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dreamboundedstar · 2 years ago

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I Decided to Do This for Zekina Even Though No One Asked Me To. I’m Gonna Answer All of Them Whether You Like It or Not!

OTP HC Questions

🌈 - What were their first impressions of each other? Tina - She thought he was an annoying, loud, obnoxious, gross obstacle to Jimmy Jr.'s affection. Zeke - Thought she was creepy, weird, and a goody two shoes. Despite that, he still thought she was overall a nice girl and still considered her a friend. Even with her flaws, Zeke knew that Tina was a girl worth hanging around.

☀️ - Did they both want children/How many children did they want?

Both want children but the amount of children is a whole different story. Tina initially thinks 1 or 2 will be enough, meanwhile, her eyes immediately widen when she hears Zeke say 4. He wants one child per arm between the two of them to form the ultimate group hug. A very cute dream, but Tina tries to make him see reason because she knows how much her mom and dad struggled with 3 children, even if their home was always full of love.

Zeke ends ups getting what he wants in the end because they have a VERY healthy marriage.

🐬 - Who made the first move? Technically it was Zeke since he made that declaration of marriage in "Midday Run" and the rest of the time he is just him waiting for Tina to make the next move. Though he probably tries to subtly make the first move again so Tina can get the message that he was serious the first first time.

🌹 - Who initiated the first kiss? Tina. Whether if the "Hormoniums" end credits are canon or not, Tina gave the first kiss regardless. Zeke is the king of consent (at least when it comes to kissing, not so much for the consent of poo being at random places in school XD) and wouldn't initiate a kiss unless he's absolutely sure Tina's okay with it.

🥀 - Do they both get jealous? Zeke is definitely not the jealous type, even when he finally has her. He spent years longing for Tina to see him like he sees her only to be outshined by his best friend or the next long-necked, tall boy with a nice butt and endearing accent every, stinkin' time. He knew he wasn't entitled to her feelings and that he was not her type anyway. So there's no use in getting angry over Tina being happy with someone else because her happiness is more important than her being with him. Tina originally did have jealous tendencies but her morals always overcame her jealousy. That was mostly when she was pining for Jimmy Jr. because he didn't help relieve her own insecurities which bred her jealousy. Now that she's with someone, who in her mind is basically a saint for how long he waited for her, in spite of herself, she's all the more motivated to eliminate any jealousy she could have. She's with someone who she can absolutely trust, so she has no reason to get jealous. Still, anxiety is a witch and she slips back into jealous tendencies. Nothing a little conversation can't fix though. Even so, Tina still can't help but feel guilty for feeling jealous because of how much stronger Zeke is about it in comparison to her.

😒 - Do they get jealous easily? Zeke trusts Tina too much to get jealous easily. Unless something specifically triggers her anxiety and insecurities, Tina doesn't get jealous easily. As long as she's brave enough to talk about it with Zeke she'll be fine.

😚 - When one gets sick, what does the other do? Zeke becomes a full-blown nursing home nurse when Tina is sick. Tina finds it very sweet, but it can get a bit annoying and - WHAT THE HECK, GET THAT BED PAN AWAY FROM ME ZEKE! She appreciates it but sometimes a girl just needs her sleep. Meanwhile, Tina has considered strapping Zeke to the bed when he's ill because he refuses to let being sick stop him from going about his day. She pulls him by the ear back to bed because she refuses to carry him back to bed when he's passed out on the ground because he rather be a stubborn idiot than admit he's sick. Laying in bed and not being able to do anything is his personal hell. Even though he hates being useless, deep down he appreciates all that Tina does for him and loves all the love she is showing him. Tina knows how much Zeke hates being still and having nothing to do, so she tries to bring stuff to the bed that will help stimulate his brain but not exert too much energy. She also stays with him for a bit until he either falls asleep or is distracted enough for her to continue to do the daily tasks.

👉 - Who is better at giving directions? As confirmed in "The Bleakening" every one of the Belcher family is bad with directions, including Tina. So Zeke is the one that saves the day on that front.

😊 - Where do they want to go on vacation? Tina wants to go to Paris, France to fulfill that wish she made in "Comet-y of Errors". Zeke is a simple guy and would have fun wherever he goes with Tina. However, he thinks it would be cool to do a road trip across the states at least once in his life. Though if you had to twist his arm about it he probably would say either Brazil or Japan.

🍁 - How was their first kiss? Best 2 seconds of Zeke's life and he couldn't wait for the end of the world again just so Tina would kiss him again. Or if you subscribe to the spin the bottle being their first kiss. Zeke was so excited about how smoothly their first kiss went that he opened his eyes immediately just to see how Tina would react to it.

🐕 - Who is the most affectionate? Zeke hands down. There's not much need to explain with that one because you can see how affectionate he is with just his friends in the show. Tina is very affectionate too but sometimes she feels insecure about how Zeke is so much more so than she is. She loves the affection she gets but she doesn't want to be a selfish lover and wants to be able to give as much as she takes.

❄️ - Who worries about the other the most? Despite his low impulse control, Zeke is the one that worries more about Tina and not the other way around. With all the crazy shenanigans she and her family get herself into whether intentionally or not, it's no wonder he worries more. Though he tries to mask his worry because he doesn't want to freak people out by showing he's freaking out.

🕸 - What does one do that scares the other? Finding out that Tina thrashed in her sleep scared the crap out of him at first. Thankfully, Tina woke up before he thought to call an ambulance and explained it. Zeke laughed it off in relief after that scare. He holds her in his arms while sleeping now and that stops her thrashing. He doesn't care if it makes his arm fall asleep, as long as he doesn't have to see or hear her flopping around like a dying fish. Other than that, the danger she somehow finds herself in scares him as well. He would want nothing more than to always be near Tina just to be able to carry her away bridal style away from the danger. His lack of impulse control combined with his tendency to sacrifice himself for the greater good is something that Tina admires but also something that pisses her off and scares her. Would it kill him to think a little and come up with a plan with her before he runs off to sacrifice himself!?

🐇 - Who wants to cuddle the other longer in the morning? Zeke and he's an absolute baby about it if he doesn't get a little cuddle time before fully waking up. Normally Tina wouldn't mind, but sometimes you're in a hurry and you just have to deal with it like an adult.

🍀 - Who is better at comforting? I think both are equally good at comforting each other but maybe Zeke is a bit better because of how immediately affectionate he is.

🥄 - Who is the big spoon and who is the little spoon? Pretty obvious but Zeke's big spoon and Tina's little spoon.

🍭 -What are their nicknames for each other? Along with the nicknames he already has for her, Zeke also calls her sweet t, darlin', baby, hon, t cake, t cups, Tina turn on, cinny buns, and starshine (this one is probably too cute for Zeke to say but who cares Tina likes stars and I like this one the most) Tina isn't really good at coming up with good nicknames, so she just leaves them for Zeke. She likes calling him by his full first name Ezekiel every now and then when the mood is right though that's the opposite of a nickname.

🔥 - Who realized they were interested in who first? Zeke. A part of him always felt sort of drawn to Tina but he didn't really realize he had a crush on her until after "Tina and the Real Ghost"

🥂 - How was their first date? It started out as a cute, little picnic date at the park. Then Zeke tried to cap off the date with a nice row boat ride in the park lake. He even brought an acoustic guitar with him to play a tune on the water (choose whatever acoustic song you want but this is my placeholder song https://open.spotify.com/track/5erH5r100PHxQGTWNUrxqo?si=0ab5c826a4244187 ). Unfortunately, things go bad in the middle of his song when he feels pain in his stomach. He's been ignoring and pushing away his nerves all day and thanks to the spicy pasta salad he made for Tina and himself, it's finally biting him in the butt. The pain becomes so great that he doesn't even bother to row back to shore. He immediately out of the boat, jumps into the water, makes his good jeans soaking wet, and runs to the nearest bathroom. All of that left Tina confused and worried as she rows back to dry land by herself. She uses her intuition and detective skills to figure out that Zeke probably went to the bathroom and is pleased with herself that she got it right on the first try. As for Zeke, his butt is on fire and the fact that Tina found him so soon is making his pain so much worse. From the outside, Tina asks through the door if Zeke is okay. Knowing that Tina is coming from a place of concern, he admits that he has stress diarrhea and he's been ignoring it all day until now. He didn't want to admit to himself that he was nervous and wanted to remain confident and believe he had everything prepared. Unfortunately, his body betrayed him in the worst way possible. For once he wanted to be more than the trailer trash people think he is. Not that he cares what people think but he wanted to prove to himself that he could romance it with the best of them. He wanted so bad Tina to see him the way he sees her. No matter what he does though, he can't avoid the Zeke up looking right at him. Tina immediately reassures him that this isn't the first time she dealt with stress diarrhea and it won't be the last. She also tells him that she knew what she was getting into when she gave Zeke a shot. He may not be the kind of guy she usually goes for, but surprisingly she finds that she's okay with that. She's not sure how she'll feel in the future but she likes where things are going. More importantly, she likes him, a lot, diarrhea and all. Zeke is reminded why he loves that girl and tries to salvage what's left of their date. Once he puts on the emergency shorts he keeps in his truck, they decide to spend the rest of their time at the touch tank aquarium. Zeke is disappointed that they don't have any tiny sharks or sting rays to touch but still enjoys his time with Tina. They got tacos later after they had their fill of touching fish and kissing. Overall, it's definitely one of the better dates Tina has had over the years.

🎉 - How did they propose? Zeke does a Frankenstein/Zombie-themed proposal in the cemetery during Halloween.

🖐 - Who can’t keep their hands to themself? Zeke of course, his love language is physical touch. So not being able to have his arms around Tina or even simply holding her hand when he needs it (which is almost always) is torture to him. Tina isn't as touchy as Zeke is but never protests when he initiates it and loves every moment of it. When she does initiate though, it's much more intimate and surprises Zeke in a good way, such as when she gives him a good slap on the butt or has her fingers graze his muscles for example.

🍥 - Who was (insert character)’s first crush? Tina's is Jimmy Jr., which I don't even need to say but oh well. Who knows with Zeke. The most we get from his past before Wagstaff is the implication that he had no idea how to deal with girls he had a crush on, so he pushed them to the ground. I'm sure this is something he regrets constantly. He definitely would have issues talking about his behavior before Wagstaff in detail because he doesn't like to think about how much of a jerk he was. He may be a troublemaker in Wagstaff but at least he's not a bully anymore.

✈️ - How do they celebrate anniversaries? Zeke spends a lot of time making the perfect romantic dinner. Tina sets up fun bedroom activities for later (maybe she gets inspired by some of the erotic stories she made or read idk). They either do a nice sunset walk or horse ride on the beach (I headcanon that she eventually gets her horse farm so she can make her horse-riding beach dreams a reality). Probably on some anniversaries he brushes up on his guitar skills and plays her an acoustic cover to one of the songs she loves or heck sings her some original songs if he had the time prior to compose one. Zeke is impossible to buy a gift for but she still tries to give him something thoughtful to show she cares. Some years they might keep it simple by giving each other thoughtful cards, ordering a pizza, and spending all day watching movies as well as cuddling on the couch or when they realize what's on tv sucks they just make out until commercials come on and they look for something better. Whether the gestures be big or small they'll still love each other through it all.

🐀 - Who steals the covers? Despite Zeke being the one that takes up the most space in bed, Tina is the blanket thief. It is caused by the thrashing moving the sheets around so much. Zeke is usually a heavy sleeper so he doesn't normally notice. He keeps a spare blanket stashed under his side of the bed just in case though.

💤 - Who falls asleep first? Zeke and Linda are both gifted with the ability to fall asleep super fast that Tina and Bob both envy.

⭐️ - Who is a morning person? Tina mostly is by force of habit due to working at her dad's restaurant for years. Though, she sometimes fails at being a morning person when she accidentally pulls an all-nighter because inspiration struck her at the worst possible time.

🌙 - Who is a night person? Zeke and Tina are both night people but more so Zeke. Zeke hates getting up early and needs to stay in bed snuggling with Tina for a bit before he's ready to start the day. Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night to find that Tina is in the zone again. When that happens he groggily carries her to bed, embraces her to get her comfortable for slumber, and reminds her she needs her rest darn it.

🥞 - Which one makes breakfast? Tina tries to split breakfast duty with Zeke because she wakes up earlier than him. Zeke mostly does it though because even though Tina wakes up earlier than him, he is very clingy in the morning and it is nearly impossible to escape his grasp. The man needs his t cuddles before getting up. Zeke likes to get creative with breakfast while when Tina makes breakfast she keeps it basic with pancakes, eggs, and bacon or really simple with just cereal on those days they are both in a rush.

🍰 - Which one bakes/cooks? Zeke. Tina tries to share the work but Zeke insists because he loves doing it. Tina is not a bad cook, Zeke is just better and Tina is okay with this.

💋 - Who is more rough with the kissing stuff? Tina, she's a very intimate person when it comes to kissing. Zeke is gentle with Tina because he's hyper-aware of his strength and doesn't want to hurt her. So, especially when in the mood, Tina is rougher with kissing to communicate to Zeke that she's giving him permission to be at least as rough as she's being. She's not always rough though and enjoys gentle kisses too.

🌺 - Do they send cutesy or grossly sweet/romantic texts to each other? Yes, absolutely. They are the kind of couple that spends hours saying goodbye when texting. Sending each other memes, videos, or cute pictures just to have an excuse to stay in the chat longer.

💐 - Is one more protective than the other? Both are equally protective of each other. Though it's more hilarious with Tina because of her being in front of Zeke, who is bigger than her as she threatens to punch the person that was mean to Zeke again and again and again and again and again and again and again. Zeke just tries to de-escalate the situation by simply carrying her away from the situation as she says her agains. With Zeke, it takes a much more serious tone. Tina simply tries to get him to not go overboard while she's behind him for protection and comfort. Tina is not used to seeing Zeke look so pissed off. It's very intimidating in a scary but sexy way, much to her surprise.

☔️ - How do they make up after a fight? They give each other some alone time to blow off steam and think about all that was said. They come back to each other to immediately apologize, cuddle it out, and Zeke assures Tina that she means the world to him and that nothing has changed about that or something along those lines. (since her love language is words of affirmation. At least I think it is? I may be just projecting my love language onto Tina because it makes sense for her character. XD Though my love language is a tie between quality time and words of affirmation so I guess make what you want out of that. It's hard when you kin a character so much and you unintentionally project aspects of yourself onto a character and you're not sure if it's even based on canon evidence even after seeing the character for so long. XD) Finally! All done! I hope you enjoy reading the answers you never asked for! lol

#Zekina #ZekexTina #TinaxZeke #Bob's Burgers #Zeke #Tina Ruth Belcher #OTP headcanon questions

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thebibliomancer · 4 years ago

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#dark crystal #the dark crystal #dark crystal age of resistance #Archaia's Dark Crystal #Gunda the Bobling #All Maudra Mayrin #Captain Kam'Lu #no stronger motivation than mom spite #and needing to save your best pal and a cool bobling #tjitml liveblog

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lilyundertaker · 3 years ago

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https://9gag.com/gag/aGjr4d6

(Don't worry it's not suspicious)

Boruto headcanons and reaction of when Boruto was protected by his childhood friend (Saradas twin sister) who he absolutely loved like it was shown in the video as Boruto hurt his leg..yes Sarada's sister is incredibly girly with obvious reasons but she's a fighter with swords..Sasuke taught her. Borutos childhood friend broke down in tears afterwards saying outloud "I'm the kind of scary strong girl you hate! *cries*" even though Boruto never said anything like that..he may act immature but he admired her for every sword moment and Sasukes reaction..

Note: Oh gosh, I just LOVED that scene from the Black Butler: Book of Atlantic! I kinda can imagine that the reason, why Boruto would be cautious of stronger girls was prollly from angering up Himawari or even more so - by Mitsuki's failure to provide him an alibi, which gave him some scolding from mom Hinata.

Pairing: Boruto x Sarada's!Twin-sister!reader, Boruto x you

Headcanons:

You stood right in front of injured Boruto as your father repelled the charging shinobi;

You were thankful that your twin Sarada wasn't yet discharged from hospital after her last mission, meaning that you wouldn't have to worry about her too, who in fact was eager to join the mission of discovering the motives of a group, consisting shinobi gone-astray;

As Sasuke was holding back the attackers you wrapped Boruto's arm around your neck and helped him to retreat further back, however, the path was blocked by three other shinobi, who had come to aid their comrades;

You looked in worry as you were unsure of how to proceed further, the problem being that you had this huge crush on Boruto, however, after Mitsuki's unsuccessfull attempt to provide a cover for Boruto's actions, Boruto got into trouble from HInata and ever since then he would ramble now and then of how scarry his mom could get;

You took it as a sign that Boruto wasn't keen on strong and powerful girls, so, in spite of your training schedule with your own parents, you began to attend less by the day, giving mild impressions that you had given up on a life as a shinobi, especially since you switched from your training shorts to a long, dark-blue skirt and a matching top (the look being mainly inspired by Ino Yamanaka);

At this moment you were afraid to break your newly developed charachter, on which you had worked so hard, however, your main priority now was to rather make sure that Boruto does not sustain any more injuries than he already has;

You leaned him against a tree on your left and instantly activated your sharingan, putting the three opponents into a deep state of genjutsu and knocking them all out with a single blow to the head without breaking a sweat;

However, another rogue came running towards you from your right, making you instinctively to unsheath your katana, to block his kunai;

Despite your long training gap, you still excelled in fighting, disarming the shinobi and putting him under a genjutsu as well;

The red of your eyes turned black once again, yet as Sasuke aproached you, he couldn't help but notice that you were crying;

First the elder shinobi decided to attend to Boruto's wound, healing it as much as he could (since medical ninjutsu is not exactly his thing), and only then he was going to ask of what his daughter was so upset about;

But Boruto beated him to it and asked in his stead;

Boruto was shocked, when he heard your reasoning of not acting lady like, but most of all he was surprised by the fact that you just fully confessed your feelings for him, making him blush like crazy;

"Well, I was just refering to my mother, when I was talking about not liking scary women, but...let's just say that....well I think it's kinda cool, what you just did...saving my life. It's definitely clear that you're an Uchiha heiress!" said Boruto, blushing and messing all over with his words;

Sasuke could only smile from afar, thinking of how much his daughter had grown and feeling proud, seeing a lot of Itachi's potential in her.

#boruto naruto next generations #boruto x reader #boruto x you #you #oc #boruto uzumaki #sasuke uchiha

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dylanfarqwar · 3 years ago

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A Place Further Than the Universe (Eps. 5-13) - "Dear Mom"

The rest of A Place Further Than the Universe builds on both the themes and symbols from the first four episodes. When the girls arrive in Fremantle, Australia, they're shocked by the glamor of the city that has accumulated so much wealth from being a center of travel. It is here that Hinata realizes she can't find her passport and that she won't be able to catch the plane with her friends. She tries to make Shirase leave without her, but they all refuse adamantly

Once again we see that their relationships with one another are stronger than their desire to go to Antarctica, and that they aren't on the trip just to see Antarctica, but to be with one another. Part of their "emancipation from capitalism" (from the system they've all felt trapped within) is the unconditional friendship that they've all developed with each other.

When they arrive on the ship, we finally get to meet all of the expedition team. A rather ragtag group of passengers who have all returned in spite of the financial troubles facing them. The girls all learn to work in a system outside of capitalism, where action isn't motivated by money or profit and each member of the crew is looking out for one another. An environment where human interaction is never contractual.

The unconditionality of their friendship is pushed to the forefront when Yuzuki tries to get the other girls to sign a contract to ensure they will stay friends and Tamaki gets very upset. They confront Yuzuki and explain to her that a contract would trivialize their friendship. Yuzuki, having worked from such a young age, must have come to see most human interaction as conditional and contractual. An idea that is finally dispelled by her newfound friends.

Shirase begins to have a profound impact on all of her friends. She's the one to tell of Hinata's old track team for what they did to her and for trying to take advantage of her now. She's also thanked one night by Mari for helping her to make the most out of her youth. It perplexes all of the other girls, when Shirase, herself, begins to act strangely and no longer excited at finally reaching her goal of coming to Antarctica. She's reluctant to go to the site of the future observatory named after her mother, a place that also marks where her mother was last scene three years ago.

In one scene, Shirase lays out all of the money she has left, saying aloud she earned each bill. Remembering how much effort she has put in to be at this very place and remembering what the money is really a symbol of. She leaves the money in Antarctica ultimately because she only ever wanted it so that she could follow her mother. Time and time again, that proved to be something money couldn’t buy, and now that she’s made it to her goal anyway, she doesn’t need it anymore.

When Shirase seems to not care about finding any trace of her mother now that she's finally arrived at her resting place, the other three girls refuse and go digging for anything they can find that belonged to Shirase's mother. They find a picture of the two of them together, attached to her mother's laptop. Shirase tries her mothers birthday to unlock the computer, and then her own. It finally unlocks. Over a thousand emails sent from Shirase to her mother flood the inbox after years of never being opened.

It isn't the most complex or unique message for an anime series, and yet for a show that seems to be all about achieving your goals, it IS rather poignant. At the end of the show, it's not Shirase's ambition to follow her mother that's important, it's her constant refusal to leave behind her friends, and their constant refusal to leave her.

"The reason my mother loved this place was not just this scenery, this sky, this wind, but also the time she spent here, overcoming things with her team."

A team that all chose to go back to Antarctica without any promises of money and, some of them, without anything to go back to. Just like her friends who push her to keep looking for her mother even when she feels she doesn't want to anymore. Their journey is no longer about a physical place outside of capitalism, it's about a different way out of it. A testament to the things that are far more powerful at motivating humans, far more than money.

#anime #a place further than the universe

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variousqueerthings · 4 years ago

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thinking about these awesome tags from @catzy88 and wanted to just speak to essentially what they talk about and one of my favourite writing choices of the show (so far, considering my predictions for what’ll happen moving forward):

and it’s Johnny’s two-steps-forward-one-step (sometimes several steps) -back journey.

1. Introduction

there’s a few of things that happen on the show that get wrapped up in a semi-fantastical/wish-fulfilmenty way (Miguel recovering from his back injury like he does, Daniel sorting out his dealership problems with Doyona, etc.) and I’m not mad about it, it fits in with the generally optimistic tone of the show + various circumstances that surround these choices, so they’re not one-note writing decisions -

ex. aftermath of Miguel’s surgery will continue to be explored on s4 so it’s not done and over with without consequences versus the way Daniel’s journey to Okinawa is about healing in various ways, so that deus ex machina fits in with the tone of that storyline. People’s mileage probably vary, but I think it’s all relatively well-balanced (pun not intended) with the deeper, less-easily-fixable issues and character dynamics that the show explores.

2. Johnny’s Story

If everything on this show were easy it wouldn’t be so watchable. Which is where Johnny comes in (amongst other characters, but I’m gonna focus).

in contrast Johnny’s journey for three seasons has had a lot of good intentions - help Miguel, get his life in order, forgive and forget the past, mend his relationship with Robby, be generally better to himself and others - and the majority of it’s gone pretty badly.

I have predictions that there’ll be a flip in s4 and Daniel’s going to spiral more obviously, while Johnny’s going to be healing/functioning somewhat better. I also think it’s important to show him failing despite being in a better place than end season 2/beginning season 3. And failing again. And failing again.

Johnny (and Daniel, but I shall focus!) doesn’t come onto this show with easily fixed issues. He’s likely been an alcoholic since he was in his 20s, he’s isolated to the extreme, he can’t hold down a job, he’s still under the thumb of his stepdad, and his relationship to Robby is non-existent at best.

In 100 different ways he’s trapped and he’s so trapped that he can’t even envision being less trapped. Starting the dojo is a fluke, combined by meeting and saving Miguel and wanting to spite Daniel. He’s not planning on “getting better,” hell, he doesn’t even think that he has a problem that can be fixed to begin with. Up until this moment life has largely just happened to him and his decisions have been reactionary (and if there were times we don’t know about before now where he tried, he obviously failed)

His thinking clearly goes something like this: “I’ll make this kid not get beat up... and I guess now I’ve got a business so I need other kids? and now I care about this kid I guess, oh and his mom’s pretty nice (and pretty) too... and now I’ve got a business I can buy Sid out, that’s cool... ” etcetcetc. (still reactionary to an extent, although that gradually changes) right up until the tournament happens and he starts to have to face some of the shit he’s been telling these kids and Robby’s with Daniel and Kreese has reappeared...

I’d argue it’s not until mid-ish season 2, when Kreese reveals he’s homeless and Johnny decides that their forgiveness is tied into one another and especially when Tommy dies (still got one thing I don’t... time) that he actually really starts thinking about what all of this means for him longterm, that he can and should want for the future and that he has real responsibilities to do so because of others. It’s also the first time he properly admits that it’s not just “the tournament as a single event,” but the whole philosophy that he was taught that fucked him up (which is scary, because then he’s gotta admit a whole bunch of other stuff - that he has deep-rooted issues and that he needs to try to get better. That he’s both a victim and a perpetrator of this cycle. That just saying things are shit and won’t ever change won’t cut it anymore).

And just as he begins this thought-process and is incredibly vulnerable because of that everything goes to hell.

All of the structures Johnny had been building were on sand, right up to the choice to handshake deal on the dojo, and they all come crashing down spectacularly all at once in the season 2 finale.

Back to square one.

3. Square one (but not really)

This is amazing! It’s giving us a narrative on top of the more fantasy-like narratives that goes: “Not everything can be fixed easily just because we want to fix them,” and, “some things need to fail so that the next time you try, you try better!”

It’s not square one at all.

A whole bunch of shit that Johnny was carrying with him without being able to voice in the first season is now out there, in the open. The ugliness needs to be exposed before it can be healed and (as myself and so many people who’re dealing with xy and z know) when you first “discover” what’s fucked up you can feel like everything’s worse. Your ability to deal with that thing can get a whole lot worse.

Johnny relapses into a version of himself that on the surface looks even worse than in s1, but actually he’s way more open to change, he’s got reasons to get back up again, even if it takes a moment for him to pull himself together to actually do that. It takes pretty much all of season 3 for him to get there (and that was necessary too), but now he’s there he can start from a much stronger place than he previously did.

And there’s so much he’s still not facing - can you imagine the fallout when he has to deal with being an alcoholic?

Johnny as a character has made so many mistakes (note: I’m not a fan of using the word “fault” as a descriptor for characters (as in “whose fault is X”) because they’re fictional and it’s more about motivations than tracing faults) and those mistakes make a whole lot of sense to his character - a broke, drunk, traumatized guy with more failings under his belt than you can count.

I confess, I’m not sure how I feel about him not visiting Robby in juvie from a writing perspective, however it’s on the show, so now we get to analyse how it can make sense - which, considering that Johnny isn’t good at prioritising - and as an ADHD that’s a mood - it can totally work. Is it very bad? Yes. Does it sound like something Johnny would do when faced between an easy-fix of his relationship with the Diaz family and his much more difficult and complicated relationship with Robby? Sigh, yeah... unfortunately parenting Robby is the biggest fear he has... it’s not pretty, but it’s not meant to be...

4. Anyway, TL;DR

I’d have felt cheated if Johnny could just magically “become” better - both mentally and in his relationships to others. He’s made big mistakes, has a lot of unresolved mental health issues, and - ironically - has chosen flight over fight for so much of his life that “simply wanting to become better” being enough of a motivator to change all of that around would’ve been unrealistic for his character and unsatisfying for a longterm plot in which we see how difficult it is and (hopefully) get to revel in the continued upwards journey despite that.

Also it would’ve been kind of insulting to these journeys in real life (to do a little conflating for a moment).

Trying to make good is admirable, but it sure isn’t easy and it won’t always work, especially if you don’t know where to even start.

The joy of his story is in seeing someone continue to try despite that.

#johnny lawrence #cobra kai #robby keene #cobra kai meta #my writing #oh hey I wrote just straight-up meta without going halfway narrative about it #ramblerambleramble #i love characters who fuck up over and over again

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priorireverte · 4 years ago

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Congratulations Ash!

Your application for Katie Bell has been accepted. Katie is a character I’ve rarely given much thought, frankly, but I’ve completely fallen in love with her already. You’ve given her so much depth and involved her so closely in everything that is happening. I can’t wait to see what she gets up to!

Please look to the checklist for the next steps and reach out if you have any questions!

OUT OF CHARACTER

NAME & PRONOUNS: Ash, she/her.

TIMEZONE: PST

ACTIVITY LEVEL: I reckon I am about a six or seven out of ten. I am constantly on mobile and accessible for plotting, but prefer to do all of my replies once I am home from work and have access to a computer.

ANYTHING ELSE: I have ten plus years role-playing experience and I am looking forward to this amazing opportunity to potentially write Katie again for the first time in years. She was one of the first characters I ever wrote in the Harry Potter world and holds a very special place in my heart.

CHARACTER DETAILS

NAME: Katherine Emery Bell ( Katie Bell )

BIRTHDATE: 21 April, 1978.

DEATHDATE: 10 October, 1997 N/A, still alive and kicking.

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Katie is a cisfemale who uses she/her pronouns. She is bisexual, as she was taught to love and embrace everyone for who they were at a young age. It doesn’t matter what they are; she only weighs who they are inside.

BLOOD STATUS: Half-blood.

HOUSE ALUMNI: Gryffindor.

OCCUPTATION: Unspeakable, Death Chamber.

FACECLAIM: Poppy Drayton, though I might want to switch if accepted / after having some time to sleep on it.

CHARACTER BACKGROUND

POSTBELLUM

Like many, Katie too has scars from the war. They are weighted far heavier than she cares to admit and she carries them with her everywhere. In the pocket of her favorite cloak, tightly wrapped around her not just for warmth, but security too; on her broomstick whenever she needs to escape from the static background noise; or to one of her best mate’s houses where she is sure to find relief at the bottom of a shared bottle of fire-whiskey.

Katie shies away from intimacy’s pervasive touch. She does not give her trust away so freely like she once did as a carefree girl. Every instinct to share a piece of herself and love others is met with restraint. These are a few of the repercussions she faces because of the damage inflicted on her. She has been to a dark place; tethered between the realms of life and death while being neither here nor there. She clawed her way back to stable ground, though there are times she questions its permanence. In fact, if anything the war has taught her everything is fleeting. Now she leaves claw marks on everything, but can’t seem to hold onto any of it.

Practically everyone she knows has been touched in some way by the war; some of their scars running far deeper than her own. She lost friends and a part of herself, but many had it off far worse. Katie tries not to linger on her own pain and psychological trauma for that reason. At the end of the day, she survived; the heart beating in her chest confirms she is alive despite sometimes feeling anything but.

Since the war came to pass five years ago ( though at times it feels like a separate lifetime ago ), Katie has channeled her experiences and emotions into molding a successful career as an Unspeakable where she works in the Death Chamber. Since her brush with death at seventeen, Katie found herself unusually fascinated with the subject matter. She spent six months hospitalized in St. Mungo’s, a majority of which she was at what felt like death’s door. She swore she did die, but that was a difficult pill for her to swallow—let alone anyone else, so she kept that secret sealed tightly under lock and key. Katie figured that was the better alternative than being labeled crazy.

It took a long time for her to cope with what occurred, and even longer to bring up the occurrence with those closest to her. Being cursed certainly had its affects; it changed who she was and what made her tick. When she returned to Hogwarts and participated in the final quidditch match of her school-career against Ravenclaw, the game did not give her the same adrenaline filled rush it once had. She unknowingly battled depression and PTSD that year struggling to hold onto all the things she loved. They no longer provided her with sustenance, but she confused these arbitrary feelings with lackluster consequences from a progressive war with what felt like no end insight.

PERSONALITY

As a girl, Katie was known for being carefree and reckless. She was an untamed spirit who had not yet learned about the world’s cruelness. She had no reason then to be the emotionally guarded woman she would become. The final years of the war forced her to grow up much sooner than she ever planned for herself. Her overly-competitive demeanor was combated by a sudden instability. Trust no longer comes as easily for her as it once did. When she was imperiused during her last year of school and subsequently cursed by the Opal Necklace, she felt like she lost a part of herself. She no longer enjoyed many of the same hobbies she once did. She questioned everything, from the motives of her friends to the intricacies of life. She was no longer left in control, but instead reeling with trust issues in the present day—the most concerning being the lack of trust she feels in herself. It is an unspoken feeling, but it looms above her like a dark cloud.

Since being cursed, Katie has been keenly inept at desensitizing and disassociating from reality whenever it doesn’t fit perfectly in the box she has crafted for it. The war left her jaded and its scars provided an unwanted resilience she transformed into armor. She has survived many battles, but even the ones she lost were never for naught. They each made her stronger—just a mere fraction of the woman she will become, but still knowingly has many lessons to learn before fully evolving. However, Katie is plagued with self-doubt. Perhaps that is what holds her back from achieving her full potential.

Katie is now far more reserved than she once was. Her desire for love and ability to share it with others has diminished since she was a child, muted by a perverted sense of drive. She has a bad habit of shutting not only the world out, but those closest to her too. It can be a lonely road at times, so she throws herself into her work with hopeless abandon. She is driven and sees every project through to the very end. Ironically though, her never-ending need to answer life’s most challenging questions is exactly what holds her back from living life to the fullest. She has a one track mind and can become so preoccupied, or short-sighted, she forgets to hold onto what is really important.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY

Katie grew up in a happy family with very relaxed core values. Her parents always demonstrated love to her and her brother, Christian, even when they weren’t the most deserving or receptive. Olivia and Rhys Bell loved each other fiercely; that was one consistent factor in Katie’s life. As the youngest Bell in the family of four, she was spoiled and fussed over more than she cares too admit. She recalls all the arguments and tiffs her and Christian got into over the years—a trait that seemed to follow the pair into adulthood. Their parents on the other hand hardly ever fought. Katie believed there must be occasions they clashed with one another, but it was evident they were far more emotionally reserved than their children. They made a point not to fight in front of them, which always raised the question of where their children’s argumentative tendencies came from.

It was important for Olivia and Rhys to make their children feel empowered starting at a young age. They wanted to instill in them a strong sense of confidence that would allow them to break through any obstacles in their way or complete whatever task they set out on. As survivors of the first wizarding wixen war, and Olivia being a muggle-born, it was imperative to them their children didn’t embody the same fear or embrace any limitations as they once did. This nurturing mindset is exactly how Katie got into flying. Her father gifted a toy broomstick to her one Christmas when she was no more than six years old. She can recall the sheer horror on her mother’s face that morning; it was evident she was not in on the surprise, otherwise there probably would have been no broom at all that year. Christian had received one a few years prior and Olivia’s excitement over the matter quickly disintegrated when he lost control and spiraled into their garden trellis. Christian didn’t fly again until his first year lessons, however his sister’s abilities came far more natural than his own.

Once Olivia realized her daughter was more agile than her first born, she quickly warmed up to the idea. After she mastered and eventually outgrew the dainty toy broomstick, it was her mom who splurged for her first trainer’s broom. Katie excitedly whipped the new broom around their property, memorizing every trace of it from the new safe haven she had discovered. Flying became an escape for her. Quidditch always brought much excitement, but flying was what truly made her feel at peace with herself. Over the years she fully mastered the skill ( while running through her fair share of broomsticks ), and Katie knew she had her parents to thank for supporting her in spite of themselves and pushing her forward every time she wanted to quit. Though her quidditch career eventually faded away, her love for flying never wavered as her unconditional love for her parents and brother never has.

Present day, Katie and her family still share a special bond. Her parents continue to support all her endeavors even if they don’t necessarily agree or understand them. At times Katie is aware there is a disconnect between them, but it is something she can’t seem to avoid. Olivia and Rhys witnessed their daughter go from a bubbly and charismatic girl to someone almost unrecognizable at times, but since the war is still so fresh for everyone it has become easier to turn the other cheek.

HISTORY

Katie always considered her life very ordinary. Her parents worked hard to ensure her and her brother had a good life. They were a close-knit family and, though they got on her nerves on occasion, there was nothing she wouldn’t do for them. Katie recalls her childhood fondly. Olivia read books to both her children frequently, however Katie found herself to be easily distracted. Her head would wander to the sky where she would pluck shapes out of the clouds. Christian was the calm and retentive child—it was much easier for their parents to hold his attention. Katie on the other hand was a bumbling ball of energy since she was of crawling age. She would color the walls or demolish Christian’s toys if left unattended. It was much easier to hold her attention whenever baking was involved. Katie had a knack for sweets, though the thought of giving her more sugar didn’t always appeal. Still, she somehow persuaded her mum into baking cookies with her often. These were some of the best days of her childhood.

As soon as Katie was gifted her first toy broomstick, a spark ignited. Flying undoubtedly was her first love. Whenever her and Christian had a sibling squabble or he was getting on her nerves, she would run to her broomstick immediately and take flight; and when it was his time to leave for Hogwarts and she was left behind for three more years, flying became her therapy and release. It remedied the loneliness.

When it was finally time for Katie to head off to Hogwarts, her natural charisma and energetic personality really shined through in all she did. She made friends quickly and they became a forefront in her life. She fed off the energy of those around her and subsequently became a member of numerous school clubs. Joining the Gryffindor quidditch team her second year was the highlight of her entire school-career. She considered those initial years to be the best of all; her original teammates quickly became a second family to her. It was a feeling that still echoed long after their glory days on the quidditch pitch.

When Lord Voldemort returned, Katie found herself at a loss for words. She considered Harry Potter a friend and teammate. No one in her inner circle doubted him nor did she, however she did have a difficult time comprehending just what that meant. Cedric Diggory was also a friend; like many, seeing his body in the aftermath of the Tri-Wizard Tournament was Katie’s first brush with death. It was evident to the then fifteen year old that only something vile and cruel could take the life of someone like Cedric—someone with so much potential. She jumped at the opportunity to join Dumbledore’s Army for that reason. She believed in the cause and, reflecting on the pain the first war put her own parents through, Katie had to believe there was a reason she wound up here when she did.

Katie genuinely did not believe anything could be more difficult than that period of time, but her seventh year was one of the most challenging of all. Katie was not sure when the trip to Hogsmeade went awry on that beautiful fall day. There was excitement in the air despite the frigid temperature that brought the first snowfall of the season. That is one of the only memory’s Katie holds onto from that day. She later woke up in St. Mungo’s where she was told she had been for six months recovering from a fatal curse.

With a hoarse voice and fear filling her eyes, Katie asked the first healer she saw if she was dead.

The healer laughed as if she made some kind of joke. “ No honey, you’re lucky to be alive. ”

Lucky to be alive.

Except the problem was Katie didn’t feel anything, least of all alive. She spent the last six months in a foreign place, but didn’t feel nearly as lost or confused there as she did now that she was back in the earthly dimension.

The phrase continues to haunt her six years after her near-death experience. Maybe the Healer was right and she should feel lucky, but she doesn’t. Now that the war has come to pass, she is riddled with guilt. She cannot walk away from what happened to her six years ago despite making it out of the war alive. That alone should be enough reason to celebrate, but it is not. There are too many unanswered questions and Katie understands better than most who survived the war that everyone is borrowed time. She cannot unsee the place she spent six months of her life trapped in. She is desperate to understand it and even more desperate to know if the souls of her lost friends now inhabit the same space.

OOC EXPLORATION

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

This group captivated my attention immediately upon discovery. The Trio Era is what originally got me into role-playing Harry Potter and the Marauders is what kept me, so this role-play truly is the perfection combination. I have been looking for a group to join for some time now and your group has one of the freshest and most unique concepts I’ve ever seen! Plus, it is obvious the passion and care that has gone into creating this group. I am excited to potentially be a part of the journey and see where the story takes us all together.

EXTRA FOR NON-BIO CHARACTERS

CHARACTER CONTRIBUTION

Katie possesses a lot of versatility with her character. She naturally has an outgoing and charismatic personality, and is quick at adapting to her surroundings. She has always been an integral part of whatever community she is a part of—ranging from her time at Hogwarts on the quidditch team, in the dueling club, or Dumbledore’s Army; to her career beyond the castle’s walls. She has proved herself a loyal friend to many. I think her experience being cursed by the Opal Necklace makes her an imperative character because she has knowledge from that ordeal others might not be equipped with, which she has channeled into a career within the Ministry of Magic as an Unspeakable.

I headcanon that when Katie was cursed by the necklace during her seventh year, she spent a large portion of her time in St. Mungo’s unconscious. During this period she had an out of body experience where she thought she was dead. She tightly holds onto the secret that she visited what may be known to some as limbo, purgatory, or the underworld out of fear of being labelled crazy. She doesn’t dismiss her experience though; she clings to it, and it to effects every aspect of her life.

Katie’s brush with death made her obsessed with the idea of it. Since the war’s conclusion she has tried to dissect the mechanics of life and death, but had no success. Everyday feels the exact same; she is capped out with little to show for her efforts. That is, until the first of the returned makes their appearance through the veil. This ignites a new obsession in Katie all over again.

PRESENT

“ Have you heard? ” A stocky Unspeakable buzzed with excitement as he pushed passed Katie and exited the elevator lift.

“ Heard what? ” The woman quipped in his direction as she rubbed her tired eyes, but by the time she gathered her senses he was already hurrying off down the corridor. Katie shrugged her shoulders back and dismissed the interaction before continuing along in the same direction. Unusual occurrences were the norm in this part of the Ministry so she didn’t think much of it. She was already getting a late start on her day anyway so she decided to quicken her pace as she rounded the corner leading to her dual office/laboratory, where she was forced to stop abruptly when she came across a throng of other Unspeakables littering the hallway. Katie quirked a brow upon the realization everyone was huddled near the Death Chamber.

“ What is going on? ” She asked the same Unspeakable who she spotted standing nearby.

“ You don’t know? ” Emerson gaped, which annoyed Katie slightly. “ They are saying someone has returned through the veil. ”

“ What do you mean ‘returned through the veil?’ I didn’t realize we were trying to send anyone to the other-side— ”

“ No, someone no longer living returned through the veil. They came back from the dead. ”

“ Impossible, ” Katie uttered in protest, but her own near-death experience quickly replayed in her head. She was only seventeen when she swore she too briefly died, so maybe it wasn’t impossible for the dead to return after all.

“ No really, a boy was found wandering the corridors naked this morning. Creevy is what they’re calling him. ”

Katie stood silent for a moment as she processed what she had just been informed. “ Someone came back to life? Through the veil? ” The witch repeated as her dark eyes swirled with sudden intensity. Emerson merely nodded. “ I sure picked a hell of a day to be late. ” She concluded completely gobsmacked.

“ You won’t make that mistake again, ” Emerson chuckled before disappearing off into the crowd to try and sneak a closer look.

And he was right. From that day forward, Katie was never late again. She always put her best foot forward when it came to her career, but the stakes suddenly felt like they had been raised even higher upon the departed’s return. The one thing she now knows for certain is that this might be the only opportunity she has to find answers to the questions that have been tormenting her for the last six years—and she doesn’t plan on letting this moment pass her by like she did unwittingly the last one.

#prioriacceptance #katie bell

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valkyrieofthehighfae · 4 years ago

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A collection of quotes

Thought I would do a little something fun and start up a little collection of quotes from my OCs! It’s definitely a post that’ll get updated fairly often, so be on the lookout for new quotes from the gang!

Valkyrie:

"Pff amateur. I've already started drinking again.”

“In retrospect, that was stupid. The working title of my memoir”

“I wasn’t planning on going for a run today. But then those cops came out of nowhere.”

“Don’t break anybody’s heart, they only have one. Break their bones, they have 206”

"Trust no man, fear no bitch"

"I wasn't ready for half the shit I went through, but obviously I was built for it.”

“You walked into my life when I apparently needed you most. And for that, I will always be grateful”

“Do not tell me what I can and cannot do”

“Personally I’m both fucked up and misunderstood”

“What’s a girl gotta do to get into a proper brawl around here?”

“Filled with poison but blessed with beauty and rage”

“Say a prayer to the gods friend and let’s drink like we’ll be going to Valhalla tomorrow”

“If you want change, you have to invite the chaos”

“A healer’s hands are often the most bloody. We cut out infection and tell death not today when we get a win. So raise a glass to those who do the bloody work and praise the gods for their skills”

“I had to fight like hell and fighting like hell has made me what I am”

Danica:

“What - and I cannot stress this enough - the fuck?”

“You’re stronger than you think. You’ll always be stronger than you think. Feel with your heart and do what you want”

“Everything you feel is temporary”

“I look at you, and I just love you, and it terrifies me. It terrifies me what I would do for you”

"I'm sorry, I don't take orders. I barely take suggestions"

“Some people are just born with tragedy in their blood”

“Because I’m not human, okay? I don’t work the way you do. I don’t feel things the way you do. I feel everything all the more deeply and it leaves me aching every time”

“I get lost in pretending to be human”

“I don’t like being told what to do”

Keres:

"I wear heels bigger than your dick. Move along peasant, you're not worthy of speaking to me"

“I woke up today and spun the wheel of attitude. Yep! It landed on bitch again!”

“I became a monster to survive a monster”

“I’m scared as hell to want you. But here I am, wanting you anyway.”

“You found parts of me I didn’t know existed and in you I found a love I no longer believed was real”

“And what is it you think I need? Love? Only men need to be loved, sweetheart. Women need to be wanted”

"I won't be remembered as a woman who keeps her mouth shut. I'm okay with that"

"I'm not a hero, I don't do good. It's not in me"

"The only person I've ever genuinely been afraid of is my mother"

"I'm not the good guy, remember? I'm the selfish one. I take what I want, I do what I want. I don't do the right thing. And I hurt everyone around me because it's easier to hurt people than it is to let them in and let myself be loved"

"I never had a chance to be soft. I was always bloody knuckles and shards of glass. I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me"

“Kneel before me”

“I stopped being a child the day you sent me down here to die”

“I’m afraid of what I’ve become”

“I’m everything you can’t control”

Ashlyn:

“I just know I’ll die trying to pet something that I shouldn’t”

“I am my ancestors’ wildest dream”

“You have me. Until every last star in the galaxy dies, you have me”

“How terrible is it to love something that death can touch?”

“I’m sorry that you were not truly loved and that it made you cruel”

Natalya:

“Apparently ‘spite’ and ‘vengeance’ are not an appropriate answer to ‘what motivates you’”

“I am not responsible for what my face does when you talk to me”

"I'm tough. I'm ambitious and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay"

“Once I got my sight back, it’s all over for you, class acts”

“Clever as the Devil and twice as pretty”

“I am not a stranger to the dark”

“I know what I want and I’m going to get it”

“They broke the wrong parts of me. They broke my wings and forgot I had claws”

“I’m coming for my crown”

Nyx:

“My mother didn’t raise a fool. A cold-hearted bitch perhaps, but not a fool”

“I’m not just beautiful. I’m otherworldly and vaguely threatening”

"Know your worth. Then add tax"

“Anger makes you stupid. Stupid gets you killed. So be smart about going after your enemies. Goad them into making mistakes and you will slaughter them. Victory will be at hand and history will remember that you didn’t even have to raise a hand in violence to achieve it”

“A wolf is a wolf. Even in a cage. Even dressed in silk.”

“Don’t play games with me. Don’t ever, ever think you’re capable of that”

Briar:

“Maybe my mom was right all those years ago. Maybe I won’t be happy until someone loses an eye. Maybe that’s what’s been missing”

"Once again I'm falsely accused of whatever I'm being accused of. Falsely"

“Ah, there he is. That motherfucker. What a tool”

“If I can still breathe, I’m fine”

“The Fae? Fuck the Fae. Bunch of stuck up asswipes is what they are”

Rune:

“If I say ‘first of all’, run away because I have prepared research, data, charts, and I will destroy you”

“I have neither the time nor crayons to explain it to you”

“Why do you bad-touch words like that?”

“Take a deep breath and remember who the fuck you are”

“Blah, blah, blah… shut up”

Hally:

“I gotta see the candy first. Then I get in the van. I’m not stupid”

“I woke up this morning and I chose chaos”

“That’s the world. Everything you build, it tears down. Everything you’ve got, it takes. The only choices you get are to lie down or keep going. That’s as close to beating the world as anyone gets.”

“In my defense, I was left unsupervised”

“Chill, it’s only chaos”

Blade:

“I whatever'd when I should have hell no’ed”

“The big ass spider in my room is now named Cotton Eyed Joe because I want to know two things: where did he come from, where did he go”

“That’s not very punk of you”

Aurelia:

“ℐ 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓇ℯ𝒸𝒾𝒶𝓉ℯ 𝓎ℴ𝓊 𝓂ℴ𝓇ℯ 𝒷ℯ𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈ℯ ℴ𝒻 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝓇ℴ𝒶𝒹 ℐ 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓋ℯ𝓁ℯ𝒹. ℳ𝓎 𝓈𝓉ℴ𝓇𝓎 𝒷𝓇ℴ𝓊ℊ𝒽𝓉 𝓂ℯ 𝓉ℴ 𝓎ℴ𝓊, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 ℐ 𝓌ℴ𝓊𝓁𝒹𝓃’𝓉 𝓇ℯ𝓋𝒾𝓈ℯ 𝒶 𝓌ℴ𝓇𝒹 ℴ𝒻 𝓂𝓎 ��𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝒾𝒻 𝒾𝓉 𝓁ℯ𝒹 𝓂ℯ 𝒶𝓃𝓎𝓌𝒽ℯ𝓇ℯ 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓎ℴ𝓊𝓇 𝒹ℴℴ𝓇“

Sylvain:

“She was a child that was forced to grow up”

"I was worried that you had no humanity left inside you. That you might have actually become the monster that you pretend to be"

“If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough”

#Kat writes #quotes from the OC squad #Corey Taylor quotes #I believe one of Sylvain's is an Oprah quote #some of these are Varric Tethras quotes as well #there's a Gemma quote in Keres' list as well

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upontheshelfreviews · 5 years ago

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Whenever I discuss Sleeping Beauty with someone who doesn’t share my enthusiasm for Disney, they have an irksome tendency to get it muddled with Snow White; their excuse being “it has the same plot”. I’ll admit, there are some surface similarities that even the most casual viewer can pick up on: a fairytale where a princess is forced into unconsciousness and wakes up with some necking, the comic relief and villain being the most beloved characters, a little frolic in the forest with animals, the antagonist plunging off a cliff, you get the idea. In fact, Sleeping Beauty even reuses some discarded story beats from Snow White, mainly our couple dancing on a cloud and the villain capturing the prince to prevent him from waking his princess. Yet despite that, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are two wholly different movies shaped by the era and talents of the time.

I’ve discussed how Walt Disney was never one to stick to a repeated formula, no matter how successful it was. He must have noticed the parallels between his first movie and this one, but decided to make one crucial change for Sleeping Beauty that would forever differentiate the two: the look. We all know the traditional Disney house style: round, soft shapes, big eyes; charming as it was and still is, Walt was sick of it after several decades. Meanwhile, artists like Mary Blair and Eyvind Earle were producing gorgeous concept art that rarely made a perfect translation into the Disney house style.

Walt wanted to make a feature that took the pop artistry of their designs and made the animation work for it instead of the other way around – which brings us to another animation studio that was doing well at the time, United Pictures Animation, or UPA.

UPA didn’t have the kind of budget Disney normally had for their animated projects, but what they lacked in fluidity they made up for in style. Watch The Tell-Tale Heart, Gerald McBoing-Boing and Rooty-Toot-Toot to see what I mean. UPA were pioneers of limited animation, taking their scant resources and creating some striking visuals with bold geometric designs. Through this, they defined the look of 50’s animation. Though perhaps unintentional, Sleeping Beauty comes across as Disney’s response to UPA, or what would happen if UPA had the funds they deserved. The characters’ contours are angular but effortlessly graceful, defining their inherent dignity and royalty. And the colors, ohhh the colors…

Because of the immense amount of work required to animate in this difficult new style (and in the Cinemascope ratio, no less) as well as story troubles and Walt barely supervising the animation studio now that he had his hands full with live-action films, television, and a theme park, Sleeping Beauty had a turbulent production that lasted the entirety of the 1950s. For a time, Chuck Jones of Looney Tunes fame was set to direct. Director Wilfred Jackson suffered a heart attack partway through production and Eric Larson, one of the Nine Old Men, took the mantle from there before Walt Disney replaced him Clyde Geronimi. And even after that, Wolfgang Reitherman teamed up with Geronimi as co-director to get the film finished after no less than three delays. Also, Don Bluth got his foot in the door as an assistant animator for this feature, beginning his short-lived but impactful tenure at Disney. Did all this hamper the movie, or did they succeed in what they set out to accomplish?

Well, one of the reasons why this review took so long was because I had a hard time not repeating “MOVIE PRETTY” and “MALEFICENT AWESOME” over and over. Make what you will of that.

The story begins as most fairy tales do with your typical king, Stefan, and his queen suddenly blessed with a baby girl after years of wishing for a child. They christen their daughter Aurora (middle name Borealis, localized entirely within their castle) and throw a huge celebration in her honor. People come from all over the kingdom to pay homage to the princess and OSMKFKSBFHFGILWBHBFC…

Movie pretty…

MOVIE PRETTIEEEEEE…

John Hench, Academy Award-winning special effects man and art director, turned Walt on to the idea of basing the look of Sleeping Beauty on classic medieval artwork. Thanks to him and Eyvind Earle’s insanely detailed designs and backgrounds, this is one of Disney’s most visually distinct and beautiful films. A single still from this feature wouldn’t feel out of place up in The Cloisters.

Among the party guests is King Stefan’s old friend King Hubert (Bill Thompson) bringing his young son Prince Philip. Stefan and Hubert wish to unite their two kingdoms and formally announce Philip’s betrothal to the infant Aurora.

“We were going to do it during the second trimester, but we decided to wait until she was more mature.”

By the way, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is Aurora’s mother, Queen Leah, alive and well and named. And frabjous day calloo callay, she even gets some lines! The most common joke about Disney princesses is that they don’t have moms (even Ralph Breaks The Internet went out of its way to highlight that), so as a hardcore Disney fan who often has to put up with this generalization, Leah’s existence leaves me feeling vindicated.

Once that happy revelation is out of the way, we’re introduced to our main protagonists.

Oh, you thought I was referring to Philip and Aurora? Nonononono, my friends. THESE are the true heroes of Sleeping Beauty, the Three Good Fairies.

The fairies started off as one-note side characters sharing the same personality. Think pre-Ducktales-reboot Huey, Dewey, and Louie in dresses. But the studio had a difficult time giving Aurora more depth and was having a lot more fun developing the fairies. Naturally, they became so fascinating and appealing that more screentime was given over to them. Now the story’s carried by three wonderfully fleshed out ladies who are distinct in both looks and personality: Flora’s the pragmatic tradition-adhering leader, Fauna’s the sweet scatterbrain who mediates, and Merryweather’s the feisty young upstart.

With the plot now focused on characters who held a traditionally minor role, it’s easy to read this as a perspective-flipped version of the fairytale, but there’s more to it than that. Remember in my Clash of the Titans review how I mentioned the gods literally play chess using the heroes as pieces? I tend to view the main conflict of Sleeping Beauty in the same way. The Three Fairies and Maleficent are in a constant game of good vs. evil, moving Aurora, Philip, and the rest of the royals as pawns in their plans. There’s plenty of plotting and intrigue, with both sides constantly guessing and second-guessing the other’s next maneuver, and even if you’re already familiar with the story’s trajectory you’re still left on the edge of your seat as it inches towards the fiery climax.

And dare I say it but…the fairies and their power dynamic make this Disney’s most feminist film. Yes, really. You could argue that some of the other animated movies from the Renaissance and Revival period have more notable, stronger female protagonists, and many of the live-action remakes try to be woke without really grasping the concept, but consider this: The cast of Sleeping Beauty is mostly female, the leads aren’t objectified in any manner (that is if you count Aurora as a supporting character), nor does their gender factor into their competency, each one differs in age and body type, and most of them are working together towards a common goal as opposed to against each other. Name a movie in the past decade that does the same and still manages to be entertaining (no, really, I’d love to see it). There’s even one scene that unintentionally provides great commentary on the divides in the feminist movement, but more on that later.

Flora and Fauna bless the baby with beauty and song respectively which are accompanied by a short chorus and some sumptuous graphics. I don’t think I need to reiterate that when this movie goes extra with the visuals, it GOES EXTRA with the visuals. Next comes Merryweather with her gift. To this day, no one knows what Merryweather intended to give Aurora. Flora’s the most traditionally feminine of the three so her giving Aurora beauty comes as no surprise. By comparison, Merryweather is the most forward (or unconventional, depending on your point of view). I wouldn’t put it past her to favor Aurora with intelligence, or humor, or passion, or creativity or humility or confidence or decisiveness or physical fitness or great swordsmanship or telekinesis or ice powers or one million YouTube subscribers or comfort in her female sexuality.

Me personally, I think I’ve got the best gift of all:

“O Princess, my gift shall be…getting all reviews posted on time for once!”

Alas, before Merryweather can bestow such a wondrous quality upon the child, she’s interrupted by a horny party crasher.

Maleficent. The Mistress of All Evil. Chernabog’s right-hand witch. The Disney villain all Disney villains strive to be. She has it all – the looks, the poise, the power, the laugh, the cunning, the ruthlessness! She doesn’t even need to sing a song because she’s already awesome enough without one. Marc Davis’ gothic design cuts a fine figure and Eleanor Audley’s subtle icy voicework is trés magnifique. As much as I enjoy Audley as Cinderella’s evil stepmother, Lady Tremaine was but an appetizer in comparison to the four-course banquet of pure villainy that is Maleficent.

This leads to a small point of contention some viewers have with Maleficent in spite of hitting top marks elsewhere: her motivation. Putting a hit out on a child for not getting invited to a measly party? Not exactly compelling, is it? And yes, it isn’t a deep motive…is what I would say if I wasn’t well-versed in folkloric tradition. In the original fairy tale and the movie (though it isn’t outright stated in the latter), the party for Aurora isn’t just your average royal kegger, it’s a christening. Back in ye olden days, christenings were very big deals. To not receive an invitation to one was a grave insult, so not extending an invite to your semi-omnipotent magical neighbor is just asking for trouble. In the fairy tale’s defense, no one had seen the evil fairy for years and assumed she was dead, though I can’t imagine how nobody thought Maleficent wouldn’t find about it eventually.

“You dare to deny me, foolish mortals? Very well, then! I shall have my own christening! With blackjack! And strumpets!”

Maleficent is proof that sometimes you don’t have to have an elaborate backstory, a god complex, a tragic past or the unfortunate luck to be on the wrong side of a conflict. Sometimes all you need is some magic, brains, class, and a whole lot of flair to be a perfect, intimidating, and unquestionably iconic villain.

Basically what I’m saying is these movies never happened. Got it?

Maleficent is disarmingly polite over being snubbed, even after Merryweather bluntly tells her nobody wanted her to come. She even brought her own gift for the baby – sixteen years of life cut short by the prick of a spinning wheel spindle, because why change into a dragon and destroy everyone all at once when you can draw the torture out over an agonizingly long time and deliver the coup de grace in the prime of a young woman’s life? That’s how Maleficent rolls, baby. She could dole out capital punishment when she has to without batting an eyelid, but causing human suffering is her bread and butter.

Stefan begs the fairies to undo Maleficent’s curse, but it’s too strong for them. Flora and Fauna insist, however, that Merryweather can use her gift to lessen the spell’s potency. Now instead of dying from that fatal prick, Aurora will sleep until she receives True Love’s Kiss™. Stefan’s not one to throw caution to the wind though, so he orders all of the kingdom’s spinning wheels to be burned in the meantime.

I just pray his kingdom’s economy wasn’t based on textiles otherwise they’re screwed.

As the peasantry celebrates Guy Fawkes Day several centuries early, the fairies ponder their next move. They’ve been around long enough to know that removing spinning wheels from the equation won’t put a damper on Maleficent’s scheme. This scene is incredibly effective in establishing two things:

Maleficent’s near-omniscient presence in the film

How well the fairies’ differing personalities play off each other

Maleficent rarely miscalculates her opponents, and that guile puts her one step ahead of the heroes, making her one of the few Disney villains to nearly reach their goal. The only mistake she makes in the entire movie is trusting her henchmen to do their jobs when she isn’t directly supervising them, though that’s more on them than her. The different methods the fairies propose to deal with Maleficent fantastically illustrate what kind of people they are. Fauna believes she’s just a miserable soul who could be reasoned with if they talk things over. Merryweather would rather take the fight to Maleficent and turn her into a toad. Flora, however, is wise enough to know Maleficent’s too wicked to plead to, too clever to bargain with and too strong to face head-on, so their best course of action is to focus on protecting Aurora through any means necessary. Her initial idea is to enchant the princess into a flower (her namesake is her specialty, after all), but Merryweather reminds her that Maleficent enjoys creating bitter frosts just to kill her flowers.

“Well we could try that but stick her in a castle with a beast for a while…nah, that’ll never work.”

Yet never one to give up, Flora alters the plan so they’ll raise Aurora as a peasant girl out in the woods. This means disguising themselves as humans and giving up magic for sixteen years so as to not attract Maleficent, but that amount of time is like twenty minutes to the fair folk. Stefan and Leah reluctantly agree to the plan, and the fairies spirit little Aurora away from the castle that very night.

Sixteen years later, Maleficent is infuriated that her minions have failed to locate Aurora, even more so when one reveals that they’ve spent the whole time looking for a baby instead of a maturing woman. In an interview with the Rotoscopers podcast, Don Bluth called Maleficent a very flat antagonist because she surrounds lackeys dumber than her so she could be the smart one among them and, again, her supposed lack of motivation. But come on, let’s not entirely condemn the bad guys for having too much faith in their underlings. It’s difficult to find minions smart enough to carry out orders but dumb enough to stay unquestioningly loyal. Usually you have to register as Republican in order to get some.

Maleficent gets her anger out in the most therapeutic way – throwing lightning bolts at her orcs, awesome – then leaves the job of finding Aurora up to her trusty raven Diablo. We then finally see the grown-up Aurora herself, whom the fairies renamed Briar Rose as a nod to the Brothers Grimm version of this tale.

I know I’ve made the occasional case for the princesses from Walt’s era compared to the present day, and yet I have a hard time defending how…I don’t want to say bland. Bland would mean there’s nothing interesting about Aurora, and that’s a lie. She’s gorgeously designed and drawn, and even in her peasant dress she has an air of elegance and sophistication. She carries herself like a queen; her innate royalty reveals itself in her graceful movements. Mary Costa also gifts her with an excellent set of pipes. Hearing her song echoing through the forest is nothing short of magical. She’s a flower child who can talk to animals. She has dreams of escaping her adopted aunts’ loving but stifling care and being allowed to grow up, see the world, actually talk to people, and even find a life partner. She has some strong potential. It’s not that Aurora’s boring, she’s just not quite as developed as we’ve come to expect our animated female protagonists to be. I’m grateful for what we’ve got, but I only wish we could have more. What was her childhood like? How did she learn to communicate with animals? When did the fairies trust her enough to let her spend time out on her own? Did the fairies ever subtly teach her lessons in royalty through lessons and games? Heck, nobody bothers to keep her informed about Maleficent or her curse, and they act surprised when she’s shocked to learn she was a princess the whole time. I want to see what Aurora could have been like if she had known the truth already and what kind of steps she would take to defend herself. Blame the source material for this; it’s difficult to write a compelling main character when she’s supposed to sleep through most of her story.

The fairies send Aurora on a fetch quest so they can plan a surprise birthday party for her. Merryweather wants to bring their magic wands back out for the job, but Flora insists on taking no chances now that they’re in the home stretch. Fauna gets to live her dream of baking an elaborate cake (it’s thanks to her referring to a teaspoon as a “tsp” that I do it too), and Flora insists on making Aurora a gown fit for a princess using Merryweather as a dummy. And we also get one of the best burns in the Disney canon:

Merryweather: It looks awful! Flora: That’s because it’s on you, dear.

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The fairies fall into reminiscing over raising Aurora and get teary over having to let her go soon. I see where they’re coming from, they’re the ones who raised her for sixteen years. They must have so many fond memories, not to mention they put all that work into learning to properly raise a child let alone live like normal human beings seeing how two of them still can’t sew or cook without magic. I wonder what that was like –

No, NO, you CGI abominations DO NOT exist! Go back to the fires from whence you came!!

“Ugh, I’m gonna need something strong to expunge that from my eyes.”

There we go.

Aurora wanders through the forest, drawing out the usual bevy of cute woodland critters with her singing. She also catches the attention of a grown-up Prince Philip (Billy Shirley) who’s more dashing and considerably less blonde than he was sixteen years ago.

By this point, the Disney animators were far more confident in their ability to draw realistic but expressive leading men, hence Philip’s expanded role from the story. He’s also the first Disney prince to have a personality; not a terribly deep or defined one, but it’s a step up from his nameless plot-device predecessors. There are some signs of him being a hopeless romantic, he gets a few funny lines here and there, has a sturdy friendship with his horse Samson, and is fiercely determined when it’s time to kick some ass. He does have the same problem as Aurora in he randomly decides to stop talking for the rest of the movie once he reaches the midway mark (at least Aurora has the excuse that she’s sleeping for that remainder), but I suppose you could chalk this up as to him wanting to spite Maleficent with his silence.

The animals steal some of Philip’s clothes so they can pretend to be Aurora’s dream prince. Aurora plays along as she sings the movie’s standout song, “Once Upon a Dream”. Philip and Samson watch until he smooths his way into the dance. Once Aurora discovers the switch, Philip gets a little too up in her personal space for my liking, constantly grabbing her hand so she doesn’t run off and pulling her closer to him. Not as horrible as what the prince does to the sleeping princess in the original story (a questionably consensual kiss is a trifle compared to how the scumbag of a prince treats her there), but still a bit iffy.

“It’s a good thing my aunts taught me to never go anywhere without a loaded pistol taped to my back.”

But once Philip backs off a little and joins in her song, they both dance together and OEHSGBJSGBLL…

I think I’m going to need surgery to get my jaw off the floor back into its proper place thanks to this movie.

As per Disney tradition, Aurora and Philip’s waltz means the two are head over heels in love with each other. But when it comes time to finally exchange names, Aurora panics and runs away, though she sticks around long enough to tell Philip to meet her family at the cottage that evening.

Back at home, the party preparations aren’t proceeding as planned. Flora’s dress looks as good as my attempts at dressmaking, and Fauna’s dessert wouldn’t feel out of place on Cake Wrecks.

A fed-up Merryweather reads Flora and Fauna the riot act and convinces them to finally take up their wands again. This produces more desirable results, though Merryweather still gets stuck with cleanup duty.

Enchanting a broom to come to life and do your dirty work? I don’t see this going wrong in any possible way.

Things start to go south when Flora and Merryweather argue over the dress color and it escalates into a full-blown wizard’s duel. This gag was supposedly based on the animators’ arguments over what was Aurora’s proper dress color. I think they should have compromised and combined both colors to make purple, which would go lovely with Aurora’s violet eyes, but what do I know. I’m just the illustration major writing a blog. Unfortunately, while the fairies remembered to cover every door, window, and crack that could expose their magic, they overlooked the fireplace. The sparkly residue of Flora and Merryweather’s fight fly up the chimney, alerting Diablo to their hideaway.

Going back to what I said earlier about this movie providing some commentary on feminism, consider this: Flora is obsessed with pink, a traditionally female color, and she gives Aurora an attribute that is oft preferred in a woman but not the most important quality, beauty. Merryweather, on the other hand, is all about blue, a color usually geared towards boys, and she has much more common sense and practicality about her. Though Merryweather and Flora are able to put aside their differences in personalities and approaches for a common goal, it’s when they refuse to compromise and begin prioritizing which color – ie. which ideology and extension of themselves – that they want Aurora to step into that they lose sight of what’s important, and allow everything they worked for to collapse on itself. It’s played for laughs very well, sure, but if not’s symbolic of the dichotomy between traditional femininity and modern sensibility that tears apart the feminist movement then I don’t know what is.

The fairies manage to fix their messes in time for Aurora’s return. She’s thrilled with their gifts but shocks them all when she announces her new boyfriend is coming over for dinner. They come clean about her heritage and betrothal to Prince Philip, and Aurora runs up to her room in tears over the fact that she’ll never see her one true love again. That and her entire life has been a lie and she’s being carted off to meet parents she knows nothing about to marry a man she’s never met and rule an entire kingdom with no prior experience or knowledge. But mostly the true love thing.

Meanwhile, Stefan and Hubert are making wedding plans over wine with “Skumps”, the preferred toast between me and my friends. Also adding to the humor is a minstrel who keeps stealing sips until he literally drinks himself under the table.

This was also his way of getting through the Black Plague, co-opted by the rest of the world six hundred years later.

Philip returns and Hubert goes to greet him. He thinks his son is thrilled at the prospect of marrying Aurora but is disappointed to learn that he’s fallen for an anonymous peasant.

“At least tell me if she’s royalty in disguise so you don’t elope to Sicily!”

Philip rides back into the woods for his big date, leaving Hubert with the unenviable task of breaking the bad news to Stefan. As for Aurora, the fairies smuggle her into the castle and prep her for her homecoming. She’s still blue over having to ghost her forest hubby though, so the fairies give her some time to herself.

Biiiiiiiiig mistake.

So imagine you’re me, growing up watching this movie on tape on a television set with a very standard but not spectacular sound system. Then years later you download the remastered soundtrack and give it a listen while you’re falling asleep. You’ve got the whole score memorized, the volume is nice and low, it’s all good.

And then, just as you’re drifting off, you hear a ghostly voice singing in your ear “Auroraaa…Auroraaaaa…”

That reminds me, I haven’t had a chance to talk about the music yet, haven’t I? Forgive me for waiting so long to do so but my reaction to it is equivalent to the visuals. The score is taken straight from the Sleeping Beauty ballet by Tchaikovsky, the same composer as The Nutcracker, and it is lush, sweeping, sumptuous, just…

While George Bruns was mostly faithful with how the score was represented within the context of the ballet, at certain points he took the same approach as The Nutcracker Prince and rearranged the music order to underscore totally different scenes to staggering effect. The beautifully ominous music where Maleficent appears as a ball of green flame and leads the hypnotized Aurora to her doom? It’s from one of the ballet’s divertissements where Puss in Boots dances with his girlfriend. But tell me which is more fitting for a musical composition such as this – two cats pirouetting around each other in a crowded ballroom, or eerie pitch-black spiral staircases illuminated by green fire as a cursed princess inches closer to her dark destiny against her will?

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The fairies realize their error and frantically search the maze of secret passages for Aurora. Though the princess resists Maleficent’s commands for only a moment, they are still too late to save her from fulfilling the curse. Maleficent gloats and leaves the fairies to wallow in their failure. It’s made even worse as the merrymaking from the oblivious revelers below ring out while they put Aurora to bed in a tower and mourn over her. It’s heartbreaking: they raised and loved her as if she were their own daughter, and they still couldn’t protect her. Everyone talks about “Baby Mine” and Bambi’s mom as huge tearjerkers, but why is this scene constantly forgotten?

Stupid onions, stupid stupid onions…

Fauna and Merryweather can’t even begin to imagine how heartbroken Stefan and Leah will be, but Flora has a solution: put the kingdom to sleep along with Aurora until she is woken up. I understand her wanting to spare Aurora’s family some pain, but conking out an entire principality for god knows how long to cover up their failure? AND at a time when Europe was all about invading and conquering itself? Are we sure this isn’t just part of Maleficent’s overarching plan for revenge? This sounds more like something she would come up with instead of the leader of the good guys.

“So what happens if one of the neighboring kingdoms decides to attack while everyone’s sleeping?”

“Then we’ll put them and their armies to sleep, too.”

“And once Aurora is saved, both kingdoms will immediately wake up to find themselves thrust into a war they’re barely prepared for, is that correct?”

“Oh, you’re right, that’s a terrible idea.”

“Finally, thank you.”

“I’ll just turn them all into flowers.”

“THAT’S NOT AN OPTION!!!”

The fairies flitter about the castle grounds spreading their spell over the unwitting royal court, even putting the candles and sconces out. We have another reprise of the “Gifts of Beauty and Song” chorus now altered to sound like a lullaby, providing an interesting bit of symmetry between it and its earlier use in the film. Whereas it first underscored their blessings upon Aurora, now it plays as the fairies are giving the “gift” of sleep to the entire castle.

While Flora knocks out the throne room, she overhears Hubert muttering about Philip eloping with a peasant girl and she makes the connection. The fairies speed to the cottage just as Philip arrives there. But once again Maleficent beats them to the punch. Her goons ambush Philip and she watches them wrestle and bond him with fiendish glee.

You magnificent, kinky bitch.

Maleficent was only out to capture the one man who could break Aurora’s curse; the fact that he’s really the son of her nemesis’ allies is just icing on the cake. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather resolve to rescue him from Maleficent’s fortress in the Forbidden Mountain.

Some movies reach the brink of greatness only to falter when it comes to the final act. Sleeping Beauty is not one of them. Everything that happens from the moment we slowly zoom in through the purple mist on to the Forbidden Mountain itself up until the storybook closes is perfection. The perfectly paced action, the animation, the music, Maleficent’s hideaway in all its decaying glory (I swear it’s like Jean Cocteau meets Frank Frazetta meets Giotto) all make for the climax of climaxes.

The fairies shrink to insect size and silently sneak through Maleficent’s creepy domain, narrowly running into guards and gargoyles at every turn. They traverse the stronghold until they find her overseeing a hellish bacchanalia in honor of her supposed victory.

“My old gaffer would have a thing or two to say if he could see us now.”

Soon Maleficent gets bored and goes to “cheer up” her captive. Then we have it: The Moment.

I’ve talked about this before, that one small, devious step further the villain takes to make themselves more heinous in our eyes. It’s the Wicked Witch taunting Dorothy with visions of Aunt Em. It’s the Beldam hanging Other Wybie’s remains. It’s virtually everything Heath Ledger’s Joker does. And it is this simple scene where Maleficent details what she plans to do with Philip. She spins “a charming fairy tale come true” of Aurora sleeping without aging, waiting for her prince to come to wake her. And Philip will escape the dungeon, ride to her rescue and prove true love conquers all – in one hundred years, when he’s a broken old husk of a man on the brink of death. DAMN. If you want to know why Maleficent is considered the best of all the Disney villains, it’s not just all her previously praised qualities, it’s her sheer sadism and the pleasure she takes in it.

The fairies enter and free Philip once Maleficent departs. The course of true love never runs smoothly though, so they arm him with the Shield of Virtue (licensed by Carefree Maxi-Pads), and the Sword of Truth to aid in his escape.

“So, why’s it called the Sword of Truth?”

“Anyone who’s subjected to it speaks only the truth…as they bleed out and die, of course.”

“Cool, cool. On an unrelated note, I think I’m gonna go to DC for my honeymoon.”

Diablo sounds the alarm and the Battle With the Forces of Evil kicks off with Philip slashing his Sword of Truth through Maleficent’s goons.

“I steal lunches from the break room fridge!” “I broke wind last Tuesday and blamed it on the dog!” “I cried like a little girl during The Good Place finale!” “I only wash my hands for NINETEEN seconds at a time!”

Philip makes his getaway on Samson and the music reaches truly operatic levels as Maleficent does everything in her power to end him. Yet Philip soldiers through it like a boss. Crumbling mountainsides, Maleficent hurling lightning from the sky and summoning a forest of thorns to block the way? Fuck that shit, he’s gotta go save his girl.

Then, as Philip cuts his way through the briars, Maleficent looks at her watch, realizes it’s No More Fucking Around O’Clock, zooms over to the castle, throws down the most intimidating challenge ever –

“Now you shall deal with me, O Prince, and all the powers of HELL!!”

– and with that, she takes her final form: a massive fire-breathing dragon.

Every Disney villain who’s gone kaiju in the final act owes everything to this gorgeous terrifying beast. The dragon is an awe-inspiring unholy fusion of style, power and darkness. There’s a reason why she’s the final boss in Fantasmic; the chance to watch a live dragon battle is too cool to pass up.

Speaking of battles, Maleficent’s dragon form was animated by Woolie Reitherman, who previously brought us such gargantuan monster clashes as the T-rex brawl in Fantasia and the escape from Monstro The Whale in Pinocchio. And when you have a dragon confronting a fairytale prince, well, you know what’s coming.

Maleficent backs Philip on to a cliff surrounded by flames, leaving him only one desperate shot. With a little extra magic from the fairies, he throws his Sword of Truth at Maleficent and it plunges right into her heart.

“I liked…Frozen 2…more than the first one…”

Maleficent’s spells die with her, clearing the way for Philip. He gives Aurora that wake-up smooch and everyone in the castle slowly rouses, owing their inexplicable simultaneous twenty-minute blackout to the unusually strong wine.

He can attest to that fact.

The royal families are happily reunited, and the film ends on Flora and Merryweather fighting over Aurora’s dress color yet again as she and Philip waltz together on the clouds using animation Beauty and the Beast would borrow thirty-two years later.

Sleeping Beauty is a movie I can never have on in the background because the moment I look up from my work I am spellbound by it. Do I need to elaborate on how this is one of the most beautiful looking and sounding movies Disney’s ever produced? Sleeping Beauty is the swan song of Disney’s first golden age of animation. For better or for worse, their animation process would switch to the rough, cost-cutting Xerox process starting with their next feature, 101 Dalmatians, and few films would reach Sleeping Beauty’s level of gorgeousness ever since.

Though a massive financial and critical hit on release, it wasn’t enough to make up for the monstrous production costs, not unlike Fantasia. Thankfully, home video sales revived interest and made it Sleeping Beauty of the top-selling VHS tapes of the decade, cementing it as a bonafide classic. It’s one of my favorites from Disney for its stunning visuals, gorgeous music, phenomenal villain and overlooked but great cast characters. Revisit it if you haven’t already.

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this review, please consider supporting this misfit on Patreon. Patreon supporters receive great perks such as extra votes for movie reviews, movie requests, early sneak-peeks and more! Special thanks to Amelia Jones, Gordhan Rajani and Sam Minden for their contributions!

Artwork by Charles Moss.

Screencaps from animationscreencaps.com

March Review: Sleeping Beauty (1959) Whenever I discuss Sleeping Beauty with someone who doesn't share my enthusiasm for Disney, they have an irksome tendency to get it muddled with Snow White; their excuse being "it has the same plot".

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misssunflowersandsangria · 5 years ago

Text

Earthquake

Authors Note: Hello all! I have another Ino Shika Cho drabble collection in response to the Mitsuki Disappearance Arc in Boruto. I hated that Team 10 had such a big role but there wasn't any kind of scene showing how their parents responded to it... :sigh: and so here we are. If you haven't gotten that far in the anime I think that you can still read and understand it but proceed with caution if you don't want spoilers at all. Whelp either way I hope that you enjoy it!

Ino

Inojin stood at his parents' door wondering whether he should knock or not. He knew that his loss couldn’t compare to what both of them had experienced but right now he needed them.

His need for comfort won out over his embarrassment and he knocked on the door. “Come in.” He walked in his eyes downcast while Sai and Ino moved so that he could settle between them. It had been years since he’d needed to crawl into bed with them.

Ino looked down at her son and pulled him into her arms the glittery tears in his eyes breaking their hearts. Sai had filled her in on everything that happened. Inojin had told them a little as well, the rest of his team filling in any missing details. Her baby had been through a lot.

Inojin clutched onto his mother trying to hide the tears in his eyes. “I know it’s stupid to be this upset because you lost grandpa and uncle but it hurts.” Sai and Ino held onto him a little tighter. He was starting to learn what the Shinobi world was really like and how high the stakes could be. They knew that he’d have to grow up but it still pained them that they couldn’t protect him forever.

Ino stroked his hair comfortingly. “It doesn’t matter who or what it was. A loss hurts. Akkun meant something to you even if it was just a short time with him. Sometimes the best relationships are only a snapshot in time.” Ino assured him trying to validate his feelings.

Inojin was his father's son and emotions could be difficult for him. Processing this was going to take some time. When Ino found out what was going on, she and the rest of the Ino-Shika-Cho moms stormed in and camped out in the Hokage’s office while their husbands tried to keep them from rushing to Iwagakure.

“Does it ever stop hurting?” The pain in his voice was enough to level their foundation. They fought so hard for peace. So that their son wouldn’t have to experience the same heartache they did and yet here he was in tears.

“I wish that I could say that it does, but time does help. Thankfully you have wonderful memories of what you shared with him when it becomes really painful.” Sai tried to explain but knew that it might be of little comfort right now.

Ino tilted her son’s face so that his eyes that were so similar to her own could meet hers. “From what it sounds like you gave Akkun a wonderful gift. You gave him a heart. He was able to care about someone so much, to find something so precious to him that he put himself in harm's way, for you. And for us, to make sure that you came back home. We’re thankful for him.” Inojin nodded brushing the tears away. It was true, that little creature was the reason that he was home safe with his parents, he’d always be grateful for him.

Inojin nestled between his parents feeling their love and support surrounding him. He was thankful that he had a heart, that he had people that were worth protecting.

“I uhm I love you guys. I just wanted you to know.” Sai and Ino both looked at each other the tears matching in their eyes. Sai held his family close as they all latched onto one another.

“We love you too baby.”

Once Inojin fell asleep they tucked the blankets around him and made their way to the kitchen too overwhelmed to sleep.

Ino fell into her husband's arms in tears needing him to be strong for her. While Inojin was gone she had to have faith in his skills and the other genin but the reality was that he may have never come back. She didn’t know what she would have done if that was the case.

Sai whispered words of comfort while rubbing her back. “He’s okay my Love, he’s here and safe, let’s just be grateful.” Sai felt like a fraud saying that knowing how worried he had been, but his wife needed comfort right now. When he was in the Anbu, even during life or death missions, he didn’t know fear, that emotion had been trained out of him. But while Inojin was gone that terror had a grip on his heart. He wanted to learn about emotions, to feel and express them but he’d be happy to never experience that again.

Ino took a deep breath and nodded. It was always so difficult when Sai went away now she had to worry about Inojin leaving too. This was the life that they chose but it was still hard for her not to be concerned about the two boys in her life. In spite of it all, they were both incredibly proud of him and it made her happy to know that he used the Yamanaka clan jutsu.

“We’re going to really start training him. I need him to be strong and able to care for himself.” Sai nodded kissing her forehead recognizing the sheer determination in his wife’s eyes.

They may not be able to keep him safe from all the sadness and tragedies of the world but they would make sure he had all the tools he needed to fight the darkness that existed.

Shika

Shikadai dragged his feet down the path towards his home. He was nervous about how his mother was going to react to this last mission.

“Come on son, it will be fine I promise.” His father assured him but he was still hesitant. His mom was scary on a good day after this last stunt he didn’t know what sort of level of rage she was at.

“We’re home!” Shikadai stood there eyes downcast as his mother made her way towards them.

“Shikadai…” He shut his eyes and steeled himself for the inevitable berating. Instead, he was surprised when she kneeled in front of him and gathered him into her arms.

“Mom?” He asked surprised.

“I’m very proud of you my little fawn.” An unusually soft voice told him.

Shikadai stood there in shock. “What?”

He looked up at her admiration shining in her eyes. “You used your intelligence and skills to keep your friends safe. Not only that but you helped save another village. You were steadfast and brave in the face of danger and despair. You acted quickly and thoughtfully. My son, you represented your village and your family well.” Shikadai felt tears appear in his eyes at the sincere pride in her voice. He had so much to live up to because of his parents’ legacy that the pressure could be overwhelming at times. Moments like this helped.

Temari held onto him a little tighter. Since he’d gotten older he shied away from affection. She missed holding her little fawn. When Shikamaru had filled her in on what was going on she tried to remain calm trusting in her son’s abilities. That she and Shikamaru had trained him well. As a shinobi, she could understand, as a mother she was scared. She wasn’t used to feelings of fear but it took a hold of her. What was worse was the feeling of helplessness because apparently you can’t just cross country borders without authorization. She wasn’t surprised at how quickly and efficiently Shikamaru worked to get Naruto clearance. She could tell how worried he was. Thankfully he had enough frame of mind to get the help that they needed. The two Shikas in her life had both come such a long way.

“I’m happy that you’re okay. And that you’re home safe.” Shikadai held onto her a little tighter.

“Me too Mama.” She placed an affectionate kiss on his forehead.

“Wash up, I’ll have dinner done soon.” Shikadai nodded heading towards his room.

He turned back to look at his parents. “Mom, dad, thank you.”

Temari took a deep breath before facing her husband. “This is going to be our new normal huh?”

Shikamaru pulled her into a tight hug each needing the other to ground them.

“Yes, he’s far too intelligent and talented not to use his skills as a shinobi.”

“I guess we’ll just have to get used to it then.” She couldn’t have a panic attack every time that her son went on a mission. So she’d have to make sure that he was prepared when he was on one.

“He's grown a lot.” Temari sighed thinking about her little baby that would look at her like she placed the clouds in the sky.

“Yes, he's a lot more motivated than I was as a kid. It makes me tired. I must say though that we make good kids.” Temari grinned in response.

He kissed her softly a teasing glint in his eyes. “We did such a good job with Shikadai. You’re really sure you don’t want one more?”

She laughed in response her fingers running through his hair. “Hmm pretty sure, but we should keep practicing just in case.”

Shikamaru kissed her softly and sweetly thanking the universe for his wife and son, the life he was lucky enough to live. “I like how you think Princess.”

Cho

The Akimichi family was sitting together enjoying a quiet dinner. Karui had cooked all of her daughter’s favorite foods. It was her way of congratulating ChouChou on her mission and to process her feelings. She was proud of the kunoichi that her daughter was growing into but that was still her baby out there.

“Mom?”

“Yes little bug?”

“I want you to help me train using your jutsu.” Chouji and Karui looked at her, surprised by the request and her motivation.

“Really?”

ChouChou nodded in response. “Yes, I was thinking about everything that happened and if I can manage to use both then I'll really be able to help my team and friends. I need to get stronger.”

“Okay, you know that I'm not going to take it easy on you right?”

Her eyes met her parents, fierce and determined. “I don’t want you to be. Akimichis are not weak, we’re strong and reliable and I’m going to work as hard as I need to keep the people I care about safe.”

Her parents looked at her sheer pride present on their faces. “Alright, we’ll start tomorrow then.” The small family smiled at each other before resuming their dinner. Grateful that they were there safe and complete.

After ChouChou went to bed Chouji found his wife outside training under the starlight. The light from the moon reflecting off her katana blades, her lightning sending shocks of light across the dark sky. He watched her enchanted at how effortlessly she moved, switching between using her blades or her jutsu. He rarely got to see her use her ninja skills unless they were training. They seldom went on missions together as they had done before ChouChou was born. He was just as amazed now as he was back then.

“Don’t just watch, come train with me, don’t want you to get rusty Honey.” She teased him with a smug smile. He made his way towards her pulling her into his arms. Her strong sturdy presence calming his own lingering fears and worries.

“Wouldn’t want that now, would we. After that dinner you cooked I could use some exercise Sweetheart. Don’t take it easy on me either.” She kissed him affectionately so thankful for him. She not only had an incredible husband and daughter she had a wonderful clan and extended family that loved and supported each other. While she, Ino and Temari waited for information about their children they all agreed that their training would start in earnest. This incarnation of Ino-Shika-Cho would be the strongest yet. They would make sure of it. When Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji were younger their fathers had taken the bulk of responsibility for training them. This time around the moms would carry that responsibility as well. The three of them were amongst the most talented kunoichi of their generation and their children would be a reflection of that.

Their families had all experienced an earthquake but together they’d make the world shake under their feet.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21702238

#shikatema #shikamaru x temari #InoSai #saiino #sai x ino #chouji x karui #choukarui #INOSHIKACHO #inojin #shikadai #Chouchou #team 10 #Family Fluff #fanfic #nara family #yamanaka family #akimichi family #boruto next generation

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the-storyteller-and-her-soldiers · 4 years ago

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More Than You Know

Title: More Than You Know

Word Count: 822

Warnings: Just some cursing, other than that it’s just a comfort fic! Maybe some OOCness since I haven’t written Gladio in a while.

Ship: The Storyteller and her Shield (Gladio x myself)

Summary: During a group dinner hosted by my aunt and uncle, which was rather enjoyable if not for the tension between my parents, my mom starts laying into me. It got so bad she screamed at my aunt who tried to stick up for me, so I simply walked off, crying... My dad came to comfort me but I ended up being his sounding board. So my aunt ended up stopping by after the two went to bed and I apologized for my behavior but she told me that it really wasn’t my fault. So I wrote this for some extra comfort.

"I have the right to feel bad about it if I want to. You didn't deserve that shit, it was uncalled for if not downright abusive!" The larger man growled into Rebecca's ear, his deep voice slightly muffled by the tinny speakers off Rebecca's earbuds.

A small yet grateful smile curled up on the young blonde's chapped lips while she shook her head. It was mostly unseen since only her laptop screen shed the darkness which had engulfed her small form. Yet the sweetness behind that smile could clearly be heard as she told him, "You don't have to waste those feelings on me though. It's my headache to deal with, not yours. I'm just sorry you had to see that."

Despite the tension built up in his inked shoulders, they slumped slightly as Gladio cast her a sympathetic gaze through his own camera. "Don't apologize, princess. You know I'd tell you if you were in the wrong, but I can't say you were for simply trying to defend yourself from your mom's onslaught of low-blows. It's like no matter what you do, it's not enough for the damn woman."

"Yeah, you're telling me," Rebecca agreed with a bitter laugh. It wasn't directed at her partner, but at the unwinnable situation which she faced. "Which is why I'm staying up to do all these assignments tonight, just because I'm a spiteful little shit. They're not too bad, just tedious. I mean I'm already done with half the assignments due unless the teacher, for some reason, wants me to redo them..."

Once again a shimmer of mischief appeared in her eye as she commented on her spitefulness. Normally being spiteful was a trait that Rebecca, like most anyone, didn't view as all that appealing. But in this case, her spitefulness was merely to cover up the want to still please the woman who had humiliated her in front of not only her partner, but her aunt and uncle as well. She knew that it was something she shouldn't care for, especially after the stunt the woman had pulled earlier in the evening, although Rebecca couldn't help her want. It was both that want and the mixture of simply wanting to be done that led Rebecca's conversation to trail off to that of her mumbling nonsensical multiplications to herself while Gladio stared on in silence.

His darkened amber gaze seemed to lighten up as if the sun had struck them. In some ways, one could say that they had been struck by the sunlight, his personal sunshine, as Rebecca fell back into the pile of pillows behind her while joyfully announcing another completed task. She then let out a high pitched yawn as her body stretched out like that of a cat who was soon to drift off. Gladio couldn't stop himself from teasing her about the adorableness of the situation she had landed herself in. She then sprung back into her upright position with a scarlet flame spreading against her face as she tried to deny it and turn the compliment towards his charming self. Gladio simply chuckled before rolling his eyes and catching her off-guard with even sweeter words.

"In all seriousness though, you sure you don't wanna call it quits for the night. Pretty sure I can see your eyes glazing over from here. You need to rest at some point, Babe."

"I-it's just the reflection of my screen--" Rebecca could hardly finish her statement before another yawn had mushed her words into incomprehensible gibberish. "Y'know for the sake of not screwing up entire calculations and messing up the other assignments, I guess I'll stop working at least. But thanks for checking in on me, even after what happened."

"Don't sweat it, like I said before you really didn't deserve that shit," Gladio paused, sending chocolate tangles swaying with a shake of his head. "And to go through it all on you're own... I knew it was shit from what you told me but to see it firsthand, just... hell. You're stronger than you know. Always knew you were, but to keep going like that truly is something."

"Well, I've got people such as yourself who motivate me and deserve that kindness so I can't let her harden that and me just because I don't fit her image! If anything she's a good role model on what not to be like. But once again thank you for making me feel better."

Gladio's smile shifted to that of a slightly smug smirk as he shrugged his shoulders, "What can I say? Picked up on a few things from someone pretty great, figured I put it to use."

Rebecca could feel her blush deepen to where she could even see it in the grainy image that her camera reflected to them both. "Always with the smooth-talking, aren't you? Well, I love you, a lot."

"Love you too, princess, more than you know..."

#self shipping community #self insert community #selfship community #self ship community #selfinsert community #Selfship #selfshipdom #ship: the storyteller and her shield #self shipping #Selfshipping #selfinserts #f/o writing #f/o community #fo community #comfort

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phantoms-lair · 5 years ago

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Uncommon Ancestry snippet 3

“Midoriya, what is this about?” Yaoyorozu asked with some misease.

Yesterday he’d texted Uraraka and asked her to gather all the girls at one spot without anyone else knowing. Ashido had eagerly volunteered her house, but the rest of the girls felt a little uneasy at being called out in such a way. Despite Uraraka’s assurance that Midoriya wouldn’t be up to anything skeezy.

Izuku pulled up a small backpack, and retrieved a sealed tube and some notes. “These are for you Yaoyorozu. I included all the notes and the chemical makeup so you could reproduce it easily.”

“Okay, but we still don’t know what it is.” Jiro pointed out.

“Right, right. Sorry, I never got the Bruce Wayne part down.” Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Maybe I should demonstrate it first.” He took the tube back and pulled something else from the backpack. It was one of Mineta’s pop-offs in a plastic baggie. “Thankfully he leaves these everywhere, so it was easy to grab some for testing.” He poured a little of the liquid into the bag and the purple orb seemed to destick from the sides of the bag. A little more and it melted away.

“A counter for Mineta’s quirk.” Hagkure proclaimed, excitedly..

“Exactly. He’s made a few comments about wanting to ‘stick’ himself to one of you, so I wanted to make sure you also had a counter. And he seems to target you more than anyone else, Yaoyorozu so I wanted you to be ready.”

She turned a little green, but began to go over the notes of the chemical formula.

“I also got these.” He pulled out another baggie, this one filled with quartz crystals with little loops on the end. “They’re low quality crystal, but easy enough to enchant, and sold in bulk. I hit Mineta with a tracking charm and tied the crystals into it. These should alert you if he’s close by via a small vibration that gets stronger the closer he is. Place the crystal flat on your hand and it will point the directions. Sorry it’s not much, but it was all I could think of so far. Well, I also considered a curse that would disrupt his eyesight when he thought about peeping on girls, but permanently blinding a student is the kind of thing that would get me expelled.”

“Wow, you do not like Mineta.” Tsu observed with a little surprise.

“I don’t he’s...he’s an insult to everything it means to be a hero.” Uncharacteristic heat entered Izuku’s voice. “The core purpose of being a hero, any kind of hero, is helping people. Whether it’s by defending them from villains or saving them from disasters. Mineta doesn’t care about helping people. You heard him at the USJ, Tsu-chan. He wants to be a Hero because he thinks girls will let him touch them. I’m not naive enough to think every would be hero has a pure motive, but the fact that he doesn’t seem to care if his attentions are wanted or even consensual is…” He clenched his fists. “But I don’t get a say in whether he makes a professional or not. All I can do is try and help you guys.”

“And I appreciate you trying to look out of my little girl, and the others.” A woman with soft curled horns came in with a plate of warm pretzels.

“Oh yeah! You guys have got to try these.” Ashido gushed. “Mom makes the absolute most amazing pretzels!”

“That’s because the secret is getting the perfect alkaline balance for the crust.” he Mom winked. “Oh, your quirk works with the PH scale?” Izuku asked, fascinated. “You’re right. I can adjust things to be as acidic or basic as I want. But the question I want to know is why you’re going through all this trouble instead of telling the teacher.”

“Because Mineta is very intelligent, judging by his scores on the entrance exam as well as being able to use his quirk in an incredibly skilled way.” Izuku explained matter-of-factually.

“I don’t see what one has to do with the other,” Uraraka commented, devouring a warm and perfectly salted pretzel.”

“Because people with those two things are perceived as being primed for a successful future. And schools want to have a good reputation and turning out promising Heros does that, which means protecting people who seem to have a successful future from consequences which might hurt their future, thus bringing less prestige to the school.”

Jiro let out a low whistle. “I always took you for the wide eyed optimist type but wow. Jaded much?”

“Don’t you think your teachers would put a stop to unwholesome behavior irregardless?” Ashida-san pressed gently.

“That has not been my life experience. Although now that you mention it I may have been looking at this all wrong. I was thinking of this like Aldera, where it was a case of one promising student versus one with little hope of prospects. But that’s nowhere near the case here, where it’s one promising student versus six, one of whom was good enough to get in on recommendation.” Izuku brightened up. “The school might listen!”

“It better. I think a few other parents and myself will be paying your homeroom teacher a visit soon.”

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Rest assured I’ll be keeping a much closer eye and if Mineta can’t shape up, he’ll no longer have a place at this school.” Aizawa assured the parents of all his female students.

He’d known Mineta was girl crazy, but not to the extent of harassing his classmates.

As the parents filtered out, one stayed behind. “Was there something else, Ashido-san?”

“There is. I thought I should warn you about another of your students. Izuku Midoriya?” Aizawa narrowed his eyes. “If Midoriya was involved in-” “Only in trying to stop it.” Mina’s mother assured. “I asked him why he was going through the lengths he was instead of discussing it with you or another faculty member. His answer was telling.” She closed her eyes. “What I want to warn you about is to look out for him, because he won’t come to you, to anyone in this school, for help if something’s wrong.”

“When I spoke about the faculty taking his concerns seriously in spite of Mineta’s promise his words were ‘That hasn’t been my life experience’. What I heard though, was “nobody saved me’. He mentioned going to Aldera and all it took was one casual mention of him to a current student who wasn’t a first year. Aizawa-san, that boy’s been systematically bullied with the express support of the faculty.”

“That’s a serious accusation.” There was wariness, but not disbelief in Aizawa’s tone.

“It’s a serious problem,” She looked him in the eye. “He will trust you to teach him but no more. I don’t know if earning his trust is possible, but I doubt it will take much for him to become actively distrustful.”

“Thank you for your advice.” Aizawa closed his eyes. This explained a lot, honestly more about Bakugo than Midoriya. Still he’d have to confirm what he’d been told.

But if it was true in the slightest, he’d have no trouble going in a destroying the reputation of the middle school that was willing to sacrifice any of it’s student’s in such a way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In episode/vol 1 when the teacher brings up that Midoriya applied for UA Bakugo flew off the handle, used his quirk to explode Midoriya’s desk (a BIG nono in current society) back him against the wall an threatened him directly in front of the teacher, with zero reprecussion.

Compare this to how cautious he was later when one of his friend suggested to a bar and Bakugo feared what getting caught would do to his chances of getting into UA. He’s not going to do anything to mess up that chance, but he can act out at school because he knows he’s protected there. And given how anyone who’d taught Bakugo any length of time would know how he would react, it’s possible the teacher broguht up Midoriya’s UA application in such a way precisely to set Bakugo off.

Compare this his first day at UA when Bakugo tries to attack Midoriya and Aizawa stops him. He’s surprised he was stopped, because attacking Midoriya has always been okay before.

Aldera Junior High was a disgustingly toxic environment, and in the end Izuku’s family aren’t going to be the only ones to want their pound of flesh from it.

#Ghost Writing #Uncommon Ancestry #BNHA #MSA #I promise more of the Skulls in the next bit.

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a-crimson-lion · 5 years ago

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For Want Of Equality

To anyone who is familiar with my recent post, it's no secret that I hate Katsuki Bakugo.

One of the big reasons is his faulty and sometimes downright unrealistic winner's mentality.

...another reason would be the people around him. Let me elaborate on that.

My Hero Academia is filled to the brim with memorable characters. You can't forget the green sunshine boy Izuku. Or the ever iconic All Might. Even sinister villains like Tomura Shiragaki, All for One, and even the deplorable Overhaul are all memorable faces.

The abundance of characters makes it likely that some of them will get fleshed out. And this is where the problem begins.

Taking a moment to sympathize with Katsuki, the environment he grew up in has ironically handicapped him for the real world. Everyone has sung his praises so much that he has to learn how to take a loss (and him winning multiple times when he shouldn't is also not helping). He's also his harshest critic, demanding the best of himself even if "his best" might not be the best for him, or anyone else for that matter. Taking that into consideration, it's easy to understand why Katsuki's development is so slow at this point in the series.

It's hard to remember that, however, when virtually everyone else around him is making leaps and bounds in their development.

Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki's former victim, is already reclaiming his sense of self-worth, and has managed to reel in a quirk that was previously uncontrollable in mere months. He's often cited as one of 1-A's best students.

Shoto Todoroki is often a common comparison point when it comes to Katsuki's arc. Shoto had a powerful quirk, antisocial tendencies, and came off as condescending, much like Katsuki. The difference was that he held back due to personal issues, and managed to overcome said issues because he had a basic understanding of compassion, something Katsuki hasn't had much experience with. Katsuki doesn't hold back, period, so it's understandably fustrating when a fellow powerhouse refuses to give it his all. He tries goading Shoto into releasing his flames, but unlike Izuku, he doesn't succed. That's because he isn't using compassion and understanding. Katsuki wants Shoto to go all out because he wants to beat Shoto at his strongest; Shoto wants to rise to the top to spite Endeavor, and because he wants to help his mom. Their ideals are similar, but the motivations are completely different. Compare that to Izuku, who wanted Shoto to go all out so he could accept himself and for no other reason, and it's easy to see why Katsuki falls short in motivating Shoto.

Katsuki's problem is that he closes off emotions. Izuku let's his emotions flow out like second nature.

Getting back to development, even Izuku's best friends have their moments in the spotlight. Ochako learns that she can't always rely on one method to become a hero, and she proceeds to get stronger during her internship with Gunhead, later put her feelings for Izuku aside so they can both become heroes. Meanwhile, Tenya gets blinded by revenge during the Hosu arc, and thanks to Izuku's efforts, he realizes what he did was wrong, allowing him to grow as a character and adding a layer of depth to him overall.

Momo and Eijiro are another two examples of characters with significant development, Eijiro especially, but I'm already rambling a bit too much.

The thing is, when you're surrounded by multiple characters showing significant progress in their development, it's hard to look at the ones with lackluster growth, like Katsuki... or Minoru.

Although I will give Katsuki this: Minoru's development has been minimal. Katsuki's development has been ongoing, and the fruit is still ripening, but at least it's there!

It isn't even just development. There are multiple characters who outclass Katsuki in separate fields.

Momo has Katsuki beat in the strategy department, going so far as to call out his faults after the Battle Trial.

Neito Monoma (more on him later) is another jerk, but unlike Katsuki, he can actually work with his teammates! He still lost, but he managed to catch Katsuki off guard once during the Cavalry Battle.

Even best girl Tsuyu Asui (psyche, all BNHA girls are best girls) has Katsuki beat in the emotional department. She actually talks to the Rescue Squad after the Hideout Raid Arc and apologizes for her action, venting out her personal guilt. Katsuki feels guilty after he fails the Provisional License Exam, and he proceeds to drag Izuku out and beat him up instead of talking to him, or even All Might, the guy he feels guilty about.

All these comparisons just make Katsuki feel... flat.

Think of it this way: Katsuki basically abused Izuku for nearly a decade, but most of the fandom doesn't acknowledge this, or even the fact that he told Izuku to kill himself at the series' start, mostly because it hasn't been seen or discussed again so far in the series. Meanwhile, Neito (told you we'd see him again) goes and bumps Izuku on the back of the head among other things, and suddenly the fandom is up in flames.

The difference is exposure.

Now, most of the fandom tends to:

Like Izuku.

Hate it when he gets hurt (by his own hand or someone else's).

We see that Katsuki hurted Izuku and continued to hurt Izuku until recently in the series. So why do we give him a pass for that? It's likely because he gets so much screen time. Most of us figure that if we're gonna have to deal with Katsuki so much, we might as well get used to it. The narrative makes us give a begrudgingly tolerance of Katsuki, which in most cases evolves into a fondness. Since we've seen so much of Katsuki, we're willing to justify most of his behavior since we think we know everything there is to know about him. Some of arguments may be valid, and the rest could just be a stretch. That's familiarity bias at work.

Notice how there's rarely such treatment for Neito.

We don't see him that often in the series, and when we do see him, it's usually while he's antagonizing 1-A and/or Katsuki. Most of the fandom immediately brings out their defenses because we LIKE Class 1-A. With the exception of the Joint Training Arc, Neito hasn't given us much of a reason to like or sympathize with him. He's either dissing our favorites in 1-A or, in my case, dissing Katsuki (which is a mixed bag in and of itself). These acts of intimidation immediately make most of us forget Neito's good points: he's a team player (his team is Class 1-B), and most of his taunts don't cross the point of no return (with a few exceptions). Unlike Katsuki, Neito is never willing to get physical unless he's allowed, and most of the time he's not bragging about HIS superiority, but of Class 1-B's superiority as a whole.

Due to the familiarity bias, most of us try ro justify Katsuki's good points and Neito's bad points.

Katsuki and Neito do both have good and bad points, but they're skewed over due to the familiarity bias. The same logic applies to when we see Katsuki as a lacking character. We keep comparing him to other characters because we want him to get that sort of development instead of what he currently has.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great thing that his character is going through development. But...

Shoto came from a similar situation as Katsuki, and he didn't gain a superiority complex. Plus, he actually grows beyond his father's expectations and his own hatred. The thing with Katsuki is that every challenge he faces only tells him to get stronger, while every challenge he should face conveniently curveballs away from him (Ochako lost the match, Katsuki passed the final exam, Katsuki avoided fighting Mirio). We know his mindset isn't healthy, but he brushes any attempts to fix that aside, instead deciding to focus more on his own strength. Tsuyu goes and talks to her friends about her guilt? Katsuki goes and thrashes Izuku over his guilt. There are too many instances where the alternatives for Katsuki could be better than what we actually have.

He's starting to recognize his faults... He's starting to encourage his friends... He's starting to understand what being a hero is actually about... All of those are good things.

But they mean NOTHING if Katsuki can't manage to get his sh*t together and his head straight. What's development worth if nothing's ultimately learned and there's frequent regression?

-Crimson Lion (16 August 2019)

#bnha #boku no hero academia #mha #my hero academia #katsuki bakugo #katsuki bakugou #anti bakugo #anti bakugou #izuku midoriya #shoto todoroki #neito monoma #character analysis #meta #drabble #rant #vent #long post #phewww #glad that's off my chest

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