#descendants critical

[descendintorantness]

i apologize.

so. despite my best efforts my Descendants brainrot has returned. i sincerely apologize for the person i will become. if you don’t want me interacting with your stuff just block me, i promise i won’t be offended. i know i can be incredibly annoying about this stuff.

anyways! here are my main Descendants takes:

Mal is a horrible person and one of the most terribly written protagonists i’ve ever seen.

Ben deserved better. Evie deserved better. Audrey deserved better. Uma deserved better. Carlos and Jay deserved better. Pretty much every character except Mal deserved better.

Even if I did like Mal, I’d still want to see other characters given more screen time.

The premise of Descendants is very fucked up and one of my favorite parts about interacting with the fandom is exploring the ways in which te world of Descendants is inherently traumatizing.

I am a multishipper. Honestly the only ships I hate are the ones with Mal in them because I don’t want her toxic ass near any of my babies.

I didn’t watch Descendants 4 and I don’t intend to any time soon, so I don’t feel that I’m in a position to speak on it. However, in terms of fandom discourse around it, here are my thoughts: Respect queer headcanons just as you would any other, even if you don’t agree with them. Glasshearts is cute. Leave the actresses alone. Brandy and Paolo ATE. I would die for them. From what little we’ve seen of Red, she’s already a better protagonist than Mal ever was.

Please learn to separate actors from their characters.

anything with the tag #0 writes is my original post.

[lexishoney]

sometimes i just sit and think about that how good descendants story could be. how it could be about that not everything is black or white, that there are multiple shades of grey when it comes to morality. but then, i'm getting hit by the fact that descendants is just another classist story

[princess-ibri]

Okay, so since we’re talking about Descendants, I really need to get this off my chest, it’s gonna be a bit long 😅

First of all, I have to say that I LOVE how creative you are with your stories, characters and designs!! Like, you pour so much soul into them and it’s unfortunately something that’s been very lacking lately at Disney! You did the Descendants thing so much better than they could!

There was so much that Disney could have done with the idea of a Fairytale Crossover to make this franchise stand apart from previous works that also went with it! Like, instead of having ALL the Disney characters exist at the exact same time and place, they could have existed on the same fictional continent or in the same fictional world but at different places and times so that all of their stories would have happened as they do in the animated movies. And instead of being their children, the protagonists could have been the grandchildren, great-grandchildren or distant relatives of SOME of them, because I truly don’t think that Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Cruella or Ursula would ever want to have children, but Disney went with that because they needed to sell fashion dolls with as many aesthetics as possible (which is ironic because their outfits are soulless, atrocious and pretty much all look the same compared to the ones in Ever After High)!

Had it been only some of the Disney characters having distant relatives, it would have made more sense and they could have come up with an interesting story to explain why the descendants of specific Disney characters have been brought together at this magical school (which should have been much more grand and Hogwarts-like if you ask me)! Could have been a prophecy? A spell? A curse cast by Yen-Sid? The Evil Queen? Maleficent? Or maybe something that was caused a long time ago by multiple Disney Villains? Have these characters been brought here to undo something? Unleash something?

It reminds me of the Grimrose Girls book series by Laura Pohl, which gets often compared to Descendants but is actually more comparable to Ever After High because of this idea of a fate that the characters can’t escape. It’s set in a boarding school, where the protagonists find out that they, as well as the rest of the students, are doomed to repeat the gruesome endings of various fairytales, like the ones who came before them and have to find a way to break the curse before it reaches them too. Disney could have done something similar (not with the gruesome-endings stuff but rather with the setting and idea of a curse)!

Or they could have done something similar to Kingdom Hearts and have all these Disney characters exist in different universes and time periods but have some of their descendants be brought together to the dimension of Auradon for a specific reason! Doing all of this would have allowed for the Descendants franchise to stand apart from Ever After High, but instead they decided to be lazy and rip it off! They really needed to be more creative! Imagine the interesting world-building, the lore and the unique, whimsical designs and outfits that we could have had instead of… Leather and headphones. Disney fumbled really hard!

Right??? Yeah allll of this ☝️ You came up with like three different cool ideas right off the bat, and yet the giant corporation with swimming pools of money--nothing :p

What a waste

[qiqi-media]

besides you disliking chad all your opinions are A1

I've found that while thinking about how to answer this a lot of my opinions on the AKs may seem negative but I think it's because the Vks were the main characters so they didn't give them any thought to be fleshed out. One word I've thought about multiple characters is shallow and I'm realizing it was just the poor writing because they'll justify, humanize and explain horrible actions the Vks did but made the Aks all completely shallow so that's something to keep in mind.

Chad- I don't actually dislike Chad with a burning passion or anything. He was a handsome teenage boy who knew it and used it to his advantage and I don't see him as a villain within in the whole him and Evie thing, her intentions weren't pure either yet, he takes the brute. Then in D2 and 3 I just kind of felt sorry for him because he was used as comedic relief with no real background anymore.

Doug- Overly hated in my opinion, he was a simple guy, people do way too much about him being quote on quote stalker. I don't care about him and I think he's boring but overall he's the character that made me realize that Aks are held to this unreachable standard while Vks are given grace for everything in the fandom. I've seen people call him abusive because he pretended not to wake up after Evie kissed him it's ridiculous.

Jane- Shallow and insecure. My unpopular opinion about her stands, she got off easy compared to Audrey and would've ditched any of her friends for the winning team. In hindsight that's not the worst thing an insecure teenage girl can do, of course she wants to be popular. My problem was Audrey was villainized and isolated and blamed for actions Jane took part in and Jane pretty much felt no remorse on seeing her old friend fade.

Lonnie- Same thing shallow and wished they didn't make her do certain things. She was happy and supportive seeing Audrey get publicly dumped just because Mal fixed her bob. Then when Uma did the same thing ditched Ben who she knew way longer than Mal in favor of Mal just because he brought another girl after Mal broke up with him. Her D2 plot was stupid, she was way more pissed about a school sport than her friend being kidnapped.

Audrey- My second favorite character out of the whole series, she was treated poorly and deserved better. While saying that I can acknowledge all of her wrong doings and how the plot could've been different had she taken a different path in D3 than trying to destroy Auradon. But she was never a villain, she never bullied the Vks and she did her job like she was supposed to and got her life ruined and was kicked while she was down by her own family. I wish she was the main character and we got to see a good story play out for her after being mistreated so.

Ben- my ultimate favorite Descendants character. I like Ben because he's everything I'm not basically. He annoys me as a figure of authority because his kind nature quickly becomes a weakness and makes him look like he has no backbone but he's Ben so I can forgive him. He had potential to be a good King but ultimately he was not a good King to me looking back. His willingness to forgive others, think of others was commendable and he made his mistakes but ultimately when I see Ben I see a respectable person but not king. He would be a friend to rival all others but if anybody advocated for his King status to be postponed or removed I'd be the first to agree.

[arriettyspin]

Maturing is realising Ben and Mal being forced together in the first movie was so detrimental to both of their characters they become unrecognisable in the sequel films

Maturing is realising that Ben and Mal had chemistry with everyone but eachother

[captainsparklefingers]

Until explicitly stated otherwise, I'm gonna choose to believe that Trist's children made it out. Traumatized, hurt, lost, but alive. Purvan did his job, and the dawn didn't fade, and they saved what they could and survived.

And a generation or two later, their descendants will be Dust, Stone, and Clay, returning the favor to another Champion.

[sukibenders]

Me, whenever I see poc, especially dark-skinned, characters in fantasy and/or historical period dramas depicted with dignity and respect and just simply given opportunities to have happy storylines that aren't solely fueled by trauma on the aspects of their race: Someone cooked here.

[writer-room]

Obsessed with Lloyd never mentioning his grandfather is the First Spinjitsu Master, apparently to the point even Arin didn't seem to know, because "eh, it never came up". Cause like, yeah, sure, my grandfather is God, what of it? Normal day for me. Shit happens. My dad is also evil, you wanna talk about that? I sure don't.

It's also funny from a character arc perspective. Here's itty bitty baby first season Lloyd, loudly proclaiming he's the son of Garmadon, and probably also making sure everyone knows he's God part 3 electric boogaloo. And then one Tomorrow's Tea and a few more years later and he's doing everything physically possible to NOT care about his heritage. In fact he'd probably rather his parentage was literally anyone else. Dude could care so less he forgets about it most of the time. King behavior.

[annymation]

Oh for crying out loud Disney 🙄

Making Descendants just to spite Mattel wasn’t enough? Y’all are blatantly copying them now???

Have some shame.

[gloriousmonsters]

seriously just. nothing gets me fuming about the sheer... uninventive cowardice of ToTK's storyline than thinking about how despite their flaws, the OoT/TP/WW trio were all about complicating Ganondorf in an interesting way. OoT was like ok, this guy is fucked up but he's cool, he's a hero to a lot of his people and oh yeah, the band of thieves you've heard of is actually a tribe of people, his people, and if you look you can see how a world like this made a man like him. WW was like and maybe he's more human than you thought. maybe he was a little in love with the land he conquered. maybe if he lived longer, he'd be capable of regret, of some amount of self-reflection, of showing mercy to the enemies he swore to destroy in the past. TP was like and what if stopping him before he conquered Hyrule wasn't the happy ending? what if it made everything worse? what if we've done bad things, and Ganondorf's return is part of our actions coming back to haunt us, his execution wound impossible to ignore, the sword he wields the one meant to kill a monster, one that failed when the gods seemingly signaled they weren't totally on our side? and, both of them agree on, his death isn't a joyful triumph. It's sobering, unnerving, tragic.

then totk's like. well what if he was... an evil guy. just a VERY evil guy. because he's evil. and mean. what if we retold OoT but worse and more simplistic and also the power Ganondorf takes isn't divine so we dodge all those awkward questions about if he's really Basically The Devil or if he has a more complicated part in the whole. and, hear us out, what if he was evil and wanted to bring... DARKNESS. because he's bad

[funnyscienceman]

with the revelation that the writers room was just 3 people… that thing about the last line needing how-many hours to be figured out just becomes infinitely funnier

Like idk man maybe it's just me but i wouldnt exactly brag or talk so openly about how long it took me to figure out 1 line. like maybe about the journey to figuring out how X should happen or why Y is like this or smth smth, all the different drafts and ideas and the thought process, but even then. taking 27 hours to figure out a LINE?? and it's "i'm the dirt under your nails"!?!??

tell me you're not a writer without telling me you're not a writer lmfao

[qiqi-media]

I was rewatching D2 and saw that Evie had said none of the C4 was too popular on the Isle and it just leads to more confusion on how they even ended up becoming the saviors of the Isle in D3. I would've loved to see how the OG Isle that hated them for turning their backs on evil would've reacted to them being okay at the end of D3 (right before the engagement party) with Mal closing the barrier forever and really only seemed mad because she had lied to them about it.

[kerryweaverlesbian]

Cas stitching up his trench coat in one of the motel chairs while Sam and Dean are asleep and quietly talking to Jack about how to him the coat feels as part of himself now as his blade is. That it reminds him that he wasn't always aware of just how deeply humans could feel. How deeply angels could feel. How putting care into something can make it meaningful. The stars were mere pricks of light before humans decided to name them. The more he cares for his coat, the more of his perspective and memory gets sewn into it. The more it becomes his.

"And the pockets," he confides with a deep wink, "Are good for keeping snacks in."

Later, when Dean is asleep again, drooling over an open book of research in the bunker, Jack watches as Cas tucks his coat over Dean's shoulders and sees how he hesitates for a moment before brushing his hand softly through Dean's hair. Dean is transformed, through Cas’s careful attention, from the man who was the gatekeeper of acceptance and goodness to just a man, vulnerable and in need of care.

Jack wonders whether Castiel cares for everyone like they are a precious object. And he wonders what Castiel would transform him into, if he had to be repaired. Jack isn't sure that he likes the idea. He already has a hard time understanding his own morality, how can he also be expected live up to the idea of himself in Castiel's head? The object that Castiel loves? Does he need to be changed in order to become his?

"I could get him my pillow?" Jack suggests, swallowing against the cold mass in his throat when Cas smiles gently at that. He does like it, then, when Jack acts against his own interest.

"That might wake him. We should let him rest."

"He's precious to you."

"He is." Castiel reaches out and puts a hand on Jack's sleeve, expression sincere, "And so are you."

"Right," Jack says, then, "thanks," and holds his smile until Cas wanders back to sit perpendicular to Dean, to watch him until just before he stirred. Castiel and Jack, both, were good at pretending not to feel what they felt.

Watching the angel watch the man, Jack feels like a star. Immense and powerful but also distant, removed. Not special until a real person decides that he is. He is between angel and human. Person and object. Precious and disregarded. He is the blade and the coat, and Jack doesn't know which is worse.

[danwhobrowses]

Well Critters it's Bells Hells Live Show Day! That snuck up on us quickly didn't it? Felt almost like a few weeks ago that they announced it!

Alas, being across the pond (also tomorrow's Father's Day in the UK) I will have to wait for the VOD, sitting here with my usual Thursday night doses of anticipation, imagination and anxiety, but I hope all that are attending have a great night. So much can happen, so much stuff I want to happen too but ofc some things are long shots - anyone who looks at my feed can tell what I want to happen let's be honest, and there'll be dress up and whatever beyond extra entrance Sam has planned to make his anticipated and grandiose return.

So sing the intro loud, tag your live spoilers just in case, do creepy whispers if Laudna performs a Sending, tell them to stop it if they sneeze, and most of all enjoy the show!

[descendintorantness]

*cracks knuckles*

alright, let’s get into this.

First of all, while you are correct that Doug never faced any narrative consequences for his actions towards Evie, neither did Mal. And as far as fandom treatment goes, in my experience Doug is hated on quite a bit more than Mal for his actions.

The writers did not appropriately address either Doug or Mal’s abusive/toxic actions toward their respective partners, doing a disservice both to them and the Descendants story as a whole.

However, there is a crucial difference in how both their actions were portrayed on screen, and that is the fact that the writers did everything they could to finagle Mal out of accountability for her actions. Mal never apologized either.

Let me just make clear that Mal absolutely deserves to be “dragged' for her actions. Love spell-drugging Ben was an abhorrent thing to do, and even more hosrrible is that no one in the story ever calls her on it. Ben forgives her immediately, without even an apology or explanation, and she is rewarded by the narrative (and many people in the fandom) for “saving” Ben from Audrey.

While Doug also needs to be held accountable for his actions, the one in most dire need of a reality check is Mal. From other characters, the Descendants narrative, and the braoder fandom.

Honestly it was just SO hypocritical of the writers to address the love spell and have Mal dragged over the coals for it, but they let DOUG'S behaviour which is including but not limited to stalking and cheating accusations with no apology I might add slide!

I will try to be fair and say that if the 'technically yes' comment to the stalking question had been the only sign of toxicity. Then yes it could have been passed off as just a teenage boy getting tongue-tied round his new crush.--even if it should still be talked about, if only just to clarify, especially with Evie coming from the Isle. But as said above that is NOT the ONLY time toxicity is shown in the Devie ship and NONE. Of. It. Is. Even. ADDRESSED in a conversation between Evie and Doug.

But my point is that the writers were ABSOLUTE HYPOCRITES to let Mal be dragged over the coals and Bal be the ship called toxic. For something Mal addressed and atoned for when they have a TRULY toxic pair right next to Bal that is never even called out/addressed!

[caliburn-the-sword]

The School for Good and Evil (Somain Chainani) to Ever After High to Descendants to The Land of Stories (Chris Colfer) to Once Upon a Time pipeline is REAL and needs to be talked about more