#ever heard of a movie called encanto?

[sureuncertainty]

i did NOT just see someone saying that stephanie beatriz is "clearly not a singer" oh my GOD

[slttygeto]

༉‧₊˚. "Shut up, mom!" prank with JJK men PART 2

➜ featuring: higuruma hiromi, ryomen sukuna and fushiguro toji

➜synopsis: your child(ren) has a death wish for sure.

➜note: sorry for the long wait! it's here at last :)

༉‧₊˚. reblog + comment!

༉‧₊˚. HIGURUMA HIROMI

Your husband was a busy man. You and your daughter could count the days he spent at home with the two of you–lazily snuggling his two favorite girls on the couch as you rewatch your favorite family movie (he claims that Encanto isn’t his favorite but he has memorized all the songs). So what better way to spice up the day than by pranking your favorite man?

“Sweetie, what did I say about tissues on the kitchen counter?”

“Huh?” your daughter’s annoyed tone makes Higuruma look up from his phone with a quirked eyebrow. “Oh yeah, whatever I just forgot.”

“I said it many times before. I don’t like tissues on the kitchen counter.”

“Oh would you just drop it?” your daughter sighs, annoyed. She gets up from the dining table and makes her way around the couch, walking past her dad. “You’re always making a big deal out of shit like that.”

“Huh-”

“Hey? Don’t use that kind of language with me–”

“Just shut up already!” 

In the blink of an eye, Higuruma’s phone dropped from his hand and he stood up from the couch, nostrils flared and body seething with anger.

“What did you just say?” 

“Dad-”

“Did you just tell your mother to shut up?” You feel bad for making your daughter witness this side of her dad, but she’s quick to give her nervous giggle with her hands up to her chest. 

“Dad, it’s a prank! I promise!” 

“Honey, it’s a prank.” It’s comedic the way his eyes go from almost bulging out of his skull, to deflating like a balloon. He heaves out a sigh he doesn’t know he was holding and drops his head.

“What part of this prank seemed funny to either of you?”

“Mom said she liked it when you were protective of her–”

“Why are you exposing your mother like that!” 

“You made me the target of his anger!” 

༉‧₊˚. RYOMEN SUKUNA

“Where are the brats?” Sukuna’s voice is flat as he walks into the kitchen. Dinner was served, and yet his twin boys were nowhere to be seen. “Still upstairs?” 

“Yeah, I called for them earlier but they don’t want to get off that damn console.” You sigh in defeat, leaning against the kitchen counter. “I’ll try again, wait.” 

Sukuna lets you handle this by yourself and takes a seat by the dining table. He watches intently as you make your way upstairs and then a minute later, a fight ensues. Loud voices and the sound of doors slamming can be heard, which makes your husband’s eye twitch. 

“I told you to take out the trash and you said no! I tell you dinner is ready and you say leave me alone?” you continue to complain as you walk down the stairs, your tall teenage boys right behind you, sporting the same scowl as their dad’s. 

“Why are you being overdramatic? I told you I’ll do it later!”

“I want you to do it now, the kitchen reeks!”

“That’s a you problem, woman.”

“What did you just say to me?”

“Would you just let it go? Just shut u–!”

Your twin boy doesn’t get to finish his sentence before your husband is pushing his chair back, aura as dangerous as ever. You’ve seen Sukuna angry before, you’ve seen him in all of his states but this one was by far the scariest.

“Brat.” 

Sukuna doesn’t let his son finish his sentence before he takes off his wedding ring and places it on the dining table. “Let’s go outside. You and I.”

“Wha–”

“You eat dinner without us and you–” he points at the troublesome one of the pair. “Will get to eat if you beat me.”

“But dad–”

“I’m not asking you, I’m telling you.”

“Babe,” you step between your fuming husband and his son, hands caressing his chest. “Calm down, it’s fine–”

“Get out of the way, woman.” he says with a snarl, but you can feel his body relax under your touch.

“But it was just a prank.”

“A prank?” Now you’re scared for your life. “Who told you that shit is funny? You like being disrespected?” 

“No, but I like seeing you angry,”

“Oh I’ll show you what I can do when I’m angry.”

“We are quite literally right here.”

“Then leave.”

“Babe!” 

༉‧₊˚. FUSHIGURO TOJI

“Megumi, do you want some?” You’re in the car on your way back from a party that one of your friends has thrown for her toddler when you turn to your own kid with some cake. “It’s your favorite.” 

“No.” 

“No?” Toji notices your frown and his son’s unusual attitude towards you but says nothing, eyes fixated on the road. “Well okay,” 

You heave out a sigh, biting back a smile as you look out the window. Toji locks eyes with his own through the rearview mirror and the child looks away almost immediately. What’s up with his attitude today?

The moment you walk into the house, you’re taking off Megumi’s shoes who’s still doing a pretty good job at pretending to be having an attitude and he makes his way to the kitchen where he grabs the box of cookies which he knows he’s not allowed near. 

“Gumi, no.”

“I want one.”

“After dinner, okay?” the six year old boy huffs and puffs and when you take the box away from him, he pretends to throw a fit as he starts to make his way upstairs.

“Go to the bathroom, I gotta give you a bath before eating.”

“Shut up!” You don’t know where Toji was, you don’t feel him behind you until you see him storm towards the stairs. All you hear is loud thuds on the wooden floor and your heart is in your throat.

“Fucking brat,” he mumbles under his breath. “What the fuck did you just tell your mom?” 

“Toji–”

“She wanted to prank you.” Megumi confesses almost immediately, pointing an accusatory finger at you. “She told me that you look ‘hot’ when you’re mad so she wanted to test something.” 

You stand there, dumbfounded and flustered at how fast your kid exposed you. Suddenly, you feel small as you feel Toji turn around and stare down at you with his dark eyes. 

“Is that so?” 

“Mhm. She also said that she will call uncle Satoru to come take me after–”

“Megumi!” 

COMMISSIONS

2024 © all works belong to @slttygeto. do not repost, translate or steal any of my works.

[littlemisssquiggles]

The Missed Potential of WISH

It’s funny.

Last year, I really wanted to watch the new Wish animated film from Disney.

While everyone else were hating on the art and animation style, I actually kind of liked it and was genuinely looking forward to possibly viewing it on the big screen.

Then the reviews came in. Needless to say, I didn’t watch Wish.

I remember a time when people used to complain about Disney making “too many love stories”. Then Disney stopped making love stories leading to films like Moana, Coco, Encanto and even Turning Red, which weren't bad.

Following the failure of Wish, the biggest complaint I’ve heard for that film is that “it probably would’ve been more successful if it were a love story”.

The last romance Disney had we’re the protagonist was a “black girl” was Tiana from The Princess and the Frog which was technically their last 2D animated feature film.

And don’t get me wrong, til this day, The Princess and the Frog still tracks. Second to Tangled, I still very much love TPATF and it's one of Disney's classics that definitely have the rewatchability.

That being said, Wish is the first Disney film I've seen where the missed potential of what its story was originally supposed to be (herego a love story between a human girl and shape-shifting star boy) versus what we actually got is more popular.

Aww Disney, what were you thinking?! How could you think a film where the main character, who is a PoC, the first "black girl" (well technically I think Asha is meant to be mixed) female lead/love interest that you've had since Tiana in The Princess and the Frog in 14 YEARS where she is actually human for all of the movie and gets to share a love story with a handsome "star boy" who can literally make all of her dreams come and think that that's NOT gonna make you money!

I haven't even watched Wish yet I've seen more artwork and fan-made animatics of Asha and Star Boy than anything from the actual film.

At this point, Disney should just take all of the original ideas they left on the chopping block for Wish and revise them into a future title which is an actual love story they could market from.

Or…as an audience, we can just wait for one of their competitors, like Dreamworks to smell the blood in the water like the sharks they are and capitalize on Disney’s latest flop by taking the ideas they didn’t use and coming up with something that could potentially usurp the popularity of Wish’s failure.

In the case of Dreamworks, they don’t even need to make a new star boy since, technically, they already have potential “star boy” they can use.

Remember Rise of the Guardians?

Hahaaaaa OF COURSE you do, since it gave us the original immortal boy internet heart throb (also ironically voiced by Chris Pine who played King Magnifico in Wish) ---Jack Frost.

I find it hilarious that another reason why folks are hating on Wish so much is because Disney could've given us another potential immortal boy heart throb "Star Boy" to finally usurp the chokehold that Jack Frost has had on our generation of weebs and artists for the past 12 years since RoTG first dropped.

We could've had it all.

But as I mentioned Rise of the Guardians, did you know that there is character in the original series it was based off of called Nightlight?

While technically not a “star boy”, Nightlight is the closest thing to one in an already established universe from a Dreamworks property and since this squiggle meister never misses a beat to push for continuation of Rise of Guardians, hear me out:

Imagine a Rise of the Guardian prequel-sequel about the character Nightlight and make it a love story.

(Because apparently there's a girl that Nightlight grows close to in his story called Katherine. It's just a friendship but needless to say, there is potential there).

I know it’s been 12 years since Rise of Guardians first dropped and I know I've be hollering for a sequel since 2012.

But c'mon, if there was ever a time for Dreamworks to capitalize on an RoTG sequel, it's now.

As Wish has proven, the internet is hungry for another handsome immortal boy with magical powers.

Dreamworks set the ball rolling with Jack Frost.

If Dreamworks were to revisit RoTG again, take Nightlight's story. Take his design and give him the "Jack Frost" treatment and make it a love story on top of that.

I'm not saying it will happen. Not even saying it could happen.

But if somehow thought becomes reality and something like this does actually happen, whoever does it will be rolling in dough.

This is just a longwinded way of me to say that somebody needs to bank on the concept of a star falling in love with a human and do it now since as the internet has shown, it's what the people want and what Wish failed to give.

~LMS (2024)

[narrative-nareth]

Hi I would like to ask you several questions.

Have you ever seen or heard of The PowerPuff Girls?

Have you ever seen or heard of Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends?

Have you ever seen or heard of Xiaolin Showdown?

Have you ever seen or heard of Pixar's Ratatouille?

Have you ever seen or heard of Disney's Oliver Company?

Have you ever seen or heard of Pixar's Coco?

Have you ever seen or heard of Disney's Encanto?

Have you ever seen or heard of a French comic/movie series called Asterix?

Have you ever heard of the Donkey Kong Country games?

Hi, I've heard of most of these (say for asterix and oliver company) however I honestly haven't really interacted with any of them but coco.

I was really excited for encanto when I first saw the trailers but I haven't gotten around to seeing it.

[fl3shm4id3n]

Do you think you can do the sully’s oldest daughter based on isabela from Encanto, and if you’ve seen the movie do you think you can include the argument that isabela and mirabel have?

ᵢ'ₘ ₙ���ₜ ₐₛ ₚₑᵣfₑcₜ ₐₛ Yₒᵤ ₜₕᵢₙₖ

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚ç𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜʟʟʏ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ (ᴘʟᴀᴛᴏɴɪᴄ), ɴᴇᴛᴇʏᴀᴍ x ꜱɪꜱᴛᴇʀ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ (ᴘʟᴀᴛᴏɴɪᴄ)

Tw: family issues? Older sibling issues, reader is kinda mean at first, reader is 17, sibling rivalry, reconciliation in the end.

A/N: I've seen Encanto multiple times, to the point that it just got annoying, but I actually liked the movie. I hope this was to your liking.

P.s. I kind of want to do a second part, based on the scene where Mirabel confront abuela but with reader and Jake.

Masterlist

Perfect, all of your life you had been referred to as Perfect. It got to the point in which you began to hate that word. Sure you pushed yourself to the point of exhaustion in order to never mess up and any small imperfection would upset you, you weren't person, or what's what you thought. It all started as a child, how you began to wield a bow at a young age and you were a quick leaner. Everyone praised you, it made you happy seen others happy, even if it took a tool in your happiness.

Then your siblings began to arrive, Neteyam, Kiri, Lo'ak, and now Tuk. It was five of you now, you still kept up your perfect self while your brothers basically struggled to reach your perfection. They'd often get compared to you all the time, you always heard 'why can't you be more like y/n?' 'why can't you be like your older sister? She was already wielding a bow by the age of 4' 'Your sister wouldn't of missed that up' your father's comments would get annoying to you and to your brothers.

Jake was sweet towards Kiri and Tuk, but you? He was already treated you like an adult with responsibilities when you were twelve. He stopped being a the sweet father he once was towards you and became more strict, expecting more of you. It got to the point that you just began to be somewhat mean to those around you, mainly your brothers. Just like your father you'd comment on how they couldn't done better or how you'd never mess things up.

When you'd go to hunt, you'd take hours, leaving your father to assume you were still out, but the majority of the time when you'd leave, you'd go as fast as possible from the village. You'd always land on one of the floating mountains. To release all your emotions, such as your anger and frustration. You never allowed any one, not even your parents see you cry, it's been a long time since you had allowed others to see you cry. Once you were done crying, you'd collect yourself and finally go hunting. You'd always return home with a catch.

Lo'ak didn't really care much about what you did to be perfect, he just knew that he wasn't going to ever live up to you perfection, so he just ignored it and did his own thing, which was getting into trouble. Neteyam on the other hand, he hated it. He hated being compared to you, his older sister. He loves you, really, but sometimes you're just unbearable to be around. How you'd poke at him for messing up in the slightest or how you'd comment that he could make himself useful by being out of the way. You'd call it your sister advice.

Since you were already considered an adult, your mother and father had told you that it was time for you to choose a mate. Even though you didn't want to, you were on the search of one. Their were many fine and honorable men in the clan, some even wish that you picked them. That night there was a small celebration that everyone was attending.

You had been talking with Kobu, the son of Ikeyni and Tsentey, he was a great warrior, not only that but he was going to be the next leader of the Tayrangi clan. You wouldn't doubt if your parents thought of him as the perfect Mate for you. As you talked, you noticed how Neteyam has been walking around you and him, almost circling you both. You'd give him warning glances at him to leave. But what did it was when he 'accidently' spilled his drink on Kobu, you apologized multiple times to Kobu, he said that it was alright and that he'll go to get cleaned up.

You kept your composure, until you left the small celebration into the woods, far enough so that they didn't hear you, but you were followed by your brother. "Seems that he might have a change in mind, don't you think?" Neteyam commented. Making you turn to glare at him. "Have you lost your mind?" you growled at him in anger. You were mad for sure, you reminded Neteyam of your mother.

"Everything was going great, everyone was happy, mom and dad were happy, but no! You had to come and fuck everything up!" you yelled, all your brother did was stand there and listen. "I'm sure any boy would be interested in you y/n, Kobu isn't the only boy-" he got cut off by you shouting. "You don't get it do you, he was the perfect mate for me! But you had to fuck it up! Now apologize for running my life!" You screamed and got in his face.

Neteyam just stood there, getting frustrated by your words. "Go on, apologize" you said with a smug smirk and having your hands on your hips. He hated it and you knew it. "I.. am.. sorry" he said, you only smiled by this, but he wasn't done. "That your life is so great!" he pointed it out, this caught you off guard. "You think my life is great?! All the things that I go through!?" you shouted. "Things you go through?! You're The perfect daughter for crying out loud! I'm sorry that not only are you mean, but also a selfish princess!" he yelled.

Making you gasp in anger. "Selfish?! I've bee stuck being perfect my whole life, then you come along and mess everything up!" you claimed. "Calm down, you can still mate with Kobu is not that serious" he whined back at you. "I never wanted to mate! I was doing it for the clan!" their was a silence once you had finished your sentence of not wanting to mate for love, but out of duty. "Y/n, I'm sorry it's just that... I hate being compared to you.. it's always 'why can't you be more like y/n' or 'y/n would have never done that' and shit" Neteyam admitted, then he noticed the tears now rolling down your cheeks. This was the first time he had ever seen you cry.

"I know I can be mean, but... you don't want to be like me. Having to be prefect isn't as great as it seems. Yes, I get praises, but at the same time. I can't be myself. I have to keep up a fake smile in order to show others that I'm not weak. I have to carry the burden that I'll be the next leader. I can never mess up and enjoy messing up, instead I live with the idea that If I mess up, then I'm a failure." You sobbed into your hands. Neteyam now fully saw your true colors. You weren't mean just because, but to keep up the act that you were perfect with now flaws. No one saw how you were suffering until now.

Neteyam walked over to where you were and pulled you into a hug. You froze at first, not knowing what to do. No one has hugged you like this since forever, you almost forgot what a hug felt like until now. "Just know that, even after everything, I still love you." That was all he said, making the tears over flow over your eyes, you finally hugged him back tightly.

[foggyfanfic]

Mirabel's Super Secret Adventure

Movie AU

Chapter Preview: “-but seriously, you know everything is going to be alright,” Tía Leandra was saying to Tïo Bruno, a pretty normal exchange between the two. One Mirabel had heard a thousand times and was prepared to ignore if not for what Tío Bruno said next.

Prologue Next Masterlist

Slipping Through the...

“Abuela, I found her,” Gabriel called, and Mirabel groaned. She was so close.

Mirabel stood just two feet shy of Antonio’s new door, the quiet sanctuary of Casita’s abandoned courtyard tantalizingly close.

Just over ten years ago, Mirabel had her own gift ceremony, and instead of receiving a gift, she had become the miracle’s back up plan. Which was fine, great even, a huge honor. Sure, it would have been way cooler to shape shift, or make flowers out of thin air, but hey! She was serving a very important role in the family just by existing, and that was… well, it definitely wasn’t nothing. 

She was fine, more than fine. Happy, really.

However.

“Oh come on Gabe, I’m fifteen, I don’t need a babysitter,” Mirabel groused, trying to duck around her older cousin.

“I know you don’t,” Gabriel shrugged, blocking her escape efforts despite his words, “but you’re important, especially on nights like this.”

Mirabel rolled her eyes and groaned, “I already did my part, I helped Antonio get to the door, now can I just-.”

Go mope in peace. That’s what she wanted to say. Because yes, she was really glad the miracle had picked her for something so important. And she was proud of herself and the vital role she played in the last three gift ceremonies. But just thinking of all the gifts given since her own ceremony-, Antonio got to talk to animals, Octavia could shape the earth however she wanted, and Mirabel didn’t even know how to describe Amada’s gift other than amazing! 

And what did Mirabel get?

The magic equivalent of being a spare tire.

Tío Bruno was always saying how important it was to “let your feelings flow”, and that was exactly what Mirabel wanted to do. She wanted to let her feelings flow so they could flow right out of her.

In private. As in, not at the party.

She might have been a little jealous of Antonio’s awesome gift, but she was also really happy for him, and wanted him to have his night. She didn’t want to steal the attention away from him.

“You did, and you know Abuela is going to want to include you in the toast tonight, it’s basically a part of the tradition,” Gabriel shrugged.

It started with Amada, Bruno and Leandra’s second child. She was a year younger than Mirabel, and had a strict sense of right and wrong. Everything had to be fair, in Amada’s eyes, and Mirabel not getting a cool gift wasn’t fair. So, Amada had tried to refuse her gift until Mirabel got one too. 

In hindsight, it was hugely flattering, one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for her. At the time, however, it was just dragging out a painful experience Mirabel had wanted to get over with. 

So, she had encouraged Amada to take the gift, even giving her a few (mostly gentle) shoves towards the door. When she finally touched it, Amada’s eyes had glowed and she’d looked at Mirabel then looked around the party, she had taken off her shoe and tossed it, setting off a chain reaction that had resulted in Mirabel holding a plate of her favorite desserts. Nobody was sure exactly what to call Amada’s gift, but she had always described it as being able to see the dominos of the universe.

“Camilo’s right,” Mirabel grumbled in the here and now, “you are such a stick in the mud.”

“Thank you!” Gabriel smiled at her. She glared back at him.

Gabriel was the eldest of Tío Bruno’s kids, and the only one who remembered life before becoming a Madrigal. Granted, what he remembered was pretty vague, since he was four when he joined the family, but it was generally understood that the more vague his memories, the better.

Gabriel’s birth father was not a good man, one of the few to be banished from Encanto for committing a violent crime. Rumor had it that the reason Gabriel’s abuelo brought him and Amada to Encanto was because Gabriel’s birth father killed Amada’s other parents, and would have killed her if Gabriel hadn’t gotten help. 

He was just over a year younger than Luisa, and had only been with the family for six months when he turned five. As such, his gift ceremony had come as a surprise to everybody. One minute they were having a very quiet birthday party fit for a shy little boy, the next a door had appeared and Abuela was rushing to grab the candle. 

“Look, just, come get me for the toast,” Mirabel laced her fingers together and put them under her chin, “please. I just want a few minutes away from the party.”

Gabriel pressed his lips together, looking over her shoulder, probably at Abuela. It seemed like Abuela always had at least one eye on Mirabel. Because god forbid the miracle’s back up plan got a paper cut.

“How about we both go,” Gabriel eventually said, offering up a compromise that also served as a convenient excuse for him to take a break from the party, “we can take a walk, decompress. You can vent.”

“Tempting, but no,” Mirabel crossed her arms, “the last time I went anywhere with you after dark your fan club showed up and almost crushed me to death trying to get to you.”

Gabriel flinched and Mirabel felt a little bad. Supposedly, Gabriel’s birth father had been a bit of a womanizer, and as such Gabriel was determined to be the opposite. He had regularly declared that he wouldn’t date until he thought he may have found the one. Unfortunately for him, male Madrigals were few and far between, and there were plenty of women in the village for whom the name was a prize worth any battle. 

Things were getting a little easier for him ever since Camilo’s growth spurt, but they still weren’t great.

“Come on, I’m fifteen, I think I can handle myself in my own house,” Mirabel insisted, pushing past the guilt, “Casita will have my back, right Casita?”

Casita clattered the floor tiles in an affirmative.

Gabriel pressed his lips together, then sighed, nodding, “If Abuela asks, you told me you were going to the restroom.”

“You got it,” Mirabel flashed him a thumbs up.

“Be back by nine,” Gabriel called after her, “the toast is at fifteen past.”

“Yeah-huh,” she agreed, walking as quickly as she could out of Antonio’s new room.

Casita’s courtyard was empty, the whole village already exploring the newly installed mini rain forest. She took a few deep breaths, letting her shoulders drop a little as she enjoyed a few seconds of self pity. 

She was fine, really, just a tiny bit jealous. That’s all. It was normal to be a little jealous, her Má sometimes told Tía Pepa she wished they could trade. Gift envy was a perfectly normal and valid reason for Mirabel to be just the tiniest bit bummed.

She was otherwise completely fine.

Slowly, quietly, looking up at the night sky, Mirabel plodded down the stairs.

It was tempting to hide in the nursery, but everybody would know to look for her there. And Gabriel would know to check Tío Bruno’s story telling tent. Amada and Octavia, both fellow victims of Gabriel’s mollycoddling, had said she could hide in either of their rooms if she wanted, but she didn’t want to have to worry about them finding her and trying to cheer her up.

Ironically, if Antonio’s room wasn’t currently being used for a party, it would be the perfect place to hide out for a few minutes of privacy.

She’d hide out back in the herb garden, she decided. Only her Má or one of her Tías would think to find her there.

Before she got more than two steps away from the stairs, she heard a familiar raspy chuckle and startled, whipping around to find the source. Thankfully, when she found Tío Bruno standing in the kitchen doorway with Tía Leandra, it didn’t look like either had noticed her. She carefully tiptoed under the stairs Casita had made for the party, so she’d be shielded by the shadows.

“-but seriously, you know everything is going to be alright,” Tía Leandra was saying to Tïo Bruno, a pretty normal exchange between the two. One Mirabel had heard a thousand times and was prepared to ignore if not for what Tío Bruno said next.

“I-, mí reina, you know I want to agree with you, but it’s just-. Look, if our fate really was all up to Mirabel I’d be fine, b-but you can’t really be at the center of something unless there’s something to be the center of, right? It’s all that something that worries me,” Tío Bruno paused to sigh as if the weight of the world was dragging him down, shaking his head, “I can’t help but wonder if-, maybe we should have-, I don’t know. Mirabel has grown into such a mature, kind young woman, and she knows how much we love her. I thought that would mean-, I-I thought that would fix things, but it hasn’t. The cracks are spreading.”

“That’s-, we’ll figure it out,” she was clearly doing her best to look optimistic.

“We might not be able to keep them secret for much longer. The other day one got into Luisa’s room.”

“Well, that makes sense, Mirabel looks about the same age as she did in your vision, whatever is happening, it’s probably about to-,” Tía Leandra cut herself off, then said, “we knew this day would come.”

“I was sort of hoping the cracks would be, you know, a metaphor,” he shrugged, “not real.”

“Have you shown them to Octavia? I know we said we wouldn’t draw any of the kids into this, but if everybody is about to find out about them anyways,” she took his hands in hers, “maybe we start pulling in some more back up. Try more solutions. Control the spread of information.”

Tío Bruno gave a sort of half nod to show he was thinking about it, but otherwise didn’t respond. Eventually he sighed through his nose and picked up her hands, kissing the back of first her right, then her left.

“Come on, let’s go check in so Má doesn’t realize we’re avoiding the party,” Tío Bruno said, smiling ruefully, “we can talk about this after Isabela’s engagement tomorrow.”

“Hm, I still think we should say something,” Tía Leandra said, allowing herself to be led up the stairs.

“I talked to Dolores, and Isabela, they’re both determined to stay the course, they don’t want to rock the boat,” he said, “th-that’s actually why I want to wait. I have a new theory about what’s causing the cracks, I want to see if tomorrow does anything.”

“But what about-?”

“We can say something after,” he reassured her, “b-but you know, eventually we gotta trust the kids to take care of themselves.”

“Easier said than done. Especially when they’re being stupid.”

“Tell me about it.”

And then their voices were swallowed up by the low cacophony of the party.

Mirabel stood there in the shadow of the stairs for a really long time, trying to make sense of what she’d just heard.

“Cracks?” she whispered, then frowned down at the tile beneath her feet, “Casita, do you know what they’re talking about.”

Casita didn’t respond, which was as good a confirmation as Mirabel could ask for. If Casita didn’t know what was happening, she would have received a confused clatter.

“Casita?”

Casita sheepishly shuffled the tiles around.

“Show me.”

There was a moment's hesitation.

“Show me,” she insisted sternly.

Casita wiggled first the tiles, then the floorboards on the stairs, one by one to lead her back up to the second story. She was careful while sneaking past the party and kept looking over her shoulder as she followed Casita’s lead.

The trail stopped abruptly under a large painting on the wall, one Mirabel had never paid much mind to. She studied it closely, not seeing any signs of cracks.

Maybe they were under the picture?

She carefully put her hands on one side and tried to move the painting without dislodging it from whatever was used to hang it, but the painting swung out like a door. Instead of finding cracks, she found a gaping hole, leading to a thin passageway disappearing into the dark.

Mirabel gulped and looked around, before carefully climbing through the hole. She closed the painting behind her and waited for her eyes to adjust.

As soon as she could see where she was going she started walking. 

The passageway was narrow, and dusty, but Mirabel could see signs that Bruno had been there. There was salt all over the floor, and wild rats cuddled up in little hammocks like the ones Tío Bruno’s pet rats had. Tía Leandra must have been there too, because hanging on the walls every few feet was a bouquet of dried lavender to keep the air from growing stale.

The little touches kept Mirabel’s heart from beating out of her chest. Sure, she may have been wandering alone through a dark, secret, passage in the walls, but it was clearly a dark, secret, passage that Tío Bruno traversed regularly.

Eventually, she even started to enjoy the journey. It was quiet, everything smelled like lavender, and nobody was popping out of the woodwork to tell her to watch her step, or be careful of splinters.

Mirabel kept her eyes on the walls, looking for cracks. She didn’t find any.

However she did find another giant hole, this one was in the ground and seemed to lead down into an endless abyss. She stared at it.

Tío Bruno went running with Luisa every morning, and Luisa was always saying how acrobatic he was. So, presumably, Tío Bruno could probably use those boards there and there to hop across. And Tía Leandra regularly lifted weights with Luisa and Tío Félix (although they couldn’t lift nearly as much as Luisa could), so if Tío Bruno put that ladder over there on those brackets screwed into the wall, Tía Leandra could probably use it like monkey bars to walk herself across.

Mirabel may have been able to use the ladder like monkey bars too, maybe. Unfortunately, the ladder was on the other side of the hole, so she would never know.

She stared down into the misty abyss contemplatively. 

How deep could it be? Realistically? Casita may have been a magic house, but it didn’t make sense to assume the whole house was floating over a giant, bottomless, void. This was probably just a sink hole of some kind. So, it was possible that Mirabel could just hop down, walk across, and climb back up the other side.

Although it was entirely possible that Casita, being a magic house, was indeed floating over an endless void.

She tapped her toes, debating whether or not she wanted to risk it.

Glancing up at the ladder, she suddenly had an idea. That was hardly the only ladder in the house. She could grab a ladder, and try putting it in the hole. If it hit ground she would just climb down, then back up the other side. If it didn’t, she could probably use it as a bridge, just as long as she was careful.

Mind made up, she turned and started the journey back the way she came. She had to struggle not to hum a cheerful tune as she went.

It was just, ever since her gift ceremony Mirabel wasn’t allowed to do anything by herself. She couldn’t lift anything over five pounds without Abuela calling for Luisa, she couldn’t wander into town without one of her cousins being sent as a chaperone, she even had to “rescue” then hide her good fabric scissors just so she could use them without getting a lecture about scissor safety for the thousandth time.

It was always, “You didn’t have to strain yourself” and “Why don’t you relax and let somebody else take care of that” and “Be careful Mirabel”. She loved her Abuela, and she loved spending time with her sister and cousins, but for the love of god, she felt like she was fifteen going on five.

But not this time! This time Mirabel was going to climb around in the walls and discover these secret cracks without anyone else’s help. 

With that in mind, Mirabel cracked the painting open a smidge and checked for witnesses before crawling out of her newfound secret tunnel. She dusted herself off and looked around, making extra sure nobody had seen her.

Good.

Mirabel happily trotted towards the stairs, but was brought up short when the grandfather clock struck nine.

Oh, right, the toast.

Pressing her lips together, Mirabel strongly considered ignoring the clock and going right back into the hole in the wall. But if Abuela noticed Mirabel was missing, she’d ask Dolores to find her, and if that happened Mirabel would lose this secret adventure just as soon as she’d found it.

With a sigh, Mirabel vowed to grab the ladder just as soon as everybody was in bed. She took a few deep breaths, put on her happy face, and returned to the crowd.

Gabriel found her in minutes, “Doing better?”

“Yep,” she said, “just needed a breather.”

“That’s good, I was a little worried ab-.”

“When are you not,” Camilo interrupted, suddenly appearing on Gabriel’s other side with a plate of food, “hey Mirabel, Abuela was looking for you.”

Mirabel groaned.

“So, because I am wonderful and amazing, I pretended to be you and did a lap around the party,” Camilo smirked.

Mirabel felt her whole face light up.

“Just figured you’d wanna know, you talked to Señora Matisse about the new cake her bakery is selling, you talked to my Tío Felípe about how much funnier than him I am, and you talked to Isabela about that weird face Mariano makes whenever somebody brings up snakes.”

Mirabel frowned again, “So, basically, the only person you actually bothered fooling was Señora Matisse?”

“Meh, it’s not like Tío Felípe or Isa are going to rat me out,” Camilo shrugged, “Abuela saw you chatting with people at the party, that’s what matters, right?”

“Yeah, I guess,” she admitted.

“So, you owe me one,” he grinned.

Mirabel sighed but couldn’t deny, “Sí, gracias Camilo, I owe you one.”

“I’ll collect on your debt later,” he turned his smirk on Gabriel, who was watching this whole exchange with a slight disapproving frown, “for now the joy of annoying you is the only payment I need.”

“Abuela just wants to keep Mirabel safe,” Gabriel said, always quick to defend their grandmother, “you shouldn’t trick her like that.”

“Alright, then tell her, tell her it was me she saw, not Mirabel,” Camilo responded blithely.

Gabriel frowned at him. Camilo waited, his grin turning knowing as the seconds ticked by and Gabe wasn’t running off to tattle. Gabriel would never purposefully get one of his cousins in trouble, even if he didn’t agree with what they were doing. Eventually Camilo nodded, winked at Mirabel, and walked away, stuffing a cookie into his mouth. 

Mirabel couldn’t help but grin at his back.

“I know she’s a little… extreme about it,” Gabriel sighed, “but she’s just trying to keep you and the family safe. We can’t lose our miracle-.”

Mirabel rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to argue.

“-and we definitely can’t lose you,” Gabriel was looking at her with that soft little smile, the one he had inherited from Tío Bruno, “don’t forget, you’re not special because the miracle chose you, the miracle chose you because you’re special.”

All of the fight left her in an instant. Gabriel always managed to do this, he didn’t win arguments by yelling or fighting dirty, he won arguments by refusing to fight. He was the very epitome of the phrase “kill them with kindness”.

Suddenly, Mirabel felt guilty for all the mental complaining she’d done about Abuela, and her cousin. They may have been a bit suffocating, but they were coming from a place of love.

What right did Mirabel have to begrudge them that.

Even worse than feeling guilty, she was suddenly tempted to tell Gabriel about the cracks. To give up her secret adventure for their sakes. She knew if either one found out what she was planning, they’d have a heart attack.

Fortunately, before she could, a ringing sound cut through the party. Abuela was lightly tapping a fork against a glass. It was time for the toast.

“Thank you Gabe,” Mirabel said, even as she allowed herself to be led to Abuela’s side, “I know you guys are coming from a place of love. I just-, I just feel-.”

“Mirabel, come, come,” Abuela called out, ending the conversation, and ushering Mirabel over to stand with Antonio. Antonio grinned up at her, a toucan on his little shoulder, his eyes big and brown and full of love.

Suddenly, everything seemed just a little bit better.

“Hey Tonito,” she greeted him, “are you having a good party?”

“Sí, thank you,” Antonio whispered, wrapping himself around her hand like he had on the way up to his door.

“Always,” Mirabel whispered back. Just loud enough so he could hear her over Abuela’s speech.

She tuned Abuela out as much as she could, and just smiled down at her youngest cousin for a little. He was a sweet kid, and she would kind of miss having him in the nursery with her.

She knew everybody had been sort of expecting Mirabel to help him to his door somehow, but she hadn’t planned to do it. Honestly, she had been tempted to refuse, though she couldn’t quite put why into words.

But Mirabel couldn’t do that to Antonio. If she was honest, she wouldn’t be able to do it to anyone in the family. Not even Isabela. She loved her family too much.

All the same, Mirabel guiding Antonio to his door wasn’t supposed to be a part of the ceremony. Just like Mirabel helping Octavia hobble to her door after she twisted her ankle in her rush to get up the stairs wasn’t supposed to be a part of the ceremony. And her giving Amada permission to accept a gift wasn’t supposed to be a part of the ceremony.

But it was. Something Abuela made sure to mention.

“And let’s not forget, a special thank you to Mirabel, for once again being there for your cousins,” Abuela smiled at her looking proud as ever, “you have once again demonstrated that the gifts our miracle has given come from kindness, sacrifice, and family. You have become a vital part of the ceremony. And who knows, maybe you’ll be leading Isabela’s child to their door next.”

Abuela paused for the village to chuckle as she sent a conspiratorial grin at Señora Guzman. Mirabel couldn’t help but glance at Isabela, expecting to receive a cool, haughty smile that barely masked Isabela’s disdain. 

Instead she saw it, her eyes drawn to a subtle motion on the ground. A crack. A singular, spindly crack, forming in the wooden dance floor under Isabela’s feet. 

Mirabel looked up at Isabela’s face, but she hadn’t noticed the crack, she was smiling sweetly at Mariano. And he was smiling charmingly back at her. The perfect couple.

Nobody had noticed the crack. Time seemed to slow down as Mirabel searched the faces of the crowd but everybody was smiling, and laughing. 

Everybody but Dolores.

Of course! Dolores could probably hear the cracks, and Bruno and Leandra discussing them. So why hadn’t Dolores mentioned any-.

“So!” Abuela called, snapping Mirabel back to attention, “A toast to Mirabel. Thank you Mirabel.”

There were many calls of “Salud” as everybody raised their glasses.

“And of course, happy birthday Antonio! We know you’ll make us proud!”

As one the village shouted and cheered for Antonio and he shrunk ever closer to Mirabel’s side, watching the crowd with wide eyes. Everybody threw their drink back, completing the toast, and the music picked back up. 

“Ay, mijo, mí hombrecito,” Tío Pepa called, running to Antonio with Tío Félix on her heels. Only once his mother was close enough for Antonio to latch onto did he let go of Mirabel’s hand. The toucan squawked as its perch was swooped up into Pepa’s arms.

“Gracias Mirabel, not just for guiding him to the door, but for letting him hide behind you,” Tío Félix chuckled quietly, giving her a warm smile and a soft pat on the shoulder before he joined Pepa in hugging their son. Mirabel smiled back, murmuring a platitude that not even she was paying attention to.

With Antonio detached and Abuela busy playing hostess, Mirabel figured she had thirty seconds before Gabriel would find her and start hovering again. So she quickly rushed over to where Isabela had been standing to inspect the crack.

But it was gone.

A/N: Just added the links on Wednesday (09/27) so if somebody wants to test them out, let me know if they don't work. I'm being a little lazy about it.

[firecat17]

My thoughts and expectations for Moana 2

Holy s***, to say the least.

After seven years.

After the announcement of a live-action remake.

After having heard way back in 2020 that they were making a Disney+ series.

Whoa.

I just can't take it in.

Of course, like everyone, I have thoughts and expectations regarding this unexpected sequel.

First things first.

According to Disney,

"Moana 2 takes audiences on an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced."

So there's the first synopsis. Let's delve in a little deeper.

Moana gets a message from her ancestors. Okay, then. She must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure "unlike anything she's ever faced."

So that means the film will be taking us to the farthest corners of the Pacific Ocean. Does that mean its edges, like continental Asia or North America? Or Australia? Or even the chilly subantarctic waters? I'd love to see Moana and the gang to to China (which, as you may know, I'm obsessed with thanks to Kung Fu Panda), or the Americas (especially the west coast of the Andean region, which actually may have been landed on by Polynesians in the precolumbian era). It fits her peoples' role as explorers and discoverers.

Of course, all of us have been wondering where Moana would go ever since 2016. Then in late 2020, like I mentioned earlier, they announced a Moana series on Disney+, set to release this year. Well, it looks like this movie will be the reworking of that very series.

Now let's talk about some concerns I have.

The original directors and Lin-Manuel Miranda aren't returning.

It's probably a reworking of the series.

Sequels have a habit of not living up to the original.

Disney's recent animated works have failed.

It may have a Woke agenda.

The original directors and Lin-Manuel Miranda aren't returning.

Longtime veteran director pair John Musker and Ron Clements directed the first movie. With the help of a five-year research trip to Polynesia and countless consultants on all things Polynesian, combined with their refined directing skills, Musker and Clements made Moana the (however imperfect) masterpiece it is. Of course, they couldn't have made it a masterpiece music-wise without the help of acclaimed songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda. It's when sequels lose their predecessors' original directors-a key guiding star to a movie's success-that they go down the wrong path. Look at Ice Age, for example. The latter sequels of that notoriously apostate franchise weren't directed by the original directors, Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha. That alone wasn't the sole reason for the franchise's apostasy, though.

But enough about Ice Age. Without Lin-Manuel Miranda, I doubt the songs will live up to those of the original. I'm not exactly a fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda, but if the success of Moana and Encanto are any indication, I can trust him with a film's music. Without him, the music probably won't feel the same. On the other hand, at least Opetaia Foa'i and Mark Mancina are returning. The former, a Polynesian and patriarch of world-renowned band Te Vaka, helped immensely to give the first movie's music an authentic Polynesian feel, with songs partially or entirely in Samoan or Tokelauan. In other words, I'm thankful for him and his band. I also trust Mark Mancina, who has worked on films like Tarzan and Brother Bear. Still, that being said, I'll try to keep my expectations for the music sub-par.

2. It's probably a reworking of the series.

This isn't the first time a planned series has been reworked into a series. After Atlantis: The Lost Empire's release in 2001, Disney planned to make a series, but cancelled it and reworked it into a suckish sequel, with poor animation and stories literally just grafted together from 3 episodes. When the Moana series was announced in 2020, I felt a part of myself leap for joy. We all know TV series don't give as much hype as movies, but they have strengths that movies lack, one of them being the format in which the story is being told. A movie's story has to be abridged and crammed into a timeframe of about 2 or 3 hours, whereas a series can space the story out and give plenty of room for development of many aspects of the story over several episodes, something that a movie can't do. If Moana 2 does the same thing that Atlantis: Milo's Return did and poorly graft a few episodes' stories together with poor, if any, consistency flowing between the stories, I'm going to puke. We can hope that's not the case, but there's no guarantee of that.

3. Sequels have a habit of not living up to the original.

We've seen this trend all too many times. From Frozen 2, which did a mediocre job at best, to the Ice Age and Land Before Time sequels, which utterly ruined their franchises, sequels prove time and time again that they're not child's play. Of course, there are exceptions, such as Kung Fu Panda 2, but they are few and far in between. With how Frozen 2 turned out, I unfortunately expect this movie, too, to be downgraded from the original that I came to love so much.

4. Disney's recent animated works have failed.

Strange World flopped and Wish was, simply put it, suckish. In other words, looks like Disney is slowly but surely going down the drain. And for a sequel, of anything, to be made in this particular struggle means serious concern. Is Disney truly losing its charm like so many people fear it is? I certainly fear the answer is yes. I'd like to hope that this movie will be untouched by this crisis, but I just can't be sure.

5. It may have a Woke agenda.

I encourage left-wingers to steer clear of this section, lest they get upset and call me a Karen.

Since about 2020, the beginning of the Woke era, Disney has increasingly integrated Woke ideologies such as the LGBT+ movement and radical feminism into its once-family-friendly content, with examples being Onward, Lightyear, and Strange World. That's why I'm very, very thankful that the first movie was made-and finished-when it was. Otherwise, it, too, very likely would've been defiled by Wokeness. We're a few years into the Woke era now and the results on society and culture haven't been pretty. I fear this film will be pushing an unnecessary and unhealthy agenda that the first film was safe from. There's no guarantee that this film will be Woke, but there's no guarantee it won't be, either.

So there you have my main concerns for this film. Being a hardcore Moana fan, I want to be excited. This official confirmation was made literally less than a year away from its release date and the fandom has been waiting close to a decade for this.

But, like with any sequels, there are concerns to be addressed, and addressing the concerns is exactly what I've just done.

So, will Moana 2 live up to its predecessor? Or will it meet the same usual fate as countless other sequels before and yet to come? Only time will tell.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Something I Noticed When Organizing My Playlists

99% of the world might use Spotify... I'm one of those 30-year-old dinguses who still uses iTunes. Yes, you heard right... iTunes... I have a digital music collection, I carry around a 2011-era iPod Classic that all my music is stored on (never to disappear because of a random rights issue or whatever), and I have a few meticulously arranged playlists... I prefer it this way, when not listening to music through physical media.

I have a playlist for every year in music collection. For example, my playlist for 1967 contains over 400 songs... It's probably my favorite year in popular music... And they're all in chronological order. The playlist starts with 'Break On Through (To the Other Side)' by The Doors, the opening track of their eponymous album released on January 4, 1967... And ends with a song called 'Take Out a Loan' by Ray Yeager... Actually, a release date or year for that song - to go on a tangent - has never been found. Most of his singles were released in 1966, and this undated one? I have it in 1967, my gut tells me it's from 1967. Discogs, 45cat, and other record databases have no evidence of a release year... Because there doesn't seem to exist any data! Okay, if we take this obscure country rock song out of the equation, the playlist ends with a couple of songs that were *in fact* released in 1967... But no month is given... So they're all "unspecified 1967 releases"... Songs like 'Time is Set For Now' by a Cleveland, Missouri-based garage rock group called Fugitives (which I have to specify, because it seems a million bands were called "The Fugitives" back then), 'I Won't Be Your Fool' by The Oscar Five, and 'Cafe Creme' by Christine Pilzer...

If I lost you there, I apologize...

Anyways... These playlists, which I created over the course of years in my spare time, helped give me an idea of when this music all came out and what was out at a given time... Like, what was available in April 1967, and what was a few months old by that point... Then I place myself in that timeframe, and it's like... This is almost a snapshot of the cultural wave, what was out, what was in, what wasn't, etc. etc.

So sometimes, in a given year, I'll notice that the sound changes fast, as does the zeitgeist in real life... It's a very hard thing to keep up with. Suppose I put on my 1967 playlist, and I hear plenty of songs that sound very 1967... Psychedelic, less traditional poppy, having a bit of an edge... But sometimes you'll hear an example of something very, say, 1965... In the mix, as if the people making the song weren't entirely up to speed with what was going on, and just made what was considered a standard... And it'll sound a little dated. Like, this song is from 1967?? I would assume, by listening to it, that it's from a few years prior! And then you'll hear something a year ahead of its time... It's an art form, much like film and animation, that is rapidly changing...

I was thinking about last year's crop of animated movies, and even 2021's for that matter... I look at Disney Animation's films, like RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, ENCANTO, and STRANGE WORLD... And I see what their cousin studio Pixar has been up to post-ONWARD... And other studios as well...

I think, now that we're in a post-SPIDER-VERSE age of CG animated movies, there's some questioning as to why Disney Animation - the original American feature animation studio that's still standing, and one of the big guns - still sticks with the house style that they started using with BOLT and TANGLED way back in the late aughts/early '10s, and arguably perfected with some of the later movies, like MOANA.

And I think... STRANGE WORLD, their latest movie... Release that in 2015, it'd be cutting edge and it'd be greeted - I feel - with a sort of "wow, cool!"-type reaction. In post-SPIDER-VERSE times, it's more of the same, same as it ever was. Ditto RAYA and ENCANTO. They are undeniably well-made, handsomely-crafted films with ace animation and effects work. Their $150m+ budgets definitely show! But they also seem to look backwards, visually... Or do they?

These films were all greenlit before any footage from INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE got out to the public... And yes, before SPIDER-VERSE came out, very stylized CG pictures *did* exist. Disney Animation themselves experimented with promising and exciting technology that gave us the very hand-drawn-looking PAPERMAN way back in 2012, and the painterly FEAST in 2014... But then they didn't really do much with those discoveries afterwards, for the features anyways. Shorts still kept some of that alive. Reel FX made a very "moving concept art"-looking movie with the innovative THE BOOK OF LIFE in 2014. THE PEANUTS MOVIE in 2015 and CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS in 2017 are also stepping stones to SPIDER-VERSE. Heck, I'd even throw in 2009's CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS.

But I'd argue that SPIDER-VERSE was the movie that really, really solidified this move towards more stylized CGI. It's no surprise that we're seeing more of these kinds of movies now, not just from originator Sony Pictures Animation, who went on to give us the equally envelope-pushing THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES in 2021. Look no further than PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM...

But these were greenlit *after* SPIDER-VERSE came out. And before someone brings it up, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH is not the same film as the one that was scheduled for a 2018 release and then scrapped four years before expected completion. That was Chris Miller's PUSS sequel, NINE LIVES & 40 THIEVES. It was likely going to look just like the first PUSS IN BOOTS, that he directed, and the other SHREK movies. THE LAST WISH is an entirely different iteration, an entirely different project, and it began active development *after* SPIDER-VERSE came out. Anyways- Moving on...

Disney's animated features up until this past year... *weren't* greenlit after SPIDER-VERSE... STRANGE WORLD, a 2022 movie release, was on the boards as early as winter 2017, right after its director - Don Hall - finished up his work as a "co-director" on MOANA. Par for the course with an animated movie of this caliber. The teaser for INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE debuted at the end of 2017, almost a whole year after STRANGE WORLD got put into active development.

STRANGE WORLD was likely locked as a typical house style WDAS movie, and maybe Hall himself wanted it to look like that, too... Given that he directed BIG HERO 6, and co-directed MOANA... STRANGE WORLD possibly could've opened earlier if not for a particular problem that occurred. You see, Hall was pulled off of STRANGE WORLD to take over RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, which saw a baffling director shake-up... Quite close to release, may I add. STRANGE WORLD could've released earlier if not for that, or maybe not... WDAS, exing COVID from the equation for a second, usually aimed for one a year. Every Thanksgiving season, with some exceptions. Had a deadly virus never happened, RAYA would've hit theaters in Thanksgiving 2020... And it likely would've been followed by ENCANTO in Thanksgiving 2021, which it *did* make it to, and then STRANGE WORLD after. That all has to do with scheduling and Disney figuring out its usually massive movie slate and where everything - Disney, Pixar, Marvel, etc. - falls. One might suggest... After SPIDER-VERSE, why didn't Disney just take STRANGE WORLD and reroute its visual style? They had plenty of time, right?

From what I understand, everything is probably determined early on: Look, assets, pipeline, etc. A big change in that, I assume, would throw a lot of things off... And up the budget, significantly. So, STRANGE WORLD was likely all set in that department before footage of SPIDER-VERSE even got out... If any WDAS movie is to embrace a completely different and dynamic visual style, it would be a film greenlit after John Lasseter's tenure as Chief Creative Officer, and probably after the 2018 release of SPIDER-VERSE...

WISH is the studio's next film, which was directed by Chris Buck. The only CG films he directed at Disney Animation prior were the FROZEN movies, which utilized the TANGLED style through and through. At Sony Animation, he directed SURF'S UP, and before Disney's purging of 2D features, he directed TARZAN, which used a ton of CGI. WISH has another director, too, Fawn Veerasunthorn. This is her directorial debut of any kind, be it feature or short or television series episode.

... and from what I've seen, WISH promises to be that proverbial PAPERMAN: The Movie endeavor. Would be fitting, given Buck previously directing a 2D film. Question is, was this a post-SPIDER-VERSE greenlight? Did SPIDER-VERSE's very existence influence the look of the movie? Did it tell Disney Animation heads that that PAPERMAN look *could* indeed sustain a feature after all?

Even then, the previous string of features were started at one time, and released at another. In those four years, a lot changes in the film world, the animation world, the cultural zeitgeist... Big changes just can't happen at last minute just like that! And if they do, it'll certainly cost.

This all reminds me of THE JUNGLE BOOK...

Coincidentally, Walt Disney's animated musical adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling stories was released in 1967... Look at that.

And yet, a lot of that film feels like it belongs in 1965. Maybe a year earlier.

The vultures, well known to be based on The Beatles (to the point where the studio wanted the Fab Four to actually voice them), are strong evidence of this... But they resemble a certain era of The Beatles that was long over by the time the movie was completed and released...

It's probably partially because of the film crew not being entirely in tune with the ever-changing maelstrom of pop culture and the music scene. Like, do you think 63-year-old Walt Disney in mid-1965 was interested in being up to date on The Beatles and other groups that teens/young adults were into at the time? Ditto much of his equally old film crew that handled the movie?

The film's principle elements were likely pretty much locked and in place by the end of 1965... Because of animation taking a lot longer, with less technological aid, back then... But The Beatles vultures in that film are very much based on the band's pre-RUBBER SOUL era. RUBBER SOUL came out in December of 1965 and marked a noticeable shift in the individual Beatles' songwriting talents. They looked a bit different, too, and they would call it quits on touring months later...

The pre-RUBBER SOUL era. The image. The seemingly fun-loving moptop image that the Fab Four tried to shed as they matured musically. THE JUNGLE BOOK was released in October 1967... That was only one month before MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR's US LP configuration was released, and a few months after their more experimental and adventurous album SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND... And that came off of the psychedelic and equally adventurous REVOLVER (which came out in August 1966), and the 'Strawberry Fields Forever'/'Penny Lane' single in February 1967... A lot happened in those three years! Night-and-day difference!

THE JUNGLE BOOK's vultures are very much modeled after the 1964/65-era Beatles, and other British Invasion groups of the period. They could easily be caricatures of, say, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders. In fact, one of the voices of these vultures was British Invasion lad Chad Stuart, the late Chad Stuart, from the folk duo Chad & Jeremy. Stuart himself joked on the 2007 behind-the-scenes documentary for the film "They couldn't get The Beatles." The filmmakers wisely had the vultures sing a timeless barbershop quartet-style song instead of the very 1964-sounding pop song that was planned early on, that would've dated that entire portion of the movie. In its own release year! They would've been too late, like a sort-of reverse-SOUTH PARK situation. That'd be like a modern animated movie referencing, I don't know, 'Old Town Road' or something.

And also, by late 1967... What hip American teen or young adult was jamming to Louis Prima? He was their parents' music! A lot of that film's jazz soundtrack recalls big band and swing from the 1940s and 1950s, though the dialogue from the movie definitely suggests a more modern sensibility than, say, THE SWORD IN THE STONE. Interestingly, Louis Prima continued to work with Disney after THE JUNGLE BOOK came out. He did additional music for the studio's 1973 film ROBIN HOOD that only showed up on record, and was at one point supposed to be in THE RESCUERS... Moving on from Prima, you also have Baloo, voiced by contemporary comedian Phil Harris. Much of Baloo's talk in the movie definitely places it in the 1960s...

And yet despite these anachronisms, Walt's movie still struck a chord with audiences of all ages in 1967/68. It was among the year's blockbusters, such as THE GRADUATE and BONNIE & CLYDE. Being the last animated feature Walt himself personally oversaw certainly must've helped, too. In Europe, as usual for a Disney animated movie, it collected some serious coin. It was an incredibly popular film in West Germany, of all places (where it made an impression on a particular German boy named... Andreas Deja), and it was a massive hit in France... So, the dated stuff either didn't matter, or it worked in the movie's favor in some way or another. Maybe people in their 30s and 40s, a little behind the counterculture and maybe more into Frank Sinatra than Bob Dylan, were delighted to see that the funny singing orangutan in the movie was voiced by Louis Prima.

Even today, with all of our technological advances, not all animation can keep up with an ever-changing zeitgeist and audience tastes. Thankfully for WDAS, RAYA and ENCANTO seem to be quite popular and well-liked movies, especially the latter and how *that* blew up circa December 2021/January 2022. Ultimately, good storytelling that resonates with people helps these things last. It's what helped THE JUNGLE BOOK in 1967, for sure, to use that film as an example once more. That film also did fantastically in re-releases, and on video, it was part of Disney's Platinum/Diamond/Signature series. So, yeah, RAYA and ENCANTO - despite being released well after SPIDER-VERSE - are still successful in their own ways. STRANGE WORLD was like a horse being shot before it could even show if it could race, and even that seemed to do well enough on Disney+, too. Some of us may look at the visuals of these movies and think "They're nice and all, but c'mon Disney! You gotta experiment and try new things! Innovation! You're making the same movie you've been making since 2013!" And yet... I have to keep in mind, a lot of things in animated movie production are probably locked down and determined well before a frame is even animated, before a design is even rendered, etc.

[margotquinsel]

Modern Encanto AU

Chapter 8 Not what we were expecting

After Agustin Phoned his wife they met up and walked to the cabin. It was quite a long walk but Agustin didnt mind, Julieta and Isabela however.

"My feet hurt.." Complained Juileta.

"Mine also hurttt!"

"Stop copying mee."

"Im not copying youu, your copying mee."

"Oh look the cabin is over there." Agustin lied to try to stop whatever was going to happen between them.

"Are we there yet?" A tired Mirabel asked.

"Almost, Mariposa," A cheerful Juileta said, she was happy because the first thing she wanted to do when they got to the cabin was to throw herself on to her new bed, little did she know that their cabin was still 10 minutes away."

"Pa?"

"Si Mi flor."

"Can you still see the cabin."

Agustin froze.

"I- well uh-."

Luisa must of read his mind cause she said,

"Isa theres a bunch of cabins. how is Pa supposed to know which one is ours?"

"He said he could see it, so obviously he knows which one it is."

Agustin gulped. Yes he knew where they were going but he didn't know what the cabin looked like. How is he supposed to know when theres the same cabin everywhere?

It was like copy n paste copy n paste copy n paste.

Mirabel got tired of walking and wanted some drama, she thought for a while for the perfect idea.

Run off? No

Jump on Isabela? No

Jump on Mama? NO

"Hmm."

"Anything the matter mariposa?"

Mirabel lifted her head to see her mother staring at her with a look that shes always hated, the family called it:

"The Meddlesome stare."

Mirabel zoned out and when she zoned back in she could see the shear fear in her mothers eyes.

"Whats wrong?" That was a stupid question to ask she thought to herself. Julieta hates it when people zoned out and stare at her with big beady eyes, but then again shes scared of everything.

Mirabel looked around her to see if it could of been something else.

She then heard a loud thud followed by gasp, she turned round to see that her mother had tripped up on a small stone and Luisa was helping her back up.

But Julietas bags were not what Luisa was expecting, as soon as she held out her hand for her old mother and her mother grappled on, Luisa fell face first.

At this time Isabela wanted her fathers attention just to herself and thought now was a perfect time, so she clung on to her fathers arm.

"Hey Pa." She said with a beaming smile

"Hey Amor, whats got you so happy?"

"Being here with you, I think we need some father daughter time. Just us. No one else. "

"Ay, thats a good idea but you know how your mama gets when I'm not with her."

(If your wondering why its because shes worried that he might get in a really bad car crash or get hurt.)

Isabela groaned. She hasn't had a day with her Pa in ages.

The last time she hung out with him was way before Mirabels birth, and ever since she hasn't really spent time with him.

Mirabel was a special baby and needed attention 24/7 just in case something bad happened. And Isabela got jealous,. Really jealous.

After around 5 minutes the family was finally at the cabin.

The cabin was..... Not what they were expecting.

The cabin had two greenish blueish doors, A patio, and what really surprised them was the mailbox. The cabin did look sturdy, it was made out of logs which didn't surprise them, it was in the middle of the woods.

Underneath the patio was a door.

"Look!" Mirabel exclaimed.

The family stared at her then at the at the door she was pointing to.

"It looks like the door from coraline!"

Mirabel has always been obsessed with the movie. And when she saw it she got excited.

Before Agustin could unlock the door there was a loud squeaky noise, in which Agustinn thought was one of the workers in a mickey mouse but instead it was their new neighbour. (Not for long)

[sassylav]

I posted 181 times in 2022

That's 145 more posts than 2021!

25 posts created (14%)

156 posts reblogged (86%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@wannabemysuckerbaby

@lhharrylilpumpkin

@thequeerlibrarian

@londonharry

I tagged 30 of my posts in 2022

#harry styles - 10 posts

#hazza - 9 posts

#haz - 8 posts

#harry - 7 posts

#one direction - 7 posts

#louis tomlinson - 6 posts

#hs - 5 posts

#louis - 5 posts

#little mix - 3 posts

#birthday - 3 posts

Longest Tag: 28 characters

#music for a sushi restaurant

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Imagine you got backstage passes for a 1D concert and you take this photo. Hazza notices you. He points at you. Management happens to see you. Being the beautiful person you are they make you a model (How? Idk). Then Bam you're famous. Then you meet Hazza again. You thank him. You become good friends. Later he confesses his undying love for you. You start dating. Then a few years later he proposes. Then later you get married and live happily ever after.

Now go back to the first word.

14 notes - Posted January 3, 2022

#4

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS

Sooooo there's a new disney movie called Encanto. It's gotten super famous! Maybe you know the song 'We don't talk about Bruno' from the movie.

So anywyas, the other day I was watching it and *gasp* there's this character called Camilo Madrigal. He can speak spanish, has curly hair, sorta dark skin and is kinda scrawny...sounds familiar?

HE JUST LOOKS SO MUCH LIKE LEO VALDEZ FROM PERCY JACKSON SDJNJSHGOIJS!

That's Camilo:

And that's Leo:

See the full post

18 notes - Posted February 4, 2022

#3

Me before watching Encanto: Meh sounds cool

Me after watching Encanto: HOLY- THIS COULD BE A NEW FANDOM

39 notes - Posted February 1, 2022

#2

Books || H.S.

"Harry! Let's see what they've got!" (Y/N) pointed at a bookshop and dragged Harry along with her. Upon entering the bookshop Harry was hit with an eccentric sort of atmosphere. The place looked dusty from outside but inside, it was extremely different. It was also bigger than what he had expected. It almost looked like Ollivander's wand shop (Harry only knew about the wand shop because he heard (Y/N) talking about it).

(Y/N) approached the book keeper. It appeared she was reading a book probably from the shop itself. "Excuse me?" (Y/N) asked causing the lady to look up.

"Yes?"

"Do you have The Whisper of Fog?" The book keeper nodded and pointed at a nearby shelf. (Y/N) thanked the lady and went to look for the book with Harry right behind her. He smiled at the book keeper but she was back to reading her book.

Harry saw (Y/N) looking at a book which was atleast two shelves above her. When he got closer he could see her eyes skimming though the books on the shelf. When she found the book she was looking for, Whisper of Fog, she got on her tippy toes and tried to reach the book but no avail.

Harry chuckled to himself but decided to help her out. "Need a hand?"

"Yes please, I can't reach it." Harry got close to her. He easily grabbed the book she wanted and handed it to her. "Thanks. Are you going to get a book for yourself?"

Harry shook his head and spoke, "Nah, I'd rather spend time with you."

"Aw Haz, that's sweet, but I'm still buying this book for myself." (Y/N) could swear she saw Harry roll his eyes in response.

Time skip to bedtime

(Y/N) and Harry were cuddling in bed. (Y/N) was the little spoon and Harry was the big spoon. (Y/N) had gotten her book in bed and was reading it. Harry had his head resting close to her neck. He kissed the back of her neck. Just as she turned the page Harry spoke. "Wait, I was still reading that..."

"Were you?"

"Mhmm, " Harry muttered sleepily, "Why does the main character go back to the forest?"

"Keep reading, love. It's on the same page.

46 notes - Posted January 2, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Okay so imagine this: two possible lovers are forced to publically not be together. One of them played a movie character years ago in a school play. Then years after that incident their "possible" s/o dresses up as that character for Halloween in front of the eNTiRE wORLd. THEY ARE GIVING HINTS, RIGHT?! YES HARRY AND LOUIS I'M LOOKING AT YOU TWO

53 notes - Posted November 15, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[george-washingmachine73]

“You shouldn’t have said that”

just a small oneshot, post movie.

If there’s one thing everyone knows in encanto it’s that you don’t insult the Madrigals, with the family being in town all the time it’s bound to get back to you one way or another

Mirabel was walking through town, minding her own business like she always had, her eyes were focused on the book in front of her and her ears tuned out all conversations around her, she was in her own little world and was content that way, the town was content to let her stay that way as well.

 “-that bruja, Pepa Madrigal, ever since the magic came back she has refused to water the crops for us, her husband gets angry whenever we bring it up! Last time I checked our town eating is more important than her stupid emotions, she’s already super emotional anyway, after she’s done crying she forgets about it and leaves us to deal with all the damage, she doesn’t care about it because it’s all ‘clear skies’ again”

 Mirabel stopped and listened when she heard Pepas name, with each new line of complete bullshit that left that guys mouth she could feel herself growing angrier, she wasn’t about to let him get away with badmouthing her amazing tia, she looked up and saw that it was Diego, of course it was him, he was a farmers son and always complained too much, he had a huge ego and expected everything to be done for him, then bragged about amazing and difficult feats he most certainly hadn’t accomplished, he also bullied Mirabel, she would let him get away with that but this was too far.

 “What the hell did you just say about my tia? Just because she won’t water your fathers fields for him doesn’t mean that you’re gonna starve, there’s a river right beside your house! You’re just too lazy to put any actual work into “your” farm, if you can even call it that, my sisters grows your plants for you and my tia waters them, but even when she does that you find something to complain about, you were whining about the destruction in her wake, what, were the fields a little too muddy for you to do your weekly walk through? That’s the only actual work you do on your farm, any actual damage done by her is repaired by her and Luisa!”

 Mirabel wanted to say more, her tia was very aware of the damage she caused, one time Luisa (who was the only one able to bear the full power of her storms) had gotten struck by lightning and Pepa spent the entire week apologizing and offering to chores for her, she even gave up drinking black coffee so Luisa could have more, when Luisa recovered they jumped right back into arguing about it again though.

 Diego looked shocked and angry, Mirabel wasn’t wrong but she just called him out in the middle of town, he wasn’t about to take that

 “shut up you stupid nobody, what are you gonna do about it? Cry? Even as terrible as your tias gift is at least she got one, I bet your family wants nothing more than to get rid of you”

She turned the other direction and started walking away, at least he had stopped talking about her family, that was all that really mattered to Mirabel, she still really wanted to teach him a lesson for saying that about her tia but she could let it go, this time, but if he said one more thing-

“-you’re nothing but a curse like your tio Bruno! I guess being a failure runs in the family”

 Mirabel stopped in her tracks, growling under her breath so quietly no one but Dolores could hear

 “you shouldn’t have said that”

 Isabela and Camilo were in the small crowd that formed around the yelling teens, they could see Mirabel stopped and her lips moving, they heard what the other boy said and were about to go beat him up themselves when Mirabel whipped around and tackled him, making him hit the stony street instantly, he cried out on pain but Mirabel didn’t give him a chance to recover, instantly pouncing on top of him and punching him over and over, he threw a few weak punches in her direction but Mirabels barely felt them, she was too intent on breaking every bone in his body, when his nose cracked she smiled, that was one down.

 Isabela and Camilo watched from the side, neither of them made a move to help the boy, Camilo was debating grabbing popcorn, Isabela had a slight grin on her face

 “should we step in or..?”

 “Nah, she’s got this”

 nobody in the crowd wanted to get in the fray of that, when Mirabel hit she hit hard, Diego’s eyes were both swollen and purple, his nose was bent out of shape and bleeding profusely, his lips were split and puffy, blood ran from his mouth, a weak groan escaped his lips but Mirabel wasn’t done yet, her mind was a haze of anger.

 Dolores finally arrived on the scene pulling Luisa behind her, she knew this was the most likely outcome when she heard Diego and Mirabel start to argue so she went to find Luisa, Luisa strode forward and split the crowd, pushing through them easily, she didn’t look surprised by Mirabels violence, more tired or unimpressed, this obviously want her first rodeo.

 She reached towards Mirabel, trying to get a grip on her while dodging her flailing limbs, but she failed and got punched across the jaw and in the arms a few times before she could finally slightly pull Mirabel off of Diego, he groaned and tried to sit up but Mirabel broke out of Luisa’s grasp, she reached and grabbed a large vase that was on display outside of the potters and swung it around, Luisa kept Mirabel from reaching Diego and in her rage she blindly turned her violence on Luisa, swinging the vase at her instead but Luisa brought a forearm up and blocked it from hitting the side of her head, as Mirabel recovered from the momentum of swinging such a heavy object Luisa grabbed her, tucking her underneath an arm and pinning her still punching arms to her sides.

 Luisa reached down to the ground and picked up Mirabels glasses, it would be impossible to put them on without them falling off again, Mirabel was shaking her head and gnashing her teeth, her entire body was trying to wiggle out of Luisa’s grip, Luisa just folded them and put them on the front of her shirt and used her free hand to try and steady Mirabels head while taking sternly to her

 “you need to calm down hermanita, I won’t put you down until you are under control again”

 Diego coughed, finally managing to stand up before collapsing into the arms of his friends, he tried to speak through swollen lips

 “She’s fucking psychotic! She could’ve killed me! She needs to be-“

 “You shut up” Luisa sneered, now looming angrily over him with a still rabid Mirabel under her arm, she glared down at him and he shrunk a little more

 “if I hear one more fucking word leave your mouth I’ll be the one trying to break all of your bones, and I’ll succeed”

 he whimpered under gaze and tried to walk away, half limping with a friend under each arm while hissing in pain, he tried not to fall over his own feet when Luisa called after him

 “you can forget about seeing my mama for your pain, Dolores will tell her about everything you said”

——————

Luisa eventually made it back to her room, Mirabel would give a halfhearted jerk every few steps but had mostly tired herself out, her teeth were tightly clenched together so Luisa couldn’t feed her yet with the few arepas she grabbed on her way through the kitchen.

 Luisa sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, wishing Mirabel want so damn protective of her family, then she wouldn’t have to waste her time and energy stopping her from murdering random people in the street every few weeks, while it was awesome to see awful people get what they deserve it would be considerably less awesome if her hermanita was convicted of first degree murder.

 Luisa gave Mirabel a gentle squeeze as she wiggled again

 “I’m gonna put you down now, but if you try to hit me again I’m gonna pick you right back up”

 Mirabel growled in response, but didn’t attempt to swing at Luisa as she got set on her feet, Luisa sat on her bed so they were at the same level and put her hands on Mirabels shoulders

 “What did I say about attacking people”

 “…not to do it”

 “And what do you do if you feel like attacking someone”

 “…get you or Isabela”

 “this is the second time this month Mira”

 “he deserved it! He was saying the most awful things about-“

 “Mirabel!”

 Luisa growled angrily and sighed again, her grip on Mirabels shoulders had slightly tightened, then it relaxed again, Mirabel went quiet and let her speak

 “it’s pretty damn annoying to have my chores interrupted just because-!”

 Luisa took a breath, trying to bring her voice back to a normal level

 “just because you can’t control yourself”

 Mirabel looked at the floor, her eyes a little misty, she scratched her arm and Luisa instantly regretted raising her voice, Mirabel sounded so sad when she spoke

 “…I’m sorry, I really am, I don’t mean to interrupt your chores or anything”

 her voice had a small waver in it and Luisa’s anger disappeared, she could never stay mad at her hermanita, Mirabel looked up at her with a few stray tears on her cheeks

 “you aren’t… mad at me, are you?”

 “Of course not Mira, c’mere”

 Luisa opened her arms and Mirabel rushed in, Luisa grunted at the sudden impact and fell backwards while Mirabel buried her face in her shirt, drying her tears, her arms were wrapped tightly around Luisa but soon relaxed as she curled up on Luisa’s chest, letting the warmth of Luisa’s body seep into her, her energy was finally drained, Luisa lightly patted her on the back and wrapped an arm around her

 “That fight really tired you out, didn’t it”

 “mhm”

 Mirabel couldn’t find the energy to open her mouth, but slightly nodded her head

 “I still have chores to do y’know”

 “nm”

 the noise that left her wasn’t quite an answer but her head slightly shook, her limbs tightened around Luisa and relaxed again, too tired to hold that position, it was an obvious no, Mirabel was sleepy and Luisa was her mattress, she refused to leave Luisa when she got comfortable and Luisa would never knowingly remove her if she didn’t want to go, which she never did

 “alright, I’ll stay, I can never say no to you anyway, you’re lucky you’re so adorable and baby sized”

 Mirabel wanted to come up with a retort but her mind was too fuzzy to do so, a small smile was on her face, she abused the power that the position of favourite sister held whenever she got the chance, Luisa knew she would be stuck here for a few hours at least when she heard Mirabels slight snores, but she didn’t mind, to have the (occasionaly) murderous teen curled up on her like a kitten made potential starvation and dehydration all worth it in her mind.

 She closed her eyes, she could feel Mirabels soft curls tickling her neck, eventually her snores accompanied Mirabels soft ones, and there they stayed for the rest of the day and night. 

[sing-you-fools]

So, naturally I listen to a lot of Queen, and so did she when she was too small to object. And she liked it! She called Bohemian Rhapsody "the dead man song," which was disconcerting the first time she requested it given that I had no idea what she was talking about (and she was 3, so explaining was hard, but eventually she said Galileo and I put the pieces together).

Then she realized she could object to my music and demand Frozen and Encanto, and I am both a Queen gay and a Musicals gay (they're actually the same gay), so I didn't really argue much.

But one day last summer, I picked her up from camp and she asked HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THIS SONG IT GOES LIKE WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU? THE GUITAR IS SO GOOD!!!!! I immediately took the opportunity to say, oh, wait until you hear Hammer to Fall! And there was no going back from there. She has all their albums (well, Flash doesn't count) on her little panda-shaped mp3 player. She's got a Freddie biography she’s read a million times. She has the Funko pops and they're her favorite toys. She has *three* Queen t-shirts. Her Queen birthday cake should be one of my recent posts. She rushed me home from school the day Queen Rock Montreal was on Disney+ (wait hold on sorry does this make Freddie a Disney princess? nevermind not the point) and learned "fuck" from Freddie. It's her favorite movie.

The moral of the story is that when your kid asks if you've heard of your favorite band, you run with it as hard as you can. Here's her drawing of her Roger funko. I will teach her how to spell Taylor, though I do worry that she'll use that power for evil (become a Swiftie).

Queen fans, are you ready for the cutest fanart ever? Because my kid made a little book at school and I'm keeping this forever

(her Queen-themed 7th birthday party is this weekend)

[blednokrov]

Random things I find hilarious/just like about Russian lyrics of We Don't Talk About Bruno (and other Encanto songs)

WDTAB

So, the main lyrics in Russian go like "Don't mention Bruno", however "no" in Russian means "but/yet" => accidentally (?) it became "Don't mention Bruno... and yet-", not just in Pepa's part but everywhere: so everything that goes after the chorus can technically be interpreted as "don't mention Bruno, BUT! here's something (I can tell you) about him"

In Russian Felix calls Pepa "my love", in Ukrainian he calls her "my joy/happiness"

apparently Pepa is pissed not because Bruno made her feel nervous and worried about the bad weather but because that bad weather ruined her look

also Pepa and Felix literally swore to never ever mention Bruno right after the wedding accident????? they ghosted him for what, 15+ years before he even left?

Dolores in her part isn't even trying to be subtle:

"Since the childhood they scare us:

Bruno is wandering somewhere in this house;

I can hear him whispering,

And it frightens me"

dear, WHO is scaring you by telling you about Bruno walking around?? your parents? "Dolores eat your dinner or Bruno will come and eat your soul" is that? are you scaring your own kids with their uncle as a boogeyman? when I was watching the movie with my young siblings, it is because of these lyrics they were quite sure mirabel is going to find Bruno(s corpse) somewhere in casita ("maybe he didn't left but just died in his room or somewhere in the house and no one noticed" damn kids whats wrong with you)

also I like the line about sand

"It's like sand is falling with every step he takes"

a nice metaphor about his light feet and sneaking around

"His burden is heavy, this gift is tormenting him"

:'^(

her "do you understand" is the same yet the wording feels kinda more harsh, more like "don't you get it???/can you get it already???"

"a seven foot" (4 syllables) becoming "dwa" (1) => Camilo starts with his DwaAAaAah which I really like... idk why it just sounds so sassy

"He will call you,

And then disappear in the dark"

yep. confirmed cryptid. used as a boogeyman for kids for sure

"He's a midnight howl, he's your nightmare"

Bruno are you screeching at nights?

Spotify lyrics for this song have some mistakes but the funniest is that Mariano turned into Marianna so...yay gay rights?

"He told me to forget about the one I love

He is promised to another"

kinda sad but imagine Bruno saying it to the, idk, 10 yo Dolores' "yeah kid, you can forget about the one you love! he is promised to another" "who" "who what" "who I love? I don't even like anyone yet. who am I supposed to forget about"

why everyone are kinda more toxic in Russian dub? not only Dolores but Isabella is also somewhat more rude, like she's more directly telling Mirabel to shut up:

"Silence, sister!

You must know, I'm not kidding"

are you threatening her?

I think it just me but I'm losing it on "Isabela, your boyfriend's here - Time to eat!" cause for some reason it makes me think they're gonna eat Mariano

Waiting On A Miracle

this is the only song that hits me harder in Russian than in the original - I think it's both because of minor nuances in lyrics and the great performance of Regina Todorenko, it's just so strong and emotional! if you haven't heard it, please listen

the key difference is that "a miracle" in both the name and lyrics became "the magic" - it's more like she's not waiting for something to miraculously happen and give her a gift, but directly talking to the magic itself - hey, magical powers, I'm here, how much more I have to wait for you to notice and bless me with a gift as well? and you start asking yourself is she talking to the magic and the providence asking for a chance or just her grandmother who represents the magic? who is she really begging to notice and bless her?

"Do not regret, chase away this sorrow.

Shed no tears, you are not to bewail it"

damn girl I feel you

"I still belong to the family Madrigal,

So... what else could I possibly wish for?"

I don't know... love and acceptance maybe?

"Every night I see the same dream -

A dream where there's the magic inside me";

"I spend my nights restless

Always praying to heaven for my own door"

she really does have some sleep problems

"I can't put together the shards"

and then she goes and does it both to that broken vision tablet AND her family

"I would move the mountains,

I would make the whole world bloom -

If only somebody gave me a hint how could I obtain a gift of my own"

I love both the line about making the whole world bloom, as if "if I had this gift I would do huge, meaningful, world changing deeds" and how she's wishing for "her own" gift yet can only imagine having others' gifts not something unique of her own

"I am ready! See? I am ready!

And I'm begging you from the very bottom of my heart:

Please, discover that power of magical gifts in me,

Please, the magic, hear me!

Or maybe you've already made up your mind about me a long time ago?.."

The Family Madrigal

"- Hush, hush, just chill!

- Then why don't you just explain the way that won't make us stressed?!"

- TALK!! I WANNA KNOW EVERYTHING"

kids are hilarious

"Oh! And that's Julieta, my mommy"

🥺 she also calls Agustín "my daddy" and Abuela "granny" later in the song

"my whole life is a festival of magical miracles,

'cause I'm from the Madrigals as well!"

is it tho

"(two) friends fell in love with family Madrigals"

Agustín and Félix are friends and were friends even before becoming Madrigals? nice

once again I'm losing it because, well, they really struggled with the rhythm of the line about camilo and we don't have any adjectives or verbs meaning "to shapeshift" so they came up with calling him лицедей which long ago meant just "an actor", literally "the one who makes face (to look like someone else's)" BUT nowadays it is used in different sence which is... a hypocrite/pretender/two-faced person

"Aunt Pepa took after granny in regard of her character"

did she?

"And Luisa is so strong, so beautiful, smart and kind"

"My dad Agustín is the hero in many misfortunate stories, but he's a kind guy"

"My cousin Camilo sweetly and perkily makes people laugh"

she talks about her family so nicely 🥺

Surface Pressure

is called "Actually"/"In Fact"

"I'm calm like a rock, I never feel pain"

we don't have an idiom about the camel; so lyrics use that one about the cup:

"The cup is full

It takes only one drop of water

To make a wave,

A giant wave that would..."

and it goes SO well with the chorus

the chorus being:

"...crush you down, down, down

And the (sea) bottom is closer and closer

Down, down, down

And you are not meant to swim out of it"

also recommend to listen, Tais Urumidis (who's actually a jazz musician) has a great voice!

What else can I do

"Since the perfection is unachievable,

Why should we carry this burden?

I just wanna live my life -

And I could be..."

I also love the way lyrics are tied with chorus

the chorus going

"...blooming like a jacaranda,

I could be the vine among lianas"

oh how she compares herself to the different plants!!! so nice - if they are different, wild and free, why can't she be?

the metaphor continues:

"The air is thick with delightful scent of palms,

And I'm growing!

So, what can I do?"

just random parts about beauty:

"I'm tired of always living in the prison of (my) beauty"

"though the world will be imperfect, it will be beautiful"

"my strenghs are not just limited to my looks"

and then Mirabel returns to that metaphor!

"- Just like a sprout turns into a flower

You can rise up"

and now Isabela is sure:

"I am blooming like a jacaranda,

I am the vine among lianas"

also...

"You opened my eyes, Mira,

I love you"

I'm literally sobbing

in the last line she answers her own question:

"I can do anything!"

All of You

is called "Our kinship"

"But the fate of stars is predetermined:

The fire burns them down"

i really like these lyrics, they sound so poetic in Russian. it's a lot about personal perception but all this post is my about personal perception of songs so. the word for "fire" is "пожар" which literally means "conflagration" and sometimes used to describe a wild,uncontrollable force, some events that evolve dramatically and get out of control; it may also feel like an entity or a state of being - "пожар в душе", " the wild fire in one's soul" when a person feels a lot of complicated and conflicted yet strong emotions that won't allow them to calm

that's why the star metaphor works so well - like it's about how when a star reaches its peak, burning brightly and strongly, after that short peak of beauty and glory it inevitably dies in its own flames. self destruction motifs man

am I reading in it too much? yes. sorry

Félix after Bruno explaining himself: "I knew that, bro!" - oh, he never believed in all this "he makes bad things happen by his predictions" crap? cool

"I have so much to apologize for"

"No, little brother, we are the ones to apologize to you"

THEY APOLOGIZED!!!!!

townspeople singing:

"The candle can't be blown out,

(because) it burns inside us"

but let's return to the stars:

"The fate of stars is predetermined

For the millions of years ahead:

They bless everyone who came into this world

With their warmth and light"

I spent a half of this post talking about how poetic this is and now I'm laughing so hard again

this time? Mariano lines:

" - Hey, Mariano, why are you so gloomy? - There's a river full of love inside me..."

but the word for sad/gloomy is смурной which is kinda... old and rarely used nowadays and feels so stylistically weird here. as my friend said: "this is a word you might hear once in a decade from a random bum you meet at the bus stop"

in the end they all tell Mirabel "There's a fire inside your soul"... yet instead of пожар here they use another word, огонь, which is literally "fire"

and the difference is that if there's the fire (пожар) inside someone's soul they are tormented by strong uncontrollable emotions

but if theres a fire (огонь) inside someone's soul it's a good thing - it's about their passion, the inner strength and strong will

it's not burning them down from the inside

it keeps them warm, it gives them the energy to keep going

[loubouskz]

cupid the cat

lee minho × reader

best friends to lovers au, fluff

warnings: none

wc: 1,000+

----------

"are you on the way over here?" I asked, petting the newest member of my household. "yes I am. I should be there shortly, I'm stopping by the store that's down the street, to get some snacks for our weekend." minho said. "okay, I'll let you go so I can get the movie ready to watch." I said, watching the tiny kitten playing with a little ball. "okay bye." he said. just as I was about to say bye, the little one decided to meow, loudly. I cursed in my head as minho asked, "what was that?"

"bye, love you. see ya when you get here." I said as quickly as I could before hanging up. I placed my phone on the table next to me and sat on the floor. "are you trying to ruin the surprise?" I asked the black kitten, who was playing with my fingers now. although I lived alone, my best friend, minho, practically lived here when he was on break from the idol life. "come on, let's go pick a movie." I said as I picked up the kitten. 

we have been friends for a long time now. I had just come abroad during grade school to experience and explore different cultures. I physically ran into him on the way to lunch and ever since that day we have been friends. as we got older, I decided to continue my studies in Korea with the help of my parents and staying in minho's home with his family. now I live here with a decent paying career in a field that love. and just like those generic ass best friend movies, of course I have a crush on my best friend.

after about six minutes of debating on whether to watch emperor's new groove or encanto, I decided on the second one. just as I sat down the remote, I heard the door open. remembering that minho has a key to my place.

"aren't you going to come help your so-called best friend bring in these snacks?" I heard minho say with bags crumpling as he closed the door. I placed the kitten on the couch and walked towards him. he had four bags of snacks and drinks. "why did you get so much?" I asked, taking two bags from him.

he gave me a knowing look before rolling his eyes. I knew the answer to my own question. he took off his shoes and coat, leaving them by the door. we walked into the kitchen and put everything on the counters. "so what are we watching night?" he asked. "encanto!" I said with an exciting grin. "haven't you watch that movie 10 times in a row by now?" he mocked. I just stuck my tongue out at him.

I grabbed a single drink and snack for now and headed to the living room, with minho following in pursuit. as I looked towards the couch, the little black kitten was missing. oh, this should be fun I said in my head. we sat down and began our movie night. 

"he told me my fish would die, the next day- DEAD!" I screamed as I acted the part out by leaning against minho with the back of my hand to my head. he just laughed and went along with me. by the end of the song we were up and dancing and spinning.

just as the dad came through the door in the movie, "OW!" minho said, moving closer to me as we bumped our chests together. "you okay?" I asked with a concerned voice. "I think something just scratched the back of my leg." he said, looking at his pants. my eyes widened becuase i forgot about the kitten for a bit, "but you're okay right?" I asked again. he nodded, "yeah, let's just continue the movie." we sat back down and enjoyed the rest of the movie without any more kitten shenanigans. 

it was already late at night when the movie was going off, minho and i were close together, with my head on his right shoulder. I sat up as he stretched out his arms to the back of the couch. in the process of doing so, his hand landed on the kitten which resulted in the little one meowing, once again very loudly. making both of us jump and turn our heads.

"I knew I wasn't fucking crazy! Y/N, when did you get a kitten!?" minho asked, turning back to me. I blushed and gave him a sheeply smile, "earlier today." I answered. the kitten jumped into minho lap and onto the floor. "and why didn't you tell me? i could have gotten him something while i was out!" 

"that's what you're concerned about." I laughed out. "I'm being serious." he said with a small pout on his lips. "he already has a lot of toys in my room, a lot of treats and food i got when i picked him up. he's good minho." I said as I patted his shoulder while getting up. "I want another snack before we head to my room."

minho got up as soon as I walked passed and tried followed me, but while we were talking, what we failed to notice was the kitten was messing with his shoe laces. minho tripped as he tried to take a step and fell into me. both of us crashing on the ground, me facing the floor with minho on top of me.

"shit, are you okay?" he asked, sitting up on his knees while helping me turnover. I couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his face. I fell back because of how hard I was laughing. minho leaned over me, hands either side of my head. "what's so funny?" he asked.

"I think the kitten is trying to set us up." I tried to say between fits of laughter. I held my aching stomach, as minho look back at the kitten, who was cleaning himself like nothing happened. minho turned back to me with a smile creeping onto his face, "does he have a name yet?" I shook my head.

"I think his name should be cupid." minho said with a sly smile on his face. I slowly stopped laughing and just looked at him. "why?" I said with a giggle behind it.

"this is why." he said before placing his lips onto mine.

[untitled-writer-013]

hello! Can i request for bruno madrigal x reader?. Where the reader is new to town and curious about the madirgals especially bruno but the only thing she knew about him is camilo's part of the song. Low key scared but mostly curious when she finally get to know him she fell head over heels! It can be post movie. I hope its ok! Thank you!

Not Evil, Just Misunderstood

Bruno Madrigal x F!Reader

warning(s): Encanto spoilers!

(Y/n) had always wanted to learn of the Madrigals, their magical abilities having impressed her ever since she first heard of them. She knew everything she could about them, but she barely knew anything about Bruno. She decided that today was the day to ask, tapping Camilo on the shoulder.

“Hey Camilo, I was wondering, could you tell me more about Bruno?” (Y/n) asked, watching as he quickly shook his head, giving his usual response.

“We don’t talk about Bruno.” Camilo stated, making (Y/n) plead as she looked at Camilo, telling him that even just a tiny bit of new information would satisfy her. Camilo paused, seeming to consider her offer before he smiled, making (Y/n) confused as Camilo changed. His hair became longer and darker, he became taller, and his eyes became a glowing green.

“Seven foot frame, rats along his back. When he calls your name, it all fades to black!” Camilo sang, smirking as he looked at (Y/n), who seemed slightly uneasy as she looked up at ‘Bruno’.

“He sees your dreams, and feasts on your screams!” Camilo exclaimed, making (Y/n) fall until Isabela caught her with her vines, warning her to not ask about Bruno as she sent (Y/n) off.

(Y/n) hadn’t thought about Bruno again until he had finally returned, and her curiosity seemed to return, although she was slightly terrified from Camilo’s words. She showed up to one of the many parties thrown at the Madrigal home, searching for Bruno who seemed to still have trouble interacting with others. She eventually found him in Mirabel’s room, hiding under the bed. She let out a scream when Bruno stuck his head out suddenly, making Bruno bump his head and apologize. He shakily stood, looking up at (Y/n) with slightly saddened eyes, wondering when people would know that he wasn’t a bad person.

“I’m sorry if I made your pet die or if I gave you a bad hair day, but I’m a good person! I’m just..what are you staring at?” Bruno asked, looking behind him as he wondered what (Y/n) was looking at.

“Sorry for staring, it’s just..you’re not scary. You’re actually..really c-cute.” (Y/n) admitted, making Bruno’s face seem to explode into a blush.

“You have the wrong person! Surely you meant someone else.” Bruno stated, shaking his head as he mumbled to himself, thinking ‘They couldn’t mean me, I’m Bruno, no one likes me’.

She shook her head, truly loving the anxious and shy Bruno in front of her, a loving smile spreading onto her face as Bruno blushed more.

“Well, you’re really cute t-too..I’m sorry, I’m not used to doing things like this.” Bruno mumbled, fiddling with his fingers as (Y/n) smiled, placing a small kiss onto his cheek.

“I’ll see you later Bruno, it was nice to finally meet you.” (Y/n) stated, smiling as she walked away with a skip in her step, leaving a flustered Bruno to ponder over the butterflies in his stomach.

~fin~

author’s note: wow, there is a ton of love for Bruno! my requests are open, and you may request for Bruno, Loki, Slashers, and Harry Potter characters! i’m glad to see you all love my posts, and i can’t wait to write more!

[imaginethat0327]

ONE PIECE IS GREAT! Although I've only seen the live action. Currently slowly making my way through the manga per Livie's insistence XD (love you Livie) For fav movies and shows... that's really hard. I don't watch a ton of TV shows. I really like MHA, and I'm a huge fan of the Formula 1 show (I think it's called Drive to Survive?) I've also seen the Umbrella Academy although I've shied away from the third season because I've heard it's wicked graphic... I'm still a huge fan of the original Xmen show and a lot of the newer shows, as well as Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. Also Star Trek TNG and Deep Space Nine, Doctor Who, Firefly, Stargate SG-1, Sherlock, and a cool military show called The Unit. Loki was awesome. BUT MOVIES. Movies, my friend, are a different story. I could probably list several hundred that I could simply GUSH over. But I'll condense it down to this: - Most Disney movies, but primarily the older-ish ones. The only new ones that have really made me happy are Coco, Luca, Moana, and Encanto. Pretty much all of the pixar movies are perfect, and most disney movies from before those ones I've listed are great (MOST being a key word) - I'm a huge superhero fan and was really into marvel before it got weird. - Psychological thrillers like Inception and The Game are fun, and I like action movies but they do start to get repetitive and boring after a while. War of the World remains one of the scariest movies I've ever seen but also one of my favs? And Signs and The Village by M. Night Shyamalan are fantastic. - For feel-good movies, the movie Roxanne (has Steve Martin in it) and Rush Hour with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker are fabulous, alongside pretty much every single freaking dreamworks movie. I gotta cut myself off... there's too many!! What's Damsel about?

HEHE you opened up the ask box so here we GO-

Compliment: I admire the boldness and bravery you had to reach out to me to say hi!! That’s a scary thing, my dude!

A story (a real one because I suck at doing quick fiction ones on the fly): A friend and I realized at college that if I tucked myself up pretty tightly, I could sit on a storage-shelf-thing that she had on the back of her bike. So for a good several months she would ride around on her bike with me hitchhiking a ride on the back and grinning at people as we zipped past. It was very fun 😆

Why I follow you: Primarily, because I’m so thankful that you follow me, but also because it’s clear that we share so many of the same interests! I want to see what you unearth on this crazy platform 🤩

A cute message: You have no idea how PROUD of you I felt when I saw that you posted art on the discord, since you told me you were nervous about talking on there. Good for you!!

One thing I want to tell you: I’m so happy that we’re chatting ❤️ I am a huge chatter and I get happier the more I chat with people 😆 so it meant a lot to me when you reached out. I don’t have a huge social network irl aside from a few college friends and my siblings, so it makes me SO happy when people choose to talk to ME, ME of all people, online 🤩

Finally, a thing I want to know about you: what’s your favorite color, favorite music genre, and do you prefer movies or tv shows? (And depending on which one, what shows/movies do you like?)

Oh my goodness- Thank you so much! Reaching out really was scary, but I'm so glad I did! Thank you! <3

I love that, that actually sounds like so much fun!

Hahaha, the same goes to you, granted, mostly just to see what all we share sounds awesome to me. I'm sure I'll be bound to come across many crazy things- can't wait to share!

Stoooppp Imma cry. But yeah! I got a bit comfy when we was talking, gave me enough courage to send it. Was scary, but I'm proud of myself as well, thank you so much.

Aaaahhhh! Absolutely same! I love chatting, and my IRL friends are well- I constantly forget are my friends sometimes. I have a lot of people I can talk to, and fewer that I can hang out with. I've always been more of an online person (been mostly online since late middle school). So it always makes me happy to find others who share interests with me and also wanna talk with myself as well. It's- It's really nice!

My favorite color would have to be any shade of blue! Close seconds would have to be green and purple though. More of like a mint ish green, more of that muted color? Not too bright, or neon green is great. Purple, either lilac, or dark vibrant purple. Music genre is a bit tricky. Since I listen to quite a variety and they're all so amazing. If this counts as a genre, I'd say music that people make for content creators. Otherwise, I guess pop? They're all great tho. Goodness- I love movies, a lot easier to binge and just watch and finish. Horror films are great, and I can't watch psychological learned that the hard way-, though I love romance and action just as much. I actually just watched Damsel last night, and oh my god- I loved it. Sad, but really good! TV shows, I love as well, mostly anime though. One Piece is one of my favs, along with ERASED, Fruits Basket, and some more. I can't pick between the two. They're all so amazing.

What about you on favorite movies/shows?