#ariel being a problematic bitch

[ardent-apostasy]

kid is extremely annoying

i think "wow, they're extremely annoying"

i think "hey, you were like that as a kid too" and have compassion

i realize "you fantasize about killing your younger self" which makes me question if enabling the behavior is truly productive

i realize "ok wait fuck my brain is actually a toxic chemical dump"

nothing productive has occurred in this train of thought. nonetheless, it shall recur tomorrow.

[ghost-mentality]

Disney Princesses

Hi, nobody cares but I really wanna rank some Disney characters because I watched a Try Guys vid that I disagree with lol. So here I am dumping my random opinions that nobody asked for. This is more for me than any of you.

14. Aurora. She’s literally asleep the whole time. 

13. Snow White. Her voice kills me, also her whole role is like a housekeeper to seven gross boys who is super gullible, then gets poisoned, then kissed to life again (sorta).

12. Cinderella. Hmm. Not much to say here sorry.

11. Rapunzel. She’s super gullible, too and is constantly being saved by others in the movie. I love Tangled, don’t get me wrong, I just...don’t think she’s as progressive as most of the others on this list. Her weapon is a trying pan...and cuteness?

10. Ariel. Whiny teenager who gives up her entire life for a man. I will admit, that she was the first princess to have like...actual goals and wants in life beyond just a man, but ultimately, she gave in to that boy WHO DIDN’T EVEN RECOGNIZE HER.

9. Anna. She’s super gullible too, but like, also she saves her sister (sorta)? TBH, without Elsa, she’s pretty mediocre. 

8. Belle. She’s awesome, loves knowledge/reading, isn’t motivated by a romance, and doesn’t even like the “hot dude” but...Stockholm syndrome...Stockholm syndrome.

7. Jasmine. She won’t stand for her arranged marriage and is not motivated by a man, but rather her kingdom.

6. Merida. Same as Jasmine, but add some sick bow skills.

5. Elsa. She’s a literal QUEEN who saves the day with sisterly love rather than stupid prince love??? Iconic. Also her fucking powers??? Better than anyone else on this list.

4. Pocahontas. Despite the problematic nature of her movie/story, Pocahontas as a character is so fucking badass. She literally stops a war between her people and the evil white dudes. Just kinda wish the romance with gross white boy wasn’t even here, but we can’t have everything I guess.

3. Tiana. She is a BUSINESSWOMAN, AND I RESPECT THE HELL OUT OF HER. Also, her entire story is about being successful and is not motivated by falling in love with a man. (She does in the end, but it wasn’t her goal, just a product of the plot).

2. Moana. No prince in sight (wow that’s rare). Her story is all about saving her people. That’s it. She’s a badass (with an actual proportional body) who saves the world from a fucking demon/goddess.

1. Mulan. This bitch fought the Huns. Her story was entirely selfless, just her trying to keep her dad safe. She is in NO WAY motivated by some stupid prince boy, she just wants to save her country. I love her, can you tell? pff 

[collectionofuselessinformation]

The Disney Princesses- Ranked

I wrote a college research essay and project on this, so I know a teeny bit 

ALSO DISCLAIMER I LOVE THEM ALL 

10. Aurora

Sleeping Beauty 1959

Aurora, while iconic, is probably the most passive out of all the Disney Princesses. She merely reacts to things happening to her, and bases her future on a literal dream. Furthermore, she only has eighteen minutes of screen time, meaning that she’s only in 24 percent of her film. However, Rebecca-Anne C. Do Rozario in her essay,  “The Princess and the Magic Kingdom: Beyond Nostalgia, the Function of the Disney Princesses,” makes very interesting points about Sleeping Beauty itself. Coming out right at the beginning of the sixties, it’s one of the first mainstream films to feature teenage rebellion, and Prince Phillip and Aurora are showcases of the American teenager. She compares Prince Phillip to James Dean, while he himself is a very strong character that rebels against his father and societal norms. She also compares Aurora to the brand new Barbie of the fifties, noting on their similar appearances. She calls Aurora a prototype baby boomer- which I thought was very interesting. 

10. Ariel 

The Little Mermaid 1989 

TO BE REAL, their all great, so sorry for putting some of these women low on the list. But getting down to business (to defeat the huns), Ariel is a very problematic character and frankly, a bad role model. I love The Little Mermaid, and Ariel was my favorite for a long time (because she’s a mermaid and that is bad ass), but her behavior is very unsettling. She is willing to give up everything she has every known to be with a man she has only met once, and completely changes herself for him. While the movie is great, Ariel might even be more submissive than the earlier princesses, because she goes through such great lengths to change herself for a dude. HOWEVER, I did see a post somewhere once that said that not only was she chasing Eric, but also her dream to see land, which is legitimate and makes her better.

9. Cinderella 

Cinderella 1950 

There’s not much to write home about Cinderella. She’s iconic and great, but doesn’t do that much. Again, another passive character. I love her anyway though. 

8. Jasmine

Alladin 1992

First of all let me say that I love Jasmine, but she’s got some issues. I might get some backlash for putting Jasmine so low on the list, but hear me out. I can’t figure out why she’s even a crowned princess, as one of the requirements according to Illinois State University is to be the main character, but she is not the main character in Aladdin... Aladdin is. That being said, she is a very strong female character that rebels against societal norms, those being to get married. While she is very much a damsel in distress on multiple occasions, however, her sassy attitude is quite iconic. She’s very much a plot device to push Alladin through his hero’s journey.

7. Snow White 

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937

Snow White is the girl that started it all. She’s a lot like Aurora, in that she just sort of reacts to things happening to her, both movies also have women that fall asleep and are woken by true love’s kiss. Do Rozario has some interesting things to say about Snow White too. She says that Snow White is representative of an old Hollywood starlet, looking like a silent movie star crossed with a flapper. Furthermore, this movie came out during the Great Depression, and seeing a princess pulled from poverty was a hopeful story for the American public during the time. Snow White did so much for Disney and the film industry, she’s truly iconic. 

6. Tiana 

The Princess and the Frog 2009 

This is where it gets tricky, because from here on out, all the Disney Princesses are fantastic women. Tiana herself is the most realistic princesses, with big dreams and the actually will power to make it happen. She is the fist black princess, an enormous milestone, and is the first princess to not only dream big, but do the grunt work to make it happen. 

5. Belle 

Beauty and the Beast 1991

Belle is great. I don’t like her too much though because in fourth grade I was in a production of Beauty and the Beast Jr. and I was a plate and I got SO SICK of the music. Be Our Guest, a great song, is ruined for this nine year old plate. Putting that aside, Belle is an extremely intelligent woman. She’s not a warrior, which is ok!! A woman doesn’t have to kick ass to be a bad ass, and Belle is full of love and acceptance. She is capable of looking past an outer exterior into an inner self, something not many people are capable of, and is maybe the most compassionate princess, (even if she’s a little stuck up in Provincial Life). 

4. Rapunzel

Tangled 2010

Rapunzel is awesome, and is a low key warrior. She, like all the other princesses, is a dreamer. Rapunzel, like Tiana, has the willpower to make her dreams happen. She is sweet and charming while still having the capability to kick ass and take names, and is such a fun character to watch on screen. 

3. Mulan 

Mulan 1998

Ok this is just me being a nitpick bitch, but Mulan bothers me just a teeny bit BECAUSE SHES NOT ROYALTY. She’s Savior of China and she marries a general, but is not royalty. According to Illinois State University, to be a Disney Princess, one must be royal, marry a royal, or commit a heroic action (even though that last thing literally only exists so Mulan can be a princess). But thats just me being a perfectionist.  ANYWAY, putting that aside, Mulan is great. Like I said, she is Savior of China, which is a huge deal. She’s a straight up bad ass and warrior, and she HARDCORE rebels against societal norms. She’s just straight up awesome. 

2. Pocahontas 

Pocahontas 1995 

Ya’ll are sleeping on Pocahontas. She’s incredible. Pocahontas is a strong and confident woman, who stays true to herself and her people while single handedly stopping a massacre-like war from happening. She also saves John Smith, who is SUCH a damsel in distress, which is awesome. She cares about the environment, all her songs are jams, and the movie is so beautifully animated. Pocahontas is just wonderful.

1. Merida 

Brave 2012

Again, ya’ll are sleeping on Merida. She’s a straight up warrior, and doesn’t give  a shit about the societal expectations placed on her. She defies the place of the ancient Scottish woman, and is a flawed character. She’s selfish and hard headed, and she has to save her mother from a mess she herself created. She has the most dramatic character development, and grows tremendously throughout the film. The movie also does not focus on a romantic relationship, but rather one between a mother and daughter. Furthermore, Merida is the only Disney Princess without a love interest, and ends the movie independently. 

BTW: these are the OFFICIALLY CROWNED PRINCESSES. Moana, Elsa, and Anna, are NOT Disney Princesses. 

[dancingships]

Regina’s BFF Awards : Season 3

3x01 Heart of the Truest Believer

Regina: And what, you'll win her over with your rainbow kisses and unicorn stickers?! Mary Margret: Considering that your plan failed, at least we could try! Regina: You're such a naive princess! Mary Margret: And you are such a... ::punches Regina:: Regina: Huh. Is that your best? Mary Margret: Not even close! I am so tired of you ruining my life! Regina: I ruined your life?

Regina, you lost a boyfriend. But I suppose asking you to think about anyone else is too much, huh? But how dare Snow suggest that losing her entire family ruined her life? The nerve, right? Its not like Emma had to grow up an orphan or anything...

Emma jumps over board so that everyone will stop fighting and focus on getting her back on deck - because if they don’t stop fighting, they will all die.

Regina’s response? She calls Emma an idiot.

So, Regina, what would you have done to get everyone’s attention? Lit the masts on fire?

3x02 Lost Girl

Regina once again proving that she doesn’t believe in Emma. At all. She can’t and wont listen to anyone else.

Emma: If I'm the one who's supposed to figure out this thing, I need to do what Pan said. Regina: Great.

She thinks her “better idea” of using magic is going to get them to Henry faster.

Snow: That’s OK you’ll (Emma) figure it out. Regina: No, you won’t but I can. .... Well, Emma, you said you wanted to be the leader. Lead.

What a manipulator. Yeah, after you grabbed the parchment and went against the rules you want her to lead where you want her to go Regina.

Emma was forced to thank a very smug Regina a bit too prematurely though, wasn’t she? Because what did Regina breaking the rules get them? Into an ambush that leaves David poisoned by Dreamshade.

You know whose advice Emma is listening to? Killian’s. And why not? He not only knows Neverland but respects her as a human being. Regina can’t even respect her as Henry’s other mother let alone a leader.

3x03 Quite A Common Fairy

Of course it is immediately Emma’s fault. But hey, look who isn’t doubting Emma and promptly comes to her defense?

I will give her a half a point for apologizing after both Emma & Snow call her out but of course it isn’t her fault... she’s just worried about Henry. No, Regina, truth is you’re just a bitch 24/7.

3x06 Ariel

“And you’re a monster” - I miss this Emma.

Funny how Killian didn’t need to insult her in S5 to help her light the flame... but Regina? Yeah. She jumps right to the verbal abuse.

3x09 Save Henry

Emma: (To Neal) You were a Lost Boy. Any idea where he went? Neal: Well, I, I know where he lived. Where his compound... Regina: That's idiotic. We all know that. Think he's stupid enough to go back? Please. Emma: Enough. Regina: Don't tell me what's enough. My son is dying! Emma: Our son. So, yes, I know how you feel. Regina: You have no idea what I feel. You have your parents. You have this— (Gestures at Neal) —person; a pirate who pines for you. You have everything and yet you claim to know what I feel? All I have is Henry and I'm not about to lose him because he is everything. Emma: You're right. I don't know what you feel. So what do you want to do? You want to run the show? Run it. How do we save Henry? Regina: I don't know. Neal: Even if we can find Pan, he was probably powerful before without Henry's heart. I-I don't know if we can hurt him. Regina: Yes, we can. Look. You nicked him. He can bleed. We can hurt him. And if we can hurt him, we can kill him. And we will.

It’s always about Regina, isn’t? Because she is so unhealthily co-dependent on her son then Emma’s feelings do not matter? Because Emma has other people in her life she can’t possibly love Henry just as much? Only a complete self absorbed person says things like this.

Lets focus on how Emma handles this.. instead of striking back and wasting time she lets Regina have her way in hopes of fueling a plan of action. But Regina doesn’t have a plan. She only has whining about “me me me”.

And then my personal favorite:

She would destroy Emma’s life again in a heartbeat and hurt Henry all over again with her curse if it meant that SHE could get what SHE wanted. Always about Regina.

3x10 The New Neverland

Regina’s jealousy over Emma's relationship with Henry will rise again in S6 over Henry & Violet’s song.

3x11 Going Home

She can’t be honest.

Stop acting like you just “wanted her to leave”. If this is an apology it’s a bunch of crap. You wanted her DEAD. Leaving wasn't good enough.

Yes, Regina gives her happy memories but she does this for Henry without truly acknowledging that this is all her fault.

This would not be happening if 1) She hadn’t tried to destroy the town and kill everyone in it to begin with 2) Regina had listened to Emma about Henry/Pan and 3) She hadn’t cast this curse in the first place.

Regina goes on to whine and moan about her own pain but never once stopping to think that she just ripped Snowing away from their daughter. AGAIN.

3x13 Witch Hunt

I honestly just can’t.

I don’t know how Emma keeps her cool with this woman.

I know Regina means for *herself* it is worse but there’s a few problematic things here.

1) Regina has never had to live under any of her curses. Her curses turned a man into her sex slave for 28 years, ripped families apart & made people sleep with people they wouldn’t have normally chosen to sleep with.

2) Henry not remembering her is peanuts compared to Emma who was ripped away from her parents and wondered for 28 years why they didn’t want her.

But what does Regina care about that? It’s always about Regina.

3x14 The Tower

Emma thinks it is a good idea to search Regina’s office for physical evidence of Zelena’s whereabouts.

Per usual, Emma’s ideas are promptly dismissed as foolish. She did this a lot in Neverland in regards to how Emma wanted to handle the map and going after Neal. Which they, at the time, thought Neal was the only way to read a map to get them off the island. So finding him wasn’t that stupid.

3x17 Jolly Roger

She just gets through saying how Rumple’s methods were “bullying” then proceeds to follow his example? Mmmmmmmkay. Makes perfect sense.

At least she recognizes Emma’s potential but Regina can’t ever stop talking because she then continues to berate her. Why not a little congratulations? Why not lift up Emma’s confidence instead of tearing her down for being late to the “oh I’ve got magic lets use it!” party? She needed time. I don’t recall Regina rushing to learn magic like her mother. She resisted at first too.

This is part of an OUAT BFF Award series that was inspired over the vile names I’ve been called because I refuse to see Regina’s toxic behavior as friendship. Emma & Regina are merely two people who are thrown together because they love Henry.

3x22 There’s No Place Like Home

Just like her mother as in both were trying to help people but instead get vilified for it? Yeah, I can see that.

Again it’s all about Regina... never mind that a happy reunion between mother and son is taking place right behind her.

[sunnymenagerie]

Prince Eric's Dick Wasn’t All She Wanted

Every day this month I'll be writing about a different woman who has influenced various aspects of my life, encouraged me to keep going when reality seemed bleak, reminded me there is greatness in the world, or just simply made living better.

There are a lot of people who say Disney is problematic. Yes, one could argue about the whole Princess thing making girls feel like they need a man and blah, blah, blah BUT if you're worried about a movie raising your child, perhaps you need to spend more time parenting and less time letting them learn ideas and life lessons from a screen. Anyways, I once wrote a piece about this that you can read here. Don't worry...I'll wait.

Oh, you're back. Great. Now onto one of my favorite Disney Princesses, Ariel. The Little Mermaid is riddled with plotholes but not as many as the "oh so amazing and revolutionary Frozen." Those rock people made literally ZERO sense. Her being able to sign her name but not write her name in sand aside, Ariel was one of my favorites as a kid because she did her own thing. She was also a collector - not a hoarder you haters - and that is something I absolutely adored.

Thingamabobs? Bitch, look at my apartment. I got plenty.

And while Ariel leaving her family, friends, and home in the ocean for a guy she just saw was a little strange we have to admit at least she had to balls to literally step (for the first time) out of her comfort zone for something different. Taking chances on the unknown is never easy. It's something we each will face at least once in our lifetimes and sadly many of us stay in the comfort of the expected. Ariel had been fascinated by life on land before she saw the hotness that is Prince Eric. He was just the push she needed to take the leap of faith. Should we all do the same for "love?" Well...that's up to you but what we should take away from Ariel is being able to take a risk for what will truly make us happier with our life. As someone who lived in a town she loathed, I 100% got where she was coming from. 

So haters, continue to hate and parents continue to wage your war on classic Disney tales but first, make sure you examine them from all sides. To me, Prince Eric was a hot piece of ass but Ariel was a girl just trying to better her life in more ways than one. Some good dick was just the icing on top of the cake. And you know what? It’s totally okay if you never want cake. Just make sure you go for something in life that you want.

[theartfulmegalodon]

Some Thoughts on Coco...

First of all, the movie was fantastic, and beautiful, and moving, and everything all the reviewers have said. Go see it, it’s amazing.

But I’m me, so I can’t help but have a few nitpicks. I wouldn’t dream of putting spoilers out in the open here, so if you’ve seen the film already and want to read my comments, they’re past the cut.  (And, um, they’re long.  Sorry.)

So... okay, I think most everybody who’s seen the film and given it some actual thought afterward has realized that there are some seriously troubling rules in place about the Mexican afterlife.  It’s all fluffy and fairy tale-like at first glance, you know, older family telling the sweet story to the kids about how a picture on an altar keeps the memory of their departed family members alive... except of course in this case, it means keeping them LITERALLY alive, in the afterlife.

We’re shown that you NEED a picture of the person. Actually they only say “photo” throughout the entire film, making me wonder what happens if you don’t have any photos, or you were too poor to commission a painted portrait back in the day. Why wouldn’t, say, written letters count? Or family heirlooms, like jewelry or a comb? What if the family simply lost the photos in a fire or something? What if they didn’t manage to make an altar? Say someone’s the last of their line, keeping all their (photographed) ancestors alive, but right around DdlM they get hit by a car and are in traction for a week or more, unable to light a stupid candle next to some photos? The dead relatives are just SOL? Are poor people’s relatives also SOL, when the living simply doesn’t have the resources to do this ritual? And heck, if you’re an orphan with no family when you die, that means what? NO AFTERLIFE FOR YOU? Does it HAVE to be family that remembers you for it to count?

And then there’s the rule that you can only keep existing in the afterlife so long as your memory is maintained by someone who knew you in life.  Hector confirmed this when Miguel tried to insist he could go back and remember these new dead folks now that he’s met them in the afterlife, so they wouldn’t fade away.  But nope, “It doesn’t work like that.”

Except...

That can’t be true, because at the end of the movie, we see grandma Coco has died, and all of the extended dead family is still there, safe and sound. But Coco was the only one who’d remembered her parents, and especially Hector. So we see that Hector, and presumably anyone, can totally live on even after everyone who knew them in life is dead as well.

So... that’s a bit of a contradiction there.  And then there’s the whole De La Cruz storyline about fame.  Whether he chose to be famous at all costs just because he wanted the spotlight, or even on the off chance that he was trying to secure his immortality in the afterlife, it’s sort of implied that simply by being famous, he’ll never be forgotten, and as long as he has fans who put his picture on their altars (or his? not sure how that goes) he’s set.

So really, I have no idea how one stays alive in the afterlife, for sure. But Hector did say about fading away: “It happens to everyone eventually”, which... yeah, okay, makes sense. Which means, basically, that your afterlife is a whole new life, but you spend it knowing that your very existence depends on others to remember you and prove it with a ritual.  If you’re not one of the very lucky ones (and the movie made it seem like there are relatively few unlucky ones, because kids movie) you’d spend your borrowed existence wracked with anxiety that any moment your luck will run out. Not to mention, your eventual second death (their “FINAL death”, as they call it) will likely be way worse than your first one. When they’re dying their final death, they do it with the knowledge that there really is nothing left for them AND that they’ve been entirely forgotten by the living world. The entirety of their existence is over, and there’s not even some comforting Grim Reaper type to send them off.

Sigh.

This isn’t really what I wanted to pick at, believe it or not. I’ve got more real issues with the actually family dynamics. Because family, as was made super clear, is basically the most important thing in life AND death, and without family, life is meaningless (or possibly OVER FOREVER). And that’s... kinda problematic for me.  I know it’s culturally accurate, from what I know of Latin cultures and many others.  But I really dislike the whole notion that your BLOOD relatives are always a good thing to keep in your life.

Miguel’s family was cartoonishly restrictive when it came to music, his one passion.

(And can we mention for a moment the absurdity of shielding an entire family line from ALL MUSIC? How exactly does that work? We don’t know for sure what time period this is. From the look of De La Cruz’s movies, and counting the generations hence, we could assume this is modern day.  (In a really underdeveloped part of Mexico.) But trying to eliminate all music from someone’s life is only slightly possible if they’re a child, and you can control exactly what they do and where they go.  But did Miguel never go to school?  People sing songs and play music in schools.  And did the adults in the family never go anywhere outside of their shoe shop and the cemetery? People in the world MAKE MUSIC. All over. All the time. It’s a deeply ingrained facet of human nature.  Yet this family can’t even hum to themselves?  It’s just... too absurd.)

ANYWAY.

Miguel’s family is ridiculous, and based on one (deceased) matriarch’s marching orders, this kid is forced to hide away his one joy in life and feel like a criminal among his own relatives for loving something that the rest of the world loves.  The moment where they present him with his shoe-making apron and cheer about promoting him to official Shoe Maker, I swear in my head I just heard, “Oh! You finally had the noodle dream!”  And when the grandma discovered his stash of music-related treasures and smashes them all in the street in front of him, I just saw Triton destroying Ariel’s human treasures, leaving the poor child in tears, of course.

In this case, the family was MOST DEFINITELY in the wrong. And yet Miguel is punished the second he tries to rebel. He gets cursed into the afterlife (a curse that was NEVER explained, btw) and then the family matirarch who started the whole mess basically holds his life hostage until he agrees to never pursue music again.  The family blessing was paramount.  They looked this little boy in the eyes and forced him to choose between a life without the thing he loves most or NO LIFE AT ALL. 

Yes, yes, I know that the point was that they were in the wrong and that it all worked out in the end because past crimes came to light, and some hearts were melted, and the family came around.  But the fact that Miguel and Hector had to beat the odds, escape capture, expose a murder plot, and tear down the reputation of the biggest celeb in the afterlife just so this old bitch (sorry, I really did like this movie!) would let her great grandson go back to being alive... That’s beyond unreasonable.  Miguel was fantastically lucky, and running into Hector was the most unlikely coincidence in the movie.

EDIT: I’ve been reminded that Dante the spirit dog was involved in leading Miguel to meeting Hector, but that... doesn’t really solve my issue there. That’s writing in a band-aid for a plot hole.  Can’t think up a reason your two long lost relatives would have a one-in-a-billion meeting? Spirits did it.  And honestly for me (maybe because I’m not a little kid any more) the slapstick antics of the dog weren’t especially entertaining or amusing, nor was he written as an actual character instead of a plot device. So I’m not surprised in retrospect that I forgot most of his contributions to the story.

OKAY. Let me make the only real point I wanted to make here:

I was genuinely surprised by the reveal that Hector was Miguel’s real ancestor and that De La Cruz had murdered him.  I think I was surprised because I was unconsciously expecting/hoping for De La Cruz to actually be his ancestor, but that he was simply a shallow, fame-loving, selfish dipshit, and that the Riveras were right to erase his memory from their family tree.  Miguel would have learned that not all family is worth treating like family. And there would be Hector, someone who protected him, guided him, and mentored him, someone who was worthy of including on their family altar. He’d learn that sometimes family can be the people you choose to be your family.

I mean, I get it, the story that they actually set up and carried out.  I liked the twist, really, and the touching backstory with Coco was, of course, very moving. There were tears.

But in the end, I guess I don’t like the convenience of the good guy he just happened to meet being part of his family after all, and the bad guy just being a bad guy, no grey area, no need to feel conflicted over anything.  Also, he never bonded with anyone in the afterlife outside of his personal family, which is, again, kind of a shame.  The entire crux of the movie, the matriarch’s elimination of music from the Rivera line, was based entirely on a misunderstanding, and only by luck (and spirit animals!) did it happen to resolve itself in the end. It still made a boy go through some ten years of cringing and hiding and emotional abuse over nothing he could control, all while framing it with the insistence that “your family loves you!”  They love you... but you have to be unhappy, son. The end. No arguments.

Oops! Sorry, we guess that grudge we were holding over a guy we never met for a great-grammy who’s long gone was our mistake. You go play your guitar. We love you!

Oh, and if this is the modern era, they should really think about making some photocopies of that picture...

[selinaneveahcrystal]

The Mark of Their Souls—Part 1

Prompt: @irenehogan-blog Marcos first sees Lorna’s green hair and tells her she’s beautiful.

Soulmate AU, where they all have words from birth and no one sees colours for the first time until they meet their soulmate and have a kiss, and certain phenomenons show up to mark the soulmates as soulmates—where the Aurora Borealis is Marcos and Lorna’s soulmate phenomenon mark.

The world itself is a twisted place, with twisted Gods that love to make fun and torture mankind with their idea of love and comradeship.

Lorna only says that because she’s one of the chosen few, enlightened with the extraordinary experience of what everyone now called—the Soulmate Marking.

You see, God apparently determines for these individuals who they’re destined to be with from birth–and it’s imprinted carefully and inked into their skin when they first come into earth as a newborn. It never removes itself, never fades, and stays with you until the end of time. Of course, this phenomenon only affected one percent of the entire population of people in the world, and Lorna felt that it was the biggest joke that was played on her life that someone as shattered and broken as her had a soul mate waiting perhaps, at the far end of the other side of the world, where they’d never meet.

They’d possibly have children of their own in the future, get married out of necessity to continue their lineage, and never cross paths with each other because the chances are just so few for them to meet. And they’d never have the chance to ever fall in love or have true love—because the soul mate mark ensures that all your love is for that other person that carries your mark on some part of their body intimately, so even if you did get married, you’d never be able to love the person back as equally as they do to you.

It’s fucked up, and equally unfair.

Oh and did she forget to mention that the one percent of people with soulmate marks aren’t able to see any colour? Their world is a stark black and white and no other colours, and growing up, Lorna had a tough time being popular in school despite her cool attitude and demeanor, because her outfits we’re often wrongly colour coordinated, a tragic disaster for any girl in the fashion industry or on the desperate path to be the next cool thing amongst cool people.

So she’d learnt from the best lessons and stuck with black as her favourite colour and outfit. It was monochrome, and boring, but mostly it helped her get through at the very least—highschool.

“So…can I see your mark?” Lorna turns her eyes towards her best friend, that’s squished in the same couch as her.

Sonya was in every way a normal human—well a normal mutant if you’d be more specific, because one, she could see colours and did not have a soulmark to restrict who she loved. And that was the exact reason why Lorna didn’t understand why her best friend had to make her own life so problematic— by falling in love with another of their best friend’s, the strong and muscular (well, technically she gets it. Because, well, John’s built like a Hulk and that makes all kinds of girls fall for him) John, who has a soul mark on his ring finger (she’d laughed when he’d shown her his, because that claim was waaaaay too obvious, and he’d upped and told her that having her mark at her navel curving down to wrap around her waist was another way too obvious sign–she’d hit him so hard for that), and is as conservative as fuck because he’s reserving himself for his soulmate.

Not that she’s has the same qualms as he does anyway. There’s always a need to fuck, primal or not when the situation and stress calls for it. Lorna wasn’t a virgin, and it isn’t as though she’s keeping her bed sheets clean and white for her soulmate—she figured if he was her soulmate, he’d have to accept her fully, virgin or not, flaws and all.

“We’re outside, Sonya.” Lorna grumbles lowly, beneath her breath, and her best friend rolls her eyes.

“In the headquarters, and people know better than to barge into our room without permission.”

“Hey bitches, what'cha doing?” Lorna grins as Sage pops round the corner.

“Well…except for you, Sage.” Sonya replies drily. “I was just about to ask Lorna to take off her shirt and show us—-”

“Ooh, a strip dance?” Lorna snorts as Sage picks up the bottle and chugs down some whisky. “I’d say this is some strong stuff.”

“And that’s why you don’t drink it all at one shot!” Sonya hisses.

Lorna watched quietly as her friend sinks into their couch with a doozy smile on her face. Sage was one of her best friends, but also an exemplary example of why soulmate marks were bad news and not good news. She watches as Sage chugs down another gulp of whisky.

Sage had a soulmate.

Note the word had.

He was British, handsome as hell, and human, but loved her the way she was, mutant or not, and so when the Sentinel Services had came for Sage, despite he being human, he’d taken a bullet for her trying to help her escape, and died in her arms, bleeding out the next morning, and her words, carved on her wrist, had branded itself painfully into her skin, before fading away to bumped scars that would never fade. The howl of desperation and pain that had torn itself from Sage’s mouth as she felt her soulmate die was permanently imprinted into her mind. Lorna had seen first and what losing a soulmate did to someone, and she sure hell did not want that for her own self, especially when she’d lost enough people in her entire lifetime to make her heart hurt for the entirety of this lifetime and the next.

“No…I was just asking Lorna to show us her soulmark!”

“Oh.” Sage made a face and shrugged. “Would have been better if it was a strip show, though, but that’s beside the point.” Lorna exhaled slightly as she lifted up her shirt, the dark words on her pale skin sliding into view.

“En-can-tah-doh?” Sonya read out the word syllable by syllable, squinting her eyes slightly at the curved letters and squished handwriting that decorated her skin.

Sage raised her eyebrows.

“Well, at the very least yours isn’t a bad word. Believe me, my parents, before they found out I was a mutant, wasn’t please with the fact that my wrist had big bold Ariel letters of Fuck on my wrist in caps.” Lorna chuckled and shrugged.

“I may very well not meet whoever this person is in the future. Especially since we’re being hunted down now.” Sonya slid her arm comfortingly across her shoulders, and both girls started as they’re interrupted by a loud snore, turning their heads to both chuckle at Sage’s unsightly sleep posture.

“Well, I did tell her to not chug down alcohol since she’s such an alcohol trash…” Sonya picked herself off the couch with a groan. “You’ll be fine on your own, won’t you?” Lorna grinned, smirking as she brought the wine bottle to her lips and gulping down a sip. “Yeah you will.” Sonya snorted, before turning to exit the room, leaving Lorna to her loud but silent thoughts, her hand gently stroking the word on her stomach, both regretfully and wistfully.

Continued in Part 2

~~~~~

The Soulmate AU spin was something that popped into my head and I added to @irenehogan-blog ’s original list of prompts because— Emma mentioned before that Eclaris are Soulmates. So why not?

Comments are life, reblogs are rejuvenating. So if you like it comment and reblog :3

@eclipsepolarisxauroraborealis

[ariel-the-rebellious]

✉ ♦☒

✉: Any RPers the Mun admires.

I honestly want to say everyone??? This is just. Such a large, talented group of people that I would feel bad leaving literally anyone out. Everyone here is skilled in some way - whether it’s with their imagery, dialogue, prose, or depth of character - this is just such a creative bunch. I love how passionate everyone here is about their characters and this world, and how much effort people put into worldbuilding. I suppose I have to give a special shoutout not only to the admins, bc I admire Lauryl and MK for creating such a unique world that people can constantly build upon, but also to all those I have familial (Mersisters, Adamsons) connections with and relationships with in general for being so active with wanting to headcanon and plot with me!

♦: Relationship with your Muse.

Ariel: Ariel and I get along the best, most likely because I let her have complete control over her story. She’s so independent, so she needs that full grip on the reigns and is thankful to me for giving it to her. I admire a lot about her and she’s basically my baby.

Alice: Alice and I get along fairly well since we’re both really very similar in personality. But Alice has much more of a temper than I do. It’s hard for me to get angry, so when she snaps so quickly it’s a bit uncomfortable for me, although at the same time, contradictorily it’s very lethargic and theraputic. She I’m sure doesn’t like me for the past I’ve given her but appreciates me attempting to make up for it in the present.

Vitani: We don’t get along. Lmao. She’s hard to coax out, she wants things done on her terms and sometimes I have to pull her in so she doesn’t go too far, and she’s just a bitch in general. I admire some things about her, like her ambition, though. 

Kovu: Kovu is my baby boy. Baby. He’s been through so much but he doesn’t see me as having done it to him weirdly enough, more that his story was meant to be fucked up?? And I’m just like baby no?? You’re here to find out you deserve a great story??? I love you??? It’s great he looks at me like a Mom I love it.

Shock: Man, even I’m not entirely sure here. Sometimes Shock and I kind of /finger gun at each other but then others I’m like “Shock torturing people is probably wrong and y’know you’re problematic” and she’s just like /eyerolls. So it’s give or take. 

☒: A NOTP with your Muse in it (if you have any).

I don’t like to have NOTPs bc I mean, never say never? I’ve had NOTPs that turned into OTPs so.