#like it’s a line of such good and goodwill and heroism

[chompe-diem]

just randomly recalling moonshine’s

“a child has a duty to his father. but a hero has a duty to the world”

literally loses my mind gnashing teeth etc etc. heartbreaking

[astrolocherry]

Birthday Sun in the 2nd House - The High Life of the Heavenly Heiress

written by #astrolocherry

The Sun in the 2nd House person is the bankable resource that the Universe invests its gold and silver in. With the Sun as our archetypal zodiacal sovereign, the old saying that goes ‘those who have the gold make the rules’ is the decree that likely began here. Her signs are dollars aligning with fortuitous and opportunities of fortune, and the instinct for exhibiting her greatest personal assets compels others to buy everything she is selling.

She is aesthetic and angelic with a business prowess that should never be underestimated. Her style is inspired by the Patronesses of Cosmetic and Costumes, so there’s an eye-candy candidness about this self-expression. The energy surrounding her is wealth and abundance from outside and within.

The ingredients of the 2nd House elemental Earth rise up from within, covering her in a sensual, sultry rawness that appears mixed from the finest fruits, wines, and spices in paradise. Her body is in magnetic sync with the seasonal cycles of lulls, harvest, and gestation. She blooms in creative bliss, and she can have inspiration for rest and sleep too. In the 2nd House belonging to Taurus, she is charmed by the seeds of creativity in the dewy nocturnal Feminine. Her sensory experience is a banquet the Patronesses of Love and Art delight joining. When her body, mind, and spirit feels the call, the outside world evaporates while she vanishes to manufacture miracles. The body is her instrument and the antenna tuned into organic talent. Rather than possessing certain gifts, she is possessed by such things that seem to just come out from her - as if by nature. And she is certainly capable of becoming fixated on visions too far away for anybody else to see just yet. Though she has a way of remaining firm in the self-belief and self-assurance that her requests will be duly met. The Sun’s heat here prefers open, balmy, lush, and palm-tree lined scenes. It’s the same strange fever inside that responds to tropical storms and Full Moons, the blood ripe creative forces that flow through everything. The one that knows when it’s time to be the Siren of Spirit’s desires and indulge in all the forces of the Goddesses.

With the fertility principle intact, The Sun in the 2nd House individual is equipped with the natural instinct to make things grow. She takes each day as it comes, in her perfect state of alignment and timing, she is able to pause and capture every big and small opportunity to prosper. She begins out small, tending to goals in her own time, and eventually blossoms into abundance. Pride is taken in providing for loved ones. At the command of her own goodwill, she often makes sure that dependents are very well cared for. And the Universe is equally prepared to bend the laws of physics and supply for her in mystical ways that only she could recognise. The individual feels in control of most aspects of life when her financial situation is in control. Possessions she acquires along the way tend to be emblematic of significant meetings and moments in life.

The Sun in the 2nd House individual personifies miraculous manifestation, benevolence, fate, lucky stars and good luck charms; along with heroism, bliss, beauty, courage, and strength.

Read more

[cinema-hallucinations]

Prompt: Create a movie concept about a competent, but low-powered supervillain team who ended up on the moral good side of a situation and must now navigate a complex web of conflicting interests both within (conflict between members wanting to go legit and other wishing to abuse the newfound public goodwill for even more abhorrent schemes) and outside (a fractured public opinion, villainous reflexes causing PR difficulties, etc.) the team in the aftermath.

Title: Heretic and the Pettycoats

Tagline: Redemption is a messy business, especially when you're still kind of a villain

Logline: The Pettycoats, a ragtag team of low-powered supervillains, accidentally foil a major apocalypse and wake up as unlikely heroes. Now, they must navigate a treacherous landscape of public scrutiny, internal conflict, and their own villainous urges, all while a fractured world decides whether to embrace them or crush them.

Characters:

The Heretic (Leader): A stoic strategist with the power to manipulate probability in very minor ways (think causing a dropped pen here, a lucky bounce there). He's haunted by a dark past and sees this as a chance at redemption, even if it means working with…

Sparks: A hotheaded woman with pyrokinetic abilities limited to igniting small objects like matches or cigarettes. She struggles with the idea of being a "good guy" and sees the potential for personal gain in their newfound fame.

The Gloom: A gloomy and reclusive man who can cast small shadows that mildly inconvenience others. He's content with a life of petty villainy but is dragged along by The Heretic's vision.

The Fixer: A tech-savvy manipulator with zero superpowers but a knack for blackmail and information gathering. He sees the potential to leverage their newfound status for financial gain.

Agent Weaver: A conflicted government liaison tasked with monitoring the Pettycoats and keeping them in line. She sees the potential for their abilities but struggles to trust them.

Plot:

The Pettycoats, a group of low-powered supervillains notorious for causing minor inconveniences (think causing traffic jams, switching supermarket price tags), accidentally stumble upon a plot by The Harbinger, a charismatic cult leader with world-ending ambitions.

Through a series of unexpected mishaps, mostly due to The Heretic's probability manipulation, the Pettycoats manage to disrupt the Harbinger's ritual, saving the world from certain doom. The news explodes, and the Pettycoats, much to their surprise, are hailed as unlikely heroes.

Thrust into the spotlight, the team struggles to adapt. Sparks sees an opportunity for lucrative endorsements ("Sparks brand matches: Light your way to heroism!"), while The Gloom resents the public attention and longs for his quiet life of villainy. The Fixer sees a chance to leverage their newfound fame for blackmail schemes, creating tension with The Heretic, who genuinely wants to use their abilities for good.

The public is divided. Some celebrate the Pettycoats as unexpected saviors, while others remain suspicious of their past and question their motives. Agent Weaver becomes their reluctant handler, tasked with keeping them in line while navigating the complex political landscape surrounding their newfound power.

The climax involves a new threat emerging from the ashes of the Harbinger's failed plot. A rival cult, led by the enigmatic "The Puppeteer," seeks to exploit the public's fear and distrust of the Pettycoats to further their own agenda.

The Pettycoats must overcome their internal conflicts and public scrutiny to face this new threat. They learn that being a hero isn't easy, especially when you're a team of former villains with questionable morals and limited superpowers.

Themes:

Redemption and the struggle to outrun your past.

The burden of responsibility and the difficulty of doing the right thing.

The power of public perception and the line between hero and villain.

Mood & Tone:

The movie will have a gritty, realistic tone similar to Watchmen, Punisher, or Dredd (2012). Humor will be dark and situational, arising from the absurdity of the characters' situation and their attempts to navigate a world that doesn't quite trust them. The focus will be on the moral complexities of the characters' choices and the consequences of their past actions.

[greenhappyseed]

BnHA, the double-edged sword, and finding balance

Have you ever noticed Horikoshi is a MASTER at creating little sayings that sound like positive, inspirational mantras, but are actually incredibly dark, especially when taken to an extreme? I think the lesson from all of these is that finding balance and exerting some self-control is better and ultimately more heroic than going to an extreme in either direction.

Do your best. On the light side, “do your best” is correlated with a growth mindset. It’s a way of asking someone to put in a hard effort without demanding perfect results, so that growth and grit are rewarded rather than outcome. After all, there are many elements that go into an outcome, not all of which are under our control. In this growth mindset dynamic, “do your best” is a mantra for letting go of things you can’t control and focusing on the things you can. But, on the dark side, “did you do your best?” is a nag towards self-destruction. It rationalizes suffering and then…asks for MORE suffering. I mean, are you REALLY doing your best if you could have skipped dinner and spent an extra few hours working? What if your coworkers are doing that, and claim it’s their “best” — would you push yourself too? That leads us to…

I can still move/I’m still on my feet. (This one is courtesy of @oquinn53). When Aizawa challenges Izuku in Chapter 6 to throw the ball without breaking himself, he has a good rationale: A pro hero’s job is to save others, so a hero whose out of control quirk causes their body to break is a liability in the field. A pro hero can’t need saving more than they will save. In response, Izuku creatively directs OFA into one finger, proving to Aizawa that he DOES have the necessary control by saying, “I can still move.” A proud teaching moment indeed. Gran Torino says something similar to All Might at Kamino to encourage him (IIRC it’s if you can move you can keep fighting). But on the dark side, simply being able to physically move isn’t a sign of good health OR ability to control your quirk or your heart. It ignores emotional well-being completely, which is hugely problematic in both the BNHA world (where heart, inspiration, and reassurance play such a large role) and in our world (where fulfillment and social support networks have a significant impact on physical and mental health). Deku stumbling along and using Blackwhip to help him stay upright is a clear example of this — he can move, but he’s dangerously close to losing control of his heart/quirk.

My body moved without thinking. At the start of BnHA, this is framed as the ultimate in heroism — it’s an animal-like instinct to save, present from early childhood. A goodwill so strong that it doesn’t require conscious intent. But then we see repeatedly that the lack of intent leads to potentially disastrous circumstances. Izuku going after the slime villain (would have died but for All Might), Bakugo taking the AFO!Shigaraki hit for Deku (almost died), Ochako saving Deku when Blackwhip manifests (she could have died). Moreover, moving without thinking is dehumanizing and indicates a lack of autonomic control -- it's like being possessed, or being a zombie. We see AFO commandeer Shigaraki’s body and Dictator use mind control on a crowd to force them to attack Deku. Hell, this is the exact reason Shinso is told he has a villainous quirk — he can make people do things without their intent. So why is instinct/lack of intent sometimes heroic and sometimes not? I think it goes to Aizawa’s point that pro heroes need to be ready to die in the line of duty — putting themselves in the line of fire is part of the job. But the job, and the entire system, isn’t sustainable if everyone throws their bodies around recklessly. A heroic self-sacrifice requires a conscious decision (intent) and a situation that warrants putting it all on the line to save.

When Deku and Bakugo say their bodies moved without thinking, and it's framed as a positive thing, what they mean is that they ALREADY made the decision to save each other. Their friendship primed them to make that sacrifice in a do-or-die situation. By contrast, when Ochako jumps after Deku in the joint training arc, she has every intention to save Deku, but the situation isn't dire -- it's a training exercise, with multiple pro hero teachers watching carefully. It would be an unimaginable loss for a student to sacrifice themselves in such a situation, so the narrative frames her choice differently.

Saving, meddling, and fantasy becoming reality after the cut...

Can’t save everyone. On the light side, this is a release valve, much like “do your best.” It’s a recognition that a human can only do so much; even the most powerful human doesn’t have the power of a god. But on the dark side, it becomes a way of justifying laziness and selfishness. It’s an easy way out to avoid the effort of extending a helping hand. We see this in Chapter 1, with even All Might struggling.

Meddling/helping without being asked. This is presented as one of the highest forms of heroism, and in some situations it can be. Looking out for others and reaching out a helping hand is exactly what hero society should be about. When people don’t meddle in BnHA, disaster results. Little Tenko needed someone to save him when he was lost and scared in the street. Young Toga needed someone to counsel her about her quirk. And Toya (and all the Todofam, really) needed someone to recognize Endeavor’s abuse. But, on the other hand, meddling CAN be a form of arrogance, substituting your judgment for someone else’s and in the process removing the other person’s autonomy. For example, this being Disability Pride month, think about how rude it is to touch someone’s wheelchair without being asked. Or how some people who are blind do not want help finding their way around buildings (a coworker told me that when people guide her it ruins her mental map of where she is in space). With Deku making the decision to protect his hero classmates framed as a negative thing, I ::think:: the narrative is trying to say that listening to the impulse to meddle is heroic, but don’t leap to action on behalf of someone else unless the situation is dangerous or it’s a child that can’t take care of themselves. Instead, ask and try to understand if the other person wants help; and if so, the scope of the desired help. In other words, understand when good-intentioned “helping” is not ACTUALLY helping. We saw this early on with Kota — he didn’t want Deku’s “help” regarding his parents, but he definitely needed saving from Muscular. Now with Ch.319-20, Deku should have known that, if he really wanted to protect his classmates, a letter wouldn’t “put them at ease” (as Shoto says in Ch.319). Deku needed to speak to them directly and say, “I can’t do what only I can do if any of you get hurt.” Likewise, 1A doesn’t really understand why Deku is refusing their help and won’t share his burden. Deku already knows they care and he knows they’re worried; he also knows they’re strong heroes. But the class isn’t explaining the PAIN his decisions caused them. They need to say, “you hurt us and acted unheroically by disregarding how we feel”. Neither Deku nor 1A grasps that they're not actually helping, because they're not communicating and listening to each other.

Fantasy becomes reality. I feel like this one is pretty obvious because one person’s heaven is another person’s hell. Izuku’s fantasy of becoming a hero made real is mostly “good;” AFO’s fantasy of becoming an eternal demon lord is “bad.” Of course, some people, like Inko, might argue that Izuku’s fantasy coming true wasn’t good for him at all. :)

[riddlegecko]

Hmm...

I think it would be interesting to flesh out Emma going to visit Jane (and see Tim, maybe for the first time if we’re staying in canon here) and learning that she’s gone. Maybe not terribly fluffy though, but fun dynamics with Tim and it could explain how she ended up staying with Tom and Tim for the borrowers AU?

In terms of fluff, sorry my brain doesn’t like fluff without some tinge of sadness, for HOHF, Emma and Paul fight [villain of your choice] and someone gets hurt and the aftermath of that. Alternatively, I’d love to know if Tim has the Nitro Gene and if so, if he joins his Aunt Emma and Uncle Paul in the field. That could be so cute! (Although, he could also join mission control or maybe make friends with another super if Hannah has powers as well? But that’s not Paulkins...) If you feel like picking up a family fluff piece, which is personally my favorite genre, lol, I’d love to see Paul and Emma as parents and if their child shows their powers early (since it’s not nitro gene specific from Paul, if it can be inherited, of course, and now I’m imaging Jack Jack from the incredible, lol) or for Harriet and Tex to come back and see their baby (oh that would be adorable because grandparent plants and you can imagine how proud they would be of Emma!) or to see how Slacky interacted with the baby. (I’m imagining a how a Golden Retriever interacts with babies now... 😂) Or, if you’d prefer to ignore children all together, Emma going back home and taking Paul to meet Harriet and Tex (meet the parents essentially). Well, I’m not sure if any of those ideas seem interesting, but if not, I hope they’re able to help get some fun ideas flowing. Have a lovely weekend! 😊

Okay, so... A lot of these are stuff that I want to explore in longer stories eventually, both the Borrowers AND the HoHF prompts. But you DID give me an idea for some HoHF family fluff between Emma and Tim!

"Here's that big project I was telling you about!"

Emma had been back in Hatchetfield for what, six, seven months now? And she'd long since made a name for herself as Wild Flower. She was respected, loved even, by the town that had once cast her aside. And what's more, she'd managed to connect with her nephew, who seemed to think she was cool despite her absence for most of his life! If it wasn't for the fact that Tim didn't know she was Wild Flower yet, she would've chalked it up to that.

After all, Tim loved superheroes. Understandable, considering his mother was one of the most revered supers in the country before she died. Being raised by someone like that was bound to give someone a deep respect for the career. And right now, Tim was showing Emma his most recent token of appreciation. A social studies project he'd done for school about superheroes around the world.

It was a large cardboard diagram, with a map of the world taped to it. Coming from a line pointing to each continent (barring Antarctica, because duh), was a photograph of a super that was native to said continent, accompanied by a short paragraph with information about them.

"Wooooow, you really know your supers, bud!" Emma mused as she scanned over the diagram, impressed.

Tim looked up at her with a bashful smile. "Thanks," he said, blushing. "Wanna hear more about each one?"

"Educate me!"

"Okay, so," Tim began excitedly, pointing to the super whose picture corresponded to Australia. A woman with long, blonde hair and a bright blue superhero getup. "That right there is Tidal Crash, she's an Australian super with the power to control water."

"Can she talk to sea creatures?" Emma asked, encouraging her nephew to continue.

"Yeah, telepathically," Tim replied. "She's like the cool version of Aquaman."

Emma snickered at Tim's snark. God, he was such a Perkins. He continued on, pointing to the picture next to Africa. A dark-skinned man with long dreadlocks and an award-winning smile, half his face covered by a deep purple mask.

"That's Radi ya Umeme," Tim continued to explain. "He's from Kenya, and his name is Swahili for 'Lightning Strike'. He can control the weather, but he's really good with lightning, hence the name. He's kinda like Madbolt in a way, only y'know, not evil."

Emma chuckled, remembering her most recent encounter with that old nutjob. Madbolt was a fascinating case, he'd been causing trouble for Hatchetfield since around the time Emma was born. Not even Jane had managed to land him behind bars. Tim continued, his finger landing on the South American picture. A man with dark, curly hair and deep brown eyes, clad in a black leather costume.

"That guy is Espalda con Púas, his name is Spanish for 'Spiked Back'," Tim said, talking as though he was still presenting the project to his teacher and classmates. "He's from Chile, and as his name would imply, he can grow spikes out of his back and sharpen his teeth and nails into fangs and claws!"

Emma nodded, urging him to continue. With an excited smile, Tim moved on to Asia, where a picture of a short-haired woman with a shining mask lay.

"That's Dá Quy, she's from South Vietnam," he continued. "Her name means 'Gemstone', and she can control different ores and minerals and stuff."

Tim moved on to Europe, where a picture of a woman with short brown hair and an elegant, but still practical costume lay.

"That's Lady Nighthawk, she's from England," he explained as Emma continued to listen intently. "She can talk to animals and harness their abilities to fight. She visits Hatchetfield once a year, too!"

"Right! I think I remember your mother telling me about meeting a 'Lady Nighthawk' before!" Emma exclaimed in recollection.

"Yeah, mom worked with a lot of supers," Tim mused fondly before moving on to the final picture, the one corresponding to North America. A grizzled man with long dirty-blonde hair and a decked-out suit. "And finally, there's Eagle Eye! He's an ex-military general who can shapeshift into a bald eagle! And he's got this awesome combat suit that he uses in human form! He's from Washington D.C., but just like Lady Nighthawk, he visits Hatchetfield sometimes!"

Emma smiled at the sight of the super who'd been acting as a mentor to her for the past week. During a rescue mission she'd nearly bungled, Eagle Eye- or John MacNamara as she'd learned his real name was, swooped in to lend a hand. He'd taken a shine to her, and offered to help coach her in the ways of being a superhero. Emma had been learning lots of valuable information off of John. But of course, there was no way Emma could tell Tim about-

"Speaking of, did you hear that he's been working with Wild Flower lately?"

Okay, nevermind! Emma froze, surprised by her nephew's casual mention of her alias. Was this a good time to tell him? Better test the waters to be sure...

"Oh yeah, Wild Flower!" she exclaimed, trying to play it cool. "I've, uh... been hearing lots about her lately!"

"Yeah, it's so weird!" Tim chuckled. "It's like she just came out of nowhere!"

Emma nervously drummed her fingers on the headboard of Tim's bed, where they'd been sitting for the past couple of minutes. Did he mean that in a good way or a bad way?

"She's awesome, though!" Tim continued, an excited sparkle in his eyes. Emma's heart began to race. "Her powers are so cool! I mean, she can summon that big flytrap thing! What was it's name again?"

"Slack-Jaw?" Emma replied, a barely-contained smile on her face.

"Right, Slack-Jaw!" Tim recalled. "And did you see her new costume? The green jacket with the cool logo on it?"

"Mhm!" Emma hummed in response, happily recalling the day she was presented that jacket at Town Hall. The mayor had recognized her feats of heroism, and had the jacket tailor-made for her to replace that ratty old, ill-fitting red leather jacket she'd bought from a Goodwill in a scrambled effort to make a good costume. It still needed some tweaks now, but the new jacket was an excellent start.

"And now that she's getting lessons from Eagle Eye, she's only gonna get better!" Tim gushed. "She's just so- Aunt Emma? What're you smiling so hard for?"

God, Emma couldn't keep this secret any longer. She had to tell him.

"I have a question for you, bud," she began, resisting the urge to just tell him outright. "Did your mom ever say anything about both her and me having the Nitro Gene?"

Tim's eyebrows shot up. "Oh yeah!" he exclaimed. "But she said that you didn't like talking about your powers, so she never told me what they were. I figured you still wouldn't wanna talk about them, so I never asked."

Emma's heart fluttered. What had she done to deserve such a considerate nephew? "You wanna take a guess?"

"O-okay, but why n-" Tim cut himself off, the gears clearly turning in his head. After a few moments, he turned to Emma with a look of awed realization on his face. "W-wait, Aunt Emma... Are you saying that you're...?"

"Wild Flower?" Emma finished, eyeing him cheekily. "You bet!"

A smile slowly blossomed onto Tim's face. "No way!" he exclaimed. "B-but mom always said you didn't wanna be a superhero!"

"Well, people change their minds sometimes!" Emma retorted. "And I decided to finally put my powers to good use once I came back home."

"Wow..." Tim gaped breathlessly.

"But I'm still your Aunt Emma, first and foremost!" Emma quickly clarified. "I'm still the same person, just y'know... with plant powers."

"O-of course!" Tim stammered, his mind looking certifiably blown. His face grew serious. "And don't worry, I won't tell anybody about your secret identity!"

Emma snickered, tousling her nephew's hair. "I appreciate it, bud," she said, pulling him into a hug. "...Want me to introduce you to Slack-Jaw?"

"...Maybe."

[kob131]

Some advice to anyone trying to criticize a piece of media:

1. Good critique is identical to teaching, you gotta treat your target with respect, walk through why the issues exist and show them the right way. Not doing this (like just saying something sucks without explaining why, telling them they’re shit and not giving directions is just gonna make them ignore you and continue fucking up.)

2. Don’t shove your opinions into your critique. I know that media is subjective to a point but there are objective reasons why a piece of media exists and why it works/doesn’t work. For example, Twilight was basically made to be a trashy teen romance novel and why it doesn’t work is because it doesn’t sell the romance very well as well as losing focus and introducing elements that don’t work. Or the Avengers works because it appeals to a grandiose sense of heroism and defiance as well as cool action scenes and characters. It wouldn’t work if the movie tried to be more realistic and grounded due to how it conflicts with the larger than life nature of the movie series.

These things exist for a reason and either fail or succeed for a reason, all pertaining to what it was trying to do. If you do not like what it is doing and don’t consider how the intent behind a piece of media factors into that, then you’re just gonna come across as a holier than thou prick who think they have objective taste in media.

3. Fact Check. No seriously, fucking fact check your work. Make sure that if you are uncertain about what happens or what was said, look it up. Making an error in a critique can make you come across as a liar or just plain stupid and ruin your standing with the creator. Inversely, being factual and correct will make you come across as genuine and sincere, earning you goodwill with the creator and fans. I’m not kidding when I say this, more than once I’ve disagreed with a critic but admitted they were right because I could see they were right.

4. Don’t lie. I know this sounds obvious but it bear repeating. You may think that just ignoring this one line or mixing around these shots in a movie is okay because your thoughts are right but let me tell you: you’ve given up any right to call yourself a critic. Because no one who lies about their argument deserves to be right. This also includes ‘interpretations that are either not shown in the show or directly against what the creator intended. Just because you see sexism or racism or whatever in a piece of media does not mean it was intended or even exists.

I saw this happen A LOT with the Last Jedi. Everyone kept talking about how much ‘feminism propaganda’ was in the film but when I actually watched it: what was shown was a bunch of mixed around scenes that had seemingly been edited to fit their interpretation and not what the creator had intended. Thus I’ve lost all faith in them and it’s made Rian Johnson’s mudlsinging look a little justified.

5. Don’t be an asshole. Seriously, this is common sense. If someone walked up to you and started verbally abusing you and screaming in your face about how the earth wasn’t flat, it wouldn’t matter how correct they are. You will not accept it from them. They’ve made it so you are not conditioned to accept the correction. And thus, since it was their job to correct you, they have failed. Likewise, if you fail to correct a creator’s mistakes because you conditioned them to disregard you, you have failed. Just don’t be an asshole and you’ll have no fault even if they disregard you.

Now I hope this helps you out, because it is fucking stupid how many people get this wrong.

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT Rewatch 4x12 - Darkness on the Edge of Town

I hope my knowlEDGE on this episode will make for an engaging review! XD

...Yeah, this was a hard one to make a pun for. I miss the ice puns already.

Anyway, as I said, just below the cut, there’s an honestly fairly short review by my regular standards. If you feel like checking it out, go below the cut!

So, if you’re at all familiar with my reviews, by now you know that I usually post my main takeaways here, but this time, I don’t really have them and what I do have to say is small enough to not need a ton of elaboration. So instead, we’re gonna skip it this time and just go right to the Stream of Consciousness! With that being said...

Stream of Consciousness

-”Tried to impregnate.” Not even one minute in and we get a hentai joke!!! XD I love this series!

-You know, the music that play in the Storybrooke owner sounds like a somewhat harsher version of what is later the happy endings montage in Season 6, as if to say a lot is right, but not everything.

-I would honestly love more Snow and Bird interactions! XD

-Wait, so is Granny’s just closed, or is she babysitting WHILE running a popular diner! This woman is a freakin’ superhero! Also, where’s David?

-I love how Belle actually thinks to reach out to people outside the fairy tale world.

-”How could I have been so weak?” MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY.  

-”You -- you should’ve been stronger, but you weren’t, and well...neither was I.” No. I love Killian, Belle, but there was a difference between Killian being sort of manipulated (sort of -- the present segment of “The Apprentice” just sucks) and being straight up lied to.

-”I just hope he’s found whatever it is he’s looking for.” Umm, considering when you last saw him, he was looking to kill people and take over the world, you probably shouldn’t hope that! XD

-I repeat what I asked in the last episode: WHY are all of these fairytale creatures living in New York! I love my home state, but it is EXPENSIVE!

-You know, I just feel really bad for Ursula. We don’t see enough of what she did as a villain to hate her in any way and in this world, apparently all she can afford to eat is RAMEN! That is so fucking sad! This woman does not deserve this!

-”What you do is complain.” And what you do is mooch, Rumple! Don’t bitch at the person who is hosting you, especially when she’s pissed! See, the one thing about being a coward (And I am a big fucking coward) is that we’re not confrontative when we don’t have the power! XD

-I love the implication that Cruella just went around our land AND landed a rich husband with the name “Cruella.” XD

-You know, CAN Cruella kill in a land without magic? Because no one else’s magic works, so maybe she’s been free all along! ...But then again, she probably would’ve killed her husband, so I guess it’s more of a reverse Weaver situation. Actually, to serve my point, at the end of the scene, Cruella drives down and like by all means, should’ve killed this guy but instead gets flung back into a bush! The universe is conspiring against her!

-”Aren’t you tired of feeling ordinary?” Please, even in this world, Cruella’s far from ordinary! Besides, for the wham line that this is, Cruella’s problem wasn’t that she was ordinary -- it’s that she couldn’t kill!

-Okay, so apparently Regina has a weakness for root beer! I hate the stuff, but good to know!

-I love how Killian smiles at Belle as she tells them that she did it! He’s so proud!

-Cruella’s power is so fucking cool! She can not only control animals, BUT she can have her commands spread from one animal to another. Like, how did this woman not at the very least take over a whole town with an army of rhinos?

-How come Mal’s staff absorbed the fire instead of just...Mal? She’s a fire breathing dragon! Give her some extra fire!

-Or...CAN Cruella kill? Because Rumple knows she can’t kill, but is still afraid?

-I know that Blue and Regina are far from friends, but it’s weird how much focus is put on their dynamic in this episode. There’s a lot of hesitation whenever they interact and given how little they interact on a regular basis, it’s odd.

-Why wouldn’t Blue not know or even not think about the possibility of the Author working for The Sorcerer, or vice versa?

-When did Isaac have the time to leave these “hidden clues?” And how come neither Merlin nor The Apprentice had anything to say about them if they were rumors?

-”This isn’t our first monster bash.” I honestly love how freakin’ well oiled this town is at times!

-I’m honestly curious what a 4B where the Queens of Darkness do decide to leave Rumple behind would look like. Because Cruella would’ve at least considered it, let’s be honest. I’m not saying I’d have preferred that, but I would totally read a fic of that universe.

-You know, I like the subtle costume details of just how destitute Rumple’s life has become. Everything from his phone to his cane are of poorer quality and his coat looks like he got it out of Goodwill. It a really good instance of costuming telling a story.

-”The sea bitch.” To my knowledge, you and Ursula have never met! Why are you calling her a bitch?

-”Swallows the heart with the darkest potential.” I’m trying to think about this in regards to Emma, the character we’re supposed to believe fulfills that role. I mean, sort of. I can see her intelligence, ability to detect lies, and connection to her family and friends to have potential to be abused to the detriment of others. It’s an interesting concept. And given how life in Storybrooke, while rewarding in a lot of senses, has made her life complicated as all hell, I can see her having a lot of baggage about it.

-David, welcome to the fucking episode! Seriously, was Josh just sick this week or something?

-”What made you choose yellow?” I love how Regina asks this as a means of not freaking the fuck out that a Chernabog is chasing her! It’s a very Regina thing to comment on and it’s hysterical because of it!

-I like how Emma points out the hypocrisy at play with her parents not trusting these two lower tier villains.

-”Not as horrible as I once was. And if I deserve a second chance, so do they. How can I sit here looking for my happiness and deny two others a chance at theirs?” This is a FANTASTIC Regina speech. It really shows how Regina’s grown to be more self aware and better equipped to help redeem other villains.

-I kind of wish Rumple had more of a scared reaction to the possibility of not being let into Storybrooke. Like, the rest of his life depends on this.

-”Make friends, build relationships.” And NONE of this ever happens! XD

Favorite Dynamic

The Queens of Darkness and Rumple - These guys are the main dynamic and they really do provide the most entertainment value. First, I want to point out how cool it is that Rumple is the one with power (both actual and figurative) in the past segment while the queens are in the present. That’s just interesting storytelling. Second, what I love about them in the present is that they get just as exasperated as we do about how frustratingly vague Rumple often is and that they use their power in the situation to get him to fucking stop to some degree. Their frustration slowly but noticeably builds up in the episode as Rumple continues not really saying anything and finally explodes and that is honestly really cathartic to watch. For as much as I love Rumple for how cryptic he can be, its a quality of his character that can easily be overdone and in a meta-sense, this was pointed out in-universe and almost prevents him from losing his own plan of revenge.

Writer

Adam and Eddy start up our half season with a solid start. Again, there’s not a lot to say here because while these two episodes have stories, they’re not so much rooted in something like theme which can be analyzed. The characters are all in solid form, and Regina’s in particularly great form. I will say though, there is a clunkiness to a lot of the lines. Sometimes, it’s a matter of people giving weird exposition or explaining things in a way that characters shouldn’t be able to understand (Ex. The entire middle of Killian and Belle’s discussion, Rumple telling Ursula and Cruella about being the Oxford professor).

Rating

10/10. I feel like there’s a singular word to describe this episode: Utilitarian. It’s all setup and a bit of tying loose ends up with a really basic ‘working together is good’ storyline in the past and sort of present. That’s not to say that it’s bad -- far from it. It just means that there’s not a lot of story to comment on. But this is a good version of setting up a story and biting off a loose end of two. There’s a lot of fun and interesting dynamics, it’s great to see all of our main heroes working together, and the queens get to show off the bulk of their charisma and intrigue.

Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness”

Captain Swan - I love the bits of domesticity we get with Emma and Killian here. You can see that they’re really gotten the most out of these six weeks and have integrated themselves into each others lives. Like, the sequence at the beginning of the episode implies that this is a normal morning for the people of Storybrooke and Emma and Killian are literally part of each others routines! That shit is just too fucking cute!!! I’mma also plug my fic “Hero,” which is based around this episode. It’s one of my better work in my humble opinion and deals directly with Killian’s doubts in his own heroism that he displays in the hallway scene. Speaking of which, I do like the hallway scene. While I don’t like Emma giving Killian a total free pass, I do think that with the fairies, it’s warranted and deserved given how he very clearly didn’t want to go through with it.

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Thank you all for reading this pretty relaxed review. Sorry for all the delays lately, but I’m hoping I can pick up the pace from here.

Also, shoutout to @watchingfairytales and @daensarah. See you all next time!

Season 4 Total (105/230)

Writer Scores: Adam and Eddy: (34/60) Jane Espenson: (20/40) David Goodman and Jerome Schwartz: (30/50) Andrew Chambliss: (14/50) Dana Horgan: (6/30) Kalinda Vazquez: (14/40) Scott Nimerfro: (14/30) Tze Chun (8/20)

Operation Rewatch Archives

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[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT 4X04 - The Apprentice

Apprentice? More like Apprent-ICE, am I right?!

...Yeah, that’s all I got. Unfortunately, be warned because it’s not a fun time here today, so strap yourself in and join me under the cut.

Main Takeaways

Past

Gotta say, I love how the writers had the balls to say that the reason Anna and Elsa’s parents went away was to find a more permanent solution for Elsa. Was it the right thing to do? Whether you think it was or not, just the fact that they implied that was heavy.

I love that scream when Rumple gets his dagger back. Seeing how much he hates it is so effective and had he not been the undeniable villain of the episode and more specifically the segment, it might have done more to reapply sympathy to him and allow for a really effective display about why being cleaved of the dagger means so much to Rumple.

So, as a warning, I get pretty angry at the present segment of this episode and to remember that this segment of it exists was like a breath of fresh air. Anna and Rumple have consistent characterization and even throughout all of the twists and turns of this episode, those characterizations are never lost. Because of that, the story is far more powerful in delivering something cohesive and entertaining. Sometimes, for as simple as a story is, that’s what makes it something truly good. The latte segment tries to be all over the place and as I’ll go over shortly, fails so hard because of it.

Present

This episode...was never one I liked. For a while, I found it simply difficult to watch because well...I like Killian. Like with seeing his lips cursed in the last season or seeing Henry turn against Emma in the one before, it’s an action that made complete sense to me from a narrative perspective, but is nonetheless hard to watch and for some reason, this one is harder for me to watch than either of the others.

And after rewatching it, I kind of understand why.

It’s good in terms of being a morality play of sorts. Killian not being honest with Belle about Rumple’s secret is a horrible thing to do and the punishment, while brutal, does make sense given his crimes. Rumple’s manipulation and reverse psychology is so cutting to watch play out. While Killian is trying to improve, obviously, there are cracks to his still developing sense of heroism and Rumple knows how to exploit that into getting a lackey and making Killian pay. It’s a lot harder to enjoy since Rumple’s the villain of the episode, but I also understand that that’s a personally hard point.

That ALSO having been said, Killian’s near snapping points kind of suck. In the case of the first instance, it’s really fucking stupid for him to be so pissed at someone who simply tripped and caused some drink to fall on Emma’s dress. I don’t care what kind of psychology Gold played on him, it’s still really dumb. Now on some level, I get that given the “rings” speech Killian gives in Season 5 (Assuming that he came upon those rings before his encounter with Rumple, and at least one of them came afterwards) and that the move was clearly more subconscious than anything in how it was shot and how Colin played it, this is more up old Killian’s alley, but just...for all of Killian’s confidence, this is such a petty thing to make it falter and it stretches my suspension of disbelief just a smidge too much. The way that it’s played doesn’t help. It drags the date down in a really awkwardly written way where Killian is both enjoying himself and kind of can’t because of the hand. And in the second instance, the moment goes by so quick and is given such little focus that it’s just not as effective as the former point. I found both instances to be so utterly weak.

And how Killian goes after The Apprentice with barely a moment’s hesitation because of such small incidents isn’t really that well written to me. Like, what’s worse: Punching someone or allowing your arch enemy to have his fucking way with a man who very likely doesn’t deserve it? It doesn’t paint Killian in the way that the episode is trying to. The episode is trying to show that Killian is a good person with inner demons that hadn’t finished coming out, but that he wants to stop. But instead, Killian’s getting scared over basically nothing in terms of this series and rather than look for any other solution, opts to help Rumple do Merlin knows! And Killian does NOTHING as it happens! I thought I remembered an apology, but there isn’t one! He just stands there, makes no attempt to even subconsciously stop the hat, and it really grinds the wrong way against all the goodwill he’s accumulated.

The ONLY action of his that was bad, but I at least get the nucleus of is when he threatens Belle. He was angry at Rumple and was trying to irk him (Also, it might have been just metaphorically given the news he had). And when that’s all the segment can provide for me, then that’s just sad.

What’s more: For all the bravado made at the end of the episode for how much Killian will owe Rumple for this, Killian breaks four episodes later the MICROSECOND Emma’s threatened. And the time in between simply has Killian out of focus for the most part in regards to this dynamic! Look, I’m normally one of OUAT’s more defensive fans, but this legitimately, given all the characterization that was picked up only to be abandoned after this episode, must conclude that this episode was only meant to move the plot along by trapping the Apprentice, but unlike other episodes, I mean that in the worst way BECAUSE it tries for so much else only to abandon it afterwards.

And here’s the thing: If they were aiming to make Killian a villain protagonist in this episode, someone who we thought was good but was actually bad, I wouldn’t be complaining. I wouldn’t like it from an emotional standpoint because I don’t like Killian being hurt, but I do understand that Killian’s a character capable of great evil and an episode delving into that would’ve been great (That’s why I like the twist in “A Murder Most Foul” so much). But Killian is clearly, despite receiving Emma’s forgiveness, disturbed by the danger his possessed hand poses and that’s a good thing in both the audience’s perception and in the episode’s framing. Him wanting to get rid of that hand for that reason is a good thing. It’s not like he hurt David or Emma or someone else he cared about -- he hurt an asshole thief (As far as he knew) and was still freaked out enough to make a deal to get rid of the hand. And because of that, the framing is all over the place and seemingly can’t make up its mind about what it thinks of Killian here. And works akin to that can work -- my favorite musical is Hamilton and that show is as scathing as it is praising at times, but Alexander himself is a consistent character. Killian in this episode is about as consistent as curds and whey and it sucks. This came after one of the best Golden Hook scenes EVER. How did they fuck that up in such a way?!

I like how Emma shows real strides in taking the advice given to her about not letting another crisis stop her from living her life. She actually makes the choice to not only go out on a date, but to not chase a thief. She’s prioritizing the important things and living and that’s solid development.

There is literally no point to Henry working at Rumple’s shop. Nothing comes of this and that’s a shame! It contributes nothing to Operation Mongoose, derails this already derailed episode even more with the awkward way that it pops up, and its lack of depth deprives the audience of Neal bonding as well as Rumple and Henry bonding. And again, that sucks. It doesn’t even contribute to saving Killian, like the placement of the hat during the ending scene implies that it might, and that makes it doubly frustrating! Like, there was potential for this idea (Maybe have Henry ask some more questions or delve into Henry’s feelings on Rumple’s betrayal and how it affects Operation Mongoose later since the villain who seemingly got his happy ending lost it).

All Encompassing

I like the more subtle theme of backing away from temptation. Anna steps away from the temptation of saving her sister at the cost of the Apprentice (Or so she thinks) and this is correctly framed as the right thing to do. Killian both does this and doesn’t do this. He backs away to ask for his hook back upon seeing the damage he does to others, but doesn’t back away at the darkness of the cost of that hook (Allowing for Rumple to put the old man in the hat).

Stream of Consciousness

-Ooh! It’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice! M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E! XD

-I like that we got to see Zoso again. You know, seeing as he was Rumple’s mentor, I wonder what it was like for him to train Rumple. I HC that it wasn’t a long journey since Rumple adapted to the darkness fairly easily, but the dynamic would’ve been interesting to see nonetheless.

-What parent names their kid Zoso? And I thought Malcolm hated Rumplestiltskin! XD

-”No Dark One will ever possess what’s in that box.” ...Well, you’re half right.

-“No, but I want you to be happy.” Someone remind me one day to write a giant ass post about why I think the Captain Cobra dynamic is so good because believe it or not, a line like this actually boosts my love for this dynamic!

-That missed dart will brighten me up on my darkest days! :D

-”What are you, like 300?” Don’t get people started, Emma.

-I don’t think I ever realized how close Mr. Gold’s was to Granny’s!

-”You kept it all these years?” Rumple, I know revenge and self loathing and all that, but there is no heterosexual answer to this question! XD

-”This hand belongs to the man you used to be.” I kind of wane back and forth around how bad that dude actually used to be. On one hand, “Good Form” shows that Killian was raring to go, violence wise, but his behavior in Milah’s town in “The Crocodile” suggests that there were circumstances where he wasn’t a pillager. So was it just noble pillaging or was that just an exception? Opinions?

-”That’s just A through E.” Was that an Adam and Eddy reference? Because that’s pretty cute! XD

-So my journey with Killian’s Storybrooke outfit was a bit of an adventure. I didn’t like it when it first came out, but I will admit that that was partially because I was holding out for seeing him in a suit or even a tux AND I missed the pirate coat and the glorious chest hair we got because of it. BUT the more time that I spent with the outfit, the more I liked it and as of a few months ago, I now own a kickass custom Funko of this specific outfit! XD

-”It seems he indeed has changed his ways.” Killian, I get that you’ve gotta explain the sudden reappearance of your hand, but that might be a little too much, even for you.

-I didn’t realize it, but the Apprentice has some jokes to him! I like that bit of personality and wish we got a bit more of it.

-Killian, you don’t get to make poses like that and expect me to live through them!

-”Shouldn’t you be happy [That Marian’s frozen]?” Dude, whether she’s with someone or not, an innocent woman’s doing her best popsicle impersonation because of that frozen heart! Henry, not your best moment!

-That weird bit of Killian looking at his hand mid-kiss is DUMB! Like, I can almost forgive the dumb snapping point at the restaurant because it was somewhat unconscious, but this is Killian focusing on kissing Emma and just a LITERAL SECOND AGO, he was happy with his hands around her. That was simply a poor writing, shooting, and music choice.

-SNOW AND DAVID ON THE COUCH IS NEVER NOT FUNNY! XD

-Emma, don’t just leave your folks! Gossip!

-”Because I don’t want to.” I love how blatant and frank Rumple is with so many of his lines! XD

-We got flowers! We got a run in in a car! DATE NIGHT 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO!

-I love how Rumple’s such a fucking drama queen that he HAD the fucking hook on his person! XD

-I love how Storybrooke has a dedicated radio station! That must be the most interesting job in the world! If by some miracle, I’m ever transported to Storybrooke, I’m getting a fucking internship! XD

-And I love how Granny’s sponsors said radio station! Does she not have enough money?! XD

-Oh hey! Rip Van Winkle survived his deleted scene with Rumple and made it to Storybrooke! XD

-...Wow, Will. They were really planning something for you….I think. (Fun fact: You ever want to unlock my hidden salt? Talk to me about Will Scarlet, apparently! XD )

-I know a lot of people think Killian might have been homeless at this point in the series, but I HC that he just drank himself to sleep or that he just didn’t want to be around people for risk of hurting them.

-I love how Robert Carlyle plays Rumple when Rumple loving what he’s doing, but he’s in Storybrooke mode so he can’t exactly show it but still is showing it. Does that make sense?

-I KNOW YOU, RUMPLE! “OLD FRIEND” MY AUNT FROU FROU!

-YES! MICKEY MOUSE SAVES THE DAY! M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E, MOTHERFUCKER!!!

-Anna, I will forever love the fact that you call the most danger artifact in the OUAT world a “wavy knife.”

-I also love how she proceeds to say “please” to Rumple! XD

-Anna, you are my fucking hero!

-Anyone notice how The Sorcerer is very likely the owner of that gaudy af red and white car?

-”So here we are, Captain. Still in business together.” This line was always weird to me. It had no congruity with the story and for such a big line, it has no presence.

-Umm makeup? Will doesn’t look like he has a shiner.

-Damn, that investigation scene was weird.

-”...before the trail gets...cold.” Thank you, Emma for gracing me with a pun! I needed that!

Favorite Dynamic

Anna and Rumple. These two are fucking hilarious together! Rarely does Rumple get to have a back and forth with someone not only oblivious, but also hysterical and Anna meets this weird mix to a tee! Their banter is truly one of a kind and I’d have seriously loved more scenes of them together! I also love how Anna learns from Rumple! When she finally gets her hands on the dagger, she is VERY careful about how she handles Rumple and her commands! Seeing Rumple’s lip twitch as he is forced to save The Apprentice is just one of the greatest moments ever! Not only that, but I found their dynamic to be a little necessary. While Killian is getting his just desserts for doing bad in this episode (Though it might be a bit overkill-y (Or should I say, over KILL-I-AN XD) for me), Rumple is doing bad too in the present with no consequence and I feel like the flashback here showing his proverbial ass getting handed to him made that a lot more palatable.

Writer

Andrew Chambliss and Dana Horgan are our writers today. It’s actually Dana’s first and...it really shows. I don’t feel too guilty attributing the present segment to Dana as she’s written second on the writer’s list, but correct me if that’s a mistake of judgment on my part. There is no understanding of Killian’s character or what she wants to do with him here and because of that, he flops on the deck like a fish. And when you’re dealing with such a delicate dynamic as Killian’s and Rumple’s, you need to provide it Andrew’s segment of the episode however is fantastic! Everything is much more cohesive!

Rating

6/10. This was is many ways such a failure of an episode. I GET what they were trying to do -- expose cracks in Killian’s redemption so that the door was open to explore more with his character, but the result of the work here made Killian an incomprehensible mess. His morality is all over the place, but not in the way it intended. Honestly, if not for all the goodwill Killian developed earlier on and following this episode, this singular episode might have destroyed my love for his character. If this segment were on it’s own, it very likely would’ve been tied for the series’ low of 3/10. Thankfully, the past segment is such a redeeming factor here. The story is far tighter and the characterizations were done so carefully. Additionally, Mr. Gold is at least consistent in the present segment and Robert Carlyle’s performances here are excellent in selling that sanrmyness of Rumple’s. But the rest of it is trash and apart from the hat scene and the flashback, are completely irrelevant throughout the rest of the series.

Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness”

Captain Swan - So before we get into the squee of things, I gotta talk about Henry. Despite that “no,” Henry is the one to push Emma into that diner. If he didn’t want her asking Killian out, he wouldn’t have done that. I’ll get into this when I one day talk about how much I love Captain Cobra, but I love how Henry likes Killian, but his feelings towards Killian dating Emma are a lot more ambiguous. Okay, we good! Now let’s get into AWESOMENESS that is the date stuff! First off, Killian wastes no time focusing on the mission because he knows how important it is to Emma and assures her that they’ll find her, all the while oblivious to Emma’s adorable nervousness. And then she asks him out and he misses so adorably! And the age banter and the planning banter! Fuck! I just can’t! And I get to watch a whole date of them! I’m already in pain from smiling. But before that, I’ve got to point out how Killian, despite being a lot fucked up i his method, is going for his hand back on the off chance that Emma wants him to hold her! That is just too romantic! Rumple, you’re right about blackmail and his romantic side! Ok! I love those first few seconds where Emma and Killian cannot speak because they’re admiring each other so much. Like, oh my FUCK! That is too cute! And can we talk about And then we get the actual date and while Killian’s having his mini panic attack, Emma’s the one to comfort him and tell him it’s okay. I really like how they both support each other in this way! “Will you go out with me again?” Because I’ve seen that thread where people started the show because of a gifset of that and I’m STILL shook af! And Emma’s response with that kiss is too beautiful! Like, she can’t even think of how to verbalize how much “YES” she has in her so she decides to kiss that “YES” and burn it into everyone’s skull for all eternity! And the way she stands by the door once it’s closed...that’s actual perfection. Like, I can die a happy woman!

Rumbelle - I’m not gonna defend Rumple’s actions in this episode, but seeing just how far he goes to fuck with Killian for threatening his marriage really does show how much he values said marriage. I also loved the deleted scene where Belle returns to the library and think that would’ve been better had it made it on screen.

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I hate bitching about an episode and I wasn’t looking forward to doing it at all, so much so that I pushed doing this episode off twice! I want to say that hopefully that’s the last time I need to review an episode like that, but unfortunately, I’m not a fan of the next episode either. This...is gonna be a hard week.

BUT thank YOU all the same for reading! You made this bit of suffering worthwhile! And thanks to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales as well as @daensarah! See you next time!

Season 3 Total (35/230) Writer Scores: Adam and Eddy: (9/60) Jane Espenson: (10/40) David Goodman and Jerome Schwartz: (10/50) Andrew Chambliss: (6/50) Dana Horgan: (6/30)

*Links to the rest of my rewatch will no longer be provided. They take posts with links outside of searches and I spend way too much time on these reviews to not give them that kind of exposure. Sorry for the inconvenience, but they still can be found on my page under Operation Rewatch.