#the birthday scene motifs are so important to me

[flea-palace]

alert alert ive been reading susan kay again and it's got me mentally volatile !!

[construingseacats]

Umireread: Legend of the Golden Witch - Chapter 6: Sandy Beach 

Sat, Oct 4 1986 - 3:00PM

The following contains spoilers for the entirety of Umineko. Please do not read if you are yet to finish it.

We finally have our first real entry to the Tips menu in the form of the Epitaph, but it’s just a copy of what it says without any further notes. Going forward I’ll just comment if something is added that I think merits inspection, other than starting each post with “no new tips this time” or “there’s something new but there’s nothing to say about it”.

I mean, I have to make the joke about Maria being the one writing the Tips, right? We get the Epitaph in our “book” and then she pulls it out of hers. Anyway Maria writes all the tips 100% canon confirmed

Battler says he’s hungry and Yasu immediately goes into “I would do anything in the world for you” mode.

Umineko is just full of microcosms of itself, isn’t it? This whole scene of the kids discussing the Epitaph is just one giant metaphor to the narrative structure of the mystery as a whole. The Epitaph tells you about a sweetfish-filled river, so you take it as the truth. You try to figure out where it is, but it’s fruitless, because it doesn’t exist. The same applies to all the testimonies and text that dances around the red truths later - if you take it at face value, you’ll find yourself in a dead end. It’s only when you take a step back and realise what the words actually mean that you arrive at your actual truth.

Absolutely WILD take. You’d really think Maria would be big into the fantasy motifs associated with castles. That being said, this probably does track - Maria has probably been on days out to actual castles and, as a kid, found them relatively mundane and boring. Under the lens of reality, theme parks are indeed the more whimsical of the two, and probably easier for her to lose herself in fantasy-wise.

Hitting the nail on the head there by focusing on the Kanji of the Epitaph being important, eh?

Yeah this was just me at every family meeting when I was her age.

Battler cutting the Gordian Knot here. This is a really interesting line, honestly - it’s a sense of pragmatic bluntness that I don’t recall us getting a lot of later (although that might just be my memory), but moreover, it shows a sense of gunning for answers without caring for the why. It’s definitely a far cry from Erika levels of depravity, but it’s neat to know how much he grows as a person as this story goes on.

I do wonder what Yasu’s thoughts are regarding this discussion. I know she’s rooting for Battler - or anyone, really - to solve the Epitaph, but I’d loved to have seen a beat-by-beat reaction of her internal thoughts to everything going on here.

Maria talks about wanting to believe in Beato and Yasu chimes in immediately. Feed that imagination and you can use her to your advantage later.

Good to know that we’re establishing the servants being willing to lie in service of fantasy this early on.

Battler goes “woah, that’s scary” and then Yasu immediately retreats and goes “nooo it’s not that scary please like me”.

I’m imagining a conversation where Maria asks Rosa for a book for her birthday, a happy Rosa asks her which one she would like, and then Maria goes “The Lemegeton :)”

I dunno man, I used to cast fire strike on scorpions at the Al Kharid mine to train my magic and they didn’t put up much resistance.

I’m imagining an alternate universe where the Rokkenjima Massacre never happens and Maria grows up as one of those girls obsessed with Star Signs and Crystals.

“Even I don’t think of myself as the sort of loser who’d laugh at something like that”. Oh Ryukishi is coming for the throat of anyone who makes fun of other peoples’ interests. I think this is quite a neat comment to drop - like, internally, part of me wants to say that he’s painting with too broad a stroke here, but at the same time I don’t think he’s wrong at all? Like, using the above example of people obsessed with astrological signs, it’s pretty common to see others poking fun at them because obviously it’s not real. But is that a valid reason to disparage them? Aren’t we all retreating into our own personal fantasies of reality, especially when it comes to more existential topics? Umineko, at its core, really is a story of compassion for your fellow man. I think this is quite a direct point for the story to make, but it’s a well warranted one.

Yasu, once again, is writing Battler as the ultimate gentleman dreamboat who would be her perfect partner.

This scene is quite interesting in that it gives you a good insight into the philosophy of the trio here - Battler, results focused, is initially disappointed that the roses will be battered by the storm. Jessica chimes in, saying that they were lucky to have lived and left an impression on them, and George echoes this by saying that the finite nature of their existence is what truly allows you to admire them in their bloom - with Battler coming around to their way of thinking afterwards. I like seeing Battler being so open minded, but I also like thinking of this as a reflection of all of their thoughts about life in general.

Oh that’s a scathing comment from Jessica. Literally one scene ago we had a callout directed towards people for looking down on what brings others joy, and now we have Jessica calling Maria’s obsession “pointless”. That has to be an intentional criticism of her character.

Mother of the year incoming.

The themes of fantasy and reality rise once again. Of course, the rose is gone - presumably it was pruned by Yasu to get Maria into this situation - but none of what the cousins or Rosa is saying here actually helps Maria. You can’t help her with the truth, you can only upset her. So do you force the truth down her throat? Do you make her even more upset, so you can feel vindicated that you’re right? Or do you approach her in a way that might actually calm her down? To be fair, I’m not entirely sure what the right approach would even be in this scenario - I’d presume the best bet is to weave some fantastical tale that the rose ran away somewhere, or that it wasn’t wilting and was actually getting ready to hide before the typhoon hit, so it’s actually safe and sound under the dirt. But anyway, I certainly know what the wrong approach is in this case!

Yasu writes the Ushiromiyas as completely rotten, who cannot be changed and aren’t worth saving. “But Battler, my hero? He’s different. He’s the good one.”

Once again, Umineko is such a good dive into the human condition. I’m almost certain that Rosa and Maria are based on a real case he saw during his time as a social worker. Rosa is a terrible mother, but you can see why she’s ended up like this. Not just because she’s issuing the same treatment Kinzo gave to her generationally, but because she’s a single mother who is not able to cope with Maria’s additional needs and struggles by herself. Her actions aren’t excused - and they certainly aren’t excusable - but you clearly understand why Rosa is like this. I’m so grateful whenever a piece of media is able to navigate a difficult topic like this with an understanding of the humanity behind both parties without just taking the easy route and vilifying one of them.

Wow, George is so great with kids! Anyway, let’s defend the mother who is beating her daughter.

It’s actually really messed up that both George and Jessica are so defensive of Rosa’s actions here. The generational trauma is real - they’ve both absolutely received similar treatment growing up and have become numb to it.

Yeah? You think what Maria wants the most right now is to be left alone? Bet you feel real good about yourselves letting that 9 year old get a beating, huh?

Through the lens of Yasu’s writing, I can’t help but see this as a venting moment - a reflection of the times that she was hurting, that she wanted someone to reach out to her, but it was too proper for them to do so and so a blind eye was turned against her. After all, it’s the Ushiromiya family, their entire tattered history is full of them simply ignoring their problems and waiting for them to go away. No doubt Yasu was frothing at the bit at the prospect of them trying to “wait for the problem to go away” while standing on top of several tons of military grade explosives.

It’s worth mentioning that I’m writing these notes as I go, because occasionally I’ll make a comment and then be pleasantly surprised by seeing a point I make be immediately reinforced by the narrative. Case in point, we have some discussion from Battler about how messed up it is for George and Jessica to act as they do in this scene.

Honestly, I want to revisit a suggestion I made earlier about Maria implanting herself onto the rose - if we read this scene with that assumption, this all hits so, so much harder. The wilted rose, the odd one out, has disappeared - and no-one seems to care. And here we have Rosa basically confirming that’s a one-to-one reflection of Maria’s school life; a wilted rose that people tolerate at best, want to see gone at worst, and the odd one out without any friends regardless. It’s just sad all round.

Also, Fortitude is the perfect pick for this scene - such a great track. Flawlessly captures the emotions at play here.

And we find ourselves in a Kinzo scene to send us out. With no witnesses in the study, this is the fantasy of an empty room. The sound of rain against the window with no-one there to care. A study draped in isolation and silence, all alone. It is left to the reader to decide what is lonelier - this vista of emptiness, or the abused child in the rose garden.

Beatrice.

[thewolfisawake]

Can A Fire Bird Love a Broken Bird

Romantic or Platonic: Romantic

How Many Within Your Ship: Two

First Impression:

Amara: (by my very wrong guess) What an odd person...

Noita: He has quite beautiful hair.

When is the Anniversary: There is no set date for wedding since that hasn’t come about with them. But it might as well be their shared birthday of December 13th. They recreate romantic moments on that day.

Who Looks Forward to Celebration: Hear me out, Amara was the one into it before hand. Like I can’t think of all the celebrations they’d be into but birthday is consistent because it’s so important for them. Amara never had a birthday--he remembers at least. When Noita offered their birthday, it was more so that it was something better than the actual day. But of course Amara is like ‘the world gave my songbird on this day, of course I wanna celebrate.’ And it got a ‘wait, no.’ He had to be excited about it first and then Noita didn’t want to make the birthday suck because it is now his day and he’s just so happy about it. So now they’re both into the celebration but it was definitely started by Amara.

Favorite Celebration: I will give you one guess. Although the Halloween-like holidays are second.

Pet Names:

Amara -> Noita: Songbird is pretty much it. It’s usually a serious moment if he straight up calls them Noita.

Noita -> Amara: Love (yes they are that bad at names) although I find more commonly it’s some form of ‘you __ bird’ (silly or foolish being most common). Them calling Amara by his name isn’t unusual on the other hand.

1-5 Words to Describe This Ship: This life is worth living (Amara’s POV) / You cursed me with happiness (Noita’s POV) / Sunshine x Grump (Me)

Matching Outfits: You’d think they wouldn’t care but honestly I think Noita has too much pride to do matching outfits. They would see it as lame and say no.

Unnatural Hair: I mean, by technical standards, they both have unnatural hair. But let’s be real, Amara’s hair is pretty unusual/stand out. It also may or may not be magical.

Physical Affection: I think Amara would die if doesn’t get physical affection from Noita every other day. I am being hyperbolic but he does love the cuddling, hand holding (the salacious bastard), and the like with Noita. While it isn’t Noita’s love language, I do think it’s super sweet and important that they let Amara be touchy. Like with anyone they aren’t close with, they literally bristle. It takes time to be where it’s they bristle instinctually but let go soon after. But because of how Amara’s warmth is rolled into his touch, Noita at this point doesn’t even react anymore because they know it’s him and know he’s safe.

Early Riser: Amara, hands down. He rises with the sun literally. So while he likes to just chill, see sunrise and all that, Noita’s asleep. Probably from staying up too late again. It leaves time for him to get a headstart on breakfast (why is he just so good??)

Their Song: I don’t know if they have a precise song. They do have a playlist. But I think a newer song from when that was made is ‘Come Home With Me’ from H.adestown.

Motif: Sun and Moon, baby.

Prefers Actions Over Words: Both depending the situation. Amara tends to physically show his love to Noita very clearly and very abundantly. Noita also shows affection physically but in little ways and usually privately.

Who’s In Front of the Camera/Works Behind the Scenes: Actually...I don’t see either as being in front of a camera. So behind the scenes it is.

What is Their Wallpaper: Amara is not that good with technology but I do think he could figure out the camera and probably has the wallpaper of the two of them. Noita would not have anything particular for their wallpaper. Mainly because they do not want to have any conversation point with their comrades.

What is Their Flower: Amara’s favorite flowers are blue lotuses. Noita’s are red spider lilies.

What is Their Scent: I imagine that Amara has more of an earthy scent like amber and sometimes the faintness of sunflowers. Noita doesn’t have a strong scent but what is prominent at any time is the scent of rosemary.

Where Would They Travel for a Week: There is no particular place that they would choose since they already travel quite extensively. However there was a fondness for Greece, especially on the islands.

What Makes The Other Comfortable to Them:

Amara -> Noita: Their quiet protectiveness like a hand to pull you back from danger. The tranquility that surrounds their presence.

Noita -> Amara: The ability to love so unabashedly and peaceable, no matter how difficult it is. The lack of judgement that cares not what they are.

[omoghouls]

> Ocean is not an asshole and that’s important to me

Dying improves Ocean as a person. It is a major point in her character arc, that in death she has become a better person than she was in life but. Here’s the thing.

Ocean is continuously portrayed as self obsessed and as though she only likes the other choir members for the idea that they make her look better, bc of their perceived ‘inferiority,’ and I hate that sm, bc the way I perceived it she was never really selfish, as such- she just had a very specific idea of what she wanted to do with her life, and the means and academic (,if not emotional) intelligence to accomplish it.

(There’s a promo video in which Ocean says “look, I have a thirty year goal to be the first democratically elected prime minister of Canada” which literally makes me sob because. She never got to meet her thirty year goal-)

That, accompanied with her specific outlook on life, where she seems to base most of peoples worth off of academic achievement (shown in Karnaks joke abt her high grade point average being the reason she gets to have the final choice,) she comes across as self centred and that sort of thing.

She doesn’t really even improve that much, she just seemed to gain the emotional intelligence to comprehend and verbalise things she already sort of knew, and in death her conflicting personal morals (eg, the ‘and I am not even bragging about that bc that is against my Buddhist beliefs!’ speech) and views seem to solidify.

It’s why her having the ‘final say,’ but not being able to complete it (“you knew I wouldn’t be able to do it,” and the repeat of her “democracy rocks” catchphrase) is so important, because it’s when that reality of the choice she faces hits her.

Even if she does get closure, she has to choose between how she is perceived/the moral high ground, and the life she could have.

Given that she had her whole life planned out, having it not go that way must have been. Devastating on a scale I can’t even begin to imagine- especially bc the not going to plan, in this context, means ‘your life is on the line,’ and her having to pick between everything she’d ever known, and utter uncertainty- so again, moral high ground vs her life.

She picks moral high ground, in letting Jane/Penny return, despite how obviously it pains her to do so- which is why I hate sm when people disregard ‘every story has a lesson,’ bc sure, it’s a silly lighthearted song/scene, but it so clearly conveys so much about oceans character, in that she believes everything has to have meaning, and if she chooses to go back rather than letting Jane/Penny return, it nulls the meaning of Jane’s life, as she can’t remember it, and because her body was never claimed, nobody would remember it.

Also, if she voted for herself, Ocean would no longer be able to perceive herself as ‘a good person’ because of Ricky’s speech after SABM.

If she goes back, doing so will invalidate all the growth she goes through during the show- and adding onto song theme, every song in the musical is so important to me, because even the ‘silly ones’ have meaning- all the ones specially relating to ocean carry the central motif that everything Needs to have meaning.

Even in ‘the new birthday song,’ it’s shown again, in that Ocean sort of fabricates meaning for/humanises Jane, whereas before she’d only viewed her as ‘a freaky monster’ which made the choice that much harder, as her belief that she should be the one to go back started to become more unstable- and I see so many ppl hating every story has a lesson and the new birthday song and from like. An overall standpoint I can kind of understand it. But it makes me sad bc they’re so integral to ocean and her character arc !!

Also, all that aside, this is not a justification of some of the shit she says bc some of it is. Pretty fucked up- or at least, I disagree with the "her behaviour was understandable if you look hard and deep into her backstory and her parents and headcanon her certain ways, and therefore it was also okay,” because just bc smth is understandable and a valid reaction doesn't equal it being okay. Her behaviour is still shitty- which doesn't mean she is an Unforgivable Terrible Person. Like. the worst thing she's done is be kind of a bitch, vaguely ableist, very traumatised, and be dismissive of other people's feelings. Which like ????? She's a literal child! Depending on what part of the fandom you take your head cannons from, she is not even seventeen years old (or she’s closer to 18 but. i disagree with that timeline wise bc it doesn’t make sense in the overall plot)- but anyways. She’s a teenager!!! it’s normal to be a bit fucked up and have incorrect opinions- The point, for me is in that she learns and grows and starts seeing the humanity in others. And at the end she gives someone else a life at the cost of her own! That's a big deal! It shows she's grown and learned to see other people's humanity and treat them better, even if that doesn't get her what she wants. So. Yeah. Ocean is not an asshole. And that’s important.

- 🎢

Literally kissing you directly on the face MY GOD THIS IS SO GOOD AN AMAZING ANALYSIS OF HER ANNDJEJEIIWNWNWBSNDJDJ

And the end! Yes!! She's literally just a teenager, teenagers are growing, they've barley just left their childhood, ofc their view points are gonna be a bit skewed, they're growing!!! Even during the course of being in that limbo area, Ocean grows a lot, she gains different perspectives, something needed to grow!!!

[transmutationisms]

id love to hear more abt the piss motif could u give me a comprehensive guide so far

omg yes of course

so on the surface level, pissing on this show is often a way of expressing dominance or power relations. which makes sense on an intuitive level—it's sort of like a dog marking its territory. that's what logan is doing in 'lifeboats' when he pisses on kendall's floor, and what matsson is doing in 'too much birthday' when he pisses on the waystar app. it's also what that rando is doing when he throws piss at logan in 'austerlitz' (impaled upon his own piss-sword, humiliated by his own design, etc).

i think the writers also subvert piss-as-dominance, though, by drawing the audience's attention to 1) the grossness of it and 2) the times when characters (logan) transgress the bounds of the appropriate time/place to piss. eg, the opening scene with logan pissing on the rug. he's an incredibly rich man and he can afford to just pay someone to clean up after himself—but it's still humiliating, he can't look directly at the person doing the cleanup, and obviously it foreshadows his haemorrhage. similarly, in 'retired janitors' he's pissing constantly because he's lost control of his bladder and consequently his mind, and he becomes a tragicomic figure rather than the omnipotent patriarch-king he normally tries to be.

most interestingly, though, i think the flow of bodily fluids in general tells you something about the character's emotional state. when you see someone bleeding, pissing, shitting, puking, yerfing, or even spitting you're usually also seeing some kind of emotional turning point or release. (my faves are kendall shitting the bed at his big emotional shift in s2, and the way tom swallowing his own load is symptomatic of his emotional constipation/repression/inability to get what he wants).

plus, when i think about piss motif, i also think about the large number of scenes that take place in bathrooms (depends how you count, but roughly an average of one per episode). the bathroom is socially coded as the one place where civilised people can go to release, and i don't think it's a coincidence that we also see so many emotionally charged and significant conversations on succession happening in these settings. eg, tabitha has two significant convos about roman's sex and intimacy issues where she's in the bathroom; tom has a couple important phone calls with shiv where he's in the bathroom; i also wrote about togan piss dialectics here which was semi a joke but also... true lmao.

there's also some excellent power plays in bathrooms. eg, kendall bringing the bear hug letter to logan. he catches his father off his guard, half-dressed, in a vulnerable situation. but, because he's kendall, he feels bad about this and logan can tell, and still manages to bully his son. still, the scene ends with logan's hand literally in the toilet, so i'd say this was a relative high point for kendall. or there's greg catching logan in the bathroom and telling him he wants out of waystar, and logan manipulating him into staying. logan is the character who's most free to be emotionally expressive/manipulative, and he's also the one the piss motif centres around.

there's obviously some overlap here with other recurring imagery/motifs in the show. kendall and roman both have a thing with mirrors; kendall has a water motif; there are also lots of other bodily fluids flowing on this show. i also think that, strictly speaking, piss motif and bathroom motif are two different things, though for obvious reasons they do come together in some scenes. but bathroom motif involves a lot of like... vulnerability and emotional dis/honesty and secrecy.

anyway yeah tl;dr: piss motif, to me, is about 1) power relations, 2) the inherently humiliating nature of possessing a human body, 3) emotional expressiveness/release. it's a top-notch motif :)

[sunjaesol]

Hey so uh…I saw you screaming about All Too Well and I just kinda wanted to come and scream about it too because OH MY GOD????!!!!!

I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS

Sadie comes across as very youthful (which, ovbiously, she's 19) with her free wavy hair and baggier clothes and that hopeful grin always at the forefront, nothing else distracting the viewer from it. Dylan looks tall and dominant, the choice to keep a full beard very smart, his often darker clothes noting to his maturity as a late twenty/early thirty guy. The longer it goes on, the more of a deliberately passive performance Dylan gives. There's exhaustion, uncertainty, like he begins to realise they just don't work, even if the start was beautiful.

And even then, the opening line of her wondering whether or not she's made him up, shows she's always been more invested than he had. He's bemused, maybe enchanted by her looks and personality.

(As someone that's 20, I've been approached by a handful of guys that fit the guy's description and fuck, in the back of your mind you know they're not good for you, but they know so much and have seen so much and it makes you curious. Nothing happened to me like what Taylor depicted, but it's just very very relatable.)

Her rigid and stoic frame during the party dinner scene spoke volumes. No colours in her wardrobe, absent expression, stiff frame. That red lip too harsh, making her look like a little girl playing dress-up. The argument afterwards about him dropping her hand and not helping her during the night, him not even remembering the moment, making the viewer realise they have such a different perspective on the relationship. Sure, they both make mistakes, but he sees this as fleeting, she sees it as forever. She remembers everything.

"The Reeling" part really choked me up. It felt so real. It was maybe one of the realest depictions of a break-up I've ever seen on screen. Not made into a joke, not sugarcoated, not glossed over. Being hurt sucks and they're not afraid to lean into it. Celebrating a birthday and being pointedly aware someone isn't there, someone that used to mean so much, hit me in the gut.

The scarf motif might be the best fucking thing about it. It's a little thing. She walks in and takes her scarf off and drapes it on the staircase, later presumably forgotten because, really, who remembers a scarf? But then he does. He remembers the scarf. "'Cause it reminds you of innocence and it smells like me."

I think it's important to remember that though they've both made mistakes, and though it hadn't been the smartest choice to date someone with such an age gap (at least, when they're in their twenties), it did matter. It changed both of them, even if they hadn't been on the same page, even if he hadn't been as invested as she was. Relationships will always affect you. So the sentence "'Cause it reminds you of innocence and it smells like me." acknowledges that he too had a heart and had felt deeply for her. That the story isn't just a black and white hero-villain tale.

The ending of her being the age he was in the beginning, being established and confident and no longer with a dreamy-eyed gaze, felt very satisfying. She's been able to process that whirlwind of a relationship and writes about it, to share it with other women, perhaps alluding all the women at the reading are just like her.

And then obviously, seeing him watching from a frosted window after so many years, well and truly seperated and estranged, that we're not even allowed to see his face. Fucking magnificent.

[chalabrun]

tsunade's feats (and why she's equal to her fellow sannin)

(For @sannin-central​‘s Sannin Week Day 7 prompt: Free Day)

One of the most tired arguments you’ll ever hear about Tsunade is that she isn’t as strong as her fellow Sannin, or their equal; that all she does is heal and punch and have a bad temper. As if that’s the only thing that makes her special, right? Nah, wrong!

In this meta, what I want to expand on is a full, manga-canon (with some anime and extraneous material inclusion) litany of feats that Tsunade has accomplished. And what makes her such an integral part of the Sannin, and background surrounding it. Hopefully, this will be a meta that can end the doubt of the equality between the Sannin and the feats that make Tsunade such a force to be reckoned with.

The Sannin: Why there was a 3-way Deadlock

(Below scan originally from Narutoversity.)

As stated in the Second Databook, to be a Sannin means that each individual Sannin are of equal ability and might to each other.

The Legend of the Sannin

What is the truth behind the Sannin? With three key words, we will discover how the three became legends.

Even ghosts would cower before Konoha’s Sannin!

Past

Under the professor, their talents were nutured!

The three who spent their childhood with the one who would become the Third Hokage. With the benefit of great leadership, each was able to set flame to their great talents. Perfecting their strength and jutsus, and at times clashing with each other, the three find the source of their power from these days of childhood.

[Bell Test] At that place, the usual presence of the teacher and student relationship…

Strength

Explosive spirit and unique power!

Jiraya’s manly fighting valor, Orochimaru’s individual talents, Tsunade’s monster power and supreme knowledge of medical jutsu. During fights, their skills would increase thrice fold and create stories of great battlefield deeds. Especially, places of battle where the three fought together were their own stage. Stories of their battlefield deeds have evolved into legends. As there will no longer be days when the three will fight alongside each other, the flower of their legend is the more dazzling.

[Jiraiya] Serious but deadly eyes! Are the only ones who can fight against the Sannin the Sannin themselves?

[Tsunade] Her power is like that of a god of war.

[Orochimaru] Like a reflection of his way of life, his fighting skills are cruel to the extreme.

Weakness

The weakness of the Sannin?

The Sannin are also human. If they do have weaknesses, is it not because of their human attributes and personalities? In it, there is a certain lure of humanistic charm.

Jiraya – Women and sexiness

If someone uses the one that he loves as a shield, even the most strongest of ninjas will become defenseless. And there are many women that Jiraya loves.

Tsunade – Gambling

In the world of gambling she is known as Legendary Sucker. When she uses her luck, which is rather low, is she then at her most vulnerable?

Orochimaru – ???

In completely encompassed mind of ice, there is no possibility of it becoming marred by another human. Only, his own endless ambitions keeps him anxious.

- Second Databook, translation from Narutoversity.

As stated here, to be a Sannin means to be equal in power, that no individual Sannin is more powerful than each other. More than that, only a Sannin can hope to take down a Sannin.

As stated by Ebisu shortly after Jiraiya’s return in the aftermath of the Konoha Crush.

As said by Jiraiya during the Three-Way Deadlock in part 1.

First Fanbook, Sannin entry (Source)

Ch. 170, highlighting the Sansukumi motif behind the Sannin.

Ch. 154, where Orochimaru muses about Tsunade's calling in life.

During this arc, Orochimaru themself states that facing two of their fellow Sannin wouldn’t be easy, even if they are one.

Ch. 369, where Hanzo himself gives the Sannin their name--objectively acknowledging their prowess instead of favoring one over the other.

Ch. 380, where Pein himself admits to the Sannin’s equal and devastating ability.

Even their stats as listed in the databooks see them as near-equal to one another statistically.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru's statboxes (Source)

Sannin & their Summons

Second Databook, Leaf #18: The Sannin & their summons (Source)

Another important factor of the 3-way Deadlock is the deadly summons that each Sannin possessed. What made them so special?

Manda

Village: Otogakure

Rank: —

“You bastard…I’ll eat you up!”

A python that lives with an aggressive nature and evil wildness

A summon that is hard to control because of its aggressive nature. With its hideous eyes and great power of destruction, there is no emotion of ‘terror’ for this violent entity that wants to take over everything. It is an evil that is partners with Orochimaru who also symbolizes evil.

There is no such thing as trust between the summoned and the summoner.

The jutsus that utilize 100% of all the characteristics of a snake are also formidable!!

- Second Databook, Manda's entry (Scan & Translation)

Gamabunta

Village: Konohagakure

Rank: —

“I’ll make sure you pay me back for this…”

Majestic and magnificent!! An honorable toad, defender of justice, protector of the weak!!

The big toad summoned by Jiraiya and Naruto. The sight of him wielding his giant knife is the very picture of the boss of chivalry. His violent fights against Shukaku and Manda show why he is known as the strongest toad.

His life is also that of a boss. Having yet to pledge his loyalty to Naruto, Gamabunta had no obligation to help him. However, upon learning that Naruto had saved Gamakichi, he joined Naruto in the fight against Shukaku. He is a true warrior among warriors who understands the lifelong shame of an unchivalrous action!

Unable to ignore the desperation of the one who saved his son. A true champion.

His voice rings like a knife no matter who his opponent his. His power is no bluff.

- Second Databook, Gamabunta's entry (Scan & Translation)

Katsuyu

Village: Konohagakure

Rank: —

“Tsunade-sama so desires.”

Risking her life for Tsunade! A wise and docile giant slug!!

The massive slug summoned by Tsunade. Her polite speech and obedient attitude give a strong impression of maturity. However, her true strength is anticipated to be considerable. Katsuyu’s true strength… It can be guessed her fighting on an equal footing with Gamabunta and Manda, the summoned creatures of the other “Sannin”.

She executes Tsunade’s orders swiftly and efficiently, sending the injured Naruto away from the battlefront on a Bunshin and saving him from a dangerous situation.

Katsuyu’s kind and compassionate heart can be sense in her worry for Naruto’s safety. Seems like a rather different personality to that of the dynamic and fearless Tsunade…

- Second Databook, Katsuyu's entry (Scan & Translation)

Something definitively established is that each Sannin’s boss summon was as strong as the others, especially when one considers that they’re the only ones summoned from sage regions, the only three known in the world.

Ch. 579

Ch. 634, where Minato notes the exceptionalism of the Sannin’s summons.

The Sannin: A historical & folkloric influence

Something that might not be commonly known is the fact that the Sannin take their inspiration from two primary sources: the rock-paper-scissors hand game precursor, Mushi-ken, and the Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya.

Woodblock prints depicting scenes from the Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya, featuring Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru that inspired the Sannin.

"In the legend, Jiraiya is a ninja who uses shapeshifting magic to morph into a gigantic toad. As the heir of the mighty Ogata clan in Kyūshū, Jiraiya fell in love with Tsunade (綱手), a beautiful young maiden who has mastered slug magic. His arch-enemy was his one-time follower Yashagorō (夜叉五郎), later known as Orochimaru (大蛇丸), a master of serpent magic (the kanji 大蛇 literally means "giant snake" or "serpent"). It was first recorded in 1806."

The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya. (Source)

Now, while articles such as these better establish the Sannin’s folkloric influence, what is undeniable is that the Sannin come from very historical beginnings.

But, what about the game of Mushi-ken that further describe the 3-Way Deadlock?

Mushi-ken, the earliest Japanese sansukumi-ken game (1809). From left to right: slug (Namekuji), frog (Kawazu), and snake (Hebi). (Source)

In mushi-ken, the "frog" represented by the thumb wins against the "slug" represented by the pinkie finger, which, in turn defeats the "snake" (蛇) represented by the index finger, which wins against the "frog" (蛙). (Source)

As we see with this explanation, the Sannin are further meant to be equal from the game that would come to define their dynamic, as illustrated with the above points. 

Tsunade: What the databooks say

Tsunade

Village: Konohagakure

Rank: Hokage

Ninja Registration Number: 002302

Birthday: August 2 (51 years old, Leo)

Height: 163.1 cm Weight: 48.9 kg Blood Type: B

Personality: Brash, gambling addict

Favourite food: Chicken breast, alcohol

Least favourite food: Raw liver

Would like to fight: Uzumaki Naruto

Favourite word: Get rich quick!

Interests: Gambling

Graduated from the Ninja Academy at age 6

Promoted to chuunin at age ?

Mission Experience

D-rank: 40

C-rank: 236

B-rank: 467

A-rank: 418

S-rank: 95

Statistics

Ninjutsu: 5

Taijutsu: 5

Genjutsu: 3.5

Intelligence: 5

Strength: 5

Speed: 3.5

Stamina: 4

Hand Seals: 4

“This can’t be happening…”

Brash, free spirited, monstrous strength, no one can stop Princess Tsunade. She is the legendary ninja who has touched upon the very limits of medicine.

As one of the Legendary Sannin, tales of her heroism echo on the battlefield and her efforts in expanding the medical field have made numerous accomplishments. The name Tsunade that is imbued with legendary magnificence is a ninja of Konoha. She is the idol of many kunoichis. But she, the object of this admiration, is one of those rare individuals who is not limited by being a woman ninja nor by any other constraints of a ninja. Her personality is precipitous and free, more stubborn than a man’s as well as showy, not to mention a gambling addict. If her admirers should hear about her life as a gambler, perhaps their idolatry will fade away in an instant.

But behind that flashy personality, an almost diffident friendliness is hidden. There is none who can match her love for her village and for those who are special to her. This gap between her outer and inner self is the secret to her charm that can never wilt!

Even though she is always impetuous, her truly terrifying moment is when she has anger deep inside her. Her expression and glow of her eyes right before her eruption have the intensity to make anyone afraid.

As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, her name is the frequent subject of news.

Her exceptional bad luck! But her once in awhile winnings, could they be indicators of an ominous future?

[Servant]

For the naturally brash and free style Tsunade, she cannot do without the rational and organized Shizune. On days Tsunade is drowning in gambling, wine and sadness, [Shizune’s] understanding and devotion have supported her throughout.

[Shizune’s] special existence to Tsunade is beyond that of a servant.

[Orochimaru]

She never thought of him as a companion even during the period of the Sannin. His evil eyes which never change through time are not what Tsunade likes. But the offer that he proffers weakens her. Without putting down a decision she is lead into an evil plan.

He lures her with the mentioning of ‘her most precious ones.” Towards the raging Tsunade, he continues to talk. “I can bring back your beloved brother and love.”

[Jiraiya]

Unlike Orochimaru, she knows Jiraiya well. So when he requests with sincerity in his eyes her acceptance to be inaugurated as the Fifth Hokage, she recognizes the danger her village is in but….

[Uzumaki Naruto]

Rudeness, simplicity, ‘dreams’ – all that Naruto has used to be by Tsunade’s side. And everything she lost in the war. And once again, she sees them. The image of her loved ones show up clearly in her mind.

[The past hidden within]

In the violence of the war, many ninjas lost their lives and many sorrows mounted in this world of fighting.

Passing on the Hokage’s necklace is an act of her strong love.

[The scars from the war]

The one she loved the most in this period of war…. Her brother Nawaki and Dan were both lost to her. A pain that seems to crush her half of her body, a phobia of warm blood and an emptiness that cannot be filled take root in her mind.

It was because she loved them more than anyone else that the pain of loss is so great. And the will that is left behind….

The soft kiss on the forehead, as if she were blessing the future

[The heart that does not weaken]

What Tsunade wanted back in her heart… the dreams of the ones she loved most. These do not fade in her heart but continue to shine. Always she looked upon these dreams in her heart hoping they would come true as well as her love that never grows less.

[The final bet]

A will lives on through the one who inherits it. Nawaki’s and Dan’s dreams are alive burns brightly in the dreams of one boy whose eyes resembles theirs . Tsunade leaves her necklace to Naruto believing one day, he will make those dreams come true.

[The Fifth Hokage]

Her fate (mission) burns more brightly in her chest after the fight. Her role is to protect Naruto who has inherited the dreams of her loved ones. That is why she must protect the largest tree known as Konoha. That is why the new ninja path as the 5th Hokage is engraved in her heart.

The will that was glowing in the darkness of her sorrow is given fuel by one Naruto Uzumaki and inflamed once more her life’s purpose. Her life’s mission is to protect Naruto and Konohagakure as long as she is titled, Hokage. Tsunade’s vows to devote all of herself including her own life in order to fulfill her mission, are channeled into strength which uphold her. She who was adulated as the Sannin, the strongest ninja who put fear into the hearts of enemies far away, is once more revived!

Second Databook, Tsunade’s entry (Translation) & (Scans)

Third Databook, Tsunade’s entry (Source)

Tsunade (Fifth Hokage)

Village: Konohagakure

Rank: Hokage

Ninja Registration Number: 002302

Birthday: August 2 (55 years old, Leo)

Height: 163.1 cm Weight: 48.9 kg Blood Type: B

Personality: Quick-tempered, enjoys gambling

Favourite: She was treasured as a favourite by Hashirama, and learned to gamble during her childhood days. Her rarely-scored jackpots are ill omens.

Chakra Nature(s): Fire, Water, Lightning, Earth, Yang

Special Characteristics: Summoning

About 31 years ago: Tsunade’s will contains the dream of her loved ones. She took as her ambition the wish of Dan, who lost his life.

“I’ll protect this village no matter what… I swear on the name of Hokage!”

The blooming will of fire — long era eternity Konoha managing largehearted orchid tree!!

Born as a grandchild to the First Hokage Senju Hashirama called the God of Shinobi, before long she came to display unparalleled medical ninjutsu skills. Formerly she amassed a great deal of legendary valour together with Jiraiya and Orochimaru (referred to as Sannin), and eventually Tsunade rose to take the seat of Hokage of Konohagakure. She, having inherited Grandfather Hashirama’s Will of Fire along with his lineage, is now in the role of Chief of Staff in the Allied Shinobi Forces, and crosses the borders of the land to bear the responsibility of commanding ninjas. It can certainly be said that she has brought Hashirama’s longstanding desire into fruition.

Although she has zero gambling skill, she never loses when she bets it all.

Never losing her trusting heart, Tsunade juices up her advisors.

You won’t have to settle for your rank. Let us rejoice upon your development and stand on the front lines side by side…!!

4th Databook, Tsunade’s entry (Translation) & (Scans)

Tsunade: An extraordinary inheritance 

As the granddaughter of Mito Uzumaki and Hashirama Senju, both considered extraordinary for their extraordinarily powerful clans, Tsunade inherited natural gifts that few people can equal.

4th Databook, Mito’s entry (Source)

3rd Databook, Hashirama’s entry (Source)

As evident by these, not only is Tsunade the granddaughter of an Uzumaki and a Senju, but of two members considered extraordinarily powerful by their own standards that passed down to Tsunade herself. While it might not seem obvious beyond some jutsu and the name itself, there is an instance where her heritage truly shines.

Ch. 601, after the 5 Kage lose against an immensely powerful, freed Edo Tensei Madara. Tsunade was bisected in two, but remained completely conscious.

Ch. 635, where Orochimaru discovers a still-conscious and bisected Tsunade capable of healing the other Kage despite being incapacitated herself.

Tsunade: Feats of healing

Currently, medical ninjutsu is widely used as a shield to protect ninja. The history of its development and various characteristics are unraveled here!

The medical way that needs a talent different from Ninjutsu. It’s a different type of skill from combat. The greatest control of the smallest amount of chakra, great professional knowledge, and the brains and dedication to use them. The biggest problem with medical jutsu are their particularities. Meticulous chakra control is needed and thus a natural aptitude is needed for users. These are why it takes a long time to develop and there aren’t many medical ninjas.

The greater the wound, the greater the ability needed. Also, its effects are not unlimited and reviving the dead is impossible.

Scratches and stab wounds: Difficulty 1

Broken bones, muscle and severed tendons: Difficulty 2

Great damage to the body: Difficulty 3

Regrowing damaged organ and death: impossibility

Even if Tsunade uses medical jutsu it is impossible to grow a whole organ (e.g. Dan’s destroyed kidneys). Incision healing using chakra scalpel can also be used for attacks!

Healing of external wounds using chakra: Procedure of putting chakra on the body and healing wounds.

Healing using cursed seals: Using cursed seals to control chakra levels and flow.

Tsunade’s Creation Rebirth: An ability that is not about healing but about regeneration. It can remake all organs and parts.

- Second Databook, Medical ninjutsu entry (Scan & Translation) 

Ch. 155, where Kabuto expresses that only Tsunade is capable of healing the necrosis-like effects of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal that robbed Orochimaru of use of their arms.

Ch. 172, when Tsunade easily heals the effects of Itachi's Tsukiyomi on Sasuke that made him fall into a coma.

Ch. 235, where the Nara Clan Medical Encyclopedia is being consulted by Tsunade to help her heal Chouji after the debilitating effects of the Three-Color Pills.

Ch. 173, when Tsunade explains how she would perform surgery on Rock Lee (spoiler: it's a resounding success).

Ch. 253, wherein Tsunade’s rival, Chiyo, recalls how Tsunade was the only person capable of foiling her poisons.

As we know, one of the greatest threats to shinobi is that of poisons. And, there is the fact that Tsunade established ways of producing and foiling them.

Ch. 562, where Tsunade and Ai are among two of the only individuals capable of surviving the Heavenly Transfer Technique. Tsunade does so by invoking her Creation Rebirth technique.

Her ability as a med-nin were so extraordinary that she had a palpable mark on medical ninjutsu in the shinobi world.

Ch. 154, where Kabuto muses about Tsunade being the originator of the idea to have a med-nin on every 4-man cell.

Ch. 160 where the standard to place a medical ninja in every unit of ninja is first introduced by her.

Ch. 577, where Tsunade lists the 4 rules governing medical ninja that she likely conceived.

"Tsunade’s grief over losing her lover gave birth to the development of present-day medical ninjutsu."

- Second Fanbook (Scan & Translation)

Ch. 424, when Tsunade uses Katsuyu: Immense Network Healing to heal the entire village during Pein's assault.

While healing an entire village during an invasion by the second coming of the Sage of Six Paths is impressive itself, something I often see overlooked is why Tsunade fell into such a deep coma in the first place.

Ch. 430, we learn that Tsunade’s Byakugou disappeared because she rerouted her Creation Rebirth--which demands the Byakugou’s stores--into healing the villagers during Pein’s Assault.

It's because she used Creation Rebirth not on herself, but the entire village. 

Tsunade: A Goddess of war

#24: Taken to the bitter extreme! Princess Tsunade’s “legendary” absurd strength!!

It would seem Tsunade’s “outrageous strength” completely ignores the laws of nature!! The challenge to common sense that is her power is due in no small part to her artful chakra control and fine-tuning. To give things a name, by instantly collecting chakra into her fist and fingers, she obtains a power of destruction bodily strength alone cannot achieve.

- Databook 2: Konoha 100 Leaves Collection (Scan & Translation)

Ch. 163, Tsunade unleashing the Heavenly Foot of Pain, one of her most iconic applications of her deadly Chakra-Enhanced Strength she created from the principles of medical ninjutsu.

Ch. 169, Tsunade properly explaining the mechanics of Creation Rebirth and how it makes her practically immortal and deadlier than she already is.

Ch. 170, with Tsunade's single-handedly wielding Gamabunta's tantou to sunder Manda. Whether CES or her own natural raw strength, it's an incredibly fearsome sight to behold.

While the Deadlock between the Sannin demonstrates some of her earliest feats of strength, and solidifies her position as Konoha's Fifth Hokage by it alone, it's still not her most impressive battle to date.

Ch. 577, where the first thing Tsunade does when she arrives on the 4th War's battlefield is confront Madara, and dent his Susano'o, the Mangekyou Sharingan's perfect defense ninjutsu.

Ch. 577, working together with Ai & Oonoki to completely pulverize his Susano'o.

Ch. 578, where Tsunade survives not only impalement by Madara's Susano'o, but a direct blast from its Yasaka Magatama as well, both deadly offenses Madara's Susano'o possesses.

Ch. 588, where Tsunade is pitted against five of Madara's wood clones and not only fights them, but does it while impaled with two of the Susano'o's blades.

Regardless, it would seem the second databook's comparison of Tsunade's fighting style to that of a god of war truly is fitting.

Tsunade: Jutsu she created (or perfected)

Heavenly Foot of Pain (Tsuuten Kyaku)

Taijutsu, C-rank, Offensive, Close range

User(s): Tsunade

The heel swung down in anger makes the ground rumble in kind with an ultra-hard smackdown!!

All of her body’s outrageous strength is concentrated into her heel. Her stance crystallizes the body’s dynamics in a magnificent demonstration of the art of hand to hand combat. And when her heel swings downward, it’s as if a comet had fallen!! Nothing and no one could receive a direct hit and avoid pulverization.

The remainder of the impact smashed not only the ground, but the nearby rampart into tiny bits…!!

- Second Databook, Heavenly Foot of Pain entry (Scan & Translation)

Body Pathway Derangement

(Ranshinshou)

Ninjutsu, A-rank, Supplementary, Close range

User(s): Tsunade

Disturbing body control by severing the pathways of [brain←→body] information flow!!

By transforming the chakra within one’s body and giving it the properties of electricity, one creates an electric field. By pouring this into the nervous system of one’s opponent, one deranges their body control! An extremely high-level technique, used as a Medical Ninjutsu. The human body is controlled with electrical signals from the brain, but a person who had those electrical signals cut off with this technique will become unable to make their body move as they want. Because she’s an expert in medical treatments, Tsunade was able to master this technique.

An attack that severs the control threads with a flash of lightning!

One’s own body moves in any way, except how one wants it to move…!? For the common shinobi, battle, not to mention even just walking, will become impossible.

As soon as strike of the hand lands, electricity is poured into the enemy’s nervous system, severing the signals!!

- Second Databook, Body Pathway Derangement entry. (Scan) & (Translation)

Creation Rebirth (Souzou Saisei)

Ninjutsu, S-rank, Supplementary

User(s): Tsunade

The absolute pinnacle of Medical Ninjutsu~~ a forbidden regeneration technique!

Created by the greatest of medical ninja, Tsunade, this is the ultimate regeneration technique!! By releasing a large amount of chakra at once, the body’s cell division is forcibly stimulated, reconstruction all organs and all tissues making up the human body!

If this technique is used, a body whose vital organs are so gravely injured that it cannot bear it any longer will be instantly restored to its uninjured state. It’s impossible to die by any means… for the sake of continuing to protect the lives of one’s comrades. That’s the resolution hidden in this technique.

By releasing the great volume of chakra stored in her forehead, Tsunade can make her body do the work of an untold number of years in an instant.

This wound may have brought her on the verge of death, but she won’t die~~

The acceleration of cell division that allows for the complete recovery from wounds is paid for with the shortening of one’s life span.

- Second Databook, Creation Rebirth entry. (Scan) & (Translation)

Yin Seal: Release

(Infuuin: Kai)

Fuuinjutsu, S-rank, Supplementary

User: Tsunade

Unravelling the key to using the Creation Rebirth!!

Creation Rebirth, the ultimate medical technique. However, using this technique requires such an enormous amount of chakra, that it is beyond any shinobi to mould it in an instant. Tsunade, using the chakra stock kept in the seal on her forehead, has cleared this prerequisite. With Yin Seal: Release, the seal is released, becoming the source for the body regeneration technique.

The moment it is unsealed, a pattern appears on the forehead.

Releasing the seal is the greatest danger signal.

- Second Databook, Yin Seal:Release entry (Source).

Now, while Tsunade didn't invent the Byakugou Seal, she certainly perfected it enough to eventually be passed on to one of her disciples, Sakura Haruno.

  Ch. 36, Boruto, that explains the Byakugou's origins.

However, what she absolutely did create was Creation Rebirth and Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth - Strength of a Hundred Technique.

Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth--Strength of a Hundred Technique entry, 4th Databook (Source)

Ch. 578, where Madara himself likens Creation Rebirth to Hashirama's mass-coveted Regeneration Ability.

Fourth Databook, Katsuyu: Immense Network Healing entry (Source)

Closing thoughts

For as celebrated as the Sannin are in canon, sometimes, it takes more convincing than others that they are, in fact, of near equal ability with their unique specialties being what sets them apart. 

[c-rose2081]

Audrey’s Pendant

Character Development through costuming (or just an unusually deep lack of consistency)

So, I LOVE the pendants that Audrey wears in the Descendants films. You could even say I’m a little bit obsessed. I include the pendant in my art of her, and mention it often in my writing. But this little piece of costuming is SO important to her character, and I’m here to tell you why.

The Pendant

So, Audrey’s pendant first shows up when we meet her at the end of Royal Return. It’s bright blue, fairly simple, and in the shape of a songbird. This is important because it marks Audrey as Aurora’s daughter, and a Princess of Auradon and Auroria. Sleeping Beauty was given the gift of Song by the Good Fairy Fauna on the day of her birth. This motif is very specific, and can actually be found in the original film during the Three Gifts sequence. As you see here ->

This pendant is a staple of Audrey’s costuming throughout D3, and it actually goes through several unique changes during the movie. I’m not sure if this was intentional, or a happy coincidence with a lack of consistency in the costuming department. But if we look at the stages of Audrey’s pendant throughout the film, we learn a lot about where she currently stands as a character.

Stage 1: The Songbird

This is the pendant Audrey starts off with in the movie. It’s bright, and easily noticeable against the collar of her dress. The motif is that of a songbird because it’s an image used and associated with the original Sleeping Beauty film. It shows how important Audrey’s heritage is to her, but also represents the amount of expectations she has on her regarding her family, and what her life looks like after her breakup with Ben.

Stage 2: The Dark Songbird

Blink and you’ll miss it! During the Queen of Mean sequence, Audrey’s pendant actually goes black as she makes her move to steal the crown. Though it could simply be due to lighting, this is a strong metaphor for how Audrey is feeling right before she falls to Maleficent’s scepter. See the differences in coloration here? ->

This one really could just be an inconsistency/lighting issue, but I like to think it was on purpose to reflect the depth of Audrey’s hurt.

Stage 3: The Songbird & The Raven

We see this pendant for a total of five seconds in the film. It makes an appearance right after Audrey becomes the QOM, and can be seen very briefly at her collar. This pendant is the one Disney used for merch, even though it’s not the pendant Audrey wears for a majority of her stint with the scepter.

I LOVE this pendant because it shows very clearly how torn Audrey is about her role. She wants to be the Princess, but feels she must be the Villain to reach her end goal. The literal Devil and Angel on each shoulder motif which is mentioned by Audrey in QOM. It illustrates the complexity and duality of her character at this point in the movie, and I wish we could’ve seen more of it.

Stage 4: The Vulture

This pendant is very Maleficent-esk, and is the Queen of Mean’s token costume piece. We first see Audrey with it when she appears to Mal right before Jane’s birthday. At this point in the film Audrey has been fully consumed by the Scepter’s power. She’s the villain, she’s evil, and this pendant is used to reflect the change from good to bad. This is the pendant she wears for a majority of D3, and is the direct result of her pain and hatred towards Mal, Ben and the VK’s.

Stage 5: Nothing

Finally, at the end of the film, we can see Audrey isn’t wearing the pendant at all. I actually went through scenes from when she was struck by Mal with the ember, and while she was under the sleeping curse, and the pendant wasn’t present there either. There are a few different reasons this could be.

1.) The pendant was destroyed when Audrey changed back. The songbird was less a motif of Audrey herself, and more of what she represented to Auradon. With all of that destroyed in lieu of her betrayal and subsequent character growth, the pendant is no longer suited to her and was destroyed with the Ember. Her former self is gone, and hence so is her character symbol.

2.) She’s simply not wearing it. I have a headcanon that the pendant does return to normal after Audrey changes back, but she’s to ashamed of her actions that she refuses to wear it. However, we see in D1 that Audrey does change her jewelry depending upon what she’s wearing, so it’s a possibility it just wasn’t paired with the dress.

3.) Inconsistency. Which is 100% possible because there are so many problems when it comes to props in this movie it’s laughable. But that’s a whole nother thing which we won’t get into here.

So. That was fun right? I think it’s interesting to see that Audrey gets more character development through her costuming then she does with her dialogue. But I’m a sucker for her mood necklace changes. Down below I’ve provided a little diagram of all the stages for y’all to take a look at ->

Please let me know what you guys thought. Interesting? Did you notice how often Audrey’s pendant changed in the movie? Let me know down below or in the tags. Till next time! See ya later :3 ❤️

[evilsanlang]

I don't think mxtx said anything specific about them (never saw anything, at least), it just seems to be ppl going off with their minds in the gutter because of FX and MQ's extreme reactions (they are FX and MQ...). At least, when I looked it up, in serious discussions everyone was pretty sure that it was the LoT, it's only horny stans on twt who claim otherwise. Self-insert porn makes 0 sense considering that we were told by XL how HC depicted himself on the murals as ugly and deformed??? But ppl love to reduce him to horny a lot when we don't see much of that in the novel... It's like with his password for the communication array, so many ppl are convinced it's smth dirty but that makes no sense??? Since Jun Wu heard it and found it amusing, and Yin Yu and He Xuan use it, too. (It's more likely smth very corny or just extremely silly.)

Also, yes!!! I was excited that the extras might delve more into HC and just them actually working through issues (a pov change or change in character focus would've been SO interesting too) but :/ I didn't even read any aside from the birthday one because they didn't pique my interest at all. Wasted opportunity, honestly. [On that note, I don't know if you read fics, but there's this one where HC's devotion is stolen and he can't remember XL, and it bothers him so much how his whole existence revolves around XL and he finds out that he'd like to have things outside of that, just for himself. Would've loved smth like that instead of the XL!amnesia extra, but it is what it is! I love when content creators dig into the stuff mxtx never did and do such a good work with it!!!]

oh alright I thought I was crazy because even outside of twitter a lot of mutuals joke about his supposed self-insert shit and every time I`m like. did I miss something. you're completely right it just doesn't make sense for his character people just love to depict him as some sort of fiend😭 don't get me wrong I could go on for hours about how important the sexual aspect of his attraction to xie lian is & how it interacts with his internalized homophobia but people don't... really do that, they just go "haha creepy stalker" and that's it. this is why I love that video about the possible passwords and it's all incredibly cheesy and romantic lines because THAT makes the most sense for his character considering his taste in poems

the extras were such a waste because there was so much that could've been explored especially on hua cheng's side... if his (alleged) hmong background couldn't make it into the main story then that was the perfect moment to go with it. I'd kill just to have a scene where he sings the love song his mother taught him to xie lian, to know how he incorporated his culture in his signature crimson rain sought flower look, why he chose butterlies as his motif etc

AND YESS I've read that one it was really well written and had me sobbing all throughout it. I like that the author didn't paint his devotion as a burden that he has to let go of but as an important part of him; just that it doesn't have to be the only part of him. this is the kind of thing I would've loved to see in the extras

[ryuby]

Happy 90th birthday John Williams!!

To pay a tribute to this greatest composer among composers, here my own top 90 (maybe, under construction, cause you know, it’s quite long to organize and write down, and, above all, I’m a lazy lazy boy).

1. Welcome to Jurassic Park (from “Jurassic Park”): from the very beginning, with the piano, this piece sums up the power of his music. I’ve not grown up with the film, but when I saw it for the first time, maybe two years ago, I got immediately struck by a deep sensation of nostalgia, as though I always knew this fantastic prehistoric adventure in my heart. That’s the effect this peculiar ost still has on me, memories I do recognize as being recently fabricated but with the strong warmth of a kind of eternal inner truth that was waiting for its awakening through a sensitive, musical experience.

2. Call of the Crystal (from “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”): I’ve never understood the mainstream hatred this film still provokes, even though it tends to be more balanced nowadays. I mean, yes there is extraterrestrial with UFO, but, meh, don’t remember the Lost Ark that contains fate spirits who actually kills nazis? On a very accurate disturbing music. This is clearly not a relevant point to bash the film, it goes the same for its music. Williams was way more inspired in 2009 than for the last Trilogy of Star Wars. This theme proves it. It perfectly depicts the deep mystery that’s surrounding the so-called Crystal Skull, the repetition of string motif, the crescendo led in two parts with a central wind reflection that could represents Irina Spalko herself, the high pitch voice that emerges in the middle, all this features contributes to display the eerie atmosphere we bathe all through the film. The scene with Spalko in the tent shows us the greatest danger about an unknown unlimited power is always mankind itself: her fanatic totalitarian speech spouses the gloomy fascination this music provoked in our innermost feelings and thoughts. Finally, ain’t it the power of music itself, this limitless ancient power that is to be wielded with infinite precaution? But, eh, nothing to worry about, John totally tames the beast!

3. Star of Bethlehem (Orchestra Version, from “Home Alone”): perfect depiction of the magic atmosphere Willams masters in films that are family-friendly, plus some epic moments whose accents may evoke scores form Indiana Jones and foreshadow Star Wars III, in my very humble opinion.

4. The Next Morning / Mom Returns and Finale (from “Home Alone”): the sweet leitmotif that accompanies the reunion of the mother and his son never fails to make me melt like chocolate.

5. Adventures on Earth (from “E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial”): the spontaneity of strings spouses this unforgettable story that inhabits dreams of all little boy, in their age as well as in their mind!

6. Imperial Starfleet Deployed / City In the Clouds (from “Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back”): first apparence of Star Wars in the list, hurray! I’ve discovered a genuine preference for the ost of this film. For long time it was rather the IV’s. But here we have the demonstration of a brillant narration through music, first the imminent danger of the landing on Bespin with low and dark themes, and then the sublime contemplation of the magnificent city hanged in the sky personified by a brief voice of soprano. It is the first time Willams uses such a tremendous instrument, the human voice, 1980. And he not generally relies on it in his further compositions, but when he decides to do so, what an event, what a blissful delight! We know Holst plays an important role in William’s score, for example the sharp notes of “Mars, the Bringer of War” in the introduction of the IV, but here we have a more subtle reference, I think, to “Neptune, the Mystic” with the women choir that emerges and sings ethereal waves until the end of the piece, like a far far away echo going further and further in the distant space, maybe it finally manages to reach Neptune, who knows?

7. The Battle of Hoth (from “Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back”): along with Battle of Yavin and Battle of Endor, from IV and VI, that immediately come after this one, this is an impressive large-scale musical sequence with the remarkable intervention of the piano in the middle that confirms he creates a one of a kind style in the V, compared to the two others.

8. The Battle of Yavin (from “Star Wars IV: A New Hope”): we can clearly hear the peplum spirit in this one, large brass sections, epic themes that ever go till the final victory, the sharp notes come back at the end with the destruction of the Death Star, which achieves a cycle opened in the introduction by the same notes. Brillant narration, again.

9. The Battle of Endor II (from “Star Wars VI: The Return of Jedi”): this one contains undoubtedly the most thrilling twist of events of the whole cinema history. The uphill battle that pits good against evil trough the Emperor’a theme plays by brass and the tremendous male choir that seems to emerge form the very depths of darkness to intimidate characters and spectators as well as it gives an brief but convincing impression of a man, the Emperor, who embodies a very ancient and everlasting source of demise and corruption. Always chilled when I listen to it!

10. The Temple of Doom (from “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”): first of all, reminder that this film was extraordinary violent and explicit for that time, 1984, and for that type of entertainment, a rather family-friendly aventure franchise, moreover with Spielberg as director. Before the release of the fourth film in 2009, this one was the less appreciated of the whole trilogy. Personally, it’s my favorite for its more “realistic” background around the Thugs who actually existed in India until the 20th century, and who actually worshiped Kali through killing contracts, since they were a sect of assassins. History sceneries, antagonists and music of course, this film is unfairly underrated to me. This peculiar composition plays during the most terrific scene that causes the creation of the PG-13 rating, along the Gremlins the same year. Here John relies on percussions and tribal choirs which represents the hectic frenzy of the Thugs attending a sacrificial ceremony during which a heart is to be ripped off a prisoner before he gets merged into lava to burn alive. The rythme and crescendo of the singing follows the progressive horror both the powerless spectators and the protagonists are witnessing till the accomplishment of the unspeakable. The disturbing feminine sounding voice at the very end could be the word of Kali herself, word that gets reinforced by the collective chanting vowels going up louder and louder, as though there was no physical nor moral limit in this cathartic, dangerous assessment of existence.

[elizabethvaughns]

reasons why i absolutely adore the musical if/then and why you should watch it(or a recording) if you haven’t already

this might get a little long. please message me or something if you’d rather have a properly punctuated and spaced out version for whatever reason. i don’t want to inconvenience anyone. 

ah yes the essay(kinda sorta not really) that absolutely no one has been waiting for which i used to get over my boredom in french and physics class. fun :)

alright people it’s if/then ramble time. again it’s a little long(i think it may be longer than essays i’ve written for school) so uhh it’s under the cut. 

all righty let’s get started

1. the humor. while one or two jokes might be, well, to put it lightly, dated(like liz’s vaguely biphobic comment), they are, all in all, good jokes! some of my favorites include

“i’m a fucking great kindergarten teacher” “do you use language like that in class?” “only when it’s called for.”

“i don’t think it was fate so much as it was you”

and this is just from the first song! there are so, so many more. 

2. the characters. i think it’s safe to say that to some degree, i can relate to most of them. more on that later. but even so, the most important thing is that they’re grounded in reality. each of them have virtues, shortcomings, biases, etc, etc. and it’s understandable and relatable because it’s human! i’ve noticed at times that characters end up being caricatures of a particular demographic. this is not the case here, and i’m, frankly, thankful for it. 

3. the score. okay okay okay. it is absolutely amazing and beautiful and i’m here for it. the vocals? chef’s kiss. the music? chef’s kiss. the motifs? CHEF’S KISS. i love it when specific parts of the song, such as the music or just some lyrics get reprised to a different song. it just gives a sense of congruence and continuity to the whole thing. bonus points when it breaks my heart(like how the opening notes of “here i go” and the closing notes of “i hate you” sound eerily similar increasing the emotional impact). 

3a. side note: as amazing as the songs are, i do need to admit that they truly show their magic when you properly know their context. allow me to explain. so before listening to any musical, i read the wikipedia synopsis so that (a) i have some amount of context before listening, and (b) i don’t get hit as hard emotionally when i finally end up listening to the soundtrack(now obviously that’s not the case--my eyes began to water during “unlikely lovers” of falsettos and “i hate you” of if/then during my watch throughs, for instance). well, i’m getting a bit off-track here. but anyways, i’m certain that people have expressed this before, but the wikipedia synopsis of if/then gave me absolutely zero useful context for listening to the songs. i was so confused half of the time! based on the synopsis, i thought that all songs following “what if?” (except for “surprise”, of course, which signified an intersection of timelines) were either exclusively liz songs or exclusively beth songs. for example: the songs that i thought were exclusively in the beth timeline include, “a map of new york”, “ain’t no man manhattan”(i explained my confusion in the tags of one of my reblogs this is already getting really long sorry), and “what the fuck?”; moreover, i thought “you learn to live without” was exclusively a liz song. also there’s a lot of dialogue in between stanzas of the song that’s not in the cast recording. so i guess what i’m saying is that if you have not watched/listened to it yet, watch first, listen later. don’t make the same mistake i made. 

3b. another side note: this is absolutely not relevant but i came across a recording of the dc version over spring break and i watched it and can i just say <3 <3 <3. i can certainly see how it was improved over the years but i still love both versions equally :). also anne in her pantsuit in “this day” could step on me and i could thank her. my disaster bi ass goes brrr.

4. the lighting. pretty self-explanatory. i love how the lighting distinguishes between the timelines. also the “happy birthday elizabeth” banner that lights up different letters according to the timeline. beautiful. 

5. the choreography. maybe i haven’t been looking in the right places but i haven’t seen much appreciation for this but...yeah. i’m in love with the choreography of this show! i don’t know why. it just strikes a chord with me. especially the scene near the end of “this day”. it’s so cute!

6. the representation! now this has most definitely been mentioned before by other folks, but i feel a need to highlight it as well. i guess this actually ties into my second point about the characters. it goes to prove how society is not homogeneous however it may appear to be. lovely. 

7. and most of all, the ending. my absolute favorite part about the ending is the fact that it is somewhat ambiguous(i guess that’d be the best way to put it). there’s hope, especially in the beth timeline. i love how both timelines essentially cycle back to the beginning( “here’s how it starts / and here’s how it ends”) and “switches” the roles for both of them--liz gets the job while beth finds love. while i’m not a big fan of the job/love dichotomy, i do know that one can’t get it all all at once. so i’m glad that their arcs concluded with the beginning of the other’s arc. moreover, i love that liz/beth isn’t stuck in the what if’s and what not anymore and is, overall, more decisive. we love character development! and...about the ambiguity of the ending. i think this is one ending that i am happy about and that’s certainly saying something. i mean, the main reason for canon divergence fics is the fact that (a) someone’s character arc was severely messed up, or (b) someone died. well, yes, josh technically died but he is alive in the beth timeline, so that counts for something! and i don’t really feel the need to read any canon divergence fics(not considering the fact that they don’t exist! people please the fan fiction potential for this fandom is IMMENSE). so i guess what i have to say is i’m satisfied with the ending, a thing i can’t honestly say for many of the fandoms i’m in(...not gonna elaborate on that). 

idk if i missed anything but i think that’s it.

[popculturebuffet]

Carl Barks: Back to the Klondike Review: Blinkus of the Thinkus

Welcome one and all! If your a longtime reader of this blog, you know I love a good birthday celebration, having started with my first year reviewing animation last year with Donald’s and deciding to do Mickey and Scrooge’s later that year. But since I misseda  LOT of disney birthdays, and found several Non-disney birthdays and anniversaries I just gotta celebrate, this year i’m making it up and style and have a whole calender set up to tack these big milestones to the wall. So over the year expect tributes to the greats of disney, looney tunes, and mgm both behind and in front of the scenes, as well as to various shows I like. It’s gonna be a good time. 

So to start us off, it’s only fitting my first duck birthday since Scrooge, is for the love of his life and the stealer of his wallet, Glittering Goldie O Gilt! And I felt the best way to celebrate this storied day was to go back to her very FIRST apperance, one of earliest Scrooge headlined comics and a forever fan faviorite, Back to the Klondike!

But before we get into that, a little history on our gal in gold. Goldie was created for this story by comics god, the late great Carl Barks. Barks ended up just using her once, which is a shame but understandable as he probably only thought of her for that one adventure. While some characters like Gyro ended up being used again and again he probably just didn’t have any more stories in mind for her and figured Scrooge would return to her one day or he wouldn’t, but it wasn’t up to him.  Fans however loved the character, her feisty dynamic with scrooge, and the fact she brought out his good side, so naturally other writers would bring her back. In paticular Barks Superfan Don Rosa cemented her as the love of his life and wrote several more stories with her, fleshing out their backstory and saying that at least in his personal canon, Scrooge retired to spend his final years with her. And while his fanboy was clearly showing, and that can end nasitly just ask Dan “Hates Wally West because he’s not barry allen” DiDio, glad he’s gone.. Rosa’s work with goldie is an example of what happens when it’s done right. Less DiDio or Bendis and more Al Ewing. Using the continuity and what’s there to build on a character who deserved better.. to me that’s one of the BEST things you can do in comics and Rosa’s work is proof of that, ironing out the.. questionable elements we’ll get to and leaving the gold in.  So Rosa’s work combined with Ducktales not only adapting this story but bringing Goldie back a few times after that has elevated the character to a storied and permenat part of the duck canon, with her excellent heavily revamped Reboot counterpart currently carrying the torch with the help of the wonderful Allison Janey, perfect casting there. So with a legacy of gold behind her, let’s take a look at where it’s started and see if it still glitters after all these years under the cut. 

We begin our story at the Money Bin. Scrooge has been counting his money.. but has already forgotten, and forgot where he put the slip he wrote the number on and even forgets who Donald is when he shows up until Donald, while having some fun with him as Scrooge is trying to phone him while he’s right there. As for how he got into the most secure place in the bin.. the story actually answers that both worringly and hilariously: Scrooge left the door unlocked.  Naturally he’s not happy about this and Donald states the simple solution: Go see a doctor something’s CLEARLY very wrong, and the fact this could possibly be something like Demntia is VERY bad for someone who runs a zillion dollar company. Scrooge of course scoffs at “wasting his precious money” But Donald not only points out the obvious, that two bucks now saves him from having someone rob EVERYTHING, but Scrooge’s attempt to tie a string around his finger.. instead triggers a trap. And this entire sequence is decent with some good gags.. it’s just hampered a bit by making light of something that’s kinda bad. Not old people forgetting things.. but an old person with a disease as we find out forgetting things. Not helping is I laughed at first at the gags.. till I remembered a kind, old, friend of the family who had it and forgot me entirely by the end. So yeah, not the worst gags and the boxing glove and donald bits aren’t terrible, but it hurts now my brain’s made that connection. 

Our heroes head to the doctor’s office where Scrooge is diagnosed with... 

That.. might be the best name for a fictional illness i’ve ever heard in my life.. just inching out “Brain Cloud” and “Whale Cancer”. Still not the most SENSITIVE gag.. but it was the 50′s and mental issues weren’t given a lot of respect. IT’s why the above sequence and this whole part of the plot dosen’t scuttle things: It’s not the most repsectful.. but it wasn’t a time where these things were givne proper respect, treatment or knowledge, so barks wasn’t being an insentive douche on purpose, he just didn’t know. It dosen’t make it 100% okay btu it dosen’t wreck the story like say his blatant racist caractures in Voodoo Hoodoo. Seriously that’s.. not okay, and given he’s the kind of guy who researched locations he used, unlike with mental illness i expect BETTER of him than most men at the time. Still respect the guy, but it dosen’t mean i’ll overlook the fact he made some pretty bad mistakes. Same way while I love and miss Stan Lee I won’t ignore his blatant sexisim or racisim towards Chinese and Vitamise people. You CAN like a creator even if their work has some questionable and unjustifable elements, times do change and people do mamke mistakes when their young. It just depends on exactly WHAT they did or wrote that makes that distinctoin.  So on that bombshell, Scrooge is given medication after a needle gag. He needs to take his pills every 12 hours. It’s then he starts to remember something, mubling abotu skagway, goldie and dawson and telling Donald to get the boys, their going to Alaska! Once they get on the boat Scrooge explains: he remembered thanks to the medcince he left a stash of gold nuggets there from his prospecting days.. and part of why this story ended up being one of the single most important to Scrooge’s character. While it establishes some character traits, something I dind’t realize till wikipedia pointed it out, it also establishes Scrooge’s days as a prospector. While other things made him what he was and got him to that point as Don Rosa would later flesh out, it was his days in the yukon that, for better or worse defined who he is now and shaped him into the man he is today: Tough, fair, badass as all hell, mean as the devil and richer than god.  This time would be used a lot to set up stories, which made sense as it was the cleast and most agreed upon part of his past by all writers, and him at his abosltuely peak physically and mentally and the gold rush motif of the time perfectly fits someone defined by being rich. It’s also honestly nice that the Yukon is used, as Canada sometimes gets lost in the shuffle wise and hell until reading life and times I gneuinely had no idea what the Yukon was or where Calvin was headed when he and hobbes ran away from home. 

Scrooge also first mentions Goldie and while clearly remembering her fondly.. goes into a rant about her howing him a thousand dollars which has compounded to a billion the second the boys catch on he was sweet on her with Donald assuming he’s just not a good person. But this is really just setting up another vital part of his character and the other thing: his heart. Before he’d been show as a pretty heartless, greedy asshole. While the previous story, Only a Poor Old Man, had softened him up a bit, this is the first to show that beneath the pile of greed and mean lurks a decent human being. Just don’t tell anyone or he’ll throw his money at you.. then tell you to bring it back to him. It’s what makes the character who he is: he’s cruel, onrey and selfish.. but he CAN care when the chips are down and can do the right thing.. as we’ll see later. 

God I love the little poems Bill Watterson would put in the books. I didn’t as much as a kid, but god I do now. Anyways before our heroes can get going Yukon Ho, they stop in Skagway for suplies before heading out, Scrooge softing at taking a plane as “Soft” and him and the nephews hiking a week.. before running into the same flying service again, and finding out Scrooge OWNS it and forgot, because being scrooge he forgot to take his meds. Something I can relate to and i’m not proud of as staying on them is important to my well being. Seriously always take your meds. Unless their not working for you then talk with your doctor to get new ones. 

So we arrive in Dawson, as our heroes will have to walk rest of the day Scrooge takes the boys to the Black Jack Ballroom, which used to be a hot spot and was where he met Goldie for the first time. After another covering for his reminscing with greedy bollocks, he tells the boys the story.. one that was cut from the original printing despite introducing goldie and something the editors dind’t bother to tell carl till they berated him over trying to sneak a blackjack saloon and a kidnapping in there... and to them, or their long dead skeletons probably, I say. 

Yeah not wanting that in a kids story, while bollocks, tha’ts their perogative.. not having him send in replacement pages to keep story flow.. is dickish and underestimates kids intellegence as Don Rosa, while loving the story felt something was off till he saw the missing pages years later thanks to a fellow fan. So yeah kids, and adults, into the work noticed. Nice job. Again I can’t BLAME them for not wanting Scrooge to be a kidnapper as we’ll see and Don Rosa had to massage the hell out of that, but I can blame them for not caring enough to fix the obvious hole int he story. Though it’s now complete and unabriged and has been since the 80′s so there's that. 

So in a nutshell Scrooge came to town for a coffee, and while the bartender ignored him he didn’t once he plunked down his goose egg nugget, what made his fortune and one of Scrooge’s most treasured possessions. It’s here we meet Goldie. 

Yup.. just in case you thought her being a thief and greedy as hell was a new thing, and I kinda forgot how much, she dirves for the nugget, has Coffee with scrooge.. and drugs it, but makes the mistake of NOT clearing town, so Scrooge fights his way through the ballroom to her, gets the nugget back, forces her to sign the money for the iou he spent.. and then uh.. kindaps her to force her to work on his claim for 50 cents to try and teach her how to work honestly. 

Yeahhhh as I said Don Rosa tried his best to fix this , and did so in his final story, which we’ll get to some day, revealing Goldie had a shot gun on her the whole time and was going along entirely to find out where Scrooge’s claim was. That.. actually makes more sense with the character and is far less horrifying and Scrooge finds this out fairly quick, so them forming an attraction out of this becomes 100% more plausable. So yeah good on Don Rosa for fixing the implications here. I may give out on him from time to time.. but he is a genuinely talented writer and did what a good comic book writer in an established continuity should do: update elements so they aren’t so... eugguuhhh after they become horrifingly outdated. And look YES she did do horrible shit to him.. but you still can’t kidnap someone over that. just put her in jail. What was any of that. 

Anyways Scrooge HAS been taking his medicine, and proves it by showing the boys his pills and the next day they head to Scrooge’s old claim.. only someone’s living there and using it, and his old cabin.. and a shot gun. Yeah so they aren’t getting through in the day what about the night.. well they get attacked by Blackjack, who turns out to be owned by the claim jumper.. and is also you know a bear> And Donald left his back in new quackmore so their outmatched. 

So outgunned and outplanned, if not outnumbered or outmanned, our heroes make a camp fire and whiel Donald again suggests the obvious, call the police.. Scrooge can’t. He didn’t pay taxes on the claim so he’s technically jumping his own claim and techincally she has a right to it. So techncially.. Scrooge is the bad guy here as he left the money here, didn’t pay his taxes and didn’t ever come back for it. Still beats trying to terrify your nephews or deny orphans a train because your an asshole buffet. 

So the next morning Scrooge dosen’t want to rush her because “We Daren’t Get Rough with an old woman”. Two things.. 1... think before you put images in my head scrooge.. brrrrrrrrr. I mean Goldie. is not in the best shape in thie story as you’ll see and neither are you. In the reboot sure you two kept up a lot better but here.

And it’s not even an old people thing. Ann Margret was still fine so fine by the time of Grumpy Old Men, not to get creepy jut to prove i’m not being ageist. For a still alive example Keith David is also still a smokeshow at the tender age of 64. So yeah, not an age thing just not these paticular old people. 

But they need a plan so the boy suggest luring the bear into a trap with honey. Donald and Scrooge build the cage while the boys.. find the jar of honey. 

Regardless since the boys won’t do it for what Scrooge pays and neither will donald Scrooge goes to lure the bear with the honey. Once that’s done, and Scrooge is being covered with honey and licked by a bear...

So while he washes that off, the boys come up with another plan: they run around back while Donald makes noise to draw Goldie’s fire, with that being Dewey’s plan to meet her since he’s figured this out already. But Goldie has a backup plan and when she figures out they disabled Blackjack unleashes mosquitos... ugh. Having been stung like hornets about 50 times in animal crossing I feel you boys. So while Scrooge and Donald run off naked... troy if you will. 

Thank you Troy, the boys confront Goldie who reveals her identity... and that she’s broke, her dance hall having failed with the rush and this claim being all she has.. and her suspecting scrooge woudl gladly take it. The boys vow not to tell scrooge.. but he’s on his way so they kinda have to and he primps to go visit and Donald starts to see through his BS about collecting the debt. Sure enough despite being taken aback by her putting on her old dress , he takes her for all she has and is.. genuinely suprised as she thought she’d have more and she’d actually changed since the old days, donating her profits to orphans from mining disasters. Scrooge.. is clearly rattled by this. Whiel it turns out to my shock he was clealry after the money, though givne who we’re dealing with I shoudln’t of been really, he still cares and still realizes he’s being kind of a dick. So he challengers her to a gold digging race, and if she wins the claim is hers and any gold she finds.. and naturally, while he seemingly puts her soemwhere where there isn’t she finds the claim and Scrooge bemoans not taking his pill.. but while the boys boo him for it, Goldie who fondly waves them off and Donald know better: Donald points out he counted the pills this morning.. and recently. SCrooge DID take one today... he’s just has his cane shoved firmly up his ass with pride so he coudln’t ADMIT he was wrong and instead simply staged that whole thing with the full knowledge Goldie would win. It, again, sets up one of his defniing traits; how he keeps people at arms length. How he’s just so proud and full of himself he can’t bear to admit anything resembling weakness.. but WILl find a way to do the right thing without that or forgoe it as a last resort. He may project being a stingy cretionus old man.. because he is.. but he’s got a heart as big as that nugget.. it’s just locked tight in it’s own bin... his body is complicated and weird that way Final Thoughts:

This story is a classic with a decent setup, great backstory for scrooge, and a great guest character and unquestionable impact on the character. However.. it does have it’s problem; As Don Rosa, who as i’ll remind you is both a huge barks fanboy and huge scoldie shipper, himself pointed out he wrote his final story, and had planned to for years ENTIRELY because this one never quite explains how Scrooge and Goldie went from old enmies to lovers.It did lead to one of his best stories and one of the first I read post life and times so, props to that. And of course as I pointed out some things have just.. not aged well, especially the kidnapping so their relationship kinda comes off like stockholm syndrom as a result of both of these. 

That being said.. warts and all.. it’s still a really damn good story and a good one to try if your intrested in barks work or where Goldie came from: it has adventure, some really good jokes and if you can get past the dated bits the plot is solid. And while it goes without saying i’ll say it anyway Barks art is goregous as always ESPECIALLY in the flashback sequence. Overall not the best AGED Scrooge story, though not the worst either see Voodoo Hoodoo, good god, but defintely a classic for a reason.  If you liked this review, follow me for more, and for more duck content as I still have more of the three cablleros to work through, another chapter of life and times coming up this week befor ewe break again for feburary, and some other fun stuff. Until the next rainbow, it’s been a pleasure. 

[jcisthebestfightme]

BJYX Song #5: Rainbow

BJYX Song Series List

Disclaimer: This is all my own speculation. Do not take seriously.

After two bittersweet songs from dd, time we start our heart-wrenching journey with gg. 

The song “Rainbow” by Fish Leong was sang by gg during a bts that was filmed on dd’s birthday (160 minutes 1 year anniversary bts.) Right before he sang this, dd’s assistant was called about some “arrangement.” We have no idea what the arrangement is but we know it involves dd arranging something for gg because the assistant asked gg “arrange what?” and then gg responded with “Lao-Wang (dd) wanted you to arrange.” Then the assistant said “Oh, you guys are in such a hurry about it, I thought it was something super important.” Gg then repeated “No, Lao-wang wanted you to arrange it.” The poor assistant then said “I arranged it.” And gg responded “You arranged it, I got it.” Then dd chimed in “I already arranged it for you, why don’t you understand.” Then dd and his assistant started talking about his manager coming. The camera then panned to gg who started singing this song. 

So from this exchange, we don’t know what they were arranging. It’s possible that it’s something like a type of food that dd wanted his assistant to give gg. But does this require them to confirm with the assistant that it’s already arranged? So it must be more important than snacks. On the flip side, the assistant seem to think the arrangement isn’t super urgent, which tells us that it’s not some super important job-related issue. Thus, from eliminating other hypothesis, my personal theory is that they were talking about dinner, more specifically dd’s birthday dinner that he wants to spend with gg since that was the day of his birthday.

So if they’re spending dd’s birthday night together and it’s all loving and sweet, why would gg sing such a sad song at the moment? There are multiple things happening at this moment. CQL filming is coming to an end and ggdd no longer have an official reason to be together all the time anymore. In addition, they will need to leave their roles as WWX and LWJ. I’m unsure of ggdd’s relationship at this point. I think it’s either still flirting/two-sided crush without clear confession or very early stage of a very immature relationship. Either way, even though gg already confirmed his inner feelings on 622, the relationship, or lack of an official one, is at a point that will make him feel insecure. I think this is true for the start of every early relationship. You’re very happy and excited that you’re together. But because you love the other person so that that you’re also afraid of losing them and thus become insecure on the inside.  I think this song “Rainbow” perfectly describes this fear of loss feeling. 

坐在浴缸里，莲蓬头。(Sitting in the bathtub, with shower head on.)

代替我哭泣，像下雨。 (It [shower water] is substituting for my tears, just like the rain.) 其实我不知道，眼泪有没有流。(Actually I don’t know, if my tears are coming out) 就像这故事中，你有没有爱过我。(Just like in this story, whether you truly loved me or not.)

When gg started singing, he sang the two bolded lines. I’m not sure if he kept singing because the camera was cut off. It’s possible they cut it because the next line was too obvious. While he was singing, he did look over at dd.

I find it interesting that he didn’t start in the beginning of the song. Usually when we think of a song, we either start singing in the beginning or at the chorus. But gg started in the middle of a stance, in the middle of a sentence! Why? This tells us this particular line stood out to him. Obviously, gg wasn’t crying at the time, at least not visibly. Is he saying that even though you don’t see his tears, he’s sad on the inside? The line “in this story” is also significant. The story can mean the story of CQL, as the story of WWX and LWJ are coming to an end. It can also mean the story of their summer together. Gg described the filming of CQL before as a “dream.” Is he scare this chapter of his life is closing and he has to let go of something, someone, or a relationship? Then the next line “whether you truly loved me or not” can be gg questioning whether his relationship with dd is based on LWJ and WWX’s relationship. To me, gg is almost asking if dd ever loved him in this summer of filming and that he’s content if he did, even if their relationship doesn’t last afterwards.

虚弱的窗帘，留不住。(Weak curtains, can’t hold on.)

房里的黑夜，也要走。(Darkness in the room, also need to leave.)

清晨唤醒了我，照亮昨夜的梦，(Dawn woke me up, shining on last night’s dream)

一直到这时候，才开始有一点懂。(It is not until now, I finally start to understand a bit)

The first three line is describing waking up from a dark night. It feels like the person is trying to keep a dark feeling bundled up but reality is shining light on that darkness and forcing them to come out. It’s like coming back to their real lives, in modern clothing, that this reality is waking gg up from his dream. But his dream with dd should be happy right? Why is it dark? I think it’s dark not because it’s a nightmare, but because his feelings about it aren’t clear. He feels like the relationship isn’t grounded and thus it feels “dark.” This is also why reality is like sunlight, exposing their muddled, unclear relationship. There’s a word in Chinese call “曖昧 (ai mei)” that perfectly describe this feeling of excitement mixed with sad uncertainty people have in an ambiguous time of a relationship.

The last line talks about finally able to understand something, but the song doesn’t tell us what that something is. I think to gg, he’s starting to make plans of what to do with his feelings and relationship with dd after filming. He’s starting to understand how to sort out whether their relationship is real or if it’s affected by the summer. (Spoiler alert, he went to Japan and had weak contact with dd for awhile to try to get out of his role. I believe there was also a period in late 2018 where they didn’t really talk but they finally sort out their feelings in 2019). 

你的爱就像彩虹，雨后的天空。(Your love is like a rainbow, the sky after rain.)

绚烂却教人迷惑，蓝绿黄红。(It’s gorgeous yet perplexing, blue, green, yellow, and red.)

Here, the song tells us that the love, the relationship is beautiful, just like a “rainbow” so we know that the “darkness” we talked about before is not that the love isn’t beautiful. It’s a rainbow that comes after the rain, which usually represent tears and sadness. So we know that this love is bittersweet. It’s also “gorgeous yet perplexing”, furthering emphasizing the ambiguity of the relationship. Here, four colors in the rainbow are described. Here’s my analysis of the color: “blue” is LWJ, “green” is dd, “yellow” is a combination of ggdd, and “red” is both gg and WWX. People often say that ggdd are in a four-way relationship with WWX and LWJ. These 4 colors perfectly describe the harmony yet dissonance we see building this “rainbow” of a relationship. While the 4 can make up a relationship, they’re ultimately still separate colors and we want the harmony of “yellow”, not a mix of the other three colors. 

Side note, there are many motifs that come up in songs gg choose. “Blue” and “green” are colors that repeat. The word “summer”, “wind/breeze”, “dream” and “loneliness” also tend to show up. This paints us a picture the scenery that gg is trying to describe. To him, this relationship is a picture of a summer day with gentle breeze, with blue sky and green fields and it’s like a dream. Doesn’t this scene look just like the hills we see in the Untamed? It’s probably also why “blue sky white cloud” is a symbol of love to ggdd. (I swear the motifs in songs gg pick are more consistent than some literature I read in high school.)

你的爱就像彩虹，我张开了手。(Your love is like a rainbow, I open my hands.)

Oh！却只能抱住风。(Oh! I could only embrace the wind.)

In this part of the song, even though the love is beautiful like a rainbow, the person can only hold on to the wind, and not the beautiful rainbow. Why wind? I think it’s because “wind” is fleeting, like the quickly passing by and leaving love. That’s how I think gg feels about this relationship, it’s beautiful yet ephemeral. 

吻我离开我，你就像。(Kiss me and then leave me. You are like)

出太阳下雨，难捉摸。(Sun comes out, rain falls, hard to decipher.)

越是努力揣摩，越是搞不懂。(The more I want to understand, the less I understand.)

只好慢慢承认，这故事叫做错。(I can only slowly admit, that this story is wrong.)

This part of the song is probably the saddest. It describes a relationship so uncertain that it’s painful. It’s possible that gg feel like his relationship has a lot of push and pull. Sometimes they’re super close and happy, yet other times he’s unsure if it’s true love. The reason I say this is that in another song that dd later share, he also described this feeling of push and pull, uncertain of how close they should be. (Yes, foreshadowing a future analysis.) I think many relationships have this period of ups and down. The end talks about how this “story is wrong.” Does gg think he’s wrong about how dd feels about him in this relationship? I don’t think so. But I think he feels like it’s “wrong” because he’s not sure what’s “right” or how to make it “right.”

Oh！一层一层，一层一层，一层一层，又一层层，的迷宫，我来不及回头。 (Oh many many many many many many, [and another] many layers of a maze, I don’t have enough time to look back.) Oh！忽左忽右，忽上忽下，忽东忽西，忽前忽后，的折磨，都是你的捉弄。(Oh sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes up, sometimes down, sometimes east, sometimes west, sometimes forward, sometimes back, the pain, it’s all your trick.)

This part was really hard to translate because the song was trying to use fast repetition to mimic the feeling of agitation you feel from being lost in an ambiguous relationship. The person is completely lost inside the maze created by the person they love. So does dd create a maze for gg to decipher? I don’t think so. We all know that dd is straightforward with his feelings. But gg still feel like he’s trapped in a maze because there are too many outside factors that can ruin this relationship. 

吻我离开我，你就像。(Kiss me and then leave me. You are like)

出太阳下雨，难捉摸。 (Sun comes out, rain falls, hard to decipher.)

越是努力挽留，越是一无所有。(The more I want you to stay, the more likely I would end up with nothing.)

只好慢慢期待，雨后你的影踪。(All I can do is to look forward to your shadow after the rain.)

I think the last two lines fits gg’s personality and his feelings that we have discussed before in “If I were a song” perfectly. Gg’s love the type that creates a secure home for the other person, and is willing to wait for them, not asking to bind them right now. So he knows the more he wants dd to “stay” and forced a relationship after they’re done filming to be just like when they’re filming, thee more likely it will end badly. This is one of the most mature ways I’ve seen someone deal with relationship. I feel like too many people are obsessed with “we were once this way or that way” so when the environment changed, you can’t accept that the relationship may change and constantly try to live up to a past memory (I myself fell victim to this once.) So gg knows that in order for the relationship to be stable, he must be mature and wait for dd to come back to him on his own. This is because he knows his own feelings for dd will not change. After the “rain”, the dark ambiguous feeling that is muddle by filming, is over, if the relationship last, gg know dd will come back to him.

I definitely think gg is more secure and mature in this relationship than dd. But he still have uncertainty he has to face. He also can’t 100% predict what dd is thinking or feeling. He’s probably also worry that dd is too young and may change or regret his decision later. In both “If I were a song” and “Rainbow”, we see gg giving dd the space to choose the type of relationship and how the relationship will develop. A lot of people believe that dd likes gg more because he’s more straightfoward and obvious about it. But I actually think, that gg loves dd just as much, if not even more because gg is constantly thinking about this relationship realistically and trying to plan for the best, realistic future for both of them. Happy early 23rd birthday dd! I hope after two years, the ephemeral rainbow has turn into an eternal yellow ray of sunshine. 

[threeletterslife]

NALGCF...

DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T READ NOTHING A LIL GREEN CAN’T FIX (I MEAN, UNLESS YOU WANT SPOILERS)

「 background 」

i thought i had this idea in my drafts for longer, but apparently not. i came up with it on may 28th, 2019 at 11:26 a.m. (or so google docs tells me). i started off this story with FOUR things in mind

1. the title HAD to be nothing a lil green can’t fix  2. yn is eccentric as fuck 3. jimin and yn grow up together 4. jimin founds out yn is not real

then from may to late february, i just wrote down a whole list of crazy shit i’ve seen people do on the internet and just made yn do it LOL. someone on tiktok painted a qr code on their jacket and i was like holy shit that’s smart and made yn do something very similar!

it’s rare when i come up with the title of a fic first, but i knew that for this work, i wanted my motif to be GREEN. honestly, i didn’t have anything plotted for this fic for a LONG time. i knew that yn would be a cRaZy, i-don’t-give-a-fuck character and that jimin would be more mellow, but i didn’t know what the problem of the story would be for a while. initially, yn was going to be a figment of jimin’s imagination. he’d gone through a lot of trauma after his mother had left, so yn was sort of going to be like the ‘guardian angel’ type of spirit to him. i was THIS close to making jimin schizophrenic, but i realized how depressing the whole story would be if i made that happen... and i didn’t want another sad story

so i knew yn would then have to be REAL. but that was hard because i had no idea what the problem of the story would be. (the problem had originally been jimin finding out yn was not real lol.) i had to get inspo from my best friend to finally figure out the main obstacle in yn and jimin’s friendship: yn’s boyfriend. believe it or not, from then on i fucking FREE-STYLED. i don’t freestyle, periodt. but something about this story let me?? i think i wrote the whole story in a span of less than a week. but as i was writing, i didn’t know what was going to happen next LMAO

it was a WILD journey. (i don’t think i’ve ever, EVER free-styled a story in my life... until now, that is)

originally, i wanted the story to be a friends to lovers!au, but one of my friends told me that was kinda cliché (he didn’t know that i was writing a fanfiction lmfaoo). but my best friend told me if i ended another story where the couple separated or didn’t fall in love, she’d like neck me or something. I HAD SUCH A HUGE INTERNAL DILEMMA. i finally decided to just write and see where my words took me

i was around 17.6k words into the story when i finally knew how the story would end. it wouldn’t make sense for jimin to go through all that time away from yn and heal himself to just fALL back in love with her. that’s not character development. that’s falling back to bad habits. and it would make even LESS sense for yn to pop out of nowhere and just be like ‘omg jimin i love you too!’ so i knew the two were not going to end up together. (i also had to change the f2l!au into something else LOL.) if anyone asks (no one asks) but if anyone asks what my favorite scene to write in the whole fucking 19.2k word-fic, i’d hands down without a doubt choose the cafe scene where yn and jimin reunite after two years. i teared up a bit writing that, actually. it was like seeing my two babies coming together after dealing with so much hardship over the years

but my favorite line of the fic is the last one. i was on a writing spree on that last day (i think i wrote 3k on the spot) and that line just came to me. i thought it was a great way to end the story

「 inspiration」

this story was actually pretty heavily inspired, in the beginning, by a book by fredrik backman called my grandmother asked me to tell you she’s sorry. that book made me cry like four different times lol. i recommend if you’re into reading!

also,,, yn did a LOT of the things i’ve always wanted to do when i was younger but i was too afraid to try. i guess she’s the inner me but with a FLAIR

「 extras」

hilarious fucking fact. so, as i told y’all already, i FREE-STYLED the shit out of this story. but one of the FUNNIEST things happened:

okay, so, remember that birthday scene at the restaurant? the one where yn’s flaunting her new red marker that joon had gifted her? WELL. I NAMED THAT MARKER RM BECAUSE AND ONLY BECAUSE IT WAS JOON’S STAGE NAME. BUT AS I WAS GOING BACK AND EDITING, I REALIZED RM CAN ALSO STAND FOR RED MARKER ISN’T THAT FUCKING CRAZY I DIDN’T PLAN THAT SHIT

my friends who helped proofread the story thought i did it on purpose LMFAO

also, originally, the story title was not going to be in the story at all. i usually like it better when the title is left out of the story idk. but my brain decided it would make sense for yn to be a cafe owner and her cafe would be named nalgcf so that was that LOL

「 motifs/lessons 」

i had two important motifs in the story: the color green and the weather. not gonna lie, i was never a huge fan of green until i started writing this. green symbolizes greed, yes, cunningness, yes, but it also symbolizes growth, action and life. i wanted to make it very clear that life doesn’t turn out the way you always hope it does. there will always be slight modifications in your dreams. no dream can truly come true because there is no light without darkness; but that’s okay. you take what you get and you live with it. that is what green is to me when i wrote nalgcf. it is the color of moving on from things you should not be stuck in

the weather motif is more of a symbolization for ‘things will get better.’ no matter how hard the storm hits, how excruciatingly bright the lightning bolts are and how loud the thunder roars, clear weather will come. 

this story is about coming of age as the au suggests. you get to see both characters develop before your eyes. i guess what i’m trying to say is, there is nothing wrong with change. there is nothing wrong with being normal. there is nothing wrong with being eccentric. it’s okay not to know what you want to do in the future. it’s all right if you’re friend-zoned. nothing’s the end of the world, honestly. (unless there’s a meteor hurtling at us from space, but that’s an au for another time)

i think nalgcf holds the lesson that change is a part of life. people around you will change. you will change. the whole goddamn world will change. sometimes it’s good to just not give a flying fuck

[misas-biggest-fan]

some detailed thoughts on an LABB movie w a ‘read more’ bc i have A Lot To Say

i want it to be a movie bc i love movies

im also open to the concept of a mini series but a full tv show might be a challenging stretch

animated or live action would both be incredible and both have their unique pros and cons

the whole thing is DISTINCTLY LA

busy streets and palm trees and the Hollywood sign and the shiny, overly false glamour of everything

would really contrast well with Rue Ryuzaki’s disturbing fake-ness

like he’s just as fake as the whole city, that both he and Hollywood have on this costume to hide tragedy and hideous deeds

i want it to have the glitz and glam and extravagance of the recent gatsby movie (which i adore, dont come for me)

if bahz luhrmann doesn’t direct i will RIOT id die for bahz luhrmann he’s Good and he has the same energy and chaotic attitude of beyond birthday himself

i want beyond to have a scene like the one where Nick realizes who Gatsby is and Gatsby turns around with the champagne flute and the fireworks go off in slow motion as he smiles that’s my favorite shot in all of cinematic history no joke

it’s HIGHLY STYLIZED. i want bright colors and weird aesthetic choices

I also want some shockingly beautiful frames of LA and surprisingly sophisicated shots of Beyonds face lit up in different neon colors or something

Indie enough to be weird and fun but pop enough to be easily digestible

it opens with mello writing his book (like moulin rouge!! a;lsdjfk)

his burn scars are just healing and he knows he’ll die soon so he has to write down all his important memories, leave something behind

he wants to write down something important to him, something that he can leave for Near, something that might put his own life and actions into context

something that might help other people understand who he was more

so of course, he thinks of beyond

who he respects and admires and pities

who has such a similar and yet different story from Mello’s own

so maybe in understanding beyond and understanding how mello feels about beyond

people will understand mello

near will understand mello

so mello gets to work detailing this story his incredible mentor L once told him, describing this beautiful memory he has of meeting with and talking to L and how L told him about Beyond

(in this scene, you don’t SEE L. you just get an idea of what he looks like, flashes and shots, so that the audience can know L well enough to still wonder about the identity Rue Ryuzaki throughout the movie)

and then of course, we dive into the story

Beyond is OVER THE TOP. he’s more than unsettling, he’s downright terrifying. but he’s still somehow intriguing and even charming at times, like he can turn the smoulder on and off at will. 

Hes a disaster nb, a fabulous hodgepodge of discarded gender roles and impressive makeup skills

Him practicing his evil laugh and trying so desperately to be this comic villain didjdjdje hes such a loser i love him that scene NEEDS to make an appearance

he and naomi’s chemistry is incredible to watch on screen because beyond dominates any scene he’s in unless naomi is there to challenge him because her acting is also so powerful that when they’re on screen together, it’s like you can’t tear your eyes away from this insane car wreck that is their relationship

and NAOMI

a;lksdfj;dlkfj naomi misora <3 <3 <3 <3 ok im ready

so naomi is also a powerful presence on screen, even though she’s not crawling on the ground or eating with her hands or you know whatever ridiculous garbage beyond is doing

more time is spent on her

her disastrous relationship with raye

her feelings over her suspension from the FBI

and really play up the whole jessica jones thing she’s got going on

i want black leather for DAYS

I want “gritty LA detective who’s on suspension from the FBI because she doesn’t play by the rules” or whatever except it’s a twist because not only is she not a man, like this trope usually calls for, but it turns out she was suspended because of her tenderness and humanity instead of her brutality

she still needs to have MULTIPLE fight scenes, a few with beyond and maybe even a few with other attackers, who she absolutely mops the floor with

but then she and beyond have a scene where they fight against someone together

he’s not a good fighter. she mostly has to save his butt every time but he’s just happy to be there and probably keeps saying stuff like ‘wow misora you’re amazing!’ and she’s like ‘?!?! ryuzaki you loser?1?! run?!?’

and of course, there’s enough twists and changes from the book to keep everyone on their toes, but GOOD changes

like maybe we go back to mello a few times and he has more of his own subplot where his relationship to near is revealed more fully, that he wants near to understand him and he wants to reach out to near emotionally in this way

contrast mello’s story with beyond’s so when we learn beyond’s full story at the end, he and mello are revealed to be foils of each other

we get shots of wammy’s house and we see a and beyond interact and we see beyond’s life-destroying grief over a’s death

we get contrasting shots of wammy’s with mello and near and we’re allowed to hope that maybe they can be happier

A and beyond become something of a subplot leading up to as death but you dont entirely realize who beyond is until the big reveal at the end

maybe beyond does some more unsettling things that are just as creepy and in-character but are a terrible surprise for those who’ve already read the book!! i can’t imagine what other horrific thing he could do to scare naomi, but there’s got to be something

i’m rly into bday massacre bc i love naomi and beyond’s rly twisted relationship so i’d love to see more of him being in awe of her, more of them connecting, more of beyond opening up to her even. maybe she tells him a little bit about her suspension. just a little.

also if we could like clean up some of the plot holes in this joint pls and thank you

id even be ok if it’s insinuated that he self-sabotaged a little, on a conscious level or not, bc i feel like that wouldn’t be tooooooo ooc i mean, he’s a hot mess. most of this is just a really twisted cry for help anyway, at least in my interpretation. he wants people to realize he’s suffering. he just… can’t do it in a normal or healthy way :/

beyond pls a;lkdfj

Anyway. Theres also a boppin soundtrack

Fire is a big motif. Maybe make a connection between wildfires in CA and beyond using this case to self-destruct

A little more closure at the end. Thats part of the drive behind my bday massacre fanfic rn is that i feel like he and naomi never got any real closure on the traumatizing, like, week or two they spent together

I also want more closure on naomi as a character arc. I want her to dump rayes sorry butt and i want her to have had some sort of real internal change. None of this “she picks up her life where she left off and never thinks abt beyond again”

Of course, L is revealed and has his glorious little spill down the concrete subway stairs. Its What He Deserves :)

And of course we have to make the obvious contrast between both beyond and mello having survived serious burn injuries its just another thing that makes them such interestingly comparable characters

If Naomi visits Beyond in prison to say goodbye, i wouldnt be opposed. If they made my fanfiction into a movie i wouldnt be opposed

Mello prints out his book in the mafia hideout, his arms folded and waiting as paper after paper comes out, just begging any of these mafia dudes to mock him for liking to write. None of them do. Its a funny moment tho

He debates sending it to near, feeling so awkward and prideful, but he finally does it, leaving instructions for it to reach near after his death.

In the end, naomi and beyond are revealed to be dead at the same time as near receives the package from his dear mello

Naomi and beyond were doomed, and so were beyond and a, but now… near has mellos last love letter to him, cryptically begging him to try to understand. And so theres hope that although the rest of these relationships were doomed, maybe near can still have one piece of mello and be happy

[wanderingspacedragon]

Rey’s Shadow

Let’s roll out the ol’ crystal ball and see if we can unfog the future for Episode IX.

This time let’s look at what we may expect for Rey and where her arc may go.

Remember this is all speculation and just for fun. If you like speculating and predicting on next Star Wars film, more is below the cut.

Rey has been a bit harder for me to nail down on what might happen for her in the next film, but after some digging and re-reading of some storytelling motifs I think I’ve got a clue on what to expect next.

So a storytelling trope that is very important in Star Wars is Facing and Integrating The Shadow or just the Shadow Archetype. It's the part of the personality that embodies everything a character doesn't like about themselves/fears about themselves. It is the things they, often subconsciously, deny about themselves and project onto others. The more the Shadow has been repressed, the more powerful it becomes. This comes from Carl Jung and his psychological theory, but we are going to use it for its story writing means. Guess who also used these theories? Joseph Campbell.

And George Lucas was heavily inspired by Joseph Campbell’s The Hero Journey. By looking into these we can see the framework of the Star Wars Saga.

Let’s take a look at past Shadow Archetypes in Star Wars. We’ll start with the OT. In this the Shadow has a personification in the form of Darth Vader. He is a powerful force user that, opposite of Luke, is angry, cold, and full of hatred. These are emotions and things that Luke tries to repress in himself because he fears them and can’t accept they are part of himself. In Empire Strikes Back, Luke has a vision in the Dark Side cave on Dagobah that spells this out and also is a bit of warning if he follows through in repressing/killing the Shadow.

The Vision has Luke facing off with Darth Vader and striking him down, only to reveal that under the mask is his own face. In Return of The Jedi, Luke is brought before the Emperor who tries to get  Luke to give into his Shadow Self and act out on those feelings, knowing that if he does kill his own father that he would fall to the Dark Side. It symbolizes that trying to kill your dark side will only make it grow larger and eventually eat you whole.

That is what happened to Anakin. In the PT era Anakin’s Shadow took in form of Darth Maul (Rage, Vengeance, and Wrath), Count Dooku (Arrogance and Self-Superiority), and General Grievous (Power-hungry and willingness to sacrifice one's own ‘humanity’ to gain power). They represented all the parts that Anakin tried to repress in himself. It's what the Jedi Order taught him to do and since these shadows were killed off instead of integrated, a larger Shadow emerged in the form of Darth Vader. What is interesting about the Prequels is the Shadow isn’t just Anakin’s, but the Jedi as a whole. This is the imbalance in the Force. The Jedi’s solution to the Sith and the Dark Side was to destroy it, not realizing that by trying to repress and erase they were just making it stronger. It is by Revenge of The Sith that all of these Shadows have been killed that the new one forms in Anakin as he is pushed to extreme decisions all cause no one wants to address the issues of detachment, obsessive love, anger, arrogance, fear, and the hunger for power. Thus a new monster is born. The Shadow will eat you if you do not accept it and properly manage it.

Now I’m going to spoil a movie here, so fair warning I’m going to talk about the movie The Babadook, a horror movie about a single mother and her child with behavioral issues. It’s more than that, but if you don’t want to be spoiled here’s your chance to skip over this part. I’m going to go over the story and how it all relates to dealing with the Shadow Self.

* * * * *

“There’s just NO WAY your OFF the HOOK

If you’re ALL GROWN UP

When you read this book.

And you snub your nose

With a civilized look…

You’ll appeal EVEN MORE

to the BIG BABADOOK.

And this is what he’ll say…

‘I’ll WAGER with YOU

I’LL MAKE you a BET

ThE MORE you DENY me

The STRONGER I GET.

You’ll then be my PUPPET, my plaything, my PET

I’ll MAKE you DO THINGS

You’ll be SURE to REGRET,”

-Limited Edition Mister Babadook pop-up book

Okay so in the Babadook the whole movie is about how this woman is not dealing with her Shadow Self and how it becomes almost a physical monster that terrorizes her and her son. Her husband was tragically killed in a car accident while driving her to the hospital while she was in labor. She does not celebrate her son’s birthday because it reminds her of her husband’s passing. She’s stuck in a job that she doesn’t want to do (she really wants to be a children’s book writer) and she has not be able to move on relationship wise. Her son and everything in her life has trapped her in this loop of the past in a way. When she reads a book called Mister Babadook, to her son before bed, everything in her life becomes worse and a monster seems to be stalking them. The book is scary and as it says in the book, “If it’s in a word, or it’s in a look. You can’t get rid of the Babadook.”

This book is an invitation and brings in the Babadook first by the paranoia of her son and then the mother starts seeing the Babadook. She keeps trying to repress her Shadow Self, which is the grief of losing her husband, the resentment she feels toward her own child, feeling trapped and angry over how her life is going. She keeps trying to deny and repress these feelings and thus trying to hid and get rid the Babadook. It gets so bad that the Babadook actually possesses her and she almost acts out the scenes in the book and nearly kills her own son. But his love for her is what finally snaps her out of it and she is able to control the Babadook. It’s never gone as the end of the movie shows. It now lives in their basement, but she addresses it and feeds it. And thus she can finally live a bit more peaceful and happier life.

“Whether adult or child, best give me a HOME.

Put the welcome mat out, with a room of my OWN.

And accept that I’m here and from YOU

I have grown

Keep me smaller in size,

I might leave you alone.”

-Limited Edition Mister Babadook pop-up book

* * * * *

You can’t kill the Shadow, but you can control and manage it. That is what integrating the Shadow means. It doesn’t mean giving into your impulses and bad feelings, but acknowledging them so you can control them. The Babadook is seriously a good movie, but it is terrifying. Psychological horror heavily relies on the darkness that resides in ourselves and what we try to deny feeling. These are some of my favorite kind of horror movies because they are the ones that last by lurking in your own psyche. Tragedies and Horror usually has the failing of integrating the Shadow thus the sad/terrifying conclusion. It’s scary even if the monster is defeated because we know that it could come back at any time.

Now to the ST era and what to expect of Rey and dealing with her Shadow. Well what is her shadow? Personified it’s obviously Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren is rage, the feeling of abandonment, self loathing, and feeling like you are the Monster.

These are things Rey fears about herself and has denied herself feeling so far. She was abandoned by her parents, but she lives in denial, hoping they will return for her one day. It’s why she keeps the hairstyle she’s had since she was little, in hopes they would recognize her. Why in The Force Awakens she keeps wanting to go back to Jakku and wait for them. If she was to move on then that would mean she would have to finally accept the truth. That she was sold off and left in indentured servitude to Unkar Plutt.

Now we have seen hints of Rage and maybe even the scary thought of a Monster in her. In The Force Awakens we see this darker side as she fought with Kylo Ren in the snow forest. She got the upper hand and had even knocked him to the ground. While on the ground she approached and seemed ready to strike at him after she already disarmed him, but the earth opened up separating them by a rift.

Wait a minute...this gif is right before the ground breaks apart preventing her from completing that swing.

ooooooohhhhh... *wink wink* Rey’s dark side showing just like Luke’s was.

In The Last Jedi, Rey seeks training from Luke. As she says “Something inside me has always been there...but now it's awake, and I'm afraid. I don't know what it is, or what to do with it, but I need help.” She’s afraid of this power. Why? She also seems to be drawn to the dark side and even spooks Luke because of her power and her willingness to explore the dark side sea cave.

This makes me speculate there is more to Rey’s past and we are going to find it out in Ep IX. And I don’t mean that her parents were anyone we actually know. I think a lot of audience aren’t getting that point. The point is they weren’t special people and they were in fact awful. Sold her off for drinking money and then left...But apparently they are dead in the Jakku desert... Which is strange cause that contradicts the vision Rey had in TFA where we see her as a child screaming  “Come Back!” to a ship that is taking off. How can both be true? Well I don’t think Kylo Ren is lying. The thing about the Shadow is that it tells the protagonist what they deny and don’t WANT to be true, but is the truth nonetheless. Remember Vader telling Luke he was his father. There were several audience members after ESB that thought Vader had to be lying because that seemed too awful for Luke. Same for Rey. It’s the Truth she has to hear but does not want to accept.

But the vision? How can both be true? Well I think we’ll find out that Rey as a child may have accidentally killed her own parents. As she said she’s had this inside her that’s always been there but only recently is now awake. What if it woke up before during a time of duress and in an attempt to bring her parents back, accidentally blowing up their ship as it was leaving.

That would both explain the Vision and what Kylo told her. It would explain why she’s afraid of this power she has and why she’s drawn to the Dark Side. The final truth she has to accept about herself and what she will have to face in the next film. This might be what brings her to that Dark Side’s edge and she’ll have to decide if she gives into it or learns to integrate with with Shadow. And remember the lesson in Star Wars, killing the Shadow only means that it will come back in either yourself or someone in your group. So if Rey actually kills Kylo Ren in Episode 9 then she may fall to the Dark side or cause a greater Shadow to emerge.

But I am 99.9% sure they are not going to have a tragedy or a horror movie for the ending of the freakin’ Skywalker Saga. Heck the fact that Vader dies in ROTJ could be the reason another Shadow emerges for the Sequel Trilogy and the purpose of this trilogy is to finally have a true integration of the the Shadow. There has to be a proper integration that gets expanded for the whole story’s universe. Balancing the Force.

So yeah I could go further into other Archetypes and who they are in the ST which would be fascinating, but this is already very long so with that it will have to be another time.

And remember…

“If it’s in a word, or it’s in a look. You can’t get rid of the Babadook.”