#That was the most obvious disney twist villain if i have ever seen one

[empty-blog-for-lurking]

If youre ok w sharing then i would love to hear your thoughts on lotor........ Hes such a weird guy. Dissecting him like a frog

If i get hate for this, i am blaming you/j but in all honesty i apologize if this kinda messy, as i have said it has beem awhile since i saw any of the episodes about him. Most of it is my personal interpretation and opinions of his character-

First of all i personally hate both "L0tor is evil rapist imperialist who did not have a single redeemable quality" and "L0tor is uwu poor baby who did nothing wrong", because yeah he had good intentions and he seemed to genuinely love Alura and care for Alteans but also he very much did do a lot of things Wrong. I am pretty sure a lot of his actions fall into category of Very Wrong

Lot0r to me is an absolute control freak, he has to be 10 steps ahead of everyone, he needs to be control of the situation no matter what. Whether it be through a silver tongue or by his blade (see N@rti's death, him vs White Lion). This is as much as a ruthless strategy as it is a trauma response. Being raised under Z@rkon, a father who only saw him as inferior half-bred, he had to learn survivor tactics. He will do anything to survive whether it be beg, lie, manipulate, and kill. He is a survivor of some genuinely godawful abuse he suffered for 10,000 years, combined with racism he suffered for being half altean

However this need to be in control extends to his allies and people he cares about. I am sure Lotor may have loved Alura, it doesnt change the fact that he very much abused her trust. Their entire relationship was based on a lie. He knew Alteans were still alive and not only did he not tell Alura about it he leaned into the "last survivors of Altea" for their relationship, which is why it was doomed since the beginning. And if it had not been this, then it would have been something else. Cause lying and manipulation are very much core of his character, that is how we are introduced to him

Like i see people going "Oh Lot0r could have been good if he had therapy and a hug", and i am not really not sure about it, cause like would he? Would he choose to be vulnerable and actually let his feelings out and be truthful in a an unbiased reliable way that will neither serve him in any way nor make him look better nor is a part of some machivilian scheme he cooked up because he doesnt trust the therapist he is paying? No

And thing is he does desire connection. He looks for connection in people who are similar to him. Half galran, altean survivors, Alura these are the people who he chose to get close to. He looks for similarities, people he can relate to, people who he sees as like him, people who he thinks can give him a sense of belonging. He is deeply lonely. However his desperation for control, absolute mistrust in anyone and everyone, and his inability to be actually honest dooms any relationship he'll ever have

Also this is probably just me, but for someone who is this morally complex character he has tendency to see things in black and white? Like it is His dad and empire= bad, alteans=good. He idolizes Altea to the point of seeing it as an Utopia, and this ideal was more important to him than any Alteans who are alive and with him. I also cant remember him ever caring about someone outside of the Dichotomy. Like at most i remember is after he became the emperor Lance pointing out how other planets need to be freed and he just brushed it off

Overall he gives me the "smart people dont always make good decisions, but they are good at justifying their bad ones" vibes. We dont know exactly why he decided to use alteans as batteries but i am choosing to go with my interpretation- "Lottor saw something fucked up in that future showing space whale thingy, decided the only way to solve was altean batteries except in true self fulfilling prophecy greek tragedy way it only made things worse and started a series of event that will cause the thing he saw causing real trouble a few years after his death.

Another thing! I think it should have been him being the focus of Evil Altean episode instead of A//ura. I hate that episode and everything it stands for but like if there Had to be an evil alteans episode then it should be around someone who is you know? Obsessed with Altean culture? Is big on control and manipulation? Is more geared towards big picture and "greater good" over individual? Is worried about turning into just like his galran father and so desperately wants to connect to his idealized version of his altean mother? Yeah

[catboymitosis]

Ok so I found your account very recently and I am loving it! Would you be fine with discussing more of your thoughts on Daan being trans? I briefly thought about it the other day but I would love to hear your perspective. Sorry if you already discussed this somewhere else and I didn’t see it 😭

Aaaa thank you glad you're enjoying your time here so far! I talked a tiny bit about it in the tags of my post about him as the blank soul but I'll gladly talk more about it <3

I personally worked my way backward into seeing Daan as trans, rather than looking for evidence it was more about what reading him as trans connected with and brought to other aspects of his character.

My starting point is what Pocketcat says to him during his moonscorching transformation and how much of it was focused on idenity issues, faking who you are, putting on masks, being so obviously out of place and seen through. I don't think what Pocketcat says during this scene should be taken 100% at face value because a lot of what he tells Daan that he really feels actively benefits its goals of turning him into a vessel but this being what Pocketcat chooses to manipulate him through is telling.

Daan holds very deep seated insecurities about not passing. And boy do we see him fail to pass in game. Karin calls him a queer right in front of everyone and in party talks a few of the jabs she takes at him are about his percieved failure at masculine things. If the player attacks and intimidates him they call his "blade" too small, to me this paints the picture that Daan has an in world queerness to him that's so obvious it's not strange that it would get used against him.

He effectively does pass as a man, he's likely had access to what gender affirming surgery and hormones existed at the time and period-typical transphobia would dictate if they even knew what a transexual was they probably still wouldn't know they could be men. So what Daan's not passing as is actually a straight man (world's #1 gayest wife guy) but that at the same time that really doesn't matter for his own anxieties. We see him pass as a man of higher status by pretty much everyone (another thing Karin likes to take jabs at him for) despite how much he feels out of place in that world, nobody would ever be able to guess his past involvement with Sylvain from the way he acts in Prehevil yet he still feels like they can see through it and know how he's been aligned with her aligned with her all his life.

He's got that voice in his head that tells him "they all know what you are" which, as a trans person myself, very much resonates with part of the trans experience. As does how much others push the kind of man he "should" be onto him.

I tend to fixate on his identity issues the most out of any aspect of his character. How suggestible he is about being told who he is because he needs a role to play lest it really sink in how blank he is. Having him despite that, know he is and choose to live as a man feels very powerful and impactful to me! It also makes it all the more tragic that one of the very few things he decided for himself that he was inevitibly gets affirmed yet twisted and perverted into Pocketcat, who while not being a manly man of any sort is basically the natural extreme to those flamboyant effeminate cartoon gaycoded villains of the old disney movies, a very male threat.

[puppyduckster]

Wednesday: A Review

So I recently watched the Wednesday series on Netflix and I have some thoughts 😂. I first got into the Addams family back in 2020(it was in fact one of my quarantine obsessions lol) and when I found out Netflix was making a series with Wednesday, I was intrigued but also a little nervous. Anyway I eventually watched the series and after watching it, I think I’m going to give it a 5.5-6/10(the 5.5-6 sort of depends on my feelings at the moment lol). So, here I’ll talk about what I liked, didn’t like, and what I hope to see in future seasons. Warning that this post is rather critical of the show at times, so read at your own risk 😝.

Cut for spoilers/long post

What I Liked

Jenna Ortega: It’s probably blatantly obvious, but Jenna Ortega was easily the best part of the entire seasons. She gave a phenomenal performance and while I definitely saw some similarities to Christina Ricci’s performance, Jenna was still able to bring out another side to Wednesday as well. I haven’t seen Jenna since her Disney Channel days and this showed that she really has what it takes to be a great actress. And it should go without saying- but the dance scene was iconic 😂

Wednesday and Enid’s friendship: I genuinely really liked the dynamic between these two girls. The actresses both had great chemistry with each other and although I sometimes think the dark/broody with the cheerful/peppy character can be a bit overused, I really liked it in this case. The scene at the end where they hug was really touching and I’d love to see those two interact even more. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about those two in a relationship(mainly because I feel like Wednesday isn’t interested in anyone…more on that later), but I will say that I would rather have them be in a relationship than that boring love triangle we got.

Christina Ricci/Ms Thornhill: I really enjoyed her character in this series. I thought it was really cool that they got the 90s Wednesday for the series and that she actually had an important part to play in the series. I will also admit that I hadn’t really expected her to be one of the villains, so that was a good twist for me. (Side note: I also think it would have been cool if Lisa Loring(aka the Og Wednesday) got a cameo too, but I digress lol). Christina Ricci did a really great job and I especially enjoyed her scenes with Wednesday and when she really showed her villainous side at the end.

The opening credits: 🤷‍♀️ What can I say? I’m a sucker for cool opening credits and this show delivered on that lol.

Tyler/the Hyde: So I didn’t really like the love triangle thing at all, but I did find Tyler being the Hyde interesting to me and honestly I think it would be cool to see the origins of him becoming a Hyde in future seasons. Idk if that would result in him being redeemed per say, but I think the show implies that he is not really aware of what he is doing as the Hyde. And even if he doesn’t get redeemed(I could see the show going either way tbh), I still think that part of him could be explored. At the very least I found that aspect of him more compelling than his “relationship” with Wednesday(again more on that later lol)

Thing: He may be just a hand, but he was very entertaining and I enjoyed his scenes with Wednesday and Enid quite a bit.

What I Didn’t Like

The Addams Family Dynamics: One of my favorite things about the Addams Family is that for all their creepy and macabre interests- at the core this is a family that really loves each other. They have one of the most wholesome family bonds I’ve ever seen and you can tell that the members of the family really care for one another. I…didn’t really get this feeling in the show. I understand that Wednesday is a teenager here, but I feel like having her be so against her parents is honestly just really dull and not true to the original characters. Wednesday and Morticia are usually shown to be close, but this series drove a wedge between them that I didn’t really appreciate. I also didn’t get why Morticia and Gomez would be so against Wednesday knowing about what Morticia did. It seemed OOC for me as judging from what we’ve seen from the Addams family previously- murder is not exactly on their red flags list(*glances at the movies from the 90s*). There was a bit more familial solidarity with Wednesday and Pugsley, but we really don’t see those two interact all that much. I understand that this is a show about Wednesday primarily, but I really didn’t really enjoy her dynamics with her family in the show(where normally it’s one of my favorite things in most of the other adaptions(animated movies aside lol) )

The Love Triangle: Good grief, did this nearly bore me to tears lol. For starters- I’m just tired of love triangles in general. 9 times out of 10, I can already predict who will “win” and it’s also just an overdone plot point by now. In this case, it was made worse because Wednesday literally shows no interest in either Xander or Tyler. And so I was struggling to see how those two could think she liked either one of them, because she only seemed to tolerate them at best. It also didn’t help that I wasn’t super interested in those two as characters(I became more interested in Tyler upon the Hyde reveal, but that was towards the end) let alone as love interests. I also think that Wednesday showed no real romantic feelings towards anyone and that if she was going to be with anyone it should be with Enid, because those two at least had good chemistry.

Wednesday being an Outsider: I’m going to be honest- I found it weird that at a school filled with werewolves, Sirens, and who knows what else- Wednesday was the outsider? This entire school is filled with people who are out of the ordinary and so one would think that weirdness is expected from everyone. I honestly think it would have been more interesting if people in the school were more accepting of Wednesday, because I think that could have led her to interact more with the characters at Nevermore. That also could’ve led to some more character development for the secondary characters, because outside of a few characters at the school- I didn’t really get the chance to care all that much for Wednesday’s classmates. They just didn’t really interest me all that much and the whole “Wednesday being an outsider” thing didn’t really help.

The Social Media References: Okay look. I know the show is set in modern days and as the Addams family often interacts with the regular world, they’re going to have to take note of that stuff. However in this case- the mentions of Instagram and TikTok only served to make me cringe than anything else. It also felt like it would make the show seem too outdated while in the movies and OG series case- they felt timeless. Yes it’s obvious that the OG series and the movies are set in the 60s and 90s respectively, but every time I watch those again, I never really get the outdated sense from them. However, in the series a lot of the modern “shout outs” were a little off putting and I feel like in a few years, it could really end up dating the series. Also since most of the show has a supernatural theme to it, I’ll admit that hearing stuff about Instagram or Tiktok could throw me for a loop at turns lol.

The CWness of it: Another reason why this show didn’t speak super highly to me is because it felt very CW in some ways. I felt like at times they leaned into the whole mystery/teen drama a little too much and I didn’t get the same macabre/spooky feeling I normally get from the Addams family. Rather at times I felt like I was just watching a CW show (just with more supernatural stuff lol)

Wednesday’s Classmates: With the exception of Enid and sometimes Xavier, Ajax, and Bianca, I wasn’t all that interested in the other characters. They didn’t really feel all that developed to me and when Wednesday enlists their help later on, the scene didn’t impact me all that much because I didn’t really feel like we got to see their relationship develop very well. It also seemed like a few of them(Ajax and Xavier mainly lol) existed mainly in terms of love interests which sort of stinks, because I didn’t really get a chance to care for them as individuals. I think it would have been more interesting if we could have seen Wednesday interact more with her other classmates or if they just got more characterization in general.

What I Hope To See

Better Family Dynamics: I’d love it if we could see Wednesday having a healthier relationship in any future seasons(like she does in other versions) and I’d also find it interesting to explore more of Enid’s family and her relationships with them as well.

More Development for Tyler: I found the reveal of Tyler being the Hyde to be rather interesting and more compelling than his “relationship” with Wednesday. I think exploring the Hyde side of him could be an interesting route to explore.

More Development for Bianca: She was one of the few classmates I found intriguing and I hope the show can do more with her. She also seems to have a complicated relationship with her mother and complicated familial relationships are kind of my jam(if my other favorite tv shows are any indication 😂)

Less Teen Drama(Aka no more love triangle): It should go without saying, but honestly the love triangle was just really overdone and forced and made the show seem a lot more CW than necessary. And I don’t even hate all CW shows, but it could make this series seem a little flat at times. I found the whole idea of a magical/supernatural school to be really cool and I think it would be better if they stuck more to the supernatural/mystery aspect of it all.

Anyway, that’s all my thoughts on the show for now. I honestly didn’t hate it or anything and I totally agree that Jenna Ortega was a fantastic Wednesday and she gave an exceptional performance.  I must admit that I am a bit wary now about any future seasons, but I liked it well enough to see a Season 2 :)

[jazzythursday]

I’m about to go into another very long Marvel rant/dissertation here— mostly for myself— that I started writing soon after the Loki Series finale so please feel free to just scroll past this, because honestly I think I kinda overdid this one. It’s jaded and overly dramatic even for me. You have been warned:

The last 4 Marvel movies/shows I’ve watched left me feeling so completely depressed and unsatisfied and hopeless about the future of popular entertainment and story telling in general, and I know I’m not the only one. The fact that fans are going into these experiences hoping for a good story and character arcs that make sense with prior characterization, and leaving feeling… empty is a very clear sign that their approach leaves a lot to be desired.

Infinite War had some valid reasons to end the way it did, because by having our heroes fall so much harder than ever before, it built up the tension and high stakes for the next film. But what does that do when Endgame leaves us feeling even worse? I wanted them to triumph and finally come together to be better. I expected there would be losses of course but not enough to negate the wins. Instead the characters were subjugated for plot, characterization was watered down, and we lost all the original Avengers besides Thor and Bruce (who was no longer even Bruce). Peter loses Tony, Thor’s previous loses are permanent, and so many other things that, in spite of loving a lot of the movie, mean I haven’t been able to stop being sad about it for literal years. And the amount of thoughtless destruction that seems to be at an all time high when it comes to character’s lives and disregard for properly exploring emotions just doesn’t leave much to be expected at this point. Far From Home was good. It was. I liked it a lot. The acting was wonderful and there were some really interesting themes they grappled with but I still walked out of the theater feeling like there was still so much detachment surrounding a lot of the decisions, a little too much thoughtlessness (that, and the gaping hole of Tony). I’m not going to talk about WandaVistion but I’ll say that I was invested until the start of episode 8, and finished episode 9 feeling drained and tired and sad.

Then we get to Loki, a show which has plagued far too many of my thoughts since I started watching it, and has crushed my hopes for ever truly being happy with a Marvel project ever again. Loki is a character who’s ostensibly felt alienated and unseen for most of his life, and that’s before finding out about his parentage. His first movie ends with his suicide attempt and subsequent fall into the void. His second takes place a year into working under Thanos and ends with him being taken away in chains (yes I know he’s the villain he’s done bad things etc. etc. but for the purposes of this I’m only focusing on his pov). Then his third involves his solitary imprisonment, his mother’s death, and his near-death (considering the likelihood that he was actually stabbed), although it does end on a lighter note with his acquisition of the throne. Then we get his redemption and reconciliation with Thor in Ragnarok, immediately followed by the utter tragedy that is the first 10 minutes of Infinite War, which I don’t think I need to explain.

So what I suppose I’m saying here (very very inadequately) is that after all of that, I can’t believe the proper story to tell in his first chance at being a main protagonist was one where he’s constantly degraded and beat up, convicted of things he didn’t actually do, given no focus on backstory or implied/established motivations, and labeled as a clown and a narcissist! His powers are weakened, he displays almost no recognizable mannerisms or competence, he’s held to a higher moral standard than every other character, shown no respect, and ultimately loses EVEN MORE. We’ve seen him lose and lose and lose and lose again. We’ve seen him die THREE TIMES, we’ve seen him redeemed TWICE. So who in their right mind thinks that the most compelling story to tell after all of that was to see him LOSE AGAIN?! And not only lose, but lose without any real triumph, dignity, or acknowledgment beforehand. Death to the author aside, reading the utter nonsense the team behind it have spread, it’s so clear that it wasn’t made in good faith. Whether in ignorance or true maliciousness, they just don’t care. They didn’t research. They didn’t try and see things from his point of view. They didn’t truly sympathize with him as a person while writing. They didn’t understand. And they truly, truly wanted him to fail.

I’m tired of feeling hopeless at the end of everything, of leaving the theater or turning off the TV wondering why I even bothered, why I even care when I’m just being strung along with as little consideration as an audience as my favorite characters. I wanted to actively see him strive to be better, not just be told he could be. I wanted to see him triumph over his demons, not forget them. I wanted to see him be the “master of magic” that every other damn movie has alluded to, and to use his powers effectively. I wanted him to be powerful. I wanted him to, if not win, then win on a personal level at least. I wanted to see him take agency in his life and PROVE EVERYONE WRONG! And, though it’s now bafflingly controversial to say, I wanted it to be told by an experienced and competent writing and directing team that knew and understood his character and were passionate about telling his story.

I would ascribe to the notion of “don’t like it, don’t watch” if I could but I care to much to not be affected by this obvious decline in quality and awareness. And I’m a relatively recent fan. I haven’t been waiting for Loki to get his moment in the sun for 10 years. I’M NEW HERE, and my heart breaks so much for fans of the original movies who have lost their love of Marvel or Loki because of the way it’s been handled. No one should fall further than they can climb up from, and I’m tired of watching loss after loss and never getting the release of gaining enough of it back. What’s the point of caring about these characters if the writers won’t? Of investing in a connecting cinematic universe if it lacks continuity? Of looking for clues and foreshadowing when there isn’t any and the only twists are random and pander to shock value? The way these pieces/characters are being created and interpreted is reductive and incompetent, and for once I’d like to watch something that feels crafted, inspiring, and gratifying to see to the end.

If some people like the Loki show we got, I have no argument against that, because my own opinion is just as subjective as theirs. Though, I’d like to think that if what I want is for the show to be better out of love for the same character, then what they enjoyed from the show can coexist in that. If anyone’s actually read up to this point, I have to admit I’ve forgotten mine. Mostly I just wanted to express my frustrations over how unfeeling and stale most entertainment, specifically from Marvel as of late, has been.

TL;DR: I care too much, waaay too much, Marvel cares too little, Disney doesn’t care at all, and I don’t know how to accept that.

[bukojuiice]

— what they would be like as disney princes

ೃ pairings: (izuku midoriya, katsuki bakugo, shoto todoroki, and eijiro kirishima x fem! reader)

ೃ  tags: headcanons, disney au!

ೃ warnings:  none

ೃ  my nav  →  my mha writing masterlist  → my katsuki bakugo x reader smau

ೃ if you want to be a part of my mha taglist. send me an ask!  ♡

ೃ s/o to bestie @lovelytarou​ for her big brain and for helping me think up which of the princes kiri could be 😚💕

ೃ  please do reblog if you enjoyed!! it really helps writers and content creators on tumblr! (feel free to add tags too because i love reading them and my heart swells with happiness when people love my work!)

ೃ extra note: adding my own little twist to these hcs, they are disney princes with quirks!

ೃ taglist: @chibishae34​ @sparkykatsuki​ @ramunegoddess, @serossimpy

Eijiro Kirishima –  as Li Shang from Mulan

-        *Mulan voice* Eijiro? Eijiro? Eijiroooo

-        Eijiro Kirishima is the handsome son of the Army General and it’s very obvious that everyone swoons for him. Yes, everyone in the army.

-        He’s manly, brave, sweet, caring, and responsible. What more can a soldier ask for?

-        “LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS! TO DEFEAT THE VILLAINS!” (ok that sounded better in my head)

-        during the “I make a man out of you” sequence, kirishima uses his hardening quirk to not only hype up his warriors but also for that extra effect. He’s just bad-ass and hot like that.

-        Eijiro wakes up at 5 am to train and work out. And yes, he does that shirtless. It helps him move a lot more and of course, it’s pleasing to the eyes.

-        H I S T O N E D M U S C L E S. that’s it. That’s the headcanon.

-        He needs that daily grind after all !

-        You swear you could hear the other soldiers sigh dreamily every time they catch him work out.

-        Whenever he praises his fellow comrades, he smiles a very cheeky smile, his shark teeth cutely popping out and it’s just so endearing and charming.

-        After being ridiculed and belittled by your fellow comrades for being physically weak, you wanted to prove them that they were wrong. You continue to stay determined as you decided to create your training regime that consisted of waking up at 5 am in the morning to train too (and this was prior to knowing that kirishima would wake up at the same time to work out too. Oooh~ what a coincidence.)

-        “(Y/N)! You like him? Helloooooo!? Him and I even share the same hair color! He ain’t worth it!”

-        “Mushu, please. You are a discount version of him. Now, I’m going to go and train now.”

-        You leave your tent at exactly 5 am, and as you began to stretch and do warm-ups outside, the biggest tent across yours suddenly opens up too, revealing General Eijiro Kirishima… in his shirtless getup.

-        “A-ah! Good Morning General Kirishima!” You stand up straight, shifting your weight to the right leg and bending your left, bowing to him.

-        He nods at you, shooting you a small smile. “You’re up early. Early for a new recruit! Do you plan to train?”

-        “Y-yes! I will be using the pole and training weights sir!” You bow your head, as you remain standing straight.

-        He hands you over the weights. He refuses to give it to you, instead insists to tie it on your wrists and help you up the wooden pole.

-        General Kirishima holds you by the waist, making sure you don’t fall and you’re positioned correctly onto the pole. “Alright. You’re positioned in the right way now, you may proceed.”

-        You continue to hold onto it, lowkey about to bang your head on the wooden pole as you were about to die of embarrassment.

-        “(Y/N), he’s just being nice and just treats you like any other soldier under his command. Don’t expect too much!” Mushu whispers from your side, as soon as general kiri steps back and was not within earshot of the two of you.

-        “I don’t have my hopes up at all, Mushu. I’m not expecting anything.” You sigh, trying to reassure yourself as you began climbing up. The weights pull you down, but you must persevere.

-        “You can do this, (L/N)!”

-        “(L/N)!?” You squeak, losing your focus, slipping down the pole and back to square one. You were a fumbling mESS

-        “woah woah woah. Is everything alright?” he was about to hold onto your waist again, making sure you don’t fall off or fall down. You collect yourself before becoming too flustered to answer.

-        “Y-yes General Kirishima! I’m fine!”

-        When your gender had finally been revealed after the battle against the villains, Kirishima did not feel betrayed albeit just disappointed that you had to hide that fact for far too long and wasn’t being open to him when the two of you became much closer

-        He’s been in love with you ever since the beginning.

-        He’s always admired your passion and your drive. However, due to him being the general, he wasn’t so sure to approach you without being biased. 

-        “You don’t find a girl like that in every hero’s journey.”

Katsuki Bakugo – as The Beast

-        Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a blonde young prince lived in a     shining castle.  Although he had everything his heart desired and his quirk was one of the most powerful many have seen, the prince was belligerent, selfish, and unkind.  But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. 

-       Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away, but she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress.  The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love and no humbleness in his heart, and as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast, and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there.    

-        We’ve been known, the B in bakugo stands for beast (insert lenny face for a certain implication)

-        Essentially, Bakugo had two quirks at once. Not only was he now a beast, (a physical quirk) but he also has his explosion quirk.

-        He’d pretty much look the same as the beast from the Disney movie, however there’s some blonde highlights in his fur and he’s much more aggressive and intimidating to look at. His fangs more emphasized and he has a much softer appearance; like that of a huge pomeraninan.

-        Ok…. no thoughts head empty just thinking about katsuki having an even huskier voice now that he’s transformed into a beast.

Katsuki Bakugo, who was ashamed of his newly transformed monstrous appearance, shut himself in his castle, The rose the old woman had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his twenty-first year.  If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken.  If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.  As the years passed, he fell into despair, and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love an explosive beast?

-        Significant members of Katsuki’s posse who were turned into magical items were Eijiro Kirishima, his castle maître d' whom had turned into a candelabra, his annoying majordomo, Tenya Ilda became a pendulum clock, the head housekeeper, Ochaco Uraraka had turned into an enchanted teapot, the vice-head housekeeper, Denki Kaminari had become a little tea cup, Mina Ashido, the lady-in-waiting became an enchanted wardrobe, and lastly, Hanta Sero, the Castle’s Valet and Chaffeur, became a coat rack.

-        All of Katsuki’s servants try their very best to make their prince change his ways, however, to no avail, their efforts have been fruitless. They were about to lose hope as Bakugo was about turn 21, which meant the rose would no longer bloom until… you came.

-        Gran Torino, your grandfather, had gotten lost in the woods and ended up finding Bakugo’s castle to seek shelter, not knowing he had been trespassing all along. After Katsuki finds him, he throws him to the castle dungeon.

-        You were the spirited, headstrong and bookish “beauty” of the town, however only being admired for your looks and not for your intelligence. You really had enough of this village and wanted to get out of here asap but after your grandfather had told you to wait just a little bit more, even though you frankly had enough of Monoma, the ~most handsome~ yet the biggest jerk in town constantly asking for your hand in marriage.

-        The disappearance of your grandfather had prompted for you to search for him, leading you too, to the beast’s castle.

-        Once you get there, you are to be greeted by Bakugo in his very beastly form, terrifying you. However, you stood your ground, asking for your grandfather. Gran Torino is set free under the condition of you having to stay in the castle instead.

-        At your first night, you refuse to join him for dinner enraging him.

-        “Where is she?” Bakugo grits his teeth, growling at Ilda.

-        “Aha- Well- You see… she’s not coming.” Ilda mutters nervously, his clock hands waving in weird chopping gestures.

-        “WHAT!?” Bakugo’s voice echoes around the dining hall, He leaps out of the room, busting the doors open, whilst Kirishima, Ilda, and Ochaco follow suit.

-        He bangs the door, “OI OI OI I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO COME DOWN FOR DINNER?”

-        “I’m not hungry.” You reply softly.

-        “ HAH? YOU COME OUT OR I’LL BREAK DOWN THE DOOR!”

-        “Master Bakugo… I could be wrong, but that may not be the way to win a girl’s affection.” Kirishima speaks in a hushed whisper, grimacing.

-        “Please attempt to be a gentleman.” Ilda says slowly and matter of factly.

-        Bakugo grits his teeth, scrunching his eyebrows, pointing to the door. “But she’s being… SO DIFFICULT!” he turns to the door, as if wanting you to hear what he was saying.

-        “Gently… Gently…” Ochaco repeats, trying to calm the prince down.

-        Bakugo rolls his eyes and repeats his words more softly this time, “Oi… will you come down for dinner?”

-        “No.”

-        He turns to his servants once again, pointing to the door, his mouth forming into a pout.

-        “O- It would be my greateest pleasure if you would join me for dinner.” He could barely muster out the words. “Please?”

-        “No, thank you!”

-        “YOU CAN’T STAY THERE FOREVER!” He barks, “THEN GO AHEAD AND STARVE!” He storms out of the hall, running his way to his castle wing.

-        After you were saved by the beast from the wolves, you tend to his wounds. Bakugo was rather… stubborn and didn’t want you to touch it or even press hot compress onto it.

-        He continues to growl lowly, still seething from the pain, attempting to lick it just like any other canine would do.

-        “Don’t do that.” You try to stop him from doing so, he growls at you, moving his wounded arm away from you. The castle servants watch in fear, taking a few steps back.

-        “Just hold still.”

-        “GRRR! THAT HURTS!”

-        “If you hold still, it wouldn’t hurt as much!”

-        “IF YOU HADN’T RAN AWAY THIS WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED!”

-        “If you didn’t scare me, then I wouldn’t have run away!”

-        “PHAH! WELL YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE GONE TO THE WEST WING!”

-        “Well, you should learn how to control your temper!”

-        He was about to protest, until he couldn’t think of anymore good comebacks, he stops. he pouts and rests his head on his hand as a sign of defeat.

-        After that night, the two of you had finally warmed up to each other. Wanting to surprise you and at the suggestion of Kirishima and Ilda, Bakugo had finally given you the chance to explore the west wing. Surprising you by leading to you the castle’s huge and well-kept library. A place where he seeks solace and peace.

-        You never expected him to be someone so aggressive yet be so interested in reading and of other mediums of knowledge. You had a lot in common and a feeling was blossoming between the two of you. In turn, you help him act more like a gentleman.

-        You continue to spend time with him, not knowing that you were slowly but surely falling.

-        “There’s something sweet and almost kind, but he was mean, coarse and unrefined. And now he’s dear, and I’m unsure, I wonder why I didn’t see it there before?”

-        As much as bakugo denies that he isn’t in love with you, he’s actually always had. He had just feared that you would never love him in return.

-        With the help of the fashionista turned enchanted closet that is Mina, she brings out a beautiful golden ballgown hemmed with golden roses, with off the shoulder sleeves and golden gloves to complete the look. You tie some of your hair into a neat bun, with the majority trails down your neck in a beautiful and flowing motion.

-        Bakugo on the other hand, was dressed in such a refined and handsome way. He wore a golden vest over a white dress shirt with a white kerchief. And, to complete the look, his very trusting stylists, Kirishima and Kaminari styled him in black pants.

-        As you dance the night away, the chandelier adorned with sparkling crystals hanging above you, the mural in the ceiling looking ever so heavenly, and calming waltz music to accompany you… it was a dream come true.

-        You nestle your head onto Bakugo’s shoulder, the latter looking a bit surprised yet his mouth forming into a small smile as he continues to guide you by hold your hand, twirling you around and just dancing with you. No other peering or judgemental eyes to stop the two of you from doing so.

-        Did I mention that he was an amazing dancer? Perks of being a prince I guess, but it’s also one of his natural talents.

-        Bakugo lets you go back to your grandfather that same night, watching you leave with your horse on the balcony.

-        He loves you, so he has to let you go.

-        Monoma and the village people ambush the castle to kill the beast, the castle servants trying their best to keep them at bay and the ever so arrogant village hunter climbing his way to Bakugo, you rush to the scene, and as soon as Bakugo sees you, he regains his strength and sends Monoma falling down a pit.

-        Bakugo was able to go back to his quarters with you helping him down, taking one last look at you.

-        He smiles half-heartedly, still trying to catch his breath. “You came back…”

-        “Of course, I came back.” You fight the tears trying to form in your eyes, hugging him tightly and trying to comfort him in his last moments. “If only I’ve gotten here sooner.”

-        “I-it’s better this way.”

-        “We’re together now! Everything’s going to be fine…”

-        “At least, I got to see you one last time.”

-        “P-please… Don’t leave me… I love you.”

-        As the last rose petal was about to fall, Bakugo is knocked out and is slowly succumbing to his wounds. It is through your genuine care and love for him, along with his change of heart and new resolve (albeit still retaining most of his temperamental and pompous personality, he is able to keep it in check) he transforms back into a human.

-        Along with all those who lived in the castle turning back into human, the castle retaining it’s original bright and vibrant colors and atmosphere, you and Bakugo live your very own happily ever after.

Izuku Midoriya  –  as Hercules from Hercules

-        A babie Izuku had been sent down from godlihood to live as a mortal, as his parents, All Might, the God of Thunder, and Inko, the Goddess of Marriage had wanted to protect him from AFO, the God of the Underworld, who will take over Mount Olympus if Izuku does not take him down according to a prophecy.

-        He grows up as a simpleton, the adopted son of both farmers, dreaming to make it big out there, with very ambitious and pure dreams of becoming a hero.

-        But after, being belittled by his very own peers for not looking the part as he couldn’t control his gifted super strength, scrawny, timid, too pure for this world and quite weakhearted, Izuku wanted to prove to them that he will become a hero in the future.

-        “Sometimes… I feel like, I really don’t belong here. Like I’m supposed to be someplace else…” Izuku confesses sincerely, his adoptive father looking at him in worry as he did not want to stop the young boy from learning who he actually was and all the potential he has.

-        “If you found me then… where did I come from? Why was I left here?”

-        His adoptive parents hand him over a golden medal with a thunder and lightning symbol that was said to be hanging around his neck when they found him. This was his answer that raised more questions.

-        He embarks on his journey to find one of the temples of All Might, as this was the only thing the symbol on the medal could allude to.

-        Okay but go the distance fits Izuku so well! A pure and hopeful young boy seeking to make a difference in this world and just wanting to become a hero by the most wholesome means.

-  “I have often dreamed of a far off place, Where a hero's welcome would be waiting for me. Where the crowds would cheer, when they see my face, and a voice keeps saying this is where I'm meant to be…”

-        just imagining izuku’s boyish voice singing this is just aaaaaaa

-        He eventually finds one of the temples, learning that all along, he was the son of the legendary God. All Might tells him he must prove his worth and earn back his godhood by becoming a true hero.

-        His father tells him to go search for Shota Aizawa, the famed instructor who has taught many great heroes in his time. Gifting Izuku a Pegasus, he embarks on another journey again to find the man, so that he may be trained.

-        When he arrives at the home of Aizawa, the teacher had retired as none of his heroes have ever earned a constellation in the sky, prompting him to expel them.

-        Izuku however, explained to his soon-to-be teacher that he wasn’t like the others, and… he proved true.

-        Although Aizawa was hesitant at first, he liked the kid’s determination and sheer will, so he began to train him.

-        Maybe, he could make a difference.

-        After his training and after undergoing an amazing transformation, Izuku was finally ready to start his way to achieving Godhood and becoming a true hero.

-        On the way to a nearby city, Izuku encounters you, a totally not damsel in distress and totally not a pawn of AFO, being tormented by a minotaur.

-        Izuku saves you and you couldn’t help but notice how pure and how gentle he was. You thank him albeit with a tint of sarcasm, hoping the two of you would meet again as you venture deeper into the forest to go and meet with AFO, whom you made a deal with in order to bring back your lost lover from the dead- only for them to leave you soon after.

-        You were once a very soft and romantic person. So open to giving love to others and never shying away from any form of affection. However…

-        After that terrible experience, you developed a cynical outlook. Not taking slack from anybody, always keeping your distance, barely interacting with others and showing no interest in forming any genuine relationships with others ever since.

-        Izuku reminded you that there was still some good in this world.

-        His genuine innocence, his boyish yet handsome looks, his pure determination to save others and his charismatic wit just swept you off of your feat.

-        However, you still had to keep your distance. You just weren’t ready to trust anyone again after that what had happened.

-        Izuku finally reaches his destination, defeating a Hydra using both of his wits and his strength, as he becomes a celebrated hero around the city of Musustafu.

-        Since then, he jumped from city to city, striking down every otherworldly monster that AFO had created to try and defeat him, and making him somewhat of a celebrity.

-        Izuku, however, remained humble. Knowing full well that the fame he had gained was not needed in order to become a hero.

-        In fact, it was what could become a hero’s biggest downfall.

-        Whilst chilling around in a huge museum dedicated to Izuku’s efforts, you pay him a visit and the pure and wholesome boy, clearly enthralled by you since the beginning, became very flustered at the sight of seeing you.

-        You start playing with your words, flirtatiously manipulating him to get him to go on a date with you.

-        “(Y/N) by the gods, he’s so pure why would you do this?” you thought. “what did he do to deserve this from me?” yet, you were bound by a contract with the god of the underworld, so it’s not like you have any choice right?

-        You go on a date with him, and end up falling reeeeeeal hard.

-        The two of you end your date in a romantic park, filled with conveniently placed statues of couples and a statue of Izuku, in the middle, near the fountain for you to fawn over whilst singing one of the best Disney songs ever to.

-        Aizawa hastens him to leave as they still have training to do, but he doesn’t leave until he picks a white flower from a tree, giving it to you, and planting a soft kiss on your cheek.

-        Midoriya hops on his Pegasus and they flutter away as you continue to watch his figure travel farther and farther away from you.

-        You observe and play with the white rose on your hand, sighing dreamily, until you snap back into your senses and think about the matter at hand.

-        “Ugh… what’s the matter with me? You’d think a girl would learn.”

-        *Cue Music and the Muses known as Ochaco, Tsuyu, Momo, Mina and Jirou)

-        “Who d'you think you're kidding~ He's the earth and heaven to you. Try to keep it hidden, Honey we can see right through you. Girl you can't conceal it We know how you're feeling... who you thinking of~”

-        The muses continue the musical number, yet in your heart you just need to deny these new and fuzzy emotions you were feeling for Izuku.

-        “No chance no way I won't say it, no no. (You swoon you sigh why deny it oh oh) It's too cliche I won't say I'm in loveeee…”

-        After all the ordeals Izuku had to go through to save you, (literally jumping into the river styx to recover your soul) his willingness to sacrifice himself for you was the final key needed to ascend to Godhood, and so that he may join his parents and the other gods in Mount Olympus once more.

-        However, this would come at a cost, if he were to go back to Mount Olympus, that would mean he wouldn’t see you ever again, instead only being able to watch over you from up and above.

-        And so, he chooses to remain on Earth with you, and even without his godly status, he could remain as the striking and true hero he is.

-        The two of you watch the night sky as All Might forms a constellation on the sky just for Izuku. Not only making Aizawa also proud, but also as a sign that Izuku himself- (and your love) was worth seeing in the stars.

Shoto Todoroki – as Flynn Rider from Tangled

-        Ok this is a bit of a stretch and I KNOW IT IS

-        Fantasy au Shoto has a white horse, and Flynn rider befriends a white horse that hates him. that’s the closest similarity these two have.

-        Flynn rider is my favorite unofficial Disney prince, and shoto is my favorite mha boy so let’s just roll with this!!

-        Shoto Todoroki was a lost prince turned thief, and after he rebelled from his controlling and manipulative father, His only way of escape was if he turned to a life of thievery, hiding his identity and straying away from his mantle as the Prince of the Todoroki Family.

-        He was very rebellious and mischievous, yet was also stern and rather monotone at times. He would crack jokes, but they would fall flat most of time and despite being absolutely handsome and looking very charismatic and charming on the outside, he wasn’t the best at picking up any gestures or flirtatious remarks said to him.

-        He approached some thieves before and very innocently asked them how to live the life of a rogue, the bandits laughed at him but were nice enough to give him tips. The first advice they told Shoto was to take up a moniker. So that he wouldn’t be easily discovered or found by security officials. They jokingly called him The Half-Hot and Half Cold prince, because of his looks and his quirk.

-        Not knowing that he was an actual prince. A wayward prince to be specific.

-        Shoto didn’t care enough so he used the nickname given to them and went on his way to a different castle.

-        After abandoning his kingdom, he chooses to live freely by his own means, and making the most of his time as a free man and not as a prince. You only live once after all.

-        He then leaves for the Kingdom of Corona, being forced to create a trio with very unfriendly bandits, Sato and Koda. Their mission was to steal the crown on the eve of your birthday and hope to sell it for an absolutely impossible price.

-        After they successfully infiltrate the palace and steal the crown jewel, Shoto stacks the prized possession into his satchel, betraying Koda and Sato, using them as a scapegoat, and making his way to a nearby forest settlement where he may hide and then move on to the next kingdom.

-        However, he underestimated the castle guards as they were able to find traces of him. Shoto, not wanting to back down from a fight, uses his ice quirk to prevent the guards from following him in any further into the forest. (He refuses to use his fire quirk due to its relation to his father)

-        Knowing that it wouldn’t take long before the castle guards would find him again, he had to go somewhere and hide first.

-        He then sees an obscure and weirdly placed tower in the middle of the forest, thinking that he may take refuge there. And so, Shoto uses his ice quirk once more to elevate himself onto the only open window of the tower.

-        He was about to start adjusting to his new surroundings as he steps foot inside, until…

-        BANG!

-        The last thing he heard was the sound of a clanging frying pan.

-        Unbeknownst to him, he was hit on the head by said frying pan.

-        Shoto wakes up to see that he was tied to a chair and his precious satchel gone by his side. He observes his surroundings to see that he was not tied by a rope, but instead tied using someone’s long and luscious hair. Hair so long that it was scattered all around the room.

-        “Is this… hair?”

-        You appear from the darkness, a very smug look spread upon your face, gripping the frying pan tightly.

-        You were the lost princess of the kingdom of Corona. You were kidnapped by Mother Midnight, and she raised you as your own, keeping you locked in the tower so that she can use the regeneration powers coming from your hair to make herself younger.

-        Each year, the king and the queen release lanterns in the sky on your birthday, hoping for your safe return.

-        It was too much of a coincidence. You know in your heart that the lanterns are meant for you. Yet, Mother Midnight constantly forbids and refuses you from leaving the tower.

-        “Who are you? And how did you find me?” You grit your teeth, interrogating him, your frying pan ready to hit on him if he dares to make a move.

-        Tsuyu, your pet chameleon and best friend was watching the half-and-half man intently.

-        “I’m the Half Hot- Half Cold Prince.” He says simply, barely moving and showing any emotion. You stare back at him, puzzled. What the heck was wrong with this guy?

-        “I mean, your actual name.” You repeat yourself as you slowly continue to approach him.

-        “Oh. I’m Shoto. Shoto Todoroki.” He says plainly once again. “Can I have my satchel back please?”

-        “Nope.” You reply, popping the p. “Why are you even here for the first place? Is it for my hair!?”

-        “He tilts his head in confusion, “Of course not. I was being chased and saw this tower, so I used my quirk and got up here. Now, may I please have my satchel back?”

-        “Hmm… if you say you’re from the outside then… I need you to take me to the lights.” You climb up your room balcony, pulling the curtain away to reveal the beautiful mural you made in dedication to the lanterns that are released from the kingdom every year during your birthday. “Then, I’ll give you your satchel.”

-        He looks at the mural in awe for a moment then breathes a hefty sigh, “Alright. We have a deal.”

-        You untie him from your hair. He stands up quickly and was about to descend down the tower. “I can use my quirk to bring us down-“

-        “Nah.” You hold up your hand in front of him, throwing your hair down and using it as a swing as you glide down with grace.

-        Your eyes meet the grass and you take a deep breath before you take your first step on it and then…

-        “My life will finally begin.” You take in your surroundings, feeling overwhelming happiness about to burst inside you.

-        Shoto catches up to you, using his quirk to slide down the tower. He crosses his arms, at the sight of seeing you jumping around like a little chipmunk who has not seen any land, a contempt look plastered upon his face, just wanting to get this job done and head on to the next kingdom he could go to.

-        “THIS IS AMAZING!” You watch him resting by the tree, leaning on it. You kick a pile of leaves to get his attention as you twirl around in your place, still taking in all these wonderful sights.

-        “Look. We have to get to the kingdom grounds as soon as possible or else-“

-        “It’s (Y/N).”

-        “Excuse me?”

-        “I’m (Y/N). I just remembered that I didn’t tell you that a while ago. Sorry!” You smile cheekily at him and because of how adorable you looked; he gave you a pass.

-        “Alright. Let’s go then, (Y/N).

-        Your adventure was absolutely chaotic. From entering a tavern full of scary bandits, for them to actually be softies all this time who were willing to help you see the lights. When the castle guards track down Shoto in the tavern, the bandits help you escape through a hidden passage, but find yourselves stuck in a flooding cave.

-        Thinking that this was the end of both of your adventures and your lives, Shoto reveals to you that he was the missing prince of the Endeavor Kingdom and you also reveal to him that your hair glows when you sing.

-        Bingo.

-        Flower gleam and glow… Let your powers shine… Make the clock reverse… Bring back what once was mine.” You sang softly, your hair began to emanate a glowing light, as it served as a guide to get you out of the cave.

-        Shoto’s hand was injured due to the very rough and dangerous properties inside of the cave and so, you heal him with the powers of your hair.

-        Once again, repeating the s­ong he had wanted to hear escape from your lips once more, your hair begins to glow as the wound on his palm was no more.

-        He looks at you in awe. Noticing details about you that he hasn’t noticed before. How your eyes twinkled differently, like a star from a night sky. Your smile always radiating sunshine, and your aura emanating nothing but warmth and comfort.

-        He was in love with you.

-        How long did it take for him to realize that?

-        “Are we almost there?” You wave your hand in front of his face and he snaps back into reality. “Ah yes. We’ll be in the village where the festivities will take place.”

-        “THERE ARE FESTIVITIES!?”

-        You reach the kingdom the morning after and began to partake in the festivities. All that Shoto could do was watch and admire you from afar as you danced and make merry with the townsfolk; not until you pulled him into the middle of the dance.

-        He was awkward and wasn’t so used to having all this attention around him ever since he left his royal life, but you guide him well in the dance floor, getting lost in the moment, the two of you gaze at each other’s eyes, and the cheers of the townspeople unfortunately snapping you out of the moment.

-        That night, the king and the queen, along with all of the townsfolk, flock to their boats for the annual cruise and lantern releasing.

-        To surprise you, Shoto was able to snatch and rent a boat. The two of you board on it that night, and Shoto rows all the way to the middle of the lake and get a clear view of the ethereal spectacle that was about to take place.

-        The first lantern, released by the king and queen, floats solely by itself. You rush to the other side of the boat, the boat rocking furiously due to the excitement. Your handsome companion on the other hand, was trying to keep the boat into place.

-        You hold on to the edge of the boat as other lanterns follow suit. The huge boats around you were releasing their lanterns too.

-        You look up at the sky, watching the lamps color the night. It was such a beautiful moment. Watching these floating lights reminds you of a comfort and inexplicable feeling from within. There was something about the light emanating from these paper lanterns, some of them bumping into each other, creating unique shadows, like that of shooting stars who were about to ascend back into the night sky.

-        Lanterns continue to light up the night sky, as if they were like bright dreams. Lighting everyone’s resolve and everyone’s hearts.

-       “All those days watching from the windows, All those years outside looking in. All that time never even knowing, just how blind I've been. Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight, Now I'm here, suddenly I see. Standing here, it's all so clear, I'm where I'm meant to be. And at last I see the light. And it's like the fog has lifted And at last I see the light. And it's like the sky is new, And it's warm and real and bright, And the world has somehow shifted. All at once everything looks different… Now that I see you.”

-        After you felt too immersed into the beauty of the lights, you turn back to Shoto who was holding on to two lanterns that the two of you could release. A loving smile present on his face.

-        You smile back at him, and the both of you release it into the sky.

-        “All those days chasing down a daydream… All those years living in a blur… All that time never truly seeing things, the way they were.”

-        The two of you look up to see the floating lights arise and you were immersed once again. Shoto fixes his gaze on you, admiring your beauty and your enthusiasm to see the lights you’ve always dreamed of seeing. He could do nothing but smile at you, as he’s truly fallen in love. He really has. His heart thumping loudly at the presence and the warmth that you’ve given him. Something that he had been seeking for so long.

-        Now she's here shining in the starlight, Now she's here suddenly I know.”

-        You continue look up. A lantern engraved with a sun symbol approaches your boat, and you point at it, pushing it up at the sky.

-        “If she's here, it's crystal clear… I'm where I'm meant to go.”

-        Shoto knew this was his only chance. His smile turning into that of a frown, as thoughts of not seeing you again came across his mind. He grabs your hand, touching it softly. You perk up a little bit at this gesture, but you smile back at him. Your eyes glimmering love and warmth once again.

-        You hold both of his hands, grasping it firmly yet tenderly. The two of you gaze at each other’s eyes again, this time no one were to interrupt. This moment would just be between the two of you.

-        You notice how beautiful Shoto’s heterochromatic eyes were from up close, the love shown in his eyes could only be for you and you feel your heart racing at that thought.

-         And at last I see the light, And it's like the sky is new. And it's warm and real and bright, And the world has somehow shifted… All at once everything is different… Now that I see you.”

[redrascal1]

There's nothing quite like Star Wars.

Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek....hardcore sci fi with a touch of mysticism...but SW is - or was - a fairytale, a LOTR style fantasy set in space. Just looking at the stills from the Obi Wan series reminds me of that.

We had a dark sorcerer, a pirate, a would be knight, a feisty princess, a dark knight....all set against a contemporary space background. I'll never forget when I first saw ANH at the tender age of 12. Those words..

'A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away'....they gave me a thrill which forty odd years later has stayed with me.

But SW isn't just a 'good/evil' fable. Our heroes were fallible, human, they made mistakes. And as such we could relate to them. And the villains...yes, we had some truly evil ones, but we also had villains that were once good, whose fall from grace was because of their humanity. SW gave us bad guys we could relate to, that could be redeemed. It gave us hope.

Then we got TROS.

I'm one of those people who defended the ST. Yes, TFA ripped off ANH a lot, but it also gave us new twists. A heroine who wasn't a 'royal', or a leader, just a girl from nowhere who wanted nothing more than a family. A sidekick who fled the bad guys army and wanted nothing more than to escape.

Most of all a tragic 'anti villain' who turned out to be the last scion of the Skywalkers...and also the most fascinating and relatable character in the sequels.

Then we got TLJ...and Rian Johnson's wonderful film, which took each character and made them grow, and learn. That threw all kinds of possibilities into the mix, and left us with a terrific cliffhanger. I was so very hyped for TROS.

And it turned out to be the most disappointing cinematic experience I have ever had.

It was as if TLJ had never existed. Instead we got a tired rehash of ROTJ, mixed with obvious rip offs of several other, better films, no decent plot and dialogue so cringeworthy it made the acting look bad.

Worst of all...the character assassination of its principal cast. Rey, our likeable, relatable heroine, turned out to be neither, a lofty self important 'fembot' without a soul who was unrecognisable as the young woman we all embraced in TFA. Finn, her sidekick, had his character growth in TLJ trashed (along with his love interest) and became a creepy obsessed stalker whose purpose was nothing but following Rey around like a dog following a bitch in heat. Leia, whose character was destroyed beyond repair in order to make Rey look good.

But worst of all.....Ben/Kylo. The most interesting, promising character in the entire ST is reduced to a cardboard cut out villain for most of the film, then has a rushed redemption for the last 20 minutes in order to fulfil his purpose.....donating his life force as 'giving Rey back to the galaxy' was apparently all he was good for. The last Skywalker, in the last ever chapter of the Skywalker saga, reduced to Rey's 'organ' donor.

And to finish it off...Palpatine returns and Rey's his granddaughter. The Last Skywalker dies saving the last Palpatine ...and she eagerly takes everything that was his as her due, without even acknowledging what he did for her.

What really hurts is all this was the work of Disney, the company which once made fairytales real. Who gave us such beautiful, romantic works as Beauty and the Beast (original), Bambi, Once Upon A Time the series....all stories based on love, and hope and redemption.

They've crushed me. They've broken the hearts of thousands of fans. And why? Because they are ashamed of some of the less savoury parts of their history, and now want to prove how 'woke' they are? How can throwing away Finn/Rose, a lovely inter racial love affair, be 'diverse'? How can turning Rey into a heartless creature who promptly forgets the other half of her soul because he's seen as 'unworthy' promote 'strong women'?

And how on earth can erasing the entire Skywalker family, the heart and soul of Lucas's epic, and replacing them with the villain's 'get' be hopeful? A satisfying end to the Skywalker saga?

How in the name of sanity can this satisfy anyone, other than the toxic harpies who think 'reylo' is racist and the fanatics who think women need no one to be happy?

Disney haven't just destroyed SW - they have destroyed themselves. I am no longer interested in anything they put out...I'm a depressant who wants something that makes me feel good, not a wrist slitting suicide glorifying obscenity.

My only regret is that I defended them.

[queen-of-my-goofball-army]

So this edit will heavily talk about Encanto and all the spoilers that it entails. If you haven't seen the movie yet then I would implore you to do so because it has changed my life in the possible ways including giving me a husbando that I never in a million years I planned on getting.

"My first Disney husbando for film in the last ten years and the last thing that I expected for it to be a dorky, heartbreakingly sweet, rat man who just loves his family so much and would give anything to just keep them happy." (Me.)

OKAY now that I've warned all the spoiler conscious people I can officially talk about the new love of my life in every sense of the word, Bruno Madrigal. Oh boy, where do I even begin talking about this dorky man? He is absolutely the cutest thing that I have ever seen Disney create and watching his story absolutely warmed my heart. Encanto as a whole has become one of my favorite Disney movies of all time within the quick span of just a couple of days. And to me that is saying a hell of a lot because creative Disney as a whole has been there for me since I was extremely young. But during this last decade of watching Disney fumble about with trashy live action remake, after trashy live action remake and movies that while "good" were just never relatable to me. Then in comes Encanto with one of the most relatable stories that I have ever seen Disney tackle in my entire life. It was one of the few Disney movies that I could relate to the main character through every step of the way. I firmly believe that this movie was made for the outcasts of the world.

Enough of the background, I really desperately want to talk about my experience with this character. When I first heard that there was a member of the family that was outcasted and that "we don't talk about" I was praying to the Disney animation gods that they didn't do what I was thinking that I was going to do. It was going to be another twist villain and they were going to ruin what looked like what could be an absolutely fascinating movie. Imagine to my surprise scrolling through spoiler tumblr that it wasn't the case that they went with at all and I had a victory screech. The amount of happiness that Disney didn't take the obvious bait and make Bruno the "villain" of the story could fulfill my serotonin levels for the rest of my life. The minute I saw an actual image I was like "Okay I'm not into facial hair but he is attractive". For me I need a personality to make a fictional character a husbando. Without a personality you're just a character that I could probably feel an emotional attachment to.

Come Christmas Eve, watching Encanto was one of the first things that I did and while I instantly fell in love with the main character, her journey and her relationships amongst her family, it wasn't until Mirabel went through the walls of the house and ran into tío Bruno that this movie became one of ultimate top four Disney movies of all time (right up there with Beauty And The Beast, Atlantis Lost Empire, Princess And The Frog, and Hunchback Of Notre Dame). The minute that Bruno opened his mouth I instantly fell in love with his character. He was just such an adorable lovable dork, and I just automatically fell in love with him no matter what. If I had to label a moment it was when he introduced "Jorge" and "Hernando" so yeah it was pretty much instantly and I just knew that he was going to be everything to me (yeah it was pretty much automatic WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME??)

The more that I got to see of Bruno honestly, the worse my feels got because I fell in love with the way that him and Mirabel acted as a duo, there was just so many little things that I loved about this movie. It was I feel like a movie for us weirdos that get really into and lean on for emotional support. I absolutely fell in love with the way that Bruno's interactions were with everything. Hearing him talk about how much he loved his family when Mirabel chased after him I absolutely fell in love with the heart that he has. He's just such a wonderful tío more than anything. He loves his family more than anything in the whole world. He would do anything for his family, even moving into the walls of the casita to stop his family from blaming Mirabel.

Getting to see Bruno get easily accepted by his family is one of the most heartwarming things that I have ever seen in my entire life. When Pepa instantly hugged him to her when he tries to awkwardly wave before she picks him up in a massive hug. It's just such a beautiful moment and one of my favorite Disney moments up there with Belle's library. It's just a moment that feels so earned for his character after hearing all that he's had to go through. Even though he's the comedy relief there is this undercurrent of tragedy and that's what made me fall in love with his character.

For the first time in over a decade I have a Disney husbando. I never thought that it would happen again since the last one that came from Disney animation studios in an animated feature film was Naveen. But then in came Bruno Madrigal and my love for him hit me upside the head. He came at me when I was least expecting it and now he's one of my favorite husbandos that I have in my arsenal.

[afilmsforthoughtblog]

Shocking Villains

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Most of the time, we like to know who the heroes and the villains are right off the bat. This distinction gives us a sense of comfort in knowing which characters to root for. However,  there are certain times when a plot twist comes in and the protagonist was the villain all along! Sometimes, you don’t see it coming. The betrayal punches you right in the gut! Below, you will find some of the surprising villains from my favorite movies. Comment down below which character shocked you the most!  

1. Titan from Megamind (2010)

Before Hal becomes Titan, he is a nerdy guy who works as a cameraman for the local news station. He always follows Roxanne around to find the latest information about Metroman. His affections for his coworker are painstakingly obvious, but she is too nice to outright turn him down. Once Metroman leaves the city for good, Megamind takes over Metro City. He needs a new hero to battle. What better person to take Metroman’s place than the guy who knows everything about  him and the powers it takes to be a superhero? Hal seems the perfect fit, so Megamind disguises himself as a Space Dad to train Hal. He transforms into Titan, and all seems to be going well. Titan has the potential to be a decent hero, but he is so arrogant. His confidence ultimately becomes his downfall. When Roxanne rejects him, he spazzes out and gets all angry. He flips the script and becomes the villain! 

2. Ernesto de la Cruz from Coco (2017)

This turn of events stabbed me right in my heart! All Miguel wants to do is be a musician. So, when he needs to get back to the land of the living, he searches for Ernesto de la Cruz in hopes of getting his blessing to return. He surely would help his great-great grandson? Right? WRONG. Usually, when someone is put upon a pedestal, eventually, they’ll come crashing down. I think the plot twist in this movie is bigger than Hans from Frozen! Ernesto’s not his relative at all! He’s the man who stole everything from Miguel’s great-great grandfather and murdered him in the process. I won’t spoil the ending, but I am happy with Ernesto de la Cruz’s fateful end. Once you re-watch Coco, all the clues smack you in the face. You’ll never look at this character the same way again. 

3. Hans from Frozen (2013)

C’mon. You know I had to add Hans in the mix. I know I said Ernesto de la Cruz’s villainy was more shocking than Hans’ reveal, but for the longest while, Hans had the biggest character twist in Disney history! So far in this company, we’ve seen the same trope over and over. Girl meets boy and marries him even though they’ve only known each other for a short amount of time, or true love’s kiss will save the day. When Elsa accidentally freezes Anna’s heart, she seeks out Hans to heal her because she believes they are soulmates. As the camera pans in their faces to seal the deal, Hans quickly stops the kiss and utters one of the sickest burns ever: “Oh, Anna, if only there was someone out there who loved you.” My whole body screamed in agony the first time I watched this scene! The complete look of betrayal on Anna’s face is priceless. The whole ambience unfolds as he kills all sources of heat in the room with the intent to kill her. Once he think Anna’s out of the way, there’s no stopping Hans from taking the throne over Elsa!

4.  Scrappy-Doo from Scooby-Doo: The Movie (2002)

As a child, this film used to scare me so bad. As I’ve gotten older, though, the comedy is topnotch and the monsters are quite hilarious. Which is why Scrappy-Doo as a villain makes so much sense in the Scooby-Doo universe. When the gang finally thinks that they’ve defeated their culprit, more chaos ensues. Mondavarious was only the face of the plans. Literally! Once they rip his face off, no one is underneath the mask! Instead, Scrappy reveals to be in the robot body the whole time! All this revenge just to become a buff, tootsie roll dog. 

5. Mysterio from Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Mysterio’s reveal is a real kick in the face. After Tony Stark’s death, it’s hard for Peter Parker to have a father figure to look up to. He then meets Quentin Beck, AKA Mysterio. They’re chemistry throughout the film entices the viewer to keep watching their relationship grow as superheroes. However, it all comes crashing down when Beck’s plans are revealed to dominate the world and get revenge over everything Stark stood for even if it means crushing Peter in the process. The Mysterio ruse tricks everyone into thinking he’s the good guy, but in reality, he foils the path of expectation. The catastrophic events are strategically planned to make Spider-Man the villain. Mysterio’s actions leave the movie with a cliffhanger. What will happen to Peter Parker?  

[stina-is-a-punk-rocker]

disney’s ‘the hunchback of notre dame’, early 2000s kid nostalgia, and other midnight musings

“What the fuck, Stina? I thought this was a blog for book reviews!” you say.

“Books, amongst other things. Hence the -ish suffix,” I say. “And all my mediocre ‘reviews’ are hit-or-miss in terms of engagement, so I’m pretty much free to post whatever the fuck I want.”

I toss my head. My hair whacks me in the face.

The first time I watched Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame was been circa 2006, in the ‘movie room’ of my preschool, huddled around a CRT TV with the rest of my five-year-old classmates. Not much about the film particularly stood out to me at the age.

Fast-forward fifteen years later; I’m cooped up in quarantine, hundreds of thousands of miles away from that first viewing. I’m living my best life, rejoicing in my introverted tendencies and having a laugh at the expense of all the suffering extroverts. I haven’t moved from my bed all day, except for the bare necessities, and I’m bingeing YouTube videos. All is well.

I discovered Lindsay Ellis’s channel quite recently- embarrassingly enough, through her videos on Omegaverse and the whole Addison Cain fiasco. I stumbled down the rabbit-hole of her channel, and here I am, a few dozen videos later, and I find her one on this film.

Which, of course, led me to want to re-watch the film, with the eyes and mind (supposedly) of an adult. And it went far beyond and above my expectations.

The film is dark, much darker than the average Disney film of today- not just thematically, but the graphics too. Except for the first parts with the Festival of Fools and the last scene, the rest seems to have a dark filter put over it all. Obviously, given its themes (I’m pulling these out of my arse; I’m a STEM major and I have zero to no knowledge about film) of freedom and equality, acceptance of those different from us, corruption and lust- all that good shit, in other words- you can’t exactly have sunshine and rainbows. But it’s such a stark contrast from what I’ve been accustomed to from Disney; Frozen has Hans about to decapitate Elsa, but the background remains bright and light; Simba sobbing next to Mufasa’s body in The Lion King is heart-wrenching, but a few scenes later, we have an anthropomorphic meerkat-boar duo singing about eating bugs and farting and all that classy stuff, so it’s not as traumatizing.

The themes are a lot more on-the-nose than a lot of other kids’ movies (forgive me if I err, I am aged and forgetful)- cue la Esmeralda saying, “What do they have against people who are different, anyway?”- you get what’s essentially the same ‘accept others regardless of their differences’, ‘prejudice is bad’ morals from, say, Zootopia, but having given the main characters fursuits makes it less obvious than in this movie.

(Or maybe I’m just a dumbass. I have no elaborate notes for this; I’m high on sugar and deprived of sleep so I might be spewing bullshit.)

Admittedly, the resolution is a bit… unrealistic. The citizens of Paris = sheep, essentially; they go from throwing fruit in Quasimodo’s face because the guards started it, to helping defeat them. Maybe there’s something about mob mentality in there, but I find it hard to believe that people who showed up to watch Esmeralda burn to death were suddenly totally cool with not getting what they didn’t pay for. But then again, this is a Disney movie, and you can’t make kids too cynical too early on. Let them have their innocence and ‘people will be with the heroes in times of peril because humanity is inherently good!’ before they realize that humanity kinda fuckin’ sucks.

The characters are some of the most human from those I’ve seen in Disney (other honorable mentions: the main characters of The Emperor’s New Groove, Moana, Tangled, Anna from Frozen). Quasimodo’s the main character (lol DUH, will I ever say anything not obvious?), and he’s so lovable, but not without flaws- he’s biased against gypsies in the beginning because Frollo’s the literal scum of the earth. To borrow from the K-pop fans’ dictionary: UwU he’s so pure!

Esmeralda sparks a bit of controversy because she’s another POC leading lady from a Disney film of the 90’s (a list including Jasmine, and, sigh- Pocahontas) who’s markedly more sexualized than the white Disney princesses. It’s not something I particularly noticed nor cared about until I saw it being brought up- I mean, the woman shows a bit of cleavage and then dances for a couple of seconds- but. I’m just putting that out there.

She’s an empowering heroine without having to belt in in your face (not me making a dig at Naomi Scott’s Jasmine from the Aladdin live action film), and I also love how her role in taking down the Big Bad doesn’t have to do with her ‘power of seduction’ (the scene in the animated Aladdin film where Jasmine kissed Jafar truly traumatized me as a kid).

Phoebus is… well, he exists. Kind of a Regulus Black archetype, but not exactly. The guy on the bad side who turns good and all is forgiven. Well, at least it’s not the ‘her love made him a better man’ trope. And he is a good guy. Even if he did spend a considerable amount of his adult years on the side of the bad guys.

Systemic oppression? Nah, it’s one or two corrupt baddies. But again, it’s a Disney film, we need everything to work out for the good guys in the end.

Let’s get the gargoyles out of the way. To reference Lindsay Ellis’s video (she’s a lot smarter than I am and breaks this down better than I ever could): yes, the comedy’s oft ill-timed and inappropriate… for an adult audience. And the primary demographic of Disney films, especially princess ones (obviously Esmeralda isn’t a princess, nor does she marry into royalty, nor is she included in the group of princesses in the dumpster fire that is Ralph Breaks the Internet, but I had a book imaginatively titled ‘Disney Princess Stories’ as a kid that included Esmeralda’s story alongside Belle’s and Ariel’s, so I’m calling her a princess), are kids. And kids love fart jokes.

Additionally, I have a theory-that-is-not-really-a-theory-but-a-pretty-obvious-thing-that-happens that the gargoyles are figments of Quasimodo’s imagination, and the, at times crass and ridiculous things they say are just the voices in Quasimodo’s head (THIS IS OBVIOUS, STINA, YOU HAVEN’T STUMBLED ACROSS A STARTLING NEW REVELATION); maybe what he imagines normal townspeople to act like.

And then we have Judge Judy Chrissy Teigen Frollo. This dude is the embodiment of pure evil. He’s bigoted and rapey and abusive and one of Disney’s most successful villains- even better than Mother Gothel, who previously held the crown. It’s rare that a villain genuinely terrifies me, especially a cartoon one. Frollo, unlike your typical fairytale antagonist who wants power/fame/fortune/to overthrow Olympus, is far more sinister; driven from deep-rooted hatred instead of plain greed. He’s so much closer to people in positions of power and authority even in the modern world, and that element of reality makes him so much better as an antagonist instead of a literal sheep who hates carnivores (seriously, Disney, enough with the twist villains- they’re not working out).

Also, Hellfire slaps. In fact, the entire soundtrack does.

Speaking about Hellfire, I love the contrast between that and Heaven’s Light; how Esmeralda is viewed by Frollo (an object to possess, “Destroy Esmeralda, and let her taste the fires of hell; or else, let her be mine and mine alone”) as opposed to Quasimodo (someone with free will, “I dare to dream that she might even care for me”).

Another argument brought up, and admittedly one I had as a child was, ‘but if the whole point of the movie is acceptance and love as opposed to lust, why didn’t Quasimodo get the girl?’ Which, years later, I realize is an extremely misogynistic way to look at it. As Princess Jasmine said four years before The Hunchback was released, she is not a prize to be won. Quasimodo is Frollo’s antithesis; he lets Esmeralda choose, and she chose Phoebus. And Quasimodo accepted that, because he is good and kind and sweet and loving. Severus Snape, take note.

On a sidenote, I’m always kind of caught out of left field when the plot in films moves really fast- I’m really not a movie-watching type; I prefer to read, and books usually indicate how much time passes from one main plot point to another, and there are little slice-of-life, filler parts that tie in to character development and moving the plot forward, but at a snail’s pace. So, whenever I’m watching a movie and it’s one important event after another, I usually haven’t had enough of a refractory period to process it.

Let’s pretend that I segued smoothly into the next part of this (already tedious and long drawn out) review.

The Hunchback is the darkest film I’ve ever seen come out from Disney. Re-watching it as an adult made me pause every so often and wonder why the hell I wasn’t traumatized by it as a kid. I mean, the whole movie kicks off with Frollo about to throw an infant down a well. And then there’s that horrifying shot of the stone renditions of the Israelite kings on the church walls. Frollo falls to his death into fire. I mean, good riddance, but still. I guess it’s because the kids’ shows of today are awfully censored and polished so kids don’t have nightmares forevermore.

Update: tried to watch The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2. Exited just as fast as I clicked on it. Disney sequels really ain’t shit (yes, I’m looking at you, Frozen 2).

[emoboijk]

knj | till death

In the demon world, arranged marriages are business transactions. But this isn’t that simple. —demon au, arranged marriage au, non-idol au

01 :: 02 :: 03 :: 04 :: 05 :: 06 :: 07

2,635 words

gif credit

Inside Namjoon's head, there is nothing but rage. He feels like an animal throwing itself against the bars of its cage, trying to shake something, anything loose. He directs every ounce of power he has at regaining control of himself and he feels only a smidge of progress.

That, and Taemin's teeth nibbling at his earlobe.

Namjoon's eyes stay straight ahead and his body remains immobile. He's glad his body hasn't turned because it means he can keep his eyes on you. He's trying to catalog your and Yoongi's injuries but he finds there are too many to count. He focuses on the men standing behind you both, memorizing their faces. He makes plans to return the favor ten-fold. He wants to clench his fist or jut out his jaw, some small act of defiance, but his body won't move.

"Namjoon here," Taemin purrs, his breath fanning hotly against Namjoon's neck, "made a blood oath with me." Taemin's body curls around the side of Namjoon's possessively, his nails digging into Namjoon's bicep and his teeth running along the pulse point in his neck.

Namjoon tries to ignore it. He can't really feel it anyway. Whatever control Taemin has over his body has also numbed him.

"Idiot," Yoongi grumbles, glaring defiantly at the dark-haired villain clinging to Namjoon. One of the men standing nearby immediately steps forward and hits him in the back of the head. Yoongi sways forward, finds his balance in the chair, and leans back. Turning to the side, he spits blood on the greenhouse floor and licks his teeth. His eyes still have that defiant edge.

"He's not wrong, my love," Taemin giggles, "Giving your blood to an 'enemy'?" Taemin's shoulders shake with laughter before he moves to stand in front of Namjoon. He cups his cheeks in his hands softly and says, "It was just a ploy, hmm? You wanted to come back to me. I know. I figured it out." Taemin's eyes sparkle gorgeously and it sends Namjoon spinning back to when this all began.

The greenhouse was almost new back then. Almost new and hardly used. Ever since their first kiss—baking in the sun, poolside in jean shorts, cherry popsicles melting over lush lips—they'd been sneaking out here to be together.

Taemin always rushes in headfirst, twirling amongst the flora like a Disney character and practically glowing. He has his arms spread wide, whispering that he loves him and he feels safe and he's happy, looking back at Namjoon who lingers at the entrance.

The memory hits Namjoon so suddenly it steals his breath. He comes tumbling back to reality at the sound of your voice.

"How are you controlling him?" you spit, your voice is powerful and vicious. Like a knife, it cuts through his sentimentality. Your face is serious and pensive and angry. He's screaming and clawing and trying to move.

His pinky twitches.

"I'm not telling," Taemin sings, swinging back around to face them, winking at you, "Let's just say it took quite a bit of research." His voice goes up at the end of the sentence because it's all just a game.

"And what do you hope to accomplish?" Yoongi growls from beside you. He's bathed in shadows and the moonlight that does hit him casts him as haggard and bloody. "Blood magic won't make him love you again."

Taemin hisses at him, his eyes losing their playful sparkle and turning deadly serious in a matter of moments. A guard hits Yoongi in the back of the head again and he clatters to the floor, the side of his head smacking the cement with a crack that stops your heart.

"Yoongi!" you scream, wrenching yourself forward in your chair to no avail. Your bindings won't give, and a guard clutches your shoulder to bruising and slams you back into your seat.

"Anyway, I guess we should be on to the main event," Taemin says, his voice sugary again. He faces Namjoon once more, his expression so similar to the one he used to wear.

They're in the fields behind the main house and the grass is so tall it hides them, laying on their backs with their fingers intertwined. The sun bakes their skin golden brown and turns Taemin's hair auburn. Namjoon rolls to hover over him, both of them out of breath from laughing and kissing, thinking that this will always be the way it is. Always tasting spicy cinnamon and sugary vanilla.

"Forever and ever," they whispered. Forever and ever.

The memory stings. It had been a couple of years before you and he had met. And he really had thought it was true, forever.

But things began to unravel, as they often do. Taemin began to unravel.

"Okay, so now, kill her."

Taemin's voice is like steel, slipping beneath Namjoon's skin and slicing. It makes Namjoon snap back to focus, the memory vanishing as if it had never been there at all.

Namjoon stands stock still. Fighting, now, to stay immovable.

Taemin sighs and runs his hands through Namjoon's hair, "I know you're in there fighting this," he says softly, "but once you do it, everything will be better. We'll be better. Forever and ever."

Something in Namjoon's stomach lurches unpleasantly at the realization that he doesn't recognize those eyes anymore. Something in them has turned dark and twisted in a way his Taemin was never capable of.

When Namjoon still doesn't move, Taemin's voice loses its softness and gains an authoritative edge, "Do it." The sound compels Namjoon past the point of disobeying; it's as though his blood has turned against him.

Inside his head, Namjoon's movements feel mechanical, he throws the entire force of his mind against them. Nothing.

You watch him approach with your heart in your throat. You don't really recognize him. His movements are so fluid that they look alien. Your Namjoon is a giant with long limbs that he's barely in control of, a perpetual look of thoughtfulness in his eyes, a soft smile reserved for you… This Namjoon is blank, an imitation; he's nothing at all.

He stoops down until your eyes are at the same level. Before you can take in another breath, his hand is around your throat. He stands to his full height and holds you above him like it takes no effort at all. You gasp for breath.

His fingers around your throat feel familiar and you're surprised that, this close to death, those kinds of memories surface. You watch his face for a flicker of his real self, think you see one in the very depths of his eyes, and whisper, "It's okay," because what else can you say. You're going to die. But it's not his fault.

That's what finally breaks him. It's okay. Namjoon, gripping the steel bars that are keeping him caged in his mind, breaks when he hears you say those words. "No it's fucking not," he screams in his head.

Control comes back to his limbs too fast and his knees buckle. You fall against him, both of you folding into each other as you land harshly on the ground. You can feel his breath against your cheek, and feel the anger brewing beneath his skin. One of his hands reaches out for you and grabs your wrist; it takes you a moment before you realize he's checking your pulse.

Satisfied, he rises slowly. His hair is falling into his face but you can see his eyes are blacked out. More surprisingly, there are long fangs now crowding his teeth, poking out over his lips. He spreads his hands wide and you see his nails have grown into claws, and sharp horns are sticking up from his head. In the blink of an eye, large, leathery black wings rip through his shirt and spread open.

You lose your breath.

"Stop," Taemin commands. But Namjoon rolls his shoulders, the joints in his wings cracking menacingly. He turns to him.

"Stop," Taemin says again, but this time it's a whimper.

Namjoon has never felt this powerful before. The wings are new. He hasn't conjured claws or horns since childhood. His rage is feeding his power and it's coming off of him in waves. And he doesn't care; his vision is red.

Usually, Namjoon's power sits just beneath his skin like a current of energy, one that he keeps at bay with an incredible amount of restraint (that took an even more incredible amount of practice). Right now he's like a live wire; the casing's been removed and he is nothing but raw power.

He stretches his wings behind him to their full span, cracking his neck as he grows used to his new appendages and this new surge of demonic energy. When he looks at Taemin he wants nothing more than to reach into his chest and pull out his heart. He wants to tear out his jugular. He wants to watch him burn.

You're so caught up in watching him that you don't realize Yoongi's free of his restraints until he's undoing yours. You jump at the feeling of his fingers against your wrists, startled by his bloody face and rasping voice, "We have to get out of here."

You roll your shoulders and rub at your wrists, wincing at the strain. "I can't leave," you say like it's obvious.

Yoongi looks at you like you're stupid, "Are you kidding me?"

You roll your eyes in response, "I'm not leaving him, Yoongi."

The room is getting warmer, like twelve o'clock on a summer day, and it takes you a second to realize it's coming from Namjoon. He's burning through demonic magic at a lightning speed and it's shedding off of him like the sun.

Yoongi wraps his fingers around your arm and pulls, "Come on," he huffs, "Look, he's like a …atom bomb right now. He could go off at any moment."

You wrench yourself from his grasp, "Why do you think I'm staying?"

Namjoon's hands close around Taemin's throat and squeeze. There's a flash of childish innocence in Taemin's eyes, but Namjoon is far past caring.

Burns appear on Taemin's skin from proximity to the demonic energy and his windpipe gives beneath the forces of Namjoon's grip. Namjoon doesn't blink.

It's the most demonic you've ever seen him.

"Namjoon!" you scream.

You're afraid if he doesn't stop now he won't come back. You're afraid of losing him.

"Namjoon," you sob.

You force yourself to a stand, fighting through the demonic energy that makes your eyes sting and your skin blister. You whisper his name to anchor you, to tether him to you. You move forward till he turns.

He looks almost like a medieval painting. Horns and wings and claws. But his eyes are familiar, inky black pools like starless galaxies you could lose yourself in.

"It's okay," you whisper, reaching out to him. "It's okay," you say again as you reach him, fingers pressing gently to his jaw and his cheeks.

His brow wrinkles at the touch, a distinctly human expression overtaking his demonic form. The back of one hand wipes your cheek softly. You're crying.

Namjoon falls to his knees and with him all the magic. Taemin is on the ground and whatever was keeping him alive is gone now.

Namjoon has collapsed into you, but you can feel his breath against your neck so you know he's going to be okay. His hands are around your waist like a life preserver, and you can feel the scrape of his fangs against your skin.

"It's okay," you whisper, running your fingers through his hair just to prove to yourself that he's still here, he's still yours. "Just keep breathing," you whisper, tears falling down your cheeks without your noticing. Behind him is what remains of Taemin and you have to close your eyes. It's so horrific. Your eyes and nose sting with the smell of burning flesh.

You only open them when you hear footsteps. Jin is leading the charge, stomping in at a heavy run, skidding to a stop when he sees the scene. "Oh my god," he whispers, covering his mouth with his hand. Shortly after him, Yoongi limps in, leaning heavily against Jeongguk. And then ten seconds later, Hoseok follows with a large group of security.

"They're all…" Jin starts.

"…dead," Yoongi finishes, finally giving in to his exhaustion and collapsing against Jeongguk's side.

"Outside," Hoseok says, "Medics…" He speaks in short bursts, unable to form full sentences while he can barely process what he's seeing.

You take a deep breath and move your hand to cup Namjoon's face. His eyes are still entirely black, and his fangs still long past his teeth. You can feel his claws press harmlessly against your sides.

"Okay," you whisper, stroking his cheek softly to erase his pained expression, "You have to come back now, okay? For me."

Namjoon leans forward and presses his forehead against yours, nodding slightly. His body grows tense in your grasp and you can see his chin jut out in concentration. Slowly, the fangs retract, the wings disappear…when he opens his eyes, they are the soft brown you know so well.

"Hey there," you whisper.

"Hey," he whispers before passing out.

When Namjoon wakes up his head feels as though it's been split open, his back feels broken, his hands ache. His whole body feels completely spent and rundown. He blinks against the lights of the hospital room and groans involuntarily against the pain in his head.

"Oh my god," he hears. Your voice is tear-soaked and relieved, but he recognizes it immediately. You materialize at his bedside and grip his hand tightly, "Hi," you whisper.

"Hi." He smiles when you lean down and press your lips to his chastely.

There's a long moment where you both just look at each other, relieved that you've both survived, that it's... over. Your eyes are watering and you blink, laughing lightly, "I...I should probably get a doctor."

"No, don't go," he says, almost in a whine like a child.

"Okay," you grin despite yourself. Forgetting his wounds, you lean your head against his, pulling away sharply when he gasps in pain.

"Why does my head hurt so bad?" He mutters.

"Oh," you smile, "um…" you pull a compact from your purse and hand it to him.

"Oh shit," he says, watching his own expression in the mirror. There are deep purple bruises around his eyes, two perfect circles still healing in his forehead.

"Horns," you whisper, trying to keep yourself from giggling.

"So, my back…?"

"Wings," you nod, smiling fully.

Namjoon chuckles too, reaching up to stroke your cheek, "Guess I was pretty upset." He smiles softly and you turn your face to press a soft kiss to the center of his palm.

"Careful," a voice says from the doorway, "don't scratch her, Wolverine."

You both turn to see Yoongi, bruised but smiling, and Jeongguk pushing him into the room in a wheelchair. Namjoon's eyes flick to his own hands and he immediately curses at the long, sharp claws. He throws his head back onto the pillow in frustration and groans.

"I tried to trim them myself," you blush, "but they kept breaking the nail files."

"Yeah," he sighs, his eyes still closed, "sandpaper is the only thing tough enough."

"I'll ask Lisa to pick some up," Jeongguk chuckles.

"How long was I out?" he wonders, eyes moving to the three of you in turn.

"About a week," you say softly.

"And Taemin?"

There's a long, awkward silence before Yoongi says, "Let's just say it makes the bone-breaking incident look like child's play."

"So he's dead?"

You nod solemnly, looking down at your hands. Gently, Namjoon fits his into yours, squeezing. "We're safe."

author’s note— i know this took forever and a day, i hope it was worth the wait

epilogue ↝

for more of my works check out my m.list

[lystelle]

why cassandra is the traitor- not adira

now before y’all hit me with the “but adira!!” hear me out. as we know, adira has been set up as a morally ambiguous, wandering individual who doesn’t seem to have much to lose since we met her. the very first time we meet her, she attacks raps and cassandra for kicks. just about everyone in the gang gets off untrustworthy, even ‘villainous’ vibes from adira. even later on, after multiple encounters with adira (including ones where she helped the group get out of trouble!) not much has changed, not made better by hector’s warning about her.

now you would think that, for being set up this long as someone who is untrustworthy, adira is the traitor. but that’s too easy. it’s too predictable, if it happened, we wouldn’t be surprised- and we know that the tangled crew too well to expect something so obvious. 

adira is the red herring.

what we know about tangled antagonists:

quickly looking back at varian in early season 1, we had a lot of material to warn us of his antagonist/villain potential. this is important. first, pre-existing weakness/personality traits. his alchemy was shown to be unstable, and so was he- unwilling to back down or accept his mistakes. he wanted to be successful. second, imagery and foreshadowing, primarily being the first appearance with his mask and coat in ‘what the hair’. third, and most importantly, the means/reasoning to turn into an antagonist. varian’s poor relationship with his disappointed father (who he lost shortly right before everything went downhill) which would later be exploited and lead to his breakdown.

cassandra’s resentment:

cassandra, throughout her entire life, has been pushed down, overshadowed, patronized, and in general, not seen as capable of the things she clearly is skilled at. the most obvious of these things being her swordfighting ability (throughout the show), strong leadership/independence (finally put to the test in ‘secret of the sundrop’) and skill in disarming enemies (as seen in ‘under raps’). cassandra has the capability to be a captain of the guard possibly even greater than her father. in the first season we are shown her being forced instead to work as a lady in waiting, put down during ‘challenge of the brave’ as simply ‘rapunzel’s handmaiden’, and at the slightest mistake, rejected from chances to ascend as a guard. 

“to you this was just a fun way to blow off a saturday but to me, this was my chance to show everyone that i am more than just your lady-in-waiting. and just when i thought i might even get the slightest bit of respect... never mind.”

not until the finale does corona truly see her shine as a leader and soldier, and even then, she is overshadowed by rapunzel. 

in both the first and second season, cass bickers and fights with rapunzel quite a bit, she is smug when she’s right, and bitter when she’s wrong. rapunzel showed up out of nowhere after 18 years and has already garnered more acclaim than cass has ever had, simply because she’s back home, whereas cass had to work her whole life to get a small sliver of respect. during S2’s midseason, ‘rapunzel and the great tree’, cassandra gets her hand severely burned by touching rapunzel during the reverse incantation, when she was a second away from stopping the vines herself with the spear. that burn, though not directly rapunzel’s intention, was still her fault for not trusting cass to save the day on her own. not only did she steal cassandra’s spotlight again, but she literally physically injured her. i think this is a kind of metaphor for the severe damage rapunzel causes, without directly intending it, to cassandra.

they try to talk once later about it, but to no awry; when rapunzel tries to help her injured hand, cassandra pulls away and says she’s fine when she clearly isn’t. later in ‘rapunzel: day one’, they talk about it again, arguing, cass clearly not accepting rapunzel’s reasoning for the tree incident, and at the end, they don’t say sorry and full get over it. cass admits that she’s “still mad” at her, and that she’s going to be for a while, though not forever. her tone shows that she doesn’t know if she can forgive rapunzel so easily, especially after all the past wrongs they’ve never even addressed. the writers are very obviously sending strong messages of resentment and bitterness building in cassandra, more than ever before, indicating to me that a tipping point is very near, especially with the finale coming up.

let’s review my three points for building up an antagonist from earlier, this time with cassandra.

#1: pre-existing weakness/personality traits

though she shows warmth occasionally and sometimes even apologizes for her actions, cass in general gives off a morally ambiguous vibe throughout the entire series. she lies to varian and others without batting an eye, disobeys orders from the king, and can be quite violent and threatening to members of her own court. (it also doesn’t help that her design and color palette are quite dark and shadowy, but i digress.) when given the opportunity to win and proceed in her path to recognition, she takes it, rarely regarding the impact on others.

#2: imagery and foreshadowing

she literally has an entire ‘i want’ song about how bad she wishes people would see her and respect her (‘waiting in the wings’), and give her the chance to shine, but she is never given the chance. past trends of ‘i want’ songs in disney usually lead later to some sort of chaotic ‘answer’ to the need, as pointed out by many already. 

cassandra also appeared in a ‘nightmare’ vision to rapunzel during ‘rapunzeltopia’, surrounded by green flame and especially villainous if compared to the other nightmares presented to her at the time. she is angry and bitter. “you did this to me rapunzel. it’s all because i FOLLOWED YOU.” the emphasis on ‘followed you’ is especially interesting to me. is she tired of following rapunzel’s lead? maybe even corona’s lead?

#3: the means/reasoning to turn into an antagonist

i thought this over after the aforementioned ‘rapunzeltopia’ especially. cass made it clear she hasn’t gotten over her anger. she’s covered in armor now, metaphorically and physically. when she wandered into that door in the shell house, we don’t know what happened to her, but what we do know is that whatever was inside was able to convince her to abandon her friends (who were trying to save rapunzel’s life!!) and that, as far as i can tell, is a major red flag. when she emerged from that door, clearly winded, the very first thing she did was scowl at rapunzel in a very menacing, bitter way.

whatever or whoever she saw in that place, it obviously changed something. i do think it’s the real cass who came out of that door, but she has been tampered with. whether it was a vision of her future, a person who told her her skills were more valued by zhan-teri, or someone who wanted her working in the dark kingdom, a lot of things could have happened to sway her allegiance. i don’t specifically think she’d hurt her friends, but she doesn’t feel so inclined to help them at the moment either. maybe she saw something that told her to stop rapunzel from reaching the opal, and she believed that she needed to protect the group from it. she has, of course, always taken the secondary option to save the group (think back to the spear in the great tree).

to close:

all this to say that cass has the buildup, unsolved resentment, and skills to pose a threat to the group. we know that ONE member of the party will turn against them. the finale is drawing very close. and only ONE member fits the formula of a twist antagonist that tangled used last season. that’s cassandra.

will this be for forever? of course not. i see this being a major plot thread in the finale and being resolved later in season 3, it would make an excellent storyline for rapunzel to deal with and add a lot of angst (which we all love). 

however, for the time being, cassandra made it clear she’s constantly ‘left waiting in the wings’, and the next opportunity that comes for her to prove herself might not have been from corona.

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

I'm too bored and have too little time to spend on Frozen 2 (not to mention that my Disney boycott is still in effect)...what happened, and what were your gripes with the movie?

[I will preface this by saying I have not actually seen the movie (I refuse to), but I kept up with all the spoilers and have seen enough clips, gifs, and recaps that I know the plot of the movie and most of the script.]

My involvement in Frozen-related things hinges on Hans (if he didn’t exist I’m sure I wouldn’t be as invested in the franchise as I am). And I, a Hans fan, spent six years waiting for a Frozen 2 through the nonsense that was his heel-turn in Frozen, the demonization of his character and his fans by the fandom, the insult that was his Frozen Fever cameo, the pettiness of the Easter egg digs at him in other WDAS movies (BH6, Zootopia), and the cold shoulder that was his absence from Olaf’s Frozen Adventure. Then Frozen II finally comes along… and it figuratively gives Hans fans the middle finger. Twice.

Frozen II didn’t have to include a charades scene. But it did. The charades scene didn’t have to include Anna trying to mime the word “villain.” But it did. Olaf didn’t have to guess “Hans” (and from the clip on YouTube, I can’t see any reason why that would be even a remotely logical guess). But he does. The following dialogue didn’t have to be: [ELSA] “Unredeemable monster!” [KRISTOFF] “Greatest mistake of your life!” [OLAF] “Wouldn’t even kiss you!” … [ANNA] “Villain!” … [OLAF] “We all kind of got it.” But it was.

When Elsa goes to Ahtohallan (a water memory glacier place (don’t ask :\)) there didn’t have to be a memory of Hans there. But there was. And it didn’t have to be a memory that was near enough for Elsa to walk past (it could have simply been in the background). But it was. Yet it could have been a memory she would be genuinely horrified by, such as Hans’ betrayal of Anna or Hans on the fjord with his sword. But it wasn’t. Instead it was Hans introducing himself to Anna, an innocuous scene in and of itself. Yet Elsa turned up her nose and destroyed Hans’ snow sculpture.

The first incident is the more reprehensible of the two, since fans have been asking for Hans’ redemption since Day 1. This scene feels like it was included specifically to metaphorically flip off these fans (myself included) due to the writers twisting the word “redeem” (expressed in requests and wishes such as “Please redeem Hans,” “Hans is redeemable,” and ”I want to see a Hans redemption,”) into Elsa’s line of “Unredeemable monster.”

The second incident, while not quite as overt as the first, is still insidious. The obvious angle is that it simply was not necessary. It adds nothing to anyone’s characterization nor does it add anything to the story. It is merely included for Hans’ haters to cheer at (just like Anna’s punch in F1). The more subtle angle is that, as I stated above, Hans introducing himself to Anna is a harmless scene in and of itself. That means Elsa destroys his image for events unrelated to what’s currently happening before her. (I’m sure that sounds familiar to you, as it does to me.) Yet if this moment had never happened, it’s entirely possible Elsa’s powers would have never been revealed, and she and Anna would have stayed separated. So even Hans’ role as a catalyst for the sisters’ reunion is ignored in favor of the “Hans is 100% bad and deserves only bad 100% of the time” narrative.

Unfortunately, these things go hand-in-hand with the original Frozen’s lackluster morals, but that’s another essay in and of itself.

Putting that aside, the rest of the movie is not good either. Granted, I’m not invested in the other characters anywhere near the level I am invested in Hans. However, the problems that plagued F1 are evident again in F2. The writers were too focused on 1) forcing the narrative to fit their predetermined ending, 2) being “realistic” to the detriment of the plot/characters and 3) subverting audience expectations to the detriment of the plot/characters.

Example for #1: In F1, the Kristoff/Anna relationship was endgame, so they got Hans out of the way by making him a villain. In F2, Anna becoming the queen of Arendelle was endgame, so they got Elsa out of the way by making her decide to leave Arendelle.

Example for #2: In F1, they wanted to go against the “fairytale cliche of ‘love at first sight’” since that’s not “realistic,” so Anna gets ridiculed for her decisions regarding Hans. The audience is supposed to side against Anna despite the narrative simultaneously attempting to make the audience approve of Kristoff and Anna’s relationship. In F2, it’s more “realistic” for siblings to move out of their childhood home and live in different locations, so Elsa leaves Arendelle even though there’s no real reason for her to do so.

Example for #3: In F1, Hans’ twist was obviously only because the writers wanted to pat themselves on the back for shocking the audience by “subverting” the “Prince Charming” trope, even though, as other excellent posts have pointed out, Hans’ character goes beyond that trope and his heel-turn was not honestly foreshadowed (not to mention the narrative cheating by having him give a genuine smile for no one but the audience’s benefit). In F2, it’s almost like the writers went out of their way to not develop the characters the same way the fandom has developed them (not in a “the writers should have listened to the fandom” sense but in a “the writers wanted to make sure no one had ever thought of anything remotely like this before so they took the characters in a completely different direction than logic would dictate” sense). For example, just from being around the fandom and reading a bit of fanfiction, I’ve seen that something people loved about Elsa was her combination of humanity and otherness. She has these amazing powers, yet in F1 she (sort of) learns she can’t just run away from her responsibilities and focus only on her powers. She has to balance her magical aspects with her human aspects, which is demonstrated in her using her powers for her subjects’ benefit in the ending scene of F1. Yet what does she do in F2? Basically the same thing as F1, only this time she ends up choosing to leave Arendelle permanently since her character is now permanently lopsided toward her “otherness” aspect. (I’m aware it can be argued that she was doing what was best for Arendelle, but the problem I have with F2 is that it presents the aforementioned lopsidedness as the natural, intended completion of Elsa’s character. This doesn’t jive with F1, which gave us a character who, at the end, was just starting to learn the balance she needed for herself yet was finally happy. Instead, F2 tells us she was never supposed to have that balance as she was never supposed to rule Arendelle and was always destined for the “Fifth Spirit” role. It would have made more sense if Elsa had to sacrifice her humanity and her right to rule Arendelle in order to become the “Fifth Spirit” and save Anna and Arendelle while unknowingly yet simultaneously saving herself. This would have been a fitting parallel to Anna’s sacrifice in F1 that ended up saving both of them.)

There’s other criticisms I’ve read, such as the pacing is terrible, the plot is confusing, the new characters are pointless, and instead of the characters driving the story with a good rotation of baseline-conflict-growth, the characters merely react to plot contrivances plopped before them. Based on what I know, I’m inclined to agree.

So, to recap, an implied “F*** you!” to Hans fans (particularly those who wanted his redemption) and a mess of a movie means no Disney products for me.

Except the new Broadway merchandise has me in a conundrum. On the one hand, no money for Disney as per the reasons above. On the other hand, money talks. If new Hans-themed merch sells well, Disney may decide it’s profitable to do something positive with the character. As of right now, I’m leaning toward buying the Hans merch but not buying anything else Disney-related.

[sparklyaxolotlstudent]

In honor of watching Z-o-m-b-i-e-s 2, I’m giving a bit of review of my favorite and not so favorite Disney Channel Musicals, because why not.

Please do note that these are sarcastic as heck and that I do actually enjoy these movies. For the most part, they’re popcorn movies and fun to watch.

High School Musical

With Four movies (and a sort of tv series), I think this is the most profitable saga in the whole channel.

The first one: Fun music, cliché as heck, and really dark when you start to think about it too much. I like the fact that Sharpay is not your typical villain, and Ashely Tisdale portrayal actually makes her more sympathetic than some of the “heroes”… yeah, I’m talking about Chad, who is a total douchebag, and Taylor, who is a complete tool.  

Sharpay (And Ryan’s) crimes? Talking with Mrs. Darbus about changing the date of the callbacks. They didn’t even lie to do this, they just outright said it was highly suspicious that someone who had never shown any interest was now all over it. Mrs. Darbus agreed.  She also “introduced” Gabriella to Taylor. Her only real dick move was talking down Kelsi.

Chad and Taylor? They lie and manipulate their supposed friends. Taylor even only became friends with Gabriella when she thought she could get something out of her.

Then the Decathlon team and the basketball team proceed to cheat on their respective competitions so Troy and Gabriella can show up to callbacks!

ANYWAY. I still know the songs by heart (And Sharpay’s and Ryan repertoire are the most awesome of them all)

The second one:  I loved it, but it really has a weird message… the first one is all “BE YOURSELF”, while this one is all “SUCCUMB TO PEER PRESSURE”. To recap: Troy is sure his parents can’t afford to get him into a good college, so he agrees to suck up to Sharpay and get a job at a resort where her parents are really powerful.  He even manages to get ALL of his friends jobs! (Except Kelsi and Gabriella, who already had jobs there. Sharpay even was the one who told Kelsi about the opening at the club). The first thing they do, literally not even five minutes into the job is to bitch and moan and complain about how hard it is.  Sharpay uses her influences to promote Troy and introduce him to a professional team who are sincerely impressed with this boy. How do his “friends” react? Of course they support him and are happy he will have this once in a lifetime opportunity!

Ha! Nope. They are jealous of him, especially Chad, and bitch and moan and guilt trip him until he falls to peer pressure and ditches every single advantage he got after Gabriella also dumps him for being sexually harassed by Sharpay.  (I’m exaggerating a bit, but seriously, poor Troy)

I also want to point out that for some reason people like to ship Ryan with Chad due to them sharing a song here and switching their hats shirt/jersey, despite Ryan being visibly scared of Chad on the first one, and they don’t even interacting once in the following.

Also I find it hilarious when Troy is jealous of Gabriella talking with Ryan.  

 The music is on par of the first one, and I know most of them by heart too! Again, Sharpay and Ryan’s numbers kick ass, even the weird HumuhumunukukuA’pua’a

The third one: Honestly my least favorite of the saga.  Gabriella dumps Troy for the third time, ghost him and decides that her future is more important (Y’know… the things she dumped Troy for in the second movie) and once again Troy has to fight tooth and nail to get together with her again. I bet Gabriella is dumping him again as you read this.

Some songs are good, but they’re honestly confusing, “I want it all” is a fantasy sequence the first time, but the second time is Ryan’s number in the Musical. “Who’s that girl” was about Kelsi in the rehearsals, but about Sharpay in the actual musical.

The movie do have it’s sweet moments, like Ryan and Kelsi bonding (Who totally are each other’s beards), Sharpay being outsmarted and then deciding to be the baddest bitch.  Chad and Taylor being practically background characters in this one…

Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure: Awesome and well deserved spin off. Ashely Tisdaly performance as Sharpay is one of the things that really made High School Musical stand out. The music is good, the plot is okay-ish. I don’t remember much of the new characters, but Peyton was good for Sharpay’s character development, even if he is sort of a satellite character.

 Camp Rock

The music of both movies is very good, and the first one is okay, but coming right after High School Musical, it felt like a rip off. The music in both is awesome tho.

I barely remember the names of the characters, and the Alpha Bitch character is very… poorly thought off? She’s a mean bitch with some talent, but, like, everyone in that Camp is talented, and is pretty obvious that her mom doesn’t care about her that much, so why bother trying to suck up to her?

The Camp guide… counselor guy is also clearly biased favoring her, yet he knows what kind of a bitch she is, which makes absolute zero sense. Sure, she could complain to her mom about it, but Camp Rock is supposedly super exclusive and famous already. Her blaming the food fight on the protagonist and the other girl was somewhat believable due to how the question of who started it was asked, but her accusing protagonist girl of stealing a bracelet and then hiding it in an extremely obvious open to everyone place. It feels like he actually hates the protagonist.

The second one is even weirder. Camp Rock as THE most famous camp ever in the story of anything, and now we are supposed to believe is an underdog camp who struggles to get by. The antagonist of the previous movie, who was supposed to have learned her lesson switches to the new Camp Star, who is now the most awesome camp in the story of ever, despite being literally new and unknown. Also the protagonist somehow manages to bet the camp away, despite being in no way associated with the owner. And they don’t mentioning it in the original bet… And then they win not through talent and hard work, but for a technicality.

Yay?

 Teen Beach Movie

The first one is awesome and fun to watch. The fish out of water, and the culture whiplash is educative, progressive, and presented in a fun and relatable way (“Like Me”, about the different expectations boys and girls have in both eras) and “Can’t stop singing” is just hilarious. Garret Clayton is just hilarious as Tanner.

The second one has fun moments (“Twist your frown upside down”) but… well, I like it a lot less than the first one. They retcon and change lots of things established, or at least hinted in the first movie. The first one establishes the rules of the musical, and the characters go along with those, while the second one throws those rules and makes it a traditional musical, which makes no sense. The first movie heavily hints that Brady and Mack has been together for some time, and that they meet due to Brady working with Mack’s grandpa… in the second one the grandpa is nowhere to be seen, and now they meet on their own, they had been dating only for that summer and “Wet Side Story” is both their favorite movie, when in the first movie it was said to be Brady’s and Mack’s Grandpa’s favorite movie, and Mack barely knew about it. The first one also threats the main characters equally, while here, Tanner could disappear from the main plot and it would not make a difference.. The second movie is very feminist, which is not bad in itself, but also is very anti-male in the process, which… well, nope.  In the first movie they were both Tanner and Lela were portrayed as slightly ditzy, brainless beauties, but in this one,  Tanner is an outright dumbass, and Lela a freaking genius (Even understanding calculus on her first try).Brady also takes a level on jerkass and is dumber, while in the first one he was more capable and reliable.  And then the ends happens and the movie in universe goes from “Wet Side Story” to “Lela Queen of the Beach”, which sounds incredibly narcissistic and self-centered on Lela’s part… not to mention in the video we are shown Tanner is, again, portrayed as an idiot instead of Lela’s love interest.

Descendants

Do I think the premise is a cash grab? Abso-fucking-lutely? Do I still enjoy every bit of them? HELL YES.

They’re popcorn movies, the First one even has Kristin Chenoweth, which is always a good thing. There are horrifying implications like in Ever After High (Which I have no idea which was “first”, since EAH came first, but there were plans for this long before EAH came into being)

ANYWAY, the plot of the first one is solid, although I honestly think making them animated would have made them a lot more enjoyable. The characters are relatable and sympathetic, even if they’re trying to prove they’re “bad”, it all comes to them being super afraid of their parents. Audrey is a major asshole tho, I have no idea why many people “stan” her, when she’s a horrible person. Chad is also bad, but to be fair, his speech at Family day was only truths, he didn’t even had anything to say against Carlos. “You can do different than your parents” is always a good lesson. Even if that technically applies to Audrey being an evil bitch by choice too.

The second is a bit iffier, with Mal essentially succumbing to the pressure of essentially being seen as the Future Queen, when she has had barely any time to process being good. Also they gave Lonnie a huge role and that also was cool as hell (Even if stupid Hasbro didn’t make a doll of her). Her ship teasing with Jay I could do without. Jane/Carlos was adorable though.  I also hate Uma and how people compare her to Mal, especially Ben. Mal was afraid of Maleficent and wanted to prove herself worthy. Uma did all what she did for herself and herself alone. (This does change in the third movie, but still)

Third one felt rushed as hell. I liked the big reveal of Mal being Hades’ daughter, and I liked Hades. I didn’t liked how they replaced Freddie from the Wicked World shorts for Celia (They could have used the same character FFS!) I really liked Freddie character. She blended well with the other VKs, and somehow managed to become close (And I would dare to say BFF) with Jane… anyway, onto the movie. Audrey is a bitch, she’s completely evil and unrepentant, and the final solution is to break the barrier? … what… I would argue that getting the children should have been a priority and then slowly get the adults out. And the main 4 never encountered their parents again…

I dislike that Lonnie was not there in the third movie, but they compensated that with the bromance between Jay and Gil… like, if Lonnie needed to be out for that bromance to bloom, I’m ok with that. (Seriously, Ben and Mal end up practically engaged, Evie got proof that her thing with Doug was True Love, and Carlos has a budding romance with Jane, Uma/Harry is pretty much also a couple… Jay essentially ends up with Gil as his “pair the spares” partner. )  

Z-O-M-B-I-E-S

It was a good movie, even if the message is a little awkward if you try to apply to the real world. Not that “don’t be racist douchebag” is wrong, but when you portray your minority as a literal race of monsters that eat brains and need the other race to be able to function (The Z bands) yeah…

Anyway, the music is very cool (BAMM is totally my jam) and the Addison / Zed is not as jarring as other examples (They are a lot more healthy than Troy/Gabriela, for example)

I might be gay-biased, but while it is obvious that Bucky is jealous of Zed getting attention, at times he seems jealous of Addison being with Zed.

The make up and characterization of the zombies is also… well, bad. They look like discount Jokers. They could have done something really fun and give each character a different hair color, or at least different shades of green.

In the second… well, they handled “political issues” WAY better than Teen Beach Movie. They didn’t sacrifice characters for this, their attitudes do fit with what they did in the first one. It is a bit annoying that they undo the happy ending of the first one and that Bucky and the ‘Aceys are still racist assholes… actually, the aceys seem to be even MORE assholish than they were in the first movie. And that’s without saying they replaced one of them. Bree is has less screen time than in the first movie, but at least her shiptease with Bonzo did result in them being together (They’re cute!)  

I will also admit I kinda disliked this because the Toy Fair showed the toys and the main werewolf girl was basically a human Clawdeen Wolf (Literally… you can see some comparisons) but the actual character doesn’t look that much like Clawdeen, so no idea why they went that route for the doll.

Addison’s hair looks platinum blonde instead of the white it looked in the first movie. The make up of the zombies is just as bad as the first one. There are scenes in which Zed doesn’t look to have make up.

Addison is not a werewolf, but the prophecy about the “Great Alpha” only shows someone with long white hair… I don’t think it’s mentioned she is a werewolf… and Addison does fulfill said prophecy

There is a scene were Addison is interacting with the only important of the guy Werewolves, Wyatt, and Zed is watching them and gets very jealous… and I couldn’t help but be reminded of the HSM2 scene with Troy being jealous of Ryan… and then at the end Wyatt compliments Bonzo… so yeah.

I liked the werewolves more than the cheerleaders. Wyatt is totally my favorite, and I actually laughed when Zoey gave scritches to the other girl and she ended up enjoying it haha.

Also, Addison is totally and alien.

Or a fairy.

Honorably Mentions:

Lemonade Mouth. This is one of the most boring movies I have seen. I didn’t remember this one until I did a search for the DCOM movies in case I missed one and here it is.

Lizzie Maguire: Not a musical per se, but it did have music in it. Other than the male friend falling hard for the female friend, this is very enjoyable.

The Cheetah Girls. A shame that internal fighting left this saga kind of incomplete. They’re fun movies. Raven-Symone is an awesome singer and actress.

 -

In order of my enjoyment, I would say they are

1. High School Musical

2. Descendants

3. Teen Beach Movie

4. High School Musical 2

5. Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure

6. Descendants 2

7. Z-O-M-B-I-E-S

8. High School Musical 3

9. Descendants 3

10. Camp Rock

11. Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 2

12.  Teen Beach Movie 2

13. Camp Rock 2

Like I said, they all have mostly awesome songs, and are good popcorn movies, so don’t try to look too deep into them.

[jabbers-wild-world]

;; So I’ve gotten to thinking about characterization and things like that, and.. how people can take the same character, the same individual person.. and make them all unique, different people. All these retellings and interpretations of the same character, they all start from the same basis, the same original source, but they all become their own unique individuals, just based on what aspect of the original personality the writer or actor or director chooses to accentuate and focus on more.

Captain Hook is a very good example of this, and Peter Pan is a story that’s been told many times in different ways. We all know Peter, and we all know Wendy, and Captain Hook. But I’ve been thinking now about what makes each version of Hook so unique, but also so recognizably the same person.

First, I want to point out the specific, key traits that all versions of Captain Hook have in common.

Charisma: Hook is the captain of the Jolly Roger. He is a leader, and his crew follows him, because he has the charisma to lead and make you listen just because, well, maybe he’s actually making some good points. Imagine that.

Wild Temper: Hook is by no means perfect. He has his flaws and one of the biggest ones is his temper. He gets mad, often fairly easily, and he shows it, often rather explosively. He yells, and he breaks things, and he curses and generally gets very visibly upset and it affects everything around him.

Good/Bad Form: This often falls in line with Hook’s charisma, but it’s even more charming in a way. He makes him more interesting, because he has almost an obsession with his actions and his words all being in ‘good form’, and he will call someone out very easily if he thinks they are acting in ‘bad form’. Ultimately, what this means is also that Hook is very smart. He knows how to get what he wants and play the situation to his advantage, but he’s not actually crossing any lines or breaking any rules. It’s all in good form. He’s still being technically a gentleman and staying within his assigned box, so to speak. He hasn’t done anything that wasn’t previously agreed upon. Technically. He does like loopholes in those agreements.

Conflict with Peter Pan: This is the absolute standard of any version of Hook. He is always at odds with Peter. Always. Whether it’s simply because Peter is a child and keeps bothering the adult that is James Hook, or it’s because of something deeper like, for example, the fact that Peter Pan actively cut off Hook’s hand and fed it to the crocodile. No matter what, Hook and Pan are always at odds. Even if they may occasionally be technically on the same side, they still will never see eye to eye.

Fear of the Crocodile: Another unwavering standard of Captain Hook’s characterization. And it is typically because the crocodile had been fed his hand and so has a taste for the captain’s flesh. Still, this is also dependent on the version for how exaggerated this is.

Now, with all this being said, I’ve been thinking about some of the biggest versions of Hook in various media. Disney, the movie Hook, and Sweet Neverland (which is the particular version that I myself play as a muse, so that’s why it’s big to me at least.)

Disney’s Hook has a very distinct emphasis placed on his conflict with Peter at the forefront of everything. Why? Oh, well, it’s because Hook has to be the villain, he’s opposite Peter Pan, so by Disney rules, that means he’s the villain and Pan is the good guy. Hm. Fancy that.

As well, Disney’s Hook also focuses on Hook’s temper, and almost comedically so, on his fear of the crocodile. His fear is absolutely exaggerated to an extreme. And his temper can sometimes be comedic as well. It’s a cartoon for kids, after all. It’s meant to be entertaining.

But this version of Hook doesn’t put as much emphasis on his charisma, or his need for things to be all in good form. These traits certainly make their appearance and are certainly a part of Disney’s version of the captain, but it’s not quite as much of a focus as his conflict with Peter is. Well, we can’t all have everything. Or.. can we?

Now, the version of Hook seen in the movie Hook. Ah, yes. Dustin Hoffman as Captain James Hook. This version of Hook has wonderful emphasis on his charisma, his need for good form, and it is balanced by his temper, and his conflict with Pan. Who in this case is now a grown adult man who has had his children stolen by Hook, drawing him back to Neverland, and he just wants to get his kids and go home.

Dustin Hoffman’s Hook focuses very much on making Hook the charming, cunning, and charismatic leader that some might say is the ideal representation of a pirate captain. This Hook is classy. Intelligent and witty. But again, he is also very clearly shown to be the antagonist. He took Peter’s kids, he’s against Peter, he’s manipulative and even goes so far as to turn one of Peter’s kids against his own father. Ooh, making it personal, Hook.

But, it isn’t in bad form. Dustin Hoffman’s Hook still takes being in good form very seriously. He manipulates, but he puts it in such a way that.. he makes you think about it yourself. He’s actually making some fair points, isn’t he. Maybe he’s actually kind of right on this one. Maybe he is worth listening to, and.. maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be on his side instead of Peter Pan’s. Well played, Dustin Hoffman. Good form.

One thing though, that this Hook doesn’t put much emphasis on, is Hook’s fear of the crocodile. And.. why is that? Oh, he already managed to kill that beast and now its body has been turned into Hook’s personal clock tower. Wait, say what? Oh, yeah. That’s a thing. Still, none of the clocks around the pirate docks actually work. They’re all broken and silent. Why? Hook broke them all himself. He can’t stand to hear the ticking of a clock and it can set off his temper. Because the crocodile made that ticking sound when it swallowed a clock, remember? So, his fear of the crocodile still comes into play, and actually in a rather interesting way too.

All in all, Dustin Hoffman’s Hook is one of the most accurate portrayals, being actually fairly close to the original source from the book. He is the pirate captain we aspire to be. Well, maybe. There’s still another Hook I haven’t talked about yet. But is he better than Dustin Hoffman?

Sweet Neverland, or Okashi na Shima no Peter Pan by Quinrose. Yes, this version.. is an otome game. A dating simulator, with our well-known residents of Neverland and.. maybe some we hadn’t seen before. But this version of Hook? Well, don’t let the dating game thing fool you, he is still the same Hook we know, just with a new twist. And, one that’s very sweet, at that.

This Hook.. makes chocolate. Say what?! Captain Hook making chocolate?! Yeah, you heard me right. Captain James Hook makes chocolate. Because there is a competition in Neverland, and everyone plays by the rules. It’s the sweets competition, and everyone makes a different sweet treat. Okay, but how is this anything like our fearsome and charming pirate captain? Simple, he is still exactly that.

Sweet Neverland’s Hook is still charismatic, and his crew certainly respects him. He’s charming and has a way of getting you to listen. He has his way of catching your attention, simply because he’s attractive and well-spoken. He’s dignified and everything is all in good form.

But he does still have his wild temper. Oh boy, does he have his temper. Sweet Neverland’s Hook.. His temper is certainly very explosive. Rub him the wrong way and be prepared for him to go on a tirade and start yelling. And he’ll even flail around like a child throwing a tantrum, and he’ll break things and lash out and even get mean when he’s upset. Yes, his temper is pretty bad in this version, who would want to date a guy like that?

Well, don’t count him out just yet. Because remember what I said about good form? And how this Hook is still charismatic and charming? He’s also a daring, swashbuckling pirate who will actually defend Wendy’s honor, even if it means he’s putting himself in danger. And that’s certainly in good form. That could even be considered real chivalry. Yes, he won’t hesitate to cross blades with another in Neverland, simply because he is defending Wendy. I’d say that’s some points for him on this one.

And, well, of course I have to talk about it. This Hook, is definitely terrified of the crocodile. Oh, and in this version, she has a name. Tokei Wani. And she’s someone’s pet. Yes, that’s right. Hook’s biggest fear, the terrifying crocodile who ate his hand.. is a pet. And she belongs to a character never before seen in Neverland, because.. well. Who knew that Neverland had a navy?! Captain of Neverland’s navy, Scissor Gavialwatch, owns the crocodile, and wherever he goes, she goes. Even if he’s paying a certain pirate a visit. So yes, it is even a little comedically exaggerated in this version, but Hook’s fear of the crocodile is definitely present.

What about Peter Pan? I’ve mentioned the navy, and clearly Hook has a rivalry there. But what about Peter? Ah yes. Sweet Neverland’s Hook definitely has his conflict with Peter, first and foremost, competition or no competition. And again, Peter did cut off his hand and feed it to the crocodile. Hm, interesting that the navy captain allowed that. Feeding his pet unsanctioned “treats”. Ah, well. The conflict is still there, and it’s definitely obvious. But.. there is another difference this Hook has, compared to the others I’ve mentioned. Oh? And what is that?

This Hook is actually a good person underneath his temper and conflict with the supposed ‘good guys’. Yes, that’s right. This Hook is technically a good guy too. Okay, but how can that be? All other versions of Hook have him be the bad guy. Yes, that’s true. But think about this, one thing no other version of Hook has ever really shown.. is that he actually cares about his crew. They are his family, unlike Dustin Hoffman’s Hook who would shoot a member of his crew without a second thought, or Disney’s Hook who really only seems to see his crew as ‘the hired help’ so to speak. Sweet Neverland’s Hook really cares about his crew, and he protects them too. Just like they protect him. Yes, he has a bad temper and may even punish his crewmen when he’s in a bad enough mood, but.. The truth is, he won’t actually punish anybody. He hates to hurt his crew, absolutely despises it and considers it bad form. But his crew asks him to do it (which honestly sounds a little odd and masochistic if you ask me), and they do it so that he can still have his reputation as a strong leader and a feared pirate captain. Yes, his crew volunteers to be punished, for the sake of their captain’s reputation. I mean, come on, that’s a crew that loves their captain. And it actually shows that this Hook really is a good man. He’s repulsed by the thought of hurting his crew, he cares for them like family, and they follow him not because they are afraid of him like the other versions of Hook, but because he is genuinely worth their respect.

So yeah. Sorry this turned into a very long rant, but I’ve been thinking about Hook’s characterization especially, and it led to this. I hope you enjoyed my thoughts. This is why I picked the version of Hook that I did, ultimately. Lol. Love you guys. Thanks for putting up with me.

[ari-nemera]

Hey, so I just finished Stranger Thing Season 3, and well, I feel I need to debunk the entire ‘capitalist propaganda’ bullshit I’ve been seeing warnings for since the season first aired, and why I would argue that it isn’t anti-communist in a modern sense as well.

Without spoiling anything for would-be watchers, I will say that (while this should be obvious) Stranger Things takes place during the 1980′s, which was during the nuclear scare caused by the stupid rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union. Season 3 relies on anti-Russian sentiment during the time period to recreate a relatively classical ‘evil commies’ plot (ST is, at its heart, an homage to 80′s horror), but with a eldritch Stranger Things(TM) twist.

I am explaining this because if you know anything about a combo of historical accuracy and the Soviet Union, it isn’t anti-communist propaganda. The Soviet Union was a farce and a thinly veiled dictatorship based around oppression of the working class, and even today, modern communists make a point of stressing their lack of ideological similarities to the SU when questioned by the uneducated. The ‘commies’ in this season have nothing in common with neo-communist thinking, and anyone who knows anything about history would understand this immediately.

Now, in order to debunk the pro capitalism bullshit I’ve been seeing, I will need to spoil minor things about characters/ the plot, so if you haven’t watched the third season, but want to have your concerns based on terrible rumors appeased, be prepared to have some small spoilers. (nothing plot-breaking)

OK- TO START:

There are exactly three instances in which capitalism is mentioned/ alluded to in this season, and I will list them and describe them in order.

First: Hawkins gets a new mall. This mall, like many at the time (thanks ST for the historical accuracy), causes the death of Hawkins downtown small businesses. This is framed as a bad thing. Everyone who owns a business downtown who has lost their store does a picket protest outside of the Mayor’s office. (he funded the Mall)

The Mayor, a minor villain in the season, calls in Hopper to try and convince him to chase away the protestors. Hopper isn’t happy with this idea and argues that it’s their right to protest. (notice that this is the main character saying this) The mayor then uses Capitalism as an excuse for why everyone protesting doesn’t matter, it’s just business! (oh hey, this is being said by the villain.) and Hopper is disgusted.

But the mayor threatens hopper and uses ‘they need a permit to protest’ to force Hopper to make them leave. (something it’s heavily implied Hopper doesn’t want to do, but feels pressured into because of his job)

Already, Capitalism is being framed as unfair and cruel to the working class. it is used as an excuse by a man in power to try and convince a good character (without success) that his terrible actions are Good Actually, but in reality it’s destroying the town’s economy.

Second: A new main character is introduced! It’s Lucas’ little sister, Erica.  We’ve seen her infamously bratty character in previous seasons. In this season, she gets pulled into the spotlight because of her size. Steve, Robin (another new character whom I love), and Dustin need someone small enough to crawl through a vent. She happens upon their secret scheme, and is indoctrinated into their little plan.

After manipulating them into giving her ice cream, they beg her to do it because  “it will save the world”. She seems unconvinced. (she’s already been framed as manipulative and selfish) Dustin, in desperation, asks her if she loves America. She replies by snarking “Yeah! You can’t spell America without Erica!” and goes on to explain that She “loves Capitalism! Do you know how capitalism works? people can be be bought for goods and services. and you will have to buy my services.” This is seen as frustrating and shallow by the main cast, who can’t understand why just saving the world isn’t good enough. Let me repeat, her love of capitalism negatively frames her as the selfish and obtuse one. Her use of pro-capitalism rhetoric is seen as a roadblock, and is not treated like a good thing.

From that point on, Erica is cast as an antihero. She is not interested in doing good for the sake of being a good person. She is seen as someone everyone else must work around in order to do anything with any moral weight. She literally will not help them until she gets paid in ice cream. While she goes on to develop herself in other ways, (and her snark is fun and v likeable at times) Dustin literally only compliments her understanding of different systems of government once (as it’s framed as a weird thing for her to have any understanding of) and never comments on her love of capitalism specifically in a positive light. He uses her smarts to call her a nerd.

Finally: This is probably the most spoiler filled section. Sorry. :/  Another new character, Alexi, is a Russian scientist who can’t speak a lick if English and his relationship with the cast is honestly fucking hilarious. He’s a hostage who wants to keep it that way. He wants to become an American. it’s like, the most classic ‘I want to escape my horrible commie life and live Free(TM)’ plot, but even then, America isn’t treated like some great country. His one friend, Murray (the same from season 2, and the only American who can speak Russian) Unhandcuffs him and takes him to the 4th of July fair while they’re waiting on some other characters.

There, while he’s purchasing Alexi tickets, he mockingly brags about how all the games at the fair are rigged, and that all the money from the poor is fed into the rich’s pockets through tricks and manipulation: “THAT- is America!” he exclaims. Murray is already someone we know hates and distrusts the government. In the context of his character, this is not a positive statement. He is dripping with sarcasm.

While he is clearly portrayed as excited about the idea of Alexi becoming an American citizen, this excitement is not about America itself. He says this as if to warn Alexi that if he wants to be American, he’ll have to put up with everything that entails. Alexi treats this with incredulity, (whaaaaat the games are riiiggged??? no way!) and goes to try and prove Murray wrong. :/ things go downhill from there.

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

So anyway, this season is pretty blatantly anti-capitalist???? wtf??? Where did you guys get ANY of the pro-capitalism I kept hearing about?? There isn’t any! Capitalism is clearly being mocked every time it gets brought up. None of these situations would leave the audience being happy with capitalism.

If you want a real complaint, why the fuck did they make Lucas do a fucking Coke commercial in the middle of the goddamn CLIMAX. *internal screaming*

ok but all things aside, this season is p gorey. super triggering honestly. (you want to see a pile of bloody guts move like a slug???? no??? don’t watch this season. seriously. they went for accuracy there and it’s... a lot. I had actual nausea during some of the later episodes.)

As far as pros- It is waaay better and more cohesive than season 2 tho! I really liked it! Max and Steve really shine in this season, and everyone gets some pretty great character development. Hopper is just, the ultimate dad in this season.  (Oh, but Will’s life sucks. Why can’t this boy ever be allowed any happiness. His character arc is best describes as ‘Serious Gay Angst and Longing’. I want Will’s entire family to just have a vacation to goddamn Disney World)

[timeagainreviews]

A Loch back at a Zygon Era

Hello friends! I've had quite the week! Monday was my birthday, so my boyfriend and I took a road trip around Scotland. We saw lots of things from the Beatrix Potter Garden in Birnam, to the Cave of Caerbannog from Monty Python, to the Devil's Pulpit in Dumgoyne. But our main destination was Loch Ness! We settled into our hotel by watching "Terror of the Zygons," which seemed appropriate considering our surroundings. Naturally, I decided to review it here. Before I do, however, I would like to thank all of you who have been liking and reblogging my stuff lately. It means a lot to know I'm connecting with people. Thank you for your support!

On the surface, "Terror of the Zygons," appears to be just like any other serial of its era. However, if you do a bit of digging, you'll discover that there are some interesting facts about its production. Did you know that there was a sort of "real-world," tie in with the story? No, I don't mean Nessie. Think closer to Mickey Mouse. In 1975, Tom Baker played the Doctor for the August "Disney Time," bank holiday special. After introducing several clips from Disney films, he is called away by the Brigadier to the events of Terror of the Zygons. I can't help but wish this information was known to me before writing my Doctor Who and Disney article! You can watch the clips on youtube. They feature Tom being suitably bizarre.

Along with having an unusual prequel, the story also had a deleted scene from the beginning which was later colourised by YouTuber "babelcolour," for the DVD release. This edited version is the one I rewatched for today's review. The scene begins with the TARDIS materialising invisibly. The Doctor walks out from nothingness, wearing a matching tartan tam and scarf, replacing his usual fedora and scarf. Not far behind are Sarah Jane and Harry Sullivan wearing said hat and scarf respectively. There's something rather humorous about the Doctor using his companions as human hat racks. Considering Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart's name, it seems appropriate that the Doctor is sporting the Royal Stewart tartan. I can't help but wonder if the costume department did this on purpose. After rematerialising the TARDIS to "fix," it back to it's usual broken police box state, the three continue their journey to answer the Brigadier's Disney Time summons. It seems an oil rig off the coast of Scotland has crashed into the sea just shortly after having lost radio contact.

After hitching a ride from the eccentric Duke of Forgill, the three meet up with a kilted Brigadier in a small Scottish inn where the landlord, Angus, plays bagpipes ad nauseam. They're really driving the Scottish shit home, which makes sense when you consider they filmed the episode in Sussex. Also gathered at the inn are Sergeant Benton, various UNIT soldiers, and a man from the oil company named Huckle. The Duke has some curt words with Huckle, informing him that any crewmen found on his land will be shot. After leaving in a huff, we see one of these crewmen wash ashore, seemingly alive. Over the past month, three different rigs have all met their demise. The gang splits up Scooby-Doo style. Dr Harry goes off to check on the injured crewmen, while Sarah stays behind to get the scoop from the locals. And the Doctor goes off to be the Doctor.

Back at the inn, Sarah mentions the odd nature of the Duke to Angus who promptly defends the duke as a good man. However, even he has to admit that the Duke has been acting strangely since the oil companies came. After letting go most of his servants, the only real bit of interaction he's had lately was gifting the inn with a goofy looking stag head. Nowadays the Duke keeps mostly to himself at Forgill Castle. The surrounding area of Tulloch Moor seems steeped in mystery. People go missing as the mist comes in, Angus tells Sarah as they're being spied upon from a distance. Eavesdropping in on the conversation over a veiny, bio-mechanical screen, an unknown figure watches from the shadows.

While driving alone, Harry spots the washed-up man from the rig and jumps out to help him. Believing him to be yet another trespasser, a beardy fellow by the name of Caber shoots the survivor and wings Harry across his brow, rendering him unconscious. Back in the bio-mechanical ship, alien villains twist and caress a fleshy panel in the weirdest form of nipple play ever seen on Doctor Who, causing the destruction of another oil rig near Ben Nevis. While trying to decipher the signal that has been jamming the oil rigs' radios, the Doctor learns of Harry's brush with death.

After checking on Harry, the Doctor goes out to inspect the oil rig wreckage where he discovers strange holes in the foundation. After taking a cast of the holes with plaster of Paris, the cast reveals what looks like the shape of an impossibly large sharp tooth. During a call with the Doctor, Sarah is attacked by the previously seen alien hand, which belongs to none other than a fearsome Zygon! I've always loved their design, especially in this scene. Something about the shape of its mouth is particularly disturbing. I was slightly disappointed about the redesign from the new series. I'm a big fan of the Zygon cat nose. I almost named one of my cats Zygon due to his dark orange fur and similar nose shape, but my partner at the time vetoed that idea. I named him Rory instead.

After discovering both Harry and Sarah missing, the Doctor discovers Sarah in a decompression room for divers, the door slightly ajar. I was annoyed by the fact that the Doctor fell for such an obvious trap, but it also led to an intriguing sequence. Harry's nurse, Sister Lamont, closes the heavy door behind the Doctor and seals it shut for decompression. Running out of air, the Doctor hypnotises Sarah and enters into a trance to conserve air. I'm a big fan of any time the Doctor acts like a bit of a mystic. I'm a meditator myself, so it's cool to see the Doctor tap into the innate powers of thought control. One of the side effects of certain meditations is a slowing of breathing. It was nice that the scene doesn't overly explain this. It allows Tom the chance to really play up his weird alien charm as his eyes roll back and he howls toward the ceiling. Moments like these are why I love Tom Baker so much. He's not afraid of being utterly bizarre.

It's around this time we begin to learn a little about the Zygons. Having taken Harry to their ship, their leader, Broton, tells him a bit about their history. After they crash-landed centuries ago they awaited rescue while subsiding on the lactic fluid of their giant Nessie-like cyborg pet known as the Skarasen. That's correct, you did not misread that- they feed off of cyborg breast milk. Only with a show like Doctor Who can you get a sentence like that. You've kind of got to love that. After discovering their planet was destroyed by a cosmic event, they redirected their efforts toward getting their suckers on Earth. The Skarasen is to be the form of Earth's destructor, as no human weapon could hope to penetrate its augmented skin. In order to move their plan into motion, the Zygons gas the village, knocking the Brigadier and the UNIT soldiers out cold, thus allowing them to move in secret. Luckily for the Doctor and Sarah, Sergeant Benton was on the lookout for them where he saves them from death by asphyxiation.

After coming to, Huckle gives the Doctor a bio-emitter that attracts the Skarasen, which he found among the wreckage of the rig. Having bugged the inn, the Zygons reveal to Harry that they use the psychic imprint of humans in order to mimic their form. He sees the likes of Sister Lamont, Caber, and the Duke, stored in hibernation chambers, maintaining a link to their Zygon counterparts. They use Harry's form to slip back to the inn where they may fetch the emitter. But he is intercepted by Sarah who is concerned by his odd behaviour. She chases him into a barn where they scuffle in a manner that had me weirdly thinking of “Super Vixens.” Russ Meyer's Doctor Who is not something I ever expected to imagine. After a bit of trouble, Zygon Harry falls from a hayloft onto his own pitchfork, killing him instantly and revealing himself to Sarah as a Zygon. However, the crafty Zygons completely evaporate his remains to hide any evidence. I wondered why they didn't just do the same thing to the emitter in the first place, but I guess the answer is "it doesn't do that." Ok, sure, whatever. Now free from his psychic link with the Zygon, Harry is able to sneak about on their ship unabated.

After realising the Zygons were working from the shadows, the Doctor assumes they must have bugged the inn somewhere, so the lads go about searching the place from top to bottom. I love Angus' indignant response to the idea that his inn might have actual bugs. Angus Lennie's performance as Angus is a true highlight in the story. Afraid of the humans discovering that the goofy stag head must be the bug, the Zygons decide to send the Skarasen to rid themselves of these tiresome humans. After figuring out the secret of the emitter, the Doctor draws the Skarasen away from the village only to find it has fused itself to his hand. But Harry's meddling with the ship's systems allows the Doctor the ability to toss the emitter in the path of the Skarasen, destroying it in the process. 

The Doctor and friends meet up and go to Forgill Castle to ask permission to drop depth charges into Loch Ness, the source of the signal. Their hope is to draw the Zygons out. Meanwhile, the Sister Lamont Zygon goes to fetch the stag head and fights with Angus in the process, killing him. It's a sad ending for one of the more likeable characters, but it's also kind of wonderful in its simplicity. I never quite understood why the Zygons needed to turn people into electric balls of something I might pull out of my hairbrush, as they did in "The Zygon Invasion." If anything, I much prefer the updates they received in Mark Morris' "The Bodysnatchers." Using venom from their suckers matches their physiology far better than superpowers. Morris really fleshed out the Zygons in a way I wish the show would. Seeing them in their initial incarnation using brute force seems far more practical to me. I think sometimes, more is less.

After discovering a way into the Zygon ship, they save Harry, but the Zygons flee with the Doctor still onboard. The Doctor gets a wonderful opportunity to match wits with Broton in a speech that includes my all-time favourite Fourth Doctor line- "You can't rule the world in hiding. You've got to come out on to the balcony sometimes and wave a tentacle." Evidently, that line was ad-libbed by Tom Baker, only further solidifying my love for the man. He makes a good point though, the Zygons have mostly been working from the shadows, in secret. The Zygons fly away, masking their trail from UNIT, still hiding. I must admit, it's not abundantly clear what their plan actually is. Sure they intend to use the Skarasen against earth's weapons, but there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of explanation as to how the oil rigs play into everything. There's mention of turning the Earth into something more habitable for Zygons, but I'm honestly not sure. I asked my boyfriend what his impression was, and he couldn't quite figure it out either.

There's a lot of what happens at this point in the story that seems like happenstance. The UNIT crew and Sarah end up going to London, which also happens to be where the Zygons have set their next target. They plan to swim the Skarasen up the Thames to wreak havoc on Westminster Abbey. In my review for "Castrovalva," I mentioned how the Fourth Doctor's super-heroics were oftentimes overstated, and what comes next is nothing shy of extraordinary. After rigging some ventricle type wiring from within his cell, the Doctor uses his own body to complete the circuit, allowing UNIT to see past the Zygon's scramblers and pinpoint their location. I loved that it was Benton that did this, by the way. This was twice in one story where Benton got to play hero. They pinpoint the ship's location to be a disused quarry, which made me ugly cackle. Classic Doctor Who used quarries so often to make up an alien planet, that the idea of them saying "This actually is a quarry," seemed almost cheeky. Broton, thinking the Doctor has died, uses his Duke disguise once more to go plant another emitter in Westminster. After releasing the human captives aboard the Zygon ship, the Doctor sounds an alarm and sets off the self destruct killing the remaining Zygons onboard. Yay, murder!

The UNIT soldiers dispatch Broton after a fumbling fight scene between him, Harry, and Sarah. All the while, the Skarasen is working its way up the Thames. It's a brilliant little bit of puppetry mixed with stop motion animation that I found completely charming. Even if it does look a bit naff, it's effective enough to be a suitable set piece to end such an episode. It's very much within the tone of the story to have the Loch Ness monster stomping through London. The Doctor manages to trace the emitter and toss it into the open jaws of the Skarasen. It nom nom noms the emitter into nothingness, causing it to lose all interest in the Abbey. The Doctor casually supposes that it will most likely return to its home of Loch Ness. I loved that the show kept the Loch Ness mystery intact. After all is said and done, "Nessie," may still be out there. It wouldn't have felt right killing off a beloved cryptid that brings so much wonder to many. Such feelings of wonder are what Doctor Who thrives upon. Sadly, while we got to keep Nessie, we say goodbye to some regulars. This marks the last regular appearance of both the Brigadier and Harry. With the Doctor no longer relegated to the Earth, UNIT begins to play a much smaller role in the story. And Harry, now back in London, hasn't a lot of need to continue travelling with the Doctor. It's an almost unceremonious end of an era for Doctor Who.

All in all, I really enjoyed this story. While I feel like it somewhat falls apart in the final act, the mystery and intrigue in the first few episodes really draw you in. Even my boyfriend, who is a casual fan, was drawn in by the atmosphere. You can see the beginnings of what was to become the more horror-themed stories such as "The Talons of Weng-Chiang," or "The Horror of Fang Rock." The Zygons are, for me at least, a classic baddie. They may not be as popular or iconic as the Daleks or Cybermen, but I think they work as their own kind of threat. Bringing them back has also proven to be successful. The Big Finish audio "The Zygon Who Fell to Earth," is well worth a listen. There's a lot of care put into this story that I think makes it stand out from others. Geoffrey Burgon's beautifully haunting music was a nice change of pace from Dudley Simpson's usual work. The track "A Landing in Scotland," is particularly memorable. The Zygon ship interior being organic was a unique touch that we rarely see in Doctor Who, save for maybe "The Claws of Axos," and the model work was also pretty damn charming. Having recently been to both Loch Ness and Ben Nevis, it really added something to the experience as well. There is a surprisingly low amount of episodes that take place in Scotland, which is unfortunate. If there's anything this trip has taught me, is that Scotland has a lot to offer. There are so many peaks and valleys covered with lush greenery and deep dark waters. It's easy to imagine that somewhere, something is lurking down below. Hats off to Robert Banks Stewart and Robert Holmes for seeing this potential, and turning out something magical.