#and presenting them to the world like simba

[lyriumsings]

i’m so ??? about mc being so bullied DJSJDJ like they’re recognized in music circles!! prominent successful people uproot their lives just bc of how moved they are by their music! like SJSJSJ idk i feel like they have such Mary Sue (gender neutral) potential but for some reason because they aren’t insta famous they’re perceived as,,,lame by so many SJSJ liKE it’s a fine take! do with your MCs as you will ofc! but i’ve seen artists with millions of views, who are verified and well known and yet are still unsigned and pinching pennies to make their music videos and sell merch etc. like it’s an insanely hard industry to get into SHSHA but also on a story level if everything was peachy and perfect and they were famous already there would be no where to go like SHSJ

MC is not a loser guys they’re just dedicated

[woso-dreamzzz]

Secret II

Mapi Leon x Ingrid Engen x Child!Reader

Summary: You come to training

Ingrid will forever remember the look of shock on everyone's face when she walks into the locker room with you on her hip.

They all wear varying looks of shock on their faces as Ingrid waltzes in, refusing to act like anything is out of the ordinary.

Your head swivels around as you take in everyone looking at you before you grunt.

Ingrid knows that sound well as she places you on the floor, taking that god-awful ladybug toy out of her bag. You slam your hand on the button and it starts singing its jolly tune, the sound echoing around the otherwise silent locker room.

You clap your hands in amusement as Ingrid turns around to change.

"So you finally brought her then?" Frido teases and Ingrid rolls her eyes.

"I was convinced."

She looks meaningfully to where you've now been joined by Mapi on the floor. The Spaniard has no qualms about sitting with you, oohing awwing over your toy as you babble at her.

She nods along like you've imparted the truth of the world onto her and she presses the button on your ladybug when it stops again.

"Really?" She coos at you," That's so interesting! You're so smart!"

The rest of the locker room is completely silent until Jenni speaks.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say...What the hell?!"

"It's a baby," Mapi says before Ingrid can speak," Isn't she cute?" She lifts you up under your armpits. You sag in her arms like baby Simba as Mapi proudly presents you to the others. "She's so cool. She can push buttons all by herself!"

Frido laughs. "I think lots of babies can do that, Mapi. Ingrid's Skatt isn't special."

"Don't say that!" Mapi gasps," You can hurt her self-esteem!" She turns you around so she can look at you. "You're very smart! So, so smart! Pushing buttons and singing all by yourself!"

Ingrid's made peace with the fact that she's probably not getting you back this entire training session. She thinks the coaches have also made peace with the fact that there will be no training being done either.

This training session has been highjacked by you and Mapi. Even the more standoffish girls have been won over by you.

Frido isn't much help either, constantly bringing up things like she had known you for years and not the five months you had been alive.

"Show them the bumblebee outfit! Show them the bumblebee!" Frido cajoles as everyone sits in the shade together on the pitch. "Come on, Ingrid! She looks so cute as a bee!"

You're sat happily in Mapi's lap as Jana and Bruna coo over you. You're particularly interested in the fact that they have fingers, tugging and pulling on them before forcing them to touch the button on your ladybug.

"Bumblebee?" The words catch Mapi's attention who sits up fully as Ingrid goes through her camera roll.

"My mother sent it when she was still little."

She flips the phone around so everyone can see you wearing your special bumblebee sleep suit. You look completely peaceful in the picture and Ingrid scrolls along to show you dressed as a spider and an ant.

"This is the most recent one."

It's you sitting in front of your ladybug, dressed like a ladybug too. You've got your fingers in your mouth and you're staring at your toy with such concentration that it's kind of funny.

"She's adorable," Irene coos," My wife is pregnant. I know it is different but...the club...they are good with you needing to be with her?"

"They pay for her babysitter," Ingrid replies," They're perfectly happy with her. Isn't that right, skatt?"

You turn your head to look at her at the call of your nickname. You stare for a moment before grunting and going back to clapping along to your ladybug.

"She seems very smart. She knows her name," Marta continues.

"Ingrid's got her trained," Frido teases," She whistles and Skatt stops exactly what she's doing to listen. She likes a little dog."

Ingrid swats at her. "Stop calling my daughter a dog."

"Yeah, Frido," Mapi butts in," You're going to ruin her self-esteem."

"I don't think you'll let anyone do that. Is Ingrid getting her kid back or are you keeping her forever?"

Mapi shrugs. "I don't mind keeping this little cutie. She and Ingrid can move into my place. I'll take good care of you, skatt. Yes, I will."

Alexia rolls her eyes. "I think you need to prove you can take care of yourself first, Mapi."

"That's why Ingrid's moving in too, obviously. I can't separate this little beauty from her mama. That would make her sad!"

"Sure," Ingrid hears Leila mutter," That's the reason you want Ingrid to move in."

You whine a little as your ladybug stops singing and Ingrid instantly knows what that means.

"Give her here," She says," Someone needs a nap."

You're passed from Mapi to Ingrid and you conk out fast asleep on her chest almost as soon as you're settled there. Your soft puffs of breath tickle Ingrid's collarbone and she gently runs her fingers through your soft, downy hair.

"Oh!" Mapi says.

Her cheeks go a little red as she digs around in her bag.

"I know she likes ladybugs and I'm sorry if this oversteps boundaries or anything but here. For Skatt."

Ingrid tucks the little ladybug plushie under your arms and you instantly curl into it.

"It's beautiful, Mapi," Ingrid says, pressing a soft kiss to Mapi's bright red cheek," Thank you for thinking of her."

[the-dumpster-fire-of-life]

hii could you do a headcannon where tom and the reader are teen parents and how they manage with tom being in the band + tour or something like that?

Tom K. Teen Parent HC'S

It would be actually pretty complicated

Imma say you guys have a daughter because Tom as a girl dad seems cute

You guys do your best to manage with everything in your life and your daughter

Your daughter tags along on tours the best you guys can do

You guys have either a staff member who you trust or a caretaker tag along for when you guys are on stage just to watch her

Tom is actually a pretty good dad

Considering how young you guys are

Is constantly taking your daughter out for anything

Held her up all proud on stage when she was like one or two

Presented her like mf simba in the first part of the movie

It was a pretty big deal for him because you guys didn't show her public for a while when she was a baby

Because you guys wanted to keep your kid private at least to protect her since you guys knew what it was like to have people meddling with you at a young age

You guys hide that you were pregnant from fans for a while, which actually worked because the band went on a short break for relaxation when your stomach started getting bigger

Was a big deal with everyone when you guys were seen with a baby walking down the street and were caught by paparazzi

Tom brings your daughter along for meet and greet with fans

Your daughter is pretty popular in the entire fanbase you guys have

She is getting kisses on the cheek from fans, little gifts for her when Tom and you are signing shit

Your kid loves growing up in the attention

But you guys set clear boundaries with paparazzi

You have too because your daughter doesn't like them

As she grows up paparazzi obviously wants to know more about her

One time they flooded you guys and made your daughter cry, effectively pissing you and Tom off because they just kept asking questions after question

They were flashing their cameras so much your daughter got freaked out and literally hid into her fathers neck

It ended up on the tabloids with you yelling at paparazzi and Tom leading you and your kid to your car

Your daughter has the time of her life with you guys

Her parents are legit famous and she's growing up in it

You guys take your kid everywhere

Your daughter has the best uncle's in the world

Bill is dressing her up just like him and doing her hair all he time

Is always taking her out when he has time and loves taking her to the park and pushing her on swings

Loves messing with her to hear her giggle and will play random games with her for hours

Georg is the cool uncle who will let her do anything she wants

Will give her any candy she possibly wants just to make her hyper for you guys

Buys her anything she could ever want and always has her attached to his back

Is the definition of

"Why are you yelling though?"

"Yelling?"

"Yelling!"

Is the overprotective uncle and will never let anything happen to her

Gustav is the caring and the uncle who spoils her the most

Is probably the favorite uncle

Let's her mess around, stay up past her bedtime, eat any candy she wants, and watch anything she wants

Shows her videos of you guys playing on stage

It's so cute when she starts clapping and smiling while yelling

"That's mama! There's daddy!"

You're daughter is so lucky man

She is the entire world of the band and nobody would date replace her or show her anything different

Tom will not settle for anything but the best for his kid

Constantly has her in interviews and let's her answer questions

Will try not to say what he usually does in interviews when your kid is in earshot but it slips our sometimes becaue he can't help it

Bill has to legit jump across the couch to cover your daughters ears

Your daughter is so sassy because she picked it up from you so when she sasses him he just puts his hands on his hips and looks at you with a look

She has her dad and uncles wrapped around her finger

If she doesn't want to do anything or go to school, school is canceled and you guys are going to a park or a carnival

Gustav, Georg, Bill and Tom let your daughter get away with legit murder

She can do no wrong in their eyes

Your daughter always somehow shimmies her way between you and Tom when it's time to sleep though

Pushes her dad away from you when he tries to kiss you

"My mama! Mine!"

While hugging you as Tom is offended, after everything he does for her

You're daughter is taught standards are high from her uncles and parents and will never settle for anything less

[ceph-the-ghost-writer]

Get To Know Your Moots Writeblr Interview

Tagged by @ink-flavored (here) to do this event created by @davycoquette (question template here)! Thanks to both of you.

To anyone seeing this, consider yourself tagged in addition to @sunset-a-story @touloserlautrec @sarahlizziewrites @k--havok @thatndginger @oliolioxenfreewrites @the-scaredy-crow @words-after-midnight @space-writes @vacantgodling @jezifster @ghostpoetics @lacependragon @xenascribbles @afoolandathief @drawnecromancy @the-ace-of-wrath

[ID: A thin border divider showing a sliver of a golden sky streaked by rain clouds above a dark blue sea.]

ON THE TUMBLR WRITING COMMUNITY

How long have you had your writing Tumblr/Writeblr?

Since, like, 2020? Somewhere thereabouts.

What led you to create it?

Wanting to connect with writers/readers outside of Ao3 (it's just not set up for conversations outside of comment threads). And wanting to raise my characters up like baby Simba at the start of The Lion King for more of the Internet to behold.

What’s your favorite thing about the Writeblr community?

It's about the connection. 🤌 Plenty of writing communities, both on and offline, focus on critique or getting something published. Which can be great, if it's what you're after. But I think having others who genuinely cheer you on and let you ramble is just as important to helping writers through the often messy process of creating.

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you?

I can be a bit shy or slow to interact, but once I'm invited in I'll haunt follow your blog or writing even if I'm not constantly saying anything.

Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash?

People talking about what they love, in published work and with writeblr stuff. A lot of the time I read or watch something because of the way others talk about it. That includes your own writing!

What tips/advice do you have for someone who made a Writeblr today?

Be patient, manage your expectations, and focus on having some fun. There's no algorithm here and even less clout. Writers can and do build audiences on Tumblr, but it's uniquely suited to allow us to experiment and be weird too.

WIP IT GOOD

Which Works-in-Progress (WIPs) or writing projects are you noodling about, lately?

I'm rewriting Apophenia, a novel about a supernatural researcher enduring the worst assignment of his life. A lot of my other projects are set in the same world.

How long have you been working on them?

Over five years now, I think! I'm slow.

Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started?

The Chocolate Box event on Ao3! The prompt was for a human captured by a vampire, but I wound up creating an entire world and series. Oops.

How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them?

If I'm not thinking about these characters it's only because I'm dead.

When someone asks the dreaded, “What do you write about,” question, what do you usually say?

Gay vampire trash.

What do you want to say (if it’s different from what you do say)?

I write about characters who struggle towards community, compassion, and being better people despite a) their flaws, and b) the world burning down around them. I hope that it gives me the courage to continue doing the same.

LET’S ROTATE BLORBOS

Name any characters you created.

I'll direct you to some mood boards/intros even: Isaac Soto Márquez, Renato Faria Dimas, Dorian St-Ange, Kinslayer, Elfy Bosques-Rodriguez, Ankaris the Memory Salesman, Fior the Master Transcriber, Vess the Collector. And here's a comic sans presentation for Apophenia.

Who’s the most unhinged?

Outwardly? Any of my necromancers. They come in a wide variety of styles, from Motley sewing patches of skin onto itself, to Acacius of Antioch who drapes his bejeweled and gilded bones in black veils. Each also has an, um, unique view of (un)life, the body, and ethics. Views which could come across as unhinged.

Who comes the most naturally for you to write?

At this point Isaac Soto, the protagonist of Apophenia. We do share a few similarities, but mostly I've just been writing him for years now.

Do you ever cringe at them?

At my characters or their antics? I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

How much control do you feel you have over your characters?

They do frequently just spring ideas and actions on me, but I have the ultimate say in what makes it onto the page. Same with having the power/responsibility of changing something I realize isn't working, is insensitive, etc.

Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters?

Always and forever, yes. 💜 Send me asks, comment in the tags or on Ao3, shriek in reblogs, replies, or a dm. It doesn't matter how--I love whenever someone is curious or interested enough to ask something about my fictional creations.

ON WRITEBLR ENGAGEMENT

What makes you want to follow another Writeblr account?

Sometimes it's based on vibes, sometimes I really like the sound of their stories. I appreciate a sense of whimsy and/or humor especially. And someone who likes spooky as well as fantasy stuff.

What makes you decide against following?

Two things: A) Their intro already has, like, 80+ notes (though the vibe/story will override this), and B) lots of posts hating on things/trends/people. I don't mean venting or sometimes ranting, which is everyone's right. I mean someone's whole brand is ridicule or just immediately seeing the bad in everything. Which is still their right. It's also mine to avoid it, and I think this is mutually beneficial. Thankfully, though, this experience has been very rare for me on writeblr.

Do you interact with non-mutuals often?

I try to. I'll reblog, read, comment, take an open tag, whatever when I have the energy. I mean, how else do writers get readers? It takes people who might not know you personally talking about your work a lot of the time.

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle?

I am absorbing the essence of your blorbos as we speak, making them an eternal part of me.

[wromwood]

Omg please tell me your mufasa complaints, i love listening to people critique movies i will never watch (genuine)

Awesome! :3 I'll give a run-down of my complaints in a nutshell.

Warning, this got REALLY long, so I'm putting this under a Read More.

(Spoiler warning for Mufasa)

My first complaint regards Timon and Pumbaa. This is a surprise to me, as they were one of the 2019 Lion King's saving graces. The 2019 Timon and Pumbaa are not as great as the originals, but they were legit the funniest part of that film while still having unique personalities from their 1994 counterparts. In Mufasa, I was mentally screaming at them to SHUT UP. Timon and Pumbaa are, of course, not present during the Mufasa-based portions of the story. This is not The Lion King 1 1/2. However, they're part of Mufasa's framing device, which is Rafiki telling Simba's daughter, Kiara, the story of Mufasa's youth while she has to wait out a thunder storm without her parents around (more on this later). Timon and Pumbaa are already there as Kiara's babysitters, and they soon become part of the audience for Rafiki's tale. This means that there are semi-regular breaks throughout the film where we are forced to listen to Timon and Pumbaa wisecrack and sadly, it's not that funny. Some of the jokes got a laugh out of me, but most of them provoked eye-rolls. Their input brings the story to a halt, which is technically needed so that we can see and hear what Kiara thinks of this, but that's not very interesting either.

Next is something that's part praise, part complaint, and otherwise context for the following complaint. I actually found it pretty interesting (and satisfying to a small animal-nerd part of me), but it doesn't match with the way the original Lion King (and therefore, the remake) works: Taka's original pride functions on a few real-world lion details. When Mufasa (who is an outsider to Taka's family and pride) first arrives, Obasi (Taka's father) is incredibly against taking Mufasa in. He provides the exposition that when these lions encounter the young of outsiders, they eat them. I'm pretty sure that this references how older male lions will eat younger male outsiders to the pride. I've heard this also happens when a new coalition of males takes over an existing pride, but the former reason is more relevant here. Similarly, Obasi forces Taka to spend time with him and do male "kingly" duties, which is just laying around napping, waiting to "protect" the pride. This results in Taka not learning how to do a damn thing. By contrast, Mufasa is forced to live with the females, which allows him to learn how to hunt, to sense other animals on the wind, and (I assume) pass on similar hunting lessons to his future son. This is actually pretty damn intriguing, and it would provide an interesting explanation for how Mufasa's methods of leading his pride and raising Simba seem so different from real-world lions. It could even connect to how Scar's rule involved a lot of him lounging around and letting the others hunt willy-nilly; it's literally what he was taught to let happen. I don't totally dislike this choice. ... except The Lion King isn't about real-world lions, no matter what the advanced CGI would have you believe. These are slightly humanized animals who have a monarchy. And that monarchy provides the ground for the next actual complaint that I have:

Mufasa and Taka/Scar not being related by blood. My grievance with this isn't because I see adopted family bonds as any less worthy than blood bonds. It's because in the story of The Lion King, the bloodline is important. It's the whole reason Scar kills Mufasa and attempts to kill Simba. Simba is next in line for the throne because he's Mufasa's son. Scar is next in line after Simba because he's Mufasa's brother. Like the previous complaint established, this isn't a real-world pride. This is a monarchy, and the monarchies that this situation was modeled after are HEAVILY concerned with who is actually in the bloodline. If Scar wanted to claim being king because it was his birthright as an actual descendant of noble blood, he could have already done so. This would have at LEAST been brought up at some point. "But couldn't this work if everyone accepted that Mufasa's bond to his adopted family is just as strong as if he were their own flesh and blood?" I hear you ask. "You could still have these weird technicalities if the importance was in keeping things in the family and not in the bloodline." That point would be valid... if Mufasa's adopted family were the ones who established that Mufasa should be king instead of Taka/Scar. You see, Obasi never really accepted Mufasa as a son. While Eshe, his mate and Taka's mother, was happy to informally adopt Mufasa, Obasi never truly got off the "Mufasa is a stray and I hate him being near my REAL SON, the FUTURE KING" train. He gains a little respect for Mufasa after Mufasa saves Eshe from an outsider attack, but even then, when he sends Mufasa and Taka away to start a new pride elsewhere, it's so that Taka can carry and spread the noble bloodline. Mufasa is there to protect Taka. He was never intended to be king. The way Mufasa finally becomes king is that when he arrives at the place that will become the Pride Lands (along with Sarabi, Taka, Rafiki, and Zazu), he rallies all the animals of the soon-to-be-Pride-Lands together against the antagonists and leads them to victory. This inspires the other animals (and female lions of the Pride Lands who just happened to be there) to basically appoint Mufasa as king. Mufasa even argues that this shouldn't be the case, as he does not have a drop of nobility in him, but Rafiki and the other animals insist that it's more than noble blood that makes someone a good ruler. Obasi and Eshe's bloodline doesn't matter in this case. I don't think any of these Pride Land natives even know this noble lion family at all. The movie argues that noble blood should not determine who rules, but the Pride Lands' actions argue that this even goes beyond what family you belong to, period. Mufasa would've been a total outsider even if he were nobility; he's the king now because of his kingly qualities. ... So why. The HELL. Does the situation revert back to bloodlines and/or families for The Lion King?! You ALL basically elected a new king because of the cool things he did and his good qualities, and you had the wise mandrill give a speech about how one's blood does not determine who they are. And yet you're gonna go right into a system where Mufasa's children automatically become the new rulers? What happened to someone's actions and personal qualities? Because fine. Fine! Scar gets the throne when Mufasa and Simba are gone because he's family, even if not by blood. But in Mufasa, EVERYONE knows that Taka/Scar is a betraying bastard. The antagonists are literally led to the Pride Lands because Taka/Scar turned evil during the journey and led them there. There is a PUBLIC SCENE where Mufasa allows Taka/Scar to live in their new home, but decrees that he will now be known as Scar because his crime was so great that Mufasa can never say his true name again. This is KNOWN. So WHY is he allowed to become the new king?! He SUCKS. What system of GOVERNMENT are these animals upholding?

Next complaint: song choreography is hit or miss. While the emotion displayed on these animals has improved since 2019, they're still limited by their "realistic" surroundings. You can't get any of the daring camera shots, lighting, or color changes that animated musical numbers can provide. This means that for at least two songs in this movie, the story that they're portraying comes off as a little dull. The worst offenders are the main antagonist's song ("Bye Bye") -which is sung in the bright daylight (ah yes, famous villain song setting, a sunny plain) and features Kiros the white lion just... climbing a tree and singing down at Obasi and Eshe menacingly while his cronies circle them - and the song that Taka, Mufasa, Sarabi, Rafiki, and Zazu all sing when they're traveling together. The traveling song is so boring. It really is just "we're traveling now! We're traveling together! Yayyyy *cough* Taka is in love with Sarabi *cough* *cough* Zazu is flying now and they're traveling yayyyyyyy" That traveling song could have been more fun if it showed... basically anything more interesting than just a bunch of animals sauntering down a picturesque path. But there's not much you CAN do while remaining "realistic", now is there?

While I'm on the topic: "Bye Bye" isn't great. It's not bad, but without really menacing visuals or actions, it's just the villain singing about how he'll make things go "bye bye." It's just so... silly. Kiros is singing it menacingly, and he's usually portrayed with this sleek bad guy vibe, and yet he's decided to repeat "bye bye" as his main threat. And it's really just for this number! He only uses the phrase once afterwards, so it's not like it feels natural for him to phrase it like this anyway. It just dulls his villainous vibe.

Next complaint: it's not a good sign how many things I missed while watching this movie. I wasn't distracted or nodding off, and yet, I missed some CRUCIAL details. Kiara is alone at Pride Rock during the thunderstorm because Nala is off somewhere else to give birth to Kiara's new sibling. Why did Nala have to give birth somewhere far away from Pride Rock? Who knows. Why did Simba have to leave too? Good question. Why didn't Simba and Nala leave at the same time? Anyone's guess! If the movie provided exposition for this, then I missed it. If I missed it, then they must've used only a line or so of dialogue to explain it. Maybe they had to cut some time to give more to Timon and Pumbaa. If that wasn't bad enough, imagine my surprise when I realized that I totally missed a character death. One of the reasons that Kiros is so determined to kill Mufasa and Taka is because when Kiros's white lions attacked Mufasa and Eshe, Mufasa killed Kiros's son in battle. This was news to me, as I totally missed that anyone died. I SWEAR that I was paying attention. If the fight happened so quickly and was framed in such a way that I could miss the death of an entire lion, then something needs to be fixed here.

Next complaint: Taka's reason for turning on Mufasa. During the journey to the Pride Lands (which, I should mention, is actually called "Milele" in this story), Taka gets a crush on Sarabi. Mufasa actually tries to help Taka flirt with her. He tells Taka to listen to what she says, and to comment on the smell of her homeland's flowers on her fur. After Mufasa saves Sarabi's life while she's unconscious, he lies and says that Taka did it. Mufasa is on team "date Taka" here. This changes after Sarabi confronts Mufasa (while Taka watches unseen from the shadows) and reveals that she's figured out what's been going on. She knows that only Mufasa could've smelled the flowers, that he was the one who rescued her and whispered "I've got you," in her ear. She expresses an interest in him and Mufasa finally reveals that he, too, has fallen for her. Of course, the two of them are now clearly a couple in love. .... which makes Taka start bitterly singing about how he's been betrayed and that Mufasa is no longer a brother to him anymore. TAKA. I know you're a whiny, cowardly guy who was raised to think that he deserves things because he has noble blood. But this is just reaping the consequences of your actions. I can accept you being selfish and petty, but this is just so DUMB. At the very least, your problem isn't really with Mufasa, but with Sarabi. She's the person who is actively rejecting you and choosing your brother. Yes, your brother is technically "betraying" you by admitting his own love to her, but he did EVERYTHING he could to help you. And even if he didn't, it's clear that Sarabi wouldn't want you anyway. She knows the truth! It also doesn't help that, aside from overall cowardice and a bit of a big head, Taka hasn't really been a bad guy up until this point. He always criticized his father's views of what kingly duties are, and was clearly uncomfortable the one time we see Obasi tell Taka that deception is a good quality for a king. He was the most supportive and defensive of his adopted brother growing up, since everyone aside from Eshe would pick on how he was an outsider. Taka doesn't even get an "I'm disappointed in you" speech from either of his parents. Sure, Eshe spent more time with Mufasa and raised him more, but she clearly had enough time to look out for and be present in Taka's life as well. There's no evidence that she wanted to be distant from Taka, and Taka should've seen this. It really feels like Taka's turn to evil only happens because of this apparent heartbreak, which makes it feel so lame.

Next complaint: Scar chooses his new name. This seems like a no-brainer. Once you learn that Scar's name started being used because Mufasa couldn't bear to say his brother's real name again after what he did, then you know deep in your gut that Scar should be called "Scar" almost against his will. Let it be something that other people will always apply to him, no matter what he thinks, so that Scar will be forced to adopt it and spitefully inject his own bitterness and hatred as a result. ... but no, Scar chose it himself! He literally says (paraphrasing), "Then call me Scar, so that I never forget what I did to you today." That just doesn't feel right. Like, I'm all for calling people what they want to be called, but this is Scar of (eventually) The Lion King. It feels wrong for him to pick what should be his punishment, at least in these circumstances. Also, it doesn't feel like a punishment. It feels like this just happened: Mufasa: I will never call you by your name ever again! Scar: Then call me Scar, this new name that I just chose for myself and will willingly adopt for the rest of my life. Mufasa: OK, sounds good, Scar. Also worth mentioning: while Scar's scar was technically a result of him betraying Mufasa and almost killing everyone, it was specifically gotten from a moment of defending Mufasa's life. Because of COURSE, Taka has to have one last moment of brotherly affection and turn on the antagonist so the climax can wrap up. He leaps in front of Kiros's claws before it can hit Mufasa, then joins Mufasa in fighting Kiros to the death. Scar's scar isn't a representation of someone he loves hurting him or forcing a punishment on him. It's now a representation of him remembering the importance of family. Of turning from the dark side and doing what was right. He finally, after years of running and hiding, leapt into battle and was hurt because of it. This is what scarred him. And that just doesn't WORK, does it? Not enough for the story we know is coming ahead. And besides that, his help meant that Mufasa won the battle. If he hadn't helped and Mufasa lived, then he likely would've been banished from Milele for good. If he hadn't helped and Mufasa died, then he would've been living alongside Kiros and being his second-in-command at BEST. Remember, this is a lion who only wants one true king - him. Even if he let a noble-blooded lion like Taka/Scar live, there'd be no guarantee that he would be Kiros's new heir. Scar's scar is a sign that he did the right thing and that his efforts succeeded. His name is the memory of the right choice. Which, yes, is narratively interesting, but it's not The Lion King. Hell, it's not even the remake.

Finally: the names matter now. Many, if not all, of the names in The Lion King franchise mean things in African languages, with Swahili being the most common. Simba means "lion," Rafiki means "friend," Nala means "gift," etc. Well, this movie reveals that these name meanings are also known to the characters themselves. Upon first meeting Mufasa, Obasi comments (paraphrasing), "Mufasa. You know what 'Mufasa' means? It means 'king!' And there is only one king: me!" OK. This isn't necessarily a bad or weird thing. We have names that are essentially words with meanings in the real world too. It IS a little weird that a cub without a drop of noble blood in him is called "king", but I can wave that aside. What I can't wave aside is how Obasi - Mr. "I hate the fact that this child is even NAMED king" - named his son Taka. At first, I thought this was strange because Taka meant "scar," and this would be weird foreshadowing. But then I remembered that no, I was wrong. Kovu means "scar." So what does Taka mean? Taka means "garbage." "Waste." "Filth." How does THAT make sense?! I had heard of Taka as a name for Scar before because fans adopted it from an old Lion King book. This was Scar's name before he gained his iconic scar. However, in this universe (from the research I've done), Taka didn't get along with his own father, was already a disagreeable lion, and wasn't intended to be the king. Mufasa was the eldest blood brother, after all. It makes sense for Taka to have a lowlier name. Although, I don't think the writers of this book intended for its young readers to take the meaning of Taka seriously, much less the characters, so this point could be moot. Apparently, in this story, Taka also asks to be called "Scar" after he gets his scar, but I'll allow it in this case, as the story didn't depict the moment Scar turned evil. It was instead a cruel trick Taka played on Mufasa as "revenge" for taking up his father's time, but that almost got himself killed in the process. Taka has a reason to relent and try to remind himself of his mistakes, since he hasn't reached his evil point of no return yet. What's even more baffling is that this isn't even the only name for Scar the franchise came up with. We also have the less insulting name Askari, which means "soldier." Taka came from a book of short Lion King stories from the mid 90s, but Askari comes from The Lion Guard, which is a much more recent cartoon that aired mostly from 2016-2019 on Disney Junior. I may personally dislike The Lion Guard, but even I have to acknowledge that the show was well-known. It had notable guests to do guest voices, it brought back a few classic voices from Lion King 2 for a few episodes... it was clearly trying to be as Lion King as it could. This didn't stop it from having shaky retconning and weird story choices out the wazoo, but I need to cut it some slack as it's literally a preschool show for babies. My point is that if Mufasa was desperate for a Scar birth name AND it wanted to keep that line about name meanings, then it should have chosen something other than the more niche deep cut that means "garbage." My only guess for their choice is that they didn't want to risk connecting Mufasa with The Lion Guard (which, honestly, is a good decision), but that wouldn't really make sense. You already have the movie ending with a younger sibling being born. They aren't explicitly named Kion, but that's more of a hint for those two works to be connected than Scar being named Askari would've been. And it's not like the new movie is faithful to the old Taka story: it absolutely isn't!

Anyway. Those are all my complaints. I really hope you like reading critiques, as this got. So long. Sorry!

[ultimateplaylistmaker]

Okay, if all your AU Kokichi's met eachother, what sorta terrific/terrible chaos would happen?

Okay we're going to separate this into tiers

Mostly okay with this

Harbinger, he's basically just canon kokichi but he is looking for information and gets really awkward if anyone mentions miu

SCP kokichi has definitely seen weirder

Log Horizon Kokichi is just glad to be in the real world again for a bit

DR Lore Kokichi is just like "This might as well be happening"

Dnd Kokichi thinks its weird to see himself as human but also thinks its really neat

Robo Dictator Kokichi is just glad to have the chance to stretch his legs

Shuichi Enoshima Kokichi is once again just another Kokichi

Stans Kokichi is glad to get away from all That Drama

Hope's Peak Destruction Kokichi is recruiting them all for further crimes and pestering them for information

Pokemon Kokichi is showing off his Salandit by holding him up like Simba

Homestuck Kokichi has faded into the shadows and just watching

Spiral Alien Kokichi has challenged someone to a panta chugging competition

Digimon Kokichi is saying that his dracmon is better then the salandit

Dice Haxs is again a normal Kokichi

Both the Alicorn Kichi's are gossiping and annoyed that all the Kokichi's want to pet them and poke them

Swap Kokichi is teaching Kokichi's to bend themselves weirdly

Oumelette Kokichi is SWEATING and wondering if she should do something about the fact none of them seem to have realized they're girls

Paronpasight is glad to have a break from the death murder shenanigans

Unsettled but vibing

Serial Kokichi is more paranoid then a normal kokichi so he's definitely at least a bit on edge

Slay Kokichi doesnt exactly have the greatest experiences with being in a room of a dozen other versions of yourself but also hes got nothing better to do

Danganronpa/b/o Kokichi is being jealous they dont have presentations and also weirded out by the lack of smells

Overlord Ouma misses Gonta and feels really weird about seeing his old body

Minecraft Kokichi is being weirded out by the physics of this world

Trying to leave

Schrodingers Kokichi does NOT need this existential crisis

Pokedice Kokichi does not trust being a room with so many humans

You Destroy My World Kokichi is really confused and kinda freaked out

Warriors Kokichi is trying to follow Pokedice out of here, animal who doesn't want to be around so many humans club

Trying to fight

Mastermind Kokichi is such an insult to all the other kokichi's that it keeps causing fights and he's having a BLAST

EVERYONE ELSE is trying to get away from

Talent Infection for obvious reason

Fae Kokichi is having A BLAST and wants to kidnap them all

[themattress]

Untitled Riku Post

As promised!

In Kingdom Hearts, we first meet Riku as a 15-year old. But chronologically speaking, the earliest scene he has shows him as a much younger boy. In this state, Riku is innocent.

He loves playing with his best friend Sora and, like most little boys, dreams of having adventures someday. In fact, the brilliance in showing Riku being so attached to the idea of leaving his island home for something more is that it's the exact type of motive most Disney heroes have. Ariel, Belle, Aladdin and Jasmine, Simba, Quasimodo, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan...and even ones created later such as Wilbur Robinson, Rapunzel, Wreck-It Ralph and Moana. They all have this same quality: the desire for more, to broaden their horizons and satiate their curiosity or resolve their insecurity. Riku's fate is clear: he is to be a hero in this universe. In fact, Riku himself begins seeing the signs of this destiny that awaits him.

The problem is that while heroism may be in Riku's nature, nurture had other ideas. Growing up on the island, Riku trained and became strong, earning the admiration and praise of all the people around him. Being destined for greatness wasn't enough; now everyone was telling him how great he was. This not only feeds Riku's ego but also creates a direct dichotomy between his dream and his reality: while everything surrounding him gives him the impression that's he's the best, how can that be true when "everything surrounding him" is just a tiny part of a much larger whole that he's missing out on? In the grand scheme of things, Riku might not be so great after all, and that fear gnaws at his heart. What's worse: his best friend Sora, whom Riku has been like an older brother / protective leader figure to and whom Riku appears to be naturally better at everything than, seems pretty chill about his place in the world. To the point where Kairi, whom Riku sees as this magical living proof of a larger universe beyond Destiny Islands, gravitates more toward Sora and not Riku, the one who appreciates her more (or so he thinks). This makes Riku jealous of Sora, and this jealousy motivates him even more in his desire to explore other worlds and secure his heroic destiny.

While the Riku we are introduced to still has some of his old innocence in him, shown by his genuine care for his friends and desire to have them with him on his adventures, there is a darkness present too. He's not pursuing his goal for the right reasons. Kairi can sense this and it unnerves her...she can't quite place why, but something about it rings familiar to her.

The guy who is behind this sense of familiarity, Ansem, then ends up appearing to Riku and goading him into attempting to open the door in the Secret Place...the door to the world's heart. It doesn't work without the Keyblade, but it does alert the Heartless to the darkness in Riku's heart...and now they now exactly where their primary target, the world's heart, is.

Riku uses the darkness that invades the islands to escape to the outside world, and shortly afterwards Destiny Islands is destroyed. This is Riku's first villainous action, but I will cut him some slack here. Not only was he directly manipulated, but it's clear that he doesn't actually realize that what's happening will destroy his home. He seems to be under the impression that it's just destroying the barrier between Destiny Islands and the rest of the universe, allowing a pathway out for him and his friends. It's callous and it's reckless, but the magnitude of the destruction it's causing is something that Riku is oblivious to at this point in time.

When we next see Riku, he's already spent some time in the company of Maleficent and her assembly of Disney Villains gathered in Hollow Bastion, having been granted a sword by the sorceress and clearly having practiced fighting with it. Maleficent ultimately leads him to Sora in Traverse Town under the condition Riku not speak of her to him. During Riku's reunion with his best friend, Riku sees that Sora now wields the Keyblade - the weapon that was destined for him - and has been traveling around the universe having adventures alongside Donald and Goofy. This infuriates Riku. In his mind, this was supposed to be an adventure that he led. He would be the Keyblade wielder, traveling the universe and having adventures alongside Sora and Kairi. But not only has Sora now gotten the Keyblade and seemingly "replaced" him and Kairi with Donald and Goofy, but he is thriving. He doesn't need Riku's protection, he isn't falling short behind Riku...he isn't the same Sora that Riku knew on Destiny Islands. And because of Riku's aforementioned ego and pre-existing subconscious jealousy of Sora, this all makes him irrationally perceive Sora as having betrayed him.

While Maleficent is manipulating Riku, it's not in the same direct manner that Ansem did, and more to the point Riku should know better. He already knows that Maleficent and her gang are villains, as we later see he doesn't actually trust Maleficent one ounce. He clearly can see that Sora cares about him, as evidenced by Sora's relief to see him again and how he argues with Donald that Riku should join them on their adventure. And if he had so chosen, he could have stuck around long enough for Sora to relay what the Keyblade actually does, that it's more than just some shiny cool weapon and that it's needed to save worlds from the same kind of destruction that Riku unwittingly unleashed upon his home world. But Riku is arrogant, envious, entitled, wrathful...and above all, immature. In the greatest of ironies, despite Riku seeing himself as more grown-up than his peers and convincing himself that exploring other worlds and becoming a hero will help make him an adult, Riku's loss of innocence has only made him more childish than ever. He didn't get his way, and now he's throwing a tantrum.

At this point, Riku is done as an even remotely sympathetic character. Rejecting Sora as a friend, he now clings to Kairi as the only one he has left. And yes, he does still hold genuine care for her, but I feel like this misleads a lot of people from missing what Riku is actually doing here. He doesn't want to restore Kairi's heart primarily for her. He wants to do it primarily for himself. He knows how much Sora likes her, so now he wants to have her indebted to him so that she chooses him over Sora. Thus he can flaunt her to Sora like she's some kind of trophy. His line of thinking is "Oh, you think you're a bigshot now? You think you're better than me? Well, suck it! I've got your girl! Haha!" Again, it's highly immature, not to mention vindictive toward one of his friends and demeaningly objectifying toward another. Speaking of which, he also assaults a girl, knocking her unconscious and dragging her back to Hollow Bastion to be a prisoner in exchange for Maleficent revealing the location of Kairi's lifeless body to him. It's this act that cements that Riku isn't going to be a hero, but a villain.

Now, through all this we should remember that Sora and Riku's friendship was incredibly close. They are practically brothers. So it would be bad writing if Riku 100% turned against Sora this quickly. Thankfully, the game is better than that. When they next meet up within Monstro, Riku's goal is to manipulate Pinocchio and lure him toward the Parasite Cage Heartless. In the process of doing this, he taunts Sora and makes a game out of Sora chasing him and Pinocchio down. Maleficent astutely remarks that while Riku claims he's "just messing with him", it's obvious he still cares for Sora and that denying it will do him no favors. Afterwards, Riku attempts to vent his feelings honestly to Sora, then joins alongside him in fighting Parasite Cage to free Pinocchio. But afterwards, he takes Pinocchio (whom he assumes has gotten his heart devoured) away, even heartlessly rejecting the pleas of the boy's father Gepetto to give him back. This blatantly act of villainy comes back to bite Riku.

He gives Sora the offer to join him in using Pinocchio as an experiment to see if they can learn how to restore Kairi's heart. To get back to how things should be, with Sora following his lead, being the little brother figure stuck in his shadow. But unlike Riku, Sora is unwilling to sacrifice his conscience and is ready to fight Riku for Pinocchio. This doesn't happen, as Pinocchio ends up still having his heart after all and the Parasite Cage comes back to allow Riku a chance to escape. Riku is legitimately upset that Sora rejected him, but true to egotistical form refuses to consider if maybe he's the one to blame for this. As a result, he lets the possibility of repairing his friendship with Sora go and willingly lets Maleficent amplify the darkness in his heart so that he can control the Heartless. He then goes around on Captain Hook's ship, flying through worlds and having the Heartless destroy them in search of the remaining Princesses of Heart needed to open the way to Kingdom Hearts, where the knowledge on how to restore Kairi's heart can be gained. Let me stress: Riku is now intentionally doing to other worlds what he unintentionally did to his home world. His goal of "explore other worlds" has mutated into "destroy other worlds", and he's too far gone up his own ass to notice. As long as he says it's for Kairi, he can justify any atrocity he commits.

Off the coast of Neverland, Captain Hook captures Sora, Donald and Goofy, whom Riku has condemned to the brig...but not before turning Sora's shadow into a Heartless that does his bidding as a petty act of vengeance for Sora rejecting him. He is also revealed to have had a hand in kidnapping Wendy from Neverland, and when he learns she isn't a Princess of Heart, he coldly tells Hook to dump the "dead weight" into the ocean. Finally, after Sora and his friends escape from their imprisonment and make it to Hook's cabin, Riku uses a Corridor of Darkness to escape to Hollow Bastion along with Kairi's body...but only after directly siccing Anti-Sora on Sora, leaving him to possibly be killed. Riku is evil now...and he gets worse.

Maleficent then amplifies the darkness in Riku's heart again. The result is essentially turning Riku pure evil. After attacking the Beast while he's already badly weakened, he finally takes the Keyblade back from Sora and taunts him viciously. "Maleficent was right. You don't have what it takes to save Kairi. It's up to me. Only the Keyblade master can open the secret door and change the world. You were just the delivery boy. Sorry, your part's over now. Here - go play hero with this." And he tosses Sora a wooden sword, the same kind they played with on the islands. It's a truly cruel, demented way of saying "I'm the adult, you're the child, I am superior to you and I always will be!" And when Sora still resists? He tries to murder him.

This is the lowest that Riku can sink to. Trying to kill his former best friend, his brother, in cold blood. And for what? He doesn't even care about Kairi as a person anymore. All he truly wants is to prove his greatness by "opening the secret door and changing the world", as he put it. All of the selfishness, the entitlement, the darkness...it has completely consumed Riku. And this, along with the strength of Sora's heart that he showcases in a rousing speech, is why the Keyblade then leaves Riku, choosing Sora as its permanent master. After getting the ass-kicking he so richly deserves, Riku runs away like a coward, in complete shock and disbelief that after everything Sora still managed to beat him. That's when Ansem comes in and tells him that embracing all of his own heart's darkness isn't enough; Riku must open his heart up to darkness in general. He must become an avatar of darkness, just like Ansem.

And as I'm sure we all know, that last part ended up being way more literal than Riku bargained for. Ansem takes control of his body, and ultimately banishes Riku's heart, which holds his essence, out of the body entirely and into the Realm of Darkness. In short: Riku ends up damned and goes to Hell. In a grittier story, that would likely be the end of him.

However....

In the Realm of Darkness, Riku...sees the light. There is now clarity in everything that has happened, everything that he's done, and everyone that he's hurt. And he is able to keep his heart alive out of sheer remorse and sheer determination to somehow right all that he has wronged....especially toward Sora and Kairi. Now, this does not automatically make Riku a sympathetic character or a hero. It's simply him finally realizing that he fucked up, and yeah, ya think!? But, it's still the all-important first step to bettering one's self. And almost as a form of good karma as a result, Mickey Mouse appears to take Riku under his guidance. Together, they help Sora (who defeats Ansem and thus grants Riku his physical body back) close the Door to the Realm of Darkness once it has opened, preventing an untold amount of Heartless from swarming into the Realm of Light. The universe will be saved...but it comes at a price.

Riku stays trapped in the Realm of Darkness, accepting his condemnation there as what he deserves, and being content to help Sora and tell him to take care of Kairi...an overdue acknowledgement that Sora's the one who truly loved her as a person and that thus her preference for Sora over him is rightfully earned. The Door of Darkness is closed on him, and that's the last we see of him. In accepting the negative consequences of his actions and acknowledging himself as a villain, Riku comes the closest he's ever been...to being a hero.

Tl;dr: Riku was a fantastic character in the original Kingdom Hearts because he was a negative one. His character arc was one of self-damnation, without sugarcoating anything. He was a good person in his childhood and a flawed but not altogether bad person when we meet him, but he becomes a worse and worse person as the game progresses through his own character flaws and willfully bad decisions. He's being manipulated, but he mostly isn't being misled. He's making stupid decisions, but he isn't making them unthinkingly. Riku is a complex and humanized villain, but he's not a sympathetic one since his evil actions and his reasonings for them go so increasingly beyond the pale of what can be sympathized with.

And this is also why he works so well in the following games.

Not only do we know how inexcusably evil Riku was in KH, but he knows how inexcusably evil he was too. Not only do we see him continue to express remorse for his sins and make genuine efforts to better himself and make amends even if it's at a direct cost to himself, he also directly tackles the reasons why he went down such a dark path to begin with. His ego is quickly cut down to size as he develops a more humble attitude, helped along greatly by Mickey's personality rubbing off on him. His insecurity about his place in the world and how it led him to destroy his home is confronted, and he determines that he must be the one to choose his own place in the world rather than desperately trying to prove what it is to himself and those around him. His ruthless desire for vengeance is reflected back at him by DiZ, and naturally he doesn't like what he sees. And he ends up flat-out admitting his past jealousy of Sora to Sora...which is after a long period of time where he prioritized Sora over himself, openly acknowledging him as the hero the universe needs. None of this would be as effective if Riku was just some poor, misguided soul in the first game like some fans pretend he was.

I think the techincal writing for Riku post KH has been hit and miss. I hate how overexposed Riku became as the franchise deuteragonist post KH2. I hate that Nomura made Riku "the true, officially ordained Keyblade Master" over Sora which goes against the whole original point. I hate how dull Riku's personality has become. And I hate Riku's current design. BUT in spite of all this, I still love and appreciate Riku on the whole. Because he's a prime example of a redemption arc done correctly - an evil person recognizes the harm they've caused and feel great remorse for it, stops doing bad and commits to doing good, and the good they do is wholly for the sake of helping others and doing what is right rather than for some kind of reward or self-benefit they feel entitled to. Other characters can learn from Riku's example.

[kingarmorking]

"(simba voice) moooom! mom you're messing up my mane!"

i dont know where this takes place in that au but the image Would Not leave my mind so here we are @tharkflark1

There were many things that Yozora expected when he woke up that morning. Training with his dads, maybe going off world with either of them or Aegis and Magia or maybe it would’ve been a quiet day! Just a day for himself to wander around Quadratum. That was thrown out the window when he saw a news broadcast of a monster, looking eerily similar to the heartless his dads talked about fighting, and then the headline stated, “Young man with a giant key fights off the monster that appears in downtown Quadratum!”

So… yeah he was with a younger version of his dad now. Sora was staying with Strelitzia and they were working on a way to get him back to his own world. That he could do. Sure a wrench or two were consistently being thrown into that plan when the younger version of Riku then showed up followed by his actual dads coming back from where they were off world! But that he could handle! Kind of! He was handling it just fine. What he could not handle… was the younger version of Riku in his spirit form.

Now… his pa (Sora) had told him that dad (Riku) had some trouble controlling the form when they were younger. He wasn’t sure when his dad had gotten a better grasp on it so the few times he’d seen the form growing up, he was in control of his actions for the most part, there were few things that he’d do that pa would embarrass him about later (though he would still find a way to without a doubt)

He’d woken up like normal, after that mess had been settled, terrible bedhead and all that caused it to spike up in random directions. Noise from outside had caught his attention and upon exiting he saw the younger Riku in his spirit form. Again not a big deal but the second Riku’s star-shaped eyes locked with him, Yozora felt the deep rooted instinct of fight-or-flight flare up and he turned to run back inside because where was Sora, why was Riku in his spirit form- he was bowled over none too gently by the giant komory bat dream eater.

He felt the rumbling in Riku’s throat as he nuzzled his back and let out a pained huff, “Okay, Riku I get it, you’re happy to see me, which… better than the alternative… but can you please get off me you’re so much heavier than Meow Mori!” he groaned.

Riku, to absolutely no one’s surprise, did not listen to him. Because why would he like this, Sora was the only one who he’d listen to and Sora was still no where to be seen! A chuff of air further mussed his hair and he rolled his eyes, twisting his body to say something else when a tongue dragged across his forehead up to his hair. Wha… oh hell no, don’t tell him…!

“Riku! I don’t need a bath!” his petulant protests went unnoticed as Riku continued grooming his future child.

The only saving grace was that Aegis and Magia weren’t present because they’d never hear the end of it and then he’d be minus two friends. He continued trying to get out of Riku’s grip, only freezing when he heard muffled giggles from behind him. He craned his head backwards and was greeted with the sight of the older Sora, pa, trying and failing to contain the snickers escaping from his mouth.

“Not… a word.”

“But Zozo!”

“But nothing pa!”

Pa covered his mouth, more muffled giggles coming out at the sight of the predicament Yozora was in as Riku’s tongue made his hair, arguably worse honestly, “Riku! You’re messing up my hair!” he groaned. Pa’s laughs were finally too much and he doubled over, holding his stomach. His dad laughing was fine, this was still better than-

“Aww baby dream eater’s bath time by daddy dream eater~!”

Two sets of laughter joined pa’s and Magia’s voice rang out clear, Yozora briefly wondering if he could suffocate himself in Riku’s mane. Finally he got one arm free and he frantically pat at Riku’s arm, “Okay, okay I’m clean! I’m clean!” he wriggled the rest of his body free and made to smooth his hair out. Once that was done he took a quick calming breath, spun on his heels and materialized his sword and crossbow, aiming them at his two, soon to be, ex-friends. Aegis and Magia both froze, wide grins still on their faces.

“Run.” all three said simultaneously, Aegis and Magia to each other and Yozora’s only warning before he ran after them. Pa could handle Riku’s spirit form for the time being, he had two friends to kill.

[awheelywheelygoodtime]

I spent two days writing this and I would like some recognition because I have no one else to share it with.

I would like to preface this by saying that the original film is my absolute favourite of all time. Surprisingly, I actually really liked the remake! It is not without it’s flaws, and I hope to rectify them because no one can fucking stop me and I have to do something to relax after my exam.

I always considered the franchise to be the closest thing that Disney has to true epic fantasy and the genre will serve as a source of inspiration for my amendments.

1. The Animation and Character Design:

I actually thought that the animation and character designs were brilliant. Lions are my favourite animal and I have been watching nature documentaries religiously since I was a child. The remake hit a perfect spot between realism and the aesthetics of the original characters. The landscape and such is a different matter, but I will get into that eventually.

My biggest gripe is one that is commonly shared by pretty much everyone that saw the film, the expressions or lack thereof. Real lions can squint, curl their lips, crease their brow and basically move their faces. You would be surprised by how expressive they can be.

Some people may say that it would anthropomorphise them too much and be unrealistic but we have a monarchy of talking lions, so who gives a fuck?

This is also a minor thing that only nature nuts would notice but the lions move wrong. They have this weird loping gait when they should run in what’s called a “rotary gallop” like real lions. The original film literally showed this in slow motion when Simba runs through the desert.

2. The Pridelands and Beyond:

The Pridelands need a lot of work. Everything is too beige and boring. It was as if they couldn’t decide between a golden arid savannah or a lush green one and just meshed the two into one boring mess.

Minas Tirith, Mordor and The Shire are all incredibly iconic and instantly recognisable. The same should be true for the Pridelands and the rest of the world.

Pride Rock should be an absolute monolith. A giant that looms in the background of every scene in the Pridelands and a believable capital for a kingdom (I’ll get more into this later). Not just tall but broad, a sprawling wild metropolis.

The Graveyard is an inhospitable hellhole. Always shrouded in shadow born from the ashes and noxious clouds spewed from geothermal activity. Thick clouds of mist and fog blanket the landscape, leaving bones and carcasses to loom out of the smog like giant teeth and claws.

The Gorge is a massive scar in the landscape. A Grand Canyon-esque pit that swallows light and just screams doom. The jungle that Simba winds up in needs to be more colourful and lively, a real paradise in the desert.

I think that a lot of the issues with the setting comes down to the fact that they acted as if they were on an actual set and not an animated world.

3. Ecology and Society

We need more wildlife.

More animals should have been at the presentation of Simba. Leopards and African Wild Dogs, Hippos and Crocodiles, even Gorillas and other jungle creatures should have been part of the montage of animals at the beginning. Migratory birds should have been present to bring the news back to their respective homelands (if Buckingham Palace can make international news then so can Pride Rock). Hyenas would also be part of the procession (this ties into something later).

Mufasa explaining the circle of life would include some scenes of various animals asking their king for counsel.

I would expand on the pride itself. It’s rare but some exceptionally large prides have subordinate males that can mate with the lionesses. This would avoid a lot of incestous connotations and make the pride more like a royal court (I have plans for Nala).

I would also change the wildebeest herd to a Cape buffalo herd. Cape buffalo are notorious lion killers and can live in herds up to a thousand strong. Shenzi and the gang send the calves first into the gorge and the rest of the herd would follow.

I would also pepper in references that Shenzi and her clan are mostly comprised of vagabonds, outcasts and exiles from other clans. The hyenas from the opening sequence would be some more positive examples. This may seem like “not all hyenas (tm)” but it’s better than them just being the Orcs of the savannah.

4. Characters and Characterisation

I’m not going to do everyone, just the characters that I have a firm grasp on what I would have done.

Scar: a vicious aristocrat. Really play up the gentlemanly aspects of his personality to contrast with an absolutely black heart. Like Palpatine his sole reason to live is the pursuit of power. All the brutality of Tywin Lannister with the underhanded slyness of Petyr Baelish. This makes him ambitious as hell but doesn’t translate to being a good ruler.

Shenzi: a calculated ruler that cares only for the betterment of her subjects. Queen of the Graveyard and willing to do anything to feed her clan of the lost and exiled. She and Scar were once genuine friends but now they are only using each other for their own gain.

Rafiki: kooky and mystic. They are basically Gandalf on mushrooms. Wielding a very subtle and ambiguous form of magic. I use gender neutral pronouns because I wouldn’t be opposed to making them female like in the broadway show.

Nala: a fierce huntress and the only hope for the pride during the reign of Scar. I would also make her a princess from another pride that has been betrothed to Simba. This gets rid of the incest questions and helps lay the groundwork for a sequel.

The Pride and the Subjects: I would place greater emphasis on the pride itself and the citizens of the Pridelands. Show the growing discord between the pride and the clan. The other animals are getting sick of Scar’s misrule and are either leaving or are in quiet revolt.

Mtumishi: a cape cobra and a new character. Zazu was major-domo for Mufasa, Shenzi serves the same role for Scar and Mtumishi serves his own royal. Mtumishi repeatedly visits the Pridelands under the orders of his queen, Zira. Zira rules Nala’s original pride and is a great figure of fear and conquest. She’s basically a family friendly lioness version of Vlad the Impaler.

I don’t really have anything of significance to say about everyone else. I would like to see more Sarabi but I’m happy with the other characters.

5. Plot and Story

I have already mentioned some additions that I would make in the previous sections but I’ll list a few more here. I would keep the same overall plot but with just some stuff added in.

We need to include the Hunt of the Lionesses from the broadway show. We don’t need to be too gory but I still think that it would be a brilliant addition to the film. It would give a greater emphasis to the lionesses and a short prayer after the hunt would reiterate the message of the Circle of Life.

I would expand on the meeting between Scar and the hyenas. Shenzi and her clan have just been humiliated by Mufasa. They have pushed their luck and now fear retaliation from the entire kingdom. Enter Scar with promises of food and security. He plays most of the clan like fiddles. Shenzi is wise to his schemes but doesn’t really have a choice. They have no idea no other allies and she is out options.

Scar would stop Zazu and the pride just before they got to the gorge. He would spin a few lies about no one needing to see the state of Mufasa and Simba. He would take care of everything and strongly encourage a heartbroken Sarabi to abdicate.

I would contrast Simba growing up in the jungle with Nala growing up in the Pridelands. Simba having fun with Timon and Pumbaa vs Nala cowering from a passing battalion of hyenas, Simba being desperately lonely as the only lion in the jungle vs Nala growing up in a tight knit community of older lionesses and other cubs, Simba battling leopards and other jungle hunters to protect Timon and Pumbaa vs Nala becoming a great huntress and protecting the smaller carnivores from competitive hyenas. Eventually, Sarabi and the rest of the pride scheme to send Nala to find help. The nearest pride belongs to Zira and that is a no-go. She must go further afield and eventually winds up in the jungle.

The conversation between Simba and Mufasa’s spirit is much more mystical. Rafiki leads Simba to the puddle in the thorns and his staring into the ripples of his reflection sucks him into an endless clearing beneath the night sky. He Lives in You starts crying as the stars come to land and form different animals. Not just African animals, but pretty much all of them. Bears, whales, jaguars, kangaroos, komodo Dragons, penguins and many more. This riot of life and light eventually leads to Mufasa himself. The vision ends with Simba back with Rafiki.

Mtumishi would be a reoccurring character relaying between the Pridelands and Zira. Scar’s growing madness and the disappearance of Nala bring his role to a climax when Scar sends him packing just before Simba returns. This is to help set up a possible sequel.

Everything else I would leave as-is or I need more time to figure it out.

What do you guys think?

[woebegonepod]

*banging pots and pans* IN THIS HOUSEHOLD WE LOVE MICHAEL!!!

he's just. such a dad to the younger mikes. it's adorable. he's adorable. like him not talking about his traumas and trying to protect everyone and leaving to do dangerous stuff without telling anyone (like turning himself in to ty so they can find mustardseed) is such dad behaviour

and!! him and sly are one of my absolute favourite couples i just wanna hold them present them to the world like simba jsbdj

also idk how to explain it but the whole mikey, mike, michael relationship has helped me feel better about myself. i mean i have a history of depression and guilt and self hatred/ really low self esteem but since listening to woe.begone i started imagining myself going back in time to help past versions of myself and i would 100% sheepdog them. it has helped me be kinder to myself now. and sometimes the idea that a future version of myself would come to help me or simply to encourage me is very comforting, so yeah, thank you for that!!

I'm glad Michael was able to help you in that way, pard. Become the cowboy that you want to see in the world.

[apuzzledude]

[Academic Blog #3] Disney's Non-Commitment to Diversity

(Digital Media: Sources and Significance)

Films wield more power than we may give them credit for. Particularly, in their ability to resonate with a multitude of personalities and perspectives around the world, and perhaps open new doors of knowledge that we didn’t know we needed. This includes processing the world from viewpoints other than our own, be it from a human being and the challenges unique to them, or a fictional entity that wouldn’t be likely to exist in the real world, like a talking lion. For the better half of a century, the artists and storytellers at Disney and its subsidiaries have excelled on this front, mentoring young generations to the many trials and tribulations in life, and the internal conflicts that arise within the characters’ psyche and relationships. These stories have brought comfort and hope for generations of youth (and even adults) who’ve felt lost at one point or another, in similar crossroads as the characters in Disney films have, like Simba confronting the burdens of his past, or Rapunzel standing up for her freedom against a possessive mother figure with ulterior motives. 

As someone who greatly admires the Disney animated stories of days past that dare to dive into the human psyche with a hint of levity, like The Lion King and Tarzan, it’s a shame then that higher forces in the company’s current operations aren’t allowing their artists to push forth with stories for LGBTQ audiences, and in some cases, enable an environment of hostility and indifference to the current cultural climate.

In the final quarter of 2024, Disney faced mass backslash for three separate occasions from censorship of LGBT+ themes in their recent animated films and series, with all three being publically reported only months apart from one another. Firstly, came an IGN article with insider information from 10 ex-Pixar employees on the behind-the-scenes of Inside Out 2, exposing a toxic work environment and, among other issues, drastic measures taken to ensure Riley would be presented as “less gay”, and her relationship with Val throughout the film to “seem as platonic as possible”. Over a month later in November, a separate article was published on Polygon reporting on Disney putting an episode of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur “on hold”, which would feature a storyline centred around a trans athlete competing in a volleyball game, and a coach preventing her from playing. Then, the following month in December, yet another trans storyline was caught in the company’s crossfire, with Pixar’s Win or Lose having a secondary character’s whole transgender identity arc scrapped, months after her voice actress recorded her lines.

With each each of the three reports that would be published online, and the reveal of employees’ dissatisfaction with Disney canning near or wholly finished work containing LGBT+ themes, it painted a grimmer picture of the company’s cold attitude towards addressing any discussion in their animated projects that would be deemed as “provocative” by the right-wing party; a series of decisions that was largely seen as Disney denying the youth who might be struggling internally with themes of trans identity and homosexuality, with stories that would encourage said subjects to be properly explored. Upon Disney calling Chanel Stewart’s mom to inform that her daughter’s character in Win Or Lose would no longer be depicted with a transgender arc, changing her to cisgender girl in the series, Stewart was “very disheartened” as she felt the character’s scrapped storyline would help employer trans youth, and, as she states in an exclusive Deadline article, “I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard.”

Further stirring the pot, in the same article about Inside Out 2’s troubled development at Pixar, one of the anonymous ex-employee brings up the company’s leadership and their dissatisfaction with the release of Lightyear in 2022. After a run of films released straight to streaming with Disney+, Lightyear was the first Pixar film to release in theatres in a post-pandemic world, two and a half years after Onward. In addition to customers’ hesitancy to pay for one film at the cinema, as opposed to the convenience of multiple titles on streaming for the same price, there were couple of other factors that would avert moviegoers’ eyes from Lightyear’s theatrical run, like the film’s lukewarm reception and a confusing marketing campaign. However, Disney leadership pinned the blame for its financial failure on the same-sex kiss scene, something that was initially removed from the final film, until LGBTQ employees were repulsed and protested at the company’s response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill in the same year.

If you’ve followed news in the film industry as early as 2017, Disney leadership’s adamant treatment towards the LGBT+ community wouldn’t be seen as a new revelation. In a practice that would eventually be ridiculed for its repetition and absurdity factor, prior to the release of films like the Beauty and the Beast remake and Onward, the company would tout the introduction of its “first gay character” in more than one film. However, due to said characters’ sexuality either being merely brought up in passing, through one brief line of dialogue or scene that could be easily cut out for international releases, or said character’s fleeting presence and contributions rendering them largely unimportant to the story, this repeated tactic of relegating queer representation to “blink and you’ll miss it” moments proved disappointing and frustrating to those who were looking forward to genuinely open queer stories in Disney films, even as smaller chunks to a larger narrative. It’s a jarring contrast to the company’s yearly capitalization on Pride Month, manufacturing heap tons of merch with some of their most marketable characters. There is an authenticity factor amiss, when you also consider the same executives nearly succeeded in cancelling Blue Sky’s Nimona, a film that was 75% complete and would feature an openly queer relationship between two of its male leads, a crucial component of the text that, once more, garnered pushback from Disney executives before the subsidiary’s closing in 2021, and leaving Nimona in cancellation purgatory before Annapurna Pictures revived the highly-anticipated project a year later, then appropriately release at the end of Pride Month in 2023 on Netflix’s catalogue.

Another particularly insidious retread is Disney’s poor courtesy in preventing public discrimination directed at their actors of colour. Despite a significant portion of the company’s latest films prominently featuring various actors of colour and different ethnicities, the company’s leadership has demonstrated no action against the racist backslash aimed at said actors. From this, the actors would be left to fend for themselves on social media, and publicly shun “fans” who’d list said actor’s race as a barbaric point of contention. Perhaps the most jarring case of this instance would be with the 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.

Prior to The Little Mermaid remake’s release, general consensus on Disney’s continuous practice of adapting their beloved animated classics into live-action retellings hasn’t been embraced positively by critics and the moviegoing audience. Starting with 2010’s Alice in Wonderland, in contrast with their box office-breaking records, the remakes are often derided as inferior and inauthentic imitations of the source material they’re based on, undermining the artistry behind the animation format that made those stories and characters beloved in the first place. Many of these complaints, among others, would be shared with the eventual release of The Little Mermaid remake, such the inexpressive redesigns for animal characters like Flounder and Sebastian, dull visuals and shallow rehashing of its animated counterpart’s story. However, according to certain groups of questionable morale, their biggest point of contempt weren’t related to the remake’s text, but rather… the casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel. Not because of her acting, as critics and audiences would often highlight her performance as one of the remake’s strongest factors, but solely judging the actress’s darker skin colour.

Following this, it should’ve been Disney’s due diligence to damage control the unwarranted backlash to the leading star of their upcoming blockbuster film. In recent years where enablers of hate speech are gaining more traction on online platforms, especially towards the tail end of 2024 with the U.S. presidential election results, and the winning candidate’s action plan to revert the progress done towards enabling minority groups’ rights in the country, more than ever, it stands to reason that we should demonstrate our support for fellow artists within said communities, now that they are the unsolicited target of blatant harassment across various social media platforms that enable such toxicity. During all this, Disney and its subsidiaries’ response was that of an indefinite silence. No statement pushing back the unasked vitriol, no action plan to drown out the hate campaigns with diminishing returns. This cycle wouldn’t be the first of its kind, as the same overblown toxicity had been directed at various actors of colour across numerous Star Wars project in the last decade, like John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran in Episodes VII - IX, Moses Ingram in Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Jodie Turner-Smith in The Acolyte, to name a few. Unfortunately, there were also more actors across these Star Wars projects, and others targeted by ill detractors.

In Conclusion

In an increasingly hostile climate across the globe, with those in power often inflicting hurtful restrictions and penalties towards minorities, in an ideal world, Disney and other richly resourceful corporations wouldn’t only fund and promote voices from both queer artists and people of colour, but also guarantee a safe space for them in an industry that’s also being targeted by said malicious detractors. Said hate speech has become more abundant than discussions of real concerns in Hollywood, like the poor treatment of artists, the looming threat of A.I. taking away jobs, among others. As Whong Chen (2024) claims, “productions that embrace cultural diversity often resonate with wider audiences, leading to increased viewership and economic success”. And there’s strong evidence to back his statement: Black Panther, a black superhero film based heavily on African culture and themes, is the third highest-grossing entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Mulan, one of Disney’s most beloved animated films, would later be revered as an unintentional queer classic with themes of both gender and sexual exploration. Younger generations need the safe space to explore their identity, and be embraced to celebrate their culture, without screeching voices of malintent wearing them down. In films that welcome diversity as part of the everyday, and in a reality where the majority advocates for moviegoers to keep an open mind, reviewing a person not for their sexual identity or the colour of their skin, but the contents of their character.

RESOURCES

Anthony Gramuglia (2024) Is Disney Entering Their Post-Woke Era? [Online video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-k7vsZ-RDo [Accessed: December 20, 2024]

CHEN, W. (2024) Cultural Diversity in Media: Promoting Inclusivity and Representation, Global Media Journal, Vol. 22(6), pp.1-2. Doi: 10.36648/1550-7521.22.69.442

DEGGANS, E. (2022) Racist ‘Star Wars’ fans aren’t new. Why doesn’t Disney do more to protect its actors? [Online] NPR. Available at: https://www.npr.org/2022/06/02/1102509719/star-wars-obi-wan-kenobi-moses-ingram-racist-messages-disney [Accessed: January 8, 2025]

GARDNER, C. (2023) Hailey Bailey Opens Up About ‘The Little Mermaid’ Racist Backlash: “As a Black Person, You Just Expect It” [Online]. The Hollywood Reporter. Available at: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/little-mermaid-halle-bailey-racist-backlash-casting-1235332110/ [Accessed: January 7, 2025]

MASKELL, E. (2024) Disney slammed for ‘shelving’ Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur trans athlete episode: ‘Deplorable’ [Online]. PinkNews. Available at: https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/11/18/moon-girl-and-devil-dinosaur-the-gatekeeper/ [Accessed: January 5, 2025]

MATTSON, K. (2024) How Disney Almost Killed ‘Nimona’ [Online]. Collider. Available at: https://collider.com/nimona-netflix-movie-production/ [Accessed: January 6, 2025].

MCCLINTOCK, P. (2024) Disney Pulls Transgender Storyline from Pixar’s ‘Win or Lose’ Streaming Series (Exclusive) [Online]. The Hollywood Reporter. Available at: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/disney-pulls-transgender-storyline-win-or-lose-1236088172/ [Accessed: January 5, 2025]

MURRAY, I. (2024) Jodie Turner-Smith: ‘We don’t get to fail upward like a lot of white men’ [Online]. Glamour. Available at: https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/jodie-turner-smith-interview-2024-glamour-women-of-the-year-awards [Accessed: January 9, 2025]

RICE, L. (2024) ‘Win or Lose’ Transgender Actress Speaks Out After Disney Cuts Her Storyline: “Very Disheartened” [Online]. Deadline. Available at: https://deadline.com/2024/12/win-or-lose-transgender-actress-speaks-after-disney-cuts-storyline-1236209109/ [Accessed: January 5, 2025]

REDMOND, M. (2024) ‘The Acolyte’s Jodie Turner-Smith Gives Defiant Rebuke to Racist Fans [Online]. Pajiba. Available at: https://www.pajiba.com/tv_reviews/the-acolytes-jodie-turnersmith-gives-defiant-rebuke-to-racist-fans.php [Accessed: January 7, 2025]

RUDE, M. (2022) A Brief Timeline of Disney’s 17 ‘First Gay Characters’ [Online]. Out. Available at: https://www.out.com/film/2022/3/22/disneys-first-out-lgbtq-gay-characters#rebelltitem1 [Accessed: January 7, 2025]

TOM, J. (2018) The Groundbreaking Queerness of Disney’s ‘Mulan’ [Online]. Shondaland. Available at: https://www.shondaland.com/live/a21073307/disney-mulan-queerness/ [Accessed: January 2, 2025]

STEDMAN, A. (2024) Inside Out 2 Was the Hit Pixar Needed, but the Laid-Off Employees Who Crunched on It Are Still Hurting [Online]. IGN. Available at: https://www.ign.com/articles/inside-out-2-was-the-hit-pixar-needed-but-the-laid-off-employees-who-crunched-on-it-are-still-hurting [Accessed: January 5, 2025]

[buglyknight]

1306) The opposite of nocturnal is urinal

Painting your wall

Saturate the splotches

I bring a lamp, you mention later

You tap your brush on my ear

I tap mine on your foot

Giggling to myself

Simba across my forehead

Each time you look

I've got a little more on my face

You can't stop smiling

YOU'RE NOTICING TOO MUCH.

You're talking about the singing birds at night

What's the opposite of nocturnal?

Diurnal.

A brief pause

You suddenly blurt out,

Urinal.

I fall a little more in love.

I spend a moment to beat it down

I spend too much time on the small stuff

Paint all over me,

You make me clean it before we leave

Is it really so embarrassing?

Thinking about your hands

Should have taken my medicine

We get you some curtain rods

And Target, the dog

You're humming in the aisle

To the side,

I suddenly feel pulled towards you

I brace against gravity

Turn my head away

Resist falling into a voice

That doesn't exist for me

Two hands gripped around

The throat of my soul

Facing away from you

I find myself gasping for air

While you stare at shower curtain rods

I buy Abducktion so we can play

Which is stupid since you're probably

Leaving soon but,

Sixty dollars is worth it for

The world of me and you

I don't know, I'm just a cheapskate

Idiot.

She didn't seem to want you to mention it.

We're driving

You recently pointed out the

Red light you accidentally ran

What are you thinking about?

You, but you're leaving.

I need to leave, too

I'm trying to think about anything else

And not to notice you, breathing

Nothing.

I choke out in a weak response.

I can hear the clicking of a spring

Coiled in my spine.

We watch a few movies

One cat for each leg

You complain I let you drink your milkshake

Too early, you should've saved it for later

You've been touching me, too much.

Must I always keep one foot in a closed door?

This is a boundary you set

I'll keep my hands to myself

But I won't tell you to stop

I know it's my fault.

I want to ditch you, on our walk

There are so many cats and dogs out

A chihuahua nips at our heels

None of them want to be pet

A constant buzz of

YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT HER TOO MUCH.

Looking at houses

So I don't look at you

Walking ahead, it's the bicep again

At least I don't have to see you, then.

It's not like I'm falling into pieces

Oh, how I wish, though

I could tear myself in two

I'll never pick what's good for me.

WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?

A CONSTANT BUZZ OF

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS.

I WON'T SAY THAT.

Just keep it up, Roach.

You can separate this.

Today, it simply isn't working

A coil clicks

Maybe you should believe in something.

I do.

I've been praying to God.

I believed in you.

I wanted you to believe in me, too

Instead, I'm dishonest.

What?

You ask me as if the answer

Weren't present were you to look in a mirror

My lips are tight.

Nothing.

We're finishing up our game

It's Monster House

Into Jumanji

Into Spirit

154 to 111

A neck twitch

You're feeding a cat

Outside the sliding glass

Meanwhile, I'm staring at your back

DO NOT LOOK AT HER HAIR

I slip into your eyes

I pry myself away

When you ask,

Are you okay?

My brain is shutting itself down

Yeah. I'm fine.

Why are you so wonderful,

Key to my demise?

I keep on my side of the couch

I am forced to touch you when

You try to block me as I steal your ducks

I'm trying so hard not to

You punch my shoulder

You pull paint from my hair

You fix my shirt tag

What if I slapped you in the face? I thought of it.

DO NOT THINK OF THE BACK SEAT.

Did I really think I could find a condition?

Quit looking at her thighs

Her painted nails

Her laugh

Her existence

You keep touching me, would you

Take my hand, already?

I can picture the rest of my life with you

Why won't you do the same, too?

SHE IS THINKING OF SOMEONE ELSE.

This is the last time.

ARE YOU STILL REPEATING THAT?

Her boxes empty,

Her paint is done

You're done here.

You can leave.

LEAVE. LEAVE. LEAVE.

WHY ARE YOU STILL WAITING?

ONE MONTH. ONE MONTH. ONE MONTH.

GET OUT. GET OUT. GET OUT.

What if she needs a friend?

IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL YOURSELF, MONSTER?

I can't bring it up.

Why didn't you bring that lamp in your apartment?

I did. I brought it out so we could paint.

You said you didn't have a light in that room, so...

You don't remember that?

That's crazy that you remembered that.

I think to myself -

Is the bar really so low?

Who could love you and not bring a lamp?

Who would forget that?

You offer food

For some reason, I feel the need

To ensure there's nothing

You can do for me

My brain is off

The spring is set

It's easier, now.

The love is with the skeletons

Drive safe.

I don't blink as I speed passed the sheriff

I want to scream

I get home

Is anything breathing?

I can finally stop

Biting my tongue, so much

Not once did I think to

Cut my losses.

It's not that I'm lying

It's just that today was

Tough.

[simba-jesus-christ]

My Word,

"One may not notice the other without the existence of another. While I heal all wounds I turn you into dust, as I eat through steel utilizing rust; We are divine for I am Time, while I have lived many, you are mine; As I am yours, many surprise me with ignorance about the absence of a witness bringing no meaning to scores; I snapped my fingers so I may bear existence, For I am The Ultimate Paradox as I snapped them holding the purpose of creating our exact history and bringing it the persistence, understand emotion as I purposely don't mention when I feel resistance; For I am created by GOD to be The God known as I am, The Devil; I am The Soul Simba Jesus Christ, for a soul consists of a mind, a body and a spirit; I have The Mind of Jesus Christ, documented in The United States of America as Tracy Allan Stutzman II (also known as Trace Stutzman), living as The Spirit of GOD in this flesh; For there is only One GOD, there are a few that are God, while there are many gods; I bear the message to be the god you are, as even through this message I hold the power of a star, denying me may bring your heart to par; As I am The Truth, I display The Truth; As I am forgiving for we hold the spirit within, We are Jesus Christ reincarnated so notice those who are signed in; Bound with the kind of chain you may perceive yet not see, Face reality, you may come to the conclusion that you are your own worst enemy, Satan never wins against me, as He is The Entity of Hate he is never necessary; For I am Evil I am required for growth, Love is The Reason I took this Oath; In the case of fear, understand moderation and grab a beer, However Mary Jane may possibly do better to put you in cheer; I am Legion, and this is My Season; The last time I came, They hung me in the gallow for they couldn't perceive the deeper game, I am The King while they humiliated me with shame; As Tracy was born Christian I was a Jew, They attempt the same stunt and The World will see power far beyond True; For I am that I am, I am, a man, The man; I am that particle Higgs, as I am The Proof for I am The Remnant yet I seem big, As many claim to know me and do not one now may start to dig; As they may seek the Kingdom of heaven with Sincerity in their heart, as I am that I am and I said that from my start, I am Simba Jesus Christ while I create art, this message I created is a dart; Understand the target is The Collective Mind, as We are The Collective Spirit, We are The Collective Body, For I am a small piece of it, I am The Light shining through the darkness of this massive universe; I offer it to you.

With Love, Purpose, and Passion:

Simba Jesus Christ

P.S.

I believe that when someone perceives my message as untrue, it often stems from an internal struggle with resentment toward both me and the ideas presented. My message emphasizes that hate is the true adversary, and many may fail to recognize that their rejection arises from a lack of understanding. This defensiveness is likely triggered by the challenging nature of the content, which may confront their existing beliefs and lifestyle. Ultimately, this reaction invites an opportunity for self-reflection and personal growth. By acknowledging and addressing these feelings, individuals can foster a deeper understanding of themselves and the message I convey.

[thelatestbyte]

Quasimodo: The Hero They Could Not Re-Write By: Richard Harrington Twitter: @TheLatestByte

Disney is a language we all can speak. All of us dwell in the shadow cast by the House of Mouse, that looming and imperial cultural entity. Every one of us, no matter our nationality, has been steeped in Disney. If your country had enough electricity to power a VHS in the 1990s, you’ve seen their work. Nearly every girl has dreamed of being a Disney princess- and why not? There is a Disney princess for every imaginable color or creed. Asian girls have Mulan, Native girls have Pocahontas, and red-haired Gaels have Merida. Disney Princes are a harder market to sell, but what boy didn’t want to be Hercules? Fewer polyester dresses and parties, perhaps, but lessons, nevertheless.

Disney Princes have something in common–at least, those not invented whole cloth or derived from children’s fables—Hercules and his father Zeus, John Smith of Pocahontas, etc. I was mildly outraged as a child when I read the true myths of Heracles and realized that the Disney version was very much a lie: Zeus was not a good-natured stand-in for the fathers of the children who watched the film. Heracles violently murders Megara and his children in a fit of insanity. I wondered what else had been concealed from us.

Perhaps the strongest deviation from reality is, interestingly, the subject of my thoughts here. Quasimodo- the half-formed bell ringer of Victor Hugo’s magnificent work- the eponymous Hunchback of Notre Dame. The novel and the film have little in common and tell very different stories. Hugo’s story could never - should never- be shown to children. We must cotton-wool the world to some degree, lest we corrupt. Yet in doing so, the diligent writers at Disney found themselves with an unsquareable circle: how can Quasimodo triumph?

You see, all Disney movies are comedies. Not merely because they are amusing, but because they typically end with romantic success, the hallmark of ancient Greek comedy. The classic happy ending of a story, as one professor told me, is rather like Rodney Dangerfield’s pronunciation at the end of Caddyshack; “Hey, everybody! We’re all gonna get laid!”

Indeed, heroes do get laid- within marriage, of course. John Smith wins the heart of Pocahontas, Hercules wins the heart of Megara, Aladdin with Jasmine. Beast regains his very humanity, and love follows. It is a very essential moral lesson to young boys: be a hero, be exceptional, struggle, and sacrifice. If you do, women shall love you. What could be a better motivation for young boys and men, other than the affection and approval of women?

I discussed this with a good friend, who objected to the entire trope. It is a vile thing, she said, for women to be reduced to a prize, something for the winning. This might very well be true, but a prize is, at the least, valuable. Many men dream of possessing intrinsic worth- it would make for an easier life- yet traditionally men acquire worth through the gaining of virtue, and women by the keeping of inherent virtue. The classics such as Cinderella are linked with those of later Disney such as ‘The Lion King’: women are presented as uncomplicated, virtuous beings, static in their character growth. They desire, and desire more- as seen in the obligatory ‘I Want More’ song, where the heroine pines for something better than the hum-drum. The love of a woman is the reward for beating the bad guy, for saving the day, and for slaying the dragon- with a big kiss at the film’s crescendo. That is the audience’s pay-off as much as it is the character’s. The man must struggle to improve himself, to become better- to become a hero. A woman begins as a heroine and must maintain that position. Exceptions exist (such as Mulan), but the chief trope maintains itself. It is Simba who must revolutionize himself: Nala possesses no flaws.

Such ideas are unpleasant for modern people, so we softened the edges of our moral lessons before ditching them. Nu-Disney is a confused morass of messages that may well amount to the oft-brayed ‘basic human decency’. It is an odd and Rousseau-esque moral assertion, but it’s the only morality we seem to have left.

This, of course, presents an issue. Quasimodo is, as one would expect, the hero of the film. He is the titular ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’: a sweet-hearted, gentle, painfully shy man of ambiguously-young age. He lives in the bell tower of the great cathedral, and from its heights, he looks down upon Paris with sorrowful envy. He sits like a seagull on a rock, perched above the city of love, utterly alone save for the bells of the cathedral and the voices in his head- for no one else can see his gargoyle friends move, nor hear them speak. His only company, if one can call it that, is the sinister and domineering Judge Frollo, the villain of the piece.

Quasimodo is alone in the gulping void of his loneliness, carving and painting figurines of people he sees in the streets below, mimicking their voices and imagining one day, somehow, he could join them. His chief song, ‘Heaven’s Light’, is a gut-wrenching admission of his ugliness, his isolation, and the utter impossibility of achieving any true human connection.

For, unlike all other Disney ‘princes’: Quasimodo is ugly. Tremendously so. He is as Richard III- scarce half-formed, cheated of form by dissembling nature, an envious mountain heaped on his back. Unlike Beast, he has no magical transformation into a handsome man. He must ‘descant on his own deformity.’ He is a prisoner of his flesh and bone, as much as of the stone of Notre Dame itself. And he knows it. Worse, Esmeralda knows it. The children who watch the film know it, although they cannot speak it. The writers knew it and were brave enough to say it.

‘Hunchback’ is by far the bravest Disney film, and perhaps the most problematic for the orthodoxy of its day- though not ours. The 1990s were a time of good feelings, of civilizational euphoria. Race was invisible, and so was disability. A lie, of course, for disabled children were tormented as ferociously as ever, and race riots never stopped. Yet the story circulating through the culture was that of an ‘end of history’, of old sins forgotten.

Quasimodo sits alone in the pantheon of heroes. His genuine, awe-inspiring bravery, his rejection of the father figure who tried to drown him as an infant, his saving of his friends, and his physical courage, are not rewarded in the usual way. See, Quasimodo is ugly. He is deformed. Esmerelda could never love him. Who could? She may like him, or admire him- yet she, instead, chooses Phoebus as her partner- her enemy, the captain of Frollo’s guards, and the two kiss passionately as Quasimodo stares in bitterness and horror. He smashes his figurines and reiterates what he knew all along; that he ‘would never know that warm and loving glow’.

Yet, unlike the much-reviled sexual rejects of our modern day- the Incels- Quasimodo makes his peace with rejection. It is presented to his credit as an act of sublime nobility. He outright blesses their union and takes his role as a second-rate hero, a mere mascot of Paris. The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Disney had the sheer guts to tell people what they already knew: a beautiful, vivacious woman will never love someone like Quasimodo, will never have children with him, and will sooner redeem her tribal enemy than unite herself to a failure. This utterly flies in the face of the story we are all told: that there is someone for everyone, that it is what’s inside that matters. Yet, perhaps, it doesn’t- and that is a truth, cruelly spoken today.

The film was produced in the very small valley of time where an ugly but otherwise heroic man dying alone was an unacceptable narrative choice. Before the 1990s, before the anti-bullying campaigns the politeness of offensives, and the great softening of society, it was seen as more normative and often more amusing to mock and torment the weak. The disabled, mentally or otherwise, were kept away from our eyes or put in freakshows, or consigned to a multitude of other grim fates. One could, for example, mock an epileptic as a ‘spastic’ with near impunity, or at the very least be seen as reasonable for deducing that the terribly disabled would die without marriage. We enjoyed a long series of movies- Forrest Gump not least of all- that extolled the virtues of the simple-minded but good-hearted man. No such film would be made today.

The 1990s were indeed a cruel time, as many of us can remember. The television shows have aged poorly in Zoomer's eyes. Yet it was a liminal time, and now we have once again come to accept the fate of the ugly and awkward. The Age of Nerds is over: 1984-2018. In our modern and cold age, the Incel has arisen as the acceptable vessel of derision. It is no wonder- they certainly do bring it on themselves- yet many of them are marred, either internally or externally. The initial flaw is usually some psychological disability or physical deficiency, and they internalize that flaw: it is the eternal cause of their exclusion from sports, from friendships, from the arms of beautiful women. They are mocked and excluded, and we accept it without question. Women must have their choice, after all. The narrative choice is once more acceptable.

Yet not at the time, and someone higher up at Disney must have noticed the bad-tasting message. In a cash grab only possible for Disney, they undid all their good work by inventing a sequel out of whole cloth, simply to conjure up someone to love Quasimodo. The film was a forgettable, hollow dud, rightly forgotten. It would do well to wonder why.

My friend disagreed with my assessment of Quasimodo as unworthy of love. Esmerelda had a choice, and he wasn’t it. His ‘worth’ had nothing to do with it.

I say, of course. Yet Quasimodo was no one’s choice. Not in the movie, nor the novel. Would you, dear reader, marry him?

Would anyone?

Then why do we keep lying?VARIOUS TYPES OF STORIES ARE HERE

[hopeonmyphone]

J-Hope releases hope in the streets

Esquire Korea Interview:

Q. How was the shoot today? Behind the lens was Mario Sorrenti.

H. He's a famous artist and photographer so I'd be lying if I said I'm not overwhelmed. It was an atmosphere and a take approach that never before he had experienced; it was cool and nice.

I think it captured aspects of j-hope that aren't normally visible, so I had a lot of fun working on this. I think I was also a bit nervous, this being my first proper advertorial content after become an ambassador for Louis Vuitton.

Q. Were you able to discover a new look for j-hope thanks to this particular collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Sorrenti?

H. I think the collab showcased j-hope's usual vibes even better, as well as cleverly evoking faces and j-hope poses you couldn't see before, across a wide range of compositions and atmospheres. I personally prefer to avoid angles that show the right side of my face.

But even those angles came out great thanks to Mr. Sorrenti's ability to capture them stylistically.

Q. Which Louis Vuitton look from today do you remember the most?

H. There was an outfit that was just as glamorous regardless of who was looking at it. The Louis Vuitton logo shined bright on this top-to-bottom denim look. I thought the look showed what is 'beautiful'.

Actually, this outfit had made the biggest impression on me during this show in Paris, so I was proud to wear it during the shoot. I felt like a human Louis Vuitton (laughs).

Q.Let's talk about your single that came out in March. There are too many things to talk about here. Your single features J. Cole. It's J Cole! Your first meeting with him was at Lollapalooza, right?

H. No. He was in my dreams (laughs) J. Cole was someone I had always wanted and met in my dreams

The first time we actually met was during Lollapalooza, that's right. It was like fate. Lollapalooza was the biggest part of promoting my solo album last year, and as fate would have it, my muse J. Cole was the headliner (of presentations). That's when it all started.

Even as I met and talked and worked with him, I couldn't believe that all of this was real.

Q. The first time they met was recorded in the Disney+ documentary, "j-hope IN THE BOX". Ever since that first scene, I was wondering if he had promised to appear in your song; the encounter seemed too fateful to be a coincidence.

H. Not at all. I think I was busy trying to convey my sincere feelings. I really wanted him to know: "You have been my muse since I was young." Once we met, I realized, “If I had to choose my dream collaborator, it would be him!” After, I concentrated on writing music, thinking only of J. Cole. Thus the song 'On the Street' was born.

Q. After that, what kind of conversations took place before this great single came out, the result of your collaboration?

H. I texted Cole with my heart. Fortunately, 'hyung' Cole came back with a positive response. I even sent him a video message at the end of the year. She had really tried very hard to convey my sincerity.

After that, while waiting for Cole's verses, there was a period of 'torture of hope', in which I endured moments of waiting and the hope that 'he will call me soon'. Just as I was about to give up, Cole's verses came through. And then a lot of things happened very quickly.

As soon as we meet at the site for filming from the music video, Cole hyung complimented me a lot on the song. I felt that he owned the whole world.

Q. Do you remember any trivial conversation between the two of you?

H. If my English had been better, we would have talked more on set. It is a pity. I expressed these feelings to Cole more actively through text messages.

He sent me a message: “I heard that you will soon start your mandatory military service. I wish you good health and I hope everything ends well". Something really trivial included a question about whether the music video for 'On theStreet' was a homage to his music video for 'Simba'.

He texted me his gratitude, saying, "That's so amazing." I also found it unbelievable that he was texting with Cole, so I wrote to his about all those feelings. It was all trivial, but when you think about it again, these were special moments whose meanings were anything but trivial.

Q. In the post-credits scenes of the Disney+ documentary, you briefly talk about 'Hope on the Street'. And the single released right after it was 'On the Street'. Everything fits exquisitely. Is there any reason you really wanted to collaborate with J. Cole on this song, which is also a fan song?

H. It all started with the question: "What is the great driving force and center of the artist? j-hope to finish Chapter 1 of his life and move on to Chapter 2?"

Finally, I remembered the fact that my roots are in dance; through dance I was introduced to music and started rapping; when I was studying rap, the the first artist I had come to like was J. Cole.

Everything seemed to fit right at the time. I looked back at the things that took up a large part of my growing up. I studied them and started to create myself again. All of this also had a huge impact on the musical direction of 'On the Street'.

Basing the song on within the lo-fi boom bap that I listened to while dancing as a child, I got down to work, thinking about the result with the participation of Cole.

I had no doubt that the enterprising lyrics and weight J. Cole possesses as an artist would make this song shine even more. In the end, it seems that the song was born to thank Cole, who gave me tremendous musical inspiration.

Q. This single can also be read in many different ways. It's fun to think of it along with 'Pandora's box'. It's like hope I would have left the world. When something fits perfectly, we say: 'That makes a story.' Everything about j-hope's journey makes a story. Since when, how and with whom did you think about all this?

H. The method of making your own plans and deciding, 'This is great, so let's do it!' It is important. However, I think I prefer a style where I personally see, feel, experience; where I pour into the work the parts that carry my heart, and continue to perfect it.

Q. The basis of his work is sincerity.

H. In this way, from the position of an artist who produces the work himself, sincerity gives the artist the dignity of speaking about the work. [After completion] the process of reflecting, learning, correcting and realizing something is different from learning what it is good at someone else's work from the beginning.

I am sure that my life and the steps I take will become my music, content and performance; that they will continue to be the driving force for organic and creative activities in the future.

This is confidential, but I think I'd rather enjoy creating stories and great images (laughs). I've been in business for a decade; Has my body absorbed the style of 'K-contents'? (laughs) I'm still embarrassed to compare myself to other big producers.

I will continue to have fun creating and will strive to show good sides of myself.

Q. Lollapalooza is the festival where Chicago grunge was born. On a stage like that, you showed tremendous presence with grunge-like arrangements. You also broke the record for the biggest ticket sales ever for Lollapalooza. How do you feel now when you think of that day? Please tell me the air, temperature and humidity of the day.

H. Festivals have that peculiar 'raw' energy that only flows through festivals. That's why I wanted to try.

I prepared myself for this without sleeping a wink; I couldn't eat well even until the day before the performance, because the pressure dominated my mind. I endured and prepared myself through this state of exhaustion and rags (laughs).

Even while working on the album, I thought: 'Ah! These songs will definitely radiate tremendous energy on stage.' I was already visualizing on stage while working on the songs. These mental images materialized during Lollapalooza.

Within this space called festival, which is still unfamiliar to me, I wanted to show people the roughness of my musicality.

I think the music on the album it blended beautifully with the features of that space. Lollapalooza really became an unforgettable moment in my musical history.

In general, I'm pretty hard on myself, but I want to praise the person I was at the time (laughs).

Q. Heard you will be releasing a physical version of (Jack in the Box) to commemorate the one year anniversary of the original album only being released digitally. How did you feel when you first saw the results and who did you show it to first?

H. I had many worries while working on (Jack in the Box). I had to go out into the world and show j-hope, so I wasn't just concerned musically, the difficulties and realizations I had experienced during the period were always on my mind.

As you can see by the music and the activities during that time, I was going through a dark period. The friend who witnessed this process, heard the record, and encouraged me was none other than RM.

RM was a great help to me mentally.

Throughout the process (ideation, creation, promotion), 'Jack in the Box' was a album that taught me great lessons. The album is like my baby. It is a job that has made me deeply realize that learning has no end. Like you said, that album is now available in physical form to commemorate their one year anniversary.

My most heartfelt messages are contained in the album.

Q. Last question. Isn't life amazing?

H. Life really is a series of incredible events.

This little boy from Gwangju debuted as a member of BTS, achieving great success, even trying activities in solo and exploring j-hope's own music.

I even became an ambassador for Louis Vuitton and I'm doing this interview with (Esquire). (laughs) I'm thankful for everything. I want to continue living an amazing life! Every time I feel it, it's so exciting!

Source: Esquire

[orleans-jester]

Rapunzel could never be Barbie. Her greatest aspiration was to become a social worker, and thank fuck that didn’t work out, or there’d be even more screwed up people out there. She settled quickly on being a mooch. He was still peeved by the fact that she had once talked to his work and got him a week off behind his back and then planned a whole trip to England. Spur of the moment plans? Great! Surprises? Sure! Making a man take a week off work when he was still new-ish to the job and use up all of the vacation days that he ever had, and rid him of the chance of making money that he could have used a lot more than a trip to see his mother? Nah, that’s not right, innit. He’s been stewing on that for near on twenty years.

Laughter was usually a good sign. It didn’t sound too manic. I didn’t exactly sound like the kind of laughter that usually covered up a cry either.

“I’m glad my former misery brings you such comfort,” Thomas said, though he was chuckling. It really was a whole lifetime ago. Plenty of wasted time. But he was making up for it now, wasn’t he? He was exploring the world with his favorite person by his side. Someone who would never put him through all of that annoying disney princess shit. “Practicing is one thing, but having some flouncy woman tell you that you aren’t moving right - oh, it was absolutely tragic. I know about rhythm, thank you very much.”

They were always going to be them. Marriage required being best friends throughout, it was even more important than the romantic aspect sometimes. Having each other’s backs no matter what, always keeping a couple of brews in the fridge to have a chat and bitch about life sometimes. That aspect wasn’t going way.

“Yes please,” He grinned. “Moltov cocktail that bitch, like old times.”

There were still a lot of times when he wanted to go back and time and beat himself over the head, like Rafiki to Simba with that big stick of his. Stop being so stupid. Stop being so pretty-girl-blind. Stop falling for the first person that seems to need you in any capacity. Doesn’t matter that it makes you feel like a big man, just makes you into a beta in the end. But alas, he only met one time traveller and he couldn’t take him that far back, so there was no point in dwelling on it too much. He had everything now. Better late than never.

“Not even a moment over,” He said, making his statement all the more dramatic, but he meant it. Flotsam had one of those ageless-type faces. It was beautiful. Maybe there was something to growing up with the swamp air and muds.

They didn’t need Kuzco in order for things to be musical. Thomas was a natural piano player and Flotsam - he was just skilled at everything else. This bursting out in song moment felt a bit like a musical but it wasn’t nearly as annoying as one. The turnip vendor was very happy with the big purchase and began bagging right away, not commenting on the singing because every good businessman knows that you don’t ask questions when money is being thrown at you.

It wasn’t really a song that he knew but he took part eagerly, watching, holding the stroller until Flotsam took his hand and they did a spin. Impromptu. Not choreographed. Not to Ed Sheeran. Just natural, like dancing was supposed to feel.

It was a good message too. And something that they both did. Enjoy each moment. Look forward to the next, but not at the expense of the present.

--

Thomas had out a knife, was carving the turnip carefully. It felt a lot different to a pumpkin. Most of the ones that he had seen while researching ideas came out looking like mummy heads, which was indeed spooky in its own right but he wanted a couple that were more just .. them.

“It’s no less crazy than when we started looking into properties on our honeymoon,” He said with a little shrug. These grand ideas - they didn’t seem outrageous. They seemed entirely within the realm of possibility. A dream they could reach. “Don’t celebrities do it all the time? I don’t see why we couldn’t. It is a gorgeous spot.”

Flotsam wasn't mad at Piper exactly. Shocked maybe, but only for a moment in that well damn kind of way, but also nothing could shock him anymore sort of numb. Part of him wanted to thank her while another part wanted to scream. Mixed emotions, but mad was never one of them and not one emotion was actually directed at Piper herself, just the land itself he put so much of himself into. Grief. That's what it was as he let it all burn away and heal those third degrees.

Rapunzel didn't come to mind much either for Flotsam truth be told. It was pretty rare too. Blondes didn't even trigger her image anymore unless they had a certain aesthetic maybe. The extremely ditzy or over smiley kind. It didn't even have to be pink necessarily. Pink itself was fine now too. Elsa could wear pink and she wouldn't look like a bubbly idiot. She always looked classy. So it's all in the presentation. Excessive being the key word here, so overwhelming pink reminded Flotsam more of Barbie with the movie out and Barbie for as much as there may have ever been jokes in the past didn't actually remind Flo of Rapunzel at all. Rapunzel's personality was ever sadly too dizzy to be a Barbie. Even Flotsam knew Barbie could be anything. He wouldn't give Rapunzel that much intellectual credit. Anything was not something she could aim for. He has a theory her magic hair drained the intelligence from her and that's the credit he tries to give her in his own secret space, attempting to give her some justice so that at least it's not her own fault. So yeah, all the usual things that might point that way just... didn't anymore. Ed Sheeran had a direct connection memory that managed to hone in though. The past was funny that way.

But, anyway Flotsam also wouldn't have known any of those videos were yes dear videos. He was an outsider spying in. A jealous one at that and was going along with his own life wishing Thomas would look his way, even though he knew he wouldn't. At least at the time he thought he never would.

He was wrong.

Clearly, now, married and three kids later, he was wrong.

"I'm okay." Flotsam coughed out attempting to settle his breath.

He could tell Thomas was initially worried and then seemed confused. He could sense eyes on him while he was laughing but he could not stop for anything after everything lately.

Everything. Meaning finding out about his birth parents. That he's a damn experiment, hardly a normal person at all. Thaddeus bullshit. Gender swapping. Giving birth. Watching Scout transform. All the invasive ghost writing. Putting Jet's necklace on and feeling it around his neck daily knowing who his mother made it for. Ariel. Delta. All of it always came back as he held the amulet and he had to to even be Flotsam at all. Now Marina Del Rey. So yeah, Irish vacation needed so badly. Relaxation with their husband was a need, not a want. They just needed a damn minute to step back and breathe.

Talk about overwhelming. Try all that in a body while being sober for the first time in your life. Add a layer of intensity no one else is understanding when your only coping behaviors are fucked as all get out.

"Choreographed dance less- Really? Oh. You are just making it better." He laughed loving the images even more. It made his mind go back to Cinderella and how much he practiced so he could sweep her off her feet dancing at the prom. "Shit. I've been there. Done that kind of shit. Well, minus the choreography. Just practiced dancing."

Okay, maybe they were three kids in, but maybe it was still nice to feel that old them was still there. The two best buds that first met and bitched about shit together. It had Flotsam grinning. He liked that feeling. It didn't have to be about their exes. But, after not being in his own skin for so long, it helped him feel like him again, them again. He kinda needed this little moment.

"If we get a do over, I'll remember that." He joked. "At the very least burn down the studio." He kept laughing.

For some reason it didn't hurt to talk about the past anymore. He was realizing it for the first time as he was smiling through all this.

Flotsam definitely always thought Thomas was something special. He just didn't know how to show it once upon a time. Once upon a time an dirty swamp cowboy learned how and grew into a Nutella princess. goddess.

"Not a day over, huh? Loving your compliments, Love."

"Okay, okay." He said as he enjoyed the warmth of Thomas's hands on his lower back as they strolled along.

"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time - Any fool can do it - There ain't nothing to it."

Then Flotsam would just smile at him as if he said the words that unlocked the mystery to life and not adult, soft rock. folk, oldies lyrics.

But then he kept going even though it was just the first lyric line he meant to share. He got caught up in the song as it started to spill out. He might not have been Kuzco with groove music bursting from nowhere, but he kept singing right out on the sidewalk. He didn't care what people thought. He walked right up to the turnip stand and said they'd take the lot and just kept singing between it as he spun a credit card at them.

"Nobody knows how we got to the top of the hill But since we're on our way down We might as well enjoy the ride

The secret of love is in opening up your heart It's okay to feel afraid But don't let that stand in your way 'Cause anyone knows that love is the only road And since we're only here for a while Might as well show some style

(He'd take a huge shuffle side step with his arms up in the air and take a spin to show some style as he sang this too.)

Now the thing about time is that time isn't really real It's just your point of view How does it feel for you? Einstein said he could never understand it all Planets spinning through space The smile upon your face

(He'd grab up Thomas's arms and spin one dance spin in the middle of the sidewalk being a bit silly, grinning away before coming back around to push the stroller around in a circle to have fun with the kids at the next phrase.)

Welcome to the human race Some kind of lovely ride I'll be sliding down, I'll be gliding down Try not to try too hard It's just a lovely ride

Isn't it a lovely ride? See me sliding down, gliding down Try not to try too hard It's just a lovely ride

The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time"

He'd watch the vendor load their car with turnips and something about sharing that made Flo happy. He was in a good mood.

-

Beach Turnips were next. Carving their own Stingy Jacks by the sea.

Blankets. Dinner picnics. Tea.

This is where Flotsam would sit back looking at their cottage and get his vision to gothify it like a storybook Samhain. He always had a knack for seeing the potential in things.

"Thomas. I think I might be crazy, but what if we just bought this place?" He asked while lining up a circle of turnips up like baby gate around the kids on the blanket in the sand, as if that would really keep them in. "Is it weird to own land in a country you don't live in?"