sildarmillionsays

[sildarmillionsays]

One True Ace Pairing: Wreck-It Ralph

I'm revisiting my One True Ace/Aspec Pairing series after a long time with a pair I'm surprised I overlooked: Ralph and Vanellope.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed the chemistry between these two characters. They had a great dynamic and a great relationship arc. This is very clearly a platonic pairing, and the reason this fact is worth mentioning is because of  the importance given to the relationship, the depth of the relationship, and how much the pair come to mean to each other, are unusual in platonic pairs of opposite genders. Of course, with any opposite-gender pairing, there is the possibility of reading romance into the relationship, but in this case, because Ralph has the appearance of a middle-aged man and Vanellope of a child, that would be kind of weird. Technically, they are ageless digital characters. So they do not have a adult-child dynamic. They are actually equals.

I also applaud the fact that the sequel move, Ralph Breaks the Internet, took a deep dive into their relationship to explore where the relationship can go. After the first movie, the two have become best friends whose lives are deeply entwined. But in RBtI, Vanellope reaches a point in her life when she wants to grow in a different direction, and the movie is about how Ralph has a difficult time coming to terms with this. And eventually, while they do go their own ways, their bond remains as strong as ever.

Ralph and Vanellope's relationship, which is very much a friendship, is just as well developed and well explored and given as much attention (if not more) as any romantic relationship in similar movies (including the romantic pairing in the same movie, Felix and Calhoun, whose relationship was played for laughs anyways). I really appreciated the inclusion of this kind of relationship in popular media.

Crossposted to WordPress

#Wreck-It Ralph #Ralph Breaks the Internet #Vanellope von Schweetz #Disney #Disney Animation #One True Ace Pairing #Platonic Relationships

[sildarmillionsays]

"Don't Treat Her Like a Mind-Reader": An Analysis of "That's How You Know"

While I truly enjoy both listening to and watching the choreography in "That's How You Know", there is a tiny element of cringe that I feel with respect to it. And that has to do with the assumption that displays of sentimentality are the only way to express one's love for another. In keeping with the song, I will talk about "him" expressing "his" love for "her" – but this is not meant to be gender-specific (and I don't believe the song was meant in a gender-specific way either).

The one line I wholeheartedly agree with in the song is this one:

Don't treat her like a mind-reader

I think this is so important is any relationship – romantic, friendship, familial, business, you name it. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. Nothing contributes to friction that one party expecting the other party to just know what the former party wants and then developing resentment when they do not deliver. I've seen this happen in real life far too many times.

But are these displays of sentimentality the best way to communicate?

The song is implying that these sentimental actions – wearing "her" favorite color, or sending "her" flowers, or taking "her" dancing, or dedicating a song to "her", or taking "her" out on a picnic – is a natural expression of "his" love for "her", i.e. if "he" truly loves "her", then "he" will naturally want to do all these things for "her". But that's not necessarily true. People can have different love languages. How do you know what "she" values? "She" might view these sentimental actions as very meaningful. But "she" might also view them as shallow and superficial. Similarly, "he" might also genuinely feel that "his" actions are meaningful. But "he" might also view them as shallow and superficial and go through them as a chore just to be in "her" good graces. And then there's also the question of whether "she" appreciates these gestures irrespective of how "he" feels about them – i.e., it might make "her" happy if "he" enjoys making these gestures for "her" OR if "she" knows "he" doesn't enjoy them but does them for "her" anyway, it might make "her" feel valued. But does "she" know whether "he" is making these sentimental gestures out of emotion or out of obligation? "He" really should make that clear to "her:, i.e. don't treat her like a mind-reader.

The song is also being very vague about what is means by love. OK, so "he" loves "her" – but that could mean a lot of things. It could mean "he" is temporarily enjoying "her" company and wants more of it, but "he" hasn't given any thought to the future. It could mean that "he" already knows "he" wants to spend "his" life with "her". How does "she" know which one of these (or other) options "he" truly feels? These sentimental gestures could equally apply to both options. Despite these gestures, "she's" still has to try to read "his" mind. "She" still has to analyze "his" sentimental gestures and decipher what these actions truly mean. We've seen plenty of movies in which a group of girlfriends will dissect "his" every phrase and gesture. Because these gestures do leave plenty of room for interpretation.

Basically, I think this song says one thing, but then says "J/K we take it back". Kind of like what the rest of the movie does. See my previous post about Enchanted for more on that.

The point of my post is this: If you truly wishes to communicate how you feel about someone (whether it's how much you appreciate them, or how much you admire them, or how grateful you feel towards them, or how much you're into them), communicate it explicitly with words. Don't rely on gestures, or euphemisms, or floriography. The amount of meaning you attach to your gestures or phrases or flowers, may not align with how much meaning they attach to the same gestures or phrases or flowers. So relying on these means of communication could be ineffective. The things you feel sentimental about might not align with the things they feel sentimental about. So I think it's time to do away with relying on indirect communication. Don't treat her like a mind-reader.

(P.S. I'm not saying don't ever use gestures or phrases or flowers. If they are meaningful to you, by all means keep doing them. Embrace your sentimentality. But complement them with explicit honest communication. )

This is crossposted to my Wordpress blog and is a last-minute submission to the November 2022 Carnival of Aros on the theme "Sentimentality" which I'm hosting on my other Wordpress blog. Since I cited the song "That's How You Know" from the movie Enchanted as an example of the kind of sentimentality I was talking about, I figured I'll share some of  my thoughts about it.

#Enchanted #Disney #fairytales

[sildarmillionsays]

Comparing Anna from Frozen and Alma from Encanto.

I decided to do my first cross-comparison analysis between Frozen and Encanto. I think this analysis will be quite controversial, as I've talked about this subject with a couple of my friends and the subject was incredibly varied in reactions.

I want to do a comparison between Anna and Alma and how their fears and over-protective natures create human flaws in their characters. I know this seems a bit random, considering that Alma is a mother and grandmother, and Anna is not - just a younger sister. However, because Anna takes on a very motherly protector role in her relationship with Elsa, it warrants a comparison.

I'm sorry I left you behind. I was just so desperate to protect her.

―Anna

I was so afraid to lose it... that I lost sight of who our miracle was for.

―Alma

Part 1 - Valid Fears, Flawed Choices

Anna and Alma are both very tragic characters. Both have faced terrible losses, were left to take care of their loved ones, and had to overcome tragedies to become leaders. Most importantly, both women were terrified of losing what they gained - a loving family and community. This caused them both to become overbearing, in different ways.

Alma's overbearing nature became tied to the idea that she and her family had to perfect in order to keep the miracle of the candle for the protection of the village. Thus, she dictated everyone's usefulness and pushed them to be perfect versions of themselves. This caused stress to her family as they wanted to meet her high expectations.

Anna's overbearing nature became tied to the idea that she needed to protect her family, to the point of sacrificing herself without hesitation and using force in order to keep the happiness she finally found. This made Anna restrict Elsa's choices a few times in F2, and leave Kristoff alone and confused.

Both women had very valid and sympathetic fears that mirror each other - they wanted to protect the happiness they had found, fearing the possibility of change. Anna sacrificed her well-being and relationship with Kristoff, while Alma sacrificed her family's confidence and self-worth. They ultimately let their fears take over and could not accept change in their routine - Elsa possibly leaving or getting hurt, and Mirabel representing the loss of magic.

Anna questions what she would do if she lost Elsa, while Alma questions what would happen if they lost the magic of the candle.

Part 2 - Losing Everything to See the Truth

In order for Anna and Alma to see their flawed choices, they actually had to face their fears head-on. Anna lost Elsa, Olaf, and Kristoff, while Alma witnessed the loss of the candle's magic.

Anna was able to realize that she could not control change, and had to let people make their own choices even if they were flawed. Alma realized that forcing perfection caused a disconnect in her family and that the magic was a gift for love, not a strict duty or responsibility.

This leads to another comparison between these two characters - the gift of magic. Elsa and Anna were both a gift for Iduna's sacrifice, thus, indirectly, Anna was an ordinary girl gifted with a magical family member. Alma was an ordinary girl as well, gifted with magic family members because of her husband's sacrifice. Thus, both women were given magic for the sacrifice of love, and had to protect that magic even though they were ordinary.

Conclusion

The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions is a proverb with various theoretical origins that has a very deep meaning. We often times will always do bad things because we had good and sympathetic reasons - This quote represents the comparison between Anna and Alma very well, as both these women are good, heroic, and selfless - and all they wanted was the best for their family and to be happy.

However, because of their fears brought on by tragedy, they ended up making bad decisions - Alma forcing perfection on her family, while Anna unintentionally caused a distance between her and her loved ones. However, both come out of their flaws triumphantly and become wiser people.

[sildarmillionsays]

Looking Back on Literary Vlog Series Adaptations

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is now 10 year old! Whew! I was in college when it came out; can't remember if it was before or after I took an Austen seminar, but I still remember eagerly waiting for the weekly (or were they biweekly?) episodes and watching them as soon as they dropped. After LBD though, there was an explosion of all sorts of literary vlog-series adaptations. The company behind LBD (Pemberley Digital) made a few more themselves, and tons of other creators, mostly independent, also threw their hat in the ring and there were vlog-series adaptations of all kinds of literary works. To the best of my knowledge, this is the masterlist post that has catalogued them all. I used to watch many of these with a lot of enthusiasm ... I had intended to watch them all, but never quite got around to that. But also, I had started to get a little tired of them?

On the 10 year anniversary of LBD, I wanted to bring up some of my old thoughts on why none of the other shows quite lived up to it.

None of the other shows were quite as inventive as LBD when it came to modern-day adaptations. They tended to be very straightforward adaptations, just modernized. They were very reluctant to change anything about the plot, even if it would be a better representation of the spirit of the book. For example, in LBD, it wasn't a marriage proposal Lizzie turned down from Collins; it was a job offer. Because the significance of the marriage proposal in the original novel was that it offered financial stability that she was quite crazy to turn down. But in 2012, turning down a marriage proposal really would be NBD. In fact, turning down a marriage proposal when you're broke is probably a good call. But turning down a job offer wen you're broke? None of the other shows made as inventive a choice as this one and that was kind of a let down.

I thought it was extremely weird when college students in 2012 were depicted as being ready to get married just like that. It seemed like a failure of modernization when all the data indicate that Millennials have been getting married later compared to older generations (here is a source). If the shows were set a few decades earlier, that attitude towards marriage could have made sense (but then you couldn't have done the vlog format) or if they were set in small rural towns where people still do get married early, it would have made sense, but even people in big cities were behaving anachronistically.  

These shows were very eager to be "diverse" but were rather performative in their diversity. I've ranted a lot about how I don't like this performative diversity, but Broey Deschanel did an excellent job covering the "white people in brown skin" trope very well, so I won't into that again. Suffice it to say, I am not a fan of casting POC in white roles and then doing nothing to culturally adapt those characters to fit the cultural background of character's supposedly new ethnicity. They are still brown people with white names and white stories. LBD, on the other hand, made a valiant effort to adapt the characters they racebended. Charlotte Lucas became Charlotte Lu. Charles Bingley became (LOL) Bing Lee. There was no nuanced commentary on race, sure, but at least they made some effort.

Many of the shows also attempted to introduce sexual diversity into the shows by changing the sexual orientation of certain characters. I actually didn't get a chance to watch many of the shows  that tried their hand at this, but from what I remember, I think the show that handled this well was Carmilla (I haven't read the original, but from what I understand, the source material was quite conducive to explore homoerotic themes). The March Family Letters also did a decent attempt at this with one character questioning their presumed heterosexuality, which was refreshing because most shows had characters who were already sure of their orientation. But my issue with MFL was that I feel like they checked plot-point boxes without really bringing to life the spirit of Little Women (something the 2019 film adaptation by Greta Gerwig was able to do.)

Finally, I did not like how these vlog serieses leaned HARD into the culture of oversharing. Back in the day, I had written a whole post about how much this bothered me and I will link that here.

Once again, as explained in the linked post, LBD handled this issue better.

To celebrate LBD's 10 year anniversary, Ashley Clements (who played Lizzie in the show) is doing a vlog series called the The Look Back Diaries in which she will watch all the episodes and offer commentary. I'm curious to see what commentary they will do regarding the oversharing aspects, especially from those Domino videos. Given the recent conversation around the importance of protecting user's privacy that has evolved over the past 10 years, I wonder if the cast will look back on the Domino videos as super cringe because that AI platform was sure posting a lot of videos that shared sensitive private information that many people might not be cool with. If the Pemberley Digital of the show were real, it might even face a class action lawsuit! So even though LBD handled this issue better, I think LBD is still guilty of glamorizing oversharing.

Looking back on the literary vlog series phenomenon, it doesn't seem like I have a lot of good things to say, but I do think it was a rather nice snapshot in time. Lots of aspiring creatives got a chance to try their hand at making their own shows and get some experience and many of them went on to have careers in show biz, acting, directing, etc. The shows were not perfect, but they were a learning process for the creators, and a ton of fun for the viewers. I'm glad I had them around during my early 20s.

Crossposted to WordPress

#The Lizzie Bennet Diaries #LBD #The Look Back Diaries #Ashley Clements #Pemberley Digital #Pride and Prejudice #Jane Austen #Lizzie Bennet #Domino #Literary Web Series #Carmilla #The March Family Letters #Green Gables Fables #Little Women

[sildarmillionsays]

Captain America didn’t see color

Steve Rogers passed the shield to Sam Wilson because Sam had the right character and the right disposition to wield the shield. Steve Rogers didn’t care about Sam’s race. He didn’t see color. Because Steve Rogers is Not Racist.

There are many who argue that we shouldn’t see color and should treat people equally regardless of their race. Maybe that’s what an idealist like Steve Rogers thought.

The most amazing thing about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in my opinion is the acknowledgement that Steve did not understand or appreciate the implications of passing on the shield to a black man. Steve did not have a good understanding of the experience of black folks in America.

Steve did not know about Isiah Bradley, a black man who was also given the serum just like Steve. Except, unlike Steve, who heroically volunteered to take the serum to fight for his country, Isiah was experimented on and didn’t have a choice. Except, unlike Steve, who disobeyed orders to save his friends, when Isiah did the same, he wasn’t heralded as a hero, but rather imprisoned and erased from history.

Time to step carefully on right wing toes, but what The Falcon and the Winter Soldier did right here was show Captain America’s white privilege. A black man with the same super soldier serum wasn’t allowed to be a hero in the same way the white man was. And Steve, in his idealism and white privilege and color blindness, doesn’t realize that “they’ll never let a black man be Captain America; and no self-respecting black man would want to.”

Of course, ultimately, the show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier does not agree with Isaiah Bradley’s position there. The show chooses to have hope that one day America can do better and will do better.

Crossposted to WordPress

#The Falcon and the Winter Soldier #Captain America #Marvel #Marvel Cinematic Universe #MCU #Steve Rogers #Sam Wilson #Isaiah Bradley

[sildarmillionsays]

One True Ace Pairing: Avatar The Last Airbender

This post is about Zutara. Spoilers for both Avatar: the Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.

Zutara does not really fit the mold for the pairs I've discussed in the One True Ace Pairing series. But I had Thoughts and I figured it wouldn't hurt to stick them in here.

When I started watching AtLA as a child, I independently fell into the Zutara camp. This was over the course of watching Book One. I didn't get around to watching the rest of the show until much later, mostly because I lost access to Nickelodeon. At some point though I found out that Aang and Katara get together at the end. It's still interesting to me how that revelation had lessened my interest in completing the series. It's strange how we get so attached to our ships.

It was still the early days of people having a second life on the Internet. And I hadn't used the Internet to engage in fandom much at all. But once, when I decided to check out the Avatar fandom out of curiosity, I discovered a major shipping war. I can't possibly summarize it all here, so I will link to (1) an entire playlist of video essays about it, and if that's too much, (2) one 20-minute video about it. Discovering the intense fandom behind this ship was actually comforting - at least I wasn't alone in feeling betrayed by my ship sinking (what's the official term for that?) and with that knowledge I could eventually finish the show.

To this day I find it curious that the dismissal of this ship affected my enjoyment of the show this much. So much of it comes from how we are conditioned by media to want our favorite relationships to end in a romantic relationship - marriage, children, the works. After re-watching the show again, I think it's so curious that so many of us can't appreciate the fantastic relationship arc between Zuko and Katara simply because it didn't end in marriage, children, and the works. Their relationship goes through a complicated journey of being enemies, tentative allies on the brink of friendship, betrayal, repentance, an attempt to make amends, learning to forgive, and forming an effective partnership. I think most viewers will agree that the Zutara relationship arc was much more complex and interesting than the Kataang arc. And that is specifically why so many of us wanted that ship to be canon. But even if it didn't end the way we wanted it to, at least we got all of these developments - at least it's still a darn good compelling on-screen relationship.

I'm of the camp that the show should not have ended by settling the debate and making one ship canon. The characters were quite young even by the end, and Katara was still pretty confused about how she felt about Aang, so they could have just left us hanging and developed it more in the comics. Basically, what happened with The Legend of Korra. The canon relationship in that show was nowhere near as complex at Zutara, but it developed slowly, with a very slow burn, and the friendship between Korra and Asami gradually grew stronger and stronger until we (or at least some of us) could see how good they are together. But the ending shot of that TLK ended with possibility rather than outright taking sides in a ship war. That may have well been because the showrunners felt that society was not yet ready for a gay kiss in media meant largely for children, but I think TLK would have earned that kiss more so than AtLA did.

Despite all that, I still can't help but feel a pang of betrayal regarding what happened with Zutara. But this was among my many experiences that taught me not to get attached to ships. Because sometimes they sink.

Crossposted to WordPress

#Zutara #Zuko #Katara #Avatar the Last Airbender #Kataang #Korrasami #The Legend of Korra #Shipping

[sildarmillionsays]

One True Ace Pairing: WandaVision

Say what? I was not expecting to include this pair in my OTAP series. I had very much thought of them as a "regular" couple, even if they are "an unusual couple" (i.e. how the series was promoted). He's a "synthesoid" and she's a human (albeit one with powerful magical abilities) - that is what makes their relationship "unusual" but the MCU never really dug deep into how this manifests in their relationship.

Spoiler Alert for the MCU through WandaVision. 

In Civil War, we see the budding of their relationship, even though they start the relationship offscreen somewhere. We catch up with them on the run in Infinity War when they have been together a while, and it is strange, but "it works." In WandaVision, of course they are in a fake sitcom reality, and the "unusual" aspect of their relationship is played for laughs (hijinks and shenanigans).

I hadn't stopped to consider their relationship in greater detail, until I watched this completely unrelated video. It is necessary to watch the video to follow the rest of the article. In the video, philosopher Slavoj Žižek manages to isolate the purely physical aspect of sexual relationships - the "individual need." Humans have varied and idiosyncratic sexual needs, and as I understand it, unless those needs are met, couples end up having bad sexual chemistry and relationships don't work out. I haven heard of people being unhappy in relationships because their "needs are not met" and to be honest, my instinct is to think they are talking about emotional needs, but I suppose, maybe this could be what they are talking about. An extreme example I can think of is that if someone likes kinky stuff and their partner doesn't, it might not work out. I don't necessarily understand why someone might need kinky stuff, but hey, different strokes for different folks.

I watched this video around the same time as the WandaVision finale. And that's when I wondered: Wait, does Vision have needs? Yes, it is implies that Wanda and Vision are and have been sexually involved, although we don't know to what extent. All we know is that they have been in bed together and have been physically intimate. We don't know if they engaged in the kind of sex that can produce babies, but we do know that even if they did, that is not what would have produced the twins.

Quick reminder that being asexual does not necessarily mean that you cannot have sex or do not enjoy sex, although these fall within the umbrella of asexuality. If you do not have any sexual needs, that also falls under asexuality. I have a hard time imagining that Vision, as a synthesoid, will have any specific sexual needs. In other words, I find it hard to think Tony Stark or Bruce Banner or Ultron thought to include that in his programming or that Vision would want to incorporate that into his programming later. I can see him wanting to respond to whatever specific need Wanda might have, but I can't see him wanting to have his own unique needs that Wanda would have to learn to satisfy. So yes, I believe Vision is indeed asexual.

And this made me realize that Wanda and Vision are actually the most perfect pair for this particular series of mine. I have come to learn that in this world, it is very common for these individual sexual needs to be the end all and be all of romantic relationships. Whether you wish to spend your life with someone apparently has more to do with these needs than the depth of your emotional connection, your ability to understand and take care of each other, or the safety and trust you can offer each other. Lack of sexual chemistry can be a major deal breaker. I know this is not an absolute truth, but it is enough of a truth to have caused me severe pain. Love seems meaningless to me if it cannot overcome a perceived lack of sexual chemistry.

And this is what made me love Vision so much. He loved Wanda for who she is and what she meant to him. Whether she can fulfill his sexual needs (which conveniently do not exist) has no bearings on his love for her whatsoever. THIS is what love means to me. THIS is what this OTAP series has been all about. It has been about love that has zero dependence on the fulfilment of individual sexual needs. It has been about unconditional love.

As an aside, WandaVision was supposed to be about grief. I think the series dropped the ball in a major way when it came to addressing grief in any way or saying anything about grief (or gee, about the consequences of one's actions!). But weirdly enough, it came at the right time for me, as a way for me to explore my own grief. I don't know how unconditional Wanda's love for Vision was (according to how I defined it above), but I'd like to think it matched his. I do empathize with her for wanting to create a fake reality where she can be with the one she loved and have a family. Sure, I'll take pieces of Mephisto's soul if I can have magical babies who take care of themselves. It turns out Wanda and I are the same age. Given our age, I know that we are running out of time, and since we don't have partners, if we wanted to have children, all our options are difficult. In this way, WandaVision unintentionally struck a chord with me. After all, what is grief if not love persevering?

But coming back to my OTAP Series - yes, this is what the series has been about - it has been about characters who love each other enough to be family without sex being a determining factor. Some pairs fit this definition better than others, but for all of them, if you made a list of what makes this relationship so appealing, sex would be low on the list if it appeared at all.  

Crossposted to WordPress

#Wanda Maximoff #Vision #WandaVision #Marvel #MCU #Marvel Cinematic Universe

[sildarmillionsays]

One True Ace Pairing: The MCU

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, because of its nature of a shared universe, has a unique opportunity to feature a large number of strong platonic relationships. Superhero movies that came before the MCU didn’t have the space to develop these kinds of relationships, so they focused more on the romantic relationships and the hero-villain relationships.

The MCU, refreshingly, is able to spend as much time on the platonic relationships as they can on the romantic ones; and arguably the platonic pairings are more popular than the romantic ones. In fact, they can be more interesting than the romantic ones because these relationships can exist in a complex web, which is not possible for romantic relationships without getting uncomfortable.

I could delve into each relationship and each would require their own essay, but there is a channel called Implicitly Pretentious that already does that, so I will refer you there (and here is a link to the Marvel/DC playlist.)

In this piece I want to focus on the Clint/Natasha relationship, which is quite appropriate for my One True Ace Pairing series.

While we had already met Natasha (and briefly seen Clint) in previous MCU movies, their relationship was established in the first crossover film. The way it’s presented to us is, in my opinion, a tad over the top. Natasha is on a job (a drug bust?) in which the bad guys have her tied up when she gets interrupted by a call that tells her Clint is compromised. She immediately drops everything and goes to his aid. This scene serves 2 purposes: (1) to tell us she was a badass and was in control the whole time (but we already knew that from Iron Man 2) and (2) to spark interest in the Clint-Natasha relationship.

Of course, just because two characters of opposite genders have a strong bond doesn’t mean it has to be a romantic relationship. In fact Natasha shares a strong platonic bond with several of her male colleagues including Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Nick Fury. But part of me thinks that Joss Whedon did an intentional bait-and-switch with such an intentional over-the-top introduction to this relationship. It indicated that Clint was literally the most important thing in her life, period.

Again, just because someone is so darn important to you doesn’t mean your relationship has to be romantic. I just think it’s sad when the most important person ceases to be a major part of your life.

As far as The Avengers goes, it seems like Clint and Natasha are a huge part of each other’s lives. They work together, in fact they work very well together in a team, they are loyal and devoted to each other, and they care about each other a great deal. As much is clear when we see Nat rescue him from his mind control and later comfort him about it.

It is rare that we see two characters share such a strong bond and it’s not too stereotypical to hope two such characters will spend their lives together. So I can’t pretend that I was disappointed when I realized Clint had a secret family this whole time. On the positive side, Nat was not only aware of it, but also quite close with the family. We don’t know the details of their relationship. Perhaps Clint was already married when he met Nat. Or perhaps they didn’t get together because Clint was a family man and Nat couldn’t have kids.

I think Joss Whedon might have been going for the second explanation, although I personally prefer the first. Clint seems to have a loving relationship with his wife. When his paths crossed with Nat’s, it makes sense that he never let it take a romantic tone. After The Avengers, I remember Tumblr being abuzz wanting to know what happened in Budapest. We probably will never get to see that on screen. All we know is that he showed faith in her, brought her over to his side, and gave her a chance to "wipe the red off her ledger". But we did see a version of this in Avengers: Age of Ultron, when he essentially does the same thing for Wanda. That’s just the kind of guy Clint is. And in later films, we see that Wanda also has strong loyalty towards him.

But Clint and Natasha do go their own ways when he retires to be with his family and she goes to train the Avengers. Under the Russo brothers’ direction, their relationship takes on a very sibling-like vibe, which is a lot more comfortable for me as the viewer. Their relationship continues to be strong. They remain loyal to each other when they end up on the opposing sides in Civil War. And they come back together only when he loses his family in the Snap. He goes crazy and becomes a vigilante.

Natasha tries to rehabilitate him and this was one of the more touching developments in their relationship because she tries to do for him now what he did for her back in Budapest – a chance to wipe the red off his ledger. Clint and Natasha seem like a strange choice to send to retrieve the Soul Stone because they have no connection with it whatsoever, but they are the only pair who can possibly sacrifice someone they love in order to retrieve the stone. They fight each other to be the one sacrificed, but it is not only out of love for each other: it’s because they both want redemption for their past sins and now they have that opportunity.

In the end it is Natasha who wins and it makes sense to me as a narrative choice. In Avengers: Age of Ultron we learned that she feels like she can never be whole due to her sterilization and she fills the void of a family from her colleagues. But Clint does have the chance to go back to his family who love him and need him very much. A second chance with his family would be his shot at redemption. So she gets hers through her sacrifice.

I personally enjoyed their relationship arc. I was intrigued right away by the way Joss Whedon introduced it and then disappointed by the way in which he tried to complicate it (as he does). But the Russo Brothers took this relationship in a way that really resonated with me. In fact, I think the Russo Brothers did a great job with all of the relationships in the MCU and dealt with all the arcs so well that I feel satisfied enough that I’m not even particularly looking forward to whatever lies beyond Phase 3. But I think the Clint-Natasha arc is done because I guess she’s dead for now, and he will follow a new arc. But it was one of my favorite pairs in the MCU thus far.

Crossposted to WordPress

#Marvel #Marvel Cinematic Universe #MCU #Marvel Studios #The Avengers #Avengers #Avengers: Age of Ultron #Captain America: Civil War #Black Widow #Natasha Romanoff #Hawkeye #Clint Barton #Anthony Russo #Joe Russo #Joss Whedon #Iron Man 2 #The Infinity Stones #Soul Stone #The Snap #What Happened in Budapest #Wanda Maximoff #Shipping #One True Ace Pairing

[sildarmillionsays]

One True Ace Pairing: Captain America

I'm definitely not talking about the canon pairings of Steve Rogers with Peggy Carter or Sharon Carter. I am talking about Stucky.  (And this is specific to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and spoiler warning through Phase 3.)

In my One True Ace Pairing series, I've been basically covering pairings that I've liked who are not necessarily canonical pairings or even romantic pairings. I call them "ace pairings" whatever that means. I just mean they appeal to my ace sensibilities. These are pairs whose relationship is defined by their companionship, partnership, love, and devotion, and not their sexual chemistry.

I will offer my usual disclaimer that the characters I discuss may not themselves be asexual. I am simply labeling the relationship as an ace pairing.

There is no reason to believe that either Steve Rogers or Bucky Barnes are asexual. There is no reason to believe that they are anything other than heterosexual men. Or is there?

After all, they grew up pre WWII in an era where neither of them probably even knew there was an option other than being heterosexual. In my post in this series about The Imitation Game, I talked about the interview with Joan Murray who explained that even the homosexual men courted and married women because they considered it their duty. Marriage was for practical reasons, not for love. So while Steve and Bucky used to bro out about girls back in the 1940s, did they even know there were other options?

Don't worry, I'm not trying to suggest that these two were secretly in love, or even subconsciously in love. But these two share one of the strongest bonds in the MCU. They were devoted best friends who would die for each other pre-super soldier days. And then Steve gets frozen in ice for 70 years and Bucky gets brainwashed and tortured and turned into the Winter Soldier. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we see just how much Bucky had meant to Steve, because Steve would rather defy orders than take out his once best friend. He was determined to rescue Bucky Barnes. It's one of the most beautiful depictions of friendship.

Later on, we see them reminiscing about their old girls and joking about how they are 90 year old dudes now. Steve and Bucky are two men out of time in a world that probably doesn't make a whole of sense to them, and they are each other's only link to the lives they were forced out of. That in and of itself creates a deep connection even if there wasn't one before.

And that's why I ship Stucky.

I know a lot of folks are bothered by the idea of Captain America and the Winter Soldier boning. 0_0 Well, idk, why does shipping have to mean that they're boning? There are shippers who want them to be an allosexual homosexual couple, but people can want what they want. Why don't we just focus on the canon?

What we do see in canon is that neither Steve Rogers nor Bucky Barnes are particularly sexual beings. Bucky has so far had no love interest, and Steve has had two. Well, does Sharon Carter even count? Perhaps they tried to force that in because it's there in the comics and then they must have realized it was never going to work. Besides, she's Peggy's great-niece (?) ... ew!

Then there's Peggy Carter herself, a total badass. Steve and Peggy loved each other, but it was a sweet innocent kind of love. They didn't have very much time together and they didn't get a chance to get to know each other well, or form a strong bond. Personally, I didn't even think they had that much chemistry. Peggy has better chemistry and a more developed arc with Daniel Sousa in the short-lived Agent Carter series.

Of course, Steve and Peggy get to have their life together in an alternate timeline, and hopefully that was a good life together. We don't know how their relationship turned out because we don't have too much to go on from their brief time together during WWII. Steve was certainly happy to be able to get a life with Peggy. But I think it was because he loved the idea of Peggy. His (probably) first love must have been special. And in his heart, he was really a 1940s man who wanted a 1940s life.

His most meaningful relationship in the MCU was not with Peggy Carter, but with Bucky Barnes. His second most meaningful relationship was with the third corner of the bromance-triangle: Sam Wilson (also a great pair). His third most meaningful relationship is with Natasha Romanoff. You get the picture. Peggy was an ideal and a symbol of what he lost and what he badly wanted to get back, but she was not his most meaningful relationship in the MCU.

So his arc ends with him getting what he wanted most. Bucky didn't seem as stuck in the past, so Bucky is going to go off and have adventures with Sam (another great pairing).

I really don't care about the sexual orientation of these guys. I just love watching them together. If Marvel decides to explore their sexuality, then power to them. As long the relationships continue to be interesting and meaningful, that's all I care about.

Crossposted to WordPress

#Marvel #Marvel Cinematic Universe #MCU #Marvel Studios #Captain America #Winter Soldier #Captain America: The Winter Soldier #Steve Roger #Bucky Barnes #Falcon #Sam Wilson #The Falcon and the Winter Soldier #Agent Carter #Peggy Carter #Sharon Carter #Natasha Romanoff #Second World War #World War II #Shipping #One True Ace Pairing #Asexuality

[sildarmillionsays]

One True Ace Pairing: Zootopia

I'm going to continue with my One True Ace Pairing series, and go back to animated pairs. This one from Zootopia is probably not that difficult to defend.

Quick reminder that "Ace Pairing" as I'm using the term is very loosely defined. It is not a pairing between ace characters. it is not a pairing that has a romantic relationship of an asexual nature. The best definition I can provide is that these are pairings that appealed especially to my asexual sensibilities ("high in the love, low in the sexual tension"). Make of that what you will!

Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps is a popular enough ship that I don't have to defend why it is a pairing at all. But it is one of those pairings that could be interpreted as one between two really good friends. Although apparently the creators planned to make it canon and such a deleted scene exists, but that may have been just for the lulz.

Whether it is a romantic relationship or a platonic friendship, you can't deny that Judy and Nick have one of the best relationships we have seen between two characters in children's media. What makes their relationship so good is that they learn to wear each other's shoes and see the world through each other's eyes. They come from different worlds with different experiences and are conditioned to approach the world differently. But by learning to gain each other's perspectives, they're able to access the world in a whole new way.

Crossposted to WordPress

#Asexuality #Disney #Judy Hopps #Nick Wilde #One True Ace Pairing #Shipping #True Love #Zootopia

[sildarmillionsays]

One True Ace Pairing: Trolls

I’m going to have a harder time defending this one.

I’ve written about two “ace pairings” with which I have connected: Woody and Bo from Toy Story 4 and Marlin and Dory from Finding Dory. I argued that Woody and Bo are an ace pair because they are toys and toys are asexual. I argued that Marlin and Dory are an ace pair because they are kind of like life companions even if they are not romantically or sexually involved. It is harder to make this argument for Poppy and Branch from Trolls.

(As an aside, I had thought Trolls looked incredibly silly from the trailers and had no intention of watching it but ultimately watched it on Netflix at a friend’s urging. It was silly and trippy and crazy, but I surprisingly actually enjoyed it a lot. Also, spoiler warning for Trolls.)

I don’t know if I can make the same argument about trolls that I did about toys. Although in real life trolls are toys, in the context of this movie, they are certainly not toys á la the Toy Story universe. It is established that trolls have kids and maybe they do procreate sexually and maybe they don’t: I honestly don’t know. However, the movie depicted the trolls as a very innocent tribe with nothing sexual going on. While the trolls have been shown as having crushes and saying “I love you”, I can’t recall whether there are any canonical couples (where is Poppy's mom?). I haven’t watched the TV show but I tried to skim it to see whether Poppy and Branch are an official couple, but I honestly didn’t have the patience to watch it. (The movie was enough: I’m not going to sit through the show.) However, I do think the movie heavily implies that Poppy and Branch do romantically like each other and become a couple in the end. But because they kept it so innocent with no kissing (only hugging!), it does become possible to argue that they are not a sexual couple in the way we normally see on media.

Even with all that being said, I can't really claim Poppy and Branch qualify as an ace pair. But I am including them here still because their “romance” fits the category of “high on the love and low on the sexual tension” that I talked about in my first OTAP post. Branch is a depressed sad troll who has “lost his color”. Poppy is a very upbeat and friendly troll who always tries to befriend him. Although he secretly likes her, Branch avoids going to her parties because fun and music triggers a childhood trauma. (Sheesh it’s actually darker than it appears on the surface!) Then throughout the shenanigans involving creatures called Bergens who want to eat the trolls (and a Cinderella plot among the Bergens), they bond. They have the dynamic of the kind where she is too peppy and he finds it too annoying, but when life gets her down, he helps her up.

Which brings me to the “True Colors” scene: Come on, isn’t this the cutest thing ever? It’s pretty absurd, like the rest of the movie, but the whole concept of restoring the colors is so sweet. Poppy is feeling extremely demotivated and hence lost her colors. But Branch finally sings to her and cheers her up. And he says he loves her. That’s how she gets her colors back. Given Poppy’s nature, it’s probably safe to assume her colors would’ve come back sooner or later, but the especially sweet part is that in the process of trying to make someone else happy, Branch is finally able to be happy again and he also gets his colors back. Despite how trippy and silly and sanitized everything about this movie is, isn’t just so cute that you have these two characters who can just make each other so happy?

And that’s it about Trolls. It doesn’t really fit the bill, but the pairing is just too darn cute not to include.

Crossposted to WordPress

#One True Ace Pairing #OTP #Asexuality #Trolls #DreamWorks #Poppy #Branch #True Colors #Depression

[sildarmillionsays]

One True Ace Pairing: Finding Dory

In my last post, I wrote about how the “romance” between Woody and Bo in Toy Story 4 warmed my heart. That inspired me to think about other ace pairs that I have loved over the years.

When I think about “ace pairings”, I’m not necessary thinking about pairings between asexual people. In my post about Woody and Bo, I did argue that toys are asexual. They feel love (romantic and otherwise) for each other, but they are not driven by biological urges to procreate, so they’re probably not having sex. However, in this post, I will make no such argument.

The pairing I bring up here is Marlin and Dory. I want to be clear that I do not view them as a romantic couple. I view them more like a companionate couple. I make no claims about what the filmmakers intended, but fans interpret things however they like. I’m sure Marlin/Dory fanfics exist. That being said, let me describe this pairing. (Spoilers only for Finding Nemo, but best not to read if you don’t want to be spoiled for either movie.)

The relationship between Marlin and Dory was a major focus in Finding Nemo, but not so much in Finding Dory. In Finding Nemo, they had a “buddy roadtrip” dynamic, but Dory was more of an instrument for Marlin’s character growth rather than a character in her own right. Overprotective Marlin has lost his son and is desperately trying to find him and somehow a fish with short-term memory loss tags along. Dory’s presence is a source of anxiety for Marlin because she is somebody with a huge disadvantage who is nevertheless taking big risks. Marlin’s instinct is to protect and shield her, but the ocean is vast and he cannot protect her from everything. Dory’s optimism gives Marlin the push he needed to let go and learn to trust more. And this growth was vital for him after his reunion with his son. I thought they had a great friendship, but didn’t really think of them as a favorite pair.

In Finding Dory, their relationship is not the focus at all, but we get to see how their relationship has developed. You could call them best friends. You could call them partners. You could call them companions. They are a pair who greatly care for each other and would support each other like family would. And I thought the ending, especially the ending shot, was rather curious: Marlin and Dory enjoying the view in companionate silence even though the movie was not about their relationship at all. What I take away from this is that Marlin and Dory are like family. They may not be a sexual pair, but they play the companion role in each other’s lives.

To be perfectly honest, Finding Dory was just okay, and no part of the movie hits me in the feels the way Finding Nemo does. But the love the ending, because I love that Marlin and Dory have each other in addition to their other actual blood-related family.

Crossposted to WordPress

#One True Ace Pairing #OTP #Asexuality #Finding Nemo #Finding Dory #Pixar #Disney #Marlin #Dory #Buddy Roadtrip

[sildarmillionsays]

One True Ace Pairing: Toy Story 4

I think Toy Story 4 is one of the most romantic movies I have ever seen. Yes, I know you think I’m crazy. And you’d be right: TS4 isn’t particularly romantic in any traditional sense of the word. But it is romantic in a very particular way that – as far as I know – appeals only to me.

If you’ve watched Toy Story 4, you will know that there is a little bit of a romantic plot line thrown in between Woody and Bo Peep. It’s not very pronounced and they kept it low-key for the most part. If you haven’t watched Toy Story 4, I haven’t spoiled anything yet (this could all have been surmised from the trailers) but in the rest of this piece I am going to, i.e. here is your Spoiler Warning.

Before, I go into Woody and Bo Peep’s romance, let me address (1) the title of this piece and (2) what about their romance appeals to me. So, first off, I identify as asexual. If you don’t know what that is, I would really encourage you to visit the AVEN website and read up on what it is. But basically asexuals (or aces) aren’t interested in sex or motivated by sex. Or as my cousin puts it, “You mean you never get horny? Nice!”

Probably because of my asexuality, I’ve been drawn to the pairings that are high in the love, but low in the sexual tension. And that’s why I think Toy Story 4 is romantic.

Now, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the toys are asexual. Too much of a stretch? They’re probably interested in sex? They’re probably boning each other off-screen? They have the bits? No? Okay cool, the toys are aces. Moving on, finally, to Woody and Bo Peep.

Bo Peep wasn’t much of an important character in the first two movies. She was a little bit like Woody’s girlfriend, but I feel like their relationship was more just a flirtatious one rather than one of partnership. She would sometimes hook him in her staff and pull him over for a makeout session and that seemed to be the extent of their relationship. It’s not until the flashback at the beginning of TS4 that we see that there may have been something deeper between the two. They did have something of an effective partnership as we saw on display during the rescue operation. And while Bo has been the active participant in the flirtatious relationship thus far, here we finally see how Woody feels. We saw how he wouldn’t accept the fact that Bo was being given away. He tries to get her back from the box, but she gently explains that if they find her in the house again, they will just take her away again. And then the fact that Woody actually considers – even for a split second – to go with Bo, shows how important she is to him. Because Woody would never leave Andy. Woody is loyal to his kid to a fault. Although, to a toy, that doesn’t seem like a fault – that seems like the best quality you can possibly have. And Bo understands that. It’s what she likes about him. And it’s not as if she expected to stay with Molly her whole life. So it’s not as if she would get to be with Woody her whole life. She’s just grateful for the time they had together and wishes Woody the best with Andy.

It’s at least 9 years between that flashback scene and the main events of TS4. But it remains clear that Woody hasn’t forgotten Bo. The only mention of her in TS3 (which took place in this interim) was a throw-away line about having lost friends along the way, but the sadness Woody feels was made pronounced. And in TS4, while Woody is still being is loyal-to-a-fault self, this time for Bonnie, and trying to get Forky back, the fact that he is distracted from his mission when he sees Bo’s lamp, again tells us that he hasn’t let go. When we finally meet Bo, we realize she hasn’t forgotten either. She introduces him to her friend Giggle McDimples, and it seems like Woody has come up before during their girl talk. Bo is excited at first at the prospect of Woody being a “lost toy”, but then she realizes that he’s only on a rescue mission. This chance meeting is only temporary. And he needs her help getting Forky back from the antique store. Although she would rather not go back there, she cares about Woody enough that he helps him out anyway. But Woody messes things up for her. She loses her sheep. She gets upset with him. And when he wouldn’t give up after their failed attempt, she is understandably frustrated and leaves. But they are toys. Being stubbornly loyal to your kid is a virtue. She admires this quality in him and ultimately comes back to help.

And now we get to the part where I am reading into it from my own perspective. The ending. Bo knows Woody has to go back to his kid. However sad this might make her, she knows he takes his purpose as a toy seriously and she admires this. So, as in the flashback, she bids him goodbye and sends him on his way. But this time, Woody comes back. The scene that gets me straight in the heart is when they run to each other and spin around in embrace. The part that gets me in the heart is after the embrace when Bo looks at him with disbelieving joy. Because she can’t believe Fate has brought Woody back to her.

I emphasize Fate because it’s not as if Woody sacrificed his life’s purpose to be with her. Throughout the whole movie we’ve seen that Bonnie has outgrown Woody and lost interest in him. If Woody disappeared, Bonnie probably wouldn’t even notice. And Woody has been struggling with this the whole movie. Having had been Andy’s favorite, it is hard for him to be the neglected toy. And ultimately he realizes that he has had a fulfilling life as a toy during his time with Andy. He doesn’t need another one with Bonnie. And more importantly, Bonnie doesn’t need him. So, for once, he could listen to his inner voice and choose something else. Had this chance meeting with Bo occurred during a time when Bonnie needed him, he would have chosen to go back. Because it would have been his calling, as a toy.

I was surprised to find out that the filmmakers considered an alternate ending during which Bo Peep runs into a little girl who wants her. And her time with Woody reinvigorates in her the need to be there for a child. So she heeds her calling and she and Woody go their separate ways. I would’ve found that ending heartbreaking because I really did want Woody and Bo to stay together. But I mention this to illustrate that it wouldn’t have made sense for them to stay together if either or both of them had a calling to go to a kid. It only works when Fate has put them in a situation in which they can be.

And that’s what I find so great about this movie. A traditional romance movie might have one person make a grand gesture of sacrifice to be with the other, because movies teach us that nothing is more important in life than finding love. But many of us would agree that it is not, and sometimes, even if you’ve met the right person, the circumstances aren’t right for you to be together. But in Toy Story 4, Woody and Bo have cared for each other for a long time, but the circumstances were finally right for them, and I find that just so darn romantic.

Crossposted to WordPress

#One True Ace Pairing #OTP #Asexuality #Romance #Toy Story #Toy Story 4 #Pixar #Disney #Woody #Bo Peep #Fate

[sildarmillionsays]

The Evolution of Men from Khal Drogo to Aquaman

One of the things about Aquaman that struck me was how he approached love-interest Mera. Based on movies that came out since the beginning of Hollywood, and the casting of the manliest man like Jason Momoa, we would have expected the hero to surely sweep the woman off her feet and sweep her into a kiss.

But instead, he treats with the utmost respect and never makes a move on her until she takes the initiative to kiss him. This, coming from the man who also played Khal Drogo.

In the show Game of Thrones, in the very first episode, the showmakers try to be edgy and shock the audience with scenes of Khal Drogo raping his newly wed wife. Well it's slightly debatable whether it is technically rape since it is implied that Dany gave him consent by the act of marrying him. But the point is, he had sex with his wife when she was absolutely not ready for it yet, and definitely did not enjoy the act yet. (This is in contrast from the book, in which he went out of his way to obtain clear and verbal consent, but the book is different from movies and shows and here I'm focusing on the depictions in visual media.)

But this doesn't make Drogo a bad guy. In fact, the show never has us rooting against him. He is good leader to his people, and even a pretty good husband to Dany. He treated her the way he did when it came to sex because those were the norms of where and when he came from.

Khal Drogo is kind of like an extreme depiction of how manly men treated their women throughout Hollywood's history. We all can name a bunch of movies where the man just grabs a woman and kisses her without asking. Here is a New York Times article and a YouTube video essay on that topic. In the context of when and when those films were made, this wasn't viewed in a negative light. That was how people thought men romanced women back then.

But things are changing now, and probably due to the awareness the #MeToo movement has drawn to the sexual harassment situation. I'm not here to discuss the movement, but rather make an observation that our film heroes have now changed. The portrayal of masculinity is different now. Now, the heroes are the ones who are respectful of their ladies and letting them have their agency instead of swooping them off their feet and stripping away their agency. This, I believe, is certainly a step in a positive direction.

Crossposted to WordPress

#MeToo #Game of Thrones #A Game of Thrones #A Song of Ice and Fire #Amber Heard #Aquaman #Arthur Curry #Daenerys Targaryen #DCEU #DC Extended Universe #Jason Momoa #Masculinity #Mera #Khal Drogo #Consent

[sildarmillionsays]

If you haven’t seen Disney/Pixar’s Coco yet, do not read this article.

I mean it.

Some movies are important.

Some movies are an experience.

You deserve to experience this movie without spoilers

.And I’m gonna get deep into spoilers here.

Okay?

Okay.

Most successful stories are about a journey and a retrieval. Something is wrong with the world, and our hero must go find and retrieve the cure. About halfway through the story, the hero finds the cure, the thing that’s missing and needed.

But in some of these stories, the cure isn’t what they thought was missing and needed.

[sildarmillionsays]

Black Panther Review

Yes, the hype surrounding Black Panther has everything to do with the all-black cast, black director, black screenwriters, etc. But at the same time, this movie is going to be looked upon as a landmark in African American cinema. I'm not the best person to explain why, but if you are interested, here is a video that talks about why.

As a popcorn movie, Black Panther is okay. Thor: Ragnarok serves better as a popcorn movie. But, being familiar with Ryan Coogler's previous work, I wasn't expecting this to be a action-filled blockbuster. I went in expecting him to have some profound things to say. And I thought he did have a lot of interesting things to say.

1. I am very used to watching Euro-centric fantasy. So getting to see an Afro-centric fantasy that was markedly difference was a strange and refreshing experience. Black Panther falls under this niche genre of Afro-futurism, one of the aspects of which is to imagine what Africa could have been without the influence of colonialism. This, I thought, made for a great genre for speculation and world-building. And the world of Wakanda, with its 5 tribes with their distinct cultures and clothes and customs, was a vivid and immersive experience.

2. A lot of the weight of the movie comes from the fact that it is from an African perspective rather than an American one. Imagine what the story might have been like from an American perspective. Say, five years ago, if you heard we were going to get a fantasy story set in Africa told from an American perspective (but let's say it wasn't based on the Black Panther comics), you might expect something like this: An African American kid from the inner city learns that his father was a prince from a technologically advanced African nation that stays hidden from the world. He trains himself to become strong and then travels there. he makes a challenge from the throne. And when he becomes king, he vows to fight against the oppression that black people face all over the world. Sounds like an inspirational fantasy, no? Except that's not what it feels like to all those other countries who are not the USA. At the end of the day, Erik Killmonger is an American go goes into an African nation and overthrows the government. Like America does. Like America has done. America is not viewed as a hero across the globe.

3. After his experiences with Killmonger, King T'Challa is forced to consider his priviledge and he wonders whether he has a responsibility to use his knowledge and wealth to help the poor, the downtrodden, the refugees. What a powerful way for Ryan Coogler to speak directly to the most powerful nations of our world. (There is also a little but of commentary on how present-day Africans, especially the ones who are wealthy and priviledged, often look down upon and do not sympathize at all with the plight of those of African descent in the Americas, Europe, and the Caribbean. It hardly ever gets talked about, but it happens.)

4. Lastly, this movie had the best representation of women I have ever seen in any fantasy. You have 4 prominent female roles and they are each allowed to be different. They each have their own ideas, own views, beliefs, and convictions, and their own sense of purpose. They are similar in some ways and different in others. Some of them represent the traditional side of Wakanda and some of them represent the progressive side and their interactions reflects the struggle Wakanda faces in balancing the two. Each of them - Shuri, Okoye, the queen mother, and Nakia are fully fleshed out characters. And because there are so many of them, the female representation does not come down to only one person who then gets picked apart. Becaue there's four them, they each get to be different and diverse.

I understand that to most audiences, these reasons above aren't why they go to the movies. And so it's completely understable why all of this commentary doesn't factor in to their enjoyment of the film. I happen to be part of that group of audiences who enjoy the heck out of commentary, especially when it is doen masterfully and about a topic that appeals to me. That's why the movie had such a big impact on me.

Crossposted to WordPress

#Black Panther #Marvel Cinematic Universe #Disney Marvel

[sildarmillionsays]

Black Panther: THAT Good!

Spoiler Warning! This is an in-depth spoiler review.

Wow. I was blown away by this movie. Because there is so much to dissect and break down and I have so many thoughts and I'm just going to barely scratch the surface. I'm going to assume anyone reading this is already familiar with the cultural importance of this movie, and the cultural movement it ushered in. In this review, I will break down some of my personal thoughts, and I will comment on those aspects of the commentary that blew me away.

First of all, let me say, the movie starts off feeling unfamiliar because it is so different. I don't mean it's different from other Marvel movies, which is it. I mean, it has a completely different vibe from all the Euro-centric sci-fi and fantasy I'm used to. It was strange to behold, and SO REFRESHING! Of course, I have no idea how well it represented African traditions from the continent at large. But there was detailed world building and it was such an immersive experience, that I really feel like I got to know Wakanda. Each of the five tribes of Wakanda have their own culture and own customs and own clothes, and all of this was integrated seamlessly into the narrative without having to detract from it.

That being said, I want to touch on my personal thoughts regarding Wakanda. I'm not a comic-book reader and I have no familiarity with the Black Panther comics. But I watch a lot of YouTube videos that break down the MCU. And that's how I learned about Wakanda at some point around the release of Civil War. At that time, I was confused about the fact that it was the most technologically advanced nation in the world. See, I didn't realize at the time that it was hidden from the world by an invisible shield. So I was confused about how Africa the continent was viewed by the rest of the world - if they have such techologically strong leader, then is the continent in that universe doing better than in ours? But that confusion was of course cleared away by this movie. And it explains that Wakanda is not a leader; Wakanda keeps itself hidden to keep their tech safe.

Now, of course, black communities across the globe have been excited that we will finally be getting a movie about a powerful black community with a powerful black king. That is such a huge thing for a community who have been systematically oppressed in almost every part of the world. (They might not be oppressed for the color of their skin in most parts of their own continent, but they still have to face other kinds of oppression and injustice.) So this movie creates a cultural movement, because it provides a fantasy story where this community is a thriving powerful one.

But here's the strength of the movie. It doesn't leave it at a fantasy where we glorify this community. The movie drags this fantasy into the real world. And this movie is about Wakanda having to reexamine its position in the world by having to confront whether or not they have a responsibility to those people in need, black and otherwise, with all their wealth and technology. They have examine their history - yes, they escaped colonialism and slavery, and thrived, but they turned their backs on all their neighbors who are still suffering from poor infrastructure, corruption, and lack of stability. They turned a blind eye to the inustices faced by the African diaspora in every part of the western world. Actually here's a really great video explaining all that.

So, now, add Killmonger to this mix. I don't know about you, but I was totally on board with him the whole time. No, of course I don't agree with his methods, his violence, his ruthlessness, or any of that. But I am on board with his mission. He has experienced this injustice I mentioned first hand. And he realizes that there is a way to fight back and he wants to do it. He realizes that he has a claim to the Wakandan throne, so he challenges the King, defeats him in ritualistic combat, and takes up the mantle of the Black Panther. His vision is to liberate black folks across the globe from systematic oppression.

Think about the story if it were from his perspective for a moment. It wouldn't be unlike other American fantasy movies we have seen. An American goes into a different community and takes over, perhaps because of a birthright claim like Arthur Curry in Aquaman, or because of an act of heroism like Jake Sully in Avatar. The American becomes a leader in the outside community, and either is their savior, or he leads them into a new future or whatever it is. Either way, his actions are glorified by the movie and by the community which he takes over.

But this movie is not from the perspective of the American. It's from the perspective of the African. And at the end of the day, Killmonger is an American who goes into an African nation and overthrows its government to serve his own purposes. Because that's what we as Americans do, ultimately, whether it's the oppressing class, or the oppressed class. America isn't always the hero.

T'Challa calls out Killmonger for having become just like his oppressors. That part isn't a new concept. I'm sure there are fictional examples, but right not I can only think of a real-world example, which I am not going to mention because let's not go there. The part that's unique is how this movie flips the script of the American/Western conqueror from hero to villain.

I would like to point out that Killmoger isn't the only one who thinks Wakanda should use its wealth and tech to help the rest of the world. It of course, started with his father, N'Jobu, a Wakandan prince who experienced discrimination for the first time upon visiting America. He wanted to change the world with Wakandan technology but unfortunately got murdered leaving his son to face the harsh reality that so many of his skin color share. (And N'Jobu's murder is part of another arc regarding the commentary on Wakandans shirking responsibility.) And we also have Nakia, who witnesses the suffering faced by African communities, and finds her calling in helping them. In the movie, we see her fighting human trafficking in Nigeria. She left Wakanda because having seen this suffering, she feels she cannot stay in her priviledged bubble anymore.

So through his conversations with Nakia, his discovery of the truth about his uncle, and through having faced the very real danger posed by Killmonger, T'Challa makes a choice to break with tradition and reveal Wakanda to the world.

The other part of the commentary of the movie that really stuck out to me was that of the undercurrent of questionaing tradition. Shuri and Nakia represent those who are willing to break with tradition, and they receive criticism from the community for it; while Okoye represents those who respect tradition to a fault. Okoye will serve the new king because he ascended to the throne in a legitimitate way according to Wakandan tradition, whereas Shuri and Nakia vow to do everything in their power to overthrow him because they know he will wreak havoc. Okoye comes around only when she realizes that T'Challa was, in fact, not actually killed during the combat, hence, the new king is not a legitimate one. Shuri has Nakia don a Dora Milaje armor because of practical reasons, even though it goes against tradition. Some have speculated that perhaps in a future sequel she will also break tradition and don a Black Panther suit. I would be very excited to see that.

Speaking of Shuri, Nakia, and Okoye, did I mention the amazing cast of female characters in this movie? Seriously, they are some of the best female characters I have every seen in a fantasy movie of any sort. They each have their own views, their own beliefs and convictions, their own sense of purpose and their own calling. They all had their alleigance to Wakanda, but they had different views on how to fulfil their obligations to their country. And let's also add that while their clothes were fantastic, whether it was their battle gear or their glam gear, never once was any of them offered up as eye candy. You say them as warrior/general, a genuis, and a woman with her own agenda.

I might revisit this topic if I think of more things to discuss. But really, I continue to be impressed by Marvel, because they are continuing to expand their boundaries. For those who complain that every Marvel movie feels the same, I really can't see how they can say that about this movie. It was unlike any of it predecessors. It was less focused on the action and the CGI and it went all out on its layers and layers of global political commentary.

Crossposted to WordPress

#Black Panther #Disney #Marvel #Marvel Cinematic Universe #MCU #T'Challa #Killmonger #Shuri #Nakia #Okoye #Wakanda