#the pattern in Janna's temple

[mollysunder]

The figure at the center isn't Jinx. The figure isn't wearing the right shirt, she's missing Jinx's cloud smoke tattoos, and you can see her dark hair under the blue hair reach her back as it falls in front of her arm and behind her shoulder.

While the braids are black and white to imply that is the figure's actual hair, it's sprayed on blue like the rest of the youths in the background, because she is like them. The figure at the center is just another kid in the crowd, and they've essentially been designed like they're wearing a Jinx wig, all the kids are.

The artist for this mural is showing that anyone can be like Jinx as long as you want to fight for Zaun. Jinx represents an ideology that these kids choose to embody in both style and action. They're united in blue in their rebellion.

[shimmerbeasts]

The crowds' cheering and whooping fell on deaf ears. For Vi and Jinx alike. The Loose Canon leaned forward, her purple eyes flashing ominously underneath her grey hood as she laser-focused on Vi. Damn, sister. You really bet on the wrong horse, didn't you? Violet looked bad, worse than Jinx had ever seen her. Her sister's magenta hair was plastered in black oil and water, and paint smears covered up the tattoos, she used to wear with such pride. Instead of red leather, she had swapped the hide for black with some spikes and patterns on the back. The wolves looked almost like a shallow imitation of the Kiramman emblem.

Still crying out for that cold charlatan to save you. Pathetic. One would think you had learned your lesson.

Her fingers flexed and the betting card rubbed against her fingers. The one of flesh and the one of metal. Jinx gave a low humming grumble as she followed Vi's movements with her eyes. She realised what the other spectators did not: Her sister was already preparing to spring a trap. She was forcing her opponent to match her movement and pace. Like a normal walk, the danger was never speeding up. The danger lay in abruptly slowing down. And it was this slowing down, which would allow Vi to strike.

The ding of the bell was all her sister needed to spring into action. Jinx leaned over the railing to get a better look. Her breath caught in her throat. The way her sister relentlessly went after the other boxer was eerily similar to the endless pursuit of hounds after Silco's trigger words touched their ears. The snap of fingers and his harsh, hollow call: "Sicc'em!" The memory made Jinx tremble and blink away a few tears. She would have never thought she'd miss that verbal trigger so much.

Fighting the memory down, Jinx returned all her focus to the fight at hand. However if one was honest and generous, one would not even call this a fight. Thundering Tom or whatever his name was stood no chance. Despite being way larger than Vi, her sister danced around the massive body like a drunkard, slamming her fists into his belly and side, cracking ribs and dodging any counter, he threw at her. Even as he groped her head, Vi unleashed a vicious roar, leapt forward and sent him down on the ground with her fists slamming into his temple knocking him out cold.

The crowd's roars and cheers, climbing in volume as Vi pumps the air and yells herself, became white noise in Jinx's ears. As the others madly wave their betting cards around, already congratulating themselves on their cut of the money, Jinx merely raised her fingers, the betting card pinched between them, and continued staring at her sister with calculated eyes and a burning hunger in her belly.

Just what are you doing to yourself, sister? Wasting away like that? And for what? A love that never comes. Story of my life.

Collecting her pistol and a good cut of the betting money, Jinx let the goons point her the way towards the backstage area. Even before she entered Vi's room, the smell of alcohol hit her like a sledgehammer. Her purple eyes flitted around, taking in the chaos in Vi's room. Empty bottles of cheap alcohol lined the walls. The stench of whiskey burned her nose hairs. The inside of the sink was covered in washed-out paint, though it looked more like black vomit.

Vi was hugging the dirty white sink, staining it with more blood and spit. Her breathing was shallow, and her paling face was positively bathed in sweat. Jinx could feel a crumb of concern blooming in her despite herself. Her metal finger rested cool among her flesh ones. She swallowed, remembering the feeling of sharp-edged gloves coiling around it, squeezing her windpipe shut. All Vi had to do, was punch one more time and it would have been over. Deliciously over. But Isha had saved her life. And Jinx could not even find it in her to be mad at the girl.

"Janna, be damned. You really let yourself go." Jinx walked over to the sink and crossed her arms on top of it. Leaning over, she peered at Vi. There was no mocking euphoria in her eyes, just the dull gleam of pity. "Let me guess: The commander and chief dropped you like a still-cooling carcass. And now, you think that getting eaten by the other competitors might fix that damaged heart of yours."

@valiantthearts

Vi couldn’t remember the last time she saw someone she knew, the last time she’s had a comforting touch. From this point on, every touch was vicious, violent, resentful, and painful. A self-inflicting punishment for failing everyone she knew. Powder, Vander, Caitlyn, her mother. Everything had fallen to pieces, and she was left with nothing in her wake. All she possessed were battered knuckles and the single potential skill of punching.

So that’s what she did. She fell into a vicious cycle: fighting, drinking, clubbing, sleeping. Though the last two were negotiable, as sleep might come and most nights brought vicious nightmares that ripped into her. So drinking became even more of a crunch to silence those dreams, to drink herself into a stupor that she had no other choice. And then she would repeat. Her claws often left notches on her wall, each day another prison sentence in her own mind.

Desperation clung to the one person she needed, seeing her in the waving banners, or a brief brush of blue and she hear her sweet laughter. She would take a step toward her, reach out to her, and she vanish into smoke, billows of blue smoke flittering through the air. But she was always there, in her dreams, in her mind, Caitlyn never left her. Which made everything far worse, falling even deeper into her drinking; a constant reminder of what she wanted, what she lost, and what she had failed.

Sitting in the waiting room, Vi dragged the oil point over her face, ensuring that Vi's tattoo was completely hidden. Black fingers matted and stained from the constant use of oils, and a half chuckle left her lips. “Oil and Water,” she muttered under her breath, though the laugh wasn’t funny at all; more humiliating to herself. Black oil covered Vi’s neck and down her shoulders, and some of it had streaked down making make-shift strips. The tiger showing off her strips with an empty dark glint in her eyes. The roar echoed, but Vi had drowned it all out; despite all the cheers and excited she knew she was always alone. This was not celebration. This was simple doing the one thing she was good at: hurting people.

With only a bandaged wrap around her breasts and a tight pair of black pants, tattered and worn from a year of use with heavy combat boots; she moved to the side of the ring that had the archway to let her through. A slow steady breath through her lips, the heavy breath of whisky on her lips, and the one thought of her in her fight.

Vi walked through oiled black hair that hung down the side of her shoulders, and dark green eyes opened up to look toward the man who looked mighty proud of himself as if he had already won. He pounded his chest like a gorilla, demanding the cheers of the crowd. Yet as she walked through, she was silent, vicious, and her eyes were on her target. Despite her silence, the cheers grew louder and brief echoes of people calling out to her echoed through the air, but she didn’t hear them. She heard no one but her own heart thumping in her chest and a small whisper in her mind. “You’re better than this,” Silken words purr from her voice and Vi shook her head. “No, I’m not,” Her voice was so silent, drowned out by the crowds that only she could hear in.

She began to walk purposefully, her claws clenched into fists. Biceps bulged as she lifted her elbows just enough and zeroed in on her prey. What was his name? Thunder Tony? Tom? Fuck it, it didn’t matter. She couldn’t care less about his name, only about leaving him sprawled out on the ground in the end. As Vi started her slow pace, Thomas began to mimic her movement; which she did on purpose. Forcing Thomas onto her turf, her movement, everything done by her precise skill. The fighting ring belonged to her, and anyone who dared enter it faced severe consequences. A circus tiger for all to praise and cheer, and she got paid for it.

The ding of the bell caused Vi to instantly reacted. Thomas didn’t stand a chance as Vi’s powerful legs lunged her forward and her fist came up and slammed directly into his chest. A slight crunching sound meant at least one rib bone had broken, as Vi twisted away from the punch that came overhead. His giant size gave her the advantage, to dodge faster despite her drunken self. She focused her punches on his gut, a series of jabs to the side, another dodge, and her fist came up to block one that went straight to her face.

He managed to catch on to the side of her head, as she stumbled backwards, briefly dazed, only for her anger to break her out. And she jumped upward with a scream and slammed her fist directly into the side of his head. She ensured her hit met his temple so he would go down.

And down he did like Goliath, a puff of sand and dirt and laid there, knocked unconscious. Everything drowned out again, as blood pooled down her busted lip, but Thomas had blood seeping from wounds more than her. Her claws had swiped a few times across his chest, against his cheek. The rules were clear: there are no rules. Last one standing won, and she did. The cheers became muffled in her ears as she panted, raising her fist in the air, causing the screams to grow even louder. Although audible, her roar did not signal victory to those who listened; it held bitter sadness at the echoes of the shout. Her feet lead her to the back as she stumbled and hit the wall.

Instantly, her eyes fell on her whisky bottle she had brought and reached for it for a swig. It burned down, smooth but hot, as she rubbed her free hand against her blacken lips. “Another idiot down. I better get my full cut this time,” she muttered as she put the bottle down and her hands rested against the sink, staring at her swaying face in the mirror. Blood dripped into the off white stained sink, swirling with drops of water as she brushed her fingers through her hair. As her vision twisted, she lowered her head down and pressed it against the porcelain device, trying to stop the room from spinning.

[therussohousehold]

Let’s Rewrite Mina Loveberry - And Turn Her Into Kelly

Hey everyone, merry Christmas! The intermission will be posted later today. In the meantime, I want to talk about Mina Loveberry.

I decided to watch through the Star Vs. bomb, one episode a week (lately two) with the few people on the StarVsTheBomb subreddit. And I just got to Monster Bash - which, wow, great episode. But despite it’s excellence, it also had Mina. I wrote down some thoughts afterwords and had a great idea on how I would’ve done things better at the helm, so I figured I’d flesh out the idea a little more.

First, I have to ask: why is Mina character in the show? This is my primary reason for wanting to theorize a change - because she’s totally unnecessary and really annoying. In both her first appearance in S2, and in this one in S3, she could have been completely left out of things to very little effect. Not only that, but when she is present, she’s present in the most obnoxious and overdone way possible.

Like, I really like her VA (Amy Sedaris) in Bojack Horseman, and she was fun to see as Zircon in Steven Universe. But Mina’s writing strips away the interesting characterization that her voice lends, and turns her patterns of speech into something that’s just plain harsh and kinda obnoxious to listen to.

Not only this, but most of her actions are completely irrational - and she’s written that way intentionally. She’s supposed to be crazy. But what’s the point of that? Crazy characters can be done well. Heck, the first episode of the series has Marco go temporarily crazy because of Star’s appearance - but it has a cause and an effect. It’s to show just how upsetting his life is.

Ludo is also a little crazy. The old lady who used to be in charge of Mewni-monster relations is crazy. This is “crazy with purpose.” But Mina has neither cause nor effect. She just hogs the screentime of other characters that deserve it much more. So let’s condense things.

You know who deserves more time? Kelly. She’s ultimately (probably) going to be a disposable piece of the Marco-Star-Tom love triangle as Marco rebounds off of two blondes and onto a girl with even more spectacular hair, but that doesn’t stop me from wishing I could know her more. She comes out of nowhere in S2 (and with no context, we have no idea who she even is until Lava Lake Beach), and is desperately in need of screen time to show off who she is, so let’s give it to her.

So, let’s rewind. S2, Episode 5 - Starstruck.

The episode sets itself up in much the same way, albeit with a better antagonist. Rather than being introduced to Mina, however, we’re introduced to Kelly. Kelly is a runaway adventurer, a go-with-the-wind type girl that is very reminiscent of Terra from Teen Titans.

She’s rooting through trash for food because she’s broke and Earth’s got some good garbage, and Star idolizes her. NOT because she’s a warrior legend, but because Kelly is, in effect, a lot of who Star would like to be if she wasn’t a princess. She goes where the wind takes her, rides wild warnicorns, eats what she finds, makes new friends wherever she goes, etc. etc.

As the episode goes on, we also meet Kelly’s boyfriend - Tad. Tad’s a tad strange (heh - sorry.) He also really respects and admires Kelly, and he’s a total laid back slacker/stoner type. Despite this, he lives in Kelly’s hair, and he’s not as daring, so he’s an oft-ignored voice of reason - like what Marco is to Star, except for Kelly.

The episode comes to a head, and Kelly’s irresponsible actions get people into trouble in some way. Marco finally talks some sense into Star, while Tad isn’t really able to for Kelly, but things work themselves out and they go separate ways. This then sets the stage for Kelly’s reappearance in Goblin Dogs.

Speaking of which, let’s talk Goblin Dogs. This isn’t really my favorite episode, but it’s serviceable. Kelly (and Tad) are there in much the same way as they are in the show - but while Star and Pony Head gossip, Kelly, Tad and Marco put their heads together to try and get to the front of the line faster. Essentially most of the same happens, but now Kelly has... lines. And a character.

Lava Lake Beach remains mostly unchanged. I really liked Kelly in that episode, and there’s nothing here that would really conflict with this update.

And lastly, Monster Bash. Kelly is now present because - surprise! - she’s half monster. This explains how she looks so human, but still has her odd hair. This is where the pieces click - Kelly isn’t so much a free spirit as she is an outcast, bieng a Mewman-monster child. But she’s also Star’s vision of the future - Mewmans and monsters, together.

Now then, rather than Mina attacking the monster partygoers, the bottom of the temple is opened and unleashes a primal beast of some kind - and a primal nature rapidly infects the rest of the party, EXCEPT for Marco, Star and Tom. Marco because he’s from Earth, Star because she’s the princess, and Tom because he’s... well, pretty much already like that. Kelly is nowhere to be seen.

While the Love Triangle is fighting this huge monster, Heinous intercepts as in the show, for the same motivations. Things proceed as normal, Heinous discovering her true self, and as she does, the nature which the temple has infected the party with - primal and angry at being denied - recedes.

This is when Kelly reemerges - her more monstrous side overriding her human-like features, but still pretty normal. She reveals that this kinda just happens to her and she thinks it’s embarassing, and the temple nature triggered it this time - it’s like her version of Mewberty, though not as purple and crazy. Then Rhombulus shows up and raids the party like usual, and the episode ends in a similar fashion.

So yeah. Kelly the wanderer. The free spirit. The outcast. And Mina can go away FOREVER.

Incidentially, this version of Kelly will be appearing in S2 of Janna Vs The Forces of Evil. I didn’t have an idea this good to just abandon it. So look forward to seeing her soon!

[analysis-by-vaylon]

Double Take #5: “Monster Arm” -- Toffee’s long-foreshadowed arc.

Welcome back to Double Take! For those of you unfamiliar with this segment of my blog, Double Take involves examining an early episode of Star vs. the Forces of Evil and showing how the writers subtly introduce simple concepts in order to prepare the audience for increasingly complex ideas in later episodes. In doing this, I also intend to demonstrate that this hidden gem of a show often has some underappreciated writing.

This particular Double Take is, I feel, important to post just ahead of tomorrow's movie, as the movie will undoubtedly have particular focus on Toffee. In addition to the above-stated goals of Double Take, I hope I can provide some context to the role that the elements of storytelling play in Star vs. the Forces of Evil -- I'm trying to show you, in other words, that this series doesn't simply tell a story: it tells a story which intentionally has multiple meanings.

As with all my analysis, it is my hope that, by the end of this post, you will have glimpsed the patterns of meaning in Star vs. the Forces of Evil as I see them.

Why This Episode?

"Monster Arm" is the earliest episode featured on Double Take so far. I emphasize its early place in the season -- episode 3a, in fact -- because that makes it all the more remarkable that it hints at something which would not come into play until season two (and the latter half of it, at that).

Simply put: "Monster Arm" is about Toffee. While, yes, ostensibly the episode is about Star misusing her magic and giving Marco a demonic tentacle arm -- in actuality, the episode subtly foreshadows not only the appearance of Toffee but the entire arc with Ludo using Toffee's arm as his wand. Toffee's arm is the real "monster arm" of the episode's title.

Not only does the episode foreshadow Toffee's season two re-emergence, it also is explicitly linked together with a later episode in the same season -- "The Hard Way" -- which I will show by comparing each episode scene-by-scene. I want to be as clear as possible about what "Monster Arm" is doing: by telling one story -- Star, Marco, and his tentacle arm -- the episode is preparing the audience, through the use of narrative, tone, and structure, for a more complex story -- that of Star, Ludo, and Toffee.

The Toffee Connection

It may sound implausible at first that "Monster Arm," as silly as it is, could be about Toffee, but think about the title: is there any other monster's arm in the entire series that has as much importance as does Toffee's?

It's only due to wielding Toffee's arm as a wand that Ludo, channelling his negative emotions, is able to subdue the rats, take the corn, steal Star's spellbook, and restore the ancient monster temple. In fact, I think there is some subtle wordplay going on -- an arm is both a part of the body and something you use as a weapon.

Much of "Monster Arm" hints at a number of future events:

The brief glimpse of Glossaryck when Star opens the spellbook, for instance, foreshadowing his later significance.

Or the book being a source of demonic influence:

Or the combination of two differently-colored magics:

Or the presence of an evil intelligence inside someone's arm:

Or the fact that the arm literally becomes part of someone else:

These are all things that presage later events. Indeed, to drive this point home, the series itself draws upon "Monster Arm" in the season one finale.

References to “Monster Arm” in “Storm the Castle”

In "Storm the Castle," Star and Marco visit a dimension in order to get sandwiches -- the danger of which triggers a memory for Marco of Monster Arm.

In fact, there's a great deal of arm- or hand-related horror going on in "Storm the Castle" -- all of which, I believe, is intended to reinforce the idea, revealed at the beginning of season two, that Toffee's arm has become a wand:

Marco injures his hand punching the crystal cage

Marco injures his hand swatting at Toffee's sandwich.

Beard Deer injures his hand punching the crystal cage.

Ludo has a disgusting castle-shaped mole on his hand.

Star blasts off Toffee's left arm.

Marco's arm nearly gets stuck in the crystal cage.

Glossaryck sticks his arm out of the magic mirror (interestingly enough, just as he's saying the words "cleave something apart" -- the missing piece of the wand is now embedded in Toffee’s hand).

Even the ominous tone of the ending of "Monster Arm,” at first only seeming to be a joke at Marco’s expense, is later echoed in the ominous ending of "Storm the Castle" -- decidedly not a joke.

Indeed, the series has a habit of introducing concepts as jokes only to have them later return with serious consequences -- nor is this, more specifically, the last time that we see an episode-ending joke with Marco later return in a serious light when in context of Toffee.

Recall the joke ending to "Page Turner," with Marco being possessed by reading Eclipsa's chapter:

If "Monster Arm" foreshadows the idea of a demonic force being released by the book, then "Page Turner" is what reveals the true extent of the danger the book presents -- and, in fact, the ending of "Page Turner" later returns in a much, much more serious context with Ludo being possessed by Toffee at the end of "The Hard Way":

Interestingly, "The Hard Way" has some unusual connections to "Monster Arm" -- I've noted them before in another post but never fully explored or explained them. I will attempt to delineate those connections and make sense of them.

Echoes of "Monster Arm" in "The Hard Way"

If you've read my sonnet theory (or the Indiana Jones theory), then you know that I believe that season 2B's episodes were intentionally structured so as to resemble a sonnet -- and that each episode referred back to an older episode through dialogue, composition, and scene. I believe "The Hard Way" is an echo of "Monster Arm," and that the purpose of this deliberate reference is to reinforce the idea that the only real monster arm of significance is Toffee's.

Let's run through some of the similarities.

Shared dialogue:

Janna: I want it to be my boyfriend!

Glossaryck: Uh… well, do you want it to be? Ludo: Oh, yes! I so want it to be.

Shared scenes:

Ludo: Did you keep him up all night?

Ludo: You haven't fed him, have you?

Ludo: Time to turn up the heat.

Shared jokes:

Marco’s arm hits him in the face with his own arm; Ludo hits himself in the face with his wand.

Shared concepts:

Both episodes involve a magical being who promises to unlock the host’s true potential – Monster Arm for Marco and Glossaryck for Ludo, respectively.

Both episodes involve a sinister entity with a bad influence on its wielder – Monster Arm on Marco and Toffee on Ludo, respectively.

The purpose behind “The Hard Way” drawing upon “Monster Arm” is, I think, to borrow a covert structure of pre-built meaning and context for what is happening. In other words, it is a subliminal reinforcement of the idea, established in “Monster Arm,” that someone‘s arm could not only be evil but take over someone else’s mind completely.

As you might have also noticed from this list of similarities between "Monster Arm" and "The Hard Way," the show appears to be making some kind of comparison between Marco and Ludo, especially in the context of Glossaryck and the spellbook. Glossaryck introduces himself to both of them with the line, "At your service, milady" -- and both Marco and Ludo fetch pudding for Glossaryck. They both read Eclipsa's chapter and are influenced by the dark magic within, and both have their right arms transformed into something grotesque, malevolent, and powerful. Even their first names have similar sounds, both having two syllables, the first syllable stressed, and ending with a long -o sound.

I don't know what, if anything this comparison could mean. Plenty of fans have speculated that Marco might eventually fall under Toffee's influence, just as Ludo did -- which would indeed bring "Monster Arm" full circle -- but personally, I don't have enough evidence to say one way or the other. It nevertheless remains a tantalizing possibility, of course.

Wrapping Up

Hopefully, I have given you a different perspective on "Monster Arm." It's an early episode which at first appears to be a silly side-story -- but, like the other episodes featured on Double Take, it actually features some concepts that are repeated in later seasons with more complexity. Toffee’s arm was always the intended “monster arm” of the series.

Thematically speaking, pairings, partners, and repetitions of history all play big roles in the show, and I think it's smart for the writers to reinforce those notions not only by drawing on previously-established story elements (which is overt) but also by structuring episodes to reflect previous ones (which is often hidden).

I've mentioned this many times over by now, but the staff behind Star vs. the Forces of Evil are masters of their craft. They have a concrete vision of what they want the story to say and how they want the story to say it. The heart of good storytelling -- the heart of irony itself -- is this: the ability to say something without saying it.

Writing fiction in this way, in what I call the poetical mode, is always a gamble, even for skilled writers -- you risk muddling the message, losing the audience, or, worst of all, having a confused audience draw precisely the opposite meaning you intended. But, in my opinion, given the impressive success of Star vs. the Forces of Evil, it is a gamble that has so far paid off. I sincerely hope that trend continues.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have on your mind regarding previous or future topics or to suggest topics you'd like to see me write about.

"The Battle for Mewni" is tomorrow! You can rest assured that I will be watching -- and no doubt writing some pretty lengthy analysis afterwards. See you all again soon.

[lawchan89]

"Fuck it - do you wanna get married?" for your tiny little Janna and Jackie canoe.

romantic/fluff sentence starters!

“Fuck it - do you wanna get married?”

“Pfft yeah, okay,” Jackie snorted, her head in her girlfriend’s lap with her eyes closed as Janna rubbed her temples. A major skate competition just happened to fall on the same weekend before final exams, and Jackie was nursing an awful sinus headache from being up all night studying. She sighed – only one more week and her college career was officially over. “Think it’s time for another round with the flash cards.”

“Let’s see,” Janna muttered, grabbing the pile of index cards with history names and dates. “Ah, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert?”

“Did that one.”

“Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra VII?”

“I know the ancients like the back of my hand, Jan.”

“Alexander and Eliza Hamilton?”

“I’m sensing a pattern here,” Jackie said suspiciously as she sat up, draping her arms around Janna’s neck which forced the young raven-haired woman to look at her. “Oh my God…”

“What?”

“You’re serious, aren’t you? You really wanna get married?”

“Uh, ya!” Janna’s voice rose to meet hers in annoyance. “You thought I wasn’t?”

“I thought you were just – ya know – being you,” Jackie stammered, her turquoise eyes having gone wider than Janna had ever seen them. “’Let’s get married’, ‘let’s jump off that roof’, ‘let break into Marco’s apartment and steal his credit cards’–”

“I can’t believe you didn’t wanna do that one,” Janna grumbled disappointedly, folding her arms over her chest.

“Janna…” The blonde girl looked at her almost helplessly, those amber eyes reflecting back making her weak in the knees like always. And her best friend, roommate and girlfriend, all rolled into one, shifted on the couch almost shyly.

“I’m serious, Jacqueline.” She slid her arms around her waist, pulling her deeper into her lap – and that’s when tears sprang into Jackie’s eyes.

“B-but what about money, and being financially secure? We’re just two broke college girls!”

“Dude, we can wait,” Janna said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I just…think I really wanna be in this with you for the long haul. Don’t you?”

“Yeah…” Jackie pressed her forehead to hers, feeling gentle fingers wipe away the tears rolling over her freckles. “I really, really do.”

“So that’s a yes?” Strong tanned athletic arms encircled Janna’s lithe frame, the slightest of whispers passing from Jackie’s lips before they covered hers and didn’t relinquish them for a very long time.

“That’s a yes, Janna Ordonia…”

[analysis-by-vaylon]

Starbruary’s episodes are connected to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Instead of diving right into the details, I’d like to start with a few video clips.

First, watch the first thirty seconds of this clip from "Raid the Cave" while paying close attention to the squirrel monster. Count the number of stripes on her shirt. Alternately, count how many times she utters aloud (and note her inflection when doing so).

Next, watch this clip from "Mathmagic" and pay attention to the number that Star writes on the chalkboard.

Finally, watch this clip, taken from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and note the use of the numbers you just encountered. As you can tell, the numbers 3, 7, and 10 play a prominent role in the scene.

I should also point out that the clip from "Raid the Cave" is, of course, an homage to a gag from Monty Python and the Holy Grail -- and the Holy Grail is the sought-after object in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, thus reinforcing the notion of some connection.

Continue reading for the (extensive) details of how I discovered this connection, what it means, and what I predict about next week’s episodes.

As some of you may recall, I previously wrote a theory that Starbruary's release schedule is intentionally structured like a sonnet. I'm happy to report that not only have I gathered what I believe to be sufficient evidence to prove this theory, but I am also able to offer a testable hypothesis for next week's episodes. Before I begin, I would urge you to please take a moment to read over the sonnet theory; I promise it will be worth your time.

In addition to the sonnet structure, I discovered that each "stanza" of episodes -- that is, each week's group of four -- is united by a single theme, which is also associated with a number. The number and theme are established in the first episode of the week. On top of that, each pair of Starbruary episodes is an echo of an earlier pair of episodes -- that is, each new episode refers to an older episode.

What follows is the summary of episodes that have so far aired; everything after "The Hard Way" is speculation on my part. The summary lists the original air date for the Starbruary episode, then the name of the episode itself. Each Starbruary episode is paired with another episode in the manner that I show -- a rhymes with a, b rhymes with b, and so on. Rhymed episodes share similar dialogue, motifs, and composition. Next is the old episode that the new episode echoes (i.e., references). These echoes consist of shared dialogue, motifs, and composition. Lastly, I provide the episode number of the older episodes. The relationship between episode numbers is how I first discovered the numerical connection to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I’ll explain that after the episode summary.

Episode Summary

Week 1 Associated number: 3 Theme: "I made this mess, and I'm gonna be the one who cleans it up."

Week 2 Associated Number: 7 Theme: "You expect the punch line to be one thing, but what you end up with is just logic."

Week 3 Hypothesized associated number: 10 Theme: Currently unknown.

Week 4

Perhaps it will be possible to predict something about the final two episodes after next week, but at the moment, I don’t have any idea where to begin.

The Discovery

If you've read this far, you might be asking yourself how I noticed this pattern to begin with. I wish I could say I started with noticing the numbers -- but, alas, I only noticed the numbers afterwards. You see, I stumbled across the pattern by brute-forcing it.

After "Running with Scissors," which has quite obvious parallels to "Blood Moon Ball," I began to notice that other Starbruary episodes had parallels to older episodes, too. It occurred to me that they might happen in pairs, and the more I looked, the more I noticed that, indeed, each rhyming pair of Starbruary episodes echoed an older pair of episodes. To discover this, I systematically hunted for shared dialogue between new and old episodes until I found a successfully-matching pair; afterwards, I noted the episode numbers and realized there was a numerical connection. (For example, I realized that "Running with Scissors" is like "Blood Moon Ball," which is episode 8, and "Baby" is like "Hungry Larry," which is episode 24. And 24 / 8 = 3 -- a number which shows up in "Raid the Cave.") From there onward, it was a simple matter of pattern recognition.

Let me elaborate on a pair of Starbruary episodes and show you the ways that they “rhyme” -- the way they make connections:

Exploring “The Bounce Lounge” and “The Hard Way”

"The Bounce Lounge" is uncannily similar to "The Hard Way" in the composition of shots. If you watch them at the same time, you’ll see how closely they resemble one another with regard to composition of shots and transitions. Here are some examples of similar shots between these two episodes. This shared composition may be true for other pairs as well, but I haven't had time to check.

In addition to the shared composition, the pair of episodes share similar elements:

Shared dialogue: "Let it go, darlings." / "And say, 'Good night, my darling.'" "Are you kidding me? Um, good night." "'My darling.'" "Uh, um, m-my -- my darling."

The Bounce Crew tries to rebuild the Bounce Lounge. Toffee is trying to rebuild the monster temple.

"We used to rule this place." -- This is something Toffee could say about his monster temple.

"There's a bald spot on my head where my heart used to be." -- I'm not precisely sure of the connection, but Ludo certainly does have a bald spot on his head, and Tad's reunion with Kelly is more than a little similar to Toffee's possession of Ludo.

"They're using you, Johnny." -- This line easily applies to Ludo, who is being used by Toffee.

Marco pats Pony Head and Star. Glossaryck pats Ludo on the head.

"The Bounce Lounge" is an echo of "The Other Exchange Student":

Shared dialogue delivered by Star: "I can't believe it!"

Both episodes involve constant parties.

Cameras and photographs play significant roles in both episodes.

Cannibalism comes up as a motif: the bunny pirates chop up and eat their captain after he gets turned into a carrot, and Star imagines Gustav chopping up and eating the Diazes.

Finally, "The Hard Way" is an echo of "Monster Arm”:

Shared dialogue: "I want it to be my boyfriend!" -- "Uh... well, do you want it to be?" "Oh, yes! I so want it to be."

Monster Arm hits Marco in his sleep, turns up the hot water during his shower, and ruins his breakfast. Ludo: "Did you keep him up all night?" "You haven't fed him, have you?" "Good! Then he must be about to crack. Time to turn up the heat."

Both episodes involve a magical being who promises to unlock the host's true potential -- Monster Arm and Glossaryck, respectively.

Ludo hits himself in the face with the wand while spinning it -- a parallel to the arm hitting Marco in the face.

Both episodes involve a sinister entity with a bad influence on its wielder -- Monster Arm and Toffee, respectively.

Ludo's wand is *literally* a monster arm -- Toffee's arm, to be precise.

This is just one example of a pair of Starbruary episodes. I've been thorough with this example, but if you're still unconvinced, here is a very brief summary of the rest of the connections:

"Raid the Cave" - "Spider with a Top Hat": An underestimated character tries to break through a wall but can't do it; afterwards, each successfully attacks some monsters.

"Trickstar" - "Fortune Cookies": Star thinks something is magical; Marco says it isn't. Star ends up being right.

"Baby" - "Hungry Larry": An unsettling entity enters the Diaz home, scares the shit out of children, and eats everything. Shared dialogue: "Wet ceiling." "*Get out!*"

"Running with Scissors" -- "Blood Moon Ball": A predatory, fire-themed magic-user toys with a mortal. Shared dialogue: "How [do/did] you know my name?" "It's me, Marco!" "Marco?!"

"Mathmagic" -- "Girls' Day Out": An episode focuses on Star, Janna, and Ms. Skullnick. Shared dialogue: "Let's [just] get this over with."

"Crystal Clear" -- "Game of Flags": Check out that big girl sitting at the grown-up table. A table made of Marco.

I hope the evidence I've presented so far serves to convince you of my claim (1) that Starbruary episodes are paired together in a sonnet structure, (2) that these episodes are echoes of previously-aired episodes, and (3) that the Starbruary episodes are connected in a way that numerically references Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Prediction

If my theory is right, then we should expect to see the number 10 -- or, referring back to the scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, an X -- in "Heinous." We should also expect to see elements from "By the Book," and we should expect a clearly-stated theme that will be applied to the rest of next week's episodes.

Real Implications

But, if I may, I want to talk about the real implications of this theory.

You see, the real implications of this theory are that the show staff (1) went through old episodes line-by-line, shot-by-shot; (2) connected these pairs of episodes to new episodes through theme, motif, dialogue, and composition; (3) connected those new episodes to other new episodes by theme, motif, dialogue, and composition; (4) wrote those episodes in such a way that each episode felt entirely new yet still cleverly managed to join together those different meanings; and (5) disguised the fact that they did all of this work -- disguised it so well, in fact, that even on repeat viewings, you'd never even realize there was a mystery there to begin with.

And that is, quite frankly, incredible. To borrow a few lines from my favorite movie:

Dr. Peter Venkman: So what? I guess they just don't make 'em like they used to, huh? Dr. Raymond Stantz: No! Nobody ever made them like this! I mean, the architect was either a certified genius or an authentic wacko.

When I began watching Star vs. the Forces of Evil, I thought I had an idea of how much love, care, and effort goes into the show -- but now I can say that it was only a barest inkling. I am truly awestruck at the level of creative talent that I have encountered.

I don't think any of us fully realize just how fortunate we are that such a team of imaginative geniuses has been assembled for the sole purpose of our entertainment. But we are very fortunate, indeed.