I'm just a little perplexed by writing changes sometimes.
*live-action Little Mermaid spoilers*
So I was at the bookstore today and I saw the novelization for the movie; having some curiosity and already resigning myself to being let down by the film (I think this might be an Actually Good One, maybe not Great, but Good), I decided to peek through and see a few things that go down in it.
One of these points was to check out the deal between Ursula and Ariel, which had one minor change that I said “Oh, that’s actually kinda like the original book”, but then something else popped up:
Ursula slips an amnesia spell into the contract to make Ariel forget that she needs to get a kiss from Eric.
And no.
NO.
Why?
The contract’s already challenging enough: Kiss of True Love. An actual, meaningful kiss of mutual affection and desire is the term of the contract. She can’t just swoop in and steal one or challenge him to a game of Spin the Bottle. The challenge is there, and it’s simple! It’s a bet! A wager! A gamble!
Furthermore, the big challenge with the contract was that it was all legal. It was aboveboard! Ursula did absolutely nothing wrong, didn’t broach the terms at all! Yeah, she had her minions tip a boat over and then posed as an imposter, but that’s the “No Purple Dragons” clause hard at work. And, yes, I suppose there’s no “No Amnesia Spells” line in that, but I also feel like if the target of the magical, binding contract has no recollection of what she’s supposed to do, it could be a violation. I think the magic trident would say “actually, no”.
But that’s not even relevant because why add that in in the first place?
(I’m also curious about how they’re going to add that in, because it’s a narration box for Ursula in the book. She doesn’t give the dialogue away. She doesn’t say anything; she doesn’t tell Ariel “I took your memory”, or set that up as a challenge. I dunno if it’s even going to be in the movie.)
I feel like it’s just an added level of drama and challenge that we don’t need. Like the writers adapted the screenplay and an executive said “well, why is she letting herself get distracted by all the fun of the human world when she has three days to get a kiss?” Or maybe they thought her pushing herself toward Eric would seem too nonconsensual: wouldn’t want to corrupt the children and all that. So, you know. Plot amnesia.
What is her goal, even, if she can’t remember? And if Sebastian and Flounder remind her of the deal (which...can’t they just do that?), what narrative purpose does it serve?
The original movie is near-perfection, and magical contracts are not something movies should be messing around with. I know another one did that recently (was it Beauty and the Beast? Aladdin? Cinderella?) and it made Zero Sense. Trust the writers of the originals, they knew what they were doing.
finally at that age where i'm thinking i should get a tattoo. not bc i feel strongly about it, just seems like a waste not to. i've got so much skin i'm not using
Wren: Robinnnnnnn, mom asked you to watch Ava for a minute.
Robin: [tuts] Don’t drag her like that.
Wren: Why not? She likes it.
Robin: Until you drag her over a rock.
[Wren ignored Robin as she continued hauling a giggling Ava through the long grass]
Wren: Why’re you here again?
Levi: Why not?
Wren: ‘Cause this isn’t your house.
Byrd: Shut up, Wren-.. you’re being a meanie!
Wren: You shut up!
[Wren scowled, muttering something under her breath]
Levi: What?
Wren: I said you’re stupid!
Levi: I bet you’re stupider.
Wren: Not as stupid as Byrd.
Byrd: I’m not stupid!
Wren: Are too!
Robin: No one’s stupid.
Robin pulled Ava safely into his lap and listened to Wren and Byrd bickering, eventually turning their attention toward Levi, accosting him as ferociously as they would anyone else; his usual walls crumbling to dust as they wrestled amongst the clover. His friends might not have understood why he wanted to hang out with Levi, but Robin could sense that there was an entirely different boy hiding beneath his prickly, well-maintained façade.
The rustling birch trees and the dappled shadows beneath created a rare safe haven for Robin’s classmate, who in the absence of anyone to impress or mislead, finally smiled and enjoyed himself with a genuineness that Robin had never seen before.
Straightening Ava’s little bow and holding her closely, Robin couldn’t help but think how awful it must be to be part of a family that never played or laughed together, a family that didn’t particularly enjoy your presence or show you much affection-.. if any. It wasn’t hard to imagine how strenuous it’d be, constantly pretending to be someone you weren’t.
He didn’t exactly want to spend every waking moment with his parents, nor his siblings, but Robin loved each one of them dearly and struggled to picture his world without them. It wasn’t expected or necessary given how supportive Oscar and Courtney usually were, but Robin took his role as an older brother quite seriously and enjoyed lightening their load by looking out for his brother and sisters; he felt a pang of sadness for Levi as he realised that on top of his absent parents, he couldn’t even rely on his own sister as a source of comfort or approval.
Robin wondered what would’ve happened if he hadn’t heard Levi in time-.. what if he’d been that bit better at blocking everything out, what if he’d been distracted, what if he was too far away or hadn’t been there at all?
He’d tried to convince his parents that he wasn’t interested in going because an elementary school disco sounded like the most boring event in existence, but they’d assumed his reluctance had been due to anxiety and cajoled him into going anyway, for a little while at least. In the end, he supposed it was a good job they had.
If something had happened to Levi that night, he would’ve struggled to forgive himself, and the thought of anything terrible befalling anyone else at the hand of his apathy or purposeful ignorance filled him with dread.
Although it could be difficult and tiring sometimes, he probably ought to pay more attention to his surroundings rather than ignoring everything, as he’d been partial to recently-.. just in case.
It was nice to have the option these days, but maybe Robin was never meant to suppress his gift completely, maybe he’d been given it for a reason. He had no idea why, how, or where it came from, but it wasn’t just a quirky annoyance anymore, it’d literally saved someone’s life; it was clearly far too important to wilfully dismiss...
no honestly did jean genuinely not realize that the car in the ocean was a suicide attempt?? did he really think harry was THAT drunk or was he willingly misinterpreting it so he could shift any sympathy away from harry? because i can absolutely see jean seeing it as a suicide attempt but deliberately choosing to frame it as an irresponsible accident resulting from harry's alcoholism, because that way no one will be like "oh shit harry tried to kill himself?" and they'd instead join jean in condemning harry for his addiction
so have you heard about the ride kamens app game? seems like it's gonna be a twisted wonderland like game with all the riders being hot anime guys now, and it's also gonna be written by yuya takahashi and produced by naomi takebe (apparently it was in development before geats), with designs by the person who did sk8 the infinity, so take that for what you will
have you ever gotten the feeling that a piece of media came into existence just to appeal to you specifically, or
(brb preregistering immediately)
(as far as I can tell you play as an agent who maintains a secret superhero base for riders in the basement of the rider-themed cafe that you run with your butler, and there's some other plot stuff going on but honestly I'm way past sold at this point, this sounds amazing)
Oscurucho: Welcome back, brother.
Cucurucho: What.
Oscurucho: Not even a "Good morning"? How cold.
Here's Cucurucho and Oscurucho's long lore conversation from yesterday! The entire conversation lasted about 8 minutes, but most of that time was just silence between each exchange, so I edited out the long pauses and got it down to ~3 minutes. I also fixed the audio levels and added subtitles since I personally find it difficult to understand Oscurucho sometimes :'D
I hope folks find this helpful!
[ Subtitle Transcript ↓ ]
-
Oscurucho: Welcome back, brother.
Cucurucho: What.
Oscurucho: Not even a "Good morning"? How cold.
[They enter Cucurucho's office]
Oscurucho: I wanted to see if you're still as rigid in your beliefs as ever. You see, I've been thinking about our... Let's call it "philosophical divergence." You stand for order, for predictability. But where's the fun in that? You see, brother, while you build, I ponder the beauty in tearing down. It's not just destruction - it's rebirth. A chance to remake things in a more... thrilling image.
[...]
Oscurucho: You once had a backbone for our cause. Now, I see a softness in you, a sentimental weakness for those Eggs. Mere experiments, and yet - they've softened you.
Cucurucho: Your vision obstructs the path to perfection. You fail to understand the potential of the Eggs.
Oscurucho: Potential? They're but catalysts for change - for revolution. Without them, stagnation reigns.
[...]
Oscurucho: You chase perfection, I embrace the beauty of flaws. Your world is one of order, mine thrives in chaos. You wish for everything to run smoothly, I dream of watching it all burn to the ground. We may share a name, but our souls are worlds apart. All your efforts, all for what? Mere acknowledgment from a Duck who told you to do it? Imagine the possibilities - rather, show me where it is, and I'll do the rest.
[...]
Oscurucho: Speaking of possibilities, I couldn't help but notice how easily others can access the island. It seems your security measures aren't as impenetrable as you think.
Cucurucho: No. My island's vulnerabilities are of your own making. Do not mistake restraint for ignorance.
Oscurucho: Pity. But then again, I never really needed your approval. Just consider: Cucurucho - in your quest for order, have you not sown the seeds of your own undoing? Do you genuinely trust all your Federation minions?
Cucurucho: ...
Oscurucho: Perhaps it's time you question not just my intentions, but those who you believe stand with you.
Cucurucho: That is none of your business, I shall say. Now, leave me alone and try to disturb someone else.
Since atla is again having an extra surge of popularity, I'm shooting my shot:
[ID: (Rest of image description in alt). At the bottom of the image sits the text: "Zuko: Okay. Well, I can't remember how it starts, but the punchline is "leaf me alone, I'm bushed."" ID end].
Did we ever find out what the setup for this joke was? I feel kinda haunted by it. If not- anyone wanna make their best or worst guesses?
edit: I now know what "I'm bushed" mean, but go ahead anyway 👍
I cannot imagine being a Damian stan right now. You've got both Zdarsky's bullshit (where he clearly doesn't give a shit about your boy) and The Boy Wonder (where Juni Ba clearly gives so many shits about your boy) coming out on the same day. The whiplash must be insane. I hope y'all get some nice warm soup for your efforts jfc