Tumgik
#comedy barely holds up without a story.. if you don't take time to work on storytelling or you want inexhaustible archetypes for characters
bredforloyalty · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
i don't think we do luv i don't think we do
#i do agree (obviously!) that for a series you need to get people to care about your characters so they want to keep watching it#comedy barely holds up without a story.. if you don't take time to work on storytelling or you want inexhaustible archetypes for characters#that you can use to churn out jokes‚ whether that's pointless random skits like family guy does it or something based on the relationships#like relationships within a certain status quo (s1 rick garbage man abuses his family. except it wasn't that simple back then either)#the problem with the sitcom where nothing changes so someone can just write gag after gag without changing the foundations is that it#becomes tiring. people stop caring because you've made it impossible to care for the characters by not allowing any meaningful changes#so in that sense i do agree it is 'becoming an actual series'. but it was on its way from the beginning‚ just needed some refinement#a whole lot maybe#but with setting limits for your writing and keeping your characters consistent and engaging emotionally you limit the#wacky hijinks as well. like don't tell me we got a banger like the vat of acid episode from season 6 or even 5 lol it's no longer explosive#i think rick and morty has always been inconsistent and that bred both great episodes and khm bad ones#there's definitely gonna be less bad ones from now on but the potential of the r&m dynamic has also been.... i would say curbed#that's okay this needed to happen like this. and i think they're going in the right direction and i think the stars will align and they'll#write bangers again#a lot of great things could happen following this. like in these actual arcs that they're developing there's still potential for comedy and#drama and they'll find their way back imo. to the sweet spot between chaos (wacky random funny) and order (meaningful and consistent)#ok that's all. if one hates rick being a miserable pathetic piece of shit one should mayhaps fuck off#✌️💗#kata.txt#rnm
12 notes · View notes
kaibutsushidousha · 1 year
Note
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/147063257436258305/1097535739035652136/rapidsave.com_the_grand_finale_of_all_my_maizono_antics-3y0resv18eua1.mp4
Thoughts on Sayaka Maizono?
Yes, Maizono has been one of my favorite characters for a whole decade now and almost certainly the one I spent the most time arguing with strangers online over and explaining to people who failed to understand her story. She's always been very dear to me and has been on my mind a lot this week specifically due to Tobyn's new video, Miss Crane coming to NA, and most of all due to the success of Oshi no Ko's anime.
I could talk about her in isolation but with the apropos timing of this ask, I'm far more inclined to talk about her in relation to Ai Hoshino. No one can deny the two are extremely similar. It's plain to see that they share a lot in appearance, profession, and on-stage personality, but the similarities go a bit deeper with their cunning approach to idol work and the driving loneliness that put them in the idol career in the first place. The two beautifully mix dream and disillusion, facing the ugliness of their roads with no sugarcoating and still holding the conviction that what lies ahead of it is worth it. Really, the only thing setting them apart is the teenage pregnancy and Maizono being smart while Ai is kinda dumb.
But beyond their personality and background, the two blue idols shine the most as golden examples of how to write a rich and complete character with minimal screentime. On this aspect, Ai is even more impressive because Maizono's writing resorts to portraying her as an extreme workaholic, so we feel we know all of her because we're shown the basket where she puts all of her eggs, while Ai goes beyond playing her part without such narrative tricks, she's straight up rejects the trick by showing Ai ambitiously distributing her time as both an idol and a mother.
Anyways, back on the Danganronpa track. As the first victim, Maizono has the immensely important role of setting the tone for the rest of the series. She gets this honest and natural charm when not backed against the wall, this tight backstory tied directly to her motive, this barely hidden cunningness playing into her comedy as much as it's played into her murder attempt, this complete agency even as a murder victim, and the sympathy the narrative offers even after the worst is exposed. Danganronpa takes every measure it can take to respect Maizono as a person and as a character, and it is because of that respect that the player could trust Danganronpa to be a narrative that doesn't treat its cast as a disposable row of suspects that don't need to be fleshed out. She is what makes you first realize that Danganronpa will be something special.
And from a final mystery perspective, that's the first key to suspect that there's something more about Junko's punishment that the player has yet to see.
Back to the Oshi no Ko side of things, you can see Ai play a similar role in building reader trust. Sure, her circumstances are different because Oshi no Ko wasn't planned as a revenge drama, but she's perfect as the avenged party in a revenge drama because we're made to know Ai very dearly. We connect to Aqua's relationship with Ai because we experienced the beginning, middle, and end of their bond. In hindsight, this kind of treatment feels almost mandatory for any self-respecting revenge story.
Anyways, both are fleshed out as a main character during their short run time, given a multifaceted narrative place and perspective, and never forgotten when they're gone. They never stop being a part of what makes the protagonist who they are. One thing that never fails to warm my heart is how all Danganronpa sequels make a point to show how Maizono was the most memorable part of the first game to Naegi.
Attachment 1: old "Why do you consider Sayaka sympathetic?" ask.
Attachment 2: my admin-imposed tag on an old Danganronpa-themed Telegram group.
Tumblr media
27 notes · View notes
julyarchives · 3 years
Text
Oblivious
Tumblr media
→ A/n: Yanan x Reader
→ Genre: Fluff
→ Words:  1.3K
→ A/n: This story was just so sweet to write, our hearts are beating fast for Yanan 🥺 Thank you so much for requesting this, we hope you like our story 💕
Tumblr media
There are days that your job is everything you've ever asked for, but there are also days where you just wanted to go home and not get out of bed for the next 36 hours. Unfortunately, today was one of the latter.
Having to deal with people is always stressful to you, especially when they are rude to you for things that are out of your control, and that just drained your energy for the rest of the day.
Yanan was already at your apartment when you arrived, waiting for you with your favorite food and a bright smile.
"I thought you could use some comfort food today" he said, shrugging shyly.
"Thank God I gave you my spare key" you hugged him dramatically.
As usual, you had texted him all day, complaining about everything that happened, but you certainly didn't expect for him.to do this for you. Nevertheless, your mood already improved a million percent.
"I also added a few rom-coms to your Netflix list so we can watch while eating the ice cream I bought for dessert." He wiggled his eyebrows, making you laugh softly.
"Seriously, I don't deserve you" you kissed his cheek with an exaggerated noise.
Yanan is undoubtedly great at making you forget any problems you are having, so by the end of dinner, you were already having so much fun that you didn't even remember what you were upset about.
You watched the movie in bed, sitting under cozy blankets and stuffing your mouth with big chunks of chocolate ice cream.
"Life could be this easy, you know?" You whined, leaning your head on his shoulders.
"Like what? A romantic comedy?" He laughed at your drama.
"I mean it!" You slapped his arm lightly "she gets a nice job and a nice boyfriend! Is it so bad that I want that?" You pouted.
"Well, you do love your job, today was just a bad day." He caressed your head softly,
"I know" you sat up straight "what about a boyfriend, though? No guys want anything to do with me"
"Ah, that's easy" he paused and looked deep into your eyes "you already have me"
You stared at him completely panicked, your cheeks probably burning red.
Yanan has been your best friend for years already, and it's not news to you that you have feelings for him. For quite a while, actually, you noticed that you get a different kind of nervousness next to him. The jealousy you felt when he dated someone was not the friend-jealous type, and you definitely felt attracted to him.
So when he said that you didn't need a boyfriend, you were afraid he somehow found out about your feelings for him.
"What do you mean?" You laughed nervously
"Think about it" he smiled charmingly, the way you knew he did when he was trying to convince someone of something. "We are great together, aren't we?"
"I guess?" You furrowed your eyebrows, not really getting his point.
"We have known each other forever. You know me better than anyone, and I do you. I know everything you love and hate, and I can spoil you better than anyone. Besides, we are basically a couple, aren't we? Look at us!."
You felt so nervous that your heart felt like it might jump off of your throat
"Yeah, but-" you tried to say something, but he continued
"We are always together, and honestly when I have an awful day, all I wanna do is call you for comfort. Not to mention how we are always in sync!".
Yanan watched you with a soft smile while your mouth hung open and your chest heaved. It wasn't possible that he said all those things without knowing about your feelings but yet, there was no way he could know. If he spoke all of that, it meant that he felt that way and you felt a warm fuzzy feeling in your chest, your stomach doing flips of nervousness.
"I agree", you smiled at him, only to see his eyes lit up and his smile widened. "But about when you find a girl? I'll be alone with my romcoms and ice cream", you laughed at your own awful state.
"No", Yanan suddenly got serious and sat straight, hand moving your hair from your face. "I don't think that'll happen".
"Ha. As if", you moved until you felt Yanan's shoulder behind your back, his arm immediately holding your shoulder, all subconsciously. "You're an incredibly nice guy, charming and funny, and so handsome. In no time a girl will steal your heart".
"Actually, that already happened", he answered, still facing you.
Your face fell. You were already staring ahead and were thankful for that. Of course, he'd be in love with someone already. Everything he just spoke was all about your amazing friendship and you were the one delusional.
"But", Yanan made sure you looked at him. "I just told you that when I find the girl for me, you wouldn't be alone with your movies and ice cream".
"That's because you're too nice-", you barely had time to finish when he cut you off.
"That's because the girl is you".
"Wait, what?" You blinked a couple of times
"Geez, you're so dense." He laughed fondly. "But yeah, all I was trying to say is that I have feelings for you. More than friendship feelings. And I think I got to a point where I can't just stand next to you and not say anything about it."
He suddenly looked shy, but so precious that you just wanted to grab him and kiss him.
"I have been trying to come up with a way to tell you that I fell in love with you for ages, I guess now would be a good time to confess?" You chuckled
"I guess, yeah" he laughed shyly "why didn't you say something before?"
"Our friendship is the most important thing in my life, and I didn't want to risk losing that. I didn't want to risk losing you."
"You would never lose me, y/n" his free hand held yours gently
"And what does this mean for us?" You asked, suddenly feeling timid whilst his presence filled the whole room with his confidence
"Now I have to ask officially." He released his embrace on you, getting up and gently pulling you to stand in front of him. He looked into your eyes and opened the most charming smile. "Y/n, we've always been best friends, and for a while, I thought I was the luckiest man alive for that. But over the years you taught me that I can not predict anything when it comes to you. You're always changing and you make me change with you. You make me a better person every day and now I'm only missing one thing to actually be the luckiest. Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
You couldn't find words since Yanan stole all of them from you. Your head was overflowing with emotions, and all you managed to answer was a nod, and the next thing you knew, Yanan's lips found yours.
His tender embrace on you made every muscle on your body relax and you gave yourself completely to him. You never thought this day would come, but kissing him was better than anything you've ever fantasized about. You knew now that there was no going back, you would not be able to hold any of these feelings to yourself.
You pulled apart and he cupped your cheek, caressing your face with his thumb while you two smiled fondly at each other, giggling like two teenagers.
"If I had known that a bad day at work would be what it takes for us to date, I would have found a reason to have one way sooner" you joked.
"That sounds like something out of a rom-com, are you happy now?" He pushed you on the bed and started tickling you, making you squeal and squirm under him.
When he finally stopped, he soothed you with a shy peck to your lips.
You just couldn't stop smiling, and Yanan's face mirrored yours. You felt grateful and finally, you could admit to yourself out loud.
"Much happier now"
54 notes · View notes
codeandcreativity · 3 years
Text
Reverie
Tumblr media
Summary: Spencer and Maeve visit the Folger Shakespeare Museum. Written for @railmereid's 2K writing challenge/prompt: "Do you think we could pretend?"
Pairing: Spencer Reid x Maeve Donovan (PG-13)
Category: Fluff, Angst
Warnings: Allusions to stalking. No explicit spoilers, but this won't make sense if you're not familiar with the beginning of the Maeve arc (Season 8).
Reverie
Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend More than cool reason ever comprehends. -William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream
"Do you think we could pretend?" she asks softly.
"Pretend?"
"That we're together."
He looks up, past the scratched and dirty fiberglass casing of the phone booth, down one of hundreds of similarly featured streets from which he might have called her. "How?"
"Your mind is an amazing tool, Spencer. Convince me," she says with a gossamer laugh. "Tell us both a vivid lie."
"A rare vision?" he suggests, warming to the idea.
"Take pains," she says. "Be perfect."
"OK." He slips his hand into his pocket to pull out his own phone. "I'm going to hang up and call you on my cell."
"That sounds like a great start."
He settles the heavy pay phone receiver in its cradle with a satisfying thunk and hits the first speed dial on his cell.
"Hey," she answers right away.
"Hey." He smiles to himself. "You're still there."
"I'm still here."
"Great." He exits the phone booth and walks towards his car, three doors down in front of a coin-operated laundry. "I'm parked outside of Georgetown Laundry," he says, unlocking the door of his horizon blue 1965 Volvo Amazon and sliding behind the wheel.
"I'm right around the corner," she says, voice light with mirth. "Come pick me up."
He follows those welcome instructions, turning the corner at a lazy crawl just in time to see her emerge from the door of her brownstone. Her face is hidden from him by a curtain of rich brown hair as she turns to lock the door behind her. Her figure is mostly hidden, too, beneath a loose white sun dress that falls just past her knees and a gray cardigan that is at least one size too large. She turns at last, her eyes shaded by sunglasses but her smile bright and genuine. She trots down the steps to street level, waving cheerfully as she crosses the sidewalk to his car.
He's out of the car before he knows it, rushing to meet her on the sidewalk. He holds out his hand and says breathlessly, "Maeve."
"I think we're a little past that, Spencer," she says warmly, ignoring his proffered hand and wrapping her arms around him in an embrace that feels like early summer. She smells of cotton and lilac, light and sweet. Without a thought, he buries his face in her shoulder and wraps his arms around her tightly, as if she will float away, an ephemeral thing he must cling to if he is to have any chance of keeping it at all.
"You're really here," he murmurs against her skin. She shivers. He wants to make her do it again, so he says, "Maeve."
She laughs, her hands dancing the length of his spine. "I'm here. Now," she says as she pulls back just enough to see his face. "Where should we go?"
He breathes deeply, soaking in the warm summer air and the tethered feeling of her finally standing beside him. "Where do you want to go?"
She pushes her sunglasses up to reveal pale blue eyes, crinkling with excitement. "Where do you want to take me, Spencer?"
He barely has to think, when she says it like that. "I know a place." He pulls open the passenger side door and offers her his hand again. "Get in."
This time, she takes it, her skin cool and dry against his as she lowers herself into the car. "I should have known you'd drive something with character," she says as he climbs in the driver's side, running her fingers along the vintage console.
"I don't drive it much," he admits, pulling away from the curb and pointing towards their destination.
"I know," she says. "I'm glad you drove it today."
He turns his head for just a second to appreciate the childlike wonder on her face. "Me, too."
"Can I roll down the window?" she asks.
"Of course."
She works the crank until the window is as far down as it'll go, turning her face to the breeze. "I haven't been out of my apartment in so long," she says wistfully.
After a beat, he answers, "I know."
She turns back to him with a reassuring smile. "I can't wait to see where you're taking me."
They drive through tree-lined streets to the historic part of town, calling out landmarks well-known and esoteric, until finally he pulls over and puts the car in park. "I think we're here," he says, squinting through the windshield.
"You think?" she asks playfully.
He chuckles. "Yeah. We're here."
Before them rises a long two-story building with a facade of white Georgia marble, worn by more than 80 years of east coast weather but no less stunning for its age. Tall vertical windows line length of the building, art deco grilles adorning those and the entryway closer to the ground. A series of themed bas-reliefs pose under the windows, figures of stone so well-hewn they seem to not to have been carved from the marble, but to have emerged from it.
"Oh, I haven't been here in ages," she says, hand in his as she leads him up the stairs. Her fingertips hover over the figures, but she doesn't touch. Hers won't be among the hands that slowly erase the figures from the stone from which they were birthed. All the best tragedies already constructed, in word and stone, from Macbeth to Hamlet to Romeo and Juliet , those stupid, star-crossed lovers.
"This sort of artwork is usually installed near the top of the building," he says, watching her face flush with happiness as she traverses the path towards the doors. "The Folgers asked the sculptor to place them closer to street level to give the public a better view."
She pauses a moment in front of crowned Titania, dwarfed by an attentive Bottom, idiots in love. The Fairy Queen's face is turned out, in soliloquy or reverie. Titania's body occupies the same space as her lover's, but her mind is far afield. What a privilege.
She hums appreciatively. "Is there a show today?" she says, turning her hopeful face to his.
He smiles. "What would you like to see?"
"Surprise me!" she says with a grin.
They tour the library until the sun sets, gasping softly at the details of the collection on exhibit in the Great Hall. They admire the finer points of the room itself, with its soaring plaster strapwork ceiling and intricate terracotta floor, inscribed with the masks of Comedy and Tragedy, secreting in its tiles the titles of the Bard's plays. They hover as close to the First Folio as they're permitted.
Their hands never part.
They take in the Elizabethan Theatre, with its three-tiered balconies and carved oak columns, but that's not where either of them want to spend their evening, so he takes her at last out to the garden. And for all the things they've seen today, it's the sight of the formal garden, the smell of lavender and honeysuckle and thyme that pulls the breath from her lungs and she says, "Oh, Spencer."
Palms pressed together, he pulls her closer to his side. He bends his head and whispers, "There's more."
They traverse the garden slowly; she pauses often, to touch an unfurled leaf or inhale the scent of a flower rising brilliantly from the heavily mulched earth. While she drinks in their surroundings, he only has eyes for her. Her dark hair, blunt bangs playful over clear blue eyes, the pretty pink of her cheeks when she catches him looking, the sly curl of her lips that tells him she knows she's got him wrapped around her any way she desires. She has only to say the word.
"They're setting up for the show," he says, pointing down the path with his free hand.
She looks up at him, so pure and full of hope. " A Midsummer Night's Dream ?"
"I can't imagine anything else," he says honestly.
She laughs, soft like a blanket. "I imagine we have our choice of seats."
They do, and when they're settled on a blanket the color of a late summer sunset, she leans over and whispers in his ear, "I brought us something to drink."
"I don't…"
"I know," she interrupts. "It's sparkling apple cider."
Night falls around them and the lights come up. The players on the stage dance and sing through the text seamlessly, interlacing the stories of lovers and actors, tales of fairies and humans, crises of self and burgeoning feminism that make A Midsummer Night's Dream one of Shakespeare's most widely performed works.
As the play proceeds, they turn towards one another, until they are reclining, somehow watching the stage as well as the stars above. Puck makes their appeal to the audience at last, an assurance to the perturbed that what they have witnessed may be nothing more than a dream, to be whisked away by another sleep. There is no applause as Puck sees themself out, only the lingering silence of a theater long after the audience has gone.
They are the players now, alone on the stage.
"Maeve," he says softly, just for her. "Can I kiss you?"
"I think you should," she says, and before he can make a move, she presses her lips to his. Stunned, he reacts only after a moment, his fingers threading into her hair as he pulls her closer. He follows her lead, afraid of taking this ephemeral thing they've made too far. The kisses are passionate but chaste, not that he knows any other way.
Too soon, he feels her stiffen against him. "Spencer."
"What's wrong?" he asks, looking down at her face. The tone of her voice has painted her features ashen. She's only a shade now. A phantom.
He hears a series of beeps, a staccato succession of three.
"I… I have call waiting," she says, her voice truncated with fear.
"Maeve?"
"No one has this number."
"It's OK. Don't hang up. I can get someone to trace it," he tries to reassure her, but the terror in her voice has infected him.
"Spencer, I have to go."
Before he can say anything…
"Goodbye."
"I love you."
"I'm sorry."
"How will I know you're OK?"
…she's gone.
He's standing in a phone booth three doors down from Georgetown Laundry, listening to a dial tone.
-End-
Read on AO3
8 notes · View notes
rachelbethhines · 4 years
Text
Tangled Salt Marathon - The Way of the Willow
Tumblr media
Now here’s a controversial episode from season one. Let’s delve into the discourse, shall we. 
Summary:  It's Queen Arianna's birthday, and she receives an unexpected guest: her estranged sister, Willow. Willow and Rapunzel quickly bond, sharing a lot of the same personality traits (most notably them never wearing shoes), and Arianna feels a bit left out. To add to her aggravation, Willow has given her a pet with an annoying rattle. Eventually, Arianna explodes at her sister, letting her know her irritation with her and throws away the rattle. The pet starts to multiply and rampage over the countryside. Meanwhile, Lance and Eugene  take the King camping. 
More Filler, More Poor Pacing, More Fatigue 
Tumblr media
This is yet another episode that was moved around. Noticing a pattern yet? It doesn’t effect the plot much, but it kills the pacing dead. By the time you get to this episode you’re just tired and bored and ready for the show to just get on with things. 
Let's Talk About Representation 
Tumblr media
So we have here a show that is marketed towards pre-teen little girls run by two middle aged white guys and written primarily by men. The creators have claimed that female relationships are the focus of the show, but only to give us one female friend for our main hero, no other friendships with women in them, just two sister relationships, and only one mother that is even alive. 
Furthermore they go on to break up that single female friendship, refuse to give any focus to the only mother in the show, and then wrap the plot around the dead abusive mom instead, making her unnecessarily even more horrible than she was in the OG film. (just to make the equally abusive father in the show look better)
Meanwhile we get four father figures, all of whom are just some variant on the ‘overprotective estranged dad’ trope. Even though at least two of them could have been easily written to be mothers instead and it’d not change the plot one bit.   
When women talk about about poor representation in media, it’s things like this we are often complaining about. That’s not to say that men can’t write women.  Miyazaki, of Studio Ghibli fame, has made a lifelong career out writing movies for and starring women. Nor is this a claim that the TTS crew are misogynist. You can be well intentioned and still screw up. As is most often the case in films. 
But nevertheless, if you are writing for a demographic that you are not a part of then you need to either include those voices in the development of your story or reach out and consult people within that demographic. And no, you’re wife/niece/daughter/mother does not count here. You need to go beyond your personal social circle, as people who either don’t know you or have worked in the industry can be more open about what is needed in the writing process.  
Sadly there are rumors, (and please keep in mind this is only rumor, and we’ll never know the actual truth due to the fact that production artists are under contract and can’t share things without fearing for their livelihoods) but there are stories of the head showrunner shutting down the opinions of the female storyboard artists who warned him of some these creative decisions. 
Moreover said creator responded to criticisms of how his female characters were written by claiming he ‘knew strong women in his life’ as if that actually had anything to do with his writing skills. It’s a poor response and smacks of ‘Well I can’t be misogynistic, I love women. See, I married one’. Dear, male creators, please don't ever do this. It makes you look bad. 
So Where are Arianna and Willow From, Again?
Tumblr media
The show keeps dropping hints that they’re from Corona itself and are born princesses, but that makes little sense. Because if Arianna was the rightful heir she’d have far more political power then she actually does in the show. If we’re to buy the idea that only Rapunzel will be in charge, and not her and Eugene, or even just Eugene. Then we have to accept that it’s because she’s the rightful heir by birth. If so, then Frederic must also be the blood heir or otherwise he wouldn’t be able to do all the things he does in the show. 
TTS is so determine to not have any real world markers in the show and keeping things a ‘fantasy’ that it winds up swinging too far in the opposite direction. To the point that it undermines its own worldbuilding.     
The Conflict Between Willow and Arianna is Good, but Unnecessary 
Tumblr media
I’ve seen some debate over ‘who is right’ here, along with tons of unwarranted shade thrown at Willow, but the truth is, it doesn’t matter. Neither side is right or wrong, and for once the conflict in TTS is real, complex, not easily solvable with a ten minute conversation, and is presented evenly so that you know where each side is coming from. But in the end, it doesn’t add anything to the series. 
Willow is never seen outside of this episode. This is the only story that gives Arianna any kind of focus. Rapunzel learns nothing useful from witnessing their squabbles and it’s all build up to a be bad parable/parallel in the series finale. 
It’s a waste. A waste of conflict. A waste of character. A waste of time. 
Had Arianna been treated as an important character to the narrative, like she should have been, then maybe the episode would have fared better. 
Arianna is Reduced to a Pointless Parallel
Tumblr media
We talked about it before but this might be the most grievous example of Tangled’s useless parallels.
Willow and Arianna are meant to be ‘foreshadowing’ (and I use that term loosely) for Rapunzel and Cassandra’s conflict in the finale season. Let me count the ways of how bad this actually is..
For starters Willows and Arianna’s conflit isn’t actually the same as Raps and Cass. There’s some overlap, but ultimately theirs is actually deeper and more complex than the Raps vs Cass stuff. It’s also only between them and does not involve ruining the lives of other people. So it’s a weak comparison to begin with.
Cassandra isn’t even here to make the parallel complete. She barely interacts with Arianna and has never met Willow on screen.
Rapunzel learns the wrong lessons from this. She gets encouragement from her aunt to go traveling and a pep talk from her mom during the show’s finale, but she doesn’t actually apply any of the actual context of the arguments being made to her own life. Making the parallel shallow.
Reducing a character from the original film, one that you did not create and who has reasons to be have more plot importance then they are given, to a mere ‘parallel’ for your favorite OC is just bad fanfiction. This is something that I would expect from a seven year old setting out to write their first ever story. Not from grown adults, who are supposedly professionals, who've worked for years in the industry and are employed by the largest entertainment studio in the world.
Now before you jump down my throat, there’s nothing wrong with fanfiction itself, nor with children exploring their favorite stories in ways they find personally fulfilling. But I happen to hold mass produced media to a different, and ultimately higher standard. As well should we all. A television show made by the mouse has more real world impact than a little girl posting on Ao3.
Critiquing stuff like female representation, the behind the scenes hiring processes that leads to either good or bad rep, and the impression these stories can have on people still developing their worldviews is important. Questioning things are needed in order to make change happen. If you never acknowledge how giving a show targeted to women to a male showrunner can cause problems then you’re never going to push the big companies for more female lead shows. Which means more women are left without work.    
This is Subjective but...
Tumblr media
I don’t like the Uumlaut being used as the main conflict. Look, if you like the Gremlins references, good for you, but I was promised sword fights and adventure according to the pilot and all I got was a parody of a 80s horror comedy that decided to skip out on the ‘horror’ part. The Uumlaut isn’t threatening enough to be interesting and the lack of real threats and challenges in this show is really starting to weigh things down. Plus it just distracts from the far more interesting human drama going on with Willow and Arianna. 
Like if you don't want action to be the focus of every episode, that’s fine, but commit to that. Don't just half-ass it because you feel the need to shoehorn in an action sequence where it isn’t needed.    
Conclusion
I like Willow as a character, but not this episode. They needed to do more with her to justify her existence, and they needed to do more with Arianna while at it. Sadly, you won't really miss out on much if you decided to skip this episode and that’s a shame. 
Also... 
Tumblr media
I’ll forever headcanon that Willow is the wife that Stan mentioned back in Rapunzel’s Enemy and that she’s his and Pete’s beard. You can’t change my mind. Poly relationships for the win! 
41 notes · View notes