#Mulan pretending to be a man is still seen as a terrible thing by the society she lives she doesn't change everyone's mind just the people

[laststandx3]

There are many bad things about wish, but one of the most annoying is how it fails to pay off its own set ups.

It's established Asha's father believes in the magic from the stars. He died of an illness (never specified), that Asha's grandfather (her father's father) never got his wish granted in YEARS, well now to me this feels targeted.

Follow my thoughts for a minute, how easy would have been with this already established set up to add the part where it's Magnifico who killed Asha's dad because he was promoting a different kind of magic that would undermine Magnifico's power? This would've established Magnifico as an actual villain from the start, manipulating people's perception of him with magic and the lengths he would go to keep his power and crown.

This would have impacted Asha's journey as well,instead of asking Magnifico to grant her grandfather's wish immediately (which imo is a good reason for him not to hire her, she literally asks for favoritism the moment she arrives), let her instead be perfect for the position, not clumsy and awkward but make her qualified and respectful of the king's secrecy about the wishes. And still she's still not hired. And then she starts questioning him, she's studied, she's ready and it's not enough and the king seemed to like her until she mentioned her father.

And then she talks with the people of rosa about the king, if that was unfair of him maybe , but the answer is that the king is good and kind and doesn't he grants everyone's wishes, isn't that so wonderful of him? (and maybe this can be a song) and at first it sounds like she just doesn't want to accept that she wasn't chosen but after the forth person answers the same exact thing, well then this starts to feel more like a script than an original thought. Just then she looks at all the wishes Magnifico's granted so far and they're all material, it's all about people owning bigger houses, better clothes, riches, nothing is about community, knowledge, about people becoming something(musicians, teachers, scientists, artists...) . The guy that got his wish granted last year also got it granted a few years ago too, Isn't that weird? Some people never get their wishes and this guy twice? And also his wish was so selfish? He wanted a swimming pool! How in the best kingdom, with the best king, nobody wishes nice things for others? And isn't that weird that she and her friends used to make graffitis and jokes on the guards but when Sleepy gave away his wish at 18 suddenly he doesn't make jokes about Magnifico's beard anymore? He's so respectful of the rules now.

And idk maybe Asha doesn't just wish upon a star and everything is given to her. Maybe Magnifico's source of magic is Star and she frees it and that's why Star tags along. The magic of the starts was real, her father was right! Star knew her dad, he tried to save the magical pet but he was killed instead! Now it's not just about freedom and justice she wants revenge. And this is maybe when she fucks up because she was too reckless, she got discovered. Her friends/family are watching how she's getting arrested/executed for treason and that's SO UNFAIR such a cognitive dissonance it breaks Magnifico's brainwash spell.

Now a song about revolution makes sense. But singing about revolution bc they want to be able to wish? Are you kidding me? Not only the movie established that you can have new wishes and that they make you whole again, but also girl, you all read the terms of services when giving Magnifico your wish. You give it to him and if he finds it worth it, it'll be granted. Making questions about the king choices is the opposite of living under a monarchy.

Ultimately I agree with everyone who says this movie feels empty, because it's true, it's a bunch of disney trope stitched together with easter eggs that don't makes us feel anything and that contradicts its own message. The fact that disney doesn't want to make grey characters anymore it's felt. And it mirrors the way people have started to see enjoying stories as media consumption, everything that alludes to people being flawed is an endorsement of abuse. So disney's characters have all turned is these empty shells of heroine tropes. They're always bubbly, their worst flaw is being clumsy, but the worst is that they're always right. Asha's quest to free the wishes is based only on her conviction that the king is wrong in not granting everyone's wish. It's never even hinted in the movie that the subjects of rosa lack something. It's a fairy-tale kingdom in every aspect (maybe the king is a bit egocentric but that hasn't hurt anyone so far), except that her grandpa's wish wasn't granted and so the king must be wrong. If it wasn't for Magnifico's long exposition of I don't accept criticism she wouldn't have questioned him. And even then, that's what living in a kingdom means, that you follow the king's rules. I'm sorry but singing about revolution and then ending the movie still under a monarchy is just contradictory with the whole premise.

[wingedweasel]

My thoughts on Disney Remakes

Get ready for a loooooooooong post. Sorry. 

So let me start by saying I don’t have Disney+ and haven’t seen Mulan yet, so I’m only going off of what I’ve seen in trailers and the reviews of other people - both who liked it and those who didn’t. Warning, spoilers if you haven’t seen the animated or remakes of Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, or Mulan.

My opinion is that it seems like Disney really doesn't understand what to do with these remakes. 

With Beauty and the Beast, they tried something different and added/changed some things hoping that it would make the story more enjoyable but kept it generally the same, and people didn't react as positively as Disney wanted. In The Lion King, they went the exact opposite and made it a shot for shot remake, and people still didn't react as positively as Disney was hoping. Now with Mulan, it's a completely different story and people are still not happy with the end product. 

I don't think it's an issue with the audience being unsatisfied with everything no matter what. There is a little bit of that, make no mistake. There are people who will be unhappy no matter Disney did. However, I think it's more of an issue of Disney not realizing what people liked about the originals and enhancing that and failing to commit. 

Beauty and the Beast tried to be more ‘real’ in bringing in PTDS and references to war, death, illness, and grief over losing a loved one, ramping up the sexism, and making Gaston more of a douche, but I think it would have been a better story if they made it more real/dark. One of the easiest things would be to make Gaston more of a threat and his followers either more blind in worshiping him - more cult like if you will - or having him have to work harder to get them on his side. The animates version had the almost cult like mentality of how the people of the village treated Gaston. If he said jump, they would have started jumping before asking how high. It was easy for him to get blind followers into charging the castle to kill the beast. 

In the remake, there were times where, while Gaston was able to talk his way out of a problem, his anger or manipulative actions were kind of just waved away or people were only accepting of him and his desires due to peer pressure - which makes a good foil to the Beast before he was cursed. It could have been something the Beast could have recognized and wanted to changed because he sees that acting this way is really bad, wont get the girl, and doesn’t want to be like Gaston (or making it a teaching moment for Gaston if you want to give the villain a possibility of redemption, either works). Another thing would have been to capitalize on the fact Belle is just as much as an inventor as her father and/or she is secretly the one who makes gadgets the village uses and likes or what her father is going to sell. That way it shows she is smart, resourceful, and would be respected if only she just wasn't a gosh darn woman. At the end, when it’s revealed that Gaston is a bad guy and that Belle is the one who created everything, she would be able to get the respect and acceptance of the village she should have had all along. Instead she gets belittled for being able to read and is a senseless romantic because she like Romeo and Juliet? What? Honestly, I don’t think if she ever returned to the village and tried to encourage and teach the little girl to read again, she would have been just as dismissed as she was at the beginning. Her life wouldn’t have changed in any way if she did go back to her ‘provincial life.’ 

People know this story, as I said, so changing it up a bit with the background things but still making it about the message of it's the personality that makes a good person and how you overcome people not believing in you the focus would have made it better than just Gaston having PTSD, Belle wants to teach girls to read, and a potentially hidden gay character. In short, they could have made this a completely different movie and I think people would have been happy with that. Instead, they started to make changes, doubled back, and we got some lackluster kinda pro-feminism...thing. Also, get a singer for musicals. The singing wasn’t terrible, but still actual singers should be used in musicals more often. 

The Lion King suffered for opposite reasons. It seems as if Disney saw that people didn’t like the changes they made to Beauty and the Beast, and went “Okay, not changes at all!” A shot for shot remake should only be done if you can make it interesting. You get bonus points for getting original actors, settings, and crew. Update the technology and it usually becomes better. This should have been an easy A+ since The Lion King did all this. However, it didn’t because it was too real - in a bad way. I haven’t seen the remake of the Jungle Book, but I have heard good things about it because of the way the characters were designed. They were interesting to look at even if they looked more realistic and not as cartoony as they could have done. The Lion King should have gone this root. The characters here were a bit bland looking. They’re just lions, which cool. They hyper realism of the CG was an interesting thing to do - in theory. The hyperrealism in something like Beowolf made it eye catching and was almost a character itself. In The Lion King, there wasn’t a whole lot of variance between everyone. All the animals all looked the same as one another. Sure in nature animals tend to have little variance within their species, but in movies 0 especially a kid’s movie - characters need to stand out from one another to be easily identifiable. Some of the quirks of the animated version could have been used to do this. Make Simba’s mane more reddish-orange, Scar’s mane should have been black. Some of my favorite characters were the lead hyenas. They all had a unique look - it didn’t hurt that Whoppi Goldberg was Shenzi. Now everyone is the same. Also, the mouth and facial emotes didn’t really work with the hyper realism. If they had made the facial features ‘looser’ and a bit more animated, it would have helped convey the expressions so much more and when they started singing, it would have looked more ‘natural’ for them to be doing so. 

Nothing was really changes story-wise; they did add some dialogue and minor things like that, but not a whole lot else. It probably could have gotten away with making more alterations to the story - either by adding scenes or changing backstories or things like that - and people wouldn’t have been as mad as with other movies (as long as the changes made sense and added to the plot and weren’t changes just to be changes).

Now Mulan, on the other hand, seems to be split 50/50 sor far. It’s only been out for a short time, so not a whole bunch of people have seen it - myself included - but looking at reviews, it looks like Disney say the hate The Lion King got for being a shot for shot remake and went, “Fine, we’ll change everything!” And they did. I mean, they kept the general idea of a young woman taking her father’s place in the army to fend off an invading force and she somehow defeats the big bad (I think? I heard something about the Emperor fighting the big bad? I mean, it is Jet Li, so he has to have at least one fight scene, so...). I will say that from the previews that I have seen and all the reviewers agree that the movie is very pretty. It has gorgeous cinematography and the set design looks amazing. There were some other positives that a lot of people toted like even though Mulan has a love interest, it really isn’t that big a thing, and the fight scenes were very well choreographed, and some character interactions that were quite funny - things like that. Important things to be sure, but some of the biggest complaints were that Mulan in the animated version was shown to be resourceful, cunning, and proved that a woman could save the day just a s successfully - if not better - than a man (although why she had a fan when she went back to being a woman, I don’t know, but whatever). In the remake, it seems like strength and fighting prowess is all that is needed to be a hero. 

Apparently, Qi is a thing in the movie and if you have more of it, it allows people - men - to be good fighters and do more athletic things better than those without it (I guess?) Women who have it are apparently shunned, which is part of one of the Witch’s backstory. She has Qi and uses it for dark magic...okay? Do some men not use it for evil? Is every woman who has it eventually turn evil? Speaking of the Witch, she is super more powerful than the main baddie. She is physically more powerful, has Qi, uses magic - some of which she uses to shapeshift? Like, why do we need another baddie? She should be the main villain. One reviewer said it would have been a great twist if she was just pretending to be the main guy using her shapeshifting powers and we only find out right at the end. Now that would have been cool. We get a strong female villain who plays off of the gender restrictions of the society and turns everything on its head by going, “I was a woman the whole time! All those things you said a woman couldn’t do, well, I was doing them and you didn’t have any complaints then!” Instead, we get another movie where the villainous woman is second to the villainous man simply because of gender stereotypes. Hell, even if the man was just pretending to be the main baddie and acting as her puppet would have been better. 

I guess because she really isn’t the main villain, she gets to have a redemption scene and save the hero, but was that really necessary? Couldn’t she be bad and stay bad until the very end? Why not? Anyway, she sacrifices herself to save Mulan, and it’s supposed to be an emotional scene which causes Mulan to find her inner strength and gives her a power boost to defeat the baddie. 

Mulan also doesn’t have a lot of cunning in this remake, apparently. She’s more physical than the animated version, but...wasn’t the point of Mulan to show that you needed more than physicality to save the day? The thing that I’ve seen most people complain about is this. In the animated version, Mulan and the other soldiers are given the task to climb a pole wearing heavy weights (I’ll Make a Man Out of You is one of the best songs ever, fight me). After a montage of her failing physical tasks, she is only able to succeed climbing the pole through her smarts. Not because she suddenly got supper buff and could lift herself up the pole. Yes, she gets physically stronger and becomes the best at everything during the finale of the song, but that just a result of training. You start off really bad and then become good. I believe what made this scene so powerful was that she was held back by the belief that she wasn’t ‘cut out’ for the army. She had to overcome her own mentality before she could start to be a better soldier. She does that by using her brain to find a different way to climb the pole. 

In the remake, the task is to climb steps up a mountain carrying buckets of water. It’s not an easy task, as everyone fails, but apparently, she just keeps at it until she is physically strong enough to do it? No more effective way of carrying the buckets than just T-pose while holding them out to the side. Like I said, training makes you stringer. Practice makes you better. This is obvious. You get stronger the longer you work your muscles. There’s nothing special about that. Yes, the men were probably comparatively physically stronger than her, but they all struggled too. What’s the lesson here? Just keep at it and one day you will be big and strong? Okay, cool I guess. That’s something that is helpful, don’t get me wrong. Dedication and hard work are important. Being physically strong is one aspect of being a soldier - especially during the time period the movie is set in, but it’s not the be all end all. That’s what made Mulan stand out: she was at such a disadvantage she had to find a different way of doing things to succeed. Then the training kicked in and she became physically stronger. 

It’s also good to note that in the animated version, she never relies on her physical strength to do something. Sure she is super awesome at the end of the training montage, but that’s all we see of her being physical. She uses smarts to defeat the army, the previous method of climbing the pole to get inside the palace, and deception to knock out the guards. No epic parkour, no breaking down walls, just her brain. In the remake, it seems as if strength is the be all end all. Mulan is supposed to be a role model for young girls and an example of why you shouldn’t listen to stereotypes. At least, she is supposed to be. And she is - in the animated version. Here, it seems as if the message is forget about being intelligent. All that really matters is that you be physically strong. I mean, even that hot mess of a movie Hercules taught us that this is wrong. You need more than just muscles to be a hero. Being able to fight isn’t what makes you a hero (it’s certainly part of it, obviously). You need a good heart and a good head, not a six pack. 

With all that said, it looks like the Mulan remake suffered from trying to not be Mulan. It went too far in changing things. It added things that it didn’t need to add, and took out things that helped make the animated version well liked. The love story that wasn’t? They took out Shang, but added another love interest? Just keep Shang. Looking back, and even at the time I first saw it, it’s amazing to see the hero is a woman and she doesn’t need to rely on a relationship to reach her goals. The added bonus of having Shang was that he os believed to be the first LGBT Disney character. He respected Ping and thought him a friend before the big reveal and no one can convince me otherwise the looks Shang gave Ping during the training montage and after Ping gives Shang some encouragement right before they march out to the meet the main army are anything other than Shang thinking “Damn, I want some of that.” Add in the fact that he starts to act all flustered when he returned the helmet just shows that he had feelings for Ping, but now that Ping is actually a girl he can act on those feelings (this is both Ancient China we are talking about, not 2020...where being LGBT is still not always accepted...). 

Okay, so what does all that mean for the Mulan remake? Beauty and the Beast wasn’t the best because it didn’t go far enough with its changes, The Lion King didn’t have enough changes, and Mulan had too many changes? Not exactly. Mulan, as a story, can work with being completely different from the original animated version. It probably mostly does. It’s more than like going to be a success on Disney+. But if any movie could have been a shot for shot remake, it should have been Mulan. Hell, making it not be a musical and adapting the story to account for that could work. It was the lessons that made the animated version so well liked. Also the humor, Eddie Murphy makes a great side kick. You have the yearning for ‘more’ and the feeling of not fitting in that Beauty and the Beast has combined with the self-doubt and acceptance despite origins of The Lion King. You have a kickass female hero who breaks all the gender rules of her society and saves the day by using her brain and not a sword. No magic to save the day - the ancestor spirts being the only mystical thing about the movie. Mushu isn’t overtly magical and he doesn’t really help do anything except be a convenient Zippo light two times in the movie - it could be argued that he, and magic in general, is a source of conflict since the other spirits all want to bring Mulan home. Also no stupidly forced romance subplot - or worse a love triangle. The remake just doesn’t have any of that, really. It’s basically just another action movie with the added flavor of a woman pretending to be a man in the army. It’s almost a ‘chosen one’ narrative since the aspect of Qi looks to be a major plot point - and source of conflict. There’s magic - and oh by the way, there’s a phoenix attached to Mulan for some reason...? - and what looks like a romance subplot (one where the guy isn’t Bi boooooooo). Mulan could have been shot for shot and would be successful. It can also be successful by making changes, but not many. We like Mulan the way it was. If you need to make changes or updates to it, fine, but don’t make the story so unrecognizable that it becomes a different movie. Mulan doing a whole bunch of fancy martial arts before literally beating the big bad and an evil Witch who turns into a bird are things we don’t want and the story doesn’t need. 

Disney needs to stop messing with the original stories. We liked the old animated versions for a reason. Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King were two of the biggest box office hits and two of the most popular Disney movies today. The were huge successes and are still talked about 20+ years later. These remakes are just meh. 

If Disney does change the story, change it in a way that emphasizes what was liked about the original. Otherwise, make it into a different movie and - more importantly - call it something else. 

[sablesides-writing-corner]

Mulan and Loceit!

Sorry if it's not what you expected, havent seen any Mulan movie since I was little so I dont remember much about it ;-;

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Logan was quite content with his life, and he was rather smart for someone of his social status. But of course there was only one thing anyone ever seemed to want from him, a husband. He'd just never seen the point in love, or feelings in general for that matter, it all seemed pointless. Yet there he was, getting ready to see if he could ever land the husband his family so desperately wished he would. Make-up itched, and clothing to, everything itched and he hated it. He hated these pointless rituals and matchmaking, hated love, hated feelings. But he sat and smiled, because that's what a good son does, sits and smiles and gets a spouse to carry on his family's legacy. His grandmother had given him a cricket, he never understood how that was going to help him, it was highly unlikely that such superstitions were actually true.

But Logan found himself hoping his grandmother was correct in her assumptions as he walked to the matchmakers house. He hoped he wasnt sweating, makeup ran when in contact with liquids, he thought about how stupid makeup was again.

He wasnt sure when he'd been called, he barely remembered it, but next thing he knew he was sitting on the floor, pouring tea for matchmaker and pretending to have a genuine smile. He didnt have to pretend for much longer, the tea stains on the matchmakers face made her look almost as if she had a beard. She reached for the teacup, and Logan noticed the cricket his grandmother had given him poking its head out from the cup.

"Let me refill that for you-" he said, taking the cup quickly and trying to stall for time. The matchmaker eyed him suspiciously. Logan felt beads of sweat on his forehead and began to panic. This was a bad course of action.

Next thing he knew, or at least wish he knew, the matchmaker was on fire and screaming at him to get out.

"YOU WILL NEVER FIND A HUSBAND, YOU WILL BRING ONLY DISHONOR TO YOUR FAMILY!" the words cut through Logan like a knife. He didnt care about finding a husband, or feelings, or love. But he did care about family, and the disappointed looks from his own haunted him.

It seemed like the day couldnt get worse. Yet somehow, it did. Logan's mother was told she would be sent off to war, and there was nothing Logan could do to stop it. He'd stayed up for hours thinking and devising plans, watching his reflection in the pond, wondering what he'd done to become such a terrible son, when he came to a realization. He walked to the wardrobe his parents had always told him to stay away from, that it was for his mother only, he shouldnt touch it. But when he opened the wardrobe and took out the armor inside, he couldnt see why. Perhaps they thought him to fragile for war, but he disagreed. As he put on the armor and took the sword his mother used to show him when he was little, he felt stronger, smarter, even. He hadnt thought it possible for him to get any smarter than he already was, he suprised himself every day now it seemed. He raced to the stables and found his personal favorite horse, a tan palomino.

"You think you can handle a journey like this? It'll be a while before we can get back," Logan didnt know why he talked to the horse, it was such a stupid thing to do, but it seemed to understand him, he could have sworn he saw it nod. No matter the reaction, he climbed onto the horse's back and set off for the army, completely uncertain of whether or not he would return.

About half way through his journey, as Logan slept one night, he heard something moving in the field. He blinked his eyes open and looked up to see the shadow of a dragon on some stone. "What the-"

"GREETINGS MORTAL- IT IS I- REMUS!" said the dragon. Logan looked around, and noticed a small green dragon with brown lines on its nose nearby, the cricket was holding a torch toward it. "IM HERE TO TELL YOU TO-" the dragon seemed to notice Logan staring at him, "Oh-"

"You're here to help me." said Logan, who quite frankly was not expecting much from the dragon.

"I know more about this than you do, violence is my thing," said Remus the dragon, who was small and nonthreatening.

"I'm sure you do," said Logan sarcastically, but he decided to e

accept the dragon's help anyways, he supposed a talking dragon for company was better than no company at all.

He hadn't expected this to be an easy feat, not remotely, but the addition of General Deceit was something he absolutely couldnt wrap his head around. The general had scars all along one side of his face, he almost looked like he had scales. The rest of the army found him intimidating, Logan found his pushing frankly annoying.

Logan would make one mistake and hear "I've seen better from a servant," behind him. It was, to be frank, a drag. Remus tried to help him several times, but that only seemed to get him into more trouble.

"Alright, I think I've seen enough from you," Deceit's eyes were cold and unforgiving as they bore into Logan's own, he'd never been scared of the general, but this particular instance was an outlier. "Your time in this army is done, I expect your things and you to be gone by morning, Logic," the name had been used on a whim, Logan frankly didnt understand how anyone bought it, but that wasnt his place to say. He watched as Deceit stormed off to watch the other recruits, and he made a decision. He was going to practice until Deceit had no choice but to let him stay.

It worked like a charm, Logan would never forget the look on Deceit's face as he gaped at Logan, sitting atop the log that so many others had desperately tried to scale the previous day. He took great pleasure in Deceit's revocation of his previous command. But this was a war, he had to remember that.

It hadnt really felt like a war, hed been having so much fun talking with the other recruits, and been so caught up in hiding his identity that he had almost forgotten. Which was why when they came upon the decimated remains of another village, Logan didnt know how to cope. They were overtaken soon after, and amid the confusion Logan had managed to screw something up that he couldnt repair.

"What, exactly, is this?" Deceit had his hand wrapped around Logan's arm, despite the opposing armies supposed defeat, Logan had made a grave mistake. He had forgotten all about the markings he'd left on his arm the day of his matchmaking, he'd hoped they would have come off by now, he wished they had. "So you're not even a soldier, then?" said Deceit, the hiss in his voice clearly audible. Logan tried to sputter out a response, but to no avail. He was left there, in the cold, as the rest of the army fled back home. Remus tried to console him, but it was no use. He'd failed to gain honor in any situation, he wasnt a good husband, he wasnt a good soldier, and he wasnt a good scholar. He wasnt good enough at anything.

Logan's horse whinnied, he turned around to see his enemies rising out from where he'd thought they'd disappeared. Frantically, he got back on his horse, Remus latched onto his shoulder, and fled back home, hoping to warn Deceit before it was to late.

The journey seemed endless, but finally, Logan made it. He searched the crowds and streets for Deceit, catching a glimpse of his yellow eyes withing a parade.

"Deceit!" he rode up beside him, the man ignored him. "Deceit, the armies didnt die back at the mountains, we're all in danger! You have to listen to me!"

Deceit turned to face him "I dont take orders from a low-class man who couldnt even land a husband, you are not a leader, and you are not a soldier, stay in your own line." he growled. Logan glared and lead his horse away.

"How dare he! Well if he doesnt want to listen then we can just watch everyone die from out here!" said Remus angrily. Logan ignored him, he was to busy trying to formulate a plan so his idea wouldnt come to fruition. He finally landed on something, but it still required Deceit's help.

By the time he'd returned to the palace however, enemy forces had already arrived. He enlisted the help of some of his army friends as a distraction and ran off to find Deceit.

"Do you believe me now!" he said, halfway sarcastically. Deceit through him a sword and rolled his eyes. Together they fought through the army. Logan had never really noticed it before, but Deceit's intimidating demeanor was actually very pleasing to him, and he fought quite well for someone with so many injuries so close to his eye.

Logan hadnt expected any rewards, he'd expected a reprimand, punishment, maybe even death for what he'd done. Yet as he faced the crowds of people cheering for him, he felt happier than he ever had in his life, he watched Remus giving him a thumbs up, watched his parents beaming up at him from the audience, and then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned to face Deceit once again. The man rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "You uh, fight, well, for someone-"

"So nerdy?" Logan finished his sentence for him. Deceit flushed and Logan laughed. He said his goodbyes and headed back home.

He'd fully expected there to be no more suprises in his life, fore everything to go back to normal as soon as he put everything back in place. He should've known better, his life had been nothing but surprises recently, but at least this surprise was a pleasant one. Deceit's smiling face was a sight Logan had only ever dreamed of seeing again, and his words were something that caused even more joy.

"I'm in love with you, Logan, I dont know how or why, but its true," Deceit had told him. And Logan had smiled, hed felt it to, he'd never known what the word meant before, hed always thought of himself as a glitch in that particular system, yet here he was. Young, clever, and in love,and what a set of things to be indeed, he wouldnt change any of it for the world.

[dallanebbia]

blooming (3/6);

fandom: bnha pairing: kacchako; bakugou katsuki x uraraka ochako word count: 6353 warnings: mentions of violence inspiration: [link] synopsis: 

Ochako doesn’t understand much about the world outside the limits of her village, but she does know this: She loves her family, and at the end of the day, she’ll do anything to keep them safe – even if it means sacrificing herself to do it.

When she runs away to join the army in her father’s place, the only thing she leaves behind is an untouched cup of tea, and a whispered apology nobody is awake to hear.(or, in which an attempt is made to write a kacchako mulan au)

parts: [1] [2] [3] || AO3: [link]

Life continues on, a cycle of dreaming and sparring and sleeping, over and over – until time seems to slip away.

It feels odd, but Ochako has always found it satisfying when things so easily fall into a routine. The day to day monotony is something she’s accustomed to – she’s used to waking before dawn to work in the fields, something soothing about the repetition of movement – but what’s different is the relief that settles into her bones, soothing itself into her skin deeper and deeper as the days pass.

The difference is that she can run and smile and breathe in a way she never could at home. It’s that she’s respected, seen as reliable and capable and strong – worth more than the value of her body or her potential as a bride. It’s the fact that she’s finally tasted freedom, finally understood what she’s spent her whole life missing, and it makes her heart feel warm and full.

She belongs here, more comfortable amongst virtual strangers than she ever did in her village, and it’s telling. She misses home – aches, whenever she thinks of her mother and father – but she can’t bring herself to feel guilty. At the end of all this, even if she doesn’t make it back, Ochako knows she will never regret taking her father’s place.

It would’ve been easy to stay – to spend her entire life knowing only the tiny world of her village, unhappy and miserable. She would’ve never known how it feels to be broken and remade, pushing beyond her own limits and proving that she’s more than what her gender says she should be. She would have ended up married off to be someone’s quiet, submissive, dutiful wife – and thinking back on it now, the very idea of it fills her with dread.

Part of her wonders if this is why she gravitates towards Bakugou. Ochako is used to men like Monoma – men who believe in their own self-importance and disregard anyone they deem inferior, their wives included. The other recruits at camp – Koda, with his quiet, patient humility; Tokoyami, with his dark and dry humor; even Kirishima, with his effortless, sunshine-bright personality – are good and kind, men who most women would happily marry, but even as she gets to know everyone, something always brings her back to the blonde-haired captain.  

She has never met someone like Bakugou, a raw mix of aggressive intensity and fierce determination and unwavering conviction - someone who has so much faith in her, who pushes her to the edge and still dares to ask her for more. It goes beyond the way he makes her ache with longing – it’s about the way he looks at her, respect and pride and challenge all rolled into one, and as much as Ochako dreams about his touch, her heart soars whenever she finds herself standing across from him in the sparring ring, a promise and a dare lurking behind his sharp gaze.

It’s easy, being swept up into Bakugou’s strange, dangerous charisma. With Monoma gone, everyone watches as the captain slowly relaxes, his shoulders easing without the threat of eyes constantly scrutinizing his every move. He seems almost … softer, for lack of a better word – his scowls lose their harsh edge, his usual insults lack the same bite, and his newfound attitude has the entire camp in a jovial mood. The recruits start asking Bakugou to join them at mealtimes, or to participate in whatever hair-brained bonding activity Kaminari dreams up, and Ochako can see the way he tries to hold back a smile when he thinks nobody sees.  

At first, she doesn’t even realize that she’s staring until he looks back at her with a quirked eyebrow, and she has to avert her eyes in embarrassment. But then – sometimes, she catches herself tracking him as he spars with other people, memorizing the way he flows sinuously between blows. Sometimes, she watches him smirk at her frustrated face when she can’t pin him in a spar, and wonders what it’d be like to tell him the truth, hoping that he’d let her stay. Bakugou seems to blossom away from Monoma's overbearing shadow, unfurling ever so slowly, and she can't help but savor every little fragment he lays bare for the world to see.

No matter what she does, Ochako's eyes are drawn back in his direction, like a flower straining towards the sun.

At one point, Bakugou gruffly tells them to stop calling him by his title and to use his name instead. Some, like Kirishima and Kaminari, jump on the opportunity; others, like Ojiro, respectfully decline and continue to call him “captain.” She can’t decide what to do – it’s a terrible idea, especially when she considers her traitorous, fluttering heart, but the temptation is too much to resist. She wants to feel the shape of his name in her mouth, tasting the sounds on her tongue, even if it's not in the context that she dreams of.

It takes her days to work up the courage. When she finally manages to do it - a bright smile, paired with a heartfelt "thanks, Bakugou!" - all he does is blink at her for an unbearably long moment before turning away with a muttered, “tch.”

It stings for some reason, more than it should – and as it lingers for the rest of the day, she stubbornly pretends like she doesn't know why until she's alone in her tent that night.

Hurt settles heavy in her throat, the cloying pressure of rejection and disappointment pooling in her chest, and it feels like the world’s worst practical joke as Ochako realizes that she’s managed to develop feelings for the one man she absolutely cannot have.

It’s a wake-up call, reality stabbing into the irrational, tiny ball of girlish hope that she'd carefully buried deep into her heart, and as she lies on her sleeping mat, all she can feel is shame. Here she is, pining and sighing about something that she knows can never happen – letting herself get caught up in distractions and daydreams when there are far more important things at stake. She isn’t here for romance, and she isn’t here for love - Ochako is here for her parents, and she needs to get her head on straight before it's too late.

The next day, she wakes up with the lingering guilt as a reminder, and gives up her slot for her usual extra sparring session with Bakugou. The swords in her tent isn’t worth much collecting dust, and Ochako needs something to ground her - it’s time that she gets serious about learning how to use her father’s nodachi.

__

Days later, she’s practicing with a weighted bokken when she spots Bakugou pause next to the small training area, a deep scowl carved into his expression as he stops to watch. Ochako determinedly avoids the piercing red gaze boring into her cheek, focusing on keeping her movements steady even as her arms ache – the weight of the training sword is heavy to the point of being nearly too much, but she refuses to give up. 

She deliberately blocks out the tiny voice in her head, one that sounds a lot like Bakugou, telling her that she's being a stubborn idiot.

It takes a herculean amount of effort to move through the last rep of the kata sequence she’s practicing, her entire body trembling with exertion, and after pausing in the final stance, she lets the wooden sword drop limp at her side.

“How’d it look?” she pants, wiping at her dripping forehead with her sleeve. Off to the side, Kirishima grins at her with a thumbs up, a gesture that she quickly recognizes as one he uses when he’s trying to be reassuring.

“Way better, Uraraka!” he says earnestly. “You looked real manly, with that scary face you’ve got going on!” He mimics a serious grimace, and she sighs heavily.

“Thanks, Kirishima,” she says tiredly, offering him a small smile. “Are my strikes improving?” He falters for a moment before his shoulders slump.

“Ah – I wasn’t lying when I said you were better.” He rubs the back of his head. “But… if I’m being honest, bro? It looks like you’re using most of your strength on keeping your arms in position instead of putting power behind your movements. And… you don’t really swing? If that makes sense? You just kinda let the sword fall into position, especially during downward slashes.”

“So basically, I’m still terrible.”

Kirishima winces, then says, “Uh, well – yeah. Kinda.”

“Great.” Ochako exhales roughly, placing the bokken back on the weaponry rack, and bites back the urge to lash out at the redhead. It wouldn’t be fair to get mad at Kirishima for something that isn’t in his control, especially after he graciously agreed to show her the exercises in the first place.

She slumps heavily against one of the trees littered around the clearing and closes her eyes, sensing the redhead settling next to her, and the cool shade makes her feel a little better. "Maybe this was a dumb idea," she mutters.

"Hey, don't say that!" She lets her eyes flutter open, and Kirishima is studying her with a frown. "I'm serious when I said you're getting better, bro. You could barely lift one of these things when we first started training, and now look at where you are! You'll get there, you just gotta keep up the hard work." 

Ochako can't help but return his earnest smile. "Thanks Kirishima. That means a lot."

" I'm just calling it how I see it," he says, beaming. A comfortable silence falls over them, Ochako savoring the quiet, but after a moment, Kirishima clears his throat. “Um, Uraraka – if you don't mind me asking... why’re you so interested in using a nodachi anyways?”

“What do you mean?”

“I … well, don’t take this the wrong way? But usually, it’s easier to use one if you’re… taller,” he says awkwardly, shuffling his feet, before his head whips up in wide-eyed mortification. “NOT to say you can’t do it! Like I said, you're totally already improving a ton, and I’m sure you’d be awesome at it, but – I mean, you’re scary good with a tanto already, and you're good with a staff too, so it’s not like you really need a weapon with reach, so…I’m confused, I guess.”

Ochako frowns, but doesn't say anything as Kirishima continues to stumble over his words.

“… Ugh, it sounds creepy now that I’m saying it, but I just wanna… understand? If that makes sense? I mean, we’ve been here for so long and I noticed you’re always kinda by yourself, and we’re all supposed to be comrades, so I figure…” His voice trails off, face flushing in embarrassment. “You know what – never mind, totally ignore the last five minutes. My ma always told me I’m too nosy for my own good and – ”

“Kirishima.” She waits for him to stop talking, and then punches him good-naturedly in the shoulder. “You’re fine. I was the one who asked you for help, so…”

Ochako purses her mouth, stretching her aching arms as she looks through the tree canopy up at the sky – it’s cloudy, a little overcast, and there’s a distinct smell in the air she recognizes as one that always comes before rain. “It’s kind of a long story, but… my father was the one who got drafted,” she says, choosing her words carefully. “He’s not an officer or anything, but he got some kind of military award in a war from when I was a child. I guess the shogun assumed he’d be fine with fighting again.”

“Oh,” Kirishima says quietly. “Is he not … ?”

“Mmhm.” She lets her arms drop to her sides. “He has a bad leg – an old wound that never really healed right. He can barely walk without a cane, and they still wanted him to come out here? I… I couldn’t just let him go, even though he wanted to fight, so I came in his place.”

There's a distinct note of understanding in his tone as he says, quietly, “You’re doing this for your dad, huh?”

“I want to honor him, and my mother,” she says simply, and goes to pick up the bokken once more. “I’m the only child of my family, and I… I helped where I could, but my father – he’s always put his duty first, over his own life sometimes. And I feel like if I’m here in his place, I should at least uphold his values for him and honor his sacrifices."

Ochako shrugs, feeling a little sheepish, but she figures she might as finish after saying so much already. "Learning how to use his sword seems like the least I can do, even if I’m not all that great at it. I know I’m probably never going to be able to use it in a fight, but it can always be a backup, right?”

There's a loud, wet sniffing sound, and she turns to see Kirishima staring at her with tears brimming in his eyes. “That’s so manly, Uraraka,” he says, choking a little, and all she can do is yelp when the redhead sweeps her up into a spine-cracking hug. “I’m so glad that you asked me to help you!”

“Urk – ” Ochako gasps against the solid wall of Kirishima’s chest, her face squished flat. “Erm, no problem, do you think you can – ”

"Oi, shitheads! This is a training camp, not a fucking sentou!" Bakugou’s voice cuts sharp in the air, and Ochako feels Kirishima mutter, “oh, shit.” She’s promptly dropped to the ground, left to stumble as she tries to find her footing, and out of the corner of her eye she can see Bakugou stalking towards them, mouth twisted into a snarl. “Fuck around somewhere else, nobody needs to see that bullshit."

“Ah, sorry, Bakugou!” Kirishima apologizes cheerfully, a grin on his face, and Ochako stiffens when Bakugou’s gaze slides from the redhead to her. “Just taking a quick break – Uraraka asked for some pointers, so I’m just helping him out, y’know?”

“Tch.” There’s something dark written into the lines of his expression when his gaze flickers towards her, his mouth tightening when he spots the wooden bokken in her hand. “You’re still wasting your time on that shit?”

Ochako bristles at the scorn in his tone. “It’s not shit,” she says, her voice hard – she doesn’t know why he looks so angry, but she’s tired and achy and doesn’t have the patience to deal with his rudeness. “Did you need something, captain?”

Bakugou stills, staring at her for a moment, and then his nostrils flare. “If you’re so fucking set on using a nodachi, at least do yourself a favor and ask a fucking expert.”

"I don’t need an expert," she says, emphasizing each word, and leans forward challengingly. “Besides, last time I checked, someone - ”

Kirishima takes a step back, eyes nervously darting between Bakugou’s face and hers. “Uh, guys – ”

“ - Shitty Hair, out of all – ”

“ – you wouldn’t bother – ”

“ – didn’t even fucking ask – ”

“OI!” Kirishima whistles sharply, arms folded disapprovingly across his chest as he stares at both of them. “You both need to calm down. Yelling at each other isn’t manly at all!”

“Hah?” Bakugou growls, taking a menacing step forward. “The fuck did you just say to me?”

He’s a few inches shorter than the redhead, a little leaner too – but Kirishima actually squeaks, and then immediately shrinks under the force of Bakugou’s glare. “I mean – I just remembered, I promised I’d spar with – uh, Sero! Yeah, um – I’m – I’m just …gonnagonowbye!”

All Ochako can do is gape as Kirishima flashes her an apologetic wince over his shoulder before literally running out of the training area, and rounds on Bakugou as soon as the redhead is out of sight. “What is your problem?”

“You seriously cancelled on me for this?!” Bakugou demands, red eyes boring into hers as he looms over her, and she can’t understand why he’s being so belligerent. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Why are you getting angry at me?” She flushes, not sure if the heat in her cheeks is from exertion or anger or embarrassment at how close he’s standing to her. “I needed someone to show me some katas – ”

“Again - you decided to ask Shitty Hair?”

“Who else was I supposed to ask?” she blurts out, and he stops short, staring back at her like he can’t quite believe what she just said. Ochako knows that she’s crossing the blurred line drawn in the sand – she knows that despite Bakugou’s casual carelessness about ranks and titles, she’s being deliberately insubordinate to someone who has the power to make her life miserable, but the words are already falling out of her mouth before she can swallow them back. “You’ve made it pretty clear how you feel about this - every time I asked, all you say is that I’m wasting my time... so I went to someone who was actually willing to help me.”

Bakugou is silent for a few moments, and then exhales with a slow hiss. There’s still frustration present in his eyes, but his tone is less aggressive as he says, “I’ve seen that nodachi of yours, Round Face – it’s literally as tall as you are. You seriously think using a sword like that is fucking practical?”

Ochako grits her teeth, ignoring the way her ears turn hot. “See, this is why I – ”

“Nuh uh, shut up and listen to me.” Bakugou grabs the bokken from her hand, hefting it with an ease that makes her green with envy. “Nobody with any sense uses a nodachi for actual combat – it’s too cumbersome to carry around, not to mention that even fully grown men need two fucking hands to use it. I had to learn the damn thing as part of my training, but it’s a fucking formality. Everyone knows that the extra reach isn’t worth two hands when you get the same effect out of a katana or wakizashi.”

Ochako glowered back at him, refusing to back down. “But my father – ”

Bakugou doesn’t bother to let her finish. “I can bet you that the last time your old man used that damn sword was at least ten years ago, Round Face,” he cuts her off, ignoring her sputtering, and continues, “Nodachi haven’t been seriously used in combat since the last war – anyone who had one would’ve, at the fucking minimum, gotten the blades cut down to katana length by now. Nobody with any goddamn sense would try waving around a sword as big as the one you have – something that big is ornamental or purely for religious use, not for actual combat.”

She’s stunned silent, her mind frantically processing Bakugou’s words. What he’s saying makes sense – and the last time her father had actually been called to serve had been fifteen years ago, when she was little more than a child – but her pride burns at the thought of being wrong about the entire situation. “You say that, but then what about Kirishima, or Shoji? You taught them both – ”

“They’re twice your fucking size, Round Face!” Bakugou bellows, looking like he wants to grab her by the shoulders and shake her. “You- fuck, Shitty Hair and Squid Arms can wave a nodachi around with one fucking hand like it’s a goddamn kunai, while you can barely hold a training sword up long enough to get through a fucking kata. You wanna learn the kaiken, or the yari, or the kusarigama? I’ll get you good enough to whip anyone’s fucking ass, but I ain’t wasting my time or yours on something that you’re not even gonna be able to use to keep your dumb self alive.”

The longer he speaks, the more Ochako realizes that he’s right – when he finally spits out the last words, she doesn’t know what to say. There’s a hollow feeling in her chest, a realization that settles heavily in her heart as the words sink in, and she feels a little like a ship drifting at sea. “Then why didn’t you just say that? Instead of just yelling at me about wasting time?”

He falters, looking suddenly unsure, and grumbles, “I… I didn’t realize I had to fucking spell it out for you.” The blonde runs a restless hand through his hair. “You’re not a complete idiot. You were supposed to figure it out eventually.”

She rolls her eyes at the backhanded compliment. “One, I’m not a mind reader. Two, my parents are farmers. How am I supposed to know anything about weapons?”

Bakugou levels a deadpan look in her direction. “You’re telling me that you don’t have the common sense to realize that you shouldn’t use a sword you can barely lift above your head?”

“…” She can’t say anything in her defense because he’s right – she’d admitted as much to Kirishima earlier, out loud even. Ochako averts her eyes at his expectant expression, frustration and humiliation swirling in her belly as she stares at her feet.

“Oi.” A fist brushes against the side of her head, gentle yet forceful enough to make her look up. Bakugou still looks mad, but there’s something understanding in his eyes as he says, “Look – I heard your little heart to heart with Shitty Hair, and I get it. You wanna do right by your old man, but honor and duty ain’t worth shit if you end up dead. You’re out here, fighting for him – that’s as honorable as it gets. Don’t sabotage yourself by being a stubborn idiot.”

He claps her reassuringly on the shoulder, heat bleeding through the thin cloth of her training top for a moment before Bakugou draws his hand back. “Drop the hero worship you’ve got going on and get your shit together. Got it?”

“… Yeah.” She shifts her weight bashfully, her earlier embarrassment slowly giving way to a warmth that spreads through her body at the gruff yet comforting words. “Could… could you help me pick something then, captain?”

For some reason, he scowls at that. “Tch, save that shit for when it matters, Round Face. Just call me Bakugou.” Butterflies erupt in her stomach against her will, and despite every rational voice screaming in her brain, Ochako hopes that she’s not imagining the pink tint to his ears when he looks determinedly at a spot over her head. “You’d be fucking badass with a naginata.”

She freezes, the fluttering in the stomach suddenly replaced with panic as she feels the blood rush out of her face. Ochako is a farmer’s daughter, but she’s heard enough to know that polearms are only used by women, particularly female samurai. She can’t tell if Bakugou is trying to hint that he knows her secret, or if it’s just a coincidence, but it takes everything in her to hide her terror as she stammers, “A – a naginata? Isn’t t-that a woman’s weapon?”

Bakugou pauses, staring her as she tries not to fidget under his gaze, and it feels like hours have passed when he finally opens his mouth.

“A weapon’s a weapon – doesn’t matter what’s between a person’s legs, if they know how to use it then you’re dead either way,” he says, still eyeing her as he returns the wooden training sword back into its place. “My hag of a mother beat that lesson into me when I was a bratty little kid, and she’s one of the best fighters I know. If you actually believe in that traditionalist bullshit, I’ll make her to come down here and teach you that lesson herself – she isn’t as fucking nice as I am.”

Another person who could possibly figure out her secret? Nope, no thank you.

“A-ah – no, I’m good.” Her stomach unclenches, the blind fear slowly dissipating into a careful suspicion. She watches as Bakugou grabs a tall wood staff, curved and flat at the end, and tests the weight of it in his palm.

“Naginatajutsu builds on all the same basics of a staff.” Bakugou backs up, demonstrating a series of movements that she recalls learning weeks earlier. “You’re taking the defense of a bo and adding the stabbing and slicing potential of a kodachi onto it. A lot of what you know from the staff applies, but your offense depends on attacking while deflecting or redirecting blows.”

He tosses the staff at her, and as Ochako catches it, she can’t help but notice that it’s just as heavy as the nodachi bokken – only this time the weight, is comfortably balanced in her hands. She takes a few practice swings, the half-hearted actions quickly sliding into familiar stances as she twirls and twists. “Oh. Oh, this feels – ”

“Fucking knew it,” Bakugou mutters smugly. Ochako falls out of the kata, smiling down at the polearm as she relaxes. “Same time as our usual spars, Round Face – you’re going to be a fucking force of nature when I’m done with you.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” she says teasingly, and when she looks up, he’s watching her with an almost fond smirk curling at his mouth. The look on his face makes her stomach jump, her heartbeat faltering for a moment, and she tucks the memory of his expression away to remember for another day. No, Ochako. “I – thank you, Bakugou.”

“Just don’t fucking bail on me, Round Face.” He rolls his eyes, turning away and making his way out of the training area. She hums in agreement, and watches as Bakugou quickly disappears around a copse of trees, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

A force of nature.

Ochako grins – she likes the sound of that.

__

As expected, Bakugou turns out to be absolutely, 100% right.

Ochako takes to the naginata like a duck to water, picking up the footwork and stances with an ease that feels almost scary. After only a week and a half of instruction, Bakugou puts her into the sparring ring, and proceeds to send her smug, satisfied looks each time she disarms or defeats another recruit. It would be annoying if it wasn’t so exhilarating to win, so all Ochako does is roll her eyes in response.

She makes sure to immediately tell Kirishima about her change of heart, and he’s understanding about it, encouraging even – but it’s an offhand comment he makes later that leaves her flustered.

“You must’ve impressed him a lot, Uraraka,” he says after a particularly long spar. She lost, but considering Kirishima’s ability to tank anything short of a literal stab to the gut, she’s taking it as a win. “From what I can tell, Bakugou’s pretty invested in your training.”

Ochako’s eyebrows rise at that, feeling unsettled. She knows Kirishima is too kind for him to be implying anything, but for some reason it makes her a little uncomfortable. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, he’s been hard on all of us, y’know? But he’s been pretty much riding your ass into the ground since day one.” Kirishima doesn’t seem to notice her uneasiness as he continues on thoughtfully, head cocked to one side. “He probably saw some hidden potential in you! How manly is that?”

Ochako only smiles nervously, doing everything in her power to ignore the unintentional innuendo, and quickly changes the subject. Still, Kirishima’s words stay with her for days after, leaving her wondering.

Unfortunately, she doesn’t have a chance to ask Bakugou about it, because Monoma finally returns to the camp, and things take a quick turn for the worse.

Bakugou’s temper returns with a vengeance alongside the nobleman’s snippety comments, and everything contines to go downhill from there. The only positive of the situation is that Ochako isn’t dead last anymore, her improvement no longer leaving her in a position to be singled out, but in a way, it’s worse. Monoma resorts to sullenly glaring at everyone who dares to cross his path, but more often than not, ends up making borderline malicious comments meant to both criticize and undermine Bakugou’s position at camp.

The cheerful, casual atmosphere of the past month quickly disintegrates like smoke in the wind. A tenseness settles over the camp, and everyone starts tiptoeing around carefully, trying to avoid triggering the short fuse that is Bakugou’s sanity. Ochako hates it – she can’t stand the oppressive silences, the stiffness and her growing anxiety, but most of all, she hates that Bakugou looks more and more exhausted as the days pass, his features fixed permanently into a furious, bitter scowl. He’s shifting back to the man she met when she first arrived, closed off and angry and uncompromising, and the only time she sees the tension ease from his shoulders is during her naginata lessons.

“If… if you need someone to talk to,” Ochako says quietly, one night as they are walking back to the tents together, “I’m happy to listen.”

“M’fine.” Bakugou looks tired, scrubbing at his face as he sighs. “Worry about yourself; I can deal with the bastard.”

“You shouldn’t have to, though.” She stops, letting the frustration seep into her voice. “Bakugou, I – we all can see what Monoma’s doing. Can’t we report him, or file a complaint?”

“Believe me, if that had any chance in hell of doing shit, he wouldn’t have been here in the first place.” He snorts. “He’s got the favor of the shogun, Round Face. We just have to tough it out.”

She hums. “Do I need to climb another dead tree and play fetch?”

That earns her a genuine bark of laughter and a half-smirk, the stress falling away from his face for a moment. “Fuck, I wish.”

Her heart flutters at the glimpse of the Bakugou from the past month – the Bakugou who’d worked past her stubbornness and talked sense into her, who’d had enough faith in her to bet on her strength… the Bakugou who, despite her best efforts, she still has feelings for. Something lightens in her chest, her lips curling into a smile, but her thoughts are suddenly cut off by a familiar, low growl.

“Can’t even get a fucking moment of peace,” he mutters, glaring, and Ochako follows his gaze, her heart sinking. Standing in front of Bakugou’s tent is Monoma, eyeing their approach condescendingly with an official-looking scroll in his hand, and at her side, Bakugou sighs. “Get outta here, Round Face. Y’don’t need to stick around for this bullshit.”

She can’t even offer a response before Bakugou strides forward, shoulders set and a dark glower on his face as he calls out to Monoma. Dismayed, she watches as the two of them disappear into Bakugou’s tent, light blooming as a candle is lit inside, and she reluctantly moves on. Ochako only glances back once, seeing the two shadows cast on the canvas, before sighing and continuing to her tent.

__

Later, as she’s coming back from bathing in the river, Ochako deliberately sets her path to pass by Bakugou’s tent. It feels silly, but part of her hopes that she’ll run into him again – the sound of Bakugou’s laughter felt like the taste of water after a drought, and she selfishly wants to hear it again.

What she doesn’t expect is Monoma’s shadow, still moving wildly inside the captain’s tent, hours after she’d parted ways with Bakugou earlier. As she creeps closer, the conversation becomes clearer and clearer, and it’s not that she means to listen, but Monoma isn’t exactly trying to keep quiet.

“Those peasants are no more fit to be soldiers than you are to be captain,” she overhears, the cruel words said with the finality of a finishing blow, and the silence that follows Monoma’s proclamation is only punctuated by a low growl.

“Is that so?” There’s a soft, ominous quality to Bakugou’s voice, and Ochako has to bite down a shiver at the danger that lurks beneath the words. “Might wanna be careful what you say, fuckface.”

��Maybe take your own advice, Bakugou? You can strut around all you want, but at the end of the day you’re a nothing more than the bastard worth less than the clothes on your back.” Monoma either doesn’t have working ears, or any sense of self preservation, and continues talking. “You might have the general convinced, but you and your pathetic little troop will never see battle – not if I have anything to say about it.”

“Funny, then, that Hakamata’s asking me and my shitty little soldiers to join him,” Bakugou says, and through the illuminated tent, Ochako sees that he’s tossing a scroll between his hands tauntingly. “Keep being petty, fuckface – I can’t wait to report your ass to –  ”

“Pft, you and I both know that’s an empty threat,” Monoma scoffs, and she can hear the scorn in his voice. “Your word is utterly worthless, especially after the general comes around to the shogun’s point of view.”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” Bakugou demands.

“Don’t tell me – you didn’t even notice?” Monoma laughs meanly. “I’m not here for the recruits – I’m here for you. Did you seriously believe the shogun would let you take command again without supervision, after you sacrificed your entire company just to save your own skin?”

Ochako swallows back the gasp that gets stuck in her throat, her heart pounding. Fury and sadness and rage boil together in her gut, and she’s struck by the sudden, desperate urge to stab Monoma with a dull, rusty knife. Bakugou sounds like he feels the same way, and his voice is dangerously level as he says, “You played good little messenger pigeon. Now, get the fuck out.”

She ducks behind a tree as Monoma haughtily slips into the night air, radiating smug contentment as he trudges off in the direction of his own tent. Ochako slowly looks around, hoping the coast is clear, but darts back when Bakugou stomps out of his tent, fatigue visible in his weary expression. He stops only a few paces away from where she’s hiding, head tilted up to the sky, and she slowly starts to back away to give him some privacy.

Of course, that’s when she steps on a twig, and she flinches at the snapping sound that echoes in the quiet night.

“Whoever is sneaking around like a goddamn rat has two fucking seconds to show their shitty face.”

Wincing, Ochako steps out, eyes averted, and Bakugou eyes her for a tense moment before exhales heavily. “Of-fucking-course it’s you,” he mutters, grimacing. “Scram, round face.”

She bites her lip. Ochako knows that she should go, especially considering what she’d overheard, but she still asks, “We’re being deployed?”

“Tch, were you eavesdropping the whole fucking time?” Bakugou’s glare forceful enough that she shrinks back a little.

“Just the end,” she admits guiltily, and it’s a miracle when he doesn’t say more. She doesn’t know much about Bakugou’s history, but Monoma’s words are damning, even to her ears. Ochako tries to hide her apprehension as she says, gently, “If… if you still need to talk? The offer from earlier still stands, Bakugou.”

“I’m fucking fine,” he snaps, and she can’t help the way she flinches as he rounds on her. His eyes look glassy and unfocused, reliving a memory from the past, and he snarls, “I don’t need you to play mother hen and coddle me like I’m some kid, but in case you’re still not getting the message? Fuck. Off.”

Ochako takes a half step back, swallowing the thickness that suddenly appears in her throat. It feels a lot like he’s just driven a knife into her chest, punching through her lungs as she exhales in a slow, single breath. Bakugou has already turned away, head bowed as she curls into herself, but just as she’s about to leave, she hesitates.

She glances back at him over her shoulder. It’s clear, just by looking at Bakugou, that Monoma’s words had gone straight through all of his bravado, hitting exactly where they were meant to. There’s a weight to his shoulders that she’s never seen before, a weariness written into the curve of his neck and back, and the vulnerability seems so out of place on him that she can’t help the words that fall from her mouth.

“I know my opinion isn’t worth much,” she says softly, and hopes that he’s listening. “But for what it’s worth – I trust you. And I know everyone here does too.”

Ochako doesn’t wait for a reply, instead ducking her head and quickly making her way to her tent. She forces herself to keep her eyes forward as she walks, no matter how badly she wants to look back.

__

The next morning, Kirishima breaks the news to her as she slips into the mess tent for breakfast: they’re marching to Kamino Pass to meet with the 4th regiment of the shogun’s army, led by the Bakugou’s old mentor, General Hakamata. Kirishima is too enthusiastic to notice her uneasy expression, but she’s quietly grateful – her mind is still reeling from what happened the night before, and she ignores her porridge in favor of searching the crowd for a familiar head of spiky blonde hair.

Everyone is busy packing, loading up the caravans and organizing marching orders, and despite her best efforts, Ochako is quickly swept up into the chaos. At one point, she spots Bakugou as she’s running supplies back and forth – he’s wearing a tired scowl, his otherwise normal appearance marred by the dark circles under his eyes. He doesn’t look her way once throughout the entire morning, even as she deliberately crosses paths with him, and she pushes on through the hurt that steadily simmers in her chest as the day goes on.

When the camp is packed and everyone finally sets off, she keeps her head and eyes down, quiet even as the other recruits around her whisper excitedly. She doesn’t notice Bakugou glancing back at her, and as they start marching, Ochako silently berates herself for being a silly, hopeful fool.

[mariequitecontrarie]

People Will Talk: Part 2

Summary: Atticus Gold and newcomer Belle French have developed a relationship no one in Storybrooke approves of, and people make their opinion known in small-minded, small-town fashion: he’s too old for her, and the pretty young librarian needs to find friends her own age. When Gold ends the relationship to protect Belle’s reputation, the town turns on him again. To make matters worse, his friends and family are mad at him, too. But as we all know, love wins in the end. Chapter Summary: Gold hasn't seen Belle in two weeks and Alice is not happy with him. Belle gets an unpleasant surprise. Rating / Word Count: T / 3000  A/N: Continuing Marie’s Three-Year Writing Anniversary Rumor/Assumed Fake Dating/Family AU that no one asked for. @maplesyrupao3 -- bless you!

On AO3

Part 1 on AO3 | Part 1 on Tumblr

Two Weeks Later

“Alice, why are you looking at me like that?”

Gold held his breath and waited, cursing himself for asking. He was guaranteed not to like the answer, but anything was better than the silent treatment.

Alice stopped dusting the cabinet of china dolls to fix him with another poisonous glare. “Because you’re a horse’s ass who has more money than brains.”

“Noted. Can you at least keep up with your duties while you insult me? Time is still money, dearie, even here in the barnyard.” Squabbling, at least, was familiar territory.

Gold waved a hand around the tidy pawnshop, wondering who worked for whom. He owned the store, but Alice called the shots. Sometimes it seemed like his only job was bankrolling Alice’s Amazon Prime spending sprees while she worked her way through Storybrooke College.

The only person he knew who shopped more than Alice was...no, he wasn’t going there.

Still glowering at him like he was something she scraped from the bottom of her shoe, Alice worked her way around the perimeter of the shop with her feather duster. He had to admit she did keep the cobwebs at bay and his stockroom organized, even if she annoyed the hell out of him in the process.

He glanced at the restored cuckoo clock on the wall. It was almost lunchtime, and Alice had been scowling at him since she’d shown up for work this morning. Trying to ignore her, he eased behind the counter and opened the books.

She fell silent for a short, precious moment, then slapped her hands on the countertop.“Ha! I know what your problem is. You’re in a foul temper because you haven’t seen your sweetheart. Belle hasn’t popped in for two weeks. What’s wrong? Lovers’ quarrel?”

“Beg pardon?” he asked, pretending to study his ledgers.

Feigning ignorance never worked on Alice. So like a Jones. Stubborn and mouthy, just like her father. She continued to bore holes into the top of his head, muttering to herself about how he was apologizing to the wrong person until he looked up with a long-suffering sigh.

Talking, talking. Why was the girl always talking? An ocular migraine threatened to form, sharp and urgent above his nose. Tiny sparks exploded in his peripheral vision, and he pressed his fingers against his forehead.

He supposed he could send his little conscience home from work to get her out of his way, but she was more than an employee—she was his goddaughter—and he’d promised Hook he would keep tabs on Alice while he was at sea. Killian “Hook” Jones’ career as a Naval officer meant lengthy tours of duty up to six months, and he knew Alice and her papa missed each other dreadfully while he was away. Guilt poked his conscience; he hadn’t emailed Hook with an update in at least two weeks. But he knew his oldest (and only) friend would question him about Belle, and he was neither willing to lie nor ready to confide. Besides, he reasoned, Alice could text her papa anytime she wanted with her smartphone thingy.

“If you’re not going to work, why don’t you study?” he murmured, trying to concentrate on his July sales numbers. “Isn’t there a women’s lit paper due tomorrow or something?”

“Books!” she shouted, making him jump. “That’s it! Why don’t you take these books back to the library for me?”

Alice plopped a pile of novels on top of the financials, jarring him from his thoughts. He pinched the bridge of his nose hard. Now he would have to rework the column of numbers all over again.

“I was hoping to get advice from Belle on a dress for my date with Robin on Friday, but this’ll give you an excuse to see her instead.” Alice grinned, delighted with her solution.

He shoved the books aside with a huff. “I’m not looking for an excuse.”

“Why the hell not?” Abandoning the pretense of working entirely, she dropped the feather duster on the floor and hoisted herself up on top of the counter.

He set his teeth on edge. “Belle and I aren’t friends anymore.”

“Friends?” She smirked. “If you’re friends, then I’m straight. Hate to break it to you, Uncle Atty, but you two have never been friends. She’s in love with you! And you love her, too.”

“What makes you say so?” he asked carefully, looking at his nails.

“Oh, I don’t know. The dark circles under your eyes. The constipated look on your face. You look like a saggy, twitchy, miserable old man.” She held up a brown paper bag. “Want a sandwich?”

He turned around, assessing his appearance in the antique mirror that hung on the wall behind the cash register. “I am a saggy, twitchy, miserable old man,” he snapped. “And no, I’m not hungry.”

“When Belle’s around, you look all soft and floppy and happy, like Rabbit does whenever I come home.” Alice smiled another cheeky grin.

He smiled back at her in spite of himself. “Well, I’ve been called worse, dearie, but If you’re expecting to bring me to heel like that stupid old dog of yours, it’ll be a cold day in hell.” He slammed the ledger closed and headed for the workroom. The girl trailed after him, still clutching her paper sack.

“I have egg salad,” she teased, shaking the bag. “Your favorite.”

It used to be. He shuddered, his stomach lurching. Eggs were a definite no. Now whenever he saw any sort of egg concoction, he thought of Belle’s pinched, white face on that hot July afternoon thirteen days ago when he ended their friendship. Not that he was counting the days since they’d been apart.

“I don’t eat eggs anymore,” he said. “Too much cholesterol.” No one knew his house had been egged besides Belle, and he wasn’t going to whine about it to Alice. He still had some pride. “You don’t like eggs, you don’t like Belle.” Alice spread her hands wide and twirled in a circle. “What do you like, Sam-I-Am?”

He pulled a face. “Peace and quiet. Both seem to be in short supply.”

Laughing at his sour expression, she plopped down on one of the stools at the work table and dangled her sandwich in front of his nose. “How about marmalade? I’ll trade ya.”

Alice was volunteering to eat the egg salad and offering her favorite lunch. Things really were as bad as they seemed, then. “Fine.”

Resigned, he sat down beside her, accepting half of the sandwich. He took a small bite to stop her prattling, but he had no appetite. Food had no flavor, the whole world drained of color and light without Belle. He missed her; her laughter, her touches, her insatiable appetite for stuffed crust pizza.

“Eat,” Alice insisted, clucking over him like a little mama.

He swallowed the bite of sandwich and forced himself to take another. “So, did you choose a dress for your date?” he asked, attempting both to change the subject and rejoin the land of the living. “Where are you and Robin going?”

“It’s just Tony’s.” Alice shrugged like the occasion was no big deal, and took a massive bite of her sandwich.

A six month anniversary is an important milestone.” He took out his pocket square and folded it into a perfect crown, trying not to be hurt that she hadn’t asked his advice. “Your father wouldn’t know style if it bit him on the arse, but I know my way around a clothing boutique.”

“I know,” she said around a mouthful of egg salad. “But I was kinda wanting the opinion of another woman. No offense.”

‘Another woman’ meant Belle. He cleared his throat. “None taken.” Not for the first time he was reminded that walking away from Belle didn’t only affect him. Alice looked up to Belle like an older sister, and he hoped his relationship failings weren’t driving a wedge between Alice and Belle, too.

Poking at the crust on his sandwich, he wondered what Belle was doing right now. She was probably balancing a book on her lap while she ate, dropping sandwich crumbs between the pages and... no. Gold mentally slapped himself. Cutting a person out of your life meant giving up the right to wonder.

Alice polished off the first half of her sandwich and started on the second. “Belle was at Granny’s the other night,” she offered slyly, employing her uncanny knack for reading his mind.

He choked on the sticky bit of bread in his mouth. “Oh? With anyone?” Ugh . When it came to the people he cared about, he was terrible at nonchalance.

“Yeah. Tall bloke with sparkling blue eyes and a strong, lean jaw.” She batted her eyelashes. “Didn’t recognize him, but it looked like a date.”

Date? Belle had gone on a date? He would find out who the bastard was and he would crush his windpipe with his cane. Gold looked down at his hands. They were coated in marmalade, the mangled sandwich crushed between his palms.

“Way to play it cool, Uncle Atty.” Alice smirked and he rose to wash his sticky hands. “I’m kidding. But I wouldn’t have made a joke if I knew you were this upset. Belle was at a booth with some other people. Ruby, Mulan, and Mary Margaret. Waved at me once, but she was picking at her food and staring at the wall whenever I tried to catch her eye. It’s obvious she’s missing you. Can’t you fix this?”

“I couldn’t possibly be intelligent enough to do that,” he said, grateful sarcasm was there to cover his relief at Belle not being on a date after all.

“Mmm, I see.” Alice rolled her eyes. “She’s the first woman who saw through your little act, isn’t she? Now you’re grouchy because you’ve gone and screwed up the best thing in your life because some Granny, Marco, and some other ignorant busybodies have their noses out of joint. Since when are you afraid of them, anyway?”

“Afraid? Ha!” He flashed his gold tooth in a warning snarl. This conversation was ridiculous.

“Cripes, this place can be so backward. Even the clock doesn’t move here.” Alice gestured down the street toward the clock tower, which had been stuck at 8:15 for twenty years. “I’d say we’re living in a land time forgot, but it’s been a common practice in most societies for younger women and older men to marry for generations.”

“Marry?” He sputtered. “Who said anything about marriage?”

“Obviously not you!”

He crossed his arms and grunted. “Reverse psychology doesn’t work on me, child. I used to change your nappies.”

“That’s right, you did. So why are you pretending I don’t know you?” She swallowed the rest of her sandwich in a gulp and chased it with half a can of Dr. Pepper soda. “People whisper all sorts of wicked things about me. Some of them are true and some of them are outright lies. We’re alike in that way, you and I. So what? If I paid attention to what everyone said, I’d never leave the house.”

“I know, honey.” He smoothed his hands over the smooth grain of the worktable, ashamed of himself. Alice had more than her share of bad days, days when she couldn’t come into work. Times when she came to the shop and wandered around as though in a dream, trailing her fingers through cabinets coated in dust, a faraway look in her eyes. What he suffered was nothing in comparison, and yet he couldn’t seem to ignore the thick fog of prejudice and judgment that suffocated him whenever he was with Belle.

“People talk no matter what we do; doesn’t mean we have to listen.” She patted his shoulder. “You sure as hell don’t listen to me, and I talk your head off every damn day.”

He gave her a fond smile and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t remind me.”

Day after day of pretending she was fine was exhausting, but Belle had been doing a fair job of holding herself together since Gold had unceremoniously dumped her on his front porch. She wasn’t sure it counted as a dump if you only fantasized you were a couple, but according to the ache in her chest, it was real.

The busier the day, the better. If she kept moving from task to task, she could ignore her shattered heart. She showed up for her library shifts without fail, she checked books in and out, and chattered with people about their lives. Today she had even helped several eleventh graders with their Marie Antoinette biographies. Staying busy was working until the last hour of the day when the flow of patrons slowed to a trickle and she sat down at her desk to open the mail.

She quickly sorted through the typical bills, catalogs, and overdue fine payments, arranging them into piles. A plain, clean white envelope addressed directly to her stood out from the rest of the mail, and she saved it for last. There was no return address, but the faint scent of antiseptic clung to the crisp envelope.

Belle ripped the envelope open and a drawing sketched on a piece of ruled notebook paper floated to the floor. What she saw made her bite down on her lip hard, the metallic tang of blood filling her mouth. It was a crude illustration, but she could make out the Beast from the movie Beauty and the Beast , drawn wrinkled and old, wearing a suit and tie and clenching a cane in his gnarled claw. He was ogling a young woman who was reading a book. The woman wore a version of movie Belle’s famous golden dress, but the skirt barely grazed her thigh and the bodice dipped all the way to her navel. Clearly, the image was meant to be of her and Gold.

She stared down at the crude representation, then crumpled it in her fist. It was a cheap attempt at an insult, drawing her to look like some sort of slutty temptress and Gold as a dirty old man. Rage ripped through her in a white-hot streak, and her mind narrowed to a singular purpose: finding out who had done this. Tonight.

Belle shot to her feet, knocking over her chair.

Granny’s Diner was the social hub of Storybrooke, and the best place to get to the bottom of nonsense, but she was far too impatient to wait until the library closed. She chased the last few stragglers out of the library and slammed the door behind her, jamming the key in the lock with shaking hands until it clicked. With frayed nerves, she stomped all the way to Granny’s, the drawing clutched in her closed fist. The early August evening air was warm and humid, and sweat trickled down her back as she marched down Main Street. While she hurried down the sidewalk, she tried to puzzle out who had drawn and sent the picture and why. Rumors and innuendo aside, there was something perplexing about caring so much for Gold and yet holding physical evidence that other people couldn’t see the tender, handsome man she knew.

Small towns produced small minds.

The tables at Granny’s were packed. It was Thursday during dinner rush—the most popular night—and people clustered inside the front door and on the patio outside, waiting for the chance to sit down. All the barstools were occupied, platters and baskets of food sitting in front of every person. Good. Belle wanted a large audience for what she was about to do.

She toed off her heels and climbed up on the counter. Mr. Clark from the pharmacy stared at her in horror, then sneezed and wrapped an arm around an enormous, sauce-covered square of lasagna, drawing it closer for protection. Ruby stood frozen at the cash register, and Ashley Boyd narrowly missed dropping the tray of dirty dishes she was carrying, almost colliding with town psychiatrist Archie Hopper as she narrowly saved the plates from slipping to the floor.

Behind the counter, Granny made an outraged, sputtering noise, the heat of her glare rivaling the sizzling grill. At the moment, it didn’t matter if Granny never sold her another hamburger or slice of chocolate cake for the rest of her life, Belle was getting some answers tonight . She turned around and faced the crowd.

“Who did this?” Belle called out, looking down over the sea of faces. She held up the drawing, still clenched in her shaking fist. The noise continued to drone on around her, the clatter of forks against plates, the townspeople oblivious to anything but their meals and their conversations. “I said who did this?”

“Look, Mommy!” yelled a blonde girl with curly pigtails. “That lady is fifty feet tall!” A hush came over the diner in a languid wave and all eyes turned to stare at Belle standing on the counter. Forks were laid down on plates with a quiet clatter. Time seemed to stand still and no one appeared to so much as breathe.  

“Does anyone want to confess?” she asked, shaking the drawing in her fist and glaring around the restaurant with narrowed eyes.

When no one stepped forward or admitted guilt, she dropped the drawing on the counter and ground it into the tile with her bare heel. “You’re all a bunch of cowards, you know that? Mr. Gold and I are friends, and it’s no one’s business but ours what we do. Your problem isn’t that he’s befriended a woman a few years younger than he is. Your problem is you’re a classless bunch of small-minded prigs.”

Jaws dropped and they gaped at her like fish in an aquarium, then fell back to their eating and chattering as though people stood on top of Granny’s counter raving like lunatics every day of the week.

Her limbs shook with anger, and she caught the sympathetic eyes of Mary Margaret and David Nolan. One minute they were sitting at the counter holding hands and sharing a basket of chicken fingers and the next thing she knew, they were flanking her, standing one on each side, like a pair of orderlies preparing to strap her into a straight jacket and wheel her away.

“Okay, Belle, that’s enough now, honey.” Mary Margaret’s voice was quiet and soothing, and Belle felt her knees begin to give out.

[sailorshadzter]

sooo i thought it might be fun to get out of my comfort zone as a writer and do an AU storyline. and what better way to do it than with two of my favorite things ever: zutara & disney.

so here’s the first installment of my Mulan/Zutara AU!!

When she had run off to war, she hadn't known what to expect.

But here she was, trapped in a world she didn't know or understand, just trying her best to fit in. Reaching up, she bruhed her hand through her newly cropped, dark locks, wishing for a single moment that she'd not cut off the hair she had always loved. But this... This was for her father, for her family, and her home... For those things she would do anything. Even if it meant cutting off her hair and pretending to be a man. Even if it meant laying down her life on the battlefield.

Katara could still yet recall when the summons to war had come; all families with an able bodied man were called forth to battle. But she could not let her father go, she couldn't allow him to come to harm too. After all that they had lost these last few years, she could not put her father through the toils of war as well. It had only been a few months since Sokka's return from his own time at war, returned early due to injury. He was lucky to be alive, in truth. And their father... Once a war hero in his own right, but injured years before, unable to hardly walk in his older years. How could a man such as him return to war? But he would have been forced to, since Sokka's return was out of the question. She simply could not have let that happen.

And so that was how she found herself where she was right then: standing among a camp full of men, doing her very best not to stand out. She had a secret hope that she'd not even be needed, that perhaps she might get sent back home and all would be well... But, something told her she couldn't get that lucky.

"At attention men!"

Suddenly the call rang out and all around her the men hopped into a single file line, leaving her standing there out of place a moment longer than any of the others. She quickly joined in among the men, squishing herself between a man of considerable size and one of an astonishingly small stature, hoping to become invisible between the two. "Your commander..." The same voice went on and Katara could see a scrawny man with a notepad walking back and forth before the line, well dressed in the attire of a man from the court. "Prince Zuko." He held out a hand and a tall, well dressed young man appeared before them all, his golden eyes soft in his severe looking face. Behind him trailed another man, an older man who looked every inch a weathered soldier, with eyes shaped exactly the same as the prince so newly introduced to them. A few men were exchanging looks, but no one spoke up, and Katara could see as he approached why they looked the way they did. The prince had a wide scar that covered nearly an entire side of his face- it was amazing that his eye had not been injured too. In truth, it seemed amazing that he was even alive for the scar he wore looked nasty.

As he approached the group, Zuko could not help but to sigh. These were the men sent to him to help defend their kingdom? Golden eyes swept along the crowd of men, a rag tag bunch that surely would make terrible soldiers, but he supposed he'd make do with what had had. Truth be told, he knew there wasn't a man out there he couldn't turn into a soldier. "Your training begins at daybreak." He spoke as he stood at the center of the group, hands clasped behind his back, looking out at the lot of them with what he hoped was a commanding face. "Disperse." He then gestured out at the men, unable to stop himself from catching the deep blue eyes of one young man in particular. What striking eyes... He thought, noticing also how young the man looked, or rather how feminine... But his attention was torn from the young man a moment later and soon forgotten as his other duties took priority over the eyes of one of his soldiers.

"His face... I wonder what happened...." She could not help but to wonder aloud as the crowd dispersed, her eyes watching the retreating back of the prince. He had looked right at her, she knew she was not mistaken in that, and she swallowed down her fears of being caught. Surely he'd not noticed her already? Though... Now that she looked both to her left and to her right, she knew she probably stuck out like a sore thumb. She was, she realized, one of the only foreigners among the soldiers. Most every other man around her certainly came from the Fire Nation, though she could pick out a few Earth Kingdom men as well. The Northern Water tribes were far too proud to send their men out to fight alongside the Fire Nation.

She could still yet remember the days before the Fire Nation had attacked, before they had taken control of their little South Pole village. Back then when she'd still been small, they had lived happily in their village, but everything had changed that day the black ash fell. Then the Fire Nation had stormed the village and killed as many of them as they could get their hands on. Her own mother had been slain that day, killed in her own place, for they had come looking for waterbenders. And she... She was the last of them. The sole surviving waterbender of the South Pole. It was a bit scary to think that if any one around her found out she was a woman, surely they would kill her... But if they found out she was a waterbender, too? Who knew what would happen to her.

"It's not just the scar that they're whispering about. It's how he got it." A voice interrupted her thoughts and Katara turned to face the short man she'd been standing beside all that time. He had a strangely deep, rough voice for someone so small. "His father the Fire Lord gave him that scar when he was just a kid, you know." He went on, turning to look at her with dark eyes. "Agni kai against his own son." The man turned, catching sight of the prince just before he disappeared into his tent. "Never seen you before, kid," he turned back to face her then, those same dark eyes inspecting her from top to bottom. "I'm Yao."

As she opened her mouth to reply, she felt the warmth of a body and she spun, finding herself face to face with the large man from earlier, his smile warm as he looked down at her. "I'm Chien-Po," he said, his voice oddly sweet and soft for a man of such a size. As Katara looked back and forth from one man to the other, she again opened her mouth to speak but was yet again interrupted, this time to a fight breaking out to their left. "Oh, not again Ling," the man Chien-Po groaned, moving forward to push himself between a skinny, dark-haired man and another soldier, both looking angry, the skinny man cursing at his opponent. But then Chien-Po put his arms beneath his arm pits and drew him back to their small group, settling him down between them. "There now, there's no need to fight..."

"Meh, I could have taken him out," Yao grumbled beneath his breath and Ling lunged like he was going to attack the man, but Chien-Po had his arms around him a moment before he could attack. "Hey! You still didn't get a chance to introduce yourself!" Yao turned back to face Katara who froze as all three pairs of eyes swiveled to face her. Oh man, why hadn't she come up with a name for herself?

"I'm uh... I have a name... It's a boy's name too, you know!" She was internally screaming, hating herself for every word that she spoke. At least after this they would be so weirded out by her that maybe they would just leave her alone. "Ping!" She suddenly cried, a bit louder than she intended to, followed by an awkward sounding laugh. "Ping. My name is Ping." Relief washed over her as she gave herself kudos for coming up with such a believable name on the spot. It took a few minutes, but she finally was able to escape from the three men and disappear into her own tent, where she crashed onto the simple bed she'd made up just a few hours before. Day break would come sooner than she thought, so she supposed it was as good a time as ever to give in to sleep.

And just like that, her first day in a solider's camp was over.

[overlordofthelollipopguild]

Broken Souls Mend Hearts - Chapter 90

Here’s another chapter. 

I’m so glad that after four years of struggling with this fic, I’m on a hot streak.

Hope you guys enjoy! Feel free to tell me what you think!

Link to ff.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9905481/93/Broken-Souls-Mend-Hearts

Chapter 90: Didn’t See That Coming

Aurora felt miserable. For weeks now, Mulan had avoided her, and no matter how hard Aurora had tried to talk to her, Mulan had brushed her off.

Though for the past seven days, Mulan seemed cozy with Robin. They had been seen around the castle talking, laughing, practicing archery, sparring with swords.

Aurora hated seeing it. She couldn’t even deny that it wasn’t jealousy. Jealous was the only way to describe how she felt about Mulan and Robin’s new companionship. Every time she saw them a part of her heart cracked, while another part seeped in bitterness.

It felt like Mulan was flaunting Robin in her face.

Aurora knew that that was ridiculous. It’s not as thought Mulan and Robin were a couple as far as she knew. They hadn’t kissed or been overly affection. They really could be just friends.

Still, it was the fact that Mulan had a new friend that hurt. Aurora knew that it was her fault. She had been the one to kiss Mulan; she had been the one to ruin their friendship. To make it worse, Aurora hadn’t even known how she had felt about Mulan. No, she had. She had known that she had strong feelings for Mulan, but she’d been in denial. Since Aurora’s memory of the drunken kiss had returned, Aurora had thought long and hard about her feelings for Mulan.

Her conclusion was simple: she loved Mulan. At least, she felt that she could fall for Mulan. They had been so close before; Mulan had been her rock, a shoulder to lean on. Had Aurora taken advantage of that? Because she missed it now. She missed Mulan terribly.

There had to be something that she could do that fix this. Something that would allow for her friendship with Mulan to recover.

What could she do?

She had tried talking to Mulan before, but with Mulan’s constant brush offs, then that wasn’t the approach she needed to go.

First, she had to find Mulan, which was trying to do at that moment. She was determined to reach Mulan, to talk to her, to get their relationship back on track.

After asking around, she found out that Mulan had taken a walk to the river.

Aurora followed the path down to the river. She broke through the trees and froze.

Mulan was at the edge of the river, pulling on her leather pants. Her white linen shirt was untucked and loose, and her black hair was down and wet. It was clear that Mulan had just been bathing in the river.

Aurora swallowed, heat coiling in her gut. She licked her lips, rubbing her thighs together. Taking a few quiet breaths to steady herself, Aurora stepped forward.

Mulan’s head shot up, her eyes widened. “Aurora…”

It was as if she floated out of her body, because Aurora didn’t even think about moving, but she did. She was in front of Mulan in seconds, and her hand went up to Mulan’s neck, fingers tangling in Mulan’s damp hair, pulling the warrior forward.

Their lips met, and Aurora was sure that something exploded behind her closed eyelids.

She pulled Mulan closer, coaxing her lips with her own, until Mulan finally opened for her.

A hand tangled in Aurora’s auburn locks, and soon enough she and Mulan were pressed together so intimately that Aurora thought she could feel Mulan’s heartbeat.

They broke apart, panting heavily.

“Aurora…” Mulan’s wrecked tone has Aurora kissing her again.

Someone’s legs, hell maybe both of their legs, gave out and they tumbled down onto the bank.

Mulan was on top of Aurora, kissing her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered to her.

Aurora wrapped an arm around Mulan’s waist, pulling her closer.

They had to stop kissing again, because they couldn’t breathe.

Hell, Aurora was certain that she blacked out for a second.

Mulan looked down at her, uncertainty still in her eyes.

“Now that I have you here.” Aurora began breathlessly. “I can tell you what I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks now. I have feelings for you, now will you stop running?”

Mulan pushed herself off of Aurora, pulling the princess up with her. “You do?”

“Yes.” Aurora said. “I didn’t know for sure…I didn’t remember the kiss at first, but when I did, I realized that I had feelings for you. Then you kept pushing me away, and I thought that you didn’t feel the same way. I thought that I had ruined our friendship. It hurt me to think that I ruined this.”

“You didn’t ruin anything.” Mulan insisted. “I was pushing you away, because I have feelings for you. Aurora, you’re a princess, and a woman. This relationship will be frowned upon, because I’m a commoner and I certainly won’t be able to provide heirs.”

“We have Diana.” Aurora said.

Mulan’s heart fluttered at including Diana as hers. “That still doesn’t mean that it will be easy for us. People will have their issues with this.”

“So what?” Aurora said. “Even if you were a man, people would still have issues. People will always have issues with things that they don’t agree with. You went into the army, and I’m sure people had their problems with that.”

“I was pretending to be a man.” Mulan said. “They didn’t know I was a woman.”

“But they found out.” Aurora said.

“And I was nearly executed.” Mulan said.

“That’s not how things work here.” Aurora said. “I want to be with you, Mulan.”

“I want to be with you too.” Mulan said.

Aurora gave her a winning smile. “Good, now let’s go home.”

A happy giggle from Liam lifted Killian’s mood.

He leaned over his son, tickling his sides again.

Liam giggled again, his little legs kicking out, his arms flailing.

“Having fun?” Killian asked.

Liam gurgled.

“Yeah, me too.” Killian tickled him again.

Another fit of giggles filled the tent.

Killian let out a content sigh as he looked down at his happy son. It made him feel lighter that Liam was happy. That meant that he was doing something right. He was doing right by Liam so far.

At least, he was doing right by someone. Just like that, his good mood deflated. He was no where close to getting back to Emma and Henry.

Henry. It was Henry’s twelfth birthday today, and Killian was missing it. He was missing out on Henry’s life and Emma’s life. Killian sighed again, but this time it was a sigh of melancholy.

Liam frowned, noticing the mood change in his father.

“I know, I know.” Killian said. “I shouldn’t let it get too me, but it does.” Killian picked Liam up and set the baby in his lap, still supporting his son’s head. “I’ve told you this before, but your brother and mother are in another world.”

Liam looked up at him intently.

“They would’ve loved to see you.” Killian continued. “I know that they love you so much. It hurt them a lot to leave us. You know, they didn’t have a choice, right? They never wanted to leave us. They would be here if they could.” He pulled Liam closer. “But we’re going to be with them again. I promise.”

The tent flap opened and Tink stepped in.

It was clear on her face that she had been listening to his and Liam’s one sided conversation.

Tink went to Killian’s side and wrapped an arm around him to hug him. “You know, you can talk to us too.” She said softly.

Killian swallowed. “I just…I didn’t want to burden any of you.”

“Killian, we’re family.” Tink said. “Sharing our troubles is what family does.”

Killian hesitated. He wasn’t quite sure if he should. He spent three hundred years not having anyone to really talk to, and then Emma came into his life and changed that. Now without her, he felt that he had to be strong. If he wasn’t strong, he would crumble. “I just…I miss them. I made a promise to find them. I intend to keep that promise.”

“But?” Tink prompted.

“It’s just taking longer than I hoped.” Killian admitted. “I mean, I knew that I was promising the impossible, but…I hoped…”

“If there is anything that I’ve learned from you Joneses, it’s that you never give up.” Tink gave him a reassuring smile. “Insurmountable odds eventually get overcome. Killian, you’re a man of pure heart and determination. You will succeed.”

Killian smiled a little at that. It was nice to have someone believe in him and believe that he would eventually succeed. “You think so?”

“I know so.” Tink said. “As a former fairy, I know these things.”

Killian let out a small sigh of relief. Somehow, the burden that had been weighing him down had lightened just a little bit. He felt like he could breathe a little easier now. He worried about being a burden to his companions, but Tink’s reassurances eased his mind and some of the stress that had been making it’s way through him.

Perhaps he could share more of himself with them, but he still felt the instinctive need to keep things close to the vest. His talk with Tink was some progress, but he wasn’t quite ready to give anyone his total confidence.  

Still, it was a step in the right direction.

He thanked Tink for her words, and Tink left him, reminding him to talk to anyone of them if he needed it.

When he and Liam were alone again, Killian looked down, finding his son dozing off. “Ah, I see, were Auntie Tink and I boring you?”

Liam’s eyes blinked open, but then just as quickly they started to close.

Killian rocked his son and began to sing him to sleep.

As he sung, he sent out a silent “Happy Birthday” to Henry; he hoped all was well.

Snow paced her bedroom, full of nervous energy. She had asked Doc to send David up to the room, because Snow didn’t want to search him out and have this conversation become public and gossip fodder.

It needed to be a private matter for now.

She had no idea how David would react to the news of her pregnancy, but she hoped that it would be a good reaction. She wanted them both to want this; she wanted him to be as happy as she was.

The door opened and David walked in with a concerned look, even though there was a hint of a smile on his face. He shut the door behind him and walked over to her. “Doc said you wanted to see me.”

“Yes.” Snow nodded. She stood there, twiddling her fingers.

David looked at her expectantly. “Snow?”

“Right, uh, sit down.” She motioned towards their bed.

David complied, none too sure of where this conversation was headed.

Snow paced in front of him, trying to search for the right words. Should she just come out and say it? Rip the bandaid off, so to speak? Or should she ease into it? Maybe lay some groundwork?

If there was one thing that David knew, it was that a pacing Snow was never a good thing, so he stood up and stopped her, gently gripping her arms. “Snow, honey, just tell me what’s going on?”

The bandaid approach it was then. “I’m pregnant.”

David’s eyes widened and his mouth slackened, before he blinked and recovered. “Oh.”

“Oh?” That wasn’t exactly what Snow had expected him to say.

David grimaced. “I just meant…” David let go of Snow and stepped back; he was at a loss for words. He wanted to be happy about the news, but right now his body and mind hadn’t yet processed the news, and already he was wondering if this was even a good time to have a baby.

“Just meant what?” Snow crossed her arms over her chest. It stung to see David not happy about the news. A part of her had expected it, just as a part of her had hoped that he would be happy, but it still hurt her to see him hear the news and not be somewhat happy.

David swallowed. “It’s just…is this really a good time?”

Even though Snow had voiced the same concern to Ruby, hearing it from David only hurt her more. “It’s not ideal no.”

David winced at Snow’s sharp tone.

“I didn’t plan this, you know.” Snow continued, her anger building. “I want more kids, David, but I was surprised to find out. I know this isn’t the best timing, but it happened.”

“Obviously.” David said.

Snow glared at him harshly.

David winced again. He was digging a deeper hole. “It’s just…”

“You know what?” Snow cut him off. “Maybe you need to think about this alone. When you’re ready to talk, come and find me.” She left quickly, cursing her hormones as the tears came.

David cursed himself, wondering what the hell was wrong with him, but he didn’t go after Snow.

She was right.

He needed time to process this.

Emma bit back a groan of annoyance when she stepped out of the elevator only to find Walsh in the hallway. She had Henry’s present, professionally wrapped too, in one arm, and the store bought chocolate cake in the other arm.

Why the hell was Walsh loitering in the hallway?

“We have to stop meeting like this.” Walsh joked.

Emma ignored him and walked over to her door. She tucked the present under her opposite arm, easy to do as it was cylindrical, and fished out her keys.

Walsh leaned against the wall next to her door. “So, how’s the fiancé?”

“Still deployed.” Emma practically growled.

“I don’t know about that.” Walsh said. “I think you made him up.”

Emma turned to him, her eyes flashing. “Excuse me?” It was the truth of course, but Walsh was a stranger, and he had no right to call her on it.

“I think you just made him up so that you wouldn’t have to go out with me.” Walsh told her. He had this cocky smile on and Emma wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face.

“Why would I do that?” Emma hissed.

“I think you want to go out with me.” Walsh said. “I think you’re just afraid.”

Emma scoffed. She definitely did not want to go out with this sleaze ball, and she certainly wasn’t afraid of him. If she could get away with it, she’d show him just how unafraid she was, but she was a single mother and she didn’t need assault charges on her record. “I don’t want to go out with you because I’m engaged to someone else. Plus, and you might take offense, but I don’t care, you’re a creep. Women don’t want to date creeps whether they’re single or not.” She unlocked her door and stepped inside. “For your information, Killian is real, and you’re lucky he’s not here to kick your ass.”

She slammed the door in Walsh’s reddening face, throwing the bolt with more force than necessary.

Seriously, who did that guy think that he was? Why the hell would he think that she’d want to go out with him? Emma knew that she wasn’t sending mixed signals; no, she very clearly didn’t want anything to do with Walsh. She rolled her eyes. Men. Honestly.

Killian would never act like that.

Emma stopped mid-step. Where did that thought come from? Killian wasn’t real. He was just some guy that she made up to keep that creep away.

A little voice in her head doubted that conclusion.

Emma shook her head. That was crazy. She made Killian up.

She set the cake on the counter, and the present over on the kitchen table.

Henry wanted pizza from his favorite place and Emma’s famous mac and cheese for dinner, so Emma started on the mac and cheese all the while feeling on edge.

Was it just her interaction with Walsh that had her in this mood?

Or was there something more to it?

I think you just made him up. Walsh’s voice taunted her.

It was the truth; she did make Killian Jones up.

So why did that bother her so much?

Robin turned a corner, and bumped into someone.

Mulan looked up at him, smiling widely.

It shocked Robin, honestly. He and Mulan had formed a friendship, and he’d seen her smile, but every smile was controlled and minuscule. This one was wide and happy, as if for once in her life, Mulan didn’t care that her emotions were easy to read. For once, she wasn’t hiding them away from the world to be protected.

“Well, someone looks happy.” Robin smiled.

Mulan practically glowed. “I am.”

The realization hit him quickly then. “You talked to her then?”

“I did.” Mulan nodded. “Well, it was more that she found me and kissed me and then we talked.”

Robin laughed. “Good for you both then.”

“Thank you.” Mulan said. “It’s Aurora, by the way. The woman that I’m with.”

“Well, now.” Robin’s tone turned teasing. “This is a surprise. You’ve got yourself a princess.”

Mulan blushed. “Shut up.”

“Does that make you princess consort then?” He teased again. “Or are you a duchess now?”

“Please, I have no titles.” Mulan hit him lightly on the shoulder. “We’re just dating.”

Robin laughed again, and his tone turned from teasing to genuinely sincere. “That’s good then. I’m glad that you two found each other.”

“I am too.” Mulan admitted. “Thank you, too.”

“Oh?”

“I never would’ve had the courage to admit my feelings to her, to be with her, if you hadn’t talked to me about it.” Mulan said. “I was scared, but you helped me see that there was nothing to be scared of, so thank you.”

“That’s what friends are for.” Robin said.

Mulan brightened at the fact that Robin considered her to be a friend. “So, what about you?”

“What about me?” He asked.

“Well, there are plenty of woman roaming the castle while the village is being built.” Mulan said. “Even more over at Snow’s castle. Any future Mrs. Locksley on the mind?”

Robin blinked; he had never really thought about it before. After Marian had passed, Roland and his men were his only concern. He hadn’t actually ever thought about the fact that Roland needed a mother; that Robin himself needed companionship. No one had really stirred his interest.

That’s not true. A treacherous voice whispered. There was one.

Robin quickly pushed that thought aside. Sure, that woman was attractive, and there was something about her that pulled him in, but he would never, ever court her. She wasn’t someone who could be a wife or a mother. At least, not a mother to Roland.

Regina was very dangerous, and Robin needed to put his son first. The former Evil Queen wasn’t what either he or Roland needed. Besides, it was just physical attraction anyway. There was nothing else about Regina that he liked at all.

He ignored the voice in his head that doubted that, especially when it conjured the images of Regina that stuck with him the most: her lost look that night when he found her in the woods, her facing her victims with dignity, and most of all, her running from the stables when he made her cry.

He hated that he had made her cry. He hated that he hated that he made her cry. Why did Regina always make him feel like two different people? The sane part of him knew that she was the Evil Queen and knew of all her crimes, but then the other part, the one Robin liked to call the insane part, wanted to know more about Regina. The insane part of him wanted to go back to the castle and apologize to her and maybe become friends.

He needed to listen to the sane part of himself. For his own sake and for Roland’s.

There was no way in hell that he’d ever involve himself with Regina.

“Robin?”

Mulan’s voice brought him out of his thoughts.

She looked bemused. “You looked like you were getting lost inside of your head.”

“Perhaps, I was.” Robin gave her a tight smile.

Mulan studied him. “Maybe you should go talk to her?”

“Who?” Robin canted his head in confusion.

“The woman that is plaguing your thoughts.” Mulan said. There was a sly look in her eyes.

Robin scoffed. “Oh no, I will never get involved with that particular woman. Trust me.” He clapped Mulan on the shoulder. “Truly, though, I am happy for you and Aurora. If you two ever need someone to watch Diana, so you can have alone time, I shall be of service.”

Mulan flushed again, embarrassed at the suggestion. “Oh, um, thanks.”

Robin smiled again and walked off, trying very hard to get Regina off his mind. Again.

Henry was digging into the pizza from his favorite pizza place.

Emma seriously wondered if she was a bad mother for indulging it, but the kid really loved his pizza.

Pizza made him happy, and his happiness was all Emma ever wanted for him. He was excited to spend time with her tonight eating pizza, mac and cheese, chocolate cake, and Ben and Jerry’s and watching the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. He was excited for his second party on Saturday as well; even more so for the Star Wars theme.

Henry had also been ecstatic over his present. He loved the antique map of the world, and he didn’t even wait another second before he hung it up in his room. It now hung proudly over his desk.

All in all, Emma was doing a bang up job as a mom, and it pleased her endlessly.

Henry turned out to be such a great kid; Emma was probably the luckiest mother ever to get a kid so good.

They were halfway through Curse of the Black Pearl, when Henry spoke. “Can we go sailing?”

Emma started, her slice of pizza halfway to her mouth. “Um, I don’t know. I’ll have to look into it.”

Henry gave her an odd look, before accepting that answer.

Emma herself felt odd. She didn’t know how to sail, but something inside of her wanted to argue with that assessment, despite the fact that she had never been on a boat in her life. Emma shook her head; it was just another one of those things that apparently put her head and her heart at odds.

When they finished the first movie, Emma brought out the cake and told Henry to make a wish.

Henry studied the flickering flames of the number one and two candles.

I wish that Mom’s fairytale will come true.

Emma smiled as Henry blew out the candles. “Good wish, kid?”

“I think so.” Henry said.

“I hope it comes true.” Emma ruffled his hair before she cut into the cake.

Henry silently hoped that it would too, because his mom deserved to be happy. 

Zelena walked through the woods, needing some fresh air. She’d overheard someone cursing her monkeys for terrorizing the refugees. The guilt was surprising when it manifested and when it overwhelmed her, Zelena found that she needed to leave the castle.

Perhaps staying here had been a bad idea after all. She was still the Wicked Witch; she still had her plans that she needed to prepare for. Growing close to these people would only do more harm than good.

She looked up at the stars, uncertainty rolling through her. Zelena didn’t want to keep lying, especially not since everyone had treated her with such kindness, but in her heart she knew that if she revealed to them who she really was, everyone would turn on her. No one ever wanted the real Zelena. The real Zelena was wicked and worthless.

Lena, on the other hand, was wanted. Everyone liked Lena.

But her life as Lena was still a lie, and Zelena could never truly be herself. If she was herself, she’d lose everything. That was why she still had to go forward with her plans. If she time travelled, then she would gain everything. She would have nothing to lose. She would be wanted and loved just for herself.

She wouldn’t be something wicked that people cursed at and loathed.

“It’s late for a walk.” A chilling male voice had Zelena freezing in her tracks. She slowly turned around to face the intruder.

An older man stepped out of the shadows.

Zelena didn’t recognize him, but something about him made her uneasy. It was the same feeling she had often had around her adoptive father. Hating that feeling, Zelena glared at him. “I like moonlight strolls.”

“It’s very dangerous though.” The man smirked.

It gave Zelena goosebumps.

“Especially with those flying creatures around.” The man continued. “They could snatch you up before you could run away.”

“I’m not afraid of those things.” Zelena sounded haughty to her own ears, but she was feeling rather defensive in this man’s presence.

“Of course, not.” The man said. “I wouldn’t fear them either if I was the one ordering them about.”

Zelena’s blood chilled. She tried valiantly to hide her surprise. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t worry.” He said. “I won’t rat you out, Wicked Witch. In fact, I have a proposal.”

Fear rose up in her, but Zelena squashed it back down. “I could just kill you.”

“I thought of that.” He chuckled but there was no mirth. “I have a partner, you see. I’ve told them about you. If I turn up dead or missing, then my partner will rat you out. Then what will you do?”

Zelena silently fumed, her fists clenched at her sides. “Who are you?”

“I am King George.” He said. “I’m here to offer my services as your ally. All I ask in return is that I be restored to power and that I can get my revenge on Prince Charming and his Snow White.”

Zelena has heard of him. She knew the stories, and she had heard of George’s cruelty. It made her nauseous to form an alliance with him, but right now, she didn’t have a choice. Her plans would be completed disrupted if it was revealed that she was the Wicked Witch. “Other than you keeping my secret, how does an alliance benefit me?”

George smiled coldly, obviously believing that he had Zelena right where he wanted her. “You’ll see.” He held out his hand. “To an alliance, then?”

Zelena stared at his hand for a moment before shaking it, regretting her decision already. She had a disturbing feeling that an alliance with George was a dangerous game and that she wouldn’t come out on top if she wasn’t careful.

What the hell did she just get herself into?

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior 9/4/20 – TENET! MULAN! I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS (but now that I’ve seen Tenet and Mulan, I’m better)… and More!

It’s Labor Day weekend… it is, isn’t it? I can’t even remember what day of the week it is anymore, and it looks like movie theaters across the country are generally all reopened except for a few specific areas. While theaters seem to be playing a variety of old and new movies – and Chadwick Boseman’s breakout 42, in which he plays Jackie Robinson, will be shown in 300 AMC theaters starting Thursday --  it still feels like we’re not quite where we should be. That said, only three states remain fully closed as far as movie theaters go: New York (eff you, Cuomo!), North Carolina and New Mexico. California is slowly rolling out movie theaters reopening in certain sections but not in L.A. or San Francisco just yet. Honestly, I’m having a rough week, and I’ll be surprised if I even get through half the movies that I have seen and planned to review, let alone everything else I have to do.

Finally! The movie that’s looking to be one of the most controversial movies of the summer, if not the year, comes to the United States. Of course, I’m talking about Christopher Nolan’s TENET (Warner Bros.), his tribute to James Bond movies with John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman) playing a super-spy (of sorts) who teams with Robert Pattinson to perform intricate heists on a mission to find out who has discovered bullets that travel backwards through time and brought them back into our time. Also starring Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh, the movie has received mixed to positive reviews with about 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. You can read my full review right here and a second technical review here.

Right now, it looks like Tenet is going to be playing in roughly 3,000 theaters over Labor Day weekend with only a few states fully closed including my own (New York), as well as North Carolina and New Mexico. A few other states like New Jersey and Maryland are reopening but it may be too late to get Tenet in there. California has a few areas open but not Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Although I’m hesitant at making any predictions right now or doing a full-blown analysis – there so many unknowns in a pandemic -- I think a four-day opening of somewhere between $25 and 28 million should be possible even with limited seating in most theaters that have reopened. I think people are ready to go back to theaters despite the negative narrative created by certain irresponsible film critics who seem to care more about their own personal health than that of the industry that has allowed them to pay rent and live large for years.

Another movie that I’ve been looking forward to and actually my most anticipated movie of the year is Disney’s live action remake of their animated classic, MULAN, this one directed by one of my favorite filmmakers, Niki Caro of Whale Rider fame. I cannot tell you how excited I was to finally see this movie after being invited to a press screen back in March, and then have it systematically cancelled as everything else started shutting down. Fortunately, I got a screener and while not my favorite way to watch a movie, I absolutely LOVED IT!

It stars Yifei Liu as the title character, made famous in the 1998 Disney animated movie, and it follows a similar story of a teen girl who steals her father’s sword and armor and pretends to be a man to join the Imperial Army under secrecy. There are definitely major changes in Caro’s version, most notably the lack of songs and no sign of Mushu, the adorable dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy. This is also not meant for small children, because it’s PG-13 not because it has anything terrible like someone waving genitals or swearing but because some of the action does get intense without much blood or anything terrible. I mean, this is definitely a SOFT PG-13, if that’s even a thing.

The movie is gorgeous and in the vein of movies I love like Zhang Yimou’s Hero and Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and it’s even exec. produced by Bill Kong, who produced many of those films. The point is that I love these kinds of movies, plus I’ve long been a fan of Caro’s, and everything just comes together beautifully from the performance by Yifei Liu to the fantastic characters around her, including ones played by Jet Li and Donnie Yen (reuniting from Hero!), as well as an amazing witch played by the indelible Ms. Gong Li, who is also terrific. Sure, there’s a few issues with the dialogue, but this is not a kiddie movie, as much as it’s something on par with the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and I just love all of the decision Caro and her all-Asian cast make in telling this story in a new way. I particularly liked how the film followed Chinese traditions and dealt with things like “chi,” but as with the animated film, the stuff in the army 

On top of the amazing martial arts fights, there are also some terrific battle scene that would do Braveheart proud, and it’s all pulled together by Harry Gregson-Williams’ score, which may be one of my favorite pieces of music this year. Definitely a score I’ll be buying since it brings so much excitement and emotion to every scene, but that’s just as much a credit to Ms. Caro and her fantastic cast, who in a couple scenes, particularly between Liu and Li, had me tearing up almost as much as every single time I’ve watched Caro’s debut, Whale Rider.

I’m sure that fans of the animated movie (which I only saw for the first time earlier this year) will have different expectations, but you can’t fault Disney for being a little bit concerned and undeservedly dumping it to the Disney+ streaming service (which you can watch it at a premium of $29.95) rather than giving it the theatrical release it truly deserved. Honestly, if for some strange reason, Disney decides to play it in a bunch of theaters once they’re fully open, I would not hesitate to watch this again in what I consider a much-better environment for a movie which is likely to end up in my top 10 for year. It’s probably my favorite straight-up Disney movie (not including Pixar or Marvel) since maybe Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella, although I kind of enjoyed Mary Poppins Returns, too.

I also have a crafts review of Mulan over at Below the Line, so check that out!

While I’ve generally been mixed on Charlie Kaufman’s movies that he directed himself, I couldn’t NOT watch I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, his new movie on Netflix, starring Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons as a young couple going to visit his parents, played by Toni Collette and David Thewlis. At first, it looks like they’ll get stuck in a snowstorm, but then they get there and then they leave and once again get stuck in a snowtorm. No, this isn’t Centigrade 2, but actually something far FAR worse, to the point where I’m not even sure where to begin.

It starts with Buckley’s “Young woman” – yes, Kaufman doesn’t even bother giving her a name – being picked up by her boyfriend Jake (Plemons) before the long ride through the snow to his parent’s house. The whole time, we hear her inner thoughts about wanting to break up with Jake for one or reason or another, her thoughts always been interrupted by Jake making a statement that seems out of the blue. When they get to his parents’ farm in the middle of nowhere, things start to get weird, and I don’t want to go into too many details because if you read my review and decide to sit through it anyway, then it’s your own fault.

Apparently, this was loosely based on a book of the same name by Iain Reid, but it was adapted by the guy who wrote Adaptation, so Kaufman pretty much just went off and did his own thing based on Reid’s general premise. What I find particularly weird is that some of the early reviews talked about this movie as if it was a horror movie, but I just don’t see that at all. It’s just a really dry and weird comedy that doesn’t really take off. While parts of it remind me of the comics work of Daniel Clowes (Ghost World), who I genuinely love, other parts just get so weird, and at times, it reminded me of David Lynch’s Eraserhead or M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit, but only because there are so many WTF moments that you wonder what the actors must have thought while they were doing what Kaufman told them to do. Again, I’m not going to ruin the experience of being thoroughly confounded by some of the weirder moments but after Buckley and Plemons leave the farmhouse, they’re back driving through the snow and having far more intelligent conversations about such mundane topics. At one point, I thought, “This movie must be over soon, right?” and I checked, and there were 43 more minutes to go. That’s when I went from angry to outright ballistic, because I knew that there were so many other things I could be doing than listening to all the talking, talking, talking… They eventually arrive at an abandoned school and go there for shelter, and I was like, “Oh, good, now we get to the horror stuff.” Nope.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things is the perfect movie for the scant few that raved about Darren Aronofsky’s mother!, or those who consider Holy Rollers a masterpiece of the highest order. Awful, aggravating and almost unwatchable at times, I’d only recommend Kaufman’s movie to people as a practical joke. Nah, I’m not that mean. It’ll be on Netflix tomorrow. Good luck with it.

Filmmaker and Rooney* frontman Robert Schwartzman directs his third feature, the comedy THE “ARGUMENT” (Gravitas Ventures), which takes the simple idea of a cocktail party and turns it into a riotous and sometimes strange comedy of errors, of sorts.

Dan Fogler and Emma Bell play couple Jack and Lisa, he a writer, her an actress, who have been together for some time, and Jack is ready to pop the question. After the final of a stageplay Lisa is co-starring in, Jack throws a cocktail party at which he’s gonna propose. He invites over his agent Danny Pudi from Community) and his wife Sarah (Maggie Q) but Lisa has invited her amorous co-star Paul (Tyler James Williams from Everybody Hates Chris all grown up!), who brought his own bubbly girlfriend Trina (Cleopatra Coleman).  As Trina starts drinking, thing just get worse and worse, and it inevitably turns into a full- on fight between Jack and Lisa aka the “argument” of the title. Jack is convinced that if they have a do-over on the night, they can prove who is right.

Oh, yeah. That couldn’t possibly work, right? Well, I’m not going to spoil it, but the one do-over turns into several, which turns into Jack trying to script the perfect cocktail party with the six of them … or rather five after Maggie Q’s character quits in a hilarious huff where she does impressions of the other five. (I’ve always found Maggie to be hilarious from talking to her years ago, and it’s great that her comic skills are finally being used, along with her beauty.) Eventually, Jack brings in actors to play each of them and perform the script he’s written so they can all sit back and figure out where things went wrong. Honestly, The “Argument” is more like the Charlie Kaufman movies I liked (such as Adaptation), and the movie has a vibe a lot like the play God of Carnage, which Roman Polanski adapted into a movie that nobody saw and few gave a fair shake. Also reminded me of Ike Barinholtz’s The Oath, which I quite enjoyed. The main leads are great, but I gotta give additional kudos to Maggie and Cleopatra Coleman, who gives a surprisingly layered performance as possibly the first ditzy African-American not-blonde “blonde” in movie history?

Although Schwartzman didn’t write this movie – it’s written by Zac Sanford who made The Chumscrubber -- he does a great job using his talented cast to throw many surprises at the viewer, and I was laughing quite hardily as the movie went on, because I really enjoyed the characters portrayed not just by the main six but also the actors playing the actors. Yeah, I know it might get confusing but at least this doesn’t have time travel, so if you want a fun and unexpectedly clever dark comedy, do check out The “Argument” which will be in theaters and On Demand, and apparently, you can even order it bundled with WINE?!?!? (*And you can also check out Rooney on Spotify!)

Another really nice surprise this week was Jeff Barnaby’s apocalyptic horror film BLOOD QUANTUM (Shudder/RLJEFilms), which was released on VOD, Digital HD, DVD and Blu-Ray earlier this week but is also on the awesome horror streamer, Shudder, I guess right now? It involves a community of indigenous people in the reserve Red Crow who face the undead when an infection hits the village through a bunch of animals who come back to life and then infect the humans. The movie starts on the first night of this plague and then cuts forward six months when the people of Red Crow have shut themselves off from the rest of the world with the hopes of keeping those still alive uninfected from the hordes of “Zeds” outside their gates.

I’m a little bummed I didn’t have press notes for this movie because there are so many great characters and performances, but it was hard to keep track of them without a scorecard. It does star Michael Greyeyes from Fear the Walking Dead, as well as Forrest Godluck (The Revenant), Kiowa Gordon and Elle-Máijá Tailfeatures, but other than Greeneyes, who plays the sherriff trying to keep his family safe, I could barely keep track of the characters or figure out who played them, and that’s a shame.

I generally liked the recent Train to Busan: Peninsula but Blood Quantum works just as little bit better, mainly from the interaction of the characters in a world full of sex and drugs and gore galore where you never who is gonna get killed but for the most part, they’re likely to go in a way that involves blood that pours like a waterfall. You add to the quick pace of Barnaby’s direction the amazing score that almost sounds like Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and you have a movie that makes you realize that Barnaby has made a film that perfectly captures the spirit and feel of John Carpenter’s best work. 

I actually watched John Leguizamo’s feature film directorial debut CRITICAL THINKING (Vertical Entertainment), way back in March, literally my very last press screening before movie theaters shut down, little realizing that it would be the last press screening for six months! It’s written by Dito Montiel, who I’ve generally been mixed on, and it’s based on a true story from 1998 where a Miami teacher, played by Leguizamo, tries to save a group of Latino and Black teenagers from the inevitable drugs and crime that kids from the underserved ghetto usually get into by teaching them chess and getting them all the way to the National Chess Championship. I didn’t get to rewatch it to write any sort of intelligent review, but as you can imagine, it has a Mr. Holland’s Opus or Dead Poet’s Society feel, but mixed with the little-seen Disney movie, Queen of Katwe, which I generally enjoyed much more. I do think Leguizamo did a pretty decent job with his first feature as a director and maybe if the crazy early days of COVID weren’t distracting me so much, maybe I would have enjoyed it more. This is a movie that I need to rewatch with a better head on my shoulders.

Tyler Norwood’s doc ROBIN’S WISH (Vertical) takes a look at the last years of comedian and actor Robin Williams, who died from suicide in August 2014 at the age of 63. To everyone who knew him, from close acquaintances to fans, it was a mystery why Williams would take his own life with things going so well in his marriage to Susan Schneider. After his death, the autopsy showed that he was afflicted by undiagnosed diffuse Lewy body dementia, and apparently, that was enough to do his head in to the point where suicide seemed like the only solution.

This is a very different than the equally good Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind, because it does focus so much on Williams’ last years and his relationship with Schneider, who plays a much bigger role in this movie with in-depth and intimate moments. It also does a good job talking to Williams’ neighbors in Marin County, who laud the comedian’s commitment to entertaining those in the community. It also interviews Shawn Levy from the Night at the Museum movies, who talks about how Williams wouldn’t let anyone around him know what was going on, maybe because he didn’t really know himself.

Williams’ death was tragic but even moreso when you realize what he must have been going through, and the only thing else I will say is that the notably teary documentary Dear Zachary may finally have some competition as the most tear-inducing real-life film you ever watch. Even so, it’s wonderful and does as great job shining a light on how hard something like dementia hits people when they least expect it. (Also, the score and cinematography for the film are fabulous at provoking those sorrowful emotions even more.)

Arthur Jones’ doc FEELS GOOD MAN is available right now On Demand via the Fantasia Film Festival and will be available via other film festivals, like Oxford Film Festival, starting Friday. (It will also be in theaters, including Oxford’s drive-in!) The movie follows the journey of comics artist Matt Furie, who drew a comic called “Boys Club” that featured a strange frog character named Pepe, who I never heard of, but apparently, the odd underground comic character went from being a popular meme to becoming a symbol of the alt-right. It sounds pretty crazy, but it is an absolutely crazy story as Furie sees his lovable and peaceful slacker character get out from under his control as right wing kooks like Alex Jones from InfoWars gloms onto him.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d find this as interesting as the HBO doc, Beware the Slenderman (which I also happened to see at Fantasia a few years ago), but the way that Jones tells Furie and Pepe’s story is really quite compelling, especially as he (and we) watch the craziness surrounding his character unfold, and Pepe becomes less and less like something he wanted to be associated with. (Furie and his wife spent thousands of their own money-making Pepe T-shirts and merch only to have to destroy it all once Furie gets pegged as the creator of a hate image. I mean, holy shit, this thing gets ugly!)

Apparently, Feels Good Man won an “Emerging Filmmaker” Jury Award at Sundance, and it’s well-deserved. I’d recommend the movie to anyone who likes comics or politics and doesn’t mind when the two things collide.

There are a few other movies that I want to write about that I didn’t have time to watch despite having screeners and who knows, maybe I can watch them over this longer weekend if things aren’t too crazy screener-wise. (I lost quite a bit of time with my trip to Connecticut to see Tenet, unfortunately.)

First, there’s Julius Berg’s THE OWNERS (RLJEFilms), which stars Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones and Sylvester McCoy aka Doctor Who #6 (I think?). It’s about a group of friends who want to break into an empty house in which there’s a safe full of money, but when the elderly couple (including McCoy) return home early, they turn the tables in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Yeah, it does sound like it could be fun, and it’ll be in select theaters, On Demand and digital this Friday.

Also out on Digital, as well as DVD, Blu-Ray this week is the anime CHILDREN OF THE SEA (Shout! Factory/GKids) from director Ayumu Watanabe and STUDIO4ºC who made Mind Game and Tekkonkinkreet. It’s about a young girl named Ruka whose father works at an aquarium where she comes across two mysterious boys who were raised by dugongs (a type of sea cow) so they’re very familiar and acclimated to water, to the point where they have to be in or near it at all times, kind of like Aquaman. I did watch a little bit of this, and I do have to say that it looks gorgeous, definitely more photo-realistic than the work of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. I’m sure I’ll get around to watch the rest of it because I do enjoy well-made anime -- Weathering With You and Ride Your Wave are likely to be in my year-end Top 25, for instance – so hopefully, fans of anime and fantsy will check it out.

On Amazon Prime this Friday is Eric Merola’s doc THE ANDORRA HUSTLE, which look at the country of Andorra, located between France and Spain in the Pyrenees mountains, holding a population of 80,000 people who find themselves at the center of one of the most convoluted robberies in history in 2015 when a the private bank Banca Privada d’Andorra was shut down by the government to destroy the Catalonian Independence Movement, leaving dozens of innocent civilians facing jail time for laundering money after losing their life savings.

A couple prominent science fiction series premiere this weekend, including the Ridley Scott-produced Raised by Wolves on HBO Max and Away, starring Hillary Swank on Netflix. Someday, I hope to have

There’s a lot of other stuff that I didn’t have to watch or even think about it, so yeah, this is a little bit of a “lite edition” of the Weekend Warrior, so I apologize. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do better next week.

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

[swanqueeneverafter]

18. We Are Both, Pt.5

The Enchanted Forest. Past. (Prince Charming is seen burning a candle in his mother's memory.) Snow White: “I'm so sorry. She was all the family you had left.” Prince Charming: “No. I still have you. I love you, Snow. And together, we can start a new family. Here. (Brings out amulet:) This belonged to her. She would've wanted you to have it. She said that it could tell you what your child would be.” (He tries to put it Snow White's in hand but she resists.) Snow White: “Please don't.” Prince Charming: “It's just a superstition.” Snow White: “There's something I need to tell you.” Prince Charming: “What is it? What's wrong?” Snow White: “Wh... (Pause. The amulet starts swinging east to west, surprised:) we're going to have a child.” Prince Charming: “What?” Snow White: “We're going to have a child.” Prince Charming: “Is there something I need to know?” Snow White: (Elated:) “I mean someday.” Prince Charming: “Well, of course we are. What's it say it's gonna be? It's gonna be a boy, right? I can never remember which direction means what.” Snow White: “It's a surprise.” Prince Charming: “I'll send the signal for the army to regroup. We are gonna take back the kingdom, Snow, and we are going to do it as a family.” (They kiss and Charming jogs over to his horse.) Snow White: (Realising something, turns to Lancelot:) “This is because of you, isn't it? Ruth only pretended to drink the water. She had you put it in the wedding chalice so I would drink it. That's how King George's curse was broken, wasn't it?” Lancelot: I have no idea what you're talking about. (Smiles:) So... what's your child gonna be?” Snow White: “A girl.”

The Enchanted Forest. Present. Royal Castle. Mary Margaret: “Lancelot was one of the noblest knights I ever knew.” Mulan: “How could I be so blind? How could I not see that it was Cora?” Emma: “Well, to be fair, the whole shape-shifting thing threw me, too.” Mulan: “What are we going to tell the people on the island?” Mary Margaret: “The truth... that Lancelot was cut down by a terrible villain. He died an honorable death.” Mulan: “Cora's still out there. We need to find her. We need to defend what's left of the kingdom.” Aurora: “Who's going to lead us? You?” Mulan: “No. Her.” Mary Margaret: “I'm honored, but Emma and I still have to find a way back to Storybrooke.” Mulan: “We'll help you. We'll find a way, won't we?” Aurora: “Yes. Perhaps it'll help me channel my anger.” Mulan: “Come.” (Aurora and Mulan head out of the room.) Emma: “I'm, uh... sorry I torched our ride home. I couldn't let her get to Henry. I just...” Mary Margaret: “You had to put Henry first.” Emma: “I was angry at you for so long... wondering how you could choose to let me grow up without you. But then just seeing all this... You gave up everything for me and you're still doing that. Sorry. I'm not good at this. I... I guess I just... I'm not... I'm not used to someone putting me first.” Mary Margaret: “Oh. (They hug:) Well, get used to it.” (Emma turns and leaves the nursery as Mary Margaret takes one last look around. Remembering what it looked like before the curse and mourning all that could have been.)

Storybrooke. Main Street. (Emerging from behind a post, Jefferson waits for Paige at the school bus stop. He calls to her, and they are both overjoyed to be reunited.) Jefferson: “Grace.” Grace: (Stops and turns, running to him:) “Papa! You found me. I knew you would.” (They share a massive embrace.) Elsewhere. (People are slowly adjusting to their new realities. The garage and other stores are re-opening. The remaining dwarves emerge from the hardware store, pickaxes in hand.) Mr. Clark: “What do you need those for?” Leroy: “Don't worry, brother. You've lost something. It's gonna take fairy dust to get it back. So we're gonna do what we do best. Come on, boys. It's off to work we go.” Granny’s Diner. (Henry finds Marco sitting alone at a table and whispers in his ear.) Cut To: August’s Room, Granny’s B&B. (Marco makes to knock on the door but it’s already open. Walking inside, Marco sees that the room is empty. Save for Pinocchio’s small red hat which Marco strokes lovingly.)

Storybrooke. Present. Mr. Gold's shop. (The door bells jingle.) Mr. Gold: “It appears when I bought that ‘closed’ sign, I was just throwing my money away.” David: “Looks like it.” Mr. Gold: “Sorry to hear about your wife and daughter. If you're looking for a retrieval, I'm afraid portal-jumping is just outside my purview.” David: “Of course it is.” Mr. Gold: “So what's the commotion outside?” David: “A little stir at the border. A problem crossing the line.” Mr. Gold: “Do tell.” David: “You lose your memory of everything of our old lives." Mr. Gold: “What?” David: “I guess that curse you created was a little too powerful. Looks like we're stuck here.” Mr. Gold: (With barely controlled anger:) “Leave me alone.” David: “Gladly. If you do the same. You and I... we stay out of each other's way.” (Charming turns and leaves the shop as Gold, infuriated, begins to smash things.) Dr. Archie Hopper's Office. (Dr. Hopper opens his office door, Regina Mills is standing there.) Dr. Hopper: “Regina. Are you here to see me?” Regina: “I'm going to try to keep my promise to Henry.” Dr. Hopper: “What promise is that?” Regina: “To not use magic. It’ll be difficult.” Dr. Hopper: (Smiles:) “This is an excellent start. Come on in.”

Outside Granny’s. (David and Henry talk.) David: “Hey. It exists, Henry. The Enchanted Forest is still out there.” Henry: “And... so are they.” David: “Yeah.” Henry: “But how do we know they survived the trip there?” David: “Because I can feel it. I've been thinking, if you're gonna start helping me, we gotta make sure we do this right. So I picked up these.” (Holds up a pair of wooden swords.) Henry: “Seriously?” David: “Yeah, you're the grandson of a prince. I think it's about time you learned how to use a sword. Henry, I can't get 'em back without you. So? What do you say? You with me?” Henry: “Can you teach me how to fight a dragon?” David: “We'll work our way up to it. (Hands a sword to Henry then bows:) My liege. En garde.” (The pair play fight all the way home as Albert Spencer, the District Attorney, aka. King George watches them from his car with interest.) Storybrooke. Town Line. (Mr. Gold stands staring despondently at the town line.) Enchanted Forest. Present day. (A man is standing on a beach and looking through his telescope.) Cora: (Approaching:) “Hello, Hook.” Captain Hook: “Hello, Cora. You told me you'd something important you needed to show me. (Cora shows him a bottle that has magic in it:) Sparkly dirt. Wonderful.” Cora: “Just the remains of a magical wardrobe, that can travel between worlds.” Captain Hook: “Is it enough to get us where we need to go?” Cora: “Not quite, but it's a start.” Captain Hook: “We're almost ready to set sail. What's our port of destination?” Cora: “Storybrooke.” Captain Hook: “Hmm. Curious name. Is that where...” Cora: “She is. And so is he.” Captain Hook: “Excellent. You'll be able to see your daughter and I can skin myself a crocodile.”

The End.

[whole-dip]

Some thoughts on every single disney animated feature film I've currently seen

-Snow White: This movie is nowhere near as boring as I expected it to be, but still pretty boring. Its technical innovations are incredible within context but it truly couldn't capture my attention whatsoever. The only reason I watched it is because I had to write a paper about it.

-Pinocchio: Clunky. There was a logic at the time at disney that the movies would more or less be a series of related cartoons tied together with a through-line and this is very much that. While it is still a cohesive narrative, it's very much a series of events rather than a story.

-Dumbo: More of a narrative here, but still very disjointed. The animation is good and it has much more personality since it's more or less a contemporary setting, but outside of the famous pink elephants sequence, it's not much.

-Bambi: This is what I'd consider to be the first truly cohesive story from disney's feature. This movie is truly phenomenal and well earned its way into the canon of epics. Bambi's journey from young fawn to prince of the forest is beautiful and moving. The jokes about dead moms only stick because this movie is just that good.

-Saludos Amigos: The first of the package films. Doesn't hold a candle to the superior Three Caballeros but still incredible in its own right. It's short enough to do a double feature with Three Caballeros so that's how I recommend viewing it.

-The Three Caballeros: Now THIS is what I'm talking about! The finale gets due recognition for being truly one of the best pieces of animation to come out of disney, but everything up to it is still pretty incredible. Horny donald is the best donald and I love the flying serape sequence.

-Melody Time: This one's very disjointed but Pecos Bill is one of the best and funniest shorts disney's ever made. I highly recommend at least watching just that segment.

-The Adventure of Ichabod and Mr. Toad: Sleepy Hollow's disney adaptation is the much more famous half of this feature but in reality, it's got practically nothing to do with the headless horseman. Mr Toad however, is truly phenomenal as an epic crime thriller that will keep you in suspense. I know that sounds like a joke but truly it's not. Go watch it.

-Cinderella: Boring

-Alice in Wonderland: Also boring

-Lady and the Tramp: I was shocked at how much I enjoyed this one. It's fun, cute, and even funny at times. It really drops the ball in the finale, but for the most part, this romantic comedy is a real gem and definitely holds up. I recommend to kids and adults alike.

-Sleeping Beauty: It's wild how contemporary this one feels. The first half is a teen romantic comedy about mistaken identity and sneaking away from strict parents to get some time with your secret crush, but the second half falls apart with its focus on action instead of the characters. Special shout out to the incredible colors and moving tapestry art style which is great throughout.

-One Hundred and One Dalmatians: Again, surprisingly contemporary. Disney's first foray into the 1960s gives us a fun romp with memorable characters and gorgeous animation that feels down to earth compared to the more fantasy driven works of before.

-The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Is Pooh disney's greatest character? That's hard to say but I wouldn't disagree with someone that thinks so. Cute, fun, and funny, this movie is truly a warm blanket. For as much as we give shit to sickly sweet disney, this movie doesn't pretend to be anything but a small little story of cute characters. The surprisingly somber ending will leave you more contemplative than you expected, but still content to have spent time in the hundred acre wood.

-The Little Mermaid: I am always saddened to remember that this movie doesn't hold up as much as I wish it did. For every memorable song or character moment, there's a piece of clunky animation or just plain weird dialogue. It's so clear the studio was trying to get back on its feet. This first step pushes forward, but not where it needs to be.

-Beauty and the Beast: A slow first act leads to a truly phenomenal second and third. A triumph in animation, songwriting, and the studio itself. Far more nuance and beauty in this story than detractors like to claim. Well deserving of its nomination.

-Aladdin: It's not a heartfelt movie with some laughs, it's a comedy with some heart. Great action sequences, stellar animation, and just plain fun. After the regal romance of beast a year earlier, Aladdin's vegas style romp is a welcome addition to a studio that often takes itself way too seriously

-The Lion King: Like with bambi, this coming of age story deserves all the praise it gets. Incredible music, awe inspiring animation, and a tight storyline with memorable characters make this movie worth watching over and over again.

-Pocahontas: Maybe the most contrived, try hard, fucking boring movie the studio has ever made. Almost unwatchable.

-The Hunchback of Notre Dame: I am always shocked to find out this movie isn't a beloved classic. Truly incredible art and an amazing score/soundtrack make this one an instant classic to me. If you haven't watched it since childhood, give it another shot.

-Hercules: If it was just funny and had good music this one would be good, but it also has some of disney's best characters and a beautiful story of dueling world views.

-Mulan: Would've been a 10/10 if it weren't for fucking Mushu which makes it a seven to me. Otherwise, a fun, story with great music and truly epic action scenes.

-Tarzan: Often considered the weakest of the renaissance, this adventure about identity and family features a great (if too in your face) phil collins soundtrack with truly amazing animation innovation being displayed.

-The Emperor's New Groove: It's not funny.

-Atlantis: The Lost Empire: I truly can't think of a single bad thing about this movie. Incredible art, one of disney's best scores, and a story that will keep you captivated on its adventure. This movie is near perfect.

-Lilo & Stich: I once heard someone say this is disney's best film and I'm inclined to agree. The gorgeous water color backgrounds and Chris Sanders' beautiful character design play out a beautiful story that reflects a story of two abandoned children, with nuance about colonization to boot. Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride might be the best original disney song too.

-Treasure Planet: Such a hit or miss movie. Amazing action set pieces, but contrived characters. A phenomenal score, but a terrible soundtrack. This might be the most studio noted film disney's done and it's all the worse for it.

-Brother Bear: Not perfect by any means, but the beautiful animation and even more beautiful backgrounds are worth a look. The story is a little too basic and a little too predictable, reeking of white writers.

-Chicken Little: This is the first time I realized movies could be bad.

-Meet the Robinsons: Your nostalgia lied to you.

-The Princess and the Frog: Way too many cooks in the kitchen. Everything is good, but it's all a little muddled. It's a shame to because Tiana deserves better.

-Tangled: Like with mermaid, this return to form isn't perfect but it moves the studio forward. Rapunzel and Flynn are great characters and the subtle tweaking of the "formula" show the studio's willingness to innovate.

-Winnie the Pooh: Cute, but a very pleasant, fine movie. Worth watching.

-Wreck-It Ralph: I applaud this one for being so different. Lots of comedy here and a far better response to dreamworks than chicken little ever was.

-Frozen: Unfortunately, this movie is worth the hype. Is it amazing? No, but it's certainly very good. It's easy to see why this was the phenomenon it became.

-Big Hero 6: One of many in the series of attempt for disney to do an action movie. This superhero coming of age is definitely one of the better superhero stories not explicitly based on a comic, but it still feels like a comic book themed movie rather than a story that truly connects to the media that inspires it.

-Zootopia: Nowhere near as poignant as it wants to be, but plenty of fun with a great score by Michael Giacchino.

-Moana: Easily the best of the new princesses and a damn shame that it hasn't gotten the recognition it deserves. Moana's stellar animation and blast of a soundtrack create a beautiful film that's perfect for young girls. Seemingly a stealth remake of mermaid by the original directors, this one deserves to be a classic.

-Ralph Breaks the Internet: A surreal comedy from disney with a weak story but certainly some story innovations you wouldn't expect from the company. Watch it if only to see something you'd never expect the studio to do.

-Frozen 2: A surprisingly lore driven film that I really didn't expect. Probably the closest thing the company has done to a lord of the rings style story in recent years and I'm excited to see what this potential leads to next.

-Raya and the Last Dragon: Rips off way too much from Last Airbender in a way that is never bad, but man it gets kinda borings. Can't focus on any one thing unfortunately.

[geekoftherings]

Re: long “about you” (circa 2013 vs now)

I’m going through my posts (which is a terrible idea with 18,000+ posts), and I have found this “about you” survey thing. For my personal enjoyment, and any followers who cares enjoyment, I am answering it again, but also keeping my original answers (from November 1st, 2013--first semester of college, still living at home, had never gone on a real date, poor lil baby me). 

New answers in bold! Read if you wanna compare first semester of college me to last semester of college me. 

1. Are you satisfied with the way your life is right now? Mostly, yeah,

Yeah, I’d keep this answer about the same honestly. Satisfaction seems like such a hard thing to quantify. I want more. I always want more. I’m an ambitious person. But right now in this moment, I’m getting decent grades, in a decent apartment, with an amazing partner, I have enough food, enough money to buy coffee on the way to class, enough hope for the future to keep going. Pretty satisfied with the right now life, and I’m excited for the more to come. 

2. Do you drink enough water? No, water is gross.

God no, never. I drink mostly coffee and wine. I am never hydrated enough.

3. When was the last time you ate at Burger King? Like a year or more ago, I guess.

I . . . have no idea? Have I eaten at Burger King since 2012? Maybe? I had Wendy’s today, let’s pretend that counts.

4. Do you prefer the beach or the mountains? I’m more familiar with beaches, but ugh mountains sure look pretty.

This is the same answer. I have far more experience with beaches than mountains, but I still really love looking at mountains (also at beaches (also at anything else pretty)). 

5. How do you usually feel when you wake up on a morning? I try to avoid waking up in the morning.

A strange mixture of sad and mad. I super dislike waking up. It makes me angry. My partner has told me, when I’ve asked them to help me wake up, “but you get mad at me when I wake you up.” Yes, sorry I know, it’s not you, it’s waking up--it sucks. Angry at whatever has woken me up, and sad because I get very sad when sleepy. 

6. Would you rather take someone on a date, or be taken on a date? I would rather just not go on a date. Can’t we watch sci-fi and cuddle on the couch instead?

Yeah all three. I really love being spoiled, being taken somewhere and treated sweetly and kissed passionately, and I really love taking someone somewhere and treated them sweetly and kissing them passionately. I also love stay-in dates. Let’s watch ATLA in bed and eat ice cream? (actually a super common date with my partner and I--I love it<3 and them<3). 

7. When was the last time you wore high heeled shoes? About a month ago! I was sexy, man, sexy.

Ooooh. I have not very high heels I wear nearly daily, a little bit higher but still not high heels I wore at work this summer, and then I had actual high heels that I wore to a fundraiser wine-tasting thing with my mother this summer. So high heels a few months ago? I was still super sexy, man, so sexy.  (instagram plug if you’re interested in my sexy self: https://www.instagram.com/p/BVulYuWFfS5/?taken-by=geekoftherings )

8. How often do you cry? I get a little teary eyed when I see LotR posts, but I hardly ever actually cry. Real crying happens like once a month, maybe.

HA. HA. HA. Like two days ago. I’ve been crying nearly daily lately. I’m a mess. (this feels contradictory to the satisfaction as mentioned above, but it’s not really. I can be fully aware of how nice my life is, how satisfied I am with it, and still be depression and neurotic and a general anxious mess. It’s fun.)

9. Ever had a crush on a teacher? I was homeschooled until this year when I started college, so no, I’ve never had a crush on a teacher.

Still gonna say no. I’ve had teachers I’ve thought were really cute (one grad student teacher that everyone in the class agreed “wanna fuck that”), and I’ve had a teacher who crushed on me (that was weird). But never a person I’ve actually crushed on. 

10. Can you wire a plug? I’ve changed outlets before. Does that count?

Same answer. Still wondering if changing outlets counts. 

11. Do you wear socks to bed? No. Socks annoy my feet.

^^^ still annoying. Only do it if really cold. 

12. What is currently bugging you? I am currently bugged that I have homework that I don’t want to do. Homework bugs me.

Yeah yeah, still avoiding homework. 

13. Where were you when you got your first period? I woke up in a puddle of blood when I was about 13. That was fun.

Oh yeah this answer can’t change. Still true. I was 13 and slept hard enough to wake up in a puddle. I still wake up in puddles occasionally. It’s great fun.

14. Can you change a car tire? Yeah, I’ve helped my dad do it before, but truth is, I can’t do it by myself. I’m too weak.

Yeah still same. I don’t think I could actually do it by myself, but, in theory, I know how. 

15. Have you met more than ten celebrities? I’ve never met any. D:

I am going to argue that I have because I think I have met pre-celebrities. “Celebrities” being interrupted lightly. The thing about being a creative writing major is most of my classmates are aspiring novelists or poets, and I think some of them are really good and/or really determined. While writers are very rarely “celebrities”, I think for the writing community, at least 10 of them will be noted in some form or another. 

16. Do you sleep naked? Eh, I have a couple times, but I prefer clothes.

Sometimes after sex, yeah, but usually I’ll put on undies and a shirt. I find it more comfy. 

17. What was the best music gig you’ve ever attended? Oh man. I’ve seen some good concerts. I recently saw Skillet, and boy howdy, they were good. They knew how to put on a show. Other good ones were Sick Puppies, Staind, and Halestorm.

GREEN DAY. They were the best fucking concert ever. AND ALSO.  I groped my partner throughout the entire concert, which made it even better. 

18. Have you ever had sexual feelings for anyone you follow? Yo, I follow Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Of course I have had sexual feelings for someone I follow.

I follow my partner, and I have sex with them daily. So yes. 

19. Do you think bisexual candycorn is hot? Candycorn is gross, but I’m bisexual and hot.

Actually, I am not bi. This was little baby me trying to find a word to describe my sexuality, and, upon finding bisexual, clung to it firmly and with great passion. At this point in my life, I am choosing to not pick a firmer label and am just going with queer. Bi is too limiting, too binary. Pan is more accurate, but I feel weird about that, like it still doesn’t feel right. So. I am identifying as queer now. 

20. Favourite Disney princess? Mulan and Merida. Those are some strong-willed women who don’t need a man.

^^^ YES.

21. Favourite city? Minas Tirith.

Yeah, true, it’s a cool city. I really like Philadelphia though. I’ve loved living here, it’s such a cool city. I’m going to miss it a lot when I graduate and move away. I’m excited to try on Chicago though, and I look forward to trying some west coast cities--Portland maybe? San Fran maybe? 

22. Can you drive? Yeah, but I don’t like it.

NOT LEGALLY. I couldn’t then either, yo. I can drive, as in I know how and have done it before, I don’t drive and don’t have a licence. HOPEFULLY that is coming soon. 

23. Cigarettes or alcohol? Alcohol. Yes.

Draaaaaank. 

24. Exercise or healthy eating? I am currently consuming beer and animal crackers. Healthy eating isn’t a priority of mine. As for exercise, I have asthma and nearly die when I try to!

Lol I am currently consuming a poptart and rum, and I still have asthma. Yeah, some things never changed. 

25. Favourite and least favourite accents? I love accents. I have never met one I didn’t like. My favorite though is probably Scottish.

Yeeaaaah, gimme some sexy Scots speaking so thickly I can’t understand it. It’s so pretty though.

26. What are you looking forward to? Not doing homework.

GRADUATION. I’m so close. I’m so ready. So uhm. Basically the same as then, but in a more long-term way (until I go to grad school--but that’s a couple years off probably).

27. Did you play Red Rover when you were a child? Bitch, I was the Blue Ranger.

I don’t know what my answer means honestly. But yes to both. 

28. Are you more attracted to men or women? Erm, men. Preferences are okay. ^_^

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I will probably stick to my assertion of a masculine preference, but I feel as though it needs to be wigglier, looser.  More of a shrug and less of an assertion, honestly. 

29. Do you like 1980s fashion? Lolno

I appreciate it for it is.