#storytelling asks

[hannahssimblr]

15, 16, and 17 for the storytelling asks!

15. what have been the highlights of creating your story?

Coming into my own and finding my stylistic voice has been really amazing tbh, I really enjoy looking back on earlier chapters and seeing how far I have come since. Improvement doesn't feel like it's happening as you go because it's so slow, you kinda turn around and look back at the end and think 'oh wow - look at that!'

Another highlight has been the community - the comments and the theories and the varied opinions about every aspect of the story. I learned a lot about my control of the narrative and found it really fascinating. I think often of a reader who felt she was an outlier in her love of Dean's character. She was aware that her feelings were completely at odds with everyone else, but told me privately that certain aspects of him reminded her of a person close to her that had passed away. It really struck me how much personal stuff people bring to every experience. Nothing is ever black and white, I guess. You can never control how your readers will show up and that has to be okay with you.

16. what about the process do you enjoy?

Getting lost in the sauce - that feeling where you're writing and it's flowing and then suddenly three hours have passed and you had no idea. It comes and goes for me, some scenes take more effort but I adore being in that flow-state.

17. what about the process do you hate?

PLANNING - My planning is always very loose for this reason. It just frustrates me, and yes, I always know where I'm going and why, but the idea of being one of those (frankly, amazing) people who chart everything out and take hours to map out the story brings me such dread. I'm a very free flowing type of writer, I guess. Sometimes I like sitting down with an empty page and almost zero ideas and just letting it happen.

[mumblesplash]

after the first few times you'll forget it’s even happening

[sturgeonposting]

sturgon be upon ye

[shorthaltsjester]

watching the sdcc panel and i am just very :) about how sweet their answers to “what are some of the micro moments from the game that have stuck with you the most over the years?” are. taliesin saying what the fuck is up with that which was the first like The Party Gets To Know Each Other moments of c3. travis saying asking his wife if he could kiss her in campaign. marisha going way back to the cannonball competition in campaign one. ashley choosing the beauyasha date but also just the silly goat noise matt made. liam adding onto that to compliment matt roleplaying grass so well and then saying his favourite moment was writing a story for laura and reading it to her as caleb for jester. and then matt saying that was his answer, and that his favourite moments of the game are when they find ways to give gifts to each other whether tangible or not. and sam saying his favourite moments have less to do with the story and is more so when he can just. see his friends across the table from him. when marisha perches and when laura and ashley are (badly) drawing dicks and liam saying he loves when sam sneezes and ashley tells him to stop it and just. yeah. they Are an extremely popular online powerhouse, but i’m so happy that they’re also friends building a world together out of gifts to and love for one another.

like i Am so enamoured with the characters and the world of exandria but the moments when you can feel the love that those people have for each other reach out from behind the stained glass of their performances (to steal a metaphor from brennan lee mulligan) are so extremely special and i am endlessly grateful that they decided to share their silly little home game with the world.

[gunsatthaphan]

#attaboy.

[squidthusiast]

What did Cat Pearl do for Cat Marina to paw her head down the ground like that? Was she meowing too loud?XD They're so adorable:'> btw, luv ur art!!!

She committed crimes…

Also glad you enjoy my stuff! <3

[muffinlance]

Do you get the impression the live action is treating us like utter morons?? Like I thought that making it aimed at an older audience would open the doors for more subtle story telling, but no, they're just using monologues to tell us eveything! Like in the second episode Katara's like 'oh his power isn't that he's the avatar, it's that he ~connects~ to people'. Girl we're not idiots we can see that!! And the first episode with Aang's goddawful 'I don't want this responsibility' monologue

THIS, YES. The word that keeps coming to mind is definitely "subtlety". The show for literal children? Had it. The remake for adults? Not so much.

[tangledinink]

shaking, crying (<- had to draw environmental scenes)

the gemini

[ start ] [ prev ] [ next ]

also thanks @rubberducky2pointoh and @chipistotallysane for letting me steal their OCs to employ as background characters~

[demigodofhoolemere]

I know those stories were always only tenuously canonical but I’ll be darned if I ever let go of them

[silverseaming]

character ask game 💌

because i have story brainrot and i'm sure you do too! a couple of these are more aimed at historical storytellers because that's what i'm interested in, but of course this game is open to all <3

historical

🗽- do you think your character's story would fit into any other time period? if so, which?

🕯 - does your character conform to the expectations of someone like them during their time period?

🕰 - what made you pick your character's career? how was it influenced by the time period they live in?

🏛 - what would be most different about your character if they lived in modern times?

⚖ - what's a historical trope you're leaning into with this character?

🎻 - what's a historical trope you're leaning away from with this character?

(thank you @auspexsims for some of these 🥰)

relationships

👪 - does your character have a good relationship with their family?

👰 - what are your character's views on marriage?

💏 - what are your character's views on relationships?

💗 - which relationship in your character's life is the healthiest?

💔 - which relationship in your character's life is the most unhealthy?

👩🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏾 - does your character have many close friends? do they make friends easily?

personal

🎭 - what are your character's morals?

🗡- what would it take for your character to go completely against their morals?

🌑 - what does your character think is their biggest flaw?

⚡ - what is actually your character's biggest flaw?

🧨 - what is your character like when they're at their worst?

☀ - what makes your character the happiest?

👀 - what is the first thing strangers would notice about your character?

📈 - what is your character's biggest motivator?

other

🖼 - create a moodboard that represents your character

🃏 - wildcard! whoever sent you this gives you free rein to answer whichever prompt you want

[erin-gilberts]

I have a firm belief that the only way Yellowjackets can end is with the death of each of the remaining survivors and [redacted] was just the first (second, really) of what will be all of them in time. "The wilderness" will reclaim them one by one because they weren't supposed to leave. But also they will be swallowed up by their own darkness in their refusal to acknowledge it and that will be the great tragedy of it. All of their deaths will be preventable, but inevitable in light of the cycles they keep on repeating.

[mj-iza-writer]

Pet whumpee who got snatched from the streets so they’re not conditioned yet and its their first time being a pet

Whumper trying to condition pet whumpee

Fist mitts so whumpee will stop using their hands, Removing all of whumpee’s clothes and making them bare naked to get them used to being a pet, a muzzle with a bit gag to prevent whumpee from talking, chaining their hands and thighs together so they’re almost always crawling and even if they DO stand up the boots on them are slippery and whumper can just use 1 finger to make whumpee slip. Choke chain that makes whumpee choke when they stray too far or whumper pulls on it, Also whumper occasionally putting a blindfold on whumpee so they’re reliant on whumper to guide them.

❤️ :)

Thankyou for the request. It took some work knowing in what direction I wanted to go... so I went with a comfort whump. I enjoyed writing, and I hope you enjoy the story.

Warning: Intimate Whumper, Pet Whumpee. Bathroom usage.

Whumpee didn't know why they had decided to go out so late in the evening. Now they were in the trunk of someone's car feeling every bump and turn the driver made.

They struggled against the ropes tied tightly around their wrist.

"This can't be happening", Whumpee mumbled against the cloth gag in their mouth, "you could be at home right now, but no."

It felt like hours before the car had stopped.

Whumpee counted the footsteps until the trunk was opened.

"Come on", their apparent captor pulled them out and guided them to the ground.

Whumpee struggled a bit more before huffing nervously.

"Oh don't sound so indignant", their captor came around to their face, causing dirt to cloud into Whumpee's face, "this will be nice and easy as long as you behave."

Whumpee squeezed their eyes shut from the dirt.

"You should be grateful. Not everyone gets lucky enough for this opportunity", their captor knelt down and pulled their head up by the chin, "my name is Whumper, but you can call me Master."

Whumpee winced as their head was moved around so Whumper could view them closer.

"Yes, you will do nicely", Whumper smirked, then removed the cloth gag.

"Fo-for what?", choked out.

"You'll see", they chuckled.

Whumpee was picked up and carried into a house.

They seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. The house was unimpressive at most.

Whumpee whimpered as they were taken down some stairs. A long chain was the only thing they could see in the way of furnishings, then they noticed a cabinet.

Everything was cement, and the chain looked like it was also cemented into the floor.

"Okay, let's see", Whumper knelt and laid Whumpee on the floor, "this will be your room, especially while you are being trained. Once I am satisfied with your behavior, you'll earn the right to go upstairs. You can also earn rewards down here as well. I would love to spoil you, my pet."

"Pet?", Whumpee made a concerned face.

"Yes, my dear", Whumper smirked.

"Bu-but I'm no..."

"Shh, shh. No need to worry about the details", Whumper held their finger on Whumpee's lips.

Whumper then glanced at the chain.

"Tell me. What is your favorite color?", Whumper stood and stepped toward the cabinet.

"Uhm, uh green", Whumpee whispered hoarsely.

"Oh, very good choice", Whumper pulled a green collar out of the cabinet and walked toward Whumpee smiling, "this will look very nice on you."

"No, no please", Whumpee attempted to roll away.

"Now, now", Whumper wrestled with them as they tried to get the collar around their neck.

"You better stop", Whumper slapped Whumpee's face, "do as you're told or else you get punished. Be a good pet."

Whumpee sniffled as tears rolled down their face.

"Now that we have that straightened out. I'm afraid I don't even know your name yet", Whumper frowned as they locked the collar in place on the chain.

"My uhm, my name", Whumpee looked at them through tears.

"Yes dear", Whumper softly thumbed away the tear tracks.

"Whumpee", they looked up, "please let me leave. I beg of you. I won't tell anyone. I promise."

"That's always the promise, isn't it?", Whumper sighed, "no matter, like I said earlier. You have been selected, and I took a long time choosing you and studying you. I've been watching you for months. You're mine now."

"Months?", Whumpee watched them get up.

"Oh yes, and by the way, your last date you went on.... you could have done so much better", Whumper frowned, "it seems I need to run upstairs to grab a few things. Pardon me."

Whumper came back with a plastic bag, "I apologize, but I'll be changing out the collar for this one", they held up a chain choke collar. You can still wear the green one, of course, as it looks so nice, but during training this will be our little friend."

Whumper knelt down and slid the collar over Whumpee's head and adjusted the chain.

They gave it a small tug, causing Whumpee to gag.

"Perfect. Now, puppies don't have hands... or feet", Whumper smirked.

Whumpee looked at their hands, "what?"

"No worries, I won't cut them off, at least not yet", Whumper pulled out some black duct tape, "you will have to learn to crawl though."

The sound of the tape being pulled was sickening.

Whumper forced Whumpee's hand into a fist and started to wrap the tape around them. Then they moved down to their feet.

"This will probably make your feet pretty slick on the floor. You're not to be standing anyways, but if you did, you will fall flat on your butt or your face", Whumper tossed the empty roll away, "so I don't suggest standing."

"Go ahead and get some rest. We begin training tomorrow", Whumper started for the stairs, "I hope you have a good night."

The next morning, Whumpee woke up sore from the cement. They heard the door open, then the jingling of chains.

Whumpee stood and tried to move to the farthest part of the room, at least to the limit the chain allowed.

"Now we can't have you standing", Whumper frowned as they saw Whumpee on their feet, "you're going to fall... see."

Whumpee was actively already falling over when Whumper got close to them and tapped a finger against their ribs.

Whumpee yelped as they crumbled to the floor.

"Ow", Whumpee looked up.

"I did warn you that tape was quite slippery, and I did warn you not to stand up", Whumper knelt beside them, and showed a pair of scissors.

Whumpee tried to crawl away, but Whumper grabbed the chain and pulled them closer.

Whumpee whimpered as they were forced to come closer. It was that or choke.

"I'm not going to hurt you", Whumper held up the scissors, "but I do suggest you hold still. Accidents do happen."

Whumper started to cut away Whumpee's clothes.

"Why... What are you doing?", Whumpee panicked and slapped at Whumper.

"Hey, now we don't do that", Whumper grabbed at their hands and pointed the scissors into Whumpee's neck, "apologize before I draw blood."

Whumpee sniffled, "I-I'm sorry", Whumpee tried to back away, "I-I panicked, why are you cutting my clothes?"

"Puppies don't need clothes. I won't do anything, but it's better you learn this now", Whumper grinned, "trust me, I have no interest in you other than you being my pup."

Whumpee whimpered as they were stripped more.

"Please no more", Whumpee watched as they threw the shredded clothes to the side.

"I have a few more things to do though", Whumper pouted, "you're just going to need to deal with this."

Whumper pulled out some more shackles.

"What are those for?", Whumpee frowned.

"Keeps you crawling, and it will teach you the proper position to crawl in", Whumper frowned when they heard liquid, "what is that... oh?"

They glanced and saw a stream coming out of Whumpee.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know.... I didn't know where to go", Whumpee cried as they peed.

Whumper looked around and realized they had definitely failed to leave out a place to go to the bathroom.

Whumper sighed, "it's alright. I can't believe you held it that long."

Whumpee started to cry as the puddle grew larger.

"It's alright. Very pet like of you anyways, so that's not a problem", Whumper started to remove the chain and guide Whumpee to the steps, "you probably feel a lot better."

Whumpee sniffled as they nodded.

"Yes, see, that's okay", Whumper cooed, "and probably removing all of the clothes made it a little chillier."

Whumpee whimpered and nodded.

"It's okay, I failed to leave out a spot for you, so that's my bad. Let's get this and you cleaned up", Whumper smiled, "I guess we can do some training upstairs while this dries."

Whumper ran up the stairs and came back with a watering can.

Whumpee watched as they poured the water over the cement and guided it to a drain. Next, Whumper went to the cabinet and pulled out dish soap and a brush scrubber.

Whumper poured some soap, then leaned down and scrubbed. Once satisfied, they ran back up the stairs for more water.

After the floor was rinsed, Whumper grabbed baby wipes and came up to Whumpee.

"Let's get you cleaned up now", Whumper knelt on one of the steps and gently wiped Whumpee's hands, legs, then feet, "their all better."

Whumpee looked around the living room while Whumper grabbed a few things.

They were too scared to do anything else.

The living room looked better than the outside of the house.

"I swear you'd think I was an amateur with how forgetful I've been", Whumper came in, "I guess it's the excitement and adrenaline I'm feeling."

Whumpee instinctively backed away while Whumper knelt beside them.

"None of that pet. You have three seconds to come back before I pull on the collar", Whumper fiddled with what seemed to be more restraints, "1..."

Whumpee looked down at the shackles that had already been locked around their upper arms and wrist.

"2...", Whumper sighed.

Whumpee hurried to step closer.

Something was forced into Whumpee's mouth. Their head was pulled down as Whumper forced it into place.

"The shackles you wear will be removed at the end of training or at the end of the day", Whumper smiled as they lifted Whumpee's face, "this gag will be worn during training, and you may even have a blindfold on sometimes for certain training as well."

Whumpee tried to spit the gag out, but it was tightly on. A type of rubber bone was in their mouth from what they could tell. Drool already started to stream to the floor, causing Whumpee to wipe at it.

"It's alright, just stand over this pad. Drool is to expected from a puppy", Whumper cooed as they patted Whumpee's head.

Whumpee wouldn't lie. That did feel pretty good to be pet. They leaned into the touch.

"Hmm, does puppy already enjoy pets?", Whumper cooed again, "see when you behave, you get this type of attention. You get rewards. After you get better house broken, we can have a bed downstairs for you, and some toys. Those rewards can be taken away though."

Whumpee looked down, 'what am I becoming? Why does this feel good? I should be appalled by this, but... but they've been so patient already with me', Whumpee thought to themself, 'why does this feel good?'

Whumpee fell over and almost seemed to be panting with the gag. Training was intense, and with movement restrictions added, Whumpee was growing tired faster. Plus, they didn't sleep well last night.

"I think you're done for today pet", Whumper smiled at their sleepy nods.

"Alright let's see if the basement is dried yet", Whumper knelt down and started to remove the gag and cuffs, "you did a very good job on your first day of training so we will remove these. How about a trip outside before we go down their though. You can use the bathroom out there even. I'll make sure you have a place to go down there as well."

"Oh uhm, okay", Whumpee nodded.

"Did you you have a question pet?", Whumper looked at them, "you can ask questions."

"I know you said you wanted a pet, but what does that mean?", Whumpee frowned, "what exactly do you want from me?"

"Oh, hmm, that is a good question", Whumper nodded and started to walk away, "come along, let's go outside."

Whumpee followed, hoping to get their answer.

"I've always enjoyed having pets growing up. I've had every pet you can imagine, they all thrived, but now living here, I've gotten kind of bored with those type of pets. I have a friend who has a human, and I pet sat for them a few months ago. Their human is doing really well under their care. I thought maybe I'd get my self own."

Whumpee frowned.

"The trick is to get someone who may not be missing, at least not for a while. The trail would go cold before anyone realizes", Whumper chuckled, "you seemed like such a sweet heart. I was surprised when you didn't seem to have many family or friends around. You just seemed so sweet."

Whumpee stopped crawling, they remembered again that they had been kidnapped.

Whumper stopped and looked at them, "I didn't mean anything by that."

"There are others that have been kidnapped... like me?", Whumpee looked at them sadly, "this isn't a first time."

"Oh yes, there is an entire network of us", Whumper smirked, "how do you think I was so well prepared."

Whumpee looked around the yard for a few minutes before finally finding a hiding spot to use the bathroom. Better to go out their than inside again, especially with what they had to do."

Whumper looked around and saw Whumpee partially hidden.

"You're either hiding from me to try to escape or because you need to poop. Which is it before I come over there", Whumper called.

"Poop, please don't come over here", Whumpee strained.

Whumper chuckled as they sat down again.

Whumpee came out after a few minutes and looked at them absolutely petrified.

"Wh-what do I do now?"

Whumper stood, "we get you cleaned up and taken care of."

Whumpee nodded and watched as Whumper walked toward them.

"I-I'm sorry", Whumpee frowned as Whumper looked.

"No its okay, seems you had a nervous tummy", Whumper nodded, "glad you came out here to do it."

Whumper went down the stairs first, then Whumpee.

"Still a little damp", Whumper sighed, "I've got the heater turned up, so hopefully, it will be done before bed."

Whumpee nodded as they looked into the room.

"You'll see over here is a tray that will fit you in it. This is for your bathroom use, I'll clean it regularly for you", Whumper held it up a little, "of course if you have a tummy ache and you know I'm home, you can yell for me so you can go outside."

Whumpee nodded.

"Well, I'm not going to leave you down here until it dries", Whumper sighed, "I guess it's a movie night kind of night."

"Really?", Whumpee almost squealed with excitement.

"Yes, I love movies, so we have plenty of options", Whumper grinned.

Whumper sat down and invited Whumpee onto the couch, "here let's take this tape off. One of my friends has a pair of gloves and boots that I can use for you. It will be a little more comfortable. We can take this tape off now. The gloves and boots will shape your hands and feet, but still be comfortable."

Whumpee whined as Whumper tried to gently remove the tape.

"I don't want to train fear into you, I don't want a fearful pet, I just want a trained one", Whumper patted their leg and invited Whumpee to lay their head down on it, "I know that this is something very new to you, but as long as you behave to the best of your abilities and listen... I promise you will actually enjoy yourself a lot here. You will be absolutely spoiled, I promise."

Whumpee looked up and nodded.

"I-I think I want to be good", Whumpee whispered.

"That's good", Whumper smiled, "let's watch the movie."

Whumpee was surprised when Whumper started to run their their fingers along Whumpee's scalp and massage their ears.

Whumpee made a gentle moan as their eyes grew heavier.

"Uhm Master, I-I'm getting tired again", Whumpee mumbled.

"That's alright. Go ahead and take a nap before bed", Whumper chuckled.

Later in the night, Whumpee was surprised to wake up still on the couch.

Whumper made a disturbed snore and moved a little. Whumpee looked up at them.

They felt that their chain collar was being held tightly by Whumper. Other than that, they were quite comfortable.

'Am I really okay with being a pet, especially to someone who kidnapped me', Whumpee thought to themself, 'this feels so wrong, but I've never been chosen by someone before. My own family didn't even', Whumpee wiped away a tear.

Whumper felt the movement of Whumpee crying and jumped awake.

"What's going on", Whumper looked them over, "did I pull the collar and hurt you while I slept."

"No", Whumpee shook their head, "I was just, uhm", a few more tears were wiped away, "you said you chose me?"

"Yes I did", Whumper sat up and turned on the light.

"I've never been someones choice before. I was just thinking about that", Whumpee frowned, "though this is a different situation, I'm somewhat grateful I guess. That sounds really messed up though."

"Neh, not as messed up as you think", Whumper smiled, "some of the others have the same thoughts about their masters", Whumper patted Whumpee's head and enjoyed that they leaned into the touch, "I'm glad to know that you may be enjoying this situation faster than what I planned. I promise it's going to be okay."

Whumpee sniffled a little.

"It's okay, how about we go back to sleep", Whumper pulled Whumpee closer, "everything will come into place as we learn more about each other."

Whumpee nodded and rested their head on Whumper's stomach.

Whumper began playing with Whumpee's hair again.

Soon, happy snores filled the dark living room.

Taglist. As always please let me know if you want to be added or taken off of the list. It's not a problem at all.

@villainsandheroes @the-beasts-have-arrived

@sacredwrath @porschethemermaid

@monarchthefirst @generic-whumperz

@bloodyandfrightened @freefallingup13

@notpeppermint @cyborg0109

@idontreallyexistyet @painfulplots

@whumpbump @everythingsscary

@skittles-the-whumpee @expressionless-fr

@theforeverdyingperson @legendarydelusiongoatee

@candleshopmenace @whumpanthems

@lavndvrr @ivymyers

@starfields08000 @a-living-canvas

@lumpofsand @watermeezer

@indigoviolet311 @whumpy-mountains

@3-2-whump @risk606

@electrons2006 @paperprinxe

@whumprince @kaz-of-crows

@mis-graves @decaffeinatedtimetraveler94

@sausages-things @sunglasses-in-the-bentley

@isikedmyself878 @daffyduckcommittedtaxfraud

@valravnthefrenchie

[astronomodome]

can you imagine the sheer poetry in skizz doing his first ever hermitcraft build around man's journey to self-actualization and then his first season of hermitcraft culminates IRL in him being able to finally quit his soulsucking day job and pursue a full-time career as a creator

YEAH and like. The whole thing with tango materializing to tell him what server etiquette is as well. Like. Okay so this season for Skizz is about adjusting to a new environment, reaching your dreams and learning what it means to be a Hermit. I gotchaaaaaa. The thematic potential here goes insane

[reality-detective]

"A Cautionary Tale"

Sometimes it's not worth proving something to those who don't believe. 🤔

[mist-the-wannabe-linguist]

Character asks!

These are more focused on the background stuff rather than the usual "what would the character do in XY situation" kinds of asks. I've been looking for something like this for quite a while and in the end decided to make my own. Feel free to use, go wild, enjoy

What was the original thought that led to the creation of this character?

How long was the process before the character reached its final version? (or a version that would be clearly recognizable as the character?)

What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story?

And reverse, which one of the four things did you struggle with the most?

How did you choose their name and why? Was it simply based on vibes or is there any specific meaning behind the name? Are the reasons behind their name different in- and out of universe?

What was the thought process behind their appearance? Did you go mostly for the aesthetic or are there other reasons they look the way they do?

What is an aspect of their appearance that you like the most?

What is the origin of their personality? And let's be honest - how much of it is projecting?

How big is their role in the story? Do they make a frequent appearance or are they a character with little "screentime" but big influence? Or are they just a favourite background guy?

What is their main character arc in the story? Where do they start and how do they develop? Do they get a happy ending or is their story a tragic one?

Is there any existing character from other media that your character resembles? Was the resemblance intentional or was it a coincidence?

Do you have a playlist for the character? What songs do you associate with them and why?

Do you have a voice claim for the character? What do you imagine the character sounds like?

Do you have any quotes tied to the character, either from the story itself or from another source that fit them?

Have you ever made a moodboard for them?

Is there any memes or running jokes associated with the character, both in- and out of universe?

Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?

Does the character have other characters connected to them? Do you have a family tree and "offscreen" connections made up for them or do they exist in a vacuum purely for the purpose of the story?

What is your general favourite thing about the character? What is your least favourite?

Bonus question: share any additional thoughts, art, favourite scenes, anything you've been waiting for a chance to ramble about

[artist-issues]

I’m bored and I really enjoy your opinions on Disney, so I thought you might have something interesting to say to get my brain ticking. I came across a post on Frozen and I was like, “Ah, a perfect starting place for dropping you an ask.” I’ve never really been that bothered by Frozen and I don’t know what it is that I’m just not fond about. Maybe it’s that I dislike the characters? Maybe it’s that they didn’t really have any established rules for the way magic worked in that universe and thus had anything they wanted happening? Maybe it’s the twist villain? I don’t know, it’s probably just the characters that they tried to make so cool and girlboss!

Elsa is made out to be this awesome protagonist that is never in the wrong and that grates me. She has flaws, but the film doesn’t act like they’re flaws. She runs away out of fear and shame for not being able to control her powers, but then two seconds later she’s singing “Let It Go” and making giant ice castles and bringing snowmen to life?! And “Let It Go” is super annoying for the fact that Elsa starts off worried and upset (fair enough, she’s just ran away from her home, her kingdom, her sister whom she hasn’t seen in years, she lost control of her powers) but then immediately turns round and is like, “Actually, it’s not my fault and I’m fine as I am and I don’t need any of those responsibilities!” Which would be fine, but she also finishes the film with the same attitude!

Anna, too! Naive and optimistic and perhaps a little too trusting, she never realises that even if Han hadn’t turned out evil, Elsa had every right to be worried over their marriage. She never realises that it’s partly her fault for revealing Elsa’s powers (and she definitely doesn’t apologise). There’s a lot she doesn’t realise, and the only lesson she takes away from it all is that Christoff loves her instead of Han.

Oh my days, I’ve just realised how ridiculously long this has gotten, super sorry! Have a lovely day!

Let’s do this! For fun!

1. They don't need to establish exhaustive rules for how magic works in their world.

Red Riding Hood doesn't explain how the Big Bad Wolf can talk-it just explains that he can. Cinderella doesn't explain how Fairy Godmothers work, or why the spell should only last until midnight—it just explains that she casts one, and it does only last until midnight. Beauty & the Beast does not explain how, after The Beast has died, the "breaking of the curse" could bring him back to life. After Belle confesses her love, he should just go from dead beast to dead human, for all the explanation they give.

Beauty & the Beast also famously refuses to explain (explicitly) why all of the household were cursed, along with the castle and the Prince. But what it does explain is, "there's a curse, it was put in place because of a defect in the Prince's character, and there's a time limit on it's ability to be removed, which can only happen if the defect in his character is overcome."

The whole point of having magic in the story is just as a tool...to create a plot. You don't have to explain everything; you just have to explain what will affect the characters. So, Frozen says, very plainly in the beginning: "you can either be born with magical powers or cursed with them in this world, and trolls are the experts on how magical powers work. The way Elsa's specific magical powers work is, they're beautiful, but powerful, and they're tied to her emotions. Therefore, if her negative emotions control her, her negative emotions control those powers. Also, if you're struck with magical powers in the head, the effects can be removed with memory alteration. If you're struck with magical powers in the heart, the effects can only be removed by an act of True Love.

Also, here's an explanation of what counts as 'True Love." They actually do way more explaining than the average fairy tale. And they set you up really nicely to receive that explanation by having the opening scene be a song that describes Ice Magic as “beautiful/powerful/dangerous/cold/ice has a magic can't be controlled.” Etc.

If you were wondering what limits there are on Elsa's powers, and whether or not she can just make anything out of ice, and how it's possible for her to bring inanimate snow to life

—well, you're focusing on the wrong things for this kind of story.

It's not that important for a fairy tale like this one. In a superhero story, limitations on powers would be important. Because the point of a superhero story is, "how am I going to take selfless responsibility for what I'm able to do?" And if you don't know the boundaries on "what I'm able to do," then you can't communicate that point clearly. That's why we need to know that Superman can see through just about everything, but not lead. That's why you need to know that Elastigirl can't stretch in the cold. You can't know how to take responsibility for your abilities if you don't know what they are and are not.

But Elsa? The point of Elsa having powers is not as a metaphor for her unique skills. That's what it would be in a superhero movie.

Like, in superhero movies, Spidey's ability to stick to walls is supposed to be a reference to like, your ability to...l don't know, draw really well. How is Spidey going to use his ability to stick to walls for the good of others = how are you going to use your ability to draw for the good of others, because it's something special and unique to you, you have something to offer, are you going to use it selflessly, etc.

But for Elsa, that's not what it's about. Her powers are just a metaphor for how what's going on inside of her effects everyone around her, relationally. And it's still relatable. But not in a "skills" way. Just like all of us non-superpowered people: "if you let fear control you, you'll hurt everyone around you. But if you let love cast out fear, you'll love and be loved."

That's what's so good about this movie. When you look at it like that, you realize the powers aren’t the point.

Elsa isolates because she thinks that'll keep her from hurting everyone (fear controls her) but actually, by isolating, she's still hurting everyone-nobody in the kingdom gets to see their beloved ruler, and her sister is hurt, relationally, and feels unloved and shut-out, enough to trust the first scoundrel she meets-etc. See how the powers just make the story interesting, but they're not the point of the story? If Elsa's powers were replaced by "frantic outbursts of human temper" the story could be told in a lot of the same ways. But that's a post for another time.

So I don't think you disliked it because of the powers not being "established." "Whatever they wanted to have happen" did not happen, in the story. They laid out the rules that were relevant—“if fear controls you, it'll lead to great danger/but an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart."—and then they followed those rules in an interesting and consistent way.

2. The "twist" villain worked perfectly for the story.

A good villain is supposed to be the opposite of whatever your story's message is. Frozen's is, "Self-Sacrificial Love Casts Out Fear." Elsa is afraid she'll hurt everyone around her, and afraid that makes her unloveable-so she's a control freak over her circumstances. Anna is also afraid she's unloveable-simply because she's shut out and unknown-so she's always trying to control who she keeps in her life. Hans is both "unknown" and "controlling." He's "unknown" in two ways—1, nobody sees him in the shadows of his brothers in his own kingdom, and 2, nobody in Arendelle "knows" his true nature, especially not Anna. But the difference is, where our heroes don't like being unknown, Hans does, and uses it to his advantage, because he's also "controlling." But unlike our heroes, who learn that "control" is not the way to love, Hans is willing to do anything to stay in control. Which is, always, rooted in fear, too. Hans is just afraid he'll never get a throne. So. You see that he foils the two main characters perfectly.

But the main point of Hans is that he's not self-sacrificial, he's self-serving, which is the opposite of what the story claims "True Love" is.

Why's the "twist" part important? Because he uses the main characters' fears as a weapon to serve himself, and he couldn't have done that, for these two particular characters, by being anything but a liar. Anna is afraid she won't ever be loved, so he pretends to love her to get something for himself. Elsa is afraid she'll hurt everyone, so Hans pretends to be protecting everyone from her. And honestly, that's another core of the movie-love that is self-sacrificial, true love, can't be separated from truth. Anna can't really "truly love" Elsa in a way that HELPS Elsa feel loved if she doesn't know Elsa's flaws. Elsa can't "truly love" Anna if she's refusing to know Anna by always shutting her out. And Hans comes along and doesn't let himself be "truly known." Perfect.

So, the movie says "Self-Sacrificial Love Casts Out Fear" and Hans, the villain, says, "Self-Service Uses Fear As a Weapon."

So I don't think you disliked the "twist" villain. Because it wasn't just an empty "shock-jock, look how edgy we are, to make the Prince the bad guy" move. It was the right move, for this story and these characters.

3. I think your definition of "so cool" and "girlboss" might be different from what l understand those terms to mean, because none of the characters fit those descriptions.

Anna (as we understand her throughout the story) is introduced like this:

And she's constantly dropping stuff and getting into awkward social situations-and she basically makes zero correct decisions, for the entire adventure. Tries to fight wolves like a girlboss-and instead accidentally knocks her guide out of the sleigh and has to be thrown to safety while she ruins his livelihood. Tries to climb a cliff with zero experience-looks ridiculous and falls. Tries to talk her sister into lifting a curse and insists that she knows best because her sister would never hurt her-gets crippled, because her sister absolutely does hurt her, and totally fails. Tries to marry a handsome prince-really bad judgement of character, totally duped, basically would've died without help from the weakest and most mentally-confused character in the movie, Olaf. The only "girlboss" moment you could argue she had was punching Hans in the face at the end of the movie, and I would argue that that one moment, in the face of all her failures and humiliation throughout the movie, and in the face of him as a vile villain? That moment is okay.

Also, the whole way they pace that moment is still in-character for Anna. It's still like she's not doing the "dignified" thing. She delivers her little one liner, "the only frozen heart around here is you," and then turns around to walk away with her nose in the air, like she's

"above it all." Which frames the moment where she turns around and punches him like a joke. It frames that moment like it's a satisfying, but still "not decorous, not dignified," thing to do. It would've been "cool" and poorly received if Anna, the character who's always jumping into doing the emotional, awkward thing, had suddenly become the bigger person and risen above her hurt in that moment.

So instead, she punches him. And whatever. He deserved it, blah blah blah. The point is, even that moment isn’t supposed to be strictly “cool” or “girlboss.” It’s just supposed to be “in-character funny.”

See, usually a "girlboss" character knows exactly what the best thing to do is in a situation, and does it well. Or, she gets knocked down, but consistently gets back up and hits harder. Anna does not do any of those things. She keeps trying when she fails, yeah-but it's not because of an inner strength, it's because of an inner weakness. She keeps pushing because she's desperate, and insecure, not because she's awesome and never-say-die. Eventually, after Elsa strikes her and Hans betrays her, Anna does give up. She tells the snowman "we won't (come back.)" after Elsa strikes her. She tells Olaf she doesn't know what love is. It's not until she learns that lesson that anything she tries to do works—and she gives herself up to do it. And that's finally a moment of strength from her, not weakness. As for "cool"-gimme a break.

There's nothing "cool" about Anna. Anna's not good at anything except, at the very end, self-sacrificially standing in front of a sword and getting one punch in on a villain who's already disarmed, defeated and probably slightly concussed anyway. She's not supposed to be "cool" or "girlboss." She's supposed to be "Desperate to Love and Be Loved." And that's what she is, perfectly. "Desperate" is not a characteristic that fits the definition "girlboss" or "cool."

But maybe you just meant "Elsa is so cool and a girlboss." Okay, well, again, depends on what you mean by that. If you mean "having superpowers are cool" okay, well, are they? Is that what the movie is telling you? Because powers basically ruin all of Elsa's childhood and life until the last 3 minutes of the movie. You could be like "come on, she can make snow and ice monsters, glitter gowns, and an entire palace just by dancing. They totally tried to make her 'cool." That's like saying Simba's ability to eat bugs and belch and fight with Nala is "cool." She does all those things at her "Character in the WRONG" moment, in the story, just like Simba living in the Hakuna Matata jungle. Therefore the movie is not trying to tell you that Elsa is cool, it's trying to tell you that Elsa is wrong, but you can understand why she's wrong. You can understand why she feels triumphant for a moment-and then the movie shows you that triumph is misplaced.

I mean, she's taken out by her own falling chandelier. Every time she's confronted with a problem, she runs away. When she gets into "battles of wits," she says the wrong thing, or the shy, shut-down thing, not a girlboss one-liner that shuts the other person up. Elsa's not cool either. She doesn't have the answers, she doesn't save the day-she gets saved.

Both of these characters are desperate, open wounds-—they're needy and they're in the wrong, each in their own way, for the majority of the movie. They're weak, and they have to learn to find strength in love, for most of their story. There's nothing "girlboss" or "cool" about them.

I think maybe what some people make the mistake of is noticing the Frozen mania, and the fact that the two main characters are girls and one of them has superpowers and they other doesn't get with a Prince, and then they get the impression, from that, that the characters are "cool girlbosses." But like...that's like saying Dory from the first Finding Hemo movie is a girlboss. She's so totally not. She's a wreck. A funny, appealing, sometimes-relatable-human wreck. And a good character, but the hype doesn't change who she is, as a character. And who she is, like Anna and Elsa, is just a good character.

4. Elsa does not finish Let it Go with an "I'm Fine As I Am" attitude, and she doesn't finish the movie that way, either.

She finishes "Let it Go" with an "I'm fine up here, isolated from everyone," attitude. And then the movie very quickly proves her wrong by having Anna show up and reveal to her that no, actually, she is not fine up there, because the person she cares about most can still find her and be hurt by her, and the whole kingdom is still reeling from the problems she ran away from.

At the end of the movie the only thing I can guess you got the impression that she's "fine as she is" from was the fact that she's using her powers again.

But like. Elsa's whole problem was never her powers. She wasn't supposed to learn to stop using them. She was supposed to learn to stop living in fear. Instead, she was supposed to lean on love-love that sacrifices for her, flaws and dangerousness and all-and stop trying to control her image and what everyone knows about her.

Because in trying to control what everyone knows about her, she was controlling whether or not they loved her or treated her like a monster. And even running away and singing Let It Go was still an effort to control everything-by not being around people who could treat her like a monster or be hurt by her. Instead, accepting that she might hurt people because she can't always control everything, and trusting that they'll still love and forgive her, was her character arc.

She lives by faith in sacrificial love by the end, not by fear. That's the arc. She does that perfectly.

It was never, "I'm fine as I am." Because the point was never "there's* something wrong with me." It was, "I don't need to fear a lack of control, because true love covers what I can't control." That's all.

4. Anna does communicate to the audience that she's sorry and willing to understand the reasons behind Elsa's secrets.

The lesson Anna takes away from all of this is not "which guy loves me." It's "what is love?" And you know she's learned that because she demonstrates it. If Anna had died-frozen forever-or been cut down by Hans' sword, you realize that Elsa would never have been able to repay that gesture, right? But Anna still made that choice.

Even though it meant Elsa would never repay her. And the point is — excuse me, I know this is long enough, but I feel like you're missing out on something wonderful here—

Anna could have left Elsa to be killed and ridden off into the sunset with Kristoff.

They make it very clear that that is her goal when she stumbles onto the ice, free from the room Hans trapped her in. Elsa is no longer her motivation. She isn't looking for Elsa. She's not trying to get that love she's looked for, from Elsa, in that moment. She's trying to get it from Kristoff, not just for her emotional need-but for the "breaking of the curse" that's killing her in the moment. That whole scene where she realizes he loves her-truly loves her, because he fits the description Olaf gives-is in there to communicate to the audience that he could save her. He could give her what she needs.

And the reason that's important is that it proves that this is character development: when she chooses not to go to Kristoff, and to go to Elsa instead.

Because it's her, choosing to turn away from the person who could give her something (even if it is "love") and to turn toward the person who can't give her something (Elsa.) Who has repeatedly failed to give her something, for their entire lives.

Anna at the beginning of the movie would've run to Kristoff. That was the whole point of Hans, when it comes to Anna-he represents someone who can fulfill a need in Anna. But when Anna turns away from Kristoff and runs to save Elsa instead, Anna is demonstrating what she's learned —that love isn't about her own needs. It's putting someone else's needs before yours. She stands between Hans and Elsa, with the full expectation that she's not going to get anything out of it, not even a guarantee of E/sa's love in return. And her own needs will NOT get met if she puts Elsa's first.

And that's what she does. Whereas, at the beginning of the film, Anna would not have done that. Because that's not what she thinks love is. She hasn’t realized that yet.

She thinks love means closeness. And that does come with love. But that's not love. Love is, like Olaf says, putting someone else's needs before yours. But the whole movie, Anna is not working to put Elsa's needs before her own. She's working to change Elsa's mind, now that she knows the truth, so that she and Elsa can be "close again." She's climbing that mountain and arguing with Elsa, because she thinks that all that stood in their way before was this secret that's been uncovered. And sure, Anna has always been willing to “be there for” Elsa, but you have to see that Anna wanted that to come with Elsa being there for her, in return.

Which would be nice. But it's not true love. True love is being there for someone even when they refuse to be there for you. Because that's putting their needs before yours.

Thanks for the super long ask! That was fun! I hope you enjoyed reading as much as l enjoyed writing-I think sometimes we judge Frozen by the mania that followed, not the good quality that actually caused the mania, and deserved the mania, though. Anyway 😂

Guards! Take them away! Back to the theater with you! Watch the movie again!