#I don't WANT Po to stop being the dragon warrior! I don't WANT him to pick a successor! That wasn't satisfying!! like whyyyyyyyyy

[shannonallaround]

After pondering on it for several days, I have officially decided I did not like the direction of KFP4 and have banished it from my brain. It is no longer canon. KFP4? What's that? Don't know what you're talking about.

[sarnai4]

Tai Lung Analysis

For the longest time, 3 animated villains remained my absolute favorites and among them was Tai Lung. Years later, he still impresses me. I feel like villains normally fall into certain categories. Two of these are dangerous and sympathetic villains. Of course, these can cross and that's why I enjoy him so much. Tai Lung is constantly acknowledged as a threat and for good reason. The movie sets up Shifu and Oogway as the best of the best, so how can the audience feel anything other than concern when even these two kung fu masters are dreading Tai Lung's escape? It's the first time when Shifu even seems almost scared. As soon as we see Tai Lung, we continue to get this sense of how dangerous he is. The guy has a prison of 1000 rhino guards for only himself. He has a shell trap on so that he can't even move a muscle (outside of his tail). We're not only shown how the characters feel about him but how they try to keep him from being any more of a danger. It perfectly complements the flashback where Tigress is telling Po what happened when Tai Lung went on a rampage. Then as soon as he does break out, we see it's all true. Despite spending 20 years completely immobilized, Tai Lung probably killed all 1000 guards effortlessly. Strategically, he left the goose alive so that he could have a messenger. He doesn't even need the element of surprise.

That escape was beautiful on its own, but then Tai Lung continues to prove how dangerous he is by taking out the Furious Five, making it painfully clear that he could have killed them if he wanted. Again, he wants to send a message to Shifu. These are his new pupils? They're the best he has? Let him remind his old master of the quality he used to breed.

It all leads to the fight with Shifu which ties into why Tai Lung is also a sympathetic villain. He's not just some final boss for Po to fight. He's got a troubled past as well. I don't condone what he did, but it makes sense. Tai Lung was abandoned as a baby and raised with one objective-becoming the dragon warrior. This was what Shifu wanted from him. This was the one way he knew he could make his father proud. It became Tai Lung's life mission to the point of it no longer just being something that Shifu wanted for him. Now, it's the only future he can see for himself. When he finds out he can't have it, where does that leave him? He's spent his entire life working for this. Why would his only family, Shifu, think he was worth the effort of caring for him if it's all been a waste of time? Clearly, Shifu doesn't think he matters anymore because he said nothing when Oogway crushed his dreams. Even though Shifu never stopped being proud and caring for him, through the eyes of a child towards a parent, that's what Tai Lung saw: abandonment again. Another family deemed him unworthy.

The love between Tai Lung and Shifu never really ended. When Shifu finally apologized for training him so hard to reach the goal he wanted Tai Lung to have, we can see that it touched his heart. He's gone down the point of no return now, but it meant something to him. That's why he pointed out how he only ever wanted to make Shifu proud of him. These wounds never healed. If they had, he would have gone in, killed Shifu, and taken the scroll. There would have been no need to admit his past desires of being someone Shifu could be proud of and there certainly would have been no need to delay the attack after the apology. Yet, those twenty years were spent making his body and pain stronger. It's why he loses the fight with Po.

I absolutely adore how they did the fight at the end. They didn't try to make it seem like Po could actually defeat Tai Lung. He lost. Plain and simple. Tai Lung knocked him deep into the ground and read the scroll like he wanted. He won...but he also lost. Tai Lung lost because he didn't have a Mr. Ping in his life who could offer that love to say that he was special with or without the world confirming this. When Po saw the scroll was empty, his dad helped him by pointing out the power we all have just by believing. He always wanted Po to feel special even if other people didn't think that. Po didn't need to earn his love, but Tai Lung thought he needed to earn it from Shifu. So, when the scroll is empty, it's a second blow to his life being wasted. Not only did he work so hard only to be passed up, his goal in life was getting to read a blank scroll. This is when Tai Lung breaks. He can't take it anymore. Nothing in his life has amounted to anything but pain and he's got nothing to show for it but enemies. He lashes out in rage and hurt, easily being defeated. As a poetically depressing moment, it's the move that Po indirectly learned from Shifu that defeats Tai Lung. Shifu was the main reason Tai Lung turned into the villain he became and he was practically the one to destroy him too. Sadly, I don't think this could have ended any other way. Tai Lung has been hurting for too long for him to consider forgiveness now. He doesn't want the apology, he wants what he's worked for and that just became meaningless to him. There's nothing left for him but to reap the consequences of having the legendary battle. The only question is, who is his worthy opponent? Po for using the finger hold? Shifu for building him up and breaking him down? Or himself for being so consumed by his pain that he allowed himself to become a monster? We can each answer that for ourselves and these questions are why I love Tai Lung as a villain and character so much.

[cerenemuxse]

Dumping a bunch of my thoughts on TiPo.

-

Tigress is the only one out of the five to look at Po when addressing him as "Master." She's been doing it since the end of the first movie.

-

Tigress, the most disciplined, going "Do it" at Po, challenging him to go for 40 bean buns in KFP 2 is one of the best scenes. Like she says it so seriously but its so stupid (/affectionate). I love Tigress so much. 🥺❤

-

LoA doesn't make sense taking place after KFP 2. (It aired the year after the movie did.) Just on a few episodes, LoA seems to take place before KFP 2, just by looking at how Tigress and Po act and treat one another. Po is having a huge ego problem with the title of Dragon Warrior and Tigress just looks like she wants him dead. Though there was that one ad for KFP 3 in a collaboration with Wix where she chases him down after he practically sits on top of her back, forcing her to carry him.

The episode "Chain Reaction," to me, seems to be the perfect episode to start the ball rolling with Po and Tigress' relationship in terms of being friends. Idk about you guys, but it just doesn't seem likely that they were automatically good buddies between KFP and KFP 2. When I say they don't get along often in LoA, I genuinely mean that most of the time, they don't when it doesn't come to fighting. But even, it's not as synonymous as it was in KFP 2.

The reason why I think "Chain Reaction" is the episode is purely because of their interactions. Imagine you're stuck with someone that have begun to respect but you're still weary about them. You don't necessarily like them but you really don't want to admit you dislike them, or you at least try to. In this episode, during the fireplace scene, Po asks Tigress about the whole Dragon Warrior situation. Tigress doesn't want to admit that she's upset but seconds later, she does when Po throws away a potential solution, the wooden key she was carving, to their problem, the chain the Croc Bandits placed on them at the beginning of the episode. (Yes, the trope where two characters are chained together. <3)

-

As much as I ship them, I see them as simply friends in KFP 1 - 3. There could be some romance developing in the 3rd one, but I just see them as friends in the 2nd one. Tigress is just opening up about herself to someone she sees as a friend, not as a potential love interest. And Po just comes off as someone who still looks up to Tigress, the person who made him fall in love with kung fu. (Though I might be being biased because I've come to dislike the "love at first sight" trope.) It is possible but I don't see it like that.

-

Tigress just screaming out for Po in KFP 2 will always hurt. The agony, the desperation, the tiny glimmer of hope that she could've lessened the damage Po took just being taken away. Gone like blowing out a lit candle. It hurts just as a bad as Tigress looking at Po in KFP 3 in that same agony but with fear. I've mentioned it before but Lei Lei crying just makes it hurt even more.

Think about it. You were supposed to stop the villian. You're the answer to the problem yet you failed because of one small mistake. Your best friend, the one you've had a strong relationship with, the one who's always focused and never lost, is now lost. She's confused and scared. Now what?

-

I love that these two have their own way of communicating. Often times, they communicate through sparring, especially in the movies. (In the series, I'm not entirely sure.) It's not them fighting and harming one another, its communication (to them.)

When Po was questioning Tigress about her training at the beginning of KFP 2, they were sparring.

When Po wouldn't listen to Tigress, they were sparring with Tigress wanting Po to understand that she has the upperhand/lead and he needs to listen. Not only that, but to show that he can't go out there distracted.

The exact same thing happens in KFP 3, when Po trains to beat Kai after finding out his biological father, Li Shan, lied to him about chi. They both express that "yes, it will work," "no, it won't work." A back-and-forth, a conversation happening both verbally and physically.

-

In KFP 2, in the boat scene where Po and Tigress were sparring, Tigress says that she can't feel anything in her hands. Yet, after the canon was fired and Po finds her on a floating chunk of wood, Po touches her hand and she moves. Did she mean that she doesn't feel anything at all or that she doesn't feel pain?

I'm pretty sure its the latter. It just makes more sense. But then there's KFP 3, where she punches one of the Jombies and reels her hand back, shaking it. Was that pain or overwhelming force? She didn't look to be in pain, from the looks of things.

-

Speaking of the scene where Po swims to Tigress, Po seemed to be pretty upset, shown more when he glared at Shen. The sorrow, the solem expression he had, the way he said Tigress' name (ESPECIALLY the Latin American dub), the way he approached her seems like he was in deep thought about how loyal Tigress had been to him ever sense they left for Gongmen City. She went out of her way to protect him, keep an eye on him, just like she had promised Mr. Ping. Even in situations where the result was not preventable, such as Shen firing the canon. She pushed Po out of the way, yet he was hit, along with everyone else.

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

If you dont mind me asking, while dont you want to rewatch how to train your dragon or ratatouille, but spiderverse is a fav?

I love movie vents

Oh Dear

so- to start with, again, these movies are GOOD! they are good and i am glad they exist. i just have to stay far far away from them.

the why starts years ago. it starts with reading book after book after book.... after book... and watching movie after movie after mov- you get it, just basically Everything- where the default non-romance story is about a Boy.

And often this boy is mediocre. He's relatable, you know? He's just normal. But by the end, he's done all this cool stuff and got all this cool stuff- He won the thing! Or got the thing! He showed everyone just how good he was- okay sometimes yes by lying about it for most of the story but he comes clean in the end so it's fine.

Usually he also gets a girl. Or impresses her. Something like that.

That was. Well. It got stale after a while. I have four sisters and was raised by my single mom. People (mostly) looked at me and saw a girl.

But hey, the stories and movies had other stuff I like so whatever, you know? Aliens and swords and stuff. Maybe the main character was character I liked the least, so what. The story needed him to exist.

What does this have to do with the three animated movies so many people fell in love with?

Well.

They each remember girls exist. And ladies can be cool. They can be good at stuff!

But.

No matter how good she is, no matter how much she's trained or how hard she worked or respects this thing or how much it means to her-

the guy will be better at it than her

the guy. who couldn't do the thing at all.

he just needs a quick montage, or a rat under his hat, and suddenly she's in the dust

And you know what that's fine it's fine it's especially fine in Kung Fu Panda where the boy (po) is fat and the point is that's okay he can be fast and graceful and powerful and cool- THAT i've never seen before and it's Amazing-

only. po still.... he still gets the place tigress spent her whole life training for.

This still in a world where most of the powerful people (shifu, tai lung, oogway, the other kung fu masters we see in that and later films) most of them are, well, guys.

It's a whole lot of guys.

Everywhere. Guys. Why? No idea. Their gender doesn't really inform or guide their actions. Tigress and Viper aren't commented on as rare for being lady martial artists. There's no reason for there not to be more lady kung fu masters. I guess this is a movie made by guys and so the default is guys. Fine! No problem!

im so tired

po becomes dragon warrior in a montage of training and a quick dose of self realization. tigress is impressed and stops being mean to him. the fandom wants them married

no big deal

I'll come back to that in a moment, but-

Hiccup is the mediocre guy (by viking standards) who through trickery (empathy) becomes the best at this thing that this girl he likes is really good at. but he comes clean in the end and she's very impressed and he's so much better at the thing now he's the best at the thing and saves her at some point and now she's into him and they get together

tired

hey there's this guy and he's bad at thing and this cool girl is good at thing so through trickery he gets better at her than thing bc there's a rat under his hat but don't worry he comes clean and the girl is very impressed

i can't . im too tired

if she didn't like him before he was cool, i don't want them together afterwards.

I'm so exhausted of being told it's sweet

the same implication bashed over my head again and again- a guy cannot be loved if he is just a dork or just mediocre. He has to also be "cool".

The girl won't notice or like him until he is Better than her at the thing she loves

the other implication- no matter how hard a girl trains, how long she studies, how much she works for it- the guy can learn it in a montage and do it better. Or he can lie about it and that's okay too.

(po was a kung fu nerd but im sorry, im sorry that's not the same as training from childhood)

(do you remember how in legally blonde the ex boyfriend wasn't even that good at lawyer studies like elle getting better than him didn't mean her being the best ever and she ends up being so good bc of the other stuff that WAS part of her main life experience?? remember that?????)

(maybe if they'd leaned in more into Po's fat protecting him and his nerdness or cooking xp guiding him against tai lung, but he uses epic kung fu to fight the most dangerous master around and holds his own. he does better than tigress did with four others to back her up. im sorry. i know it's awesome and im glad it's a film. i can't rewatch it)

WHY did they make tigress want to be dragon warrior?

they never really explore her and shifu's relationship in that movie or the sequels. there's so little pay off to her accepting that she can't be the student or child shifu always wanted and lost. they are never the focus of the movies. never even plot B. Tigress didn't need to want this

the only ones who had to be ANGRY about po as dragon warrior was tai lung and shifu, his master who has to train him and the rival who wants his title. Everyone else could have just been reasonably confused and skeptical. tigress could have gone off to fight tai lung purely out of a lack of faith in po and wish to protect shifu- why why why why why did they have the plot point of her WANTING to be dragon warrior and RESENTING po for taking it? why did they have po filling this role she worked so hard to be ready for?

why did her character have to be a SHE for that, in a world with almost no other important or powerful ladies?

oh. right. girls can be good, but the guy will be better. that's the only way she'll respect him.

i've seen this story before

I don't think it's insidious or anything like that. It's just, the normal.

That's why I can't watch it.

im tired

Atlantis The Lost Empire- Milo is a noodle guy he solves things with brains and compassion and curiosity, Kida is the one with a spear, the lady throwing guys around-

ah but we must have Milo physically brawl with the villain to save Kida. he can be a lame nerd, but only if he also is "Cool"

tired

NOW. Spiderman Into the Spiderverse!

Miles never takes Gwen's place.

They are BOTH their universe's spiderman- he CAN'T replace her, he CAN'T outdo her, he CAN'T be better than her-

because there is no Best version of spiderman

a pig can be spiderman

YOU can be spiderman

so when he gets his confidence in time for the last fight, when Miles finds his groove and takes his leap of faith after a whole movie of stumbling around flailing frantically and turns badass- he takes NOTHING from Gwen. Nothing.

She is still her world's spidy,

and AND she liked him BEFORE he was "cool"!!!!!

When he was a mess desperately trying to figure things out, she tried to help him. Worked with him. Became friends with him.

Friends.

That also. My gods. He tries to flit at the end, she smiles and says friends, he smiles and they fist bump over it.

He got cool and didn't get the girl.

He was himself and already had a friend.

She is powerful and cool and a girl and worked hard to get where she is, and no one EVER outdoes her at it.

You can make a story about a normal guy becoming badass while crushing on an awesome girl, you can LIFT HIM UP without having to PUSH HER DOWN.

They can stand on the same level and be epic together.

I've needed to see that story, for so. Fucking. Long.

so yeah. my tiny personal problem. there 'tis

[kookies2000]

So my little sister carried her TV from her room and to the table in the kitchen because she wanted to watch Kung Fu Panda with me. So I had the TV like two feet away from my face while eating. 😅 But that's not what I want to mention. I remembered another reason why I liked the movie so much as a kid. The Furious Five just being there, even when they aren't talking. For a film that has over six characters, it's common to have a good chunk of characters not being relevant to the plot. It's always an issue most films or shows have, too many characters fighting for the spotlight.

Another reason I love THE LAST WISH!!! Look, I'm still gushing about the film and I must mention the film every chance I get. But yeah, The Last Wish had eight characters and each one was fun and important. So maintaining a lot of characters is always a challenge.

Back on topic!!! So while the five do get pushed in the back a lot, I love how the creators take advantage of that. The five are just doing their thing, chilling, adding in a comment here and there, and when they're needed, it's beyond awesome to see how they use their animalistic behavior to fight! I love to see them fight as a team because of the way they combine their moves and use their animal features to defeat their enemies. Tigress growls, shows her teeth, and claws at the enemies, and her moves are just tiger-like. Po throws his weight around and bounces like a ball or bounces things off of him. Moneky swings around all playful like monkeys do. But my two favorites have to be Viper and Crane, for the creativity. The two don't exactly have the anatomy the others have. But I love how they're used in the fights. Crane's wings being a shield and are used to create wind. And I just love how Viper is chill with being used as a rope from time to time. 🤣 This girl has been pulled at by Po so many times, it's a miracle she's still in one piece. And I just love that manipulation of the body she can do. Making Tai Lung punch himself or using one of the wolves in the 2nd film as a puppet to fight. I just adore it. And then we have the way they handcuff those two in the 2nd film. Really, they go for Crane's neck? 😂 And I'm sure Viper can slip out but instead she's just struggling and using her head to drag the cuffs on her tail. Another scene I like, in the scene where Shen is shooting down the building with Po and the five in it, I just like looking at how they move around. Monkey is a monkey so he's swinging down to safety on the lanterns. In the scene where they're being shot at by arrows, I love the way Viper slithers up in a zig-zag way, completely avoiding the arrows that almost pinned her to the wall. And then the factory scene, I love the way Tigress hisses at the gorillas and wolves like a cat. They're just FUN to look at!!! I love it!!!

And what I also love is how we get hints of their personalities without them having to take the spotlight or have many lines. From the very beginning, you can tell what they're like from their reactions to Po being the Dragon Warrior. Mantis and Monkey are the goofballs of the team. They tease Po about his weight and joke about it. They like making snarky remarks as well, like Mantis laughing at how Po will never stop bouncing on the stairs. Only to get hissed at by Viper to shut up. This brings me to Crane and Viper. They're more caring and concerned. For being a snake, Viper doesn't hold any personality traits you would associate with a snake. She's the one who silences Manti's remarks. She's the one that shows the most concern for Po because she doesn't want him to get hurt as The Dragon Warrior. Which is understandable because he is inexperienced. While Crane does comment on Po's weight, it is mostly out of disappointment for not being chosen. And when he sees how upset Po gets when he tells him he doesn't "belong here." Crane covers it up right away by saying he doesn't belong in his room. Careful to not hurt Po's feelings. Then we have Tigress who does not hesitate to tell Po off by telling him he doesn't belong in the Jade Palace at all. She's ruthless, serious, and can be cold.

And then we have gestures and facial expressions. I have to mention Monkey and how he moves around. Using his surroundings like a jungle gym. And I found it adorable how he uses Cranes hat as a shield for protection against the arrows in the 2nd film. He's just a goof. I love Cranes hat, it adds a lot of personality to him. When it hides his face it makes him look intimidating and mysterious. But the moment you see his face, he's just this little soft ball of shy sunshine. 😂 I already mentioned Viper enough but I love how she always, and I mean always, has a worried expression. And her habit of planting kisses on her friends. End credits to the 1st film, she plants a kiss on Po's cheek, in the Secret of the Five she kisses Tigress when she gets knocked out and calls her sweetie. I just love how affectionate she is. Then we have Tigress, who seems to be the leader/protector of the group. I just love how she carries Po around during battles, in the 2nd film when they jump off the falling tower and land on the roofs, you can see Tigress catching Po and throwing him to the next roof. And she's like this to the others as well. 2nd film, in the scene after Crane breaks his wing, the five make it to the bottom of the tower before it falls. You can see Tigress holding onto Crane like an injured bird, duh, before gently placing him down and going to check on Po. I just love the little we get from her. Emotionless but she protects her friends.

I think I said all I need to say. I just love this franchise so much and I had to dig at every detail I could. So what was the point of this post?

I WANT TO SEE MORE OF THE FURIOUS FIVE IN THE 4TH FILM BECAUSE IN THE 3RD FILM AND THE SHOWS JUST SET THEM ASIDE! OR ELSE I WILL DISAPPEAR INTO THE OCEAN AND NEVER COME BACK UNTIL THE 5TH FILM!!!!

[term546]

My thoughts on Kung Fu Panda 4

WARNING! This will contain spoilers for Kung Fu Panda 4! Go watch it before reading this!

... I feel nothing.

For those who are unaware, Kung Fu Panda is one of my favourite film franchises of all time. Everything about it, from the storytelling to the action to the humour to the characters, all of it comes together to create some truly incredible movies. So when Dreamworks announced that they were making a fourth one, I was both excited and terrified.

On one hand, it was a new installment in one of my favourite series! Of course I was gonna be excited for it! But on the other hand, I also knew how easy it would be for them to fuck this movie up and ruin the KFP legacy. But in spite of that, I held out hope that they would be able to deliver on something great.

Then I went to see it, and... yup. Sure was a movie.

Kung Fu Panda 4 just feels so... stale. There's nothing innovative that makes it stick out from its competition. I don't really know how to describe it, but the first three movies all awaken some childlike joy in me. They give me this rush of serotonin that no other movie can provide. This movie has none of that.

It's not entirely devoid of good elements. Tai Lung has retained all of his sauce from the first movie, and he's the only part of the movie I really liked. The Chameleon turning into a giant chimera creature near the climax was cool, even if it was shortlived. The action is still good as always. There is definitely stuff I like here.

The problem is that it stops at me just liking it. There's nothing here that I love. And I do have a number of problems as well.

The Chameleon is cool in concept, but she's very bland and boring in execution. Her entire motivation for being evil is completely negated by the existence of Mantis. As previously mentioned, her turning into a chimera was cool, but then they immediately ditch it for a Sonic Adventure 2 mirror match with Po which I thought was just kind of okay.

I do not like Akkwafina as an actor, so I had a predetermined bias against Zhen. I didn't hate her, but she was nothing special. The fact that Po picked her to be the next Dragon Warrior over Tigress, or ANY of the Furious Five for that matter, is ridiculous.

Speaking of that, Po becoming the spiritual leader or whatever just felt like a weaker rehash of him becoming a teacher in 3. It was just very uninteresting and unnecessary because there wasn't supposed to be a "successor" to the Dragon Warrior.

The villains are super underutilised. Tai Lung is still pretty cool, but he only gets to be cool for like 30 seconds before getting punched once and thrown in a cage. They couldn't afford to get Gary Oldman and J.K Simmons back, so Shen and Kai don't get any lines. Shen being here makes no sense, because his whole gimmick was that his kung fu skills weren't the reason he was so threatening, and Kai being here makes even less sense since his spirit was destroyed in 3. Also at the end, after Po restores all the spirit warriors' kung fu, they all bow to him. INCLUDING LORD FUCKING SHEN. No way in hell would Shen do that in any circumstance. Or Tai Lung. I get that he's kind of mellowed out, but the Tai Lung I know would not bow to Po.

ON THAT SUBJECT, they did a much worse version of Shen's "you're right, and I choose this" moment in 2 with the Chameleon. Po tries to convince her to not be evil anymore, and she just punches him. I feel nothing here. It feels completely artificial.

You know what the worst part of all this is? I kind of WANTED to hate this movie. I wanted to be able to call it a stain on the face of one of my favourite film franchises ever, because the story of its production is really depressing. Seek it out if you're able to. But no. They couldn't even manage that. I do not like this movie, nor do I hate it. It is a perfectly serviceable movie that I will probably never watch again.

Kung Fu Panda is a trilogy. And an amazing trilogy at that. This movie is going in the same boat as the TV shows. Not. Canon.

[leoryff]

The Dragon Warrior

The Dragon Warrior

Chase Young (Xiaolin Showdown) vs Po (Kung Fu Panda) 

“Finally.  After twelve long years.”  Chase Young, Heylin Warrior, opened the Scroll of Dragon Tales to double check his preparations. 

The inner temple was decorated with all the items needed for this spell.  Painted urns lined the floor, paper tags riddled with arcane notes hung between pillars.  The full moon was reaching the correct position in the sky, casting enough light through the windows that it was practically daytime.  

 “Casting this spell at the first full moon of the Year of the Dragon will summon a dragon to me.”  The portal started to glow in the center of the room. 

He took a half step toward the portal when the roar of his minions made him turn.  “That would be the Xiaolin Monks.”  He mused aloud, glancing out the window.  The four teens were already fighting through his feline servants.  

Lucky for him, Chase had brought a sizable army for this ceremony.  They would never reach him in time to stop the spell.  “Now, let’s continue.”  He held up the scroll to the portal.  Words started to appear, filling out the story of the dragon being summoned.  

Chase tried to catch a few of the words but the glow became too bright.  He looked away as the portal shook the area, growing into a pillar of light that shot into the sky.  

And then, like a fireball from a volcano, the portal spat something out.  A ball of light that bounced across the floor.

“OUCH!” 

Several times.

“OOOF!” 

Shouting with each impact.  

“Whhhooooa!” 

Before sliding to a stop against the door.  “Urrg.  What happened?  Cleaning the Great Hall doesn’t usually involve a tornado.”

Rising from the floor was a panda.  A talking panda wearing a pair of pants, but a panda.  Distinctly NOT a dragon.  “What?”  Chase asked flatly.  He had thought he’d been ready for anything to come through that portal.  

Clearly he was wrong.  

“Hey, give me a sec.”  Po said, rising shakily.  “Got kinda dizzy in that thing.”  He dry heaved a little.  “Ohh, don’t throw up, don't throw up.”  

Chase opened the scroll one more time, looking it over.  He’d followed the directions properly, right?  “I’m sorry, I think there’s been a bit of a mixup?”  

“Yeah, no probl-whoa!”  Po, having righted himself and calmed his stomach, scurried over to the portal.  “What is that?  It looks totally wicked!”  

“It was supposed to summon a dragon.”  Chase said irritably.  

Po laughed.  “Hah, I get it.  Instead it summoned the Dragon Warrior!  Spells can be funny like that.”  The panda didn’t notice as Chase paused and looked him over with a skeptical gaze.  This was a warrior with the title of a Dragon?   “So hey, can this thing send me back home or-OOF!” 

Chase backhanded Po with enough force to send the tubby panda flying.  “Excuse me, I need to try again before I lose this moonlig-”  

*boing*

Spinning at the noise, Chase turned to see the panda flying at him, fist extended.  The Heylin warrior backflipped out of the way and Poe skidded to a halt.  

“That was rude ya know!”  Po shot.  “Why you trying to summon a dragon?  I doubt they’d be happy to see you with an attitude like that!”   He spotted another scroll on the ground.  “Lao Mang Lone Soup?  Never heard of it.”  Scooping up the scroll he read the ingredients.  

“Wheat grass, way too much salt, dry frog and��� a DRAGON!?”  Po looked over at Chase with a look of disgust.  “You were going to eat a dragon!?”  

“Going to?” Chase laughed, tucking the Scroll of Dragon Tales into his belt.  “Oh tubby, this is my grocery run.”  He cracked his knuckles.  “And you are getting in the way.  Step aside or I will season this batch with some panda meat, just for variety.”  

WANT TO SEE THE ENDING? Check it out on my dA account!

Yeah, I am being that crass.

[mastrrt]

The Tigress Dilemma *fanfiction*

Usually, fanfic writers (such as I) have a hard time depicting complex characters such as Tigress, ergo this lack of this understanding about our characters can lead us to defile their original personalities and characteristics. I'm pretty sure most, if not, all of us are victims to the Tigress Dilemma, and this problem can only be resolved once Dreamworks has finished Tigress's arc. The Tigress Dilemma is basically what I mentioned above. We misinterpret Tigress and that could lead us to writing imposters instead. Now I have seen many fanfics, and all of them vary in the extent of how terrible their Tigress imposter is. I would say that for my fanfics, my Tigress imposter is pretty far off from the original character, but I feel I am getting there... it's a very slow progress, but every increment of time is making me better as a writer. Anywho, I'll be addressing some Tigress Imposter stereotypes. These stereotypes are the ones we want to avoid as much as possible. And if we do so, we can get closer to the original Tigress. Now, disclaimer, I am not here to tarnish the pride of any of you fanfic writers. I'm just here to point out my opinions and hopefully my opinions can do more good than harm. Also, to bring this blog a more positive vibe, I will be writing some Tigress stereotypes that we should all follow. But that'll be on the next post. 1. The 'Punk Girl School Bully' Type of Tigress. (LoA Tigress) Sleeves are for wimps... fat muscles... I got huge front teeth... i'll put your head on the toilet... pig anatomy on the facial region... you punk!... ILLL BEAT YOUUU UP!... girl that looks like a man... Those lines are all inside the ambit of any typical Buff School Girl Bully. And yeah, these types of people aren't the most likeable. Mainly because of their terrible ego and pride, their unmanaged temper, their constant screaming, and the fact that they bully. And these types of characters usually act upon their anger, and these types of characters are usually defeated by their own caprices. Now a lot of times, people usually confuse 'Punk Girl School Bully' as Tigress's characteristics.

For example, a lot of fanfictions tend to write this: Tigress was clouded with anger. How dare this cocky prick make fun of her name like that? She charged at him, trying to land a double fist strike on her belly, but it has seemed that her muscles were so angry that she suddenly turned into an amateur fighter and totally missed the cocky mite's stomache. Now she was even angrier. She gave a frustrated yell and pounced at the prick, driving her feet into a powerful tornado kick, but the man has sidestepped and she was too angry to use that momentum to execute another kick upon landing. Oh she was so so SO angry that everything turned red. Even though the man was merely a stranger, his smart remarks was enough to somehow make Tigress want to tamper him, as if her anger was derived from personal matter. Oh yes, Tigress was so weak that her peace has succumbed so easily to something as superficial as an empty insult. It isn't like she's a warrior who learned integrity, who lived by virtues and proverbs, and learned to swallow her pride the hard way. Nope. She was just the average hot head. "You! You idiot!" She yelled, driving her fist into arbitrary turns and twist with the speed of a toddler's fist in a fit of frenzy. And yet, after delivering such 'efficient' attacks, the man had avoided her punches the Muhammad Ali way. What's next? The rope-a-dope? Is that how weak Tigress became because of her anger? Oh, and since she's sooo angry, she also became majorly stupid! Since she's losing, she might as well become more desperate to win and because of this, she kinda lost 9/10 of her damn brain. It isn't like she had experienced worst before. It isn't like she's been in a tower surrounded by hundreds of adversaries, outmatched, outgunned, out everything, and still managed to escape through a genius idea to catapult her and her Enterprise out the flaming tower THROUGH the toppling flaming tower.

Look, Tigress can be hot head, but she doesn't allow it to manifest in a way that hampers her during battle. She's a warrior who for sure learned patience. Yes, she might have let herself succumb to her anger during the first movie (by trying to fight Tai Lung despite her master's efforts to stop her) but do understand that it was because of that cursed snow leopard that her father was just outright terrible to her, and 20 years of desperation and overwhelming commitment to kung fu led her to think that defeating Tai Lung is the key to Shifu's heart. Watch the Second movie through and through, with the eyes of a scrutenizing critic. If she is angry, it is usually to appear intimidating or lethal. It's a great strategy, escpecially now that her opponents would surely hold back once they hear the low baritone of her growl. But never, never, never, never, I assure you, did she appear angry and let that rage make her a haphazard, stupid, mess.

Also, fanfic writers tend to also write this: Tigress crossed her arms and growled. Po was so annoying! He wouldn't stop babbling about his new dumpling recipe. If he says 'broccoli broth' one more time, she is sure her dormant side would burst. "SHUT UP PO! YOU ARE AN IDIOT! YOU ARE SO CHILDISH! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE THE DRAGON WARRIOR!" And then, Po cried and ran away from the kitchen. The rest of the five gave her a look that could compare to the menacing glare of a thousand men, and they all left her to find the weeping Po. She sneered, she didn't need them anyways. She didn't have a family. And they were no friends of hers.

Tigress is not like this! She values her friends, and she talks to them like friends. Do no potray her the LoA way, because she's not always grumpy... and she is, by chance, grumpy, it's mostly for a reason. When the other five are irritated or even disgusted of Po, you can see that only Tigress smiles. And when she is in an argument, she usually deliver herself in a calm and threatening. Yeah, calm and threatening can be together. Tigress works as a paradox. I think the problem here is that people mistake seriousness and grumpiness as neigh synonyms. DON'T mistake those two different words with the same definition. Tigress is serious, but rarely grumpy in the way LoA/ fancfictions potrays her (just compare KFP 2 Tigress to LoA Tigress (there's a big difference I tell you that (mostly because she doesn't haphazardly turn into a big bish (is this even grammatically correct?))))

2. The Morally Deficient Tigress. I hate you!... you've always been terrible to me Shifu. So I hate you too!... you guys are not my family!... i have no family!... brat times twenty... your spoon is stupid... everyone is stupid... I don't wanna do this anymore... i'll turn evil in six seconds if you don't assuage my ego... cold hearted... insults everywhere... long sullen silences followed by mean comments followed by even more long sullen silences... angst angst angst for no reason... teenage i-have-20-pounds-of-eyeliner-under-my-eyes prototype. this type of imposter Tigress is probably one of the worst forms of Tigress out there. You cannot just ignore that she has been raised by two kung fu masters, one has morals that are so polished and perfect, and the other one with flaws but regardless still wiser than most. She's also follows a regimented schedule of supreme discipline throughout the course of her twenty-eight years, so surely she has been taught hardwork, patience, determination and other virtues that any average olympian athletes would typically have. Despite being called cold-hearted, stoic, perhaps even mean, do remember that she is also a HERO. With a hero's heart and the strength of a hero's mind. You can not simply ignore that she's a good person who had saved, quite possibly, thousands of lives, expecting nothing in return except the heart of her father and a place to reside. Do not mistake badassery with idiocy. Do not make her morally deficient like she's a little child with the mindset of a brat on a bad day.

Here's some examples of this nightmare: "Why do you keep these stuff? You're so childish, you don't deserve to be the Dragon Warrior!" Tigress looked around his loft, threatened by the action figures and the posters of the masters that adorned it.

Po frowned, "But... but... items like these have very big value to me Tigress. Especially my action figures, I cherish them because it's a large fragment of my childhood memories!"

Tigress did not understand. Of course she did not, not only is she whimsy, grumpy, angry and stupid, she also lacks understanding and lessons that can usually be self-taught at the age of twenty. She acts like a little child and that's all her morality is limited to. "No! They're wooden things with no value whatsoever. Stop being a fanboy. Stop being yourself! I can't support you! You idiot."

And she left the room with grandeur ---Sharpei Style with the hint of swagger. Five days later... "It's all your fault why we're here Po! All your fault. It isn't like you made a wonderful plan and I kinda destroyed it after this cocky douche made me angry and I decided to fight him and ditch your plan. And since my dignity got the best of me, it isn't like I'm blaming you 100% on our unfortunate demise when I know 200% that i'm to blame." Po tried to speak, but Tigress continued, "Ya'll should have listened to me! Me me me me! Me me me me!" The end!

Okay okay, it's a little too exaggerated, but you get the point right? Tigress doesn't act like this. She is kind and nice, she's truly supportive even with her doubts, and she loves and values her friends, albeit these traits are not exposed because it's overshadowed by her stoic demeanor. Whatever... sometimes light filters through her facade and you can see her vulnerabilities.

3. The Profesional Becomes the Biggest Amateur. Gets defeated by a few alligators who could barely fight... can't get unstuck from a rope THAT ISNT EVEN KNOTTED NOR THICK ENOUGH TO CARRY TWO POUNDS... can't get out a sticky situation even though she has been through worse... pathetic tiger... no longer has super strength that she has been gifted with. Now I'm just a thread's breadth away before typing a full fledge rant. Yes! I get it. She has been defeated by people who Po can defeat. She has been defeated by Tai lung and Po was able to defeat Tai Lung. But that was because Po was in a special situation, and it was truly only Po who could defeat Tai Lung (I'll adress this in a new post.) Have ya'll ever of this rule, in both film making and book writing, that authors must refrain from degrading everyone's intelligence so that a single character can appear in the caliber of a genius? Basically, what I'm saying is that you cannot make the five (escape Tigress) leagues weaker than their original selves just for the sake of making Po or your main OCs appear stronger. One, that's a terrible illusion that even a blind man can see through. And two, that's just disrespectful for a The Five. Not only are the five overshadowed, but ya'll also heavily disregarded the fact that they are warriors that did a lot. You're forgetting that Tigress can do this

Do not forget that she is the person who can do so much more. If you want a story where Tigress becomes a damsel in distress, and Po is the one to save her, DO NOT get her kidnapped by five wolves. Or ten. Or even twenty. Because this tiger can handle of them easy. Make sure she is defeated by a whole fudging army, or a bunch of hooded warriors who are thousands of years old and are as good as Shifu in kung fu. Make sure her defeat is reasonable and respects what she can do. KNOW what she can do, so that you learn her limits. Give her a challenge, give her a run for her money. Don't make her pathetic just because you want someone else to seem not pathetic. Us fan fic writers say that Tigress is hardcore. Awesome. Badarse. So maybe we should write her that way. Some fan fics I read write that Tigress got defeated because she was hungry or tired and couldn't fight against a few adversaries. I roll me eyes. Bro! You cannot make hunger the reason why she's defeated😂 have you seen what she ate during the first KFP movie? Her meals consists of tea and a small, chewy block of tofu. Please. She had trained her body and mind to resist pain in a way that wouldn't affect her during battle. And don't go destroying her stamina either. If she can go the whole night just battling a bunch of wolves, without even so much as passing out then pulease, don't make tiredness as an excuse. But there are some exceptions though. Like maybe she got tired because she drained her chi. Then that's understandable. So much work.