#and ursula is still working on that first breath

[creaturefeaster]

Magus has hatched, super quick from pip to zip, less than 24 hours and just bursted outta there lol. The others are taking their time to hatch.

#the professor has pipped internally but hasn't touched the shell yet #and ursula is still working on that first breath

[auras-moonstone]

Ursula hi!! I love your work so much it’s amazing and I would love to ask if you can do Jack champion x reader where Jack and reader are going after the same scream role and it’s kinda like enemies to lovers but she ends up getting another character and the character she plays ends up having a kiss scene with Ethan and when it’s time for the kiss scene he like teases her so much Hope you have a great dayyy!💕

hiii! got so excited by this request! i love enemies to lovers (best trope in my opinion). hope you are having a great day too💖

frustrating, intoxicating, complicated — jack champion

word count: 1,723

pairing: jack champion x actress!fem!reader

summary: y/n and jack’s determination to get the part of ghostface creates a little rivalry between them. and when they find out their characters have a kissing scene, jack doesn’t hesitates to tease her.

IT WAS A KNOWING FACT THAT EVERYONE WANTED THE ROLE OF GHOSTFACE. It was the biggest honor, and Y/N didn’t just want it, she yearned it with all her heart. Her mom had introduced Y/N to the franchise when she was little, and ever since then, the love for the Scream movies was something that they shared with passion. And Y/N wanted nothing more than to make her mother proud—she had to get the role of Ghostface.

But there were two problems; one, the directors decided they won’t tell who would play Ghostface until at least half the shooting (as to avoid leakings). And the second one was Jack Champion—he was also going for that role, and he, like Y/N, was acting his ass off to get it.

This triggered a rivalry between them, which was about to get worse because the directors had just handed in the other half of the script—which contained the answered they had been waiting for: who would have the honour of playing Ghostface?

Taking a deep breath, Y/N opened the script and went straight to the end. The feeling of disappointment invaded her chest, but she understood. Her role was still a major one, at least her character doesn’t die. Though, she was not going to lie, the fact that it was Jack the one who got it irked her. She quickly shook off her resentment and went to read the rest of the script.

“No fucking way” she said aloud when she got to certain scene. The whole group looked at her, surprised by the sudden outburst.

“Don’t be sad, Y/N/N. You’re a great actress, not better than me, but still good” the annoying voice of Jack was heard “It was obvious I was going to get it”.

Y/N rolled her eyes “First of all, you’re not better than me, Champion, keep dreaming. Second, you heard the directors; it was not based on performances. And third, I wasn’t taking about the Ghostface part, turn to page 23”.

The whole group opened said page with looks of confusion. The cast—minus Jack and Y/N—exchanged smirks.

Jack’s eyes widened as he took in the words plastered on the white sheet. “Oh god”

“I know! They don’t pay me good enough for me to kiss you” Y/N said trying to repress a smile.

“Hilarious, Y/N/N” the boy rolled his eyes. “Don’t pretend you’re repulsed by me. I catch you staring sometimes, did you know that?”

Their cast mates’ eyes went back and forth between them, completely amused by the scene in front of them.

Y/N scoffed “As if” she totally did. He was just so infuriatingly pretty “My standards aren’t that low, Champion. Besides, I’m not the one who stalks your Instagram”

“Are you implying I look at your profile? You’re delusional” he totally did. She was irritatingly gorgeous.

“Don’t act oblivious with me, Jack. You accidentally liked an old picture and then unliked it. I still got the notification, genius”

Busted “Maybe I wanted to let you know how much I disliked that picture” no, he didn’t. She looked adorable with her panda pjs and with her dog on her lap.

“But you do admit that you check my instagram?” she sent him a teasing grin. Jack bit the inside of his cheeks, he should stop talking.

“Whatever makes you happy” he tried to brush it off, but he was mentally cursing himself for having been so clumsy. He had one job.

“What would make me happy would be erasing that stupid kissing scene” Y/N muttered.

“I’ve been told I’m a great kisser. I’m sure after it you are going to beg me to take you out on a date” Jack smirked, stretching his arms. He was showing off his muscles and it was completely hot irritating.

“Now who’s being delusional?” Y/N scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Okay, but when it happens I’m so going to tell you ‘I told you so’”

A WEEK LATER, WHEN Y/N ARRIVED TO THE SET, SHE WAS MET WITH JACK’S TEASING SMILE AND THE REST OF THE CAST’S EXCITEMENT. The girl scoffed at him, which only made him enjoy it more.

“My lovely Y/N, finally! I couldn’t wait to see you” Jack said energetically.

“God, don’t make this day more dreadful. Just shut up, Champion”

“Always so sweet” he pinched her cheek. “Ready for the big scene?

“Ready for it to be over already” Y/N answered.

“Don’t you think we should practice?” he asked, rounding his lips and leaning towards her.

“Careful, Champion. I have been practicing my right hook ever since I met you”

Jack laughed and raised his arms in surrender “Can’t wait for the scene either, lovely” he winked at her before finally leaving her alone.

Y/N DRAGGED HER FEET TOWARDS JACK’S FIGURE. Everyone had gathered around, all very thrilled to see the kiss.

“Ready?” the director yelled. They both nodded, Jack sent the girl one last smirk before the director yelled “Action!”.

“So, you’re a virgin, huh?” Violet asked Ethan, as they set up the table in the Carpenters’ sisters living room.

“I don’t know why I said that” Violet acted as if he was embarrassed. He was not, he had said it on purpose to build the ‘dorky, innocent virgin guy’ chararcter. “It was quite uncomfortable”.

“A bit” Violet admitted, stifling a laugh.

“It’s okay, you can laugh” Ethan said, trying not to clench his jaw. The virgin part wasn’t an act, he truly was and that’s why he was a little annoyed at her attempt to laugh.

“God, I didn’t mean to act like an asshole” she said in a apologetic tone. “I swear I’m not laughing at you being a virgin, I just thought the way you said it was very random. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, you know that right?”

Ethan’s demeanour was a bit more relaxed “Oh, it’s okay… can I- can I ask you if you ever had… you know” he blushed.

Violet smiled, as if saying it was alright “Only once, and it was fucking awful” she laughed. “I didn’t get to… you know, and he did”

“Oh” Ethan said, he suddenly saw red “What an asshole” he spitted in anger and disbelief. It was then he realized Violet was looking at him with wide eyes and mouth open. “Shit, sorry. I know it’s not any of my business. It just really pissed me off. You deserved better, especially for your first time”.

“It’s okay” she shrugged. “I’m past the stage of anger. It is what it is. Anyways, I have to confess I was a bit surprised by your confession”

“Yeah, right” Ethan laughed, thinking she was being sarcastic.

“No, for real” she said. Ethan inspected her face, trying to look for any sign telling him she was messing with him.

“Why? Literally no one else was surprised”

Y/N looked at Jack, the determination her chararcter was supposed to be feeling reflected in her eyes. “Because you’re attractive, Ethan” she said as if it were obvious.

Jack let the forks fall to the table, showing Ethan was taken aback by the compliment “W-what? You think I’m attractive?”

“I think you’d be surprised by the amount of girls on campus who think you’re attractive” she said with a laugh.

Ethan shook his head “No way”

“Yes, Eth. Trust me, you might think I’m talking bullshit but I’m not. Lots of girls are into shy, smart guys. Besides you’re fricking pretty”

“It doesn’t matter anyway” he said. Violet looked at him in curiosity. “There’s only one girl I’m interested in”.

“Oh, yeah? Who?” Y/N smiled, stepping in front of Jack. The back of his legs hit the edge of the table. He was much taller than Y/N, yet the one who oozed confidence was her—or her character. Or both. Because Jack had been teasing her about the kiss for days, enjoying the way she got irritated, angry and nervous, but right now, he was shaking like an earthquake. And while it was what Ethan was meant to be feeling, Jack wasn’t acting it at all.

“You” he whispered, nervousness shown by his rosy cheeks and quick breaths.

Violet smiled in satisfaction, and grabbed him by the collar of his blue polo “So is it okay if I kiss you?” Ethan looked at her astonished and nodded quickly.

Y/N pulled down from the collar with force, making their lips collide harshly. They instantly melted, and hummed in content. Jack’s arms tightly around Y/N’s lower back to keep her body pressed against his as she stood on her tip-toes. Their lips moved desperately and fast, and they became oblivious to their surroundings—the detail that they were on a set, shooting a movie, and that people were watching them, was completely forgotten.

The two had complained about the kiss ever since they found out, but it was clear to both of them that, deep down, they had been looking forward to the day of the scene. And it showed.

Jasmine—or Mindy—entered the scene, and coughed. Y/N and Jack didn’t pull away like they were supposed to. Maybe her cough wasn’t loud enough, so Jasmine tried again. Yet, nothing. She looked around to find the rest of the crew completely appalled by the scene.

It wasn’t the watchful eyes that made the two teenagers pull away, but their need for oxygen. They looked at each other in shock, and then smiled. It was a mutual understanding—none of them had faked the intensity of the kiss, it had been their own feelings making an appearance, showing how much they liked each other despite their constant arguments and teasing.

“Um, hi? We’re filming a movie? Remember?” the director said, trying not to smile. To say that everyone had been waiting for that day to come was an understatement.

“Sorry” the two blushing messes that were Jack and Y/N answered, though they weren’t sorry at all.

“It’s okay. Let’s do it again. This time, kiss like you were Violet and Ethan, not Y/N and Jack. Got it?” they both nodded.

“So, about that date I was going to beg you to have after you shocked me with your kissing skills…” she said, with a funny smile.

Jack laughed “I told you so” he teased, and then kissed her cheek “I’ll pick you up at 8”.

#jack champion #ethan landry #jack champion x y/n #jackchampion #jack champion x reader #jack champion fluff #jack champion oneshot #jack champion imagine #scream iv #ethanlandry #jack champion fanfic #ethan landry fic #ethan landry oneshot #ethan landry fluff #ethan landry x y/n #ethan landry x you #ethan landry x reader

[pianostarinwonderland]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AZUL

i have nothing prepared for you except my wet soppy thoughts

maybe i might rush write something bc i do have a few ideas on what to write

fucking breathes

the best. fucking. groovy. ever.

like everyone go home right now.

I have tried to think of every way they could make him look good but it ends up being how they could fuck it up because I’m gonna be honest, a lot of Azul’s recent cards are either decent or not hitting that well 🤡🤡

but this. THIS.

HOLLLLYYYYYYYY FUCK IT’S EVERYTHING

THE LIGHTING . THE THE FUCKING FUCK.

TEH ? VMS LISTEN. HE'S THE CHARACTER FOR EVIL SMIRKS, SO OFC THIS SERIES OF EVIL GROOVIES WAS GONNA BE PERFECT FOR HIM BUT BU T BU T

THIS IS SOOOOOO GOOOD. LIKE??????? DEADASS THE BEST ???? SMIRK??????? HE'S EVER MADE?????????? AND HE LOOKS SOOOO MUCH LIKE HIMSELF

THIS IS ALSO THE BEST ANGLE WE'VE EVER GOTTEN THAT SHOWS HIS 'BALD' SIDE AND THAT'S S OGUFKCKNGJ GOOD

AND AND

🧍‍♀️

h

he hey sir.

your hand looks cold.

m mm mind if i h hh hh hhhh hhol— gunshots are fired

ADN CAN I JUST

CRY ABOUT

PART OF YOUR WORLD BEING THE PAINTING LIKE LEI EK JLGSLKGNLSKDNGOADSNGOAINSAONGOAISNGI0AOHGIOAHGSDHIFGHSDOIGFHNSDINGIDSNJGKVDS

FUCKKKKK THIS WAS WHAT I'VE WANTED FOR THE PAST FWE MONTHS

THE PART OF YOUR WORLD SEGMETJKNJENJKSNGFNDKSJNGKSDKGNSDKLNGLSDGNDSLGS

FUCKGN ISN FCYRING

LISTEN LISTEN.

LISTEN.

I WILL DROP A HOT TAKE RIGHT NOW

THE LITTLE MERMAID SONG THAT DEFINES AZUL IS NOT POOR UNFORTUNATE SOULS BUT IT'S PART OF YOUR WORLD

AZUL'S SCHEMING AND CUNNING IS DEFINITELY FROM URSULA AND IS REFLECTED SOOOO MUCH IN POOR UNFORTUNATE SOULS

BUT HIS DREAMS

HIS GOALS

HIS AMBITIONS AND DETERMINATION TO MAKE HIS WISHES COME TRUE

PART OF YOUR WORLD REFLECTS THAT.

AZUL WOULD NOT BE AZUL IF IT WASNT FOR PART OF YOUR WORLD

AND THE SPECIFIC PART THEY SHOW OF PART OF YOUR WORLD. IT'S THE PART WHERE ARIEL WAS DETERMINED TO GET TO THE SURFACE

THAT'S LITERALLY AZUL

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

OUGOSHGHSODGHSUGUDSOHGODSGHOSDGDSGOSDHGISDOSDNGDGDSNGNSDOIGNIONAONGNAONSGIOSOGA

ok and can i just

scream about his story

BECAUSE. GOD FUCK THAT STORY LEFT ME DEAD.

loike like AZUL TALKED ABOUT HIS GRANDMA?????

THE SECOND BDAY STORY IN A ROW THAT HE TALKS ABOUT HOW HIS GRANDMA RAISED HIM AND AND HOW SHE'S BEEN SUCH A BIG INFLUENCE IN HIS LIFE

he's a grandma's boy ouhghfohfgf he loves his grandma sm he respects her and cherishes her goddddddddd

i love how he's aware that true compassion comes from not just spoiling someone but also disciplining them and whatnot

it adds to the balanced theme that he has going on

i also just rly love in general that azul loves and respects the maternal figures in his life not only because it makes him more respectable but also because it ties in with the feminism theme that you find in the little mermaid (whether animated or live action)

then then THE WHOLE LIKE,,, PART WHERE AZUL TELLS JAMIL THAT HE WAS SO SURPRISED AT ALL THE NEW SCENTS ON LAND THAT HE WAS SNIFFING AROUND LITERALLY

i first saw that part in an out of context screenshot, where jamil's like "lol haha you were just sniffing around everywhere omg" and i was like HUH?????

@/doom on twt also pointed out that it might be why Azul's into colognes and i think i shuold just be defenestrated at this point from how insane i've been goign

THE BARBEQUE PART THO

IT'S SO CUTE

AZUL, FLOYD, AND JADE DOING A BARBECUE....... WHEN THEY BARELY KNEW ABOUT LAND CULTURE AND PHYSICS................

AND THEY BURNT EVERYTHING LMAOOOO AND THE TWEELS BLEW SMOKE INTO HIS FACE THAT WAS JUST SO CUTE HONESTLY

jamil's like wow that sounds funny haha and honestly same jamil same

AND THEN THE PART WHERE THEY TALK ABOUT THE PR FOR NRC

god typical azul for doing it so that he can boost himself before graduatign

but i also got a lil emotional on that part not gonna lie bc he's Still grabbing opportunities to achieve his goals and he's working hard for them and god honestly that's one of the main reasons why i fell for him and i still love him for it

i also like

fucking died over his voiced line s

wtf

wtf are those lines

azul actually talking about love and crushes in his groovy....... but it's just him saying it's great cause he can exploit it lmaoooo

babe you're gonna be a disaster when you actually like someone i know it

jamil's already bordering on it, but if you actually end up liking Liking someone it's so over

personally what really fucking sent me though was Azul going "I take art as one of my courses so I can explain to you any painting you're interested in" LIKE

CMON.

CMONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.

lore on NRC courses???

but also the way that's phrased sounds like art is an elective you can opt to take ? ?

and he CHOSE to take art? //? /

hELL O

AHAHFAHSHFOIAHSIOFHIOASHFIAS THE ARTIST IN ME IS GOING AWAOHOAHGOAH

ofc Azul looks at art in a business sense, but i love that he's so wiling to branch out and rly appreciate it

cause how many ppl out there put down art :')) employers in particular are really iffy about this

Azul's also designed mostro lounge so you know he has his own style

also wtf Azul, you have your tentacles in business, in science and maths (science would be chemistry ish because of alchemy and arithmetic is Literally listed as his talent), and now in the arts

just.

just

man

happy birthday ashengrotto. take my tears and my insanity for now until i can writey ou smth better

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst jp #azul ashengrotto

[girlactionfigure]

He was born on June 10, 1928.

When he was growing up, he was called a “sissy.”

During that difficult time, Murray, as he was then known, “har­bored ongo­ing fear of the per­ils that might lurk out­side of his home and neigh­bor­hood”, according to writer Stephen Whit­field.

He also remembered how fortunate he and his family were to be alive. “The extermination of most of his relatives and millions of other Jews by the Nazis; the intrusive, unemployed immigrants who survived and crowded his parents’ small apartment; his sickly childhood; his mother’s dark moods; his own ever-present depression” - all of this, he survived, according to Patricia Cohen of The New York Times.

He knew he was different, an outcast in a sense. He longed to be accepted.

“Maybe you’re familiar with this story,” wrote Michele Kirichanskaya. “A young boy in a white wolf costume is sent to his room after he runs around the house, terrorizing his family, screaming at his mother, “I’LL EAT YOU UP!” After being sent to bed with no dinner, the boy finds himself in a strange new world, filled with vines and trees and terrible creatures he calls the ‘Wild Things.’ He becomes the king, the wildest thing of them all.

“When ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ was first published in 1963 by what was then Harper & Row Books, no one predicted how it would take the world of children’s literature by storm. Adults were puzzled as their children, once reluctant readers, dragged them to the library over and over again to read this story, one that was unlike any other at the time. Within the realm of children’s books, a space previously marked by the conservative, didactic messaging of Dick and Jane stories, [Maurice] Sendak was a breath of fresh air, having written a child protagonist who was as messy and loud and chaotic as he longed to be.”

He would say, “Grown-ups desperately need to feel safe, and then they project onto the kids. But what none of us seem to realize is how smart kids are. They don’t like what we write for them, what we dish up for them, because it’s vapid, so they’ll go for the hard words, they’ll go for the hard concepts, they’ll go for the stuff where they can learn something. Not didactic things, but passionate things.”

“Maurice Sendak has been one of the most consistently inventive and challenging voices in children’s literature,” according to PBS. “His books and productions are among the best-loved imaginative works of their time. Like the Grimm brothers before him, Sendak has created a body of work both entertaining and educational, which will continue to be popular for generations.”

“Roundly praised, intermittently censored and occasionally eaten, Mr. Sendak’s books were essential ingredients of childhood for the generation born after 1960 or thereabouts, and in turn for their children,” wrote Fox.

“Maurice Sendak (1928-2012), regarded as the 20th century’s most important children’s book illustrator, was born in Brooklyn to Polish-Jewish immigrants,” according to nyclgbtsites.

“Where the Wild Things Are” will be celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

“Sendak, along with literary innovator and legendary editor Ursula Nordstrom, created a book that would become emblematic of the richness and depth of children’s picture books,” wrote Kirichanskaya. “He explored his own past, and mined and reflected upon his own experiences as a queer, Jewish child learning to grow up in the world. Sendak was, himself, the real deal ‘wild thing.’”

The Peace Page has shared stories of Maurice Sendak in past posts. This is a new story focusing on a different chapter of his life with new insights.

The Peace Page focuses on past and present stories—some seldom told, others simply forgotten, still others intentionally ignored. The stories and chapters are gathered from writers, journalists, and historians to share awareness and foster understanding—to bring people together. We thank you for taking the time to be here and helping us share awareness..

~~~~~

“Sendak occupied an ‘outsider’ status in multiple senses of the word,” continues Kirichanskaya. “Whether it was a physical ‘outsidership,’ gazing upon the world outside from his bedroom window while sequestered from illness as a child in his home, or an internal one as the descendent of immigrant Holocaust victims and a gay adolescent in an extremely heteronormative world, Sendak could never quite blend into 20th century America’s idea of ‘normal.’”

“While it is debatable how early Sendak became aware of his own queerness, he understood how his ‘difference’ was perceived by others, saying in an interview, “You know what they all thought of me: sissy Maurice Sendak.”

According to The Advocate, “Sendak told the Times that he never came out to his parents -- something he says he now regrets.”

He said he never told his parents because "All I wanted was to be straight so my parents could be happy," he recalled. "They never, never, never knew."

In a 2011 interview with NPR host Terry Gross, Sendak said "finding out that I was gay when I was older was a shock and a disappointment. I did not want to be gay. It meant a whole different thing to me — which is really hard to recover now because that's many years ago. I always objected to it because there is a part of me that is solid Brooklyn and solid conventional and I know that. I can't escape that. It's my genetic makeup. It's who I am."

Elisabeth Hoffman of the Baltimore Sun wrote, “Why do we pass laws that isolate, demean and shame people for something so utterly personal? It's no surprise that gay teens are bullied. No surprise that Maurice Sendak had to hide part of his identity from his parents — and from his readers.”

Sendak admitted that he also kept quiet about being gay because the idea of a gay man writing children's books might have killed his career when he was in his 20s and 30s, according to nyclgbtsites.”

~~~~~

A 1970 New York Times article described Sendak as a “42-year-old bachelor” and mentions his “friend,” psychoanalyst Eugene Glynn, who was actually his life partner (the couple lived together for 50 years, until Glynn’s death in 2007).”

He didn’t reveal he was gay until 2008 in the New York Times, when he was 80 years old.

“I dream of him constantly,” Sendak said. “I'm always feeling guilty that I didn't do enough for him. I had my success, which was a distraction and disturbance for him. I'd see people meet him and look away indifferently and I'd hate them. I never betrayed him. I wish I had been more demonstrative, but it's not a thing I do very well. Being gay in the old days was hard, being gay later was weird. I very much wished not to be. I came from a regular depressing family. I was brainwashed.”

After his partner's death, Sendak donated $1 million to the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services in memory of Glynn, who had treated young people there.

In an emotional NPR interview, Sendak said: "I have nothing now but praise for my life. I'm not unhappy. I cry a lot because I miss people. They die and I can't stop them. They leave me and I love them more.”

~~~~~

"His gay identity was something that was not really discussed or he didn't promote, but he didn't hide it. He certainly didn't integrate it into his work, but what I think he did integrate into his work was understanding of diversity and an understanding of difference and an understanding of surviving," said Connie Wolf, the out director of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford.

Kirichanskaya writes:

In “Where the Wild Things Are”, “while Max isn’t explicitly queer in the sense of sexuality or gender exploration, his ‘queerness’ may refer to the older 19th century definition of queer as something ‘strange’ or ‘peculiar.’ As we see in Where the Wild Things Are, Max is considered a stranger to his own family. He is ‘cast out,’ banished to his room for excessive and wild behavior. And like Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz (another icon of children’s media that maintains a significant queer following), Max finds himself in a wonderland that simultaneously terrifies and welcomes. It is in the land of the Wild Things where Max finds the space to experiment, identify, and play. He learns how to be a new version of himself, braver and louder than he was ever allowed to be at ‘home,’ while finding a new sense of self and chosen family—an also inherently queer theme— along the way.

“Golan Y. Moskowitz, literary scholar and author of Wild Visionary: Maurice Sendak in Queer Jewish Context, had this to write about Sendak’s family: “In their inability to express love without eliciting terror, the Wild Things, whom Sendak called ‘foreigners, lost in America, without a language,’ are also like queer people experiencing love and attraction in ‘wrong’ ways, according to a prejudiced society.” In the context of xenophobia, antisemitism, and queerphobia, the different elements of Sendak’s life, the ones he himself regarded with both exasperation and deep love, were demonized, lending further weight to the sense of the ‘other’ encountered in his stories.

“At the heart of Where the Wild Things Are lies Sendak’s heart: a boy like Max who was pulled between worlds, between his old Yiddishist Jewish immigrant heritage and the hostile, homophobic American landscape he was navigating. He embraced those who were considered ‘monsters’ by the outside world, and in them he found his chosen family. He taught an entire generation that ‘wildness’ need not be tamed by the artificial boundaries of society—that children like Max could simply be themselves, wild hearts and all.”

~~~~~

Sendak remembers receiving a letter from one fan:

In an interview with NPR, he is quoted as saying, “A little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. I loved it. I answer all my children's letters – sometimes very hastily – but this one I lingered over . . . I wrote, 'Dear Jim: I loved your card.' Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said: 'Jim loved your card so much he ate it.' That to me was one of the highest compliments I've ever received . . . He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.”

~ jsr

The Jon S. Randal Peace Page

#Maurice Sendak #Where the Wild Things Are

[angel-of-hunky-doryness]

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

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

LONG POST, sorry not sorry.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HOWEVER!

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

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

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

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

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

Which are:

Flambe man kidnapped Baby

Lil sun spot is mortal now for plot relevance or smth

Attempted murder via the goon squad

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

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

Why?

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

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

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

Which leads to this pivotal moment in the film:

What is the point?

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

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

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

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

He just wanted to be treated like a person.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well that is until Hercules' talk with Zeus.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let that sink in.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Exhibit Alpha: All Hades Breaks Loose

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But this is what makes the scene for me:

Despite everything, Hercules still chooses to fight.

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

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

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

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

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

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

But I digress.

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

We see Hercules' flaw.

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

Wrath.

Exhibit Beta: A Swell Consolation Prize

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Self-fulfilling prophecies babyyyyy

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

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

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

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

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

Could've been great.

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

Till next time.

#disney #disney hades #disney hercules #hercules #my rambles #disney villains #disney megara #greek myth #greek mythology

[hinasho]

Ariel’s “Siren Song”

So I’ve been reading the Guide to Merfolk book. It dives into the lore in The Little Mermaid (2023) universe and has brought up a lot of interesting things.

One of those things is Siren Songs and their variants. Each song type has different abilities. One of them is the well known “lure” ability, but there are others.

Ariel sings to Eric after rescuing him from the shipwreck, and an observing Sebastian says smthg about her using her “siren song”. As Siren Songs have different types, I believe the song Ariel sings to Eric on the beach is different from the song Vanessa/Ursula sang to him on the rock.

HEART SONG

An aria sweet as honey dripping

Sends cool hearts aflame and senses slipping--

Lulling the longing to wander and stray,

Following the ballad into the spray.

ERIC’S NOTES: “Yeah, this would never work on me. Not in a million years.”

For context, the blue writing is notes that Eric has left behind. The way the guide book reads, it’s as though we’re in Eric’s study reading this book after he has.

A “Heart Song” is basically a love song. It makes the victim fall senselessly in love with the siren, and is basically romantic brainwashing. I believe this is the song Vanessa/Ursula tried to use on Eric on the rock.

His comment about “it never working on him” makes me even more sure, given that we know, despite using Ariel’s Heart Song, Eric was still not completely in love with Vanessa and was still pining over real Ariel. I believe him saying “it would never work on him” is supposed to be irony/foreshadowing.

HEAL SONG

A potent siren tune more sharp than flat

Mends bruised wounds from scraps and bites from the bat--

Fighting poison to cleanse and to discard,

Restoring health through the melodic bard.

ERIC’S NOTES: “Hey! I wouldn’t mind this song one bit.”

Meanwhile, I believe the song Ariel sings to him on the beach is her “Heal Song”, a song that cures wounds and ailments.

Ariel does not know human anatomy. She might have books about certain things and knows humans can’t breathe underwater, but she does not know how to medically resuscitate a human, and her pats on Eric’s chest did absolutely nothing. It’s not until she sings does Eric actually come to and open his eyes.

There are several other reasons why I think it’s highly unlikely Ariel used her Heart Song (despite it just not making any sense). For one, Ariel clearly had no idea her interest in Eric was reciprocated when she came to land. She did not know he was out searching for her. And two, when Eric does run into the room and sees her for the first time, he is obviously disappointed because he thinks she’s just some stranger. He’s not “senselessly in love” as a Heart Song would lead him to be.

So I believe Ariel used her Heal Song to revive Eric from drowning, meanwhile Ursula tried to use a Heart Song to brainwash him into being in love with her. Just a tidbit I found interesting.

#i made this post for two reasons #1) bc its just interesting and i lOVE lore stuff #and 2) because i was watching a review and they said Ariel being a siren completely destroyed the story for them bc 'she brainwashed him' #and nope! thats not what happened! #i thought it was pretty obvious Ariel's singing healed Eric not bewitched him but alas #the little mermaid 2023 #tlm #babbles #tlm live action

[distortedsense]

Past/Present/Future WIPs (tag game)

Rules: past is a WIP you stopped working on/finished; current is a WIP you're currently working on; future is a WIP you want to write

Thank you for the tag @theeccentricraven !

Past: my first book Bound in Spirals is a portal fantasy story I wrote from early 2015 - early 2018. It is pretty interesting in some regards but mostly reads as someone still figuring out writing as I was going. Too heavily influenced without proper interrogation of the influences. Clumsy handling of some themes that teenage me hadn’t thought all the way through. Some vibrant characters but a lot I would write differently now. I was still figuring myself out too. Was meant to have a sequel and I still intend to revisit it at some point but my current story was more demanding then and still is now.

Current: I started writing The Day My Dream Died in March of 2018 and it is ongoing. A fantasy journey dealing with dreams and living nightmares. Where humanity’s perceptions of the world are projected on an interconnected dreamscape called the undermind that some people can access and manipulate. Influenced by the work of Philip k dick (incl. both bladerunner movies), Ursula le guin, the video games hyper light drifter and breath of the wild, the tao te ching, JC’s avatar, Star Wars, my family, life in general, and my experience living with chronic pain(it pops up in everything I make, really).

Future: Between BiS and TDMDD I wrote a couple short stories in a sort of post-cyberpunk world that I want to turn into an anthology at some point. I also wrote an epic fantasy short story as I was writing the end of BiS as a sort of warmup for TDMDD that I think could easily be expanded into a full novel or novella. Nothing in stone because TDMDD is going to be ongoing for a little while, it’s still the most demanding of me so it gets all my attention.

Tagging @anulithots @writingamongther0ses @dyrewrites @junypr-camus @axl-ul

#writing #fantasy art #fantasy writing #epic fantasy #dark fantasy #fantasy #glitch fantasy #writing fantasy #dreampunk #writers of tumblr #writing community #writing thoughts #fiction writing #wip #current wip #work in progress #creative writing #fantasy writer #fantasy books #fantasy novel #fantasy writeblr #fantasy wip #fantasy world #high fantasy #writblr #writeblr #writerblr #writerscommunity #writers on tumblr #writers and poets

[aquaheartgirl]

Seeing you have “Little Mermaid II” as your profile pic…what do you think would’ve happened if instead of building the sea wall, Ariel and Eric just sent Melody inland far away from the sea?

I kind of doubt they'd send her anywhere unless they went with her. She's their daughter. But honestly, I've never even thought about that as a possibility. Because as much as I love Little Mermaid 2, I have to admit the whole premise is incredibly flawed, and the problems go so deep that sending Melody away wouldn't make any more sense than building the wall. It even goes further than just Ariel and Eric's out-of-character parenting decisions. It pretty much starts before the movie even hits the five-minute mark.

I know this is going way off topic, but now you've got me thinking about this lol. So first of all, you have to ignore the sheer absurdity of Morgana's plan and the fact that there's no way it should have worked. It starts with her literally grabbing baby Melody from her mother's arms... from the top deck of a ship... while Morgana herself is still underwater. I know there's plenty of inconsistency on just how long these tentacles are supposed to be, but this is maybe the most ridiculous stretch (literally).

Whatever, let's say she's really stretchy. Now, kidnapping Melody is not necessarily a stupid plan in itself, but just how crazy is she to do it in broad daylight in front of hundreds of people? I guess not quite as crazy as the fact that not a single one of those people makes any attempt to stop her physically. The movie makes a big deal of how unskilled she is with magic, so it's not like anyone should be that intimidated by her. And yes I know babies are delicate, but they do have the instinct to hold their breath; I think Melody could survive a short dunk in the water if Morgana got knocked out or something. There are dozens of merpeople everywhere; if Triton couldn't reach her, someone else would. Ariel would definitely dive headfirst off the ship to get to her if it came to that.

But let's say everyone is so worried about Melody getting hurt that they don't want to get too close. Okay. Even if Morgana isn't particularly scary, she does have a tiny bit of leverage. But the next thing that happens is Triton, king of the sea and wielder of presumably one of the most powerful magical weapons in existence, IMMEDIATELY gives in to her demands.

This is supposed to be the same King Triton who initially refused to give in when Ursula, a way more powerful witch, tried to blackmail him?

He only gave in to Ursula once it was very clear he couldn't beat her by force. And not only was Ursula a substantial threat, she also had an actual legal claim over Ariel with the contract. But he didn't care. And yet he doesn't even TRY with Morgana, who is far weaker and has far less leverage over him. All she's doing is threatening to feed Melody to Undertow. If she wasn't physically holding Melody, she would have nothing at all.

Triton has the trident right there in his hands, and apparently there isn't a single thing he can do with it that will save Melody.

Oh, wait.

He totally can.

And he can do a whole lot more than that.

But not just yet... or else there would be no movie.

NOW, after we've already suspended a whole lot of disbelief, we finally get to the building of the wall.

First, we have the fact that Melody is Morgana's only target, and furthermore that everyone assumes this is the case. Yes, she verbally makes this threat, but it's a huge boast on her part, and there's no reason to assume she'll actually be able to follow through. She spends twelve years waiting for a chance to get at Melody again. That's a LONG time to wait for something that might never happen. Okay, Morgana isn't very bright, but you'd think she would get frustrated and give up or make a new plan. Doesn't Triton have any other grandchildren she could kidnap by now? (In fact, where are Ariel's sisters throughout this whole thing? We see four of them for two seconds during Down to the Sea, and... that's literally it. You'd think we'd at least see them helping in the search or something.)

Also, why can't Morgana get to Melody one of the ten thousand times she sneaks out to swim in the ocean? She can spy on her, so she should know this is a regular occurrence. If the wall really does anything to protect Melody, then it wouldn't take so long for Morgana to lure her away once she starts going under it. And she's clearly very practiced at this by the time we see her out there.

Basically, Ariel and Triton and everyone else are seriously overestimating Morgana's abilities AND the functionality of the wall for... no particular reason. But that's not even the biggest problem, in my opinion. Even if you ignore or rationalize everything up until this point, this is when you get to something even stupider than the wall: Ariel lying to her daughter.

To be fair, I do like the way they tried to frame Ariel's parenting struggles against her father's and show that she was making a hard choice that she thought was the right one, just like her father once did. But the way they got there just makes no sense. I can understand why keeping Melody out of the sea might make sense as a really extreme precaution, but I fail to see how not knowing about Morgana or Atlantica would make things any safer for her. Why not just... tell her?

"So you're half mermaid, and when you were a baby an evil sea witch tried to steal you to blackmail your grandfather, who by the way is the sea king, and she threatened to come back for you and we still have no idea where she is, so we don't want you going in the ocean unsupervised."

That's it. There's literally no reason for her not to do that. And it doesn't necessarily have to mess up the movie. What if Morgana disguises herself as someone else and tricks Melody that way, saying she wants to help find this sea witch to make the ocean safe again? What if she creates a diversion and lures Ariel and Eric into some kind of trap, and she blackmails Melody into stealing the trident to save them? Those are just off the top of my head. There are plenty of ways to make a good story without turning beloved characters into not just terrible parents but idiotic ones too.

I'm not even going to get into all the rest of the issues with this movie. Like how Ariel and Eric apparently convinced everyone in the kingdom to go along with the ruse and not tell their own kids about Atlantica (otherwise why would all the kids be making fun of Melody for "talking to fish"?). Or how Melody spent so much time hanging around Sebastian and Scuttle and no secrets ever slipped out - or for that matter, how no secrets ever slipped out from ANYONE in the castle around her. Or why Sebastian just let her run away instead of going with her for protection or maybe explaining things to her right then. Or how Tip and Dash have conveniently never heard of King Triton or his trident. Or how Tip, a penguin, can breathe underwater. Or how everything in Ariel's cave is intact after it was wrecked in the first movie. Or why Morgana can spy on Melody whenever she wants but Triton can't do the same thing to find her, even though he's obviously more powerful. Honestly, I keep thinking of new things even as I'm writing this, and I've given it plenty of thought before. But this is already way too long.

So yeah... I will defend Little Mermaid 2 with all my heart as a sweet, fun mermaid movie that I still enjoy. I could make a post even longer than this one going into all the things I love about it. But I can't defend it as anything close to a solid story because it falls apart pretty much anywhere you touch it. And I think it's important to acknowledge the difference between the two.

#yeah this got way off topic but i have Feelings about this movie lol #little mermaid 2 #asks #ahg

[merrilark]

Forgot to write up my thoughts on the last DW episode, "The Devil's Chord"!

TLDR: Liked it! Surprisingly did not like it as much as "Space Babies" even though everything '60s is right up my street. But it was fun and campy and I'm glad to have fun with DW again.

Soooooo let's talk about the things I didn't like first, before the things I did.

Did not care for:

All the 4th wall breaking. It was charming at first but now it's getting a bit hammy in a way I'm not digging.

The musical number at the end was extremely immersion-breaking. It would have been fine anywhere else in the episode, I think, but to have it after the big bad is gone and the world is back to normal seemed really weird. Like, why does a normal studio suddenly work like a big musical stage? Why is everyone dancing and singing? The song was also disappointingly un-'60s and I just???? Don't... think it added anything to the episode. Also unsure how I feel about the statement that "there's always a twist at the end". I really do not want there to always be a twist. I kinda. I just want to have fun sometimes, you know? Choreography was fun, though.

I got kneejerk discomfort from "The One Who Waits" lmaooo this is totally on me, but, oh, RTD, please do not pull something convoluted on us.

Same with Ruby. I adore her and I think she could still be good, but I am holding my breath. I don't want her to be convoluted either. I really miss when companions were very average and normal people doing extraordinary things because of who they are, not because of the Doctor.

Dunno. Just a bit soft for me. A little too much made-for-little-kids? But that could be because we had two goofy episodes back-to-back, one of which was about literal babies. It was fun! But I dddddo feel? a bit babied? I'm not sure. I think it will get better once we have less lighthearted episodes because I know RTD is capable of writing some soul-crushing, serious stuff.

Really loved!:

THE CLOTHES. Oh I am living for how much Fifteen throws himself into having fun with Ruby. The last two episodes were nice nods back to Nine and Rose, and it's fun to see the similarities and differences there. I like that Fifteen jumps at the opportunity to dress up with Ruby. It's so sweet.

Fifteen in general. Ugh. He's like a warm hug and I missed that. I'll admit the casual petnames from the Doctor were a little strange at first, but it grew on me and I enjoy how the Doctor is so much louder about his love. He captures an overall sense of wonder and excitement and I think he's pretty well written.

The Saxon Theme!!!!!! The Master is definitely coming back and I think RTD writes their dynamic better than the last two writers.

I enjoyed the Rani getting name-dropped and I got out of the loop with Gallifrey and the Time War, but I'm pleased that we're back to being a bit angsty about it. IMO that's how it should be. Please do not bring Gallifrey or the Time Lords back. They need to stay dead.

The new sonic is growing on me. Kinda didn't like it at first, kinda looks like a "cool" gadget from the '90s and it's not screw driver-y at all but??? It's neat.

Ugh, the TARDIS interior. LOVE her. Missed her. She looks so good and big and lovely and pretty.

LOVE how much the Doctor loves her. The TARDIS is to him what the Enterprise is to Captain Kirk and I'm always squishy for it.

On that same note, we should have whumped the TARDIS more. I would like to see the Doctor get very distressed over her.

Anyway, Maestro was loads of fun and I liked the Ursula vibes.

The writing was pretty solid! The anticipation was good, it was just the right amount of scary, just the correct amount of touching, just the correct amount of mysterious, etc. etc. etc. I don't think either "Space Babies" or "The Devil's Chord" will be a favorite episode, but I'm satisfied with them. They were good.

#doctor who spoilers #merri watches doctor who

[the-knight-of-the-stars]

Finally got the chance to watch the Little Mermaid Live Action. So thoughts.

They could not have picked a better actress. Halle embodies Ariel so well, is crazy. She is absolutely charming and her preformance was excelent. I had high expectations because she is such a lovely person already, but she exceded them. None of her lines felt forced even when the script has its fair of flaws. And needless to say her voice is that of an angel.

I enjoyed Eric a lot more than I thought I would. I was never a big fan of him in the original movie, but here he was very charming and fun.

The romance is adorable af. Absolutely the best part of the movie. They have such good chemestry and I like they both are akward, and collect things and love lo learn. She teaches him thing, and he teaches her things. They understand each other so well instantly. And I loved they look like they have so much fun being together, is so cuteee.

Really enjoyed "Kiss the girl", the tension was great and they actually let the song build up and have pauses. He looks at her like thaaat, you can tell he falls for her so hard, as hard as she does and I love that. The scene when she shows him her name? Albsolutely fucking adorable.

Climax too, when Ariel shatters the neckless and it all breaks loose, I like that Eric is protective immediately, he is so intense, love it. Eric all desperate after the battle with Ursula, wanting to look for her, and grabing her dress from the water bbrrrr

Their final kiss, the way he holds her, omggg (No sparkly dress or princess twirling though, so -1)

In other things, most of the complains I saw about the movie are not really a big deal. The CG sometimes looks, well, like CG, but it works. The way Ariel moves underwater looks great, so natural! I belive she is a mermaid.

Another big complain was Flounder, but he seems perfect to me. The voice is adorable, what more do you want? I think we are too used to percive fishes as "ugly" animals, so y'all think you can't find a realistic looking fish cute, but it really isn't so hard.

Lastly, maybe personal opinion, but a lot of people complained about Aquafina as the seagul. I don't think it has connected with people that the seagul is SUPPOSED to be annoying. Idk, it didn't bother me that much.

What did bother me were the songs. Wasn't a fan of the new songs. Eric's song was ok, reminded me of Madame Gaston a little bit. But the others were unnecesary and over explained too much.

The old songs sound good, but are affected by another thing I didn't like. There are some scenes that needed more impact and time to breathe and the movie didn't let them.

Ariel's discussion with her father? Needed to be more intense. The little moment of Ariel being upset in her cave before Part of your World starts? Needed some moments so we could feel her anger and frustration. I mean, this is the buildup to the big song, they could have been more careful and I felt like it took impact away from it.

Howard Ashman said the trick with musicals is that the characters break into song when the emotions start to become too grand to express with just words. I think they missed that here.

When she gets out of the water for the first time, again, needed more impact, a breath for us to take in the scene, for Ariel to take in the fact that she is seeing the surfice world for the first time. The skyyy omg she has never seen the sky and they just brievely focus on the fireworks and move on.

A good moment was when Ariel saves Eric and is holding him above the water. That little quiet moment, I felt the magic, the fantasy, I could take it all in, because they let it breatheee.

Another thing is they explain too much in dialogue. The song I by far liked the least was when she arrives on land. For starters, it takes from the impact of her loosing her voice because she is still "singing" in her head.

Let her see the world, and take it in, react to it, but I don't need a song explaining me how this is the first time she is seeing fire and that Eric walked away from her, I know, I'm watching it happen!!

The one that is more distracting with the over explaining is Ursula. I wasn't that sold on Melissa MacCarthy at first, I think Ursula should have been played by a Drag Queen, and was dissapointed on her first scene because they purposely mirror almost frame by frame Animated Ursula's introduction, except it didn't have that spark from the original.

But I ended up liking her a lot on her other scenes. She was cool, Melissa played her own version of the role and is great. I loved her lair, the entrance with the (what is it, a mosasaurus?) skeleton, was so cool! She came and played the "aunt who knows what you are going through" cart on Ariel pretty well.

Other things I liked. The original voice actress for Ariel making a cameo caught me off guard. I got teary eyed when she gave Halle the fork, like was passing it on to her.

The scene of them dancing in the market, mirroring the sounds and visuals of "Under the sea", THAT is show don't tell. We are getting just by visuals that humans and sea creatures are not that diferent from each other.

Why did the final scene with Triton made me cry??? wtf?? From Triton coming out of the water all whimsical, noding to Eric, the silent moment of saying goodbye. All the diferent mermaids appearing and standing beside all the diferent humans, gathered to say goodbye to them. Signifying how the bridge between worlds has been crossed because of their love.

I had a big smile in the end. Overall I really liked it, wow, can you belive it, I liked a disney live action. Is fun, the actors are good at their job, the story is engaging.

I think the movie, like most of the live actions, fails the most when it's trying to imitate the animated movies too much instead of doing its own thing. Some things like visuals and the pacing just don't translate well into live action.

But I love that this one has respect for what the original wanted to tell. Is respectful towards the fact that is a fairytale and a romance, and they let it be fun and whimsical instead of filling it with meta jokes. Is charming, like a princess fairytale should be.

What did you all think, I want to discuss.

#little mermaid live action #little mermaid #the little mermaid #the little mermaid live action #the little mermaid 2023 #tlm live action #tlm 2023

[gamesbyalbie]

The Cursed Journey

PART 5: BRAINSTORM

FIVE YEARS AGO

"So, what are you working on?" Min-joon was at the stove. He wasn't using it—he was using the kettle—but I literally didn't have a counter in that apartment. What I had was a sheet of plywood laid across the stove's burners (I think that's what they're called, but that also seems a bit too on the nose).

I didn't cook—still don't—so the kettle lived on that plywood board along with a cup containing two sets of utensils, a pair of chopsticks, and one sharp knife. My mug and tea collection took up one shelf in my "kitchen", but the others had been repurposed for book storage.

I was sitting on my bed, leaning against a mountain of pillows and scribbling in a notebook. "Nothing good." I tried to erase a line so intensely that it ripped the page. "Ugh!" I tore it from the book, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it across the room.

"Dammit," I whispered, because—naturally—it missed the bin by at least half a meter.

Min-joon chuckled as he passed me a cup of tea. "Here."

"Thanks." I held the cup below my face, giving myself a mini steam facial and savoring the aroma. The tea was Earl Grey. Specifically, it was this kind with extra bergamot I could only find at a corner shop on Fifth. Min-joon had also used my favorite mug—but I don't think he knew that at the time. It was this lovely dark blue mug with the spines of Ursula K. Le Guin books wrapping around the body. I was shattered myself when it broke during my last move.

"Probably need to let it steep for a while." He advised, taking a seat on the foot of my bed. I noticed that he was stirring his drink with a fork.

"Why are you—"

"Both your spoons were dirty. Which—if I may add—is pretty pathetic. No self-respecting adult has less than three spoons."

"Fascinating." I murmur, face still hovering over my mug. "You assume I have self-respect."

He snorted. "Right. My bad." A smirk lanced across Min-joon's face. He gestured at me then vaguely at the rest of my studio. "I should probably judge this book by its cover."

"Asshole," I whispered affectionately. "So, what are you forking?"

Min-joon snickered. "Instant coffee."

I shivered. My face twisted into a visage of pure disgust. "I don't get how you stomach that stuff."

"It's good."

"It's vile."

"Well, if it's so gross why do you have it?"

"Because I knew you were coming." I responded and took a sip of my tea. "Mm." I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "That's good." When I opened them again, Min-joon was staring at me. He hadn't moved and his coffee fork was still in his hand. He was just smiling. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

He tore his gaze away. "I've no idea what you're talking about." I rolled my eyes. "But, back to my question: what are you working on? 'Nothing good' is not an acceptable answer."

I sighed and set my mug on the window sill. "Fine." I went to toss him my notebook but he raised his index finger.

"Wait. Throwing is not our strong suit. Remember?" He pointed at the bin.

I rolled my eyes even harder but bent at the waist, placing the book in his outstretched hand. 

"Thank you very much. And what am I looking at? A toddler's first attempt at writing?"

I yanked the book out of his hand. "If you're gonna be a dick—"

"I'm kidding." He took it back. "Your chicken scratch is mostly legible."

"Thank you, I know." I fully reclined on the pillows and crossed my arms over my head. "Anyways, I was working on that Greek myth retelling—the queer, cyberpunk one—but I'm struggling with some of the smaller plot points. So, I'm trying to come up with something new but I can't come up with anything good! The only cool ideas I'm getting are stories that no one else will be interested in and everything else feels dull and derivative."

"Okay." He took a sip of his coffee while flipping through my notebook. "Where's the problem?"

"What?" I sat straight up, hands slapping against my comforter. "What do you mean? It should be pretty obvious. I just said—"

"What you just said is that you have some cool ideas. Great! Do you feel inspired to write them?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Do they excite you?"

"Sure—"

"Then write them! I don't see a problem. Like, this—" He pointed to a hastily scrawled paragraph I'd almost ripped out yesterday. "This sounds really fucking cool."

"But it's... weird!"

"So? Weird is good! We're both weird. I write weird shit. And—if I may add—that's going pretty well."

"You are an exception."

"No, I am not. Not that it matters! People put too much emphasis on 'success', whatever that's supposed to mean." Min-joon sighed and tilted his head to the side. "Ody, why do you write?"

I deliberated for a moment, stripping away the dozens of reasons to find the core truth. "Because I love it."

"Then don't judge yourself based on what you assume others will think. Fuck everyone else. Write for you. Give yourself permission to love what you're doing and just do what you love."

"That's what you do?"

"It is now." He rubbed my hand with his thumb. "Ever since I quit. I mean, life gets in the way sometimes, but yeah. In general, I only do things I love."

"And what do I do when I hit another block?"

Min-joon shrugged. "There's no clear, universal answer to that. It differs for everyone, but I think people try to force themselves to write too much and beat themselves up unnecessarily. Only write when you feel like it. Take breaks. Try new things. Don't be afraid to stop, pivot, or start anew. I don't know." He trailed off. We were silent for a moment. 

"Okay." I finally mumbled. "Well, thank you for the private lecture."

He was taking another sip when I said that and I'm pretty sure some coffee went up his nose as he laughed. "You're very welcome."

"So," I smirked, glancing at the paragraph he'd pointed to. "To summarize: in your professional opinion, I should go ahead and write weird shit."

"Fuck yeah." He smiled. "As long as you like it, the weirder the better."

End of Part 5 of ? • LAST PART • NEXT PART

More Cursed Journey • More by Albie • Image Source

The amazing music video that inspired this:

#writing #short fiction #draft #cursed journey #dpr ian #don't go insane #albie writes #part 5

[littleladymab]

FebruarOC - Yewan

Alright so this might be a bit of cheating -- I originally kept telling myself "I need a new character with a Y name" when I was collecting new characters for H and Q (since the ones I Had existing I wanted to talk about in regards to specific projects), and a character with a U name in general. And so I named one of my unnamed cast characters for HOWL after completely forgetting WHY I needed a Y name. I only had Yewan, and I had already talked about him (patrons only).  

And then I realized that like... I had nothing to say about this recently named character (her name is Yasmine, hi to Yasi and Kaite this one's for you). She's a part of the HOWL series, but I knew the least about her (and Ursula, when I was getting a buffer of U names, to round out the rest of that cast). I only talked about Penelope and Mateen because they were used in campaigns previously, and while I could have made up stuff like I did for Quin, I actually have to put work in for Yasmine because it's a story in general that I'm going to put time and care into, unlike Horatio and Quin which are more sandbox at the moment than anything. 

So, we're back with my boy Yewan. And because I don't have much to say that I didn't already talk about last year when making his character sheet (sorry you'll have to be a patron to see that), all you get is drabble for him. Not even an extra long one whoops, but I'll include it here in the body of the tumblr post.

It was super fun digging into actually writing for him, because I don't think I ever had him narrate a scene. Most were from Nixa's point of view, though I think in the 2004 original version I had a scant few from Cryn (mostly because I did the thing where it shifted points of view so it might have just bled from Nixa to Cryn). And I liked coming to the conclusion that like... Yewan and Nixa simply don't like each other. Their personalities clash too much, and I don't feel like it's ever going to be "they're going to become unlikely friends!" like, they're just going to ever become reluctant allies. And he will be the only person who she will allow to get away with saying things to her that are blunt, to the point, and most definitely what she doesn't want to hear. 

++++

It is, at this point, a matter of pure fucking stubborn will. Yewan is determined to not lose.

Nixa is, however, a formidable opponent. Unflappable. Not even Brom’s bumbling can get her to flip her lid, and he has only seen her lose her cool once.

And it had been Yewan’s fault.

Well, no, not his fault. He had only initiated the minor rebellion among their party; it was Ashska who said the words that finally got her to snap. A beautifully executed bit of teamwork not that anyone would ever consider him a leader.

A wizard was never in charge, regardless of how intelligent he was. Never mind the fact that he could outthink both Brom (honestly not a challenge) and Nixa (surprisingly easy, if you knew how). While Brom was assigned to be the head of their party because he was the warrior amongst them, Nixa was unquestionably the true leader. It was for her home, her people, apparently her brother (he hadn’t seen that coming, that much was true), so on and so forth. Sure, she respects the opinions of the others in as much as she allows people to voice them and ‘will take them into consideration’. The only one she ever really listens to is Cryn.

It probably helps that they’re so into her and she must enjoy the attention.

Finally, at long last, Nixa stirs. Ever so slightly, her hands coming together in her lap. She takes a breath and lets it out slowly. Not in a sigh, not through pursed lips — just a careful and extended exhale.

“Well then,” Yewan says, because he can now break the silence since she gave up first. “Let’s hear it.”

“You’re an absolutely pompous piece of shit,” Nixa says. Nothing changes in her expression. Her posture remains as tense as always. “A worthless one at that.”

Nothing he hasn’t heard before, though it still stings. “And you’re a self-centered bitch with a misdirected sense of righteousness that you wield like a cudgel against anyone who tries to offer you a hand.”

There.

She lifts one slender eyebrow, and he wonders which of that managed to surprise her. Or perhaps it’s because he didn’t say more and worse.

He might have at one point. Some of the rage has burned off over the last day once she finally revealed the whole scope of the situation. Just because it makes sense doesn’t mean he has to like it, but he does at least have to acknowledge her reasoning.

“You realize that if you don’t want this to turn into a hopeless mission where most of us end up dead that we will have to kill him, don’t you?” he asks, jumping right to the point. “You can’t go into this thinking you can save him.”

Anger flashes behind her eyes before she blinks and looks away. “I know.” It’s not what she wants, that much is obvious. Her hand unfurls in her lap, palm up, fingers loosely splayed like a wilting flower. Nestled in the center is the fire-red amulet that he’s seen her wear.

She extends her hand between them like a reluctant peace offering. Neither of them wanting this, but knowing that they have to.

If only she was just a little less insufferable. They could have made a powerful team. What Cryn sees in her he has no idea.

Yewan takes the amulet and ignores the bite of magic that nips at the tips of his fingers — it probably recognizes him as a potential enemy and an unwelcome touch. Which, sure, he’ll accept that from her. “This is connected to him?” he asks, because he needs her to say it.

Nixa nods. “Yes. He gave it to me before he left.”

He turns it over in his fingers, marveling at the intricate spellwork. If her brother hadn’t been working with the enemy, he might have proven to be a very interesting person to talk magic with. Far more interesting than his sister, in any case. “Fine. This will work.”

She nods again and rises to her feet. No hesitation, no second guessing. She might just be leadership material after all, rotten personality aside. “Fine,” she agrees, and leaves without waiting for him to dismiss her.

He doesn’t watch her go. Let her have that small amount of dignity if she breaks. Let Cryn find and comfort her.

He’s agreed to stay, and that will have to be enough.

#februaroc #a lil miss original #lil miss writings #heroes of agune

[zooophagous]

Inhale for four seconds. Hold for four seconds. Exhale for seven seconds. Artemis repeated her breathing exercises over and over, trying to stop her heart from pounding in her ears. It sounded so loud. She wondered if he could hear it, if it might set him off. He had ears the size of Texas, he could probably hear it. She better keep that thought to herself though, no need to insult him. No need to make him mad. Ursula was already going to be making him mad enough.

"Try not to antagonize him on purpose, auntie."

"I'm not the one you have to worry about here. If it can't control itself long enough to do a bit of small talk, it's not going to work out long term anyway."

Artemis flattened her lips and looked down. Auntie had a point. As much as she wanted to be lenient, half the success of the meeting depended on the subject.

The incredibly angry, confirmed homicidal subject. Great.

The interview room was not the sort of comfortable office space with a few fake plants and ergonomic chairs she'd like it to be. It really looked more of an interrogation room. It was closed behind a heavy metal door with a thick tempered glass window, just big enough to peek inside with your face right up to it. The space within was dark (for the comfort of the subject) but the desk and chairs sat in a bright spotlight. It was a fairly weak light, but maybe enough to make the subject think twice about jumping across the table to throttle the researchers to death. Maybe.

"Are you ready to do this?" Artemis asked her aunt, who was busy double checking her side-arm before stowing it in its holster.

"No. But I suppose we have to. Lets get on with it then. Did you bring it a snack?"

"Right here." Artemis plucked a warm glass tube full of deep red liquid from her pocket and gave it a cheerful shake. "Fresh squeezed."

"Hmph. I hope it appreciates it."

Ursula nodded in greeting to the backup catch team, who had now made it to their posts and hovered uncomfortably around the door.

"Ok. Here's the rundown one more time for how this will work. Artemis and I are in body armor, but obviously not our heads. If you have to fire into the room aim for center mass, fatal stopping power is authorized and encouraged. If it breaches containment it's a full red alert- taking it down will come before staff safety at that point. What I'm trying to say is, don't miss."

She turned back to the door and turned her key till it clicked. "I'm going in first."

Ursula took her place in the front, with Artemis behind her, and the back up team flanking them and bringing up the rear, ready and poised in case the subject tried to make a break for it. It didn't. The door slid open easily and quietly, and the two women shuffled in and took their seats.

The door scraped shut behind them, the echo of the heavy lock filled the chamber. There was no going back now. They were trapped in there with that thing- or, Ursula mused, it was trapped in there with her.

Artemis sat down with a bright, open smile and folded her hands on the table in front of her. The stark contrast of the floodlight to the rest of the darkened space made it somewhat difficult to see. Still, she could make out a tall figure backed into a far corner of the room.

He was very pointedly ignoring his chair, and making it a point to stand as far from the two interviewers as possible, arms crossed and a deep scowl of annoyance. A deep gutteral growl, something like the sound of water and air choking through a pipe, reverberated off of the thing in the dark corner.

Ursula put her hand on her side arm. "Easy, easy." She said quietly, as if she were trying to calm a feral animal. Perhaps she was. "Come on. Sit down. The head of the institute would like to speak to you."

"Oh." It finally spoke, in a deep and toneless voice. It took a step forward. "So you're the one responsible for this."

Artemis clenched her hands and sat stock still, forcing her fear back down her throat. Well, he spoke English, that would make things that much easier. It marched slowly to the table, glowered down at the two women for a moment, and finally pulled out the chair on the opposite side and sat down.

Artemis relaxed slightly. The being across the table from her seemed locked in a permanent state of annoyance. His face was a solid and unflinching scowl. Heavy lidded eyes set deep in their sockets glared out at her, glinting a dull red where the edge of the spotlight caught the tapetum lucidem. He was tall, and waif-thin. Emaciated, really. Every edge of every bone stuck out, and he was practically swimming in the secondhand shirt he'd been dressed in. His hair was long, and although freshly washed- unkempt, and hung around his face and long pointed ears in thick waves and curls that defied styling. As he sat, he crossed his arms again, and resumed his visible display of disdain for his captors.

He could have almost passed for human if it weren't for the fangs.

"Speak, then, fraulin." He demanded.

"Guten abend, mein herr." Artemis replied with a smile. Her heart was racing, but she had to remember. She was in charge, and she was the one conducting the interview.

"Thank you for sitting down and talking to me. My name is Artemis Van Helsing, I'm the head of the Van Helsing Institute. I just have a few preliminary questions for you. Can I get your name?"

"I am dead."

"Okay... how about a title? occupation?"

"Dead."

"Mhm, and your preferred pronouns?"

"Dead."

He spoke his answers with a deep sneer of contempt, showing off a hint of yellow fang. Violence may be actionable, but rudeness was not. Ursula snorted and crossed her arms in turn. Artemis cleared her throat and continued.

"Let's try it like this. According to our information, your name is Luther Strauss, you were a physician who died in Trier in 1790, or there abouts, at the age of 55. Is that correct? Are you herr Strauss?"

"You cut my nails."

"Excuse me?" Aremis flinched, taken off guard.

"You cut. My. Nails." He placed his palms flat on the table, drawing back slightly when the light touched him. His skin was pale to the point of transluscence, and deep blue veins were visible just beneath the surface like worms. His long fingers should have been tipped with claws- but Artemis instantly saw the problem. Yellow, short, freshly trimmed nails.

"Oh..." She paused. "I see... they shortened your claws."

"It was a standard safety procedure." Ursula interrupted. "Honestly, be grateful you're in here without the muzzle and the cuffs. There was a time if we needed to talk to a vampire the night began by literally pulling teeth."

"Auntie!"

"Grateful?" Strauss cut off the argument between the two women before it could begin. "I'm sorry. Perhaps my English is not so good as I believed. Did I mishear you telling me that I ought to be grateful of my treatment here?" His fingers curled angrily into the table. Despite their lack of clawed points, they left visible lines in the finish.

"You took me sleeping from my bed. Destroyed my home. Someone bathed me, dressed me, shackled me, all against my will. I have been violated, over and over, since the very moment you were near me- yet when I raise a single complaint, you tell me to be... grateful?" He rose to his feet as he spoke, becoming more agitated with every word. Ursula put her hand back on her pistol.

"I'm sorry but removing weaponry, or claws, is basic self defense." Ursula replied flatly.

"And what of my right to self defense, hm?" Strauss snorted. "If you wanted me good and harmless, you should have killed me. I may have forgiven an intrusion into my den. I will not forgive a violation of my person." He practically spat the words in defiance. He sat back down in his chair, looking sullen, lips pulled back to reveal a sharp set of teeth in apparent warning.

"Herr Strauss..." Artemis said softly. "We don't want you dead. We don't even necessarily want you harmless. Just... reasonable."

"Forgive me if I disbelieve you, fraulin. The name Van Helsing is not a positive one for a creature like me to hear. The fact that I remain unharmed long enough to be brought to some... compound only means my own fate can be one worse than destruction."

He paused and looked aside as if in thought. "Where... is this compound? Where am I?"

"St. Joseph, Minnesota. Or, thereabouts. Technically the insitute is out of town." She tried to smile warmly at her subject. If he was asking questions, he was talking. Talking was good.

"America? I'm in those dreadful British colonies, then? Pity." He sighed. "Fine. If you must torment me by refusing to destroy me, tell me then. What is it you want?"

Artemis glanced at her aunt, and then back to Strauss, and began her pitch.

"Well, you see. Historically the Van Helsing institute has been geared towards research of supernatural beings, but mostly, more or less for the purpose of exterminating them."

"I am painfully aware."

"Yes. I'm not proud of it."

"I am." Ursula shrugged.

Artemis frowned at her and continued. "...As I was saying, that was our OLD mission statement. I've been trying to shift focus to research that aims to actually know and understand the nonhuman citizens of the world around us. I think... I think we can cut down on the historic levels of violence between humans and other persons by fostering relationships built on mutual respect and-"

"HA!" The vampire let out an ugly, barking laugh that subsided to an evil chuckle.

"Mutual respect! You put me in a muzzle! You don't even trust me to have my own fingernails! You deprive me of freedom, and of my own physical integrity, and then you request mutual respect. I had heard Americans were stupid, I did not expect it to be so severe."

Ursula bristled. "If you knew what side your bread was buttered on you'd watch your damn mouth."

"Or what?" he hissed. "You've been itching to shoot since the moment you broke into my home. So what do you wait for? Do you need an excuse?"

"You know what, Strauss?" Artemis interrupted, suddenly talking loudly over both of them. "You're right."

"Ehh?" He tilted his head.

"You're right. You weren't treated fairly or respectfully. And for that, I am sorry." She continued. "It was never my intention to frighten you or insult you, we used the methods we did to try and ensure safety for all parties. Ultimately though, you were right. You were abducted. It wasn't the right thing to do. Here."

She stuck her hand in her pocket and produced her small vial of blood. It foamed slightly in red bubbles at the top, while the settled contents were now a dark, deep purple. "This is for you."

"What is this? Do you think it's THAT easy to placate me? Am I so base? So desperate?"

"No, not at all. But that isn't just anyone's blood, Strauss." She folded her hands. "It's  my blood. Freshly taken from my own veins just a few moments before we came in. It's a little tit-for-tat. I've taken a piece of you, now I'm offering you a piece of me."

Strauss raised his eyebrows in surprise. He was, momentarily, struck silent. He looked down at the little sample cup and gingerly reached out, lifting it between a finger and thumb as if it were very delicate.

"Interesting." He said softly, before gently removing the lid and lifing it beneath his nose, testing the scent.

"It is a very rare vampire who can say they've had a taste of a Van Helsing."

"You can be one of the first." She quipped cheerfully.

The vampire put the vial to his lips and tilted his head back. In one fluid motion, he downed the small cup like a shot. He stood quietly for a moment, savoring the taste and examining the label on the cup in his hand. 'Artemis Van Helsing, A/B+,' date, bar code, tube type. He nodded silently, and spoke again at last.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?"

Artemis exhaled sharply. The barriers had finally been broken. Don't fuck up now.

"I've been doing research for a long time, Strauss. It has been the opinion of the founders of my institute that vampires and humans have an adversarial, predator-prey relationship. None of those founders, however, were sceintists or anthropologists. At best they were theologians, which leaves a lot to be desired in the textbooks they left behind." She sighed.

"And you disagree?"

"I do. I have a theory, and modern case studies back this up, that vampires and humans are SUPPOSED to live in symbiosis. Think about it. A human village has a... a patron vampire, lets call it. This vampire can hold sway over animals- protecting flocks from predators. They're incredibly strong and fast and resiliant, making them excellent security and emergency response, and they live so long that they have decades, even centuries of learned experience to draw from. All of this, and in return they get to be fed and protected from elements like sunlight. It's such an obvious benefit to both parties. When it breaks down and you have an adversarial relationship the whole thing becomes a giant... a giant CLUSTERFUCK and suddenly you have killings and revenge killings and... and groups that should be working together are all left in gory shambles and it just makes no sense."

The words tumbled out of her mouth, laced heavily with frustration. She huffed quietly as she caught her breath. Strauss raised an eyebrow as he listened to her spiel.

"What evidence do you have that you are correct?"

"That's the best part. You're right here."

"Me?"

"Yes!" She clasped her hands together in excitement. "Look, we didn't just pick your name out of a hat. We've been following you for a long time. Actually, a VERY long time. My first records of you are all the way from 1899 in our archives. It describes a rat catcher by the name of Luther Struass in Trier, Germany. There's just one note in the file. Do you know what it said?"

"Tell me."

"Harmless."

She smiled. "That's all it had to say. Do you know how rare it is to find a vampire living in a human settlement with such a low incidence of anthropophagy?"

"What a nice thing for them to say about me." Strauss shrugged. "Too bad it isn't true. I am fully responsible for a recent human death."

"Well, there's another funny thing about that." Artemis said, practically winking at him. "Apparently, there's some talk in town that maybe you weren't just going after that guy because you were hungry. Maybe you weren't acting entirely in self defense, but I get the sense you may have been defending someone else. I was hoping you could elaborate."

"Don't romanticize it." he snorted. "I am not entirely without empathy. I have no desire to impede the lives of those around me for no reason. Do not be fooled, however, I still must eat. Rats will not nourish me forever. He was a rich man from a rich family, one that was adept at keeping him out from under the law when he let his cruelty run rampant. I was asked by my neighbors to protect them, and in return I would be fed a rare meal, and that was that. A simple transaction and nothing more."

"Exactly!" She nodded. "Symbiosis. Quid pro quo. The community rallied around you, and you protected them in their time of need. If it wasn't for an artificial intereferance in the form of the law, the system would have worked perfectly."

"The law has a way of doing that." The vampire mused. "Well, beyond asking questions, what is it you actually want to DO with me?"

"Well. Let's just say that... the law is inadequate in a lot of ways. Eventually yes, maybe, in time, you could be put to work. For now though. Mostly I just..."

"Yes?"

"Mostly we need to just get you cleaned up and teach you to live in society again. Don't take this the wrong way. Living in a hole in the ground, naked, not socializing... you're not stupid, Strauss. And you aren't an animal. You can't possibly be mentally well like this."

"Hmph." He chuckled. "So this was all an elaborate intervention for my own good."

"That's not all it was, no, but it's a non zero part. I can't force you, Strauss, but with a murder on your record I can't let you go either. I'm going to try really, really hard not to harm you any further, though. What do you say? Do you want to give it a shot?"

"Well, fraulin, it appears there isn't really much of a choice."

"Frau Van Helsing, please, if you must insist on honorifics. Mutual respect, remember, Herr Strauss?"

The vampire smiled.

"Very well, Frau Van Helsing. Tell me where to go from here."

#long post #writing #wayward souls

[teejaystumbles]

Ten Books To Know Me

Rules: 10 (non-ancient) books for people to get to know you better, or that you just really like.

No one asked, but @landwriter said go ahead anyone who wants and I wanted to sit down and think about this (instead of doing my work lol), so. (Dalek voice: Procrastinate!)

I am bad at remembering - things. Like, in general. and my English isn't good enough to properly do this. So I cannot give good overviews of these books. There are enough ways to find out more about them. All I can do is jot down what has stuck with me. That alone gives an insight into my mind I guess.

The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin One of the latest books I've read and one that has really made an impression. The exploration of the concept of humans as a non-gendered species, only taking on a sex for procreation, is wonderful to read and still so valid to think about. I would love to see us get to an evolutionary point like that. The story itself isn't even about that as much as it is an arctic rescue mission, and about friendship and love that transcends gender assumptions.

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

"Montag looked at the river. We'll go that way. He looked at the old railroad tracks. Or we'll go that way. Or we'll walk on the highways now, and we'll have time to put things into ourselves. And some day, after it sets in us a long time, it'll come out of our hands and our mouths. And a lot of it will be wrong, but just enough of it will be right. We'll just start walking today and see the world and the way the world walks around and talks, the way it really looks. (...) I'll hold on to the world tight some day. I've got one finger on it now; that's a beginning."

I read this book in my late teens and I have bookmarked that page and I have reread it when I felt lost and I want to put it on the flag of every teenage generation to come. Shout it from the rooftops. Put it on my fucking grave with the addition "they tried as best as they could". brb, crying shivering breathing in a bag

Guards! Guards! - Terry Prattchet Prattchet's books were among the first I read every one I could find in our library in my teen years. Now I own them all. I could add every watch book to this, because Sam Vimes' struggle to become a decent person and be better than his own prejudices, pulling himself from the literal gutter - that man is a symbol and will always be one of my favourite fictional characters. Also, tumblr made me ship him with Vetinary and I am not looking back.

City of Bones - Martha Wells Underrated fiction that has all the good things, adventure, absolutely awesome world building, great characters, again human evolutionary advancement that simply collapses pre-conceived sexual stereotypes - love it and want to reread it now I've been thinking about it.

Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell Bit long that I read it but the way the stories of several people transcend lifetimes and lifes is simply magnificent. I also loved his book Ghostwritten for similar reasons.

The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams One of the first book series I ever read, probably, started in my young teens, probably at first read the graphic novel my dad owned when I was 12 or sth and then the books. It has definitely shaped my sense of humor. I'll never forget how I did a book presentation on it in school and was very confused when the jaguar in the toilet and the descendent of Genghis Khan jokes fell flat - while I was struggling to even read it aloud without laughing. Philistines.

Steppenwolf - Hermann Hesse Another book that shaped my teenage self because I felt known. It is about a man who is unhappy because he feels he does not belong - he is of two natures, one sophisticated and one wild, untamed. Perfect for adolescents. I got bad marks in German class because the way I was writing essays had become too much like 1920's German and lots of words and phrases aren't used anymore lol

The Crystal World - J.G. Ballard I could add every other story or book by this man because I feel like they all have a certain tone - a kind of fatal sense of the inevitability of change, often not for the better, but the protagonist feels compelled to seek that change anyway. (Suddenly Morpheus feels) Something about it makes me ache and yearn, like these characters, because he writes from a mindset that is slipping into insanity quite masterfully I'd say.

The Stars My Destination/Tiger! Tiger! - Alfred Bester Absolutely made an impact with how a completely unlikable character, who makes his way through the world and universe without remorse and kindness, can achieve the highest form of meditative stance needed to space-travel. I don't remember much of the plot but that bit stuck. He's awful and you made him awful and then he goes and surpasses all of you anyway, despite being a brute and idiot. (A bit of Hob Gadling energy, if he wasn't as nice)

The Never-Ending Story - Michael Ende I could put Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter here, but this was the fantasy book I read before those and therefore it has shaped me more I guess. The beauty, and utter importance of imagination, the escape into a fantasy world to fix all real-world problems. Adventure, friendship, overcoming of fear, finding what really matters. There's a lot in this book that will never get old.

Now I feel like I bared my soul. You're welcome.

#books #about me #ten books game #words

[certifieddethklokgroupie]

The Little Mermaid 2023 review

Okay. So there were some parts I loved and some parts that I didn’t like.

Firstly, Halle Bailey, she was an absolutely famous performer, she killed it as Ariel. She’s brought so much life to Ariel that it was no doubt that she enjoyed playing the role. Even as human Ariel, she was absolutely really adorable. I liked how naive and innocent Halle was. She gets what it was like being a mermaid and a human. 

Another is Melissa Mcarthy as Ursula. I think she really nailed the role. At first I was doubting it but I liked how she gave Ursula sarcasm and sass. It was really funny.

Another is the underwater scenes (for the most part), I love diving so seeing the ocean scenes made me really feel like I was there. Some CGI felt a bit off, it could have been better but it was still alright. 

I also loved the land setting, I mean they shot in Sardinia in Italy and it felt like a fresh breath of air to have a live action Disney movie set in another place that isn’t England or the UK. 

Now for the things I didn’t really like,

The Under the Sea sequence, it wasn’t as pretty or as visually appealing as the original one was. I felt that they were trying really hard with the photo- realistic ocean scenes but I didn’t think they needed too much effects for that scene. It could’ve just been simple and I think it would’ve worked. Maybe shooting in the actual ocean would have been much cooler for this scene tbh. 

Sebastian and Flounder’s appearance were really bad. This is nothing new but I couldn’t help but think that Disney is obsessed with trying to make everything as real as possible but it doesn’t work. I mean look at Rocket from Guardians, he looks real and emotes a lot so I wished Flounder and Sebastian had been like that as well.

Next is, they removed Les Poissons which I honestly thought was annoying because I think I that song was really iconic. They replaced this song with a more forgettable one, Scuttlebutt which I honestly didn’t like.

Lastly, the performances by Akwafina and the guy who played King Triton weren’t really memorable for me. They could just be cut from the movie and nothing would have changed. 

Overall, I’d give this movie a 7.5/10, this is one of my favorite live action movies by far but I really wished they could have done more with this film. 

#the little mermaid #halle bailey #movie review

[utilitycaster]

So… What do you think about Susan Calvin? And do you have any recommendations for people who like to read robot stories (assuming what everyone knows about Asimov already.)

I LOVE Susan Calvin, more so because I'm pretty sure her appeal now (or in the early 2000s, when young me first read I, Robot) is mostly unintentional. I truly love Asimov's writing, I think he had a lot of fascinating ideas, and even his nonfiction essays are worth a read, but he was, as many science fiction authors of the time were, Not Great Towards Women. He designed Susan Calvin to be brilliant...but unattractive and brusque and unpleasant, while the recurring male characters like Powell and Donovan get to be cool and brave. And yet, by making a woman who was in defiance of what a sexist man would find attractive he made one of the most compelling women in classic sci fi. She is married to her work. She is a huge asshole. She's real and complex because he actually had to put thought into her as a character rather than being like "ah yes the woman scientist is a blonde bombshell who echoes all of my own feelings", and I love her and honestly, a lot of my thoughts about Dancer are probably influenced by Susan Calvin - a weird, smart loner who is horrible at interpersonal relationships but actual has a great deal of respect for robots.

The thing is...the part of robot stories I love is more the society around them and how this responds. I'm not actually that invested in robots as the main characters, so the robot stories beyond Asimov's positronic brain stuff/The Bicentennial man that I know of (that was what I was referencing in my tags, incidentally; if you read a bunch of Asimov you will be fine) are mostly also really popular: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (and Blade Runner); Battlestar Galactica (everyone should watch the 2003 BSG because it's fucking phenomenal and it's also a very good companion to everything I've said about pacing, lately, namely, you can have utterly fucked pacing as long as the characters are deeply of this world and given enough space to breathe); The smattering of Star Trek: TNG I've seen indicates that's pretty good. But yeah, it's not actually an area I tend to personally explore.

[this is directly related to the above but it is not what you asked, letting you know so you can bounce if you're not interested.]

What I do think people should do though is 1. Read a shitload of Octavia Butler and Ursula K. Le Guin specifically and 2. Go to their local library (might need to make a trip to the central one, actually, for this) and find the battered sci-fi short story anthologies from like, 1972. I read SO MUCH OF THAT as a high schooler, and on the one hand this means that I'm cursed with many memories of stories I will probably never be able to find again (shout out to someone on a weird forum who was able to identify The Silk and the Song from my fragmented memories); but on the other hand I think it just gives you a grounding in classic sci fi you cannot otherwise get. Science fiction meant short stories for a good portion of the 20th century, and a lot of the most interesting and weird stuff that really engaged with modern and near-future technologies is in there.

TBH that is what I'm getting at with recommending classic sci fi short fiction just...in the abstract. I think a whole lot of it tried to engage with the idea of "what happens to our society if this happens" in a way that modern sci fi sometimes does not (for a huge number of sociological reasons and because the immensity/political implications of nuclear and space technologies being obvious in a way that the internet was not). I brought it up in reference to FCG because...look, there's still a lot I feel could have been done better, and that's a separate post, but FCG's presence in the world is fascinating. It's asking the question of "imagine a world where no one even has a proper conception of artificial intelligence - and where you can summon a low-level fey or celestial and require they do your bidding - but there's a bunch of mindless automatons. Ok imagine one of them has a soul now." The people who react most normally to FCG are the people most ignorant of automata! Anyway, I think reading a shitload of shortform classic sci fi is the most efficient way to rewire your brain to automatically go "ok but what is the baseline of this fictional society and what is the change this story is exploring and how would people of various types respond" with speculative fiction in general, and I think it's such an important part of analysis! Also it's fun! If you come across a moderately humorous story from the 60s or 70s where people keep messing with the timeline and keep not realizing they've done so please send me its title because it pops into my mind now and then and I haven't been able to find it in like 15 years!

#in all seriousness I credit reading compass rose by le guin like 5 times through in high school #with why i have good opinions about the kryn dynasty #i have a short fantasy anthology out of the library now actually and I am going to go read it this evening thanks anon for reminding me #tbh when i'm home for thanksgiving might go to my old library and be like. i have no card i just need to look at your books for 3 hours