#I can draw Elsa and Olaf without reference

[onlyancunin]

One of the runs I currently do is reloaded save of my fav durge V (Violet, but she hates that name), where she ascended Astarion.

I think it unlocked something in me, I spent like 4 h yesterday just straight out murdering people in Baldurs Gate. Elfsong Tavern looks like a borscht, comparable only to the intestined interiors of the Moonrise Towers or decadently decaying decor of the Bhaal Temple.

And of course this knucklehead showed up which reminded me to grab the chef's grab on my way out (also Minthara lmao):

Screw the plot, this is my plot now. I thought Ascended Astarion was bad but somehow I think I'm even worse.

Baldur's Gate prepare because I'm really having a taste for beetroots.

P.S. Yes AA told V she needs to "look presentable now" and coerced her to put on a dress, fix her makeup and wear her hair down. He likes it better that way and it conceals the "ugly scar on her face". Funny how it never bothered him before.

[greatqueenanna]

Olaf's role in the Frozen Franchise.

Although most of the Frozen Fandom, on and off the internet and of any age, love and know how important Olaf is to the Frozen Franchise - there are still many people who are not absolutely obsessed with Frozen (I know, shocking right? Haha) who don't understand what Olaf's significance or purpose is in the Franchise. Many don't understand why he's there, and many find him very annoying and pointless.

Since I haven't really sat down to write out a full analysis on Olaf, I think it's about time I discuss why Olaf is important and what exactly he represents in the Franchise. Of course, there are many analysis blogs that talked about this, But I wanted to throw in my two cents and maybe refresh some old ideas!

~The Bond~

When we first 'unofficially' meet Olaf in Frozen, he was being built by the sisters. The funny thing is, is when Elsa was building Olaf, it seemed as though she was trying to actually build an Anna snowman, as Anna is seen making a funny face - as if to act as a model for Elsa to reference.

Then, Elsa turns him around and says his name is Olaf, and Anna responds with a deceleration of love -

"I love you Olaf!"

-and a big hug. But then, she immediately looks at Elsa, as if what she really means is -

"I love you Elsa!"

However, when the accident happens and Elsa starts to freeze the ballroom, we see that her magic destroys the first Olaf snowman. As if to say that all the happiness that the girls were experiencing is now coming to an end.

Here, in the very first scene, we get a very clear picture of what this Snowman is meant to represent. As Jen Lee states in the Script notes interview, Olaf is meant to represent the sister's love for each other. As we see in these scenes, Elsa makes Olaf with Anna as a reference, Anna declares she loves him while looking at Elsa, and then the snowman is destroyed by uncontrolled magic.

This follows exactly how things turn out in the film itself, how the girls are close and love each other initially, but fear comes in and destroys their relationship.

Later on in the film, the first thing Elsa builts when she finally feels a sense of freedom is the Olaf we know and love. However, as a side note, he is still connected to this first snowman, as we see in Once Upon a Snowman (2020). He hears what the girls had said to that first Olaf and figures out his name and what he likes.

Elsa builts Olaf first because what she wants more than anything is the freedom to get to know and be around Anna, although she might not consciously know it at the time. If you count the Broadway and soft canon like I do, then we know this is very true from the song Dangerous to Dream.

And could I open up the door? And finally see you, face to face I guess the queen can change the rules But not the reasons they're in place.

I can't be what you expect of me And I'm not what I seem But I would love to know you Is it dangerous to dream?

Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017) focuses heavily on the idea that Olaf represents Anna and Elsa's love for one another. Since Olaf represents that love, he is bound and determined to find a tradition that the two can have. Of course, we learn that Olaf himself is their tradition since they share drawings and crafts of him every Christmas.

The importance of this is that it shows that Anna and Elsa also recognize that he represents their love, as they used him to keep them connected over the years even though they were apart.

~Personalities~

Something that is very curious that also cements this idea is how Olaf actually has the personality traits of both sisters.

He is goofy and reckless like Anna, running immediately into things without giving it a second thought. He even is seen saying some of the same things she said as a child.

"The sky's awake!"

"Ahta-who-what?"

Olaf also shows Anna's unconditional and sometimes naive love. He immediately assumes Elsa is good even though he witnesses her ice spike going through him, much like how Anna immediately trusts Hans even though she barely knows him. He also lets himself into Elsa's palace without any caution, similar to how Anna tries to get close to Elsa during FTFTIF Reprise, even though she's surrounded by magic.

When it comes to Elsa, Olaf sometimes displays a certain sarcastic side that fans often attributed to Elsa. When he sees Kristoff talking to rocks, he immediately announces that he's crazy and is very judgmental. Much like how Elsa saw him in the ice palace and asks who he is before going back to her panic. Then, in Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017), he immediately judges Kristoff again when he says -

"You're a princess. You don't have to settle."

This mirrors Elsa's overall disgust at Kristoff licking his sculpture and inviting them to the same.

He also shares Elsa's curiosity - Elsa is shown to be a very curious person who wants to know more about herself, and later the Enchanted Forest. She wants to test the limits of her powers in Frozen, and then later wants to know where they come from in Frozen 2. In the book A Sister More Like Me, which I also consider soft canon, she is also shown to have an interest in learning, as we see her surrounded by books and learning geometry.

This matches with Olaf's overall curious nature as well. As Soon as Olaf learns to read, he reads countless books and recites many facts. Of course, we know that in Forest of Shadows (2019), Anna also enjoys reading but becomes a bit more cautious with her curiosity in Frozen 2.

Also, like both Anna and Elsa, he has the same fear of change. He questions if anything is truly permanent and is always concerned with the inevitable. It's almost as if he evolved with the sisters and developed their same fears as he got 'older'.

Olaf also shares his selfless nature with both sisters, as he tells Anna that some people are worth melting for. Anna and Elsa both share this sentiment, as they both sacrifice themselves for people they care about.

Olaf being a bit of both sisters is supported by the Broadway as well, in the song A Little Bit of You.

Oh! So we'll build him back together Yes, together, that's the key 'Cause he's a little bit of you and me.

[super-kristuff]

I finished Arendelle, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that is was a fun and enjoyable experience.

Like, I still think KH3 has a lot to learn about level design, and I think that is still its lowest point. I saw a KH3 post recently where someone was complaining about the number of cut-scenes, and I have to agree that, although I love the cut-scenes, the game is clearly using game-play exclusively to break up cut-scenes and not the other way around. Like, without the puzzle-box level design, the levels are just combat, and each combat feels exactly the same.

Anyway, I really did love the level. Most importantly, I think this was one of the strongest levels in term of KH lore. I'm pretty sure it is the only time KH has even tried to draw parallels between its cast and the in-world characters, and I felt it was pretty successful.

To give a brief summary, we start by running into Elsa after the coronation. I was really hoping Elsa would join the party, but I think I agree with the game that it would be too out of character. Elsa pushes Sora away with the same icy-spike thing she used to push away her sister, and we run into Larxene. Which, holy fuck, Larxene was the perfect character choice.

Like, I feel Larxene is a fantastic foil for Elsa. Obviously, Larxene is there for some evil plan, but from the first encounter, Larxene's interaction with Arendelle seems so personal. Like, Larxene's big argument is that, maybe, Sora shouldn't be chasing after Elsa. That maybe Elsa needs some space to sort out her feelings.

And like, she's right? Elsa building her tower is one of the few times Elsa is happy before saving her sister. There's another scene where Larxene tells Sora to bugger off, and Larxene causally mentions that if Elsa feels her magic is evil she will likely become evil because that's what she thinks she is. And like, Larxene is one of the more magic focused members of the Organization. She uses her classic lightning when we first meet her, but she picks up snow magic and appears to get better with it each time we see her. And like, I can't help but feel Larxene went through something similar? That she felt her magic was coming from a place of darkness, pushed others away, and became who she is now. Unlike the other Organization members, she sticks to her own advice and seems to be trying to let Elsa choose her own path. And that's just really nice? Compared to Monsters Inc.'s "I love pain and suffering" Vanitas, it was a refreshingly deep character.

Also, there was a "Let it Go" musical number. Which, considering the marketing of Frozen, I suppose was unavoidable. It was pretty good, but it did also make me reconsider the level design of Monsters Inc. Like, I forget if this made it into the last post, but I did suspect some content had been cut from the Monsters Inc level. Originally, I suspected that two guys raising a child together caused Disney to step in and cut anything they didn't like, but considering the amount of thought put into Frozen, it makes me wonder if they intentionally cut content from Monsters Inc to make Frozen look better in comparison. Both Pixar worlds have us meet the cast after the movie, and I feel that is a much stronger story model. We don't know how things will end, and it means Sora can actually interact and influence the direction of the story.

Anyway, Larxene wasn't the only well crafted character. Sora bumps into Anna, and in line with the ice-spike reference before, the game explicitly draws a connection between Sora-Riku's arc and Anna-Elsa's arc. Which, like, Sora actually commenting on something and having any kind of personality is huge. It also cements Sora as a foil to Anna, which honestly fits.

There is a fun Olaf building mini-game where you can grab the wrong parts for Olaf, and I felt it was a nice game-play moment. Each world has had a few of these fun non-combat moments, and I feel they really make each world shine. There is also an odd amount of characterization for the snow golem that Elsa created? Like, we get to fight it at one point, but we see it again later, and it just wants to help Elsa. Which, connecting back to Larxene's comment, I think there is some symbolism for Olaf and Golem being two directions Elsa magic could take. I think Sora befriending the Golem shows how even the scarier parts of Elsa's magic have good in them.

I also wanted to comment of the avalanche mini-game and ice-labyrinth, but really all I want to say is the ice-labyrinth was a nice puzzle-box-esqe level. Pretty much the definition of puzzle-box level design, but only embracing it enough to check all the boxes. The rest of the level was just snowy mountain. Like, honestly, a comical amount of the level was snowy mountain. We climbed the mountain three times. Very linear and very boring.

Anyway, that's enough KH3 commentary for one night.