#i've always known just where we stood. me here with the luckless; you there with the blessed | amelia & warren

[nothingleftofyou]

@calamitcs

Dennis clinging to Dee when he is scared or uncomfortable is the cutest part about the show.

[mcyt-parodies]

Crossing the Line - Mandy Moore for Flower Husbands. It screams them during Limited Life where Jimmy doesn't say "I love you" back to Scott

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the suggestion! This one turned out incredible (in my opinion at least)! It’s so perfect for them. So y’all remember how I said Smallidarity was my number two? Yeah that’s because Flower Husbands is NUMBER ONE! They are absolutely everything to me, I could go on and on and on about these idiots, and maybe I will someday. But for now, here is a… not so lovely Flower Husbands parody:

Crossing The Line: Limited Life, Flower Husbands

[Scott]

This has to stop now

Whatever it is that you're going through

We'll fix it together, me and you

Just like we used to

[Jimmy]

No! This has to stop now

This thing where you think that you've been my husband

And don't even hear how you condescend

The way you've always done

[Scott and (Jimmy)]

Jimmy, listen (I'm listening)

I know it isn't true (Isn't it?)

Just look into my eyes now (Well?)

I know you feel it too (Perhaps I do)

Jimmy, listen (I'm listening)

I swear it's not too late

So before another line gets crossed

And everything we've had is lost

Just... say you love me too?

[Jimmy]

Love?

No, I won't say it

[Scott]

(spoken)

Petal!

[Jimmy]

(sung)

There's a line between the winners and the losers

There's a line between the chosen and the canary

And I've done the best I could

But I've always known just where we stood

Me here as the luckless

You there as the blessed

And that line between the players and the hunted

Is a line you've never let me quite ignore

How I've tried to jump that great divide

But I've never even gotten the chance

You don't know how much I've been denied

Well, I'm not being patient anymore

I'm crossing the line!

And I'm done holding back

So look out, clear the track

It's my turn!

I'm taking what's mine!

Every drop, every smidge

If I'm burning a bridge

Let it burn

But I'm crossing the line!

And for us, if we're over

That's fine

[Jimmy]

(sung)

I'm crossing the line

[Scott]

(spoken)

Jimmy! Say it back!

[Jimmy]

(spoken)

30 seconds.

[l3m0ngal5]

Archon Ally Lily AU

Zach:This has to stop now

Whatever it is that you're going through

We'll fix it together, me and you

Just like we've always done

Lilly:No! This has to stop now

This thing where you think that you've been my friend

And don't even hear how you condescend

The way you've always done

Zach:Lilly, listen (I'm listening)

I know it isn't true (Isn't it?)

Just look into my eyes now (Well?)

I know you feel it too (Perhaps I do)

Lilly, listen (I'm listening)

I swear it's not too late

So before another line gets crossed

And everything we've had is lost

Just... wait

Lilly: Wait?

No, I won't wait

There's a line between the winners and the losers

There's a line between the chosen and the rest

And I've done the best I could

But I've always known just where we stood

Me here with the luckless

You there with the blessed

And that line between the beggars and the choosers

Is a line you've never let me quite ignore

How I've tried to jump that great divide

But I've never got the chances you were given

You don't know how much I've been denied

Well, I'm not being patient anymore

I'm crossing the line!

And I'm done holding back

So look out, clear the track

It's my turn!

I'm taking what's mine!

Every drop, every smidge

If I'm burning a bridge

Let it burn

But I'm crossing the line!

And for us, if we're over

That's fine

I'm crossing the line

This is I just loved this

[aden17ventos]

Music Prompt: Paper Mario.

after revealing Luigi as Mr. L, Mario gives chases trying to convince Luigi to remember his past, only to make it worse

Mario: This has to stop now

Whatever it is that you're going through

We'll fix it together, me and you

Just like we've always done

Luigi: No! This has to stop now

This thing where you think that you've been my friend

And don't even hear how you condescend

The way you've always done

Mario: Luigi, listen (I'm listening)

I know it isn't true (Isn't it?)

Just look into my eyes now (Well?)

I know you feel it too (Perhaps I do)

Luigi, listen (I'm listening)

I swear it's not too late

So before another line gets crossed

And everything we've had is lost

Just... wait

Luigi: Wait?

No, I won't wait

There's a line between the winners and the losers

There's a line between the chosen and the rest

And I've done the best I could

But I've always known just where we stood

Me here with the luckless

You there with the blessed

And that line between the beggars and the choosers

Is a line you've never let me quite ignore

How I've tried to jump that great divide

But I've never got the chances you were given

You don't know how much I've been denied

Well, I'm not being patient anymore

I'm crossing the line!

And I'm done holding back

So look out, clear the track

It's my turn!

I'm taking what's mine!

Every drop, every smidge

If I'm burning a bridge

Let it burn

But I'm crossing the line!

And for us, if we're over

That's fine

I'm crossing the line

[alvoskia]

Song lyrics that always make me think of Ally

It may not be my quest, but maybe it's mine to win

I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror / It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

There's a line between the winners and the losers / There's a line between the chosen and the rest / And I've done the best I could / But I've always known just where we stood / Me here with the luckless / You there with the blessed

They all say that it gets better, it gets better the more you grow / Yeah, they all say that it gets better, it gets better / but what if I don't?

Easy they come, easy they go / I jump from the train, I ride off alone / I never grew up, it's getting so old / Help me hold onto you

While their only flaw seems to be is that they have none at all / Do you ever see someone and think "Wow, God must hate me"

And the only solution was to stand and fight / And my body was bruised and I was set alight / But you came over me like some holy rite / And although I was burning, you're the only light / Only if for a night

When you go home everything looks different / And you're scared of being left behind / Just listen to your friends / Trust that they're fair, look in their eyes / Just listen to your friends / They only care and hope you're alright / I can feel the draw / I can feel it pulling me back

I looked around in a blood-soaked gown / And I saw something they can't take away / 'Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned / Everything you lose is a step you take / So make the friendship bracelets / Take the moment and taste it / You've got no reason to be afraid / You're on your own, kid / Yeah, you can face this / You're on your own, kid / You always have been

[susiephone]

......"crossing the line" from tangled the series for tally/shay

"there's a line between the winners and the losers, there's a line between the chosen and the rest. and i've done the best i could, but i've always known just where we stood: me here with the luckless, you there with the blessed. and the line between the beggars and the choosers is a line you never let me quite ignore. how i've tried to jump that great divide, but i never got the chances you were given. you don't know how much i've been denied well, i'm not being patient anymore! i'm crossing the line, and i'm done holding back! so look out, clear the track, it's my time! i'm taking what's mine - every drop, every smidge! if i'm burning a bridge, let it burn, but i'm crossing the line. and for us, if we're over, that's fine"

i am SOBBING

[hgejfmw-hgejhsf]

Apple Music Predictions for 2024

Open Spotify (or Apple Music, or Google Music if you're a true heathen I guess) and set your On Repeat Playlist to shuffle. The first twelve songs will predict how 2024 goes for you.

A belated thank you to @sparklepocalypse, @thinkof-england, and @firenati0n for tagging me in this one! I'm super excited to see what my Apple Music predictions are, starting with February, since January is gone haha.

And also just for fun, Imma include my favorite lyric from each of these songs!

February - Perfect from The Cinderella Soundtrack

I don't deserve this Darlin' you look perfect

March - If You Only Knew by Shinedown

'Cause it's 4:03 and I can't sleep without you next to me I Toss and turn like the sea If I drown tonight, bring me back to life Breathe your breath in me The only thing that I still believe in is you If you only knew

April - Rapid Eye Movement by David Cook

But the oxygen is proving more than words could ever say

May - Crossing the Line from Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure

There's a line between the winners and the losers There's a line between the chosen and the rest And I've done the best I could But I've always known just where we stood Me here with the luckless You there with the blessed

June - Don't Rain On My Parade (Glee Edition)

But whether I'm the rose of sheer perfection A freckle on the nose of life's complexion The cinder or the shiny apple of its eye I've gotta fly once I've gotta try once Only can die once, right sir Oooh, life is juicy, juicy and you see I've gotta have my bite, sir

July - Gimme Heartbreak by David Cook

You're death in a black dress I'm the puppet that's hanging from your thread You're the name of my madness I don't wanna get you out of my head

August - Circadian by David Cook

Mayday Somebody save me now I'm closing my eyes 'Cause once the sun rises It's out of my hands

September - Requiem from Dear Evan Hansen

'Cause when the villains fall, the kingdoms never weep No one lights a candle to remember No, no one mourns at all When they lay them down to sleep

October - Never Stop by SafetySuit

You still get my heart racing

November - I Can See You (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

You won't believe half the things I see inside my head Wait 'til you see half the things that haven't happened yet

December - That Part by Lauren Spencer Smith

The only way this is gonna hurt Is if we got old, and you were the one to go first So I'm wishing on elevens that we both meet up in Heaven And fall in love again, just like the first time

I'm sure most of my friends have done this already, but I'm gonna tag @ships-to-sail, @whimsymanaged, and @lfg1986-2

[llamagirl28]

i was listening to annapantsu's cover of crossing the line from the tangled cartoon and it really reminded me of finally had enough mordred @ gawain :o like "I've done the best I could, but I've always known just where we stood- me here with the luckless, you there with the blessed" and "I'm taking what's mine, every drop every smidge. If I'm burning a bridge let it burn" OUCHIES

YES AHHH that song! I have it on my Boc playlist.

[carewyncromwell]

How about the Slytherin trio: Barnaby, Merula and Ismelda (the song ask I mean)

Barnaby Lee ~ "Introducing Me" from Camp Rock 2

"I'm good at wasting time; I think lyrics need to rhyme; And you're not asking, But I'm tryna grow a mustache!

I eat cheese, but only on pizza, please, And sometimes on a homemade quesadilla... Otherwise it smells like feet to me,

And I -- I really like it When the moon looks like a toenail, And I love it when you say my name..."

...Do I really need to explain this?? This song is so friggin' dorky and it's just so Barnababy and I kind of love it. 😂

Merula Snyde ~ "Crossing the Line" from Rapunzel's Tangled Adventures

"There's a line between the winners and the losers -- There's a line between the chosen and the rest -- And I've done the best I could, But I've always known just where we stood: Me here with the luckless, you there with the blessed,

And that line between the beggars and the choosers Is a line you've never let me quite ignore... How I've tried to jump that great divide, But I've never got the chances you were given...

You don't know how much I've been denied... Well, I'm not being patient anymore!"

This is my theme for Merula at the end of year 5/beginning of year 6 when she regresses on the character development she went through while being mentored by Rakepick. Before, in my canon, she actually finishes her arc, rather than making even more stupid choices for no good reason. *eyes Jam City beadily* The lyrics just speak so much of her dynamic with MC to me, particularly Merula's with my MC Carewyn's, considering that Carewyn in particular has always sort of been "Little Miss Perfect" in Merula's eyes. I even drew a basic AF comic that I totally need to redo at some point based on this song for Merula and Carewyn way back when, this association is so strong.

Ismelda Murk ~ "Wonderful" by Annie Lennox

"I want to hold you and be so held back... Don't want to need you, But it's where I'm at... Thinkin' bout you every day -- How come I was made that way? It's so surreal...but I feel...wonderful..."

This song is 150% how I see Ismelda feeling, when it comes to her short-lived crush on Barnaby, or if/when she fell in love with anyone else. Even if the song is thoughtful and almost melancholy, there's this underlying cynicism and aggression to it to -- like someone who both can't stand the fact that they're going off on cloud nine like this and yet also is full to the brim with feelings they don't know how to properly express. Even when it gets to its dreamiest point, it just BREAKS when it reaches the chorus, becoming snappier and harsher even despite the lingering romanticism in the lyrics...and yeah, that just says "Ismelda" to me!

Song Ask!

[blueskiesandstarrynights]

Yall I just had a thought- Crossing the line is a perfect song for s1 Viktor

Like, think about some of the lyrics for a sec here-

There's a line between the winners and the losers There's a line between the chosen and the rest And I've done the best I could But I've always known just where we stood Me here with the luckless You there with the blessed

And that line between the beggars and the choosers Is a line you've never let me quite ignore How I've tried to jump that great divide But I've never got the chances you were given

Anyways I just copied two whole verses, I know what I'm talking about, this song totally fits Viktor and I'd make a gif edit if I knew how.

[hitchell-mope]

Crossing the line by Carlos and Evie.

Carlos: This has to stop now

Whatever it is that you're going through

We'll fix it together, me and you

Just like we've always done

Evie: No! This has to stop now

This thing where you think that you've been my friend

And don't even hear how you condescend

The way you've always done

Carlos: Evie, listen

Evie: I'm listening

Carlos: I know it isn't true

Evie: Isn't it?

Carlos: Just look into my eyes now

Evie: Well?

Carlos: I know you feel it too

Evie: Perhaps I do

Carlos: Evie, listen

Evie: I'm listening

Carlos: I swear it's not too late

So before another line gets crossed

And everything you have is lost

Just....wait

Evie: Wait?

No, I won't wait

(She backs him into the wall)

Evie: you don’t get it do you?

(Pointing to Carlos then herself)

There's a line between the winners and the losers

There's a line between the chosen and the rest

And I've done the best I could

But I've always known just where we stood

Me here with the luckless

(On “luckless” points to Uma)

Uma (vaguely insulted): hey!

Evie: You there with the blessed

And that line between the beggars and the choosers

(She back up towards the door)

Is a line you've never let me quite ignore

How I've tried to jump that great divide

But I've never got the chances you were given

You don't know how much I've been denied

Well, I'm not being patient anymore

I'm crossing the line!

(She blasts the doors open. Her eyes and hair have ignited into black flame. She sets about destroying everything in the room)

And I'm done holding back

So look out, clear the track

It's my turn!

I'm taking what's mine!

Every drop, every smidge

If I'm burning a bridge

Let it burn

But I'm crossing the line!

(She takes out a knife and aims for Chad’s neck)

And for me, if it’s over

That's fine!

I'm crossing the line

[atomic-taco-muffin]

Dark Timeline:

(Just a little song):

Hana: This has to stop now Whatever it is that you're going through

Lilia: We'll fix it together, me and you Just like we've always done

Suki: No! This has to stop now This thing where you think that you've been my friends And don't even hear how you condescend The way you've always done

Riddle: Suki, listen

Suki: I'm listening

Trey: I know it isn't true

Suki: Isn't it?

Epel: Just look into my eyes now

Suki: Well?

Epel: I know you feel it too

Suki: Perhaps I do

Epel: Suki, listen

Suki: I'm listening

Epel: I swear it's not too late So, before another line gets crossed And everything we've had is lost Just wait

Suki: Wait? No, I won't wait

Epel: Suki!

Suki: There's a line between the winners and the losers There's a line between the chosen and the rest And I've done the best I could But I've always known just where we stood Me here with the luckless You there with the blessed And that line between the beggars and the choosers Is a line I never was aloud to quite ignore How I've tried to jump that great divide But I've never got the chances you were given You don't know how much I've been denied Well, I'm not being patient anymore I'm crossing the line So get out of my way 'Cause I'm not gonna play by your rules It's my time to shine I don't need your okay And I'm done being one of the fools I'm crossing that line There are lines that I've been waiting in forever There are lines I've always felt I had to toe Some were blurry, some unseen Some I've had to learn to read between So many boundaries Far more than you know

But the line you think connects us both together That's a line that I'm not falling for again 'Cause this time my eyes are open wide I've been trapped by lines you never had to live in You were never really on my side So I'm doing what I should have, way back when I'm crossing the line And I'm done holding back So look out, clear the track, it's my turn I'm taking what's mine Every drop, every smidge If I'm burning a bridge, let it burn But I'm crossing the line As for us, if we're over that's fine

Epel: Suki, wait!

Suki: I'm crossing the line

*cue Suki overblotting*

Yes

[gothamsworst]

Crossing The Line but it’s Riddler Centric TM

(I used to babysit for a little cousin who loves the Tangled series and rewatching this song gave me some riddler vibes and I’m making this a reality because I feel kinda guilty for not posting in a while because of writers block)

https://youtu.be/elfLLIxJ4lA

(Edward)

This has to stop now

Whatever it is that you're trying to prove

We'll fix this together, me and you

Just like we've always done

(Riddler)

No! This has to stop now

This thing where you think that you've been the better end

And don't even hear how you condescend

The way you've always done

(Edward)

Riddler, listen

(Riddler)

I'm listening

(Edward)

You know this isn't us

(Riddler)

Isn't it?

(Edward)

Just calm down now

(Riddler)

Well?

(Edward)

You know what we have to do

(Riddler)

Perhaps I do

(Edward)

Riddler, listen

(Riddler)

I'm listening

(Edward)

I swear it's not too late

So before another line gets crossed

And everything we are is lost

Just... wait

(Riddler)

Wait?

No, I won't wait

There's a line between the winners and the losers

There's a line between the chosen and the rest

And I've done the best I could

But I've always known just where we stood

Me here with the luckless

You there with the blessed

And that line between the beggars and the choosers

Is a line you've never let me quite ignore

How I've tried to jump that great divide

But I've never got the chances you were given

You don't know how much I've been denied

Well, I'm not being patient anymore

I'm crossing the line!

And I'm done holding back

So look out, clear the track

It's my turn!

I'm taking what's mine!

Every drop, every smidge

If I'm burning a bridge

Let it burn

But I'm crossing the line!

And for us, if we're over

That's fine

I'm crossing the line

[dreamland-arcade]

I'm so upset how good Crossing the Line started out then it just got meh

Like it starts off with a sharp string section

rise, then

"This has to stop now! Whatever it is you're going through, we'll fix it together, me and you. Just like we've always done"

"No! This has to stop now! This thing where you think that you've been my friend, and don't even hear how you condescend the way you've always done."

Then it slows down and Raps comes in with

"Cassandra, listen (I'm listening)

I know it isn't true (Isn't it?)

Just look into my eyes now (Well?)

I know you see it too (Perhaps I do)

Cassandra, listen (I'm listening)

I swear its not too late. So before another line gets crossed and everything we've had is lost, just... wait"

And Cass responds

"Wait? No, I won't wait."

And the guitars come in to aid in Cass's part.

"There's a line between the winners and the losers. There's a line between the chosen and the rest. And I've done the best I could, but I've always known just where we stood. Me here with the luckless, you there with the blessed.

And that line between the beggars and the choosers. Is a line you've never let me quite ignore. How I've tried to jump that great divide, but I've never gotten the chances you were given."

And instead of the start of the song wrapping back here to a wonderful

"I will never stop now! This power that got me here, isn't one you understood. I will cross that line now, and never hold back anything again, watching as my powers ascend!"

And Raps coming in one more time

"Cass don't make me stop you! You're my friend, forever again, just let me understand. Please don't make me do this, hold onto my hand that's reaching out to you! Reaching out to you!" (the you here drags on and gets higher

Then the fucking duet ever!!! (Raps lines in parentheses)

"I won't hold back any longer (I'll keep on reaching out to you!)

You never understood me at all!! (I've been here for you through it all!)

I'll never back down, I'm just fine! (Us together again would heal the world divine!)

And I'll make sure I will cross the line! (Whatever you do don't cross the line!)" ((line syncs up here)

But instead we were ROBBED

And it just turned into a Cass only solo at the end. And no offense to Eden Espinosa, her fucking vocals are gorgeous! But they made her belt out the actual lyrics and the end and its so hard to listen to

"AND FOR US IF WE'RE OVER THATS FIIIIIIINEEEE.

"I'm crossing the line."

Wasted potential honestly.

[bestworstcase]

i mean... rapunzel’s passivity and difficulty empathizing outside of her own perspective contribute directly to varian’s growing desperation in the back half of s1, and her abysmal social skills and struggle with boundaries in particular are a constant source of conflict with cassandra throughout s1-s2 and in the back half of s2 completely implode their friendship via the decimation of cassandra’s mental health; we see these things play out on screen. that’s not exactly a narrative underwriting of the way rapunzel behaves.

and even in s3--while it did run afoul of obvious executive meddling--there is a pretty strong narrative implication that rapunzel is at least partially to blame for how things shook out with cass. the gothel thing was just a fig leaf and the only way to make sense of what cass does in s3 is to take it as a given that she’s doing it in reaction to how she was treated by her friends, rapunzel in particular, in s2. 

#1: crossing the line is as close as s3 gets to saying it Out Loud

like

No! This has to stop now, this thing where you think that you've been my friend and don't even hear how you condescend the way you've always done!

hello?? ?

there is a direct line of emotional continuity between of ‘waiting in the wings’ and ‘crossing the line’ which demonstrates very clearly that all of this is stuff cassandra was feeling WELL BEFORE she found out about gothel:

WitW:

Guess we all are born with parts to play. Some of us are stars and some are just in the way. I know I was meant for glory, but that's never what my story brings.

vs CtL:

There's a line between the winners and the losers. There's a line between the chosen and the rest. And I've done the best I could, but I've always known just where we stood: me here with the luckless, you there with the blessed.

& WitW: 

My chances come and then I blink and they're gone. Always overlooked unfairly while pretending that it barely stings-- but it stings, yes it stings!

vs CtL:

How I've tried to jump that great divide! But I've never got the chances you were given-- you don't know how much I've been denied-- well, I'm not being patient anymore!

these are the exact same sentiments! “some of us [rapunzel] are stars some of us are meant for glory some of us are winners some of us are chosen some of us are blessed--and some of us [me] aren’t.” it is overtly textual that cassandra feeling this way has nothing to do with gothel, because--again--she felt this way months! before zhan tiri told her about gothel’s abandonment.

learning about gothel tipped her over the edge from mourning the life she wanted but couldn’t have to being furious about how unfair her life has been since before she could even remember; but it is RAPUNZEL and CORONAN SOCIETY more generally that caused her to feel like this in the first place. 

bonus round!

“I am going to be queen someday, and I’m going to make choices you don’t agree with, and I need you to be okay with that.”

vs

And that line between the beggars and the choosers is a line you've never let me quite ignore.

hello??? ?? ?

#2: “remember what she put you through, and use that fury.”

yeah, um, zhan tiri...

...zhan tiri isn’t talking about gothel here.

she’s talking about rapunzel injuring cass in the great tree.

& while--to my eternal frustration--we never do see more than breadcrumbs here and there vis a vis the developing relationship between cassandra and zhan tiri throughout the front half of s3, this glimpse of a scene nonetheless illustrates that the trauma cass sustained in RATGT--the injury to her hand and everything it represents about the destruction of her friendship with rapunzel--is the actual linchpin of her decision to continue trusting zhan tiri. 

it’s implied that zhan tiri gradually guided cass into the obsessive, enraged fixation she has with gothel later in s3--basically twisting cassandra’s very rational anger about the harm rapunzel did to her into very irrational anger about gothel abandoning her. why zhan tiri chose to do this is anyone’s guess; the doylist answer is obviously that pulling this bait-and-switch allows cassandra to be furious and vengeful without needing to say out loud that she’s upset because rapunzel was a poor friend and also maimed her and blamed her for it, and gremlin baby frankly does not have the depth of character necessary to speculate on why she does anything.

the point is that, before zhan tiri spends months manipulating her into a blind fury about gothel, the thing cassandra is actually upset about is... primarily the events of RATGT and RDO. it’s the anguish she expressed in waiting in the wings + the anguish and trauma of having been maimed in the tree + the anguish of how rapunzel acted in RDO all slamming together and exploding into rage. 

#3: the “saving cassandra” thing

at no point in s3 does rapunzel act like cassandra is an unhinged lunatic who stole the moonstone and went on a rampage because she decided to blame rapunzel for something her mother did when rapunzel was a literal infant. when she engages with the subject of gothel at all she does so largely with confusion; it’s clear that she doesn’t understand why cass is so fixated on the kidnapping. 

this is where the executive meddling shows most clearly, in my opinion, because it is really obvious from rapunzel’s behavior that she feels somewhat at fault for the conflict and is trying to ‘fix it’ i.e. get through to cassandra; hence her absolute refusal to give up on trying to get through to cass, and hence her frequent framing of that refusal as a desire to ‘save’ cassandra. 

taking the text at face value of course this is ridiculous because there is a massive, conspicuous hole where the reasoning behind this behavior should be. as soon as you slot in “i hurt cassandra so badly and she is lashing out and in pain because i dismissed and belittled and ignored her, maimed her and then refused to apologize, and generally took her for granted” everything about the way rapunzel acts after CR makes perfect sense. 

compare this to King Pascal, where rapunzel’s dismissiveness and belittling attitude towards pascal leads to him becoming dejected and rejecting her in favor of new friends who treat him better and convince him that he has a super important magical destiny that he’s actually not really equipped to handle and lead to him trying to deal with a demon monster all alone and then the resolution is rapunzel realizing that she made him feel small and worthless and rushing in to apologize and support him in his fight against the monster and--yeah this sounds familiar doesn’t it!!!

KP was a standalone aesop episode with low stakes, so rapunzel was allowed to be Wrong Out Loud for the sake of her learning a lesson at the end. 

s3 was a whole arc following the exact same emotional beats on a much huger scale, and saying the rapunzel-is-wrong part Out Loud for a whole season was evidently a bridge to far for disney, so the result is we get rapunzel acting as if she understands that she, herself, not gothel, hurt cass and that’s why cass is lashing out--even as she never vocalizes that understanding and occasionally bleats vague platitudes about not knowing why cass is so upset. fig leaf.

#4: ember island players feldspar edition

CASS-AS-RAPUNZEL: Cassandra, I understand. You’ve been feeling like--like no one ever gives you a chance... and that is my fault.

[...]

RAPUNZEL-AS-CASS: You’re right... uh, Rapunzel. It may be your fault... partially... But maybe if I had been more honest about how I was feeling, things would not have gone this far.

CASS-AS-RAPUNZEL: Well maybe it’s not as easy for everyone to say how they’re feeling! Not everyone can look someone else in the eye and say ‘I’m hurting,’ or ‘I’m sad,’ or even ‘I’m sorry.’

RAPUNZEL-AS-CASS: Just because it’s not easy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.

MONTY: Wait, I’m confused. So who’s the bad guy in this story?

BOTH: It’s complicated!

okay, so yes--again--executive meddling likely mandated the mealy-mouthed well we both did things wrong vibe here but the point is: what happens here is basically cassandra goes “you, rapunzel, underestimated me and took me for granted and i felt worthless” and rapunzel immediately goes “you’re right!”

monty asks who the bad guy is and rapunzel refuses to say that it’s cassandra just as hotly as cassandra does. “it’s complicated!” coming from rapunzel is an admission of fault and, importantly, at no point does the narrative frame that admission of fault as a mistake on rapunzel’s part--we are supposed to agree that it’s complicated, we’re supposed to agree here that rapunzel did things wrong, that her treatment of cass during the downward spiral of RATGT through DC was bad and, at a minimum, contributed to how wildly out of control things got after cass grabbed the moonstone and then spent like a year with nobody but a manipulative demon for company. 

the framing around this point is...not...subtle.

#5: the plus est en vous reconciliation hinges on rapunzel recognizing & vocalizing cassandra’s worth 

fundamentally nothing about cassandra’s mindset changes after zhan tiri takes the moonstone from her; she is still firmly entrenched in her belief that some people (rapunzel) are “chosen” and others (her) are not, and that the only chance she had to find some meaning and autonomy in her life was to take it by force; having failed at that, she plummets into self-hating despair. 

“All this time, I tried so hard to prove that I was more than anyone thought, but they were right.”

( ahem: “And I've done the best I could/but I've always known just where we stood” & “I show up with heart a-blazing/ready to achieve amazing things/but I'm left waiting in the wings” )

which is followed by rapunzel launching into a speech about how much worth cassandra has, how much she admires and cares about cassandra, and also acknowledging that being rapunzel’s lady-in-waiting was a job that kind of--haha--royally sucked. now! this speech of rapunzel’s isn’t exactly an apology and does not touch upon any of the things that happened in s1 and s2, but the fact that the linchpin of cassandra’s redemption and recovery is rapunzel, the person who hurt her most, affirming to cass that she has worth does illustrate, generally, that “cassandra feels worthless and unvalued” was the heart of the conflict all along; that it was never about gothel and always at the core about the pain and anger expressed in WitW and CtL--pain and anger that was always intrinsically connected to the way rapunzel treated her; recall that WitW happens after rapunzel pulls rank and brutally shuts cass down during an argument in front of their friends and then basically scolds her for not being fine with that, and that CtL opens with cass declaring that rapunzel is condescending and a terrible friend.

and then

#6: cassandra leaves at the end.

she lays her grievances to rest and reconciles with rapunzel in the sense that she agrees not to pursue vengeance anymore, yes; but their friendship isn’t fixed. it’s not all better. cassandra LEAVES, because her former position as rapunzel’s servant + best friend was untenable and did immense harm to her mental health and her happy ending is being allowed to cut all of those ties and LEAVE. she is given the freedom and autonomy she so desperately craved and rapunzel lets her go, freely and gladly, because to force her to stay would be cruel and selfish. 

letting cassandra go is the culmination of rapunzel’s character arc and that stands in STARK contrast to just about everything in how rapunzel treated cassandra throughout the rest of the series--ie regularly invading her boundaries and taking it for granted that cass would always be by her side, as her lady-in-waiting, without any recognition of cassandra’s desires or dreams or needs. 

disney papered over the arc that was supposed to happen in s3 but that arc is bleeding through the cracks. the shape of it is still there. the framework of “rapunzel was a bad friend, cass lashed out and left her and then fell into a demon’s clutches, and rapunzel recognized her faults and improved” is still very much present in the narrative even though the Out Loud bits were surgically excised and replaced with, again, the fig leaf of gothel.

SO

with all of that being said

insofar as narratives even need to ‘call out’ the misbehavior of their characters--which, like, they don’t--i would argue that tts does, in the sense that rapunzel is absolutely framed as being at fault in the conflict between her and cassandra, with cassandra’s rage and violence being first and foremost a reaction to that poor treatment and only exacerbated by zhan tiri’s meddling, and despite the holes executive meddling poked in the text the subtext is still... like, there, as long as you have a sense of narrative object permanence and pay attention to the smoke signals being slipped under the radar. 

the consequences of rapunzel behaving the way she does play out in VIVID detail on screen and we are absolutely expected by the narrative to sympathize with cassandra and varian when she makes mistakes and choices that hurt them. cass gets two whole songs describing in detail how rapunzel’s treatment makes her feel. rapunzel makes multiple!! implicit admissions of fault or responsibility, both to varian and to cass: “I know how much it hurts to have someone you trust let you down; I mean, after you go through something like that, how can you ever trust anyone again?”, “It’s your mess, but it’s my kingdom”, “Varian, you can’t be so hard on yourself”, OAH as discussed, and in response to cass saying she needs to leave Corona, “This whole time I believed your place was here, in Corona, with me. But as much as I hate to let you go, I know you’re right.”

and in an ideal world sure, the characters would be allowed to breathe and talk about the stuff that happened in s1-s2 Out Loud and have fully realized, detailed character arcs incorporating these things in the text rather than being forced to keep it subtextual to appease the mouse; but that has nothing to do with rapunzel being ‘held accountable’ or not, it’s about strengthening the character writing. 

like--fiction is not real life. a story is not therapy. it doesn’t exist to teach life lessons. a narrative doesn’t need to do elaborate beat-by-beat deconstructions of a character’s misbehavior or devote whole scenes to other characters taking them to task for whatever they’ve done wrong in order to frame a character’s misbehavior as wrong. character flaws do not need to be scrubbed out by the end of the story and a story does not exist to fire unfinished characters into glazed perfection. writers are allowed to assume their audiences have a modicum of critical thinking and viewing comprehension. 

really irked today by the ‘tts rapunzel is not in character bc she was so sweet and good in the movie’ take. i mean god forbid the character who was raised in isolation by an abusive witch for eighteen years and then ran around in a state of pure enthusiastic wide-eyed idealism for the first three days after she escaped turn out over the course of the next three YEARS to be sort of fucked up by the whole tower thing, actually,

[she-ra-cat-ra]

There's a line between the winners and the losers There's a line between the chosen and the rest And I've done the best I could But I've always known just where we stood Me here with the luckless You there with the blessed

Like tell me that isn’t Catra????? 

Was anyone going to tell me that Crossing The Line from Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure is the most perfect catradora song in the entire world or was I just supposed to find out while watching clips?????