#except hes born with the powers like rapunzel

[erijuice]

My Revision of Wish

As someone who loves the concept of Wish, I thought it was a decent addition to the Disney Animation Canon. I enjoyed the songs, the gorgeous hybrid artstyle, and the homage to Sleeping Beauty's wide cinemascope aspect. Unfortunately, the more I think about Wish, the more disappointed I was with the final product. For what was supposed to be a celebration of Disney's legacy, it ended up being shot with the blandification ray by the studio itself, because they had a lot of interesting concepts planned for the film. It's just impossible for me to hate Wish like everyone else on the internet, because I know there's passion behind this idea, it was just muddled and screwed over by the despicable corporate side of Disney.

Now, while I did love the final product and was also simultaneously disappointed over what it could’ve and should’ve been, I wanted to showcase my version of the film with a heavier emphasis on the wishing star’s untold origin story. This is actually an updated/edited version of my original draft, and I added a little bit of characterization as well.

SPOILERS FOR THE ACTUAL FILM BTW

Wish (in my version) is fully 2D-Animated, and contains music, orchestration and lyrics from Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, with additional output from Julia Michaels.

Cast:

Alycia Pascual-Peña as Asha

Chris Pine as King Magnifico

Amara Le Negra as Queen Amaya

Roman Banks as Orion (Star)

Summary: 

“Have you ever wondered how the legendary Wishing Star was born?… Set in a time centuries before Snow White wished by the wishing well, or Geppetto wished for his little wooden puppet to become a real boy, Wish takes place in the medieval city of Rosas, a fantasy kingdom off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea where your wishes can literally be transformed into reality. The kingdom is ruled by King Magnifico (Chris Pine) and Queen Amaya (Amara Le Negra), respected by all as the kingdom’s sole wish-granters. They live happily in peace with their royal daughter named Asha (voiced by Alycia Pascual Peña), who was set to take her parents’ throne once she turned 17. 

Princess Asha is sharp-witted and wildly smart beyond her years: a young philosopher in the making, who believes that the stars are always there to guide her. She's a shy bookworm who is very creative, she draws animations in her notepad and paints with watercolors all over her bedroom, much like Rapunzel. Asha also wants to be a musician and to inspire the people with her music. While being devoted to her goal to ensure that everyone gets their wish to come true, Asha also struggles with poor leadership skills, and she doesn't know how to be a good leader to her friends, or her kingdom. Her parents seem to make it look easy, and sometimes Asha prefers to rely on them to make her dreams come true. However, Asha believes that a bigger and stronger wish requires a much more difficult journey, and in order to achieve her wish, she must confront her own parents, two of the fiercest and most powerful villains the Disney universe has ever known.

King Magnifico is almost the same as his canon depiction, except he has no backstory of him losing his family to destruction which would've make him more sympathetic, and does not mesh well with him being a villain. He uses his magic to remove wishes from people's hearts and keeps them in his own "wish orbs" for personal keeping, but we don't find out what he does with them until the first act. Before he praticed magic, he was a philosopher who believed in the power of the stars in the night sky, inspiring Asha to develop her belief that there is magic in the stars.

Queen Amaya is a female villain who is madly in love with Magnifico and pressures Asha to be a perfect royal daughter, much in the vein of Yzma and Maleficent, with shades of Mother Gothel. She is a black dark-skinned Latina, and Asha's birth mother. Queen Amaya owns has a pet cat assistant named Cleo, who is a callback to Maleficent's crow Diablo, or Lady Tremaine's cat Lucifer.

Alright, now back to the story!

On her 17th birthday, during a beautiful royal ball, Asha notices that her parents have wondered off from their thrones, and she uncovers a dark truth about both of her parents and how they want to keep the wishes of the people for themselves. Even worse, she peaks through the cracked door of the throne room to witness that the King and Queen are crushing the people's wishes, and infusing their energy, in order to make their own magic more powerful, and thus manipulating the townspeople and giving them the false hope of their wishes being granted. Asha tries to keep what she saw a secret from her parents, but she argues that the wishes must be free and sent back to the people. After a heated argument with her parents, she runs to the forest and makes a passionate cry for help to the stars, in the hopes that they will give her guidance and strength to help her entire kingdom. (‘This Wish’ is staying btw, but with adjusted lyrics) Her plea pulls down the brightest star out of the sky and transforms it into a glowing ethereal humanoid being without a name.

Here is where we meet Orion. Orion is THE wishing star of legend. He is a glowing, Black-coded, humanoid boy around the same age as Asha. Newly formed, he has no name and no sense of right or wrong, much like Pinocchio, but he reveals himself to be a powerful shapeshifter with magic celestial powers. The starboy is aided with the tiny, Luma-like canon version of Star, named Little Dipper, as his personal companion. Little Dipper is more mischevious than Orion, but it's also a powerful wish granter in a tiny celestial body. With a reworked, more orchestral version of "At All Costs", Orion takes Asha on a gorgeous flight, explaining his purpose to help Asha, as the duo sings in harmony above the stardust-sprinkled woodlands, with Little Dipper setting the scene. After the song ends, Asha tries to name all the constellations off the top of her head, and ultimately names the starboy Orion (serving as a subtle callback to Kiss the Girl). Asha brings Orion back to the kingdom, and she tries to teach him how to grant the peoples’ wishes. As the two plans to give the wish orbs back to the people, Asha notices that her parents are angered over the townspeople praising Orion’s descend, hoping that he will grant the wishes of all the people. Feeling threatened by Orion’s presence, the King and Queen scheme to use dark magic to kill Fate and steal her magic, so that they will remain as the only wish-granters in Rosas, but at the risk of permanently being surrendered to the dark side. (This Is The Thanks I Get, except it's reworked into a grand, badass, orchestral villain duet with Magnifico on the first verse and Amaya on the second verse)

Desperate to warn the kingdom about her parents’ true colors, Asha disguises herself (a la Sleeping Beauty) as a peasant girl, while Orion tries to disguise himself as a normal human boy. As the two try to grant the wishes of the townpeople who haven't given their wishes to the king and queen, the town descends into chaos with some wishes spiraling out of control. While it is a moment of hilarity, Asha and Orion come to a realization that some wishes should never be granted in the first place, as they're more likely to cause harm and chaos than pure good. The two comes across a group of seven teenagers modeled after the Seven Dwarfs, Asha's longtime team, and Orion starts to get to know each one of them, before planning a rebellion against her parents, and yet, Asha is secretly hesitant to disobey her parents, she confesses to Orion - in a short reprise of At All Costs - about how she used to be perfectly obedient and a perfect princess to her people. Meanwhile, Orion reveals to the Seven Teens that he’s still learning to grant wishes, but they also end up horribly wrong, but he comes to a realization that he shouldn't grant wishes that could cause harm, no matter how much they beg for it. The Teens make a promise to Asha that they will protect her secret, as well as Orion's. The duo and the teens team up to stop the King and Queen, with a reworked version of "Knowing What I Know Now."

During the epic climax, Orion and Asha create a diversion, with Asha freeing the wishes with her team and learning to be a good leader in doing so, while Orion shapeshifts into multiple forms to battle the King and Queen and distract them away from the castle, but they capture Little Dipper into the scepter, and use Dipper's magic to transform their cat Cleo into a giant dragon (akin to Maleficent's dragon form) that flies them to the top of the castle, with Orion chained up. The parents chain Asha to the top of the castle where the battle occurs, and they force their daughter to watch Orion suffer. Engulfed by the pain of losing her protector, Asha breaks into the This Wish reprise, as do the other residents of Rosas. The King and Queen try to push Asha off the castle to her death, but the townspeoples' voices lift her up, as does Orion's, and he uses his magic to make her float above in mid-air. Everyone's hearts beginning to glow and attract their wishes back to their hearts as they sing in unison. Orion transfers most of his celestial powers into Asha, who uses her temporary celestial powers to free Little Dipper from the scepter, and blast the King and Queen to their death, while Orion simultaneously creates a powerful sword to throw into Cleo's heart, killing her as well. After a moment of silence, Asha breaks down into tears and feels bittersweet that she’ll never have her parents again, but more optimistic about being the ruler the kingdom desperately needed - someone who will choose only the best wishes to come true. Orion comes down to Earth to comforts Asha with a hug, and the kingdom rejoices with the evil King and Queen gone for good.

Cut to a few months later with Asha hosting her first royal ball for Rosas, and dancing with Orion, similar to the endings of Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast. Before Orion flies back to the night sky to become the Wishing Star, he gets Little Dipper to create a magic wand and grants her the role of a honorary Blue Fairy guardian, transforming Asha’s purple queen gown into a beautiful, glittering, baby blue gown. Orion informs to Asha that Asha will be reincarnated into a true Blue Fairy after her time on Earth comes to an end, but Orion will descend back down to Rosas every now and then to help Asha. As a final gift, even though he admits his magic is not perfect just yet, Orion finally grants Asha’s wish and creates a lute for her to play for her people, but Asha realizes what her true wish was all along: To be a good leader to all of Rosas.

After Orion forms into the glimmering Wishing Star in the night sky above Rosas, Queen Asha looks down on the townspeople of Rosas with hope in her smile and she looks up at the wishing star above her, with a hope that everyone will have a wish to come true, because now, Queen Asha knows that there is no force, no magic more powerful than the power of a wish, for a wish is more powerful when it’s inside your heart.

Cut to a few nights later, after the credits have rolled, when Asha walks out onto the balcony above the kingdom. She pulls out a music sheet, and begins to play ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ for the stars, as an homage to Orion.

My version of Wish will also contain hundreds of Easter Eggs that all pay tribute to ALL 61 FILMS in the Walt Disney Animation Studios library, all worked seamlessly into the context of the story, not just containing the ones that inspire the film like Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. Anyway, all I’m saying is that Disney should’ve hired me and put me into the writers room, because as a Disney fan, I know how to make this story work and how to make it even better, and I hope you guys love this version of the story! Oh, and also, screw Disney for donating to a genocide. Goodnight Kingdom of Rosas!

[metaldeads]

self rec game :^)

tagged by @stargyles !!

rules: recommend three of your own fics (1 most popular, two hidden gems) then tag some people!

most popular:

open up your lovin' arms (i want some, want some).

pairing: steddie / rating: general audience / words: 7,312 / summary: Dustin's concerned Steve's going to die alone. Steve's concerned Dustin won't ever understand the concept of boundaries. Or: Dustin attempts to save Steve's love-life.

in terms of most popular, this is my (currently) most kudos'd fic. i have a soft spot for it, 'coz it was my first ST fic. i'm fairly certain i was the 200th completed fic for steddie :^) !!

hidden gems:

i wheely like you.

pairing: ronance / rating: teen & up / words: 12,023 / summary: Robin comes out. So does Will. This leads to a snowball effect of revelations so major that Robin has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. Someone’s going to have to show Will how to romance a Wheeler, and it sure as shit won’t be Steve.

this isn't my first ronance, but it is my favourite. i had a blast writing will & robin interactions, copious stobin as always, and less-of-a-disaster robin. plus, the wonderful @yuputkas drew the most insanely beautiful art EVER.

four puffs of farrah fawcett spray (and a mouthful of UD pollen)

pairing: steddie / rating: teen & up / words: 17,444 / summary: Steve cops a faceful of Upside Down flower pollen in the tunnels, hours after Billy Hargrove tries to punch Steve's brain out the back of his head... (cut for length) OR: Steve Harrington can take a hit. He can take many hits. In fact, thanks to the Upside Down, there isn't a hit Steve can't take.

this is the silliest thing i've ever written. crack treated FAR too seriously. i wrote it in the span of 17 hours, beginning to end, after blacking out at the stupid concept of 'steve with powers tied to his hair except his head was always shaved so the lab figured he was a dud and tossed him into hawkins' ... i present to you, tangled!rapunzel fusion steve ... set in canon and remarkably goofy (but also insanely serious? btw it fits SHOCKINGLY well in-canon). despite how the concept was born, this fict doesn't have anything to do w the lab, though. just keep that in mind!

you might also know a few of my other works! (STRIKE TEN, paradise by the dashboard light, this is your home. these are your people, and so on!!!)

you can view them all here, through my masterlist :^D

i've been back on tumblr for all of seven minutes so literally whoever wants to do this, consider yourself tagged. don't feel shy to mention me in ur post; i like seeing other authors!! <3

[tttrashmouth]

moonstone!varian au

- varian’s dad found the moonstone flower when his wife was dying and thought it might heal like he heard the sundrop did

- spoiler alert: it didn’t

- but now varian was born with a blue streak in his hair so he’s now the moonstone

- the baron gets word of a child who was born to a flower that was similar to the one the lost princess was and thinks oh well, guess i’m gonna kidnap a child

- so the baron plans to just take him like rupunzel was taken but quirin waskes up in the middle of the night and catches him in the act

- because they don’t live in a castle theres no window to jump out of, so to escape the baron murders quirin

- because varian is so young we keeps him in his own home, locked in a tiny room, until he can find a place to keep varian

- when varian is like a year old old he finds an abandoned tower near his home and decides to keep him there

- so varian ends up there and the baron uses varians magic to create unbreakable weapons by using the moonstone incantation (the one cass sings in cassandra’s revenge) 

- growing up varian doesn’t really know the extent of his powers because he’s only ever used them to make weapons for the baron out of the black rocks

- the baron wants to keep varian on his good side so he gets things varian wants and does a lot for him, he just warns him to never leave the tower because people would kill him for his magic

- varian thinks his parents abandoned him and the baron took him in after the fact

- so he’s still super into alchemy and when he’s 13 he’s reading a book that the baron got him about a certain type of plant that will bloom for the first time in 200 years and is like i NEED to try this

- and of course he’s 13, going on 14 in like 3 days, so he decides well i’m sure if i’m only gone like two days dad won’t mind

- (at this point for raps and the gang the same amount of time from the series has passed, except without the events because the black rocks don’t exist for them) 

- so he uses his powers to create a way out of the tower and goes on his merry way with a bag of essentials (read: almost all alchemy stuff with little food) and ruddiger, who varian got as a pet when he was like 10

- the baron is obviously very pissed when he finds out and sets out after him, but since the baron isn’t always at the tower varian has about a days headstart on him

- so the plant blooms in corana and on his way there he finds his way to old corana

- he asks around to see if theres any places i the town where people do alchemy and doesn’t find any, but he meets an old man who tells him about a woman who studied alchemy before she died

- the old man tells him where she used to live and varian is like well maybe i’ll just take one tiny peek inside and see if theres anything useful in there

- once inside he starts looking around and finds it empty, he was just gonna leave but something bright flashed in his eye and he found a secret entrance to a basement under the house

- so he goes down and sees all of this alchemy stuff this woman used and starts to investigate what everything is 

- he finds her journals and starts to read them, but realizes he needs to sleep and then get going again in the morning, so he puts them in his bag to read later

- during the night the baron catches up to him and of course the people of the town know who the notorious kingpin The Baron is so they are terrified

- he gets told that they saw the kid, but he left hours ago, which they don’t know is true but they haven’t seen varian in awhile so they just guess

- the baron and co. search the houses and find no hint of him so they leave town and head closer and closer to corona

- so varian wakes up the next day and heads out, not really sure why people kept avoiding him

- he soon finds himself in corona and is really surprised by how nice everyone has been on the journey so far considering the horror stories he heard from the baron

- so rapunzel sees varian and is like oh a person i haven’t met before and also a child wandering the streets oh no

- she introduces herself to him and she shows him around and since he’s very obviously a traveler, asks him what he’s doing there so he just explains the plant and everything

- because she didn’t really have anything to do that day she offered to go with him so he wasn’t alone and she knew her way around better then him

- so varian makes every bone in her body Scream protect this child so she offers him lunch and a place to clean himself up so off the the castle they go

- because of who they are eugene and cass are like i’m not sure about this one blondie

- she ignores them

- so varian gets all cleaned up and him, rapunzel, eugene, cass, and lance sit down together for lunch

- yea i’m totally 16 years old, 100% not 13

- so they eat and chat and all is well until rupunzel gets called away and when she comes back she’s like stressed out because of course they can’t just have one relaxing day

- she informs them that someone from old corona pulled up and was like umm the baron just came to our city looking for this boy and the kid might be in trouble

- varian hears and is terrified because if his dad and co. were looking for him he was in huge trouble for leaving

- so when raps and co. go to handle the situation rapunzel tells varian to stay there and he just smiles and nods, but the second that they’re gone he Books It

- he finds his way to an abandoned building and sets up shop for the night

- he takes out the journal and starts to read and of course the womans journal eventually start talking about a flower that fell from the sky, the brought unbreakable rocks, and that could shield people from death

- at the same time the group got the small group of people from old corona to give a description of the boy and the group realizes its varian

- so they race back to where it is and realize he’s gone and cass and eugene jump to the conclusion that varian is working for the baron and was there to get information from them

- rapunzel doesn’t believe that because he’s a child, a child who very clearly is lying about his age

- she realizes that no matter what, he was too excited about the plant to not go harvest some, so rapunzel, lance, cass, and eugene go hide in wait for him

- back with varian he realizes that the flower this woman is talking about has the powers he has

- towards the middle of the journal the handwriting changes, it talks about a man whose wife died in childbirth, but she gave birth to a child who had blue eyes, and when he was upset unbreakable black rocks would form around him

- it got more and more paranoid as it came to a close, about how he thought he saw a large man with blonde hair watching their house, how he swore one day after him and his child came home the house had been broken it to

- varian is panicking at the end because the journal stops so suddenly when talking about this thing, the moonstone

- he decides to internalize it and not think about it

- he stays there until it gets dark and then goes to get the plant, if he was quick enough his father might not catch him and then he could get back to the tower 

- he approach’s the area where he knows some of the plant will be and then he gets chills

- he hears footsteps behind him and when he turns around he is face to face with the baron

- so raps and the gang watch from a far, waiting to swoop in and save varian, but varian and the barons conversation stops them

- the baron is all like i told you to never leave the tower, the world is dangerous and people will just take advantage of you

- varian gets mad because he spent 13, no 14 years of his life trapped in a tower because he thought it was dangerous and most people were so nice to him

- so varian calls him on it

- so they end up in a weird screaming match and the baron goes to grab varian and rapunzel goes in to fight or flight mode and is like leave him alone

- varian is confused because she was there, she was furious because it looked like this grown man was gonna hurt a child, and the baron was angry because they were interfering with his plans

- cass, eugene, and lance bust out after her and get ready to fight and the barons crew comes to help him, all while varian is on the verge of a panic attack because the world is so much better than he thought, his dad (???) might be a terrible person, and his parents might not have abandoned him

- his powers might also make him evil

- so almost at the same time the baron and rapunzel try to grab him to bring him to their side and he loses it

- black rocks shoot out of the ground at both sides, sending them flying and varian’s just like

- fuck

[aphroditelovesu]

Yandere Apollo w/Child!Like Rapunzel Headcanons

Request: ‘’By any chance do you write platonic fics if you do can you do (Greek Myth) yandere!Apollo having a child!reader who is like Rapunzel (just the hair) having healing power through her voice and hair (combined) y'know like she did to Eugene’’ - send by Anon.

"Your voice is the sweetest of all, my baby." - Apollo.

❝☀️ — lady l: okay, I did that, I'm not sure if it is good, I confess I'm not used to writing headcanons, but I tried. Constructive criticism is welcome! :)

❝☀️ tw: yandere themes, mention of murder and torture, possessive and obsessive behavior, child being taken from its mother. If you are uncomfortable with some of these topics, I recommend not reading.

When you were born, your mother always knew you wouldn't be "normal", after all you were the child of the god Apollo, therefore a demigod. She always knew you would have some kind of power, but she had no idea what you were really capable of.

Apollo has many demigod and god children, but you are his favorite. Since your mother got pregnant, he's become especially attached to you and no one knows why he insists on being with his mother at every stage of her pregnancy. It wasn't natural, since normally after the gods impregnate a human they tend to "abandon". He would be together in absolutely everything, like your mother or not, and no one would dare to contradict the god.

You were the apple of your father's eye. He absolutely adores you and, against all the other gods' habits, he took you to raise you. He didn't mind your mother's disagreement at all, he strictly warned her (threatened) not to try to interfere in your relationship.

As you were born a demigod, he will transform you into a minor goddess. He wants you to be immortal so you could be with him forever.

It wasn't until you grew up and discovered your powers that you finally understood why your father was so protective and smothering of you. You possessed a special power, that none of Apollo's other childs, your hair, was magical and could heal wounds and even bring people back to life. Your power was unique and must be protected.

Apollo became overprotective, smothering and possessive of you. He adores you, ironic isn't it? The god worshiping a demigod. You weren't like the other children, you were more special, so he took care of your education himself. No one could educate you like him, he's sure of it.

You can't talk about Apollo without quoting Artemis. Artemis didn't think much of you at first, she just thought you were one of the many children Apollo had. But when he decided to raise you, that's when things got interesting. Artemis also developed a platonic feeling for you, when she first met you and realized how sweet, innocent and naive you were, the goddess knew she had to protect. She was probably just waiting for you to become one of her Hunters (if you are a girl).

As you grew up, your hair was already so long that you had to spend hours of your day combing and pinning it, but you liked it that way and you knew your father did too.

You also possessed the gift of music, of course, you were the child of the god of music, but along with the healing power you possessed, your voice soothed whoever you were going to help. Although Apollo doesn't much like you getting close to other people, except him and Artemis.

Speaking of which, Apollo won't allow you to have a relationship with anyone when you reach marriageable age. You will stay with him, he will make sure of it. Apollo is more than willing to shoot a few of his arrows at any suitor. Artemis, who has become as protective of you as he has, won't mind helping hunt down anyone who approaches you in a romantic way.

Apollo loves it when you sing to him when he gets hurt. He is the god of healing, but he prefers you to heal him, singing a gentle melody as you wraps your hair around his wound.

Although Apollo is known to have many lovers (most tragically dead) he doesn't want you to have the same experiences, he doesn't want to see you cry over being rejected and, out of his own selfishness, he doesn't want you to leave him.

Apollo will allow you to grow a little, but only up to 16 years old. You were adorable as a child and became stunning as a teenager and that attracts attention that he considers unnecessary.

There are few people who know of your power, being the gods themselves and your mother. Apollo wants it to remain my secret as long as possible, he knows it's selfish to keep a rare gift that can help humanity all to himself, but he doesn't care, you were his child and he would make sure you stay by his side forever.

If you were taken from Apollo, by some monster or even human, oh boy, it would start a war. He doesn't care one bit that he's not the god of war, he'll probably convince Ares to help him (maybe Ares developed his own obsession with you) and he's more than willing to destroy the entire world just to have you back. Curse the place where you're being held with a plague, flay the kidnapper alive, and definitely, after that person's death, would ask Hades to torture them forever in Tartarus.

Apollo tries to be a good father to you, and he is. But you know he's both selfish and jealous, he doesn't want to share you with anyone but Artemis because he trusts her and knows she adores you. The god knows the power you have is special, how your hair shines, your singing and how you can heal people and even bring them to life, should be shared, but again, he is selfish and he is not letting go his little girl/boy leave his side. You belonged on his father's side and he will reward you eternally if you are a good girl/boy and listen to him.

[sparkycanteven]

I’ve had this headcanon for awhile, only @nerdasaurus1200 knew about it because it was intrinsic to our little collective hc but I thought I’d share here. Nobody has to share this HC, but it’s been a thing that was on my mind for awhile. 

Ever notice how we never exactly see Gothel with a dude? Yeah sure, she jokingly flirts with Shorty but anyone who’s nuanced can tell she’s largely being sarcastic, we never see her get remotely starry-eyed about any of the male protagonists, now granted, they were a great deal younger than she was and one was after her “daughter” but we never see her get even remotely wistful about the opposite sex, in fact, she seems kinda.. man-hate-y? Not in an obvious way, but in a more understated “I’ll tolerate this jerk until I can do better and then he’s as good as dead.” sort of way. 

What I’m getting at, is even though we know Gothel has had male romantic partners in the past (how else could Cass exist?), we don’t get the feeling that she ever truly had deep feelings for them, but that doesn’t mean that she never had deep feelings for anyone ever, and that’s where my headcanon is going.

Meet Gwen.

Gwen, my own OC, is a fiery, red-haired Scottish lady whom Gothel did have deep feelings for, and who returned them wholeheartedly. But Gothel… is Gothel… and her ways eventually ended up breaking poor Gwen’s heart. Gwen was unwaveringly faithful to Gothel, but sometimes love just ain’t enough and Gothel valued attention over everything, she wasn’t all that faithful to Gwen and that’s how baby Cassandra was born. 

From birth until the age of 3, Gwen helped Gothel with baby Cass, because she was really in love with Gothel and even though how baby Cass was conceived broke her heart, she still loved the child because the child was absolutely innocent in the matter. Now, again, this is my own headcanon and no one else has to share it, but in my own little version of events, a lot of the “good” things that Cass associates with Gothel, could actually be attributed to Gwen, with the exception of the music box. That happened post-Gwen.

Unfortunately, Gwen left after a horrid fight when little Cass was 3, a full year before the memories that Zhan Tiri showed her, so she does not really remember her, and of course Zhan Tiri wouldn’t show her anything to do with Gwen. Gwen is a powerful witch in her own right and wouldn’t like the fact the little girl she started out helping to raise ended up associating with a demon. If Gwen had been involved in her upbringing, things would have been so different in Cass’s life, but that’s not the way things went.

After Rapunzel was stolen, it was my headcanon that Gwen did come back to the cottage to look for little Cass, but she was already gone having been taken by the Captain. Gwen however, assumed Gothel had taken her daughter with her. 

This little HC - and remember guys, it’s just a HC and no one else has to share it - is all because I couldn’t really stand the fact that bebe Cass had no maternal figure in her life worth her salt if we follow show canon, and I just have a hard time believing that Gothel would act remotely maternal to a child that couldn’t benefit her in some way. So while, she may have been a “good” Mom to Rapunzel that was because she was keeping the flower alive, her “drug” if you will. She would not have behaved the same way toward baby Cass, in fact I’m amazed baby Cass survived past her initial infant stages. It would be my headcanons that that is attributed to Gwen’s being there. 

I also couldn’t stand the thought of grown-up Cass not having a Mom figure to eventually come home to, because that is technically all Cass wanted when she was a child - she just wanted a life with her Mama. So I created one for her. If anyone wants to share this HC, I’ll be flattered, if ya’ll dont - that’s okay too, it’s just mine but I wanted to ramble about it here. Be kind please. :)  

[dreamsmp-au-ideas]

eah!punz fills me with joy. like, ever since he was a kid he knew that his destiny was to be kidnapped for the first 18 years of his life, and to grow up believing that his only value was his healing ability.

even rapunzel herself prided his powers, practically living through him and using him much like gothel did to her. whenever she felt any kind of pain she would call for him. punz was there, with his blond hair wrapped around his mother while his little brother was born. he had hoped and prayed that purpled wouldn’t have the same power, but unfortunately, he too was born with flowing blond locks.

punz grew up reading all of the different versions of his mother’s story, and each time was filled with more fear and anger. why should he have to live like this? to grow up with your only purpose to keep someone young and beautiful sounded like a nightmare to him, and knowing that he would be locked up terrified him. he had always been a very adventurous kid, sneaking out of the house to build sheds in the woods, where he would later bring purpled and show him how to hunt.

as he grew up, and the time to sign his life away neared, punz got more and more anxious. was he really going to do this? he tried asking around to see if anyone had refused before, but he was only answered with “if you reject your destiny then we’ll always have your brother”.

he knew he had to do it. for purpled.

except... he started meeting people at school who felt the same. people who wanted to rebel against their destinies, like tommy, who drank so much caffeine that it was concerning, and tubbo, who was terrified of using powerful magic in fear of hurting his friends.

then, punz had an idea. he took purpled out to a shed they had made together, deep in the forest next to school, and he took out scissors.

“we will be free if we cut it off right now.”

EA!Punz my beloved.

They just have such an interesting story and man I love their arc and god, it gives me so many feelings.

[intothewickedwood]

Once Upon A Time Rewatch: 7x15 Sisterhood

I cannot remember which episode this is at all.

It must be so freaking weird to have your older sister suddenly become your much younger sister. It’s wild!

How do the Tremaine sisters naturally have magic? In pretty much every instance in this show characters with magic were either taught, they’re a magical creature (e.g. Maleficent and Ursula), they’re born that way due to having a magical parent or they’re born that way due to their parents sharing true love. It’s weird that Zelena was born with magic since Cora was taught but there’s a case for it being from her biological father’s side. So, the Tremaine sisters either have magical ancestors or their parents were true love. It’s hard to believe given how Marcus and Rapunzel’s relationship turned out but, hey, Zelena and Hades were true love too.

Gosh, how could Drizella turn on her sister like that? Anastasia did nothing to her, except for being most loved by their mother but that’s not her fault.

It was weird when Gothel disguised as Regina started laughing in an evil way because Gothel isn’t really one to laugh.

I forget why Gothel presumably wanted the curse cast in the first place. Did she need to be in the cave she was in in 7x19 and 7x20? Couldn’t she have sacrificed the coven in the Enchanted Forest? I guess she thought she’d find the Guardian in the Land Without Magic. And she could make Alice suffer more to further test her guardianship and keep her in one place.

Wait, Gothel wants the power Anastasia has as the Guardian so Anastasia can procure the Dark One’s dagger? That certainly wouldn’t kill Anastasia. Unless she means Rumple will kill her. But surely Gothel didn’t need the Guardian just for that. Couldn’t she have used a locator spell? It always confuses me because in 7x19 it looks like Gothel specifically needed Alice all along to enact the spell that would kill everyone in the Land Without Magic, given the ingredients. I mean, she couldn’t have really taken the blood of the person Anastasia wanted to spend the rest of her life with because she’s just a kid. And giving her the key to the grove wouldn’t have made sense, though I presume she could have gotten something else to represent ‘love betrayed’.

Oh, I see. Gothel has already started taking magic from Anastasia and plans to take the rest. I’m not sure how. That’s probably what would kill her. So, she does just want the Guardian’s magic to find the Dark One’s dagger. I’m sure there are easier ways to locate it.

Isn’t she 14? I suppose they were just guessing.

Okay, that’s terrifying.

Ivy’s pretty strong. Jack’s a muscle-y guy and she beat the heck outta him. You go, girl! I could never. I’m weak as hell.

Why didn’t Ivy go to the police?

Why does Gothel put Drizella through this trial, again? She wanted her to cast the curse, so why risk her life? 

Oh yeah, Facilier knows about Ivy and Jack’s scuffle because he was the one who aided Jack in going after the witches. I always forget that. Maybe he didn’t want Jack to go after Ivy because she has no interest in the dagger and so that’s why he’s helping her.

If I remember correctly, Facilier’s playing a double game here. I suppose he would want Anastasia dead because she can trace the dagger for Gothel but he doesn’t strike me as someone who would kill a kid.

Those cards are awfully specific.

This season is very confusing. I love it but I’m only just understanding these details now after, like, 5 rewatches.

Is Ivy controlling that lantern with magic? She can’t be.

I wonder why Gretel felt like she and her brother raised each other. They had their dad. Did he die?

Gretel’s candy magic though lol.

Are those the weapons on the wheel symbol of the coven, I wonder.

Anastasia’s powers are so cool. How did she suddenly become so powerful? Even before she absorbed Drizella’s magic she had power levelled up considerably since her lantern-magic days.

Anastasia: “All I ever wanted was for us to be home together.” This poor, sweet girl.

Anastasia was straight up gonna call Drizella a “lying bitch.”

What Ivy is doing to her sister is so freaking cruel. She loves and trusts you, Ivy!

Does Anastasia even know her mother’s dead?

Jacinda just kissed Henry on the cheek! Does a kiss on the cheek not count as a true loves kiss? A kiss on the forehead sure does. I guess they both need to believe in true love. But that still could have killed Henry. Not that they know that.

Did Drizella carry Anastasia all the way to and up the building they’re in? I’m telling you; this woman eats her spinach. 

Oh, so Drizella knows that Gothel was the one who trapped her mother in the tower. I wonder if she knows about her mum poisoning her step mum with Gothel’s prompting. Probably not.

I think Drizella had a crush on Gretel, or I like to believe it. She has such strong bi vibes. 

Come on, Drizella! Use your incredible strength of an ox! 

Lol, Facilier just sprinting the heck outta there.

Can’t get over how cool Anastasia’s vibrokinesis and telekinesis look.

How does Gothel know about the lantern incident?

I reckon Gothel is just testing Anastasia here. If she kills Ivy, then she’ll no longer be the Guardian and thus won’t be useful to Gothel.

It’s getting freaking confusing again. Okay, so if Ivy killed Anastasia, Gothel would get Anastasia’s magic. I guess it would be courtesy of Facilier’s ritual but they need to state that more clearly in the show because I’m only now making sense of this.

Imagine if Anastasia just stabbed Gothel instead lol.

Aww. They made up!

My mum and I always cackle at Rumple over there in the background trying to comfort Anastasia. It makes me wildly uncomfortable. I guess it’s because we’re not used to seeing Rumple like that.

Rumple, what are you doing lol??

So, Ivy could have just asked Anastasia to pour her magic into the bean all along. There was literally no need for any sacrifice. But I guess that’s what happens when you don’t just ask.

Bye Tremaine sisters. Enjoy having no indoor plumbing! 

How is it they got so much more development than Cinderella? Ella deserved more focus and flashbacks prior to meeting Henry as well.

Oh good. He was never going to kill Anastasia. I was getting worried there.

That is so sweet of Faciler, giving Regina the magic to save her son.

[weirdthingskid]

The Post Where I Actually Explain the DM Tangled AU

Grampa uses a magic flower to keep himself young (Grampa = Gothel)

He eventually gets married to Gramma/Petey’s mother, who I’m calling Stephanie for now (Stephanie = Arianna/Frederick)

She’s the queen of Collardale, he’s a random feline who fancied her for the convenience of the AU and this post

Because Grampa’s evil, he tries to take over the kingdom, which prompts Stephanie to show him the door

That last point was while the latter was expecting Petey

Grampa plots revenge since he’s pretty peeved at that queen now

Stephanie falls sick during the pregnancy, then the guards take the magic flower Grampa’s been using for a bajillion years

Petey’s born now, but with a fire-colored magic tail? (Petey = Rapunzel)

The lanterns are sent into the sky in celebration

Gramps, after a few weeks, kidnaps Petey both to spite Stephanie and for the magic powers

Right before the kidnapping, Grampa cuts the end of Petey’s tail, rendering it flat

Stephanie sends the floating lanterns in hope that her son will come back

Gramps locks him in a faraway tower, telling him the outside world is dangerous, and he believes it

At least, until a kitten comes flying through the conveniently open window, just a few months before his next birthday (Li’l Petey = Pascal)

His existence contradicts what Grampa said about the world being cruel, but Petey assumes the kitten’s an exception

Petey lets him stay UFN (because it’s not like you’re going to let a seven year old leave while you can’t)

While they have a good bond, one, it’s not as strong as canon yet, and two, they get on each other’s nerves way more frequently, which is saying something

Then the day before Petey’s (21st? 25th? Something higher than 20 for sure) birthday, a certain dog-headed human breaks through the roof of the tower...

And that’s basically the prologue :)

[rachelbethhines]

Tangled Salt Marathon - Day of the Animals

While perhaps not my favorite episode this season, Day of the Animals is easily the best written story of season three. Even so, it still has problems due to the third season’s poor approach to characterization. 

Summary: Rapunzel, Varian, Angry and Red are returning stolen loot that the two girls had stolen years ago. They are accompanied by Max, Pascal, Ruddiger and Hamuel who all cannot stop quarreling with each other (or in Hamuel's case, just being useless). While messing with a sea shell pendant, it magically transports the humans into it, leaving the animals to fight over it. A minor thug named Dwayne, steals the pendant forcing the animals to work together to retrieve it. 

So Why is a Polynesian Inspired Kingdom Within Riding Distance of a Northern European Country? 

If you’ll remember my review of Beginnings, Neserdina’s princesses were wearing Polynesian garb and dancing the Hula when prepping for the competition. Now I’ve already went into length as to why that’s not good representation, but in addition to that it’s also just plain dumb. You can’t just transport one ethic group and dump them into another part of the world because it’s convenient for you. You don’t earn any brownie points for doing that. Especially when your fantasy world is still based off of our own historical earth. 

To make things even more confusing, we actually saw Neserdina way back in season one in Way of the Willow. It’s where Willow bought the gremlin knock-off. 

That is an island. How the heck do you get to a volcanic island riding in a horse and cart? And don't tell me they’re riding to a port, because Corona is a port city already. They could have gotten there by boat. It’s also can’t be too far away from Corona’s borders if Angry and Red were able to get there on foot during their year long travels. 

The only explanation is that the entirety of the Tangled crew doesn’t understand geography, and this won’t be the last example in the show to back up that statement. 

So Why Is Rapunzel Here?

We get explanations for why everyone is on this road trip, except for the main character herself. Red and Angry are trying to return some stolen loot. Varian is wanting to pick up rare alchemy supplies at the market and was invited along because Raps hopes it’ll be a chance for Ruddiger and Max to get know one another better. 

But why on earth does Rapunzel feel the need to come on this trip herself? Doesn’t she have a kingdom to run? While I’m sure Eugene is more than capable of handling things, this doesn’t reflect well upon the writers supposed plan of making Rapunzel appear more responsible. 

Literally any other adult could have come along on this trip. This wasn’t something Rapunzel needed to waste time on. Lance especially would have been more appropriate here as he’s the one who’s suppose to eventually adopt Angry and Red.  And the sad thing is, all they had to do was give Rapunzel a line about needing to attend some sort of diplomatic business in Neserdina. That’s it. 

In a show that’s supposed to be all about Rapunzel; Rapunzel sure doesn’t have a whole lot of reasons to exist in the majority of the episodes. 

Lack of Worldbuilding Strikes Again

At this point I’m kind of numb to the whole “magical thing just exists for no adequately explained reason” and so I’m not as upset as some people are about the shell necklace. But it’s still not good writing. 

Why does this thing exist? How did come to be cursed? How did it get mixed in with their stuff? What activated the magic and why did it only effect the human’s even though the animals were closer to it? 

Just something show. Anything. You bothered to give use rules for how this thing works and even stuck to them this time, but you can’t just make the last leg of the trip and give us some exposition? 

Yeah, okay. 

So Where Exactly Are We in Relation to Corona?

We can see Pittsford and Ivangarr on the road sign and we have to be in riding distance to Neserdina from Corona, but like are we in Corona still? Are we in Koto, which is Corona’s nearest neighbor to the east according to season three. Are we in some no-man’s-land where none of the kingdoms have control, or are we already in Neserdina itself? 

The series gives us no sense of direction nor any firm placement for Corona within it’s world. I only know it is a Northern European country because Corona itself is a peninsula with a north sea, uses French, English, and German fashion/customs, and Rapunzel is a Germanic fairy tale. But like those clues are thrown into a blender and contradicted several times over, on top of never being told where it’s closest kingdoms actually lie. 

All of this matters when traveling and exploring the wider world are big themes of your show. You need more solid and consistent world building than this. It also impacts how much authority and control your main character has within the episode itself if she range of political power is limited to one area. So like we need to know where the heroes stand here. 

(FYI I personally headcannon Corona as former Prussia which was once part of Germany and it’s alliance of smaller kingdoms. It’s also a peninsula next to the Curonian Spit) 

This Is Not Progress

Okay so the idea here, is that the show is implying that Rapunzel is trying to improve Corona’s justice system over Frederic’s previously inhumane crack down on crime. However, this is terribly executed. 

For starters the show has never called Frederic nor Rapunzel out for their previous misbehavior. You can not change any system for the better without acknowledging the flaws within said system first. Therefore this comes right out of nowhere and doesn’t stick around long enough to stay within the viewers minds for later. 

Secondly, Rapunzel is incredibly fickle about who she does and doesn’t set free. The Saporians were still in the dungeons last time we saw them, Caine was shipped off to the prison island and left to die there as far as we know, and the Stabbingtons are shown shackled together in the wedding short even though they supposedly changed their ways and befriended Eugene again. 

Meanwhile Dwayne and Stalyan are free to go their marry way and continue their life of crime, Varian is only released from his overly harsh punishment because he kissed Rapunzel’s ass not because it was wrong to imprison him in the first place, and later Cassandra gets away scot free because she’s Rapunzel’s bestie even though she committed the worst crimes out of everyone in the show and for very little reason. 

That’s not justice. That’s not compassion. That’s not progressive reform. It’s just nepotism, and it’s every bit as corrupt as Frederic’s classism and totalitarianism. 

Just because Rapunzel is “nice” it doesn’t mean that she is kind. Real reform has to treat everyone with equality and have a set of base standards that are beyond one person’s personal judgment. She is still a dictator and an abuser even if she lets the occasional person go free on a whim. 

Finally, Rapunzel’s methods are just downright ineffective. Dwyane may not be a threat to our heroes, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a threat to other people. He’s not actually sorry about trying to rob people at knife point and he fully plans on continuing being a thief after feeding Rapunzel the lines she wants to hear. 

Furthermore, we don’t know if this course of action is born out of malice or desperate need. He half heartily comments about finding ‘an honest job” but can he even do that? Is it even a realistic option for him? The series has been weaving this class inequality theme through out it’s past three seasons and directly connecting that to Corona’s crime rate. 

Eugene had a hard time finding a job during season one directly due to his past record, remember? A life of crime he was forced to lead in order to survive, and he’s the Prince Consort! What chance does Dwayne have? Did Rapunzel even try to help him find work or did she just wag her finger at him and told him “Now, now, stealing’s not nice.” 

The show wants to act like Rapunzel is this progressive reformer but then they turn her into a Republican instead. That’s not me being sarcastic either, this approach to criminal justice is the foundation of conservative belief and has been for centuries. The right are not interested in why people commit crime. They don’t care about addressing the fundamental problems in society that lead people to break the law. Let alone bother to analyze why those laws exist in the first place. Instead they resort to doublethink and survivor bias to either write off those that fall through the cracks or make excuses for why their policies repeatedly fail, often ignoring the fact that things aren’t actually working for whole swathes of people who aren’t themselves.  

Tangled the Series is far too simplistic and childish in it’s approach to deeper subjects like this to enforce the messages it supposedly wants to enforce. Rapunzel herself relies on magical thinking, double standards, and personal bias to see her through every and any problem and the show just rewards her for it rather than challenging her to grow and in doing so winds up supporting people like her in their authoritarian ideas, whether that was the writers’ intentions or not. 

In short, Rapunzel shows no interest in putting in the real work it would take to implement genuine restorative justice. She doesn't honestly care about Dwyane or his victims. She’s just posturing here for the sake of her self image.  

You’re Not In Any Position to Talk Rapunzel 

Speaking of Rapunzel being a hypocrite.... The entirety of season three’s main conflict is her having a petty bitch fight with her supposed best friend and needlessly dragging everyone else into it.

In fact that’s the whole show. Rapunzel repeatedly failing to get along with other people because she’s deep down a shitty person despite the veneer of ‘friendliness’ she slaps on to hide it. Having her just say she knows better does nothing to convince me that she’s actually learned anything. You have to show that she’s learned it first, and that requires acknowledging her own wrong doings.  

Varian’s face here just tells it all. Rapunzel is full of shit and no one in the show knows it better than him. Why are they even friends again? Why should we trust her with the three kids she neglected more than once? Why should any of these people take what she says seriously? 

Well This is Contradictory

Also, since we brought up double standards, here’s Varian undermining that whole “jail is bad” thing Rapunzel is trying to push with Dwayne and later with Cass. Not only is the show under cutting it’s themes for a joke, but it just reinforces the abuse Varian received. He’s now bought into Frederic’s stupid beliefs and winds up reinforcing to the audience that that his ‘reform’ was due to his past imprisonment.   

As an adult watching this series, Varian’s supposed redemption continues to increasingly look like a victim complying with their past abuser out of fear of further harm rather than anyone genuinely learning to be better.

Can We Please Stop Infantilizing the 16 Year Old

As if to deflect from Varian’s past mistreatment and continuing parentification, the show then goes on to showcase the opposite extreme whenever possible. I know it’s hard to tell just from these few screen shots alone, but over the course of season three Varian is spoken down too and treated condescendingly by the rest of the cast, and by Rapunzel in particular, even as he enters his later teens/early adulthood.  

Some of this is just to due to Rapunzel being her usual holier than thou self, but there’s also times, like here, where Varian is lumped together with the actual children of the show, even though he’s 6 to 8 years their senior. 

In fact out of everyone Rapunzel interacts with, Varian’s actually the closest to her in both age and development. Queen for a Day forced the two of them into a power imbalance due to a mixture of classism and society’s ongoing unhealthy (and often artificial) divide between younger and older teens, but as we get further and further away from that point in time and as Varian nears the same age Rapunzel started out as, that imbalance becomes less and less relevant. 

Look at how this scene is framed, He’s standing between Angry and Red and is placed lower than them to make it look like he’s one of them. He’s not. 

Varian may still look 12 with his big old eyes and short stature, but seeing as how we’re past Hearts Day, he’s actually close to being 17, if he isn’t already. The timeline gets even wonkier after The King and Queen of Hearts, but trust me, we’re close to being two years past Queen for a Day, if not more so. 

Varian, for all counts, should be Rapunzel’s equal by now in terms of story. Not only is he closest in age to her, but he’s also the only other person going through a coming of age arc. And of the two, Varian’s the one who has actually learned and grown as a person. He has more real world experience than Rapunzel ever will and knows how to implement that experience. (He’s also the more mature, but that’s more of a failure to write Rapunzel competently than a reflection of his capabilities.) 

No matter how you slice it, Varian shouldn’t be taking orders or advice from Rapunzel; no one should be, really; and he most certainly shouldn’t put up with her condescension. Rapunzel is not his nor anybody else’s mother. She’s not even a big sister like figure, and at no point should be treated as the leader of anything or anyone. 

Rapunzel is a Poor Man’s Rose Quartz 

I typically try not to draw too many comparisons between Tangled and other shows outside of the occasional parallel, as a show should be able to stand on it’s own for good or for bad, but it’s hard not to discuss the series without also discussing Steven Universe in some way. 

Steven Universe is this generation’s Batman the Animated Series or Scooby Doo. It’s the game changer that everybody else is trying to copy in some manner. Chris desperately wants Tangled the Series to be the next Steven Universe, right down to how the show is structured, paced, and what themes are presented. But unfortunately Chris has no idea why Steven Universe works the way it does. 

For starters SU adjusted it’s pacing as it went along, smoothing out its rougher edges while Tangled doubled down on its filler. SU had a planned arc from the get go and stuck to it, so that by the time the twists came they made sense. SU kept it’s focus on Steven purposefully so that the story unfolded from his view point while making to sure to acknowledge the importance of other characters around him and their conflicts. It didn’t make him infallible nor shove aside everyone else’s arcs.  

But most importantly, Steven Universe was written by a bisexual nonbinary person who set out to make a show for people in the queer community like themselves. Meanwhile, as a middle aged white man, Chis hasn’t a damn clue about his primary audience and has shown no interest in connecting with them. 

This isn’t to say that Steven Universe is a perfect show. No show is beyond criticism. Nor is this to say that straight white cis men can’t write; many of them do and can portray characters unlike themselves competently enough. But if you’re completely disinterested in other points of view than you can’t be a good writer of fictional stories, that’s just a fact. Because in order to understand proper characterization you need to acknowledge that not every character ever will be like you and that even you’re main heroes will hold beliefs and experiences different from yourself. Otherwise there is no genuine conflict to build off of. Either no one will disagree with each other or the conflict will come across as flat and forced, complete with lopsided bias. 

Therefore, in the end, Rapunzel winds up being less of a Steven and more of a Rose Quartz/Pink Dimond. Both are spoiled princesses/co-rulers of a kingdom that mistreats it’s people and anyone outside of it, who rebelled against their guardians, supposedly out of a sense of justice, but really for themselves and their own freedom, only to make things even worse for everyone. On top of that they both accidently harmed their friends, freindzone their best friend while also bossing them around, are condescending to their love interests, is controlling of people who trust them, and throws temper tantrums when they don’t get what they want, oh and neglected someone for an inhumane amount of time. 

Even then, Rapunzel winds up being the worst of the two. 

The whole point behind Rose was that she is someone whom the main characters place upon a pedestal and as the series went along slowly had the scales fall from their eyes and learned to view her for who she really was flaws and all. By the end, in Future, she is even metaphorically removed from her pedestal when Steven removes her picture from the wall.  

Rose also grows as a character, unlike Rapunzel. Her story is deliberately being told to us backwards. The awful person she was in the past was no longer who she was by the time of her death. True she was still flawed, and the consequences of her actions continued on even after her demise, but she actually tried to be a better person. She got called out for her behavior, she wasn’t excused for actions even when the show explained why she did what she did, and she stopped doing harmful actions whenever she realized that they hurt someone. 

Greg was allowed to stand up to her and show how she was wrong, and she respected him for it and later fell in love with him because of it. She tried to better control her temper when she wound up hurting her friend. Her failed revolution and her mistreatment of Spinel was actually born from a misguided desire to help, rather than outright selfishness. 

Rose Quratz/Pink Dimond is a brilliant fucking character. You may not like her, but you can’t deny that she is one of the most complex figures in children’s media to ever be created. She is real, nuanced, and multifaceted. He role within the story is complicated, messy, and intricate. She is the most well rounded female character I’ve ever seen and she is what I had hoped Rapunzel would be when I first watched season one, only even more so as the actual focus. 

I want women in cartoons to be people! 

But Rapunzel fails at every turn to follow through with this promise. She is not a deep complex character. She’s not a flawed and complicated heroine. She’s a blank canvas in which the creator can shove his creepy ass views upon. She is never taken off her pedestal, she’s never allowed to be wrong, and she is forced to spout the the creator’s personal bias against other characters. 

Rapunzel isn’t a person. She had the chance to be one, but then was reduced to .. to this. As a woman, the treatment of Rapunzel and Cassandra in this show is just flat out insulting. 

So What Is the Difference Between Angry and Red Now?

I’m all for character growth, but at this point Angry and Red are just interchangeable. Anything that made them uniquely them has been lost, and they’re now just fulfilling the generic rambunctious little kid trope. Red becoming more assertive shouldn’t mean she stops being an introvert altogether; that’s not how that works. While Angry shouldn’t lose her temper completely just because she’s wiling to open up more. 

So Why Dwayne?

I like Dwayne as a character and in truth I don’t mind his existence here, and unlike that werewolf hunter last time he at least was established in a pervious season. But this is still time that could have went to a more important antagonist. 

Also notice that Dwyane gets a villain song, but not Lady Caine or Zhan Tiri. Just saying. 

Rapunzel Has Not Earned the Role of the Wise Sage and Mentor 

Rapunzel has never learned to listen to others. Ever.

On it’s own this might have been a good speech, but when taken in context of the wider story it just makes Rapunzel look like an ass. 

A year traveling does not make Rapunzel suddenly all knowing. She is not wiser nor more experienced than anyone else in this scene. She’s also a crappy leader and big fat hypocrite.  

Even when she’s technically right, as seen here, she’s still in the wrong because she never follows through and acts upon her own advice; making this whole story pointless in the grand scheme of things. 

And that’s the core problem with season three. Rapunzel is shoved into a role she is not designed for and the whole premise of the series runs right off the rails. You’re main heroine in a coming of age story can not inhabit the mentor role. She can not simultaneously learn and grow and be always right while instructing everyone else. 

All through out season three Rapunzel is either rendered completely useless in her own damn series, or she utterly fails to fulfill any sort of narrative promise laid out for her while she infuriatingly hijacks the story from more interesting and dynamic characters. 

Behold The Only Reason Why Varian was Included in the Episode 

Speaking of hijacking things, Rapunzel of course has to get the idea to save everybody, even though what she thinks of isn’t anything special. It’s not derived from her character as an individual nor from all that experience she supposedly has. It’s literally an idea anyone could have come up  with and the show just hands it to her in order to justify her exitance. 

Meanwhile the character who actually is useful to the plot is sidelined and reduced to just a plot device. And not just here, Varian is rendered practically pointless in all but two episodes in season three, even in episodes that he actually should have more impact in, like the season opener and series finale. 

Good writing treats characters as equally contributing to the plot in ways that complements who these characters are.  

Ok I’ll Admit That This Line Is Funny

Look, I know this whole review series is about pointing out the negative, and I stand by my opinion that Tangled the Series is one of the worst written shows I’ve ever seen, but I want to make one thing clear.... I do not hate the show. If I hated the show I would not waste my time reviewing it. 

Yes the over all writing is shit, but there are a lot of good things to be found in the series beyond just the crap story arc. The humor is usually solid, the animation is gorgeous, the music is a delight, and the majority of the characters are likable even though they don’t develop in the ways that they should. There’s a lot of talent that went into this show and there’s a lot of potential to be had in it’s set up and lore. 

Being critical or negative about the aspects of something doesn’t mean you dislike it, or that you’re not a real fan, or that you’re just a ‘hater’, and I actually find TTS to be fascinating because it’s such a mess. I write reviews because they’re fun and because I genuinely think there is something to be learned from Tangled’s mistakes. 

So Why Do We Cut Back to Rapunzel Here and Not Varian? 

This is such an odd framing choice. Varian is the one who is talking and reacting to what’s happening. It’s his pet that’s in trouble and therefore he carries the emotional weight of the scene, and yet it’s Rapunzel’s shocked face we focus on? Why? What’s the point of that? She has no business being the center focus here. The action does not involve her. 

If you wanted to include her for a later set up then why not have both her and Varian present in this shot? Usually I can at least count on the story boarders to frame things better than this, but they really missed the mark here. Unless Chris is just that stupid and petty that he over ruled them and forced Varian out of the scene, but that seems like a pointless fight to pick, even for him. 

See This is How you Fulfill a Narrative Promise 

The conflict between Ruddiger and Max was set up in season one with What the Hair, then it was reiterated a few episodes ago during The Lost Treasure of Herz Der Sonne, and then it was reintroduced in this episode along with a stated lesson about working together that they needed to learn. By they end of the episode, guess what, they’ve learned to work together. That is how you properly set up and resolve a conflict. 

It’s clear from this that the writers of Tangled the Series know the basic tenants of writing and how to fulfill narrative promises. So the fact that they don’t follow through with this in the majority of the show’s episodes and ongoing story arcs just baffles me. 

Is it negligence? Is it hubris? Is it incompetent management and editorial mandates? Is it just one asshole ruining everything or is this a failure in the writers room as a whole? 

I just don’t understand what the fuck went wrong here. There’s no reason for why the show got as bad as it did. How does the most acclaimed animation company in the world put out such amateurish tripe? 

Just... wow. 

Now you know why I’m mesmerized by this show. It is a mystery to be solved, like trying to figure out how the crew on the Titanic fucked up so badly or why Hindenburg blew up. You just can’t look away. 

Conclusion 

Like I said at the start, structurally speaking this is the strongest episode of the season. I personally enjoy Lost Treasure a little more, just because Rapunzel annoys me less in that, but it’s not a bad story. However when you’re best episode in your final season is filler, then you know you’re in trouble. 

If you like my reviews and want to support my writing endeavors you can drop a tip in my kofi https://ko-fi.com/rachelbethhines

[slashingdisneypasta]

Slashers / Horror Villains as: Animated (Children’s) Movie Villain Songs

+ A Nightmare Before Christmas 

First of all, its mostly Disney. Second of all, I hope you know that this was a struggle for me. 

Also, note, Bubba will be the only Leatherface in this post and Billy and Stu will be the only Ghostfaces. There is Norma Bates though, so sort of a consolation. 

There are links to videos on YouTube ^^

~~~

Billy Loomis and Stu Macher / Ghostface: Playing With the Big Boy’s Now (Hotep and Huy, Prince of Egypt) 

Well... they’re part of the ‘big boys’, now! They are part of the Slashers group that, uh, ‘inspired them’. Imagine instead of Egyptian Gods, they’re chanting Slasher names. 

[HUY] Pick up your silly twig, boy [HOTEP & HUY] You're playing with the big boys now! Ha ha ha ha!

[EGYPTIAN PRIESTS] By the power of Ra Mut, Nut, Khnum, Ptah Sobek, Sekhmet, Sokar, Selket Anubis, Anukis Hemsut, Tefnut, Meshkent, Mafdet... 

Chop Top and Nubbins + Bubba Sawyer / Leatherface: Kidnap Mr Sandy Claws (Lock, Shock and Barrel, Nightmare Before Christmas) 

I mean... they aren't Drayton’s minions, but they are like this XD 

I say that we take a cannon, aim it at his door And then knock three times And when he answers Sandy Claws will be no more

Yes you're so stupid, think now If we blow him up to smithereens We may lose some pieces And then Jack will beat us black and green

Kidnap the Sandy Claws Tie him in a bag

Chucky / Charles Lee Ray: In The Dark Of The Night (Rasputin, Anastasia)

Mystical man? Check! ‘Betrayal’ (As far as he sees it)? Check. Made them pay? Check; I think Nica, Sarah and all the other families he destroys throughout the franchise can attest to that. And ‘One little girl got away’? Well Andy isn’t a girl, but yeah. Check. 

I was once the most mystical man in all Russia When the royals betrayed me they mad a mistake My curse made each of them pay But one little girl got away Little Anya, beware Rasputin's awake

Drayton Sawyer: Don’t Fall In Love (Forte, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas) 

Its such a crochety, unessessarily rude way of describing relationships to someone! I mean, I understand completely and resonate deeply with the desire to be alone and not be responsible for anyone else, but- come on! Beast doesn't share your view! Let it go! 

Its just like Drayton’s reaction to Bubba having a crush. Super cool video too! 

As soon as your heart rules your head Your life is not your own It's hell when someone's always there It's bliss to be alone

And love of any kind is bad A dog, a child, a cat They take up so much precious time Now, where's the sense in that?

Freddy Krueger: No More Mr Nice Guy (Rothbart, Swan Princess) 

A man with an uncomfortable relationship with the main female character pretending to be normal and not homicidal for a while before unlocking more power and letting there inner bad guy loose and taking great pleasure in it? Sounds familiar. They also have a similar vocabulary- except of course Rothbart is rated G. 

I'll become that nasty, naughty, dirty, spiteful Wicked, wayward, way-delightful Bad guy I was born to be

Lyin' loathesome, never-tender Indiscreet repeat offender No more Mr Nice Guy That's not me 

Inkubus: The World’s Greatest Criminal Mind (Professor Rattigan, The Greatest Mouse Detective)

‘Inkubus’ is literally a movie about him listing all his crimes over the centuries and messing with the police force because he has a bone to pick with a detective. Sounds pretty similar to me! Listen to the song! ^^

Now comes the real tour de force Tricky and wicked, of course! My earlier crimes were fine for their times But now that I'm at it again An even grimmer plot has been simmering In my great criminal brain! 

Jason Voorhees: Despicable Me (About Gru, Despicable Me) 

I... this is all I could think of!! But the more I listen to it and read the lyrics... it f i t s Jason so well! XD Please just let this slide; I know Gru isn't really a villain but he is at the start!! Let me have this. 

Why ask why? Better yet "Why not?" Why are you marking x on that spot? Why use a blow torch isn't that hot? Why use a chainsaw? Is that all you got? Why do you like seeing people in shock? But my question to you is "Why not?" Why go to the bank and stand in line Just use a freeze gun it saves me time. I'm havin' a bad, bad day It's about time that I get my way Steam rollin' whatever I see, Huh, despicable me I'm havin' a bad, bad day If you take it personal that's okay Watch, this is so fun to see Huh, despicable me

Jennifer Check: Trust In Me (Kaa, The Jungle Book) 

She’s a succubus demon. Tempting boys into a safe-feeling, docile state so she she can strike is her thing. 

Will cease to resist Just relax Be at rest Like a bird In a nest

Trust in me Just in me Shut your eyes And trust in me

Mayor Buckman and Granny Boone: Savages (Governor Ratcliffe and the Colonizer’s parts, Pocahontas) 

Obviously, because of the (Inaccurate) historical relevance of both movies (Different time’s, same terrible prejudice,) and also because there is definitely a very cult-ish feel about both Governor Ratcliffe’s song and Buckman’s leadership. How easily they’re able to gather support from their people for the most horrible reasons. How horrifying it is to audiences and historians. 

They're only good when dead They're vermin, as I said And worse

They're savages! Savages!

Barely even human

Savages! Savages!

Drive them from our shore! They're not like you and me Which means they must be evil We must sound the drums of war!

Michael Myers: The Gospel Truth II (Muses about Hades, Hercules)

In a Disney movie, Michael would have others sing his song about him as he goes about his silent, determined walking XD 

If there's one God you don't want to get steamed up It's Hades 'Cause he had an evil plan He ran the underworld But thought the dead were dull and uncouth He was as mean as he was ruthless And that's the gospel truth He had a plan to shake things up And that's the gospel truth

Midnight Man: Oogie Boogie’s Song (Oogie Boogie, Nightmare Before Christmas)

A song about a “Gamblin’ Boogie Man” is perfect for the Midnight Man! He and Oogie could be pals. 

Woah! The sound of rollin' dice To me is music in the air 'Cause I'm a gamblin' Boogie Man Although I don't play fair It's much more fun, I must confess When lives are on the line Not mine, of course, but yours, old boy Now that'd be just fine

Norma Bates: Mother Knows Best Reprise (Mother Gothel, Tangled)

Norma is soooooo so so so unbelievably manipulative towards Norman (And Dylan. It just works better on Norman) and this song absolutely presents that. She can go from sweet, loving mother to spiteful, heinous bitch in two seconds if Norman or Dylan don't do what or react the way she wants them to. 

Likes you? Please, Rapunzel, that's demented

This is why you never should have left! Dear, this whole romance that you've invented, Just proves you're too naive to be here Why would he like you? Come on now, really! Look at you, you think that he's impressed? Don't be a dummy Come with mummy

Pamela Voorhees: My Lullaby (Zira, The Lion King 2)

In a opposite approach to a villainous mother to Norma, we have Pam, who was heartbroken by the camp councillors letting her son die and vowed to get revenge. She didn't know she was teaching Jason to be the Crystal Lake killer like Zira did, but she did, and the whole song does have her kind of feel to it also. 

Sleep, my little Kovu Let your dreams take wing One day when you're big and strong You will be a kingI've been exiled, persecuted Left alone with no defense When I think of what that brute did I get a little tense But I dream a dream so pretty That I don't feel so depressed 'Cause it soothes my inner kitty And it helps me get some rest

Patrick Bateman: Cruella De Vil (Arthur, 101 Dalmations) 

Never before was there a song that described audiences reaction to watching Patrick living in his daily life and hearing his thoughts better then this one. 

Cruella De Vil Cruella De Vil If she doesn't scare you No evil thing will To see her is to Take a sudden chill Cruella, Cruella De Vil

The curl of her lips The ice in her stare All innocent children Had better beware She's like a spider waiting For the kill Look out for Cruella De Vil

Pennywise (Both): You’re Only Second Rate (Jafar, Return of Jafar)

Mostly for the video and Jafar’s energy in this scene actually XD So many transformations, so many tasteless puns! I was going to give this to Freddy but its the closest thing to Penny I could think of. 

Go ahead and zap me with the big surprise Snap me in a trap, cut me down to size I'll make a great escape It's just a piece of cake You're only second rate You know your hocus-pocus isn't tough enough And your mumbo-jumbo doesn't measure up Let me pontificate upon your sorry state You're only second rate

Sheriff Hoyt / Charlie Hewitt: Hellfire (Judge Claude Frollo, Hunchback of Notre Dame) 

A nasty filthy man who think’s he’s in the right despite being the biggest creep and monster ever? Mhm. 

*Note: I honestly didn't notice the deformed baby, Quasimodo/Thomas link until the day after I wrote this. Don't know how I feel about it. I mean, Hoyt is actually nice, in his way, to Thomas so the connection isn't totally there but onwards:

Beata Maria You know I am a righteous man Of my virtue I am justly proud

Beata Maria You know I'm so much purer than The common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd 

End of Post! 🌼

(Bonus’ under the cut) 

I did think of other connections which I obviously didnt landed on but still have merit! Here! 

Billy Loomis and Stu Macher: ‘Gaston’ was considered, but that would have just been a joke XD I don’t think Stu is quite as obsessed with Billy as LeFou is with Gaston. 

Chucky: Friends on the Other Side. Obviously! That link was actually what inspired me to make this post. In The Dark of Night fits to a T though. 

Freddy Krueger: You’re Only Second Rate! Ah, its perfectttt. But No More Mr Nice Guy fits better. If I ever do a Slashers as Disney Villains post, he’ll be Jafar for sure. Or Hades. Or Scar. Or Oogie. Probably Hades. You know what? Without the gore and blood and explicit sexual references, Freddy could be a Disney Villain himself. Its not like Disney hasn't towed the line before with perverted villains. >_> (Jafar and Frollo) 

Jason and Pamela Voorhees: Mother Knows Best! Of course. 

Jennifer Check: Love is For Peasants (Barbie Island Princess) Because Jennifer thinks like this: 

Men? <<< Literally anything else. 

Patrick Bateman: How Can I Refuse? (From Barbie Princess and the Pauper) XD If Patrick were a kids movie villain, he would totally join the ranks of corrupted usurpers pretending to be trustworthy royal advisory staff. Also ‘Let It Die’, that little interruption part of another song that O’Hare sings in the Lorax and ‘How Bad Can I be?’. 

[blue-rose-soul]

Rotbtd, Castlevania AU?

Okay, so I’ve never played the games - tragic, I know - but I have seen the Netflix series and enjoyed it quite a lot so that’s what I’m mainly using as the basis for these headcanons.

Also, mainly gonna focus on the Big Four and enemies here, unless I get some ideas for other characters.

Hiccup:

Hiccup’s from an entire tribe of Viking-like vampire hunters. However, he has a special ability that sets him apart from the others in his village; he’s a Forgemaster, trained under Gothi. Although he uses his skills in the service of humanity to hunt down vampires and enemy Night Creatures, he’s still somewhat of an outcast as the rest of his village fears his abilities. They use the weapons he makes and fight alongside him in battle, but Hiccup himself is the subject of a lot of gossip and conjecture, so when word came to their village of a powerful vampire amassing his armies on the mainland, Hiccup volunteered to go alone to investigate.

Although Hiccup mainly uses his skills to create weapons, he has made Night Creatures. Instead of reviving the recently deceased or pulling souls out of Hell, Hiccup creates them through wisps of conjured matter that gain intelligence. Most of his Night Creatures have dragon-like appearances and animalistic behavior. The only exception is Toothless, his favored Night Creature. Although Toothless looks and acts as animal as most of the others, Hiccup is certain that he has at least human-level intelligence. The two are fiercely protective of one another in battle.

When Hiccup and Toothless reach the mainland, they immediately get on the wrong foot with the Church who brand Hiccup a criminal and heretic upon seeing Toothless. This forces them to travel in hiding as Hiccup searches for information on the vampire warlord and allies in the fight. He finds his first ally in a princess of a vampire hunting clan.

Merida:

Like Hiccup, vampire hunting runs in Merida’s blood. Although she doesn’t have any supernatural abilities of her own, she is a fearsome sword fighter and archer. Her arrows are tipped with blessed silver and she has a sacred inscription on her sword that make both deadly to devil-kind. At first, Merida is suspicious of the strange Forgemaster and his Night Creature, but she is at least willing to give Hiccup a chance. When he explains his reason for coming to the mainland, Merida jumps at the chance to go with him to hunt down Kozmotis Pitchiner, aka Pitch Black.

Although vampire hunting is her family profession, it is usually the men in the DunBroch clan who do the fighting, while the women are more often expected to learn magic and offer support from a distance, if at all. Merida has been training to fight with her father all her life, but her mother wants her to remain within the keep and out of danger. Elinor wants her younger brothers to be the ones who take on their vampire hunting tradition, once they grow old enough. This frustrates Merida to no end and is why she is so eager to leave with Hiccup to hunt down Pitch. At first Hiccup wants nothing to do with this plan. He’d rather have the cooperation of the whole DunBroch clan than just one hunter, so he refuses and decides to try to find another way to talk with her parents. However, shortly after the keep is attacked by one of Pitch’s generals; Mor’Du.

Merida is a ruthless fighter. She does have a habit of rushing in and is quick to anger, but she offers more than a strong sword arm. Because she’s grown up in the area where Pitch is most active, she has an understanding of his movements and activities that help Hiccup figure out the vampires’ plans. She is also very knowledgeable about vampires and Night Creatures in general; their weaknesses anyway. 

Rapunzel:

The next ally Hiccup and Merida meet is the speaker magician Rapunzel. She was born to a royal family, but one of Pitch’s generals wiped them out, leaving Rapunzel as the sole survivor. Her parents gave the head of their guard a sack of gold and their baby and told him to run. He did, and eventually found the Speakers who took them both in. Rapunzel knows what became of her birth family, but considers the Speakers her real family just as much as them.

Rapunzel flourishes under the tutelage of the Speakers, wanting to learn anything and everything there was to learn. She is trained in the art of medicine but is equally a capable fighter. Her focus is on fire and lightning magic, using light to chase away the darkness. As she grows older she finds herself wanting to do more to help people who are plagued by vampires and Night Creatures. However, the Speakers are mistrusted and constantly find themselves at odds with the Church, so with villages frequently turning them away she grows frustrated with her inability to do more. So when Hiccup and Merida appear and protect her and her people from an angry mob, she thinks she’s found the solution to her problems.

Because of her study of ancient myths and lore, Rapunzel knows about a mythical hero said to be sleeping in the catacombs beneath the city. Although Hiccup is skeptical, Merida assures him that Speakers can be trusted and agrees to escort Rapunzel through the catacombs. Both are pleased and surprised to find Rapunzel doesn’t need an escort so much as backup.

Rapunzel is fascinated by Hiccup’s history; while the clan DunBroch is well known to her because her people have been traveling the area for a while, not much is known about the people of Berk on the mainland. Toothless fascinates as much as frightens her and she is curious if his existence proves that Night Creatures aren’t inherently evil after all.

Jack:

Three hundred years before Hiccup came to the mainland, Jack was a shepherd boy living peacefully with his family in a small village. Back then the church wasn’t quite so powerful and his village in particular had a strong appreciation for magic. So when Jack expressed an interest, he was allowed to study it. Fire and lightning spells escape him, for reasons he can’t quite figure out, but he is a prodigy when it comes to ice magic. By the time he was a teenager he could use powerful ice magic with very little effort. However, he didn’t have much interest in using it to fight. Sure, he used it to scare off the occasional bandit or wild animals that came to mess with the sheep, but for the most part Jack used his magic to paint patterns on the windows or create chandeliers of ice that hung from the trees, or build the perfect snow ramps for sledding. For Jack, magic was a way to add beauty and fun to the world.

Then Pitch Black came. At the time Kozmotis Pitchiner was known as a reclusive aristocrat, hiding his vampiric nature and biding his time. As he rode through the village one foggy afternoon, Jack caught his eye, as much for his unusual appearance - Jack’s albinism set him apart from the villagers - as for the ease with which he used his magic. At first, Pitch offered a sum of gold to Jack’s parents in exchange for him. When they refused he had them killed, and was about to kill Jack’s younger sister when Jack offered himself up willingly if he would just leave her alone.

Pitch turned Jack into a vampire against his will, then had him trained in combat magic. He wanted a loyal vampire who could turn one of the Church’s tools - holy water - against rival vampires who would not bow to him. However, he was not as successful at instilling loyalty in Jack as he thought.

Hiccup, Merida, and Rapunzel find Jack sealed in a tomb beneath the city where he has been imprisoned ever since inciting a rebellion against Pitch one hundred years ago; a rebellion consisting of humans and vampires. At first Jack is hostile, thinking that the presence of a Forgemaster means that Pitch has sent someone to kill him for good. He calms once he sees Merida and Rapunzel. When he learns that they intend to stop Pitch he agrees to join them in their quest.

Mor’Du:

Mor’Du is a warrior-wizard vampire who can take the shape of a gigantic demon bear in combat. He is tasked with eliminating with one of the biggest threats to Pitch’s plans; the DunBroch clan. He launches an assault on the fortress with the intention of slaughtering the clan, and is held off by Fergus the Bear King. Despite the clan’s defenses, Mor’Du manages to breach the fortress and bring the battle within the castle walls where his attacking force meets with the might of not just the DunBroch clan, but the Dingwall, MacGuffin, and Macintosh clans as well, all of whom are gathered together to stand against Pitch. Seeing as he won’t be able to defeat all four clans with his significantly smaller force, Mor’Du orders his men to take hostages and retreat. Hamish, Hubert, and Harris manage to hide safely in the walls of the palace, and Merida is safely with Hiccup in secrecy, but Mor’Du manages to take Elinor poisoner before retreating. With Elinor as his hostage, Mor’Du forces Fergus to stand down, but Merida vows to save her mother and slay Mor’Du herself.

Gothel:

As a vampire, Gothel has already attained her most important goal; everlasting youth and beauty. Although she doesn’t like risking her life, she joins Pitch’s plan in order to have an easy supply of humans to feed from forever, and he finds her skills in magic and alchemy useful. She was responsible for the death of Rapunzel’s family; not as part of Pitch’s plan, but because she was thirsty. She takes personal offense to Rapunzel’s survival and wants to kill her for no other reason than sheer pettiness. Gothel also has a dhampir child she neglects, who was involved in the rebellion against Pitch one hundred years prior. She has no idea her daughter is still alive and plotting against her and Pitch.

Drago:

Drago is Pitch’s military commander, and a Forgemaster of no small skill. He’s created a massive army of Night Creatures to aid Pitch in his plans to take over the world. He has also created a single, titanic Night Creature which the others in their army flock to. Drago claims to despise Night Creatures and vampires, but he respects Pitch nonetheless; or so it appears on the surface. Drago has every intention of betraying Pitch and seizing the world for himself. He’s not as subtle as he thinks. Pitch is aware of his plans but he needs his army of Night Creatures so he leaves Drago be for now.

Sergy Lermantoff:

Lermantoff is Pitch’s second Forgemaster. He loves Pitch deeply and is undyingly loyal to him. He wishes to become a vampire, but since only humans can be Forgemasters he is willing to wait until after the world has been successfully conquered. Most of his Night Creatures have serpentine features. He despises having to work with Drago and wishes to kill him, only holding back due to Pitch’s orders. He does keep an eye on Drago and report his actions to Pitch.

Grimmel:

Grimmel is the Bishop of the church in the first city Hiccup and Merida come to after the attack on clan DunBroch. He’s heard rumors of a Devil Forgemaster travelling with a black dragon and is suspicious of Hiccup immediately. Fortunately, Merida’s presence prevents him from having Hiccup arrested and executed right away, as the local people think of the DunBrochs as heroes and would side with her over the church. He has also been harassing the Speakers for some time, blaming them for the nightly assaults by Pitch’s forces. When Hiccup, Merida, and Rapunzel descend into the tomb to find Jack, he and his men are waiting at the entrance to ambush them. He tries to execute all of them for being ‘heretics and monsters’ but is ultimately stopped when the townsfolk rally around Merida.

Pitch Black:

The leader of the vampire armies, also known as the King of Nightmares. He was once a human aristocrat with a loving family. He became a vampire hunter after his wife and daughter were slaughtered by vampires, slaughtering thousands of vampires until the Church, growing fearful of his power and reputation, betrayed him. He was left for dead, and only survived when he was transformed into a vampire himself. Despite the Church’s actions, he attempted to return to his people, assuring them that he was still loyal to them and would still serve as a vampire hunter, but he was shunned. Pitch began to hate humanity just as much as the vampires he once hunted. He slaughtered the people of his city, demolished the Church, and rebuilt it as a city for vampires.

Eventually Pitch began to expand his ambitions towards the rest of the country; if it was his fate to be a vampire, he wouldn’t be like any of the vermin scuttling about in the dark. He would become the king of all vampires. He started gathering allies and useful tools. His goal is to set up an aristocracy of vampires openly ruling the world, with him at the top and all humans serving as food or slaves.

Other notes:

Rapunzel has short, brown hair in this AU. Like Sypha, she disguises herself as a man while traveling, although her disguise isn’t very convincing.

Hiccup’s Night Creatures are technically Innocent Devils (game exclusive, I believe). Most of them are stationed as statues around his island to serve as defense in case of a large scale vampire assault.

He hides Toothless in towns by altering his shape; making him small enough to hide in a pocket or bag, or by disguising him as a dog or other large animal. Toothless hates this.

The Guardians are all vampires, magicians, and warriors who were part of the rebellion against Pitch 100 years ago. Sandy was killed and the others are in hiding.

Cassandra is a dhampir who has been wandering from one small town to the next protecting people from Night Creature raids. She leads the human fighters when the Big Four make their final assault on Pitch’s castle.

Sometimes Merida, Rapunzel, and Jack forget that Toothless is a Night Creature because he acts so sweet and friendly with them. Then they see him in battle.

During the daytime, Jack curls up inside a wooden chest and is carried on Toothless’s back. He makes sure to give Toothless lots of pets and affection in thanks.

Although she has the Speakers’ account of clan DunBroch history, Rapunzel loves hearing about it directly from Merida. She is shocked and concerned by how much doesn’t line up with what she’s been taught, and it makes her question her people’s philosophy of never writing anything down.

Jack won’t drink from anyone without permission and never bites. Merida, Rapunzel, and Hiccup make small cuts on their bodies to allow him to sip from. Jack drinks from Hiccup most often because he says it’s less awkward than drinking from one of the girls. Hiccup doesn’t find it any less awkward, but allows it anyway.

Once Pitch is defeated, Hiccup and Jack decide to continue traveling together to try to find a cure for his vampirism.

Clan DunBroch offers their protection to the Speakers, but Rapunzel and Merida themselves continue adventuring together hunting down the remaining hostile vampires and Night Creatures, and helping the survivors of Pitch’s conquest rebuild.

[isitbussinjanelle]

Raya and the princesses (This is a modern AU)

“Alright, follow me you two.”

A storm trooper leads Namaari, and Raya threw the business of ‘Oh My Disney!’. With Raya and Namaari being the newest Disney princesses, they now had to accompany the other prior princesses in their dressing room for online Disney events. For Raya, this experience was out of this world. With the song ‘Let it Go’ playing in the background while Star Wars ships zoom across the sky along with dumbo, she was overwhelmingly excited. She felt like a kid in a Candy store.

For Namaari however, this was something she struggled to find enjoying. Namaari loves peace and quiet when she has it and will often spend her time reading a book or reading a Fang legend to a bunch of Fang children when she doesn’t have sparring sessions or piles and piles of Fang documents and contracts to sign. Namaari followed alongside the storm trooper while keeping her hands very close to her sides to avoid touching one of the happy square-headed people roaming around. Namaari also happened to be claustrophobic, so this wasn’t helping whatsoever. But when Namaari took one glance at Raya beaming with enjoyment and her eyes glowing, she decided that maybe enjoying her time there wouldn’t be terrible.

“OMG NAMI!!” Raya yelped. Nami was one of Raya’s many nicknames for the fang princess.

“What? What is it?” Namaari said frantically.

“It’s THE buzz light year! THE BUZZ LIGHT YEAR NAMI! Can we please go say hi? I wanna give him my best impression of himself,” Raya said with pleading eyes.

With Namaari being Namaari, she obviously couldn’t say no, because its Raya for Christ sake.

“Ofco-,”

“No. You both are already late for preparation for the ‘Which Disney princess are you’ quizlet. Let’s go.” Barked the storm trooper. Damn, who spit in your congee? Raya wondered.

Raya looked back at Namaari with a, can you believe this asshat, Kind of look. Pursed her lips and rose her shoulders in a, it is what it is, kind of look. Namaari and Raya were great at reading each other like this. They did it all the time when they had fights.

After a few more stops with Raya’s stalling, and more of the storm troopers eyerolling (which you couldn’t tell because of his helmet but it was obvious), they eventually made it too the ‘cast members only’ section. There they found Nick wild, Grumpy the dwarf, tinker bell, and hei hei.

“Ahh ha ha, so these must be the new princesses,” Nick walks towards the trio of the storm trooper and the Kumandran princesses. His words trail off as he looks at them both up and down.

“I gotta ask- no poofy dresses? Whats that all about?” Nick asks, direction his attention towards raya, then Namaari.

“Nah, dresses make it way harder to beat Nami at sparring,” Raya responds as she shifts her wight to her right leg and crosses her arms in a cool way.

“Please- like you’ve ever beaten be binturi,” Namaari blushes and mimics rayas arm cross. Nick gags at the mini flirting session.

“well, gotta hand it to ya princess- I think I like you more without the dress. I guess I owe Flash 10 bucks.” Nick says as he sticks a lollipop in his mouth and puts his shades on and walks away.

“Did a fox just try and flirt with me?” Raya laughed. Namaari was a little mad that anyone except her would talk to Raya flirtatiously, but brushed it off.

“You two are running short on time. You, go through that door, and you through that one.” The storm trooper points at two doors that are directly across the hall from each other. Namaari and Raya find this odd, especially because they’re both princesses- shouldn’t they be in the same room?

Namaari goes off through her door while Raya is ushered by the Storm trooper to go through hers.

“What an ass.” Raya mumbled to herself.

The Moment Raya looks up, she is bombarded with the smell of perfume, and sweet sounds of angelic singing. Raya looks around at the beautifully designed room. She stares over at the other women in the room, primping each other’s hair or mingling amongst themselves. She straightens her hat. She saw one princess playing jump rope with two others. But the jump rope was…hair? Raya was confused. Raya begins to “walk” over too where the other princesses are but struggles to actually move her legs because she’s not great with people. Especially because she hasn’t had much interaction with them for 6 years. She starts rehearsing in her head good things to say to someone, like compliments, and asking, “How’s the weather today?”. Small talk. Raya hated the concept.

She eventually builds up the courage to stop standing in her own embarrassment and walk over to the princess area but fails as she lands back first on the floor. She slipped in something.

The princesses immediately notice this because Raya was quite dramatic about her fall when she did. She groaned in agony as a beautiful princess rushed towards her.

“Oh! Are you okay? I am truly sorry. Raja must have peed on the floor again. Bad kitty!” The princess scolds her giant cat- tiger that lays on the long blue couch. He cocks his head in confusion when he heard his name. He ignores her and licks his left paw.

“OMG. Are you the new princess? Guys! She’s the new princess!” Another princess rushes over. This girl has wet curly hair with a black and white pig by her side. All of the other princesses file in over Raya. They all begin to clap whilst a princess begins to sing angelically in celebration.

“FINALLY! I’ve been waiting for another badass warrior chick to show up. Sick sword girl! Where’d you get it” A girl with short straight black hair grabs raya by the arm and walks with her around the room.

“oh- thanks! It belongs to my Ba.” Raya says as the puts one arm behind her head in nervousness.

“Whats a Ba-“ A princess with long read hair and rosy cheeks asks with a head cock. She’s cut off by the next princess.

“Holy crap! How are you’re arms so muscly??” One of the princesses asks as she squishes raya’s biceps, which makes her highly uncomfortable. Raya begins to back away from the large crowd of girls- which was a mistake.

“Um- yeah I guess so…you should see My girlfr-“ Raya is cut off when she trips over something on the ground and lands on something warm and fury- Raja.

Raja growls and purrs at raya, but then begins to lick her because he senses her fear. Raya leaps up.

“Gah! Don’t hurt me orange serlot!” Raya exclaims as the goes into the sideways feat position on the ground.

“Raja, play nice!” Jasmine says. Raya couldn’t tell it was here as she was rolled up for the sake of her life.

“What’s a serlo-“The same princess from earlier who asked what a Ba was asked. Shes interrupted once more once an unexpected guest makes an appearance.

“Ride Like the wind ya big fur-bug!” A girl with curly red hair flys’ around the room on- Tuk Tuk? He was here! Meredith nocks over a bunch of chairs and startles Raja.

“Fur-bug? TUK TUK!” Raya gets up in relief to finally see a familiar face- a face with a big wet nose. Tuk Tuk stops rolling and galops over to Raya, much to Meredith’s disappointment. All of the other princesses share an “aww” as Raya nuzzles Tuk Tuk with her nose.

“Boo! I was having fun ey? He sure is quite a ride tho. Ought to give the lad that.” Meredith said as she shoulders bumped Aurora. Aurora clears her throat and steps away from Meredith slightly.

“Glad to see you bud!” Raya said. All of the other princesses gather around Raya and tuktuk, who are still near the door. She never got to get fully settled in after being bombarded with questions and perfume.

“Now lady’s, I think it’s about time we all gave the new gal a proper introduction.” Tiana says with her hands on her hips, gesturing her statement towards Mulan and Cinderella, who were the main ones who asked Raya questions. They both giggle in agreement.

All of the princesses introduce themselves and show raya their power if they have one, or just tell her about their past and how they became royalty. Raya listens to each of them in awe but gets distracted during a few of the short speeches only to be wondering how Namaari was doing in the other room. She hoped Namaari was okay. They last few minutes mostly consisted of years and uh-huhs from Raya’s side as she listened to all of the princesses’ backstories. After a while, the very last princess told Raya about her backstory.

“And that’s how I saved the world with my good friend Maui, shape shifter, demigod of the wind and- “Moana goes on but gets cut off.

“Okay but for real, for once just say Maui and drop the formalities.” Anna groaned with impatience as she twirled her red strands of hair.

“Hey, I gotta give my man his credit. Put some respect on his name, you know?” Moana says all hyped up. Mulan screams “PERIOD” from across the room as she sharpens her sword. Pocahontas rolls her eyes at the childish ness.

“Period is so old now Mulan- no one says it anymore,” Pocahontas says.

“You right you right… SHEEEEEEESH” Mulan says as she connects two fingers to the crease of her forearm. She bits her lips and widens her leg stance. Moana dies of laughter at this.

“Maui does that all the time and its so fricking annoying,” Moana says. Raya laughs at all of this; she felt like she almost found her place. Raya loved making others laugh and enjoyed doing it in the form of 10-year-old boy humor. She was glad that these girls matched her energy.

“Guy’s, were kinda getting off track- New girl. How did you become a Disney princess? Who’s your prince? Or were you already born into nobility?” Tiana asks as she brushed Rapunzel’s long gold strands.

Raya pursed her lips. She hated speaking in front of large crowds. She was never the best at presenting school projects in her child days and doesn’t enjoy it now either. One of the many reasons why she is in no hurry to become Chief of Heart. Raya suddenly notices all eyes on her. Oh shit, they actually want me to speak? Fuck no-

“Um…” Raya starts. “Well, I guess I was born into nobility. My father is chief of my homeland Heart, a land in Kumandra,” she said nervously as she looked down and played with dead skin on her finger.

“And as for a prince- I don’t have one? I have a girlfriend named Namaari whos’ a princess of Fang, another land in Kumandra…” Raya noticed all of the princesses staring at her in awe and interest. Even belle put down her book once the Heart land princess mention a female love interest.

“Yeah…We kind of went from enemies to lovers. She sorts of stabbed me in the back when we were kids and caused our world to face 6 years of apocalypse,” Raya Gained some confidence s=once she realized her audience was enjoying her story. “But eventually I had to realize that maybe putting my faith in Namaari was the only thing that could save us. Kumandra. When the druun, which was the cause of the apocalypse, was closing in on me, Namaari, a baby named Noi, A buff winter soldier named Tong, and one hell of a cook named Boun, I decided that the only way to get us out of there was to use the one thing sisu wanted us to do; trust each other. I put my faith in Namaari, and she came through. And she has ever since.”

Raya finished. She looked around to see the other princesses gathers around her on their stomachs with their chins on their hands like little preschoolers.

“Woah.” They all said.

“Damn girl! That’s some powerful shit!” Mulan said as the rapped an arm around Raya’s shoulder in approval. Mulan was slightly taller that Raya, about Namaari’s height. Raya smiled sweetly as the other princesses Hollard in agreement.

“So how did you find all of these people? Noi, Tong, all of them?” Jasmine asked. She was sitting on her magic carpet with Raja purring by her side.

“Oh! I kinda scooped them up with me along the way. You see, I had to travel to each of the four kingdoms, Fang, Talon, Spine, and Tail to get these gem pieces that would save the world. I found Boun in Tail- He was my getaway driver-“

“From whom? Were the druun chasing you?” Elsa asked eagerly.

“Namaari. Namaari was chasing after me because…Actually, I had no idea why. Before she was chasing me, I had just gotten a Gem piece from Tail. Namaari showed up out of no where all of a sudden and mention something about the dragon scroll that I stole from Fang, which was useless to her which makes me wonder why she needed it; She was also holding my hair pin which is also kinda odd- “

“I KNOW WHY! SHE LOVED YOU RAYA WERE YOU BLIND? WHY ELSE WOULD SHE KEEP YOUR HAIR PIN THINGY?” Belle jumped up in excitement. She felt like this was some kind of good book.’

“Nah, it wasn’t love. I think Namaari wanted to get RIPPED TONIGHT-“Mulan shouted as the fake flexed her arms.

“RIP THAT PUSSY AYYEE!” Moana moved her arms and hips to copy the Tiktok trend. Aurora pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned at the immaturity. Raya was Hot red and covered her face to hide it- did Namaari actually like her at the time? I guess it would make sense, seeing as how Namaari always called her Dep la, which meant strangely beautiful.

“Ladies! Let her finish!” Tiana snapped. Raya could tell that Tiana was the mom of the group.

“Anywas, after I found Boun in Tail, I picked up baby noi in Talon, where she conned me- she faked cried so she could steal my gem piece,” Raya shook her head in laughter at the memory.

“That baby new what was up.” Pocahontas chimed in.

“I eventually caught her and her gang of Ongis and helped her earn some honest loot by helping me get the gem piece from the chief of Talon.” Raya concluded.

“We took Noi with us and went to spine, where tong captured me and sisu, and the gem pieces. Tuk tuk, Boun, Noi and the Ongis thankfully came to our rescue, but that was exactly when Namaari showed up in spine.” Raya said.

“Yes! More Namaari moments! Did you guys kiss?” Moana asked eagerly.

“Oh, they totally did more than that moana.” Mulan said with her eyebrows quirked and her arms crossed.

“Shut up! We didn’t do anything! She actually beat my ass.” Raya should choose better wording.

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” All of the princesses squealed, except for Meredith, who was busy trying to stop tuk tuk from eating cold beignets Tiana had made so they could go on another joyride.

“NO WAY. NO WAY. YALL DID? SHE DID? PERIOD NAMAARI AHHHH YESSSS!!” Mulan was jumping on the couch in happiness. Raya was blushing so hard that she had steam coming out of her ears.

“Uh, g-guys? If “Beat my ass” means what I think it means, then I think Eric might have beaten mine last night…” Ariel said with a blush. Mulan, moana and Pocahontas had their jaws wide open. Cinderella had her hand over her mouth to try and hold back her laugh.

“ARIEL! YOU NAUGHTY GIRL! I DIDN’T KNOW ERIC HAD IT LIKE THAT! WAS IT GOOD THOUGH?” Moana asked loudly, hoping eric would hear from across the hall. Ariel nodded. Ariel was known at the innocent one of the groups, so this was a huge shock to everyone.

“Same Ariel! Naveen gave it to me good last night if you know what I’m saying…” Tiana said as she poked her lips out. Moana and Mulan couldn’t help but squeal. Raya was on the ground dying laughing with Pocahontas at what Tiana said.

For the next few minutes, the girls all went on rants about their sex life, except for the ones with know love interest. They laughed a whole lot that day. Raya felt lightheaded the entire time she was there due to laughing.

Eventually, the girls decided to settle down and all watch the Lion king. Mulan made the popcorn, while Belle gathered the drinks. Raya had never seen the lion king before because this was her first time actually watching a movie with friends. The movie was great, but the loud commentary about the movie made by mostly moana and Mulan was even better, and the other princess agreed to this with laughter. During the Hakuna Matata scene, Mulan played Timone, and Moana was Pumba, while Raya tried her best to copy Simba’s lines for the mini skit.

“WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG WART HOG,” Mulan sang badly.

“WHEN I WAS A YOUNG WART HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGGGG!” Moana sang worse, which made the other princesses laugh.

The other princess enjoyed this. Raya didn’t that much, because she had to eat jello and pretend it was the bug Simba ate in the movie.

“WHAT IS THIS TEXTURE?” Raya shouted with a mouth full of goo. Jasmine died laughing from Raya’s response, along with Aurora.

“EAT IT YOU PUSSY!” Mulan shouted, breaking character.

All of the girls got emotional during the, can you Feel the Love tonight song. The all sang in harmony, except for raya because she didn’t know the song. Raya did however cry during the scene where Simba and Scar fought on pride rock and Simba almost died multiple times.

“NO NOT SIMBA!” Raya shouted at the screen.

“Don’t worry, he lives.” Meredith shouted from across the room, still trying to get tuk tuk up.

Raya Couldn’t help but enjoy the time she had they’re with the princesses. She felt at home. Obviously not like Kumandra, for that will always be her home, but she felt like she found her people. Namaari usually tool Raya’s jokes to seriously, or just pinched her the bridge of her nose and chuckle when Raya mad 10-yearold boy humor. Raya was just finally glad to find some girls who were wild like her.

After the movie ended, the girls clapped and cheered.

“Hey, didn’t when have a Disney princess quizlet to attend?” Elsa asked. Everyone else shrugged and ignored it. They actually didn’t have anything to attend, because as we know, ralph broke the internet, so nobody was able to go online and take the quiz.

“Quick question for you Raya- Is Boun Single, I mean, a man that can cook; that’s what I need” Moana said as she pointed to nothing.

“Preach.” Mulan commented.

“MOANA BOUN IS 10- DID I KNOW MENTION THAT?!” Raya said. All of the other girls busted out laughing.

“…I mean…A six year age difference is that-“

“MOANA OF MOTONUI!” Tiana shouted as she threw a pillow at moana. The other girls couldn’t help but laugh. Raya was going to have a fun time with these girls.

Credit: @gioistrying

[worryinglyinnocent]

Once Upon A Different Time - The Notes for 4B through 7

Here we go! These notes are nowhere near as detailed as the 4A notes and are very rumbelle-centric, but hopefully they’ll give you a good idea of what’s going on nonetheless. 

Under a cut because this got super super long. 

Season 4B - Queens of Darkness and the Author

General notes:

Maleficent is a major character this season, but only in flashback. Dead is dead, she’s not coming back.

In the past. Aurora’s parents (Stefan and Leah) made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin, the price being their first-born child. Stefan has a trick up his sleeve, as prior to his arranged marriage to Leah he had been in a relationship with Maleficent that resulted in a pregnancy. He plans to take his and Maleficent’s child and give it to Rumpel as his first-born. 

Stefan attempts to take Maleficent’s child (Lily), and goes up against Cruella and Ursula. In the scuffle, Lily, Cruella and Ursula all end up in the Land Without Magic, scattered. Lily is taken into care (where she will later meet Emma, call back to season 4A), Cruella and Ursula separately vow to find each other and Lily and return to the Enchanted Forest. 

Meanwhile, Maleficent swears revenge on Stefan and Leah and goes to Rumpel for a sleeping curse. He tells her that it’s best administered straight into the blood, and on seeing his spinning wheel in the corner, Maleficent gets an idea. 

In the present. Cruella and Ursula have found each other in New York, and have recognised Aurora there (call back to season 3B when Aurora and Mulan were hiding in Neal’s old apartment in New York). They track down the apartment and break in, surprised to find not Aurora (who is back in Storybrooke at this point) but Rumpel (he and Neal are staying in the apartment whilst trying to find a way to reverse Rumpel’s darkening heart). The three of them have a discussion about the idea of the Author controlling everyone’s fates, and they make a plan to try and find the Author. 

Neal and Rumpel return to Storybrooke, and Rumpel sneaks Cruella and Ursula into town. (Belle and Neal are aware of this going on and whilst not entirely happy about it, are also intrigued by the idea of the Author.) 

Cruella and Ursula also want revenge against Aurora for Lily. Aurora points out that since Stefan and Leah are both now dead, hurting Aurora will not cause them any pain and their vengeance mission is pointless. 

Regina infiltrates the QOD Squad, also intrigued by the idea of the Author; but her cover is blown when Cruella and Ursula threaten Roland and she jumps in to save him. 

Cruella and Ursula want to rewrite the story so that they stay together and stay with Lily. Regina wants to rewrite the story so that she never killed Marian and she and Robin can be together. Rumpel wants to write out the darkness. 

Being back in Storybrooke, Rumpel’s darkening heart takes a turn for the worse and he ends up hospitalised, much like canon 4B but without Zelena (who is definitely 100% dead). 

The Author creates a new story which creates a brand new Enchanted Forest (foreshadowing for Season 7). Everyone except Henry is transported there, as Henry was never a character in the first storybook. Henry and the Author fight it out over the quill, with Henry gaining the upper hand and becoming the new Author. He writes himself into the story so that he can go and rescue everyone. 

In the new story. 

Cruella and Ursula are living happily with Lily. 

Emma is a mad witch living in the forest; Neal is the anti-magic witchfinder determined to destroy her. 

Regina is a bandit princess a la Snow, Robin is the Sheriff of Nottingham type figure tasked with bringing her down.

Snow as the evil queen and Charming as her henchman.

Belle is the Dark One, Rumpel is the light knight destined to kill her. 

Henry convinces them to fight back against their assigned roles, ultimately allowing them to come back to Storybrooke. The New Enchanted Forest is not destroyed, and Henry decides to just let it develop as a new world naturally. After they are all back in Storybrooke, he destroys the quill, vowing that everyone has the right to choose their own fate and the Author is no more. 

Back in the present, everyone remembers Rumpel is in the hospital and they rush there to find him flatlining. Belle gives him TLK, which pulls him back from the brink but also untethers the darkness from him. The Dark One heads towards Neal as the next in the bloodline, but Emma jumps in to save him. 

Emma vanishes, and Belle sees the name on the dagger change. End season. 

Season 5A - Camelot and Dark Swan

Not gonna lie, I have NOTHING for the Camelot arc, other than Merlin arriving and being badass and not dying, and some Dark One history. 

Dark Emma is increasingly unstable and goes to Rumpel for help with controlling the darkness. Eventually she does something catastrophic but unintentional that sends Neal to the underworld (he was saving Henry) and triggers the march of the dark ones. Rumpel takes back the darkness from Emma with Belle’s blessing - he’s taking it back to save Emma and make sure no-one else experiences the pain of being the Dark One, not because he wants the power. (This is the moment when Rumpel becomes the Guardian although this is not revealed till season 7.) 

Together, Merlin and Rumpel stop the march of the dark ones (combined power of the Dark One and the Light One). 

The usual suspects decide to go on a road trip to the Underworld to find Neal. 

Season 5B - Underbrooke

Hades is not a villain. Persephone’s a bit of a trickster (she’s a bit bored and wants to liven things up a bit), but Hades is a neutral overseer sworn not to interfere. The drama comes from the characters trying to get to grips with things, there’s no real villain in this half-season. 

Although I do want to have an episode entitled ‘Ghosts of Villains Past’ guest-starring Cora, Pan, Zelena and Maleficent (all the villains who died in Storybrooke so far - potentially also Cruella since I don’t know what happens to her and Ursula at the end of 4B...).

Hades gives them a compass to help them navigate the underworld and find Neal. It will point to Rumpel’s son, he says. It immediately points to Belle. “It’s not wrong, it just takes the path of least resistance.” This is how we find out that Belle is pregnant with Gideon. 

Neal is found and everyone is returned to Storybrooke safe and well having done a lot of character introspection. 

During this season, Neal and Emma and Robin and Regina get their act together and couple up properly, and there are various relationship difficulties to be worked through in...

Season 6 - Gideon and Black Fairy

In the Past. The Blue Fairy, seeking to become the ultimate Good Being, uses a spell to separate her light and dark halves. The dark half, the Black Fairy, is banished to a realm of Darkness, but Blue wants to destroy her completely. Likewise, Black wants to destroy her light half. Both realise that the key to destroying the other is the sacrifice of a child born of both light and dark. This child is Gideon. (This also leads to some hilarity as the Blue Fairy is very concerned to know when Gideon was conceived - if he was conceived during the brief period when Rumpel wasn’t the Dark One back in 5A, then he’ll be of no use to her.)

In the Present. Black Fairy escapes the Dark Realm, bringing Hyde with her. Hyde begins to recreate the serum that split him off from Jekyll. 

Regina uses Jekyll’s serum to split off her dark half, the Evil Queen.

Belle is visited by a strange figure in her dreams who warns her about the darkness. Belle thinks that the darkness he refers to is Rumpel’s darkness, but she actually, you know, talks to him about it. Rumpel and Belle dreamwalk to meet the strange figure, who reveals himself to be Gideon and that this is the only way he can speak to them freely. 

Blue accelerates Belle’s pregnancy in the hope that Belle will give birth at the convent and she can steal Gid for her own purposes, but it backfires - she ends up giving birth in the pawnshop with only Rumpel and Henry present. 

Black steals Gideon and takes him to the Dark realm to prime him as her weapon of mass destruction. Shortly after Gid’s birth and kidnap, he returns as an adult and starts wreaking havoc.

Belle and Rumpel travel to the Dark realm to save baby Gid before he can grow into evil adult Gid. Regina and the Evil Queen go with them. Whilst in the Dark Realm, Regina realises she can’t separate herself from her bad deeds, she can only try to atone for them, and she rejoins with the Evil Queen. In the Dark Realm, Rumpel and Belle are confronted by their own Dark Halves (Dark One and Lacey), but emerge triumphant and save baby Gid. 

Blue and Black are forced to merge back together and are defeated. The series ends with a bunch of happy endings - Belle and Rumpel are happy with little Gid, Robin and Regina are together and Regina is pregnant (with the baby who will go on to become Margot in season 7), and Neal and Emma are happy together. 

We end with a flashforward to 20 years later with Lucy arriving on Henry’s doorstep. 

Season 7 - soft reboot

This season focuses primarily on the next generation alongside adult Henry making up the main cast. Regina and Rumpel are the only recurring characters from the previous seasons, but most of the others will guest at some point. 

An eighteen year old Henry decides to travel to the New Enchanted Forest that was created by the Author in season 4B, to see how the new characters are getting on. He meets and falls in love with Rapunzel (still Jacinda, she’s just not Cinderella in this setting), and the Rapunzel-Gothel story takes centre stage. Tiana and Tilly are also here because they’re awesome. Rounding out the rest of the main cast are the now adult Gideon, Roland, and Margot. 

Gothel casts the curse to bring everyone to Hyperion Heights from the New Enchanted Forest. Everyone in other realms is unaffected. 

Robin, Regina, Rumpel and Belle are all in the NEF at the time of the curse being cast - they were called in by Henry, Gideon and Margot to help with the Gothel problem. 

The curse splits up the couples - Regina and Rumpel are in HH, but Robin and Belle are elsewhere in the Land Without Magic, so we don’t see them as regularly. Lucy has to convince everyone to go on a road trip to find them.

(There is NO. TIME. TRAVEL.)

During this season the idea of the Guardian is mooted - Rumpel is already the guardian after the events of 5A, he just doesn’t realise until the powers are at rest and he’s mortal again. Belle and Rumpel have been travelling the realms to find the Guardian. At some point during their travels, they find Tilly.

Tilly is Hook’s daughter in the Land of Untold Stories (call back to season 4A). She is in the care of an unscrupulous guardian after Hook has been presumed drowned. He’s actually gone through a portal to NEF. Tilly is the Little Match Girl. Rumpel and Belle rescue and adopt her and she grows up alongside Gideon. 

(Gideon’s traumatic pregnancy and birth mean Belle and Rumpel are unable to have any more biological children.)

At the end, Tilly meets up with Hook and has a Railway Children ‘MY DADDY’ moment after the curse is broken. She still sees Belle and Rumpel as her parents, but she’s glad to have her birth dad back in her life as well. 

Gideon is Weaver’s detective partner which leads to much hilarity when Lucy tries to convince them that they’re father and son.

The curse is broken, everyone is reunited, and everyone gets a happy ending.  

Gideon and Roland end up in a relationship together, as do Tilly and Margot, and Tiana and Hook look like they’re headed that way too. (Got to pair the spares!)

And... that’s all folks! That’s all I got. Thanks for sticking with me to the end of this rollercoaster!

[magicofthepen]

Having put some amount of thought into similar concepts, I would very much love to hear about “Gallifrey BUT FANTASY”

Send me a WIP doc title (list here) and I’ll talk about it!

Thank you for asking about this one! It’s an idea that’s been slowly coalescing for at least a year and a half now – it’s never quite made it onto the active projects list because it’s a big one, and I keep having other big projects that I want to tackle first. But I love gradually coming back to and building this au, and hopefully I’ll write it eventually?

The general world premise is pretty straightforward: magic replaces both time travel and regeneration, so it’s a magic-based world instead of a tech-based one, and also the ability to do magic is only given to certain Gallifreyans (a Time Lords = mages sort of thing). Also in this world the different temporal powers/planets are different countries/kingdoms/empires. 

The story itself would be a series of three longfics that starts with a very narrow cast and gradually broadens to a more sprawling epic fantasy vibe as the series continues. A quick overview:

Fic 1 is a Romana/Leela Rapunzel AU (inspired by Tangled specifically tbh), ft. Pandora as the Mother Gothel figure. 

Fic 2 is the immediate aftermath of Romana’s return to Gallifrey and the "power struggle over the throne” conflict that emerges between her and Darkel. (Narvin and Brax show up in this one.)

Fic 3 is set some number of years after Fic 2. It’s a “Pandora returns” fic, but narratively it’s more inspired by the Time War. Devastating magical conflict, large cast of characters, but does have a hopeful/happy-ish ending. (Also: Romana/Leela/Narvin endgame.) 

Lots more rambling under the cut: 

Fic 1: Rapunzel AU

This fic is technically Tangled-inspired, but I should disclaim that I haven’t actually seen Tangled in many years, so my memories of it are somewhat vague? But there’s one scene from Tangled that inspired a scene in this fic, plus a certain similar enemies-to-friends-to-lovers vibe going on, and some inspiration for Leela’s backstory (if I’m remembering that movie correctly)? 

Romana is the Rapunzel figure, of course. The heiress stolen away from the kingdom as a very young child, so she doesn’t remember anything before being raised by Pandora. In this story, Pandora’s endgame isn’t to keep her trapped away forever – she’s grooming Romana to be able to possess her when the time is right and take the throne for herself. (Still need to work out a lot of plot details, including how much contact Romana has with the outside world, how Pandora is able to manifest without a body?? (because she’s definitely still a dark spirit of some kind in this world....), the exact nature of magic and magical rituals and how exactly Pandora stealing Romana and raising her benefits her endgame.)

(Also there’s an Etra Prime reference here, with Romana being trapped away from the world for twenty years. In this au, Pandora is also the stand-in for the Daleks – aka who/what Romana is most afraid of and traumatized by.)

Leela’s backstory is a work in progress, so I don’t want to say too much in case I change it, but at the point her life and Romana’s collide, she’s lived in Gallifrey before and it was not a good time. (On a side note: I feel like this fic may be a thinly veiled excuse to give Leela a sword.) 

This fic majorly focuses on Romana and Leela’s relationship arc, aka “extremely sheltered book smart mage who's been cut off from love and connection her whole life” meets “warrior who’s traveled a lot but has never really found a home anywhere and is (probably?) on the run from the Gallifreyan authorities for Reasons.” Short version: their lives collide, Romana gets tangled up in Leela’s plot drama (which is also mostly tbd) and ends up sneaking away from Pandora, they fall in love, just as Romana starts to see how much she’s been used and manipulated her whole life, Pandora tries to tear them apart and use both of them as pawns in her plan. Of course, they defeat her and all ends well (for now).

Fic 2: Struggle for the Throne

For Reasons (that will be uncovered later), the throne of Gallifrey has quite recently become vacant – just in time for Romana and Leela to show up in the capital city (they don’t ever go there in Fic 1). Romana just wanted to see where she was from after finally escaping Pandora, but in this world, Gallifrey has some sort of monarchy/inheritance of power thing going on, and Romana is actually the closest heir to the throne. The next closest is Darkel, who assumed she would take the throne, before Romana suddenly returns from the dead.   

Except Romana didn’t come back to take the throne. That was Pandora’s plan, Romana doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life and had no idea that she was walking into a power vacuum situation. But she ends up seeing how very terrible Darkel is, and how very terrible Gallifrey is, and starts genuinely wanting to be in charge so she can Change Things. She sees how terrible Gallifrey is to Leela (and other outsiders and non-mages) and wants to make this place better for her.....but over time gets swept up in the power struggles and the need to court favor with the other royals, which strains her relationship with Leela. 

Meanwhile, Leela’s dealing with returning to Gallifrey, a place where she already feels unwelcome (and probably is in some trouble with the law and needs to clear her name? again, lots of backstory details are tbd). And so she ends up struggling to decide if she really wants to be with Romana, if Romana’s going to end up in charge of this kingdom.....but she also hates Darkel and wants to help defeat her claim to the throne? I think there’s also going to be a plot thread in Fic 1 involving the village Leela was born in, and if so, this fic will also be dealing with the fallout of those events from Fic 1. (Keeping things vague because it’s all pretty up in the air right now.) 

And we finally meet spymaster Narvin, who is a main character from here through the rest of the series! I’m not going to get into his backstory in this au right now (because some things are still tbd, some things I don’t want to spoil), but he is not pleased about this young upstart heiress showing up out of nowhere and getting power handed to her without ever actually living in this kingdom. He doesn’t trust that she’s actually loyal to Gallifrey, especially since rumor has it she was raised and given/taught magic by some dark spirit – which goes against the long-standing Gallifreyan traditions of how magic is granted and taught and raises some major questions about how safe the kingdom would be in her hands. (These are also the prevailing arguments in general for tossing Romana’s claim to the throne.) 

Narvin and Leela also have.....a history. Not a particularly positive one. 

So this fic is also slowburn enemies-to-friends with Narvin + Romana and Narvin + Leela, as they gradually grow to understand and trust each other, and ultimately all work together against Darkel.

Brax is also in this fic? I am quite nervous about Brax being in this fic (I don’t feel qualified to write Brax! I usually avoid writing Brax for that reason!) But he’s the main “well-respected mage from an old family” who actually vouches for Romana and tries to help soothe the fears of the more conservative royals about supporting her claim to the throne. I’d also like to do a version of the “Brax as Romana’s tutor” thing, where he ends up working with her on developing her magic, since she didn’t go through the Academy system and is worried that her magic is tainted by Pandora. There may also end up being an almost-arranged marriage plotline with Romana and Brax, where certain people would be more willing to support Romana’s claim if she married someone respectable (and this is another thing that drives a wedge in Romana and Leela’s relationship). (She ends up turning him down, ultimately.) 

So it’s a fic about characters figuring out what they want in life and figuring out how to communicate better with each other and be better at relationships and friendships, all the while trying to stop Darkel from seizing the throne. 

Fic 3: Magical War

So there’s a significant time skip between Fic 2 and Fic 3 where the characters are going about their lives post-Darkel’s defeat and trying to make Gallifrey a somewhat less terrible place. 

But, however Romana and Leela defeat Pandora in Fic 1, it isn’t permanent. And when Pandora returns, it’s with an army of magical spirits (or something along those lines) that are slowly encroaching on the kingdom and poisoning magic itself (aka the Dogma virus But Fantasy). 

I don’t want to spoil too many of the plot details here, but this fic is a lot of “fantasy twist on specific events in the Gallifrey audios” – it draws some elements from the civil war, some from the Time War (especially because of that whole “Pandora is also Metaphorically the Daleks” thing), plus some other Specific Things from other audios. (Basically, I tossed the Gallifrey audios in a soup and stirred and made it fantasy?) 

Slow skirmishes and terrible attacks on the outskirts of the kingdom keep happening, Pandora’s forces draw closer and closer until they reach the capitol itself – and things go very wrong, and our main characters end up needing to wrest control back from Pandora (which may involve upending the entire system of magic in Gallifrey in the process? again, still figuring out how this fic is going to end – all I know is that unlike the actual audios, it will be a hopeful/happy ending). Lots of personal sacrifices are made, lots of old traumas need to be grappled with. Also re: Narvin/Leela and Narvin/Romana, this is the “friends to lovers” part of the “enemies to friends to lovers” slowburn arc. 

(Probably my biggest writing struggle for this fic is that I don’t really know what Brax’s arc is going to be. I’m not that familiar with Brax (I only know him from the Gallifrey audios), and I’m not strongly invested in his character, so I don’t feel like I’d do a good job writing him? But this is an ensemble fic and I can’t just ignore his character, so. it’s a challenge I don’t yet know how to deal with?)

But overall, one of the reasons I’m quite interested in this fic series is because it gives me the chance to write a version of these characters’ stories where things do get rough, but they do get a happy ending of sorts. (And more specifically, I get to write a version of Romana’s story where her self-sacrificing/suicidal tendencies actually get addressed, and she slowly starts to heal.) 

So that was a lot of rambling and vagueness, but thanks for giving me the excuse to talk about this au! It’s quite a daunting project (I have little experience with longfic and with plotty fic), but I’d really love to tackle it someday! (And I would love to hear about any fantasy aus you’ve developed!!)

[elsanna-shenanigans]

August Contest Submission #13: Icy Justice And Poisonous Roses

Words: ca. 4,500 Setting: Modern AU (Superheroes) Lemon: No CW: graphic violence, mentioned character death, trauma, acid burns, enemies to lovers, poisons

Elsa wasn’t a fan of these formal gatherings. Not that she didn’t enjoy a good party or enjoy dressing up, but mainly because of the sorts of people that were usually in attendance. People who cared more about the money in their pockets than the betterment of others.

Still, Elsa was the most eligible woman in the city and probably the richest woman in this room, so she had to keep up appearances, lest people suspect what she did in the hours she wasn’t running her company or attending gatherings such as this.

She stood by the window, gazing down at Arendelle City, wondering if she was doing enough for this city. Granted, things had gotten better, police reforms, elimination of the more corrupt members of the city’s elite, but still there was suffering in the streets and for every supervillain locked away, someone more powerful and dangerous likely took their place.

It was a long war, a war that Elsa often wondered the point of fighting for. But then she remembered her parents, of the man who had taken them from her, the pain that had caused her, pain that had awoken the power within her.

“Enjoying the view?” a voice spoke to Elsa.

Elsa turned around, seeing an acquaintance of hers, Hans Westerguard, walk over to her, offering her a glass of champagne. She should have been talking to him more tonight, what with this being the fundraiser for his mayoral campaign and Elsa being a major donor.

Hans wasn’t exactly a perfect individual, but considering he was running against candidates that were a mob boss who posed as a philanthropist and a businesswoman who Elsa knew had been supplying tech and resources to supervillains, he was the lesser of three evils.

He had a good sense of justice about him, being the current district attorney. Though, Elsa had hoped he could do more with his position. She hoped that by donating so much to his campaign, she might be able to sway him to enact more progressive policies once he was in office.

Though of course, he had to get into office first.

“Oh, Hans,” Elsa replied, fiddling with her braid and blushing a little. She was good at putting on a shy, flustered dork act, a deliberate act to play up her more casual nature in her secret identity. “I didn’t see you there.”

“You seemed to be staring off into space there,” Hans remarked. “Care for a drink?”

“No, I’m driving myself home tonight,” Elsa responded.

“Really?” Hans remarked. “I’d have figured you’d have gotten your butler to handle it.”

“Kai has the night off, visiting some old girlfriend of his,” Elsa explained. Kai had been working himself too hard down in Elsa’s hideout of late, so she’d given him the night off.

“Fair enough,” Hans admitted, walking up beside her. “So… what do you suspect my chances are?”

“Of what?”

“Winning the election.”

“Oh,” Elsa said. “Well, the election isn’t for another month or so Hans. There’s still plenty of time to go.”

“Yes, but as you’re my largest donor, you must have a lot of faith in me,” Hans stated, looking smugly.

Elsa rolled her eyes. She had to at least humour the man. “Well, since you asked so nicely… I think you’re the city’s best chance. You’ve actually got policies that seem to be what the city needs. The others just want to uphold the status quo that has caused so many innocent people to suffer.”

“Why thank you.” Hans said, sipping his drink “Though I think an endorsement from that wonderful hero Fenris would probably seal the deal for me in this election.”

Elsa chuckled. “I don’t think superheroes are meant to give that sort of political statement.”

“True, but she’s done more good for this city in the last three years than anyone else… well except…” The two of them then saw a woman with short dark hair and wearing a rather snazzy tuxedo walking towards them. Though she didn’t exactly look very comfortable here.

“Commissioner Espinosa, good to see you here!”

“Westergard,” the commissioner replied flatly.

Elsa smiled. Cassandra Espinosa was one of Elsa’s closest friends, one of the few people she shared her secret with. Despite Cassandra being a policewoman, she was actually living up to what a police officer should be, not someone who gleefully enacted brutality on innocent people, values much more like those of her father, the previous commissioner.

“Enjoying the party?” Hans wondered. “You must not get a chance like this often other than maybe the annual policeman’s ball.”

“To tell you the truth, I’m only here because we got a tip earlier that someone might be targeting you tonight,” Cass stated. “You have pretty lax security here.”

“Cass, I’ve helped to put away some of the nastiest criminals in this city, I’ve learned to live with people wanting to kill me. One more threat against my life isn’t going to change that.”

“Mr Westerguard?” someone called to him from the crowd. “The governor wants to talk to you!”

“Oh, excellent,” Hans replied. “Ladies, if you’ll excuse me.”

As Hans left, Elsa and Cassandra stood alone, Cass leaning against the wall and sighing. Elsa leaned close to her, wanting to give her friend some reassurance.

“Good man, but I wish he’d look out for himself more,” she remarked. “Anything on your end, Els?”

“Not exactly,” Elsa admitted. “I’m starting to think tonight might be a quiet night for once.” She smirked playfully. “At least you got to wear your tux again.”

“Yeah well, take a look while it lasts,” Cass grumbled.

“I know my cousin would,” Elsa remarked. “Surprised Raps isn’t with you tonight.”

“Yeah well, after what happened the last time I took her out,” Cass remarked. “I figured it best she stayed at home.”

Elsa sighed. Cassandra was dating her cousin and childhood best friend Rapunzel. A few months back, while the two were on a date, a sniper hired by a mob boss had tried to assassinate Cassandra. They’d failed, but Rapunzel had been gravely injured. Elsa didn’t blame her for wanting to keep her cousin safe.

“Still, aren’t you two planning to tie the knot soon?” Elsa wondered. “You’ve been together long enough.”

“I… I don’t know,” Cass admitted. “It’s hard finding a good balance between her and my work. I’m worried marriage might… complicate things.”

“I know how you feel,” Elsa replied. “It’s why I’ve honestly never had much luck with relationships myself.” That was a lie. There was one woman in the world she still loved… though she was partly ashamed to admit it, even to Cassandra.

Suddenly, the entire building started to shake. Elsa thought there was an earthquake and quickly grabbed onto something. There was panic and commotion across the ballroom, Cassandra grabbing onto a nearby wall for support. Screams and cries filled the room.

“What the fuck is going on?!” Cass shouted.

Elsa tried to reach for her watch, but she found there was no need to, as she then saw several large vines rising up from the side of the building pressing against the windows. She gasped, looking straight at Cass in terror as a dark shadow overwhelmed them.

“CASS LOOK OUT!” Elsa shouted, tackling Cass to the ground as the vine crashed through the window.

All across the ballroom, there was utter chaos as the gigantic vines smashed into the room, knocking people over left and right, firmly entrenching themselves into the walls of the building.

In the middle of the room, the largest of the gigantic vines smashed through the window, a gigantic flower at its tip. As it stopped in its tracks, the large flower burst open, releasing a gas that caused all those around it to cough and splutter. Through the smoke, a figure emerged from the blooming pink flower, a rather revealing woman in a skintight pink and purple outfit with green highlights and long red hair.

“Rosethorn,” Cass whispered.

Elsa blushed and looked away. Anna… why now…

“You gonna deal with her?” Cass wondered.

Nodding reluctantly, Elsa looked at Cass. “Try and keep her distracted, but don’t hurt her too bad… she’s still my sister.”

“Elsa, she’s trying to kill people!” Cass argued in a hushed whisper.

“I can see that but she’s still family!” Elsa rasped.

Cass grumbled. “You know if she was my sister, I wouldn’t hesitate but fine, I’ll make sure I won’t do any permanent damage to her.”

“Thank you,” Elsa said gratefully, before she quickly ran out of the room, Cass pulling her pistol from her pocket.

Elsa rushed out of the bathroom, making her way through the panicking, scared crowds. As she arrived in the room, she looked at herself in the mirror, making sure she was alone.

To think that tonight she’d have to face her sister again. The two sisters had always been close as children, virtually inseparable. But that all had changed one fateful night. Her wealthy parents had taken Elsa out to see a movie, but Anna had to stay home and do her homework.

Anna had been spared in a way, as on their way home from the movies, Elsa and her parents were attacked by a mugger. The mugger had killed their parents without a second thought, gunning them down. In a rage… something had awoken inside of Elsa, a power that no other human had.

As she got older, she learned how to control this power, a power to manipulate ice and snow to her whim. She soon discovered that some people had the rare chance of being born with such powers, people who were later dubbed Metahumans. While Elsa’s had been the power to control ice, Anna’s power was somewhat different.

A few months after the funeral, Elsa had discovered Anna’s powers had awakened as well, the power to control plants and other forms of vegetation. As elated as Anna was at using her new powers, Elsa was worried about her, about them both. At this time, Elsa had decided to hone her powers and train herself in the arts of combat and science so she might one day fight to protect the innocent people of Arendelle City, so that no other child would go through what she and Anna had.

Anna on the other hand… was a different story. Her plant-based powers had made her infatuated with nature. At first, Elsa was glad that Anna was using her love for nature to cope with her parents’ grief. But as they got older, Anna started to get more involved in environmental work.

More than once, Elsa had to bail Anna out of jail for getting involved in protests and the like. She worried Anna was going down a dark path. Yes, protecting the environment was a noble goal… but Anna seemed obsessed. And then one night, Elsa’s worst fears were confirmed when she found Anna attempting to strangle the CEO of one of her business partners.

“Anna let him go!”

“No, he has to pay! All their kind have to pay! They’re choking the planet to death, Elsa, and no one is doing a damn thing about it!”

“And that justifies you being a murderer?!”

“Why do you care? I thought you’d be happy seeing scum like this die, after what happened to our parents!”

“What?! Anna, No!”

And then Anna had used her vine to snap the man’s neck. A fight broke out between them, Elsa blasting Anna with her ice powers… and leaving a permanent mark in the form of a white streak in her hair. Elsa looked down, wondering when this nightmare would end.

She loved Anna, she always had… but at this point she had to accept that her sister was truly dead, replaced by a monster that now called herself Rosethorn.

Pressing a button on her watch, Elsa watched it transform into a device that released dozens of tiny nanobots that she then rearranged and merged with her ice, forming a wolf-themed armour and long cape that completed concealed her body, the symbol of her alter ego, Fenris appearing on her chest.

Elsa looked at her masked face in the mirror, glaring sternly. “This will be the last friend of mine you hurt, Anna. I swear it.”

———————————————————————————-

Anna grinned wickedly as she sat on her throne of vines as her large tendrils wrapped themselves around the building, bursting through the windows of the ballroom. She watched as the pitiful humans ran in fear, taking a certain delight in what was happening.

Rich fools. Their kind loved to pollute and terrorise the environment, now they would know what it was like to be terrorised. The large pods on the side of the vine that Anna was riding on burst open, releasing toxic gas into the room that caused those surrounding the tendril to cough and splutter.

But while watching the humans suffer was delightful, she had a more important goal in mind, one of these pathetic fools in particular. Hans Westerguard was running for his life, trying to make it to a nearby door. However, Anna sent one of her vines forward, blocking his path.

"Now where are you off to, Mr Westerguard?” Anna sultrily remarked, getting off her throne. “We have important business to discuss.”

Hans turned, realising he’d have to hold her off. “What do you want, Anna?”

“Why, my dear, you of course,” Anna said, stroking the underside of his chin with her gloved hand. “I’ve waited a long time for this.”

“Look, Anna, I know I’ve made mistakes, but this isn’t right?”

“Isn’t right?!” Anna yelled. “Oh, it is very much right, Mr Distrct Attourney. You lined your pockets with all the greedy fuckers in this town who destroy and pollute the earth around you, who tore up innocent grassland to build a Metahuman prison where I was tortured!”

“They were trying to help you!”

“Help me?! I don’t need help!” Anna growled, wrapping tendrils around his neck. “I’ve dedicated my life to protecting this planet and all of its natural beauty. If that’s so wrong, then I’d prefer not to be right.”

Hans choked and gagged, struggling to breathe. “Anna… Ack!”

“What’s that Hans? I can’t quite hear you over the innocent people you’ve stepped on!” Anna growled. Suddenly, she heard a loud gunshot. A bullet flew through the air and pierced one of the tendrils around Hans’s neck. Anna screamed, feeling the pain like it was one of her own limbs as Hans was freed.

Cassandra, along with a few other out of uniform police officers and security guards, had arrived, taking aim at Anna with their pistols. “Come quietly, Rosethorn!”

“You’d protect him, officers?!” Anna remarked. “Such a deplorable monster who would be better off locked up in jail?”

“Look who’s talking, red,” Cass growled. “Put down the tentacles and I promise you, you won’t get hurt.”

“Dear, dear commissioner,” Anna chuckled. “I have no intention of doing anything of the sort. However

"Then, I’ll take you out as well!” Anna roared, sending another flurry of vines at the officers, the ends of the tendrils opening into mouths full of razor-sharp teeth.

The vines disarmed the other officers quickly, one of them literally disarming one man, spewing blood all over the ground from the severed limb. Not wanting to suffer the same fate, Cass quickly ducked out of the way, unloading a few bullets from her pistol into two of the vines.

However, she wasn’t fast enough, as a third quickly rushed up behind her. But Cass could be attacked by the vine, a blast of icy wind quickly froze the tentacles and a sharp sword made of a mix of ice and metal quickly slashed them apart. Fenris then stood, her wolf-like appearance and glowing blue visor making for an intimidating look.

“Ah, my dear arch enemy,” Anna said with a laugh. “Figured you’d be coming to the rescue of the oppressors.”

“The only person oppressing people is you, Rosethorn,” Fenris stated, pulling out her sword. She looked over at Hans, who was stumbling to his feet. “You alright, Mr Westerguard?”

“Fine, now that you’re here,” he groaned.

Rosethorn cackled. “I think it’s time I dealt with you first, my frozen foe. Let’s see if this will melt your icy armour!” She then sent out one of her tendrils behind Elsa, which shot out a glob of acid.

Hans’s eyes widened. “Look out!” He yelled, to which Elsa was barely able to react in time. Hans then leapt in the path of the glob of acid… and was struck in the face. He screamed and cried out in pain, writhing on the floor as the acid melted his face.

“Hans!” Fenris exclaimed, rushing to his side. She was almost sick at the sight of the injuries on Hans’s face.

“Oh well, I doubt he’ll be running for office anytime soon,” Anna remarked as she jumped onto one of her tendrils. “Time for me to make like a tree and leaf.”

Elsa turned to look at Anna, then she gazed down at Hans, who was still in agony. Cassandra rushed to Hans’s side, looking up at her.

“Go after her, I’ll take care of Hans and the wounded,” she reassured her.

“Thank you,” Elsa replied, before she then got up and rushed after Anna, the latter’s tentacles retracting from the building and coalescing into some kind of gigantic tentacled plant creature that leapt across the rooftops. Elsa stared at the Lovecraftian horror that Anna was controlling, wondering how powerful Anna was now.

Leaping from the window, Elsa used her ice powers to alter the shape of her cape into a pair of icy wings and activated jet boosters in her boots that sent her flying through the sky after Anna. Summoning her ice sword, she slashed through one of the tentacles.

Anna cried out as her creature rocked about from the loss of one of its limbs. “Gah!!”

“Take this!” Elsa shouted, blasting the tentacled creature with her powers. The creature managed to dodge the attack and one of its tendrils wrapped around Elsa, throwing her down onto a nearby rooftop. Anna then leapt down from her creature, summoning blades made of thorns that she slashed at Elsa with.

Elsa brought out her ice sword again, clashing it against Anna’s blade. Anna summoned her tentacles again, trying to attack Elsa with them. Elsa turned around, quickly taking out all the tentacles with ice spikes that brought Anna to her knees with pain, as Elsa quickly blasted her tentacle creature apart with an icy blast.

Reeling from the pain, Anna then screamed in agony her eyes glowing a sickening green as a gigantic tendril burst from the ground beneath them, quickly wrapping around Elsa tightly. The blonde tried to fight, but this tendril’s grip was much tighter, Anna pouring all her strength into it.

“How about a little spin!” Anna cried out, commanding her tentacle to spin Elsa round and round as fast as it could, before launching her into the sky. Elsa screamed as she was flung across an entire city block. She eventually landed though, crashing into an abandoned building a few streets away, smashing through a window.

As she rolled on the floor in pain, Elsa grunted. “Damage report.”

“Nanosuit integrity at 65%,” her suits onboard computer reported. “Minor external and internal injuries, recommend evasive action.”

“No way,” Elsa argued. “Anna’s madness ends tonight one way or another.”

“Where are you?~” Anna called out in a sing-songy voice. Elsa grunted, and rushed into a nearby stairwell, cloaking her retreat with an icy mist. She headed down a nearby stairwell, panting heavily. She was still shaken up from the impact, but she needed to get away from Anna.

If she could lull Anna into a false sense of security, she could jump her and take her out easily. But of course, she needed the essence of surprise first. She looked in the corner of her eyes, watching Anna’s tentacles quickly rushing down the stairs. She ducked into another room to avoid them.

Using the technology in her mask, Elsa scanned the building around her. This was once an office building, which meant large open rooms, not many places to hide.

“Don’t think you can hide from me for long, ” she heard Anna’s voice again. “I’ll always find you, my dear sister.”

Elsa didn’t respond, merely continuing to scan the room. Eventually, she managed to find herself an air vent. It didn’t take much effort to freeze the grate and smash it apart so she could climb inside. Crawling up the vent, Elsa rested and panted. Anna likely wouldn’t be able to find her here.

“What’s the matter, Elsa?” Anna remarked. “Nothing to say to your dear sister?”

“My sister is dead!” Elsa shouted, crawling down the air vent.

“Yeah right, keep telling yourself that,” Anna told her. “You should be grateful I haven’t blown your secret identity by now.”

“What’s stopping you?”

“Because I still carry a torch for you, Elsa,” Anna argued. “Hell, part of me once hoped we could do this together, make the world pay for what it’s done. To itself… to us.”

“I’m not a killer,” Elsa replied, crawling further. She looked through her visor, seeing that Anna was directly in the room below her, vines surrounding her. She had the element of surprise now.

“Neither was Hans, yet he’s just as guilty as one, what with his connections and dirty money,” Anna argued. “No one in this world is innocent, Elsa.”

“Says the woman who just burned a man’s face off with acid!” Elsa argued, crashing through a nearby vent right behind Anna. She rushed up with her ice sword and slashed at Anna, razor-sharp thorns then extending from Anna’s gloves to act as Claws. The two sisters fought one another.

It was surprising how evenly matched they were. Elsa had trained herself to the physical peak, while Anna had enhanced her own strength and agility thanks to her many, many plant-based serums. However, in this particular round, Anna was able to get the upper hand, as her tentacles managed to knock Elsa back, smashing her mask apart. Before it could regenerate, Anna slashed Elsa’s face with her claws.

Elsa grunted as she clutched her cheek in pain, blood oozing from it. Her suit was much too damaged at this point to start regenerating itself, leaving her at Anna’s mercy.

“Don’t think of trying to move, Elsa,” Anna replied, walking closer to her. “My thorns were tipped with poison. Not strong enough to kill you, mind you, oh no, I don’t want to kill my beautiful sister. But it’ll make you as weak as a kitten.”

Tentacles wrapped around Elsa, restraining her to the floor. The tentacles pressed against Elsa’s face, forcing her to look up as Anna stood above her. Elsa felt her heart beating as she gazed at Anna. As she looked into Anna’s eyes, she was reminded of her sister.

How beautiful and sweet she was, how much she wanted to protect her and love her, more than a sister would. But that was a lifetime ago. And yet… part of her wanted this, a part of herself that ashamed Elsa. Anna leaned in, caressing Elsa’s cheek, bringing her face closer and closer.

“You want this, don’t you?” she whispered. “You can still be a hero with me, Elsa. Only you’ll be a hero who actually makes a difference instead of upholding the pathetic status quo.”

“I won’t become… a murderer!” Elsa spat, Anna retreating.

“Why are you so against killing?!” Anna shouted. “Just accept that for things to be right in the world, some people just have to die! The corrupt CEOs, the politicians who line their pockets with dirty money while they let corporations pollute the planet!”

“There are laws, Anna!” Elsa argued. “They can be held accountable for their crimes!”

“And how often does that happen?” Anna replied. “Sure, you’re making change, but it’s not fast enough. The planet is already choking to death and in order to save it, more… radical action must be taken.”

“You don’t think I don’t know that, Anna!” Elsa argued.

“Then why don’t you do something about it!” Anna shouted.

“Because…” Elsa stopped herself.

“Because what?”

Elsa looked down. She had never shared this with Anna, this secret she’d kept buried for all these years. But if she was going to die here… then she should die with Anna knowing how much she never wanted this, for either of them.

“Because… I know what it’s like to feel tempted to take such action,” Elsa replied. “Because I’ve…. I’ve killed before.”

“That’s a lie,” Anna argued. “You said it yourself that you aren’t a killer.”

“No, *that* was the lie,” Elsa insisted. “Do you… do you know what happened to the person who shot our parents, Anna?”

“He… He got away,” Anna said, her voice shaky. “You said the cops found no sign of him. It’s… It’s what started me down this path, of wanting to get my own sense of justice.”

“I… I lied to the police, Anna,” Elsa expressed. “That night, after that bastard shot our parents, something inside of me awoke, something powerful… I lashed out at the guy as he ran and I… I froze him solid and he shattered before my eyes, Anna. The moment I first used my powers… I killed someone.”

“I…” Anna was stunned by the revelation.

“I regretted it, I didn’t want to indulge in the anger that I felt that night,” Elsa expressed. “I didn’t want to become a mindless monster, a killer. I’d be no better than the man I killed, perpetuating an endless cycle of violence. That’s why I did my best to stop you going down that path.”

“And… I failed,” Anna realised, tearing up. “All this time… I thought you didn’t understand me, that you thought I was crazy… but in reality, you cared about me more than anyone.”

“I even pleaded against the rough torture you had in prison,” Elsa expressed. “They wouldn’t listen to me. Don’t you get it, Anna? I love you, more than anyone else in the world… but I can’t let you hurt anyone ever again.”

“I… I love you too,” Anna whispered. She started to cry more and with a flick of her wrist, her vines let Elsa go. “Please… just go.”

“Anna… I can’t go,” Elsa argued. “I need to bring you in.”

“No, I won’t go back to prison again!” Anna argued. “Why can’t anyone have seen that I was doing good… why didn’t you try and help me!” She broke down in tears and wrapped her arms around Elsa. Her villainous persona had completely broken and for the first time in years, Elsa saw her sister again.

Wrapping her arms around Anna, Elsa stroked her sister’s hair, listening to the sound of Anna’s shaky breathing as she held her. God, she hadn’t held Anna like this in… well she’d honestly forgotten it was so long. But to have Anna, her Anna, let her do this… it felt rewarding to her.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Anna whispered. “I’ve been such a fool… I’ve been going at this so wrong.”

“Shhhh,” Elsa whispered, going fully into her big sister mode. “Everything’s gonna be okay… I’m going to be right here, Anna, like I’ve always been.”

Anna pulled away and the two sisters gazed into each other’s eyes, holding one another close. Both of them felt gravity pulling them together, part of them knowing that they needed the other now. Yes, they had been enemies… but now, perhaps they were something different.

And then… Elsa and Anna leaned in and shared a tender, passionate kiss. Neither of them knew what was in for the two of them next, but at this moment, all they wanted was to be together, as they kept kissing in the light of the moon shimmering through a nearby window, tears streaming down both of their cheeks.

[obsessionsposts]

📸Yan! 2p Austria hc's🎸:

Tw: Yandere /memes alot of 'em if squint / tired author/ slight references to religion / slight nsfw.

Franz Edelstein - 2p Austria

O - First sighting: Well, this chaotic and hectic boy first laid his scarlet irises upon you in a concert. Franz didn't expect a feminine woman such as you to intend a Slayer(one of my favourite bands) concert, nor did he expect to meet a person with such tastes as him when it comes to music.

While he struggled to reach out for you, you vanished inside the crowds dropping your phone. After the whole concert fiasco, he grinned at the phone. It seems that fate decided for both of you to meet.

O - Infatuation: To put it simply, his intrigue transcends into devotion. When Franz saw your true self that you cared to hide from the eyes of the public. To him, you're like an extension of him; which is substantial considering everyone thought of himself as a bratty satanist.

Franz ,despite being a little shit, is aware of your manipulative and dark side that floats; when your loved ones in danger or if you're extremely tedious. A Devil wrapped in an angel clothes, that what sealed the deal to him.

Yandere type:Obsessive, Worship, Manipulative.

My my, you're a fickle one. But, this time Franzin will play the devil advocates like usual , but this time it is not for the sake of nonsensical arguments, to garner your attention on him as well as sway you away from the populus. Slowly, planting the seeds of doubts till it blooms to become paranoia.

Don't fret, Franz will serve you like the deity you are. Speaking of deity, he most likely will try to create a cult focused on you and how to elate you. In that case, get ready to be showered with food,dresses (god knows how he got it. Probably from one of the cult follower.) , and of course his delightful modest company.

Nevertheless, he will not share you with anyone{whether be it in the cult or not.} with the exception of a certain albino those who he is close to and even then Franzin will be hogging you like a cat. Furthermore, he have eyes and hands that work for him and he will not hesitate to order them to steal barrow your stuff for a ..... while?

Bonus: The more defiant and feisty you become the harder he gets. That kinky bastard!

O - Method of stalking and the frequency of it: oof, Franz is basically the epitome of big brother ( from one of my favourite books,tbh) when it comes to monitoring his darling.

Franz makes sure that his darling knows and be uncomfortable that he is there, but not to apparent that the government will interfer. One of the most common method is: cyber-stalking. (what's better than using the power of anonymity to Observe your significant other, amiright?)

O - How do they treat their s/o?

At this point, do I really need to speak? Fine,fine. You're a goddess harry and will be handed literal sacrifices(depends on your behaviour, if your good you'll get your favorite things. If your horrid you'll get dead carcasses decorating your garden. Great isn't it? ) from your dearest prophet. Generally, you're fine even if you piss him off to 451 Fahrenheit degrees, considering he is one of the mildest yanderes.

A good boi with soft heart that treats his lover (even if his darling commited heinous actions except: sexual crimes.) like he always wanted to be treated with. Kindness and thoughtfulness. So, I, the author, beg you to treat him with love and respect.

O - Nicknames for s/o: Names that indicates holiness mixed with daredevilish-ness{Fallen angel, angel, succbus,tbc..}.In addition to pet names from his native language* : {Schatzi,Süsse,Maus,tbc..}.

Punishment:

Honestly, Franz is one of hardest yanderes to rouse him up to the point of delivering penalties to his Ëngel. Considering, He is the largest troll in the history of trolls. Let's not digress shall we? Note: if you reached this level then gg you did good to the Franzs victims of trolling.

Silent treatment: Despite the pettiness of the punishment, it is actually dangerous; in a sense that he will refute and ignore your needs along with your wants. If you didn't starve or dehydrated to death, he will drive you to the brink of isolation and madness. Ps: Humans are social creatures, depraves them from sociability and they'll get wanky. (This applies to all no matter how much "introverted" you are. Unless, you have some disorder.)

Isolation: Which leads directly to this one. Usually, Franzin is lenient enough to let you socialize with your loved ones. However, once you disobey consider your relationship with them severed as you'll be locked like Rapunzel.

Spanking: "Little Maus, has been a naughty girl~. It's time for reimbursing". Honestly, it is more of a kink than a punishment. But, you'll notice a shifting difference when your arse is red and purple instead of the normal pigment of your skin.

In Conclusion:

Franz is a man-child who believes that s/o is entitled to him, however he will relent and share with certain somebody but will be clingy x 100.

Most of the attraction came from how anomalous s/o and how she differs from society? Finally, he found someone similar to him and won't let her go. Bonus: He is often misunderstood for his eccentric personality, so often he relates to s/o in a personal level. Thus a n unhealthy relationship was born. Press 'F' for s/o.

Also, it most likely the shared preferences in music(mainly,metal and rock. Unlike his counterpart.) that brought Franz close to you.

Franzin will not hesitate to cut a bitch down if his ëngels safety is threatened,but if s/o took care of the perpetrator herself he will cheer her on and may get a bit bothered. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Finally, Franz is a horny shit. If you want to torment him just sway your hands underneath his crotch and he will be your little slave for day. Just give him a taste of yourself or you'll be a victim of his annoyance trolling.

In the end, it is assured that you'll survive ; however your loved ones might....not if you played hard to get (according to his deluded set of beliefs) for long enough. So, be a daredevil-ish and tease him then you got a free personal follower.

"Of course, anything for my Ëngel~"

A/n: Tbh, this is quite hard considering 2p austria doesn't have a concrete personality nor a common name. Hopefully this satisfy you! .

* I see that hetalia characters refer to their s/o with pet names from their native languages.

* I choose the name Franz because it means a free man. Which suits the personality of 2p austria.

* I see 2p austria as someone who love rock n roll and metal with a streak of troublemaking. Mischivous,cunning, and loathes anyone who limits his freedom. Basically, he has similarities with 1p prussia but differs in interests and many things.