#it reminds me a little of that one scene in beauty and the beast where beast's hide is stabbed with an arrow

[balteus]

tbf the most fascinating part of radahn as a boss and character to me isn't even the horsegirl\war general aspect of him. it's the fact that he uses spears people stabbed him with as arrows. that's metal as fuck.

[layraket]

THERE WAS AN UPDATE SLEEPING? WHATS THAT??

first of all we start with this beautiful shot

god thats some cool architecture i have no words clapping

Wind is so ready to kick that lizard's ass i love him

this confirms the fact that theyre in the same place but in a different era (also i swear im convinced that this place takes place at least no far from Hyrule's era, the statue behind Legend and the corridors inside are almost the same as in Zelda1 and 2)

that was the worst joke i have heard today good job rulie lots of kudos /lh

the boys entering a place where they could find the most dangerous shit in all Hyrule, and then there's my girl who is having the best lunch ever

when i first read this i almost spit all my water on my phone cuz. Wars my man these people are like. crazy with dungeon crawl. you can't say that and expect a normal reaction.

their expressions are gold no notes

TIME'S SIDE EYE LMAO

Sky looking concerned, and Wars with the most "i dont know what is everyones problem but alright" face i love him

In a war there's no time to explore or search for things that can be useful, or even search for clues, less with the fact that youre leading an army. There was no puzzle, no mistery to solve or objects that needed to be obtained, just plain fight and confrontation, not leaving space for investigation or even a good rest in town

They have a point, without exploring they wouldn't have the arsenal that they carry; powerful items that can kill a whole army of monsters, a gift left by the hero before them to help, shinies. All that is really useful when you want to save the whole kingdom

lets not forget all the weapons that you can get on HW, there are some that are like, crazy powerful, and the materials get from the enemies are also really helpful

guys i think youre the only crazy people who love to enter a random place full of monsters and maybe a demon lord or smth

OK THIS IS THE PANNEL WHERE I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE ABT

This reminds me of this short comic where Wild was almost grabbed by a wallmaster, do this takes place some time before this scene?? or just from another time?? I find possible the first option cuz Wild looks more wary the whole update, like if he already found out what will happends if he puts his guard down

Also the fact that the closest thing that he had as a dungeon were the Divine Beast and the shrines, which both of them lacked a lot of things that were usually in the clasic zelda's dungeons, like keys, mini bosses, special object and pots.

Hyrule my guy you dont. have to scare him like that. i hate these things too but calm down.

fucking gremlin /pos

taking this as an opportunity to talk about how Legend's behaviour has been seen changed in the past updates, he's more relaxed and playful, taking a moment to just have fun and prank the rest of the chain

this reminds me

here is left clear that he's still young, maybe not even on his twenties, and now after that stressfull time with Twi being on the verge of death it makes sense that he feels the need of just, goof around to cope after all that

Yes he's the most experienced, yes is maybe the most powerful of them, but he's still a young boy who was dragged to all this, he deserves to have some fun

happy guy :)

and then we have Time, he looks like Not Having A Good Time™

Messy hair Warriors <3

also i know we all put Sky as one of the adults, but cmon he's a little shit as much as the rest, thats why he finds funny Legend's joke

Wild my man you good? like im genuinely asking at this point, it is weird seeing him so serious

god thats such a cool design of a skulltula, its so scary 10/10

Wild has never seen in his life a spider of this size, so it makes sense him just, straight up getting surprised by that thing

OUGHH I FELT THAT

Sky being right-handed looks like a problem in this closed space, soon or later it would make some troubles

Legend no offence but did you see the little accident they had right there. like. that really hurts if you ask me.

Okay Time is really at his limit here, the past days has been hell for him with the stress of almost loosing the one that he might see as his son, and seeing all the boys just playing around is not helping. Theyre all heroes, they should take this danger seriously if they want to stop all danger.

He wants to protect the ones that he cares for, even if he has to snap for it.

Here he might be planning to team up with Twi and Wind? The youngest seems to have gained his attention as his second successor. He will make anything it takes to not let all of them get hurt, and with everything he means it

Just wait when he learns that Legend is also his successor, automatically adopted

NOW MY FAV PARTS WITHOUT COMMENTARY!!!

SOMEHOW I GOT THE IMAGE LIMIT???? I DIDNT THOUGHT THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE ON WEB

anyways have confused warriors as the last one pls aprecciate him

tumblr pls let me eat the art i beg you

art credits as always towards @linkeduniverse! always feeling blessed with all this fantastic work!

[undiscovered-horizon]

Enjoying my work? You can leave me a tip on Ko-Fi | Have a request?

It is nights like these that make Coriolanus ponder the 'what ifs?' the most; it is nights like these that bring Lucy Gray back to his mind, even after all this time. Even if she's unwelcome.

If he was a better man, a little less power-hungry and a little more altruistic, he would have missed all of this. He never would have found you - a deer so susceptible to the wolf's skilful machinations. So impressionable, so devoted... And what gamesmanship it truly is to make the prey believe there's some grace in being eaten alive.

He's leaning against the doorframe leading to the nursery - awake, although you have told him to go back to sleep when your newborn daughter woke her parents up. Coriolanus is watching the scene unfold from afar, never letting even the smallest of details escape his attention. He wishes to gloat, to bathe in his own triumph.

Your face, which once smiled so brightly only for him, now smiles for another. What's strange, is that it doesn't make Coriolanus as angry or bitter as it usually would. That territorial beast residing deep in his viscera is wary but not bothered. Not yet, at least.

The baby's cries die down as you cradle her in your arms. In gentle, almost fearful, movements, you rock the newborn. Coriolanus sees your lips move but the whisper is too low for him to discern any words. Whatever it is you say to the youngest Snow, it makes her giggle and babble. The sound reminds him of your own laughter, which he so easily elicits with the smallest gestures of affection. Maybe too easily - although just as exciting, it was never a challenge.

You gently lay the baby back down in her cot. For a moment, you study her face with an expression so loving it's almost pathetic. Coriolanus feels his skin crawl. Something animalistic within him beckons the man to do truly terrible things only to ensure that it's him and him only that you look at with such adoration.

But the urge dies down when you turn away from the newborn and meet his gaze across the room. He's back in the centre of your attention, where he belongs. Suddenly, something changes in your eyes.

That glint of devotion is clouded by something much more mischievous, something he used to absolutely hate until he learned about its nature. Since he met you, you've been looking at him with a hint of insightfulness as though you could see right through his facade and read about his sins on the pages of the open book that was his soul. He felt seen and not in a good way. Then, after learning a few things about you, Coriolanus realized that this perceptiveness is the best thing he could hope for - you were smart enough to connect the dots, to notice patterns not many deemed obvious and yet, too blindsided by love, you thought of his wrongdoings as right. Not in the ethical sense, perhaps, but in logic. There was a method to his madness and a very effective one at that. After all, how utterly foolish would it be to play nice while in The Capitol? In a world of "eat or be eaten", Coriolanus was going to throw a feast. You knew it early on and appreciated the wit and grit it takes to do so.

Standing now in front of him, you slightly lift one of your eyebrows, silently asking him what's on his mind.

"You're beautiful," he confesses.

Your lips curve into a smile. "Tell me something I don't know."

His blue eyes bore into yours. The intensity of his gaze makes you want to look away but prohibits you from doing so at the same time. "I'd burn the whole world for you," he whispers, his tone gravely serious.

Coriolanus feels himself shudder when the back of your hand gently brushes his cheek. Still looking at you, he tilts his head to kiss your fingers.

"I said 'something I don't know', love," you retort in an equally low voice. "Now come, the morning is still far away."

You take his hand in yours, pulling him back towards your bedroom. And, for some strange reason, he lets you guide him.

If he was a better man, he would lead a different life. A more peaceful one, perhaps. But he's not a better man - in fact, he's far from being considered "good" or even "decent". Which is why his life is pleasant, instead of peaceful. And if awful things have brought him so much joy, why, pray tell, should he ever be anything but despicable?

_____

Me? Writing dark characters with dark themes? In other news, the water is wet.

[flowersdiceandlove]

Was totally obsessed with Maleficent (2014) when I was a kid and was watching it again (still love it) and all of Maleficent's "beastie" and "little beast" calls of Aurora reminded me of Shen Jiu calling Luo Binghe "beast" and of course that made me think of Bingqiu so now I really want a Maleficent/Sleeping Beauty Bingqiu fanfic.

I mean it fits so well!

A cold older traumatized caregiver and sweet little loved by the word starry eyed protagonist.

Maybe "Sleeping Beauty" could be PIDW and "Maleficent (2014)" could be SVSSS? Maybe Airplane could be Diaval? and they try to work together to avoid whatever the og Maleficent's (and her crows') fate was. (it's been a long time since i watched the og sleeping beauty and don't remember it too well, but i don't imagine og!maleficent's fate was good. wait didn't prince phillip kill her as a dragon?)

Airplane (in his old life) probably wanted to go in depth into Maleficent's backstory and show how she's a complicated character who was betrayed and had her wings stollen, but the people making the movie wanted a ✨f a i r y t a l e✨ for little girls to love.

Shen Yuan only watched it bc his sister wanted to and absolutely tore it apart. He was constantly complaining about how stupid, simplistic, unthought out, boring, the movie was, and don't even get him started on the fight scene. And that whole true love's kiss? BULLSHIT! YOU BARELY KNEW THE GUY!! YOU ONLY HAD ONE, ONE!!! CONVERSATION WITH HIM!

Turns out that that was never Airplane's og plan but the bosses wanted smth like that so he folded 'cause he needed the money. It was supposed to be a tragedy where people then need to live with the consequences of their greed and want for power and how the innocent and naive get hurt in the crossfires. King Stephan was supposed to die by Maleficent in revenge for her wings and the betrayal (on top of the curse), Prince Phillip was going to slay dragon!Maleficent to avenge King Stephan and hope that it would break the curse only to return to the kingdom to find Aurora still asleep and his kiss can't wake her, the three fairies were supposed to see how when they just do as they're told and don't try to understand people's actions/motives and just try to ignore the problems that it only leads to more pain and suffering making the three become shadows of their former selves, and Aurora was never meant to wake up, sleeping in a tower in the castle that becomes overgrown with roses as a reminder and lesson to everyone.

Shen Yuan nearly strangles Airplane when he learns this bc that would have actually been a good story, damnit!! He settles for wacking him with his staff.

I've been sticking with their canon pronouns in this, so I don't know who would get genderbent 🤷‍♀️ but i just had to write this out. If someone writes this (or knows of an already written one), let me know please 🙏

[thesweetnessofspring]

Why do you think so many people ship Gale and Madge?

AHHHHH I am so excited you asked me this!! Forgive me but now I get to nerd out about writing!!

Ok, to understand exactly what I'm going to be talking about, I highly recommend this video about good romantic plots (it's about 20 minutes long). The video essayist uses Beauty and the Beast 1991 in comparison to the 2017 remake to as an example, showing why the original works and the remake fails despite using so much of the same storyline/dialogue. But tldw; good romance is a dance, where the characters go back and forth with one another, challenging each other and then coming together before pulling away and coming together again.

Katniss and Gale lack the push-and-pull that gets talked about in this video. Gale pushes, Katniss pushes back, and they end up further away from each other than before. It's this way through the trilogy until they're irreparably separated. Take this part of their first scene together (I'm taking just the dialogue for brevity):

"We could do it, you know," Gale says quietly. "What?" I ask. "Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it," says Gale. "If we didn't have so many kids," he adds quickly. "I never want to have kids," I say. "I might, if I didn't live here," says Gale. "But you do," I say, irritated. "Forget it," he snaps back.

Here, Gale makes a proposal: what if we ran away to the woods? Katniss is quiet, he feels her drifting away so he tries to correct it and brings up how difficult it would be with their families. This prompts Katniss to make a definitive statement about not wanting kids, which pushes Gale away since it interferes with his desire to partner with her. Gale offers his perspective as another little push, that he would want kids, and Katniss pushes him back again by reminding him he does live in Panem with the Games and he's irritated and pushes her away. Occasionally one of them might pull the other toward them (Gale's whipping and Katniss's prep teams, for example) but that's not enough to make up for all of the times they're pushing away from each other.

We only get one scene of Gale and Madge together, but there's more of that push-and-pull dance here:

"Pretty dress," says Gale. Madge shoots him a look, trying to see if it's a genuine compliment or if he's just being ironic. It is a pretty dress, but she would never be wearing it ordinarily. She presses her lips together and then smiles. "Well, if I end up going to the Capitol, I want to look nice, don't I?" Now it's Gale's turn to be confused. Does she mean it? Or is she just messing with him? I'm guessing the second. "You won't be going to the Capitol," says Gale coolly. His eyes land on a small, circular pin that adorns her dress. Real gold. Beautifully crafted. It could keep a family in bread for months. "What can you have? Five entries? I had six when I was just twelve years old." "That's not her fault," I say. "No, it's no one's fault. Just the way it is," says Gale. Madge's face has become closed off. She puts the money for the berries in my hand. "Good luck, Katniss."

We have Gale starting off with the first push. Rather than pushing back by snapping at him, she pulls him in with a challenge: looking nice when everyone (including potential sponsors) is important, so if it's a dig at her, she counter him. And Katniss notes Gale is confused. Madge has thrown him off! He engages in the dance by pushing again, noting how unlikely it is that she'll go to the Capitol. This has shut Madge down as Katniss notes, but this is their first interaction we see in the story, so it's only the starting point. It would be a good opportunity for Madge to get to pull him back in, especially after Prim was reaped with only one entry. We do see from this exchange that Madge can do the pull of the romantic dance with Gale while Katniss doesn't.

Adding in that Madge becoming interested in the woods and shooting after Katniss returns from the Games and then her going to give morphling to Gale after his whipping are the other hints that maybe Madge has feelings for Gale.

Gadge wouldn't happen in canon because it doesn't serve the theme of the just war theory, or Katniss's story. Gale had to maintain his romantic pursuit of Katniss as part of Katniss navigating her feelings about how to engage in war. Madge had to die to show that even a mayor and his family weren't safe from the government that they'd received some benefit from.

But in fanfiction? Their dynamic is RIFE with this potential for the romantic dance. Gale is never really able to engage in the humanity of those who had an advantage from him. Philosophically, he can see it's the Capitol pitting them against each other, but he resents Madge that she didn't have to put additional entries in the reaping ball. He doesn't appear to form bonds with anyone who has been given advantages by the Capitol, and he even grows more distant from Katniss as she can start affording nice clothes and more food (though obviously Peeta is part of this resentment, too). Gale never really understands why Katniss cares about her prep team, even though he tries to engage with them as a peace offering to her.

Pairing him with Madge makes him have to confront this and grow. If Gadge were to form a relationship, Gale would have to really put aside that resentment that holds him back. He would have to see Madge as a whole, not just the advantages she'd been given. And from the pin she gives Katniss to her family backstory to the morphling, you get the sense that Madge wants to rebel. Gale would make her confront the privilege she does have in this system and fight to change it. She would move from subtle acts of rebellion to fully participating in the fight. And seeing this play out with them challenging one another's viewpoints, sharing their life experiences, coming together to work as a team, has potential for really great character growth and exploration for both of them.

[feyascorner]

I saw you talking about Beauty and the Beast au.

Which made me think of other Disney movies, and then it hit me. Astarion kind of reminds me of Flynn Rider in some ways

So get ready for Tangled AU. Rapunzel Reader Astarion as Flynn and Cazador as Mother Gothel (Father Szarr?)

Also fun fact I died a bit inside when Rapunzel got her hair cut it didn't need to be that short. Give me back the long luxurious hair :,)

I USED TO BE OBSESSED W TANGLED HOLY CRAP.

flynn!astarion would be so cute but i can't stop thinking about what if it was reversed lmfao like imagine astarion as rapunzel?? and ofc gothel would be cazador because i think the manipulative mannerisms have a lot of similarities even if cazador is a lot more violent about it?

but yes going back to flynn!astarion HE FITS ALMOST PERFECTLY INTO HALF OF FLYNN'S SCENES AND IT'S SO UGHHH. the scene where rapunzel/reader finds out he was w them just for the crown even though he's started to like them is kind of like when he confesses that he slept with tav for protection? THE PARALLELS OH MY GOD AND HIM HAVING BEEF WITH A HORSE (gale lmfao) WOULD KILL ME

i think he'd be a little more snarkier than flynn but there're definitely similarities in their behavior. also i think during the kingdom dance scene astarion would be the one who braid reader's hair instead of the three kids in the movie lol you cannot tell me this man isn't the world's greatest hair stylist.

[zorosleftshoe]

Can you do one where reader & Colby are travelling and reader can't fall asleep and Colby helps her fall asleep?

Of course!

Pairing: Colby Brock x reader

Warnings: one swear word

The snow came down furiously outside as I wrapped my arms tightly around my middle. The atmosphere of the cozy cabin that Colby and I had escaped away to for the weekend doing little to ease the worry that clouded my mind and blurred my judgement. Colby stood with his back to me as he hummed what sounded like a melodious tune. My heart fluttered at the sound. So warm and inviting.

The forecast had called for a nasty blizzard but Colby had been determined to not let it ruin our anniversary weekend. “Blizzard be damned” he had said. The smell of fettuccine floated through the air reminding me of the scenes in those movies where the steam hugs your nostrils and I giggle lightly causing Colby to turn his attention towards me.

“What’s got you so tickled, my love?” I turn away from the threatening snow and make my way towards the man I love before wrapping my arms tightly around his middle and resting my head between his shoulder blades. “Just the aroma of the food. I had a silly thought.” He rubs my arm gently before digging in his pocket for a moment and finally pulling out a shiny penny. “Penny for your thoughts?” I take the penny from between his fingers and press it between my own before kissing his cheek lightly.

Colby had noticed not long after we started dating that occasionally my mind would drift. Much to his dismay, he often had no clue in telling where it had gone, which led to what he called ‘the penny method’. He began to carry around shiny pennies in his pocket and when I got that distant look in my eye he would pull one out and ask the infamous question, “penny for your thoughts?”

I smile at the memory before releasing my grip on him and twirling around. The sweet melody of “Sign Your Name” begins to play from the radio that resides in the corner of the room and I outreach my hand towards the tall brunette boy.

“May I have this dance?” A blush creeps onto his cheeks as he throws the towel that was slung on his shoulder onto the counter and takes my hand. “I’d rather be in hell, with you Baby, than in cool Heaven,” I serenade him softly as we spin around the room holding tightly to one another. “Can I say I want you to be my lady?” Colby let’s out a roaring laugh before dipping me.

“I love you.” He lifts me upright as his hand moves from my waist to rest against my neck just right so his thumb can caress the line of my jaw. “So much.” Without another word I lean forward and catch his lips in a sweet kiss. He taste of cream and honey. Cream from the sauce he had been previously cooking and honey from chapstick he had snuck from my purse when I wasn’t looking. I inhale deeply and relax into his touch. He reluctantly pulls away as the smell of burning noodles hits our nostrils. “Shit!”

The rest of the night is spent cuddled up next to one another watching a variety of movies. From Terminator to Beauty and the Beast. As the last movie is ending I begrudgingly glance towards the patio doors and notice how the snow is piling up. My heart begins to race at the sight and I turn to Colby who is already passed out on the couch. Not wanting to wake him up, I grab an extra blanket and use it to cover Colby up before moving to the bedroom.

I toss and turn for what seems like hours. With a heavy sigh I toss the blanket off my bare legs and make my way to the living room where Colby is still sleeping. He stirs lightly when I kneel in front of him but doesn’t wake up.

“Colby.” I say softly poking his shoulder. “Please wake up. I need you.” He mumbled something incoherent and I groan. “Colby!” He jolts awake at the sudden sound and looks around frantically before meeting my eyes.

“Baby! What’s wrong?” His face was covered in a sheet of worry as he held tightly to my hands.

“I can’t sleep.” He relaxed under my gaze and pulled me into his side before covering us up. He began to lightly sing “time after time” knowing it was one of my favorite ballads and soon my eyelids were dropping as his fingers tangled carelessly in my hair.

“I love you.” Whispered so softly I almost missed it as I drifted off into a peaceful slumber cuddled up into the side of the man I love.

[lovethelittlerthings]

CONTENT WARNING!! NSFW AND SPOILERS

A post dedicated to this beautiful, beautiful piece of fiction called It Will Come Back by @bitchsister

I made a playlist about this fic because I'm consumed by every waking moment just thinking about it. It is one of my favourite cattonquick fanfiction in existence.

LISTEN HERE for youtube

LISTEN HERE for spotify

Here are some lines that reminds me of songs that i know.

"Batty pair of eyes creepin' Aiming like a laser pointer Poor little vampire baby." "Strange you're not a threat to me I admire your dedication. Poor little vampire Don't you know? I'm a moon in daylight"

Creepin' BY Hayley Williams

"I am hungry I have been hungry I was born hungry What do I need?"

Abbey by Mitski

"To capture a predator You can't remain the prey You have to become An equal In every way" "So look in the mirror And tell me, who do you see? Is it still you? Or is it me"

Become the Beast by Karliene

"You hit me once I hit you back" "Love sticks, sweat drips Break the lock if it don't fit" "A kick to the teeth is good for some A kiss with a fist is better than none"

Kiss with a fist by Florence and the Machine

"I once kneeled in shaking thrill I chase the memory of it still, of every chill Chided by that silence of a hush sublime Blind to the purpose of the brute divine But you were mine" "And I've never loved the darker blue Than the darkness I have known in you, honed from you"

Feel Better Love by Hozier

"And I will never ever be the first to say it But still I, you know I-I-I I would do it, push a button Pull the trigger, pull a mountain, jump off a cliff" "Think I'm a little bit, little bit A little bit in love with you But only if you're a little bit, little bit Little bit in lo-lo-lo-lo-lo love with me, oh" "Come here, stay with me, stroke me by the hair 'Cause I would give anything, anything To have you as my man"

Little Bit by Lykke Li

Here are some other lyrics that i think are perfect for this fanfic but i'm at my limit at the photos.

And it's all fun and games 'Til somebody falls in love But you've already bought a ticket And there's no turning back now 'Round and 'round like a horse on a carousel, we go Will I catch up to love? I could never tell, I know Chasing after you is like a fairytale, but I Feel like I'm glued on tight to this carousel This horse is too slow We're always this close Almost, almost, we're a freakshow

FreakShow arc is Carousel by Melanie Martinez

The deeper we fall The fear i'm in So bad ( why? ) Oh we, yeah Though i try to cope, and keep in control So hard (hard) And then we fall Even though i already know Somehow i can't let you go No way, no way, no way So we fall

Felix as House of Cards English Cover by Shane Orok

Well, I walked into your dagger for the last time It's like trying to start a fire with matches in the snow Where you can't seem to hold me, can't seem to let me go So I can't find surrender and I can't keep control You turn me inside out, and then you want me outside in You spin me all around, and then you ask me not to spin

Every time cattonquick fights because Felix doesn't want to accept that he's in love with Ollie scenes is Vampire Empire by Big Thief

What do you do with a loving feeling If the loving feeling makes you all alone? What do you do with a loving feeling If they only love you when you're all alone? Holding hands under a table Meeting up in your bedroom Making love to other people Telling each other it's all good Kisses like pink cotton candy Talking to everyone but me I'm stayin' on later just in case You come up and ask to leave with me

Cattonquick when they think they're slick, especially you Felix Catton as A Loving Feeling by Mitski

I wasn't jealous before we met Now, every woman I see is a potential threat And I'm possessive, it isn't nice You've heard me saying that smoking was my only vice But now it isn't true Now everything is new And all I've learned has overturned I beg of you Don't go wasting your emotion Lay all your love on me

Felix being jealous of Bailey scenes as Lay All Your Love on Me by ABBA

Though I'm a geyser, feel it bubbling from below Hear it call, hear it call, hear it call to me constantly And hear the harmony only when it's harming me It's not real, it's not real, it's not real enough But I will be the one you need The way I can't be without you I will be the one you need I just can't be without you

Oliver pining as Geyser by Mitski

I wanna squeeze your thighs I wanna kiss your eyelids And corrupt your dreams I wanna crash your car I wanna scratch your cheeks I wanna make you sick I wanna sell you out Want to expose your flaws I wanna steal your things I wanna show you off I wanna tell you lies I wanna write you books I wanna turn you on I wanna make you cum Two-hundred times a day I wanna dry your tears every time you're sad I wanna be your what's happening

Their whole relationship as Gallery Piece by Of Montreal

AND SO MUCH MORE!

I have a total of 34 songs for It Will Come Back including more Mitski and Hozier!

I worked very hard for this playlist so i hope you'll like it <3

LISTEN HERE

[esmeriandreamer]

Okay, so maybe this has been done already, but I was reminded of how they did the "Something There" song for the Beauty and the Beast musical, and my entire brain screamed "WRITE THAT SCENE WITH DREAMLING-"

So- Here it is- For this AU, I imagine that Dream/Morpheus is more of a literal prince of stories, with his power over dreams being locked away by the curse, and his Beast form looking kinda like this design by Alexxuun; https://twitter.com/Alexxuun_/status/1591004948128731137

And because he no longer has access to his story-related powers as Nightmare, he can't recall stories or really read, so whoops-

ALRIGHT- HERE GOES-

~~~

He'd been eagerly looking at all the books, scanning the many titles. Christ, he'd never be able to read all of these in his whole lifetime, he'd probably need 6 or 7 whole centuries to get through this whole room of literature Morpheus had so generously gifted him.

Morpheus was lightly trailing after him as Hob moved along the bookshelves, clawed feet clicking along the marble floor as he did. Suddenly, Hob lit up at the sight of one particular title, grabbing it off of the shelf.

"Ah, this is one of my favourites!" He beamed, looking at the cover art before showing it to Morpheus. "It's 'King Arthur', have you ever read it?"

Morpheus squinted at the book a bit, seeing the letters jump around as he did. Had he read it? He couldn't quite recall if he did, so, he shook his head. "..No, I haven't."

"You don't know what you're missing, my friend." Hob grinned, looking at the book, almost.. fondly. "I love to read this again..." He hummed, before looking back up at Morpheus. "No, wait.. you can read it first." He mused, offering it to him.

"N-No, that's alright, you can read it." Morpheus quickly said, pushing the book back towards him, but Hob just pushed it towards him again with a smile. "No, really, I don't mind, you can read it."

"No, you read it." Morpheus countered, pushing it back again.

"No, you~" Hob chuckled, playfully pressing it towards Morpheus's clawed hands.

"NO!" Morpheus snapped, before catching himself when Hob jumped at his voice. He bit his lip and looked away, curling in on himself some more. "I.. can't."

Hob blinked up at him. "..You.. never learned to read?"

"...I've.. forgotten. It's been too long since I.." Morpheus trailed off, frowning. He hated that the curse had taken this part of him away.

"Well, it ah.. it just so happens that this is the perfect book to read aloud." Hob mused, trying to lighten the mood. Smiling, he took hold of one of Morpheus's claws, taking him along to one of the reading nooks. "Come, sit by me."

Morpheus awkwardly went to sit down on the ground next to the chair, tucking his legs to his chest as he watched Hob sit down and open the book.

For a while, they just sat there together, with Hob reading aloud from the pages, his storytelling making Morpheus forget for a moment where they were, what they were, making him remember how much joy stories brought him.

"..Knowing not that this was indeed the legendary sword called Excaliber, Arthur tried to pull it from the stone. He tried once.. to no avail."

Morpheus grumbled a little under his breath in response, feeling on the edge of his seat as Hob kept telling the story.

"He tried a second time, but still, he could not pull it out." Hob read, before smiling. "Then.. for the third time.. Arthur drew forth the sword, and-!"

"So that must mean he's the king!" Morpheus cried out in excitement, trying to look at the page from over Hob's shoulder. Hob merely laughed a bit, amused at how big the other's eyes had gotten, making him look like an excited cat. "Wait and see~"

Morpheus sat back down again, still in awe. "..I'd forgotten books could do that.." He muttered, smiling a bit.

"Do what?" Hob asked. Morpheus looked at the ceiling for a moment, smiling a little still. "Take me away from this place, and make me.. forget, for a little while. Who I.." His smile dropped as he looked down at himself, at his claws. "..What I am." He corrected in a bitter tone.

Hob watched him for a moment, feeling a wave of pity for the man inside this monstrous shell. "..We have something in common, you know."

"And what would that be?"

"Well.." Hob lightly tugged and rubbed at his ear. "In the town where I come from.. people think I'm.. odd."

Morpheus looked up at him, confused, if not slightly offended. "You?"

Hob just shrugged and nodded. "Yeah. So.. I know what it's like to be.. different." He placed a hand on one of Morpheus's claws, squeezing it gently. "..And I know how lonely that can be."

For a long second or two, they just looked at each other, before they pulled back with strange emotions swirling in their beings. Hob picked the book back up, cleared his throat, and resumed reading.

"..For the third time, Arthur drew forth the sword. And there arose from the people a great shout. Arthur.. is king."

"..Told you so."

[billerak]

RWTC

As in rewatch get it because it's like team names and this fandom is obsessed with four letter acronyms and-*gets shot*

...

So… I once fixed hyperfixation by rewatching a show and taking notes about it, so imma try the same with RWBY as it's currently taking over a lot of brainpower just existing in my consciousness. I reckon if the rewatch itself doesn't remind me of how much of a mess this show is, taking notes might. Also I really wanna examine the 'Bumblebee was set up from the beginning' allegations. I'm 99.99% it wasn't but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. Just to make it clear for any bumblebee fan who may be reading this expecting me to be converted into loving the ship: Even if there are hints this early on, their development later would still be a goddamn mess. And just for the record: I will only be taking as 'hints' things that are undeniable. The show is very explicit with its hetshit, I won't take less than that for queerness. (Don't expect this to be an essay I'll just write down whatever I wanna say at any given moment and it will be awful to read, it's basically a diary for myself).

V1: Trailers: Honestly, they're bangers. Music's great. They set up characters. If I had to rank them I'd say R-Y-W-B but I only put Black below the others because I simply like the other fights better. I know why Adam is there with Blake but it kinda feels like he steals a bit of hte spotlight. (And the Dempsey Roll reference in Yellow cannot be beaten, sorry. Well except by Ruby's sheer fucking awesomeness but ykwim). Though tbh ADAM STANDING THERE AWKWARDLY INSTEAD OF JUST JUMPING IS INSANE. YOU CAN CLEAR THAT GAP MY GUY. Also the moon is, well, inconsistent across the trailers. Like you'd think maybe there was something going on with it breaking a bit more each trailer but, no, it jumps from barely broken to even more broken than in the show in Black, then stays the same in Yellow. Which. You know. It's the little inconsistencies that make RWBY, aren't they.

On the Bees: Someone pointed out to me that 'Red like Roses' implies Blake/Yang as the beauty and the beast. I… will grant it the benefit of the doubt in this case. I mean, Monty didn't even fucking know Ruby was standing by her mother's gravestone when he did this I seriously doubt he'd thought that much ahead. But RWBY is inspired by fairy tales, so the use of beast and beauty isn't likely to be coincidental either. This is the only instance where I will grant a 'benefit of the doubt'. I'm more inclined to believe it's actually a coincidence that neatly fit into it later. Blake/Yang have absolutely nothing of the beauty and the beast in their dynamic.

Ep 1: The dust speech at the start feels a bit odd in retrospect. Dust ends up being kind of underwhelming if we look at what it actually does for the plot, it doesn't feel more important than Aura and Semblances. I'd reckon all three could have been mentioned. Is… is that moon transition at the start meant to imply the moon's been breaking off over time? Honestly the creation myth of RWBY is one of the few things I do believe was at least mildly planned from the start so I find it mildly surprising. Maybe they planned for it to break more over time but forgot about it by volume 6 and just had the gods break it all in one go? The rest of the episode is ok. I won't be commenting on the voice acting too much—this was a bit of an indie production, after all. If any particular lines are too awful maybe I'll point them out. That being said, Glenda's semblance is awfully the fucking same as magic. Cinder is using literal magic so that's ok. It really never is quite explained how or even why dust interacts with semblances, is it?

On the Bees: Nothing this ep.

Ep 2: Should I mention the fact that the show never stops to breathe, especially this early on? I guess I'll do it because then when I can be positive about a scene it'll stick out. So… yeah, the whole introduction of Team RWBY is kind of all over the place in terms of pacing. Could ahve used an extra minute or two to make the conversation a bit, well, better paced. Also do Yang's friends ever show up again? I don't think so. And I know it's meant to be comedic but Weiss just swinging about a bottle of dust feels kind of… strange. She should know how stupid that is. That aside, there's a lot of expository dialogue that probably could have been shoved into the classroom scenes. The dust, weapons, etc. Leave room for the characters to actually speak instead of explaining things everyone present should know.

On the Bees: Nothing this ep.

Ep 3: Comedy is VERY hit or miss in general, so I'll just state I… don't really find most RWBY humor funny. I see the intent and I won't criticize it, it's just not for me. On another note: White Rose is my go-to ship in the early volumes. The writers clearly got scared of how much chemistry Ruby and Weiss had so they sort of… barely interact one on one again in the future. Did you know I like Diakko? Because I like Diakko. A lot. Check my AO3. Iykyk. Anyways I don't think the sleepover scene thing is too bad. Could have made Weiss interact with Blake a bit but eh whatever.

On the Bees: So, Yang makes a very pointed comment about being into boys! Very explicit and with no interpretation required! Let's see if we can see similar hints of her bisexuality at any point prior to V6. And on the off chance a bumblebee shipper is reading this: I don't really care how much these minor instances 'don't matter'. If they're such small things, why not have them go both ways? Like, say, the perfect chance that comes up right after with fucking Blake. Which isn't taken. "noo but she says she likes her bow' it's all literal pleasantries to try to get her to talk to Ruby and the second she isn't responsive Yang's like "Nah fuck her." There's more of a romantic interaction here between Ruby and Blake than between bumblebee ffs. Also Yang so far has only shown interest in boys, as evidenced by her trailer. 'nooo she was just pretending' she wasn't pretending here now was she. Anyways if it really was planned this early on what stopped the team from just showing a bit of her bisexuality. Because she also didn't have much of a 'gay awakening' thing moment. Which you'd think they'd give her. Or Blake for that matter.

Ep 4: Nora and Ren are introduced and it's clear Nora's in love with Ren from second 1. Even if it's unclear whether Ren reciprocates or not (And I'm gonna say unclear because dude's kind of very non-emotive in general). I think it's a fine enough introduction to the characters. Weiss is VERY gay towards Pyrrha you cannot convince me otherwise. (just for clarification's sake: I mean it in a shippy way, I know it's not intentionally queer, I'm a yurifag it's what I do). Oh hey look another character getting to be very explicitly heterosexual I'm sure queer folk will get the same treatment in this incredibly inclusive show! Idk if I like Pyrrha's introduction. I guess it's efficient but… well, like everything in this scene, really it coudl use some time to breathe. I could get nitpicky and complain about a lot of things with the 'team selection process' like, uh, the fact that some students have to have died or how there has to have been some terrible teams because of the random nature of it all. And I guess I just did. But I'll also say I'm gonna let it pass because, in the end, it's funny. Also Blake didn't speak a single word this episode. Or get like. Any focus. Like idk a shot of her reacting to other people's shenanigans at least. One of the 4 mcs guys.

On the Bees: Nothing this ep… Like with Blake.

Ep 5: AU where Pyrrha misses her shot because Ruby dodged that bird, and Pyrrha's weapon struck the bird instead of Jaune and Jaune fucking dies. (<- when I say these notes are for me I mean it this is the sort of shit I think about when watching episodes of anything) Like u get what I mean? Ruby and Weiss just have so much chemistry man. I don't get what Pyrrha saw in Jaune acting like a prick back there but idk straight people are weird. And… pretty much that's all I have to say about the episode. There wasn't much of a pacing issue here because it was like, 3 scenes altogether.

Ep 6: So, Yang's supposed to absorb damage to use her semblance. At least in the later volumes. Here she just… Uses it. The trailer version had been fighting and took a few hits so it made sense there but here? And don't tell me it had no effect because she used it to obliterate that bear Grimm. Anyways I think it changes a few times through the volumes I'll be on watch for that. Yang and Blake's meeting is… fucking nothing. More at the end. The, uh, 'fight' with Ruby and Weiss wasn't animated the best. That's all imma say about it. Ok so, Aura is a manifestation of the soul and it can coat yourself and your tools for protection and presumably also enhances attacks and provides healing. Simple enough. But… the thing about understanding light and dark or whatever? Shit never comes up again. Also I seem to remember this is retconned but we'll get there when/if we get there. I don't hate the concept of Aura. Hell, it's almost exactly how I handle at least 2 magic systems I'm currently working on (sans details). I just think it's poorly utilized, being almost always just used as a magical coating and little else. The whole 'manifestation of the soul' thing rings hollow. Also does anyone else ever do the shield-aura thing Ren did here? Leaving aside my problems with Aura in general, Pyrrha's whole thing about helping Jaune manifest Aura: W H A T. T H E. F U C K. Like, did anyone on the team pause to think of the implications of this? Probably not. Definitely not. Just think about it for a second. This implies that it's possible for people with aura to help people without it manifest it. Whether the speech is important or not is irrelevant, let's say it's just something to help someone focus. That's not the freaking point. WHY woudln't they do this to everyone? If Pyrrha could do it with Jaune, who is pretty much a normal ass dude, why not do this for every citizen? It literally takes like a minute. Sure it tires the person who does it but like, what's stopping that person from turning around and doing it to someone else? Let's say it requires training to do it: Why not train people for the explicit job of unlocking other people's auras? And yes, they very explicitly state everyone has an aura, whether it's unlocked or not. Listen to me. LISTEN TO ME. You live in a society where a negative emotion will attract the monsters trying to kill you. Do you know how much safer people would feel if they knew they'd survive at least one or two hits from a Grimm? The panic you could help avoid? Grimm have this thing where they retrofeed themselves, causing panic which attracts more of them which causes more panic etc. By unlocking everyone's Aura you could help avoid or at least severely delay that problem. I don't think this is ever done again. But even if it is, the point would only get stronger, because it's clearly not something only Pyrrha can do. Anwyays back to our regular content, fight scenes with Monty are pretty good most of the time. Ren never uses his bare fists to attack again I don't think.

On the Bees: Every other pairing formed in these episodes had like. A proper exchange when they met. To show what chemistry they had together. Whether it be Weiss ignoring then coming back to Ruby, Pyrrha making a wisecrack at Jaune or Nora's and Ren's whole thing. Yang and Blake? Blake doesn't say anything, she just smirks (I think it's meant to be a smirk anyways). Yang just boasts. I understand Blake's not a very talkative individual but this tells me nothing of what their dynamic's gonna be.

Ep 7: Weiss and Ruby having really fun interactions here and then Yang and Blake have a nothingburger of an interaction. Actually, make that 2 nothingburger interactions. Jaune and Pyrrha get to be comedic here. And that's basically the episode really.

On the Bees: I don't care if bumblebee shippers read a million layers of meaning into Blake not saying shit when they first interact this episde. Fine. But Yang doesn't even have a reaction to it! She doesn't act annoyed or intrigued she literally does fucking nothing about it. Then the pony thing is like… ok. What's their dynamic here? Weiss and Ruby have a really strong dynamic already in place. Jaune and Pyrrha are building one that's at least starting to make sense. Nora and Ren had one from their first seconds together. Seriously. You wanna argue they were planned from the beginning? Well they sure seem like people who ended on the same team and shrugged and said 'whatever' and kept moving without further interaction, unlike fucking EVERYONE else. It pisses me off because you can 100% play Yang's hotheadedness against Blake's more calculating nature, but they don't fucking do that. 'Planned from the beginning' my ass, mfs couldn't even figure out how to squeeze some characterization out of their interactions.

Ep 8: The start of this episode is another case of RWBY humor not really hitting home for me. Another case of Yang just using her semblance for a tantrum. Seriosuly White Rose gets a fucking moment every episode. Yang and Blake barely fucking interact. I'm going insane. The rest of the episode is basically one big action scene, and well, it's RWBY at its best, so no real complains here. Roman is kind of awfully underutilized, isn't he.

On the Bees: I'd love to go on a rant like last episode but honestly shit still applies. The only actual interaction Yang and Blake have here is when Yang is feeling proud of Ruby, and it speaks nothing about their dynamic.

Ep 9: Last episode Blake wasn't saying shit and now she's suddenly a huge part of the redecorating efforts. The problem isn't that I think she should be a loner or aloof, the problem is that it doesnt' feel too consistent. She starts being like "leave me alone I wanna read", she barely exchanges a word with Yang later, and now she joins in on the fun? idk, maybe she could've joined in a less overt way. Other than that it's a fine scene, though it goes too fast for my liking. The classroom scene is amazing because it teaches us basically nothing, other than the mention of the 4 kingdoms. Like it says a lot of shit about 'true huntsmen' which ends up proving mostly untrue through the rest of the show. Which would be fine if it was like, a point made, but it's not really.

On the Bees: N o t h i n g.

Ep 10: More White Rose people really trying to tell me not to ship them because the bees are canon but fuck you THEIR DYNAMIC IS THE BEST PART OF EARLY RWBY. Always with the caveat of 'pacing could be better' ofc. Anyways what the fuck was up with professor moustache flirting with Yang what were they thinking. I think the Weiss/Ruby conflict could have been stretched a bit. Rather than a day, make it a week or something. Still, this is one of the better episodes of the season, iirc.

On the Bees: Nada. Zero. Nanai. But we keep getting fuel for White Rose DO YOU UNDERSTAND MY FRUSTRATION HERE. LIKE SERIOUSLY I WOUDLN'T EVEN MIND THE ABSOLUTE LACK OF ANY EXPLICIT QUEERNESS IN THESE EARLY VOLUMES IF THEY AT LEAST BOTHERED TO MAKE THE SUPPOSED 'PLANNED FROM THE BEGINNING' COUPLE INTERACT PROPERLY. NOBODY WOULD BE CASTING DOBUT TO THE CLAIM IF WHITEROSE HAD ENDED UP BEING CANON.

Ep 11: Ok, here's the thing. Aura is a manifestation of the soul. I can accept it can be measured somehow. The question here is, what exactly happens when it breaks? Like, what happens to your fucking soul? Really, I would just make it vital energy the same way ki or chakra works, because tying it to the soul like that just leads to questions. Anyways this episode is just the setup for the "jaune gets bullied arc". I'll actually not say too much about it because my own thoughts towards bullies are rather… extreme (as in, I would kill them all without hesitation were I given the chance sort of extreme). So instead of commenting on how absolutely terribly I think this arc is handled, I'll… not do that. That being said, none of team JNPR or RWBY standing up for Bunnygirl is kind of bullshit. Also, we know there's cameras everywhere on beacon, so why don't the teachers do shit? Though to be fair, teachers not doing shit about bullying is the most realistic part of this whole thing.

On the Bees: Still nothing.

Ep 12: Ok so the discussion of "making up new races to be racist towards" has been ongoing for as long as the internet has existed, probably earlier than that too. I am white, and I'm not from the US. In my country I'd say we have far more xenophobia than we do racism, and we didn't have a civil war over the the concept of freeing slaves. We just sort of did it. All of this to say: I'm not really in a position to give too pointed an opinion on the whole 'racist towards faunus' thing. With that and my refusal to speak on hte bullying topic, that kind of leaves me with little to say in general about the rest of the volume, huh. That being said, while I don't mind the Jaune/Pyrrha thing, and I do like the idea of Jaune somehow faking his way into beacon… how? How exactly does he do that? Like, think about all the security shit we've seen over the years. How does anyone create fake transcripts? Woudln't Ozpin or Glynda call the schools of their students to make sure their records are correct? idk. Maybe Ozpin just found the idea funny.

On the Bees: Knees.

Ep 13: I like the conversation between Jaune and Ruby, though it feels a bit… random for Ruby to be saying this? I guess the idea is she matured a bit after the conversation with Ozpin but it doesn't really feel like she's at the point where she should be saying stuff like this yet. I think she and Jaune should've played off each other, instead of Ruby acting like she's experienced about this.

On the Knees: Bees. Or, actually, I think it was wasps in that box.

Ep 14: Pyrrha's semblance is later treated as though it were secret (iirc) but she certainly doesn't seem to care too much about it right now. Wouldn't it be a matter of public reacord, anyways? Like, if you go to a fighting school, I'd reckon they want to know what their fighters' semblances are. Wouldn't want to have Gorey McBloodhands walk into the next sparring session and make someone explode from the inside, know what I mean? I suppose the existence of Salem could work to explain the masking of this but… They put up public tournaments where the best fighters are literally shown to the whole world anyways, and most semblances aren't as subtle as Pyrrha's so, you know. Anyways, that moment when Jaune's aura glows… Is… that supposed to be his semblance? I think it was more just that thing Pyrrha said about Jaune having a lot of aura, but if Jaune can use his semblance on himself, well… Fuck, the implications. Jaune could be the most broken character of this cast. Should be, even. Only semblances like Tyrian's should be able to counter him.

On the Bumbles: What happened to the box of wasps anyways.

Ep 15: Ok, so the only thing I will say about the racism arc: It makes sense Weiss would be racist, I just think it comes out of nowhere, when they had at least 2 other chances to show it in the past to build up to all of this. First thing Sun does when he shows up: Flirt! With Blake! More at the bottom Anwyays previous to final episode of the volume and… we introduce 2 random ass characters out of nowhere. And no, this wasn't planned from the beginning, this was done in haste because Monty thought it'd be cool to have them in a fight scene, and it shows. Monty was a genius animator but the guy could have done a little consulting with his team, really. THAT BEING SAID. I kinda think like they did the best they could. For all my complaints, using Sun as the trigger for Wiess's rampant racism (even though it could've been built up to) is effective enough. And… Ok Penny is a bit superfluous and she… doesn't really add anything to the scene other than being a literal obstacle, but, uh, could be worse really. I didn't much care for penny back in the day, but I do love Penny after V7-8, much as her revival bothers me (I remember when they claimed that no, Penny couldn't be brought back to life despite being a machine. You really want me to believe their claims about other stuff when they pull shit like that? You know the whole racism argument could have been a moment for Yang and Ruby to actually partake in the conversation. Especially yang since, you know, they were totally planned as a couple from the beginning.

On the Bees: Nothing! But Sun had a moment with Blake! Two, actually! And Sun's gonna be the one getting the infodump first. Like, dude's really gonna connect more and more deeply with Blake over a cup of fucking coffee than Yang has in literal months- "But no guys you don't understand there was never anything going on there clearly it was nothing it had no narrative impact it was meaningless fr fr" I'll say more about this over the volumes because holy fuck the level of cope is amazing here. I know I'm gonna sound like a goddamn hetfag complaining about this but you seriously need to understand I'm a yuri connoisseur I fucking hate heterosexuality (in media. real heterosexuals are ok sometimes) (this is a joke but only if the previous comment offended you if not it's real)

Ep 16: Well I already said my piece about Blake telling her backstory to Sun rather than her teammates. Way to go Yang, sticking up for Blake in the face of Weiss's continued racism. How effective is it to hold someone at gun/knifepoint, given the existence of Aura? If Blake tried to slit Roman's throat, even with a shot, its unlikely she'd be able to pierce through the aura, right? Cool fights are cool. Ok, racism arc aside, I do think it's kind of a problem that Weiss just… solves her racism because she 'thought about it'. Like, bitch wasn't even confronted about it, you get me? I like the idea of the 'reunion', the problem is… it doesn't feel earned. Pacing issues, like usual, but especially awful here.

On the Bees: N O T H I N G BLAKE WAS MISSING FOR HALF A DAY AND WEISS HAD MORE OF A REUNION WITH HER AND RUBY HAD MORE OF A REACTION.

Anyways, V1 finished. Veredict? It's a mess. It's RWBY. Despite all the criticisms I've thrown its way, I believe I enjoyed it more this second time than the first, to be quite honest.

And no, this volume did absolutely nothing to convince me that Bumblebee was planned from the start. In fact it kind of pushed me in the opposite direction. Like, the VA's really shipped this from the start? Fucking why? They barely interact, when they do it's fucking dry, and Blake has deeper moments of connection with the other two members of RWBY than with Yang. I am genuinely astounded anyone would believe the claims the bee's were always meant as endgame. Fucking hell.

On a completely separate note: Pyrrha doesn't pass the Bechdel Test for volume 1. Yes I kept track of this.

RWTC 2

[my-animeandmanga-journey]

Shoya's story of making friends, trying to bring people together and all that, and the thoughts going on in his head- it kinda reminds me of Beauty and the Beast, the Disney version. There's that one scene where Beast hasn't eaten like a human in so long that he's forgotten how, and Belle has to teach him.

Shoya's kinda like that. He had friends before he became a bully, but that was so long ago that he's forgotten what it's like. Compounded with the fact that Sho's entire perspective of life and friendship has completely changed. There's a short, chubby dude that's so clingy it's almost creepy, but he's the one that taught Sho what friendship is supposed to be. There's all of Shouko's friends that he's trying to reconnect her with. There's Shouko's foul-mouthed little sister Yuzuru that tried to pass herself off as Shouko's bf to keep Shouko's bully away, and tweeted an embarrassing pic of Shoya that got him suspended from school for a week. And there's Shouko, herself.

And these are all Shoya's friends. Friends that he never thought he'd have before. All very different people. And he's not sure why they make him happy, but they do.

(I'm about halfway thru the movie, btw. The amusement park scene. I just wanted to say this because it made me kinda happy.)

[caliburn-the-sword]

winter thoughts up to chapter 14

frankly. not enough scarlet. but i only had the time to read a handful of chapters

iko is so dramatic and i love her. ik she's meant to be the fairy godmother figure, but honest to god with how much she wants to be human and imitates humans (like pretending to faint cause of kai) she honestly seems like a pinocchio type character here too

now that i'm playing association games of aligning characters with other characters, i realised that cinder is technically the huntsman from little red riding hood since she saved scarlet from getting eaten by wolf. since there is a huntsman in snow white as well, that makes me wonder if she might therefore play a similar role in winter's story. that would be very interesting

"I'm on your side," he said. "No matter what." this smells like foreshadowing that he will in fact NOT be on her side no matter what. through no fault of his own of course. levana brainwashing arc when???

LMAO WOLF KNOCKED HIM OUT COLD. favourite trope ever fr

completely agreed cinder. i love a man that's battered and bruised fr

NOOOO don't tell me that thorne is TRYING to make cress jealous. cringe. gross. i'm throwing up in my mouth in the middle of my studies of religion class

is it just me or is thorne flirting with kai?? that is frankly much more preferable since they're both adults to kaider or cresswell honestly

nevermind it's some weird alpha male bs they're trying to one up each other and make them feel insecure about their girls. so basically the whole percy/jason leader thing but w o r s e

why do i want to write an au where cinder grew up as princess selene and she and kai have an arranged marriage and enemies to lovers relationship. i need to stop coming up with fanfic ideas when i've got important exams coming up in 2 months. it's bad enough i even decided to binge this entire series in the first place LMAO (but also it's so worth it). i bet i could find hundreds of fics with this exact premise on ao3 so maybe i'll save myself the effort

yes kai pardon thorne for theft so that you can correctly try him for being a damn pedo

don't mind me immediately connecting the kai has stockholm syndrome joke to beauty and the beast and realising that between cinder and her glamour (the lunar glamour obviously being the beast part btw) then she and kai could also technically be beauty and the beast. forgive me it's the ouat instinct

thorne was SO real for pointing out that kai is a rich royal bastard. not to spread my republican agenda (reminder that i am aussie and when i say republican i mean fuck the brit monarchy not racist trump nonsense) but the eastern commonwealth should TOTALLY do away with kai and bring back democracy. that's why i disagree with the characters calling for his forced abdication because they're just gonna instate ANOTHER royal eventually instead of getting rid of that shit altogether. while we're at it, instead of retaking the throne cinder should DESTROY it and ALSO institute a democracy

damn didn't realise thorne was having sad boy hours about leaving his crew disbanding. me too because i HATE it when the found family breaks up

"most of them even call me Captain" iko and cress is only two people. i think thorne needs to go back to school and retake maths because that is NOT most

EWWWWWWWWWW JAIL FOR THORNE JAIL FOR A THOUSAND YEARS

winter is embroidering. i am emotional

help this jacinter scene was nice and super romantic until "There were times when she stood so close that he was amazed at his own ability to keep his hands to himself" WHAT???? rocking myself back and forth in my seat reminding myself figure of speech figure of speech figure of speech. YIKES

@eddisfargo @francforever @winterrhayle @winterpinetrees @shellyseashell

[foodandfolklore]

Snow White or Snowdrop

I've been thinking more about the story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It's such a famous fairytale, eclipsed only by Cinderella. It was also the story chosen for the first ever fully animated film. And that scene where Snow White makes a Pie with birds helping her, I always loved watching. Granted, the story and pacing is a little stale; which is understandable considering it was literally the first ever animated film. But the Visuals, I think, still hold up.

Anyways; as is well known, the Brothers Grimm are the authors of Snow White, along with many other pivotal fairytales. However, their stories were originally written in German. Their stories have been translated and retranslated by different people. The original German title of the story was Sneewittchen and later Schneewittchen.

In the hard copy of Brothers Grimm tales I have, published in 1940, the story is Called Little Snow White. However, I found an older version and translation where she is called Snow Drop. I'm not 100% sure why, as I am not fluent in German. However, perhaps the translator felt the name "Snow White" made no sense in English and opted for Snow Drop. The drop referencing the drops of blood (These stories have a weird pattern of mixing blood with something white like cream or snow and wishing for a woman). Thus may of been a localization choice.

Little things like this are good reminders about how things can get muddled in translation. But it's also important to remember localization is important. I don't think the 1938 Animated Film would of been as popular if it was titled Sneewittchen instead of Snow White.

Snow Drop (Snow White)

It was the middle of winter, and the snowflakes were falling from the sky like feathers. Now, a Queen sat sewing at a window framed in black ebony, and as she sewed she looked out upon the snow. Suddenly she pricked her finger and three drops of blood fell on to the snow. And the red looked so lovely on the white that she thought to herself: ‘If only I had a child as white as snow and as red as blood, and as black as the wood of the window frame!’ Soon after, she had a daughter, whose hair was black as ebony, while her cheeks were red as blood, and her skin as white as snow; so she was called Snowdrop. But when the child was born the Queen died. A year after the King took another wife. She was a handsome woman, but proud and overbearing, and could not endure that any one should surpass her in beauty. She had a magic looking-glass, and when she stood before it and looked at herself she used to say:

‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of us all?’

then the Glass answered,

‘Queen, thou’rt fairest of them all.’

Then she was content, for she knew that the Looking-glass spoke the truth.

But Snowdrop grew up and became more and more beautiful, so that when she was seven years old she was as beautiful as the day, and far surpassed the Queen. Once, when she asked her Glass,

‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of us all?’

it answered—

‘Queen, thou art fairest here, I hold,But Snowdrop is fairer a thousandfold.’

Then the Queen was horror-struck, and turned green and yellow with jealousy. From the hour that she saw Snowdrop her heart sank, and she hated the little girl.

‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of us all?’

The pride and envy of her heart grew like a weed, so that she had no rest day nor night. At last she called a Huntsman, and said: ‘Take the child out into the wood; I will not set eyes on her again; you must kill her and bring me her lungs and liver as tokens.’

The Huntsman obeyed, and took Snowdrop out into the forest, but when he drew his hunting-knife and was preparing to plunge it into her innocent heart, she began to cry:

‘Alas! dear Huntsman, spare my life, and I will run away into the wild forest and never come back again.’

And because of her beauty the Huntsman had pity on her and said, ‘Well, run away, poor child.’ Wild beasts will soon devour you, he thought, but still he felt as though a weight were lifted from his heart because he had [3]not been obliged to kill her. And as just at that moment a young fawn came leaping by, he pierced it and took the lungs and liver as tokens to the Queen. The Cook was ordered to serve them up in pickle, and the wicked Queen ate them thinking that they were Snowdrop’s.

Now the poor child was alone in the great wood, with no living soul near, and she was so frightened that she knew not what to do. Then she began to run, and ran over the sharp stones and through the brambles, while the animals passed her by without harming her. She ran as far as her feet could carry her till it was nearly evening, when she saw a little house and went in to rest. Inside, everything was small, but as neat and clean as could be. A small table covered with a white cloth stood ready with seven small plates, and by every plate was a spoon, knife, fork, and cup. Seven little beds were ranged against the walls, covered with snow-white coverlets. As Snowdrop was very hungry and thirsty she ate a little bread and vegetable from each plate, and drank a little wine from each cup, for she did not want to eat up the whole of one portion. Then, being very tired, she lay down in one of the beds. She tried them all but none suited her; one was too short, another too long, all except the seventh, which was just right. She remained in it, said her prayers, and fell asleep.

When it was quite dark the masters of the house came in. They were seven Dwarfs, who used to dig in the mountains for ore. They kindled their lights, and as soon as they could see they noticed that some one had been there, for everything was not in the order in which they had left it.

The first said, ‘Who has been sitting in my chair?’

The second said, ‘Who has been eating off my plate?’

The third said, ‘Who has been nibbling my bread?’

The fourth said, ‘Who has been eating my vegetables?’

The fifth said, ‘Who has been using my fork?’

The sixth said, ‘Who has been cutting with my knife?’

The seventh said, ‘Who has been drinking out of my cup?’

In the evening the seven Dwarfs came back.

Then the first looked and saw a slight impression on his bed, and said, ‘Who has been treading on my bed?’ The others came running up and said, ‘And mine, and mine.’ But the seventh, when he looked into his bed, saw Snowdrop, who lay there asleep. He called the others, who came up and cried out with astonishment, as they held their lights and gazed at Snowdrop. ‘Heavens! what a beautiful child,’ they said, and they were so delighted that they did not wake her up but left her asleep in bed. And the seventh Dwarf slept with his comrades, an hour with each all through the night.

When morning came Snowdrop woke up, and when she saw the seven Dwarfs she was frightened.

But they were very kind and asked her name.

‘I am called Snowdrop,’ she answered.

‘How did you get into our house?’ they asked.

Then she told them how her stepmother had wished to get rid of her, how the Huntsman had spared her life, and how she had run all day till she had found the house.

Then the Dwarfs said, ‘Will you look after our household, cook, make the beds, wash, sew and knit, and keep everything neat and clean? If so you shall stay with us and want for nothing.’

‘Yes,’ said Snowdrop, ‘with all my heart’; and she stayed with them and kept the house in order.

In the morning they went to the mountain and searched for copper and gold, and in the evening they came back and then their meal had to be ready. All day the maiden was alone, and the good Dwarfs warned her and said, ‘Beware of your stepmother, who will soon learn that you are here. Don’t let any one in.’

But the Queen, having, as she imagined, eaten Snowdrop’s liver and lungs, and feeling certain that she was the fairest of all, stepped in front of her Glass, and asked—

‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall,Who is fairest of us all?’

the Glass answered as usual—

‘Queen, thou art fairest here, I hold,But Snowdrop over the fells,Who with the seven Dwarfs dwells,Is fairer still a thousandfold.’

She was dismayed, for she knew that the Glass told no lies, and she saw that the Hunter had deceived her and that Snowdrop still lived. Accordingly she began to wonder afresh how she might compass her death; for as long as she was not the fairest in the land her jealous heart left her no rest. At last she thought of a plan. She dyed her face and dressed up like an old Pedlar, so that she was quite unrecognisable. In this guise she crossed over the seven mountains to the home of the seven Dwarfs and called out, ‘Wares for sale.’

Snowdrop peeped out of the window and said, ‘Good-day, mother, what have you got to sell?’

‘Good wares, fine wares,’ she answered, ‘laces of every colour’; and she held out one which was made of gay plaited silk.

‘I may let the honest woman in,’ thought Snowdrop, and she unbolted the door and bought the pretty lace.

‘Child,’ said the Old Woman, ‘what a sight you are, I will lace you properly for once.’

Snowdrop made no objection, and placed herself before the Old Woman to let her lace her with the new lace. But the Old Woman laced so quickly and tightly that she took away Snowdrop’s breath and she fell down as though dead.

‘Now I am the fairest,’ she said to herself, and hurried away.

Not long after the seven Dwarfs came home, and were horror-struck when they saw their dear little Snowdrop lying on the floor without stirring, like one dead. When they saw she was laced too tight they cut the lace, whereupon she began to breathe and soon came back to life again. When the Dwarfs heard what had happened, they said that the old Pedlar was no other than the wicked Queen. ‘Take care not to let any one in when we are not here,’ they said.

Now the wicked Queen, as soon as she got home, went to the Glass and asked—

‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall,Who is fairest of us all?’

and it answered as usual—

‘Queen, thou art fairest here, I hold,But Snowdrop over the fells,Who with the seven Dwarfs dwells,Is fairer still a thousandfold.’

When she heard it all her blood flew to her heart, so enraged was she, for she knew that Snowdrop had come back to life again. Then she thought to herself, ‘I must plan something which will put an end to her.’ By means of witchcraft, in which she was skilled, she made a poisoned comb. Next she disguised herself and took the form of a different Old Woman. She crossed the mountains and came to the home of the seven Dwarfs, and knocked at the door calling out, ‘Good wares to sell.’

Snowdrop looked out of the window and said, ‘Go away, I must not let any one in.’

‘At least you may look,’ answered the Old Woman, and she took the poisoned comb and held it up.

The child was so pleased with it that she let herself be beguiled, and opened the door.

When she had made a bargain the Old Woman said, ‘Now I will comb your hair properly for once.’

Poor Snowdrop, suspecting no evil, let the Old Woman have her way, but scarcely was the poisoned comb fixed in her hair than the poison took effect, and the maiden fell down unconscious.

‘You paragon of beauty,’ said the wicked woman, ‘now it is all over with you,’ and she went away.

Happily it was near the time when the seven Dwarfs came home. When they saw Snowdrop lying on the ground as though dead, they immediately suspected her stepmother, and searched till they found the poisoned comb. No sooner had they removed it than Snowdrop came to herself again and related what had happened. They warned her again to be on her guard, and to open the door to no one.

[8]When she got home the Queen stood before her Glass and said—

‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall,Who is fairest of us all?’

and it answered as usual—

‘Queen, thou art fairest here, I hold,But Snowdrop over the fells,Who with the seven Dwarfs dwells,Is fairer still a thousandfold.’

When she heard the Glass speak these words she trembled and quivered with rage. ‘Snowdrop shall die,’ she said, ‘even if it cost me my own life.’ Thereupon she went into a secret room, which no one ever entered but herself, and made a poisonous apple. Outwardly it was beautiful to look upon, with rosy cheeks, and every one who saw it longed for it, but whoever ate of it was certain to die. When the apple was ready she dyed her face and dressed herself like an old Peasant Woman and so crossed the seven hills to the Dwarfs’ home. There she knocked.

Snowdrop put her head out of the window and said, ‘I must not let any one in, the seven Dwarfs have forbidden me.’

‘It is all the same to me,’ said the Peasant Woman. ‘I shall soon get rid of my apples. There, I will give you one.’

‘No; I must not take anything.’

‘Are you afraid of poison?’ said the woman. ‘See, I will cut the apple in half: you eat the red side and I will keep the other.’

Now the apple was so cunningly painted that the red half alone was poisoned. Snowdrop longed for the apple, and when she saw the Peasant Woman eating she could hold out no longer, stretched out her hand and took the poisoned half. Scarcely had she put a bit into her mouth than she fell dead to the ground.

The Queen looked with a fiendish glance, and laughed aloud and said, ‘White as snow, red as blood, and black as ebony, [9]this time the Dwarfs cannot wake you up again.’ And when she got home and asked the Looking-glass—

‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall,Who is fairest of us all?’

it answered at last—

‘Queen, thou’rt fairest of them all.’

Then her jealous heart was at rest, as much at rest as a jealous heart can be. The Dwarfs, when they came at evening, found Snowdrop lying on the ground and not a breath escaped her lips, and she was quite dead. They lifted her up and looked to see whether any poison was to be found, unlaced her dress, combed her hair, washed her with wine and water, but it was no use; their dear child was dead. They laid her on a bier, and all seven sat down and bewailed her and lamented over her for three whole days. Then they prepared to bury her, but she looked so fresh and living, and still had such beautiful rosy cheeks, that they said, ‘We cannot bury her in the dark earth.’ And so they had a transparent glass coffin made, so that she could be seen from every side, laid her inside and wrote on it in letters of gold her name and how she was a King’s daughter. Then they set the coffin out on the mountain, and one of them always stayed by and watched it. And the birds came too and mourned for Snowdrop, first an owl, then a raven, and lastly a dove.

Now Snowdrop lay a long, long time in her coffin, looking as though she were asleep. It happened that a Prince was wandering in the wood, and came to the home of the seven Dwarfs to pass the night. He saw the coffin on the mountain and lovely Snowdrop inside, and read what was written in golden letters. Then he said to the Dwarfs, ‘Let me have the coffin; I will give you whatever you like for it.’

But they said, ‘We will not give it up for all the gold of the world.’

Then he said, ‘Then give it to me as a gift, for I cannot live without Snowdrop to gaze upon; and I will honour and reverence it as my dearest treasure.’

When he had said these words the good Dwarfs pitied him and gave him the coffin.

The Prince bade his servants carry it on their shoulders. Now it happened that they stumbled over some brushwood, and the shock dislodged the piece of apple from Snowdrop’s throat. In a short time she opened her eyes, lifted the lid of the coffin, sat up and came back to life again completely.

‘O Heaven! where am I?’ she asked.

The Prince, full of joy, said, ‘You are with me,’ and he related what had happened, and then said, ‘I love you better than all the world; come with me to my father’s castle and be my wife.’

Snowdrop agreed and went with him, and their wedding was celebrated with great magnificence. Snowdrop’s wicked stepmother was invited to the feast; and when she had put on her fine clothes she stepped to her Glass and asked—

‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall,Who is fairest of us all?’

The Glass answered—

‘Queen, thou art fairest here, I hold,The young Queen fairer a thousandfold.’

Then the wicked woman uttered a curse, and was so terribly frightened that she didn’t know what to do. Yet she had no rest: she felt obliged to go and see the young Queen. And when she came in she recognised Snowdrop, and stood stock still with fear and terror. But iron slippers were heated over the fire, and were soon brought in with tongs and put before her. And she had to step into the red-hot shoes and dance till she fell down dead.

[deke-rivers-1957]

Rock-a-Doodle Review

Don Bluth channels a fable from the Middle Ages and combines it with Glen Campbell's Elvis inspired vocals. The intent to adapt the fable Chanticleer and the Fox into an animated movie goes back all the way to the early days of the Walt Disney Studios. Unfortunately, it never saw the light of day as Walt Disney himself rejected the project in favor of The Sword in the Stone. It wasn't until 1982 when Disney animator Don Bluth left the company, that the project was revived under his own name. It faced a lot of development issues and it wasn't until 1988 that the project officially got off the ground.

Somewhere along the way the story became very messy but one thing was made clear. Don Bluth intended for Chanticleer to be similar to Elvis Presley as confirmed in a 1990 magazine article found at this link: https://web.archive.org/web/20170106230513/http://www.cataroo.com/DBrock.html. To make it absolutely clear that it was meant to be Elvis inspired if not an alternate version of Elvis, they had The Jordanaires to do the backing vocals for their soundtrack. Even with the release date being pushed back to avoid competing against the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast, the movie was seen as a complete failure. Are there redeemable factors that showcase that hand drawn animation died too soon, or did this film completely lay an egg? Let's find out.

So we get opening narration that explains how the sun rises everyday because a rooster named Chanticleer crows. Chanticleer's song very much reminds me of Elvis up until 1956. He was known for having a twang but also a bluesy sound when he sings.

There's a confrontation between Chanticleer and the Grand Duke's henchmen that prevented Chanticleer from crowing in time. The sun comes up anyway and everyone hates him. They label him a fraud and Chanticleer runs away from the farm. Again it reminds of me Elvis' beginnings where even though he liked singing and never claimed to be bigger than he was, he was heavily judged by his peers.

In a very weird twist, this movie isn't entirely animated. In fact I have no idea if this is a real story since this is now being narrated by a live action mother. I guess this is where Who Framed Roger Rabbit meets Wizard of Oz as the lines of what reality is supposed to be is blurred. We still get the disembodied narration over the live action scenes. I guess it's supposed to explain that this is all Edmond's imagination as the real life storm rages but again I have no idea.

The storm scene is tense since I'm sure a lot of farmers can relate to the real world struggles of potential flooding. The addition of the Grand Duke meeting the live action Edmond is also understandably scary if you're a child. The Grand Duke is no longer just a fictional character but also someone who could exist in this world. In fact him saying he despises rock and roll is a parallel to how Elvis had so many sophisticated people criticize his type of music. They viewed it as something that was loud and obnoxious.

So to transition back to animation, the Grand Duke transforms Edmond into an animated kitten. Because he had full intentions of eating him, I guess it makes sense within the story. Edmond of course freaks out about this since he's basically a 5 year old. With the help of Patoo, an old hound dog who I guess is the narrator, they scare the Grand Duke off. I do admit that if it isn't for subtitles I wouldn't be able to understand a word this kid says. I get that they needed a child for this role, but it's a double edged sword to try to be as realistic as possible. Edmond is written to be a little kid so it's a step up from contemporary movies that try to make kids talk like adults. The problem is that he doesn't have much of a personality outside of being a cutesy kid who's very hard to understand.

We get introduced to the other animals on Chanticleer's farm. Everyone's afraid of the rain and the Grand Duke so they need help to find Chanticleer in the city. Before they can set off on their journey, Edmond's room starts to flood. The main characters manage to find a toy box to float their way out. I have no idea why Chanticleer is the solution since he was already revealed to have no effect on the sun rise. Maybe it's meant to be symbolic where him leaving eventually lead to everything going wrong, so bringing him back could lead to things getting better. Or it could be very literal where the animals saw him as a leader, so him leaving meant no one was strong enough to stand up to the Grand Duke.

I like the organ music. It gives a unique style to the traditional villain song. It adds to the Grand Duke's character of preferring classical music over "lowbrow" genres. Since Chanticleer apparently is the only way the rain will stop, the Grand Duke has plans on making sure he never comes back to the farm. So he sends his henchmen and his nephew out to find Edmond et al.

I got to admit, I like how tension is made because of character flaws that naturally exist. For instance, the toy box the main characters are in is starting to flood because Snipes is claustrophobic. To try to get air, he starts to peck holes in the box, allowing water to rush inside. Even though they survive that, the box just as quickly gets destroyed when it pops out of the aqueduct pipe. Fortunately they make it to the city safely.

When the Grand Duke's nephew comes back to tell him the news, he's not happy. Turns out the "adequate" pipe was really a pipe that sends water right to the city. So he sends his nephew to the city, giving him sunglasses in the process.

The main characters start their search for Chanticleer and it's very obvious this is all a reference to Elvis' stint in Vegas. Heck they even show him in a pink Cadillac with his stage name being "The King". That's when the gang realize that Chanticleer was hiding right under their noses so they go to his show.

If this scene doesn't make it anymore obvious that this is Elvis, I don't know what to say. They make it a point to give him a harsh manager. Anyone who knows about the Colonel could tell that Chanticleer's manager is meant to be him. Heck Chanticleer even uses the cliche "thank you, thank you very much."

Even though Chanticleer isn't the main character, you can't help but feel bad for him. Despite being at the top of the world and having the world in his hands, Chanticleer feels lonely. That's something we know Elvis struggled with himself according to private conversations with various people he knew.

The Grand Duke contacts his manager and makes it clear that the main characters can't succeed in their plan. Despite following Chanticleer from show to show, they couldn't contact him. This is the most Elvis reference to have ever Elvised. When the average person thinks about Elvis this is what they see. It also doesn't help that his music number references Tupelo, his real life birthplace. Even the song sounds like something that Elvis would sing.

They succeed to give Chanticleer their letter, but it's all for nothing as Goldie is sent on stage. She kisses Chanticleer and that's all she wrote. He falls in love with her and completely forgets about the letter. I don't hate Goldie for doing this since she does have issues with manipulating Chanticleer. Also it's usually bad taste to blame a young starlet for doing favors to appease a man of power in exchange for a possible advancement in career. Goldie's involvement in this plot if anything reminds me of Ann Margaret. Ann Margaret and Elvis had undeniable chemistry in the mega hit movie, Viva Las Vegas. Even though their relationship in real life isn't at all like how it's portrayed in this movie, you understand that this is meant to be a play on Ann Margaret. She's the young starlet that really takes off once she got involved with Elvis/Chanticleer.

They eventually find Chanticleer or rather Goldie's trailer at the movie studio. Despite Edmond trying to explain the situation, Goldie doesn't believe him and screams. This seems to alert Chanticleer's manager as the main characters get trapped. Don't ask me how a mouse could possibly be trapped by a net with giant holes in it. Heck she literally has most of her body out of it just to sneer. I get they needed to capture all of them, but it's still an annoying aspect of cartoons where a character is trapped despite having the means to escape relatively easily.

Seeing Goldie regret what happened is exactly why I don't blame her. Once she saw the full story, she knew this was terrible for Chanticleer. We get a comedic scene of the Grand Duke's nephew trying to take out the gang while Goldie tries to tell Chanticleer what happened. She gives him the letter and I'm glad we don't have this dramatic irony last too long.

I'm also glad that Chanticleer is fully aware that he isn't powerless in this situation. He knows that what his manager is doing is blackmail and understands he has to game the system long enough to make a plan. In fact, it doesn't take him long at all to figure out how to break them free. It's honestly incredible how Chanticleer was able to understand the toxic environment he was in and was able to get out of it.

Edmond's finally given something important to do as he has to act as the get away driver. No idea why they couldn't have Patoo do this since he's bigger and it doesn't matter anyway since Edmond's quickly taken off the wheel when Peepers tries to reconnect the trailer to the car. Edmond has this flashback sequence where he realizes he can't be afraid.

Despite this being a cartoon, you feel the tension when the gang's stuck on that water tower. Just as they're about to fall to their deaths, Peepers saves them. I have no idea how she managed to get access to that helicopter and time it exactly right but we'll just call it a Deus Ex Peepina.

Meanwhile, the Grand Duke finds the farm animals with the full intent of eating them. Somehow a pig is smaller than an owl but whatever, the Grand Duke's magic. Fortunately for the animals, Edmond and the gang make it in time. Unfortunately, the helicopter crashes in the water forcing them to get stranded on island of grass.

Even though Chanticleer tries to crow he can't. Somehow it's because he has no confidence. Yeah that's a bit contrived. They should've just had it where the Grand Duke used his magic to prevent him from crowing. But Edmond interferes causing the Grand Duke to literally choke him unconscious. That's insanely dark for a relatively harmless kids movie. Like the Grand Duke by himself is menacing but watching him choke a kid is wild.

In fact it's what's actually his undoing. The animals see his act of violence and encourage Chanticleer to crow. The Grand Duke turns into a literal cyclone but because Chanticleer now has confidence, he crows. The sunlight causes the Grand Duke to lose his powers. I know it's something he's afraid of but causing him to shrink? Yeah the magic makes no sense in this movie. We get the fake out of Edmond dying but no. He just turns back into a real boy. But even then we get yet another twist. It was apparently all a dream.

In the live action world, everyone thinks it was just a fictional story. That Chanticleer had nothing to do with it. I don't know what happened with the audio, but there's a weird sound to it that makes me think it's an echo. The mom assures Edmond it was just a dream, but I'm just not sure. We see a live action Edmond interact with the cartoon farm animals. It's obvious this is meant to be like Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Unlike that movie, Edmond is obviously superimposed on the animated footage. I think they're trying to show that this really is Edmond's imagination, but I have no idea.

At least the reprise of the opening song is just as good. In fact all the songs are pretty decent. Chanticleer's songs in particular are pretty entertaining and really respect Elvis' sound. Chanticleer in general is a good tribute to Elvis. He's not meant to be a joke as when he was made fun of, we're supposed to feel bad for him. He gives kids a good introduction of elements from Elvis' life. It isn't at all meant to be biographically accurate, but it's a kid friendly way of explaining the struggles he faced.

Compared to other bad kids movies, this film has actual merit. Being based on a fable gives it some credit as it's a unique story. I can also say that this movie is not at all predictable. While it does take elements from Wizard of Oz by trying to spin it as being only a dream, the movie does blur the line of reality. Was it a dream? I have no idea. That at least makes it a step above modern kids movies where you know exactly what's going to happen and doesn't try to give you something beyond the bare bone cliched characters and plot elements.

Did it deserve all the hate? Not really. It's underwhelming sure, but again compared to the content we have now directed towards children, this is harmless. As someone with no childhood attachment to this movie, I actually thought it was pretty enjoyable. If you're an Elvis fan, I would recommend watching it just to see how many parallels exist. Even if you're not an Elvis fan, it's still worth showing it to children. It's innocent fun that isn't pandering or relying on the cliched potty humor that seems to be copy pasted into a lot of children movies. Therefore, I'm giving this movie a 7/10 since it doesn't blow me away by any means but it also isn't an abomination with terrible jokes that make the audience feel uncomfortable.

AN: Shout out to the discord besties for watching this movie with me and suggesting I make a review.

Tagging: @hooked-on-elvis, and @atleastpleasetelephone.

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

2023 Movie Journey #10: The Little Mermaid

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the little mermaid. okay, so this one was really interesting! i didn’t go into it with high expectations, but i also wasn’t expecting to hate it--i’ve seen very few of the disney live action remakes, so i didn’t really know what i might think at all. (as a matter of fact, i think the only one of the remakes i’ve seen is beauty and the beast? i have a couple others on my watchlist cuz @actuallylukedanes​ recommended them, like tarzan and pete’s dragon, but i haven’t seen aladdin or the lion king and i can’t remember if there are more.)

i did go into this one expecting to have fun whether i actually liked it or not, though, because i saw it in the theater with my family and i have a good time doing that with any movie. and i knew i loved some of the cast--awkwafina, daveed diggs, and melissa mccarthy were all selling points for me. i wasn’t familiar with the actress playing ariel but i knew she could sing, so i looked forward to seeing what she did with the role.

before it actually came out, i was originally worried about melissa mccarthy playing ursula, because i adore her and know she’s super talented, but the whole ‘ursula was modeled after a drag queen’ history of the animated character made her casting surprising to me, for some reason. it made me wonder what angle this version would be going for, with ursula. i didn’t get excited about it until they released a snippet of poor unfortunate souls and i was like ‘ohhhhh. okay she’s really going for it.’ 

after that i think i watched the clip at least twice before even seeing the movie, cuz it made me happy to feel like her interpretation was probably going to be true to my childhood attachment to the original character. honestly, it seems tricky to bring animated characters to life, especially beloved ones, and i’m not sure how a person does it well rather than the much more likely result of screwing it up--but i think a large part of it must be wholeheartedly committing to your ideas and then flinging yourself into it, without concerning yourself with whether or not other people will agree with how you interpreted it. 

and that may not actually create widely beloved interpretations, i wouldn’t really know--i feel like emma stone did the same thing in cruella, and for the same reason, i loved her portrayal. it was off-the-wall insane, but she committed to it, and that movie knew what it wanted to be and it won me over against my expectations. 

back to the little mermaid! i felt like this movie had several big problems, but most of them were the direct result of having live actors play these characters in this story without changing the basics (and changing the basics would make it a different story). the parts of the little mermaid that are abstractly weird/concerning when it was animated in the ‘90s become actively, unavoidably difficult or more creepy once everything is three-dimensional.

first of all, ariel’s scenes once she couldn’t talk were just...rough. the movie tries to give ariel and eric more of a connection, more bonding time and things to bond over, but she just can’t communicate very much with the wide-eyed lack of emoting that was happening until she got her voice back. i honestly don’t know if it was the actress herself, or the result of how she was directed, or if the real problem is that a cartoon face can just be made more expressive to balance a lack of words. but for me and both of the people i saw this movie with, there was just nothing there on her face, to a weird degree, while her voice is taken.

while i know this wasn’t the case for everybody, though, i did like her singing. i liked the moments in classic ariel songs where she made them her own, little vocal flourishes that reminded me of whitney houston playing the fairy godmother in cinderella. (though i was horrified by her addition to under the sea, which was totally unnecessary and cut into an otherwise great take on another classic by daveed diggs.)

his voice acting, along with awkwafina's, was great as well. her new added rap, i would also file under ‘totally unnecessary,’ but whatever, it’s fine, i know they always add stuff now and with lin involved i would’ve been surprised if it wasn’t a rap. this version of flounder made me miss the animated one a lot, because i remember loving him and i felt like in this one he somehow wasn’t nearly as endearing, or lacked personality or something. i’m still not sure why. 

the massive cgi might be part of it, though. i could tell it would be a problem for me as soon as there was a trailer--and i was not wrong. there’s just so much of it. i get that it’s not exactly convenient to, say, make your cast work underwater in tanks or anything...but real fish exist! the ocean exists! i don’t care if it was cheaper to just build the ocean out of pixels; jurassic park is cool because it made an effort with physical effects, and this movie could have looked so much better if they’d tried. even just for the Hey Look Fish scenes.

the other element of this movie that feels a lot worse in a live-action version is the basic love story between ariel and eric. it wasn’t exactly ideal when they were hand-drawn, but we didn’t have to think about it as much. the love at first sight concept is always pretty thin, and it’s no different here--she likes the look of him on his ship, possibly appreciates his willingness to risk his life to save his dog, and is ready to make a deal with ursula on the strength of that. it’s a little more believable for me on eric’s side because even without a voice she has a personality he seems charmed by, during their time together once he’s conscious. but the age gap between them is still gross. 

i had to look it up to learn that officially, they made her eighteen for this version instead of sixteen (and the actress was 21 while filming it). but the movie is vague about eric’s age and makes it possible that he could be as young as 21--only the actor playing him was 26 at the time, and to me he looked it. so despite their efforts to tweak the ages to make them closer together and to age her up, i watched this believing that she was an inexperienced teen and he was a fully adult sailor and that was supposed to be totally fine. romantic, even.

even if i wanted to be in favor of them, the actors really didn’t have any chemistry i could see. i don’t remember feeling the same way watching the animated one, but during this version when her friends are trying to manipulate them...it just seemed fully comedic. like, how ridiculous, and not because it’s a bird and a fish and a crustacean wanting them to kiss--the idea of them kissing at all. if it wasn’t required to save ariel’s soul, it wouldn’t have been clear to me why we should want that.

however, i did also like eric! it felt like in the beginning, they put more time and effort into trying to establish him as a character than i remember from the original. making him figuratively more than two-dimensional, not just literally. and it mostly worked.

his most memorable part for me was not necessarily for good reasons, though? i don’t think i’ll ever forget it, but it definitely undermined whatever success they had in making him a love interest hero worth taking seriously. 

they...gave him a song. and not just any song. this was a song that reminded me so painfully, so specifically, so unavoidably of another song, that i couldn’t unthink it and he immediately seemed ridiculous when he hadn’t before. 

anybody who has seen frozen 2 might remember a little number called ‘lost in the woods.’ it was one of my favorite parts of that movie, because it was very clearly done in the style of ‘80s hair bands, with kristoff overdramatic in his movements and full of emotion and played seriously while not taking itself completely seriously. it struck the perfect tone in what it was aiming for.

but what they do with eric is literally the same sort of thing: overdramatic movements, loudly emoting, Very Serious Despite Looking Silly. the problem is that he’s not an animated character! and he’s not troy bolton from high school musical, either (troy could emote at 1000% like nobody else and get away with it). eric can not get away with it, or at least he doesn’t, and i suspect it’s because the movie gives no indication that there’s a joke we’re supposed to be on. 

as far as i could tell, that scene was just eric’s big power ballad, and they wanted him to have a big power ballad, and whether they modeled it after frozen 2 or not, they clearly thought it was a good thing. i’m not so sure they were right about that. 

i gotta say, the scary parts of this movie were much scarier than i ever found the animated version to be, though they didn’t change the actual story a lot in those scenes so i’m not sure if i was just less affected as a child (which seems unlikely when the dogcatcher from lady and the tramp gave me nightmares). both her father destroying her collection and the final battle with ursula felt more intense than i remembered, and maybe that comes from having the characters played by real people. a Scary Dad is much scarier when he looks like an actual person, merman or not, and the same is true i guess for a sea witch. 

the final battle with ursula was also the worst scene for me when it came to cgi, though. i spent a lot of it not being able to tell what was going on, because eventually that’s what happens--my brain just sees pixels and can’t turn them into whatever they’re supposed to be, and i’m confused until it stops.

but ursula was definitely my favorite part of the movie, in terms of this familiar story going from its animated roots to live action. melissa mccarthy, who is truly so much more talented than her choices in projects always show, took on this role which was iconic when i was a kid. and she somehow approaches it both very sincerely and straightforwardly, giving us the drama and the danger and the snark of the original, while also adding just enough camp. i was genuinely surprised disney let her get away with being so good at it! 

at one point, she pauses during a song just to push up her breasts--and i had a flashback to queen latifah in chicago, throwing her all behind ‘when you’re good to mama,’ and teenage me could not have been more delighted. i know there was no deliberate connection there, but for me, that’s such a random moment of flair and sass in the middle of ursula’s singing and it didn’t have to be there. since they didn’t cast an actual drag queen to play her, i really enjoyed that moment that felt, on its own, even the tiniest bit subversive. melissa mccarthy was alive and loving it, playing this character, and we were blessed.

overall, i wouldn’t say this movie was my favorite new disney movie, or even my favorite live action remake (i don’t think i have one). but it had good elements, and i had a good time watching it--it’s just also fun to critique.

[tokumusume]

First impressions: “The Longest Promise”

I would be lying if I said I’m watching for the plot because I’m totally here for Xiao Zhan.

Spoilers for episodes 1-3.

Christ on bike, it’s been only five minutes, I know, but I have no idea of what’s happening here. Like, why is this girl wearing full bangs in one scene and a middle part immediately after, then back to full bangs? Do you know how hard is to make full bangs look good after you part your hair? Those things are stubborn.

(Also, fakest hairpiece in the history of cdrama 👇)

Ren Min has a very unique face but this hair does her no favors, she looks a thousand times better with the middle part.

An eternity eight minutes into the episode we finally see Xiao Zhan’s beautiful face, aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh (me and mom fangirled so hard).

Sorry, I see no chemistry between them, I don’t buy them as lovers, only friends. I hope I’m made wrong later.

We are treated to an episode long flashback to Xiao Zhan Shi Ying’s childhood where he meets Ren Min Zhu Yan, but she doesn’t know he’s the prince, palace drama ensues, he’s accused of murdering his father’s concubine (mind it: he’s a child here). His mother creates a copy of him, sends him away with some guy and sets herself and the copy on fire. He’s presumed dead (his mother somehow survived this??)

Zhu Yan is mourning Shi Ying when this fella gives her a rose that’s clearly not a rose. I thought he looked familiar, then I thought he looked like the snake guy from Ashes of Love. Turns out Fang Yilun was in cpop/kpop boygroup M4M with Yu Bin aka Wen Ning. Listen to Sadness btw, it’s really good, very BEAST (both were in Cube).

(PS: Netflix subs are wrong, his name is Zhi Yuan)

Makeup on point.

I love him already.

The little kid playing young Shi Ying, Jian Yuxi, is killing it. A face to watch for.

The plot here is very complicated but apparently Shi Ying will be sent to cultivate in the mountains and he can’t see women because his destiny says he’ll be killed by a girl (idk if it’s specified it’s Zhu Yan or any girl will do) so he must kill her on sight, how romantic.

Five years later Shi Ying is now Xiao Zhan and is somehow still underage. Now, Xiao Zhan does look younger than 32 but he can’t play 17. Anyway, he’s gorgeous and I’m drooling.

I really want to like Chong Ming because he’s cute and reminds of that guy from Ashes of Love (again) but he’s oh so insufferable. I’m against animal cruelty but I want to kick this bird.

Xiao Zhan finally smiles, I love him so much.

Bad CGI bird (it’s Chong Ming btw) but I’ll forgive it because it’s cute and reminds me of my cat Yuki.

Subplot about sister drama and magical dancing competitions, who cares. Wang Churan, who plays the bitchy sister, was in Guo Jingming’s Painted Skin, 100% recommend this short film. Nice sister is better at dancing than bitchy sister so bitchy sister throws her special dress down a forbidden valley and of course Zhu Yan will retrieve the dress.

She meets Shi Ying down there but he can’t speak to her because of his celibacy vow prophecy. He recognizes her as the girl he met in childhood. Chong Ming shows up and is all like “omg a girl kill her now!!” Shi Ying bends his fingers and prepares to kill Zhu Yan when bad guys with Wolverine claws arrive and tries to kill both of them, lol. A fight ensues, Shi Ying breaks his vow and hides Zhu Yan inside his magical head space (???) when his master arrives. She touches an illusion of him inappropriately. Fuck, I’m jealous.

Back in their shared house, Shi Ying tells Chong Ming that he has no time for pussy, all he wants is to rescue his mother and avenge her.

Bitchy sister also went down the valley to search for something but Chong Ming stops her. She happens to be Shi Ying’s cousin and he asks about his mother. The news are not good. Shi Ying decides to help his mother immediately only to learn she just killed herself. Xiao Zhan gives a performance to rival Nightless City.

I forgot to say earlier but Xiao Zhan’s voice is markedly different from CQL. I don’t know if he’s using his real voice here or if it’s a different voice actor but it’s jarring, to the point where I can’t concentrate during his scenes. I watched CQL five times, Wei Wuxian’s voice is burned into my brain.

Shi Ying’s master is a master of psychological torture. He brings Shi Ying to listen to some officials disrespect his mother in order to strengthen him???? Btw, I thought this guy

and Shi Ying’s father

were the same person until now, lol.

This scene was probably done using this chemistry trick (trigger warning: fake blood, fake cutting) as you can see his hand is wet before.

Finally we see the return of the evil black smoke as Shi Ying screams that the world doesn’t deserve saving (I agree with him on that) and looks gorgeous.

I hope this is a sign that Shi Ying will go bad and mad and sexy in his quest to avenge his mother.