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allhallowsthemepark · 1 year ago

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All Hallows - Pumpkin Acres

Moving clockwise around the entry plaza, the next gate from Trick-or-Treat Village leads to Pumpkin Acres, a tiny agricultural town somewhere in the American Midwest (or is it the South, or Appalachia, or...?) during the fall harvest season. The gateway is asymmetrical, with a white fence bordering a cornfield on one side and a small green bearing a painted wooden sign welcoming visitors to the town on the other. The base of the sign is heaped with fall produce—not only pumpkins, but baskets of apples and flint corn, squashes and gourds, and sheaves of wheat.

The walkway leads directly to the town square, which is designed in a typical “historic downtown” style, with buildings reflecting a countrified version of the architecture of the early 1900s. The colors tend toward earth tones with white trim, and some of the buildings are very obviously converted barns. Every storefront window display is decorated with simple jack-o-lanterns, autumn leaf garlands, and other seasonal accents.

Near the center of the square is an old-fashioned message board. Attentive guests can peruse the board to pick up on some of the area lore (see Characters, below).

On the far side of the square from the entry point is an open field in which a “Harvest Fair” has been set up, with a few simple carnival rides and game booths.

The “period setting” of Pumpkin Acres is wholly contemporary, but the town is a bit behind the times in many ways. Everything looks at least somewhat old, but carefully maintained to last. The ambient music loop consists of country-western, bluegrass, and blues music, some of it explicitly Halloween-themed while other tunes are merely dark and somber in tone.

Characters

The characters of Pumpkin Acres are just plain folks...or are they? The key players are as follows:

Granny McGillicuddy: By any measure the matriarch of the town, Granny is pushing 80 but still spry and working her pumpkin farm, which produces some real monsters every year—one just won the top prize at the County Fair and can be viewed on her property as part of the Pumpkin Acres Haunted Hayride. She also owns the town's biggest restaurant, although she leaves the running of it to younger relatives these days.

Harry Palmer: The local kook, who recently spent the night in the drunk tank for an unspecified offense (again). He runs the petting farm and loves his animals so much you might well suspect him of being one of them!

Woody Braxton: The young man who runs the bookshop (and the public library), Woody is a self-certified expert in cryptids and other paranormal mysteries. Not that he believes any of that stuff, mind you—he just finds it a fascinating topic!

Jeannie Braxton: Woody's younger sister (late teens/early 20s), who does believe that stuff and is constantly getting into mild scrapes trying to prove it's real.

Attractions

Harry Palmer's Petting Farm: Come on in and meet Harry's beloved animals! There's Elvira the black sheep, Beelzebub the Manx Loaghtan goat, Midnight the Ayam Cemani chicken, and quite a few regular critters as well. For a small fee, you can even feed them, and despite some of the nastier rumors in town, they do not eat the souls of the living.

Swamp Boats: One of the more peaceful rides in All Hallows, a simple outdoor boat ride through a swampy landscape. There's eerie mist, mysterious sounds from distant sources, and some of the trees look a little like threatening monsters, but there are no overt jump-scares or other frights—the horror here is whatever guests bring with them and project into their surroundings.

Pumpkin Acres Haunted Hayride: The signature attraction of Pumpkin Acres, a track-bound dark ride with “haycart” vehicles that seat about 30. The haycart travels past scenes of fields and wooded spots containing tableaux implied to be built by the town residents for the occasion. They start out benign (cute scarecrows posed with farm equipment, obviously fake graveyards with ghost and skeleton props), but as the ride progresses, the tableaux become eerier and evidence mounts that something genuinely supernatural is going on. The climax of the ride occurs in Granny McGillicuddy's field, when her prize pumpkin suddenly lifts up off the ground as the head of a massive spirit-possessed scarecrow!

Corn Maze: A traditional corn maze—just a winding path through the stalks, with a motion-activated bogeys in strategic locations. Of course, if real corn were used then the maze would only be available in the appropriate season, so the actual structure is artificial cornstalks backed up by painted fencing to give a similar visual impression.

The Pumpkin Acres Town Fair: This is the name given to a collection of small attractions at one end of the town. There are simple carnival rides, the sorts of things that can be folded up and transported via tractor-trailer: a Tilt-a-Whirl with seats that look like caramel apples (the stick is the backrest), a “Witch's Cauldron Bounce,” a miniature spook house, and a pony ride. There are also some equally simple carnival game booths and a small stage where guests can sit on bales of hay and enjoy a bluegrass band.

Shops and Eateries

6. Pumpkin Patch: During the fall, guests can get their pumpkins for carving right at the theme park! As with other unwieldy purchases, they can be reserved and paid for up front, and then picked up on the way out. Decorative gourds, flint corn, and other attractive fall produce items are also available.

7. Country Costumes: The Pumpkin Acres costume shop offers costumes based on a variety of rural and farm archetypes. Some of these include: Cowboy/cowgirl, farm animals of various types, farmer, fruits and vegetables, granny/grandpa, pumpkin, ragdoll, redneck, scarecrow (friendly and scary varieties), and werewolf.

8. Sewing & Craft Shop: On the other hand, guests might prefer to get the supplies to make their own costumes. Due to space limitations, the stock of fabrics is not as large as it would be in a standard fabric store, and the actual bolts are not kept on the sales floor but in a cutting room in the back, with guests making their selections based on sample swatches. Patterns, notions and Halloween-themed craft kits can be taken right off the shelves.

9. Braxton Books: A small bookshop focusing on paranormal subjects and horror novels. Includes a reading nook for those who want to peruse before buying.

10. Granny McGillicuddy's Pie Barn: A counter-service restaurant with country-style cooking—fried chicken and chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, biscuits and gravy, and several flavors of pie, including pumpkin, apple, and boysenberry. Steamed vegetables and other less-heavy dishes round out the menu. Beverages include the standard array of soft drinks, bottled beer (limit one per customer), and hot apple cider.

Other

The back corner (on the right side, from the perspective of someone heading in from the entry plaza) of Pumpkin Acres is thickly planted with trees and shrubs, with a path that ultimately leads into Goblin Woods. (Marked on the map with a *.)

#all hallows #all hallows theme park #halloween #pumpkin acres

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fullhalalalchemist · 2 years ago

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smut and nsfw works can be very deranged sometimes but how is it fair to compare it to the actual harm of porn? even if there was absolutely 0 effect on the people watching it(such as increased likelyhood of sexual aggression, decreased empathy for rape victims, irreversible effects on the brain etc) the actors in porn videos would still experience what they experience. you can fantasize and preach till your mouth goes dry about the self-sufficient empowered sex workers who choose their own work, but it won't make the truth of millions of trafficked male and female children fueling the industry disappear. the high rates of suicide, addictions to get through the scenes, physical harm thats basically part of the job description? there is so many porn stars that have come out with their stories of what they experienced on set, yes even the successfull ones that went into the industry willingly. their abuse is not comparable to words on paper.

not the mention "my christian parents are against it so i must support it" is a very weak argument. its cringe shortsighted reactionary bullshit.

1) if there is increased likelyhood of sexual aggression, decreased empathy for rape victims, irreversible effects on the brain then how come millenials and gen z, which grew up on these, have a better understanding of consent, more egalitarian views on gender and sex, there's less teen pregnancy and less sex being had overall by the younger crowd even pre-pandemic. secondly, WHO is having an increased likelihood of sexual aggression? WHO has a decreased empathy for rape victims? because i'm sure you can point to america's flawless and amazing attitudes towards women and rape victims historically (sarcasm, in case you're too stupid to realize). studies show that men who access sex work have more egalitarian and feminist attitudes than those with antisex and antiporn sentiment

perhaps youre talking about the cis men who already are prone to abuse women and are using things like 'rough sex' and 'bdsm' as an excuse, and its more visible now? because that takes a lot of nuance to talk about and i agree with you there that this IS an issue, but these men would have found ways to do that anyway. perhaps the issue is not the porn itself but the society that encourages violence in an era where increased societal collapse is happening all around us? where the trend of backlash against women has been happening for over a decade and really isn't tied to porn/sex at all but more towards increasing feminist attitudes toward work and gender roles going mainstream?

2) so you're ignoring sex workers yet again, got it. because there's also a lot of sex workers who came out and said that they love their work, they love being a sex worker. and in either case, these are the same people who have been criminalized and brutalized by police globally, the main source of their abuse. in fact YOU can fantasize and preach til YOUR mouth goes dry about how its the worst industry ever while ignoring the millions of queer, disabled, women, and poc who are in this line of work and love it.

3) and are these millions of traffiked children in the room with us now? you think that if there were millions of traffiked kids, they'd show up in mainstream porn more, right? except they dont. 100 members of congress asked the DOJ to investigate OnlyFans bc of 80 possible instances of CSAM in the same time that facebooks 20 million cases went ignored by literally everyone. and who's the site thats getting punished? pornhub and other porn sites which have a well-documented effort of putting time, resources, and moderation of getting rid of this content that some users upload. endtraffikinghub was a fucking psyop by far-right christian orgs posing as 'anti-traffiking' orgs, oh my god. where the hell are you getting these numbers anyway? because CSAM is NOT porn and NOT the porn industry and its psychotic to equate them.

4) high rates of suicides, addictions to get through scenes. can you link any studies? and again, do you TALK to sex workers or do you just rehash claims made by these antiporn/"antitraffiking" "activists" who are almost always far-right christians in disguise (hello look at NCOSE, formerly known as morality in media) rather than the actual people who do the work? because i can point to you several thousands of people who show up to their non-porn non-sex work jobs faded as hell and also have suicidal tendnencies from being in those industries. the issue is LABOR & CAPITALISM, not sex and not porn.

5) sure, there is always cause for abuse of workers. but again that is a labor issue, because we live in a capitalist society and across the board there are workers being abused. sexual harrassment and assault is not unique to porn, and you're naive to think that lmao. if you truly gaf about getting rid of the industry you'd push for what sex workers are calling for, decriminalization. there are hundreds of sex worker unions who talk about the issues they face, and most of it is decriminalization. in india a union of 60k people recently won a big court case on this. its a labor issue if anything. the main source of abuse is extensive criminalization and banking discrimination which pushes people into poverty and homelessness as they're forced to do more irl work and come across the police who have been killing and raping sex workers this entire time.

6) and no, it's not a weak argument when we live in an increasingly christofascist state and world. its' actually a very very good argument for the suppression of sex and sex workers. because these same antiporn "activists" have co-opted feminist language and you're all falling for it and once again ignoring sex workers

and lets just clarify. people say "porn industry" and are referring to the sites like pornhub. the "industry" is where the workers are. there is no like, shadow overrulling company making all the porn. there are a bunch of filming companies who sex workers HAVE spoken out against and a bunch that they love to work for instead. there are millions of people who work on their own terms, from their own sites too. my PERSONAL opinion that has been motivated by listening to sex workers and reading both sociology and psychological research has been that i will always always always support the worker first before the industry. there are a lot of issues, that is true! but it's mainly a labor issue and sex workers have BEEN on the frontlines of negotiating for better working conditions. to say otherwise would be foolish and would show you simply dont pay attention. why do you think many of them go to use sites like onlyfans now over pornhub?

#long post #anonymous #antiporn #asks #TALK TO SEX WORKERS!!!!! STOP LISTENING TO NCOSE AND EXODUS CRY #anyway im not here to argue this because ur just wrong

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sebastiangrad604 · 1 year ago

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Mid Semester Break - 20 elements 50 words

Most of these ended up being bigger than 50 words. For the most part I explored on a base level what interests me about the item/what connection I have to it. 1- bird bag full of pins made by other artists, pins especially woodent and enamel are some of my favorite physical art pieces to collect. I have been collecting art from small artists for the last 10 years. The bird ita bag was a great and fun way to display them and take them with me.

2- Custom Furby by nz artist Sani - I love to support nz artists and have an interest in the more alternative style specifically in the way I dress/items I like to collect.Furbies were an American electronic toy that popped up in the late 90s and in recent years gained popularity. It is important to me as it means a lot to me to support small artists and I got this at the first market I sold my art at.

3- Fungi book promotional stand - A piece of design work that I collected from my job that both relates to my interest in books and in my interest in working as a designer possibly within the book industry. It is very sturdy and printed onto a thick chipboard like cardboard, the quality of the stand is high and I thought it was an interesting piece to add to the start of a collection of printed media that interests me.

4- Cat figurine - cats are my favourite animal, they inform a lot of my works. This particular one was a part of a blind bag set that I purchased two of. It is a very smooth and sturdy material. It is the kind of stylised representations of things I enjoy and would like to try explore in my works.

5- 3DS - Nintendo DSI was the first dedicated gaming device that was completely my own. I grew up playing playstation 2 and computer games on shared devices. It also related to my previous degree in which I studied game design. It was the kind of games I played on the nintendo that influenced that choice.

6- Crochet Axolotl by nz artist tempestscorner, crochet is an interesting craft that I have never done myself but has always intrigued me. I also had axolotls growing up so it reminds me of them, I love water dwelling animals as well as they usually look very interesting. I also have an interest in art that is “cute” and are simplified into simple forms like this.

7- Beetle and the Hollowbones Graphic novel - An interesting middle grade graphic novel. Graphic novels and comics have always been a media I enjoy. It it something I explored a lot when I was younger and would like to explore again. A goal of mine would be to complete my own graphic novel.

8- The hunger games - Formative book of teen years. The concepts present in the hunger games like inequality, oppression, in a lot of ways informed my future outlook on the world. It is a book I have come back to many times and each time noticed new ideas within it.

9- Gideon the ninth - One of the recent reads I throughly enjoyed - related to my interest in books especially science fiction & fantasy stories. It is an inherently queer narrative and is set in a gothic science fiction setting. Relates to my interest in themes related to the macabre

10- Animators survival kit - Relating to my first degree, I studied Digital Design specifically game design and I believe having a background in moving image directly influences my work even now working outside moving image. It also relates to my lifelong interest and passion for animation, it is a medium that has always fascinated me and the 2d animation style has often inspired my illustration work.

11- Lead type - interest in typography and graphic design, a more historical technique for formatting type and and interesting way to bring this interest into a physical representation

12- Mushroom Zines - Interest in both the zine space as a subculture and interest in the natural world. Zines are a print media format I want to explore creating. They are easy and cheap to produce so have historically been used as a great way to spread information.

13- Camera - This was the first and only dslr camera I received as a gift in highschool. I took photography for two years in highschool but have not really created much photography since. I found I have more of an interest in the process of analogue photography and developing film myself though have not had much of a chance to do so. It is something I think I should explore more in the future. What ideas could I explore with it?

14- Warrior cat zines - These Warrior cat zines produced in Canada by a range of artists inspired by the book series.It is important to me as it is a very direct link to my childhood and continuing interest in the book series and the large artistic community that originated from this source of inspiration.

15- Graphics tablet pen - The inclusion of the graphics tablet pen is something that is crucial to my pratice and the development of myself as an artist. I specifically chose one of my wacom pens as I used wacom tablets for many years and where I learned the fundamentals of digital art. I have been primarily a digital artist since 2013 and so I thought it was important to acknowledge the tools I have used for the last 10 years.

16- DnD dice - interest in fantasy and creation of characters and stories like often seen in dnd. I used to play dungeons and dragons but have not for a few years. It relates to my interest in both developing fantasy worlds and characters as well as collaborative storytelling. I used to participate in the roleplaying scene and it informed my writing style and interest in working alongside others on large projects.

17- Stamps from grandfather - he collected stamps and I have fond memories of looking at them, The stamps I have here were taken from his house after he passed away. They also relate to my interest in antiques, I have always enjoyed going places to look at antiques and historical items, I love learning about the past.

18- Vintage cards from grandfather - Only item I recieved that was his after he passed. Have not got an exact date on when these cards would have been made/bought by him but may have been with him when he immigrated into new zealand or have had when my father was a child. Quite worn and missing half the pack - really interesting to me that the jokers are to the side and in near new condition. I have memories of my family enjoying sitting around and playing board games together.

19- Warrior cat book - Very formative book series - still relates to artistic communities I am in to this day. My interest in the series as a kid lead me to finding a large creative community. This directly can be seen as a part of the turning point that lead to myself becoming an artist. Seeing others making pieces of art inspired from things I was also interested in definitely influenced my outlook on art.

20- Keychains from various artists, another thing I collect. I have also made these myself. One of these keychains in particular was a custom designed one of a character I draw often. They are more merchandise than fine art and often used on keyrings and bags.

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elliepassmore · 1 year ago

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The Blood Years review

4.5 stars/5 stars Recommended if you like: historical fiction, WWII, non-German/Britain/US WWII, Jewish characters, younger teen MC Big thanks to Netgalley, Balzar + Bray, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! TW: Holocaust, rape I always enjoy reading historical fiction books set outside the traditional countries we see historical fiction set in (i.e., USA, Britain, France, Germany...maybe Russia, but not many of those). This book is set in Romania and starts slightly before their occupation and ends almost immediately after liberation ('liberation'). It was interesting to get a different view of that era of history, especially since Romania had to deal with both Soviet and German occupation. It was interesting to read about the recent history of Romania leading up to WWII since it isn't really a country I know too much about. The parts about the Soviet and German occupation were also interesting, but at least I know what to expect from that (and I also actually read a nonfiction book about Romania in WWII in 2022 or '21). Both occupations are horrifying in their own ways and have slightly different threats and rules. The juxtaposition between the two worked well to highlight both the similarities and the differences between the Soviets and Germans. Frederieke, Rieke, starts the story around age 12/13 (except for the prologue, where she's 6), when things are tense in Europe but still relatively calm in Romania. At the time, her life largely revolves around school, ballet, her sister, and Opa. Over the course of the story Rieke has multiple points where the world shifts under her feet, both in small ways, like her father leaving, and in big ways, like occupation. Each time her world shifts, Rieke must reorient and make a decision about how she is going to move forward. This next part is slightly spoilery, but I'm not putting a spoiler warning since it relates to one of the TWs: There is a part toward the end where Rieke is raped by an older man, though the scene isn't particularly graphic, and it's mentioned as happening several more times before Rieke is hospitalized for an unrelated illness. It is also heavily implied that Astra was raped during Soviet occupation. Opa, Rieke and Astra's grandfather, has already lived through one world war and isn't looking forward to a second one. He tries to protect the girls and his family as long as he can, but the hate of others isn't so easy to hide, and their hardships only become worse when the Germans take over the country. Despite everything going on, Opa continues to put his family first and continues to strive to uphold the morals he holds close. Astra is a hard character to fully like. At the beginning of the book, she's relatively okay, but the more Rieke remembers her younger childhood and the more we see Astra falling in love, it's clear she's not a very nice person to her sister. Since Rieke is the narrating character, that makes it kind of hard to like Astra even if Rieke loves her older sister dearly. That being said, Astra becomes much better toward the middle/later parts of the book, though she still has her moments (and I'm not super thrilled that she allowed what was going on with Rieke toward the end). I will say though, by the end of the book it's very, very clear that Astra loves Rieke dearly, even if it isn't always expressed. Marcel does fit with Astra, though he's largely flighty only with her. Rieke doesn't like him at first, and so I didn't like him at first either, but he really does come through for the family he becomes a part of. I won't comment on his romantic flightiness, but he definitely isn't a bad person. I think the author did a good job capturing the wider picture of what was going on in Romania while also keeping the focus on Rieke and her family. She also does a good job of shifting between the two, with Rieke being able to note the larger changes occurring around her by noticing the ones that impact her and the daily lives of those around her. The historical part of the book was done very, very well in my opinion. Overall, this was a good book. Obviously I am not a fan of the second TW, and on the one hand I'm glad it was kind of brushed over but on the other hand I do feel like more attention should've been called to what was happening. Unrelated to that, I liked that Astra, Rieke, and their friends were dancers. There really aren't enough books where people are just casually ballet dancers.

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kimseokjin2024 · 2 years ago

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The music of “forever boy” Jin

A look at his solo songs [2022.11.15]

Whenever I see Jin from BTS and how radiant he is, he seems just like a boy to me. As an idol, he naturally wears many faces, but that’s my overall impression of him. Though he has some sharp, handsome features, his soft face makes him look younger than he is. He’s always cracking little jokes with the other members of BTS and their staff in all their videos. He’s been a big fan of the game Maple Story for half his life and likes cute characters like RJ, the character he created for the group’s BT21 line. At the same time, he comes off as very upright and elegant, looking good in a suit and maintaining excellent posture in any position. His consideration of others comes across in his gentle way of speaking and occasional idle chatter, and he stays levelheaded in tight situations, emphasizing the importance of keeping the music sincere. He’s one of the less open of the BTS members, but it’s not to maintain an affected air of mystery—more that he chooses his words carefully because he only wants to share the good parts with his fans. Similar to a metaphor he used in a previous interview, Jin is the kind of person who wouldn’t cross the street on a “don’t walk” signal, even when no one’s around to catch him. Looking at the full context of what he said, he wasn’t exemplifying strict obedience to social norms but a conviction that being good is the right way to act. His is the image of a lifelong boy or an adult who’s pure of heart.

Jin’s vocals are a part of that image as well: boyish, yet mature. Of all the BTS members, his are the most straightforward. He has a soft, beautiful voice, but he can also reach high notes with such force as to be cathartic. Sometimes his voice is also slightly, but nonetheless recognizably, nasal, adding to his vocal tone a childlike quality well-suited to his beautiful voice. He leverages this to make some of his performances sound affectionate and others plaintive. The song “Yours” from the Jirisan soundtrack is a perfect example. His soft, boyish voice sounds like it’s going to break but never does, sounding plaintive yet elegant—like a plant growing on the side of a rocky mountain, tender but never broken.

The influence of older Korean pop music on his vocal style is clear as well. He’ll sing the opening note of a song like a sigh or else bend it (a technique where the singer starts at one note and slides to another). This works especially well when he’s singing pop songs from the 1990s and 2000s in various videos from Run BTS and BANGTAN BOMB, among others. This technique makes his songs sound more mature, drawing an interesting contrast with his otherwise youthful voice. The effect is electrifying—like a child actor reciting difficult lines in a historical drama or a manager who’s used to baby-talking at home and accidentally speaks the same way to his employees. Such contradictory ingredients make for a sweet mix.

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Jin’s solo songs all have a number of things in common. They tend to center more around melody than rhythm, have poetic lyrics, use a slower tempo and are Korean-style (or even rock) ballads rather than hip hop. The first song he ever covered online was “Mom” by Ra.D—a favorite among teens—and his first solo song on a BTS album was “Awake,” a ballad featuring a lush string section and melodic vocals. His next solo song, “Epiphany,” takes the ballad parts of “Awake” and builds up to an arena rock song. He also uploaded a cover of Yoon Do Hyun’s “Autumn Outside the Post Office.” The first song he ever wrote, “Tonight,” is another ballad whose sweet lyrics tell the story of having to part with one’s pet. He also wrote a folk ballad about depression, “Abyss,” which features a simple composition and uses words sparingly to get its message across.

In that respect, this differentiates his solo music from the cutting-edge(?) style of K-pop that BTS ushered in with their debut in 2013 and continued with throughout the 2010s. At least for their singles, BTS focuses on K-pop with complex rhythms, mainly leaning toward hip hop/R&B and EDM. Before introducing BTS, BIGHIT MUSIC (then Big Hit Entertainment) was known for their ballads in the vein of groups like 2AM and 8eight, but once BTS came in, the label made their mark with these faster-paced songs. Thanks to Jin’s solo work, the rising strings of these ballads of old are under the BTS umbrella as well. When “Awake” was released in 2016, SUGA told Jin that he never realized they could have ballads like that on their albums and said he enjoyed listening to it (WINGS concept book). In that way, Jin’s catalog of solo songs also extends one end of BTS’s musical spectrum. Using his songs as a stepping stone, BTS has come to incorporate elements of 1990s and early 2000s K-pop into their music.

It’s easy to think Jin might feel burdened, but there’s nothing in his live performances to suggest so. The most notable feature of Jin’s performances is that he’s nothing if not reliable. At any given performance, even when something goes wrong, he can be counted on to give a consistent performance. He said he felt like he might lose his voice in the lead-up to Yet to Come in Busan, his latest performance, but you never would’ve known it to see him singing. He also says that, because he felt he got into music late, he practiced intensely behind the scenes before his debut and after as well. His habit of persistent practice only served to emphasize the characteristics of his vocals already mentioned—his soft tone, straightforward sound and clean-cut image—and make them a flawless gem.

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“The Astronaut,” the single Jin released in October, was a gift from British band Coldplay. It’s the second time the two have collaborated, the first being “My Universe” off Coldplay’s album Music of the Spheres, which features all the members of BTS. The writing credits for “The Astronaut” list the four performers of Coldplay, the DJ Kygo (under his legal name, Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll) and the late film score composer Jóhann Jóhannsson. The latter is credited because the song samples the soundtrack from Arrival, a movie documenting an encounter between humans and intergalactic intelligent life.

“The Astronaut” Is unmistakably both Coldplay and Jin. If you had told Jin, or any of the members of BTS, back in 2013 that they’d be collaborating with Coldplay in 2022, they never would have believed it. But to listen to “The Astronaut,” it’s clear that Coldplay’s signature sound is a good fit for Jin. I’m reminded of the band’s ballads that rose to such popularity in Korea in the 2000s. The hallmarks of Coldplay’s sound—Chris Martin’s ear for catchy melodies, the songs’ rich guitars and pianos, the straightforward yet oddly comforting lyrics—are all heard in songs like “Yellow” (Parachutes, their debut album in 2000), “The Scientist” (A Rush of Blood to the Head, their second album) and “Fix You” (X&Y, their third album). A lot of Korean pop music lovers liked these songs because of those characteristics even if they weren’t terribly familiar with other music from abroad.

Both Jin and Coldplay have a history of tying together the themes of love and space. Jin did so on “Mikrokosmos” and “Moon” (his solo song off MAP OF THE SOUL: 7), while Coldplay put a fairytale spin on the universe with their most recent album, Music of the Spheres. Fans had a theory that the imaginary planet that appeared in the poster for Jin’s song could be the last planet in the story within Coldplay’s album. Coldplay is no stranger to writing songs about time, the stars in space, love and comfort. It was true when they were in their post-Britpop phase of the 2000s, it was true as they came to explore popular genres outside rock through the 2010s and it remains true to this day. The cosmic synths that form the center of “The Astronaut” come courtesy of Norwegian EDM producer Kygo and make the song that much more remarkable.

The Korean lyrics, written by Jin, are a serenade sung by an aimless space traveler to his loved ones. The song also doubles as a love letter to his fans, ARMY, ahead of his military service. The Little Prince-like image of sailing past the stars is already beautiful, but knowing it’s also his way of bidding a brief goodbye makes it that much more touching. On October 28, Jin explained on Weverse Live that BE, released in late 2020, would be BTS’s final album before he serves. He pushed back earlier plans to enter so the group could enter the Grammy race following its release and again to hold concerts after waiting a long time for COVID-19-related social distancing restrictions to be eased. He hinted at his future plans during their “BTS Dinner Party” video in June this year but they were delayed once more when the group was asked to perform in October to support Busan’s bid for the World Expo. In the two years his plans were repeatedly delayed, the question of Korean pop superstars BTS’s military service was widely talked about. I imagine he likely underwent a lot of stress on a personal level. Nevertheless, his parting present to fans is a song full of thoughtful words and delivered with love. The song, like Jin, is radiant and wise.

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I keep emphasizing how youthful Jin is, but he was actually the only member of BTS to join the group as an adult. This placed Jin in a unique position to take care of his younger bandmates as they went through the life-defining transition from adolescence to adulthood. Though he entered the industry with his personality already largely solidified, he was always the oldest of the BTS boys that ARMY would see. He’s like a “forever boy,” and one who exists as a paradox: an adult from the outset who helped young fans of BTS to grow. And perhaps he’s a more affectionate boy for this reason.

Source: Weverse Magazine

#seokjin #jin #김석진 #진 #방탄소년단 #jin news #kim seokjin #BTS

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batboyblog · 2 years ago

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Speaking historically it's worth remembering early comics, from 1938 through the 1960s, the target audience was boys aged about 7 to 14, and tilted younger tbh.

Batman as he first appears in 1939 is an evolution of the pulp magazine detective. Most notably The Shadow:

you might have picked up the Shadow uses a gun. So did Batman in 1939, at one point kitting out the Bat-plane with guns and shooting thugs with it.

(I believe he's shooting a vampire here?)

any ways the old pulp mags were for more teenage readership, while comic books were often times extras that came with baseball cards or gum. So toning it down was in order. But also its worth remembering why Robin was such a hit and has stood the test of time.

in 1940, a lot of boys didn't have dads. In the Great Depression a generation of fathers left to find work where ever they could, the good ones loyally send back money and when they could sent for their families, but there were thousands of thousands of dead beats who left and never looked back. My grandfather (who turned 14 the year Superman came out) was raised by a single father, my grandmother was sent away to live with her grandparents another common fate being sent to live with better off relatives or for the unlucky just being put up for adoption and being picked up to work on a farm.

Now the early Robin stories in 1940 weren't a 100 shift to "jeez wiz chum!" camp.

September 1940, Dick punching out Bruce for slapping him.

But coming in 1941 you get a more family, dad-son opening and fun vibe coming into Batman comics. Thats because of WWII. Even more sons will have their dads out of the picture an unlike the kids of the 1930s with missing dads the kids of the 1940s with a dad out of the picture.... well he was in danger. So the need for thrilling scary bad guys who are truly scary and very bad... you have that on the radio every day and every kid in America had a father, uncle, older brother, or cousin risking their very lives. They wanted (needed) stories where no one was really at risk and everything worked out and everyone came home safe.

(December 1945)

So basically between 1940-1945 Batman and Robin filled the void a lot of kids of the time had for the need to have a Father-Son relationship.

more generally Dick Grayson has kinda always lived in the sweet spot of reflecting the average age of comic book readers themselves. When he first appears he's 9 years old which is right in the middle of 1940s comic readers ages. He stays there in the 1950s, but starting in the 1960s, with the Teen Titans he moves up to being a teen by the 1960s comics were tilting more toward tweens and early teens. By the 1970s as comics start to deal with social issues (thinking of Snowbirds Don't Fly) Dick is in his mid to late teens again reflecting the readership. By the 1980s and the New Teen Titans Dick is in his late teens and will age into his 20s during that book and the 1980s is the time that comics moves away from a child market to an adult market, between The New Teen Titans for DC and Uncanny X-Men under Chris Claremont at Marvel the average comic reader was now 17 to 25 and again Dick aged to reflect that. Again Again in his solo Nightwing series in the 1990s Dick reflects a shift from largely mainstream high school and college readership to a more closed comic reading community in their late 20s and 30s. Today there's a lot of versions of Dick growing up, either becoming Batman and responsible for Damian, or the Elseworld's Nightwing: The New Order where he's a divorced dad, which again I think while Dick himself hasn't aged, his worries and the things stories are focusing on often times reflect that while comic reading is a diverse group, the biggest block of readers are in their 30s and 40s

which is a round about way of saying Dick Grayson has always been the mirror of the readership, he's us, thats why he's there.

Analysis ask: Regarding Robin specifically the first one, many casual audiences always assume he's simply there to provide a distraction, whether by drawing the villains' attention or getting himself captured all the time while Batman blends in the shadows and could've just simply foiled the wicked scheme without needing his sidekick there. On particular video even labeled Robin as a 'Dumb*** in Distress', putting him on par with likes of Princess Peach from Super Mario and Bella from Twilight. Is there any at all truth to this and counter arguments one can make?

Robin was inserted specifically so Batman would have a Watson to his Sherlock to be explaining things to, so that they didn’t have to have a microphone in Batman’s brain all the time or have him saying everything out loud.

He’s also there to soften Batman and make him more relatable. You make him a dad, suddenly adults can empathize with him too, and giving him a kid provides a vehicle for a younger audience to imagine themselves having adventures with a smart, stern, but caring father figure. Sure, some readers want to be Batman, but another good chunk want to be Batman’s friend. Having Robin around satisfies both parties and if you’re a company in the business of selling stories, the more people you can please the better.

And sure, the kid got captured and kidnapped a lot. It’s not like it’s always his fault, Batman knowingly brings him into danger. Does his best to keep him safe but still. Robin usually never got into peril that was not a direct result of trying to solve the case, same with his mentor. Matter of fact they tended to get captured together. Dick Grayson Robin was not, actually, in the business of going off on his own haphazardly and getting himself in trouble. He was smart, clever, and plucky, he didn’t blindly walk into danger.

Robin is also there to be Batman’s foil. Modern iterations have emphasized that Batman took him in specifically so that he could grow up without the trauma and pain that defined himself. Batman saw a kindred soul and vowed that he wouldn’t let the kid grow up without a parent figure, and I’m sorry, that’s a very profound and moving kind of story element that deserves more respect than dismissing Robin offhand as Batman’s distraction strategy. Robin gives Batman a family, when his was taken away. Robin helps Batman find something other than grinding away at the crime and corruption of Gotham to live for and focus on.

Robin is one of the most important elements in the Bat-Mythos and I will hear no second opinions.

#Dick Grayson #Robin

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bitter-limelight · 2 years ago

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So I'm only dipping my toes in "interview..." fandom and I might be swinging on hornets' nest here but

Why is Armand/Marius such a popular ship? Wasn't Armand like 15 when they met?

Woooo ok now this is an ask, Anon, and one I'm excited to answer!

I'm going to preference this with warnings though. Talk of Marius/Armand always leads to talk of Marius/Amadeo, which is discussion of consent, underage sex, historical changes of behavior, abuse, rape, and physical punishment. Just to round out the categories.

Yes, Armand, or Amadeo as Marius named him, was 15 when Marius bought him from a brothel and yes they were immediately lovers. Marius and Armand's relationship is between a fifteen year old mortal and a 1500 year old vampire in the body of a 40 year old man. Get that clear and out of the way.

Now as to your question, why do people ship it? Well. A lot of reasons. Let's start with the fact that TVA I. The Venice years is written as a love story. It's a romance. And I know some people will point out that it can't be a romance story, it's noncon/dubcon/statutory etc. But that doesn't mean it's not a romance. Romance can be and often is full of Proeblantic Content. Let's looks at just some of the romance tropes M/A hits on-

Teacher/Student. Tale as old as time. It's a very basic erotic fantasy, the older man, the one in authority, the one who will guide you and teach you and look after you. Marius is teacher to Amadeo, in the ways of art, history, language, culture. The power unbalance is implicit in this kink

Rescue Fantasy - another common one, as much emotional as physical or sexual. So many people who live in absusive homes or relationships or live with the trauma of that abuse fantasize about someone coming to take them away from it all, be it a pirate captain, a Viking warlord, or One Direction

Incest- like it or not incest is a hell of a kink. Everyone's mom got off to Flowers in the Attic, and there's been media for ages that deals romantically with incest. Angel Sanctuary comes to mind. Marius refers to Armand as his son and raises him as one in many ways. It's another part of the taboo power play.

Whisked Away- this is the one talked about the most in fandom circles and it's related to Rescue Fantasy. This is the captured bride, the arranged marriage, the sold to a king, the harem, the war bride, the sex slave. "Oh I can't let myself enjoy my body and my desires but what if someone stole me and made me and I had no choice?"

"ok but he's 15." Yes. But again none of that negates the previous things. And in fact it only draws me to another point- he's also not real. He isn't real. Armand isn't real. Marius isn't real. All of this is fantasy make believe and in Make Believe land you can do anything you want. Really. You can.

I think people forget that TVC is not a series written for teens. I know a TON of us read it as teens, or younger, many admit to reading it TOO YOUNG, but the fact is these are adult works written for an adult audience and such books, especially romance and horror and historical novels, often contain taboo material and not just taboo material that is explicitly condemned. Because it's assumed that the reader, as an adult, doesn't need the disclaimer to their fantasy to know it's not ok in real life. And this is *fantasy*. Vampires are not real either. I always have to wonder if people would be so upset about M/A if Marius was 1500 but physically 16 or 17. That's still not a child, that's still an immortal creature, but it's one that wouldn't set people off so much. And like. They're Vampires. They simply don't see age the same way. Even Lestat says he could make a child fall in love with me. It's part and parcel with their age.

Why do I ship Marius/Armand? Because I come from an abusive home full of religious trauma, because I was unwanted, because I had no parents who wanted me. Because I was struggling with my sexuality and gender at a young age and stories like these were my favorite fantasy. *Fantasy*. I knew this thing wasn't real but the fantasies helped me escape and it still does. Because I know that fantasy and reality don't have a one to one equal affect. Because I'm an adult and I interact with other adults who also understand this trauma and why we deal with it this way. Because their story is beautiful and horrible and romantic and tragic and dark and glittering and attractive and terrifying. Because they are fucking AMAZING characters in an amazing story and I love that.

Loving this kind of relationship is not new or novel but being so confused about it and anti behavior is.

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sirtotallynotatimetraveler · 2 years ago

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Clone High AU Idea - Clone Academy/History Repeats Itself AU

So I had an idea of what if Clone High was less focused on comedy and parodies of teen dramas as the main focus for the show, and more focused on the idea of the clones trying and struggling to live up their parent’s legacy as the government, instead of wanting to use the clones a human nuclear weapons in battle, they use the clones to better benefit America by bringing back the benefits the original historical figures brought onto the world. During teenage years, the clones are put into an academy, Clone Academy, where they are trained academically and physically on skills that their clone parent were best good at. An example of this is can be that JFK, with his clone parent originally being of the POTUS, is automatically put into a debate team/club and is assigned to take classes such as US History and Intro to Law and even trained physically to dodge bullets coming from any area. I want to imagine that most of the clones would want to follow their clone parent’s footsteps but some also want to follow their own goals like many clones in the original show do. Maybe robots or holograms of a clone’s original counterpart teach them lessons that only pertain to the historical figures traits or actions. But since their only holograms/robots they can’t respond to a human properly, mainly just what their programmed to say. Also, many of the clones have different outfits, in which they are kind of dress up like their clone parent but in a way that looks more modern.... well 2000′s modern. The AU may be more serious than the original show as it will tackle more serious topics about being a clone of a worldwide know figure and the pressure that comes of it; or there may be serious problems involving characters like Abe or JFK meeting a cloned version of maybe John Wilkes Booth or Lee Harvey Oswald.

Some other ideas that technically don’t really have to do with the Clone Academy itself but I think would be pretty cool anyway include:

Ghostly encounters of clone parents or a clone who can see or communicate with the dead

Time Travel (Maybe)

Possible slight dystopian 2000′s era

Reunions with people who are related to the clone parents

Intruders/Spies of the Academy who pretend they are clones to get information on the clones and the academy.

Studying abroad in countries that correlate to the clone (ie: Joan studies in France or Cleo goes to Egypt)

Maybe some clones will have accents depending on what country their clone parent was from. JFK already has the same New England accent that his clone dad had so why not? (I always kind of wanted to hear what Joan sounded like in a French accent or Gandhi with an Indian accent)

Younger clones who are kids that go to a Clone Elementary School. Like maybe a young girl clone of Princess Diana of Wales since she died in the 1997, meaning that as a clone she would be about 5 or 4 if clone after her death, annd I weirdly kinda want the clone to be JFK’s little sister. I dunno, that would be pretty cute.

Also, here’s a bio of each of the main five in this AU about what they learn in this academy of clones and how they feel about needing to live up to their clone parent:

Abe L. (JR) : Abe very much looks up to his clone parent (like in the original show too). He know that it will be hard to surpass the original Lincoln but he will try to in anyway to do so. He works very hard but kind of struggles in his classes because he can be quite a dimwit at times, but he does his very best. He studies his dad in books and in television a lot to understand what he was like when he’s not doing in in class.. But he still has those terrors of “what if it happens again” when it comes to his clone father being assassinated, as he fears that he may get assassinated too if he rises to his clone fathers level, even with bullet dodging lessons. Like in the original show, he also sees his clone father talking to him through the 5 dollar bill or the penny for motivation or he even sees him in dreams as well. Like JFK, he takes the debate team, US History, Politics, Law but also has English, Phys Ed. such as boxing (since his clone father was a boxing champion at the time), Civics, and Government.

Joan D’A. (JR) : Joan is still cynical and skeptical about becoming her clone mom and feels like she could never rise up to her level and she doesn’t believe she’ll have a religious encounter like her clone mom ever did. But deep down, she still believes it could happen, it’s one of the reasons she still goes on to study at clone academy and Abe’s determination to be like his clone dad motivates Joan to do the same but still pretends like she doesn’t really care. But she is still nervous on what will happen after she grows past the age of 19, the age her clone mom never lived past to, What will happen then? She takes classes regarding Catholicism, Fencing/Swordfighting, Horseback riding, French speaking, and European History.

M. Gandhi (JR): Gandhi honestly wants to live up to his clone fathers legacy and spread peace about the country, but his love for being a party animal and his short attention prevents him from wanting to focus on his studies. He really does care about following the original Gandhi’s footsteps but has a hard time sticking to his words that he’ll put the work, care, and effort in doing so, and sometimes does the complete opposite in what his clone dad really did to help the world, and instead hurts people mentally. He takes classes in Civics, World History, Law, and Hinduism. Maybe a class in Meditation or Yoga too?

John. F K.: Like most, JFK wants to become like his clone father. But, like in the original show, he misinterprets the goals and personality of the original JFK and sees him more as a “macho womanizing stud who conquered the moon” than the charismatic, intelligent, charming leader the real JFK was, as he bases that ideology of the original JFK onto himself, but he slowly learns about more about who his father really was in his studies in Clone Academy and maybe even takes some of these accurate traits of his clone father into his own character. Like stated before, JFK takes classes in Politics, Law, US History, Maybe some civics since his clone father was involved in helping the civil rights movement, Physical Ed, Military Training (since his clone father is a war hero), and Government.

Cleopatra: Cleo definitely tries a lot to be just like her clone mother and does her best to replicate the elegant fashion that she had in the Ancient Egypt Era at the time with lots of jewelry included. But the problem is that she flaunts her overall power of her clone mother’s monarchy being passed down to her to people all around her. While many praise her for this, along with her radiating beauty, many see her as very pretentious and annoying. Another thing, is that she secretly feels a lot of pressure with having the stakes raised high for following the original Queen of the Nile’s footsteps and feel like she could never go up to her level, no matter how much she tries, and her degrading abusive foster mother only intensifies her believes in this. She takes classes in World History, Government, Several different world languages, and Fashion/Makeup Design.

So basically this AU is kind of like “What if clone high kinda had some of the concepts of Ever After High and My Hero Academia but is still kind of unique that it can stand out on its own” or maybe just “Clone High but more serious and a whole lot of worldbuilding and lore”. I dunno, I just wanted to make an AU where the plot idea of clones of historical figures is possible was emphasized or used more in the main story of the show, even if that’s kinda silly since the show is more focused on being a comedy that never takes itself really seriously.

#clone high #clonehigh #clone high au #cloneacademy #clone high hri au #clone academy au #clone high abe #clone high jfk #clone high joan of arc #clone high cleo #clone high gandhi

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wdwmarveldisney · 3 years ago

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🥺👉👈 Could I maybe request a doctor who x reader with a younger, more innocent teenage reader? And the doctor gets protective over them, especially when they could be in danger. Any doctor could fit. (sorry if this is not enough information I'm new to making requests)

Let them go

Eleventh Doctor x platonic!teen!reader

Summary: When the Doctor takes you to your favourite musical, things once again don’t end well.

Masterlist

A/N: Ok so I loved this request and thank you so much. You are so sweet. Don’t worry about how information there is, I just hope that you like it. I may have mixed a little Newsies in here because, well I love it and I honestly think about how I would a hundred percent ask to go there if I was travelling with the Doctor.

Not my GIF

Shaking violently when travelling seemed to be the only flaw of the TARDIS and even then, it was only because the Doctor was a terrible pilot. He had tried to convince you otherwise but you'd met River on more than one occasion and she had actual evidence for her argument so excuse you if you sided with her. But that didn't mean that you hated it; every time it happened, you'd grin real big because it was just yet another reminder of the chaos that came with the Doctor. You had a usual place by the controls, one where you were often moved from during flight to avoid you being in the way. Most of the time you ended up in one of the seats, watching his every move in hopes of learning what any of it meant. River had promised to teach you when you were older, said you could leave the Doctor in the 1920s where he apparently thrived and she'd teach you how to the drive the TARDIS.

Right now however, you were here in 2017 New York, at your request. You had asked to see the recording of Newsies after a small (ok so maybe the exact opposite of small) obsession with the musical over the years. You were surprised when all the Doctor had to do was make a call and suddenly you were right at the front with the opportunity to go backstage afterwards too. The inner fangirl was hard to control as the two of you headed to the doors and you managed to stumble slightly but he had caught you before you could fall into the wooden doors. Pouting as he laughed, you tugged his bow tie hard making him stop with a frown and a hand going to readjust it. He scanned your attire with an amused smile which resulted in a flick to the head from you. "Ow, I didn't say anything!"

You walked out the TARDIS, breathing in the smell of hotdogs and petrol before facing him with a small frown, "You were thinking it. I can wear a Newsies shirt if I want to wear a Newsies shirt," he put his hands up in surrender as he walked out too and then quickly turned to lock the doors. You tugged at the shirt in question as you glanced round the empty alley, waiting for him. It was a few seconds before you felt an arm fall into your shoulders and quickly you began to walk to the streets with big smiles on your faces. In the small time you had come to know the Doctor, he had become like family. You had been quite sheltered growing up, never seen much trouble but that's kinda expected from a small town family. When you started travelling with the TimeLord, you saw a lot of bad stuff, things you had never even thought possible and so naturally, he was protective. He was like an older brother, maybe a dad ish vibe.

Your steps were in time with his as you approached the theatre, huffing at how long the queue to get in was. Finally in line, you tapped your foot patiently and suddenly, the question had slipped from your lips without much thought, "How did you get good tickets?" He paused, reaching up to fiddle with his bow tie nervously before straightening out his tweed jacket. He avoided eye contact and instead stared at the bright lights surrounding you guys, "Well, um, I helped write it. Historical facts and stuff," you watched him shrug with terribly faked nonchalance. Jaw dropping, your eyes went comically wide as you stuttered out, "You- They- What?" Unbelievable. Of course he knew about your obsession with the musical and failed to mention his involvement with writing it.

It was a couple hours later and you were waiting by the Doctor's side as the theatre cleared out. He had spent the whole musical jittery and chatty, clearly not good with just sitting there and watching. Several times someone had complained and you had had to talk with him about it. He was a literal child at times. But despite the fact he had muttered about his hate for Twitter after the girl next to you guys tweeted a picture of herself and her friend there, you enjoyed yourself. The musical was just as great as the first time you watched the recording, if not better. And now, you couldn't stop bouncing in excitement. You were actually going backstage, and you were going to meet the cast of a musical you have obsessed over for years.

But of course, with the Doctor, things never happened that easily.

The TimeLord had pulled out his sonic screwdriver to fiddle with while you waited and frowned at the noise it made. You caught his muttering and huffed, already knowing that look on his face. Concern, anger and a touch of excitement. "Don't say it," his eyes slowly left the device in his hands as he raised an eyebrow at your words. Someone was just leaving the backstage area but neither of you noticed as you sighed, "Why does something always have to happen? One good, non-alien day is all I ask. Is that even possible with you?" He grinned goofily at you with a breathy chuckle before raising the screwdriver in the air and scanning your surroundings. You jumped at the tap on your shoulder, facing the crew member with fists raised like that would do something. "Oh,"

"I was sent to get you. What's he doing?" You glanced to the Doctor, who now stood on one of the seats and you shrugged, arms crossing over his chest. Looking between both men, eventually you answered, "I find it best not to ask until he gets that look on his face," the guy frowned as he watched the Doctor jump from the seat and run up an aisle and look through one of the doors. As the two of you watched him lock the door with the screwdriver, the crew guy asked, "What look?" Going to respond, you stopped yourself once seeing the dark look of his face. The one that ensured mortal danger and most likely ended with the two of you saving the world. Again.

"That look," the guy watched you point to the alien as he made his way over to you by jumping over one of the seats. His arm landed on your shoulders as he huffed slightly from all the running round, "Right okay then, possible shapeshifter, very dangerous and kills for the hell of it. Also, amazing dancers and have a tendency to be really funny. Ready?" As he spoke, he looked the guy up and down in a calculating way as if he was possible suspect. You ignored the shock and fear on the guy's face in front of you and instead tilted your head in debate, "I mean, yeah sure," with a laugh, he clapped his hands together and approached the crew member. He too ignored the expression or he just didn't notice with how quickly his mind was now working. He smiled, hands clasped in front of him as he did another look over the guy before speaking, "Ok, we're ready to go. Should probably check out backstage first," he looked to you and you nodded in agreement. "Well," he paused as he placed his hands on the guy's shoulder, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Panicky look still clearly painted on his features, his voice shook as he managed, "Carl,"

"Well Carl, lead the way," gripping the clipboard in his hands tighter, Carl turned around and began to walk up the stairs and backstage with the two of you following. You stared at your feet as you walked, pout on your lips as you thought, "So, when you say very dangerous...?" The Doctor paused before backtrack king to you and placing his hands on your shoulders whilst ducking his head down to meet your eyes. He had such certainty and determination that you knew he wasn't lying when he said, "Nothing bad will happen to you, I promise," a chuckle left your lips as you punched his shoulder, smile lighting up your face as he remained unbelievably serious, "Well duh. I've got my own hero. And you know I'd haunt the hell out of you," he shook his head, smile fighting it's way to his face as the two of you began to walk behind the curtain.

So apparently the Doctor isn't great with promises or at least, that's what you gather when the two of you were walking down a deserted corridor and something had grabbed you from behind. The last hour had been the two of you searching in the dark, trusting no one since this alien shapeshifted. Two crew members were found dead and another missing so the Doctor insisted on going to find her and well, naturally you followed without question. And now you had a claw to your throat as you whimpered at how hard the alien was pulling your hair. This made the Doctor turn, eyes darkening when he saw you struggling and crying quietly to yourself. "Let them go," it was practically a whisper but it echoed in the hall, making the creature laugh. "Why would I do that?" The voice was deep and distorted and almost robotic, "They'll be so much fun," the last word was spat, venom in the voice making whimper again. You shook violently and the Doctor met your terrified eyes with his remorseless ones. "Why are you here? Order the Shadow Proclamation states Earth is a Level five planet. Do you know what they'd do to you?" He took a few taunting steps forward, head almost bowed in anger.

A small scream left your lips as the claw made a small cut in your throat and the Doctor seemed to tense. Rolling out his shoulders, the TimeLord uncharacteristically smirked as his fingers toyed with the screwdriver in his hands and he laughed almost hollowly, "I know about your people. I have fought your people time again and again and again. And do you want to know what I remember?" There was a pause in his words, only audible thing being your small cries, "You really don't like high frequencies," he raised an eyebrow as he pressed a button and the alien began to freak. His hands slammed over his ears and he stumbled back, essentially freeing you. You managed to make your way to a worried and panicking Doctor before the two of you rushed down the hall and inside a changing room. You fell back against the door as the whir of the screwdriver and the click of the lock and the huffs of your breaths filled the room.

Suddenly the small device was stuck in your face, scanning you up and down before you smacked it away. He gave you a pointed look before carrying on, no doubt scanning for any other type of harm. He was in protective mode which wasn't uncommon but could get annoying when he wouldn't stop checking up on you. With a frustrated expression, you snatched the screwdriver from his hands and shook your head when your eyes met, “I’m fine,” you made sure to emphasise the last word and the Doctor mimicked you under his breath like a three year old. Scoffing, you pointed the screwdriver at him in warning but he just simply took it back with a small huff.

And then there was a bang at the door and the two of you were reminded of the danger you were facing this time round.

#doctor who #doctor x reader #platonic #teen!reader #eleventh doctor x teen!reader #eleventh doctor #eleventh doctor x reader #request

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rachelbethhines · 4 years ago

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Tangled Salt Marathon - No Time Like the Past

While I wouldn’t call this the worst episode of the series, there are several others I dislike more, I would call this the most ill conceived story in the show.

All the other bad episodes have potential but are let down by poor presentation, boring predictability, or sloppy planning. This one however, is fundamentally flawed in it’s very basic premise and so ranks in the bottom of most fans lists. Even people who are far more forgiving of season three and than I am, and are hardcore New Dream stans, still dislike this episode. That’s how bad it is.

Summary: Rapunzel discovers Old Lady Crowley tossing out Cassandra's things. She is upset and demands that they be left alone. She then has Lance and Eugene help her save all of Cassandra's mementos and personal belongings, but she becomes saddened when Eugene reminds her that Cassandra turned her back on "her". Rapunzel takes a box of her things along with, unknowingly, a mysterious hourglass. As she examines it, she accidentally drops and smashes it and she and Pascal find themselves sent back into the past. They run into a teenage Eugene and Lance who keep calling Rapunzel "Sideburns". Rapunzel realizes that she and Pascal have inhabited the bodies of the Stabbington Brothers and decide to recruit the young thieves in getting the hourglass from the castle back.

Fun Fact! That Dummy is Rapunzel’s Doing

Minor nitpick here, but Cass had nothing to do with putting Eugene’s face on her sparring dummy. Rapunzel voluntarily did that back in Under Raps. Cas never requested it nor even expressed any joy over receiving said ‘gift’.

Basically the show is attributing one of Rapunzel’s mistakes/flaws to Cassandra in order to introduce a very nonsensical plot point later. So I need ya’ll to keep that in mind as we go along.

Lets Talk About the Episode’s Ordering

We don't have production codes for season three like we did for the previous two seasons. So we can’t know for sure what order everything was originally planned in, but I would argue that this episode should have came before Return of the King.

For starters this is a “bottle” episode; it takes place mostly in the past and the only present day characters who show up are Eugene, Raps, Lance, and Crowely. As such you could potentially slot this episode in anywhere before Cassandra’s Revenge. You can’t really do that with most of the other episodes so it could have been easily moved around when airing.

Therefore, I would argue that it should have been the first episode after Rapunzel’s Return for three key reasons.

It would have given Edmund time to travel to Corona and give Raps time to start up big building projects like fixing Old Corona. In fact she’s already approving building plans for the capitol city at the start of the episode. Which could even explain why she took so long getting to the castle repairs if she was taking care of the stuff that the Saporians messed up else where.

Rapunzel’s stance over wanting to keep Cassandra’s things makes more sense early on, both in universe and in a meta context. Raps would still have hope if Cass has only been gone for a month or two instead what would now be four or five months down the line. It also makes sense that Crowely wouldn’t wait around for that long. And from a meta standpoint, the audience would still be oblivious to what the heck Cass was up to and could theoretically side with Raps better; or at least empathize with her view point more, even while disagreeing with her.

Events in this episode better explains Eugene’s decisions in Return of the King and gives the audience more context for certain stuff.

So Why Is There a Random Magical Time Traveling Hourglass in the Storage Vault?

Slowly but surely the series has abandoned all pretense that there’s any logical world building in the show. Magical things just appear randomly now without any explanation whatsoever. Worse than that, things like the hourglass and map to the cursed tomb are treated as if they were always there, unlike the magical beings that they happened to run into in past seasons.

The problem with this is a lack of consistency. You can’t have sceptics like Eugene and Varian if magic is so common and wide spread that anyone can run into it at anytime. Not to mention it diminishes the specialness and importance of the sundrop and moonstone if powerful magical items can be so easily found and stirred, undermining important plot points and the tension surrounding them.

But most frustrating of all, is that this could have been easily fixed by just stating on screen at some point that magic attracts other magic. Meaning it’s only Rapunzel herself who routinely runs into these things and not just everybody and anybody.

None of This Stuff Holds Any Meaning

Show don’t tell!

At several points through out season three, both Raps and Cass morn over Cassandra’s left behind things. They tell us constantly that these objects hold significant meaning to them, but I, the viewer, have no damn clue as to why.

We were never shown on screen what was so special about these things other than the fact that it was junk Cass collected. There’s no story attacked to these assortment of objects nor any previous indication that Cassandra valued them beyond their usefulness. As such, any scenes involving her stuff fall emotionally flat.

Eugene is the One in the Right Here.

Eugene’s right.

Any well adjust and mature adult will tell you he’s right.

If someone doesn’t want a relationship with you, than that’s it. There is nothing you can do but to move on. It sucks, but its life. To ignore that is to ignore someone else’s boundaries and personal autonomy; while also devaluing yourself and you’re own needs.

In a competent show this would be a set up for Rapunzel to learn something about letting go and taking care of oneself emotionally.

But this isn’t a competent show.

But Lobster is for Poor Folk

Food history time!

Lobster, and shellfish in general, have been considered low class food for centuries. Especially around costal areas like Corona. It’s easy to attain, cheap, and not regulated like hunting was in much of Europe. In America, specifically, lobster was fed to prisoners and there’s historical accounts of riots being started over it.

Heck, less than forty years ago, no one lived on the coast but poor people. That’s why there’s historical communities of black people living on the southeastern islands in the US and why my father grew up in the swamps of Alabama during the 50s and 60s.

The gentrification of coastal property and seafood, like lobster, is a very recent phenomenon in human history, starting in the late 70s early 80s with the booming tourism industry and increasing globalization.

So while I understand that the joke here is meant to be reflective of our current understanding of lobster being a status symbol, in universe, it’s the equivalent of Eugene getting excited for chicken nuggets instead of his usual bowl of cereal because the story takes place before the 20th century.

This means that these kids are so poor that fucking mcdonald’s fast food would be considered a rare treat compared to the slop they usually eat. Yet again what is meant to be a lighthearted joke turns suddenly dark when you stop to think about it for all of two seconds all because the writers are so flippant about their world and characters.

This Wasn’t Planned Out, So the Timeline Doesn’t Add Up Anymore and Resources are Wasted

Remember the flashback in The Return of Strongbow?

Now I need you to remember that season three is two years later from season one and the movie. Eight years ago then, would be ten years ago now.

The Eugene and Lance in the bottom picture is suppose to be roughly the same age as the Eugene and Lance in the top picture; give or take a few months.

I know teenage boys can grow fast, but not that fast.

Eugene at 16 looks the same as he does at 26. All because the writers were too lazy to preplan things out ahead of time.

We should have seen the teen models with recasted voices back during that first flashback if they were going to tell this story later. Or the previous plot point should have been less than eight years ago.

In fact the first flashback no longer makes any sense being so many years ago given Eugene’s engagement and recent breakup with Stalyan, and the later reveal that he was working for the Baron during the original movie.

Sloppy planning like this not only makes for a confusing timeline but it also wastes limited resources. I like the new models, I like the actors cast for these younger roles, and I do like the concept of seeing more of Eugene’s past. But going through all of that trouble and money for what amounts to one throw away episode is mismanagement of the budget and work schedule.

Baby Varian Is the Episode’s Only Saving Grace

I know people are divided on the deign here. Some love it and some hate it, but that’s a personal taste thing. The actual scene itself is golden either way, because it’s such a funny eater egg. Fans on both sides made memes out of this for days. It’s legendary.

Personally I’m more in the ‘love it’ camp, though I can see the issues people have with the design. My main defense of it is more the fact that we got kid designs for the other OCs in the show and it’s only fair Varian got one as well. The fact that he’s in smaller versions of the S1 clothes doesn’t bother me anymore than when Lance ran around for two seasons in the same outfit, including when he was a kid.

So if I like it, then why am I talking about it a salt review?

Cause the most memorable part of an episode shouldn’t be a throw away gag!

People bring up baby Varian way more than they do about anything else in the episode, and no it’s not just because the character popular. It’s because most would like to forget what comes after this scene.

Where is Quirin, by the Way?

Why is your six year old son running around the big city unsupervised?

This wouldn’t get talk about as much it wasn’t for the fact that Quirin being neglectful in season one was a motivating factor in his conflict with Varian. A conflict that was suppose to be resolved back in Rapunzel’s Return but we the audience have yet to visually see any difference in behavior since then.

Quirin’s absence here in the past highlights his absence in the present day and reminds the audience aware that we’ve not been given a satisfying conclusion to one of the most important arcs in the series.

Lets Talk About Wasted Potential

Like I said, I like the idea of exploring Eugene’s past. But we should have gotten that back in season two when it was more relevant. Part of why this episode fails is because Eugene has reached the end of his original character development. He’s now on an identity crisis arc which has nothing to do with this episode.

But you know who still hasn’t finished developing? Rapunzel.

Rapunzel has lots to still learn and viewing her past through outside eyes could have turned this story into something really special. Especially with the ‘inhabiting another body’ plot point.

You have no end of options here,

Have Raps inhabit Cassandra’s body for a day and gain insight into what motivates her. It could have been either before or after they met, both offers up possibilities.

Have Raps inhabit Eugene’s body and experience what he had to deal with growing up and come to see his point of view. (This could have also worked with the Sabbingtons set up had the writers not been stupid.)

And my personal favorite, send her back to right after Queen for a Day and have her stuck in either Varian’s or Ruddiger’s bodies. Force her to see what she did to him and have her acknowledge she was wrong.

And those are just the most obvious choices, there’s other more out of left field things you can do that would still work with good writing. Like exploring Lady Caine’s past, inhabiting Arianna’s body and learning how to be a real queen, get dumped into actual young Gothel and lay out clues to the future Zhan Tiri plot, or possess one of the Brotherhood and experience the final days of the Dark Kingdom; the list just goes on and on and on.

But I Thought You Didn’t Put Kids in Jail Frederic?

Remember that Raps and Pascal are possessing the Stabbingtons who are still teenagers here. They can’t be much older than Varian.

This means that Varian isn’t some special case. Teens have received harsh and deadly punishments in the past for non-violent crimes like theft.

Also teens are called kids still by the majority of the cast. They’re aren’t considered adults with the same rights as someone in say their twenties, yet they can be punished the same as an adult would. Which is horrendous in any time period.

So in conclusion, Frederic is a fucking liar!

Tangled the Series can’t decide if it’s in the far past or a reflection of the modern day. As such it winds up supporting the worst of both worlds. Barbaric practices like hanging for minor crimes and prison slave labor are treated as the norm and never called out for the horrific things that they are; treated as a joke even, but we’re suppose to accept that this world also somehow views adolescence through the lens of late 20th century sensibilities even as it forces minors to go through such atrocities.

Like what are you trying to say show? What is your message on the transition of adolescence to adulthood regarding rights and responsibilities? And don’t tell me ‘it’s not that deep’ because this is suppose to be a coming of age show! That’s the entire premise of the series!

So How Old Are Stan and Pete Again?

I was always under the impression that Pete was a newbie guard, closer to Cass and Eugene’s age than say Cap or Frederic. That’s why he screws up so much because he’s inexperienced, why he seemed to be the closest thing to a equal colleague Cass had in the guard when she was also just starting out, and why I assumed those braided girls from the movie were his sisters.

I mean there was nothing on screen previously that would necessarily contradict this reveal, it just doesn’t feel right, that’s all. I guess he could be like 20 here and be 30 in the show. That would make him only a few years older than Eugene, but still doesn’t explain why he’s so useless a decade later.

I’m fine with Stan being here though. I always thought of him being the older of the two. In fact I headcannon Willow as his mysterious wife that he talked about back in Monty’s episode during season one. (She’s Stan and Pete’s beard, and they’re totally in a open poly relationship. That’s why they’re allowed to stay in the royal guard despite being so incompetent cause they’re technically Ferderic’s in-laws and Rapunzel’s uncles. Just no one ever talks about it cause it’s a minor sandal for a princess to marry lower class and Willow’s hardly ever there.)

And Why Does Xavier Have All Those Plot McGuffins?

I know we’ll never get an answer, but at this point Xavier’s exposition fairy powers border upon ridiculousness. It’s just lazy and a waste of character.

So How Does Time Travel Work In This?

There are three types of time travel stories in fiction.

First is the ‘Changeable Past, Changeable Future’. You see this in Back to the Future. What you do in the past will change the future, i.e. your present. You may or may not remember that you did it, but be warned you could change things too much and break stuff. Like erasing yourself from existence, or ruining your love life ect. The only way to fix it is to go back in time again and change stuff again. But beware of paradoxes or you may destroy the universe altogether.

The second is the ‘Alternate Timeline’, where changing things creates new realties and it’s a matter of finding the right reality again. The tv show Sliders is a great example of this. Each new timeline is a different dimension. What you do in one won’t effect your original point of origin, only that particular world. The challenge if often getting home again because the probable diverging timelines are infinite and the changes of getting back are a zillion to one.

Third is the ‘Closed Time Loop’. No matter what you do nothing will change. The future is inevitable and whatever you do in the past was always meant to happen anyways. Gargoyles handles this really well. You can also have ‘fix points’ where certain important things are set in stone but small things can be changed like in several Doctor Who episodes. Braking a fix point breaks the universe once again, while paradoxes are often the solution rather than the threat.

So which type of time travel is Tangled dealing with here?

Scenes like the conversation regarding Pete’s and Stan’s mustache or the ones involving Eugene working on his smolder suggest a closed time loop. Yet the ending to this episode reveals a changed future. Further still the grandfather paradox revolving around the hourglass would make you think an alternate timeline yet, we’ve no indication that anything else changed other then Eugene’s opinions on Cass, and Raps shows no concern about getting back to her original point in time indicating that it actually isn’t another dimension.... so what is it then?

You don’t have to have a tightly plotted time travel story to have an entertaining piece of media. Endgame is riddled with plot holes and contradicts itself constantly, but what it lacks in coherent plot it makes for with fun characters, emotional story beats, and good pacing that manages to balance the action with the drama while hiding the cracks just enough that you don’t lose immersion.

Tangled however fails at even this because it gets the character beats so fundamentally wrong. Like you may dislike where the characters ended up in Endgame, but can’t say that those developments didn’t match the characters’ previous storylines and logical trajectory. Tony finally becomes the selfless hero by committing the ultimate sacrifice, Steve learns self care as a mirror to Tony’s arc as they were always parallels to each other, Bruce learns to accept himself, Thor processes his grief and lets go of the role he was assigned at birth but never truly fit into, and Nat becomes the leader she was destined to be rather than the sidekick.

What happens to the characters in this episode however makes no sense.

This is Another Missed Opportunity to Explore Eugene’s Past

The other problem behind the episode is that we don’t actually learn anything new. If you’re going to promise a story focusing on Eugene’s past then I expect to actually glean some new insights.

We still don’t know why he’s working with Baron or how he fell in/fell out with him, what his relationship with Stalyan is like, how he became so cynical; not just the general basics, like the orphanage, but that point in his life where decided that survival meant giving up his morals and ethics; where did he first learn his better ethics that he originally suppressed (cause it sure as heck wasn’t Rapunzel), and when did he and Lance become separated?

This are questions that series decides to raise by making allusions to them and building conflicts off of them but never wants to explain the details of where they originated from. It’s super frustrating and wholly unnecessary. If you didn’t think the story of Eugene’s past worth telling then why did up repeatedly bring it up Chris?

Why Are You Surprised by This Rapunzel?

Rapunzel you know Eugene’s past. You know what he used to be like. You were literally there in the movie and saw him being an ass before this. You didn’t start to like him until he dropped his guard down in the flooded cave back when you both where about to die.

You fell in love with him when he showed you his real self and he fell in love with you when you proved that you were accepting of that. You earned each others’ trust. This here; angrily yelling at him and judging him, when you’re already hiding who you really are from him both literally and figuratively, is a breaking of that trust.

Who the fuck are you any more, Rapunzel?

Cause you’re not the same character from the movie. You’re not even the same character from season one. But whoever hell you are now, it’s not an improvement I can tell ya that.

So How Did The Hourglass Go From the Treasury to the Basement Storage, and How Would Raps Know It Was There At This Point and Time?

I’m guessing the implication here is that Crowley put Cass’s stuff in the vault, but like why the fuck would she do that? We’re not talking about a family attic here, but the royal safe. The most heavily guarded room in the castle with the kingdom’s most priceless treasures and antiques. Nothing Cass owned was that valuable.

Rapunzel Is Full of Shit

Oh let me count the numerous ways in which this whole lecture is stupid.

Rapunzel left Varian behind. Rapunzel left Varian behind multiple times, including that time he was thrown in jail. She was not a good friend, and no, this is not a case of her learning from her past because not once has she ever admitted that she was wrong to do that. So this scene just makes Raps look like a hypocrite.

Eugene does not need to relrean a lesson on being a better a person. He did that during the movie and has progressed beyond that point. This ‘lesson’ is a waste of time and a misuse of the characters.

This reframes Rapunzel as being in the right during her argument with older Eugene at the beginning of the episode, even though she’s not. In fact this is such a counterintuitive plot point that it boggles the mind. Who structures a narrative this way? Why so blatantly point out how the main character is wrong if not to have her learn something? Why frame the story to make the person who’s personal conflict isn’t even the episode’s focus, into the one who needs to learn something? Especially if that something is already a lesson that they’ve learned on screen beforehand.

And why, oh good heavens why, would you teach children such a toxic message? Like on the surface it sounds like something you’d hear in a children's show, but the context of it is justifying harmful behavior where you selfishly ignore other people’s wishes and boundaries just to satisfy you’re own personal desires.

And finally, Eugene and Lance do not work as a parallel to Raps and Cass. Cassandra is an adult who left of own free will. Lance is a teenager who was arrested due to Rapunzel’s own actions. Eugene isn’t the one who is responsible here, its Rapunzel. Who also left them both behind in her carelessness. Secondly, Eugene’s decisions are spurned by years of trauma and a healthy fear of dying, while Rapunzel’s is wrapped up in her own need to always be right and to keep her immature and fanciful outlook of the world intact. As harsh as it seems, what Eugene did was based off a predetermine agreement and presumably Lance would have acted the same way or been pressured to act the same way by Eugene. In short, Eugene’s cynical world view as a teen is not the source of his disagreement with Rapunzel but an adult perspective back by common sense and a respect of others choices. It makes no sense for present day Eugene to ‘learn’ anything from this misadventure that he didn’t already know and for Rapunzel to not learn anything that would actually tie the parallel together.

Locking Another Teen Inside a Jail Cell With Another Adult as a Joke, Does Not Erase the Inappropriateness of Varian’s Story

The episode tries to add another joke about Shorty sneaking into the prison without the guard knowing, but that still doesn’t excuse the fact someone had to have tossed Lance in there with him on purpose. Otherwise Lance wouldn’t have assumed Shorty was a fellow prisoner if he or the guard that locked him up saw Shorty sneak in before then.

Furthermore Lance’s nonchalant response suggests this is not an out of the ordinary occurrence. Nor do any of the other guard comment upon the irregularly of teens being jailed with an adult. Now add in the fact that the show fails to clarify that previous ‘cellmate’ line from Rapunzel’s Return and now gives us more confirmation that Varian was underfed and malnourished for a year with that gruel joke and you have a horrifying picture.

Shorty might be non-threating, but that doesn’t mean Andrew, a known attempted murderer and manipulator, is too. Nor any other adult who previously was housed with a teen before then. This is still very much not okay and no amount of ‘jokes’ will suddenly make it right.

Raps, Who is an Adult, Just Physically Threatened Two Teenaged Boys and It’s Played as a Joke....

How many times do I have to say it? Humor does not fix bad writing. I’m not laughing when a heroine at age 20, threatens a couple of kids for merely annoying her. Especially when said heroine has a history of abusing children; because let me repeat once again, neglect is abuse!

This is a Lie

No you wont.

Rapunzel never tells Eugene what happens on screen. I suspect that if she ever did, they would no longer be together, because what she wound up doing here was a violation of trust and boundaries in the worst possible way.

And This is Now a Time Paradox

A Grandfather Paradox to be specific. How can Rapunzel be here in the past to break the hourglass if the hourglass that sent her here is broken?

In a competent series this would be the point of a future conflict and not the actual resolution. It’s not a closed time loop because of the paradox and the changes we’ll see in the future.

So either she’s in an alternate timeline/dimension and just doesn’t gives a shit; leaving the real Eugene, Lance, Cass, ect. to go on without her; or she’s just broke the universe and everything is slowly unraveling around her; galaxies are dying as she whines about being dumped, people in the future are being eased from existence, and God is cursing her name for ruining his creation, all the while she carries on oblivious to the destruction in her wake, as usual.

That’s it. Those are you’re only two options now. Is everyone from here on a fake copy or is Rapunzel the damned destroyer of worlds? You decide.

So This Confirms That the Stabbingtons are Indeed “Family”

Another reason why I place this before Return of the King; it explains why Eugene considers the Stabbingtons ‘family’. Though if it was Rapunzel he actually bonded with and not the real Sideburns, then how much of his feelings are real and how much of them were fabricated by her? How much agency did this episode steal from him?

So What Exactly Did We All Change?

Well the dummy no longer has Eugene’s face, but Cass’s painting of the three of them still has him ripped out of the photo, soo... Keeping in mind that Raps painted the dummy anyways and considering that Moonandra tries to kill him later on; I’m going to guess that Cass’s feelings weren’t actually altered. If anything their relationship might actually be worse now, cause Cassandra keeps acting like she’s never had friends and Eugene has taken up Rapunzel’s blind devotion.

All that development in season one is just, poof, gone. Also it’s quite possible that the first movie as well has now it has been erased from existence as Eugene got his needed character development eight years too early. How the hell that’s suppose to work, I don’t know.

Outside of the that we get no confirmation how anybody else was effected, even though a more brainwashed Eugene running around would undoubtedly have caused a butterfly effect. Don’t expect that to be explored anytime soon.

Though, it would explain why he’s suddenly such a doormat in season three, if this was the second episode as theorized.

No! This is the Wrong Lesson!!!

Let me explain narrative promises.

Everyone, on some basic fundamental level, understands how stories work. We hear them recounted to us over and over again from the day we're born to the day we die. It’s integral to how we communicate as human beings. Everyone knows innately how to tell a story even if that person couldn’t tell you how stories or structured or what certain literary terms mean, but they do it every day just through speaking. And while most audiences can’t always pin point what upsets them about a story they can for sure notice when things are off and not satisfying to experience.

Now that doesn’t mean that everyone can write an awarding winning novel, that study of a craft isn’t important, nor that every amateurish critique thrown at any given media is valid. But it does mean that people have come to expect certain storytelling practices and can pick up on narrative cues. We’ve familiarized ourselves with the language of film, novels, comics, ect, into order to comprehend what’s going on.

Rules of writing are just following that established language so that the audience can keep up. You can break these rules, sure, but unless you know what you’re doing and have a good narrative reason to do so, then you can easily lose you’re audience. And if you’re making money off said audience that’s something you want to avoid.

A narrative promise is a cue; a set up that lets the audience know that ‘hey this is important, pay attention to this cause it’ll come back into play later’. Now that the audience has been alerted to the plot point they expect fulfillment of the promise. If you break that promise, either through poor set up, lack of follow through, or by breaking an established convention of writing for no other reason then because you just wanted to, your audience is going to walk away unsatisfied.

The argument at the beginning of the episode was a narrative promise. It was a cue that set up the interpersonal conflict of the main character. For add context, I know that this is a coming of age story. Convention would dictate that the protagonist would resolve this conflict by learning they were wrong.

That’s not what happened here.

Convention was subverted. It wasn’t the protagonist who grew and change, it was the person they were in conflict with who did. And it wasn’t subverted because of any greater narrative reason, or future pay off, or even as effort to be shallowly ‘clever’; it was subverted because the author just didn’t want to hold the main character accountable for anything. Because said character has now become his avatar for his wish fulfillment fantasy and having the main character admit fault would be to admit fault in ones own self. Rapunzel doesn’t feel like Rapunzel this season because she’s just Chris in a wig.

The episode broke a narrative promise to the audience; both within the episode and in the greater premise of the story, because of ego.

I don’t claim this episode is bad just because of personal taste nor because I find it morally repulsive (even though both those things are true), I call it bad because it exhibits bad writing. Plain and simple.

Way To Undermine The Entire Point of the Original Movie, Show

Speaking of breaking narrative promises....

TTS is suppose to be a squeal to the original movie. It’s even in the title of the show; both of them. In one fell swoop, the series has managed to sabotage it’s very reason for existing, as it erases Eugene’s motivation and the inciting incident that kick started the film.

Way to fucking go.

To further twist the knife, it diminishes the duel protagonist of said film in order to prop up a series original character, who isn't even present in the episode itself.

I don’t mind Cassandra’s existence. I don’t even mind her being the new deuteragonist and one of the main villains; even though she wouldn’t have been my first pick to fulfill those roles given her lack of set up. But I do fucking mind it if she upstages other characters and/or derails their character arcs in the process.

This is the Death of New Dream

I was still in denial when this episode first aired. I honestly believed that this and The Return of the King was build up to a third “betrayal” where Eugene finally became fed up with Rapunzel’s bullshit and joined forces with Zhan Tiri. I thought the end of the series would have Rapunzel apologize to everyone she did wrong, Varian, Cass, and Eugene, in order to break ZT’s hold on them, and that true love’s kiss would reunite the sundrop and the moonstone and that would just tie everything together into a neat little bow and give us a truly daring character study of a Disney hero.

Oh dear merciful heavens, was I ever wrong.

How did we go from season one’s challenging and mature storyline, complete with Disney’s first real anti-villian, to this?!

What the hell happened!?

Rapunzel not only disrespects Eugene’s opinions, violates his privacy and trust as she manipulates him as a teen, and then brainwashes him to think like her (even if accidentally), but doesn’t even have good grace to tell him. She instead has the audacity to look all happy and self congratulatory because she got want she wanted. She, and the show at large, doesn’t care what evil thing she does to get the desired outcome Rapunzel wants.

Rapunzel in this show is a spoiled brat. And the image of her and her now lobotomized boyfriend staring dead eyed at a picture of the creator’s previous waifu OC with plastic smiles on their faces, sums up this series perfectly.

Conclusion

This isn’t even the worst episode of the series guys. I don’t know if it would even make it onto a bottom five list. That’s how much crap I have to wade through when it comes to this show. This is however the most damaging episode to the franchise as a whole.

Not even the most hardcore of New Dream fans want to acknowledge the existence of that final scene, and Rapunzel stans won’t defend her beyond, ’well she didn’t mean too, it’s the writing that’s bad.’ Yeah, the writing is bad, that’s why the character can’t and shouldn’t be defended, not here and not in other badly written episodes where she also does bad things and never makes up for it.

Anyways I’m finally caught up to where I left off, before the move, though sadly I don't think I’ll get this series done by the end of the month like I had originally hoped. But if you would like to help out I have a ko-fi you can drop a tip into if ya want.

https://ko-fi.com/rachelbethhines

#tangled #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #Eugene #anti-rapunzel #anti-tangled

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kinsey3furry300 · 3 years ago

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A very confused Star Wars Fan desperately tries to justify their belief that “Caravan of Courage” shows the way forward for the franchise. No, really.

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved Star Wars. And I mean, all of it. The books, the games, the Lego, the spin-offs: I even enjoy the Holiday Special in a The Room so-bad-you-just-need-to-see-it sort of way. But particularly the films. But here is when we run into the big problem: I’m just the wrong age. The original trilogy launched before I was born, the prequel trilogy hit cinemas when I was already a teen and while I went and saw them and enjoyed them, I was at that age where I was self-conscious about seeing a “kids” film, and hyper-aware of how silly and cringy those films were in parts. So my indoctrination, my inoculation with the Star Wars bug didn’t happen in the cinema, and it didn’t happen with any of the main franchise works. It happened on home video, on a skiing trip in the French Alps in the early 90’s. I’d have been about 6, and this was the first time I’d ever been abroad other than to see relatives in Ireland. And I loved it: to this day I love skiing, but more than that, I have very, very fond childhood memories of this trip. This was shortly before I lost my biological mother to cancer, she’d have received her diagnosis just after we got back from the trip. This was when my younger sister stopped being an annoying screaming thing and became and became an actual person I could talk and play and share ideas with, this was before the combination my mothers long illness and my father having just launched his own IT start up meant I didn’t see him or her any more, despite the fact they were in the same house as me. This was this wonderful, nostalgic child-hood bubble when my family was intact, and nothing could ever go wrong. I skied all day with mum and dad, and would come back to the chalet in the evening. It was an English speaking chalet, I met my first real-life American there, and having grown up in the 90’s in the UK nothing was cooler than making friends with an actual American my own age. He had a hulk Hogan action figure with springs in the legs so if you put him on a hard surface and punched his head down, when you let go he’d jump really high in the air. We used to play with it together in the bath, back in that weird 90’s time-bubble when it was possible to convince two sets of parents that this kid you’d just met was you best friend in the world and of course shared bath time was, somehow, normal and appropriate. And fresh from bath time, tired from the day, the parents would give us some hot coco, dump us kids in front of the tv and grab the first shitty low-budget VHS they could find to keep us distracted while they went to the bar. In this particular time, in this particular place, that shitty low budget cartoon was the complete set of the 1985 Lucasfilm/ABC Ewoks cartoon, plus the two spin off movies, and to this day that cheap, kitschy, kind of bad series has a special warm and cosy place in my heart. I remember being enthralled by the world, in love with the characters, applied by the bad guys and the injustice they caused (to this day I’m still irate about that time Wicket lost his set of beads documenting his progress towards becoming a full warrior and the older Ewoks basically said, tough, you need to re-earn all those merit badges from scratch. This struck me as exactly the sort of bullshit an adult would pull, and pissed me off) and on tenterhooks about what would happen to the characters.

It was also, by a coincidence, the first ever Star Wars media I was exposed to, and the above combination of events probably explains a lot about me.

So I was surprised, the other day, when scrolling Disney+, to find they’d added Caravan of Courage AND Battle for Endor to the roster in my region. Surely Disney wouldn’t want their slick, cool brand associated with this old trash? Surely there could be no place for this in the post-Mandalorian Star Wars cannon? Surely this is a horrible mistake some intern made, right?

Unless…. What if I’ve miss-remembered? What if it’s not just rose-tinted nostalgia goggles, and it’s, in fact, secretly really, really good?

I rushed to my comfy chair, got a blanket, dimmed the lights, made some coco (with rum in it, because why the hell not?) and sat down to re-examine this lost gem.

And wow: it’s every bit as shit as you’d expect.

It has aged exactly as poorly as you’d expect a cheap, mid 80’s direct to video spin-off to age. Caravan of Courage? More like Caravan of Garbage, am I right?

And yet… I still enjoyed every moment.

And it was sitting there, in my pyjamas, watching a cheaply made direct to video cash-grab from just before I was born, seeing it again for the first time in nearly 30 years, and I realised something.

It doesn’t really matter if this film is bad, so long as I enjoy it. And if it doesn’t really mater if this is bad, then I, like many Star Wars fans, wasted a huge amount of time and emotional effort on being butthurt about stuff I didn’t like about the Rise of Skywalker and it’s ilk. Because somewhere, right now, a tired and frustrated parent is putting Disney+ on to keep their kids quiet for two hours. And they won’t think too hard about what they put on, so long as it keeps little Timmy busy for a bit. Somewhere, right now, a kid is watching Rise of Skywalker, and it’s the first Star Wars media they’ve ever seen.

And that’s okay. Because we don’t know what that kids home life is like. We don’t know if it’s good or bad. Maybe it’s great, maybe it’s about to take a dramatic plunge like mine did, and this moment here will be the cosy, warm memory they look back on in 30 years time, and that’s beautiful. They’re getting introduced to a fun, wonderful fantasy world that could be with them all their lives, through good times and bad, and as fans we should be happy about that.

Star Wars will never, die: it’s too darn profitable, Disney will never let it. And while I hope they learn from their mistakes and make sure every future Star Wars is a timeless gem of story-telling, statistically, if you keep making enough films, some of them will be bad. And while I’d like them all to be great, it’s still okay if they’re bad.

Because nothing can take away my memories of that week in that chalet. Nothing can take-away my memories of when they put the original trilogy on in cinemas for the special edition and I had my jaw hit the floor with how good it was on the big screen, not knowing or caring who shot first. Nothing can take away you memories of the Original Trilogy, the Prequels, or the Clone Wars. Nothing can tarnish the bits of the sequil trilogy that you like, and there are good bits in there.

But wait, what about continuity? What about the sacred, perfect written time-line that used to exist?

Well, what about it? Have you seen any other big, epic fantasy universe before? They’re all a mess. A work of fiction, particularly fantasy, can be extensive, or tightly written, but not both. Harry Potter is only seven books, and the last two feel, tonally, like they’re from an entirely different series. I love them, but the grim-dark kicked in so fast you’ll get whiplash. The Hobbit is a perfect written self-contained novel, and LOTR is *The* big boy high-fantasy trilogy: fast forward 50 years, and Christopher Tolkien is desperately squeezing every last drop of money out of his father’s corpse by finishing and publishing every unfinished note JRR ever wrote right down to his shopping lists. Even Dune goes of the rails with sequels. I can only think of four fantasy works that are both extensive and consistently tightly written, Song of Ice and Fire, Wheel of Time, Malazan: Book of the Fallen and Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe. And even then, the prequels and spin-offs mess with the timelines: the Dunk and Egg novella’s change some character’s canonical ages and timelines, Wheel of Time was going slowly off the rails even before the Jordan died, Forge of Darkness made what was a good metaphor for the creation of it’s world into a literal war deep in the past, and Sanderson’s first Novel Elantris got a re-write to bring it more in line with the rest of the shared universe. The MCU, oft held up as the modern example of tightly planned, well thought out ongoing storytelling, is a lie: it was never as pre-planned out as Disney wants us to think; the first Iron Man, apparently, barely had a script, with Downey ad-lib-ing most of his scenes. None of the MCU films are direct sequels to each-other other than Infinity war and Endgame. There are three Iron Man films, and Three Thor films, and none continue an ongoing story line across multiple films, and the Cap films barely continue an arc, but only where Cap’s relationship with Natasha and Bucky is involved. Much like these, Star War’s cannon is a complete, nightmarish, confusing, tangled, illogical mess. And it has been since 1984, as Caravan of Courage proves. It was never consistent and well planned.

And that’s okay.

I used to care about plot holes. I used to care about which works were cannon in Star Wars lore. I’m over that now. I’m happy to imagine the books, films and games not as a blow-by-blow historical account of a galaxy far far away, but as campfire stories from within this fun, imaginative world that we’re all invited to listen to. Stories that are in-universe myth and folklore, that we can all snuggle up and listen to while drinking highly alcoholic rum and remembering better times, knowing that wherever the future throws at us, no matter how the world goes to hell around us, we’ll still have the memories, and the ability to make our own new stories in the wonderful Star Wars world we all share.

And that’s okay. No, more than that: that’s beautiful.

Also Star Wars is completely unambiguous on the fact we’re allowed to kill fascists no matter how many times they keep coming back with a new logo, so that’s timely I guess.

So, there’s my hot take two-years after everyone else stopped caring about this stuff, as per bloody usual. Tell me why I’m wrong below, and does anyone else have any truly awful spin-off shows that they kind of have a nostalgic soft spot for?

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the-fandom-is-now-my-life · 4 years ago

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Hc inverse au! Fem Reader in Victorian era England and ynm characters are in our time.

You are a character in an anime and ynm are in real life

Williams

( he seems like the type to be into really dense, historical mangas)

He first read a manga featuring you when one of his students left their copy on their desk and he had to overview some students while they were using the presentation room.

He mostly just sat in the first row while the group of teens were recording hamlet for the theater class.

He didn't really took the story seriously so he started reading a lady who was trying to seduce a noble for a few pages, he was about to leave the manga given that he supposed it was a hentai but when you poisoned them with the wine cup he found it interesting

The main character had a set of very strong ideals that weren't so common in the historical context, be it strip nobles and royals from benefits, be a suffragette, or something similar .He ate the manga in five minutes

When he returns home (and leaves the item in lost objects, ofc) he checks online to buy the first volume to see if the background and sort are interesting along with every other volume and official light novel and Novella . He usually isn't home from very early to very late at night so it would be Louis most likely the one who receives the box with the books

"Brother, did you buy a box full of comics" Louis asks from the kitchen after he feels his older brother returning home

" oh? They already arrived? I thought they would be here next week" well Louis always was worries about how his brother didn't have any hobbies aside from teaching at the University so he was happy that he found something else to do with his life

He would ask for a sick day on a Monday or Friday so he could plan everything that was needed at his class that day and spend the weekend lazing around and reading the various volumes and the light novels. That day Louis and albert almost cried of happiness, that was the first time he took a sick day in all of his teaching years to take a break

The type of fan who creates theories that everything is symbolism, how they are ambidextrous to show that even if they intend good sometimes their methods are too extreme or how their hat was placed or the color of their clothes show their political affiliation. Nothing can be just a coincidence with him, everything means something

Is a big pain in the ass about historical inaccuracies, be it dress, manners or social hierarchy being off

" But listen this is the late Victorian era, where is their crinoline??/ They are supposed to be a Victorian dandy and the writer wants me to believe they would wear that? In that society?" williams turned on the lights to his younger brother room while walking in circles as if he was trying to calm down

" Williams it's 3 am. Please I want to sleep"

" Oh and don't let me get started when they crossdressed/dressed as lady northinburg, that tight lacing scene made me so angry" he was dragging his words, Louis guessed he was sleep drunk " how much I hate that, karolina or bernadette would kill those producers if they saw it" Louis simply opted to sleep while his brother was ranting about how the hairstyles were al wrong

When speaking of merchandising he appreciates his mature and elegant reputation so he would buy small things like cute stationery and notebooks and a few pens. Most of them either are about the main character, you, or have the anime title or something similar

A few students think that the professor brings some childish pens in case some student forgets one and he doesn't have to give them his mechanical pencil. He actually uses those pens when he is grading the exams. His notebook annotations look a lot cleaner and are more colorfully bc of the markers and pens

When and if your manga gets and anime he would be 100 percent bitching about how they skipped, if you are a minor character, scenes where you are introduced or you character gets development.

" Oh my goodness, they skipped to this ark? And 'the mask'? In that ark we get the development of many characters, yn, edward, Amélie, Alex. We are absolutely robed of their backgrounds and aspirations and how they are all connected"

" Brother be honest with yourself, you only wanted more animated yn, you follow their voice actor on twitter"

" That is not my point!"

Albert

he was watching it when he came late

Albert usually keeps company to his youngest brother until around 5-6 pm, then he leaves for work and returns around 12 am and eats dinner alone mostly.

When he returns from his job the house is more often than not totally dark so he makes his way to the kitchen and microwaves the leftovers and eats silently.

But one day it seems like Louis or williams forgot to turn off the TV before going to bed, he was about to turn it off but decided that watching something with the tv muted wouldn't wake his brothers up and kept watching.

He didn't pay much attention to it at the start but it became routine, he comes home, heats the food, sits down and watches that show so he grew quite fond of it

How much attention he pays to it depends on the type of plot it has, if it is light-hearted humor he would most likely not pay much attention but laugh when a joke came, one the other hand, if it's a more serious he would find it hard to take his eyes away from the screen

Second least likely to buy merchandising, if he buys it's mostly to wear home, a one size too big shirt for a pj (mostly for the comedy anime) or, if they aren't childish and look professional maybe a pocket watch like the one x character uses ( in the more serious one)

Won't buy the mangas if there are any because he is happy watching the animated version and already has to read a lot at work, but if he is gifted the volumes he will read them sparingly, maybe he will finish one volume every week and a half, unlike williams.

Louis

He spends most of his time home because of his illness and doesn't like to stress too much given that it makes the symptoms worse, he enjoys light hearted comedies or cooking in the victorian era or those typical time travelers who now have to live in different situations than those they are used to

He most likely found it after doing all the housework and being bored so he opted to browse the TV or netflix and fell on one specific serie

If it is a comedy he will listen to it while cleaning or cooking, he feels like he does everything faster and the housework is more enjoyable that way.

If it's a cooking related program he will watch as entertainment after doing everything and to get ideas what to cook, he is always surprised with the recipes that your character comes up with, be them savory ( things he will absolutely do the next day for lunch or dinner) or sweet ( things he will make more sparingly given he can't have too much sugar). I think of mangas and series like the duchess' 50 te recipes or shokugeki no soma

If it the third option he was interested on the alternatives to modern things, like how to make a more natural soap with animal fat and wood ash, or how to use certain plants to help a headache or stomach bug.

With merchandising he doesn't buy much, some kitchenware and some bowls mugs and maybe a tea set that isn't much of an eyesore. Overall he isn't all that crazy over that kind of things if there is a cooking book he will definitely buy it

He, like albert, doesn't care much about historical accuracy and if the events that happen are cohesive, he is there to have fun

Fred

He watched it because he heard his classmates talk about it and wanted to join them but was too scared to bother them if he didn't know anything. Baby has the social abilities of an anxious lobster

He comes home from college and looks the anime up in his phone and, like every broke college student, he watches it from an illegal streaming service.

He gets hooked up and stays all night watching it until his clock snaps him out of his trance and makes him drag his feet to his 7:30 am class

Fred tries and fails to talk to the group so, after the lesson, he drags himself to his room to be miserable alone. It's not until he reaches a certain chapter or episode where you say something that make him think, " if you wish to be loved you must face first your fear to be known" he keeps thinking about it, he didn't truly ever talk to the group, he cowarded before even trying.

The next week at that same lecture he approaches the group and tries to make some small talk

" Oh hey uhm i heard the past class that you liked (maga name)" he was this close to running to his desk and act as if nothing happened

" Yeah! You like it too?" The boy seemed to notice fred was nervous

" Yes! I really like it, what is you favorite character? Mine is yn" he certainly didn't have any favorite one before but after this he thinks your character is pretty good " they are really inspiring"

In terms of merch he is broke so there is none, If he had any money to spare he would buy notebooks and even those chibi statues or funko pops

#yuumori #yuukoku no moriarty x reader #yuukoku no moriarty #moriarty x reader #albert james moriarty #professor moriarty #moriarty the patriot #mtp #ynm #gn reader #william moriarty #williams james moriarty x reader #louis moriarty

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blackdiamondwrites127 · 4 years ago

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The Royal House of Trastámara (Redux)

So since the Trastámara family has become even more complete with the addition of Juan, I figured I'd make redo of this post! So here are the daughters and son of the Royal House of Trastámara.

Link to original post

Isabella of Aragon, Queen of Portugal

The eldest child of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castille, Isabella was named after her mother and became the heir presumptive to the Crown of Castille after her mother took the throne from her uncle Henry IV of Castille. She was betrothed and married to Prince Afonso, heir and only son of John II of Portugal. Her marriage with the prince was a happy one but unfortunately, Afonso died due to a riding accident and Isabella vowed never to marry again. Until six years later, after the death of John II of Portugal, his brother, Manuel I of Portugal, usurped the throne and asked for Isabella's hand in marriage. Her parents offered Maria's hand instead out of respect to Isabella's wishes to never marry again but Manuel refused. Eventually, she married him and became queen consort of Portugal. She later gave birth to her only son, Miguel de Paz, Prince of Portugal, and due to her poor health and constant travelling during the later stages of her pregnancy, she died within an hour of her son's birth.

In her second life, Isabella owns and works in her own music shop located just below her flat. She sometimes fills in for Maria on the drums whenever she's sick and just generally enjoys the simple things in her second life. She's grown to be very passive due in this life and can be quite sarcastic at times which may come off as rude but she means well. However, bad mouth her younger sister she'll go after you.

Isabella Trastámara belongs to @lexartsstuff.

John, Prince of Asturias

was the only son of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon who survived to adulthood. John was born in Seville in 1478 to the sovereigns of Castile, Isabella I and Ferdinand II. John's birth helped consolidate Isabella's position as sovereign as she had given birth to a legitimate male heir. At the time of his birth, he had one elder sister Isabella; his younger sisters were Joanna, Maria, and Catherine. During his early years, Isabella and Ferdinand came to plan a double alliance with Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, for the marriage of his children, Archduke Philip the Handsome and Archduchess Margaret of Austria. On 20 January 1495 in Antwerp, a preliminary alliance, which included a wedding of Prince John with Maximilian's daughter was agreed. Similarly, Maximilian's son Philip and John's sister Joanna were to be married. Joanna left Spain to marry Philip the Handsome in late 1496. Philip's sister, Margaret of Austria, aged 18, married John on April 3 the following year in Burgos Cathedral. It was a good marriage and John was devoted to Margaret. On 4 October 1497, a messenger came to John's parents and informed them that their son lay dangerously ill in Salamanca. He and his wife Margaret had arrived a week earlier, on the way to the wedding of his older sister in Portugal. Ferdinand was with his son as John died in the arms of his former tutor Fray Diego Deza. Two months later, on December 8, the Princess of Asturias gave birth to their only child, a stillborn girl.

When he was reincarnated, he found that he was blind in one eye but that didn’t stop him from having the time of his life. He’s very fun loving, happy, energetic and a bit oblivious at times. He’s married to Margaret of Austria, who he calls Maggie. He works as a costume designer for SIX the musical, mainly so he can see his baby sister more. He now goes by Juan rather than John as a ay to stay in touch with his spanish roots.

Juan Trastámara belongs to @weirdbutdecentart100.

Joanna of Castille, Queen of Castille and Aragon

The second eldest daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castille. Known historically as 'Joanna the Mad' or 'Juana la Loca' in spanish, she was Queen of Castille and Queen of Aragon. Modern Spain evolved from the union of these two kingdoms. Joanna was married by arrangement to Philip the Handsome, Archduke of Austria of the House of Habsburg. Following the deaths of her brother, John, Prince of Asturia, her elder sister Isabella, and her nephew Miguel, Joanna became the heir presumtive to the crowns of Castile and Aragon. When her mother died, Joanna became Queen of Castile. Her father proclaimed himself Governor and Administrator of Castile. Despite being the ruling Queen of Castile, Joanna had little effect on national policy during her reign as she was declared insane and imprisoned in the Royal Convent of Santa Clars in Tordesillas under the orders of her father, who ruled as regent until his death, when she inherited his kingdom as well. When her son Charles I ruled as king, she was nominally co-monarch but remained imprisoned until her death.

In her second life, Joanna or Juana as she preferred to be called, came back a troubled teen. In her misfortune, she was taken in by a very religious and abusive family. The father, named Fernando, would often lock her up in a dark room whenever she had mental breakdowns which are usually bouts of painful laughter. She finally escaped the house and was homeless for years until she found her youngest sister, Catalina. Catalina helped her by housing her until she got back on her feet and got the help she needed for her mental wellbeing.

Juana 'la loca' Trastámara belongs to @ellielovesdrawing.

Maria of Aragon, Queen of Portugal

The third eldest daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castille. After the untimely death of her older sister, she married her husband Manuel I of Portugal and replaced her as queen of Portugal. As a queen, she wasn't that involved in politics at all and her focus consists mainly of religious teachings, sewing and child rearing. Although, she is sometimes credited for convincing her husband into acts of 'mercy' whenever he flew into a fit of rage. During her marriage and reign as queen, she gave birth to ten children. Eight of whom reached to adulthood. She was constantly pregnant most of her adult life. Only having a few months in between pregnancies and giving birth to her tenth child caused her untimely demise.

Reincarnated into the modern world, Maria woke as a young woman in her early twenties. She's a laid back woman and loves the experience of a good party or a night at a club. She's not as religious as she was in her past life. Not atheistic per se. She'll go to church if she feels like it and even wears a rosary bracelet as some sort of connection to her religion was raised and taught in. She has a friend with benefits that she has fun with weekly. She is 100% childfree in her second life because ten pregnancies in her past life was way more than enough for her. Despite being childfree, she still adores children so she had applied for uni and took up an education course. Graduating after four years and landing her first teaching job at a private academy where Hal and his siblings and cousins go to. That was where she reunited with Catalina during a PTA meeting and the two sisters have never been happier to meet again in their second lives. They then set up a meeting where she reunites with their older sisters, Isabella and Juana.

Maria Trastámara belongs to yours truly.

Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England

The youngest daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castille. Catherine was three years old when she was betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the English throne. They married but Arthur died five months later. She was the first known female ambassador in European history. Catherine subsequently married Arthur's younger brother, Henry VIII. For six months, she served as regent of England while Henry VIII was in France. In 1525, Henry VIII was infatuated with Anne Boleyn and dissatisfied that his marriage to her had produced no surviving sons, leaving their daughter, the future Mary I of England, as heir presumptive at a time when there was no established precedent for a woman on the throne. He sought to have their marriage annulled, setting in motion a chain of events that led to England's schism with the Catholic Church. When Pope Clement VII refused to annul the marriage, Henry defied him by assuming supremacy over religious matters. Their marriage was consequently declared invalid and Henry married Anne on the judgement of clergy in England, without reference to the pope. Catherine refused to accept Henry as supreme head of the Church in England and considered herself the king's rightful wife and queen, attracting much popular sympathy. Despite this, she was acknowledged only as dowager princess of Wales by Henry. After being banished from court by Henry, she lived out the remainder of her life at Kimbolton Castle, and died of cancer.

In her second life, Catherine or Catalina as she prefers to be called to avoid confusion with the other C/Katherines, found herself in a house with her ex husband's five other wives. Tensions were high on the first few months, especially between her and Anne Boleyn but the six soon got things settled and managed to create a family dynamic within their shared home. They created a musical about their stories and garnered quite the success. She mostly acts as the head matriarch of the house. Making sure that everyone was alright and knew not to cause any trouble that might get them hurt. The addition of their children being reincarnated made her even more attentive, caring and loving to her new found family.

#six #six the musical #sixtended verse #isabella trastámara (sixtended)#juan trastámara (sixtended)#juana la loca (sixtended)#juana trastamara (sixtended)#maria trastámara (sixtended)#catherine of aragon (six)#catalina de aragon (six)#redo post #my art

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