#but most especially Olaf

[kaelmcdonald]

Imagine reading a line as stone-cold as "I find myself possessed by the will of a Holy Angel gone rogue with the belief that God has made a mistake, and I alone must correct it" and letting the brainworms win to dare imply Teaboot hasn't given more critical thought to Shitlick McSnowdumpstercapitalism's existence than they ever wanted to or should have suffered

God I fucking hate Olaf the snowman so fucking much holy shit. Holy shit, every frame he's in, every scene, every gif, every jpeg, he's got this painfully vacant, stupid as shit, fuckass look on his stupid lumpy face. Absolutely no part of his ugly as sin piece of shit character design is endearing. His stupid fucking legs? Who the hell makes a snowman with legs. His dumb flaily fucking twig arms? His shitty, lumpy bastard head? The three thousand percent unnecessary dumbass shitass fucking SNOW BUCK TOOTH that no snowman has EVER FUCKING HAD IN tHE HISTORY OF GOD'S GREEN FUCKING EARTH? God, I hate him. I hate him so much. So FUCKING much. Every time I see a stuffed toy Olaf or an Olaf gif or a shitty goddamn commercial, it ignites my primal rage response and I'm overcome by the need to punt this shitty little homunculus into the fucking sun. "Bhurr blur, I'm Olaf the fuckshit snow fucker, I like warm hugs". Fuck you. Fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck you. You look like Tow Mater summoned a patronus. Your dumb fucking twig hair makes your whole shitty head look like a hairy skin tag. I hate your dumb fucking lumpy carrot nose and your stupid, empty googly eyes and your over-the-top goofy ass upbeat asshole personality. Any scene he's sad it invokes all the wrath and fury of a spoiled child having a meltdown over a chocolate bar in a w*lmart checkout line. And I know its irrational. That's the worst part. I know he's just a shitty fucking side character in a stupid fucking children's movie, I know it doesn't matter, I know I shouldn't care. But that's part of the problem. The part where no matter the might and fury of my hatred, the locus of my homicidal intent is alltogether inconsequential. I find myself laying awake in the dark in the early hours of the morning consumed by the spirit of Wrath itself, all the force and might of a flaming hurricane directed at a bottle of piss in a ditch by the highway. The absurdity of it all burns me to my core. What better things could this energy be directed towards? And yet my disdain for this stupid, useless, insubstantial failure of endearing character design utterly eclipses the intrigue of all other pursuits. I hate him. I hate him on a level of my mind reserved for the worst of the world's array of sinners, and I can't even begin to justify it. Shitstick the snow dick is, for all intents and purposes, the animated corpse of all of humanity's saccharine pretenses- every condescending, passive-aggressive statement of meaningless upper middle class suburban drama distilled into a single, hateable form. The fucking. Fuck. I have no words. There is no cuss or epithet in any language that can encapsulate the height of the emotions I am experiencing. God, I hate him so much. I hate him so, so fucking much. I want to light his ugly little dumpster body on fire. I want to graphically beat him to death with his own stupid fucking nose. I want to punch him to death. You know that weird feeling you get, when you see a picture of something so cute you find yourself overcome with the bizarre, inexplicable urge to squeeze it? It's EXACTLY like that, except instead of cuteness it's disgust. The wordless knowledge that his existence as a fictional work is evidence of all the failures of mankind. I find myself possessed by the will of a Holy Angel gone rogue with the belief that God has made a mistake, and I alone must correct it. This is the trial by which Samael himself fell from grace. This wild, meaningless rage. A thousand blades of shining steel cast with inhuman force in the direction of a plastic grocery bag floating on a breeze. What horrors must I have committed in a past life to be plagued by this torment now? I must Unmake this fictional snowman

[ohnoitstbskyen]

do you ship any league characters together? to you have any favourite ships/otps?

also are there any rarepairs you like or do you mostly vibe with the popular ships

I maintain that Lillia/Yone is actually kind of great, Kai'sa/Taliyah is a compelling dynamic especially for hurt/comfort vibes and healing, and... look, I just think Olaf/Soraka is a compelling dynamic if you assume Olaf has an actual personality and isn't just a "RAARR VIKING BERSERKER BLARGH" 2010s internet comedy trope.

Olaf's whole thing is he's obsessed with this very specific Destiny™ that he imagines for himself, and the world keeps dangling it just out of his reach. Odeipus-like, everything he does to reach the fate he desires pushes him further onto a path he hates and fears: survival.

And Soraka is the Star-child, seer and guide of mortal fates, the gentle hand who nudges a thread into the weave of fate when it's gone astray, or who quietly crosses it into a different weave when the fates are too cruel. Olaf badly needs someone to help him come to terms with his fate, or perhaps change it. And of course there's a natural dynamic in that Soraka's power is to heal with a gentle touch and Olaf's whole thing is charging headlong into as much pain and suffering as he can possibly find, in the hopes that some of it will finally kill him.

Soraka's healing is the single most fearful and terrifying weapon Olaf can imagine, a kind of cosmic horror almost, the very embodiment of the forces that keep denying him the glorious suicide he seeks. She has the power to force him to survive. Which, y'know, beyond the poetic resonance, there's a powerful kinky dom/sub dynamic there too, if you're of a mind to go look for it.

I think healdomming is already a thing in MMO RP spaces, actually? It's basically that, but with a sub who is actively, desperately, trying to die.

[elliesglock]

one of the beauties in my comment section wanted a tl of azzi's draft tik toks in my personal opinion so here yall go:

madison reed bathroom tt (most obvious)

• summertime obviously when they were doing their campaign

bedroom dance tik tok

• i believe summer time because p's roots are not super grown out and also the way the room is set up. most likely during summer workouts. i can also see it being before/after the notre dame game. azzi's hair is similar

p white boy dance (if you can call it that)

• summertime going 3/3. it looks the the bueckers cabin where pazzi went to have a little vacation at this summer.

word pronunciation filter

• the night before louisville game. azzi was wearing her bueckers shirt and we all know they were showing eachother off this game. you can be the judge whether it's before the game or after. but my thought on that is that i doubt they were laid up in bed after the game especially considering azzi's injury that game

shrek filter

• same night as the bedroom tik tok

animal letter video

• i can go both ways on this. they both look a little younger to me and the hotel gives like sophomore and freshman pazzi?? but also i could see like last year kinda. i don't think it's recent. idk yall can debate me about this one. the supreme beanie however i think p's had for a little bit.

azzi olaf onesie tik tok:

•p's headband? def sophomore paige. they posted another video with that olaf onesie in that same dorm and i believe it was in 2022.

bonus

the tik tok with aaliyah and aubrey and all them. sza concert where paige gave azzi her jacket cause she was cold i believe 👀 also a wearing p's clothes and vest

[alexanderwales]

The Index

This is an index of things I've written and posted online, with minimal descriptions because most of them have blurbs if you click the link. This list is not exhaustive, especially because there are a bunch of short stories and dribbles in various places. If something you liked is missing, let me know.

Web Serials

Worth the Candle - Juniper Smith is a teenaged Dungeon Master who ends up in a world filled with all the things he dreamt up for his campaigns, along with signs of his friend who died months earlier. This Used to be About Dungeons - Five teenagers live in a house together, bake bread, tend the garden, and occasionally fight monsters in dungeons. Thresholder - Thresholders travel from world to world, fantasy one minute and scifi the next, always encountering an opponent, growing stronger as they battle. Shadows of the Limelight - Fame gives you superpowers, and Dominic just saved the world's greatest hero from defeat in full view of a large audience. Glimwarden (unfinished) - A small town huddles around lanterns that keep the darklings at bay. Four teenagers must grow in power as the darkness encroaches. The Dark Wizard of Donkerk (unedited) - Two men steal a baby from an orphanage, then find out he's too cute to sacrifice and raise him as their own.

Fanfic

The Metropolitan Man (Superman) - Lex Luthor attempts to unravel the secrets of the alien. A Common Sense Guide to Doing the Most Good (Superman) - Superman gets really into effective altruism. Instruments of Destruction (Star Wars) - A fable of project management aboard the second Death Star, through the eyes of Admiral Tian Jerjerrod. Branches on the Tree of Time (Terminator) - Sarah Connor is working as a software engineer at UCLA when a naked man shows up on her doorstep. A Bluer Shade of White (Frozen) - Elsa can make life, and Olaf is smarter than he looks.

Shorts

Eager Readers in Your Area - Artificial intelligence has left authors scrambling for readers. Charlotte clicks on an ad. Variations - An orc visits an art exhibition where she feels out of place. Contratto - Julia takes a job as a marketer, working for the vampires to keep their secrets safe. The Randi Prize - James Randi offers a prize for anyone who can demonstrate supernatural abilities. Coming Home - After a long time isekaied to a fantasy kingdom, an errant father has coffee with his estranged son.

I also post short stuff to this very tumblr, which can usually be found under the #microfiction tag unless I forget. Usually this is mirrored on AO3, unless I'm lazy.

Web Comics

Millennial Scarlet - Lamont Pearce is a gig economy demon hunter whose mother ran a government agency meant to defend against Hell. Worth the Candle - A webcomic adaptation of the web serial

Non-Fiction

The AI Art Apocalypse - Slightly outdated thoughts from 2022. Why to Write a Sex Scene - Observations on the narrative purpose of carnal pursuits. Game Review: Underhill - This review contains no screenshots, because this game does not exist. Writing: An FAQ - Accumulated wisdom from 4 million words and counting. Creating Interesting Magic - A much-requested post on making interesting magic systems (and characters, and plots, and worlds). How to Write a Web Serial - It's both easier and harder than you think. The Trouble with Writing Nazis - On giving villains too much credit. Interesting Things to do with Time Loops - Exploring the boundaries of the conceit.

[frozen-snowflakesandsunflowers]

D23: Frozen content breakdown | Breakdown/ Analysis

What a day it was yesterday! So much content we were flooded with and especially for us with the Frozen 3 and 4 update! I'm sure you all know the latest deets but I would like it to break it all down and guess what it could all mean. So be prepared to read a lot! ❄️

[long post alert]

Frozen III logo

A couple of hours before the Frozen panel had begun, we were given a first look of the logo for Frozen 3:

It features the four elements symbols and two snowflakes too for Elsa and Anna as the fifth spirit. The III had a purple - pink gradient to it and the background had a spring scenery south blossom/ sakura trees and mountains far behind. Some of us predicted before that Frozen 3 would be set in Spring given Frozen being in winter/ summer and Frozen 3 in Autumn.

However, some people didn't believe this logo was real. But after the panel, Josh Gad put it on his stories and as a post on Instagram, the announcements and reveals made at the panel.

This must mean that it's real. But a more accurate, rendered logo was also revealed at the Panel and that Gad had also shared in his post.

So my conclusion is that the first one is a working title, a concept of what it would be like when it's promoted. The second one is a mix of the first Frozen logo and the second movie's logo combined being more 3D but still with a frozen effect. This logo is the official used rendered one whilst the first one is just a concept based on the implied spring theme of the movie. Both are real.

Frozen questions left unanswered

When the Panel began we were given a flood of questions on the board that were the questions the fans had after Frozen 2, aka the questions that were left unanswered. Here they are:

Who gave Elsa her powers?

Why doesn't Anna have powers?

Was there a fifth spirit before?

What kind of Queen will Anna be?

Will Kristoff be a King?

Do they [Anna & Kristoff] want kids?

Where are Kristoff's parents?

How did Kristoff meet Sven?

How can Sven be so old and still so virile?

Why is Olaf alive?

What about Marshmallow and the snowgies?

Is it “Hoo Hoo” or “You Hoo”?

What are Elsa's powers still growing?

Why are their castle ruins throughout Ahotohallan?

Where do the nature spirits come from?

Do we still need to beware of the Frozen Heart?

Who is the Frozen Heart?

What happened to Hans?

These questions will most likely be answered in Frozen 3 and 4, as they are confirmed to be a two part film. These are actually really good and interesting questions we have that we do need to have answered. I actually want to try and analyse (and answer them for fun!) them because some people might feel some have already answered so why the need to answer them again?

Who gave Elsa her powers?

We already know that Ahotohallan is where her powers come from. That's the source along with the other four spirits. But they probably felt like they didn't make it clear enough. Some people before Frozen 2 had theorized that there was a Snow Queen who gave Iduna something that caused Elsa to have powers. Maybe there's more to Ahotohallan than we know.

Why doesn't Anna have powers?

This isn't addressed in the movie other than the fact that Elsa and Anna are both the fifth spirit and the bridge which has two sides. But why doesn't Anna, I believe that's because the fifth spirit's role is to create balance between the powerful and the powerless (in a literal magical form). The fifth spirit was never just one being I don't think. It was always two to have one with powers and one without and have the two form a deep unbreakable bond so that humans and magical entities would look at them and see that though different, they can get along and have peace amongst each other, and live in harmony. If both were magical it would defeat the objective of creating peace between the two different types of beings

Was there a fifth spirit before?

I think yes because in the Myth VR on Disney plus, it was revealed that there was a fifth spirit before Elsa and Anna but after it created harmony with the other spirits and humans, it disappeared creating disharmony in the forest and caused the spirits to rage. Then the other four spirits managed to calm down until they were raged again by King Runeard's war between Arendelle and Northuldra. Even if this isn't canon I still believe there was one. I think it's important to know because it could be important with the journey Elsa and Anna next go on.

What kind of Queen will Anna be?

Her own kind of Queen. She will continue to bring peace and joy to Arendelle while also supporting the Northuldra tribe as her statues unveiling had suggested. She won't try to be Elsa. She's not Elsa. She's Anna. She may be the fifth spirit But whether or not she realises that she'll help maintain peace between magic and humans will Elsa's support too.

Will Kristoff be a King?

If Anna does abdicate from the throne then yes. To be exact he would be a king Consort. At the end of Frozen 2 we saw Anna greet the public as Queen and unveil the statue of her parents and kids. That wasn't the coronation which is confirmed and this confirms it too as it asks will he be king? and not is he king? I loved Elsa as Queen but she probably felt that she couldn't take care of Arendelle as she had to restore and look after Northuldra/ the enchanted forest and felt Anna deserved it after she had scared her and Arendelle twice without a doubt.

Do they [Anna & Kristoff] want kids?

That's a question that none of us thought of? Do they want kids? I think they do but will find it hard to do if there's threats and danger around. Anna definitely would be a lovely mother and Kristoff and lovable dad. But I don't think we'll see them have kids so soon, at least not in the beginning of the movie, like we won't immediately be introduced to them I don't think.

Where are Kristoff's parents?

A question we've been asking since the first movie. All we know is that he grew up as an ice harvester. He seems to have grown up independently with Sven. I can't even guess the answer because I'll probably be wrong anyway.

How did Kristoff meet Sven?

Another question regarding Kristoff's backstory we've been longing to see. It's nice to see they're including Kristoff's backstory now. The first two movies were about the sisters backstory and development arcs (and 3 and 4 continue that) but now we can finally learn about Kristoff!

How can Sven be so old and still so virile?

No clue! I never noticed that actually. I never thought of why. I don't know much about reindeer so I didn't know that Sven was so old yet so virile. Perhaps when he was young he was injured and the trolls may have healed him giving him a longer youthful life. I'm certain the trolls have a role in this if it's magic related.

Why is Olaf alive?

Why not how!! Another really interesting question that I can answer. We all know how he is alive because we saw Elsa bring him back to life but why was he brought back? He's still an important part of the sister bond and individually he has much more in him than we have seen. Plus he's Olaf and we love Olaf!

What about Marshmallow and the snowgies?

I believe they all too, along with the ice castle and all other permanent creations of Elsa, got restored either automatically after Elsa's return or by hand when Elsa got the chance. They too are as iconic as Olaf is. I hope they return in Frozen 3. They're so lovable and cute - it would be a fun addition to the movie.

Is it “Hoo Hoo” or “You Hoo”?

I always thought it was... “Yoo Hoo” because that's what people say. Hoo Hoo is an owl's line lol and one says that.

What are Elsa's powers still growing?

Just as we grow individually sometimes in height, in character, in what we feel, powers are no different. They grow as we grow inside. And Jen Lee has previously said that her powers will reach a new height in Frozen 3.

Why are their castle ruins throughout Ahotohallan?

I think they are referring to Ahotohallan as a castle and inside and out it looks ruined. During Show Yourself Elsa has to lift things up and add things to get across to the place where the memories are held. I theorize that the previous fifth spirit may have done something to Ahotohallan or to its power and caused chaos that caused Ahotohallan to have ruins in it. Ahotohallan probably was the previous fifth spirit's castle and when it went rouge Ahotohallan may have been left abandoned and ruined.

Where do the nature spirits come from?

Ahotohallan is where their powers are from. But perhaps it's more complicated than that and it needs to be addressed for lore reasons. There's more to Ahotohallan than we know.

Do we still need to beware of the Frozen Heart?

Oooooh!! My favourite question along with the next two. Do we? We must be if it's even a question at this point?

Who is the Frozen Heart?

Who? Frozen Heart is a person?! It was literally Anna in Frozen but metaphorically it was Elsa. Maybe someone else will be the Frozen Heart. Hans? Kristoff? A new character/ being?

What happened to Hans?

A question we've needed answering since Frozen and one that Hans fans have been trying to answer. His backstory based on official and unofficial media is that he has 12 brothers but they all or at least most of them treat him poorly along with his dad because he's the last child and last in line to the throne. That means, they think Hans as unworthy and unless of anything. So why did the Queen and King have another child? Probably as an accident child or just because. I'm sure the Queen is loving. He was sent back at the end of Frozen to his home, the Southern Isles so they can deal with him themselves and they did. As punishment they made him do chores like sweep up horse poop as seen towards the end of Frozen Fever before Elsa's giant snowball accidentally yet subconsciously hit him causing his major injuries. The southern Isles didn't immediately know where the snowball came from. But what happened to him after that? In a poster in the new Frozen Park in Hong Kong, it is revealed that Elsa and Anna invited the Southern Isles among other kingdoms to celebrate a year since Anna sacrificed herself to the Elsa and the Kingdom.

Hans couldn't come because he was injured. But his return is almost certain in Frozen 3 with his rise in unofficial/ canon media. Will he return as a villain or a redeemed hero is to be determined. I don't think he should return as a villain. If he did he would have taken his revenge out during Frozen 2, as he would have been recovered by then. Seeing the concept art of Frozen 3, which I'm about to go onto, it looks like we'll see mythical beings and a world bigger than Ahotohallan. Hans wouldn't fit as a villain in the expanded world of magic because he doesn't seem to be interested in magic in that greed sense. I think he'll be redeemed and help them in their new quest. Perhaps he does have tied with magic in his ancestry as we know nothing about his family.

All these questions are ones that the team feel like they need to answer in the next two movies and I think that's good. Along with showing something new, we get answers from questions we've long waited for too. And I think it's a good strategy for them to tell us the questions we've been asking so that they can answer it in the movies. They're letting us know that they can hear us and want to fulfil our wishes while telling a new story. It's good communication in my opinion.

Frozen 3 concept art and new release date

Jennifer Lee also revealed the concept art of Frozen 3. I'm sure there must've been dozens of art but this one may have been the direction they're headed in.

We have a beautiful calm colour palette that reminds me of dawn/ dusk of spring. Trees are on either side, golden light beams from behind a mystical palace in the left centre. Flowers and leaves present hinting at a Spring setting. Anna's on a horse with Olaf and Elsa on the Nokk on the river both heading to the palace-like place. The scene is set at night as the aurora borealis/ northern lights can be seen arising from the castle. Perhaps this castle has some connection to the northern lights. In the Lego Northern lights series, the trolls crystals are the ones to cause the northern lights or have a connection to them. I don't think the Lego series is canon but I do wonder if the trolls will have a role in this too.

Elsa and Anna are in their Frozen 2 attires, Anna in her travel one and Elsa in her fifth spirit one but with boots (for practical reasons). That doesn't mean that's their final look. Frozen 2's early concept art had Elsa and Anna in their Frozen looks. Olaf looks worried as he points to something off scene.

Just below the direction in which he points, in the river, lies a shadowy creature. It could be that that's the shadow of the creature Olaf points to. The creature appears to have horns and hold a staff/ spear with a sharp end.

Just below the palace-like place is a land. I was going to say Ahtohallan but the silhouettes are different.

So it seems like this place is unknown. If they went North in Frozen 2, perhaps Thai time they're going south, which is why Hans could appear. But that's just a guess.

During the panel it is also revealed that the release date is November 2027 having it moved back by a year from its original 2026 release date. 2027 seems quite far away just when we felt we were getting closer to Frozen 3 but we'll just have to be patient and hope we get some other Frozen content released meanwhile.

Frozen: Winter Festival short form series?

That's everything that was revealed regarding Frozen 3, but no word on the series that was revealed by dolls and their descriptions. I believe since the movie got delayed by a year, probably to spend more time developing the two part movies (which is a good thing so we avoid the mistakes caused by rush in production for Frozen 2), the short form series will be delayed by a year. That would mean the announcement could be closer to time in next year's D23. That or they wanted to announce the series later. The dolls are to be released in September and the series is said to be released this fall. That is of course unless they have delayed it by a year but we'll have to wait and see if anything gets said before September otherwise consider it delayed by a year (😭).

And that's all the information given to us for now. Frozen 3 looks so good and promising - the vibe of spring with a deeper fantasy element is making me extremely excited! New places, new seasons, new characters, expanded lore, possible character returns, new looks and more!! Can't wait!! And yeah though my patience is sad that Frozen 3 had been delayed by a year, I'm glad because it means they can spend more time on the movie, to develop it properly and not repeat the same mistake they made with Frozen 2 with no good planning and a rushed development to the run up of the movie.

And the Frozen: Winter Festival I'm also excited for. I think Frozen needs a canon series in its franchise.

The future looks big and bright for the franchise! ❄️

Any new info or details I have not mentioned please let me know! Any questions for me please feel free to drop them in the "Ask" box

[trainsinanime]

While we’re at fandom salt:

„This issue could be solved if the story called out this character for being an idiot here.“

Randomly spotted in the wild just now, but the sentiment is everywhere, just not always this bluntly. Anyway:

Bzzzzzzt. Incorrect! The show going „well that was stupid of you“ is in fact the most boring thing it could do with a character. I guess you can do it for Jar-Jar Binks or Olaf the Snowman, characters who are just comic relief. But if you take a character seriously, then „well that was stupid“ is not fixing any writing, it’s making it worse.

The character made a wrong choice. Okay, that’s good! Why did they make a wrong choice? Why this one? What does this reveal about their character? What personal values, what knowledge, what knowledge gaps led them here? What does this choice reveal about how they see themselves? And what, if anything, did they learn from it?

Any choice a character makes is a chance to learn more about them. A bad choice even more so, because making an obviously right choice is easy, but making an obviously bad one requires defects, character flaws, and that’s where an interesting character comes from.

As established by Craig Mazin, writer of Chernobyl and The Last Of Us, a (traditional typical) story is about a character who starts out at the wrong side of a dramatic argument and finally chooses to end up on the right side of it. The wrong choices they make along the way show us how far along their journey they are.

Obviously it’s not quite as cut and dry for TV shows, especially ones for French children, but the basic idea remains in place. A character starts out ignorant of the central idea of an episode, and ends up fully supporting it. Their wrong choices are the way there. Don’t just dismiss them.

[synergysilhouette]

Is Disney Animation in it's "Lost Identity" era?

For a few years, Disney has seemed strangely off for the most part with their creative output. I wanted to open the floor for this discussion, opining that after the HUGE success they achieved in the early to mid-2010s, if executive interference and other factors started to encroach upon creative freedom with their storytelling. I was gonna start with "Raya and the Last Dragon," but I opted to start with "Frozen 2" due to the eye-opening documentary on it. This post will include both information about the production of some of Disney's recent films as well as my own theories.

Frozen 2--The sequel to the highest-grossing Disney film ever (not adjusted for inflation), "Frozen 2" was an even bigger phenomenon than it's predecessor. That said, it didn't have as much staying power, with criticism towards the clunky and confusing story. It was revealed during the documentary "Into the Unknown: The Making of Frozen 2" that while wanting to write a more mature, darker story, screenwriter Jennifer Lee was thrown a curve ball when an early screening of the film included families with kids of as young as four years old. She commented that they wouldn't understand what they were seeing, and this proved to be somewhat true, as the kids left feedback for more Olaf. Lee then rewrote the script to be simplified, and included more of Olaf. There was also shown to be a bit of disarray in their studio; other creatives at Disney mentioned the film's confusing nature, and even those in charge of the story were still trying to figure out the kinks. Scrapped concepts (though I'm not sure if they were related to the early screenings) include an alternate prologue with more detail into Agnarr and Iduna's pasts, a scene where Anna and Elsa uncover Iduna's secret room with books and notes on magic, a scene where Iduna and Agnarr discuss telling Anna about Elsa's powers, and a deleted song where Kristoff struggles to propose to Anna (though IDK if this is just for the scene or if it carries on like in the final product). Overall, the desire to come up with something epic as well as Disney's feedback seems to have made this film trip over it's own feet.

Raya and the Last Dragon--First reported in 2018, RATLD is Disney's forray into a fantasy story inspired by Southeast Asian culture. While the diversity was praised, the way it was implemented was not, with East Asians voicing many of the characters, and the film coming off as an amalgam of the region rather than a specific SEA country/countries. While there aren't really notes that suggest too much exec influence, the film did have it's own unique production experience. For one, the film underwent heavy changes seven months before the film was released, including Paul Briggs and Dean Wellins being replaced as directors by Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada, with the former two becoming co-directors, though John Ripa later replaced Wellins as co-director, Qui Nguyen joined Adele Lim as a co-writer, Peter Del Veccho joining Osnat Shurer as co-producer, and Cassie Steele was replaced by with Kelly Marie Tran as Raya (due to changing Raya from a loner to giving her more swagger). That's...a LOT of changes in the crew less than a year before the film is supposed to be released. I do also want to note that they chose NOT to make the film a musical because it took away from the seriousness of the film, yet the film features a good amount of comedy, meaning that there's some kind of dissonance here. It also sounds surprising that Disney wasn't interested in doing another musical given the success their musicals have had throughout their tenure, especially at the time RATLD was set to come out. And the directors even told "Empire" when the film was close to release that there was a cut of the film with broken bones. While they might have been joking (at least the source I saw thought they may have been joking), it wouldn't be surprising if the film came off as too violent to Disney or their test audiences, and they had the story softened. Another thing I find odd is the ending; it's been commented that Namaari's redemption arc isn't really solid, and the message of trusting others ends up being muddled. A personal theory of mine is that the story had better execution of the message originally, or perhaps Namaari was never planned to be redeemed, but Disney wanted a happier ending and either pressed for Namaari to be redeemable or wanted her to be fully forgiven by the end of the film. If that was the case, it may have been a last-minute choice, given that she doesn't really show this in the final product.

Encanto--Given that this film was a critical and commercially successful film (at least for COVID) with staying power, there isn't much for me to note/theorize on the film, since it doesn't seem to suffer from the same issues the prior two films do. After Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and Lin-Manuel Miranda discussed having extended families, they opted to focus on a musical surrounding one. Disney resisted the idea of focusing on 12 characters at first (and Miranda wasn't surprised since they removed Moana's 8 brothers, reasoning that she had other priorities to focus on), and like many films, went through variations. Co-director and Co-writer Jared Bush mentioned that it was difficult to contend with, and seeing how condensed Luisa, Isabela, and Dolores' storylines were in the film, I do wonder if Disney continued to pressure them to remove characters and/or shorten the storylines. Given that the Madrigal family was originally much larger and there was a deleted fistfight between Isabela and Mirabel, I wouldn't be surprised.

Strange World--Okay, for this one, I REALLY don't have much to say. The film comes off as very generic, and the concept art and deleted scenes (that I've seen, anyway) don't seem to suggest why Disney greenlit this film, though the generational themes does seem right up their alley, and the environmentalism message is timely. I'd blame it on the massive change done with Raya, as Hall and Nguyen were brought onto that team, and then once that was done, only had about a year left to work on "Strange World," which...well, as "Moana 2" will tell you, having only a year to do things--even with a cool idea--is not going to amount to much success.

Wish--It's all been said before, and there's no defense for why this shouldn't have been spectacular besides exec influence for whatever reason. Deleted concepts here include Amaya as the sole villain, an Amaya/Magnifico villain couple, a removed member of The Teens, Star having a human form and being Asha's soulmate (though what that means is anyone's guess; we were all hoping it was romantic), and Star actually having a model, meaning him being removed was probably a last-minute thing. Add to that the fact that character designs changed, personalities were simplified, and Julia Michaels said that she and Benjamin Rice were only given a storyboard to go off of each time they did the songs, despite meeting with execs every Tuesday. Seeing how bland "Wish" was, exec interference shouldn't be ruled out. Such a shame that Disney did this for their anniversary film.

Moana 2--Originally planned as a TV show announced in 2020, it was revealed on February of this year that it was planned to be reworked into a film, with the crew behind the show only being alerted of this in January. They literally had ten months to refit the series into a film, and I'm sure they still had to deal with pushback. The only reason they were able to do this is because animation usually happens roughly a year before the film is released. As such, they had to deal with technically being behind schedule with their animation, leaving little--if anything--to rewrite and fix.

Overall, it seemed the past half-decade has been turmoil for Disney struggling to give their creatives time and room to breath when storytelling, more concerned with their brand than long-lasting success. Really hope "Zootopia 2," "Frozen 3," and their 2026 original film don't suffer from these issues. Kinda hopeful since Z2 test screenings went well and F3 was pushed from 2026 to 2027.

(Oh, and some shameless promotion for my account: check out how I'd rewrite the revival era, as well as individual posts that go into the specifics on my guide page: https://www.tumblr.com/synergysilhouette/741045631364235264/my-alternate-takes-on-disney-films?source=share)

[greatqueenanna]

I will be updating the Frozen 3 news post soon, but wanted to throw in some thoughts regarding the new info.

So, firstly, I’m happy that the film is being delayed to 2027. That may sound shocking, but this is a big relief to me. The first two films both suffered from trying to meet a deadline, and the creators (this is probably more on the company though) refusing to delay and give themselves more time. Thus, both films have rushed elements.

It gives me hope that not only is the story being written into two films, but now they are giving themselves even more time to polish it. Especially concerning the sheer amount of story content that they want to explore— and it’s a lot.

I’ve condensed all of the questions brought on during the announcement into 5 major sections, all concerning a specific idea.

*Quick Edit* I moved the question about the Frozen Heart down from More Ahtohallan Lore to the Prince Hans section because that was always more associated with Hans, so I thought it would be more appropriate to have under that section instead.

First Major Plot Point — More Ahtohallan Lore

Why Ahtohallan has castle ruins inside of it.

The previous Fifth Spirit.

Where did the Spirits come from?

Second Major Plot Point — Elsa’s Powers

Why are her powers still growing?

Who gave her the powers?

How are her creations, like Olaf, alive?

Why doesn’t Anna have powers?

Third Major Plot Point — Arendelle Royalty

How is Anna doing as Queen?

Is Kristoff going to become King?

Are Anna and Kristoff interested in having kids?

Fourth Major Plot Point — Kristoff’s Past

Where are Kristoff’s parents?

How did Kristoff meet Sven?

Why is Sven still full of energy if he’s so old?

Fifth Major Plot Point — Prince Hans

What happened to Hans?

Who exactly is the Frozen Heart?

With all this in mind, on the concept art, not only do we see people in the castle above the sisters, we also see an ominous, viking-like shadow behind Anna and Elsa — meaning that if these are new characters, then that means that we have a giant cast at the moment.

Elsa

Anna

Kristoff

Sven

Olaf

Mattias

Yelena

Honeymaren

Ryder

Hans

Viking Shadow Guy

Castle People

Like….they’re doing the “Too much stuff, not enough space” thing again and I’m genuinely concerned haha. Thus, the delay and split into two films is a smart move. But why not just make a show? Like this screams series. Idk haha.

Also, there are a few things here that I actually thought were answered already — like, who gave Elsa her powers? Ahtohallan because of Iduna’s sacrifice. Why doesn’t Anna have powers? She’s the human side of the Fifth Spirit. But I suppose that F2 wasn’t exactly clear on these things, so maybe they want to better explore these ideas and clear up some misconceptions. Makes sense I suppose.

Also, the fact that they’re asking if Kristoff will be King or not is giving me some validation lol. I always said that Kristoff would be called a King and not Prince Consort and so far it looks like they’re considering the King title and not anything else. But we’ll see haha.

Now I’m curious what you guys think. Poll time.

[toaarcan]

Rishi Sunak and the D-Day Disaster

Babes wake up, Rishi Sunak did a fuckup again!

Hokay, so, at time of writing, yesterday was the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings during World War II. This is a big deal for a lot of reasons, D-Day is one of the most significant events in the largest and most destructive war humanity ever fought, and this is likely to be the last major anniversary that the surviving veterans will be alive and well enough to attend.

Political leaders from the world over made their way to the Normandy beaches for a commemoration. Biden, Trudeau, Macron, Scholz, and Zelenskyy were present. Keir Starmer was there, as were King Prince Charles and Prince William, but the UK government proper was represented by Rishi Sunak and David Hameron.

Until suddenly it wasn't!

Let's run down everything (that I'm aware of) that went wrong!

As part of the British event, army paratroopers landed on the beach... and then had to reconvene in a tent to get their credentials checked by the French authorities. Because Brexit happened and we don't have free movement any more! Pro-Brexit nimrods have, predictably, complained about getting exactly what they voted for.

Once each nation's part of the proceedings were done, they were to reconvene at Omaha Beach for an International commemoration. Speeches, medals being awarded, that sort of thing. Except... Rishi Sunak was not present.

No, see, Rishi "The Least Elected PM Ever" Sunak had stayed until the end of the British event and then promptly fucked off back to England, snubbing the leaders of America, France, Canada, Germany, and Ukraine and leaving everything in the hands of the Hameron, his also-unelected foreign secretary that last rubbed shoulders with any International politicians when he was fucking everything up in 2016. Also, in the hands of his main rival, Starmer (Okay calling Starmer and Sunak rivals is a bit unfair, it implies Sunak has a snowball's chance in hell, which he does not).

Naturally, people were pretty fuckin' steamed about this, and put Rishi on blast for showing enormous disrespect to... literally everyone involved. Especially since this is right on the heels of Sunak proposing that they bring back National Service to "fill young British people with loyalty and honour."

Don't worry it gets worse.

Naturally, there are a lot of journalists with cameras present, and this means that we get to see images like these:

Image Description: Left to right, David Cameron, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, and Joe Biden, standing in front of a partially cloud blue sky. Macron, Scholz, and Biden are lit by the sun, while Cameron appears to be in the shade.

Image Description: Keir Starmer sits, centrally-framed, among D-Day veterans in ceremonial dress uniforms. To the right of the frame sits Emmanuel Macron.

Image Description: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Keir Starmer talking, with a photojournalist in the background aiming his camera at them. Both are smiling.

Quote Pippa Crerar, writing for the Guardian (You may remember her from that time she blew the lid off of Partygate!), Starmer is "already looking like a Prime Minister."

So this is really, really bad for Rishi. Britain has been keen to support Ukraine lately, and we've actually shipped a supply of our Challenger 2 tanks over to them for their use. The impact from this hasn't been as massive as you'd hope, largely because the British military has been absolutely gutted under the Tories, for reasons that I'm sure had absolutely nothing to do with all the financial support David Cameron got from Russians, but Britain has been trying to help.

Boris Johnson in particular liked to really stress the Ukraine point whenever he was losing control of the narrative, essentially making Ukraine's plight and his support for them a shield from criticism. And now, here's the leader of the opposition being photographed in a positive light with Zelenskyy. The optics are incredibly bad for Rishi.

But surely, Rishi had a reason why he had to zip back to British soil post haste? Maybe an emergency that he had to resolve?

No, he needed to record an interview with ITV, for his election campaign. That was it.

Well, interviews in election cycles become outdated pretty quickly. Normally a few days is enough to render them outdated. It must've been pretty urgent.

No, the interview is scheduled for release in six days' time.

That's an eternity in election season. There's a high chance that more than half of its content will be void by the time it airs.

As a reminder, we are four weeks from the big day. In fact, yesterday was exactly four weeks before election night. Time is very short.

Well, maybe this was the only time they could fit him in?

Nope, Paul Brand of ITV has confirmed that this was the date and time Rishi wanted, and they could've moved it to prevent scheduling conflicts!

So, how did a fuckup on such a grand magnitude happen? How did Rishi manage to create a clash between the 80th anniversary commemoration of an event with a specific date (6th June, 1944 is not hard to remember, my guy!) and the election that he called? Well that's very simple! He didn't want to be there at all.

Yes, it seems that Rishi had already told the French government a week ago that he wouldn't be attending at all. Someone seems to have convinced him that skipping the event entirely was a bad idea, but not enough for him to actually commit to it.

Image Description: A block of text reading "The French government was told a week ago that Rishi Sunak would not attend the D-Day 80th commemoration, Tory sources have confirmed. The message to Paris from his team was that he would be too busy campaigning in the general election to make the trip. The decision was reversed, and a short visit was the compromise, but it is extraordinary that an attendance by a Conservative PM, or any PM, was ever in doubt."

Rishi has denied this, however, so the whether it's true or Sunak has elected to not lie for once, well, that remains to be seen.

Quote John Healey, Labour's defence spokesperson, “Given that the prime minister has been campaigning on the idea young people should complete a year’s national service, what does it say that he appears to have been unable to complete a single afternoon of it?”

Conservative commentator Tim Montgomery called it "political malpractice."

And so, after thumbing his nose at half the world in order to pursue an already-foundering election campaign, Rishi Sunak decided that he needed to apologise. Via tweet.

It's been a very bad day for Rishi Sunak.

[astheworldgoesonitswickedway]

Get ready for yet another analysis of Count Olaf's behavior. Every time I make one of these I feel like I have to explain that I'm not justifying his actions but there's just so much complexity to him. Especially for someone who hides behind so much shenanigans. And honestly, the man is a psychopath, right, and he's one of the most chaotic fictional characters i can think of. The reason he is so interesting is because a character so chaotic and careless of his own well-being, doesn't usually last long enough to allow us a deep analysis of their unhinged behavior. Speaking of, let's talk about the way Olaf repeatedly tries to murder the Baudelaire children in drastically horrific ways such as decapitation, only to occasionally try to preserve their lives and keep them. Ok so, we know he needed at least one for the fortune, but that excuse doesn't explain all his behavior. Especially considering how rich Esme was, he didn't even need the fortune. There's definitely an element of being obsessed with the chase, he thrives on it sure. But how about his attempts at making them his henchpeople? I offer two reasons for this contradiction and he's so messed up, maybe both apply. I propose that 1. He believes corrupting them and making them his slaves is the best way to get revenge on their parents/corrupting them would make it easier to convince himself that becoming a monster wasn't really his fault. And 2. in a manner of speaking, he becomes attached. As far as corrupting them goes, he accepted their "help" without hesitation in the Penultimate Peril because it made sense to him they would be as disillusioned as he was and want to lash out. He thinks they HAVE been corrupted, and he's pleased. Yet, just before this, in the books, the children use their skills for him for once, and he is openly impressed by the things he previously mocked them for. I think he was secretly impressed the whole time, always wondering how they pulled off these unlikely escapes. They lost their parents, just like he did and he knows what that feels like. Its not confirmed whether it was by Olaf's hands but i hold to the idea that he was at least involved. Maybe a small part of him feels responsible for making them feel the way he felt. They've experienced horrible things, definitely by his hands, but they stuck to their principles. Sure this is part of why he hates them, it frightens him. If he recognizes they are right, its the same as recognizing he is wrong. It means in a way, they are stronger than him and he desperately wants to prove they are wrong and he is stronger. But I think a tiny piece of him can't help but admire them too. Later, in The End, he accepts them as his henchpeople strangely quick, and constantly repeats that offer despite their disinterest. Yes, he no longer has any henchpeople, but the Baudelaires have never been conformable to his wishes, it doesn't make sense to try so hard to keep them just because he needs new "employees." The harpoon incident is a good example of his attachment to them. Its slightly different between the book and show because the book indicates Olaf would have forced himself to go through with it and in the show he stands down. When finally given the opportunity to kill them easily and all at once, he struggles and cannot do it. Proving that at some point, he changes his viewpoint and doesn't REALLY want to kill them. He was relieved when they turned out to be alive in the Slippery Slope, even if he tried to play it off as being about the fortune. Which I know, its about THAT fortune, on "principle" but still. By the end of the show, he has changed his priorities from killing the children to keeping them. Don't get me wrong, he would have been horrible to them. But I think his plan was to do to them what his mentors did to him. As a side note, I love that as Olaf begins to associate himself with them, it works vice versa. They wonder if they ARE becoming as bad as him. Which is kinda sad to read/watch, because, of course they aren't. Don't you just want to reassure them?

[nobodysdaydreams]

Nathaniel Benedict/Ledroptha Curtain (TMBS) and Count Olaf (ASOUE) are proof that mentally unstable former theater kids with sad backstories make the most entertaining villains, especially when their main adversaries are genius children they lose to every episode. And one of them is canonically a literal toddler/baby.

[lovewillthaw-j]

Frozen II big screen re-watch (part 1)

I had the privilege of watching Frozen II today on the big screen. I'm on a short trip to another state and for some reason, the cinemas there are doing a re run of F2. Boy, was it an emotional trip for me! I felt like I relived 5 years! I last watched F2 on the big screen in 2019 (pre-pandemic). F2 caused me to join Tumblr in Jan 2020 and it's my first ever Fandom.

F2 is definitely much better when you watch it on a big screen. The experience is just so much better. 1) the animation looks so good bigger. You can see micro expressions in the character's faces. The special effects are awesome. 2) the audio experience is so much better with good speakers with bass and surround sound. Both of these make it easier to not focus on the plot flaws.

I teared and teared throughout the show. You must understand, although my blog is quiet now, I was madly in love with F2 in the first year of my blog. Besides making hundreds of gifs, I also wrote essays on locations, the plot, the themes in F2, Elsa's powers, Anna's love, etc. I'm also a musician and the songs and score mean so much to me. I recorded myself playing the piano and guitar to Elsa, Anna, Iduna singing, analyzed musical motifs, made some discoveries of my own (Hansorcery most importantly), made a cappella versions of songs and some humorous mashups.

It was really a trip down memory lane today. I reminisced over scenes that I have giffed. Giffing is a process that makes you really familiar with the scenes as you go over it multiple times till the crop, timing and colour is just right. I was a noob when I first started, and I learnt along the way with help from friendly fans here. I was reminded of those scenes that took my breath away, scenes that made my heart go "awwww", scenes which are funny, scenes which have been focal points of my analyses. I remembered my boobs analyses (lol about how I ogled them for research), Elsa's see through back of travel gown, tender sister moments, cute Bruni gifs, beautiful scenes of the girls, my transition gifs of Elsa riding on Nokk, raw animation, and the list goes on.

I remembered all the music, music which I listened to countless times till I dreamt the music in my sleep (I kid you not, this is a thing that happens to me). I remembered my hair standing during the creepy scenes - the ship scene (on my very first watch I was so worried they were going to reveal the dead bodies of the parents😱) and Olaf dying scene (the 6 notes motif is sooooo creepy you know something bad is going to happen). I felt the power of the fight scenes between Elsa and Gale and Elsa and Bruni and Elsa and Nokk, and Anna vs the giants. I teared at the tender sister scenes in the bedroom and outside the ship. And I teared when Elsa gloriously outran the flood and stopped it with her mighty wall of ice.

I was enthralled by the songs once again. Especially the big three songs. Into the unknown, especially when Elsa steps into the magical forest created by her magic. Show yourself is all about Elsa, Elsa is sooooo gorgeous in that entire song, from her tied back pony tail look to her hair down look to her dress transformation. And for The Next Right Thing I felt how crushed Anna was and how Kristen Bell cried for real in the song as she recorded it. I teared as Olaf died in her arms and that was the moment Anna realized Elsa was dead too.

(I have more to write)

[decentishoutsidersthoughts]

ASOUE AU

Been thinking a bit more on my ASOUE AU for The Outsiders so here are some details from it.

When their mother got pregnant with Darry, she was desperate to get away from the fighting and VFD so that he would grow up safe.

The reason they grew up Greasers is because she saw that as the furthest she could get away from the organization. They don’t typically recruit from the Eastside cause elitism and shit.

VFD actually did find their location and tried recruiting Darry twice before the fire but he didn’t remotely understand any of the codes so it didn’t work.

They wanted to try with Ponyboy but the fire happened before they could. They didn’t particularly care for Soda because they didn’t consider him ‘well read enough’

Darry and Ponyboy (especially Ponyboy) are borderline geniuses in this and it makes Soda feel like he’s worth less than them. Over time he becomes more confident in himself as he saves their lives time and time again.

Darry is strong, but this story’s version of Count Olaf is S T R O N G which is why they have to rely on their intellect

Ponyboy’s nightmares start in what would be book 2, when they’re temporarily ‘safe’

Darry goes through a good chunk of the story without actually breaking down. However, during The Wide Window’s arc he’s the first to break down after their guardian jumps out a window

Darry lowkey doesn’t hate working at the lumber mill

All of them are suffering at the boarding school, but especially Sodapop. He has a panic attack because he thinks he’ll fail the exams and get all of them killed.

Ponyboy gets an obsession with learning everything their parents were hiding from them. Soda and Darry find it pointless at first, but when he actually starts getting somewhere they begin to help

Most of the situations they find themselves in throughout the story stay the same (some change like the marriage plot in book one, but that one follows the same idea but I change some legal stuff of the universe around and instead it becomes an adoption plot.)

However, what mostly changes is the reactions to these scenarios and some of the ways they get out of them.

It would follow both the book and the Netflix show. It would lean to the book but if there’s a detail or the Netflix show I happen to like more or think fits the AU better then I’ll use it.

I haven’t thought much past book 5 yet, but I’d love feedback and other people’s ideas. I’m also willing to answer asks or messages about the AU!

[beatricebidelaire]

“We have all the information about V.F.D.,” Isadora said, taking out her notebook, which was pitch black. “The real V.F.D., that is, not the Village of Fowl Devotees.”

Duncan opened his notebook and blew on some of the damp pages. “And we know the complete story of poor Jac—”

-

“Olaf smuggled us away in that item from the In Auction with the help of Esmé Squalor,” Duncan began, referring to the last time the Baudelaires had seen him and his sister. “And he hid us for a while in the tower room of his terrible house.”

Violet shuddered. “I haven’t thought of that room in quite some time,” she said. “It’s hard to believe that we used to live with such a vile man.”

-

Isadora smiled, and patted Klaus’s hand. “Meanwhile,” she said, “while we were trying to contact you, Olaf hatched a plan to steal your fortune—and get rid of an old enemy at the same time.”

_

duncan and isadora were placed at olaf's house (specifically, the tower room) after they were smuggled away from the in auction, which was at the end of the ersatz elevator. during this time, duncan and isadora overheard olaf hatching a plan to steal baudelaire's fortune and get rid of an old enemy, jacques. duncan also said "we know the complete story of poor jac-" before he was cut off. so, it's reasonable to assume that olaf and esme, aside from talking about how to get rid of jacques, also talk just, in general about jacques himself. what i would give to hear that conversation, especially how esme talks about jacques ...... anyway, it's important to note that this is after the events of tee.

now, going to the unauthorized autobiography, we have jacques's letter to jerome, begging him not to marry esme. jacques mentions being at a village. "a couplet i recently found, in the village where i am hiding, says it best: someone at the newspaper changed the story once again, it was not coffee, but black ink, that made the jacket's stain".

i always felt there's some ambiguity about this part (possibly intentionally on DH's part). like i guess it's mean to imply, or maybe i should say, meant to be wondered by readers and draw certain conclusions from the keywords, that it's village of fowl devotees, and the couplet - it's something isadora writes. except isadora could not have been at the village inside the fountain before jerome and esme's wedding. also it doesn't make sense for her to have been the one to write that poem. so it's just a couplet, most likely by someone else. as to whether the village was village of fowl devotees - while it seemed like, in tvv, jacques arrived at the village later than the baudelaires, it's likely not actually the case. for one, because olaf's plan this time included "getting rid of an enemy" at the same time.

_

“Well, Madame Lulu will know,” Olaf said. “With her crystal ball, she’ll be able to tell us where the orphans are, where the file is, and anything else we want to know.”

“I never believed in things like crystal balls,” remarked a white-faced woman, “but when this Madame Lulu started telling you how to find the Baudelaires every time they escaped, I learned that fortune-telling is real.”

_

esme was already at the village when the baudelaires arrived, as officer luciana. that meant she knew, before the baudelaires arrival, that they were going to be sent there. olaf often found out the baudelaires are by asking madame lulu (olivia). he may have found out about where the kids were going to be sent this time, or it might be through esme's financial contacts - poe and esme both worked in the financial district. although now that esme was in leagues with olaf, it might not necessarily means that she can't still access her contacts and get information she needs.

that said, after tee, olaf and esme were hatching a plan at olaf's house, overheard by duncan and isadora. the plan involved jacques. esme might've found out where poe is sending the baudelaires through her financial advisor contacts, but not about jacques's whereabouts. but somehow, they knew, as they were planning, that they could count on jacques also showing up / being there. jacques might already be there - therefore, the village mentioned in jacques's letter is village of fowl devotees. olaf often asked olivia where the baudelaires are, and if he found out through her this information, he might very well likely have found out jacques was at the same village (already, before the kids were sent there by poe) from the olivia. after learning this, he and esme made their plan.

but why does olivia tell him that? did olaf ask the question himself? is he also constantly keeping track of jacques? i feel like he has other priorities than jacques snicket. like, jacques is trying to clear lemony's name and investigate the arson he suspects olaf had committed. it's probably a nuisance to olaf, but not one he judge threat enough to take care of before this. so he's not that high priority on olaf's list, not when he's more focused on finding the baudelaires.

would olivia mention this unprompted? would she say, oh, by the way, jacques snicket is also at the same village that the baudelaires would be sent to by mr poe? book olivia is .... very passive, and answers questions that were asked instead of unprompted. i don't think she has strong enough of grudge/hatred of jacques to simply just provide information about this unprompted.

so, eliminating those two possibilities for now, the only answer left is - esme asked. esme was the one who wanted to know where jacques is. esme is the one who might constantly want to keep track of him. so when olaf asked about the baudelaires, she asked about jacques. because she was planning on making a move on jerome, it's natural enough that she would want to keep track of one of her biggest obstacles.

and then, olaf's and esme's goals collide. olaf wanted the fortune. esme wanted to put a more permanent end to jacques snicket. especially after what she's done to jerome, it's better to get rid of him before he does something.

jacques was an old enemy - and yet olaf didn't get rid of him sooner. didn't plan for it. now that he's focused on the baudelaires, he's taken even lower priority. but esme, who keeps track of jacques, learns where he is, and just so happens that the baudelaires were going to be sent there. and olaf is after the baudelaires. they team up. olaf get the fortune. and they / one of them kill jacques.

if esme was the one more focused on the goal of getting rid of jacques, then when duncan said he'd learned the whole story about jacques snicket, perhaps esme talked a lot about how she managed to steal jerome away from jacques. (this is the woman who, according to jerome, want to give jacques 'some kind of gift' - jerome’s words. esme’s words were to “finally give him what he deserves”)

when jacques was captured, one of the elders said that he arrived just that morning. in jacques's letter, he was hiding. it's possible that he left and came back, all very discreetly. and if he was always hiding, then the capture - esme (and olaf) did something to arrange that. to make sure that the villagers catch him. maybe lured him out or something, so it seemed to the villagers that he only just arrived that morning. that would explain why they saw his tattoo. he'd normally been in hiding, and hiding that as well, but E did something about that.

[unfortunatetheorist]

What were the ulterior motives of Esmé and Olaf?

Recently, I decided to have a quick glance at the Snicket Wiki (to make sure I don't forget any Snicket-related paraphernalia, as one does) when this pair of sentences caught my eye, regarding the Quagmire sapphires:

"After the death of the Quagmire parents, the sapphires started to be in charge of Esmé Squalor. Why Olaf kept on chasing them after that is unknown."

~ Snicket Wiki

Being such an avid theorist (though my 'recent activity' proves otherwise), I decided to pursue this and investigate a potential reason. I have produced the following:

"After the death of the Quagmire parents" means the period between their death in The Miserable Mill and the introduction of Esmé in The Ersatz Elevator. One thing Esmé has a lot of, apart from money, is greed. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants, as we see throughout the series with the sugar bowl, though she (most likely) lost her life in the venture, leading to point number 1:

Esmé wanted the Quagmire sapphires for herself.

It seems logical enough.

Then to the second point, which is a crucial one:

2. Olaf wanted the Quagmire sapphires for himself, after having seen the Quagmires in Prufrock Prep [TAA].

This is, essentially, the basis of the theory of the exchange(s) between Esmé and Olaf between TEE and THH/TCC.

Esmé and Olaf both want the Quagmire sapphires, but Esmé wants the Sugar Bowl MORE.

This led to:

3. Esmé and Olaf tried to manipulate each other into giving themselves what they want.

And that deal went something like this:

Esmé gives Olaf the Quagmire sapphires once he has helped her find the Sugar Bowl.

For a time, this was alright, until the events of TVV happen, most notably the escape of the Quagmires in Hector's Self-Sustaining Hot-Air Mobile Home. Meaning:

4. The deal starts to break down as Olaf realises he will never get his hands on the Quagmire sapphires, as he's in the middle of the Hinterlands with no idea where the sugar bowl is (Esmé doesn't tell him until the end of the episode).

This meant that Olaf was stuck with Esmé trying to find the Sugar Bowl - if the Quagmires were around, he could've "adopted" them and taken their sapphires by force, either from them or Esmé.

Then the deal/relationship between Olaf and Esmé deteriorates further in THH as:

5. Olaf and Esmé go into Heimlich Hospital confident they will get the Sugar Bowl and be happy, with Esmé getting the Sugar Bowl and handing over the Quagmire sapphires.

6. This doesn't happen - instead: Esmé gets nothing and Olaf gets hold of The Snicket File, which suggests that one of the Baudelaire parents may still be alive. This angers both of them, so they take the troupe to lift their spirits in... well, the realm of spirits.

And it is at this point that Olaf loses interest in the Quagmire sapphires - they're not worth chasing anymore, especially as the Baudelaire fortune is much closer to his clutches... (or so he believes).

~ Th3r3534rch1ngr4ph, Unfortunate Theorist/Snicketologist

[omgkatsudonplease]

To the point of adults in children's media: I read a book from A Series of Unfortunate Events when i was a young teen and it was not my cup of tea, but okay enough to be enjoyable...

... then I saw the TV series made when I was an adult and I realised how the entire plot of the story of the entire book series hinges on every adult in the Boudelaire kids' lives being either evil, incompetent or (sooner rather than later) dead.

Yeah, the Netflix series really does put a heavy point on how the adults who are still alive are either well-meaning but incompetent or straight-up evil. But it also speaks to a common frustration that young people feel: that the adults around them are getting in their way and--especially for teenagers--stopping them from doing anything fun or cool.

ASOUE in particular combines that kind of frustration with a metaphor about antisemitism, since Daniel Handler has confirmed that the Baudelaires are Jewish. That, in my view, puts the failure of basically every adult in their life to protect them in an allegorical light--Count Olaf, with his distinct features and greed, is the spectre of antisemitism that chases these children from country household to country household and all the authorities adults in those countries households are failing to recognise antisemitism Count Olaf for what it he is.

Anyway, yeah, YA novels do need some way to make sure the kids have most of the fun, and that makes for a lot of absent, incompetent, and/or evil parents, and adults reading the books might be projecting themselves in like, "well, I'm an adult, so I know better than these dumb, trusting kids, and if I were the main character, this is how I'd game the system" (cough Lord Potter fics cough). And then you end up with million-word epics where the kids are all little geniuses who sound like adults rather than... you know, kids.