#the first thing i thought about after watching nimona

[terapsina]

Ballister: the love of my life chopped off my arm.

Eugenides: same.

Ambrosius and Irene: *shared look of heavily internalized guilt*

#nimona #the queen's thief #ballister boldheart #eugenides #ambrosius goldenloin #irene attolia #terapsina rambles #the first thing i thought about after watching nimona

[jytan2018]

I read the comic in one sitting less than an hour after finishing the movie, and wow I have many Thoughts™.

- It's very obvious the two versions were meant to cater to different audiences AND tell different messages. I don't get why people are going "But the comic was better! It had more nuance!" just because Nimona was easier to root for in the movie.

- The comic was written back when ND Stevenson was still trying to process a lot of stuff, so all the characters are morally grey/straight up evil and the climactic battle is between a Ballister who regrets turning against Nimona, even if it was to save others vs. a Nimona who's too hurt to care if her lashing out was going to hurt innocent people.

- By the time Nimona got a movie adaptation, ND was a lot more secure in his sexuality, so the climactic battle was Nimona vs. the Director, the symbol of religious oppression and bigotry. It's not just about your friends turning on you because you're "too much" for them anymore, it's also about a society that would rather bring itself to the brink of ruin than coexist with you.

- (I totally get why people were upset about Ballister's surname change, though. Like come on, the media dubbing him Blackheart just to be mean was RIGHT THERE).

- Nimona's metaphor for not shifting is such a neurodivergent thing. Even in the comic, Nimona's parents insisting she's a monster who replaced their daughter is reminiscent of the changeling myth, which is what many parents thought their neurodivergent kids were—changelings who replaced their "real" children.

- Ambrosius being trained to cut off HIS BOYFRIEND'S WHOLE FUCKING ARM instead of merely disarming him is a very cop thing to do. As much as cops claim they're trained to de-escalate situations, their training still teaches them to treat everyone as a potential threat, and that level of constant vigilance can turn anyone into a trigger-happy/arm-choppy bastard. Even the Director, who can use a sword but probably hasn't actually fought someone in ages, STILL can't see Ballister reaching for the squire's phone without assuming he has a weapon.

- And on that note, the Queen getting killed simply because she was trying to reform the Institution and allow commoners to become knights? That's the best "no such thing as a good cop" metaphor I've seen. Because even if there ARE good cops and they ARE in leadership positions, the system will crush them before they make any meaningful change. It's not a good institution that turned rotten, it's an institution that only exists to spread its rot and refuses to be good.

- That's why Ballister's characterisation is so different in the movie vs. the comic. Comic Ballister had 15 years to come to terms with his trauma and the Institution's evildoing, while Movie Ballister is still freshly traumatised and hasn't found a way to define himself beyond the role he was assigned by the Institution.

- Not to mention Comic Ambrosius was not very noble to begin with and genuinely believed Ballister was better suited to villainy than heroism, while Movie Ambrosius never wanted the glory that came with his lineage in the first place and only antagonised Ballister because of indoctrination he needed to unlearn (which he did, all by himself, after witnessing the lengths the Director will go to just to kill Nimona).

- It really shows how important it is to surround yourself with loved ones who are open to change. Comic Ambrosius can love Ballister all he wants, but he'll still blast his arm off because he thinks Ballister deserved it anyway. Movie Ambrosius will stop to question what "the right thing" even means, even if he didn't love Ballister enough to defend him unconditionally.

I have so many more thoughts bubbling beneath the surface, but I'll probably address them some other day. In conclusion:

[ID: A pink-haired Nimona grinning evilly while holding up a knife.]

Watch Nimona. This is not a request.

Edit: Added more thoughts!

#nimona #nimona meta #nimona comic #ballister blackheart #ballister boldheart #ambrosius goldenloin

[a-dumb-sarcastic-bisexual]

Nimona headcanons plus little bonus part 2 electric boogaloo

After Nimona found out about Ambrosius' allergies they demanded to test every single meal he eats 

They’ll take the plate away from him and have a test bite and only after they deem it “safe” will they let him eat it

Doesn’t matter if they're out eating or at home she does this every time 

He can literally say “Nim Bal made this for me it’s not gonna have anything I’m allergic to” and she’ll respond with “You don’t know that he could finally be sick of you and the only thing saving you is me” 

Ambrosius and Bal will share literally everything they eat 

Whenever they go out they’ll usually order something they know they’ll both like 

And if they know the other one is between two options they’ll just order one of the options and share both meals 

It’s a pretty normal thing that they’ve been doing since they were kids so they don’t even question it anymore 

Nimona jokingly calls it sickening as she steals food off their plates 

No one in the trio is neurotypical 

Bal is autistic Ambrosius has ADHD Nimona is a mix of both

Talking to these dorks is absolute hell

It’s kind of like the interrogation scene except it’s not one topic 

They often get sidetracked and lose the plot of the conversation 

They’ll have 10 different conversations at once and only finish like 5

Bal forgets a whole bunch of shit because he has long-term brain damage and Nimona and Ambrosius forget shit cause of the ADHD 

It’s not uncommon for someone to say “Hey remind me to” and then they’ll be cut off by the other person who just says “You know I won’t remember that just put a reminder in your phone” 

Their house is covered to the brim in sticky notes and random pieces of paper for reminders 

The grocery list is on the front door the chore list is in the kitchen and random little tasks are scattered around the house 

When Nimona doesn’t want to do something he’ll just erase his name from that task

He fooled the boys for a while but Bal started keeping score of who did what and when and called his sneaky ass out 

Little bonus part 2 electric boogaloo: this time it’s my sister and my mama and my sister also was acting like I was killing her firstborn not asking her to watch a movie 

Me: “look mama it’s the siblings” my sister: “but they’re gay” me: “yeah but people thought they were siblings” my sister: “if you ever look at me like that I’m calling the cops” (the scene on the catwalk) 

“Yeah you better cheer” (when Bal was getting knighted)

“I knew something was wrong with the sword” “So did Bal” “Yeah but I knew first”

Apparently both my Mama and my sister didn’t know that Ambrosius cut off Bal’s arm so I got to see both of their reactions 

This was my Mama’s “damn what happened to being a lover not a fighter” “he’s a knight Mama” “Who cares!!” 

This was my sister's “Wow really took the whole arm huh?” “That’s how they were trained” “And?” 

My mama was talking to my sister when Nimona met Bal “Who does that remind you of?” “Roo” “Exactly”

 “Oh look it’s tiny dick!” (Talking about Todd) 

“What a fucking bitch” (when she found out the director swapped the sword) 

This was when Bal and Ambrosius were fighting Me: “Is there anything gayer than having an argument in the middle of a sword fight” My mama: “They’ll fight with their other swords later” 

“Who fucking asked” “bla bla bla I’m a racist bitch” (when the Director went on her monologue in the office)

She saw Ambrosius’ username and laughed for like two minutes straight

After the sword fight my sister would pretend like Bal and Ambrosius were making out every time they were on screen together 

“Because I love you *making out noises*” at the tavern 

“Oh there’s their third wheel (Todd)” “Nah he’s racist as fuck” “Who isn’t in the institute?”

When Ambrosius tried to stop the director she said this is what he meant “No you can’t set off the laser that’s my kid!” (She believes the trio is a family too) 

“Awe they’re hugging *more making out noises*” 

She called it cute in the end and I made fun of her for bitching about it

I asked my sister who her favorite is and she says “what’s his name balls?” I started cackling my ass off and she goes “I’m joking I know his name is Ballister and he’s still my favorite”

#nimona 2023 #nimona movie #nimona headcanon #nimona #ambrosius goldenloin #ballister boldheart #ballister x ambrosius #goldenheart #i keep remembering different things she said and adding them #so if it looks like it’s changing it’s cause it is #I told my mama you founder her funny and she said and I quote #well of course they do I’m hilarious #I love my family so much #they're so fucking funny #there is nothing batter than watching movies with them #it's always fun to watch them pretend to hate it for the first five minutes and love it for the rest of the movie #she deadass called this guy balls #she actually remembered his name tho so you know he’s her favorite #I know I’m gonna get thirst edits in the middle of the night now

[boiboiperson]

Recently watched Nimona and it was so fucking good. However I haven't seen anyone talking about a race/racism allegory I noticed. I might be reading too much into it but whatever.

Watching the movie I felt like parts of Ballister's character can be paralled to racism in the real world. While the whole thing about him being the first commoner to become a knight thing (forgot what they're called sorry) has the most parallels to classism, I also feel like it's a bit similar to POCs first being able to join groups and stuff. Also I know there were other POC knights before Bal I'm just seeing it as an analogy.

Also the way the media in the movie treated Bal gave a whole lot of "he's a terrorist" vibes. Idk how it is in other countries but here in the UK brown people are often unfortunately associated with terrorism. As a half-brown person imma assume many other brown Brits can relate with me in that I feel like instances of terrorism by brown people is often hyper focused on by the media and news whereas terrorism by white people is often ignored or is labelled as literally anything other than terrorism despite being so.

What I'm getting at is that the language surrounding Bal by the news reminds me of racism spurred by the hyper focus on terrorism by brown people. He's called a "villain". Villains are often thoughts to be evil in nature. This reminds me a lot of what racists say; "it's in their nature" or "that's just how them lot are". This can also be seen in how no other commoner is allowed to become a knight thing after the Queen dies; they believe that all commoners are like Bal so they created a further barrier between them.

I first noticed this allegory when Nimona says something like "they see you as a villain and me a monster" (don't remember it properly sorry). Nimona is a monster because she is something they don't understand, Bal is a villain because he is evil in nature just like others like him.

Alrighty this was very long but I just wanted to point out something I ended up hyper analysing. Personally I feel like this might be one of the best racism allegories I've seen in a while. Loved the movie, give it a watch if you didn't.

Edit: rewatched the movie and I just realised that when Bal was gonna take out the phone the Director went "he's got a weapon!" NAAAA THAT WAS INTENTIONAL

#nimona #ballister blackheart #allegory #racisim #nimona movie #nimona 2023 #would add image of the knight painting over the poster but netflix wont let me take screenshots :(

[riririkinzi]

GOLDEN HORIZONS AND BOLD TIDES

Hey guys! You remember my update about my Goldenheart Little mermaid fic that's been discontinued because I don't like the summary I made and that I'm gonna rewrite it in a different plot? Well I am while collabing with @long-distance-muse we've come up with some HC/Summary and stuff before the actuall fic cause why not (＾＾)人(＾＾)

HERE ARE SOME HEADCANONS/SUMMARY

• Valerin Adopted Bal when he was 2 years old, since his parents were killed that time and the incident gave him a scar on his face which makes him a prince of the merfolk kingdom

• Bal is a curious mer since forever, quite and shy yet he had an enchanting voice that would make anyone fall for him.

• Valerin would often tell stories of the world above from her point of view cause she knew how curious Bal is, and he loves hearing them.

• Merfolks below 16 are allowed to go above the surface if their acompanied by anyone above 16 which is the age of their adulthood.

• A merfolks life span is up to 300 years but when a human and a mers lips joined together for the first time, a mers lifespan would be cut into 200 and the human's lifespan would be the same.

• Merfolks would began to age really slowly when they reach 20 and so would a human if the 2 would kiss.

• When merfolks die their body dissolves into seafoam after their last breath and left what they last wore during their deaths.

• Bal own a garden where his most colorful flowers are gathered together of a circle like the sun.

• When Bal was 13 the noticed the guards brought home a statue of a young man around his age or maybe a year older and it was a head till it's chest.

• Bal somehow was mesmerized by it's young and handsome face, so he ask Valerin to keep the staue as a display for his garden and placed it in the center of the flowerbed and stare at it all day.

• Bal was also known for staring above, when the seas were calm, he would perch himself on a rock and stare upward for hours, watching the dim and distant star, lost in his own thoughts.

• On his 16th birthday the first thing he saw were the fireworks blasting off with different bright colors and stars in the sky so he sat on the nearest rock to gaze at it all night till the morning.

• A while after that night he found Nimona when she was in their shark form when he was collecting human items and together they would explore shipwrecks for human items.

• Nimona could have been adopted but prefer to be his Ward and Bal just accepts it.

• Nimona's still a shapeshifter and mistreated but the humans so she fled to the sea and decided to have her signature form as a mershark.

• At the age of 20, when Bal and Nimona went to the surface he spotted a ship with so many lights and music playing with the fireworks launching at the sky.

• Bal and Nimona reached the lifeboats to get a closer look, and from Bal's pov, he was amazed from the sight, so much joy, laughter, lanters glowing bright and music playing beautifuly with crafted instruments, and people were celebrating.

• But what caught his attention was him, Ambrosius, a Noble from a long bloodline of Knights, the center of attention and the man from his statue that must have grown.

• His heart was fluttered for he could not take his eyes of Ambrosius not even Nimona's voice can stop him.

• Soon a great big storm came, damaging everything from the ship, people panicked as Bal and Nimona got off the boats cause the humans are about to escape.

• Ambro wasn't able to reach the surface as he was drowning, Bal knew he was gonna die and had to save him and swim as fast as he can.

• The storm had calm while sun rose at it's peak, as Bal place Ambro laying down on the sand.

• For a moment Bal couldn't help but gaze at Ambro, his scaley hand carrassing his strong strucured face.

• He slowly placed a soft kiss in his forehead, breathing as Ambro had slowly opened his heavy eyelids halfway through but closes them again.

• Suddenly Bal heard footsteps of running and some shouting, meaning humans are coming so he heads back to the water as fast as he could and hid himself behind the rock.

• As the humans ran towards Ambro, they immediently carried his unconcoius body as Bal watches over while hiding.

• As he swam back to the sea, he couldn't stop thinking about the night he saved Ambro, how he first caught an eye on him and gaze into him.

• Every night he swims to the same shore where he dropped him off, sat on the rock on the shore, watches over Ambro sitting on the balcony as the moon shines bright, wandering on who saved him.

• He was desperate to tell Ambro that it was Bal who saved him and desperate to become human.

• He had no choice but to seek the sea witch as Nimona carefully and quietly follows him.

• Once he enters it's home, the seawitch didn't show her face but only it's eyes and tentacles.

• Bal asked and begged the witch to become human and so the witch agrees to do so.

• She warns him that if he gains true loves kiss with Ambro, before the morning after a year of being human, he'll have the ability to become human and merman anytime he wants, but if he doesn't he'll die and turns into seafoam.

• She also warns him that every step he takes would feel like he's walking on knives and broken glass.

• The seawitch reminds him that her offer isn't free since he must pay the price and that price would be 2 things he owns: his Arm and his tounge.

• So Bal accepts the offer as he lets the witch cuts his arm off and his tounge with her tentacles.

• After giving his tounge and arm to the seawitch, she immediently gathered everything to make the potion.

• Before handed the bottle to Bal once she's done, she also reminded him that he has to drink it on land before sunrise, and once he drinks it he'll feel the pain as if a swords pierce right through his body.

• Once Bal left the seawitch with the bottle he held onto, Nimona swam towards him begging him not to do this cause she doesn't want to lose him, his kissed her forehead and continues to swam up to the surface.

• Once he reaches the land, while the moon is at it's peak, he instantly drank the potion till it's empty, he groaned as if a knife plunged through him then his body collapsed as everything went to darkness.

• When Bal wakes up, the first thing he saw was Ambro looking at him, asking his name, and if he's alright, but since Bal couldn't speak, he stayed silent.

• Bal is taken in by an enchanted Ambrosius who feels a strange inclination to the mysterious stranger.

• He gets cleaned up and dressed in finery, which is when Nimona sneaks in and chews him out since Queen Valerin is worried and they’re mad that he just left them despite her asking not to leave them too (could be used to set up conflict on a sequel) but they ultimately understand how love can make people do stupid things so she lends her help as long as Bal doesn’t do anything stupid like turn into seafoam.

• In his rooms which Ambro gave Bal to rest in, he was trying to practice walking, it was hard and painful at first due to the seawitch's warning, but he learns to get ignore her and gotten used to walking more.

• Bal haves dinner with Ambs and they get to know each other better. Ambs starts theorizing that Bal might be royal because of his etiquette, wit and hopes so cause he down bad right now.

• The next day, they go on a date in the village, and they accidentally cause a scene where Bal’s feet hurt too much that he collapses and Ambs catches him. But that makes the hood he wears fall down, revealing that the noble was in town with a stranger.

• This makes it to the director, who is a guest who was staying with the insistence of Amb’s parents to help them set him up for a political marriage that would increase their political power while making Ambs happy. But the director just wanted another noble in the palm of her hands.

• For almost a year, the Director starts sabotaging their hangouts and tries to constantly embarrass Bal to the point that he is ‘commoner’, there are rare times that her plan worked but most of them didn't.

• Nimona catches on to her plan and informs Bal, who goes toe to toe with the director in the court.

• Ambs sees Bal in his element, and realizes that it was Bal who saved him from the storm, he wants to marry him whether he’s a noble or a commoner.

• Director realizes that the stranger is more of a threat than she realizes, so she switches tactics and instead of trying to chase him out, resolves to kill him.

• Nim, Bal, and Ambs notice and react differently. Nim tries to find a solution to bring Bal back to the sea where he’s safer. Bal starts second guessing because of one trap where Nimona got hurt in. and Ambrosius realizes that the person he loves is in danger and resolves to confront and stop the director before she kills him.

• Ambs confronts the director and is backed into a corner of either he marries the woman she arranges for him or his lover dies and he agrees to save Bal, and Bal overhears that Ambs agreed to marry another and is heartbroken.

• Looking for Nimona to make sure they go back safely and to turn into seafoam from despair.

• For the afternoon till sunset, he sat on a rock at the shore thinking about his death, and for the first time now as a human, tears from his eyes had shed down through his face from all the pain and suffering he's in, all of those sacrifices for nothing.

• Nimona finds Ballister in tears, learns about what happened, and shows him the dagger that she trades her hair for the seawitch, and tells him that he can return to a merman if he just draws Amb’s blood.

• Bal is conflicted but he doesn’t wanna leave Nimona alone with all the hair they have given up for (cause death is significantly harder to arrange visits for) and hides the dagger under his pillow.

• Ambs bursts in, sees Nimona and Bal, Nimona shifts and hides behind Bal and Ambs is afraid. Now Bal realizes he truly has to pick between the sea and land.

• Bal shields Nimona behind him and approaches Ambs, hugging him sadly before leading him to his bed. He beckons Nimona closer.

• Nimona explains situation, Ambs shares his side, lovers realize they can’t be together and Ambs takes the knife and lightly drags it over his heart, just enough to cause blood to spill on Bal.

• Bal faints from the pain of transforming again then lands on Amb's arms, he carries his body to the sea, where Queen Valerin waits for them after Nimona spilled the beans.

• Bal spent the next few weeks in his room in sadness thinking how he never got to say goodbye to Ambro, that 2 worlds can't be together, and most importantly that he trade his tounge, his arm for nothing, forever will he spent the rest of his 300 years of living in silence, but alteast he'll keep his memories of him.

• Valerin ensuing shovel talk and slight respect for the human who cared enough for her son to agree to a loveless marriage.

• Not only Ambro's parents find out the Director's plan but also that Bal was a merman and it was him that saved Ambro, and gave him their blessings immediently.

• Ambs sets Bal down and kisses him on the lips, magic sparkles, Bal got his voice back and finally can now be human-merman.

• Val is impressed by the power of their love and grants Ambs the power to turn into a merman, his life span would extend into 200 years with Bal and offers them to wed in the oceanic courts.

• They wed, kiss, all the wedding night stuff if you’re into that and officially adopt Nimona.

• Head back to land the next day to a fuming Director, shows off the wedding rings, Queen Val shows up in her ocean queen glory and demands the director’s arrest for threatening her heir.

The redesign of Merman Bal is coming soon along with some art and more. But right now enjoy on this list that me and the amazing @long-distance-muse made together

(This is a mixture of the Hans Christian Anderson, Disney and some little inspiration of @mvjerbs Prince Ballister AU)

#ballister boldheart #nimona #ambrolister #ballister blackheart #ballister x ambrosius #ballsius #goldenheart #little mermaid #au #mermaid #merman

[jajanvm-imbi]

Musical Themes in Nimona: Ballister's Introduction

So Im a bit if a music nerd, and as I’ve been rewatching Nimona and listening to the score (Which is now available and you should totally TOTALLY listen to it if youre into intrumental music, it is FIRE) and I love trying to catch little leitmotifs in the music and learn how the music is telling the story. While listening to the score I caught something that really made my heart happy so I’m gonna share!!

🚨⚠️Long Post Alert⚠️🚨

Since Tumblr is a SQUARE and doesn’t allow multiple videos in a post, I'm gonna compile all of my clips to a single video and number the clips so you can hear what I'm talking about as I explain

Okay here we go!

1. Ballister’s Theme: This little melody is meant to represent Ballister in the music, particularly when something important happens in Ballister’s arc. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear it throughout the score. 

I wrote it out as sheet music just so its easier to notice how its being used. Ballister’s theme is in C# Major

2. Ballister's Theme in "The Night to Knight": This piece is played at the very beginning of the movie when the news reporters are giving us, (the audience) the rundown of whats happening. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear Ballister’s theme play when the reporters start talking about Ballister, its just in a different key. (I mixed the music louder in this example cause in the actual movie the music is much MUCH softer and that's how I missed it the first time)

I wrote it out as sheet music too. The note progression has the same intervals between each note as the original Ballister’s theme, just in G major instead of C# Major.

I just thought it was supes interesting how the music introduces us, the audience, to Ballister before we meet the guy :) And that sweet sexy brass and strings section playing his theme very heroically and triumphantly indicates that, again, before we have even met Ballister, that he's going to be a major character. The movie wastes no time in telling us who Ballister is and his importance to the story both literally (the news reporters talking about him) and musically (in the score). Which is a good thing since the movie is called "Nimona" and the only character you can expect is Nimona.

(^Obviously if you read the comic before watching the movie you knew that. But for those of us who didn't read the comic beforehand, this was a pretty bangin introduction to Ballister)

If you just listen to the score, even without knowing what the story is about, you can sorta put together whats happening based on the musical themes. I listened to Ballister's Theme first (cause I was excited. I love character themes) and then after I listened to The Night to Knight, and I was able to figure out when the reporters started talking about Ballister in the scene based on this alone.

Anyway that's all for now

I am working on a much longer in depth analysis of the musical themes in Nimona, specifically about analyzing Nimona's and Gloreth's theme and how its used in the score. So stay tuned if you're into that sort of thing! :)

#nimona movie #nimona spoilers #nimona film #nimona netflix #nimona #ballister boldheart #ballister blackheart #music #musical analysis #music analysis

[reinedeslys-central]

tbh I keep seeing the takes of ppl (and ballister) about ambrosius thinking he would kill the queen but not play freestyle jazz - and it totally makes sense and all with all the context -

BUT. I just wanna point out.

the look of indecision and shock/surprise on his face every time he sees bal after the incident, and even during the incident? the split second where he considers the other knights about to turn on him for knowing his partner best and steps up to lead the search saying 'before anyone gets hurt'? like say all you will (and I agree), but that scene to me reads exactly like someone trying to get to their lover first and protect them and prove their innocence before others can convict them sans trial (looking at you wangxian) OR, also, the realisation that you have to play it safe because the community has found out your lover is queer and the pitchforks are high, but you've always been the golden child / carrying a legacy, and you make the instinctive decision to stay safe for a multitude of reasons (after all, you can't shelter them by losing your rep too, can you? or so you think. same thing in the 'prom' teen-movie btw which is a whole thing to unpack on another day but this same theme is there!).

the first time he looks like he's against bal is after the director proclaims him leader of the search - and compared to his expressions all before then, it feels so much like a mask (mask-esque. not fake, just.. if you get what I mean? I don't really have the words this is just a brain vomit anyway, insert long discussion abt masks and conflicting emotions here ig) and it cracks immediately when he sees him breaking out of jail with nimona in the hallway. and honestly I'm down to give him a little slack after that because, comedically, he totally walked in RIGHT after ballister talked about murdering everyone, and then our boi didn't even manage to blurt out that he was innocent they just got caught up angstily staring at each other. which. :)

even in all the scenes that come after - yeah, definitely can see the totally-thought-he-was-the-killer-ambrosius-why-are-you-like-this angle. and i agree. bad moves all around, dude. but! my man lowering his crossbow in the market? I don't know about you but that doesn't look like a someone who's only holding back because he loves the target. that's a guy that looks unsure about the process the whole way through the scene. (bit of a stretch I know) and the thing that ties it together is the conversation with the director in the car. when he talks about feeling unsure of his legacy? the moment with the crowd and autograph? feeling like a traitor to his personal beliefs and the institution he was raised for? the hope, trying to discreetly make it to the car? it's all there, man. he's isolated from the only person that thinks differently, still outwardly pretending he's 100% with the institute's actions and lashing out with the things that still make sense and overlap with both mindsets.

yeah, ambrosius definitely messed up (ex. 1: arm-chopping as a love language of brainwashing omg pure gold) but? every step makes sense. i'd cut anyone a bit of slack for the doubt and wanting to reconcile their life when everything's turned on its head, especially after hearing bf in question saying he wants to murder everyone ^v^

and also i just. this movie is SO COOL for somehow touching on so many themes so core to so many peoples' experiences. TT y'all please go watch it it's free on yt until feb 26 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4CFWTYFRlw

definitely going to read the comic as soon as I can - I know it's supposed to be way darker, more subtle, with an ambiguous ending but that's it, so excited to see the original spin on this story :))

#nimona #nimona 2023 #ballister boldheart #ambrosius goldenloin #meta #thoughts #ballister x ambrosius #movies

[melemele-island-official]

hey :] what are your headcanons about trans ballister? did he get surgery or is he more of a binder type of guy?

originally after first watching the movie, i saw him as a binder guy, but after a month or two of scrolling through (awesome) nimona content, i came to where i am now:

i headcanon that he would be a top surgery guy!

during movie canon, he got super behind on his T, yknow he can’t just roll up to the pharmacy and be like yo i need my boy goop (this man would be so afraid of needles and you can’t convince me otherwise—he had to deal with his bleeding amputated arm, but ambrosius needs to hold him down when he’s getting a flu shot) so yeah i feel like he’d use the like…goo(?) form T because needles yuck BUT I DIGRESS

i don’t know what the effects are of getting behind on T but it probably doesn’t feel nice

so the moment he was able to be actually seen in public without getting jumped he was like “nimona get in the car we’re going to the pharmacy”

ALSO just thought of a cool new thing that’s kinda angsty and kinda dangerous

diy top surgery go brr

like before he went into hiding he wore binders but then he was like “screw this i cauterized my own damn arm lets yeet the teets while we’re at it”

#ballister boldheart #transmasc #nimona

[beetlevsboy]

Okay. I’ve watched the nimona movie twice now. Thoughts.

The first time I watch the movie, I’m not gonna lie. I was kind of a dick about it in my head just because going into it I did expect like a comic adaptation, but re-watching the movie I actually really liked it. I will always have a lot of love for the comic, and I think that the nuances in the dynamics and relationships are incredibly well written, and just are very realistic in the way that people emotions can’t just be healed overnight and trust is not something that can be re-one as easily as helping someone you hurt after hurting them for so long. But in terms of the movie as a way for, specifically children, younger people who are the target audience to understand things like classism, explicit queer representation, and fear that is not only unfounded, but pushed by means of excuses from idealize figures being spoken for by people who have never met them, and barely believe in themselves, just the ideas the associate with the idealized figure (Jesus/ galorith). I love how the queerness grew, as originally this was a college comic made by ND in the 2000s and now is a explicit love story throughout the entire movie. Originally I disliked the fact that Ambrosius was not the one to make the decision to hurt Ballister. That sounds bad, but in the original the reason that bal is hurt is just Ambrosius’s own hubris and his inability to comprehend the hurt he’s caused after, causing their relation ship to fester for years.

Re-watching it and bringing over the comic some more, I don’t love the lack of time skip, but I think it makes a lot more sense with the plot that they introduced in the movie and I think that expanding on why Ambrosius made the decision he did, even if it changes his responsibility in the situation, was a good decision. I had a lot of thoughts on Ambrosius and his demeanor, and just the way that he was manipulated while also making his own personal bad decisions, so I went into the movie with that on my mind, and that’s just not how you should go into this movie because then you’re going to have the wrong ideas about Ambrosius in this movie, who is a different character from him in the comics. He’s a better person who was being manipulated and honestly fuck anyone who says that worst representation.

Some things I loved even more than the comic is the way more explicit trans metaphor in the story and I loveddd the pacing. I think that while I missed Blitzmeyer, I really liked the squire and I loveeed the insight into nimona and galoreths relationship. I missed the directors reveal of being an elf or something as well as some of the more horror-esk vibes but I think the scifi fantasy was a vibe and the director being human was a good way to to symbolize her as a representation for false narratives as a whole and the impact that can have on people being led by them. The clear anti classism message was amazing and I loved it and I adored Nimona’s entire vibe as well. The soundtrack was great and her being into alt culture just makes a lot of sense in any time period the movie is based in.

Tdlr: don’t go into Nimona (movie) with any ideas from the comics. It’s not the same story and that’s okay. It’s a way to interact with younger audiences and help them understand about differentness and that it’s not a bad thing. The movie was beautiful and I’m very happy for everyone who got to be apart of it.

#nimona #ambrosius goldenloin #ballister blackheart #ballister boldheart #the director #nimona movie #nimona comic #eugene lee yang #I’m so happy for him he did so amazing #all of the cast did and the animators as well

[moongeonight]

Looking for answers

Summary: during a chase ambrosius captures ballister to get answers from him but since he doesn't want to hurt him he will have to resort to other methods.

A/N: I got this idea from a message of an anon in @otomiya-tickles So... Anon if you see this... I give you the credits 😅

Warnings: a little of angst but not too much to worry.

------------------

Okay, everything gone wrong.

Ballister and Nimona were running from Ambrosius and his knights through different alleys, There came a time when he and Nimona separated.

"it's ok it's ok... It's all good, I just need to hide long enough until..."

PAM

Something hit him behind the head knocking him unconscious.

...

He slowly regains consciousness inside of a tower, the tower is old and dusty, with cobwebs everywhere, He sees a shadow watching him at a distance.

"Hello?" he asks nervous.

"Why can't I move?" he asks himself, He notices his hands are tied to the chair and his legs strapped together, leaving him vulnerable and unable to move or escape.

Suddenly, a voice from the shadows responds, and the shadowy figure begins to move towards him...

when the figure came out of the darkness he immediately realized who it was.

"ambrosius?!" Ballister scream terrified, In front of him was his friend... The one he loved... Now in his eyes a possible murderer.

"Ambrosius, what are you doing?" he greets his friend, a hint of fear in his voice. He looks concerned and confused at the sight of Ambrosius, uncertain of his intention behind tying him up.

At first Ambrosius doesn't answer him, he just looks at him coldly and then says.

"listen Ballister, I still have a lot of questions and I know if I take you with the director you will be arrested and I won't get answers, so that's what I'm looking for... answers"

Ambrosius's words make Ballister's blood run cold. He tries to compose himself, but can't help but feel a hint of fear when confronted by his trusted friend.

"Ambrosius, what are you talking about?" Ballister asks, his voice shaky.

Ambrosius covered his face with his hands frustrated, it was clear that he also had a dilemma in what to believe and what not.

"Look... For now just answer my questions. Where is your other partner?"

"Your other partner...? Ah! Nimona!" Ballister thought as he had forgotten about her for the whole thing happening, Surely she would come to rescue him! ...in any moments...Either way he couldn't tell ambrosius anything about nimona.

"I... don't know" Ballister responds reluctantly, not wanting to say anything that could put Nimona in danger. He keeps thinking of Nimona, wondering if she is okay and if she is out there searching for him as well, hoping to be rescued by her.

"I have to be honest, Ambrosius, I don't know where Nimona is" Ballister continues, his voice more comfortable after speaking the truth.

Ambrosius just narrowed his eyes a little with a look that said "yep, I don't believe you".

"No, really, I don't know where Nimona is!" Ballister protests, feeling himself getting defensive by Ambrosius's skepticism.

"Just take off these restraints! And why have you tied me up like this anyway?"

"Well, it's in case things get a little... complicated" he said, crossing his arms, although... Ballister swears that for a second he saw a smile on his face... it was maybe his imagination, so ambrosius spoke again.

"Well if you don't know where she is, tell me where you and her have been hiding"

"Why should I tell you anything?" Ballister says, his tone becoming more aggressive due to his increasing frustration with Ambrosius.

"I am innocent and yet you have tied me up against my will like some criminal and I refuse to say anything to you until you release me" Ballister states adamantly, his voice becoming slightly louder.

"..." Ambrosius doesn't say anything for several seconds, he has a blank look before responding.

"...you really want to do this the hard way huh bal?"

"And what do you plan on doing to me, Ambrosius?" Ballister replies, his anger growing after hearing Ambrosius's threat.

"You and I once worked side by side to protect the people,and now here you are, forcing me to reveal information under the threat of violence.

"Hey! Who said i would use violence?" he said in an offended tone since he would never hurt someone even to get answers, although he tried not to show it, Ballister's words had affected him.

"Then what did you imply when you said, 'do it the hard way'?" Ballister questions, feeling more and more suspicious about Ambrosius.

"Well... Since you insist so much" he said as he got behind Ballister and since Ballister was tied to the chair he couldn't see what Ambrosius is doing or about to do.

Hearing Ambrosius's footsteps behind him causes Ballister to become extremely nervous.

"What are you doing back there? You wouldn't hurt me, would you, Ambrosius?" Ballister asks, his voice shaking slightly, He struggles to turn and see what Ambrosius is doing behind him.

Ambrosius felt horrible when he saw that ballister thought he was going to hurt him, but again he didn't show it.

"No bal, I won't hurt you, but i still nedd to get answers" In that, Ambrosius's hands went to Ballister's armpits and he began... To tickle him?!.

"Do you remember this bal?" he said in a sarcastic way.

"Ah! Ambrosius! St-stop it!" Ballister says, trying to suppress a laugh as he hears Ambrosius's voice become more playful.

He tries to remain calm and serious, but the ticklishness of Ambrosius's touch has him fighting back laughter.

"Yeah... I don't think so" ambrosius was trying to hide his own smile as he continued to tickle ballister, he already knew that he was very ticklish, so he had faith that it would work

"So where are you and that girl hiding?" He ask again still tickling him.

"Haha! I... I... cahahan't... tehehell you!" Ballister says, his resistance to the ticklish attack weakening, He tries to be stern and imposing, but his laughter makes him sound vulnerable and helpless like a child.

"Stubborn as always... Don't worry... I'm just getting started" he said tickling his armpit with one hand and his neck with the other.

"where is nimona?!" Ballister thought, still waiting for her to rescue him from this.

"Wait... wahahahait! Hahahaha! stoopp!" Ballister says, starting to struggle against his restraints as he continues to be tickle tortured by Ambrosius, He continues laughing hysterically, his body shaking and his cheeks turning bright red from the continuous tickling.

"Hahahaha! Stop! I mehehean it!" Ballister protests, trying to keep up his guard, but failing miserably.

"You're already turning red..." Ambrosius said with a smile but without stopping "if you want it to stop, you know what I want to hear"

"N-no, stop it! I'm not tehehelling you anything! Ahahaha no! stohohop it!!" Ballister protests, still struggling to be taken seriously by Ambrosius, even while his face is turning more and more red from the constant tickling.

"hahahaha! Let me go! I mean it! I'm not tehehelling you, Ambrosiuhus! Hahahaha!" Balister says in between fits of laughter.

Then Ambrosius stops for a few moments, not only to give Ballister a rest but also to think of where else he could tickle him, while Ballister was begging internally that nimona still went to rescue him.

Ballister feels a slight sense of relief when Ambrosius stops tickling him, but he is still red and gasping forair from the torture, he really tries not to laugh, but he feels his whole body twitching from the residual tickling.

"Dohon't you dare..." he says to Ambrosius, trying to stand his ground.

"If I remember correctly..." He said ignoring what ballister said "Your most ticklish point is... Here" he said touching his ribs.

"NO! HAHAHA! NOHOHO! PLEASE NO!" Ballister exclaims, his voice rising from his laughter and pleading, He struggles even more now as he tries to escape from Ambrosius's touch, but the ropes make it impossible.

"PLEASE EVERYTHING BUT THERE! HAHAHAHAHA!" Ballister begged beginning to have tears in his eyes.

"Urgh! He knows damn well where I'm ticklish!" Ballister thought Remembering their tickle fights in the past.

He remembers their tickle fights in the past with a fond fondness even while in this terrible situation. Ambrosius's attack makes him unable to resist the laughter and he is left in a state of utter helplessness.

Ambrosius was about to say something, but he was interrupted by the collapse of the door of the apparently abandoned building, a pink rhino ran towards Ambrosius and hit him, leaving him Unconscious and with his horn she locked him in a nearby closet, then she transformed again into a girl.

"Hey boss!" Nimona said happily.

Balister's face lights up when he sees Nimona, He can't believe she came to rescue him!

"Nimona! Did you come to save me?" Ballister says, his voice full of joy as he looks at his savior, He is very relieved and thankful to see his friend, but Ambrosius's unconscious body causes him to look worried once again, He turns to Nimona with a concerned look on his face.

"What happened to Ambrosius?" Balister said, pointing at Ambrosius's unconscious form in the closet.

"Ah don't worry I just left him unconscious" she said smiling clearly without caring much.

"Good bye strings!" she said starting to untie the ties.

Balister watches as Nimona unties him, feeling his tension and worry wash away with each tie she unravels.

Balister turns to face Nimona and sees her smiling and doesn't seem concerned about Ambrosius's condition.

"But what about Ambrosius? Shouldn't we at least make sure he's okay?" Balister asks, concerned for Ambrosius's safety.

"..."

"you're a softie..." She said transforming into a gorilla and dragging ballister out of the building with ballister protesting...

#nimona #tickling #tickle fic #lee! ballister #ballister boldheart #ambrosius goldenloin

[liltalle]

Sorting Hat Chats - Nimona

@sevilemar got me to watch the wonderful new movie Nimona. I'm very excited about it, and I thought I'd try my hand at sorting the main characters, since I haven't seen that done yet. Here are the basic of the system I'm using.

Spoilers below the cut:

This is a very Snake Primary movie overall, so I'm going to start with our most obvious Snake Primaries and work from there.

The titular Nimona is a Snake primary. In her flashback, we see her seeking connection with all the different animals, but it only works when she finds Gloreth. And then Gloreth is her PERSON, they're in love, it's adorable, and then, the most heartbreaking thing that's ever happened to her, Gloreth betrays her. And thus her Snake primary burns. She doesn't connect with anyone else (we might assume) for the next thousand years, and tho she's self-confident and self-sufficient, she admits that the hatred from others makes it hard for her to value herself. Then she hears about Ballister, and she gets very excited, because here's, finally, a potential kindred spirit. She takes Ballister to be the classic burnt Snake/Bird villain archetype, wanting to take revenge on the world that rejected him, and is disappointed when that's not quite him (I'll elaborate when I get to sorting Ballister). Nimona herself is angry with the Kingdom and its rejection of her, but she seems to keep her anger to graffiti and fantasies of revolution, but Ballister, if her new person wants to overthrow the government, she's all on board and will help him however she can. Even when he's not what she expected and doesn't fully accept her yet, sticking with him and helping him is so much better than being alone, and she'll stand by him until he completely rejects and fears her.

Nimona's obstacle to the acceptance she craves is wrapped up in her secondary: She's a Lion. I read once that a shapeshifter Lion secondary would have a distinguishing trait that would be constant through all their forms, and that's obviously Nimona. Her animal forms are consistent over a thousand years, her impression of Ballister has a red streak in his hair and acts like her, and when she properly acts (a bit of a Bird model), as the Demon Baby and Ambrosius, she loses patience and lets herself through pretty quickly, terrifying the Squire and making Ambrosius' death a bit over the top. And her consistent difference from everyone around her is her struggle, she can look similar to all the animals but not so similar that they accept her. Gloreth, miraculously, accepts her human form and her shapeshifting abilities as well... until she doesn't. So she's careful, opening up to Ballister again. She's Nimona, she's defiantly herself, and not defined by any group, but she's reluctant to explain. She does enjoy lying to Ballister, but only as a momentary joke. (And maybe jabbing at his gullibility is related to her burnt tendency to trust people at face value?) She gradually reveals herself, until she's unmasked as Gloreth's monster, and Ballister leaves her.

And now she's broken, she burns entirely, I think, primary and secondary. She takes a form without any of her usual red, and she's not playing a role, she's become the monster they all think she is. And she loses her weakened sense of self-preservation entirely. She is only drawn to the statue of the woman she loved and who betrayed her.

Until Ballister stops her. "I'm sorry. I see you, Nimona. And you're not alone." Ballister knows all her secrets and still sees her true self, her Person finally accepts all of her authenticity... and she returns to herself and falls into his arms.

In light of all this, I was at first confused by her final sacrifice, but then I noticed, first she looks at the screaming crowds, and looks upset, but only after she looks back at Ballister, and sees his horror, does her face turn to resolve. She's always empathized with the people of the Kingdom, especially children (as they feel like her, similarity is a good way for Snakes to connect), but I don't think she's ever really taken them as her problem. But when Ballister fully accepts her, she fully accepts him, which includes, as Snakes tend to, adopting his values. She takes his duty to defend the people as her own. He's a hero, and she's his sidekick.

(Damn, I want to cry again.)

Ambrosius Goldenloin's Snake primary is very clear from his imagined monologue to the Director, so I'll quote it at length here: "I've lost my mind. I've lost everything. The man I love, my best friend." He just says his everything is his Person. Followed by a note of jealousy: "Although now he's got a new best friend. What's that about?" His distrust of Ballister, here and elsewhere, is distinctly framed as "What else is he hiding? Who is the real him?" because if he never knew Ballister, then their connection wasn't real, and his loyalty to him isn't owed. But he isn't sure he's wrong about Bal, and so he keeps trying to make sense of his confusion, and find out if he should still be loyal to him. And he's built Ballister into his sense of self so much that he then asks: "Who am I? A direct descendant of Gloreth? I never asked for that." This man's not a Lion primary, he doesn't find his destiny or heritage meaningful in defining himself. And finally: "Now everyone expects me to arrest Ballister. And if I don't, I'm a traitor to you. And if I do, I'm a traitor to him!" He frames his choice as a binary one between two personal loyalties: to the Director, and to Ballister. They are his People, deciding between them is the only thing that matters. Gloreth, the Institute, the ideals he was taught, they don't even register for him. And Ambrosius deciding which of the two to trust is much of his arc.

His secondary is less explicit, but I think the clearest moment of him problem-solving is trying to catch Ballister on the subway. Todd, a stereotypical Lion secondary, sees an obvious clue and immediately wants to move. But Ambrosius waits, and watches. And his first clue is "He hates freestyle jazz." His skill in this investigation, as he argued before, is that he knows Ballister the best, so he'll have the best chance of catching him. He's invested in Ballister, so he has power around him. And once Ambrosius has thoroughly watched the full clip (and asked a tech where the train is going), only then does he decide where to go. The thoroughness and humility here, coupled with his intro scene giving Ballister such care and support, make me think Ambrosius is a Badger secondary. A Lover archetype for our hero/villain's boyfriend, but a variation who's very conflicted with a whole lot of agency. I love it. (And his sorting matches mine.)

Ballister Boldheart/Blackheart is a wonderful Bird primary, with an arc of transforming his belief system over the course of the movie, who models Snake for the two important Snake primaries in his life.

He starts out with a dream, "I'm here to slay monsters and protect our kingdom." But it's never about his specialness, I think he just absorbed the cultural narrative, and so just did what seemed like the obvious right thing. (Flashbacks to my Bird primary model) By the time he graduates the Institute, they've "brainwashed [him] good", as Nimona says. The Institutional Badgery values of protecting the Kingdom from monsters has become entirely his. And the public's doubt in him gets to him, he has trouble not absorbing their input.

And when it all falls apart, he's immediately concerned with the Truth. He's innocent, this isn't right, he just needs to give the right people the right information and it'll all be fine. He's not the burnt Snake primary villain Nimona expects, his values are still pretty intact despite everyone turning on him. It takes time for them to break down. The plot challenges him one piece at a time. When he sees the video, he edits his system enough to say that "the Institute's not the problem, the Director is." He gradually accepts more and more of Nimona. When Ambrosius rejects him, he decides it's ok to embrace the villain role a bit and have fun.

He definitively turns on Nimona not because of his loyalty to her or to Ambrosius, but because of a piece of paper (so Bird pri) and a deep part of his system: "Gloreth's monster is the embodiment of evil and what the Kingdom needs protection from." Only when he sees Nimona again, understands her, and lets go of this belief can he fully accept her. His early system, "I'm here to slay monsters and protect our kingdom" is half transformed. He's no longer here to slay monsters, he's still here to protect the Kingdom - but by accepting the Monster.

I think he's also a Bird secondary. He builds his own arm in a derelict tower. He makes an innocence wall to connect the dots. He likes making plans and he's initially uncomfortable with Nimona's improvisation when things inevitably go south. There's a particular way he's supposed to do this, honestly, quietly, carefully. But then, when Ambrosius rejects him, he takes up a bit of an Actor mask of the villain role, and he and Nimona start to sync and have fun together. He trusts his training and he's better at swordplay than any of the other knights, because, as Ambrosius said, he worked harder than any of them. And he learns to plan with Nimona, using her shapeshifting as a tool to get the confession from the Director. And him leaving his sword behind, "I don't fight for her anymore", the tools he uses are an important part of his identity.

The Director is definitely an Idealist. Her values are Badgery, about protecting the community from the outgroup, but her final decision to turn the cannon on the city shows that this ideal is inflexible when it comes to protecting actual people. Since we don't see her change, it's hard to tell which Idealist primary she is, but I think she's a Lion. She tells Ambrosius!Nimona that she had a dream as a child, and simply states that Ballister's knighthood would be the first crack in the wall. She has a monologue, but it's not an explanation. And when everyone around her turns on her, she doesn't update, she doesn't change like Ballister does, her convictions are internal and she carries them to the terrible end. And I think she's a Bird secondary. Lasers are her distinctive tools, to kill the Queen, to knock down Ambrosius, and to (try to) kill Nimona. She plots and lies, easily but carefully, on her own, no improvisation and no support from others. Her monologue is just her dropping her mask and speaking her Liony conviction.

Todd (Thoddeus) Sureblade strikes me as a pretty stereotypical Double Lion. He's impulsive, ready to rush off to catch Ballister at the first clue of where he went. He's a Glory Hound, competing with Ambrosius to lead the knights. And he never questions that he's in the right and better than those around him, until the very end. We only see his sad expression, but reading into that, I think the way the final battle ended shook him, and he's done some emotional soul-searching.

And while my sortings for the antagonist characters are more tentative, I enjoy the concept that this story, that's so much about inverting classical tropes, would invert the character archetypes such that Snake and Bird primaries are the heroes and Lion primaries (with Badgery and Glory Hound values) are the villains.

(These are the 5 characters I think we know enough about to sort decently. The Queen, the Squire, and Gloreth don't get much screen time.)

To sum up:

Nimona - Snake/Lion (Bird sec model)

Ambrosius - Snake/Badger

Ballister - Double Bird (Snake pri model)

The Director - Lion/Bird

Todd (Thoddeus) Sureblade - Double Lion

(If anyone else has sorted these characters, or has disagreements, I'd love to hear about it. I'm trying to get better at this.)

#nimona #sortinghatchats #ballister boldheart #ballister blackheart #ambrosius goldenloin #nimona film #shc #snake primary

[esperr]

My thoughts on the new trolls movie (me ranting about trolls 3 for way to long)

Disclaimer: I am aware this is just a kids movie and it’s not supposed to be a cinamatic masterpiece. I am mostly just writing this for my own entertainment

I absolutely love doing these movie reviews, my first one being on the nimona move (I will link it at the bottom for anyone who is interested)

Now I will start this off by saying that I did NOT watch the 2nd trolls movie so some of the plot holes I might mention in this post could be things I missed because of that, but most of these are specific to this particular movie

The first thing I noticed are the many inconsistencies, such as when Gristle gets his eyebrow pulled off but only a second later he is shown with both eyebrows fully in-tact. Although, the main problem I have with this movie in in fact NOT the inconsistencies, so I will leave those at that.

At the begging of the movie we see branch as a baby. His family is separated and he is left with his grandmother who is eventually eaten by a Bergen. After this is the wedding scene. During this scene poppy expresses how badly she wishes she had a sister. This whole bit of dialogue just seems so forced. It’s as if the writers were trying to figure out how to make a movie centered around branch about poppy. This is where we get into the main thing I disliked about this movie: The sheer amount of side plots.

The first side plot we run into is poppy’s yearning for a sister. We then see her father grimace and it is extremely obvious right off the bat that she most definitely has one. This was definitely a VERY strange choice considering this movie is supposed to be about branch finding HIS family members. Adding poppy’s sister into the mix is just completely unnecessary and it adds nothing to the movie overall. It essentially just takes away from the main focus of the movie, confusing the viewer.

The second side plot we run into is Tiny diamond wanting to seem grown up. This is just even more unnecessary. Like it’s ok to explore different characters in a movie but REALLY? Why him out of every character? Not to mention that despite trying to “explore” his character, we learned absolutely nothing new about him. They could have instead used this time to explore branch and his brothers a bit more, but alas we are left with these bland brothers who lack personality.

Once poppy finds her sister we run into yet ANOTHER side plot. Poppy’s sister and the other trolls that live in this area are still afraid of the bergens. This honestly just felt like filler at this point as it was a conflict that was already resolved in the very first movie. It felt extremely forced and again took attention away from the actual plot.

Although this movie is about branch and his brothers most of the screentime is used up on little things that barely add anything to the movie. So much in fact that the antagonists BARELY FEEL LIKE THEYRE THERE. Like honestly I forgot they even existed because they have so little screentime. They also tried to give vaneer a redemption arc but failed miserably. They essentially just showed us that he kinda has a little bit of remorse and that’s it. ALSO NOT TO MENTION ONE OF BRANCHES BROTHERS RANDOMLY HAVING A CHILD WITH ANOTHER SPECUES WHAT WAS THAT?? he also just left his wife with all of his children and no help?? Husband of the year award definitely goes to this guy…

The very last thing I found annoying about this blue was when branches brother died and came back to life in the same 2 minutes. They didn’t even have time to shed a single tear because right away he was straight back to life. His death didn’t even matter at that point. They didn’t even have time to use some power of love and family trope because he was alive again just like that.

This brings us to our very last sideplot that did not make sense: just when you think the movie is finally over branch randomly decides to announce that he was also in another band and these random sparkly trolls walk in out of NOWHERE for NO REASON. WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS?? WHAT WAS THAT?? JUST WHY?? Why?? I CANT WCEN ?? WHAT??

When watching this movie I kept thinking to myself: why didn’t they instead use all this time to explore the brothers and backstories or give velvet and vaneer ACTUAL arcs and personalities. But alas we can’t have everything

I barely scratched the surface of how absolutely Absurd this movie was in this post, but if I all about trolls 3 for any longer I think I just might lose my mind. If you made it this far I applaud you. You are very brave

#trolls #trolls band together #trolls 3 #trolls movie #poppy trolls #branch

[averyreaderofmanybooks]

A list of the fandoms I am in. (And how often I interact with content from that fandom.)

Wilderlore (I am very active in the Wilderlore fandom, it is a very underrated fandom.)

DC comics, specifically Batman and stuff about the Robins (My new favorite hyperfixation.)

Dead Pate (I didn't play the game but I watched someone play the game on YouTube and I love the game.)

Wild Kratt's (I loved watching the show as a kid and I still love it.)

Supernatural (I check the Supernatural side of Tumblr often, I also introduced Supernatural to my brother so my entire family likes Supernatural.)

Buzzfeed Unsolved (I loved Buzzfeed Unsolved)

Watcher Mystery Files (I was so happy when I found out that Ryan and Shane were going to continue doing ghost hunting and things like that, I also love puppet history.)

Hamilton (I listen to the musical while I work and I watch the musical sometimes.)

The Music Freaks (I loved this show so much.)

Llamas with hats (I thought the show was amazing but there was also a lot of gore so if you don't like blood or gore then don't watch it.)

The Stanley Parable (I haven’t played the game, but I have watched Evan and Katelyn play the game. Also, I think the game is great.)

The MCU (I am trying to get caught up on all of the Marvel movies, but there are a lot of them so it’s gonna take a while for me to get caught up.)

Nimona (I loved the movie, and I’ve read quite a few stories on Ao3, they have become one of my new coping mechanisms.)

The Inheritance Cycle (I haven’t re-read the books in a while, but I’m really excited about the movie and the new book.)

Hermitcraft (I have only watched a few of Grian’s videos and I’m not really caught up on any of the recent episodes.)

The Owl House (I loved the show, and I might re-watch it at some point. )

Gravity Falls (There is no words in the english language that can express how much I love this show, I haven't watched any of the episodes in a long time, but I might re-watch it.)

She-ra (I f*cking love this show and started re-watching it, and then I started watching Supernatural.)

PJO and all of the book series that came after it (I can’t decide if I want to re-read the series or not, but I think it is an amazing book series.)

SCP (I watch a few videos sometimes but I haven’t been that interested in the fandom.)

The Dream smp (I haven’t been very interested in the fandom since the ending.)

The life series (I watched a lot of Grian's Limited Life videos but I didn’t watch the last episode, I watched a few of Grian’s Double Life videos, but didn't watch 3rd Life or Last Life, but I’m mostly caught up on Secret Life.)

Evolution smp (I loved it.)

Sweet Tooth (I liked the first season and was gonna watch the second one with my family but we never had time to watch it.)

Origins Smp (I used to like the Origins SMP but I haven’t watched many of the videos about it.)

Empires Smp (I loved the first season but I didn’t really like the second season.)

100 Days in a Hardcore Minecraft Apocalypse (I loved the video but I haven’t watched it in a while.)

SCU/Slimecicle Cinematic Universe (I haven’t watched many of the videos.)

Hazbin Hotel (I don’t often interact with this fandom and I don’t know why.)

Amphibia (I loved the show but I haven’t been very interested in it recently.)

Wings of Fire (I haven’t really interacted with this fandom since I finished the most recent book.)

Warrior Cats (I haven’t read the recent book, I stopped reading halfway through “The Broken Code” but I might continue reading, eventually.)

(I will probably edit this list if any of this changes.)

#This is just a list of fandoms I’m in #I’m making this list #so that people can know what fandoms I’m in #DC comics #Wilderlore #Supernatural #Buzzfeed Unsolved #Watcher Mystery Files #The MCU #Nimona #The Inheritance Cycle #Hermitcraft #The Owl House #SCP #The Dream smp #SCU #The life series #Sweet tooth #Origins Smp #Hamilton #PJO #Hazbin Hotel #Amphibia #Wings of Fire #Warrior Cats #Empires Smp #Evolution smp #The Stanley Parable #slimecicle cinematic universe #llamas with hats

[cy-cyborg]

So I sent you an ask before your tumblr got deleted and I’m assuming the ask got deleted too. Basically, when I was watching Nimona I thought Ballistar got his prosthetic too quickly after his amputation. But I don’t actually know how long it takes for an amputation to heal, or to build up the strength needed to use a prosthetic. Also I would have liked to see him learn to use his prosthetic instead of using it perfectly from the beginning. But I’m not an amputee. Are my impressions of this accurate?

Yeah, I'm really sorry about that (also that it took me a little while to answer this time too!), I'm pretty sure my answer was actually the next post in my queue 😅.

So I haven't seen Nimona (I really want to, but I don't currently have Netflix lol) so I can only answer generally, but the healing time is different depending on what you mean by healed. If you mean just the wound healing, that takes a few weeks, usually 2-4 weeks. If you mean able to wear a prosthetic, for leg amps, that's usually 6-8 weeks, but I think it might be shorter for arm amputees since they aren't weight bearing through their stumps. Im not 100% sure, though. To fully heal (the swelling in the stump goes down, general pain settles, etc) can take a year or more, but most people will be back to their normal lives long before that, though. As for building up strength to use the prosthetic, that's really variable. Some people take to their prosthetics REALLY quickly, others take a while. The type of amputation is a big factor, but lots of other little things go into it too. Ballistar is an above-elbow amputee right? As I understand it, those kinds of prosthetics are quite difficult to use, both due to the strength needed and due to them not being super intuitive.

In saying all this though, unless its a focal point of the story or its a very grounded/realistic setting, I'm personally pretty lenient with most sci-fi/fantasy in this regards. We definatly need more media - even fantasy and sci-fi that shows that side of being an amputee or at least puts in effort to acknowledge it, but I think stories that lean a bit more into the fantasy side of things have their place too, especially in stories like Nimona where the focus seems to be elsewhere. This isn't to say you shouldn't try to include the realistic rep where you can, but you have to find a balance between realism and the tone your story has. Some stories really would benefit from the more grounded/realistic depictions that show everything, others might only need a brief mention. It depends on the story, and it's really hard to say where Nimona lies on that spectrum without having actually seen it, but from the little I have seen, I feel like it falls on the "brief mention" side of things since it already has so much going on.

I'm going to use How to Train Your Dragon as an example of what I'm trying to say, just becuase I know the first movie got a lot of critisism from amputees for having hiccup literally get up and start walking the moment he woke up after loosing his leg, but I think it lands in a similar area of the spectrum I'm talking about. HTTYD is one of those movies where having the more realistic approach wouldn't have really fit with the tone or pacing, but it would have benifited from a little more than what we got. Not much though, since we kind of already got it with toothless anyway. In my opinion, all it needed was a slight tweak to that ending scene and it would have been perfect (in my opinion). Personally, I would have made Hiccup (without a prosthetic) sit on toothless's back when they went out the door for the first time. The scene plays out almost exactly the same, and you get the symbolic framing the directors wanted, while acknowledging that walking so soon after a burn amputation is not going to happen. Gobber gives Hiccup the tail, saddle and his new leg in the bundle, which allows them to keep the "That bit's my handiwork, with a little hiccup flair thrown in. Think it'll do?" line. Hiccup can instead hold the leg in his hand and say "I might make a few adjustments" - everyone laughs and then it cuts to the end scene with them all flying with the implication some time has passed the same as in the real film. It's a small tweak, but I do think that's all it really needed.

So yeah, While its great to have more realistic representation in your stories, you got to work within the tone your story has. There's no "one size fits all" way to approach it. Again though, I could be wrong about where Nimona would fall here, I know it does tackle heavy subjects in regards to trans representation and discrimination, so maybe it could have made it work. I'll probably talk more about it once I actually see the movie though!

#id in alt text #disability #disabled #writing #writing disability #writeblr #disability representation #nimona #nimona movie #nimona 2023 #how to train your dragon #httyd #hiccup #hiccup haddock #amputee representation #amputee #on writing #writer #creative writing

[my-head-is-square]

Sidekick

I used one of the alternate prompts for day 1, as I couldn’t come up with many ideas from the prompt list. This is the movie universe, but very inspired by the book because I really missed Meredith in the movie.

There were others, before Ballister. Nimona always sought out other misfits, others who were as hated as her. Some were better than others--one of the people they had sidekicked to turned out to be actually evil, going so far as wanting to murder them. Nimona left that situation the second she figured out they were just a piece of meat to him. But the most memorable of them by far, baring Ballister, was Meredith Blitzmeyer.

It was about a century or so before she met Ballister--Nimona didn’t remember, she stopped keeping track of time a while ago. Flying cars didn’t exist yet, and the Institute was somehow stricter than it was before her and Ballister dismantled it. Meredith was the first, and only, that Nimona didn’t find through wanted posters. They found her at a fair.

They were slinking around through the edges of The Kingdom as a cat when she came across the science fair. She wandered the fairgrounds aimlessly, bored by the majority of so-called scientific discoveries that were really just excuses to sell something. But when they glanced over at Meredith’s booth, she was intrigued.

Meredith’s booth was virtually empty, everyone steering clear of it. She was set up with a strange green device that Nimona didn’t pretend to understand even after she read the sign. “Anomalous Energy Enhancer”? Yeah, that meant exactly nothing to them.

So Nimona slinked over with ease, as no one was in her way because no one was there in the first place. She wiggled around a little before jumping onto the table of the booth, sniffing around the device while Meredith fiddled with something inside a cabinet, meaning she’d yet to see them. Nimona watched her carefully for a second to be sure she was entirely busy and not about to turn around before stepping closer to the green device.

It was small and circular, with many screws and a bunch of moving parts and it looked more advanced and complicated than Nimona could understand. It wasn’t that they weren’t smart, but science was not her thing. They were the sidekick, not the inventor. She batted at it a little with her pink paw, careful not to knock it over. It seemed sturdy enough, and it glowed when they touched it. She batted at it a little more, forgetting that they should be careful right now, and flung their paw at it hard enough that it rattled atop the wooden booth.

“Hey!” Meredith said, looking up at the noise. Nimona couldn’t see her eyes behind a pair of large scientific goggles. She stood up and shooed at them, Nimona dodging her advances easily. “What are you doing, you miscreant! Don’t touch that!”

Miscreant! The nerve of this woman! Nimona swatted at her hand, and she seethed when their claws managed to scrap a few small lines of blood from her. Meredith clutched her hands and leered at her, to which Nimona merely huffed proudly, head held high in victory, before jumping off the table with their tail swishing behind her.

Curiouser and curiouser, Nimona thought as she made their way from the fair. The strange goggle woman had seemed different from all the other scientists there, albeit just as rude, and even more interesting was her device. It had sent a spark up their little cat body when she touched it, like an electric shock. Her body still buzzed a little from it, and when they were far enough away she tried to shift into a bird to fly away.

But she couldn’t. No matter how hard they tried, shifting wasn’t working. It was increasingly frustrating; what was wrong with her? Shifting always worked! They couldn’t remember a time when she couldn’t shift, but--

Finally, the electric shock wore off, and just as it did, Nimona was a bird flapping their wings unsteadily. They proceeded to fly away after they regained their balance, but it still shook her to the core.

She would have to investigate this scientist. For her own safety, of course.

#Nimona week 2024 #Nimona week #Nimona #day 1 #prompt: sidekick #meredith blitzmeyer #my writing

[mooncaps]

Starting to feel like I'm chasing my tail trying to understand my gender. Every time I think I've settled on some new understanding and acceptance of myself, some new unsettled feeling creeps in. First I feel like I'm just a guy who likes girly stuff, then I feel like I've been in denial about being a girl, then I feel like I'm not either, and back around again.

I've been re-examining a lot of my life. Looking at old files on my computer, listening to songs I haven't listened to in years, going through Tumblr posts from 10 years ago and LiveJournal posts from even further back, looking at old photographs, and just reflecting on my own memories.

There are some things in my past that make me think: was I a girl? At the very least I've always been drawn to exploring femininity, even from an extremely young age. And it keeps coming up even as an adult. I remember weeping after watching the Princess Cookie episode of Adventure Time, wishing that I could have a moment of feeling like a princess. More than one thing has made me wish I could be a shapeshifter, most recently Nimona. If I could just feel like something and shift into looking like it, secure in the knowledge that I could shift back, that would be heaven. And F1nn5ter giving me a glimpse of a life I never could have dreamed was possible sent me spiraling into chaos.

On the other hand, I can remember being eager to perform masculinity. I wanted to be good at being a guy. I still wanted to be a sensitive guy who liked Sailor Moon and Days of Our Lives, but I also wanted to be a handsome, masculine-looking guy. Was it just about thinking that's what success was? Was it about wanting to attract romantic partners? Or was it about liking that version of me? There are a couple of photos of me in my late teens looking handsome that still make me smile.

And maybe genderfluid really is the long and short of it. But even if it is, I'd still like to get to a place where I feel like I'm steering the ship instead of the ship steering me.

If I am a girl, even just some of the time, then I'm extremely anxious about facing that fact and the ramifications of what it means. I'm at anxiety levels I haven't hit since the days following the 2016 Election. The weight on my chest, difficulty sleeping because my mind won't stop trying to problem-solve, difficulty settling into leisure activities, and the worst moments bring shivering cold. I'm not generally a person who gets chilly, let alone shivering cold, especially in the summertime. I can't tell if that anxiety is coming from a fear that it's not really who I am, if it's coming from a manic desire to figure it all out, or if it's coming from a fear of being judged and being the central target in this era of politics.

I'm about ready to throw up my hands and give up on defining it. My gender is a tangled ball of yarn and pulling the strings is just tightening the tangles. My gender is an Eldritch horror, unknowable to the mortal mind; I thought I understood it for just a moment before it became incomprehensible again and started driving me to madness. My gender is a murky fog, dense enough to make its presence known, but it fades into the distance as I approach and it's impossible to grasp.

#stuff about me #genderfluid #nonbinary #transgender #queer posts #my genderqueer panic 2k23 #Adventure Time #Nimona #F1nn5ter