#i'm glad that general audiences give it the love it deserves

[markantonys]

i'll be interested to see if this holds true for WOT s3 since the s1 finale had so many extenuating circumstances and can't really be included in the comparison, but based off of the s2 finale, i believe that season finales tend to bear the brunt of "It's Different From The Books!" ire because they are the culmination of all the smaller changes made throughout the season.

this turned into a bigger analysis post than i expected lmao par for the course with my blog! read on for exploration of how the 2x08 conclusion of each season-long arc is the the most emotionally satisfying conclusion and/or the most thematically appropriate conclusion possible based on the show's particular version of the story, plus a bonus tangent on the nature of adaptation.

for a finale episode, the writers' prime concern 100% has to be "wrapping up all the season's arcs in a way that feels satisfying with everything that's happened in the first 7 episodes, using the book version of the finale event as the framework" rather than "recreating the book version of the finale event exactly as it is with all the same scenes and themes". the nature of storytelling inherently means that every single person who tells the same story will focus on different themes (just think of how many versions of the hades & persephone story there are), and a good adaptation knows that being internally consistent with its own Emphasized Themes is more important than copying-and-pasting scenes from the source material without making any changes to account for the specific way this adaptation is telling the story.

(but a lot of people can't even get past this first point because they don't understand that this is how adaptations - how storytelling in general - work. like, person B literally cannot tell the exact same story that person A told without putting their own spin on it. it's not possible! unless they're simply reading out the exact words that person A wrote, which can't be done when putting 14 massive books into maximum 64 hours of tv. so many readers like to meet this point with "but why does the books' version of the story need to be changed at all?" which is just a non-starter because a) medium differences require a ton of changes, and b) even if no changes were *required*, they would happen anyway because that is human nature when it comes to storytelling. when it comes to story-listening too! ask a hundred different book fans what WOT is about and you'll get a hundred different answers. rafe & co can't possibly make an adaptation that captures every single reader's idea of What WOT Is About, and nobody in the world could ever re-tell the story of WOT in the exact same way that RJ told it, not even the most die-hard book fan; all rafe & co can do is focus on making sure the show honors the core of the books' story while also telling a good story in its own right, independent of the source material.)

i was a classics major, okay? it gets to me! anyway, corralling myself back on topic.

for 2x08, it's very telling just how far Minority Reader Opinion deviates from the general audience opinion. general audiences fucking LOVED this episode (it's the highest-rated on imdb out of the entire show, currently at a 9.0; most episodes are in the 7-8 range), but a bunch of readers call it disappointing and one of the worst episodes of the show. if it was actually a poor quality episode of television, the general audience ratings would reflect that too (as they do for 1x08, currently at a 6.4 (i personally think 1x08 gets way more hate than is deserved and i thoroughly enjoy that episode, but i accept that's just me)), but they don't.

so what does that mean? to me, it means that 2x08 is objectively a very good episode of television which general audiences found satisfying, but which some readers disliked because it prioritized the emotional & thematic needs of its own version of the story over the exact nature of the falme events in the source material. which is exactly what a good adaptation should do! if you forget the books and just look at the show (which the vast majority of viewers are doing), then every resolution that happens in 2x08 is the most satisfying resolution possible and/or the only resolution that was thematically permitted for that particular season storyline.

egwene: her season arc was about learning to stand on her own two feet and not cling onto her mentor figures or compare herself unfavorably to others. thus, her freeing herself from the a'dam is the most satisfying possible conclusion to her season arc. nynaeve and elayne freeing her in the books is nice, but in the show version, thematically, it would've undercut egwene's Overcoming Impostor Syndrome arc to go "yeah actually it's true that she's not good enough on her own and when it comes down to it she does always need nynaeve to help her out". that version worked in TGH where she didn't have an Overcming Impostor Syndrome arc, but it wouldn't have worked in the show where she did. (but, yes, egwene learning in 2x08 that she doesn't have to rely on others is a double-edged sword, which nicely sets up her later-series struggles with trying to shoulder too much herself and not letting even her friends or partner help her.)

rand: his season arc was about learning to lean on others and not isolate himself or try to protect his friends by withholding his burdens from them. thus, him failing to defeat ishamael until all his friends come to lend aid in various ways is the most satisfying possible conclusion to his season arc. rand defeating ishy singlehandedly in the books is nice, but in the show version, thematically, it would've undercut his Learning That Strength Is In Numbers arc to go "yeah actually it's true that rand is capable of winning his biggest battles all by himself and thus it's no problem for him to push his friends away". given the themes that s2 emphasized for rand, the only appropriate finale outcomes were either success with his friends' help or total failure on his own, and they chose the former. (that being said, rand pushing his friends away is a continuous issue for him throughout the series, so i doubt he's perfectly learned his lesson after 2x08; we shall see!)

interesting to note that rand and egwene have inverse arcs in a way (foils!) and that some elements of their book falme climaxes were swapped, and that the way the show has done it subverts the expected gender roles. typically, men are expected to be Lone Wolves and women to be Team Players, and the WOT books absolutely play into these stereotypes throughout the series (sometimes intentionally as social commentary, sometimes unconsciously as an accepted truth of the world), but 2x08 and s2 more broadly did the opposite with our yin-and-yang co-protagonists. it's egwene who has the arc about learning to be a Lone Wolf and rand who has the arc about learning to be a Team Player. and imo these subconscious gender role expectations are a part of why some readers (esp reddit) got SO heated about "how come egwene can succeed by herself but rand can't", because it feels Wrong to them and Not How Things Are Supposed To Work (they've never questioned why rand can succeed by himself but egwene needs her friends' help in TGH, or all the other times in the books when men succeed by themselves and women succeed by relying on each other). but it's a totally apples-to-oranges comparison because egwene and rand had totally different season arcs and focal themes (but many paralleling & foiling moments within that), and so they each get a conclusion tailor-made to their individual stories.

mat: his season arc was about realizing he's a good, worthy person, finding the inner strength to overcome his worst impulses and temptations, and coming through for his friends after leaving them at the waygate. thus, him getting his Big Damn Hero moment with the horn of valere, getting validation that he is literally a hero, and overall spending the episode doing all he can to support his friends is the most satisfying possible conclusion to his season arc. (but stabbing his bff just as he was flying on a confidence high and trying to save the day was a downer note to end on, so we've complicated his relationship with heroism and set up some more internal issues for him to wrestle with next season.)

perrin: his season arc was about learning to acknowledge his inner wolf but also coming to regard it with fear and to believe that wolf & human sides can't coexist and he must Choose One (.......suddenly being struck by the bisexuality metaphor of it all. nice!) thus, him giving into violence to murder a human to avenge a wolf is.....well, it's pretty upsetting for him and serves to reinforce his growing belief that his two sides can't coexist, but thematically, it's fascinating and sets him up for some really great internal (and external) conflicts in s3. he's just gotten what he thinks is pretty strong evidence to corroborate ishy's claim that embracing his wolf side means embracing the shadow, so he's set up for a season 3 of deep-diving into his relationship with violence and his inner wolf. it's also a neat parallel with 1x08: there perrin's avoidance of violence allowed fain to escape, whereas here his embracing of violence has traumatized him (again), so our poor guy is really feeling conflicted in the pacificism-or-violence question because both sides seem wrong to him right now. huh, i guess perrin's full-series arc is about finding a middle ground rather than one extreme (pacifism/tuatha'an/human) or the other (violence/aiel/wolf). i feel like i've just had an epiphany lmao this is why i love the show! it tells the same story as the books, but tells it in a different way that makes me think about it differently and gain new insights!

nynaeve: her season arc was about learning that she, on her own, as she is today, is not enough to protect her loved ones. this is a tough pill for both her and the audience to swallow! but it's needed for her character, and we see it in the books too. nynaeve has an incredible amount of power, but she's terrified of having that much power and wants to pretend it doesn't exist. she's resistant to change, she's used to being in charge, and she's very "my way or the highway". these are all things she needs to grow out of (or moderate, at least) in order to be able to step up and do her part for tarmon gai'don. she has to learn how to embrace her power instead of being afraid of it or being too stubborn to let other people guide her and teach her, so s2 shows her what happens if she doesn't, first hypothetically in the accepted test (everyone she loves dies because she's blocked and refused channeling training) and then for real in falme (she couldn't help elayne fully or rand at all because of her block). so her 2x08 conclusion being Total Failure is not emotionally satisfying, no, but it's thematically exactly what she needed and will goad her into facing her block head-on next season. thematically, like rand, nynaeve only had 2 options for falme: break her block and succeed, or retain her block and fail, and it was too soon for the former (we gotta let her cook a while longer, plus the story will become too easy if nynaeve, or rand, reaches supernova capability too soon), so it had to be the latter. if the show had gone with a third option of her succeeding without breaking her block, then that would've taught her and the audience that it's fine to leave the block in place and she doesn't need to challenge herself to grow as a person, because when it TRULY matters she can always get around the block.

other characters get appropriate resolutions too! moiraine and lan get to work together to succeed after being at odds and failing on their own all season (rand foils!). elayne gets validation that she is an essential and trusted part of the friend group after feeling like somewhat of an outsider earlier in the season. ishamael getting vanquished and lanfear betraying him only to be betrayed by him in turn is exactly where their mutual mistrust was leading them (and it shows us why it's so important that Team Light be able to work as a team rather than as self-interested individual operators; the contrast between ishy & lanfear looking at the seals together while plotting to betray each other vs. rand standing on the tower with all his friends behind him makes me cry your honor. imagine hating that ishy's defeat was a team effort, could not be me!)

(it's also worth noting that the characters who had the least individual success/victory in 2x08 (nynaeve, rand, perrin) are the ones who will have the biggest individual storylines in s3 (tanchico & moggy, waste arc, two rivers arc), whereas the characters who had the most individual success/victory (egwene, mat, moiraine, lan) are the ones who will be taking a bit more of a backseat (of course they all have their own stuff to do, but none of them is *the* lead character of their TSR/s3 traveling group). this is intentional!)

so there you have it. 2x08 is adored by the general audience, and it's because of this: it gives us some damn satisfying conclusions to all the season arcs (and some exciting and visually stunning battle sequences to boot), and all the viewers who AREN'T beleaguered by "But The Books!", which is most of them, recognize that for the good storytelling it is. i for one will always care far more about the show telling a good story within itself than the show being identical to the books, and rafe & co will too, as they should.

the only downside to the episode is that, yes, it is quite cramped for time because there are a lot of arcs to wrap up. this should be less of an issue in future seasons when the season finale isn't "every single major storyline converges in the same place at once". for example, judging by the "goldeneyes" episode title it seems s3 might split it up so that perrin's conclusion in the two rivers is in 3x07 while other conclusions in other locations are in 3x08, giving each more breathing room. whereas 2x08 had no choice but to stuff everything in that episode into that specific episode because it's not like perrin could just do his falme stuff an episode early and take a nap while everyone else was doing THEIR falme stuff in the next episode, nor could the full falme sequence have been split into 2 episodes since that would have disrupted the flow of the story. the only solution would be for 2x08 to be extra long, which is nice to imagine, but we all know that streaming shows almost never deviate from their set episode lengths and so there isn't much point sighing about "this episode should have been 90 minutes long!" because that just is not on the table, never has been, and never will be. the first step to being able to jive with an adaptation is making peace with the limits of its particular medium!

plus, the only things i might deem "missing" from 2x08 are non-essential (ingtar darkfriend reveal - that is NOT important fight me, it's only important in the books as our first example of a morally-gray shadow-aligned person but the show has already been doing that in spades) or will likely be included in 3x01 (the gang spending some time together to breathe and process and catch up). at the end of the day, the show is always going to need to be paced very very tightly with not as much breathing room as those of us accustomed to entire books dedicated to reacting to the previous book might expect. and 2x08 did manage to pack in a LOT of character work amidst all the action and did a good mix of resolving s2 arcs while leaving some unresolved to carry into s3 and introducing some new arcs/issues/conflicts, all within 70 minutes, which i find pretty impressive. in conclusion, 2x08 my fucking beloved <3

[impactrueno]

I saw your twt about holding back on telling stories with serious and deep tones and it reminded me of an issue I had a while back. Im a south park fan and I loved reading deep analysis of the characters. and south park being south park, people dont take it seriously and think its just funny so it doesnt deserve deep analysis like other forms of media. I always came across comments saying "its not that deep" or "doing all of that for south park" and I used to hate that so much because why are you commenting that under the authors post? In media there is like a "spectrum" of how deep you are in it as a fan, and it doesn't make you less of a fan if you like to binge watch the show when you feel like it because its funny. Someone who makes fan fiction and psychoanalyses the characters doesnt make them a better fan than you. I hate "it's not deep" because it is that deep to me, I enjoy it, but it dismisses critical thinking and discourages deep discussions about our interests. I want to learn more about the turning point for eric cartman and the friendship dynamics between the main 4. I want to read psychoanalysis of the characters and understand why they do the things they do. I loved reading fan fics with an author that understood how the characters work and put them in situations while making it believable. Whether the content was deep and serious or lighthearted and silly. I don't see those as cringe at all. What I see as cringe is trying to downplay someones time and effort. you dont care for it. cool, just dont make it our problem.

I believe in recent years, this cringe and its not that deep mentality is linked to media literacy/reading comprehension issues. On top of the fact, that fandoms right now has been "normalized", so alot of mean and rude kids and adults are in this space not having a mature and respectful conversation and discussions, as well as zero fandom etiquette. (I understand the past wasnt this magical respectful place but this behaviour has increased compared to past years).

Please don't worry about making deep content, its super fun and there will be fans of what you write/draw that will definitely be into it.

GOSH anon you are absolutely right. cringe culture has done some serious damage to people's creativity and freedom of expression. doing things in earnest is now cringe to so many people (specifically that 18-21 age where they think they're better than everyone else and everything is cringe to them, image is everything) and they actually give you shit for it?? it's crazy. the most harmless thing in the world. whenever my hey arnold comics would leave my target audience on instagram i would get the meanest comments for no fucking reason, because i was taking hey arnold "seriously" (nevermind that hey arnold is probably the nicktoon with the most emotional depth and moments besides ginger but i digress) but hey at least i'm not the one losing my marbles over some random cartoon comic on the internet.

i think rudeness in general has been too normalized not just in fandom, but in social media in general. it's sad. the only thing you can do about it is be kind as much as you can to counterbalance it. i'd like to think that rubs off on people just like how being rude rubbed off on them.

i said that thing about holding back because i'm admittedly too hard on myself sometimes. no one is calling me cringe or making fun of me for what i do, thankfully, people have been super cool and supportive. and it means a lot to me because i'm very earnest about everything i create, even when i try to hold back. i literally cannot help being myself. it's all i know how to do. i'm just glad i was able to grow a platform where i'm free to be openly passionate about the things i like, talk about them and why i like them, the little things that i find fascinating, the emotions they make me feel, all of that shit is awesome and i wish more people did that.

[angel-of-hunky-doryness]

Disney's Hercules: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Inaccuracies

Ah Disney's Hercules.

Now I'm sure I've made it no secret that this is one of my all time favorite movies. Both for it's witty charm and impressive character design, there is something to be said about this film that makes it stand out among the line-up of Disney's Renaissance films. It's not one of it's finest, nor is it your classic fairy tale movie up there with the likes of Beauty and the Beast or Aladdin, but just like Lion King, Hercules takes a unique spin on a timeless tale for a more modern audience.

Perhaps my love of this movie and other Disney films are biased. We had quite a lot of these movies on VHS and since I was still learning english, they were a great introduction before I started kindergarten.

Now as I watch these movies again I'm still surprised how well these movies have aged. I recently rewatched B&B with my dad the other day from flipping channels and even he was blown away with how good these movies really are after nearly 2 decades of not seeing them. It's astounding especially now in an age where we have started to see a decline in the quality of Disney movies. Back when there was a greater focus on art instead of profit.

While there was a rise in harsh criticism on Disney movies and their protagonists(like Snow White, Cinderella, etc) primarily in the 2010's that was perpetuated by internet culture (i.e. memes, Youtube critics, pick your poison) I am glad to see that we are starting to dial it down again and see just how progressive many of these movies were for their day and age.

Now this post isn't about any of that.

There are much better blogs here on tumblr that go into that, so I highly recommend @marciabrady, @artist-issues for their look at early Disney princesses and other similar blogs I will hopefully tag before I post this.

There is one movie though that kinda got the worst treatment and that is, to no one's surprise, Disney's Hercules.

And it's kind of deserved.

Now I'm not here to cast stones. Like I said in the preamble, it's one of my favorite movies and I've written quite a bit of fanfiction in this fandom. So I've done it dirty quite a lot. Sorry HS me, we need to talk a bit.

So instead, we will be going over why the inconsistent depiction of the Greek Mythology presented in this film had to be done and some small examples. Nothing too deep. The Mythology Guy on YouTube made a great video going over all the inaccuracies in the film and I highly recommend giving it a watch if you are interested in learning more about the Greek myth of Herakles.

With that out of the way, let's get started.

Part I: Child-Proofing

As I've mentioned before in one of my earlier posts, Disney films are made for children. Now that doesn't mean adults can't enjoy it, but the content within the films are primarily so children can watch and enjoy. Sure there are adult jokes and themes that will go over kid's heads, but they are generally pretty minor or toned down enough that can pass the films off as rated G/PG.

After all, Disney films have very easy and digestible morals: true beauty lies on the inside, don't judge people on their background, follow your dreams but don't lose sight on what's important, don't talk to strangers unless they're hot, invite everyone to the christening- things like that.

Disney films for the longest time have been a sort of moral standard since they have such a big influence on Western culture. Because of that, many fairy tales they have made films about tend to throw out some of the more grim and dark details attached to these tales.

Take Cinderella.

In the original Grimm's Fairy Tale, the happy couple ride off into the sunset while her step-sisters get their eyes plucked out by Cinderella's birds. In fact, before that, the step-sister's lopped off bits of their foot to try and fit into the glass slipper, only to be found out as the slipper gets soaked in blood.

Now I don't know about y'all, but I don't see anyone complaining that Disney left out those details. Okay, well the general consensus, at least.

But Cinderella is a classic fairy tale that had many adaptations and versions from across the world that allowed Disney to pull inspiration from, so who cares that they didn't follow the Brothers Grimm line-by-line?

And that's a good point.

There are versions where Cinderella isn't as gruesome. Charles Perrault, another very famous fairy tale author, had his own version of Cinderella where her step-sisters are fully intact by the end of the story. So it's quite obvious Disney was more attached to this version since it was much more decent.

Just like Cinderella, Greek Mythology has hundreds of different versions about just a single myth. You have Hesiod, Homer, Apollodorus, Ovid and those are just the writers from thousands of years ago. Nowadays, we have thousands of modern adaptations, translations, and rewrites of Greek myth to comb through.

There's just so much to choose from! And that's not even considering how interchangeable Greek myth is with its Roman counterpart.

What that means is you're never going to be able to get everyone to agree on one myth. Sure we can agree on certain details, but just like Ancient Greece, every city state had it's own version of a myth.

Herakles or Hercules was no exception.

Yet it's like I alluded to as well. There are some certain details that remain consistent from myth to myth.

Now let's look at a story that doesn't have a lot of versions to pull from, and just like Disney Hercules, it was heavily toned down: The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

This Disney film is arguable the most sanitized of the animated adaptations. A personal favorite of mine that far outranks Hercules in every way, but it was a huge hurdle to adapt.

From Esmeralda's attempted SA and death, racism, Quasi being bound and abused in jail, Phoebus' less than honorable pursuit of Esmeralda, Frollo's creepy obsession and his horrific control over Quasimodo, the religious themes and motifs, it's crazy how Disney was able to adapt it at all.

While it is pulling from Victor Hugo's original novel, there were a dozen films made before it that also tried to adapt this famous tale. The 1939 version of this film starring Maureen O'Hara is one of the greatest films ever made. For it's time, it made an incredible movie that sanitized many of the darker aspects in a way that cemented this classic tale into a more modern audience.

So is it any surprise that a lot was dialed down in Disney's version so children could also understand the message Victor Hugo was trying to tell? That the deformity Quasimodo was born with unfortunately led him to have a very harsh life- not because his disability affected his quality of life, but because of how society viewed/treated him. Their own perception led him to be isolated, ostracized, abused, and pitied. Likewise with beauty and race in Esmeralda's case.

They are different sides to the same coin.

I have a lot to talk about with Quasimodo. The next disney movie I will begin analyzing will be Hunchback, so prepare yourselves as I wrap up on Hercules.

But I digress.

Because Disney films are catered towards children, is it any wonder Hercules got the same treatment?

Part II: Greek Myths for Dummies

Greek Mythology is not an easy thing to adapt for a single film. Disney films, especially animated ones, are gonna get you at most a 90 minute timeslot and that's already a lot to ask for a highly-trained team of animators, musicians, writers, actors, artists, etc.

There are a lot of bases to cover.

Especially since this may very well be a kid's first introduction into Greek mythology. So we have a lot to answer

Like...

Why is Zeus king of the gods? Why does he have so many kids? How does the afterlife work? Why do I have to pay a man to get into hell? Are winged horses normal here? Why are the Titans bad? What goddess is that with the funny flower headband? Why won't they name all the background gods- are they important in the world? Is being compared to Aphrodite a good thing? Why doesn't Zeus realize his brother is trying to kill him? Why can't I have hubris as a treat?

All good questions, dear reader. And with a limited timeslot, there's not a lot they can talk about, so animators are throwing as much visual exposition as possible.

But who is this glittering assemblage?

That's why to understand what's going on you have to have prior knowledge to get what's going on in the background.

Like Lord of the Rings. Big world, lots of story to tell. The Silmarillion will help, but that's already a lot for a first time fan.

And since Hercules is written with kids in mind, it has to be rewritten some. So the established canon is kind of being thrown out the window, rearranged, and patched up like an old man who threw off an emperor's groove.

But Gerald Scarfe and a team of Disney animators managed to combine the former's caricature design style to the Disney standard to create Disney Hercules' unique style.

These gods aren't given the background character design treatment you'll find in other Disney movies, they are very stylized and exaggerated to visually convey their personality, their role in this universe, and if they're good or bad.

And the nice thing is, Greek mythology has an extensive list of symbols associated with each god that allowed Disney's own technicolor pantheon to reflect the very same icons.

Look at Athena above. There's her war helm, her breastplate, a cute little owl. She screams war goddess, but look how gentle she is with the bird. Her glass of nectar is a prop to show off her generosity, her self-restraint, and her desire to keep the peace.

But on the flip side, Ares is in the same get-up as her, war helm, breastplate, but his sword is drawn and his stance is one of action. We can see both these war gods are similar, but their temperaments and approach to war (same as their personalities) are so drastically different, and their color scheme helps so much as well.

It's incredible how much detail was poured into this and while I can go on gushing about the designs, we must push on.

Say what you want about how accurate the greek mythos is shown downgrades the overall movie, but the background story is lining up with a lot of the context we would lose were this in any other medium. The gods, how they look, their personalities- it's there.

It's accurate.

Sure the same cannot be said about the gods and mortals who have a role in the overall story they made, but that's the last issue this post will hopefully tackle.

Part III: A Hero's Journey

While Disney had already dipped their toes into Greek mythology with the likes of Fantasia and Goddess of Spring, Hercules was the first try to make it more than just a short.

So the myth they chose to adapt had to be iconic. They couldn't do it about the gods- that's just too much drama. They needed a hero, someone who struggled and fought and had a support group comprising of supernatural beings. And who is the most famous hero of Greek Myth?

Herakles.

There's just a few slight issues with that, heh...

Herakles is a really rough story.

To summarize, Zeus magics up a disguise to look like the mortal Amphitryon to woo the guy's wife, Alcmene. She gets preggers, Hera finds out and naturally goes ballistic. So Zeus pulls a fast one on his wife to save his kid, and thus Hera nurses baby Herk giving him god-like strength. A few assassination attempts later, Herakles grows up, marries, and has kids. Despite this, Hera isn't done, but she doesn't target the H man anymore, oh no, she sends him into a fit of madness whereby he decimates his entire family. Once it passes he works for a king, like his distant cousin, and he does 12 increasingly intense labors as a sort of penance and at the end of it, he's promised immortality or an indefinite Hera leaves him alone pass. Wonder Boy finishes that, but then he gets infected with centaur blood after taking on his dad's worst personality trait (adultery), he dies via his own funeral pyre, but at the last second his dad saves him and he becomes a god.

And Disney is gonna try adapting that???

That's about a dozen labors in itself, so how are they gonna do it?

To summarize here are the elements Herakles has going on that can be adapted to your standard Disney film:

Protagonist: Hercules (b/c the Roman version is much more popular)

Damsel in Distress: Megara or Deianeira (most notable love interests in myth)

Side-kicks: Iolaus (Hmm those undertones, huh)

Antagonist: Hera

Flaw: wrath / impetuous/ salacious

Unique ability / quirk: super strength

We have a pretty solid line-up for a story here. But at the time in the 90's, there is already another adaptation of Hercules going on strong: Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

This show first came out in the mid-90's and ended a couple years after Disney's Hercules dropped.

So how are they going to make it distinct from that?

It's really easy actually.

Super easy.

Disney's Hercules got a lot of inspiration from Superman (Christopher Reeves version).

Hercules is literally an innocent farm boy (mild-mannered Clark Kent), Meg is your hotshot spitfire Lois Lane, and Hades is your bald megalomaniac investing millions of dollars trying to axe one guy - Lex Luthor.

And let's be honest, the myth of Herakles reads like a modern superhero. He has super strength, he fights monsters, there's a damsel in distress every now and then- he fits the bill!

At this point in time, Disney didn't have a superhero and since that started to be a bigger appeal as the 90's marched on (*laughs in Marvel*)

It was a smart choice to bridge this tale to the modern time.

So for that reason, if they were going to make Hercules a super hero-esque character. He needed a villain and Hera wasn't going to cut it.

Part IV: A Hera-Shaped Hole

Hera was absolutely vicious in myth. This lady orchestrated the entire demise of Herk's family, his sanity, and his freedom. She wanted him to suffer just so Zeus could see how betrayed she felt every time he had a dalliance with a mortal.

Zeus never learned, but Hera's tactics did. And it was by her hand that sent Hercules into servitude under his cousin, the king. A title Herakles should've had had Hera not intervened.

And while wicked step-mothers are abundant in Disney's canon, it wasn't going to work because she's Zeus' wife. Yes, Hera received repercussions for starting a coup against her husband once in myth, but it was a brief punishment. Most of the time this couple can't stand each other, but they are what's keeping the pantheon together. And Hestia's cooking.

But here's the thing, Hera may be a bad person in this myth and others involving sons of Zeus, but she's a good person in other myths. Even at the beginning of this one, Hera found an abandoned baby and nursed him because he was all alone and crying out of hunger. She has her virtue, she's a good queen.

Yet with her iconography of peacocks, marriage, family, cows, and queen of the heavens and gods, she gives off very ethereal imagery.

This was the lady sending monsters and horrors of Typhon and Echidna's brood- that's her?

It can be done, I'm sure someone will do it better than Blood of Zeus, but it's much harder to adapt, especially with Treasure Planet on the duo of director's mind.

Just see Lindsey Ellis' Disney Hercules video, you'll understand.

But y'know that thing with the monsters.... Kinda cool. Monsters coming in from the pits of hell- pretty rad i guess. Well who else could throw a litany of monsters at our little hero?

Oh.

Yeah, okay, fine.

Hades, you're hired.

Yeah, the direction of this movie absolutely did a backflip the second the writers wanted Hades as their villain.

However, based on concept art, this was something they wanted from the very start and I'm sure we can all see the appeal.

I mean as soon as this movie came out so many other greek myth adaptations jumped to make Hades a bad guy, and like kudos to y'all, but this really is the easiest god you can paint as a villain. Home boy literally is dark and dank and emo as can be. Congrats we found another goblin sewer man to dress up as the mustache twirling evil-doer!

Like... This writes itself.

And pitting a god of the dead vs a mortal who's striving for immortality? It's poetry. It's an on the nose symbolism. I can't make it any clearer.

There's even an excerpt in Revelations that Disney references:

"Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire." 20:14 (NIV)

Hades is written as a Devil character. He's a deal maker, soul stealer. There's so much you can do with a Mephistopheles archetype. It's always a show stopper, I mean Ursula did it with extra steps.

Hera is a goddess of the heavens. Hercules is fighting the heavens to get into Heaven(TM). That's all kinds of complicated to simplify in a kid's film.

We want a villain to be scary, to be mean, and unjustified in their cruelty.

Hera wasn't going to work since Herakles' mother (though unwillingly) is the other woman. It would paint Zeus as another morally bad person. Why on earth would Herc look up to that guy? In fact, why would he want to join a band of morally corrupt people?

So let's make a new villain.

We can have the hero endure a different kind of pain.

The damsel's story doesn't have to end tragically because of a betrayal.

Make the story relevant and simple.

What archetypes can we match up to make this ancient myth fit into the modern day?

Make it clean, and make it understandable for kids. Throw in as many myths as possible so kids can see how big this world is.

The mythology is wrong, sure, but we'll spark that interest. We can make mythology fun. It'll make kids curious to learn more about them.

It certainly worked for me, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Part V: Conclusion

This movie is an absolute blast. I think many fans can agree and though the story does have its issues (See Conflicts series), it did it's job. With such a fun and memorable cast, lovingly animated characters, and mind-melting musical numbers, it stands uniquely among the other adaptations of Greek Mythology and perhaps it's why there was a bit of a resurgence in it's popularity as time marched on.

Herakles is a tale of struggle, sacrifice, and courage. One man battled and fought to achieve the divine, but at the end of his life, he did what few other mortals were ever able to do.

And Disney's Hercules took that character and developed him in such a loving way. To see his struggle both internal and external, it's a beautiful circle when he accepts his mortality and gives up his greatest dream for love. He didn't belong anywhere, caught between heaven and earth. Yet somehow he found it with someone who had been through hell and was hungry for heaven.

And just remember.

Not every work of fiction has to adhere to these magical bylaws that dictate how your Greek Myth AU must follow. However, I would like to softly counter-point my own point and say if you are going to make interpretations of greek mythology, be they musicals, video games, fanfics, or modern retellings, one must include the soul of the character they are based on. Hadestown, Hades(the game), Percy Jackson (most of the time), and the God of War franchise being prime examples.

Disney's Hercules took these characters and made them more exaggerated and updated to fit modern archetypes that are prominent in a Western Christian based-society. To me, I still see the soul of what these characters represent, even if some things were heavily condensed or rewritten.

Stories evolve. As is the nature of living things.

Till next time, Dear Readers.

[wuxianxkexing]

This face. I'm going to talk about it. Spoilers below!

So my pathetic little meow meow looks kind of unhinged here. I've said that much already. But what exactly is he thinking in this moment?

From a storytelling perspective Heaven Official's Blessing doesn't really have a main villain by this point. Pei Ming is the closest thing to one since he caused and ignored the Bridegroom and he tried to sweep his deputy's crimes in Banyue under the rug. However while those things might make him a "bad" guy that isn't quite main villain of the story material since he hadn't really gone after our main character Xie Lian all that hard. Yeah, he tried to shift the focus onto Xie Lian hanging out with Crimson Rain, but it wasn't really personal. He wasn't trying to drag Xie Lian down since he also spoke in his defense and said that Xie Lian was probably just tricked. He just wanted to shift the focus off of his deputy but failed to. Still a dick move to Xie Lian, but at least it wasn't personal? 😅 Or at least it wasn't personal until the very end when he realized that he wasn't going to be able to save his deputy after all.

But from a storytelling perspective having Mu Qing make this expression puts him on the radar as potentially being the story's main villain. At this point all we know about Mu Qing is pretty negative? He used to be Xie Lian's servant but left/betrayed him to ascend to godhood. He clearly still remembered Xie Lian though Xie Lian didn't recognize him and he seemed miffed by that fact. In the books it is revealed that he hangs out in the communication array all day every day, supposedly because he is catty and loves gossip and he has no friends. He is shown to have beef with General Nan Yang, who forgave Xie Lian's absolutely massive debt out of the kindness of his heart and who in this very episode publicly sides himself with our main character when he is concerned about him getting hurt. The audience realizes that Feng Xin is actually a pretty good dude, and naturally we are suspicious of anyone who openly hates him as much as Mu Qing does. Then Mu Qing makes that face. At this point the audience can only assume that Mu Qing made that face because he is a huge asshole and hates Xie Lian. The main villain has to be either him or Pei Ming. Right? They both have personal beef with him, and figuring out which of them is going to be the main villain gives the audience something to think about. I think this is why MXTX decided to have him make this face. The story needs a main villain but she wasn't ready to reveal them just yet so she kind of pretended to throw us a bone to keep us interested.

Ignoring the overall story reasons and focusing on the in world reason that I think Mu Qing made this face: He is just vindictive. Not towards Xie Lian, but Yong'An. Xie Lian describes him as both petty and spiteful. Up until Mu Qing makes his friendship confession and tries to kill himself afterwards the audience doesn't really know any better of him. I've seen some people say that he made that face because he was glad that Xie Lian isn't as perfect as he thought, but I don't think that is the case at all. If you actually hated someone for being too perfect would you even /want/ to be their friend? Let alone be willing to throw yourself into a volcano for them? Nah. Most people try to avoid people that they hate, so Mu Qing wouldn't have even helped out during the Bridegroom arc, or if he did then he would've only done it to sabotage the mission (which he didn't).

But knowing how spiteful and petty Mu Qing is having him make this face upon hearing that the former crown prince of his kingdom massacred the royal family of their invaders? That makes perfect sense for his character. This scene reveals that deep in his heart he is glad that the Yong'an royal family "got what they deserved." They destroyed his home country and they set into motion the process of him losing his 2 best friends as well. Arguably they are the root cause of a lot of his suffering. As for the frown after he was done having his moment I think that the revelation of why/how Xie Lian did it kind of ruined his revenge fantasy. Xie Lian did kill the Yong'an king to protect the former people of Xianle, but he didn't go on the cool V for Vendetta campaign that Mu Qing had hoped for. Which maybe that is a problem too but at least you can see where he is coming from.

Ultimately I think Mu Qing had a very real and human reaction to the news, but it only makes sense with context. Otherwise he just seems like a crazy person. Like all I can think of when I see that face is that if Mu Qing was the one poisoned by the Land of the Tenders instead of Xie Lian he would've had the worst bloodlust ever known to mankind. He is still my little meow meow though.

[izzypuppybutt]

MI7 Thoughts - spoilers

you've been warned

Actually not just MI7 but pairings in general.

Why are people, both audience and film producers so afraid of or despise romance so much these days? Like, just for the sake of hating it and to be different or sth?

This also applies for happy endings.

And also pairings getting together and the story still continues instead of going down the road of "will they/won't they" / "are they/are they not" trope. Once people become a couple there are still SOOO many issues that can be explored through stories and that would have sooo much potential. Couples fighting, couples going through stressful times, working out trust, communications, etc there are tons of possibilities for further character development!!! They shouldn't overcomplicate when the characters reach a particular point where it makes sense if they get together. Case in point is Chris McQuarrie saying in an interview he didn't want it too simple for ilsa x ethan and once they get together it's kinda over (or sth similar along that line I can't be bothered to find the actual vid sorry). But I'm like!?! No?!?! There's sooooo much you can doooo, the possibilitiesssss!! 😭

If it's done right and if that's what makes sense for the characters and if they have so much chemistry, why not? Why are people seeing characters finding love/getting into a romance as a weakness? I'm seeing this reaction with female characters. Look, I agree that female characters shouldn't be brought in JUST to be a love interest, I very much agree on that 100%. But finding someone in life to love and settle down and build a family together (or even just go through life with, whatever) is very much a humanly relatable thing. I'm saying this with a strong condition: ONLY if it makes sense and if it's done right. I'm saying a female character wanting that or doing that doesn't undermine their strength or story. But if it doesn't make sense for the pairing to get together, for sure don't do it. One particular case I agree with is Gamora x Quill in GOTG3. THAT is an excellent move. They didn't end up together at the end (at least not yet) because this is a different Gamora and it doesn't make sense if they got together as quickly as that and as simple as that. I'm so glad James Gunn did that. I applaud this decision.

In terms of happy endings, I particularly hate it when filmmakers/writers make sad/tragic endings for all the wrong reasons such as "to be different / non-mainstream".

Bring back producers not being afraid of happy endings/romance. If they don't give happy ending for ethan x ilsa, idk bruh. They have gone through so much, they deserve that happiness, come on.

[destinyc1020]

What a truly weird comment from that Robert Daniels guy (and he is someone who hasn't even seen the show to decide for himself). To say that Tom's only 'life experience(s)' have happened in show business. That is a really callous, to act like he hasn't lived like a human in love and loss and disappointments and achievements outside of his work, like we ALL do. To dismiss him as just some one dimensional product of the industry with no life is just gross to me? And the same critic replied with laughing emojis to someone who said it was generous to even call him an actor. Just a huge, huge yikes. I am really getting just a nasty, nasty vibe from some of these critics. Even IF Tom was someone who acted as poorly as someone on a soap opera (which he certainly doesn't, he has turned in some truly fantastic performances in his career and thats just a fact), no one deserves to be spoken about like that from people who are supposedly professionals. People seem to take a really disrespectful kind of joy in insulting him, I know that people can be absolutely vicious to anyone in the public eye, but this just seems truly WAY too much.

The positive reviews from actual publications outweigh the negative. Someone did a review roundup where the count was 17 that had 4-5 stars, 5 with 3 stars, and 3 with 1-2 stars. The narrative I'm seeing on twitter just does not reflect the reality of the reception - it was received WELL. Anyways, sorry for the rant Destiny, but I expect this kind of behavior from trolls, but from professionals living their Twitter mean girl fantasy it gives me a big ick. I'm just glad the audience reception and the majority of critics have appreciated him and Fran's performance and Jamie's production, and I'd just like to see more clickbait about THAT instead of this strange negativity that's cropped up.

Also, am thinking about you and sending you lots of love and condolences, I hope that fandom can be a positive distraction for you in a tough time. Thank you for your discussions on this blog, and I hope you take care of yourself first and foremost

Also, am thinking about you and sending you lots of love and condolences, I hope that fandom can be a positive distraction for you in a tough time. Thank you for your discussions on this blog, and I hope you take care of yourself first and foremost

First of all, thank you so much for this.🙏🏾 I really appreciate it 🥰❤️

Re: Robert Daniels....

I assume you must be referring to this comment he made on Twitter?

Yea girl, I felt like his critique of Tom was just kinda cruel?? 🥴 Like, it's one thing to critique someone's acting, but when you start making all kinds of ASSUMPTIONS about someone and what kind of life they've had, etc, I'm sorry, but that's hitting below the belt imo. 🤨

And I usually don't resort to going in on people's looks and outward appearance when I'm trying to do a rebuttal to smthg I didn't like that someone said, but whew chiiiiilllle..... 👀

Talk about a face only a mother could love lol

Anyway....

I really do hope that Tom just doesn't even pay any mind to the critics and just continues on to enjoy doing this play as simply a passion project for himself and himself only.

Idk what people's obsession is with hating on him on Twitter (I guess he's become Twitter's new "Whipping Boy".... it happens to MANY actors 🙄), but whenever I see ppl en masse hating on someone for seemingly NO GOOD reason, my spidey senses start tingling and I figure that this person must not be as "bad" as people claim, cuz if he were, you wouldn't need such a mass mud slinging and hate campaign against this person. Everyone would be able to see with their own eyes how awful this person is. Jmho 🤷🏾‍♀️

You don't need to convince people so hard when there's actually smthg to really hate about a person imo.

Tom's acting is fine. Don't worry, the stans came after that Robert guy lol 😆 😂

If he's a real, valid, professional critic, then he was kinda unprofessional imo.

But, then again, that's not uncommon for critics. Critics can sometimes go for the jugular if they don't like you, or don't like your work.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time a critic has been harsh about an actor. 😔

Thankfully, Tom has a HUGE fanbase (just look on IG!), so we don't have to worry about the people who don't like him or his work.

[ballonleaparadise]

A Review of Pokemon Horizons Ep. 1-12

We are (as I'm writing this) a dozen episodes into the new pokemon anime, so I thought it would be a good time to make a review. When it was first announced that Ash was being retired as the main character, I was unsure how the anime would continue. After 25 years of Ash Ketchum, it must have been a difficult decision for the writers to replace him. However, Pokemon Horizons has proven to be a breath of fresh air, and I'm loving it so far. *Major spoilers ahead for eps 1-12*

I'm going to start with Liko. Firstly, I'm glad that the writers did not make her a clone of Ash. On the contrary, she has a personality that is very distinct from Ash's daring and bold character. She is shy, and finds it difficult to approach others. It's refreshing to watch pokemon from the perspective of a more introspective character. However, the main reason why I like Liko is due to the way in which she has been handled. She fills in for the narrator, which gives us a glimpse into her inner thoughts and feelings. This makes her relatable, as it shows us as an audience what Liko thinks versus what she says out loud. Finally, Sprigatito is the perfect partner pokemon for Liko. They are both reserved, wary and a little reckless. While anipoke feels weird without Ash, I think Liko has a lot of potential, and I'm looking forward to seeing how she develops.

Moving on to Roy, I also really like his characterisation. He's more similar to Ash in terms of his enthusiasm, and his compassion for pokemon. However, he has his own unique traits, including his curiosity about the ancient explorer and his friendship with Fuecoco. Speaking of Fuecoco, I love this little guy and his comedic moments. All of the pokemon in the main cast have individual personalities, and I'm here for it. In addition, I really like Roy's relationship with his grandfather, who appears to have had a significant influence on both him and Friede. In terms of Roy's goal, I'm excited to see where his pursuit of Rayquaza goes. The latest episode gave us more information about the ancient explorer, so it'll be interesting how the story progresses.

Next, I have to touch on the other crew members of the Rising Volt Tacklers. Friede is a loveable dork who just happens to be a professor. Orla is best girl and I can't wait to see more of her. Murdock, Mollie, Ludlow and Dot are also interesting characters. Dot is slowly warming to Liko and Roy, which is nice to see. To add, I have to mention Mollie's backstory in episode 11. Although I thought there was something to the nurse Joy theory, I never expected it to be confirmed true- so this episode proved me wrong lol. I like how Mollie subverts the traditional role of working in a pokemon centre by helping injured pokemon in the wild. It shows how caring she is, and I hope her backstory is expanded on later in the series.

Another thing that Horizons has done well so far, is depicting the Paldea region. The very first episodes set up the main story, with Liko and Roy joining the RVTs and the Explorers chasing Liko's pendant. However, the last four episodes have slowly introduced Paldea. We've already had appearances from Nemona and Brassius. On top of this, we will be seeing Iono in the coming weeks. It's a relief that the new region is getting the attention that it deserves.

I don't have any huge complaints about Horizons so far. Generally, I'm really enjoying the show. One problem I will mention is that the pacing is very slow at times. However, I think that this will pay off later in the series. The writers are taking time to establish and develop all of the new characters, which will make the overall story more engaging.

On a side note, I appreciate the variety of adult characters in Pokemon Horizons. Of course, Liko and Roy are the protagonists, which makes sense for a kid's show. However, the dynamics between the older members of the cast make it more watcheable for adults, imo. For example, moments such as the convo between Friede, Orla and Murdock in episode 11 create a more mature tone, even if it's only to a small extent. Also, as an adult fan, it feels as if the anime has suddenly grown up with us. Friede resembles an older Ash, while Orla and Mollie are like grown up female companions. The show really mixes the familiar with the unfamiliar, which is a great approach to the first series without Ash.

Overall, I'm thoroughly enjoying Pokemon Horizons. Until July 14th, the pokemon anime will be on a hiatus. However, the show has done an amazing job so far of introducing the characters and plot. We're only 12 episodes in, but I have high hopes for the series going forward.

[rinadragomir]

Hi, I know you're taking a break from the fandom rn, but feel free to answer this ask whenever it suits you (no negativity I promise!)

I finished COT, and I felt like it gave off different vibes from other books (not just COG or COI - CC's books in general). I feel like it was darker in the beginning, what with James being sullen and Matthew being withdrawn and Cordelia being exhausted. And the part with London being all dark and silent and lonely and the Watchers going around - that kind of aura, I don't think anything like that was prevalent in other books.

I was just wondering what you thought about that? Did it feel kinda different from the usual too? The tone of the book, especially in the beginning, seemed to give off despair and used hope, though that could be due to James' gloom and all the miscommunication and cracked relationships-

What are your thoughts on the vibe of COT, especially compared with the other books in the series and in general?

HIYA! Oh it's alright ~ for you I'm always available🤗

Yeah the first half was really dark. Golden trio was in their Twilight New Moon Era

You're absolutely right about James's perspective but I'd also add Cordelia's. Everything seemed really dark through their eyes till chapter 23, I haven't felt this level of depression and hopelessness for a long time.

Oh oh I should mention that I absolutely loved the "Dark London" part with everyone losing their minds. Downworlders clapping for so long their hands start bleeding, mothers singing lullabies to empty prams😳

Yes, I certainly feel the same about the different vibe. Some of the chot scenes seemed more.... mature? comparing to her other books. The way the whole Matthew's alcoholism situation was handled, Grace's regrets, Cordelia's depression, Thomas trying to find the healthiest ways to build his relationship with Alastair, Charles's fears and lack of confidence in himself and everything around, James and Matthew's moments in Edom. The way it was written feels different, but I like this particular change.

And for some reason this book feels shorter than the first 2. Maybe it's because my personal favs had less pages than something else, but it's just me. (Arianna deserved as many pages as Thomastair, MAYBE EVEN MORE I SAID WHAT I SAID). And maybe since I'm reading pretty fast, especially when it comes to Cassie's books, I can finish this whole book in a day. I'll be completely satisfied the day Cassie's books have around 1200 pages ☝🏻or more😡

So, about the "mature" part. Years pass, Cassie's audience grows and I'm really happy that her books sorta "grow" with us? Dude idk why thinking in English is so hard😞 if it was a Russian platform, I'd slay😤So! Cassie added mature topics before, some of the TMI moments were really dark, but the way these topics are written/handled is just getting better. My personal opinion is that TLH characters just feel more real than others and this is the result of Cassie developing her writing. I feel like she's still in the process of trying new things/ways to describe and create sth. And this is why the books have a different vibe.

It can be confusing sometimes, but I'm actually glad these changes happen. I understand that writing one series for decades can be exhausting and I know Cassie has big plans for the additional TLH content, TWP and stuff, but I was so afraid one day she can just give up on it (+ all the hate she received after chot release 😒). So knowing that she's still trying new things gives me hope cause it means she's still invested in this series. So I'm really looking forward to her future TSC project👀+ I'm continuing sending her nice asks

I'd write more, but I wanna eat and I'm lazy☺️

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

trigun anon again! The way you described Vash couldn't be more true, as someone who loves the "character who goes to unimaginable trauma but still chooses to be kind" (Atsushi Nakajima for example TvT), Vash is such a genuine character and SAME I would give him so much hugs he just absolutely deserves it :'<<

Hope you don't mind me going on a small spiel on Vash (no spoilers dw!) but I love how he fits the character trope mentioned above but he also stands out from the conventional cinnamon roll/kind hearted character. As you mentioned, what I find most interesting about him is how he's also relatively distant/difficult to read. It's also interesting that the anime doesn't particularly give a lot of the character's internal thoughts/dialogue unlike the usual animes (Meryl probably having the most) so it gives the audience further distance from Vash despite him being the MC.

What I love the most I swear about Vash is the beautiful irony and hypocrisy of his character, his inability to choose sides because he just wants to HELP others in any way he can because of his genuine care for people but also fears being close to them because he is the "Humanoid Typhoon". Im glad to share appreciation for his character esp since I haven't brainrotted over a character as much as I have for Ranpo Edogawa (he's my fave character in bsd and all time due to how well written he is <33) and I'm sure you'll love him more once you get to see the later eps,

Thank you for taking the time to read this ask and sorry its so long TvT!!!

Hey hey again! I'm sorry I took so long to get to this!

First off, never apologize for long asks! I love reading what people have to say, always!

Yes, Vash is a wonderful character! As I've finished the show now and am on to the manga, I can easily say he's worked his way into being one of my favourite characters in general! It's like you've said, he's genuine but also closed off, compassionate but keeps his distance. He's so idealistic but he's seen and suffered far too much to be naive. Old and young at the same time. Not human yet painfully human. He's such a wonderful contradiction.

I will say though, that I interpret the whole "sides" thing a bit differently. Everyone's accusing him of having to "pick a side" but he kind of already has. He's on everyone's side. From an outsider's perspective though... that looks like no one's.

So then, in episode 12, when Vash makes the decision to assert his beliefs and fight for them - it's not that he's "finally picked a side"; this is what he always believed. I think it's more that he realized he can't be on everyone's side all at the same time. Sometimes people won't listen. Sometimes you have to make a judgement call if you want to protect what matters to you. ...unfortunately, any attempt Vash made to do so and perhaps try to pick up the pieces in the aftermath quite literally blew up in his face... poor guy...

(Also you like Atsushi and Ranpo? You have great taste! Ranpo has such a fantastic arc. It'll be really cool to see where he goes in the future.)

[septembersghost]

thinking about the quote from the end of Elvis, "

I’ll tell you what killed him. It was love. His love for all of you.

That voice rang out, and he sang with all his life."

and the reblogged ask about Taylor, and I know people don't want to hear this because we loved interacting with her and miss her, but I'm glad she has distance, im glad she's not killing herself for that love anymore.

i've touched on this a bit in comments with my friend @joons, who wrote really lovely meta about this here, and i'm going to quote her: "elvis, as a man, had such a generous spirit that no one—not his wife or manager or friends or fans—could stop him from digging deep and giving, even when it cost him everything. when his body was failing, his friends would ask him to postpone tours, to rest, to heal. and all he would do is gently smile and say, “it’ll be all right. don’t worry about it.” we may think the colonel is treating love lightly by bringing it up as a factor in elvis’ death, but this pivot in focus actually brings us the closest we ever get to knowing who elvis really was (something elvis himself promised he would reveal to his audience early in the film). his generosity is why he was so loved, and the colonel suggests it was his fatal flaw, that he cared so much about sharing his wealth, his talents, and himself with others that he did not care how much it hurt him. or rather, he did care, but he did not know how to stop sharing whatever he could to make other people happy, instead of attending to his own happiness. he gave people his trust and continued giving it long after they had stopped deserving it. and maybe wishing it had been different would be to wish elvis weren’t elvis."

the movie by default made me think about taylor quite a bit, despite the many clear differences, there are unavoidable similarities when it comes to the types of artists they are, who bare so much of themselves and are constantly giving and shimmering and trying and working to connect to their audiences. it's something taylor has addressed several times now, the rippling whisper of that anxiety and the clear slashed wound of it has been appearing in her work for years, and has crystallized further in her most recent music. i mentioned to chelsea how elvis made me think of dear reader (if it feels like a trap, you're already in one is so "suspicious minds" in the way it was utilized in the film, and never take advice from someone who's falling apart/so i wander through these nights, i prefer hiding in plain sight/my fourth drink in my hand/these desperate prayers of a cursed man/spilling out to you for free/but darling, darling, please/you wouldn't take my word for it if you knew who was talking viscerally made me think of him the first time i heard it after seeing the film). her fears about others seeing right through her, drunk as we watch her shattered edges glisten, that she doesn't do enough, that it's exhausting to root for her, that she desperately has tried her best and wanted to be loved (and make it seem effortless), that she shines so bright but that in itself is a kind of curse, that her desire to succeed is also an irredeemable quality, "your kindness is fake. your pain is manipulative,"...will you still want me when i'm nothing new?...it's splashed like a bloodstain all over her music and is such a sad, distressing facet of what she's gone through, but i also think there's an inherent quality in this that certain artists have - this wellspring of humanity, this boundless love that has nowhere else to go and springs forth from the music, the act of creating art, the euphoric feeling of performing, the intensity of love they feel from fans that, we have to acknowledge, can never be fully balanced or reciprocal because of the necessary and natural boundaries between us. i think taylor gave so much of herself when she was younger that it was corrosive to her person. she was struggling in such a way personally and still striving without end to be respected and embraced, and she gave a lot of that unfailingly to fans, maybe because she felt she had to as an extension of gratitude, maybe because she didn't feel loved and safe elsewhere, and also because she does feel a real sense of love in that way. but i think it was very hard on her too, and untenable. you can never reach everyone. you can never make everyone happy. you can never help everyone who needs help. you can never give all the love you wish you could give. it's a beautiful and admirable and even spiritual thing to share, but when does the line need to be drawn when you have to attend to your own needs and humanity first before collapsing under the weight of it?

all this said, i too am glad she's got a much healthier balance now, is very steadily loved in her daily life by a partner who gives her a sense of stability and quiet, and that she doesn't feel the need to give so much of herself away, outside of all the vulnerability within her art. it doesn't mean she doesn't care for us, i believe she means it whenever she thanks us, whenever she says she owes her career to us or she creates things for fun with us in mind (the easter eggs in the bejeweled video, as a recent example. she took a song about her feeling hurt and unappreciated, sadness became my whole sky, and wanting to sparkle again, and reinterpreted it visually to include her fans as a positive aspect), but i also think she's learned what she doesn't have to sacrifice.

there's an unerring empathy in the tragedy of elvis not knowing when to stop, how sincere that love he had was, how that itself was a type of defiance. "he loved and he gave, and he couldn’t do otherwise no matter how much people tried to stop him. and that simple truth is one last great gift." i do believe this endures and is a connective gift.

still, there's a strength in learning how to stopper that outpouring of oneself, one's heart and soul and love, too, and i do find that i'm thankful she's learned that, even when we miss her engaging as much, knowing she has a better sense of peace takes precedence. that love doesn't have to be fatal anymore. she's learned how to let it have its respite instead.

[icharchivist]

Am I allowed to say that while I love Logia infinitely, I definitely prefer the masc presenting design over the femme

Not that either is inherently better or worse, it's just my personal preference

you're kinder than i am, i'm totally on the "whoever designed F!Logia i just want to talk why the fuck did you think the boob cages were a great fucking idea"

I adore the fact Logia is genderfluid and race fluid as well, i like that the m!Logia is a human and in theory that f!Logia is non-human is cool.

But it goes back to how i personally really dislike the whole idea of the differences between m/f draph to start with, i dislike how it's a cheap way to sexualize your female characters. But for the most part i kinda grit through it because well, it is what it is, and it's a gacha, they also will rely on their horny fanbase, then so be it.

In theory if the draph didn't come with the hypersexualized design i would love that f!Logia is one since the horns do really look nice on them, and echo their dragon's form, and i find that really cool.

But god the F!Logia body really irks me and the design choices added to the draph body really just are bewildering to me.

There is this desire in m!Logia's design to have them look sick, there's sorts of metal parts around the legs and arms that are supposed to be here to help them walk and move because Logia is supposed to be frail.

And i feel like on f!Logia they redirected those designs details on the boob cage and the corset and personally i really dislike it, and on the legs what was a sort of walking aid on m!Logia is just. sexy compressing boots?

Even the posture is different, m!Logia is hunching a bit forward, they're not standing straight, you really do have the feeling they're not exactly at the peak of their physical condition. f!Logia kinda redirects that on having Logia's head covered in bandage in a way that looks more messy than m!Logia, but otherwise their posture is pretty straight, and with the arms posture, it just puts her breasts and her thighs into focus, in a way that are not present at all on m!Logia.

I'm really seeing it in a Doylist VS Wastonian reasoning (Doylist = what the creators out of the universe had in mind // Wastonian = what the character's reasoning for things in universe are).

On a Doylist perspective, i find it cheap and lazy and there were better way to design the f!design. I'm glad they didn't chicken out of the concept of "since they are the personification of how the slightest details being changed in a timeline can change things drastically, then it makes sense their appearance reflect that if only by switching back and forth between different presentations, in race and gender". But i think it was the laziest possible f!Design that relied too much on sexualization, like they were scared their core women-attracted audience would tune out from the heartful parental story if they didn't make them sexy.

On a Wastonian reasoning. Look. If Orologia wants their female form to be a sexy woman with big boobs who am i to shame. i'll support my parent over any way they want to present themselves. And in the end, sure, i can find it fun that our canonically genderfluid character has such drastic different physical appearance.

But yeah. I prefer m!Logia form in general as well.

I do think that the voice work on both gender really elevate the characters by the end of it anyway and i get to care about Logia when they're in f!form too, it still gives me the impression both Logia are the same Logia, so it makes it easier.

but yeah f!Logia's design personally is something i have problem with. alas.

And my problem starts with the draph bodytype, but i love the horns, so if i was personally to work on redesigning it and keeping the draph body, i'd just personally change their clothes. Like just give them the same type of aesthetic than m!Logia rather than the bdsm gear i beg you. Momdad deserves better.

[larkawolfgirl]

Honestly (DBZ)

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, M/M

Fandom: Dragon Ball

Relationships: Piccolo/Son Gohan, Videl Satan/Son Gohan, Chi-Chi & Son Gohan, Piccolo & Son Gohan

Characters: Son Gohan, Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball), Piccolo (Dragon Ball), Videl Satan, Son Pan

Additional Tags: Family Drama, Family, Confrontations, Arguing, Emotional Baggage, Bad Parenting, Making Up, Queerplatonic Relationships

Summary: Chichi learns about Gohan's relationship with Piccolo before he has the chance to explain it which leads to a bigger argument years in the making.

Read on ao3

Gohan gazed lovingly into Videl's eyes as they lay in bed, his fingers gently caressing her cheek. "I can't even begin to describe how happy I am, Videl. You, Pan, Piccolo, our home, my career…I don’t know how I got to be this lucky.”

Videl smiled, leaning into his touch. “You’re a good man, Gohan. That’s enough to earn it.”

He shook his head. “I could name a hundred good men without as wonderful a wife as you are.”

“Oh, stop! You’re making me blush!”

He leaned in, kissing over her tinted cheeks. “No, really. I can’t thank you enough for pushing me to be honest about my feelings for Piccolo. It’s like I’ve stepped out of a shadow I didn’t know was there, finally seeing the sun for what it is.”

"I'm glad it was the right decision. Seeing you and Piccolo together...the way you look at each other, you understand each other in a way I don’t think I could understand. It’s clear this relationship is important to you.”

“It is,” Gohan agreed, his thoughts drifting to the countless moments when Piccolo’s steadfast presence had offered him solace and guidance. Their bond that had evolved into something profoundly impactful on his life and, by extension, on his family’s. 

Videl shifted closer. “And I know it's been wonderful for Pan too, having another caring parental figure in her life."

"It really has. Piccolo is so gentle and patient with her. He's helped me learn new parenting styles."

Videl nodded thoughtfully. "You should tell your family. I know you've been hesitant, but they deserve to know, especially when it’s something that makes us this happy. And I think they'll understand, especially your father."

He sighed, feeling the warmth of her suggestion mingled with the trepidation that came with it. His father would certainly be confused, but it was his mother he was worried about. Her strict rules and traditional values would surely clash with the unconventional nature of his relationship with Piccolo. “You know how my mom is. She’ll see him as a threat to our family.”

“Maybe, but we’ll make her come around. She loves you, Gohan. She wants you to be happy. You just need to make her see that this is your happiness.”

"You're right, as always." He pulled her tight against him. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Videl. Your unconditional love and support means everything to me. I promise, I'll tell them soon."

Videl kissed him tenderly. "I'm proud of you. And I know they will be too."

Gohan smiled as he watched Piccolo gently play with Pan in the living room. She giggled and grabbed at his antennae, her tiny hands exploring the ridges and curves. A soft chuckle rumbled from the Namekian's chest, a sound that had become surprisingly tender and familiar within their home.

"You're getting so big, little one," Piccolo murmured. "Soon you'll be strong enough to start training with your dad and me."

Pan babbled happily in response. Gohan felt his heart swell with love and pride. Having Piccolo in his daughter's life meant the world to him.

As Pan became distracted by her toys, Piccolo turned to Gohan, his expression growing serious. "Gohan, we need to talk about our relationship and how it will impact Pan's upbringing."

Gohan nodded, giving Piccolo his full attention. "Of course, what's on your mind?"

"I know your family doesn't know about us. And while I'll support whatever you decide, I do have concerns about Pan growing up with secrecy and shame around our bond." Piccolo's eyes bored intensely into Gohan's.

The half-Saiyan lowered his head. “I know. I already promised Videl I’d tell them. I’m just worried about how my mom’s going to react. You know she doesn’t like you very much.”

"Then, you will make Chichi see reason. Pan deserves to understand this relationship as benign and natural. I won't have her believing her father is doing something wrong." Piccolo's voice grew firm with conviction. "You need to find your courage and conviction, Gohan. Decide what we are to each other, and let no one make you feel ashamed."

“Even if it means confronting misunderstandings and prejudice?”

“Especially then,” Piccolo affirmed, his expression resolute. “You’re a father, Gohan. Your choices shape the world Pan grows up in. She needs to see strength in conviction and the love in our kinship–not fear or doubt.”

Gohan was taken aback by Piccolo's intensity. But he knew Piccolo was right - he had to stop hiding. For Pan's sake, and his own. It was time to stand tall and declare his truth.

“I’ll stop hiding. For Pan, for Videl, for us. It’s time I show the world the family we’ve built together.”

Piccolo gave a rare smile. “That’s the man I trained you to be.”

The laughter and chatter within the warmly lit living room abruptly ceased as the front door swung open with a resounding thud that echoed through the house. Chichi stood framed in the doorway, her figure rigid and imposing as her eyes landed on the scene before her.

Gohan, Piccolo, and little Pan were nestled together on the couch. Gohan's arm was draped over Piccolo's broad shoulders, while Pan giggled, tucked between them, her tiny hands squeezing over the pink patches of skin on the Namekian’s arms.

"Mom!" Gohan's voice wavered between surprise and concern as he stood up. This isn’t how he’d wanted this to happen. Not with them suggesting the implications he knew she would make, and certainly not with Pan there to witness the argument.

“Chichi,” Piccolo acknowledged, sounding surprisingly calm. 

"What is going on here?" Chichi demanded, her voice shrill.

Unsure how to begin to diffuse the situation, all Gohan said was, “I didn’t know you were coming.”

It was the wrong thing to say, giving her more room to speculate. "Clearly not, or you wouldn't be carrying on like this in front of my granddaughter!" Chichi glared at Piccolo. “Is this what you do when your wife is away?”

Gohan tried to muster up his courage but his words sounded weak in comparison to his mother’s dramatics. “It isn’t like that.” 

"Unbelievable! I didn't raise you to be disloyal! After everything Videl has done for you, this is how you repay her?" Her voice was laced with accusation.

Turning her fury on Piccolo, she jabbed a finger his way. "And you! I should never have let you near my son! You've been a bad influence from the start!"

It was the straw that broke him. Anger he hadn’t even realized he carried erupted to the surface. How dare she treat him that way? It was one thing to belittle her husband or children, but Piccolo deserved nothing but respect.

Shaking, Gohan stepped between them. “Stop it! I won’t let you talk about him that way!”

Pan was used to hearing her grandmother raise her voice, but Gohan almost never yelled. The little girl started wailing.

Instantly, guilt set in, and Gohan attempted to soothe her. “Everything’s okay, sweetie.”

Her crying eased but didn’t stop completely. Piccolo cradled her against his chest. “I am taking her outside. She does not need to hear this.”

“Thank you,” Gohan said, touching his shoulder.

As soon as Piccolo was out of the door, his mother spoke again. “Are you sure you want to trust him with her?”

Gohan glared, his anger flaring again. “Oh course, I do.”

“He kidnapped you, what if he steals her away, too? I’ve heard him talking about training.”

There was no hesitation in his response. “He isn’t going to kidnap, Pan.”

“Why do you trust him so much?”

“Because he has always been there for me. He’s honest and loyal. The only reason he kidnapped me was because the world was in danger and you refused to let me train.”

“You were just a little boy.”

“Yes, I was.”

There was a moment of silence as they both mourned him having to grow up too fast. 

“I knew I should have protected you more…”

 “Yes, you should have. You should have protected my childhood and let me play like a normal kid. But you also should have let me train so that we had a chance of surviving.”

Chichi was shaking now and holding her mouth like she was about to cry. “I was scared. I didn’t want anything to happen to you.”

“I know.” Gohan understood where she had been coming from more now than ever. He didn’t want anything to happen to Pan either. “But if we hadn’t done anything, everyone would have all died.”

“I just wanted you to have a normal life.”

“Normal?” Gohan’s hand clenched into a fist. “You call being stuck inside a single room studying all day normal? I wasn’t allowed to play with other kids. The only company I got was during training. You micromanaged every aspect of my life!”

“Because I wanted the best for you!” Chichi shot back, her fist balled at her sides too now. “I didn’t want you to waste your potential the way your father has…Always chasing battles and leaving his family behind!”

Gohan laughed bitterly. "Oh, so it's Dad's fault now? You're the one who never let me make my own choices!"

The dam had burst. Years of resentment poured out of him.

Pacing back and forth, his frustration boiled over. "All I ever wanted was to be a normal kid! To play and make friends. But instead I was forced to study all day, then throw myself into battle after battle. Did you ever ask what I wanted?"

Chichi opened her mouth to respond, but he barreled on.

"No! It was always about what you and Dad wanted. At least Dad had an excuse. It’s Saiyan nature to thirst for power and pass on their legacy, but you? All you wanted was to live the life you never had through me. But I'm not just an extension of you and Dad. I'm my own person!"

Chichi sank into a chair, looking stricken. "I'm so sorry, Gohan," she said softly. "I thought I was doing the right thing...giving you the life I always wished I had. But I see now that I was wrong. I didn’t mean to hurt you."

Gohan's anger melted away. He sat down across from his mother, his eyes full of sadness rather than bitterness. "I know, Mom.” 

Gohan took a deep breath as Chichi wiped tears from her eyes. He knew this conversation was difficult, but it was time she understood the truth.

"I know you and Dad love me," he continued gently. "But I can't pretend anymore. Piccolo has been more of a father to me than Dad ever was. He actually cared about my interests and what I wanted. He didn't just see me as a means to defeat the next enemy."

Chichi bristled slightly at the criticism of Goku, but she held her tongue. 

"Dad was hardly around," he went on. "He was either dead or off training. But Piccolo was there. He taught me how to fight, yes, but also how to think and make my own choices. If it wasn't for him...I wouldn’t be who I am today."

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Chichi’s face contorted with a mixture of hurt and desperation. “I don’t want you to regret the choices you make because of his influence.”

“The only thing I regret is not standing up for myself sooner. I am an adult. You can’t control my decisions anymore, and I choose to have Piccolo in my life–in our lives.”

There was a moment of silence as Chichi sucked in a breath and released it, presumably trying to remain calm. “I don’t care if you want him in your life or not. It is unfair to treat your wife like this.”

“Videl knows. How I feel and what we do.”

She was taken aback by that information. “You are fucking him.” The verb sounded foreign and ugly in her mouth.

“No, I’m not,” he answered, eyes and voice both laced with ice.

“You expect me to believe that when you were just canoodling on the couch?”

“It doesn’t even matter. This isn’t about you, Mom. This is about my family.”

“I am your family.”

“Yes, you are. But you don’t get to dictate this. We are happy.”

“Videl certainly–”

He cut her off, words resolute. “Videl is more than supportive. And Pan adores Piccolo.” 

“She is supportive?” Chichi slumped in her seat. It was as if she was a balloon of hot air and the air had all ran out. 

Gohan reached out to touch her hand, his voice softening. “Are you okay?”

“I just…I suppose I never thought your relationship could be that secure. She must really love you.”

“Dad has his faults, but he loves you, too.”

“I know. It’s just easy to forget sometimes.”

Gohan waited, allowing her time to process the complexities of her own marriage before continuing. “I know you’ve always wanted what’s best for me. But I need you to understand that this is what’s best for me–no, for our family. This is the life I want. With Videl, and Piccolo, and Pan. You have to accept that."

Chichi stood up and went to him, embracing her son tightly. "You're right, Gohan. I'm so sorry I never realized how much Piccolo means to you. All I could see was my baby being taken away from me. But you aren’t a baby anymore, and instead of taking you away, he’s shaping you into a wonderful man. It won’t be easy, but…your happiness is the most important thing."

Gohan returned the embrace, feeling the weight of years lift from his heart. It had taken so long, but finally his mother understood.

They broke apart when the front door opened, revealing Piccolo cradling a sleeping Pan. “I assume you two have sorted things out?”

Chichi nodded slowly, a fragile smile tugging at her lips as she looked at the way the Namekian cradled her granddaughter. “Yes,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

She met Piccolo’s gaze. “Piccolo,” she began, voice unsteady with emotion. “I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you. You’ve been a part of this family and I…”

He gave a solemn nod. “Apology accepted.”

Chichi let out a breath, relief flooding her features. She stepped forward and, to Piccolo's great surprise, enveloped him in a tentative hug. After a stunned moment, he gently returned it.

Gohan beamed as he watched the exchange. The rift between two of the most important people in his life was finally healing.

Just then, the front door opened again and Videl walked in, stopping short at the scene before her. "Oh wow, this is a surprise!" she exclaimed, taking in Piccolo and Chichi's embrace and her husband’s obvious happiness.

Chichi pulled back from Piccolo and turned to her daughter-in-law with a smile. "We're celebrating the new addition to our family," she said warmly, glancing at Piccolo.

Videl's eyes lit up with understanding. She crossed the room to slip an arm around Gohan's waist.

"Well in that case," she said, "I think this calls for a feast!”

As Videl moved to the kitchen, Gohan went over to his mother again. “Can you let me be the one to tell Dad and Goten?”

Chichi giggled. “Of course! I can’t say I understand it myself, let alone well enough to explain to your father of all people.”

Gohan couldn’t help laughing as well. If anyone was going to need a simple but clear explanation, it would be his father. “Maybe I will make him some slides like I do for my students.”

She grinned. “Be careful, that might scare him away.”

He put an arm around her shoulder and started leading her toward the dining room. “That’s a good point. Since you’re staying, how about I tell you more about our relationship.”

Chichi smiled. “I’m willing to listen.”

[stitching-in-time]

So the World Figure Skating Championships are over, and I have many things I have to flail about, so here they are! First of all, ice dance!

Ice dance is usually my fave, and it did not disappoint this year. Chock & Bates are better than they've ever been, I love both their programs this year. They def have my fave rhythm dance this year, and I LOVED the 80s theme for this year's rhythm dance, it's been so much fun seeing what all the teams come up with. (This is the only year I've watched every single team in the rhythm dance because they've all made such fun routines.) I really love how Maddie & Evan have been finding new and different movement in their skating this year, and they have this swagger that's so cool and just says 'look at us, we're confident, we're champions'. I'm really glad they were able to win a world title with a clean skate this time, since they were obviously disappointed about not having that last year.

But for me, Gilles & Poirier were the champions of my heart. Their Wuthering Heights freedance is a masterpiece, and as an english literature nerd, I especially appreciated that they brought out the tension and conflict of the book characters in their dance, as well as the beauty and romance. They really, really got it, in a way a lot of people don't. I wish they would have won the gold, but silver is still a step up from last year, and I think they can still do it next year if they keep getting better and better like they have been. Honestly I didn't love their free dance when I first saw it, but it's grown on me throughout the season, and they've been doing it a little better each time. I finally fell in love with it at Four Continents, it was absolutely breathtaking and they totally blew me away. Even with almost no one in the audience to really give them a reaction at that event, they fucking brought it, and I felt like they were really gonna contend for the title at Worlds after that. I was a little disappointed when they placed third in the rhythm dance, but I knew they would kill in the free, and they totally did. I'm so happy they had such an amazing skate in front of a home crowd at Worlds, and they so utterly deserved to win that free dance! I used to think of them as the weirdos who always did campy stuff, but they've really matured and brought that storytelling sense to deeper, more interesting stuff, and I'm very excited to see what they'll do next.

While I feel that Piper & Paul's freedance at worlds was the performance of the season, my actual favorite freedance in general belongs to Julia Turkkila & Matthias Versluis. It's every bit as much of a masterpiece as Piper and Paul's. So many new, interesting shapes, so perfectly executed, it's modern and ethereal and ugh!! So good!! I really do think Turkkila and Versluis are undermarked most of the time, they have the most perfect posture and carriage and extension of any team out there, and they make their lifts seem to defy gravity and float, that one they open their freedance with is insane, they make it look so effortless, like she doesn't weigh anything, and he's just like, lifting a feather. The cynical part of me wonders if they'd be ranked higher if they were Ice Academy skaters, since it seems like all the Ice Academy teams move up really quickly, regardless of if they've improved that quickly or not. Most of them are very good, but there are a few that don't have the polish of Turkkila & Versluis that ended up ahead of them with pretty similar technical content, so I wonder how much of it is political. But I won't dwell on negatives, because there was a lot of good to be celebrated!

Honestly I used to find Guignard & Fabbri boring to watch, but the last two seasons they've really gotten much better in terms of presentation, and now they've finally got the whole package of being artists as well as technicians. They definitely had an unfortunate worlds freedance, with too many little things going wrong, but in general I like both their programs this year, and good for them hanging on to bronze.

I'm really disappointed that my other faves Hawayek & Baker decided not to compete this year, I would have loved to have seen their programs in competition, they would have slayed. (They posted their rhythm and freedances they were working on this year on their instagrams, def go watch if you haven't seen yet, they are AMAZING!) And apparently Kaitlyn was dj for Worlds this year, so at least she's still there in some capacity and not abandoned the skating world entirely. I really hope they decided to come back next year!

All in all it was very exciting and fun to watch, there were some great younger teams like Lim & Quan and Mrazkova & Mrazek that did really well who I'll be interested to see progress in the future.

All in all, it was a great Worlds and I think it's shaping up to be a great field for the next Olympics!

[shihalyfie]

Any thoughts regarding Survive? Personally I felt it went a little too hard on the “what if adventure was dark?” vibes towards the 1st half, but I overall still think it was a solid experience. As well as being genuinely surprised they were allowed to go that hard at all, because even if the cyber sleuth games had more mature elements, this kicks it past what most series with the same target audience would be willing to do

I'm already working on a meta post about it! (It's just that because it's a completely new work I haven't had experience analyzing before, the post is taking a very long time to prep, especially since my real-life job has not been kind to me. I did write a warning on the blog earlier that this might happen, but I do want to cover it even if it takes me a while.) That said, the meta is turning out to be extremely spoilery, so I might as well kind of give my short-form opinions for now, since I know most people haven't finished all four routes yet.

Obviously I am more than a little biased because I do love Cyber Sleuth/Hacker's Memory (the Erika icon probably makes that clear already), but I generally have a good opinion of the game pipeline's attempts to appeal to an adult audience without sinking into needless edginess or sacrificing what makes people like in this series. So even if Survive might have occasionally toed into overkill, it never felt malicious towards Adventure -- that is to say, it was something clearly done with love towards it and wanting to experiment with it further, and not "Adventure was a kiddy series that never did anything dark so here we're going to do some real vicious stuff!" As long as I feel it was done with love and respect, I will always cut it slack, and in regards to the game's Adventure references, I absolutely do not think you could make something like this unless you really knew and understood Adventure. This is not using Adventure things for nostalgia references, this is something that's in many ways a love letter to Adventure (even if that sounds a little twisted to some). I mean, the entire game exists because the producer was so thoroughly enamored by Kakudou's concept of Adventure Digimon as youkai, so everything has really come out of genuine love and passion.

In fact, I imagine it must have been hard to keep the game as tasteful as it was, because the game covers a lot of concepts regarding Digimon evolution and partnership that fans have been wanting to see explored for years but would never have been able to see because of the Sunday morning kids' show timeslot restrictions. And I have seen fanfic that often covers that, and trust me, I have seen how malicious and needlessly edgy a lot of it threatens to get into, so I appreciate the game putting clear effort to not go that way. And even when the game went all the way and didn't hold back, it definitely felt warranted and thought through. I was also worried about whether the kids' mental health problems or deaths would be treated in a fetishizing manner, but for the most part each character felt like they were treated respectfully and with kindness. I was a little startled at how nuanced they were with framing one particular character as toxic and yet also pitiful (I won't say which one yet, but if you've played the game you can probably figure this out).

I would not recommend the game to everyone. I think the content is going to be a bit too much to stomach for some, I even worry it might hit some triggers for some, and I'm also well aware the gameplay style is not going to sit well with everyone. But as you said, the game is genuinely ambitious and I think that alone deserves credit. The devs were well aware that not everyone would like it, and they've said this publicly, but it's a well-known fact among creatives that trying to constantly please the greatest common denominator is only going to result in the most lukewarm, play-it-safe stuff all of the time, so I'm glad they were willing to take the risk. In regards to the fact they were willing to go that hard, well, it is a T-rated game after all, but I also think there are some ways Ghost Game's physical and psychological horror can be even more brutal. It's ironic in that I don't think these two horror-based works were intended to come out together, but somehow Ghost Game's simultaneous running probably made me see Survive as much less shocking than I really could have.

The gameplay is a bit rough-around-the-edges when it comes to its SRPG aspects; it was fine enough for me, but I imagine more seasoned gamers might be turned off. (Cyber Sleuth/Hacker's Memory was not exactly the paragon of well-designed RPG gameplay either, but considering the kind of really, really bad games this franchise has put out, any Digimon game that's even remotely playable instantly qualifies as one of the franchise's top 15 games.) If I have any major story complaints, it's mostly that I'm not too fond of the actual handling of the route system (the fact so much of it is unskippable repeated content and the fact there’s a blatantly intended order for the routes that it's too easy to not follow by accident), and that this game reuses Adventure's "Digimon partners are literally part of a human's soul" thing but doesn't go nearly enough (at least, for my tastes) into how potentially disturbing that could be for said partners' lack of autonomy. (This is consistently one of the biggest criticisms of the Adventure/02 universe compared to other Digimon works, and I was able to let it go there because it's not concretely brought up in the series and therefore the potential power imbalance never gets as bad as it could be, but here it absolutely is a major plot point that's brought up verbally several times.)

And the localization sucks. I know this goes without saying, and Cyber Sleuth/Hacker's Memory's still makes me wince, and I really should have anticipated this coming, especially since even recently we had Kizuna getting a trainwreck translation (and The Beginning's prospects already looking bad in this regard). But Crunchyroll's recent Digimon subs, especially Ghost Game, have been very comparatively good, so I was hoping...but alas, no, we can't have nice things.

But that's enough for today. I'll talk more when I have a more detailed post (I would appreciate it if you checked it out once I finish!), but the tl;dr is that I like it a lot, I really respect how much it clearly understood Adventure on a very substantial and intimate level in ways things often don't, and I'm overall very happy to add it to my library of Digimon things I like.

[themusicsweetly]

Hi I really liked reading your impressions of FvF when you sent to see it. Can you post something similar when you go see Belfast?

[Anonymous #2 asked] : Hi Sarah, I'm glad I saw you went to go see Belfast yesterday. I know you of all people have been looking forward to it. You said you liked it and that Cait and Ciaran were best. Can you do one of your shouty caps for it? Thanks!

Hello there, Anons! Thanks so much for your asks.

I did finally go see Belfast yesterday! I won't do a Shouty!Caps recap for it (I'll start those again when the new OL season starts, though!) since it would be way too spoilery and many people aren't able to watch it until next year. I don't want to risk ruining it for anyone.

So here's something like what Anon #1 suggested, my non-spoilery (hopefully lol) impressions of Belfast. I'll preface this like I did with my FvF review and say brevity is not a word in my vocabulary LOL 😅

The last time I stepped inside a movie theater was 2 years ago, almost to the day, to see Ford v. Ferrari. This time, the only movie that could possibly make me go back to one during a pandemic — double-masked and everything — was, of course, Belfast. A heartfelt, touching, pure, and beautiful film that I absolutely loved. Poignant yet so simple. Jamie Dornan called it a “heartbreaking” and “heartwarming” movie and those really are the two best descriptors of how it makes you feel.

It hit all the notes that I’d think you want a family story like this to have: palpable love, humor, tears, and most of all a family you can cheer for. Buddy’s family definitely was that.

Jude Hill as Buddy is unquestionably the lead actor. And what an absolute little wonder he is! I am so incredibly impressed by him and his performance. Being told from his perspective, he’s in every single scene and we’re witnessing things as he is. His face and expressions are just so earnest. Half of what you get from him aren’t from his lines at all and as observer / conduit for the audience, that very much works to his and our benefit. I think it’s been a long while since I’ve watched a movie that is from the perspective of a child that doesn’t make you feel like you’re an adult looking down, if that makes sense. This movie, in the best way possible, brings you down to Buddy’s level and restores that sort of innocent naiveté in the viewer. It almost feels like you're viewing things as Charlie Brown would, sometimes not even seeing the adults' faces. And when that innocence is ripped away, Jude played the struggle between wanting to stay a child and coming to grips with what’s going on around him perfectly. He truly is a talent and I very much hope (and expect!) to see his name in many more leading roles in the future!

I’m sure it surprises no one that for me Caitriona Balfe is my go-to for Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. She is deserving of every single bit of praise she’s been getting for this role. Dame Judi is amazing as she always is but isn’t really in it enough to make me feel like she should get it. Her parts, two in particular, however were the ones that made me cry the most; having grown up in a generational household with my grandmother as well, I connected with her story more than any other character. Caitriona Balfe, though. Just wow. Huge shout-out to Sir Kenneth for writing this incredible, complex, multi-dimensional character and thinking only of Caitriona when casting. It makes total sense now that his inspiration for casting her came from Mollie Miles's driving scene in FvF. I was shocked at first to hear people say this is Caitriona’s best performance yet. Like, on par with Faith?!? Yes. Yes, it is and maybe then some 🤯

The biggest compliment I can give her, I think, is that she completely disappeared into Ma. I feel like I forgot I was watching Caitriona at times. She had so many notes to play (anger, stubbornness, heartbreak, ferocious protectiveness, joy, and humor) and she did them all one after another seamlessly and effortlessly. I was especially surprised by the humor we see in Ma. I feel like we’ve never truly gotten to see Caitriona properly stretch her funny bone (things like Couple’s Therapy not withstanding lol) and so it was such a pleasant surprise to see it come so naturally to her. There's one scene, a sort of flashback to a moment between Buddy, Ma, and the rent collector that had me in STITCHES. You'll know it when you see it lol. Caitriona also claims she's not a good dancer?? Straight up lies, ma'am.

And like in Faith, Ma has an emotion-filled monologue toward the end and just like then it was simply MASTERFUL. The craziest thing is that she gets maybe three huge moments like that where I thought, "okay submit that scene to the Academy!" It will be the biggest injustice if she doesn’t get recognized for her outstanding work in this film.

Of the men, Ciaran Hinds wins it for me, hands down. Pop’s relationship with Buddy is the perfect, pure mix of best friend and guardian. Ciaran approaches it by never talking to Buddy as a child. He straddles the line of sincere and witty with every word he says it’s just such a joy to watch. He made watching Pop feel like a warm cup of tea on a chilly day, there’s really no better way for me to describe it. Out of the adults, Jamie was maybe the weakest player for me. Not to say he wasn’t very good in it because he was. But he played Pa far more one-note comparatively. He also didn’t have any big emotional stand-out moments that made him shine. If anything he was a really great backboard for the other actors, rounding out their shining moments.

Special shout-out goes to Lara McDonnell who plays Moira, Buddy’s mischievous neighborhood friend. I think I could have been irritated with her character for being a little too predictably devious and more childish than Buddy in some ways, but somehow Lara made that fun to watch.

If I were to nitpick, it’d probably be in a few of Sir Kenneth’s choices in transitions and music. The transition into the Everlasting Love scene was a bit too abrupt for me. It made it feel like something was cut out to get from the previous scene to the singing. A little unfortunate since that scene itself was perfect (MORE of Caitriona dancing? Yes, please!!!). There were also times when I felt like they leant too heavily on the Western shoot-out theme in the music, but the other music moments were so good I can overlook that. And all that said, I definitely think Sir KB deserves to be nominated for Best Original Screenplay and possibly even Best Director for his unique way of making us feel as if we're looking through Buddy's eyes.

Oftentimes you hear movies getting all this Oscars buzz, go to see it, and you end up wondering why it even deserves to be talked about. Belfast, in my opinion wholly and truly deserves it. While I wouldn’t call it a feel good movie, it does just that — makes you feel good. And makes you feel sad and nostalgic. And it makes you feel hopeful, in some ways too. The world they suddenly found themselves living in looks much like what you turn on the news everyday to find: violent, divided, scary. Seeing this family in the middle of it all, scared for their children’s lives and yet still able to hold on to their open-mindedness instead of caving to the pressures of prejudice, reminds you that it doesn’t always have to be that way. If Jamie perfectly described how Belfast makes you feel, Caitriona perfectly put into words how it should make you see:

“I think the thing to take away is how important love and family and community is and the danger of when we let politics divide us and separate us. There's beauty in our differences and I think to retain that love of community, I think that's really special. And how absolutely awful that is when that gets torn apart.”

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i just read your fic ‘seeing stars’ & can i just say it is SOOO amazing!!!! the things this series has made me feel, the amount of emotions i went through, it is insane!! i’m so in love w every single part of this, it’s so different from what i’ve read on here before. i really wish i could properly express how i feel about it but i’m so bad at it lol just know im so blessed to have come across it & thank you for letting us read your work. i can’t wait to see how their story continues!

Thanks so much! Things like this mean to world to writers, especially small ones without a huge audience in a heavily saturated show like I am. Slow burns with ofc's aren't really popular, but that's how my brain works so I've had to adjust my expectations.

I've put A LOT into this fic, and I'm very proud of it. I've tried to dive into some heavy/real topics and give Eddie a realistic final senior but not make it too perfect. I wanted a lot for Eddie, so I wrote it lol He deserves a happy ending.

I'm glad the emotion I'm putting into it is coming through, that validation is great considering the long hours I put into it. I'm excited for you to read what's coming up next. I think there are 8 chapters left, there's an epilogue in there too. Not gonna leave ya hangin'.

If you haven't read it and want to - check it out here Seeing Stars Part 1

A slow burn, 20+ chapter dive into Eddie's senior year with the love and happy ending he deserves with an ofc that has a mind all her own. About two weirdos falling in love and trying to figure out how they can live in the present, despite their troubled pasts. Some "realistic" magic themes throughout the story. Lots of fluff, smut, hurt/comfort, and general goofiness. Also has scenes with the Hellfire Club, Steve and Robin throughout.