#obligatory disney bad

[thechaseofspades]

I always thought “DuckTales” ended too soon. We could’ve seen more of Violet’s dad. Whatever they had planned for Negaduck, and they could’ve bought Poe (Magica’s brother) into the mix making him and Magica co-big bads of a hypothetical S4

Hey so I accidentally did the thing again where I wrote like 500 words. Apparently I have strong feelings about this, so bare with me. Or don't. Either way works. But big thanks for the inbox! I really do appreciate it.

I really try to be happy with what we have, because Ducktales is my absolute favorite show and nothing's gonna ruin that for me.

But, yeah, being critical for a moment, the show ending early really messed with everything. Suddenly the large cast was fighting for a rapidly shrinking amount of screen time, and arcs had to be rushed or minimized to fit the overarching plot. It wasn't a great situation.

Like, it's not Owl House bad, where entire concepts need to be squeezed down into one or two scenes, or even montages. But the difference is that the Owl House seems to be managing that crunch a lot better than Ducktales did.

Again, the cast being as big and fleshed out as it is, it's hard to divvy up a 22-episode season where everybody gets adequate time and also wraps up their story in a satisfying way. But the DT crew decided to just keep adding and adding and adding. This was supposed to be their biggest season ever. Several ideas were thrown onto the screen and then not followed up on because there just wasn't time for it.

"Astro B.O.Y.D." is my favorite episode of Season 3. And not to diminish that fact, but does any of it get followed up on? I don't think we saw Boyd once until the finale. We just didn't have any time for that.

Bringing Poe in for "Life and Crimes" is an interesting concept. But why are you introducing that A WEEK BEFORE THE SHOW ENDS, especially if it will have pretty much zero impact on anything else.

May and June didn't even get to exist for longer than an episode. You're bringing in pivotal characters in the series finale?

Negaduck! Where was he? Oh, they couldn't fit him in the show! My point exactly.

*deep breath in* *deep breath out*

I have no doubt that the DT crew put these elements in as a love letter to the past. It's very neat that they would do that, and it introduces a younger person like me to these great characters. But it just leaves us asking these sorts of questions. Leaves us wishing we had more than just one episode, or even just one scene.

I get that Disney is weird about shows having three seasons, but I still to this day don't understand why Ducktales couldn't be an exception to that. It's a reboot of the show that made DTVA, but better. It introduced so many legacy Disney characters to a modern audience and was well-received pretty much anywhere you looked. Everyone involved loved working on it and probably would have kept doing so for as long as possible. Not only did they have more stories to tell, but they clearly wanted to tell them. I just... I don't understand it.

Amphibia ended because the story being told was over. The Owl House is ending because it's too gay. But Ducktales ended... just because.

If Disney green lights six DT17 spinoffs for D+ covering each team's post-canon adventures, I will upgrade to ad-free Hulu.

[abnomi]

EVERY REASON (that i can think of) AS TO WHY TURBO/KING CANDY IS NEURODIVERGENT 💥💥

i would like to make a disclaimer first and foremost about the obvious, being that Turbo/King Candy is heavily implied to have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Very often, characters with these disorders are portrayed as villains, and Turbo is no exception to this. There's nothing wrong with antagonistic characters having said disorders, per se, but when the only representation available for people with these conditions are found in characters you're not supposed to root for, it can be really disheartening. i won't be erasing these parts of him because i feel it would be in poor taste to gloss over those core elements of who he is, but plz keep in mind that having any kind of personality disorder doesn't make anyone inherently evil!!!🌞 your ACTIONS make you, not your brain

Also if anyone has any suggestions or other ideas for his neurodiversity, i would love to hear them! please do share!! I LOVE PSYCHOANALYZING CHARACTERS AND HEARING OTHER PEOPLE PSYCHOANALYZE THEM !!!! YAY🎉 if u agree or disagree with any of my points I'd love to discuss them further :-]

without further ado... click read more to find out…😈 be ready for a lot of reaches

💥 ADHD 💥

STIMMING

Turbo's constantly moving around in some way; he's a very expressive character! even as King Candy, he can't seem to conceal his frequent giggling. it's a big habit of his; he seems to do it involuntarily to regulate himself, including when he's nervous or uncomfortable.

he seems to display other repetitive behaviors as well, like doing his iconic thumbs-up pose, sticking out his tongue, or hopping around gleefully. he is but a jovial court jester..

i personally like to think that his phrases, "Turbo-tastic!" and "Have some candy!" are vocal stims of his, although i equally really love the interpretation that these (and the aforementioned stims) are tics :-]

another headcanon; i think it would make a lot of sense for him to have an oral fixation of some sort (ignoring the whole sigmund freud part of the term ermm...); just lots of biting, chewing, needing to have something in his mouth. It would align with the whole idea that he smokes, too

HYPERACTIVITY

we can clearly see throughout the film that Turbo has a lot of energy, made abundantly clear by his mannerisms and general behavior. he's constantly moving, using exaggerated expressions and gestures to communicate + express himself. He's one of the most animated and bouncy characters in the movie, next to Vanellope! it's silly how a character not very grounded in reality is such a threat, but i suppose that's what makes him so threatening in the first place...

another factor in this is how he is very adrenaline-seeking, craving activities that give him a rush (sugar rush...😂😂). more on that in a bit!!

HYPERFIXATION

Turbo's fixation with winning is all-consuming for him; it's an obsession. he doesn't appear to care about much else, if anything besides it. this could be interpreted as a hyperfixation for him (or special interest if ur all about that autism lifestyle), as it overtakes all of his focus and impedes every process of his mind.

it's clear that racing is much more than a passion for him, and while that fact is due to how he was programmed, it's a major character trait of his regardless that could be correlated to neurodivergence.

HYPERFOCUS

There seems to be a big theme of "all or nothing" when it comes to Turbo. he will either be fully dedicated to something or brush it aside without a second thought. it can't be denied that he fully wraps himself up in what he wants, whether it's a conflict he can't let go of or a new pursuit he's hungrily chasing after. 

ultimately, his dedication varies depending on if it is relevant to him and his interests or not, but this aspect of him still shares patterns with neurodivergent thought processes.

INSTANT GRATIFICATION

Seeing as he has a tendency to cheat in his use of code to spawn in whatever his heart desires, it can be assumed that this could do with Turbo wanting instant gratification to fill that bitter, empty void inside of him. while this could simply be brushed aside as greed and his belief that he is obligated to have access to whatever he wants, this trait is consistent with his generally dopamine-seeking behavior and wanting to be instantly rewarded by his actions. His obsession with needing to feel good directly relates to his need for another buzz, constantly after the next rush. (a sugar rush if you will☺☺☺)

ADRENALINE-SEEKING

Closely related to the previous speculation, Turbo always seems to be chasing his next high. he loves the thrill of action and being surrounded by crowds of people below him. it's why his big thing is racing! people cheer him on, he can do whatever he wants, he can go really fast and look cool..

it's possible that a big aspect of why he does this is to distract himself from any kind of pain, because pain = vulnerability. bro does NOT know how to independently cope with his own problems.. HE MAD AS HELLLLL!!! 😂😂

STRUGGLE WITH SELF CARE

(i know this is reaching but bear with me... 🐻) going off of his appearance and tendency to make poor decisions, it can be gathered that this man lacks skill in the self care department. his yellowing teeth and sunken eyes not only serve to complement his design, but also give way to the idea that he neglects himself in favor for whatever weird scheme he's up to.

of course, Turbo does prioritize himself above everyone else, but he doesn't strike me as the type to care much about how others think he smells. him being a bother to anyone isn't a concern of his. he cares about whatever gets him the most praise and attention from as many people as possible, which is winning and racing. Who cares about how clean he is when he's up on a podium holding a shiny, golden trophy, anyway?

It's likely that he had to step his game up when he went under disguise as king candy, which is why he looks well-groomed in comparison to his more corpse-like appearance. Ugly hoe. it can also be assumed that he's had more time to focus on himself because everyone loves him without question... Well, except for Vanellope, but who cares about her, right?

also, i know he makes a condescending comment to Ralph about how bad his breath smells, but it's made abundantly clear that Turbo is a massive hypocrite. his comment doesn't erase the possibility that he has suffered from such "halitosis" as well.

💥 ANXIETY 💥

GENERAL ANXIOUS BEHAVIOR

i know, i know, this could technically be chalked up to be "Turbo is nervously giggling and shit because he's scared of getting caught," but guys. g

even in the flashback scene, we can see how easily stressed he can become in an alarmingly short period of time. he is extremely insecure, therefore i am led to believe he is not only emotionally dysregulated, but also by extension, anxiety ridden.

yes, this is purely speculative, but who's to say that he wasn't like this before? being high-strung and intense are significant facets of his personality consistently portrayed throughout the film. as long as he is getting exactly what he wants, he is happy; the moment he loses even a blip of control, however, he immediately grows extremely tense.

if Turbo wasn't anxious about his disguise as King Candy before, he was anxious about how much attention he was receiving on a given day. if not that, then he'd be anxious over how he presents himself. He hates how he can't control how other people perceive him, which is why he is constantly trying to act like he's better than he is.

its why he justifies his behavior to himself, proudly making others refer to him as the "rightful ruler" of sugar rush and relishing in the attention of his countless underlings. Any secure and stable person would NOT ACT LIKE THIS!!!!😭😭😭

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

As we can see a handful of times on screen, Turbo's instinct to protect himself is very easily activated.

 his fear manifests in anger and aggression. we can see at multiple points how easy it is to upset him or fluster him; his anger is one side of the same coin, the opposite end being his fear and paranoia.

Going off of this point, have you noticed that Turbo is either satisfied or furious without much of an in-between? how the second something isn't under his manipulation, he lashes out and fights back? I'm led to believe that this is how he responds to fear (AAUAAYAUUUUGGHHH 🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡). This guy is so against the idea of being vulnerable, that even when afraid, he will utilize violence to regain his dominance over the situation at hand.

CONTROL + PARANOIA

Turbo's always trying to writhe or fight his way out of uncomfortable situations, unable to exist outside of his comfort zone for seconds at a time.

his defensive, paranoid, and controlling behavior are all reflections of how deeply insecure this man is. He feels such an intense need for everything to go exactly how he expects it to go that the moment he senses any kind of threat, he instantly jumps to defend himself and what he feels that he has "earned," regardless of whether there truly is a threat or not.

this could potentially be a coping mechanism for his anxiety and sense of stability; can't forget to mention how territorial he is!! he jumps to conclusions about what others' intentions are before they even get a chance to reply, as seen with his first encounter with Ralph in the movie. 

the racer is so internally discombobulated that he seeks any sense of stability on his environment, including on those around him. his sense of self is so warped that he copes with constant distraction; being under the spotlight, being actively racing, having to be showered with attention, having others make him feel good because he doesn't know how to do it for himself. he needs to feel like everything is under control, lest everything falls apart.

"...if there's ONE thing I can't abide, it's ANYTHING out of order!"

💥 NPD 💥

INFLATED SENSE OF SELF IMPORTANCE

Turbo's most in-your-face trait above all else. It's made more than crystal clear in every scene he's in that his arrogance is a determining factor in how he interacts with others. This is exactly what drives him to desperately crave admiration, to chase after others he's envious of because he thinks he is obligated to take what they have.

he seems to genuinely think he is entitled to get whatever he wants, just because he is inherently "special" or "better" than everyone else. Why else would he have made himself a king, a step above princess?

EXCESSIVE NEED FOR ADMIRATION

Turbo's self worth is COMPLETELY dependent on the opinions of children and teenagers. I think i don't need to say any more than that, but i will. (Evil).

As cartoonishly massive as his ego is, i think that it's fair to assume that Turbo has a very unstable sense of self, distorting his perception of his own worth down with it. his near-constant flaunting and need to be the best is a dead giveaway to his deeply-ridden self-doubt. The foundation of his stability is built around how "good" he is (at racing and winning), how powerful he is, whether or not he is being prioritized above everyone else, whether or not he is the absolute best, etc. etc.

The racer outright manipulates others to shower him with admiration and undeserved appreciation. He is incapable of forming a true sense of internal value, instead heavily and codependently relying on others to form it for him. if he isn't the best, he may as well just be nothing.

INTENSE JEALOUSY

He reacts so severely to what he perceives as others taking away what is rightfully his that it only goes to solidify my previous points even further. the second someone else is getting more attention than him, Turbo will bend over backwards to rip back the praise he believes he so rightly deserves.

being extremely competitive, he will one-up against anyone he thinks of as a threat, dedicating himself to taking them down to the best of his ability, and making sure they STAY down to top it all off.

INABILITY TO HANDLE CRITICISM

if we really dissect the entire one-off joke with Turbo insisting that his stolen pink castle is actually "salmon," along with all of his other domineering behaviors, we can garner that he is very persistent in how he wants others to view him. i wholeheartedly believe that this would translate into him not only being defensive over his supposed "ownership" of Sugar Rush, but also over himself and his own insecurities.

He needs to feel good about himself or else he will die and quite literally try to kill everyone.

LACK OF EMPATHY

He appears to have a fondness for making jokes in very poor taste. Turbo has a big sense of humor, but it's always at the expense of others. Be it a pun about a "fungeon," or jumping to protect himself with a joke about "hitting a guy with glasses," he has a tendency to take serious situations very lightly. It's not that he's unaware of the weight of it; he simply doesn't take it Seriously.

its admittedly impressive how he was able to feign empathy so well for Ralph; it goes to show how he is very capable of understanding that what he's doing is wrong, but ultimately does nothing to change his behavior because it doesn't impact him personally. 

i would like to honor this part of him, because even in the possible alternate path of a redemption arc, his struggle with empathy can be explored in a variety of interesting ways :-] he can understand complicated emotions and situations on an analytical level, but he doesn't feel for them unless it has to do with him specifically. (this obviously doesn't make him inherently evil, his ACTIONS make him evil)

💥 ASPD 💥

LACK OF REMORSE/GUILT

One of Turbo's core characteristics is just how far he is willing to go for his own self-interest with lack of regard for how it impacts everyone else. he has absolutely no concern for how anyone else feels besides himself, willing to go so far as to attempt to mutilate a 9-year-old to achieve his petty goals.

Turbo is shameless when it comes to how he goes about getting his way. While I'd like to believe he isn't fully incapable of feeling regret, he doesn't showcase feeling it in the movie itself. The most regret he'll feel is when he slips up and exposes himself. anything else is the fault of everyone else; he is untouchable in his eyes.

DECEITFUL TENDENCIES + LYING

Where do i even start with this one.

well, first of all, let's acknowledge the... erm, horse? in the room? 🐎😅(Please someone help me there is a horse in my room help helphel) being that Turbo went under disguise as King Candy for at least a decade. Even before this, there's a good chance that he's already had plenty of experience with lies and manipulation. i'd be willing to bet on this!!

one of his specialties is being proficient in manipulation, be it the code of games or the minds of people. theyre basically the same thing to him, anyway... I'm sure you all know the scene where he uses 16 manipulation tactics against Ralph and wins. this was Obviously not the first time he'd done this.

REPETITION OF HARMFUL BEHAVIORS

Time and time again, Turbo can't seem to help himself when it comes to poor decision-making. he never internalizes that his bad choices aren't JUST bad for others, but also for himself, continuing to escalate further and further into very dangerous behaviors until he literally dies.

Here's a list of bad decisions he has made! (at least, that we know of)

Pinning himself above his peers

Harassment + stalking

Carelessly charging through GCS with his car, endangering countless civilians

Attempting to take over a game that isn't his x2

Vehicular manslaughter

Implied mass murder + attempted murder, attempted mutilation

Mass endangerment

Breaking and entering, theft, usurpation, plagiarism

and more!!!!!!!

AND HE LEARNS FROM ABSOLUTELY NONE OF THIS!!! with some of the items listed here, he's attempted to do multiple times! Absolute buffoon.

RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR SAFETY OF SELF AND OTHERS

Considering how he was willing to charge into a game that wasn't his own with the awareness that it could permanently kill him, going as far as to recklessly crash into another car (albeit it's possible this was unintentional), it's easy to gather that he doesn't seem to consider anyone's safety at all in the spur of the moment.

IMPULSITIVITY

his impulsivity and disregard for safety both go hand-in-hand. When it gets to a certain point, Turbo's emotions will boil over and blow up in a cold rage, thus causing him to spiral and act on impulse, becoming a detrimental force to himself as well as everyone around him.

What's interesting is how much restraint he is capable of; he typically is very strategic in how he orchestrates his plans! but once he reaches his breaking point, he snaps and leaves all of his hard work behind in favor of something that calls for his immediate attention.

💥 ETC. 💥

extra tidbits i didnt have enough energy to fully delve into :-]

BPD

Fear of abandonment

Blurry sense of identity

Feelings of emptiness

Self destructive tendencies

Emotional instability

Explosive anger

ODD (oppositional defiant disorder)

He seems so infatuated with his own autonomy that he gets to the point of being resistant and defiant

Resisting against the rules of the world that he directly caused as a result of his own actions, being that one shouldn't "go Turbo."

Enjoys upsetting/getting a rise out of others. this is more speculative as i am going off of the assumption that he thinks pissing people off is funny, based on his other behavioral patterns. (cruel sense of humor, wanting to feel above others via control & manipulation, enjoyment of inflicting pain onto others)

Forcefully defends himself and refuses any kind of criticism

Lashes out when he feels slighted

Excessive persistence despite all odds, whether it's beneficial to him or not

ok bye!! thank you if you managed to read this far ^^ peace and love take care of yourself! all in all turbo is so neurodivergent ok please Okay <3 get this thing his meds

[pandaemoanium]

favourite game that you honestly feel like is a 7/10

parasite eve 2, death stranding

[descendantofthesparrow]

Brutally honest thoughts on each character?

...*Each* character???? bruh thats so many, okay ill keep this short cuz im waiting for a haircut rn

well start with the vks cuz thats easy

Mal-started off strong and then just became...THE WORST, love hate relationship for her. shes my art block fix but also i hate her

Jay-i dont have strong opinions on him, he actually never stuck out to me other than 'obligatory jock dude of the friend group.' i wish i liked him more but im more attached to his fandom self over canon Jay

Evie-got boring after D1, i wish they let her keep her chemistry stuff, love her vibe but shes kinda boring to me. SHOULD'VE BEEN THE MC OVER MAL!!

Carlos- lots of lost potential with his tech stuff from the first book and movie. easily could've been an engineer or inventor but they just made him an animal lover and i got bored of that real quick.

Uma-my queen, my idol, can do no wrong i love her so much i WILL kill for her.

Harry-i love his dumbass so much YALL DONY EVEN KNOW I WANNA BITE HIM SO BAD

Gil-one of the few characters i felt actually...grew up? idk but hes one of the few characters were it actually feels like time passed for.

Dizzy-oooooooh honey, honey honey, sunshine baby, please, put the glue gun down.

Celia- they should've gone with her trailer persona. Her outfits are so bad and i wish she got better writing and designs, so much lost potential, also she should've been Jays pick.

Smee twins- why the fuck are they even here they had one line and no significance. also they should've had a Harry scene.

Aks

Ben-puppy boy, deserved to have doberman energy. got turned into a doormat by the writers and is unfairly hated.

Audrey-bitch queen, shes not a nice person and thats okay~ girlboss.

Chad- should've been the D3 villan they had that all set up in D2 with his weird ass attitude over Ben getting kidnapped on the isle.

Doug -....honestly gives me the ick, especially in D3, i HATE the long hair his actor had/has. gold is NOT his color and neither is pastel purple or green. he looked good in D1 but ICK for 2 and 3.

Jane- bby gurl, blue bird sweetheart. yeah she did some fucked up shit in D1 but she was an insecure 14 year old girl who got manipulated by Mal and other aks!!!

Lonnie- deserved so much better, shes Chinese why is she getting Japanese style stuff?!?! her plot in D2 didnt even do anything it just happened and no one cared and Jay just shoved his problems of girls playing roar onto her.

Beast- *inhale* i wanna kick his ass, and i could, lemme at him. how dare he force an entire kingdom on Ben at 16 when he didnt become king when he was 28(when he married Belle)

Belle- they took away her backbone, shes not Disney princess book worm and independent Belle. she just, lost the spark

FG- they turned her into a preschool teacher, GIVE ME MY OL COOKY FAIRY LADY BACK

Leah- *seething rage*

vk parents

Maleficent- fuckin love her, shes such a manipulative bitch and feels like a gone crazy version of a Maleficent made for kids. def not the mistress of all Evil but i love her nonetheless

EQ- shouldve been the head villain, SHE WAS THE FIRST DISNEY VILLAIN CMON! def not the same character from the animated movie but shes dramatic and sassy and i adore her.

Jafar- haha funny characature~ i wish he was more menacing like he had been. Jafar is not one of my fav villains so descendants jafar didnt exactly translate for me well.

Cruella- yeah they nailed her, no complaints about her. good design, good dialogue, good acting.

Hades- LEMME KICK HIS DEAD BEAT ASS, fucking 'daddy issues made you stronger' my butt. i hate his hair and honestly he doesnt fit the washed up punk design, he didnt deserve the speech at the end and didnt deserve to be forgiven by Mal.

Ursula- we only saw her tentacle and one line but she seemed spot on so yeah

Lady Tremaine- why the fuck was she nice in D3??? bitch is the EVIL stepmother.

Smee- spot on, i have words for his sons designs becuaee hes old not naturally white haired but hes chill, makes sense hed be a good parent, he never felt evil to me, just compliant

Facilier- such a vibe, his actor got him spot on, would've changed up his suit design but hes chill and i can see him being a family man(ignoring wicked world).

[p-eleles]

hi I love your new kalim-centric fic and im so happy there is leokali. haha who is the one person who everyone will see as a threat but who they cannot dare try to declaw… that’s right. i know leona isn’t even in the story yet but im already imagining with the preface of the first chapter set in, it’s such a refreshing perspective on their relationship; that kalim will pursue leona for the sincere want (visceral need) of having something or someone no one can take away or dare to impede the development of. how leona responds is an interpretation that can vary depending on what aspect of his character you lean into but “leona is bad with feelings” tag gives me so much love in my heart that leona and kalim will be treated with care as characters. im so excited for this thank you for spawning this fic into the ao3 void

You did it. You've cracked the initial nature of Kalim's interest and desire to pursue Leona in one ask! What can I say? Kalim loves his big cats. The more likely to snap at him, the better. I don't think Leona might like candied fruits, but the prospect of eating from Kalim's hand is tempting ( ￣-￣)

One thing (one of many, honestly) that I find very interesting about Kalim is, to paraphrase, when he showed genuine delight and joy at him and Jamil fighting because it was the most genuine interaction they'd had... ever. Kalim is naive, born from his optimistic outlook of life that itself was granted from the position he was born in, but he's not stupid. He's aware that many of his relationships are built on unequal ground—Jamil is his servant first and foremost; he's the dormleader of Scarabia (and sure, he got the position fair and square, but he wouldn't even be in Night Raven College if his parents hadn't bought his way in); he's not just rich rich, he's rich with prestige. Kalim's family name is a title all of its own.

He's clear that is the reason behind why people, if they don't like him, are at least obsequient. It's why his dream in Book 7 is incredibly fascinating. Kalim wants to truly be friends with Jamil without the weight of their respective roles hindering them. He desires people's honesty. Yet he's never anything but nice and sweet and loving when it comes to this, even in the privacy of his dreams.

And you know, obligatory Disney references all around: Kalim is twisted from the Sultan, but he's also a very Jasmine figure, desiring earnest connections and having Jamil/Jafar as something of an obstacle in that aspect. And also being good at throwing hands, for some reason (RIP Kalim, you would've loved Desert Scourge!Jasmine. Not).

Canonically, Leona likes Kalim. In his own particular way of liking people, but still. He recognizes his strengths and, most importantly of all, trusts him. And Kalim likes him back! Their dynamic is pretty limited compared to other characters, but the similarities between them have me in a chokehold. They're both characters best summed up as "I'll hold all my emotions here, and then one day, I'll die," except in vastly opposite directions. Plus, there's also the whole "disdained second born prince" vs. "beloved heir" and how Kalim's magic brings life while Leona's only destroys. He doesn't sugar coat what he feels or thinks–though he's king of obfuscation when he wants–and to Kalim, that earnest nature would be incredibly refreshing.

I feel like I can't write about a romance with Leona and not tag that he's bad at feelings. Kalim is in for a ride, but he's also horrifically bad at vocalizing his true desires. It's a very steep learning curve here, folks.

There's so much I want to say that I can't put to words in this ask because exactly! Kalim is driven by a desperate need to know he's genuinely loved, not because of who he is, but just because. Bro wants to be loved on purpose, not the uncertainty of a life where he's only given so much because he was born first!

[angel-of-hunky-doryness]

The Conflicts of Disney's Hercules (Part 2): Hercules vs Hades

Or as I like to call it: why Hercules and Hades are the best example of a literary foil muddled and lost in its own movie.

LONG POST, sorry not sorry.

The hero vs villain dynamic is a Disney staple inspired by the many fairy tales and folklore from which Disney has long based their movies on. However, this dynamic went through a glow-up when Disney started their Renaissance period kicking off with The Little Mermaid (1989).

This era of Disney brought in much more personality and character to their protagonists, but also bringing in a new type of villain. Now this was a sharp departure from your atypical evil stepmothers and wicked villainesses that Disney was known from in their early days.

That's why when Disney decided to adapt Hercules (1997) the writers needed a formidable foe for Hercules to throws hands with to fit in to this new era where you had the likes of Ariel vs Ursula, Aladdin vs Jafar, Simba vs Scar, etc.

And in the Renaissance, Disney started leaning more into their Shakespearean influences. Nowhere is this more evident then Lion King (1994) and to a lesser extent- based on deleted scenes, the broadway version, and live action remake- Little Mermaid.

The reason I'm bringing this up is b/c, my dear reader, now we're getting to the Evil Uncle Trope.

Or at least a failed execution of it, b/c Disney did not utilize it well in Hercules. It's just barely touched upon.

Yes, yes, I know who the real villain is in the original myth of Herakles and that could be a reason it doesn't work. But Herakles vs Hera doesn't work well on paper when you remember that Herk was the affair baby and Hera is actively trying to smite him and this is a film meant for children. And something, something, she doesn't carry the kind of raw emo goth energy a walking-talking Bunsen burner can provide.

Jokes aside and the accuracy of the Greek Mythology presented, I think Disney Hercules was adapted well to a modern audience.

HOWEVER!

Now I've made it no secret in the past that I don't really view this hero/villain pair as the central conflict of Disney's Hercules.

That is mostly because whatever antagonism Hades and Hercules had going on it's very one-sided, and almost surface-level. Hades is over here having the biggest blow to his ego with a little bit of existential crisis thrown in for good measure.

While Hercules is absolutely vibing to the Muses singing the greatest mind-melting musical number of the film.

Not once do we get a character moment where this corn-fed farm boy ever stops to think, "Hey, Phil, I know Thebes is a bad place and all, but where do these mildly inconveniencing monsters keep coming from?"

In all two of his interactions with Hades(I'm not counting the opening scene, Hercules is a baby, fight me), Hercules never realizes in the entire movie how he was wronged by this tall glass of daddy issues.

Which are:

Flambe man kidnapped Baby

Lil sun spot is mortal now for plot relevance or smth

Attempted murder via the goon squad

Monsters keep coming out of nowhere after Herc saves the sassy lady from the Centaur(TM).

And Hades, to his credit, really doesn't care enough to tell him.

Why?

Because it literally never bothered Hercules. Hades is the obligatory monster of the week to Wonder breath. That kind of revelation wouldn't bother him, Hercules doesn't even know there's a prophecy about him. Hecc, home boy barely struggles with the Titans at the climax.

This is basically the Wanda-Thanos meme but the roles are reversed.

And I would like to emphasize, Hercules isn't bothered by the monsters Hades sends at all. He gets over it fairly quickly once he gets over his first battle jitters. If anything, the biggest issue Hercules is facing post-Hydra is that even though society has finally embraced him for his strength, he's still extremely lonely.

Which leads to this pivotal moment in the film:

What is the point?

He's still a freak, but this time after years of training he's finally useful. My pal Rudolph the Red-nose reindeer understands this predicament rather well. And the loneliness that Hercules feels b/c of his superhuman abilities is such a fascinating angle the writers of Disney Hercules go with that isn't emphasized enough.

And I can't stress this enough: The internal war Hercules grapples with, of being caught between two worlds, struggling with something he was born with and of doing everything in his power to fit into both of these worlds? Now that makes for a compelling demigod.

What's more, the strange shift in how society view his strength is such a interesting element that could have made a better antagonist than Hades was and I bet if this movie was made in this new era of Disney films (2015-Present) it would've executed it with this premise in mind. Since Disney has moved away from mustache-twirling villains and focusing on things like generational trauma and internal issues.

The fear and scorn Hercules once felt is now being turned to adoration, but wait, that's not what he wanted!

He just wanted to be treated like a person.

Take the discus scene, Hercules tries to play frisbee with the other teens in his neighborhood, but he immediately gets told to buzz off.

His goal of reaching Olympus isn't to reunite with his real family it's to finally be around others who are just as powerful as him, somewhere he wouldn't be out of place.

And the funny part about all of this is how well it ties in to Hades. Because Hercules upholding his duty as a hero is essentially what Hades did in his respective career until the moment he had his very own What's the point? moment.

Now first and foremost, I'm here to say Hades did his job. Regardless of how respectfully he did that in his later years....

No zombie apocalypses as far as I can tell, so kudos to you babe.

And that kind of job isolated him pretty badly when you consider Hades is with the dead instead of the other gods, almost making Hercules' dream the same as Hades'. However that dream has long since distorted and twisted from centuries of bitterness and anger.

Which adds another layer to their similarities. The dedication they had for their jobs isolated them even further.

And funnily enough, Hades and Herc were both assigned to this task by Zeus.

Now that we've established how similar H&H are let's see if we can glean how it played out for Hades by looking at Hercules' beginning. Hercules started out with so much determination and hope as can be seen in I Can Go the Distance (reprise). And as we follow Hercules to seek a teacher, to undergo years of training, and to follow through with all that he had been taught, Hercules never lost hope that he would finally be with people like him.

Well that is until Hercules' talk with Zeus.

And we learn Hercules has been putting himself through tons of risks and labors for nothing...?

He could've accomplished being a true hero back in his old farm town, and before you argue Zeus never explicitly told him to walk the path of a hero- then why did he send him to Danny DeVito???

And I'd like to make it clear I adore that Herc is being told off by his dad. Being Superman in Metropolis can go to one's head at his age especially now that he has proven time and time again how useful his strength is. Hubris is a major character flaw associated with greek mythology even if it isn't the flaw Herakles has in myth, keep this in mind for later as I explain what his flaw really is and how we see instances of it in the Disney film.

With that kind of journey mapped out, I bet about two drachmas and my 4 pound sponsor that Hades did the same as Herc. And as a result invested too much in his job for him to realize that he became disconnected to Olympus as a result.

Yeah, okay this is more conjecture and veering into fanfiction territory here and since I've been writing a fanfic on this guy for the past 6 years I tend to do that w/o meaning to. So if I ever start being a little too sympathetic on Mr. Brimstone Breath over there, take it with a grain of salt.

However, it is my personal headcanon since Hades did help Zeus in the original Titanomachy that my mans became extremely distant in his attempt to become a feared and respected god of the underworld.

And that came with its own reputation as mentioned in Gospel Truth Part II. Hades can get one-track minded and that applies very well to Hercules too.

So in the end, everything Herc and Hades were doing wasn't getting them any closer to what they really wanted: social acceptance.

And this was a big thing in Ancient Greece. The worst punishment a person could receive in those times was being exiled. Outcast. Permanent hermitage.

Let that sink in.

It can be argued that Hades always vied for Zeus' position, but I personally believe he did so because every other attempt he's made to change his circumstances after his What's the Point moment he kept hitting a road block either from Zeus or his arrogance to continue ruling a kingdom even if it isn't the underworld. Until he basically reasons, yup gotta take down the resident thunder dunder head.

And I think it's this factor of loneliness that both these guys share that really exemplifies or differentiates why each one is a great foil to each other. Hades is the dark reflection of what Hercules could be if he continued to toil after godhood/accepted into Mount Olympus to no avail for years and years and years.

It's a very similar trope we see in Kung Fu Panda with Tai Lung vs Po. And where Zeus fits into the role of Shifu.

Remember, both these two were serving their people, but Hades has been around far longer. After centuries, Hades grew sick and tired of serving ppl for basically nothing so he decided to put all his anger and frustration to force the world to bend to him instead.

But this is all hidden in between the lines so it doesn't hit home to the audience unless you take a deeper look into these two characters.

And all that I've talked about above is not even what we see in the film.

So, let's talk about what we do see.

Exhibit Alpha: All Hades Breaks Loose

As always, Hades is a showstopper. Don't tell him that btw he doesn't deserve it.

After executing a perfect 9.8/10 gymnastic spectacle, Hades shows up ready to pounce and do what he does best: Wheel and Deal with a trick ace up his sleeve.

It's so funny seeing Hercules talk to this guy, b/c he just had a falling out with his mentor and he's absolutely not in the mood to talk to this fast-talking flame head.

And Hades was ready to mop the floor with the guy, but b/c he can't get Wonder Bread's attention he has to whip out Meg a lot faster then he wanted to. He couldn't even savor the moment- it's like wasting a fine cigar.

But Hades doesn't skip a beat and like any mob boss, snaps his fingers, does a bit of blackmailing, and my beautiful boy catches on that if he loses his powers for 24 hours- talk about the confidence on Hades' part here- ppl will get hurt.

Hades, naturally, assures him things will be fine. I mean it's not like they're living in Greek mythology or anything. And after all, Hades assures him, Meg will be safe from harm.

They even shake on it. With left hands.....

And as soon as the two break apart, Hades doesn't hold back on telling his nephew how badly he screwed up.

Leave it to your estranged uncle to sucker you into a terrible deal and then outline why that was the worst mistake of your lifetime. Grade A uncle-ing I say. Wonder if he learned that from centuries of putting up with Zeus' offspring.

And while I have discussed this scene before in Meg vs Hades, we see here the same betrayal Meg had gone through with her ex, but now Meg is taking on the role of her ex. So let's look at it from Herc's perspective.

Anyone else feel their heart breaking when Hercules accuses Hades of lying????

But this is what makes the scene for me:

Despite everything, Hercules still chooses to fight.

You can really see the strength of Hercules' character here. Cuz despite his stupid decision, he still bares the weight of his responsibility even without his god-like strength.

Hercules faces the Cyclops as a normie. Hades would never.

This is the moment where Hercules rises above Hades in humility and upholds his duty despite the odds against him. This moment cements Hercules as a hero.

Finally the cycle of similarities is broken by Hercules' unselfish act. And it should've been in my opinion the moment he gained godhood and not the one below:

Yes, I know how important it is for Meg's redemption and to show how pure and true their relationship is. They're my emotional support OTP, okay, but what's more compelling?

Hercules being saved by the woman who just betrayed him, or Hercules risking his life to save the city of Thebes now that he's just like everybody else? He doesn't have his plot armor anymore, he's facing a giant that's already going ham destroying the populace while everyone is trying to escape. Isn't that true hero material? To stand and face the threat and buy the people time to escape?

But I digress.

And oh man, when Meg gets crushed we see a side of Hercules that was hinted at after Phil called out Meg for being a fraud:

We see Hercules' flaw.

In fact, the same flaw that Hades has as well:

Wrath.

Exhibit Beta: A Swell Consolation Prize

Hades loses. Big surprise there. I'm not covering the Titan scene since Hades and Herc just trade frowns and smirks, so imma leave that one be for this post.

But Hades really does sign his death certificate when he starts running away and reminds Johnny Beefcakes that he still managed to get him where it hurts:

And boy oh boy, when Meg died in his arms, Hercules has murder on his mind.

This is the first time Hercules has a vendetta against Hades (with 10 minutes left). A true, true vendetta. He was willing to let go tricking him by using Meg, but now b/c Hades knocked over the domino that led to Meg's death and the job title he holds, he's ready to go kick ass.

And Lord, the writers knock a home run to the impulsiveness that sits at this central character flaw of Herakles.

Hercules, our Disney version, is ready to cheat death, beat Hades to a pulp and do anything to get Meg back. Alcestis and Admetus style, baby.

So Herc grabs Cerberus and forces the bloodthirsty puppy to take him to his master.

And now realizing that he still has a chance of pulling one over on Zeus, Hades is willing to look over the abuse upon his pet and gets ready to use the wheeling and dealing technique.

And while Hercules does *convince*, and I use that word very loosely, to trade places with Meg, Hades agrees. While some have pointed out to me how clever Hercules can be this was not one of those moments.

Wow the son of my greatest rival??? Hercules made a really easy bargain that Hades was gonna propose anyway. Meg is insignificant in the grand scheme of things so who cares if she got a 'Get out of Jail' free card.

But, Hades messed up. Dude should've had his cake and eaten it too and just fished Meg out so Herc could take that dip and avoid what was coming to him.

Y'see Hades wasn't aware of the true hero clause Zeus randomly made up just like how Hades randomly made up a god-to-mortal potion.

So we get this ending with Herc's debt remaining unpaid.

I joked to myself as I was writing this post to include a post in my Hercules Conflicts series where it's Hades vs Hades b/c let's be real, Hades caused all of Hades' problems.

Self-fulfilling prophecies babyyyyy

Oy... Can you believe that now that Herc and Meg are alive and kicking as mortals they still owe a debt to Hades? Not the best ending, mind you. Sure, Hades isn't getting out anytime soon, so does it matter in the grand scheme of things?

But it is a sweet and well-deserved ending for our boy Hercules. Bc despite everything, Hercules realizes that the ppl who love him and know him for who he is: his adopted parents, his coach, and his girl that he would rather live out a mortal life with them instead of one with his bio parents. He knows now that the acceptance he has always been longing for has been realized and he'd rather have the life he knows than risk it all for a life that might make him all the more miserable.

And just like Hercules, Hades is now permanently stuck in the world he was forced into. Funny how they both ended up in the place they were actively trying to leave. It's a well-deserved punishment even if the dead are screwed without someone to keep the underworld in tip-top shape.

It's a shame Hades didn't meet Hercules sooner in the film because there is tons of material here that could've really had them be a formidable villain/hero pair up there with the likes of Aladdin vs Jafar. To have them actively oppose each other and force Hercules to grapple with the knowledge that this god is doing everything in his power to keep him off balance. imagine if Hades showed up early on just to gloat and mock the kid and confirm everything Zeus had told him?

Hercules could've grown up with that chip on his shoulder, wanting to be a fighter and a warrior just so he could take Hades on for realzies and take on the hoard of monsters he's sending to doom humanity. Just so it culminates in the classic: We're not so different conversation to mentally mess with the hero about his morals and life choices.

Could've been great.

Regardless, thanks for making it to the end, dear reader.

Till next time.

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

Spoilers for Season 2 of Loki.

I haven't been here lately so I don't know if this article has been shared already or not, but I just read this review and it's pretty bad. Highlights right ahead (spoilers so, beware!):

If Season 2 of Loki is any indication, the next phase in his screwy life involves running around time and space in a smart TVA tie-and-jacket combo with co-worker/cohort/good cop to his bad cop, Mobius.

Does Season 2 provide the God of Mischief a newfound – and much needed – sense of glorious purpose? In short, no. That could be because he has to share more screen time than ever.

After realizing her purpose, Sylvie has smaller things in mind for her future, like working at a rural McDonald's in 1982. Considering the corporate coziness of Disney and Mickey D's, seeing the chain's golden arches gobble up the screen as Sylvie works through her existential malaise feels exceptionally gross; it gives the impression that Loki has willingly devolved further into an obligatory money-maker that plays safe with its otherworldly mischief and keeps its characters as one-note as possible so as not to rock the McBoat.

It's safe to say Loki has become more of an ensemble figure as other characters get a chance to… well, not grow exactly, but hit their one note loudly and often. It's all in service to the central thrust of the season, which focuses on the potential for these rogue variants (represented by Sylvie and Rafael Casal's Brad) to live their lives unpruned.

Now to Loki. He enters Season 2 with a new temporal malady that we can't really get into but bears mentioning because it furthers his increasingly stale function as a plot device. (If nothing else, this new dilemma gives Hiddleston plenty of opportunities to flip his hair back, which seems to be his New Thing.) This Loki variant is a strange fit for Hiddleston, who has lost the villainous spring in his step that originally made the character so disarming. Season 2 makes an attempt to conjure a glint of malice in Loki's eyes during one off-the-book moment of TVA space/time-cop procedure, but his redemption arc from last season has nerfed his animus; any forbidding tone he adopts can be clocked as a ruse from a mile away. That's maybe the most disappointing aspect of Loki Season 2 so far: Nice Guy Loki is so frustratingly predictable.

So basically, Mobius is the "good" cop to Loki's "bad" cop (fascists are good guys people!), Loki shares the screen more than ever (which is saying something but hey, just because the series has his name doesn't mean it has to be about him), and now the god of mischief is super predictable (so like in S1).

Gotta love it. I'm so happy I won't be watching this thing.

[ihrtmichael]

i will concede that wish needed another six months or so to bake and could have benefited from like. another 30 minutes (which i would have happily sat thru and i would in fact sit through even 3 hours but that's another thing) but i find it so odd when people are critical of amaya joining asha and her friends at the end??? something something "if she loved him why would she turn on him" or "if she's 'seen too many bad things' why didnt she do anything earlier her being complicit makes her just as bad"

at the risk of soundin So Completely Mentally Stable it just kinda reminds me of kay and michael. kay loves michael so deeply and she's trying to convince herself that he's still a good person even as he gets more and more involved in the family business and that he'll make good on his promise to "become legit" so she stays by him even as she learns how dark and twisted and dangerous this world is and how terrible and evil the man she loves actually is

and while she doesn't necessarily like. team up with a group of teenagers to bring her husband down (lmfao) it does take a while for her to accept that the man she met and loves is no longer the same sweet war vet and she has to stand up for herself and leave him and protect herself and their kids. that takes a lot of courage whether you're married to a mob boss or king or literally just anyone back then! because after that....what options did women have? because there wasn't much!

so while it's not EXACTLY the same with amaya and magnifico (i mean hellooooo one is the GODFATHER and the other is a family disney movie lmfao) i think that when you look at the both of them you can still sort of make sense of how hard it is for kay and amaya to 1) come to terms with the fact that the person they love has changed and 2) why it took so long for them to finally do something about it, whether that's ending the relationship (kay + amaya) and/or tryin to help take them down from their position of power (amaya is able to do this because it's a disney movie but kay definitely could NEVER if she wanted to keep breathing jafdkshlkasdjf)

and honestly? at least with amaya i think that sometimes it's not even that you've fallen out of love with the person. it's that you realize there's nothing you can do to keep them from falling further and further into whatever dark pit they got trapped in. it sounds kinda like an oxymoron, but it's this thing where you love them so much that you can't stand to see them do anymore damage to themselves and others so you HAVE to leave them and/or go against what they're doing. i know i've seen and experienced that in my own life.

anyways obligatory "if u read any of this ily" i hope this makes sense. i needa watch the godfather again i was watching a bunch of clips while writing this and i miss it

[diaryofasugarfiend]

Fiend Watched Return To Neverland

-I watched this one as a kid more than the original

-Me: "I'm watching the Peter Pan sequel, I want to see more of the gay pirates." Mom: "...okay."

-Captain Hook is still a gorgeous bitch

-the crocodile is gone and we never find out what happened to it, I'm assuming it's a pair of shoes now

-we do have a kraken now tho

-"I detest cephalopods!" Reminder to self: write something where Hook has a bad encounter with Davy Jones and/or Ursula

-obligatory hentai joke

-no racist caricatures in this one

-everyone seems like less of an asshole, ymmv on whether this is a good change or whether you prefer a children-are-cruel slant to these feral garbage boys

-that being said "We wake up the bees!"

-I respect Jane's fuck-this-shit-I'm-out-of-here attitude

-there's a crocodile that isn't Tick Tock and it shouldn't be weird but it is

-so, Smee gives Hook shaves, messages, and I seen one official comic where he bathes him. Just what kind of relationship do these 2 have?

-me to my cat when the Lost Boys do their spitting thing: "Wow kitty, they're almost as gross as you are." My cat: *stares at me pretty long for something that doesn't understand what I just said*

-yeah I assume "odds fish" is a minced oath but it's still uh odd

-I think I like this one more than the original and I feel like saying that is going to get me some weird Disney fan brick thru my window

-favorite song: this awful thing that never made it in the movie

[writeblrfantasy]

DAYBREAKERS: lila's lesbian found family heist genre bending wip

featuring friends to crushes to enemies to lovers, the obligatory undercover fake relationship fancy ball scene, a metaphorical and literal magical love interest, a lot of suits, sunsets, and a found family like you wouldn't believe, may i present DAYBREAKERS!

for fans of six of crows, mission impossible, and some disney princess inspiration. the genre is fantasy with a lot of modern quirks and fun gadgets. there's a train scene like the one in uncharted 2, and a mage with a collar and demeanor as stiff as zoya nazyalensky. genre means nothing to me.

THE PLOT:

two years after evelin left the daybreaker crew due to a job gone wrong, her former crew members interrupt the peaceful little life she's built for herself as a designer living on the waterfront. they have the nerve to bring along summer, the woman who betrayed them on that horrible, fateful day two years ago--consequently the most beautiful woman evelin has ever seen, in body and spirit, the one she once hoped to spend her life with--has a sibling in prison. they need to break them out.

they don't ask evelin to give up retirement from that life. she helps them get the money they do ask for, and then they go. she goes with them anyway.

being around the crew and summer again is easier than evelin thought it'd be, especially when summer reveals that night of her betrayal was all a terrible misunderstanding, and she committed no crime. as evelin & crew adjust to having a stiff royal cursebreaker in the midst of their questionably legal methods, and plot their way through the toughest prison on the continent to jude's rescue, evelin wonders if she hasn't missed her chance after all. if there really is a second chance to build something with summer, something evelin dreamed of before the split.

(the answer is yes, and her friends tell her so. repeatedly. gods damn it, ev.)

THE CHARACTERS:

evelin: the upper class pov fashion designer, the "eat the rich, but especially my parents" the stubborn but kindhearted bad boy gentleman lesbian every femme dreams of. aka the person i would like to be!

summer: some call her fireblood. some call her a queen. most just call her beautiful. but she's more than just a pretty face stuck in the honeypot role. she's wanted by the government. aren't we all, girl.

meredith: the leader. a former army child, she is a master negotiator. too bad she doesn't gamble, she has the best poker face in the country!

ruth: bisexual master lockpick, the logical short one who has her head screwed on straight (ha) the most out of all of them. also a former priest. i know, right?

bath(ozan'gog): ruth's demon boyfriend, he is not fully corporeal so he lives in ruth's shoulder. he is very scary and very helpful and threatening, indeed. mhm. no, bath, i'm being serious.

nell: meredith's spouse. driver of their getaway ship/motorcar. a person of few words and dad energy like you wouldn't believe, they have an honest heart. the physical worker of the bunch.

katirina volonov: royal cursebreaker brought onto the crew who has to adjust to their antics and maybe, just maybe loosen up a little once she observes this found family in action.

tagging @ashen-crest @magic-is-something-we-create @chayscribbles @dakrapatops out of interest! let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist! i'm really excited about this one, and it goes to my irl bestie who has been begging me for another lesbian wip forever <3

[italianpersonwithashippersheart]

Get To Know Me Tag

Thanks for the tag @befuddledcinnamonroll

Do you make your bed?

If I have the spoons yeah, I live with my mom and sister so sometimes my mom gets in the room and puts the cover up.

What’s your favorite number?

3 and 5

What is your job?

Don't have one.

If you could go back to school, would you?

Maybe I don't know. I only have obligatory level schooling (which in Italy used to be not sure it still is, middle school). There was something private I once found that could help me, but that costs money.

Can you parallel park?

Can't drive.

A job you had that would surprise people?

Never had a job, mental illness, tis a bitch.

Do you think aliens are real?

It's a possibilty. Who knows, the universe is pretty big.

Can you drive a manual car?

Nope. Can't drive

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Not sure. Maybe some older sitcomes or disney channel/nick tween stuff that I watch. Although I wouldn't say I feel guilty about them.

Tattoos?

Nope, but I wouldn't be oppose to get one eventually.

Favorite color?

Black & White combos

And Red

Favorite type of music?

My music taste is: whatever makes my creative juices spin, whatever I can associate with my current and old brain ideas (creative ones), and whatever I think it's catchy (or nostalgic).

Do you like puzzles?

I'm 50/50 on them. Sometimes they are fine, other times too boring.

Any phobias?

Bugs. Can't even look at them. And I guess getting inside or on top of large bodies of water (can't swim)

EDIT: I can't fucking believe I forgot agoraphobia, like I had it for 10 years, it's pretty bad, how did it I forgot it???

Favorite childhood sport?

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

One of my favorite things to do as a child was sit in a corner and watch other children play at recess. I feel like that tells you everything you need to know about that (I was a very weird kid)

Do you talk to yourself?

Yep, in English, even if it's not my first language

What movies do you adore?

Too many too name.

Coffee or tea?

Tea. I am a very bad Italian, as in I hate coffee.

First thing you wanted to be growing up?

I don't remember. When I was young I used to change my mind a lot. For a while I wanted to write, but then my dream got crushed for a couple of years by a well placed comment from a relative.

Not sure who to tag, so feel free to do it and tag me in it if you want.

[splynter]

Uh uh I don’t have any Christmas shit to post but this Christmas actually wasn’t too bad this year so yeah, it’s nice

Happy Holidays, people :]

Obligatory Christmas tree picture from Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort

[fryingpan1234567]

Masterlist? Kind of? REWRITE

fandoms list (yes this is everything, not in any particular order): Hermitcraft, ESMP, Life Series, Marvel, DC, WOF, Riordanverse, MHA, Trap House/ XPLR, Divergent, Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Disney, ATLA, Wizarding World, IT, Ducktales, any and all theater (TECH PEOPLE UNITE), Gravity Falls, SVTFOE, Thomas Sanders, Daredevil, horror (Scream especially my beloved), Transformers, Jurassic World, Star Wars, Little Nightmares, Pacific Rim, Monsterverse, Pitch Perfect, RWRB, Young Royals, Osemanverse, SCP, Six of Crows, TAWOG, Berrybrook/ BBMS, Descendants, TMNT, Alan Becker/ AVM, Top Gun, Umbrella Academy, Neytirix, Voltron, Greatest Showman, X-men, Zelda, DBD, Undertale, Daughter of the Deep, Poppy Playtime, Black Phone, Murder Drones, Free Guy, Good Omens, Nimona (movie), COD, Hazbin Hotel, Dead Boy Detectives, Fast and Furious, AOUAD, WEBTOONs: Homesick, Boyfriends, School Bus Graveyard, High Class Homos, Everything is Fine, BWFA, Clinic of Horrors, Reunion, Castle Swimmer, The D!ckheads

ship moment (and I’m probably forgetting some):

Hermitcraft/ ESMP/ Life Series etc—

Mostly a multishipper? But I do have some favorites

Scarian

Rendoc

Ethubs

Team ZIT

HEX

Hypnocrafted

Stresskall

Jels

Welsuma

Gridoc

GLASS!! SPOUSES!! I will die on this hill

Team Rancher

Nature Wives

Marvel —

Parleynova/ any variation

Ironstrange

Stucky

Thorbruce

Kate x Yelena I don’t remember

Shuri x MJ

Shuriri

Spideypool

Spideypool but fem

Venomeddie

Nightsilver

Nightangel

DC—

Birdflash

Jayroy

Timkon

Damijon

Steph x Cass x Kara?? Not sure about that name lol

Superbats

Halbarry

Harlivy (DUH)

Batcat

Bluepulse

Jaytim

Jaydick

Yeah yeah I’m a multishipper you know the drill

WOF—

Qinter

Glorybringer

Sunny is aroace fight me

Turtlejou

Moon is also. Aroace

Lynx and Snowfall

Pineapple and Jambu😭

Plus a bunch from Lauren Black’s books if you haven’t read them go do it she may as well be canon

Riordanverse—

Pipabeth

Obligatory Percabeth

Jercy

Valgrace

Solangelo (duh)

Thaleyna

Blitzstone

Fierrochase

Malconnor (MY BELOVEDDD)

NEW SHIP ALERT: Engineering bfs (Jake Mason x Malcolm Pace)

MHA—

Kiribaku

Dekushima

Momojirou

Miritamu

Shinkami

Dabihawks

Shigadabi

Wizarding World (oh boy)—

The constant struggle over choosing between Drarry and Scorbus is real

But also Hedric

Perciver

Deamus

Wolfstar duh

Jegulus

Rosekiller

Linny

I don’t remember the Teddy x James one but

It (2017 + 2019)—

REDDIEEE

Stenbrough

Benverly

we stan aroace Mike

Transformers—

Racer bfs

I don’t know any ship names help

OP and Ratchet

Wheeljack and Bulkhead

Arcee and Arachnid just not when they’re toxic

KOBD

MegOP

Star Wars—

Stormpilot ftw

Dinluke

Kylux

Reyrose

What’s the mando princess x priestess one again

Osemanverse—

Don’t talk to me canon ships are perfect

Berrybrook—

Starting off by saying these are CHILDREN and I’m not sexualizing them in any way

Canon ships are SO CUTEEE I CAN’T

I think Jensen is aroace

Hedgehog and whatever that emo kid from the Diary is called (I KNOW THEY’RE MINOR CHARACTERS LEAVE ME ALONE)

Listen I know that Alex and Joseph are both taken but I’m ngl I thought they were dating at the beginning of Enemies

Send ships I’ll probably agree with you

Descendants—

Harlos and Umvie are superior

Multiship lol

Top Gun—

Hangster

Icemav

Payback and Fanboy

Bob and Phoenix

DBD—

Ghostfrank

Susie x Julie

Hag x Blight

Any of the girls paired up

I know zero ship names

Black Phone—

Finbin/ Rinney

Brance

Showstagg

Murder Drones—

I… don’t like Uzi, sorry

Not gonna ship her with N

And V is toxic

And Cyn is a psychopath but they had good chemistry— I like her (thus far)

J and Tessa they’re cute

Thad is gay as fuck. That is all

Nimona—

Nimona x anarchy and murder <33

COD—

Okay omg

I think all the ships are honestly arguable we don’t really have bad ones

BUT I do have my favorites

Soapghostroach/ any variation but especially that one

Gaz x Jackson

Nikprice

Alerudy

Alex x Farah I forgot the name lmao

Hazbin—

Radioapple

Radiostatic

Vox x Valentino

Huskerdust (AAAAAAAAAA)

Homesick—

Personally I’m on Tommie’s side as far as shipping Rayne goes but I do love Sam

Unfortunately. Most of the characters are dead

There’s not a lot of people to ship

SBG—

AIDEN X TYLER!! MY BOYS!!

Taylor x Ash

Logan x Ben

The fact that there’s official art of them TvT my heart

Castle Swimmer—

Mono x Galoo

Honestly Skiff is so cute. If Kappa and Siren are poly that would be so

Fizz is a dick. That is all

D!ckheads—

If Levi and Eli and Marcus don’t end up together I swear to god

The mean girl and the druggy they’re perfect for each other

people that own my heart (aka I will write/ rb x readers for, but that doesn’t happen often):

Jason Todd/ Red Hood

Dick Grayson/ Nightwing

Simon Ghost Riley

König (my person hc for his real name is Jakob Kilgore, but I don’t tag him like that)

Any non-specific Ghostface

Druig

Matt Murdock/ Daredevil

Sam and Colby

SHH NONE OF THESE SAY ANYTHING ABOUT ME DON’T THINK ABOUT IT TOO HARD

some AU’s I got:

Superhero au (Hermitcraft)

Theater au (Hermitcraft)

Marvel x DC

DC x Riordanverse

High school au (DC)

Greatest Showman au (DC)

Hunger Games au (Riordanverse)

PacRim au (Riordanverse)

Wizarding World au (Riordanverse)

Riordanverse x Marvel

Band au (Wizarding World/ Marauders era)

IT x Stranger Things

Everybody lives au (TBP)

Riordanverse au (COD)

I got 2 different band aus for COD— one is Måneskin themed and the other is Arctic Monkeys

Top Gun au (COD)

Halo au (COD)

Avatar au (COD)

PacRim au (COD)

SCP au (COD)

Jurassic World au (COD)

Homesick x SBG

non-specific tags:

DBD is what I tag everything horror, even if it’s not in the game lmao

everything random that isn’t really related to anything is tagged shitpost

’save’ is everything I wanna come back to

so I know I forgot some ships. send some in I’ll probably agree with you lol

ask! me! about! my oc’s! I have literally tons for basically every fandom so

yes you can make oneshot/ headcanon requests for almost any of these

I yell about a different fandom every day filter by tags XD don’t see the one you’re looking for because I haven’t made anything for it yet? ask away!

consistent formatting is a myth. sometimes I use proper capitalization and punctuation. sometimes I do one and not the other. sometimes I don’t do either. I’m consistent PER POST at least LMAO

asks always open!

[swanmaids]

1. Feanor was a bad dad. He had his own daddy issues + turned the oath into a deathbed thing. He carried more about HIS father and the Silmarils than his children or wife and N was entirely right to leave him.

2. Fingolfin wasn't a completely walkover - he did and fin to his name and had his own camp. Accepting Feanor's apology was the tactical choice and made him look like the bigger person.

He wouldn't have just let Feanor insult him and constantly take advantage. I think he did as a kid, but once he married Anaire, she convinced him their dynamic was unhealthy and that he owed it to his children to be better than his father or brother.

3. Feanor was not cartoonishly evil or stupidly abusive - he was just impulsive and selfish. He wasn't a villain to his own family.

4. The oath wasn't magic/a compulsion!!!!

Maglor discusses throwing it off and the Feanorians are capable of not riding into Angbard for hundreds of years. They are also capable of holding back from attacking Luthien after she got the jewel. Maglor suggests they give up on the oath on the grounds that if they weren't forgiven for breaking it, there was no way to prove they had fulfilled it!

It was a matter of honour and revenge! It was an oath in the sense that Finrod swore to help Barahir's descendents - there was no magical compulsion, but he CHOSE to go with Beren.

That's why they're no longer able to touch the jewels - they did what they did of their own free will and a misguided idea of honour.

Logan Roy Feanor at it again!!!!

Agreed. Fingolfin IS a great and heroic character, and he's also smart and ambitious and aware of how his actions look to others. I like your thoughts about Anaire too. I think she was also a very capable, clever and ambitious person.

Agreed. You don't have to be a disney villain to (unintentionally) hurt the people you care about (obligatory disclaimer that this isn't me excusing the sons and blah) and I think it's a better story if he isn't.

I was actually talking about this the other day! I don't wholesale reject the idea that it has some power, but 1) that's not a get out of jail free card, they had the choice NOT to swear it or at LEAST word it better and 2) I think the idea of it mostly being based on honour is DELICIOUS narratively as we watch the Feanorians do all these hideously dishonourable things to the point that children are killed in their names and they sack a refugee camp all in the name of their honour... which is GONE and they CANNOT regain! oh I'm eating it up with a spoon

[onstoryladders]

Do you know those early 2000s to mid 2010s shows with 26 episodes per season and full of filler eps where one of the characters like, learns to play soccer or whatever, just for that to never be brought up again for the whole of the show?

If stranger things was one of those shows, what filler episodes would you write?

(originally sent this to foodiewithdahoodie but it was so great I'd love to see more answers now)

THIS IS SUCH A COOL ASK GDBDJDBDNDGDG

Alright so I would definitely use those filler eps to explore different relationships and dynamics! I would hate to let them go nowhere tho 😭

These ideas are mostly funny, with a 2000s sitcom/Disney Channel show vibe gdvdudbsb

❀ THE OBLIGATORY SPOOKY EPISODE

This could be set on a Halloween night, but whatever works! The kids find themselves in a spooky situation, maybe they decide to explore an abandoned house or get stuck somewhere and get scared because they think there are ghosts or something gfbrkfbdy this would be the kind of episode where the audience sees unlikely pairings working together after being separated from the others (imagine Madwheeler... it'd be hilarious!).

The ending would be left ambiguous. Are there ghosts in the house? Who knows 👀

❀ OBLIGATORY VALENTINE'S DAY EPISODE

Will works on a mysterious paintings for Valentine's Day and Mike is seething with jealousy... until he realizes that the painting is actually for him. But of course Will gives him some bullshit excuse like "I wanted to celebrate our friendship because that's love too!" (valid sentiment in general but not for THEM) and good ol' oblivious Mike doesn't suspect a thing.

The others realize it's bullshit immediately.

ALTERNATIVELY Mike is used to Will and himself not receiving anything for Valentine's Day, so he decides to leave an anonymous message/some chocolates in Will's locker, but then he realizes Will's actually already received some... because we all know Will pulls a lot of bitches 🙌🏻 so he's sad and jealous. And then Will leaves an anonymous message for him too! And maybe something makes Mike realize who the sender is and so he smiles to himself as he reads... 🥰

❀ THE JOB HUNT

Steve decides to quit his job and needs the help of his friends to find a new one. Disasters ensue, and in the end he begs his previous employer to get him back – absolutely nothing changes lmao

❀ THE FUNDRAISER

This is a must. The Party needs to get money for something important, and they come up with a ridiculous way to do it, potentially against the older teens' will gdbdbdhd I can imagine them doing something really dumb and Nancy and the others having to fix their mess before any of the adults find out. Siblings bonding episode!

❀ THROUGH HOLLY'S EYES

An entire episodes narrated through Holly's eyes! Through her interactions and the things she sees and hears in the Wheeler house. Byler crumbs 👀

❀ THE SECRET

A character has a secret and does whatever they can to keep the others from finding out, but one of their friends find out and they have to promise not to spill the tea and to help them. Lucas, Max and Dustin as a focus for this one would be great!

❀ THE BABYSITTER

Someone is stuck working as a babysitter and chaos ensues. I imagine Steve as a character who does 54747473 different jobs like Miss Rabbit from Peppa Pig 💀 and he just ends up at the Wheeler house because Mike's parents don't trust him. So of course Mike has to find a way to get out of Steve's sight, and well... The Party is just waiting for an excuse to wreak havoc anyway 😈

They get in trouble and have to work together of course, so when the Wheelers get home they find all Mike's friends there and Steve like 🧍🏻‍♂️

❀ SCHOOL HEIST

Max and Will have a very bad grade in a subject at school, and an important test is coming up, but neither of them are confident in their knowledge and so Will proposes to steal the answers!

Bonus points if they're not just doing it for the good grade, but also because they made a bet with the others that they wouldn't fail it lmao

Also it'd be hilarious if they got stuck somewhere and had to ask for help 🤣 and El finds them but she wants to tell the truth and so in the end Max and Will have to buy her silence lmao

❀ THE MAKEOVER

El gets asked out on a date but she has no idea what to do and Max isn't there. Luckily Nancy decides to help and gives her a makeover, but she also help her understan what she really wants and also that she doesn't have to go on a date if she doesn't want to!

So in the end they stay home and watch a movie or something gsgvdg and maybe there's a scene where El does Nancy's hair in a cute style 🥰

THIS WAS SUPER FUN TO WRITE THANKS!

[marciabrady]

The Little Mermaid 2 and 3 (bring it on!)

The Little Mermaid 2 and 3:

my all-time ultimate fave character: we all know it's ariel lbr but...again not to be too predictable, andrina! she's SO much funny in every incarnation i read of her and she's the only character that seems to make it with a semblance of character integrity (even more so than ariel who does NOT fare well with these sequels)

a character I didn’t used to like but now do: king triton maybe? i still think he has abusive tendencies and certain things frustrate me about him to no end but i think he's realistic and there's a weight to him that's intriguing to me

a character I used to like but now don’t: queen athena. i thought she was pretty as a kid and i liked her whole voice/singing to the kids plot thing but i just think she's so uninspired and lazy and her voice isn't even that good, her design is blah, and i don't think ariel's mom is that lady lol sorry

a character I’m indifferent about: hm. benjamin??? i guess it's fine that they kinda gay-coded him and it's some representation but he's marina's sidekick, and marina is the ultimate ick, and idk he's just so bland anyway that it's hard to feel anything for him outside of what he is

a character who deserved better: andrina! she deserved WAY more lines and screentime. i wish they got the original andrina back but tara did her best, i guess

a ship I’ve never been able to get into: carlotta and grimsby. like i get they're both side characters that are a man and a woman but obligatory hetero ships that have no chemistry aren't my thing (this is directed at the fandom, the movie doesn't really put them together)

a ship I’ve never been able to get over: i think aquata and that boy they put her with in the third movie are cute i guess? again i'm actively trying not to say ariel/eric

a cute, low-key ship: um. melody and that blonde boy??? i guess

an unpopular ship but I still enjoyed it: ??? there aren't really any other ships in these movies, they honestly don't offer much

a ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened: melody and that guy she danced with in the beginning of the second movie, but that was the point so

my favourite storyline/moment: hm...uh. um. uhhh OH WAIT i do love ariel singing in that hazy room in the beginning of the second movie. the animation is like rugrats level bad BUT jodi's singing carries it

a storyline that never should have been written: THE THIRD MOVIE. i will go to my grave standing by the fact that i think the banishment of music is the DUMBEST plot i've ever heard of/seen in all of hollywood and the fact that disney is SUCH a difficult company to break into and it's so competitive and it's supposed to hold the highest standards for its craft and THAT plot wasn't ridiculed in its initial pitch in the writer's room and how that plot not only contradicts THE FIRST SCENE we see of ariel missing the concert in her original movie but doesn't even make any sense, given that she gives her voice up to be human so clearly she doesn't care about music THAT much is baffling like the minimum wage character performers in the parks get better training on integrity than the writers from that movie

my first thoughts on the show: i honestly never cared about either movie but i think i disliked the third movie less when i first saw it because tlm2 made melody the main character and that really irritated me as a child because i didn't want to see her and her walrus and penguin, i wanted more ariel who was delegated as a side character bc i guess older women or moms just aren't interesting/worthy of being main characters???

my thoughts now: for as much as i personally dislike the second movie, i'm still glad we have it because i think some of jodi benson's singing is superior to any of her other recordings and i'm genuinely astounded by her talent in some songs. the third movie though is painful and i hate it and it makes me resent disney lol