#vs cinderella fighting back against being forced into her story | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nakanotamu · 2 years ago

Note

help please I've discovered the gif of Syuri kissing Utami Hayashishita, and then Utami's post-match reaction, can you please tell me if there was followup, what else happened?!

Oh my goodness anon CAN I EVER (sorry I waited days to respond to this I've been having A Time)

Okay so immediately after the kiss they didn't have any matches against each other for a few weeks until their singles match in the Cinderella Tournament that year. Utami spends this time pining and wondering if Syuri really likes her and Syuri keeps teasing her on Twitter. Syuri eliminated Utami and even though it was just Over The Top Rope it ended up being enough to earn a title match given that Utami also wanted to fight her.

Their first title match was really good, real unstoppable force vs immovable object type stuff. They fight to a 30-minute draw just as Syuri seems to be getting the advantage, lay on the mat for 2 minutes and say they both want to keep fighting and are granted an extension. That 2 minutes was enough for Utami to get her wind back and negate the advantage Syuri had had, and they fight 13 more minutes to a double knockout.

Utami (and her tag partner and perennially friend-zoned bestie Saya Kamitani) challenge Syuri (and her tag partner at the time and perennially friend-zoned worstie Giulia) for their tag belts bc they can't fucking keep away from each other or leave each other alone at this point and it's in the leadup to that match that they have the unbelievably charged staredown you've hopefully seen gifs of that was somehow even more homoerotic than when they actually kissed.

I don't remember specifically what happened in the tag belt match but it's not super important, Syuri & Giulia retained.

They had another match in the 5 Star GP that year and they were both desperate to finally beat the other going into it, fully aware given the year they were having 20 minutes probably wouldn't be long enough, and they were right, fighting to a vicious draw where they both clearly had more left in the tank.

Syuri won 2021's 5 Star GP and with that earned another title shot against Utami. She asked to get her title match not at the next big show, as had been customary in previous years, but at their huge Ryogoku Kokugikan show at the end of the year, Dream Queendom, so she could be as prepared for Utami as possible and they could fight on the biggest stage possible, as she felt they deserved. Because she defers her title shot she has to defend the right to challenge a few times in the interim, but she's on a mission, unwavering and seemingly obsessed with the red belt, and finally taking it from Utami. They request their title match be no time-limit this time for obvious reasons.

They fight for only 33 minutes, the lack of a break at half an hour proving to be what Syuri needed, this time pressing her late game advantage and able to capitalize where she ran out of time before. Syuri is finally the red belt champion, and Utami is crushed.

That chapter of their story pretty much came to a close at that point, but every interaction between them was still like, significant. Every time they face each other it was incredibly obvious how important they are to each other's growth. Utami spends much of 2022 rebuilding herself after losing the belt, sometimes trying to take it easy and recharge and sometimes trying to get her groove back, trying to learn how to be the new leader of Queen's Quest. She also cuts her hair god fuckin bless

They face each other in the 5 Star again, and Syuri is faltering this year. Seemingly every person in her block understandably sees her as a huge target, Utami included. Between the pressures of being in the tournament as champion and leading her new unit, God's Eye, Syuri can't balance everything and prepare for everyone and she's overwhelmed. Utami, on the other hand, comes in immensely prepared for Syuri this time, beating her in just under 15 minutes. (The 5 Star thankfully has a shorter time limit again now than it did in 2021.)

After the 5 Star Syuri has one other defence to get through first, and then accepts Utami's challenge, to make up for her loss in the tournament. To Syuri, she wants to purge the blemish from her record as champion and prove the red belt is unqestionably hers, but she's a little excited to face Utami again. Utami tries to hide it but she's a little desperate to turn back the clock, thinking if she can just go back to who she was a year ago she can handle her current struggles.

The lead up to that match is, god, fucking -

I hate them.

Anyway Syuri successfully defends in another really, really good match. Utami tries desperately to turn back time, go back to the way she fought, the person she was, a year ago. But Syuri's already beaten that person. She peels the layers off of her and fights her with raw emotion, dragging the same out of Utami until she's forced to fight as she is now, scared and uncertain and angry and passionate. Syuri makes her stare herself in the face and then beats her again. But after, she tells Utami she is her greatest rival, and she wants to do this over and over again for as long as they both can. Utami cries.

And as of now, that's where things stand between them, though no stories in wrestling are ever truly finished. They don't currently have reason to go after each other, though they'll never be completely unentangled from each other at this point. They're both leading their units in the upcoming Triangle Derby, which starts in January, and they are in opposite blocks, which means they will face each other. I'd guess the question this time will be whether they face each other on equal footing as two unit leaders who are expected to head their team in the tournament, or if they won't be able to help but have things get personal again. They face each other on the very first show of the tournament, January 3rd.

#long post #Stardom #joshi puroresu #Syuri #Utami Hayashishita #please please if you have questions about Stardom stories absolutely feel free to ask me them lol #my writing

46 notes · View notes

ask-ivory · 5 years ago

Text

RWBY Random Rant #2!

What villain is the best? (Cinder vs Roman)

Second rant everyone! This one may be a bit longer than the first, so if you don't have time but find this interesting, then I suggest reading this later. If you have infinite time on your hands and your board, then this might help depending on your interests. So let's jump into today's rant!

So, the world of Remnant is a big place. There, you'll find friendly people, weird people, mean people, and people who are just flat out crazy. But today, we're looking at a certain group of people: Villains. Now before we jump in to the blender of craziness, this post is an analysis that can be used for predictions and plot lines. I may be wrong, but I'm writing this off of what I know.

Anyways... Let's start with the basic question, What IS a villain? A villain (or for the more technical term: antagonist) is a character who is trying to stop the hero (or protagonist) from accomplishing his or her goal. Either this, or they're trying to get something and the hero is trying to stop them because what the villain wants is wrong. This is the loosest definition, so you can imagine that this goes way deeper than you think.

There are some things that you need to ask and have answered before you confirm who is the villain in a story. Some of which includes the following:

Who is this guy? (Basic background)

Why is he or she interested in this scenario? (Could this benefit to their cause?)

Why are they doing this? (If so, then why?)

So if we take this and try and apply it to the "villain" we can tell if this is a VILLAIN. Another important thing to note is the quality of the character. What sort of events cause the villain to act like this, and why?

Well, when we're talking RWBY, then villains come in different shapes and sizes. Some villains are immature, and others have experienced enough pain and defeat to know exactly what will work to achieve their goal and/or stop the hero. Then you have the peeps in the middle who aren't as overwhelming as the big baddie, but have enough common sense to know what's going on, what needs to be done, and why they're doing it.

So I'mma gonna start at the bottom of the rainbow and work my way up to the best colors. I'll also be rating these characters on a scale of one to ten. I won't do everyone. Let's start with the entire fandom's LEAST favorite character.

Cinder Fall

Stars: 0/10

Now if I was a writer for the show, I think the most interesting thing that could happen to Cinder is if she just dropped dead. That's how bad she. Literally. Now, what makes her so disgusting? There are two answers.

She did horrible things. Like hacking the communication towers (With help from Watts, of course), making the people at the Vytal Festival Tournament doubt the leaders of Vale, and, to top it off, KILLED Pyrrah and Ozpin.

But these are the actions a normal villain would do, so what really makes her Terrible? The second answer has the reason.

2. She's a poorly written character with a lack of depth are perception.

I have no idea what made the writers want to make Cinder a hated character, but whatever did worked really well. Honestly, it's like Roosterteeth did the opposite of what Disney did to Cinderella. But when I say she lacks depth, I mean there is nothing that makes her character any good. She's also one of the biggest mysteries in the show, and I don't mean that in a good way. Here are some of the questions that I often ask about her:

Why does she want power?

Does she want to rule the world?

Why does she wear an outfit that's guaranteed to help her freeze to death?

Does she want to kill Salem?

Why doesn't she learn from her mistakes?

WHY THE HECK DOES SHE EVEN EXIST?!?!?!

Well, after some examination, I found out something shocking. She is just a plot device. She may talk and act evil, but in reality, she's just there so that the characters have something to worry about. She has nothing that makes her good, or relatable. To add to that, she's like the Grimm, all she does is attack and kill and if she loses, she DOESN'T reflect on her actions, and she DOESN'T try to fix her mistakes. She just goes back into the fight with the same strategy as before. If the main protagonists studied Cinder's basic movement, then they would be able to take her down, no doubt.

Can Cinder be saved? The answer is no. I bet that, judging from the road she's going down, her strategy will be her ultimate end.

Hazel Rainheart

(I may have spelled his name wrong. Sorry.😁)

Stars: 2/10 ☆☆

Now Hazel is a bit more interesting. Unlike Cinder, he has a reason he's on the side he is now, but like everyone, he has his flaws. He lets his anger get the better of him, and he's quick to judge. But the real reason why he's not so good is because of his reasoning. His sister died on a training mission because SHE chose to become a huntress. But Hazel takes all of his anger out on Oscar and Ozpin just because he (Ozpin) was the headmaster of Beacon, and let her into the school in the first place.

And I gotta say, this reasoning is understandable, but it's still dumb.

But there is something that makes Hazel a huge threat to the heros: his semblance of pain nullification. This gives him the ability to block out pain. And I kinda get where it comes from.

When his sister died, he was broken. She was probably the only family Hazel had, and when she was killed, he wanted to block out the emptiness, the grief, the pain. Thus his semblance was unlocked and he could no longer feel pain. This ability is probably how his aura charges up so quickly. If pain can block aura from charging, then he has the tools to be a force to be reckoned with. The only downside is that just because he can't feel pain doesn't mean that he's not hurt.

Can Hazel be saved? Maybe. But if he goes on a redemption arch, then he will probably die. But that doesn't mean that he's a lost cause. There's still plenty of things that can be added to Hazel's character to make it better. But at the present, he could be better.

Adam Taurus

Stars 2/10 ☆☆

This character is relatively horrible. In fact, he's worse than Hazel!

But the thing is, he's like Hazel in a special way: he has a tragic past. Certain events that wreck a kid's childhood can scar them for life. Adam was discriminated for his faunus traits, and this set him on a path of revenge that would be his bitter end.

He was a threat, but small compared to the real one. His semblance made him very dangerous, but it also makes sense. To be more specific, his semblance is, what I like to call, absorption of impact (or for the EruptionFang version, moon slice). This gives him the ability to absorb any damage done by the enemy into his blade, then release it back at a more powerful rate. This can cause devastating damage to both the enemy and the environment. As for why he had this semblance is pretty basic once you think about it.

Adam desired to get back at those who mistreated him. He wanted them to feel his pain, but a lot more extreme. He wanted them to feel what he felt, but worse.

Adam had a lot of potential, but, well when you get stabbed in the back, it's not easy to get back at your enemies. Over all in terms of writing, the thing that would've made him better was a better understanding of what he went through.

Tyrian Callows

Stars 4/10 ☆☆☆☆

If Adam wasn't crazy enough for you, then Tyrian's your go to guy.

I think that Tyrian is insane enough to join Salem, but has enough sense to know how to kill. He's kinda tough to figure out, but thanks to some much needed information in Volume 7, we now know a bit about Tyrian's past.

Tyrian was a mad man killer on the continent of Anima but was captured. He was then rescued by Salem and her Grimm. Since he's mad he owed his life to her ever since.

He's mad, so there's no bad excuse. And to add to that, he is flat down dangerous. His semblance is the ability to cut through aura, making him a hard to beat.

Can Tyrian be saved? Not really. The only way to kill him is for someone to fall victim to him while another strikes the killing blow.

Doctor Aurthor Watts

Stars: 5/10 ☆☆☆☆☆

Alright. Here we go!

Watts is very interesting. That's saying alot. Now that we have more information on him, it's easier to see why he wants to screwer Ironwood.

He was an Atlasian scientist who went against Pietro in the effort to make something great for Atlas. While Watts helped write the Atlas security code, Pietro found that the best inspiration is found inside. That was were Penny was created. Watts was disgraced and faked his death. Then Salem found him and he joined her group to get both revenge on Ironwood and respect from Atlas. Though he is clearly unaware of what Salem's true plans are.

He is a wiz when it comes to technology. Besides that, I believe he has some experience with combat. His semblance could have something to do with technology, but we're still figuring that out.

Can Watts be saved? Writing wise, maybe we can get more details about Watts in the final episodes. He's not a lost cause when it comes being a more interesting villain.

Story wise though? He's a dead man.

Salem

Stars: 6/10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆

Yes, I didn't save her for until the end.😼

Now from the writer's point of view, Salem's backstory has been completely fleshed out. It's pretty complicated so I won't go into details. But from that alone, Salem's actons make sense. As a prisoner of life, she yearns to be free. She wants to die. And she believes that the only way to do this is to divide humanity and summon the gods in there darkest hour. Then the gods destroy the world and Salem is free. She doesn't care about the people she is hurting. She hates humanity and wants to destroy everything. But above all, she wants to get permanent revenge on her ex Ozma (or Ozpin or Oscar). She wants him to die and stay dead when millennia ago she made great sacrifices to try bringing him back from the dead.

Now she has nothing to show for it except endless years of war, hatred, and suffering. There is some relation that one can have with Salem. If anyone who is reading this tried to do something for someone you cared about, but got nothing to show for it in return, then that's what Salem would be feeling. And this has caused her to spiral into madness. She is the purest definition of crazy.

Can Salem be saved? It depends at this point. Story wise, most likely not.

Emerald and Mercury!

Stars for them both 7/10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

These two are going to be paired in honor of their beloved ship: Emercury.

Both characters have tragic pasts, so that gives them some common ground, but both are looking for something different. Emerald is looking for love, the one thing that she never had in her entire life. Mercury is looking for a purpose in life, a way to make himself Worthy of greatness. He claims that Cinder recruiting him was just destiny.

Both of these peeps are incredibly good at what they do. Both can fight better than the members of team CFVY.

Emerald's semblance is Perception manipulation, which makes perfect sense in her case. In a very special case, her semblance is similar to Adam's. She wants others to see what she sees, Emerald wants people to see how alone she is, and just how much she needs family. Her semblance is an incarnation of her desire. And she uses it to make people see what she wants them to see.

Mercury's semblance is currently unknown at this time. But we do know that his semblance was stolen by his father. After killing him, Mercury probably got his semblance back, but lives under the illusion that it's still gone.

Mercury grew up in an abusive household, under the guard of a murderer. He was tortured everyday by his father.

Emerald grew up on the streets.

Basically, these characters are well written, and both have great potential as well. There's even some hope of a redemption Arch for these two, and possibly some romance.

Can Emerald and Mercury be saved? Writing wise, yes. More trauma and info can definitely help. Story wise? Hopefully, yes.

Roman Torchwick

Stars: 9/10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Time for the classics!

This charming young schemer has been the first character in the actual show. Fans everywhere love him, and will often mark him as the best villain. Honestly, I have nothing against it. But for the sake of this post, let's break down this lovely character and examine his awesomeness.

Roman's origin is currently unknown, but maybe we'll get some light cast on it with Neo's backstory as well. Many believe that he is somehow connected to Brunswick Farms, and it's still a possibility that has yet to be ruled out.

Roman is a good fighter and a master mind behind the underground crime rings of Vale. By himself, he is a relatively good fighter. Though his semblance has yet to be determined, he has his own Roman candle.

Another aspect of this character that won the hearts of fans is his charming personality. I mean, who can blame him? Though his death was sudden, and unfair, his handsome face will live on in the hearts of many.

Neo Politan

Stars: 10/10⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The star of the show, folks!

Neo made her big enterence in Volume 2 episode 4 Painting the Town, and ever since has been one of the most popular characters in the entire show. If you break down Neo's character based on what we know, then it's actually really interesting. Let's scoop ice cream!

Neo's backstory is unknown, but we're hoping to have some light shed on the subject. Based off of the song "One Thing", we can tell that Neo's backstory is tragic in some way. She lost everything except for Roman. And she is willing to fight to protect Roman from the death. How do I know?

Her semblance is called illusions by many, but Unicorn of War calls it Mirrors, which I think is the most accurate. Her semblance gives her the ability to reflect her opponent's attacks upon themselves, and she can change her appearance right down to her hair and eye color.

What does any of this have to do with protecting Roman? She will use Any means necessary to protect what little she has left, and to her, that one thing is enough. She Will change her identity as many times as possible, and she often gets away with it. But she is so fierce in protecting that during a fight, any pain that the enemy can dish out to her dumdum would make her determined to kick her opponent's butt. She would give them a taste of their own medicine and literally reflect their attacks upon themselves.

She is a reflection of protection. And like that reflection she represents, she says not a word, but shows people how exactly they can hurt the one she loves.

After Roman's death, Neo Politan is determined to reflect her loves justice upon the true enemies. If you can't face yourself, then you can't face Neo.

So, there you have it, villains everywhere.

Be sure to reblog if you found this interesting!

If you have questions, then ask away!😁

#RWBY Random Rant #RWBY #rwby villains #cinder fall #hazel #rwby tyrian #tyrian callows #doc. Watts #Salem #rwby salem #more historical data that doctor oobleck would faint if he saw it all #emerald #Mercury #Roman #neo politan

32 notes · View notes

whindsor · 5 years ago

Photo

So at the start of 2019, I made the resolution to read more books! I used to be a voracious reader as a kid, but between college and grad school I kind of...forgot how to do that? So I got myself a library card (clutch, tbh) and spent the year enjoying free books and audiobooks!

Below the cut are the books that I read with short reviews about them. They aren’t the only books I started, but the cool thing about a library card is that since the books are free, you don’t feel bad about not finishing them if you don’t like them!

Take a gander, maybe you’ll find your next favorite read!

Brief summary, meaning my favorite books of the year: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, and An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green!

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride by Cary Elwes 7/10 IDK if I enjoyed this because of nostalgia or because it was the first book I borrowed with my fancy dancy library card but either way it was nice to read a first hand account of one of my favorite movies, written by an actor that obviously feels a lot of affection towards it. Snaps to you, Cary Elwes.

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo 7/10 I read it because it was Wonder Woman! She saves a girl who washes up on the shores of Themyscira and goes on an adventure to save her from ancient magic forces. TBH it wasn’t anything earth shattering but it was a fun, adventurous read and an entertaining story. Minus two points because Leigh Bardugo got paid to write fanfiction and I haven’t achieved that yet.

The Selection by Keira Cass 6/10 It was interesting enough to finish the audiobook, and I continued it because I was curious as to what would happen. It’s almost like a medieval AU of The Bachelor. But then the dreaded love triangle came up and I didn’t like where it was going so I didn’t finish the sequel. Entertaining enough, but not one I would go back to.

Wicked Appetite / Wicked Business / Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich 6/10 Again, juuuuuuuust interesting enough for me to finish the audiobooks. It was the first audiobooks I got with ye olde librarie carde so that’s probably why I was so attached to finishing them. Also it’s about a girl that has magic baking powers, which is also probably why I wanted to finish it. She has to track down dragon balls or something I can’t really remember but it wasn’t bad.

Outlander / Dragonfly in Amber / Voyager by Diana Gabaldon 8/10 I LOVED Outlander, loved Dragonfly in Amber slightly less, and could barely finish Voyager. The series is about a British WWII nurse who gets sent back in time to 1793 Scotland and has to navigate all that mess. Jamie Fraser and eventually Fergus are the crown jewels of this story. Outlander was fantastic to me, it was interesting and funny and saucy and all in all a good story about time travel and the repercussions. There’s like, five more books in the series but again, I lost interest. I’ll probably go back and see what happens though cause I think Gabaldon brings in new characters.

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff 8/10 A book about women spies in WWII France?? Fighting the Nazis and falling in love and being heroes?? Loved it. The characters were real and the fear palpable. Minus two points cause the love subplot was a touch underdeveloped but who knows man war changes things.

A Conjuring of Light by VE Schwab 9/10 The third in the series starting with A Darker Shade of Magic. I loooooooved the characters in this story, the plot twists were exciting instead of annoying, and the way that she uses magic and secrets and reveals were perfection. And I actually really enjoyed the ending, which is surprising. Would read again.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green 9/10 A super interesting story about a mysterious sculpture that appears in New York and the subsequent fallout of crazy things that happen. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were perfect, the story is fast paced and has good twists and the characters are super real and relatable and fallible. TBH I read it cause it’s John Green’s brother (I assume, I didn’t fact check) and he did NOT disappoint. Minus one point just cause I can’t bring myself to give out 10′s a lot.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer 8/10 Honestly? People shit on this book but I really enjoyed it. It’s fun and heart wrenching and an interesting take on the Cinderella story. One of these days I’ll finish Scarlet which is the sequel.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 6/10 Holy shit this was way more intense than I anticipated it being. It was a really good take on time travel and the way it affects people. Truth be told I never saw the movie, but this book was crazy and saucy and super interesting. I didn’t give it a higher rating just cause the time traveler knew his wife since she was six and that doesn’t sit well with me.

Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli 7/10 Both the movie and the book were good, with all the drama and heartache of 1) being a teenager and 2) coming out to the people around him. Very poignant and emotional. Didn’t give it a higher rating just cause it wasn’t super memorable to me? But then again, that’s cause I’m a twenty-something woman and not a teenage gay boy so while it was beautifully written and definitely a very important book, it just wasn’t one of my faves.

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly 7/10 More women in WWII! Now with all this boss historical fiction coming out I can definitely see why guys are so obsessed with WWII. Then again, I think I would be obsessed with any stories detailing how badass women are during the war. It covers stories from all sides of the war - including the Nazis - and makes it seem so much more real. I started reading the sequel but it wasn’t quite as interesting.

The Diviners by Libba Bray 8/10 A fun fantasy mystery set in 1920′s New York! With ghosts and demons and magic powers and flappers! I really enjoyed it and am currently working on the sequel. The jargon is what really gets me like it’s so Great Gatsby but better. Would recommend.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi 7/10 A patient recommended this to me. It’s about a girl imprisoned because she has powers and that is Dangerous. It’s of course a post-apocalyptic military state situation, and she’s trying to escape and low key start an uprising. A really good story with a really interesting voice to the main character. Like, this writing style was SO DIFFERENT and amazing, I’ve never read anything like it. I didn’t continue the series just because the voice was SO good and in tune that it kinda stressed me out.

Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald 6/10 An A+ concept about a ghost in the New York subway and the man who loves her. It’s an interesting take on a lil paranormal romance. I loved the lore and the historical setting (it takes place in like, the 40′s) and really paints a fantastic scene!

Berserker by Emmy Laybourne 8/10 Listen, this book was not something historians will be talking about for years to come. But it’s about a family of siblings who have magic Nordic powers and have to escape Norway and come to the US (which is in prime Old West time) to find their uncle. And they meet a COWBOY. It’s a story about family and love and also occasionally killing people because you have the blood of Odin or some shit and honestly? Catered directly to me.

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson 8/10 A fun and cool murder mystery set in a special fancy boarding school. Maureen Johnson has been one of my faves for a long time and she did not disappoint with this! It’s about a girl obsessed with a murder at the school, and she transfers in so she can solve it. And the TWIST at the END? Great!

An Ember in the Ashes / A Torch Against the Night / A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir 9/10 Another 9 because I can’t bring myself to give a 10, though if anything this series would get it. The voices that Tahir writes with are INCREDIBLE and the story is nuanced and compelling and so good. It’s about a teenager trying to save her brother from prison, as well as a guy graduating from assassin school. I don’t wanna say too much cause I don’t want to spoil if anyone reads it but tbh if you only pick one series PICK THIS ONE. If you like fantasy and stuff of course.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn 8/10 Listen. Mystery solving New York girl, post war. Men hunting former Nazis. Bicon Russian girl who was in the Russian Air force. Do I really need to say more? A phenomenal story that takes place before, during, and after WWII, and the wide variety of stories happening during that time. Great if you love historical fiction!

Sourdough by Robin Sloan 8/10 Just like Berserker this book probably isn’t something they’re gonna teach in English classes. But it’s about a girl who works in robotics on proprioception (!!!) and then?? Starts baking bread??? AKA everything I love in life so, you know, once again a book catering specifically to me.

Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riorden 7/10 As always, Riorden delivers a phenomenal story with phenomenal characters. And it includes populations that aren’t often the main characters in literature - a homeless teen and a Muslim teen, to name two. I haven’t continued the series just cause I got distracted with other things, but I totally want to.

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Kimberly Jones 7/10 A grand adventure that takes place over the course of one night in Atlanta. When a riot breaks out, two girls who haven’t spoken or really know each other are pushed together and spend the rest of the night trying to survive and make it home. It demonstrates two sides of life, and how they’re the same and how they’re different. I listened to the audiobook, which had phenomenal readers.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee 8/10 A story about a spoiled rich bi boy who’s going on one final tour of Europe before he has to settle down and run his family’s estate. His best friend and his sister are with him, and of course everything goes to hell in a handbasket. But it’s a crazy journey and an excellent coming of age story.

In The Woods / The Likeness by Tana French 8/10 AMAZING murder mysteries! The first is about the murder of a kid in Ireland, and the toll it takes on the investigators and people around them. It has an amazing twist at the end, and even though it takes a while for them to solve the murder, it never gets boring. Same with the second one! It’s a crazy situation that would never happen in real life, but she writes it SO WELL that i don’t even care! I will probably skip the third one cause it’s about a character I don’t really like and also takes place in the past before all of this, but I do want to continue reading these!

Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark 8/10 A great book of essays written by the voices behind “My Favorite Murder,” which is a hilarious and semi-informative true crime podcast. But they talk about more than just true crime in the book - in fact, it’s more about things that they’ve learned throughout their crazy lives. Super eye opening and also really entertaining, and I actually listened to it before I even listened to the podcast, so I feel like that’s saying something!

#whindsors reviews #book reviews #2k19 books #reading recs #book recs #let me know if you read any of these!!!!#(also does anyone wanna be in a book club)

6 notes · View notes

littlemisssquiggles · 6 years ago

Note

How do you think elements from Snow White/Evil Queen, Pinocchio/Gepetto, and Ozma/Mombi will be incorporated in Volume 7?

Ozma and Mombi

Whelp,given what I know about the character in the context of the Wizard of Oz,I feel there is a greater likelihood that Mombi will be anadversary character to Oscar similar to how Salem is an adversary to Ozpin.

Perhaps RWBY’sinterpretation of Mombi will be another genderbentcharacter from the Wizard of Oz.Since Oscar is technically a genderbent Princess Ozma, picture…RWBY’s version ofMombi being a young male student of Atlas with a transformation semblance whoends up bullying Oscar while he’s astudent attending Atlas Academy.

I’m still holding out for myheadcanon about the heroes attending Atlas Academy during their stay in Atlas.I can definitely picture Mombi being arival student who takes an instant disliking to poor Oscar.

Youknow how back at Beacon, Cardin Winchester wasJaune’s adversary since his character alluded to the priest who I believedsentenced Joan of Arc to be executed. Well what if…at AtlasAcademy, Mombiwill be an Atlesian student who torments Oscar and tries to make him his slave similar to how Tip, the male persona of PrincessOzma, was the child slave for the Witch Mombi.

Inthe MarvellousLand of Oz, Mombi was a wannabe wizardress who was obsessed withobtaining magic despite not possessing any of her own. Perhaps, RWBY can alludeto this by having this Mombi character share the same obsession with magic ashis Oz counterpart and part of the reason why he takes a disliking to Oscar isbecause, Oscar knows more about magic than Mombi (being part magic himself) andends up embarrassing Mombi.

Dueto this, Mombi makes it his duty to make Oscar’s time at Atlas Academy a livingnightmare; even going so far as to use his transformative semblance to frameOscar for heinous crimes that put him at trouble with the school. At leastuntil his friends come to his aid. That’s one concept.

Eitherthat or…Mombiwill be one of Salem’s so-called followersbeyond Team WTCH that Qrow claimed to be back in V5. Y’know it’sweird. I find it heavily ironic that both Branwen Twins claimed that Salem andOzpin share followers outside of their close inner circles and yet we’ve seemexamples of neither following V5.

Upuntil this point, we’ve only seen the close members of Ozpin and Salem’ssanctions. At least with Oz, we know he technically has our young heroes whowere his former students. But as for Salem, apart from the Grimm and themembers of WTCH inclusive of Emerald and Mercury, who else serves Salem?

Whatother minions does she have under her grasps? It’d be interesting if Mombi ispotentially made to be another loyal servant of Salem who has wormed their wayinto being a professor of Atlas Academy teaching under Ironwood. That could be interesting.

Thisversion of Mombi, as a teacher could retain their fairytale counterpart’sobsession with magic. Perhaps thisversion of Mombi is someone who Salem promised power to, like Cinder Fall, ifthey served her loyally. Now that I think about it, Cinder is technically like Mombi.

WhileCinder is based loosely on Cinderella, her power-hungry nature and obsessionwith gaining more power by stealing it from other Maidens reminds me of Mombi from what I know of them, minus the connection toOscar. At least…notyet.

IfMombi isn’t made into their own character for the Atlas Arc then I can totallysee the CRWBY Writers giving elements of her story to Cinder Fall to alsoestablish a connection between Cinder and Oscar which could eventually playinto their inevitable rematch. If Neo is to fight Ruby then picture Oscarfacing off against Cinder to avenge what she did to Ozpin?

Imagine what would happen ifCinder discovered that it was Ozpin who created the Maidens or that he stillpossesses magic himself. Imagine if…Cinder,knowing this detail, tries to finish what she failed to do by killing Oscar andstealing the rest of Ozma’s magic for herself. I’ve all for an Ozpin vs. Cinderrematch but with Oscar instead.

Imagine if…Cindershows her inner Mombi by kidnapping Oscar and using him as bait to lure out andtrap Ruby?

I like the idea of Oscar defeating Cinder Fall and taking back the magic fromher that was stolen from the past Fall Maiden. This will also tie into a curiosity I have about theMaiden magic. For centuries, the Wizards have remained distant fromthe Maidens. Ozpin said that the Maidens chose themselves which I now wonder ifthat was a choice the Wizards left up to them.

Thatbeing said, what would happen if a Maiden lost her power while a Wizard—itsoriginal vessel—was nearby? Would the magic return to Ozma, bestowing his successorwith the power he sacrificed?

Perhaps this will be how Oscar awakens his magical potential. Ozpin told the others in V5that his magic has been dwindling since he sacrificed a great deal of magic tocreate the Maidens during his lifetime as Isaac the Hermit.

Solet’s do some math here, shall we?

Let’s say, Ozma sacrificed 90% ofhis magic to create the original Four Maidens. That power was then dividedevenly amongst each Maiden.

TheMaidens = 90% / 4 = 22.5 % magical strength per Maiden.

NoMaiden is magically stronger than the other because in terms of magicalstrength, they are all evenly matched. This would justify how Raven wasable to best Cinder during their match, not really on magical powers but moreso on experience and wit since magic-wise, Cinder and Raven were evenlymatched.

Soeach Maiden has been operating with an equal power of 22.5% magic while poorOzma and his wizarding successors after Isacc the Hermit hasonly been using 10% making the Maidens twice as strong as the Wizards.

Thiscould also justify how Ozpin wasn’t able to beat Cinder. While Ozpin has theexperience and the wit, he lacked the magical strength to go toe to toe withCinder and lost because of it. But…this is all just my speculation since wenever saw how that fight went down. Just the outcome.

Fall Maiden = 22.5 % magicalstrengthWinter Maiden = 22.5 magical strengthSummer Maiden = 22.5 % magicalstrengthSpring Maiden = 22.5 magical strength

Wizard (Ozmaincarnate) =10% magical strength

Thefour maidens combined will equal the amount of magic Ozma lost. However, what if…aMaiden were to be killed and instead of the magic going to another potentialMaiden, instead it returns to thecurrent incarnate of Ozma where the power originated from, i.e. Oscar Pine.

Rightnow, Oscar, like many of his Wizards before him, is working with only a smallpercentage of magic which he has yet to tap into for, I guess, plot reasonsand oh yeah, this thing called the Merge. But if a Maiden is killed and Oscargains the fraction of the power that was bestowed to that respective Maiden, thenthat would increase Oscar’s magical strength making him magically stronger than an average Maiden.

Let’s say, Oscar axes Cinder Fall during the Atlas Arcand the Fall Maiden magic returns to him tying into thetheory of what would happen if a Maiden dies while Oscar is within very closeproximity to the Maiden magic.

Oscar(Current Ozma Incarnate/Wizard of Light) = 10% + 22.5% = 32.5 % magical strengthWinter Maiden= 22.5% magical strengthSummer Maiden= 22.5% magical strengthSpring Maiden= 22.5magical strength

Combinedwith the Fall Maiden’s magic that Oscar/Ozpin can withdraw from Cinder, this inturn will give Oscar enough magical strength to be stronger than a Maiden inthe event that he ever has to fight one again.

Hewon’t be as powerful as Salem since she’s still operating at 100%. But let’snot forget the important detail. If it weren’t for Salem’s immortality, Ozma wouldhave killed her eons ago. As Diggs, Ozma bested Salem anddefeated her in their one on one dual.

What if…to defeat Salem, Oscargets the idea to revoke the Maidens of their magic, not by force but by another safer means so that hecan combat Salem one last time at full power, this time with Ruby’s aid.

If Ozma had the power to bestow the Maidens withmagic then perhaps Oscar via hisunlocked semblance will provide a wayto revoke the Maidens of their powers without necessarily needing to kill them.This fits into his character influence from Princess Ozma.

Perhaps…Oscar will come to see that it was a mistake of Ozma to create the Maidens and offers to taketheir powers away. After all, the Maiden magic belonged to Ozma and it should’ve been a power he shouldered alone.And…if my Pineheadheadcanon where Oscar is revealed to be the original form of Ozma reborn inModern Remnant then everything will comefull circle with both his soul and his magic returning to him in the modern new world.

Unfortunately atthe expense of other innocent people, such as the past Maidens and pastWizards. All the more reason why I can see Oscar coming to make this decision on his own in time.

Imagine if…both Ruby and Oscar workingtogether as one unit are vital to defeating Salem once and for all.When Ozma faced Salem years ago, he may have had the gods’ gift but he didn’thave the God of Light’s eyes. That went to the Silver Eyed Warriors and sinceRuby is technically the last one then…ifOscar a.k.a Ozma fought Salem again at full magical strength with the help of agirl who shares the eyes of the God of Light, would they succeed in killingSalem? Who knows?

It’s all speculation fornow but dagnabbit, that’s a hunch I’m digging mighty fondly.

Pinocchio andGepetto

Well I already shared my favourite Gepetto and Pinocchioelements in this answer post that you can read right here.

Snow White and the Evil Queen

Hmm, honestly I don’t have much I can say to this section.However I will say this. The one element I can think off the top of my head isthe use of the huntsman.

In the Snow White fairy-tale, the evil queen ordered theHuntsman to kill Snow White so the huntsman lured Snow White into the forestwhere he had planned to axe her off. However after Snow White begged thehuntsman to spare her life, promising to flee into the forest, the huntsman doesspare Snow white, taking the heart of a wild animal back to the Queen as proofof him killing Snow White.

In the context of RWBY, what if…Whitley Schnee will play the roleof the huntsman in Weiss’ story? Since Jacques is constantly trying to getWeiss to return home so that she can resume being a prisoner of his patriarchalcage then perhaps this is how Jacques will utilize Whitley to get at Weiss.

MaybeJacques will force Whitley to worm his way back into his sister’s life andeither manipulate Weiss or perhaps sabotage her relationships with her friends.

Similar to how the huntsmen was ordered to killSnow White, maybe Whitley’s orders will be to sever or ‘kill’ Weiss’ ties with the other heroes. After all, Weiss left home to forge her own path and on that path sheformed a better family dynamic with her friends and teammates which serves as part of herstrength and belief in herself.

Perhaps Whitley will attempt to ruin Weiss’bond with the other heroes as a means of forcing Weiss no choice but toreturn home when she feels like she has no one anymore. But just like thehuntsman, imagine if Whitley comes to understand Weiss’ reasoning for leavinghome and his experience and exposure to being with his sister (or sisters) andamong her band of friends will awaken a softer side to Whitley. So Whitley willend up being unsuccessful in bringing Weiss home. He might even be the one to bring to light and inform Weiss of their father’s secrets and crimes within the SDC. However Whitley’s potential role doesn’t stopjust there.

There is the part about the poison apple that’s supposed to kill Snow White but instead puts her into adeep sleep until a kiss from her prince wakes her up.

Perhaps Jacques will succeed in recapturing Weiss but it will be Whitley who either comes to Weiss’ aid with the help of Klein or maybe Whitley will inform Weiss’ friends of what happened to her to make amends for his actions at the influence of his father. That’s a way to redeem Whitley especially to the folks who are craving his redemption. I know this isn’t really a well-established conceptbut this is the only thing I can think of at the moment.

Still, I hope it answers your anon-chan. Sorry for taking so longwith this response.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

#squiggles answers: rwby #oscar pine #weiss schnee #ruby rose #oscar and ruby #rwby theories #rwby volume 7 theories #rwby v7 #Anonymous #pinehead headcanons #squiggles pinehead headcanons

25 notes · View notes

creative-type · 7 years ago

Text

Character-Driven Backstory

Flashbacks can be tricky. Done poorly, a flashback can kill a story’s momentum, and without proper narrative weight it can leave the reader wondering what was the point of including it in the first place.

I’ve always thought that Robin’s place within the story of One Piece is unique in that her role within the Straw Hat Pirates is paradoxically vital and completely irrelevant at the same time. Pirates don’t need archaeologists in their crews like they need cooks, doctors, and navigators, but to tell the overarching story of One Piece a character like Robin is vital to conveying information to the audience (and more importantly, giving them a reason to care).

Because of Robin’s unique place within the narrative, her backstory is almost automatically the most important to the plot as a whole. To this day there are theories about the nature of the One Piece Universe that are firmly rooted in the tantalizing hints provided between chapters 391 and 398. It’s macro-level storytelling done well, the bread crumbs that have readers spend who knows how many hours theorizing and arguing about a planetarium.

But what I want to talk about today is the importance of the Oharan flashback to Robin herself, how Oda sets up parallels between past and present to emphasize the difference between the two, resulting in one of the most powerful scenes in the entire series.

But first, a picture of babu Robin, because focusing the adorable is the only way I’m gonna get through this without crying

Before we can care about a character’s past we have to care about them in the present. I’ve already written about how important Skypiea is to Robin’s character arc, but to summarize Robin goes from the point of losing her only reason for living/being suicidal to finding people who treat her with respect and one of their own. She doesn’t fully integrate herself into the Straw Hat Pirates, but remains on the outside looking in, her past trauma preventing her from accepting what they have to offer. Still, there’s no doubting that Robin enjoys the Straw Hats and is willing to risk their lives for them.

Then everything when Aokiji attacked

Aokiji’s appearance literally knocks Robin on her ass. The introduction of the admirals really expands the world of One Piece, and is a nice reminder after the successes against Enel and Foxy that there are plenty of threats that are out of the Straw Hat’s weight class.

Luffy isn’t too chuffed about his loss to Aokiji, but Robin and - less important for the purposes of this essay - Usopp are. I’m not going to cover the construction of Water 7′s plot much, although it is fantastic. The thing that I think is often overlooked and what is important for Robin’s development is the fact that she actually betrayed the Straw Hat Pirates.

“But she was trying to save them!” some might argue, but let’s not forget that the Straw Hats didn’t know that. At least not at first. Zoro says so, and if Zoro says it it must be true

So consider from Robin’s perspective: She, believing herself to be the outsider amongst the Straw Hat Pirates, nevertheless grows attached to them. Aokiji’s attack spooks her into seriously reconsidering her life choices, so much so that when CP9 shows up she immediately agrees to shoot someone she’s never met before in exchange for her new-found friend’s lives. She doesn’t tell them why, doesn’t explain herself, only telling Sanji and Chopper that she’s “a woman of darkness”.

Remember when I said that physical distance is often an indication of emotional separation? Yeah, that’s still the case.

In response, the Straw Hats give Robin the benefit of the doubt. I don’t think this is something she could possibly expect. I mean, the last time she double-crossed someone she ended up with a hook to the chest. During the above scene Sanji and Chopper both tell Robin that they don’t believe the rumors that she targeted Iceburg. This display of the Straw Hat’s true character should have been enough for Robin to trust them, but no. Not only does she confirm that she was one of the assassins, she freaking does it again!

If CP9 had succeeded in the second attempt on Iceburg’s life the Straw Hats would have unjustly been identified as the culprit. Robin believes that they’re strong enough to survive the backlash (and it’s preferable to a Buster Call) but the fact remains Robin betrayed the Straw Hats not once, but twice.

I really like this sequence of panels. I had to cherry pick them over the course of a couple of chapters, but when spliced together they tell us Robin’s mindset at this stage of the game without any dialogue. Robin’s reflection segues neatly into her reflection of the past (I see what you did there, Oda) and also shows some of the duality that defines Robin at this point of the story.

She’s resigned herself to a terrible death, but thinks that she’s saved the only people who have shown her any kindness in twenty years. Robin is smiling, but the fact that she’s also covering her eyes can be read that she is blinding herself to the truth of the situation. Because, honestly, did a world-wise criminal who’s spent two decades seeing the ugliness of life really expect the World Government to let Luffy and co. escape knowing the identity of CP9?

Yeah, she did. And that’s part of the tragedy.

A lot of pain and suffering would never have happened if Robin had just trusted the Straw Hat Pirates from the start. She gets called out about this time and time again, from Iceburg, Franky, and Usopp (side note, I love how Oda connects Franky’s backstory with Robin’s. That’s how you intertwine themes).

In addition to giving us Major Plot Developments, Robin’s backstory tells us why she’s so - for lack of a better term - stuck as a character. If you don’t know Robin’s story it can get really frustrating seeing her reject help again and again and again. I know, because I went to archived chapter discussions on One Piece forums for when these chapters first came out, and some of the attitudes towards Robin were...unflattering, to say the least.

To put it another way, Robin’s backstory gives us context for all her actions, both past and going forward. It does so in a couple of different ways, but the one in particular sticks out.

Parallelism-Linking Past and Present

The cyclical nature of history is something that pops up in One Piece quite often, but Oda usually puts in one or two key differences that keeping things from repeating exactly the same way twice.

In her life Robin experiences two Buster Calls. One ends with the loss of her homeland, her teachers, and her mother. The other ends with the marines suffering complete and utter defeat. The names change, but the circumstances remain the same. Here are some examples.

Spandam

Spandam is the face of the World Government for the Enies Lobby arc. He’s the personification the its self-serving nature, all of the worst qualities of the government seen so far mixed together into a despicable human shitbag. His father is his obvious counterpart for the flashback, a connection that Spandam himself points out

It’s uncomfortable to read the abuse Spandam doles out to Robin over the course of the arc when she’s unable to fight back, but when you get right down to it, is that any different than what Spandine did when he had an 79 million berri bounty put on an eight year old girl?

The difference here is that Spandam is more fanatical and, based on our limited knowledge of Spandine, the bigger narcissist. Seriously, had Spandam spent less time picking at Robin’s wounds until they bled he would have had more than enough time get her through the Gates of Justice. Spandam is clumsy, both in body and how he manages his resources, but I wouldn’t tell him that unless I wanted to spend the rest of my life in Impel Down.

Saul

Saul is the Luffy of Robin’s flashback. Both share the D initial (and have no idea what it means). Both are less concerned with justice than saving their friend. Both teach Robin how to laugh, and in fact have very similar laughs (’shishishi’ vs dreshishishi’).

Saul is Robin’s first, and for twenty years only, friend. But when faced with the overwhelming strength of the World Government Saul loses. As much as he wants to, he’s not able to protect Robin when she needs it most. If not for Sakazuki’s rash decision to destroy the evacuation ship Kuzan probably would have killed Robin, and there was nothing Saul could have done to stop him.

As another side note, I want to call attention to this panel

Aokiji is speaking to Saul here while surveying the damage Saul has wrought trying to save Robin. By my count there are seven ships here, and the implication of what Aokiji is saying seems to be that he believes Saul would have participated in the Buster Call were he a marine.

The interesting bit happens on the next page when Sakazuki destroys the evacuation ship, bringing the total of destroyed ships to eight. Now what did that fodder marine say during the Alabasta arc?

The saying is true. Oda never forgets.

Professor Clover and the Archaeologists

Moving back to the topic at hand, the Oharan archaeologists are the only ones besides Saul who accept Robin unconditionally during her childhood years. They parallel the Straw Hat Pirates as a whole

The archaeologists protect Robin and give her sanctuary, but they do so imperfectly. Robin’s treatment from the citizens at large mirror on a much smaller scale the hardship she endures as an adult. Other children bully Robin, sometimes to the point of violence while their parents think that she is a monster. Her own aunt and uncle - the people entrusted to protect and raise her - give her the Cinderella treatment, forcing her to do a great many unpleasant and difficult chores, hit her for trying on her cousin’s clothes, and other disgusting things like berate her for eating too much food because she’s a freeloader.

We’re not told how old Robin is when she goes to the Tree of Knowledge for the first time, but she’s pretty damn little and is clearly terrified that Professor Clover might be angry at her for looking at a book in a library

But while the archaeologists allow her to study history, they forbid Robin from following her dream of finding out the truth of the Void Century. Their reasoning is justified, but it’s the exact opposite of Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Olvia

If the archaeologists can be compared to the Straw Hats, then it stands to reason that Oliva is a stand in for Robin herself. They look virtually identical, both share the same dream, and are literally related. They share everything from birthdays to voice actresses, with one key difference: Robin is willing to abandon her dream for the sake of those she loves.

I’ll let the manga do the comparison for me. Here’s Olvia’s choice

versus Robin’s

Would Olvia lived had she tried to flee with Robin? There’s no way of knowing. Would Robin have had an easier time of surviving for twenty years with another adult with her best interests at heart watching over her? Yeah, probably.

Now his isn’t the only time Oda has his characters make a “dream or crew” decision. Zoro’s sacrifice on Thriller Bark and Sanji’s decision to get married are more memorable, but they were hardly the first.

Olvia’s decision to save instead of her daughter still baffles me, and is one of the few things about Robin’s flashback that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t think Oda was wrong for writing Olvia this way, but she’s certainly not going to win Mom of the Year anytime soon. She does, however, give Robin one very important command, and that is to live.

Does this panel look familiar? It should.

It’s only when we’re given proper context that Oda removes any ambiguity and has Robin say for herself why she wants to die. It’s not what has happened that frightens her, but the potential of what might happen. This isn’t Robin’s first song and dance, she has seen this all happen before, and can’t stand the pain of losing everyone she loves for a second time. Moreover, because of being forced to spend twenty years with less than stellar characters, she’s utterly convinced that even if the Straw Hats survive the wrath of the World Government they will come to hate her, because that’s what everyone else has done for the past twenty years. We see the exact moment when Robin stops believing in Saul’s laugh, and while we don’t know how old she is, I’d hazard it can’t be much more than ten.

The Result

The famous “I want to live” scene the first time we see Robin cry, flashback notwithstanding, since the end of the Alabasta arc, and the circumstances couldn’t be more different. Her character has arched. Robin finally allows herself to be emotionally vulnerable, risking enormous mental anguish if she happens to be wrong and the Straw Hats come to see her as a burden.

Because while there are many parallels to the past, Oda uses them to highlight the differences of the present. The scene starts with a literal chasm between the Robin and the Straw Hats

and it ends with the gap between them bridged, and that bridge is Luffy (also literally with a little help from Rocket Man, lol). By unflinchingly declaring war on the World Government and winning Luffy does something no one else could have done.

By constructing Robin’s backstory the way he did, Oda not only justifies Robin’s previous inability to trust the Straw Hats and exposes the true root of her hopelessness. He weaves the core message from Franky’s backstory, that simply existing cannot be a crime, into Robin’s themes of acceptance, trust, and friendship. In doing so he bolsters the greater message of One Piece as a whole.

These are hardly unique tropes within shonen manga, or any other medium for that matter, but when done well the end result can be incredibly powerful. I’ve been reading One Piece for more than ten years now, and Robin’s backstory and the immediate aftermath still affect me in a way that’s difficult to put into words.

Damn it, I’m getting teary eyed just thinking about it. Here’s more of Robin being cute to counter all the angst.

(thanks all for reading. I think I’ve said about all I want to say about Robin’s character arc. I might do a post on Chopper next, but I’m also open to suggestions)

#One Piece #Robin #Nico Robin #Character analysis #Manga #writing #analysis #flashback #creative-type analyzes

175 notes · View notes

asagimeta · 7 years ago

Text

What If... One Of These Witches Shouldn’t Have Magic...?

Recently the showrunners for Once Upon A Time confirmed that we'd recognize the faces of some of the Coven Of Eight witches, including witches "from fairytales and Disney lore", out of the six witches we have left (Gothel and Anastasia take two spots) I'd be willing to bet that three to four of them are recognizable in this way (it'd be really overwelming to only have one fairytale witch and one Disney witch) let's air on the side of quantity and go with four, that leaves two witches left, and wile they could be red-shirts, they could also be more than that, remember that all of these witches are living with cursed personas, they aren't going to come out of thin air, it's going to take time and effort for Gothel to wake them up, and we'll likely be prompted to care about them in atleast some capacity (even if we don't actually *like* them, we'll be interested) the two remaining witches could just be original charectors that Adam and Eddie came up with Charming's brother, Catherine, etc, but there's a second possibility too, atleast for ONE of the witches....

What if it's someone we already know?

It could be someone we REALLY already know the way we know Regina and Henry, or it could be a VERSION of someone we already know, like wish!Hook or Cinderella (remember, Jacinda is not the original Cinderella that we had in season one)

We know that 7B is going to "throw us a real curveball", there's something up their sleeves that they want to be incredibly shocking and I think it has to do with these witches, they sort of finished out the story of the curse and clearly aren't trying to make anything shocking about the Henry/Lucy situation or about Henry/Ella as a ship (they've more or less spoiled how the those situations are turning out in interveiws recently) and they don't seem to be very secretive about the Guardian, Alice/Robin, or Zelena either, the storyline they seem to be having the most mystery towards is about the witches, with Rumple probably taking a shakey second place

In addition, they keep saying that they want to really make this season difficult for our protagonists, not in a brute-strength sort of way, but in an intellectual, creative way, "Regina and Zelena have to find a third way where there are only two" (in regards to saving Henry vs Lucy), "Weaver has to lead them (Alice and Hook) without magic to wake them", out of our main conflicts they've already determined that two are intellectual based and not about brute strength, so it makes sense that the primary conflict (The witches) would also be more about intellectual solutions/conflict than simply strong magic force, plus, we're coming off of a season with the /most/ brute magic conflict we've ever seen and I doubt they want to introduce another Black Fairy this soon, it'll make things feel too repetitive when they're trying to make a refreshing season, and they might want to save the stronger magic for a later season after taking some time to build it up again

So how could this conflict with the witches- with who the witches are, what they're doing- be an intellectual/emotional problem to solve and not something that can be banished in a good witch fight? Well there's Anastasia, having an innocent child forced into this coven could be a problem, but Anastasia is a secondary charector, someone who the main audience doesn't really care about yet and who only Victoria and Ella have any emotional connection to, not much of an emotional conflict, there has to be something else, there has to be some ONE else...

Adam and Eddy are good at making us feel connected to charectors quickly, but I don't think even they could make us- and more importantly the charectors- feel really conflicted and connected to a charector that's introduced as a villain almost straight away, unless....

Unless they were someone we knew beforehand

We could have a new version of an old story charector (like the new Cinderella and new Rapunzel) who ends up being one of the witches (someone like a new Elsa, a new Wicked Witch- or even a new Glinda, a new Maleficent, etc) wich would provide us with a short shock moment like we had when we found out that Victoria was Rapunzel, but that still creates the problem of an emotional connection, wich is why I have a feeling it's more likely the second option...

One of the witches is a charector we already know- full stop

Think along the lines of dark!Emma, still Emma, just evil, we might have another one of those on the horizon, or a wish/fantasy/curse/alternate-realm version of someone we know such as the evil versions of Snow and Charming, hero!Rumple, or wish!Hook

The thing is, there aren't a ton of magic-users who we have an emotional connection to who the witch could be in the coven, people like Regina are probably ruled out because of the sheer amount of altrnate versions of her we've seen of her, I don't think there'd be any reaon to bring back ANOTHER one, especially working with such an incredible pallette of not only actors, but charectors both in and out of the show, it has to be someone who we either don't have an alternate version for or someone who's alternate version we've only seen very breifly- if they're going to go this route

Witches* who are emotionally connected** to someone from this season and fit that criteria include:

Zelena (unlikely, Rebecca Mader has enough going on playing both Zelena and Kelley- albeit self-aware and awake) Gideon (usually this would be possible, but Gothel specifically said that the witches are all women)

*Note: I only include witches because this is SPECIFICALLY a coven of witches, as stated multiple times, magic-users of different persuasions such as fairies and genies need not apply

**I say "emotionally connected" because if we're being brually honest I just don't think the charectors would care that much if they found out one of the witches was, say, Elsa, (specifically since /Emma/ was the only one really emotionally connected to her, Regina and Henry barely knew her and wish!Hook had never met her at all) so I'd hardly say she could qualify

So that's it, there are only TWO people who could possibly fit the bill, one of wich we know isn't it because he isn't a woman, and the other we can probably safely say is going to be too busy to be it, so what does that leave? It leaves us with one option and one option only:

If this theory is true, then the witch we know shouldn't have magic

Let me elaborate, we know via the wish realm that just because you don't have magic in one universe, it doesn't mean you don't have it in another (as per Snow White) so what if we're looking at someone who, in the original universe, doesn't have magic, but does in an alternate universe?

It'd be a curveball alright, it would be shocking to both the audience and the charectors, and it'd be emotional, having to strike down a villaionous version of someone you love is never easy- especially if they aren't ACTUALLY villianous (but we'll get to that in a minute)

So what if this mysterious witch- one of the mysterious witches anyway- is an alternate version of a female charector that we already know and love as an audience, and that our cast of returning charectors already know and love, who, unlike her original self, has magic? Someone like Snow...... or Belle

Something has felt odd to me ever since Belle died, Rumple just feels ... incomplete without her, it's his searching for her- for a way to die and be with her- that keeps him rounded out but how many seasons can they drag that out? Sooner or later the search won't be enough anymore and the incompleteness will start to be more apparent, plus the search for a "cure" will eventually lose it's gleam and become another dragging storyline and not a unique thing anymore, but at the same time, I have a hard time really believing that they'll just kill off Rumple that easily, OUAT wouldn't be the same without him and even in this rebooted cast it's quite clear that he's a necessary part of the storyline that can't be written out or replaced, he's too big of a cog in the weel, so I've been wondering all this time how they could keep him around without dragging their feet with finding a cure to get back to Belle, I've been wondering if they might wish!persona him like Hook or something, and then it hit me.....

What if they don't need to change RUMPLE, what if they need to change BELLE?

Emilie has a very deep love for the show, clearly, and I think it was OUAT's decision to cut her from the recurring cast- NOT Emilie's, if that's the case then she's probably open to doing more episodes, and we know from Rebecca Mader that just because you're announced as being in one episode of 7A, it doesn't mean you won't be back as a recurring cast member for 7B, not that Emilie would need to be, ofcourse, if they save the reveal for the season seven finale' or the episode before it she'd only need to appear as a guest star for two to three episodes and then hit back on recurring for season eight

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that dark!Belle would in ANY way replace or fill in the gap for normal!Belle, but it might present Rumple with a world of interesting conflicts- especially if he DOES get the cure in his hands to be rid of the darkness and go join his Belle in the afterlife, he might be struck by his sense of humanity and, just like Regina and wish!Robin, feel responsible for her- feel an inability to just leave her to figure things out on her own, he might stick around a wile to help her, guide her, teach her, etc, it wouldn't have to be romantic, but it would still be BELLE and Rumple is incapable of abandoning her- ANY version of her

To that note, magic!Belle might not even be evil, she may have been recruited into the coven against her will, or been manipulated into joining it, we've seen countless times on OUAT that just because you work with a villain it doesn't mean you yourself are necessarily evil, maybe magic!Belle was an innocent girl coming into magic she couldn't control, like Anastasia, and was taken in by Gothel to join a coven she knew nothing about, when she cast the curse, she may have been told that she was doing the right thing to stop bad people (Regina, Henry, and co) from doing *insert evil deed here*

Now ofcourse, there's an ENORMOUS chance that I'm just coming up with really random theories that won't go anywhere, and I know that, but it's still something I've been pondering, and I wonder if it might be the case...

(Also, fingers MAJORLY crossed that one of the witches will be Glinda- either the one Zelena knows or an alternate- I've always wanted evil!Glinda)

#Once Upon A Time #OUAT

3 notes · View notes

wanlingnic · 8 years ago

Note

You said its much more interesting to have a character try to fit into their role and fail then a princess character who automatically rebels. Can you tell me more about it and what makes it interesting? I really like your insight when it comes to stories and fairytales.

Ah! Thank you! Well, I really dislike the ‘Rebellious Princess’ narrative for three reasons, and I’ll just go into them below before talking about more interesting approaches

It’s Classist.

This is the most obvious issue. Your hero is a rebel princess, born into a life of status and privilege. She is the 1%.

You remember this comic making its rounds on social media?

Your rebel Princess is Richard.

Every time the Princess laments that she’s trapped by her own wealth and status, she ignores the fact that her problems are minute and petty in the grander narrative. Princesses are inherently privileged, and it’s ignorant to ignore their own wealth in favour of chasing some bohemian ‘freedom’.

We get it, kiddo. You hate needlework and you don’t want to be Queen. But your kingdom is in the middle ages, people eat dirt and no one is happy. The Princess might yearn for some vague concept of ‘something more’, but that’s myopic and selfish when her people yearn for electricity and proper sanitation.

I have extreme difficulty enjoying Star vs the Forces of Evil.

2. It pits the hero against other women to make her rebellion look good.

So you have your Princess who rejects the institution of traditional femininity. All well and good. But in order for her to be rebellious, there must be an institution in the first place for her to reject.

Enter The Institution. Call her St Olga’s Reform School for Wayward Princesses, call her Prudence, or Marina Del Rey. No matter what she looks or acts like, you know you’ve seen her before. She’s prudish, traditionally feminine, tough as nails, and probably sews her own ballgowns on her weekends off.

She is a perfectly good woman in any other sense, but since she’s everything your princess doesn’t want to be, conflict has to arise from the princess fighting her and her ideals.

And of course, the princess will win, because traditional femininity is evil.

Oh, Prudence, you deserved so much more than the Disney Sequel you got.

In a feminist world there’s nothing wrong with fighting old ideas of what women should act like - but in a postmodern feminist world, one must be aware that some women willingly are quite happy to be traditionally feminine, and some don’t have the luxury of choice to pick whatever kind of femininity they embody.

Pitting the ‘feminist’ rebel princess against traditionally feminine women is a microaggression in itself: we have never needed to sell men an empowerment narrative by pitting men against each other, so why start here? Also note that Disney is extremely fond of this, especially in marketing Frozen and its reboot movies by saying it’s better than ‘classic princess’ movies because ‘classic princesses’ needed men:

“That’s a bit different from the animation, I think, it’s not about Cinderella just being rescued by a man.”

3. It’s a White-Feminist narrative.

Oh GOD is it a White-Feminist narrative!

I said before that some woman don’t have the luxury to be rebel princesses, and some willingly want to be traditionally femme. This is especially so in POC cultures.

In Chinese culture, the concept of filial piety is a very important one: to be dutiful and respectful to your parents, and placing your family’s honour and their values above your own.

Mulan does not have the luxury of ‘rebellion’. Rebellion would dishonour her family, rebellion would shame her parents. Mulan’s entire character arc exists to teach her to balance her parent’s needs with her own, and it ends with her bestowing her war prizes to her father - at the height of her own glory she doesn’t forget where she came from - and it’s the greatest show of honour she could possibly give.

To turn Mulan into a rebel princess would be to undermine everything her culture and the folklore surrounding her represents. A lot of these themes are repeated in Moana - how much of yourself do you give up to make your parents happy? What is the true meaning of tradition? When you exist for other people can you still know who you are?

Moana is great. Watch it.

Making White Feminist statements like ‘my princesses isn’t like a classic princess! she feminist and doesnt need to listen to anyone!’ does a massive disservice to other cultures who have to balance force of will with filial piety.

So, about those Interesting Narratives…

Pans Labyrinth (2006) is thematically about ‘rebellion’ - it’s set in the Spanish Civil War and half of its narrative is about fighting a military dictatorship. It’s other half is about Ofelia (a fairy changeling), who is given instructions so that she can return to the magical world. Ofelia proceeds to mess all of them up: she eats from a magical table when she’s told to take no food, she refuses to kill an infant to open a gate to her homeworld. While excited to be a princess, Ofelia struggles to cope with the morally dubious or downright strange demands she’s presented with. Her rebellion isn’t a girl with a weapon in her hand: it’s a girl who legitimately wants to be a princess but isn’t cruel enough to do what it takes to get there.

I wanted to give others - and they are plenty - but this post has gone on long enough. ;w; Do come back to me if you want to know more, anon! I’m overjoyed to be able to talk about this!

#disney #fairytales are serious business #feminism #Anonymous #feel free to reblog

2K notes · View notes