#lyrics and dialogue from Steven universe movie

[hattafan2593]

For @mpsansy

[grayintogreen]

I was not technically tagged, but at least two people on my dash were like DO WHAT YOU WANT NO ONE IS YOUR GOD, and you know what? They’re right and valid. 

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

96! And 90% of them are from just this year. Can’t wait to find out what the big 100 is gonna be. Any one of my WIPS could be Disney’s next 100th fic.

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

455,024 (also mostly from this year...)

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

In my entire life??? Since I was twelve??? I don’t even know, man. I wrote a lot of ooc crackfic and fic for cartoons when I was on FF.net, and then I was on LJ and wrote for a TON of different fandoms, but on AO3, I have written for Critical Role (so much CR), Yashahime/Inuyasha, Guardians of the Galaxy, His Dark Materials (TV), Steven Universe, Bleach, Alias, Supernatural, Dollhouse, Pushing Daisies (the last four were all transferred here from LJ, though)

4) What are your top five fics by kudos?

- turning wine back into water (Critical Role, de-aging fic with plot, 30457 words)

I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE HOW POPULAR THIS FIC IS. It beat out two of my super popular GotG fics that have been up since 2017 BY A LOT. Apparently, there was a market for the Mighty Nein being adorable cocktail brats and saving the world. Thanks, Liam’s Quest!

It is probably one of the most wholesome fics I will ever write too. I love it.

- Sunshine Came Softly (Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket and Mantis friendship, 3188 words)

THIS FIC STILL GETS HITS EVEN TODAY. It was written right after I saw the movie so it hit hard and fast on the hype train. 

- Mine Is Just a Slower Sacrifice (Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket-centric, 2248 words)

BOY YOU CAN TELL THESE FICS ARE ANCIENT BECAUSE I HADN’T DEVELOPED MY TITLE NICHE YET. where are the lower caps and Seanan McGuire lyrics!!

Anyway, this was written probably IMMEDIATELY after I saw the movie and had to process Rocket’s emotions during the last moments, because of who I am as a person. For what’s mostly a character study, it got some mileage on it.

- they drink dreamers up like brandy (Critical Role, 1625 words)

Back to Critical Role! I wrote this one when I was in a fucking blind post-finale haze and producing massive amounts of Kingsley content and I wanted to write a silly fic about Caleb being tiefling catnip. 

- if adversity breeds character (we’ve character enough for two) (Critical Role, Beau and Molly-centric, 1824 words)

I feel like most of my most kudos-ed CR fics are Beau-related, which is funny because I never really wrote her EVER. I guess I need to write her more often. ANYWAY, this one got jossed immediately after 141, but I needed to write Beau and Molly bantering and I couldn’t get her flipping him off after revealing her card is Rumor out of my head.

(Incidentally my sixth most kudos-ed fic is my Fjorester next gen fic, WHICH I WAS NOT EXPECTING AT ALL. IT’S A FIC BASED ON MY OC FANCHILDREN!! I’M VERY EMOTIONAL ABOUT THAT!!)

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Usually!! There are times when I forget and then it’s been so long that I never go back, but I like responding to comments. They make me so happy and I want to make sure the people who take the time to comment know that I see them and appreciate them. Especially if they give me long comments. You long commenters know who you are and I value you and also flail incoherently in your direction.

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

God, probably this church takes no conversions simply because, like, the whole ending scenes are MISERABLE AND FULL OF ANGST and then it has the hopeful ending that is actually a bullshit lie.

But second place probably goes to what couldn’t i offer, what couldn’t i give, which is just misery porn in disguise as a character study. Sorry, Cree.

7) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Okay, so back in the day when I was a tineh fanbrat I wrote a lot of self-indulgent crossovers featuring my friends and I in true Mary Sue format being ~saviors of the world~ alongside our favorite fictional characters and after I grew out of that, I very rarely did it again, because as someone who can only write AUs if they’re high concept and can only write crossovers if the canon welding is pristine, it’s difficult.

I have ideas for some! I just haven’t written them yet. Or they’re sitting in Google Docs partially written.

8) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not to my recollection, which is insane, because I’ve written some things in my youth that deserved it, but also I was a kid, so maybe I definitely did not deserve it. Don’t send hate to kids!!

9) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

The first smut I ever posted on AO3 involved some fucking American Gods flesh horror shit, so that answers your second question.

Basically, yes, but I write smut to facilitate character development in a way that regular story beats can’t, mainly with characters who are in some way deeply fucked up and have unbalanced dynamics. 

So basically chances of me writing smut that isn’t Creecien or Lucigast? Very low. (I haven’t written Lucigast smut yet but I will. Inevitably.)

10) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that anyone’s told me, but one time when I was a teenager someone ripped off an entire group messageboard RP I was in and tried to pass it off as a fic they wrote.

11) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that anyone’s told me!

12) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I tried and it did not work out, because of (non-wanky) reasons, but it’s just not something I’d be very good at. I was the kid who wanted to work alone on group projects. I’m bad at group work.

13) What’s your all time favourite ship?

That I’ve WRITTEN??? Because that at least narrows it down significantly. Sesshoumaru/Rin hands down. It’s a good dynamic and they’re fun and sad at the same time. 

My self-indulgent ass does also enjoy writing Creecien though. I’m putting it out there because I want it.

14) What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

GOD POOR SUPERNOVAS OF ALL SOUND AND LIGHT. THAT FIC COULD’VE BEEN A CONTENDER, but I unfortunately posted it RIGHT BEFORE the White Diamond episodes aired and it became so jossed by canon so fast that I gave up on life with chapter two half finished. I need to delete it but I can’t bring myself to bury my shame.

15) What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and meta-narrative and character-specific stuff. I go into every story with CHARACTER FIRST mentality, which is how I end up writing so many damn character studies or why my word counts explode. I’m just out here naval gazing because I love character stuff SO MUCH.

I’ve been told I’m good at fight/action scenes too, which... Shocks me, but I think watching and playing a lot of D&D stuff has really improved how I write fighting and action sequences.

16) What are your writing weaknesses?

[whispers] too much naval gaze. dial it back, bitch. 

I get really caught up in character stuff and forget to do important things like ADVANCE THE SCENE OR DESCRIBE THE SCENE OR LITERALLY ANYTHING. I also don’t think my prose is all that great, but I’m pretty sure every writer feels that imposter syndrome bullshit, so /waves hands. All I’m saying is I have seen some writers on AO3 who are writing some fucking vivid imagery and stringing flawless sentences together and weaving introspection and description together like beautiful baskets and they are stronger than any US Marine and I salute them and wish to be them.

17) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Iiii try not to. There’s times where I want to throw in, like, a little Zemnian for Caleb flair, but I try to stick to things that are either untranslatable (like German compound words), common phrases (like please or come here), or insults/curses/ pet names. Things that I don’t think Google will fucking lie to me about.

18) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I think it was a Sailor Moon crackfic about Haruka being forced to enter a beauty pageant which was just a blatant rip-off of Ms Congeniality and oh my god was it awful. I don’t even wanna talk about it.

19) What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

this church takes no conversions, probably BECAUSE it’s my little red-headed stepchild of a fic involving so many things that are just never going to make it popular (backstory fic, fic that is almost 85% headcanon, doesn’t involve popular characters, etc.), but godDAMMIT I love that fic so much. It was fun and I use every bit of that headcanon in almost everything like it’s my job.

shattered stage is a close second, because it was such a crazy concept for a fic that I PULLED OFF SOMEHOW and is this wonderful mix of crazy plot and character and lore and my three favorite tieflings having to work together. And also Jayne Merriweather as the main villain. 

A lot of love went into both of those fics and they are my babies. this time next year we’ll see if I add Creedemption and shoot at fate to this list- probably. All of my epic long fics resolve to be my babies because I spent so much time on them, and I have to love them and cherish them because I raised them into gigantic wordy attempts to write a doorstopper.

[ramblingguy54]

How do you feel about the sudden shift in pacing in SUF? Personally, I was so disconcerted at first, I thought that it was /worse/ than the original series, then I rewatched, and realized that it was just really different. It's definitely a lot more blunt in the humor, and of course there's the whole Steven-not-knowing-everything-anymore-thing. What do you think?

The overall pacing of Steven Universe Future has been very enjoyable!

I genuinely find it to be pretty damn good actually, as its focus is crystal clear on where it should be. That being Steven Universe’s inner dilemma of what he’s supposed to do now the whole massive conflict with the Diamonds has been solved. As much as I loved Steven Universe’s story when it focused on the main conflict surrounding the Crystal Gems against their own planet and learning more about each of them, along with Rose’s entire backstory too, it still suffered from some of the Beach City episodes dragging it down in the pacing when it could’ve focused more on the other characters, like further exploring Lapis and Peridot’s chemistry for example. That isn’t to say I hated every single one, as some were actually enjoyable and gave me an appreciation for them in a sense. Sometimes it’s okay to take a breather and have a simple slice of life episode. Fun fact, I didn’t get into watching the OG series, until the movie was released last year, so that gave me more of a tolerance for the Beach City episodes. Makes me very glad that I waited this long because hoo boi some of the hiatus issues I’ve heard about from a close friend of mine, who got into watching this series when it first aired back then, weren’t pretty. LMAO!

Anyways, the idea surrounding Steven’s characterization of not-knowing-everything-anymore-thing, as you’ve put it, isn’t actually as weird, from I’ve heard some people make it out to be for a form of criticism that people on Tumblr have made rebuttals against before. It’s wonderfully consistent with what Steven’s character is all about and that’s trying to figure out his place in the world. This has always been a consistent struggle for himself, like the lyric mentioned in the full version of the series opening from Steven.

“I will fight to be everything that everybody wants me to be when I’m grown!”

Steven’s whole internal conflict surrounds not knowing whether or not he can exactly be like his mother, which puts a shit ton of insecurities on his own self-worth into trying to fit in with the other Crystal Gems because he’s not your average-every-day-kid that you see in society. He’s a special hybrid of human/gem that neither side of the species connected to him has ever seen before and that puts a ton of pressure onto how the boy feels a need to connect with both sides of himself. While he already has a deeply loving relationship with his father, Greg, Steven also wants to better understand that Gem lineage and why his mother was so revered by what he perceives to be these amazing warriors, who fight evil. Never mind putting this onto a kid’s existence, as soon as he or she’s brought into reality, but even an adult would struggle a lot with all this stuff. As the original story progressed, Steven learns all of the hardships the Crystal Gems faced many centuries ago and what his own mother did to protect the Earth in exchange for many issues Steven would have to handle, as soon as Pink Diamond gave up herself to create the child.

Holy shit, did he ever have to handle the baggage from Pink Diamond.

You should’ve shattered me back then. At least if I were in pieces, I wouldn’t have to know how little I mattered to you. You didn’t even tell em. You bubbled me away and didn’t ever tell your friends! MY friends!

I’m going to tell them. I’m gonna tell them everything.

Then you really are better than HER…

Pivotal moments, like in the episode centered around Bismuth, paint everything in an entirely different light for Steve’s ideals based around his mother. At first, Rose Quartz was implied to be an individual who could do no wrong to any living thing, but hindsight from Bismuth’s trauma paints everything in an entirely different light for this poor boy having to take on the entire blunt of this figurative dagger. A question that is represented in the episode, Storm In The Room.

Did you make me, just so you wouldn’t have to deal with all your mistakes!?

Is that all I’m here for…?

I’ve went into more detail about this episode in a previous ask surrounding this topic, so you can check that one out in your free time, but the point I’m making here is Steven has centered a lot of himself around the idea of Rose Quartz being a self-less individual and helped many others through her actions that put this entire series into motion in the first place, but when all of that from this kid’s perspective is thrown out the window through tragic events that also happened in part because of her decisions, Steven starts questioning everything about his life. I’d like think in these moments Steven’s internal dialogue is worded around these types of statements.

“I wanted to be a savior, like her. Although, she did bad things, too! Am I no different from her? Can I truly help people without hurting them in the process?”

That’s why he helped the Crystal Gems in The Test Season 1 episode feel better about their own issues, while hiding how hurt the boy felt about being lied to about the obstacle course being 100% percent un-failable because Steven adopted the selfless image of his mother in this important moment. Steven listened in on a private conversation he had no business hearing from Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl that fueled this idea further of becoming a savior to all living things and put into perspective that these “amazing warriors” were in fact very insecure like himself and needed Steven in their lives, just as much as he did.

That’s why he helped heal Lapis before.

That’s why he helped Peridot open her eyes and come outta her shell.

I could go on and on, but in a nutshell Steven has made life revolve around others so much that feels only natural to help anyone he can, considering that’s what his mother believed in. Even if they’re morally questionable individuals, Steven still tries to see the good in everyone. His angry statements against Lars attitude about Rose put all of that into perspective to contemplate about.

What do you know about my mom!? I didn’t even get to know my mom, but I do know she saw beauty in everything! Even in stuff like this and even in jerks like you!

Steven’s only known what to do because he’s adopted the ideals of his mother so much. Kind of like being brought into existence like your typical Gems, where they’re programmed to feel that way and commit the actions they’re all built for. It’s poetic honestly that he’s helped everyone, but not himself in the long run. These issues were piling on since the start because Steven didn’t have to worry about feeling inferior because he could always help everyone in this series, but now that the events of Steven Universe Future have occurred this puts everything into a more deeply poignant light for the kid entering a more mature phase of his life now and is going to reflect on every little aspect of himself.

There’s no such thing as happily ever after. I’ll always have more work to do.

But if there’s nothing to work out…

Steven Universe Future is a brilliant character study pay off to all those five seasons that were paving the way to this cementing the idea that Steven has issues that are spiraling outta control from putting all of independence into the idea that he has to be a savior like his mother was. Much like how Spinel was so attached to Pink Diamond as a “best friend”, Steven puts so much faith into the mindset that he has must stick his guns and stay that perfect savior everyone knows/loves. It’s unhealthy emotional attachment that is coming to light with these Pink outbursts of his. While he still loves what his mother stood for, despite feeling very conflicted about her in general these days, still strives to be the best parts of her and not the worst, hence the ending of the Rose Buds episode where he puts the painting of her pure persona into Lion’s mane realm.

It’s entirely reversed roles now where the Crystal Gems and mostly everyone are fine, but Steven is far from being emotionally stable currently in recent events. Steven Universe The Movie built the subversive punchline that this epilogue series has been delivering strongly on so far and hope it will continue to do so. I’ve loved how they’ve deconstructed Steven’s characterization.

To end this lengthy post, I’ll refer to these words from Jasper that sums up everything on Steven’s issues. She may have been seriously harsh, but Jasper aint wrong in some ways about Steven feeling very low on himself in general.

You think everyone needs help, but its only you! No one is as pitiful as you!

On a side note, regarding the humor real quick in Future, I can see why you’d think its more blunt. It’s very on the nose with how much it pokes fun at itself, but honestly I don’t have issues with it all. I don’t know about you, but I find it fucking hilarious how they’ve been openly taking potshots at their previous ideas in the story line. I’m always down for a creative team being snarky with themselves!

Thanks for taking the time to read this detailed post of mine! =)

[sufferlessgrowmore]

Here We Are In The Future: A Few Words About My Week (And Steven Universe The Movie)

So I’ve got good news and better news.

The good news is: I *did* finish reading An Unquiet Mind (on Monday).

The better news is: I also got to watch the premiere of Steven Universe The Movie!

A few words, right off the bat: It was delightful.

A few more words:

Steven Universe is one of my favorite shows on television. Since roughly the end of its first season, I’ve been a diehard fan of this magical and musical adventure, for a variety of reasons. For one, it’s incredibly sweet. Centering itself on the adventures of an unconventional family of superpowered beings known as the Crystal Gems, Steven Universe is a show that is first and foremost about love, in its many forms. For another thing, it is emotionally intelligent in a way that few shows of any genre can match. Its characters deal with hardship, inter- (and intra-personal) conflict, feelings of alienation, loss and self-doubt and solve more of their problems through talking than through punching.

The last and probably hugest factor contributing to my love of the show is the music. Whether we’re talking the varied orchestrations of Aivi and Surasshu or the lyrical works of showrunner Rebecca Sugar, Steven Universe is a show that lives and dies (but mostly lives) by its music. After 5 seasons of occasionally, but not indulgently breaking into song, Steven and his friends finally got a chance to live out a full-fledged movie musical.

Steven Universe The Movie, in addition to being an elegant and enjoyable next step in Steven’s journey, is in many ways an homage to the many great musicals that have graced the silver screen across the ages. From its opening, expository credits sequence--sung angelically by the former members of the Diamond Authority (Christine Ebersole, Lisa Hannigan and Patti LuPone)--to its forays into a myriad of musical genres, the soundtrack to Steven Universe The Movie has something for just about every emotion and taste. 

The sounds are well complimented by the visuals, which benefit from a cinematic budget in more ways than one. An early sequence, featuring probably the stand-out number in a film filled with stand-out numbers, sees the Gems facing off against the film’s antagonist, and the resulting battle flows at an expressively break-neck pace that no episode of the show has been able to match. In true Steven tradition, the film’s primary thrust is not the seeking of escalating violent conflict, but when a fight does break out, the animation team does an excellent job of bringing the boarders�� visions to life.

The trouble with many musicals is that when you take away the music, you are left with very little story to speak of. The writers of Steven Universe are used to using dialogue to good effect, and not every scene needs song and dance to convey its message or solve its conflict. However, many key moments in the film’s story are amplified by the musical number at its heart. “Independent Together,” which punctuates probably the biggest fan-service moment of the film, is one example. “Other Friends,” performed by newcomer Sarah Stiles, is another, serving as a character introduction, a villain song and a powerful engine for one of my favorite scenes.

Episodes of the show are, for the most part, only eleven minutes long, so Sugar and her song-writing collaborators are used to packing a lot of story into relatively small musical packages. Given they have a run time of a feature film to work with, one would think more songs would be the length of lead single “True Kinda Love” or energetic opener, “Happily Ever After,” but some of the movie’s most memorable and poignant tunes are only a minute or so long. An intimate number late in the film, “Found,” is over nearly as soon as it begins, but it sticks in the heart so easily that when it is reprised at the film’s conclusion, one can’t help but crack a smile. 

There are a few mysterious elements left even after repeat viewings that are less theoretical in nature and more nit-picky--how to explain the speed of the antagonist’s arrival to Earth and the method she used to procure her most threatening weapon among them--but the film, like the show, is less about mechanics and more about “truth,” emotional and otherwise. And the truth is, Steven Universe The Movie is more than many fans could have asked for. It doesn’t do the messy work of showing Steven take the Diamonds to task for their tyrannical actions in the past, nor does it take time to visit every tertiary character in the show’s history--but it is made with such artistry, love and heart that you can’t begrudge it for staying focused on what matters. In the case of Steven Universe, what matters is that the characters we’ve known and loved are still just as precious as we remember them, not because they’ve remained static, but because they’ve grown and changed. And as for the character’s we’re just getting to know, it seems they’re on their way to doing the same.

More on my students later this week.

Life will pass through, keep being you.

Sincerely, MM

[antique-symbolism]

11/11/11

so I was tagged by TWO people for the 11/11/11 questionnaire (I love you guys!) where you answer 11 questions about your WIP, tag 11 people, then ask those people 11 of your own writing questions. Instead of answering 22 questions and keeping everyone including myself here all night, I’ll pick half the questions from @sarmarble and half from @limassol-writes !

1) What do you like most about your WIP? (asked by limassol-writes)

I love the dynamic between my characters and I think I’ve come up with a lot of really clever dialogue exchanges, both funny and serious. I also love the familial relations and backstories I’ve built for the characters, especially in Jacket’s family.

2) Which of your OCs is your favorite? (asked by limassol-writes)

For my current WIP, and this will surprise nobody, it’s Jacket! I love their dry, sarcastic humour and I love the complexity that arises from them being someone who is deeply loving and loyal but is, at the same time, going through intense struggles confiding and connecting with others. Also they’re a vampire and ya’ll KNOW how I feel about vampires.

3) First WIP? (asked by limassol-writes)

I often say my first real WIP was Division Four in 2009 (9th or 10th grade) which I continued until something like my freshman year of college. It was pretty cliche; it was about kids with special superpowers who were being tested on at a shady facility that may or may not have been with the government.

Even though the plot was definitely nothing original and I’ve grown so much as an artist since then, I can recognize certain aspects of character development and writing style that were surprisingly mature and I will always love it for what it meant to me at the time and how it had a lasting impact on who I became as a writer.

My apologies to OCs Allin, Pi, Dess, and Dec, since you’ll never get your stories properly told. I still love ya’ll with all my heart and I hope you take down Divisions Four and Eleven someday and escape to a better life.

4) Which scene from your WIP brought you the most outside of your comfort zone? (asked by limassol-writes)

One scene I wrote which was kind of combat-oriented, since I don’t write action very often and it’s not an action-heavy book by any means! Also I’ve written a little bit of romance between Kofi and Analyn for a companion book about Jacket’s family, and I’ve never really written romance before but I love Kofi and Analyn so much that I had to do it okay

5) What form of media is most inspiring to you: books, movies, tv shows, videogames, or something else? (asked by sarmarble)

I find all of them inspiring, but I think out of the stories that have touched me most, most have been TV shows! I think it’s something about the way television gets to be paced, and the way you can focus on multiple character arcs without feeling like you’re drawing too much attention away from other characters.

(I actually think CCGCCL would work best as a TV show, but given my lack of resources, I can definitely make it work as a book!)

6) What are your top 3 fictional relationships, platonic or romantic? (asked by sarmarble)

Is it too much to have one of my own works in here because listen guys, I live in a constant state of having feelings about Jacket’s parents, Kofi and Analyn.

I also have constant feelings about Jack O’Neill and Samantha Carter in Stargate SG-1, BOTH platonic and romantic because the show has always always always shown them first and foremost as teammates and family (I can actually talk your ear off about ANY relationship in SG-1).

I also love Peridot and Lapis Lazuli in Steven Universe as best friends!

7) Do you listen to music as you write? If so, what kind of music? (asked by both people!)

Only sometimes! Usually if I’m having focus issues and/or if I really need to get into a specific mood. I usually can’t focus with lyrics, so either I’ll listen to lyrical music then write after I get into the mood, or I’ll listen to music without lyrics.

8) If you had to, what books/movies/tv shows would you compare your WIPs to? (asked by sarmarble)

I know, I know, everybody is sick of me talking about the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers! But it truly was a core inspiration for CCGCCL and I can’t help but draw the comparison in terms of how I want the pacing and characterization to happen.

9) Were there any books that made you decide to start writing? If not, why did you start writing? (asked by sarmarble)

The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins and Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda were the two series that made me fall in love with fantasy! But I think I always wrote, even younger than that, and I can’t remember why I started. It just always made sense to me! 

10) Have you ever found your real life decisions influenced by one of your OCs? (asked by limassol-writes)

I go to fictional characters for advice all the time, and that includes my own OCs!

11) Favourite book you had to read in school? (asked by limassol-writes)

I remember reading And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie in seventh grade and absolutely hating the first 2 chapters, but after that it REALLY picked up and I loved it! I also loved Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix in sixth grade, and even though I hated Watership Down at the time, it’s one of my favourite books now after re-reading it in high school.

---

Tagging 11 people to answer the following!

Is there any genre you won’t write?

If you could collaborate with any writer on a project, who would it be?

Write a review that you hope somebody would leave on your current WIP.

Do you have any cool foreshadowing used in your current WIP you want to share?

What is one fear you have about your writing?

Are you aiming to publish? Do you want to self-publish, or publish traditionally?

Have you had any fun daydreams about being a famous writer/having a work published?

Any inside jokes or references in your WIP that very few people will understand?

Have you ever written under the influence (alcohol, drugs, etc)? If so, what was that like?

Weirdest thing you’ve done for the sake of “writing research”?

Do you belong to any writing communities (online or offline)?

I officially tag anybody who wants to answer these questions! But also specifically:

@mascmalfunction @the-midwrite-oil, @pbjplatypus, @dimmadarn, @luna-evans-writes @elliswriting @tinybroodinggay @therealghoulfieri​ @thelonelyrainbowenby​ @wardoffthenight​ @abalonetea​

[pitofghosts]

Hi! Matilda from the children's lit asks please?

Hey! I already answered this one here but I mentioned that most of my storytelling influences come from things that aren’t books, so I’ll talk a bit about that here.

Shakespeare’s Macbeth: Had to do this twice in high school (grade 10 and grade 12) so I’m very, very familiar with it. The drama, the motivations, the characters, the symbolism. I can find little inspirations from it hidden in my own work. (Lady Macbeth has always been a fav and I find pieces of her cropping up in my characters sometimes.)

Avatar: The Last Airbender: My love, my love, my love. Watched it once when I was young and rewatched it last summer, fell in love with it all over again. I think the story is incredible, the world is incredible. Balances humour and heavy topics perfectly. I love how it treats its women as people. Love it so much.

WTNV: I get playful with first person narration because of how Cecil uses it. This (and other podcasts) have definitely been an influence on how I write dialogue.

Anything Don Bluth: Stories with religious themes that aren’t expressly about religion (The Secret of NIMH, The Land Before Time). Not being afraid to get silly and go “just because” while also having darker themes. I think his stuff is also just fun because of how many of his own tropes are just in all of it. You can always tell who the villain is because they have big teeth.

The Russian Revolution: Anastasia is a story I’ve consumed multiple times from multiple sources, whether it be books, songs, movies (yes, of course the Don Bluth one, but also others), musicals, etc. Something about secret royalty has always, always appealed to me.

The French Revolution: What can I say? Real world history and politics interests me a lot.

Hamilton: Listened to it a lot in 2016 when I went to summer school for reasons I still don’t understand. Definitely taught me that no matter how silly or out there an idea might be, people might still love it. The way LMM portrayed Hamilton in the first act (scrappy and ambitious and without the ability to keep his mouth shut even if it’s in his best interest) is a trait a lot of my characters find themselves with.

Waitress: This is a musical! I love it so much. Idk how it influences me tbh but I just wanted to give a shout out to it. I love how it’s so quiet, such a slice of life... It’s also very much a woman-centric story which I think the world can never get enough of.

Steven Universe: I’m kind of weary about putting this on here. I loved the show when it first came out, and although I do think it has a neat premise of deconstructing its original premise (original premise: magical girls raising a human boy, what it turned out to be: three alien revolutionaries raising the son their leader sacrificed herself to bring into the world). Definitely influenced my preference for character driven storytelling in genres that are usually plot driven.

It also showed me how not to handle pacing, that storyboarders are good at jokes and not longterm planning, and how a story can fall a part when the vision of the creator and the team don’t match up.

Ludo: This is a band. I love their lyrics. Their songs are so full of personality, and often, stories! It’s beautiful.

Los Campesinos!: Also a band. Their lyrics use words so, so beautifully. Definitely influenced how I use words. My favourite song title of theirs is “This is how you spell “HAHAHA We Destroyed The Hopes and Dreams of a Generation of Faux-Romantics”

[forest-of-stories]

Femslash February Prompt Call

I will write drabbles or ficlets for the first ten people to leave me an ask that names an f/f pairing from any of the fandoms listed below, with a line of dialogue/phase/song lyric as a prompt.

Gravity Falls

Black Lightning (TV)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Revolutionary Girl Utena

Runaways (Comics)

Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

Steven Universe

Supergirl (TV)

X-Men (movies or Evolution)

Young Justice

Caveats: I am not interested in incest pairings in most of those fandoms. I don’t hate AUs, but I prefer scenarios that are plausible within, before, or after canon.  And, as always, I reserve the right to say, “I won’t write that.”

[lattetimes]

So How About Them New Episodes, Ammirite Ladies??

here’s what i thought of the new episodes via live reactions as i watching them!

overall, it was kinda underwhelming but there were parts that i really did like! and if you liked these episodes, that’s awesome!

MAYOR DEWEY WINS

was this title a reference to the movie/book John Dies at the End, cause if so then i’m shocked i caught that

apparently it is, would you look at that. btw i kinda liked the movie.

damn, Sadie took this hard. and Steven never told Lars’ parents. so i guess Sadie has to do that herself.

why tf does Steven care if Dewey wins?!

OH, IT’S BECAUSE HE DON’T WANT SHIT TO CHANGE AND HE THINKS HAVING A NEW MAYOR WOULD BE BAD WTF DEWEY DOES NOTHING

ok wow, there’s only 24 people in Beach City and he never noticed that Lars was gone!?

“is that why the donut shop was closed?”

“we’ll hire a new donut boy!” DEWEY. DUDE. ARE YOU FOR REAL?!

“high school mayor” lmao

how did he run unopposed for 10 years!?

LARS’ MOM KEEPS A SHITTON OF TOMATOES IN HER PURSE SHE READY TO THROW DOWN ALL THE TIME

i don’t like that Steven is so adamant on Dewey winning.

jesus, Steven, let Nanefua win. she’s obviously the better person for the job

“i’m done pointing my finger at you, and now i direct all my fingers on both my hands to the citizens” top 10 anime deaths

NANEFUA WINS, OH MY GOD YES

STEVEN, DUDE, REALLY?! LEAVE CONNIE ALONE!

“i don’t know what you’re talking about, but i need to get a new job” 2018 mood tbh

episode rating: 2 tomatoes out of 5. i can’t stand Steven in this episode at all. but hey, NANEFUA WON!!!!!!

RAISING THE BARN

....was Lapis’ main concern that Steven dropped his phone on Homeworld? not the fact that he was... idk... ON HOMEWORLD?!

ok Lapis is ready to bail immediately and tbh i dont blame her

did she just uproot the entire bard wtf?! 

BARN THE DIAMONDS, BARN THE DIAMONDS, BARN THE DIAMONDS!

episode rating: 1.5 barns out of 5. BARN THE DIAMONDS, BARN THE DIAMONDS, BARN THE DIAMONDS!

GEMCATION

^ mfw Amethyst basically spat an egg out her mouth (it was kinda gross)

well. Greg got some kinda house.... still don’t get why the crew is so against having Greg get a house

also, where’s Peridot?

“remove all shoes before entering” Pearl fucking THROWS A RANDOM ASS PAIR OF SHOES

OKAY PEARL SCREAMING “PARTY GUY, NO!” WAS ACTUALLY KINDA FUNNY

S H O W M E P A R T Y G U Y Y O U C O W A R D S

“Steven, you should join me. become a raisin” ok Garnet

did. did Steven completely cut Garnet off as she was talking about Pink Diamond and the Gem War with the whole, “yeah, yeah, i get it, Mom. i already heard this story” kinda thing? B R U H that ain’t okay

AND GARNET JUST SHUTS UP AND WAS LIKE “good, you understand”

PEARL WAS GONNA STRAIGHT UP ADMIT TO SOME HUGE THING AFTER HER “THERE ARE THINGS THAT ARE IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO EXPLAIN” LINE AND HE CUTS HER OFF WITH “CONNIE HATES ME”

WHY COULDN’T STEVEN AT LEAST TELL THESE FOUR THAT HE WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT CONNIE HATING HIM?!

I’M KINDA GETTING SICK OF SEEING STEVEN MOPE LIKE THIS FOR 3 EPISODES STRAIGHT AND I HOPE HE DOESN’T KEEP THIS UP FOR THE NEXT 2

OH NO, PLEASE DISREGARD ALL OF THE MESSED UP THINGS YOU SAW ON HOMEWORLD CAUSE CONNIE IS (rightfully) UPSET WITH YOU. LARS D I E D.

GUITAR DAD SAVES THE DAY

i love Greg Universe

how would you not notice if you aren’t getting any service on your phone? your phone tells you when you’re getting service or not

bruh you almost made your dad drive off a cliff for you to get phone service

Greg Universe is a ride or die kinda guy

this ending shot is cute, i’ll give you that. 

episode rating: 2 party guys out of 5. Party Guy should’ve bitten Steven’s phone and his shit attitude. also PEARL WTF ARE YOU TELL US ALREADY

BACK TO THE KINDERGARTEN

Connie i miss you

“of the three things i have to do in the sink now, this is the one i least mind you seeing” B R U H

 Peridot listens to country music, this is disgusting

HOLY SHIT AMETHYST IS TOSSIN’ PERIDOT AROUND LIKE SHE WEIGHS NOTHING AND I’M CRACKING UP

“can i bring my music?” “NO.” damn Amethyst you already threw Peri around like she ain’t nothin’, let her bring her music if it’ll help her

aaaay, they’re in the train again!

dang, Peri really loved the barn.

i kinda like that Amethyst is going around trying to figure out which member of the Famethyst came out of which part of the Kindergarten. kinda cute. 

so everything is seriously determined by the nutrition, right down to the style of a Gem’s hair? ...huh. iron deposits determine hair styles.

damn, Peri went with a sucker punch to the gut with her little speech about how Kindergartens kill off life and are just “lifeless husks” once all the Gems are done being formed. and Amethyst feels awful about it, dang.

ok. there’s a flower growin’ in the Kindergarten, and that should technically be impossible due to all of the nutrients in this one area being used up. this could be interesting.

ok, so now the trio is gonna farm & see what happens. ok, ok, i can roll with this i guess.

FARMING MONTAGE

look at them flowers

they proud

don’t make Peri live here

why the flamingo thingy taller than both of them

gods i didn’t need to see Steven happily showering

they’re talking about how the flowers are probs gonna look beautiful i bet they all died, they’re too positive about this. $5 them flowers are dead.

them flowers are dead,

...now they’re arguing, cause Peri blew up on them. alright. this ain’t good.

aaaaaaaaaaaand Peri crushed the original flower that grew here. both Steven & Amethyst made pained whimpers. ok. this ain’t good.

oh it’s a Gem creature- haven’t seen one of those in a while!

IT ATE PERIDOT HOLY FUCK

SMOKEY QUARTZ IS BACK

ngl i like Smokey’s theme music

btw there’s no dialogue from Smokey, just a quick 2 second thing

Peri doesn’t reform with a star on her

ok, that was kinda cute. and having a technician that also likes gardening is cute too

episode rating: 3.5 dead sunflowers outta 5. it was an okay episode & i did like it. 

SADIE KILLER

heh, i get it. cause lady killer.

oh god, that looks bad

WHY IS THAT MOP SO BIG

instead of reading off a long-ass list to the overly worked employee, just hand Sadie the list so she won’t fuck up?

“and a coffee. hold the coffee.” same tbh

oh. he’s in a band with the Cool Kids. WE GET TO SEE THE COOL KIDS!

“...i hope he [Lars] is safe and all, but working all these shifts by myself has been a huge drag” GIRL, LARS DIED IN SPACE AND IS STILL THERE

Steven stealing all the napkins is something i’d do tbh

man, i love the Cool Kids

is my girl Jenny rockin’ the bass? aaaaaaaaaaay!

Sour Cream, what the HECK IS RAP-A-BILLY?

“Doo-doo. Butt. The government corrupts” Buck is the voice of this generation

welcome to EB Games

they... they admitted to following her home from work....

“doo-doo. i think i broke your bed” Buck wtf

also, i guess them watching all of Sadie’s horror movies gave them inspiration to do that weird donut-brain-eating song. weird.

“we are the working dead, and we lurch for minimum wage” same Sadie

......ok, she’s freaking everyone out. and they look uncomfortable. Sadie, seriously stop. they’re concerned.

...she. put lipstick on her eyes.

see, if she wasn’t freakin’ everyone out with this, i’d say this song is a bop. 

ok they’re fine now & thought it was lit ok cool cool cool. i ain’t a big fan of the lyrics tbh, but i do like the song.

 “aww, doo-doo”

ok so Steven’s askin’ for advice on how to write horror-themed songs from Sadie. how about LARS DIED ON HOMEWORLD

SADIE’S ADVICE IS:

LOSE YOUR LIFE TO A BORING JOB

LOSE THE ONE PERSON YOU WERE CLOSE TO

LOSE YOUR MIND WORKIN A TON OF SHIFTS

GIRL FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Steven puttin’ Sadie on blast, good lord he just sang an accidental roast tryin’ to sing shit like she does

HE STOLE ALL THE NAPKINS AGAIN

“you can’t help being cute no more than i can help being cool” Buck, you’re a blessing

“yoooooo, what if this is all a dream?” Buck, wtf?

oh. Sadie’s goin’ with them. okay. 

OH. SHE QUIT HER JOB. UM. OKAY?

episode rating: 3 funky riffs out of 5. Buck Dewey is great.

KEVIN PARTY

I DO NOT WANT TO WATCH THIS EPISODE, BUT IMMA DO IT ANYWAY

DIDN’T EVEN START THE EPISODE AND I STILL FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE

let’s just get this over with...

why’d Steven wait this long to track down Lion?!

siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh, here he is......

gods, i still hate him

stop being gross to kids, leave Steven and Connie alone ya freak

at least he knows they use they/them pronouns. 

how did he find out where Connie is? doesn’t she live far away from Beach City? did he track down these two kids just to “invite” Stevonnie?!

“no one turns down an invitation to a Kevin party” i sure as fuck would

lmao Kevin has an old phone

“your name’s Steven? weird, i thought your name was Clarence” OI, DON’T INSULT CLARENCE LIKE THAT

rude, Steven brought snacks and ya just toss ‘em into the void?

ok. he’s creepily obsessed with Stevonnie cause apparently they make parties and shit like that hella fun. um. stop? being obsessed with kids??

WTF WHY IS LION AT THE PARTY

Connie actually showed up. and had Lion the entire time. that’s. super fucked up. Lion is the ONLY way to get to Lars directly!

and also, there’s TWO KIDS AT A PARTY WITH OLDER PEOPLE?! NO ONE BUT DERRICK QUESTIONS THIS?

Kevin’s gonna try to get them to talk to each other... so they can form Stevonnie... so his party won’t suck...

also, he keeps calling them 7-year-olds........ siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh, ok Kevin.

KEVIN YOU IDIOT LET THEM TALK TO EACH OTHER SO HE CAN SAY SORRY DON’T GIVE HIM YOUR “COOL GUY” BULLSHIT

“i need those old people to whisper my name when they die” tbh goals

“who’s Sabina?” Kevin got all red in the face and almost lost his cool

so Kevin’s gonna try to make Steven look like he’s moved on from Connie or some shit. this won’t end well.

NO, NOT DERRICK’S JACKET

now we get a montage of 2 kids being uncomfortable surrounded by older people at a party they should’t be at, ok.

at least Connie looks cute. and she got a haircut! so cute!

NOT CUTE NOT CUTE NOT CUTE

GOD, I HATE KEVIN

Steven, what are you doing?

STEVEN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

ok, quick recap cause i didn’t mention this: Kevin thought Steven & Connie were dating, so, Connie only went to the party to see if Steven’s okay and if they could talk. Steven decided to follow Kevin’s advice for some reason, and Connie thinks Steve’s new BFF is Kevin, and Kevin has no concept of what friends are.

so. Connie didn’t text Steven cause she preferred talking face to face about this, and that texting him wasn’t good enough to work out these issues. very fair point. still don’t get why you legit stole Lion from him, but the not texting back thing makes complete sense.

ok, she rode Lion to his house while Steven, Greg & the Gems were away (the episode Gemcation). and that’s when she bumped into Kevin and got the invite. ok. now Kevin is slightly less creepy, but still disgusting nonetheless.

oh, yay! they’re talking it out! and Steven isn’t disregarding Connie’s anger!

yay! they’re friends again!

don’t form Stevonnie, don’t form Stevonnie, don’t form Stevonnie, don’t form Stevonnie, don’t form Stevonnie, don’t form Stevonnie, don’t form Stevonnie, don’t form Stevonnie, don’t form Stevonnie, don’t form Stevonnie, don’t form Stevonnie, don’t form Stevonnie, don’t form Stevonnie.

LMAO GET FUCKED, KEVIN, THEY AIN’T FORMIN’ STEVONNIE

episode rating: 1 Lion out of 5. least fave episode, tbh. but hey, we got Connie back!

[puregaalee]

Summertime of Love: OFFICIAL PROMPT CLAIMING

Sign-ups are officially closed! And on that note, so begins prompt claiming!!! If you are taking part in the fest, please make sure to contact me as soon as you have made a choice! (If you have already decided on your prompt, feel free to peruse this list nonetheless to see if you find an extra prompt you might want to use in your fic/art. You will get second priority since you already have a main prompt, but if no one claims your second or third choice, I will let you know!)

Below is a list of 100 prompts from words to scenarios to quotes to dialogue to song lyrics to cliches/tropes! If you don’t see a prompt you sent in on the list, it’s either cause it was too specific a plot and would be more suited for an exchange fest, or because it’s something I’d like to save for future events! For instance, I didn’t included AU prompts, because I think an AU themed fest would be a lot of fun, so I’m saving up some AU ideas for that! However, this does not mean you can’t take your prompt and set it in an AU--just that I’m saving specific AU themes for later events! 

This post will be updated with prompts crossed out as they are claimed. If you want to use multiple prompts, please let me know when you send in your claims. You will only be guaranteed one prompt, but at the end of prompt claiming if more than one of your prompts was not claimed by someone then I will let you know so that you can use however many prompts are available of the ones you picked. 

If you’re confused about the process check out this post! If you’re still unsure, feel free to message me any questions! 

Happy claiming!  

Please choose any three (3) to five (5) prompts in order of preference.

Prompts (Art only)

red & green

different art styles 

Fusion (Steven Universe style)

photo album 

Prompt (General) 

domestic 

oblivious 

mutual pining 

Groundhog Peggy Sue (a character is sent back in time with future knowledge to change events) 

dysphoria

gardening 

teamwork (combat) 

Lee has too much coffee while trying to stay up all night with Gaara

“you can always talk to me”

raising 4 shinobi children 

confession

date night wherein Gaara has to go incognito a la movie star to avoid his “fans”

Metal and Shinki didn't mind that their fathers were in a (long distance) relationship until they decided it was time to live together in Suna. Shinki doesn't like Lee that much and Metal is afraid of Gaara 

marriage of convenience trope

waterfalls

almost lover

“you and i, we built a shadow of love in our hearts where the future should be”  (song: Shadow of Love, She&Him)

“bless the children who turn out fine/i’ve got the pieces if you’ve got the time” (song: somebody sweet to talk to, she&him)

“i wanna be where your heart is home” (song: home, she&him)

“you’re the nicest, nicest boy i’ve ever met/and then i think about you/then i think about you again/and again” (song: home, she&him)

“I know the border lines we drew between us/Keep the weapons down/Keep the wounded safe/I know our antebellum innocence/ Was never meant to see the light of our armistice day.” (song: antebellum, Vienna Teng)

“We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone." -Orson Wells

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” -Lao Tzu

“There is only one happiness in this life: to love and be loved.” -George Sand

“Keep love in your heart; a life without it is like a sunless garden where the flowers are dead.” -Oscar Wilde 

single parent/s 

meddling friends/family

unrequited love

wish upon a star

lover’s quarrel 

assassination attempts/political strife

missed opportunities 

casual touching 

drunk confessions 

missing in action 

“i’m not afraid of you” “you should be” 

“The things we do outlast our mortality. The things we do are like monuments that people build to honor heroes after they've died. They're like the pyramids that the Egyptians built to honor the pharaohs. Only instead of being made of stone, they're made out of the memories people have of you.” ― R.J. Palacio, Wonder

“It is not titles that honour men, but men that honour titles.” ― Niccolò Machiavelli

“I will love you even when I am dust on the wind.” ― Nalini Singh, Archangel's Blade

“Honor from death is a myth. Invented by the war torn to make sense of the horrific. If we die, it will be so that others may live. Truly honorable death, the only honorable death, is one that enables life.” ― Rae Carson, The Girl of Fire and Thorns

“There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.” ― Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain

“You wear your honor like a suit of armor... You think it keeps you safe, but all it does is weigh you down and make it hard for you to move.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

“I’ll wait for you to find me again. So don’t take too long.” ― Nalini Singh, Archangel's Blade

“Bushido is realized in the presence of death. This means choosing death whenever there is a choice between life and death. There is no other reasoning.” ― Tsunetomo Yamamoto, Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai

“Summer grasses, All that remains Of soldiers' dreams” ― Bashō Matsuo

“ The end is important in all things.” ― Tsunetomo Yamamoto, Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai

“The true meaning of the 'samurai' is one who serves and adheres to the power of love.” ― Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace

“I want to lead an important life. I want to do it because I was born a human being.” ― Eiji Yoshikawa, Musashi

“The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald

“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.” ― Lois Lowry, The Giver

“All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.” ― Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me

“All great and precious things are lonely.” ― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

“Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like hell.” ― Edna St. Vincent Millay

“But even so, every now and then I would feel a violent stab of loneliness. The very water I drink, the very air I breathe, would feel like long, sharp needles. The pages of a book in my hands would take on the threatening metallic gleam of razor blades. I could hear the roots of loneliness creeping through me when the world was hushed at four o'clock in the morning.” ― Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

“ How we need another soul to cling to.” ― Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

ghosts of the past

sharing secrets 

some missions are harder than others

flower language

scars

“you can never be more important than my duty.” “i know and i still love you”

peace can’t last forever

all our friends are getting married and having kids except us

you’re my hero

no angel 

you put a spell on me 

miscommunication/misunderstandings 

bad decision making

it’s important to lee that he’s close to gaara’s family, and that gaara is close to his (ie: tenten, neji, gai-sensei)

the sun and the moon

rules are made to be broken, promises are made to be kept

the price we pay for love

overwhelming emotion/gaara has never felt this way before and it’s the most terrifying thing in the world

how to heal a broken heart

sweet dreams 

all work and no play

ugly

there are secret spots on his body that others don’t know about: birth marks, scars, stretch marks. but he gets to learn them all, mapping them with fingers and kisses

his eyes said what he could not

he could fit the world in the palms of his hands

the complications of falling in love 

gift

“this won’t be easy.” “i never liked easy anyways” 

come what may

falling in love is so cliched 

all’s fair in love and war

his better half

mistaken identity 

count your blessings 

insecurities  

his heart’s content

it’s only a matter of time 

it’s better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all

moment of truth 

on cloud nine

love as plain as day 

[thearabkhaleesi]

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017): EASTER EGGS, TRIVIA, AND THINGS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

THE BEAST’S COAT OF ARMS

The coat of arms in the ballroom of the Beast’s castle consists of a lion, a boar, and the letters WD. The boar and lion are references to the Beast’s design, and the W.D. is of course, a reference to Walt Disney.

EXPENSIVE EDUCATION

In the 2017 beauty and the Beast, the Beast has mentioned that he had an expensive education and read most of the books in the castle’s library, whereas in the original animation, the Beast never learned how to read, so Belle teaches him. Dan Stevens, who played the Beast, also famously portrayed the character Matthew Crawley on Downton Abbey, who also had a expensive education. Dan Stevens himself also studied English Literature at Cambridge University.

THE BEAST’S BEARD

At the end of the new adaptation, Belle asks the Beast how he feels about growing a beard, and the producers have confirmed that that line was originally supposed to be included in the 1991 animation, but it was scrapped.

PARIS

When the Beast shows Belle the magical book that allows her to teleport to anywhere in the world, she chooses Paris. The scenery of Paris shows, we see Notre Dame; Beast also suggests that they go visit it. Belle has a tiny cameo/was an easter egg herself in The Hunchback of Notre Dame!

Extra: Just like Belle in the movie, Emma Watson herself was also born in Paris!

MR. POTTS

During the opening song, Belle, she asks Monsieur Jean if he lost something again, to which he responds that he can’t remember what he forgot. While many fans considered this a nod to Neville’s scene with the remembrall from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, director Bill Condon said that it was a total coincidence and that the line was supposed to be a reference to the Enchantress’ spell on the palace and townspeople; Monsieur Jean forgot about his wife and son, Mrs. Potts and Chip.

VILLENEUVE

The name of Belle’s town in this movie is Villeneuve, which is a reference to the author of the original Beauty and the Beast story, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve.

CADENZA’S SONG

When Maurice enters the castle for the first time, he travels the sound of music to the great hall, where Cadenza was playing a song, and that song was Be Our Guest! This is also a reference to the fact that in the original animation, Be Our Guest was initially meant to be performed for Maurice instead of Belle.

MUSICAL HOMAGES

Director Bill Condon has said that the Be Our Guest musical number has at least 12 musical homages including Singing in the Rain, Chicago, Cabaret, and West Side Story.

CHIP/MUSICBOX

In the original draft for Beauty and the Beast (1991), Chip was initially a very minor character with only 1 sentence of dialogue, and all his other scenes were supposed to be replaced by a music box that couldn’t talk, only playing music to show his emotions. The music box was replaced with Chip after the producers realized it would be better to have a viewpoint of a child shown in the film.

MRS. POTTS’ ORIGINAL NAME

When Belle enters the castle, Chip tells Mrs Potts that there’s a girl in the castle and also wonders what type of tea she likes to drink (Chamomile, Oolong, Earl Grey, etc). This is a nod to the fact that Mrs. Potts’ original name was supposed to be Mrs. Chamomile but it was changed to Mrs. Potts after the producers realized that Chamomile might be too hard for children to pronounce.

THE BLUE BIRD BOOK

When we see Belle teaching a young girl to read in the village, the book reads “The blue bird that flies over the dark wood.” This is a reference to the opening scene in the original Beauty and the Beast animation, where we see blue birds flying over the dark first in front of the Beast’s castle.

LEFOU IS CLINGY

At the tavern, Gaston asks LeFou “why no woman has snatched him up yet” to which LeFou responds that he has been told that he’s clingy, but he doesn’t see it. This could be a subtle reference to Olaf from Frozen (also voiced by Josh Gad), who is a very clingy character and is completely unaware of it.

TAVERN BOARS

Just outside the tavern there are 2 wooden carvings of boar heads, which is a reference to the design of the Beast in both the animation and live action movies. The production team used a wild boar as the main source of inspiration for the Beast’s head, with the tusks being a big resemblance (especially in the animation).

OLD LYRICS REUSED

When creating the music for the movie, the director, producers, and music team came across some lyrics that were scrapped from the original film. Bill Condon confirmed that the lyrics were in Gaston, as well as the ending of Emma Thompson’s Beauty and the Beast in the finale. 

The new Beauty and the Beast words are: “Winter turns to spring//Famine turns to feast//Nature points the way//Nothing left to say//Beauty and the Beast”

& the new Gaston lyrics are: “When I hunt, I sneak up with my quiver//And beasts of the field say a prayer//First, I carefully aim for the liver//Then I shoot from behind//Is that fair?//I don't care”

GASTON FORESHADOWING

The new lines from Gaston “First I carefully aim for the liver/ Then I shoot from behind / Is that fair? / I don’t care” can be seen as foreshadowing to Gaston shooting the Beast in his back after the Beast let him go.

MAURICE MOVING ON

During the song "How Does a Moment Last Forever", Maurice is shown making a music box that resembles his life in Paris with his wife and an infant Belle. (His art studio is also full of sketches of Belle's mother and baby Belle.) These reflect Maurice's inability to move on from his tragic past and let his daughter find true happiness. At the end of the film, during Belle and the Prince's party (and possible wedding), Maurice is shown painting a picture of the joyous event. This reveals that Maurice has finally continued on with his life.

MAURICE AND GEPETTO

Maurice played by Kevin Kline is possibly inspired by Gepetto from Pinocchio as both old men are single fathers and are creators by making music boxes and toys respectively and both get separated from Belle and Pinocchio respectively as well.

THE MAGICAL BOOK

The book the Beast uses to transport Belle to Paris is similar to the book seen in Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas during the song Stories, in which Belle flips through a book and is then incorporated into the scenes within the book.

HUMAN AGAIN

The 2017 edition does not feature the song "Human Again" which was deleted from the 1991 animated edition but included with the home releases after 2002.

HOMAGES TO THE BROADWAY ADAPTATION

The concept of the household objects slowly losing their mobility comes from the stage musical. When Belle first enters in her bedroom, you can hear the instumental version of "Home", the song which Belle sings in the musical in this moment of the story.

[defectivegembrain]

Not movie soundtracks exactly, but if like there's a musical or something like that. Like if I'm listening to a song from Crazy Ex Girlfriend or Steven Universe or something, I'll often see the scene in my head and remember bits of dialogue. I'm just not an instrumental person, lyrics get me engaged more.

Here’s a fun question for other autistic people:

If you listen to a movie soundtrack score for a movie you’ve seen, do you mentally insert the movie dialogue and / or sound effects at the proper moments?

[popzeraword-blog]

Where did Baby Groot learn to dance? James Gunn explains

For a piece of stump a few inches in height, the Baby Groot manages well the dances. But where did he learn all this? James Gunn explains .... In a post on Instagram, the director showed the backstage of the film, where he even appears dancing while cameras capture his movements. 

  One can easily state that when the first Guardian of the Galaxy was announced, no one knew exactly what to expect. "What do you mean, a talking racoon and a tree?" Was a common phrase on the discussion wheels. But the movie arrived, it was amazing and everyone got a damn hype for the sequel. The good news is: Volume 2 has the same level of quality as its predecessor, no more, no less. And this is incredible. Complete Stories But what strikes the most attention is the fact that all characters have complete stories within the film. Of course Peter Quill remains the center of everything, but the rest of the team also has personal bows, each with its depth - and that's the great merit of the script in narrative terms. What James Gunn (director and screenwriter) can assimilate in an incredible way is that being thorough does not necessarily mean being serious. He manages to bring dramatic and heavy moments without leaving the fun aside and not embracing a "gloomy" tone as the Distinct Competition insists on doing without knowing where it goes - Guardians know to be serious without being serious. Exploring all, Gunn ends up establishing motives and features that increase the synergy between the characters - some of these things must end up being essential in the future of the Marvel Universe in the coming Infinite War against Thanos. You say your parents do not understand ... Another key point in the screenplay of Guardians of the Galaxy is the family - especially the relationship between parents and children. Gunn makes it clear from the first scene of the projection that this will be the big theme of the film and develops a bit of it for most of the characters in the next two hours. At the heart of all this is the relationship between Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and Ego (Kurt Russell, in an incredible performance) - which comes in several layers of depth, from references to David Hasselhoff to childhood traumas that will be marked forever . The relationship of Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Nebulosa (Karen Gillan) is also based on the figure of Thanos, who although not formally appear in the film, sounds like a constant presence, something that is already preparing the public for Infinite War. Yondu (Michael Rooker) ends up being a paternal figure in the life of Quill and sees in Stakar (Sylvester Stallone) a mentor. Drax (Dave Bautista) ends up occupying this familiar position in the life of Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Groot (Vin Diesel) is the little one of all. Again, Rocket (Bradley Cooper) is the dislocated of the roll that only wants to see the world catch fire. It is through these relationships between parents and children that Gunn masterfully develops the relationship between his characters and deepens the group's dynamics, which will soon be part of something larger than they can see at the moment. Come a little bit closer As in the first film, the soundtrack is a strong highlight in production. Although it appears more than it should in some moments, the selection of songs is impeccable and fits perfectly in the scenes. Among the tracks we have "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison; "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac; "Come a Little Bit Closer," by Jay and the Americans and "Father and Son," by Cat Stevens. The importance of the songs is so striking that some dialogues are built around the lyrics. However, there is a shortage of tracks to mark as much as "Hooked on a Feeling" and "Spirit in the Sky," two songs from the first film. Not that this is a big problem, but it gives a slight discouragement in audiophiles that like me wanted to have something stuck in the head for weeks. The Marvel Universe Another very strong point of Guardians vol. 2 is to be able to see clearly the universe in which it is inserted without losing its own identity. Gunn revives some pretty dark Easter eggs from Marvel and brings back forgotten characters even by the publisher's most vocal fans. The cool thing is that none of them are free, always being part of the story - but also do not detract from the understanding of those who have not read the last 60 years of comics. It is safe to say that Gunn knows all the possibilities of Marvel's cosmic universe well and, as a fan, leaves everything ready for Kevin Feige and his executives to explore in the near future. The question is how the studio will work with all these new horizons. Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 is not a perfect movie and has its problems, mainly in the rhythm of the second act. It goes without saying that he excels at the first film simply because he did not set out to do that, limiting himself to doing what all blockbusters should do: tell a good story. If this meets the expectations of your audience, it is only a profit.