakko replied in a casual tone.

“As you may know, I will be holding an incredibly important conference this weekend, so I assigned Pinky and The Brain to watch over you and your siblings at a five-star hotel this weekend.”

“Really!?” Yakko asked with child-like enthusiasm. “Pinky and The Brain are taking us to a fancy hotel this weekend! Oh man, that’s fantastic news!”

Wakko and Dot paused their show and immediately rushed over to their brother’s bedside upon hearing the words ‘Pinky’, ‘The Brain’ and ‘fancy hotel’.

“The mice will pick you up tomorrow in front of the water tower at noon, and you better not come back to the studio lot at any point before Sunday evening.” The CEO informed him.

“You kidding? We rarely get to hang out with those guys, considering how busy they are trying to take over the world. So we intend to cherish every waking second with those two!” Yakko answered.

“Great,” Norita drawled. “I’m sure the five of you will have a grand old time this weekend. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a power-meeting to attend.”

Yakko heard the phone click on the other end, but he was too excited by the news to care about the CEO’s rude behavior. “Hey sibs! We’re spending the weekend with Pinky and the Brain!” The eldest Warner proclaimed. Wakko and Dot cheered uproariously, bouncing up and down with excitement.

“Say, do you two remember during the original run of Animaniacs when those two would usually hang out with us on the studio lot whenever we weren’t filming for the show?” Yakko asked his siblings, feeling rather nostalgic.

“Like how we’d sit at the same table at the commissary during lunchtime and they’d swing by the water tower?” Wakko reminisced. “Or how Pinky would make us bowls of macaroni and cheese, and Brain would read me my favorite picture books!” He reached into their hat and took out The Very Hungry Caterpillar and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

“Or the times I’d give Pinky makeovers, and how we would pester Brain into taking us to McDonald’s!” Dot added as she eagerly clapped her hands.

“Ah, those were the days!” Wakko blissfully sighed.

“And not only do we get to relive those days again, but we’ll be staying at a luxury hotel! It’ll be like having a weekend-long sleepover!” Dot exclaimed.

“Well sibs, I think it’s best if we start packing!” Yakko declared. The three siblings immediately took out their suitcases and began to pack away their essentials for their weekend vacation.

Yakko put in a dozen pairs of brown slacks into his brown suitcase. Wakko took the refrigerator and stuffed it into their blue suitcase. Dot placed her finest attire into her purple suitcase.

As the Warners continued to pack, they fondly remembered the good times during the original run of Animaniacs. While Yakko, Wakko, and Dot were mostly on their own, there were a handful of adults who spent quality time with them. Bugs Bunny, Slappy Squirrel, and Pinky and The Brain were their usual suspects. Bugs and Slappy usually entertained the kids with stories from the golden age of their careers and gave them helpful advice on thriving in the industry. Pinky and The Brain, however, proved to be a rare exception, since they’re genetically-altered lab mice and not technically toons. Regardless of their status, the mice would usually check in on the kids, make friendly conversation and share gossip, and indulge in their interests. But the mice always made sure to leave before the twilight, since they had to return to the lab and develop their schemes for world domination. And, like Bugs and Slappy, the mice never talked down to them and always treated them with kindness and respect.

The Warners were eager to spend quality time with the mice once again.

- - - - -

By the time evening rolled around, the mice returned to Acme Labs. When they arrived in their humble abode in the green cage, Brain decided to take some time to cope with the drastic change in his routine schedule by engaging in his deep breathing exercise. During his moments of self-reflection, Pinky looked on at his partner with loving eyes, proud that he was applying the techniques he learned from therapy through his own volition. The lanky mouse then put on his frilly green apron and scurried outside the cage to make his world-famous no-bake cheesecake for his roommate.

Once Brain completed his mindful exercise, he came to the realization that he can make the most out of the weekend. He would receive some fulfillment from seeing Pinky happy. Additionally, spending time with the Warners would guarantee to bring some excitement to his nearly absent social life, and there was also the possibility that some of their antics could be a source of inspiration for potential plans for world domination. Everybody would win in this situation!

The mouse immediately went over to his tablet and began to conduct his research on the hotel and potential activities to do over the weekend. Finally accepting his role as weekend guardian, he was not going to do a sloppy job with the task he was assigned.

“What common activities do most American families engage in during the weekend?” Brain pondered aloud. “Oh, I know, a trip to the library or an afternoon at the local park,” He muttered as he jotted down his thoughts on notebook paper. Then there were activities that required monetary exchange. Knowing that he would have full access to the company credit card, he was definitely going to have a field day with treating everyone to expensive spending sprees. Trips to the mall if the kids wanted anything in particular. Even splurging on the finest toy clothes that Pinky and himself would love to add to their wardrobes. Brain was also wildly determined to have at least one fancy fine-dining experience over the weekend!

Just as Brain neared completion in devising his plans and contingency plans for the weekend, Pinky arrived, carrying a big plate of cheesecake over to the wooden spool.

“Oh Brain, I made you your favorite!” Pinky called out whilst flirtatiously fluttering his eyes.

The pudgy mouse placed his work aside and eagerly rushed over to the makeshift table, where Pinky finished setting two additional plates and silverware. The lanky mouse gave his roommate a generous slice of cheesecake before taking a smaller portion for himself. Taking a fork, Brain scooped a piece of his cheesecake and ate it. The mouse was in a state of euphoria, savoring the scrumptious dessert. After allowing the cheesecake to melt into his mouth, he swallowed the pastry and let out a contented hum.

“Pinky, your pastries are simply divine!” Brain complimented.

Pinky blushed at the praise he received. “Aw Brain, I’m just happy that you like my cooking. Zort!”

Brain took a napkin and wiped away the crumbs from the sides of his mouth. He decided to engage in some amiable small talk. “So Pinky, are you looking forward to our mini-vacation tomorrow?”

“Oh yes! I’m going to have a fun-fun, silly-willy time watching over the kids!” The lanky mouse cheered. But his grin slowly faded into a worrisome frown. “But Brain, while I was preparing the cheesecake, Jerry the Gerbil dropped by and he told me that the scientists were planning a big, month-long separation experiment starting Saturday!”

“A month-long separation experiment?” Brain repeated with great concern.

Pinky nodded. “He said that the scientists would take some of the rodents that roomed together and place them in different parts of the lab, where they would write about our emotions and stuff!”

“That’s terrible news.” Brain remarked. “And what serendipitous timing…”

“What do you mean, Brain?” Pinky inquired. He was surprised to see his roommate take his hands into his own.

“Since we’ve been tasked to supervise the Warners over the weekend, we needn’t worry about the experiment.” Brain consoled his roommate as he caressed Pinky’s hands. “We would be outside of the lab during the beginning phase of the experiment and by the time we return, the scientists would have already selected the other poor souls residing in the lab as their test subjects, and we would avoid any emotional trauma that would come from participating in the cruel test in its entirety.”

“Oh, that’s a relief!” Pinky sighed.

“So there’s no need to dwell on such things, Pinky.” Brain soothed. “Try to divert all of your energy and attention on preparing for our little trip.”

“Right-o!” Pinky concurred with renewed enthusiasm. The mouse released himself from Brain’s hold and retrieved his floral printed suitcase.

“Now make sure to pack all your essentials,” Brain commanded. “I have a feeling that we are about to have an unforgettable weekend.”

AN: Another quick chapter that’s essentially build-up for what’s to come. When it came to writing Brain’s initial refusal to take the job, I felt like having him freak out over not having control over his regular routine is more in-character to him, plus with the added stakes of the CEO threatening to fire him. So he just swallows his pride and tries to make the most out of the situation.

I also included one of my other headcanons where The Warners had a handful of toon guardians who checked in on them on a regular basis (Pinky and the Brain, Slappy Squirrel, Bugs Bunny) because they’re well aware of how poorly the industry treats people like them and they want to make sure that the kids are okay.

Jerry the Gerbil was actually a reference to the Pinky and The Brain episode ‘The Family That Poits Together, Narfs Together’. We don’t see him at all, but Brain and Pinky reference him. Plus it seemed like the most logical choice to have Pinky get the news of the experiment from another rodent in the lab. And yes, this plot point will come back into play later in the story.

And I also wanted to have a scene where Pinky makes cheesecake for Brain, as a nice little nod to Future Brain (which is easily my favorite segment from the reboot) and I love the idea of Pinky baking food for Brain, and it gave me a great excuse to write some domestic bliss between the two!

And I want to give a special thanks to @themurphyzone for beta reading this chapter!

The next chapter will be considerably longer, so it may take a bit to post it up, but it’s full of fluff and fun bonding scenarios.

Thanks for reading!

#animaniacs #pinky and the brain #fanfiction #brain #pinky #yakko warner #wakko warner #dot warner

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theliterateape · 3 years ago

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I Like to Watch | Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings

By Don Hall

Hearts and Minds

The United States posited a slew of reasons for invading and occupying Afghanistan. Some were justified, others were falsified. The reason given most often was the amorphous win their hearts and minds nonsense as if any country could be won over by occupation at home and ridicule from across the ocean.

Hearts and minds are not won over with force or material goods. Hearts and minds are won over with ideas and those ideas cannot be sledgehammered in but more subtly presented. Those ideas have to be normalized.

Back in 2008—clearly a big year for LGBT rights—the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation did a survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults 18 and older and found that two in 10 of them had changed their views of gays and lesbians in the previous five years to a more favorable one.

Their reasons? 34 percent said their views were influenced by seeing gay or lesbian characters on TV, and 29 percent said it was by a gay or lesbian character on film. Hollywood has been streaming LGBT characters into American homes for decades. The arc of inclusion may be long, and it bends towards pop culture.

Characters in comic books have advanced the conversation. Although independent comics lead the way with characters like Maggie and Hopey in Love and Rockets, for years the Comics Code Authority—and cultural attitudes—limited the role of LGBT characters in mainstream superhero titles. Over the last couple of decades, however, LGBT characters like the reimagined Batwoman and Green Lantern Alan Scott have made their way into comics, and both Marvel and DC have featured superhero storylines that featured same-sex marriage.

No question that this is a wonderful thing for those LGBT consumers—seeing someone like you on a big or small screen is important and valid. That, however, is not the most important part of greater and more diverse representation in pop culture. What increased exposure of those most marginalized does, more than anything else, is win the hearts and minds of the majority of Americans.

This is the same for black Americans. In recent years, we see more and more black men and women on our screens, in our Netflix queues, on television and Hulu. For millions of Americans (and not merely white Americans) this slow reminder of the humanity of black Americans de-stigmatizes and expands the reductive monolithing of 14% of our population away from stereotypes and into the homes of people far less likely to encounter blacks in their communities.

Contrary to the concept that America is fundamentally racist, I'd argue we are fundamentally segregated. The flyover states with the majority of Americans unexperienced in the multicultural experiment (Iowa, Kansas, Arizona, Maine, Nebraska, Utah, both Dakotas, Vermont—all of which have less than five percent of the entire state population who are black) are populated with people who watch movies and television.

These folks who have little contact with black Americans on a daily basis have representation in their theaters and homes every weekend and every night. They spend their money (but more crucially, their time) watching The Protege, Candyman, Summer of Soul, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions and All American, Insecure, The Chi, and The Equalizer. This is significant and, while foments often glacial changes in attitudes and mores, grows a deeper understanding and empathy with every viewing.

Which brings us to the MCU. Arguably a juggernaut built upon the successes of white male protagonists as the MCU has gained in worldwide popularity and influence so has Kevin Feige's commitment to expanding those cultural boundaries with increased inclusion. Black Panther is far from the best Marvel movie or even comic book movie in existence but it was a cultural moment that a major studio had never before created.

Sure, whole communities of black people buying out theaters so that black children could celebrate seeing heroes who looked like them was significant but more significant was that millions of white fanboys watched an all-black cast in a movie that included Afro-futurism and incredibly badass black women at its core play out in their backyards.

The Master of Kung Fu

Shang-Chi was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, debuting in Special Marvel Edition #15 in 1972. Created as a response to huge television success of Kung Fu, the character was originally known as the son of Fu Manchu and, when the rights to that character were denied, became the son of Xu Wenwu, the Mandarin. At one point, he was a part of Heroes for Hire which featured both Iron Fist and Luke Cage.

It is notable that the genius of Marvel is in connecting the past with the coming Phase 4 whether by intention or retroactively. The Ten Rings army was responsible for kidnapping Tony Stark way back in 2008. Jumping ahead to Iron Man 3 we meet Trevor Slattery, the fake Mandarin and then a Marvel One Shot that shows Slattery kidnapped from prison to meet Xu Wenwu. All in set-up for the latest MCU addition.

More like Thor than the typical origin film, Shang-Chi dumps right in the middle of things. The movie begins with the backstory of Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung)—narrated entirely in Mandarin Chinese by Jiang Li (Fala Chen)—and his possession of the ten rings. In the comic books the rings were on his fingers with each designated with a power. Now, they're more like martial arts practice rings, five on each arm and capable of pretty much anything the special effects team could come up.

Then we meet Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and his friend, Katy (Awkwafina). The two are a winning combination and, wonderfully, are not romantically involved. Parking cars by day, singing karaoke by night until, on a San Francisco bus, the Ten Rings gang (lead by a giant white dude with a laser sword for a right hand) attack him for a pendant left by his deceased mother.

Shang-Chi doesn't need those magical rings to completely kick ass—he is the Master of Kung Fu without them. The sequence is fun, fast, clean, and ends with Katy contributing to the graces of saving an entire bus load of citizens while Shang beats the shit out of the thugs.

And off we go. A Macau fighting club run by his sister that is like an underground MMA for magical beings. An escape on the side of a building fighting ninjas. Some flashbacks informing the secret city behind the trees where his mom came from and how Shang became the warrior he is at the hands of his father. A water map on the floor. Sir Ben Kingsley and a faceless furry with wings. More backstory. Two dragons. A showdown. An arrow. Two end credit scenes.

It's a fucking Marvel movie, after all.

The lengths the director (Destin Daniel Cretton) goes to find authenticity in everything from language, customs, and dress to be a fully realized Asian American film as well as a superhero ride is laudable. His treatment of Xu Wenwu is one more in a chain of villains who seem less villainess and more driven by sorrow or justifiable rage.

Early MCU baddies were nuts. The Red Skull (power hungry madman), Obadiah Stane (power hungry madman), Malekith (power hungry Dark Elf madman), Ronan (power hungry...you get the picture). More recently, the MCU is moving away from the Good vs. Evil narratives and presenting a more complicated version of opposing forces in the universe.

Thanos, while a genocidal monster, was still persuasive in some way. Not the insane, cackling lunatic one would naturally associate with villainy but a being with a sense of purpose who does not see himself to be the bad guy. Kilmonger from Black Panther is the same—his rage is justified and only his means are nefarious. Xu Wenwu is less an evil warlord and more a grieving widower weary of conquest and unable to connect with his children.

Making even the master criminal relatable while simultaneously rooting for the hero is no small feat. It demonstrates a complexity of thought and perspective one would not expect from superhero movies and represents opportunities for the discussion of who our bad guys are in the non-cinematic world.

Combining that sophistication with an increasing diversity in who are the heroes—black, Asian, Latina—makes everyone relatable.

That's the crux of the foothold pop culture has on change. Make everyone relatable and even the kid in Kansas who has only known the two Korean kids in his class can find purchase of the magnificent multicultural country we continue to forge.

#Shang-Chi

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woogurl · 5 years ago

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i’ve been meaning to make this post a while ago, but i was uncertain if now was the right time to do it, it’s something that’s extremely controversial, but yes...

i decided to make a post regarding what i think woosan’s sexuality is, now i figured it was bad to just assume their sexuality but people assume all or at least most of the male/female kpop idols are straight anyway by default. which i don’t think is bad or illogical, seeing as most people are straight statistically.

not gonna lie, ateez is one of those groups that give me mad gay vibes tho. however, i won’t be analyzing the others as i don’t really watch much of their individual behavior or content, i think you should only make these when you’ve watched enough of their behavior.

as you know, i’m a woosan enthusiast, and a woo stan, but i’m not gonna just analyze their relationship, which i think is sufficient proof enough, but i’ve compiled everything that has led me to the conclusion that san is either bi(with male preference) or gay, and woo is bi.

lastly, i want to say just because someone is homophobic or really opposed to skinship with the same sex does not mean they’re automatically straight. sometimes it’s a coping mechanism, and just because they’re feminine, comfortable with their masculinity, support LGBT+, or okay with skinship with the same sex doesn’t mean their gay.

sometimes there really are NO signs.

just look at all of the idols people assumed were gay. momo/heechul, baekhyun/taeyeon, hani, kai(though mostly considered him to be bi). anyhow, my point is you just never know. lol

now, i’ll stop my rambling and get started. first let’s start with

S A N

now, i’ll be honest, i’ve always thought san was gay because how reserved he was and how shy and sweet he was around the members during their predebut days. i just felt like he was maybe shy because he hadn’t come to terms with he sexuality. i mean when i look at san during predebut, he literally was like a baby, and his mannerisms was so small and reserved. even his body was so tiny and fragile. however, this was because san was naturally skinny and it had always been a complex for him. in which he said he had a tough time gaining weight.

what we know about san’s former lifestyle is that he was a church boy, a farmer, a wannabe gamer and a freaking black belt in taekwondo and his dad was an owner of a taekwondo studio, he was one of the most popular kids, he had a pretty good relationship with his parents or at least now he does and his grandparents took good care of him when his parents didn’t.

but san still had low self-esteem. why? i really don’t know, but i would hazard a guess that it was because of his sexuality(this is just an assumption guys, not a fact). now remember san was part of the church, and he joined because a friend asked him too. they probably asked him because they figured he liked to sing and dance. although i think san was shy and self-conscious, i don’t that he was self-conscious about his abilities as you could see he did go to the church to sing and dance in front of a bunch of people. i think he had low-self esteem because of who he may have realized that he was.

here are some examples of what i mean.

there’s something that san continuously repeats and that is to learn to love himself, know his worth, and just simply love who he is. and i think that’s one of the reasons that san didn’t like church is because it went against who he was and is. if you watch videos of him in the church he really looks like he doesn’t want to be there. he looks so uncomfortable. he doesn’t just look like “ah, this is boring there’s nothing to do” but he looks more like he’s displaced. like he’s NOT supposed to be there. we learn later that san isn’t religious instead.

don’t you find it interesting that he made a direct correlation to his belief in god to his belief in himself. it was like he was saying, even though i don’t believe in god i believe in who i am. like i trust that who i am is correct.

another part of this video that i find interesting is the moment that they talk about how much they value each other(woo and san).

S: You’re cool and

S: I honestly

S: Now I can sincerely

S: To the people around me or my relatives

S: I can proudly say that my friend is Wooyoung!

S: You're that kind of friend

S: To that point where I'm not embarrassed

S: Or rather say you're my friend that's worth showing off!

S: I think this is more than enough!

a lot of people in the comments of this video said that they felt like this was a confession and i agree. i remember feeling odd at how san worded this, the first time his sexuality didn’t even cross my mind. i was just like oh, he’s probably embarrassed because woo’s so loud and shit. lol. but now it doesn’t make much since to me. the vibes here are very serious, and we all know that even though woo can be loud and noisy many atiny’s forget that he is also extremely mature. especially when he needs to be. not only that but san has said woo is very respecful to his elders, so i don’t think he would of been embarrassed by woo’s on camera behavior. i noticed before san said this he hesitated a bit, like should i say this or how should i word this. it was super sweet.

now, let’s talk about san describing his ideal type. in which he says the outside doesn’t matter and that he wants someone who is kind-hearted and warm. he wants someone who’s good to him.

there are a lot of moments translated where he used feminine pronouns, but others have clarified and said he did not mention any pronouns.

let’s also talk about that conversation he had with wooyoung where they talked about what kind of guys they liked. where woo was like, “i like cool guys” and san was like, “i like both cool and sweet guys” then there’s silence because they probably realize that it’s considered “weird”. then san says, “i’ll be quiet”. i honestly felt bad like ;c. he probably felt the need to stop talking about it because he realized that people would prob think that it was gay.

he also sang troye sivan my youth, but i honestly don’t think that it’s too relevant seeing as many kpop idols appreciate troye sivan. but it’s worth noting i suppose.

lastly, body language there’s just a lot of moments that can’t be explained. now i completely understand that korea is tote fine with males being close with one another but there are just some moments, that i believe, i don’t care how comfy you are with the same sex is questionable. lmfao.

mind you seconds before this san was just minding his own business but his expression completely changed when he saw woo seduc---i mean dancing in front of him. idc what anyone says, a straight man would never eye fuck another man like this. lmfao. there’s lust in those eyes and you can’t tell me there isn’t. san was literally checking him out.

san being completely comfortable with having his no-no on woo’s ass, these are both very intimate parts of the body. honestly, the simple fact that san likes spooning woo from behind all the time is suspect to me. lol. especially with the expressions he gives at times.

san’s reaction when woo gets too close to his face, he doesn’t flinch. he’s also clearly looking at woo’s lips. there’s also another moment like this where san becomes so flustered that he has to look away for a second. lmfao.

when i think two of the other members(i don’t remember who) had to do a couple dance. what they did was completely tame, but woosan over here took it up several notches and started dancing like they were at a gay bar. no one told them to do it, they just did.

next i want to point out how comfortable they are with the shipping. i already mentioned this in my woosan relationship post but they’re comfortable with the shipping, then i figured it was because they were comfortable with the relationship that they had. but now, i think they don’t mind it because they’re proud of who they are. it’s not just them being comfortable with woosan, but with their sexuality as well. so they’re like telling us we’re woosan but we’re also okay with our sexuality kind of thing.

lastly, i want to point out body language again for san, and this is honestly the ONLY reason why i believe he is somewhat bi and not completely gay. the way he interacts with fans. i know you’re all gonna say well, that’s his job. but, he seems to want to impress his fans or look good for them. san’s confidence has changed quite a bit and as yeosang once said, san’s kind of like a tough guy now, as mingi said he’s changed the most since debut. i think the reason satan--i mean san has become so powerful, and a sexy demon on stage is because he’s confident in who he is now and it really shows. i think san wanted to break those stereotypes of who he was and show people that he wasn’t weak or shy, but manly and sexy and the best in bed. but on stage he loves showing off his muscles and how flexible his hips are and even on vlive. most of the fans are women and i think to myself why would he do this if he was completely gay?

i just don’t think a completely gay man would not want to appeal to women all that much. then again it could possibly be because he enjoys getting those compliments and that’s what fuels his self esteem. it could be the compliments from the women and not the women themselves. i’m not completely sure, but the reason why he does this does matter. he likes receiving compliments not just from the fans but from anyone really. so i don’t know if the reason he shows off his manliness to fans is because he wants to appeal to women OR if he just wants to appeal to his self esteem. which is possible. you guys let me know what you think.

W O O Y O U N G

there really isn’t as much content for me to work with when it comes to woo because he refuses to post, but i’m so confident that this boy is bi that it’s not even funny. there’s not much predebut info, there’s not much info about his ideal type.

sighs

yo girl will work with what she’s got. now, woo has only playfully mentioned his ideal type. in which he usually automatically answers yunho. do i actually believe that? no. lmfao. i think woo was smart enough to have yunho as his default answer for this question really. instead of actually being attracted to yunho i think woo just admires yunho because he always answers yunho for a member he would switch bodies with as well. he always says yunho because he’s tall, fun, funny, handsome and has a nice figure.

but as you’ve all probably noticed he doesn’t really seem physically attracted to yunho, but you know(HAHA) who he is definitely physically attracted to?

seonghwa, without a doubt, i’m saying this with my whole fucking chest, okay? i have no doubt in my mind that woo is or at least was physically attracted to seonghwa.

that full post i made with woo trying to kiss seonghwa for the 100th time is all the evidence you need, but i’ll keep y’all entertained. i want you all to understand that seonghwa has said that woo kisses him so much off camera that he’s used to it, the fact that the members gasped so hard that they almost caught flies was mehmehable.

now you all will probably say that woo just loves kisses and that’s fine but he seems to want to kiss on the mouth too and that’s pretty gay. lol.

he literally looked at seonghwa’s mouth before he dived in for a kiss. cheek kisses and mouth kisses are two whole different vibes. not to mention he tried to kiss him again during this vlive and san. woo has literally tried kissing all of the members okay? lmfao. he’s just way too comfortable with it in my opinion.

woo has been hungry for seonghwa, and he knows it, we can also talk about how he has said twice that seonghwa has a pretty ass. which he isn’t wrong about. lmfao. we could also talk about that moment where woo literally looked down seonghwa’s shirt.

anyway, while i do think woo was physically attracted to him, i’m pretty sure he has some kind of intimate relationship with san now. i don’t wanna add those moments because it would just me repeated what i wrote for woosan relationship analyzes, woo has also shown a lot of interest in women during their america tour and he’s repeatedly gone to the same fancam of some women. it’s important to mention woo is naturally a flirt but he seems to flirt with the members as well, according to yeosang who said this during their christmas vlive. jongho has also said he wanted woo’s ability to flirt. so my best guess is that he probably flirted with the members in the past.

there’s also the clip of him telling a fanboy to go after the guy that he likes, and he was also surprised to hear that he had fanboys, and he seemed interested to know this information other than that i don’t have much evidence, but i think woo’s body language off camera with the members is plenty evidence really. lol. there’s just not many straight men i know who would be inclined to cling to another male as much as woo does.

anyway, i’m tired this was my woosan sexuality post. remember these aren’t facts just observations and opinions. ;)

#ateez #wooyoung #woosan #seonghwa #san #choi san

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 3 years ago

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The Dragon Egg (Parts 9-13)

There is a heaviness in the air. There is always a heaviness and she thinks that she might be the only one who feels it. Things have been running smoothly since the recording studio incident, they haven’t been so short with each other recently. Maybe they had gotten it all out of their systems; they had spoken their minds, they had told her off. And she is too tired to be anything but dully passive and nonchalant about it.

She finds that she doesn’t care to converse other than to make suggestions or deliver instructions. There isn’t much to be said really. She sits still as a team of makeup artists toy with her face. The decorate it with bruises and the SFX team accents these with bleeding cuts and welts. Whether they know it or not, they give her a look to match what she feels within. They apply a thick layer of glittering black eyeshadow and and twin curtains of blue dye to her bangs. She looks broken. Broken and beautiful. Beautiful at least for now, she can’t imagine that that will last past her third month of pregnancy.

They hold out her arm and enhance the ink on her arms and back. She isn’t sure why they bother with the dragonfly tattoos as they cover each with broken and tattered dragon wings that dangle limply where they had once spread wide and proud.

They clamp a faux iron collar around her neck and tether it’s chain to a spot on her waistband. She holds out her hands for them to slap manacles upon them. These are authentic, per her request and they are so heavy on her wrists. She supposes that it is all the better. If she is actually in pain she want have to worry about her theatrics. She can focus on lip syncing and other aspects of their music video.

A Dragon Bound has become their most popular single and she will give fans a video that lives up to the hype. Up to the darkly depressive atmosphere of the song. The video will be shot in two places; at the base of a volcano and on the inside of an old drainage pipe that they had happened upon on their way to the volcano.

She had planned on shooting in the drainage pipe first but the volcano is smoking heavily today, lending a more desirable atmosphere as well as a new sense of urgency. They will need to have their footage before the thing blows. At least now she won’t have to be the one urging them and nagging them to speed things up; Zhao, biting his nails, is already adamant that they rush through it if they absolutely needed to film here.

“You’re the best band on the label right now!” She hears him whine to Ruon, “I can’t just have you all burn alive.”

“We’ll be fine, dude.” Ruon shrugs.

She watches them paint ash and charcoal markings like tribal war paint all over his exposed chest and back. A design with many circles, dots, and swirls. Around his neck they fix a helping of carefully crafted dragon bones. Around his waist is tied a tattered skirt made of black leather. His hands and feet are dipped in soot as though he had climbed his way out of the volcano. Chan has a similar look with the circles and swirls swapped for claw swipes and horizontal lines.

She supposes that the aesthetic fits well enough. The pair will act as prison guards in the video while Zirin acts as a dragon’s rider, heart broken and morning. Dressed in a burnt white dress with her hair done into its usual braids. A strand of polished obsidian clanks on her wrist.

And so their costuming has come together nicely, it will serve the story of their video well. If all goes as planned it will convey a dragon--once mighty and powerful--chained, broken, and beaten before the eyes of a rider who can do nothing but ache in unison.

Azula wishes that she could have someone who would ache in unison with her. Who would cry out with rage for her as her life comes undone. As she loses her friendships and wonders just how much longer she can pretend for.

They haven’t even started the shoot and she already isn’t sure that she will make it through the day. She feels nauseous on top of exhausted and stressed. She is practically squirming in her attire, it feels tight somehow. The leather seems to cut into her waist and her top is chafing against her chest, most uncomfortably. No matter which way she tugs at it or how she tires to adjust it, the discomfort remains. And she is sure that she is imagining it. A baby can’t develop that rapidly, can it? She rubs her hands over her face.

“What’s wrong?” Chan asks, more carringly than she had expected.

“It’s too tight.”

“Well, yeah,” He laughs “isn’t that how you wanted it?” It is almost as though he hadn’t left her alone in the studio a few days prior.

She should take comfort in it, instead it only seems to add to the queasiness in her belly. She shrugs, “nevermind, it’s fine. We should probably start filming.”

She must have sounded cross because Ruon cuts in with a light, “look, things got really heated the other day. You’re allowed so feel bad about it. You’re allowed to be upset with us.”

She doesn’t think that she is. To be mad at them is to risk another fight. She can’t afford another fight. Not with her father breathing down her neck.

“It’s fine. Really. Let’s head to the volcano before Zhao loses it completely.” She forces a smile. She thinks that it would be overkill to repeat that it is fine.

.oOo.

There is something about faintly and sardonically humorous feeling nauseous with heat while dressed as a dragon. The volcano throws simmering waves upon her and the smell, that awful sulphurous smell--she doesn’t think that it was this dreadful when they had scoped out the place. She isn’t sure whether he should attribute its unbearableness to her pregnancy or its readiness to erupt. She thanks the spirits that she doesn’t have to actually sing.

And yet the heat rolling off of the volcano leaves her feeling sluggish and faint. It amplifies the vestiges of her morning sickness, bringing it back with full force. She feels sicker still thinking about how she should be having the time of her life; she is shooting what is to be their most bombastic and impactful music video yet. She is shooting it to promote success to come.

So why does she feel like she is building the scaffold to her downfall? Why does she feel like she is shooting a documentary on the fall of an empire? She is dressed in a pricey costume and decorated with the most opulent makeup but, Agni, does it feel so cheap.

The dance should be simple. Simple but efficient. It takes a slow sway of her hips, slow but powerful. Domineering. It takes a languid swivel that will, in theory, throw a glint off of her wings. And if she does it right it will further emphasize what her tight skirt does with an added hip sway for good measure.

She will let her voice do most of the work. She likes to think that most of the attention will be paid to it. But she knows better than that. She knows just as well that it is always good to keep Chan topless in the videos. She knows that it is a damn shame that regardless of talent, they will always get more views if she pivots her body in the right ways, if she shows her face in only the most flattering light.

She can’t seem to manage it today. She feels too sickly to roll her hips correctly. It only grows worse as the day crawls on. She feels weaker with each passing minute. She could go for some water. She has to at least make it through the rest of this scene. How humiliating it would be if she were the reason for their second take--she has never required more than one. Mostly it is Zirin who has them going into takes in the double digits. Zirin who accounts for the most hilarious bloopers. And when she is in the mood for it, it is all in good fun.

She is in no mood for it. Regardless, she finds herself holding her hand up and the director sharply calls for them to cut. It is only a small mercy to justify to herself that it is better to call for a cut than to force one by vomiting on camera.

“Why are we stopping?” Ruon asks.

Zhao seems to cringe, practically biting his nails. No doubt, in his mind, each wasted second is one second closer to the volcano exploding with them still in its circumference of destruction. She wonders if that would be any worse than being within her circumference of destruction. Agni, would she hate to be there and yet she can’t flee like the rest of them can.

And so she falls right into her own destruction. There really is no good place for her to throw up and so she makes it only behind a small grove of palm trees before doubling over and heaving. By the end of it her throat is burning but not as furiously as her cheeks are. She has nothing to clean her mouth with and she very well can’t just walk back on set in such a sloppy, disgusting state. So she doesn’t. She instead slumps against the tree opposite herself. She needs to wait for the nausea to pass, lest she find herself hustling right back here.

“Azula? Are you okay.”

She jerks as Ruon kneels down next to her. He seems to assess the situation and stands right back up. For a moment she thinks that he is to appalled to stick around but he comes back with a towel and fans her face as she dabs at the corners of her mouth with it.

“We can finish tomorrow if you’re not feeling well.”

She gives her head a furious shake.

“It could erupt at any time.” She mumbles. “I’m just a little hot.” At this point, she isn’t entirely opposed to finishing the shot with layers of body paint instead of restrictive clothing.

“I’ll tell the director that you want to finish the volcano scenes and that we can film the rest when you’re feeling better.”

There is no sense, she won’t feel any better for at least nine months. In fact, she is certain that she will feel worse with each passing day. She shakes her head. “I’m fine now. I can do this.” She has to, she has to. She is her father’s gleaming little star.

--------

“You should get therapy or something.” Zirin laughs. “Is there a rehab for workaholics?”

She nearly slams the phone down then and there. But sometimes she thinks that it is true. She thinks that she could use it for several things. Where her dad has alcohol she has an endless list of tasks and things that need to be done. She would rather get lost in these tasks than lost in her own mind.

She tries to think things over, tries to formulate a plan; to either work up the courage and work out a plan to get an abortion without her father knowing or to figure out how she would deal with carrying to term.

Both options are ugly. Everyone already sees her as cold and pitiless but she is no mother. And maybe it would be less evil to pick this baby apart bit by bit rather than letting life slowly pick it apart the same way it is deteriorating her.

“Perhaps I should.” She mutters.

“Geez,” Zirin grumbles, “I was just joking. But I do think it would do you some good to have a break. You’ve been so tired lately.”

“What makes you say so?”

For a moment there is only a soft crackle on the other end of the line. “I don’t know, you just aren’t as alert. A few weeks ago, Chan would have never gotten away with drawing a penis on the recording equipment.”

“He did what!?” She snaps.

“Oh...you still didn’t notice it…” Zirin trails off. “Yeah, there are three of them now. If you can find all of them, I’ll wash them off for you. No hints though.”

Azula crinkles her nose, she can’t say that she shares their sense of humor. She audibly sighs, “I’ll see you at practice, Zirin. We have a show tomorrow night and, tired or not, I still expect peak performances.”

She hopes that they will go hard on her if she can’t uphold her own standards.

“See ya tonight!”

Azula ends the call, puts her phone to the side, and flops onto her bed. She drapes one hand over her forehead and the other she leaves at her side. One leg is outstretched and the other is bent at the knee. She is so, so exhausted. She hasn’t even exerted herself today and she is wholly fatigued.

If her father saw her like this he would give her a verbal lashing like no other; she should know better than to slack so close to Audio of Agni. She reminds herself that she still has several months.

Several months and she is torn between preparing for the big show and preparing to give birth.

Her mind drifts again and she wishes that she had called for an early practice. This time when it wanders, it wanders in a brand new direction and with a brand new set of what ifs; if there’s one thing that she can be thankful for, it’s that she isn’t just some girl lingering at a locker.

She can only imagine what it would be like to wander the halls with a baby bump. Can only imagine the relentless sneers and comments. The complete social death.

She knows that she won’t have to imagine for long.

If she were just some girl, she would only have a few hallways, one building of speculators.

She has, possibly, the whole world.

She has to come up with a plan.

She has to make a decision.

She has always been good at strategizing, so why is her mind failing her now?

Had she been thinking productively she might have requested the money for an abotion disguised as funds for her music video. But she would still need his signature. He would still check over all of her expenses and realize that it doesn’t quite add up.

For the first time in ages, she wishes that her mother were still alive.

---------

Ozai slaps the magazine against her head. It is just a bundle of pages, it shouldn’t hurt. Somehow he makes it hurt. He throws it at her. “What is this?” He roars.

She scans her eyes over the headline. She nearly cries with relief. Absurd and humiliating as it is, at least it isn’t the truth. But Agni if it isn’t a reminder that she can’t hide for much longer. She holds the magazine, it quivers subtly with the shaking of her hands. It has been a long time since he has yelled at her like this, and he isn’t even drunk this time. She thinks that his sobriety somehow makes it even more terrifying. She knows that she has disappointed him and he doesn’t even know how profoundly yet.

His voice is booming. Clear. It puts a lump in her throat and a sinking feeling in her stomach; If this is how he is reacting to a sensationalized weight gain headline, she can only imagine how he will take the truth. “Tell me how this has happened!”

Sensationalized or not, it brings color to her cheeks. True or not, she feels disgusted with herself. He makes her feel disgusted with herself. And somehow she thinks that he has every right to make her feel that way. It isn’t just her own reputation she is ruining, not just her own image. But his as well.

She puts all of her focus into not stuttering, neglecting to keep the shakiness to a minimum. She knows that there is no good answer and there is no time to make anything up not like there is with anything else. Even if she could come up with a sufficient lie on the spot, her delivery is never quite impeccable when it comes to speaking with father. Or maybe it is. Maybe he just knows her well enough to see through even her finest performances. “I don’t know. It just did.” She takes a breath and repeats herself louder with more bravado. The kind that could possibly salvage her dignity.

She tries to stand tall. Tries to pretend like she is having a discussion with Zuko or Iroh.

Ozai inhales deeply and the next time he speaks, it is much quieter. The quality of his voice is almost soothing but the content rattles her to the core, “you do realize that this is embarrassing.”

“Yes, father.” And, truly, it is. It settles upon her that this pregnancy isn’t just going to reap her energy and mood but her aesthetics and confidence. There will come a point when the weight gain headline isn’t just the product of a paparazzi making exaggerations for an income boost. It is going to take everything from her.

“You know that I only want what is best for you? I want a healthy daughter.” His voice is so soft now. He reaches a hand out and strokes her cheek. “Unfortunately, this industry puts a lot of investment into looks. An ugly face doesn’t sell records. An unhealthy body doesn’t get views on music videos.”

“I know.” He has told her this before. Has made a point of beckoning to sultry photoshoots with low cut tops and poses to emphasize with a reminder not to reveal too much. There is, apparently, a fine line between sex appeal and whoring herself out. A fine line between glamor and beauty and crass poor taste.

She can’t rely on sex appeal, but she must use it as a tool.

She likes to think that she has mastered the art. She is almost sure that she has. Sure until today with her father staring at her as though she is the most disgusting sight that he has laid his eyes upon--but his hand is still on her cheek, he is still being tender--and her pregnancy isn’t even that obvious yet. The cravings and the ravenous appetite have not even set in yet. She finds herself wrapping her arms around her middle and dreading the day that they do.

“Do you?” He withdraws his touch.

“Yes.” She insists. She yearns to tell him the truth. To tell him that she has been as careful and cautious as ever. That she can take care of herself just fine. But she isn’t sure that she believes it. If she had been taking care of herself she wouldn’t have crawled in bed with Chan.

He takes another sharp inhale. “You are going to remedy this before Audio of Agni, yes?”

“Yes, father.”

“Am I going to need to get you a personal trainer?” The question isn’t for her. And he answers it immediately. “I am going to get you a personal trainer and a dietician. I will contact Mai’s mother and see who has been coaching her.”

“Don’t call Michi.” Her face is burning. Spirits, the last thing she needs is for Mai to hear about this. If Mai hears about this, so will Zuko. Spirits, they have probably already read the headlines. “You don’t need to, I can manage my own diet. I’ve been doing it for…”

“You can’t even tell me how this happened and you expect me to believe that you can fix your poor eating habits on your own?” His voice comes somewhere between that cool, suave drawl and a shout. And he says it with such conviction that she almost takes it for the truth.

He has thrown her own words back at her, she can’t exactly dispute herself. She sighs, resignation begins to settle in, in the form of a endless, expansive numbness. It creeps from her mind to every inch of her body. She is so tired. So, so terribly drained.

“Whatever you think is best, father.”

He pulls out his phone. He doesn’t bother to spare her a look, “you’re dismissed.”

Dejection. It is the only thing that cuts through the numbness. And it is so woefully heavy and she doesn’t have the strength to carry it. She has never learned how. She loathes that she has a reason to try to figure it out.

Somehow, even ascending the stairs seems like too much of a task. How the hell is she supposed to compete if the stairwell is too daunting, too draining? But he has to make it to the top of it. Has to get to her room. She knows that father doesn’t want to see her face. She doesn’t particularly want to see it either, she probably looks like hell. She sure feels like it.

She thinks that she should call Seicho or Ruon, maybe Zirin or Chan. She thinks, with the last fragments of her hope, that she could call TyLee and vent like old times. That, that could rekindle an old spark. She almost does. Her fingers hover over a contact that she could never bring herself to delete.

She puts the phone down. She doesn’t want to talk to anyone at all anymore. Instead she sits before her desktop and checks on the reception of their new album and music video. The numbers and statistics usually cheer her up.

Their music video has a record breaking viewcount. Aside from that one magazine the rest sing their praises; commend their musical capabilities and uplift their creativity. Their newest album has sold millions--it is only right for ‘the most anticipated album of the year’. There is nothing but applause and predictions of a strong future.

And it finally settles in that she is a failure.

------------

It is a shirt. Just a dumb shirt. Maybe if it were a Blue Talon shirt or a Fire’s Reign shirt it would make sense. He would be able to justify it in his mind.

But it is just a shirt. Just a dumb fucking t-shirt with bold lettering and a picture of two birds. Something about, ‘professional tit spotter’ has struck a chord with him tonight.

“Take it off!” He demands of the young man. “Take it off or we won’t start the next song!” He feels jittery, twitchy. The room is too hot. His heart is too fast. “Take it the fuck off.” He feels the roar rumbling in his chest but somehow he still doesn’t feel like he is the one speaking.

“Zuko.” Mai mutters, it is cautionary. Her teeth are gritted. Brows creased and eyes stern. And yet he can’t find it in him to take the warning.

“Tell him to take that shirt off!” TyLee is shrinking closer to the back of the stage, further from him, her arms bunched up close to her chest. Each time he speaks elicits a new flinch. Somewhere in the back of his mind he begs himself to stop. To get a grip. To let it go. But this is overpowered by a throbbing anger. A violently passionate need to get that eye-sore of a shirt out of his sight.

“Zuko, you’re scaring her.”

“He’s trying to piss me off, Mai!” Zuko throws his hands up. “He’s wearing that shirt to...to get to me!” The light is glaring in his eye. A violent red.

“He doesn’t even know you!”

The light pulses.

“Then why is he trying to make me mad?”

It flashes and blinks. His head pounds. His anger pounds harder.

“Zuko you aren’t making sense.” There is a hitch in her voice. That should have been enough. That should have snapped him out of his...whatever this is.

“Will someone turn that off!?”

“They’re trying,” and “Zuko, no!” become one and the same in his mind. He isn’t sure who said what. Even with the strobe lights stilled he is seeing red. In the very far reaches of his mind he is also screaming, ‘Zuko, no!’

But the drugs speak louder. Their haze occupies the forefront of his mind. And so he surges into the crowd with his guitar in hand. “Where is he!? Where the fuck is he!?” His breaths are ragged and the crowd parts. “I just want to know where he went!” His voice booms across the venue. The circumference grows wider around him. And so grows his frustration.

He slams his guitar against the floor. Once... Twice... Five times maybe.

He is still going. Going until a crack forms in the wood. Going until he feels arms loop around him. “Let go!” He shouts. “You can’t do this to me!” He gives a kick and a thrash. The crowd parts further. When he looks up he meets Mai’s eyes and when he looks into them he doesn’t see anything. No anger, no sadness, no distress, not even pity. She shakes her head. He thinks that TyLee is crying.

And then he is seeing red flashes again. This time there is blue in the mix. And in the wail of the sirens he hears the sound of dashed ambitions.

.oOo.

‘From Ashes To Phoenix Singer Arrested: Drugs Involvement Expected.’ She should take comfort in the headline. It means that there is less competition. But what does it matter if she is no longer in the tournament herself. Somehow it only leaves her feeling hollow...guilty. At least Zuzu can depend on Mai’s bail money.

What can she depend on? She holds her hand to her belly. She inhales deeply. There is one person that she can depend on and it is time for that person to stop feeling sorry for herself and maintain the success that she has set herself up for.

She rises to her feet and smooths the wrinkles out of her shirt. She pinns the article to the wall, a reminder of what she won’t become. She has a show to get to, a crowd to impress, an expectation to live up to. Albeit it will be a small crowd. Small yet esteemed; in her audience she will find the ladies and gentleman of Wan Shi Tong’s Wing, The Tui Las, and Chong & The Gang. If she can impress the renowned artists then she can eclipse her other failures.

.oOo.

There are no studs and leather tonight. It is a more formal occasion, she just hopes that Zirin will put aside her stubborn aversion to conformity and adhere to the dress code. If the punk rockers of Freedom Fighters can do so, she can’t imagine it will be too hard for the woman. If Jet can comb his mohawk down for a night, then surely she can remove her choker for a time. She supposes that she won’t get so see what flavors they have added to their outfits until they leave their changing rooms. She can only hope that they have chosen well, or at the very least, that their mistakes will be as simple as scolding them to remove a mismatched accessory.

Azula holds her own dress up to her body, trying it in for size before actually dressing herself in it at all. The confetti dot sequined fabric is somewhat scratchy on her arms, she hopes that the inside is lined with a gentler fabric. Something less itchy.

Regardless, she is certain that she won’t find any comfort in the dress, just holding it up against her figure, it looks tight. She isn’t sure who she has to sternly lecture but she knows damn well that she had been adamant about getting something loose fitting for a change.

Her cheeks color at the private realization that it very well might have been loose fitting when her measurements had been taken and the order had been placed. She swallows, she is in for another stern lecture herself. It is just one more thing to fret over. One more thing that will make this a nerve wracking night.

She inhales deeply and pulls the dress over her head, praying that the zipper won’t catch. She doesn’t bother with the mirror once she does manage to zip it all the way up, she doesn’t have time to scrutinize herself tonight, can’t afford to study the changes and the way they make her hate herself . Instead she slips on her heels and calls for her makeup team to enter.

Azula tries to relax while the artists begin applying gold tinted mascara and a shimmery layer of red eye shadow. But she can’t seem to get comfortable in her chair, not with the dress feeling as tight as it does. Not with such a forceful reminder of the life swelling within her. She grits her teeth, she can’t think about that right now.

She isn’t sure when she can think about it. There never seems to be a good time. And perhaps that is why she is no closer to formulating a plan.

Himari, the sweet and quiet woman, running a brush through her hair speaks up for the first time in a long time, “are you doing alright, Azula?”

“Just fine, Himari.” She thinks to elaborate, to make some excuse for her constant shift in her chair and tugging at her dress. “I’m just fine.”

She can insist it all she’d like, no matter what sort of bravado she puts on, she is anxious. And it goes beyond the baby bump; it is harder than she anticipated to push back scenarios that her mind conjures up for her; scenarios in which her voice cracks in front of the most acclaimed rock artists. Scenarios where she slips up and makes an absolute fool of herself before the pioneers of the genre and her father. And spirits, she can’t control her bandmates and what they do. If they flounder it is a reflection of her and her inability to manage her own band.

One of the artists takes her hand and begins applying polish, a bright red to match her dress with tiny gold pearl accents along the top. After several more minutes they withdraw their hands and makeup wands. Himari holds up a mirror; her hair is pulled into a loose topknot with elegantly curled bangs to frame her face. They have so gracefully winged her eyeliner and with a touch of makeup glue, her lashes sparkle with faux rubies and topaz. They have carefully painted her lips a glimmering red and outlined it in a glistening gold. She looks pretty and yet she doesn’t feel beautiful.

“Will this do?”

“Just fine, yes. Thank you.” Even if it weren’t to her liking she isn’t sure that she would be able to sit there with her discomforts for much longer. With a good twenty minutes to spare, she wanders out into the hallway where Seicho waits for her.

She clears her throat, “good evening Seicho. I trust that Zhao hasn’t been too much of a pest. He ‘doesn’t appreciate’ when I ‘invite guests backstage unannounced.’”

Seicho chuckles. “He’s been ignoring me for his sudoku puzzles.” She pulls Azula into a small hug. She steps back and seems to look her up and down. Azula finds herself absently biting the inside of her cheek while the girl makes her observations. “You look really beautiful tonight.” She finally remarks, brushing a sweep of curls behind Azula’s ear.

Her cheeks color softly and she clears her throat and holds her head high, “naturally.”

Seicho chuckles again, “you can say, ‘thanks, you too’ you know.”

Azula’s face flushes again.

“I’m teasing.” She gives her a nudge. “You earned that compliment.”

This time she does manage to muster a thank you. She thinks that she owes Seicho a second mention of gratitude for bothering to show up despite being sidelined for these very events. She clears her throat again, “thank you for being here, I’m not sure if father is…” pleased enough with her “...able to be in the audience tonight. He’s a very busy man. It’s nice to have someone.” Even still it is going to sting to pick out the familiar faces of Zirin, Chan, and Ruon’s families while viewing the empty seats reserved for her own family. Not that she expects Zuzu or Iroh to care.

“Of course!” Seicho grins. “I’ve been meaning to come see you play live again.”

Azula quirks a brow. “Are you sure that you didn’t come by just so you could meet Chong? Remind me, how many posters do you have of Chong & The Gang?”

“You’re right! What am I doing here? I gotta get by Chong!” Seicho declares. She slings her arm over Azula’s shoulder. “I can meet them later, I’m here for you.”

Azula’s heart flutters. Someone is here for her. Someone supports her. And that someone sneaks a little peck on her ear.

.oOo.

That kiss, however subtle, carries her to the stage. Within the dizzying kaleidoscope of her emotions, it brings her a more pleasant fluttering. And yet the dreamy haze that comes with it is dangerous. It is a distraction she can afford just as little as the insecurities that the kiss has momentarily driven out.

The stage is dark when she steps out onto it. She makes her way to the microphone and wraps one hand around the stand while the other holds the microphone in place. She fixes her eyes on the crowd. She can’t yet see them well and they can’t yet see her. She can’t see them and even if she could, she wouldn’t see her father’s face, the table reserved for her company is occupied only by Seicho.

Zirin taps out her first cymbal beats and Chan follows with his acoustic guitar before the stage lights come on. There is no frenzied applause, no whooping and hollering. The stage lights don’t pulse and flicker, don’t change colors. It is a steady stream of yellow-white and a silence with weight. This crowd requires delivery before revel. She intends to coax the claps out of them, intends to leave them begging for the encore, for the music that they should be excited for now.

It is a ballroom event, sure, a regal affair, but a light and leisurely clap couldn’t hurt. They are a tough crowd. It is just as well. It is a reason to do better. To be better. Her voice slips into the mix like windchimes amid a rustle of leaves. Soft, gentle, like a carasess. It is a very different style than she is used to, strange on her tongue despite having reversed these acoustic versions many times over. She can’t say that it is a bad kind of strange. In fact, it feels rather nice. Somehow the quality feels richer and unstrained. She doesn’t feel like she is tearing her throat apart note by note, doesn’t feel like she will need to down a cup of slippery elm tea post performance. But for all of the comforts smooth vocals come with, they are missing the raw power. The raw power that she needs to feel more fully confident. She wears metal music like armor and this acoustic performance is stripping her naked.

The first few songs are fine, they are older, impersonal. It is the new ones. They are the ones that pick her apart lyric by lyric. She hadn’t imagined that it would be this hard to work her way through them.Spirits, she can’t choke up now. But with a slower sound and a tweaking to minor key the song is sadder. It hits more intensely. Her own voice stabs into her hurt, her own message leaves her crumbling.

She thinks that her cheeks are growing wet. She isn’t sure why she is slipping now, it hadn’t been so unbearable during practice. She hadn’t been this weak.

She had anticipated a cracking of her voice, a snapping of a guitar string, a splintering of a drumstick, or a migraine inducing microphone feedback. Possibly even a stumbling over lyrics. She didn’t think that she would cry. She thought that she had desensitized herself thoroughly.

She isn’t sure when her father had slipped into the venue but by the time she notices him it is too late to toughen up, too late to conceal the tears that glisten in the spotlight, brighter than the sequins on her dress. She breaks a little more on the inside. She keeps singing. She always keeps singing. And without a hitch in her voice. Her perfect, silken voice.

Chan moves closer to her. His last note fades out with the bass and the drumbeats, leaving her to finish her final acapella. Hands now free, he takes to rubbing her back in small soothing circles. She wishes that he didn’t. She wishes that he would be as stoic and uncaring as her father. Somehow his touch drives it home, whatever this thing is that she is feeling. She thinks that his touch specifically is just what she didn’t need. The ending of her final song isn’t powerful in the slightest. It isn’t even graceful. Her last note ends in a choke. The spotlights cut and the stage goes dark, receding back into that heavy silence. Silent except for that last choked note reverberating through the ballroom.

And then they finally clap. She thinks that this is what the industry is; a celebration of her distress.

----------

They do her the kindness of closing the curtain before she drops to her knees. Her hair falls into her face, she stifles the more intense of her cries with her hands. “Come on.” Ruon says softly as he extends his hand. Chan helps her to her feet and Zirin helps keep her on them.

She can still hear the clapping. Apparently she has impressed the masters and yet it feels somehow hopeless, that is, if there is any emotion at all.

There has to be emotion if she is still weeping this much. Her makeup artists have only been able to cleans the makeup that had been running down her cheeks. Agni, she hopes that it is the hormones. She thinks that, that is part of pregnancy--becoming an unstable, emotional mess. Spirits, she needs to do more research. The thought of it makes her sob harder.

“Should we let them in?” Himari asks. She hadn’t even heard the knocking.

“Depends.” She manages. “Who’s on the other side?” Agni forbid it’s her father.

Himiari peers through the peephole. “It’s a girl with lots of tattoos and a plastic cup necklace.”

“Let her in.”

Seicho practically shoves poor Himari out of the way to get to Azula. She wipes the tears from her cheeks and pulls her into a hug. A rather tight one. Azula swallows and tries to put her emotions back in check. “That’s enough Seicho…” she mutters.

“Why are you upset?”

Azula shakes her head and shrugs.

“Those songs are personal, aren’t they.”

“They might be.” She folds her arms across her chest.

One of the makeup artists coughs, “excuse us, we need to get Azula ready for tonight’s dinner party.”

“Right, I’ll let you get to that.” She jabs her thumb at the couch on the other side of the room. She rummages through her backpack and pulls out a decently worn tattoo magazine and begins flipping through the pages.

Azula leans back and lets them re-apply her makeup. They work in double to cover the tear tracks that run down her cheeks. How undignified it is to have to have her team redo everything because she can’t keep her emotions in check.

.oOo.

She thinks that Seicho is the only thing keeping her from falling apart a second time. She hasn’t felt this way since she had been pulled out of Caldera High. Since the day she had tried, painfully unsuccessfully, to flirt with Jet. Walking back into those hallways after such a showy rejection had been its own kind of hell. Making her way back into the ballroom puts the same queasy flutters into her stomach. She rolls her shoulders and holds her head high as she finds the seat reserved for her. She offers Chan a wave as she passes his table by.

She notes that he is speaking with Chong. At her own table, her father is already deep into some discussion with Wan Shi Tong. She pulls out her chair and quietly slips into it.

Wan Shi Tong smiles and gives a small bow, “it is a pleasure, Azula.”

“Thank you.” Azula replies. “It’s...quite starstriking to have the opportunity to speak to such a eulogized musician.”

His smile doubles in size. “I must admit that, after hearing your songs, I hadn’t expected such polite mannerisms.”

She clears her throat gently. “I suppose that music is a way to explore...less savory sides of yourself.”

This earns her a chuckle. “You should hear Raava, charming woman, but some of the things she writes for The Tui La’s...the woman has a wild side.”

Azula nods and shifts in her chair. “I would love to meet her tonight.”

“Then lets get the two of you introduced.” He waves the woman and her husband over and Azula’s stomach squirms again.

Raava is beautiful; a sweep of long and flowing white hair, shot with vivid blue highlights and an even longer white dress. It glitters in a way that makes the chandeliers hanging overhead look dull and cheap. Her elegance is such a stark contrast to the black-red of her husband. His hair is also admirably long. Long and slicked back. His suit, also a satin black, shimmers with red thread. By the spirits, they are more stunning in person.

She bows to them and they return the gesture. “Good evening. I trust that my performance was enjoyable.”

“It was exquisite, dear.” Vaatu

“A voice like yours is a gift, truly.” Raava adds. “Not many people can go so flawlessly from smooth vocals to those rougher ones. And with such emotion. Your performance was refreshingly genuine.”

“You have a talent.” Vaatu takes a drink. “Though I’d wager you are well aware.”

Azula grins. For the first time that night she feels truly confident. Truly pleased with herself. She feels Seicho squeeze her hand under the table. For the first time in two months or so, she thinks that thing might work out just fine.

She hears her father laugh and she wonders what Wan Shi Tong had said. Regardless, her father is in a good mood tonight--she holds her free hand to her belly--maybe she can tell him. Maybe he won’t hate her if she can keep him in good spirits. If she can keep him from emptying the wind bottle sitting on the table. “Would you like a drink?” She offers to Raava and Vaatu. She eyes Vaatu’s glass, “a refill, rather.”

“I would appreciate that very much.” Vaatu replies.

“So, who is this?” Raava gestures to Seicho.

“This is Seicho, she’s my…” She is once again aware of the warmth of the girl’s hand on hers. “My friend.”

“I’m also her tattoo artist.” She adds helpfully.

Raava and Vaatu both study her arm for a moment. “It’s brilliant work.” Vaatu says at last.

“Very good attention to detail.” Raava sets her glass aside.

Azula traces her fingers over the ink. “I’ve been wanting to get a tattoo since I saw yours.” She gestures to the teal diamond on the woman’s chest. The white dot at its center seems to glow in the dark.

Raava smiles, “it is said that art births new art. Wonderful concept, don’t you think.”

“Very.” Azula agrees. She wonders if her child will be a musician too.

.oOo.

“She’s precious, Ozai.” Raava remarks. “I’d take her as my own daughter if she weren’t already yours.”

“I wouldn’t give her away.” Ozai chuckles. “A man only gets a daughter like mine every once in a while.”

“It has been a pleasure, Ozai.” Vaatu remarks. “Perhaps one day we can do a collaboration, for old time’s sake.”

“Perhaps we can.”

The door closes behind him. Azula hopes that Seicho can put off her squealing for just a little longer. At least until after her father leaves. So far things are going smoothly, she hopes that Chan, Ruon, and Zirin have managed to impress their respective idols as well. It will be a mighty good look if they had.

Ozai puts a hand on her back, a smile brings a slight curve to his lips. “You did wonderful tonight. I admit, I was getting worried, all things considered, but you have done extraordinary well tonight.”

He is so, so proud of her. Absently, her hand makes its way to her belly again. It is such a good night. She can’t ruin the mood.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Azula #Azula/Background Character #Zuko #Mai #Maiko #TyLee #Fanfiction

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photolover82 · 4 years ago

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The Masked Singer Season 5 Episode 9: Spicy Six Time ft a disappointing elimination (Commentary & Thoughts)

Hello everybody! Welcome (or welcome back) to Ana’s Masked Singer recap, where I, Ana, recap every single episode of the Masked Singer. So, after a week off because of the sing-a-long episode (which I never recap because there isn’t anything new to talk about), we are into our spicy six (that’s a Cinco de Mayo thing) or should I say top 6? This is where things are getting tough because everyone is so good and tough eliminations. Anyways, let’s get into this episode because *spoiler alert* I am not very happy with the result...

Side Note: I am not including guesses here because I feel like it is a bit repetitive (if you are new, you can see some of my previous blog posts hehe... especially the last one I posted)

First, let’s begin with the elimination that I feel is the saddest of the season:

Robopine 😦😦

Commentary: He sang Water Runs Dry by Boyz II Men and it was beautiful! Like I understand I might have a bias for this guy because I love his voice and I think it’s butter... but I do gotta say the competition is stiff at this point of the show and people are really bringing it. However, come on guys, his voice is just stunning and emotional and ughhhhh why did he leave?! If you guys know my blog, you probably know that he is one of my favorites so this makes me super sad, I am now really hoping Black Swan wins it all

Having said that, he was revealed to be (as I suspected):

Tyrese Gibson

Yeah, wooo I got it right. Honestly, this was upsetting but when he said in his post show interview that Beyoncé didn’t win Star Search but she still Beyoncé made me feel a tiny bit better about this tho. Idk man these eliminations every season as the show is about to wrap, it gets sadder and more annoying every time when we reach this point. Anyways, yeah Tyrese! He sang amazing, he did THAT so like I guess it doesn’t matter at the end of the day. Oh and if you wanna understand how that last clue package relates to him, the person he lost was Paul Walker and the amusement park ride he was talking about was Fast and Furious, which has a ride at Universal Studios (which I have been on... it’s cool ngl, his face is on the ride and everything)

Anyways, moving onto our remaining five or how they called it in the previews the “fiesty five”...

1. Black Swan 🦢🖤

Commentary: Ok, so now that Robopine is gone, she is the sole person I am routing for to be in the finale at least (but I have heard some rumors about her this episode coming up tonight that I hope and pray are not true.. so this makes me nervous). In my ideal world, she can win it all. She sang Do I Do by Stevie Wonder and girlll be picking insane songs wow, but she be killing every last note. Her voice really is something special, I wasn’t too sure about her first performance, but she’s really proving herself omg. She is honestly a favorite of mine as you probably know.... because 1. Girl Power ladies and gents... but most importantly 2. IT’S FREAKING JOJO... LIKE THE GIRL WHO SANG “GET OUT (LEAVE) RIGHT NOW IT’S THE END OF YOU AND ME...” (if you know it, sing along) She got them pipes and I feel the same way about her as I did Tori Kelly last season, and to refresh your mind or let the new people know.... mark my words ladies and gents.... these girls are SOME OF THE BEST VOICES OF OUR GENERATION. There, I said it, drop the imaginary mic 🎤

2. Russian Dolls 🪆

Commentary: Ok guys, so my gut feeling isn’t my favorite thing in the world... but it tells me how this show is being set up that they might win this season. I like them, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t really think they deserve to win it all (but like at the end of the day, wtf is all? A trophy? Is that it?! Just think about that before you get annoyed... also a message to myself because oof this season has tested my patience). Anyways, they sang Shallow by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga and like always their harmonies are on point but this whole “let’s be 2 people and then surprise a 3rd person and then ohhh is there maybe a 4th, nope jk we are back to 2, oh wait nvm now we are 3 again thing” is getting annoying and aggravating. Let’s just be straight here: THERE ARE 3 PEOPLE UNDER THESE DOLLS... NO MORE, NO LESS... don’t let them mess with your head. It’s Hanson, point blank end of story... are they the best thing since sliced bread? Ofc not... but the show is really hyping them up and setting it up for them to win so a group can like finally win for the first time... which makes me flash back to the time Kandi won because she was a woman and they wanted a woman to win... like I am all about girl power but that was not the move. Just like if they win, this will also not be the move. Not because they are bad, but because there are better *cough* Black Swan *cough* 🤷🏻‍♀️

3. Yeti ❄️☃️

Commentary: I feel like Yeti is the most versatile of the singers, like he can sing, roller skate (still can’t get over that), dance, and now rap! I feel like he can really do it all and has a chance at being in the finale. He rapped It Takes Two and wow it was super fun to watch, it was hard to resist the urge to dance in your seat when you watch it. He really is super talented man.. he danced his little Yeti butt off and freestyled and everything wow. Everyone got super hyped, it was an awesome performance. He really brought the entertainment factor ngl. This is so Omarion, obviously, and I feel like he can do it all. He has a shot at the finals but we really gotta see what he decides to do in the next week or so.

4. Chameleon 🦎

Commentary: I am sorry to all the Wiz Khalifa fans and the rap fans in general, but he should have gone home this episode (actually, he should have gone home instead of seashell but that’s beside the point). He rapped a Busta Rhymes song (who fun fact: was also on the show last season and got eliminated 1st) and I gotta admit, it was his strongest performance, but I feel as opposed to everyone else, he isn’t as vocally strong. He can rap like nobody’s business and has got flow for days... but this ain’t the Masked Rapper... this is the Masked SINGER, guys, I can’t believe he actually has gotten this far honestly. If he doesn’t go home tonight, I am gonna be a bit upset ngl.

5. Piglet 🐷

Commentary: Alright, so Piglet reminds me so much of Crocodile, who I liked but I was very hot and cold about, because when he does certain songs, he knocks it out of the park, like the last performance he gave for the Spicy Six, where he sang Against All Odds by Phil Collins and it was one of his best performances. However, it’s only when he does love ballads that he shines, and I know it’s Nick Lachey and that’s how he is and all but like I feel like when he tries them upbeat songs, he falls flat a bit. Idk man I think ballads suits his voice more, or the upbeat songs he chooses are just not the right ones for his voice. Either way, I think he might go home next week in the semifinals.... I predict but you never know with this damn show.

Anyway, that’s it! Sorry for the late post.... it’s been an insane week for me. I am starting summer classes so I am trying to get used to this new schedule. I hope you guys enjoyed this recap and tonight is the fiesty five and I am a bit nervous ngl! Anyways bye guys and see you next week! 👋🏼

#the masked singer #celebrities #themaskedsinger #hollywood #music #the masked singer season 5 #tv shows #hanson #jojo levesque #nick lachey #tyrese gibson #wiz khalifa #omarion

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mayaliyah · 4 years ago

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Sweet Melody || Self-Para

When: March 10th, 2021

Where: Vanessa’s apartment

Featuring: Trixie Belle, Vanessa Maldette, & Nova Kang

Warnings: Brief mentions of abuse, sexual assault, drugs, alcohol

Description: Who knew that the turbulent love life of one friend could inspire a break up song?

Inspiration: Sweet Melody - Little Mix

It was another fitting for La Playa costumes and rather than being at Vanessa’s studio, it was Maya and Trixie at Vanessa’s luxurious penthouse…both girls still couldn’t get enough of being in shock and awe as they were getting fitted for their outfits. Well, at least Trixie and Nova were. Maya, on the other hand, had a melody stuck in her head. This often happened, and she was on the verge of a breakthrough. Nova was too busy admiring herself in the luxurious mirror as she playfully beat boxed and then turned once she heard Trixie’s voice.

“Uh oh, she’s spacey again,” Trixie pointed out with an eyebrow wiggle.

“Another smash hit on the way, Maya?” Nessa added with a grin.

She kept humming the melody as she adjusted her top a little as she looked in the mirror with a curious look.

“Maya?” Nessa called out once more.

“It looks amazing, Ness, sorry! The melody’s just trapped in my head,” She sighed, shaking her head.

“Right, well, I need you three to head into the closet again and pick out one more outfit for fitting, I don’t know…both of you don’t look completely comfortable or satisfied with it,” The brunette called out.

Both Trixie and Maya exchanged a look. She knew them far too well. Nova on the other hand...was a wild card. As the three of them wandered back to grab their outfits, a clear bag caught her eye. It was the most beautiful, dazzling white dress that she had ever seen, with sewn in crystals and…she was pretty sure the tulle and lace would last for days.

“Nova,” Trixie called out with a warning look.

“What?”

“We don’t talk about it, okay?” Maya responded with a hushed voice.

“Wait, why? Is that the infamous Queen V wedding dress?!” Maya whispered harshly, but Vanessa, had pretty good hearing and sighed, dramatically. Trixie groaned, shaking her head.

“Oh, Trix, don’t fret. I’m not upset about that old thing, but I do need to pick out the diamonds and burn it…eventually,” She pointed out with a sigh. “But yes, it was the wedding dress that never came to fruition. Although, I’d have to say, I dodged a major bullet,” She chuckled.

“Oh?”

“Well, let’s just say, I’ve dodged…several. Most of my exes were just utter trash…maybe with the exception of one, but even then, it’s like…a repeating song that goes on and on, heartbreak, after heartbreak.”

“Wait wait wait! Stop! Nessa, wait, this is going to sound outlandish, but…can you tell me this story?” Maya asked.

Both Trixie and Nessa exchanged a bewildered look and Nessa sighed, taking a seat on the cushion as Trixie took a seat on the ground. Meanwhile, Maya fished her phone out from her cleavage and pulled up the notes app as did Nova.

“Let’s see, first there was Nick. Sweet as could be, he was my first, in many things but our relationship was a secret because his twin sister, my best friend, forbade me to date him. But…I’d always get jealous when other girls looked his way and, I couldn’t help it. It also didn’t help in the beginning I had a crush on my best friend…let’s just say it ended tragically, then both of them moved back to London and I never saw them again.”

“Jeez…” Maya sighed.

“Damn, why be a hater cause your sibling’s happy? I’m so glad I’m an only child, like dead ass.”

“Then there was Alex. God, he was, gorgeous, another sweet guy, a bit timid, shy, but a glorious singer…although I was not a fan of his cover of whatever song he made, but the words were sweet…until I discovered he had a crush on one of my best friends, and then that was the end of that.”

“God, Nessa, I’m so sorry,” Maya shook her head.

“It gets worse,” Both her and Trixie chimed in.

“Steven, a rowdy, rebellious guy. Loved surfing, and all things Hawaiian, he grew up in Hawaii, actually, and I thought, wow, I could actually love this guy…but the partying and the abuse, and oh, did I mention he tried to knock me up? That was fun.”

Maya was practically speechless at the time and continued jotting down what came to mind.

“Then…came Lucian,” Nessa sighed. “He was supposed to be the one. He was there practically through the majority of my exes, with the exception of Nick. He was my best friend, we confided in each other. We dated for three bloody years and talked about our engagement to the point he even suggested I started designing my wedding dress. He spoke the sweetest words and did everything right, but d’you know what did him in? One of my friends, the night we got drunk, I told her that I was afraid he’d get bored of me and just walk away…and she told him and he got so bloody angry and broke up with me—ON MY FUCKING BIRTHDAY!” She practically shouted the last part out, her face was flushed with redness over her face.

“Woo…” Nova whistled out.

“Ness…maybe you should…” Trixie began.

“It’s fine, Trixie. This actually feels quite cathartic,” She chuckled. “Did I mention he left me for my supposed best friend?”

“I hope he rots,” Nova called out.

Maya sighed, shaking her head as she tried piecing together the puzzle, that were lyrics. Mostly bits and pieces that she had.

“At the end, came Scout, it was a short fling, but he spoke sweet nothing’s in my ear and made me feel like I was human…but the sweet nothings were just that, sweet, and nothing. Shelby…she was my first girlfriend, actually, but, a bit possessive and power hungry, so there’s that,” She shrugged.

“Okay, I think I might have something from this,” Maya called out. “Nessa, by the way, I’ve heard you sing before and the melody you hummed to…that’s the melody stuck in my head,” She called out.

“Which one?” Nessa asked curiously.

“The do-do-do-do,” Maya said. “Can you try that out for me?

Nessa chuckled, “That little thing? I dunno where it’s from!”

“Just try it, please?” Maya pleaded.

“Alright, um…Doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo

Doo-roo-doo-doo, doo-roo-doo-roo. Doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo

Doo-roo-doo-doo, doo-roo-doo-roo.”

“So here’s what I got,” Maya began and then sang, “In a whole other life, there was this boy that I knew. He made me feel like a woman, we were young and silly fools,”

Trixie giggled, knowing exactly who that was.

“Wait wait wait, I’m not done!” Maya chuckled and then sang, “Anyway he was in a band, wrote love songs about me. I wasn’t crazy ‘bout the words, but the melodies were sweet, went something like—“ She paused and then Nessa chimed in with

“Doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo

Doo-roo-doo-doo, doo-roo-doo-roo. Doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo

Doo-roo-doo-doo, doo-roo-doo-roo.”

“Alright, so then Nova, can you volunteer that velvety voice of yours for just these lines?”

Nova laughed, shaking her head, “Damn, butter me up and call my voice velvety.”

“I promise, just once,” She chuckled as she slid over her phone. “Same tempo as the first verse.”

“Every time we’d go dancing, I’d see his straying eyes. Gave him too many chances, push my keys too many times. Anyway, he’d start acting up, and I’d be on my way to leave, but I stopped in my tracks, when I heard this melody and it went like,”

Trixie then chimed in repeating Nessa’s previous verse with a smile, the two girls harmonizing over each other.

“Okay, so then the next part is the chorus, and I was thinking like—“ Maya began to sing, “He used to sing me, sweet melodies. He played me, made me believe, it was real love. Sang me, sweet melodies, but the day he did me wrong, the song couldn’t go on and on—“

“Ooh, what if we repeat it as a unit?” Trixie offered.

“Yes, perfect!”

“He used to sing me, sweet melodies. He played me, made me believe, it was real life. Sang me, sweet melodies, but the day he did me wrong, the song couldn’t go on and on, and on,” The trio sang in unison, perfectly harmonizing with each other.

“So the next verse, Trixie, I want you to do next,” Maya pointed out and Nessa handed her the phone. “Remember, same tempo as before.”

“Let’s see…” Trixie took a look and then sang out, “He would lie, he would cheat, over syncopated beats. I was just his tiny dancer, he had control of my feet. Yes, when he came along, that’s when I lost a groove. There was no song in the world to sing along or make me move. Something-something like—“

Then Maya repeated the previous melody with Nessa randomly making an echoing sound and Trixie ad-libbing.

“Okay, Nessa! I see you getting into it!” She teased.

Nessa rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I’m doing this for a cause!”

“The chorus goes again, but there’s one part that Nessa, you just did, and I want you to do that, Trixie, what I want you to do the melody.”

Both girls nodded and did as they were told repeating the melody, with Nessa echoing Trixie’s voice as best as she could.

“Now, Nessa…would you oppose singing that ad-lib again and continue to do so while Nova follows me into the next chorus?”

Nessa looked over at Maya and shrugged. “Eh, I don’t see why not,” She grinned and followed Nova and Maya’s lead with Trixie chiming in to harmonize.

Nova did the next chorus with Maya running in right next to her and hit a rather impressive high note. To which Trixie playfully saw it as a challenge and hit her own high note as they continued the chorus together and ended the song.

“Oh…I think we just made magic…OVER NESSA’S OWN RELATIONSHIP,” Trixie squealed excitedly.

“Maya…Nova...Trixie…was I just set up?” Nessa added as she eyed at them suspiciously.

“Maybe…but you don’t have to perform if you don’t want to…” Maya made a face.

“I am not set out to be a performer, but you know, I would appreciate writing credits,” She winked.

“Obviously, you inspired this amazing song!—Now we just have to clean up the vocals and we could actually record it on my laptop and then I could go to the studio and get it cleaned up a little further?” She suggested with a big grin.

“I—let’s at least change out of our outfits first!” Trixie said, completely starry eyed and excited.

“Seriously because I can’t be grooving in this for more than like two hours,” Nova teased.

“I’m manifesting this as a number one hit, I’m saying this right now!” Maya called out as she ran to grab her laptop, rather than change her outfit.

#sp

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go-go-devil · 5 years ago

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If You Have Ghosts: The Story of a Song

This is an informative/personal essay I wrote about the history of Roky Erickson’s well-beloved song, “If You Have Ghosts.” Honestly I should have written & posted this on the 1-year anniversary of his death back in May, but I completely forgot. This piece is mostly a study of Erickson’s original and the band Ghost’s famous cover of it, alongside some other things. I would also appreciate some feedback on this if you all don’t mind.

The information I used as a reference when describing the making of the original song comes entirely from Joe Nick Patoski’s writing on Roky Erickson’s career and the making of The Evil One (included as a booklet in recent vinyl additions of said album).

Throughout our lives there will be songs that capture us in ways that we cannot escape from. Oftentimes it’s as simple as an infectious melody that we refuse to discard from our memories, either due to it becoming attached to a pivotal part of our lives or because we cannot dislodge it no matter how hard we try. Other times it can be something that attracts us so much that we begin to covet it to the point of obsession, and it is through this attitude that the song transforms from merely a piece of music into a piece of ourselves.

“If You Have Ghosts” is one of these songs for me.

What can I say about this wonderful track that hasn’t already been said? It is fierce, yet subdued. It is both hard rocking joy incarnate and a solemn reflection of one’s self, and it says so much by saying so little. The reason for all of these seemingly contradictory phrases I’m using is because this song, unlike many others, is a shared entity that exists in multiple forms. Quite an odd way of stating that the song has been played by more than one band, but hopefully this essay will demonstrate how the meaning of the original piece can mutate into different forms while still keeping its essence intact.

There’s no better place to start than with the original, recorded in 1977 and released in 1981 by rock n’ roll legend Roky Erickson.

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Originally recorded as part of a four-song demo of what would later become his first solo record, The Evil One, “If You Have Ghosts” contains many of the themes Erickson presents in his music as a whole. Those of which being: horror-themed esoteric lyrics, high-energy playing, soaring guitar riffs, and a general sense of raw, psychedelic power.

In less than 15 seconds the song has already built itself up and blasted into your eardrums, but never does the melody ever resort to sounding like a wall of noise. Each instrument weaves its sound around each other like some tripped-out embroidery design in order to create a rich tapestry in the listener’s mind. The lyrics are as catchy and repetitive as any of Roky’s songs, yet for this one he sounds less like he’s singing but instead simply proclaiming each line like it’s a definitive statement.

“If you have ghosts, you have everything”

“One never does that”

“The moon to the left of me is a part of my thoughts and a part of me is me”

“In the night, I am real”

“I don’t want my fangs too long”

Barring a few other scattershot words present in the chorus, what you’ve read above is all that you get for what this piece is trying to say. Unlike most of the other songs from the album, whose lyrics clearly convey the story/theme presented, this one does not have a lucid form to it and thus its meaning can only truly be grasped through interpretation. Personally, I always saw it as a proud declaration of one’s deviance from society, with the rip-roaring instruments serving to show how this person’s mind finally feels free enough to run wild in the night, with only the moonlight and their own invisible spirits to guild them.

But of course, all forms of speculation can never undermine Roky’s own intent when crafting this song, which, unfortunately, is not nearly as liberating as my previous presumption…

“If You Have Ghosts” as we know it is a direct product of Erickson’s mental illness. There really is no way of sugarcoating it. After being diagnosed with schizophrenia in 68’, Roky was sent to various state hospitals in 69’, where he was subjected to multiple electroshock treatments by doctors alongside being heavily sedating with Thorazine. Even after he was discharged in ’72 he never fully recovered from the abusive “therapies” he was given, resulting in decades of battling intense mood swings and heavy drug reliance as well as making it difficult for him to record many of his songs in studio.

Roky was under one of these spells whist recording the vocals for this song. He was only able to sing the chorus once, and after recording was no longer able to remember any of the lyrics. Out of all the tracks, Producer Stu Cook had to put the most effort into inserting the vocals into this song using a complex progress called wild-syncing to place multiple takes of audio alongside the instruments without using synchronization. It’s honestly a miracle that we even have this song fully formed in the first place given the circumstances of its creation.

Despite all of the hardship and effort put into creating this piece, for a long while there didn’t seem to be as much appreciation for it compared to Erickson’s other work. Partially because it was not present on certain releases of the album back in the day as well as the fact that Roky seemed to rarely play it live in concert (even on YouTube, recordings of these performances are scarce). As much as I love this version of the song, even I’m willing to admit that if I were ever forced to rank each song on The Evil One, I would probably place it somewhere in the middle. What can I say? When you make an album that great, the competition can be fierce!

For many obscure classics, the story would end there. Yet another buried treasure forever existing in the mind of one musician. But that’s not what happened, for several decades later a new band from Sweden will emerge, different in form but identical in spirit to Roky’s sound, whose frontman will breathe new life into a once forgotten masterpiece…

…Or at least that’s what I would lead into were it not for the existence of this version.

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Interestingly, the first notable cover of “If You Have Ghosts” was not done by Ghost but instead by an English folk-rock group called John Wesley Harding & The Good Liars on the 1990 album Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson. This now-obscure album consisted of a compilation of various bands and artists covering the songs of, you guessed it, Roky Erickson. There was actually a great deal of artists present on this record, including several well-known musicians such as ZZ Top, R.E.M., and The Jesus and Mary Chain (and even Butthole Surfers too!).

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not at all familiar with John Wesley Harding or his backing band; however, I will say that this piece is a worthy follow-up to the original in it’s own right. It slows down the song to a level not unlike the many psychedelic songs that followed in 13th Floor Elevator’s wake, keeping the main melody in tack while filling in the gaps with many little flourishes as a means of expanding it into something new. I’m especially fond of the echoing effect given to the vocals, which gives the already obscure nature of the lyrics a more outwardly ethereal quality.

Anyway, on to what you’ve been waiting for!

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After enduring another two decades of invisibility from the public eye, the song was once again exhumed and resurrected by an emerging metal band named Ghost for their 2013 EP If You Have Ghost. Considering Roky Erickson’s wide array of demon-inspired songs, it’s interesting how Linköping’s residential Satanic metal group chose this piece as opposed to more well-beloved hits like “Night Of The Vampire” or “Stand For The Fire Demon,” many of which work perfectly with the band’s themes of evoking retro horror films and devil worship. It almost seems like they just chose “If You Have Ghosts” solely on the basis of it having the word “Ghost” in it. However, just one listen to this cover will quickly prove otherwise.

Right off the bat, the instruments and vocals are a far cry from the original. Unlike the previous J.W.H. cover that made sure to keep the main melody in tack while adding onto it, Ghost instead chose the more daring option of altering the melody and tempo of the piece significantly. From the ominous drawing of violin and cello strings in the opening seconds to the melancholic metal sound of the guitars throughout (with the rhythm guitar being played by none other than Dave Grohl, who also produced the EP), this version slows the once fast-pace beat of the song down until it becomes almost unrecognizable save for the lyrics. Even Tobias Forge’s singing creates significant contrast with the original; his silky smooth, haunting baritone guiding a melody once held by Roky’s hard-edged yells.

And yet… the spirit still remains.

Although the sound itself has been thoroughly converted to the stylings of Ghost, they still managed to keep the fierce energy that ran through the veins of Erickson’s version, albeit with a twist.

Both songs convey a contemplative examination of one’s mind, with instrumentals and singing that amplify the power one feels from this reflection. However, Ghost’s version differs in that it amplifies the sense of isolation and longing present in the lyrics. The music notably softens at the beginning of many of the verses, particularly lines like “One never does that” or “I don’t want my fangs too long,” only to grow in power through the repetition of each line. It conveys the feeling of the singer having to grapple with these feelings before they can fully accept them.

Nowhere is this more apparent than the band’s acoustic cover of the song.

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At this point, the piece has been stripped down to an entirely naked form, its themes conveyed only through the guitars of two nameless ghouls alongside Forge’s vocals (presented here in his previous stage persona, Papa Emeritus III). There is no triumphant shouting or swelling electric guitar solos here anymore, just a somber reflection gently carried by melodic strumming and mournful singing. Despite now being as far from a rockin’ tune as humanly possible, it actually manages to come closest in recapturing the sense of rawness in the original, albeit on the exact opposite scale.

I remember watching a recorded acoustic performance in Paris back in 2015 where Papa introduced “If You Have Ghosts” as being a song about “loneliness,” which is an interpretation I can definitely agree with. In fact, I would even say that with this acoustic cover brings the entire meaning of the song full-circle. Through its peeled-back, unflinching depiction of being enclosed in darkness and isolation, it serves as a perfect end-note for a song that began from such troubled origins by telling the listener that, despite all the hardships, this beautiful piece of music will never lose its everlasting spirit.

Thanks for giving us everything, Roky.

#rip roky erickson #we're gonna miss you baby #I hope you all enjoyed this analysis #this took me a week to write!#if you have ghosts #roky erickson #john wesley harding & the good liars #the band ghost #the evil one #if you have ghost #where the pyramid meets the eye #my writing #music analysis

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365days365movies · 4 years ago

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March 5, 2021: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) (Part One)

Once upon a time, there was a bamboo cutter.

In 2019, the anime Kaguya-sama: Love is War came out, and the third season’s supposed to come out later this year. I love this show a lot, honestly, and it’s actually based on an old Japanese story: 竹取物語, or The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. I’d go into it, but obviously I’m also about to watch the movie based on it from 2013.

It reminds me of a Japanese Thumbelina, to be honest, although I know that they aren’t perfectly analogous. At least, I hope not. It’s not a great movie. Plus, it was one of the first movies I remember watching as a kid, so I’m good.

But yeah, this should be interesting! I’m definitely digging this form of the fantasy genre. You know, films based on folklore and mythology of a given country. Not necessarily what everybody thinks of, but it’s definitely within the genre. Still, I kinda want to branch out from Japan in the next few days. Still, let’s start with this one, yeah?

This film is yet another Studio Ghibli film, but Miyazaki’s not involved. No, this one is an Isao Takahata joint, and he was another one of the founders of Ghibli alongside Miyazaki. This was the last film he directed before his death in 2018. And he never got the same publicity overseas as Miyazaki, but he deserves some love. I’ve seen one other film of his, his first with Studio Ghibli. And...

...that was an experience. An experience that I have NO WILL TO REPEAT. Grave of the Fireflies is an amazing film. It’s also about two siblings surviving in Japan during World War II, in poverty. And no, they don’t die of radiation poisoning because of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

It’s so...SO much more depressing than that. Yeah. Not exaggerating. BUT WE ARE NOT GOING INTO THAT BEAUTIFUL, TRAMAUTIZING MASTERPIECE NIGHTMARE!!! We’re going into some that I genuinely hope isn’t as depressing. I’ll find out first-hand, I guess! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap (1/3)

Right from the opening credits, I already have a comment to make: the art style is meant to invoke classic Japanese paintings, and the effect is absolutely breathtaking. It’s a gorgeous movie right off the bat, but I won’t let that distract me...much.

Bamboo cutter Sanuki no Miyatsuko (James Caan) does just that: he cuts bamboo for a living, using it for many things. One day, in the forest, he sees a glowing bamboo stalk, which he tentatively approaches. The light creates a new bamboo shoot, inside of which, well...

Unsure of this little bamboo princess, he hesitantly approaches as she smiles at him and falls asleep in the flower. Thinking it a gift from heaven, Miyatsuko takes the tiny princess into his hands, and brings her home to his Wife (Mary Steenburgen). They decide to raise her, and as the Bamboo Cutter’s Wife takes the princess into her hands, she jumps about and seemingly transforms into a human infant.

The two are quite confused by this whole affair, but believe her to be a gift from heaven, being a miraculous little bamboo princess and all. She also apparently has the ability to cause instant lactation in the Wife, which is a TERRIFYING superpower when you think about it. Think about it: you’re walking down the street, when suddenly some person in a milkman or milkmaid costume jumps out from the shadow, points at you, and says “MILK!!!” and BAM! Now, Fred’s lactating.

Never said that power was limited by gender, now did I?

OK, weird-ass milk segue aside, this baby starts to grow REAL fuckin’ quickly, and a group of plum blossom trees bloom nearby The two pledge to raise the child as their own, in that Jonathan and Martha Kent-style, and they name her "Hime”, which means Princess.

Y’know, for an animated baby, she’s a cute-ass baby, I gotta say. I mean, look at this shit. Look at this CUTE-ASS SHIT.

My ovaries are twitching right now, and I don’t even HAVE that shit. Should I...should I see a doctor?

That tumbling act above leads her to learning to walk, all of which is evidenced by a group of neighborhood kids, who notice both her rapid physical and behavioral growth, and note that she’s growing as fast as bamboo. And yeah, she goes from infant to toddler in a few minutes as she’s learning to walk.

The kids nickname her “Lil’ Bamboo” (Takenoko in Japanese), and she continues to grow up quick. She learns to speak, and spends days with Miyatsuko as he cuts bamboo in the forest. On one of these days, she wanders off and meets a group of wild baby boars. And yeah, you’re right, IT IS cute as SHIT.

The mother boar doesn’t think so, and she charges the helpless Hime. However, she’s saved from a grisly fate by a young man named Sutemaru (Darren Criss), who also notes her rapid growth. And yeah, she goes from toddler to young child over the course of this interaction.

Sutemaru and the young kids from earlier go through the forest with Hime, bringing her along. And she seems to know the words to the song, somehow. She then chimes in with a song of her own, and I’m gonna see if I can find the lyrics in their original Japanese.

Well, I did, and translations aren’t great, but this is pretty similar to what’s being said in the original audio. So, yeah, we’ll go for it. By the way, the actress singing this and playing young Hime is Caitlyn Leone. Just wanted to give her some credit, because this is an interesting song that she sings.

At the end of it, she begins to cry, although she doesn’t know why. The kids basically brush it off, and go to bring her back to the bamboo grove, and to Miyatsuko. He’s searching for her, worries, when he comes across yet another glowing bamboo shoot. This time, when he cuts it open, gold spills out of it.

Time passes, and Hime continues to grow quickly, befriending the kids and Sutemaru, to whom she grows quite close over the summer. Meanwhile, another glowing bamboo shot appears, and from it come fine silks and fabrics. This, alongside the gold from before, leads Miyatsuki to believe that Heaven wants them to raise Hime to be a noble princess, one worthy of the fine fabrics they’ve received.

While his wife is unsure about that, his mind is made up, and he heads to the capital to build a mansion suitable for this lifestyle. Summer ends, and autumn harvest begins, by which time she’s grown up from child to pre-teen. She also changes voice actresses (in English, anyway), now being played by Chloë Grace Moretz.

Sutemaru notices this, too, and worries that she’ll keep growing and leave them behind. She says that that’ll never happen. And then, as she goes home that night...it does. Yeah, damn, and she promised and everything. But yeah, the little Bamboo family heads to the capital, where Hime is quickly taught the ways of a proper lady.

She’s confused by the changes, but her parents (dressed up in traditional robes and face paint, I’m assuming) quickly inform her that they own the mansion, as well as the many fine robes from the bamboo, and that they will be living there from now on. She takes it well. And that’s not an ironic segue, I actually mean that she takes it pretty damn well.

Maybe a little too well, as she frolics about and trips over a very proper woman, who chides her for unladylike behavior. This is her governess, Lady Sagami (Lucy Liu), and she’s been brought from the palace to teach Hime in the ways of being a noble lady.

Hime struggles with these lessons and the new high society lifestyle, especially as opposed to her previous country life. But then, sometimes she surprises the often frustrated Sagami, like with the koto, a traditional stringed instrument in Japan.

Soon enough, Hime comes of age, and the excited Miyatsuki plans a straight-up period party as celebration. Hime asks if she can invite her friends, but he adamantly refuses this request. Miyatsuki’s trying very hard to get Hime into the life of nobility, but her mother is a lot more understanding of her struggles.

Said struggles continue, as they attempt to prepare her for the upcoming party, and she refuses to get her eyebrows plucked, amongst other procedures. Ah, the trappings of a society that forces women into extremely restrictive gender roles, said the cisgender dude who’s ever taken a gender-studies course, but still basically gets the gist of the whole thing, probably.

In the lead-up to the party, Miyatsuki invites Inde no Akita (George Segal), a nobleman tasked with renaming princesses for formal ceremonies, based upon their true essence. He first sees her playing with a cat outside, for which Miyatsuki apologizes. Akita doesn’t seem to mind too much, though.

In a more formal meeting, Akita’s struck by her young beauty, and she plays to koto form him. He thus names her “The Shining Princess of the Supple Bamboo”. In Japanese, she’s called Kaguya-hime. Hence, the Princess Kaguya.

Party-time, and Princess Kaguya is presented with her new name publicly, but is not doing anything at the party, almost like a prize or trophy for the men who have attended the party. Said party goes on for...THREE DAYS? Jesus CHRIST, how much sake do they fuckin’ HAVE?

However, the party begins to go south when the partygoers question why her face is hidden behind blinds, and that she’s basically just a common girl whose father paid for a ceremony beyond their station. Basically, they’re being dicks. And Hime hears, well...all of it. And responds understandably, and...to be frank, beautifully.

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The art style turns sketchy and frantic as Hime runs away from the palace at hull speed, under the light of the full moon hanging above. It’s...gorgeous. Absolutely beautifully animated, I gotta say. And the music and sound, too! It’s just...beautiful.

She runs all the way back to her old village, where we can see that time has passed a bit. Not just in terms of Hime’s personal growth, but in terms of a baby from before, now visibly a little older. That isn’t all that’s changed, though, as all of Hime’s friends have apparently moved away.

Turns out that the mountain has been harvested to its fullest for wood, without destroying sustainability. Because of this, a man tells her that the families will likely not return for another 10 years. Interestingly enough, though, this conversation confirms that this movie has taken place over the course of a year, as Hime has never experienced the seasons in full.

After this realization, an exhausted Hime passes out in the show, only to wake up once again in the castle. Was it a dream? It would appear to be so.

Never have I seen a better place to pause. See you in Part 2!

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euhypnopiers · 4 years ago

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⟨ AVAN JOGIA. CIS MALE. HE/HIM. ⟩ though the mist might prevent some from seeing it, PIERS RAMACHANDRAN is actually a descendent of H Y P N O S. it’s still a question of whether or not the TWENTY-FOUR year old PYSCHOLOGY MAJOR from NORFOLK, ENGLAND has taken after their godly parent completely, but the demigod is still known to be quite CHARISMATIC & PASSIVE.

POWERS

hypnokinesis – easily his best ability and one that he chose to perfect in order to accentuate his future career goals. piers calls himself a “mind-shaper”, and he uses his gift as a more spiritual journey than one to help the occasional insomniac. he has never had the notion to use it for anything more than to help others, though he is acutely aware that one mishap could put someone in a forever coma. he can control the sleep or rest cycles of others, and this details the length of a session. In some cases, he can induce sleep where his subject falls within a mere five seconds. other times, he can ease them into an astral veil, where his subject is both asleep and awake at the same time.

furthermore, piers can control his own sleep cycle, and in most cases, he chooses to keep himself awake. Once per week, he will succumb to a twenty-four hour slumber, mainly due to health reasons more than a desire to sleep, but it’s not uncommon to see him up, wandering around or studying, at all hours of the day or night.

memory retrieval – piers doesn’t use this gift often, as he never sees the point in changing or viewing memories of his subjects. however, the idea intrigues him, mainly in an academic setting. while he highly opposes changing memories for sake of mental health, sometimes he will cave into his subject’s whims. every now and then, he may get a more willing subject to allow him the opportunity to mess with their heads, whether that is projecting false memories or hallucinations.

shapeshifting – while not his best gift, piers can still shapeshift. though, he can only change into the form of a black stag, and some speculate if it’s really him shapeshifting or him toiling in his subject’s minds. however, those who have seen his stag form have stated that staring into the space between his antlers can cause intense hallucinations and can result in a two-day coma, and piers has coined himself the “horned grim” and that he has given them an “appetizer of death.”

PERSONALITY

✓ Charismatic, Resourceful, Cheeky ✕ Capricious, Passive, Blunt

piers’ personality can be described as one that is veiled, almost dreamy and whimsical. he says it’s because of his godly parent, that hypnos’ hypnotic essence wove into his own nature. he is kind and gentle, usually taking conflict with a passive, unbiased demeanor. he’d rather mediate than take sides, and quickly, his voice can be drowned out by rowdier parties. because of this, he is seen as weak by his more heavy-hitting peers, and piers can be quite apathetic in most cases, choosing to bend under others instead of fighting for himself. In times of stress, piers’ personality can change rapidly. his saucy jokes become snider and more spiteful, and he can be passive aggressive. he’s in tune with his own nature, as well as others, and is widely influenced by the aura presented in a room.

HEADCANONS

· Even though Piers is supposed to use his hypnotherapy techniques under the eye of a superior, he routinely finds curious subjects. He has turned his dorm closet into a studio, where the walls have been soundproofed and it’s furnished in comforting pillows and décor. His sessions usually start with soft yoga, meditative music, and aromatherapy, as he finds it easier to invade someone’s mind if they are already relaxed.

· When under his hypnotic spell, some say its akin to feeling as if they are on LSD or some other hallucinogen. Whatever Piers is seeing in their mind seems as if its being projected in real life and the subject is viewing the images as if they are watching it on the outskirts.

· Piers has met Hypnos once, just before his sixteenth birthday. Piers said the reunion was uneventful and Hypnos was weird. He has no interest in keeping in contact with his godly parent, but he doesn’t hate him either.

· While he legally cannot be paid for his offbeat therapy practices, he takes payments in other forms. This can be as drastic as a future favor or as menial as someone bringing him food from the cafeteria because he doesn’t feel like getting it himself.

· It has been noted that it’s difficult to understand Piers from time to time. He speaks softly and slowly, and on top of his Norfolk accent, his words can be lost.

· Piers can sing, but he’s also ashamed of being labeled the guy with the guitar so he doesn’t do it often.

· He keeps journals of his reoccurring “patients” and hides them. In most cases, he will make notes that he doesn’t share with his subjects, and just in case someone pokes around his things, he always gives his patients pseudonyms.

· When he first tried to shapeshift, he was hoping to turn into a bird. He is still unable to shift into anything other than the black stag.

· His mother still lives in England, where she works as a freelance artist. She mainly draws for children’s books. Piers briefly considered doing the same until he realized he sucks at drawing. However, one of his portraits he drew when he was three was added into a children’s book, so he tells people he’s an artist.

· Piers is the second child of four, and he is the only male.

· He is a vegetarian, and the only reason why he’s not vegan is because he loves cheese and honey too much.

BASICS

Birthday: December 4 ( Sagittarius ) Sexuality: Homosexual Height: 5′8 or 173cms Favorite Color: Maroon Favorite Food: Mushroom and Tofu Potstickers Hobbies: Yoga/Meditation, Reading, Cross Stitching, Ghost Hunting, Butterfly Keeping Hates: Scary Movies, Gym Sessions Vice: Smoking (cigarettes and pot) Virtue: Volunteering

WANTED CONNECTIONS

I don’t have an extensive list. The obvious friends, enemies, and lovers (male only, of course). Maybe someone who he can’t stand and pushes him to his gentile limits. If anyone also wanted to bring in one of his sisters, I would love to communicate regarding that too. My most wanted plot is someone who will let him dig in their mind and uncover a drastic memory that the person had buried deep. Or possibly even have Piers find out a deep, dark secret, and he and that person has an awkward understand (whether that would unfold to a real friendship or ultimately tear them apart).

#euintro #omg all yall have good edits and i just fucked up a flower crown and said fuck it #its good enough #small backstory is in the hcs #ill make a full bio eventually #bio #biography

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upontheshelfreviews · 5 years ago

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Whenever I discuss Sleeping Beauty with someone who doesn’t share my enthusiasm for Disney, they have an irksome tendency to get it muddled with Snow White; their excuse being “it has the same plot”. I’ll admit, there are some surface similarities that even the most casual viewer can pick up on: a fairytale where a princess is forced into unconsciousness and wakes up with some necking, the comic relief and villain being the most beloved characters, a little frolic in the forest with animals, the antagonist plunging off a cliff, you get the idea. In fact, Sleeping Beauty even reuses some discarded story beats from Snow White, mainly our couple dancing on a cloud and the villain capturing the prince to prevent him from waking his princess. Yet despite that, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are two wholly different movies shaped by the era and talents of the time.

I’ve discussed how Walt Disney was never one to stick to a repeated formula, no matter how successful it was. He must have noticed the parallels between his first movie and this one, but decided to make one crucial change for Sleeping Beauty that would forever differentiate the two: the look. We all know the traditional Disney house style: round, soft shapes, big eyes; charming as it was and still is, Walt was sick of it after several decades. Meanwhile, artists like Mary Blair and Eyvind Earle were producing gorgeous concept art that rarely made a perfect translation into the Disney house style.

Walt wanted to make a feature that took the pop artistry of their designs and made the animation work for it instead of the other way around – which brings us to another animation studio that was doing well at the time, United Pictures Animation, or UPA.

UPA didn’t have the kind of budget Disney normally had for their animated projects, but what they lacked in fluidity they made up for in style. Watch The Tell-Tale Heart, Gerald McBoing-Boing and Rooty-Toot-Toot to see what I mean. UPA were pioneers of limited animation, taking their scant resources and creating some striking visuals with bold geometric designs. Through this, they defined the look of 50’s animation. Though perhaps unintentional, Sleeping Beauty comes across as Disney’s response to UPA, or what would happen if UPA had the funds they deserved. The characters’ contours are angular but effortlessly graceful, defining their inherent dignity and royalty. And the colors, ohhh the colors…

Because of the immense amount of work required to animate in this difficult new style (and in the Cinemascope ratio, no less) as well as story troubles and Walt barely supervising the animation studio now that he had his hands full with live-action films, television, and a theme park, Sleeping Beauty had a turbulent production that lasted the entirety of the 1950s. For a time, Chuck Jones of Looney Tunes fame was set to direct. Director Wilfred Jackson suffered a heart attack partway through production and Eric Larson, one of the Nine Old Men, took the mantle from there before Walt Disney replaced him Clyde Geronimi. And even after that, Wolfgang Reitherman teamed up with Geronimi as co-director to get the film finished after no less than three delays. Also, Don Bluth got his foot in the door as an assistant animator for this feature, beginning his short-lived but impactful tenure at Disney. Did all this hamper the movie, or did they succeed in what they set out to accomplish?

Well, one of the reasons why this review took so long was because I had a hard time not repeating “MOVIE PRETTY” and “MALEFICENT AWESOME” over and over. Make what you will of that.

The story begins as most fairy tales do with your typical king, Stefan, and his queen suddenly blessed with a baby girl after years of wishing for a child. They christen their daughter Aurora (middle name Borealis, localized entirely within their castle) and throw a huge celebration in her honor. People come from all over the kingdom to pay homage to the princess and OSMKFKSBFHFGILWBHBFC…

Movie pretty…

MOVIE PRETTIEEEEEE…

John Hench, Academy Award-winning special effects man and art director, turned Walt on to the idea of basing the look of Sleeping Beauty on classic medieval artwork. Thanks to him and Eyvind Earle’s insanely detailed designs and backgrounds, this is one of Disney’s most visually distinct and beautiful films. A single still from this feature wouldn’t feel out of place up in The Cloisters.

Among the party guests is King Stefan’s old friend King Hubert (Bill Thompson) bringing his young son Prince Philip. Stefan and Hubert wish to unite their two kingdoms and formally announce Philip’s betrothal to the infant Aurora.

“We were going to do it during the second trimester, but we decided to wait until she was more mature.”

By the way, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is Aurora’s mother, Queen Leah, alive and well and named. And frabjous day calloo callay, she even gets some lines! The most common joke about Disney princesses is that they don’t have moms (even Ralph Breaks The Internet went out of its way to highlight that), so as a hardcore Disney fan who often has to put up with this generalization, Leah’s existence leaves me feeling vindicated.

Once that happy revelation is out of the way, we’re introduced to our main protagonists.

Oh, you thought I was referring to Philip and Aurora? Nonononono, my friends. THESE are the true heroes of Sleeping Beauty, the Three Good Fairies.

The fairies started off as one-note side characters sharing the same personality. Think pre-Ducktales-reboot Huey, Dewey, and Louie in dresses. But the studio had a difficult time giving Aurora more depth and was having a lot more fun developing the fairies. Naturally, they became so fascinating and appealing that more screentime was given over to them. Now the story’s carried by three wonderfully fleshed out ladies who are distinct in both looks and personality: Flora’s the pragmatic tradition-adhering leader, Fauna’s the sweet scatterbrain who mediates, and Merryweather’s the feisty young upstart.

With the plot now focused on characters who held a traditionally minor role, it’s easy to read this as a perspective-flipped version of the fairytale, but there’s more to it than that. Remember in my Clash of the Titans review how I mentioned the gods literally play chess using the heroes as pieces? I tend to view the main conflict of Sleeping Beauty in the same way. The Three Fairies and Maleficent are in a constant game of good vs. evil, moving Aurora, Philip, and the rest of the royals as pawns in their plans. There’s plenty of plotting and intrigue, with both sides constantly guessing and second-guessing the other’s next maneuver, and even if you’re already familiar with the story’s trajectory you’re still left on the edge of your seat as it inches towards the fiery climax.

And dare I say it but…the fairies and their power dynamic make this Disney’s most feminist film. Yes, really. You could argue that some of the other animated movies from the Renaissance and Revival period have more notable, stronger female protagonists, and many of the live-action remakes try to be woke without really grasping the concept, but consider this: The cast of Sleeping Beauty is mostly female, the leads aren’t objectified in any manner (that is if you count Aurora as a supporting character), nor does their gender factor into their competency, each one differs in age and body type, and most of them are working together towards a common goal as opposed to against each other. Name a movie in the past decade that does the same and still manages to be entertaining (no, really, I’d love to see it). There’s even one scene that unintentionally provides great commentary on the divides in the feminist movement, but more on that later.

Flora and Fauna bless the baby with beauty and song respectively which are accompanied by a short chorus and some sumptuous graphics. I don’t think I need to reiterate that when this movie goes extra with the visuals, it GOES EXTRA with the visuals. Next comes Merryweather with her gift. To this day, no one knows what Merryweather intended to give Aurora. Flora’s the most traditionally feminine of the three so her giving Aurora beauty comes as no surprise. By comparison, Merryweather is the most forward (or unconventional, depending on your point of view). I wouldn’t put it past her to favor Aurora with intelligence, or humor, or passion, or creativity or humility or confidence or decisiveness or physical fitness or great swordsmanship or telekinesis or ice powers or one million YouTube subscribers or comfort in her female sexuality.

Me personally, I think I’ve got the best gift of all:

“O Princess, my gift shall be…getting all reviews posted on time for once!”

Alas, before Merryweather can bestow such a wondrous quality upon the child, she’s interrupted by a horny party crasher.

Maleficent. The Mistress of All Evil. Chernabog’s right-hand witch. The Disney villain all Disney villains strive to be. She has it all – the looks, the poise, the power, the laugh, the cunning, the ruthlessness! She doesn’t even need to sing a song because she’s already awesome enough without one. Marc Davis’ gothic design cuts a fine figure and Eleanor Audley’s subtle icy voicework is trés magnifique. As much as I enjoy Audley as Cinderella’s evil stepmother, Lady Tremaine was but an appetizer in comparison to the four-course banquet of pure villainy that is Maleficent.

This leads to a small point of contention some viewers have with Maleficent in spite of hitting top marks elsewhere: her motivation. Putting a hit out on a child for not getting invited to a measly party? Not exactly compelling, is it? And yes, it isn’t a deep motive…is what I would say if I wasn’t well-versed in folkloric tradition. In the original fairy tale and the movie (though it isn’t outright stated in the latter), the party for Aurora isn’t just your average royal kegger, it’s a christening. Back in ye olden days, christenings were very big deals. To not receive an invitation to one was a grave insult, so not extending an invite to your semi-omnipotent magical neighbor is just asking for trouble. In the fairy tale’s defense, no one had seen the evil fairy for years and assumed she was dead, though I can’t imagine how nobody thought Maleficent wouldn’t find about it eventually.

“You dare to deny me, foolish mortals? Very well, then! I shall have my own christening! With blackjack! And strumpets!”

Maleficent is proof that sometimes you don’t have to have an elaborate backstory, a god complex, a tragic past or the unfortunate luck to be on the wrong side of a conflict. Sometimes all you need is some magic, brains, class, and a whole lot of flair to be a perfect, intimidating, and unquestionably iconic villain.

Basically what I’m saying is these movies never happened. Got it?

Maleficent is disarmingly polite over being snubbed, even after Merryweather bluntly tells her nobody wanted her to come. She even brought her own gift for the baby – sixteen years of life cut short by the prick of a spinning wheel spindle, because why change into a dragon and destroy everyone all at once when you can draw the torture out over an agonizingly long time and deliver the coup de grace in the prime of a young woman’s life? That’s how Maleficent rolls, baby. She could dole out capital punishment when she has to without batting an eyelid, but causing human suffering is her bread and butter.

Stefan begs the fairies to undo Maleficent’s curse, but it’s too strong for them. Flora and Fauna insist, however, that Merryweather can use her gift to lessen the spell’s potency. Now instead of dying from that fatal prick, Aurora will sleep until she receives True Love’s Kiss™. Stefan’s not one to throw caution to the wind though, so he orders all of the kingdom’s spinning wheels to be burned in the meantime.

I just pray his kingdom’s economy wasn’t based on textiles otherwise they’re screwed.

As the peasantry celebrates Guy Fawkes Day several centuries early, the fairies ponder their next move. They’ve been around long enough to know that removing spinning wheels from the equation won’t put a damper on Maleficent’s scheme. This scene is incredibly effective in establishing two things:

Maleficent’s near-omniscient presence in the film

How well the fairies’ differing personalities play off each other

Maleficent rarely miscalculates her opponents, and that guile puts her one step ahead of the heroes, making her one of the few Disney villains to nearly reach their goal. The only mistake she makes in the entire movie is trusting her henchmen to do their jobs when she isn’t directly supervising them, though that’s more on them than her. The different methods the fairies propose to deal with Maleficent fantastically illustrate what kind of people they are. Fauna believes she’s just a miserable soul who could be reasoned with if they talk things over. Merryweather would rather take the fight to Maleficent and turn her into a toad. Flora, however, is wise enough to know Maleficent’s too wicked to plead to, too clever to bargain with and too strong to face head-on, so their best course of action is to focus on protecting Aurora through any means necessary. Her initial idea is to enchant the princess into a flower (her namesake is her specialty, after all), but Merryweather reminds her that Maleficent enjoys creating bitter frosts just to kill her flowers.

“Well we could try that but stick her in a castle with a beast for a while…nah, that’ll never work.”

Yet never one to give up, Flora alters the plan so they’ll raise Aurora as a peasant girl out in the woods. This means disguising themselves as humans and giving up magic for sixteen years so as to not attract Maleficent, but that amount of time is like twenty minutes to the fair folk. Stefan and Leah reluctantly agree to the plan, and the fairies spirit little Aurora away from the castle that very night.

Sixteen years later, Maleficent is infuriated that her minions have failed to locate Aurora, even more so when one reveals that they’ve spent the whole time looking for a baby instead of a maturing woman. In an interview with the Rotoscopers podcast, Don Bluth called Maleficent a very flat antagonist because she surrounds lackeys dumber than her so she could be the smart one among them and, again, her supposed lack of motivation. But come on, let’s not entirely condemn the bad guys for having too much faith in their underlings. It’s difficult to find minions smart enough to carry out orders but dumb enough to stay unquestioningly loyal. Usually you have to register as Republican in order to get some.

Maleficent gets her anger out in the most therapeutic way – throwing lightning bolts at her orcs, awesome – then leaves the job of finding Aurora up to her trusty raven Diablo. We then finally see the grown-up Aurora herself, whom the fairies renamed Briar Rose as a nod to the Brothers Grimm version of this tale.

I know I’ve made the occasional case for the princesses from Walt’s era compared to the present day, and yet I have a hard time defending how…I don’t want to say bland. Bland would mean there’s nothing interesting about Aurora, and that’s a lie. She’s gorgeously designed and drawn, and even in her peasant dress she has an air of elegance and sophistication. She carries herself like a queen; her innate royalty reveals itself in her graceful movements. Mary Costa also gifts her with an excellent set of pipes. Hearing her song echoing through the forest is nothing short of magical. She’s a flower child who can talk to animals. She has dreams of escaping her adopted aunts’ loving but stifling care and being allowed to grow up, see the world, actually talk to people, and even find a life partner. She has some strong potential. It’s not that Aurora’s boring, she’s just not quite as developed as we’ve come to expect our animated female protagonists to be. I’m grateful for what we’ve got, but I only wish we could have more. What was her childhood like? How did she learn to communicate with animals? When did the fairies trust her enough to let her spend time out on her own? Did the fairies ever subtly teach her lessons in royalty through lessons and games? Heck, nobody bothers to keep her informed about Maleficent or her curse, and they act surprised when she’s shocked to learn she was a princess the whole time. I want to see what Aurora could have been like if she had known the truth already and what kind of steps she would take to defend herself. Blame the source material for this; it’s difficult to write a compelling main character when she’s supposed to sleep through most of her story.

The fairies send Aurora on a fetch quest so they can plan a surprise birthday party for her. Merryweather wants to bring their magic wands back out for the job, but Flora insists on taking no chances now that they’re in the home stretch. Fauna gets to live her dream of baking an elaborate cake (it’s thanks to her referring to a teaspoon as a “tsp” that I do it too), and Flora insists on making Aurora a gown fit for a princess using Merryweather as a dummy. And we also get one of the best burns in the Disney canon:

Merryweather: It looks awful! Flora: That’s because it’s on you, dear.

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The fairies fall into reminiscing over raising Aurora and get teary over having to let her go soon. I see where they’re coming from, they’re the ones who raised her for sixteen years. They must have so many fond memories, not to mention they put all that work into learning to properly raise a child let alone live like normal human beings seeing how two of them still can’t sew or cook without magic. I wonder what that was like –

No, NO, you CGI abominations DO NOT exist! Go back to the fires from whence you came!!

“Ugh, I’m gonna need something strong to expunge that from my eyes.”

There we go.

Aurora wanders through the forest, drawing out the usual bevy of cute woodland critters with her singing. She also catches the attention of a grown-up Prince Philip (Billy Shirley) who’s more dashing and considerably less blonde than he was sixteen years ago.

By this point, the Disney animators were far more confident in their ability to draw realistic but expressive leading men, hence Philip’s expanded role from the story. He’s also the first Disney prince to have a personality; not a terribly deep or defined one, but it’s a step up from his nameless plot-device predecessors. There are some signs of him being a hopeless romantic, he gets a few funny lines here and there, has a sturdy friendship with his horse Samson, and is fiercely determined when it’s time to kick some ass. He does have the same problem as Aurora in he randomly decides to stop talking for the rest of the movie once he reaches the midway mark (at least Aurora has the excuse that she’s sleeping for that remainder), but I suppose you could chalk this up as to him wanting to spite Maleficent with his silence.

The animals steal some of Philip’s clothes so they can pretend to be Aurora’s dream prince. Aurora plays along as she sings the movie’s standout song, “Once Upon a Dream”. Philip and Samson watch until he smooths his way into the dance. Once Aurora discovers the switch, Philip gets a little too up in her personal space for my liking, constantly grabbing her hand so she doesn’t run off and pulling her closer to him. Not as horrible as what the prince does to the sleeping princess in the original story (a questionably consensual kiss is a trifle compared to how the scumbag of a prince treats her there), but still a bit iffy.

“It’s a good thing my aunts taught me to never go anywhere without a loaded pistol taped to my back.”

But once Philip backs off a little and joins in her song, they both dance together and OEHSGBJSGBLL…

I think I’m going to need surgery to get my jaw off the floor back into its proper place thanks to this movie.

As per Disney tradition, Aurora and Philip’s waltz means the two are head over heels in love with each other. But when it comes time to finally exchange names, Aurora panics and runs away, though she sticks around long enough to tell Philip to meet her family at the cottage that evening.

Back at home, the party preparations aren’t proceeding as planned. Flora’s dress looks as good as my attempts at dressmaking, and Fauna’s dessert wouldn’t feel out of place on Cake Wrecks.

A fed-up Merryweather reads Flora and Fauna the riot act and convinces them to finally take up their wands again. This produces more desirable results, though Merryweather still gets stuck with cleanup duty.

Enchanting a broom to come to life and do your dirty work? I don’t see this going wrong in any possible way.

Things start to go south when Flora and Merryweather argue over the dress color and it escalates into a full-blown wizard’s duel. This gag was supposedly based on the animators’ arguments over what was Aurora’s proper dress color. I think they should have compromised and combined both colors to make purple, which would go lovely with Aurora’s violet eyes, but what do I know. I’m just the illustration major writing a blog. Unfortunately, while the fairies remembered to cover every door, window, and crack that could expose their magic, they overlooked the fireplace. The sparkly residue of Flora and Merryweather’s fight fly up the chimney, alerting Diablo to their hideaway.

Going back to what I said earlier about this movie providing some commentary on feminism, consider this: Flora is obsessed with pink, a traditionally female color, and she gives Aurora an attribute that is oft preferred in a woman but not the most important quality, beauty. Merryweather, on the other hand, is all about blue, a color usually geared towards boys, and she has much more common sense and practicality about her. Though Merryweather and Flora are able to put aside their differences in personalities and approaches for a common goal, it’s when they refuse to compromise and begin prioritizing which color – ie. which ideology and extension of themselves – that they want Aurora to step into that they lose sight of what’s important, and allow everything they worked for to collapse on itself. It’s played for laughs very well, sure, but if not’s symbolic of the dichotomy between traditional femininity and modern sensibility that tears apart the feminist movement then I don’t know what is.

The fairies manage to fix their messes in time for Aurora’s return. She’s thrilled with their gifts but shocks them all when she announces her new boyfriend is coming over for dinner. They come clean about her heritage and betrothal to Prince Philip, and Aurora runs up to her room in tears over the fact that she’ll never see her one true love again. That and her entire life has been a lie and she’s being carted off to meet parents she knows nothing about to marry a man she’s never met and rule an entire kingdom with no prior experience or knowledge. But mostly the true love thing.

Meanwhile, Stefan and Hubert are making wedding plans over wine with “Skumps”, the preferred toast between me and my friends. Also adding to the humor is a minstrel who keeps stealing sips until he literally drinks himself under the table.

This was also his way of getting through the Black Plague, co-opted by the rest of the world six hundred years later.

Philip returns and Hubert goes to greet him. He thinks his son is thrilled at the prospect of marrying Aurora but is disappointed to learn that he’s fallen for an anonymous peasant.

“At least tell me if she’s royalty in disguise so you don’t elope to Sicily!”

Philip rides back into the woods for his big date, leaving Hubert with the unenviable task of breaking the bad news to Stefan. As for Aurora, the fairies smuggle her into the castle and prep her for her homecoming. She’s still blue over having to ghost her forest hubby though, so the fairies give her some time to herself.

Biiiiiiiiig mistake.

So imagine you’re me, growing up watching this movie on tape on a television set with a very standard but not spectacular sound system. Then years later you download the remastered soundtrack and give it a listen while you’re falling asleep. You’ve got the whole score memorized, the volume is nice and low, it’s all good.

And then, just as you’re drifting off, you hear a ghostly voice singing in your ear “Auroraaa…Auroraaaaa…”

That reminds me, I haven’t had a chance to talk about the music yet, haven’t I? Forgive me for waiting so long to do so but my reaction to it is equivalent to the visuals. The score is taken straight from the Sleeping Beauty ballet by Tchaikovsky, the same composer as The Nutcracker, and it is lush, sweeping, sumptuous, just…

While George Bruns was mostly faithful with how the score was represented within the context of the ballet, at certain points he took the same approach as The Nutcracker Prince and rearranged the music order to underscore totally different scenes to staggering effect. The beautifully ominous music where Maleficent appears as a ball of green flame and leads the hypnotized Aurora to her doom? It’s from one of the ballet’s divertissements where Puss in Boots dances with his girlfriend. But tell me which is more fitting for a musical composition such as this – two cats pirouetting around each other in a crowded ballroom, or eerie pitch-black spiral staircases illuminated by green fire as a cursed princess inches closer to her dark destiny against her will?

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The fairies realize their error and frantically search the maze of secret passages for Aurora. Though the princess resists Maleficent’s commands for only a moment, they are still too late to save her from fulfilling the curse. Maleficent gloats and leaves the fairies to wallow in their failure. It’s made even worse as the merrymaking from the oblivious revelers below ring out while they put Aurora to bed in a tower and mourn over her. It’s heartbreaking: they raised and loved her as if she were their own daughter, and they still couldn’t protect her. Everyone talks about “Baby Mine” and Bambi’s mom as huge tearjerkers, but why is this scene constantly forgotten?

Stupid onions, stupid stupid onions…

Fauna and Merryweather can’t even begin to imagine how heartbroken Stefan and Leah will be, but Flora has a solution: put the kingdom to sleep along with Aurora until she is woken up. I understand her wanting to spare Aurora’s family some pain, but conking out an entire principality for god knows how long to cover up their failure? AND at a time when Europe was all about invading and conquering itself? Are we sure this isn’t just part of Maleficent’s overarching plan for revenge? This sounds more like something she would come up with instead of the leader of the good guys.

“So what happens if one of the neighboring kingdoms decides to attack while everyone’s sleeping?”

“Then we’ll put them and their armies to sleep, too.”

“And once Aurora is saved, both kingdoms will immediately wake up to find themselves thrust into a war they’re barely prepared for, is that correct?”

“Oh, you’re right, that’s a terrible idea.”

“Finally, thank you.”

“I’ll just turn them all into flowers.”

“THAT’S NOT AN OPTION!!!”

The fairies flitter about the castle grounds spreading their spell over the unwitting royal court, even putting the candles and sconces out. We have another reprise of the “Gifts of Beauty and Song” chorus now altered to sound like a lullaby, providing an interesting bit of symmetry between it and its earlier use in the film. Whereas it first underscored their blessings upon Aurora, now it plays as the fairies are giving the “gift” of sleep to the entire castle.

While Flora knocks out the throne room, she overhears Hubert muttering about Philip eloping with a peasant girl and she makes the connection. The fairies speed to the cottage just as Philip arrives there. But once again Maleficent beats them to the punch. Her goons ambush Philip and she watches them wrestle and bond him with fiendish glee.

You magnificent, kinky bitch.

Maleficent was only out to capture the one man who could break Aurora’s curse; the fact that he’s really the son of her nemesis’ allies is just icing on the cake. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather resolve to rescue him from Maleficent’s fortress in the Forbidden Mountain.

Some movies reach the brink of greatness only to falter when it comes to the final act. Sleeping Beauty is not one of them. Everything that happens from the moment we slowly zoom in through the purple mist on to the Forbidden Mountain itself up until the storybook closes is perfection. The perfectly paced action, the animation, the music, Maleficent’s hideaway in all its decaying glory (I swear it’s like Jean Cocteau meets Frank Frazetta meets Giotto) all make for the climax of climaxes.

The fairies shrink to insect size and silently sneak through Maleficent’s creepy domain, narrowly running into guards and gargoyles at every turn. They traverse the stronghold until they find her overseeing a hellish bacchanalia in honor of her supposed victory.

“My old gaffer would have a thing or two to say if he could see us now.”

Soon Maleficent gets bored and goes to “cheer up” her captive. Then we have it: The Moment.

I’ve talked about this before, that one small, devious step further the villain takes to make themselves more heinous in our eyes. It’s the Wicked Witch taunting Dorothy with visions of Aunt Em. It’s the Beldam hanging Other Wybie’s remains. It’s virtually everything Heath Ledger’s Joker does. And it is this simple scene where Maleficent details what she plans to do with Philip. She spins “a charming fairy tale come true” of Aurora sleeping without aging, waiting for her prince to come to wake her. And Philip will escape the dungeon, ride to her rescue and prove true love conquers all – in one hundred years, when he’s a broken old husk of a man on the brink of death. DAMN. If you want to know why Maleficent is considered the best of all the Disney villains, it’s not just all her previously praised qualities, it’s her sheer sadism and the pleasure she takes in it.

The fairies enter and free Philip once Maleficent departs. The course of true love never runs smoothly though, so they arm him with the Shield of Virtue (licensed by Carefree Maxi-Pads), and the Sword of Truth to aid in his escape.

“So, why’s it called the Sword of Truth?”

“Anyone who’s subjected to it speaks only the truth…as they bleed out and die, of course.”

“Cool, cool. On an unrelated note, I think I’m gonna go to DC for my honeymoon.”

Diablo sounds the alarm and the Battle With the Forces of Evil kicks off with Philip slashing his Sword of Truth through Maleficent’s goons.

“I steal lunches from the break room fridge!” “I broke wind last Tuesday and blamed it on the dog!” “I cried like a little girl during The Good Place finale!” “I only wash my hands for NINETEEN seconds at a time!”

Philip makes his getaway on Samson and the music reaches truly operatic levels as Maleficent does everything in her power to end him. Yet Philip soldiers through it like a boss. Crumbling mountainsides, Maleficent hurling lightning from the sky and summoning a forest of thorns to block the way? Fuck that shit, he’s gotta go save his girl.

Then, as Philip cuts his way through the briars, Maleficent looks at her watch, realizes it’s No More Fucking Around O’Clock, zooms over to the castle, throws down the most intimidating challenge ever –

“Now you shall deal with me, O Prince, and all the powers of HELL!!”

– and with that, she takes her final form: a massive fire-breathing dragon.

Every Disney villain who’s gone kaiju in the final act owes everything to this gorgeous terrifying beast. The dragon is an awe-inspiring unholy fusion of style, power and darkness. There’s a reason why she’s the final boss in Fantasmic; the chance to watch a live dragon battle is too cool to pass up.

Speaking of battles, Maleficent’s dragon form was animated by Woolie Reitherman, who previously brought us such gargantuan monster clashes as the T-rex brawl in Fantasia and the escape from Monstro The Whale in Pinocchio. And when you have a dragon confronting a fairytale prince, well, you know what’s coming.

Maleficent backs Philip on to a cliff surrounded by flames, leaving him only one desperate shot. With a little extra magic from the fairies, he throws his Sword of Truth at Maleficent and it plunges right into her heart.

“I liked…Frozen 2…more than the first one…”

Maleficent’s spells die with her, clearing the way for Philip. He gives Aurora that wake-up smooch and everyone in the castle slowly rouses, owing their inexplicable simultaneous twenty-minute blackout to the unusually strong wine.

He can attest to that fact.

The royal families are happily reunited, and the film ends on Flora and Merryweather fighting over Aurora’s dress color yet again as she and Philip waltz together on the clouds using animation Beauty and the Beast would borrow thirty-two years later.

Sleeping Beauty is a movie I can never have on in the background because the moment I look up from my work I am spellbound by it. Do I need to elaborate on how this is one of the most beautiful looking and sounding movies Disney’s ever produced? Sleeping Beauty is the swan song of Disney’s first golden age of animation. For better or for worse, their animation process would switch to the rough, cost-cutting Xerox process starting with their next feature, 101 Dalmatians, and few films would reach Sleeping Beauty’s level of gorgeousness ever since.

Though a massive financial and critical hit on release, it wasn’t enough to make up for the monstrous production costs, not unlike Fantasia. Thankfully, home video sales revived interest and made it Sleeping Beauty of the top-selling VHS tapes of the decade, cementing it as a bonafide classic. It’s one of my favorites from Disney for its stunning visuals, gorgeous music, phenomenal villain and overlooked but great cast characters. Revisit it if you haven’t already.

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this review, please consider supporting this misfit on Patreon. Patreon supporters receive great perks such as extra votes for movie reviews, movie requests, early sneak-peeks and more! Special thanks to Amelia Jones, Gordhan Rajani and Sam Minden for their contributions!

Artwork by Charles Moss.

Screencaps from animationscreencaps.com

March Review: Sleeping Beauty (1959) Whenever I discuss Sleeping Beauty with someone who doesn't share my enthusiasm for Disney, they have an irksome tendency to get it muddled with Snow White; their excuse being "it has the same plot".

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loquaciousquark · 5 years ago

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Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E73 (Aug. 6, 2019)

Gooooooood evening good evening good evening all! @eponymous-rose is off packing for a cross-country move (as if THAT’S an excuse), so here I am isntead to lay waste to all you love.

Tonight’s preroll: Sam’s costume from the liveshow getting dunked in acid.

Tonight’s guests: Laura Bailey & Sam Riegel, in a fully human and normal tshirt and jeans. Everyone oohs and ahs over Laura’s adorable live show outfit; Sam waits eagerly for equal attention. And waits, and waits...

Tonight’s announcements: Huge thanks to everyone who came out to the live show in Indy last weekend (I was there! It was great!). Laura talks about everyone singing the theme on the intro. Sam sent his entire costume back with Dani so he wouldn’t get stopped in the airport. Poor Dani! Season 3 of Between the Sheets, featuring Amanda Palmer, is up for Twitch subs now and will be up on YT on Wednesday. CR is headed to Austin, TX, for a live show on Sept. 23! Everyone talks about how Doty will definitely, definitely be in this show: The Adventures of the Darrington Brigade, ft. the return of Sam as Taryon. Sam says he already has something in mind for his costume; everyone else will be playing new characters. Laura’s got an idea for a backup character for Jester, but BWF advises her not to use this for the live show since Jester will def be dead in less than 20 episodes. Go to critrole.com/events for more.

Episode 73: Uthodurn, which is not spelled at all like I thought

CR Stats! Nott dealt 124 damage this episode, only 23 of which was friendly fire. Sam: “You know, he just needs to get out of the fucking way.” Nott rolled her 50th nat 20, resulting in a 43 stealth check. Laura and Sam quietly talk about Sam’s tendency to touch everyone else’s dice as opposed to his “playing fairly.” Sam also laments he’s lost his dustbuster in the studio somewhere after the last bit. Jester is tied with Beau at 9 for the most HDYWTDTs. Jester also played her 50th prank this episode: creating the ballpeen hammer as an offering to the Allhammer.

Laura thinks part of Jester’s new anger in battle is part of losing Yasha, especially when she disappeared right in front of her and Jester wasn’t able to help her at all. “Jester mammoth-raged.” Laura raves about being a mammoth & talks about needing to work on her elephant noise. Both Laura and Sam fail miserably at making the noise.

Sam slowly drinks a shot. It’s... a thing.

We have a close-up of Sam’s nail polish, which was done for the live show. He doesn’t own nail polish remover, it turns out.

Nott will talk to Cad about the explosive arrow whenever Cad brings it up. First, Cad was invisible & therefore at fault because he couldn’t be seen; the second part of the blame goes to Laura Bailey, who leaned over and told Sam right before his turn he had to kill this thing right now. The explosive arrow was the best thing he had; Sam accepts one part of the blame for forgetting it would be fire. Sam & Laura agree the bolt should have had some thunder/force damage associated with it because of the concussive blast. (Hilariously, my father presented this precise argument to me with GREAT VIGOR right after this episode aired.)

Jester’s call to the Traveler was just in the heat of the moment. All of her power comes from him, so Jester calls out to him (and Laura thinks it cool) when she gets a big oomph. Sam wonders aloud if her powers genuinely come from the Traveler or not. Laura: “I mean...as far as she knows.” Sam’s also distracted that the question card had a straight-up name on it rather than a username.

Sam considers the outcome of the election a win, since he’s one of the bi-Presidents of D&D Beyond until further notice. “It doesn’t matter how you get there, as long as you get there.” Laura asks if he thinks about it being a hollow win when he goes to sleep. Sam: “Do I look like the kind of person to have thoughts as I’m falling asleep?”

Nott’s usage of the pistol’s single shot was pure pettiness. Sam thought Nott had a shot because she’s acrobatic & fast & has some tricks, and he just didn’t want Beau to win. Making loud noises & drawing attention didn’t even cross my mind.

Jester was very proud of Fjord making those strength checks, but she wasn’t surprised. “He’s very strong, even though he looks like he’s not.” Laura thinks it’s funny and poetic that Travis rolled so well after ditching his sword/powers.

Travis has three sets of dice. Liam has a bunch of sets, but they’re all red (says Laura, offended). Laura only used purple dice at the live show because of how she was dressed.

Cosplay of the Week: a great Scanlan cosplay with Ioun’s third eye by @cxptaingrayson.

Sam realizes something that’s been holding back the Nott-Fjord relationship is that Nott has always been a little suspicious of Fjord. Now that he’s “talking like a real weirdo” and is still brave, braver than before, she can trust him more.

Laura’s asked about Jester’s conflict between healing & DPS. Laura: “Do you think Jester asked to be a fucking healer?” When they were deciding their characters, Laura was originally going to be a warlock with the Traveler as her patron; then Travis was like, warlock! What a cool class! Can I have it? And Laura said sure, she’ll be a cleric, that sounds cool. “And now he got rid of his fucking patron! Who knows if he’s going to be a warlock anymore? What a waste of a warlock!” She likes being a cleric--but even from Jester’s very first inception she’s always been a healer who hates healing. Brian: “She’s a battle Mercy.” She’s not regretful she healed Beau; the reason Laura didn’t immediately heal her is that she thought from Matt’s face that the remorhaz was very close to death, closer than it actually was. She confirms Jester is Chaotic Neutral.

Brian tells Laura he texted Travis to tell him Laura accused him of stealing the warlock class. Laura: “YOU DID NOT!” Brian: “You said it on the air!!”

Travis, via text to BWF, apparently in all caps: “I WAS CHANGING RONIN. YES I STOLE WARLOCK.”

Nott’s teasing of a powerless Fjord is 100% just because she thinks it’s funny. Sam: “There’s not really a deep reason to it. They tease each other all the time. Why would that change just because he tossed his sword in the lava?”

Laura needs to do research on other animals she can become since she enjoyed the mammoth (and giant eagle) so much. Sam keeps a list of flying creatures Laura can turn into because Laura struggles looking it up and often keys it into her D&D Beyond app before she’s even started. BWF: “This is uncharacteristically unselfish.” Sam: “Well, Laura is--I love her. Laura is pure harp music and I would do anything for her.”

Their environments are just getting better and better for Nott in terms of how goblins are seen. She’s given up the mask now, but it’s nice to have people look and not scream.

Both Sam & Laura pause to fan over the design of Uthodurn. It’s way cooler than either the Empire or Dynasty to them right now.

Laura points out that Nott has been fairly outgoing lately; it’s been a while since anyone said “you’re a goblin, stone her!” She’s beginning to come out of her shell as she gets used to her body (not that she likes it in any way), but it’s a development from Veth’s original shyness. She’s also drunk a lot; Sam says this will continue until he gets more Laura Bailey speeches.

BWF still has Laura’s copy of Game of Thrones, which he borrowed in 2011. Laura doesn’t listen to books on tape because she likes the inflections in her own head.

Fanart of the Week: a cool grouping of portraits of the M9 by @dylanbydoodles.

They apparently threw an election party after the D&D Beyond President reveal. Sam talks about convincing the Lyft driver on the way back that it was a swinger’s party in the most ridiculous way possible. Poor Indianapolis.

Nott & Veth’s relationship is getting very complicated. Sam says they’re beginning to blend a little together, but he’s now coming to realize there’s a part of Nott deep down that is deeply scared of going back to Veth & losing her rogue abilities, her adventuring; she wants to be herself again for sure, since her body is definitely wrong, but she’s beginning to fear the loss of some of what Nott is now.

BWF sincerely thanks Sam for the effort and thought he puts into his character. Sam sincerely thanks him. It’s a lovely moment.

Jester’s slip about Fjord’s powers was deliberate on Laura’s part but accidental on Jester’s. Everyone’s a little worried about Fjord without powers, even though he proved himself in the remorhaz fight. She thinks the slipup happened because Jester wasn’t on guard--because Fjord had done so well in the fight, she’d forgotten.

So far, Nott’s choice to leave the family behind in Nicodranus is worth it; no one’s died and they’re making headway on their goals.

BWF: “The Mighty Nein: no one’s died-ish.”

Apparently Matt owns the building they’re filming in? I missed part of this and genuinely can’t tell if it’s a joke.

BWF talks about how Liam, Matt, & Travis have all been genuinely mad at him before. Matt and Travis were mad; Liam was just disappointed.

How did Sam lose the election? He doesn’t think it’s because of him or anything he did. He thinks there’s a demographic shift in America; the electoral college hurt him; both he and Liam ran the campaigns they wanted. Liam’s was serious issues & serious passion, while Sam farted around for three months. BWF asked Adam Bradford at D&D Beyond, who’s the General Manager, about the results; apparently the pie chart was VASTLY in favor of Liam with only the tiniest sliver for Sam. Laura thinks it’s because Sam’s done nothing but troll Sam for five years and this was their chance to troll him back. Sam: “To that I say: good job.”

Dani & Max both voted for Sam. Laura didn’t vote. BWF voted for Liam. Chris forgot there was a vote. Zach voted for Liam.

Sam talks about the game they play, the app for D&D Beyond, and how the whole campaign allowed him to shine a spotlight on himself. “I didn’t get as many votes as Liam, but I got a lot of attention.”

Everyone loved this last live show. Laura legit loved wearing her dress; Travis & Liam looked great. Tal looked normal. Brian marvels at his own tattoos. He and Tal went through a lot of ideas before they committed to the bag situation--he sent it to Jaimie Alexander before the show happened so she could vet it. Ha! “Her response was 25 crying emojis and ‘please send this to my boyfriend.’“

Reminder: Mica Burton, Overwatch League host (and daughter of Levar Burton), will be guest-starring on Critical Role this coming Thursday.

And we’re out! Is it Thursday yet?

#critical role #critical role spoilers #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #long post for ts

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