#cinderella meta

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What do you think about Cinderella?

Thoughts on the Movie

Fantastic artwork. Mary Blair is remembered as one of Disney's greatest concept artists for a reason. The film is beautiful and iconic from the character design, background art, set design, etc. Once again, this is one of those films you should watch if only for the artwork alone.

Thoughts on the Plot

It's not my favorite version of the Cinderella story.

It's leagues ahead of the Disney live action Cinderella, which was... a movie, but it has little plot to work with and it knows it. We get very long sequences of the talking mice running for their lives from the cat Lucifer.

This has nothing to do with our main characters, nothing to do with the plot as a whole, and all of these characters could have been easily cut but we clearly need to take up runtime. So, we get a lot of mice.

And the mice get the most personality by far of all of the characters. (Except perhaps for the despairing king and his advisor who just wants his son to get married. JUST PICK SOMEONE!)

This is because, like some other Disney films, the characters are meant to be archetypes and tropes who fill a role rather than characters. That's the point of them, not for the characters themsleves to have too much depth.

As a result, the stepmother's delightfully evil but not particularly memorable in what she says or does. Cinderella is beautiful and sweet, but again not too memorable for what she says. The prince... god, he barely gets any lines at all.

It's a film that poured all its personality and interesting lines into its tangential characters who aren't actually involved in the plot.

Getting Into This Again

Like Snow White, I'm not that offended by Cinderella. One of the things we see addressed in the new version is that Cinderella doesn't rescue herself in the original version and isn't in control of her own destiny.

However, in the live action there's a fundamental issue with this: if Cinderella can leave any time she likes, then why doesn't she? ("Oh, I really like this house. It's okay that my relatives abuse me because I can ride on a horse in the woods.")

To me, the original is far more realistic and compelling. Cinderella doesn't leave because she can't. Her father has died, she grew up in this household, she has no introduction into society, no financial means of supporting herself, and no way of getting out.

This ball is her opportunity to get out of the claustrophobic world that she lives in and one that is not easy to flee from.

#cinderella #cinderella meta #meta #opinion #disney

[gleefully-macabre]

I’ve seen it asked “Where was Cinderella’s fairy godmother when her mother died, and all the years since?”

Been having a think on this, and am using the Disney animated version since it’s one of the most easily recognized versions.

I think the fairy godmother didn’t appear because she wasn’t needed.

Cinderella was coping. Surviving. In a bad situation but able to maintain her kindness, her humor, and able to find joy in bits and pieces.

The night of the ball, she isn’t just banned from going. She is assaulted. It’s an extreme and violent escalation of what up to that point had been verbal, emotional, and financial abuse.

It’s finally enough to break her.

“It’s just no use. No use at all”

None of her animal friends have any idea how to comfort her. Most of them can’t speak, and the ones that do don’t know what to say. Which leaves Cinderella sobbing in the garden, utterly alone.

That’s when her fairy godmother appears. In the form of a petite, cheerful elderly woman. Soft, unthreatening, a comforting presence ready to give Cinderella this one big thing she’d had her heart set on.

And settings things up so Cinderella has a way to escape. Cause let’s be real, the Royals would be looking for the family of this obviously wealthy girl regardless, because they haven’t been paying taxes!

Ultimately, the Fairy Godmother is first and foremost a faerie. Wonder all you like about why she acts as she does, but probably safer not to ask.

#cinderella #cinderella meta #disney cinderella #fairy godmother #tw abuse #the fairy godmothers true form is probably awe inspiring but would have just frightened Cinderella more #also what kind of In does her family have with the fae? #she was given a lavish if temporary gift and asked for nothing in exchange #not asked for a deal or promise or even a cup of milk #though she can talk to animals so maybe Cinderella has fae blood and the FG is one of her kin

[hollowwhisperings]

KH Spec: Princesses of Light as Stars, part 2.

Part 1 went into the symbolism of stars within the KH series, specifically with respect to Paopu Fruit. It also began establishing the concept of Kairi as a "Star" in contrast to Riku's being a "Sun": astronomically identical, symbolically referential but ultimately distinct. Each "Sun" is a "Star" but each World, each Heart has its own personal "Sun": this is a concept I can see easily worked into the KH series as Kairi begins her own Coming of Age arc, as Sora struggles to remember his "Light", as CinderRiku reenacts The Objectively Best Direct-to-Video Disney Film.

While a later post will go into the Literal Instances of Kairi being a Star, and the metaphysics of "Starhood" within the KH setting, this post will continue with the Symbolism of Stars as pertaining to the Other Original Princesses.

The Original Seven

Kairi's co-stars in KH1 were, in order of appearance: Snow White (Tutorial/Sora's Dive to Heart), Cinderella (DtH), Aurora (DtH), Belle (DtH), Alice (Wonderland) & Jasmine (Agrabah).

While Kairi first appears in KH1's opening cutscene and in the Destiny Islands, her next physical appearance is in Neverland.

So, let us begin with the first chronogical Disney Princesses: Snow White, Cinderella & Aurora.

The Founding Three (+ Pinnochio)

While she does not have as much direct star imagery associated with her, Snow White is very much connected to themes that Disney (& the KH series) would retroactively connect to her: wishes, dreams & true love.

Snow White

Snow White's first appearance has her singing to her reflection in a wishing well (Disney would later establish that wishes could be made on stars in their next animated film, Pinnochio). The young princess wishes to have someone who loves her, someone she can love in turn.

Cue Appearance of an Anonymous, Eavesdropping Prince (this ended up becoming a Pattern, carried even into KH sans musical number).

Snow White later falls into a death-like sleep, a tradition passed on to Aurora & Sora. She is awakened by the joint forces of the Seven Dwarves (who love her & bully everyone in their way to saving her) and The Anonymous Prince. Her film attributes the latter's kiss as having the Power of Awakening: Snow White's story is one of Dreaming, Wishes, found family, cursed Sleep, True Love & Resurrection.

Incidentally, almost every significant event in Snow White's story features animated water: her scrubbing the castle courtyard, the wishing well, her tears of fright after being chased, tears of hurt from her & her animal friends, instructing the dwarves to Wash Their Dang Hands, the dwarves tearing up at hearing her story & upon her resurrection. It's also Notable that the Queen wanted Snow White's Heart... in a black box.

The Guiding Key: "When You Wish Upon A Star"

Between Snow White & Cinderella came Disney's Pinnochio: Disney's most Iconic song comes from that film, sung (I believe?) by the Blue Fairy.

Pinnochio, his story, his World, his Conscience (Jiminy Cricket) & the themes of his film have featured in every Kingdom Hearts game featuring Sora & Riku.

Dreams, Wishes & Stars are all Intertwined. Anyone can grow a Heart. So long as you try, Redemption is possible. True Love is Unconditional.

Pinnochio may not be a Princess nor Light himself but the KH series uses his story as Parable.

Cinderella

A kind young girl who sings "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes": Cinderella's song follows up on those in Snow White's & Pinnochio's films. Cinderella is a dreamer, kind and kind in the face of adversity. The Fairy Godmother gifts her faith with Free Transport, Emotional Support & Affirmment & a magical silver gown (magic & gown both animated in the same style as Starlight).

Cinderella features Dreams Becoming Reality, Magic being linked to Stars (as in Pinnochio), Wishes & Dreams being connected, found family & True Love.

The soap bubbles from Cinderella's chores were & remain amongst the most memorable scenes in animation: bubbles aside, Cinderella has no strong connections with water (though she cries, her tears are not emphasised in the animation).

Sleeping Beauty

Following directly in the examples of Snow White & Cinderella, Aurora's story is not actually told from her perspective but from that of the Good Fairies (her fairy godmothers). Aurora sings "Once Upon A Dream": since SB is not truly from Aurora's POV, sleeping through it almost entirely (ring any bells, Sora?), her song is less about Her & more about the Themes explored by preceding heroines: of dreaming of people & places beyond her sheltered home, of dreams & love being connected, of using dreams & stories as escapism. Her interactions with Prince Philip could be interpreted as his "going with the flow" to keep talking to a pretty girl... but, at least in BBS, Aurora's relationship with Philip is implied as beginning in shared dreams (Riku are you listening).

Blessed Sleep (replacing a curse of death) that holds a World in stasis. Dreams Becoming Reality. Found family, True Love & Resurrection.

Besides a dream-like dance in clouds (repurposed from the making of Cinderella) & the alternating dye of her birthday gown, Aurora has no true connections with water. Her name refers to a phenomena of light & there is no direct star imagery in the SB film itself.

Summary of Shared Themes:

Wishes & Music: "I'm Wishing", "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes".

Hearts: wanted in a Box; communicates wishes through dreams.

Dreams: cursed sleep, the nightmare forest chase, "a wish your heart makes", "Once Upon A Dream". In BBS, Cinderella's world is named "Castle of Dreams".

Hope: wishes, dreams, support of found family.

Water: "Snow" White, wash water, wishing wells, reflections, tears, soap bubbles, clouds, dye.

True Love: awakening & resurrection, the most powerful form of magic, something to fight for, something found in dreams.

Love & Resurrection: the go-to cure for sleeping curses.

All three princesses also have love through Found Families: Snow White finds family in the Seven Dwarves; Cinderella has her animals friends & Fairy Godmother; Aurora has the Good Fairies.

Star Symbolism: Connected By Song

Through the songs of these four films, the Pinnochio film's song acting as thematic touchstone, KH is able to connect each of these Founding Disney Princesses with the series use of star symbolism: Snow White's "wish" (to love & be loved) comes true through a "star" (she, through her kindness and willingness to help, inspires the love of the Seven Dwarves & the Anonymous Prince); Cinderella's Heart wishes for freedom from her life of servitude, a Dream made 'Real' through the compassion of Cinderella (the 'Star') inspiring her friends to help her in turn; Aurora's Dreams (her "wishes from the heart") allowed her to meet Prince Philip while the Love of her Fairy Godmothers empowered them to act against Maleficent & so rescue Aurora from death (via orchestrating a Heroic Rescue for Philip to play out).

Each of these Princesses acted as the "Hearts" of their stories, the Love they had & inspired in others leading them to create miracles both magical & mundane. Hearts are Lights & Hearts moved by Love cast the strongest Light (& Shadow) of all. These Princesses Love & are Loved in turn: the strength of their Dreams, their Wishes From The Heart, connect them to the Magic of Stars: to fairies Blue, Good & Godmother.

An Aside: Love as Freedom

This is a theme unsaid but strongly implied in all three films, given the era these heroines hail from. Marriage was a female's traditional method of leaving their childhood home, in both early 20th century North America & in Japan.

While all three princesses coveted "freedom", wishing for it outright would have given their audiences the impression that they were "selfish" or "irresponsible" (Cinderella was made for post-wartime America: her ability to retain her kindness & cheerfulness whilst doing thankless labour was why she was so beloved by audiences of the time & her animators, most of whom having been conscripted in some form or another).

Thusly, largely anonymous "handsome princes" acted as representations of escape, of joining society, of the world beyond childhood.

The KH series was made for contemporary audiences and is, at heart, Sora's Coming of Age Story: while Sora hadn't quite matured to understand the values these princesses held, he recognised in them that Hope can be powerful. When Aqua met Cinderella's Fairy Godmother in BBS, she was introduced to the concept of Love being the only true method of "defeating" Darkness (Riku's journey to self-acceptance enabling him to use his Darkness without suffering for it proves the point, and "love" is the implied requirement for the Power of Awakening)

#kh meta #princesses of heart #kh theories #the seven lights #the cosmology of a crossover universe #star symbolism #what makes a princess? wishes and dreams and love #snow white meta #cinderella meta #sleeping beauty meta #fairy godmothers #i got distracted by pinnochio for a bit BUT IT'S IMPORTANT OKAY #pinnochio is secretly the lynchpin of the kh universe #everything is connected #the power of waking

[dragonflyable]

You know, that cloak looks kind of familiar...

#cinderella #fairy godmother #disney wish #i love animation #wish asha #Disney animation #walt disney #wish star #wish Valentino #Youtube #wish #wish disney #wish 2023 #disney animation #asha #disney #disney classics #meta #disney meta #my own meta

[eddiezpaghetti]

Okay, so my experience with Stranger Things is a weird one.

I didn't care when it first came out, started to watch it out of "might as well" in 2020, wasn't interested in it enough to make it past S2, forgot about it outside of going "oh, hey, cool, there's a lesbian in it now, I guess," in S3, got really annoyed when "Running Up That Hill" got popular from it because it was a song I listened to on fucking loop after one of my best friends died in high school and I fully expected its appearance in the show to ignore the whole survivor's guilt theme of the song (and was very happy to learn later that it did the exact opposite of ignoring the lyrics), saw people drawing Eddie, suddenly got a lot more interested, watched just the fourth season like a fucking psychopath because I was seriously only there for Eddie, then got interested enough to start the show over properly, having mostly forgotten what I did watch of the show before.

And let me tell you something from the perspective of someone who started with the complete fourth season, who wasn't there from the start, who wasn't tainted by ship goggles or this internal battle of hope and despair, who wasn't theorizing about what the painting could be or expecting Mike and Will to kiss when Volume 2 happened or rooting for Mike and Eleven's relationship to go down in flames or whatever the fuck. Just someone who went blind into Season 4.

It's really fucking obvious that Will and Mike are gonna be endgame.

Like holy fuck. It's so fucking blatant I don't even know why people are nervous.

No sane fucking person would shoot this scene this way if they wanted the audience to care about El and Mike as a couple. Despite being all blurry in the background, Will's reaction to what's happening here is smackdab in the fucking middle, clearly showing that the important part is what's going through his head here. What he's feeling. It's like the opposite of that scene from Kingdom Hearts II where Sora and Riku reunite and Kairi just fucking vanishes into the aether while it's happening because, despite the fact that she was standing between them when the scene began, she doesn't matter to the scene, so she's just kind of gone when the camera angle changes. Will could have been behind one of their heads, or so far in the distance he blends in with the background, but he's not. He's so obvious that despite being massively blurred out, he's still the first goddamn thing you look at. What, you think that's an accident? You think he's in the middle of this dramatic fucking scene because of a mistake? He basically has a big flashing neon arrow pointing at him with "THIS IS THE POINT" being screamed through a megaphone.

And then this?

They're paired up like they're taking fucking prom pictures. Each one of these pairs is so fucking close to one another and so fucking far from everyone else. It's not, "Oh, they're standing vaguely near each other in a group shot," it's fucking Noah's Ark out here. Again, there's no way to take this as an accident. It's not just a framing issue. If they wanted to make the shot look balanced while still not hiding anyone else behind El, they would have scattered people around much more naturally. Even if they wanted to keep Nancy with Jonathan and Hopper with Joyce, there's so much room on that hill for three people to stand on El's left and three on her right. But they didn't do that. They put Mike and Will together on purpose in the most obvious way possible.

Like I get that coming up with crackpot theories is fun in and of itself and I'm not blaming anyone for having fun. I totally get the appeal of arguing a point and reaching for every stupid little thing to pull into it because it's like a game, okay? I've done that. But if you're trying to actually convince someone (whether it's someone who wants to believe or someone who's pissed at the very idea that Mike and Will could be in love), stay away from blue and yellow lights, stay away from costume design, stay away from the existence of closets in backgrounds. And don't worry about whether Mike's gay or bi when he's in love with Will either way. I'll give you a little tip about persuasion: You're only as strong as your weakest argument. Even if you've got strong stuff in there, too, the person you're trying to convince is going to dismiss anything you say as complete insanity the second you start going on an entire tangent about the shape of a character's fucking pocket.

Sometimes, clothes are just clothes. Sometimes, there's a closet in the background because it helps establish that a character is in a bedroom. Sometimes, blue and yellow are just a couple of colors that look nice together. And sure, it might be set designers and costume designers and cinematographers smirking and winking at the audience from behind the camera. But if the show was just those things, instead of those things in the context of everything else, they wouldn't be saying anything of note.

But this?

This tells a story all on its own. Someone with no context can look at this and automatically assume that each paired person is standing with someone they care about deeply, seeking comfort as they watch some sort of disaster unfold. And yeah, romantic couples usually come in twos, and we live in an amatonormative society, so that's going to be the first association anyone makes seeing a bunch of people paired off.

It's the same reason you look at this

And go, "Oh..."

"Those two are probably a couple."

And I genuinely don't understand how people could have watched S4 Vol. 2 and gotten scared. Because as someone who went in with no investment whatsoever, I just looked at these two--

--and went, "Oh, those two are a couple. Good for them." And I moved on. Shut up about the trees for five seconds and just see the forest for what it is.

Oh, and if you're still nervous? Little thing from a storyteller here: You don't leave a hanging thread like "Will confessed his romantic feelings for Mike by projecting them onto El, but Mike either didn't understand or at least didn't say he understood," without coming back to that later. That's Chekov's gun hanging on the wall, babes. It's gonna fire at some point. If Mike was going to reject Will's feelings, if they weren't relevant, they would have had that discussion in Argyle's van. There'd be no reason to leave you in suspense.

#byler #meta #stranger things #theory #I mean I fucking guess #in the same way gravity is a fuckin' theory. #It feels silly that I even have to say this honestly. #Watching people freak out over these two feels like I'm being pranked. #Like you guys aren't pulling a Goncharov are you? Just making believe there's any chance these two aren't gonna be endgame? #Like completely ironically? And I'm too autistic to catch it? #It genuinely feels like I'm explaining that red and blue make purple here. As if you guys should have learned this in kindergarten. #Or like watching whole-ass adults watch Cinderella for the first time and being on the edge of their seat #wondering if she's going to live happily ever after with the prince or not. #It feels like I'm talking DOWN to people and I don't WANT it to feel like that but it's so obvious and I don't want people to be like #anxious for no reason you know? #Like I get that we're all scarred from queerbaiting and I know you guys are biased from years of shipping these kids. #But like. These guys? The most obvious 'there's only one way this could go' couple I've ever seen? You're scared about THEM?

[thefreshprinceofjunes]

yall ever just

#kingdom hearts #soriku #kh3 spoilers #melody of memory spoilers #disney #disney princess #kh meta #ali's kh meta #this has already been pointed out numerous times #i just never realized they actually used the og dialogue from cinderella in khux #aka 'be gay' #fuckin wild #fairy godmother is also basically in the same position in both pics #while riku is where cindy was #more or less

[artist-issues]

What Even Are Disney Princesses?

I think two things make Disney Princesses super-successful. The first thing is that they’re “One of Us.” The second thing is, they’re “Examples of Superheroic Character.” Not as in “super-power,” but as in, “strength of values.” Just like the best super-heroes (like Spidey) usually are. The difference is, Disney Princesses don’t (usually) have superpowers that show off their strength of character—so how they respond to circumstances is what shows off their strength of character, instead.

For example:

Ariel’s One of Us

It’s ironic but it’s true. She’s the modern catalyst for this idea. She’s “the girl next door.” Every single person can relate to wanting more than what you have even if what you have is wonderful; every single person who’s been a teenager can relate to wanting to be understood, and feeling this horrible tension between loving what they’ve got but feeling like what they’ve got doesn’t fit anymore as they grow up.

She’s got these sweet little moments where she doesn’t know how a fork works but she’s so excited to see one and then embarrassed when she gets funny looks for brushing her hair with it. She sobs and runs away from an argument where her dad isn’t listening to her. She laughs at herself for pretending to be engaged to Eric’s statue. And tiny changes are made so that we think of her less as a mermaid or a princess and more as one of us—nobody ever calls her “Princess” regularly, except the bad guy. AND

Ariel’s Superheroic Character

Ariel has a strength of faith that many of us can only dream of. She learns a tiny piece of truth—that humans make wonderful things—and from that, she chooses to believe that all of her culture’s history, everything her dad says, and even the fact that her own mother was killed by humans, is wrong. When she says, “I don’t see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be bad,” she’s doing what so few of us are capable of: she’s taking truth, and acting upon it, instead of going with the crowd and listening to the popular opinion.

She does the same thing when she learns that Eric is a selfless, noble, self-sacrificial human—she knows those things are true, so she chooses to love him and sacrifice for him, against all odds and hard circumstances. We’d all like to be the kind of people who can do that, so that’s why she’s a good example.

Another example!

Belle’s One of Us

We can all relate to feeling lonely, and out of place. To feeling like we want what we see in stories—adventure, big, epic lives—and then finding out that what we really want is the thing that makes those stories worthwhile: love, simple and plain. Love that sees our inner world and meets us there.

She has these tiny moments of trying to talk to people about what she’s really excited and passionate about in her stories, but people who can only see the work and day-to-day in front of their noses don’t get it. She’s charmed and excited by things that are charming, like dancing silverware. She rages to herself about annoying suitors while she does her chores. She’s afraid of things that make sense to be afraid of, like hungry wolves and horrifying beasts. And she misses her father, even when she’s living the storybook adventure she’s always dreamed of, and she isn’t afraid to show it.

AND

Belle’s Superheroic Character

Belle has this almost-unattainable, inspiring character trait of self-sacrifice. She’s read books about heroes her whole life. She’s dreamt of freedom and adventure. But she gives it all up for her father, and sacrifices her independence, her home, her only source of love, to be like the heroes in her storybooks, even though she’s done nothing deserving of that fate. And considering her relationship with Gaston, we know that what she’s really giving up is every dream and every love to live with her worst nightmare—chained to a tyrant who’s cruel and self-focused.

But she does it anyway. And she doesn’t stop there. She makes the most of her situation—not by breaking her word and trying to get free, but by being willing to see that there’s more to that self-focused tyrant than she originally thought. By believing, once he shows her that he has enough good in him to save her life, that that good can be coaxed out and strengthened, and even loved. She’s this high ideal of self-sacrifice at every decision she makes.

I could add to this post with every single Disney Princess from Snow White to Moana, but I don’t have to. You guys know what I mean! The Disney Princesses have hearts that are everything we wish we could be—and because they’re also relatable humans, they make us believe that we could one day have the same hearts, too.

It’s never about their ability to sing, or have tiny waists, or big eyes, or healing hair and freezing powers and magic mermaid voices. It’s about their strength of character.

#Disney princess #Disney princesses #character analysis #characters #analysis #meta #film analysis #earth and the beast #the little mermaid #tangled #Snow White #Cinderella #faith #sleeping beauty #Moana #princess and the frog #Disney #the real Disney

[twig-tea]

Top 5 Couple Fights

Oooooooh this is fun! Thank you for a relatively easy category because so often the fights in these shows are unearned and it is very frustrating. I'm still limiting myself to 2023!

Wen and Alan, Moonlight Chicken

This fight felt real, it felt lived in, and it felt heartbreaking even though we only saw some of it. These two men love each other, but love isn't enough to keep them together, and that realization is as heartbreaking as the fight itself.

My Personal Weatherman

I am obsessed with the fights in My Personal Weatherman because the characters often don't know they're in one, or are in two different fights at the same time. This is all tied to how much I love how well the miscommunication is done in this show. These fights are legible based on what we know about these characters and what they've seen, even when they're completely unnecessary, and I adore that. Of course the best one is the ending fight and not just because Segasaki ties up Yo's wrists in his shirt.

Jack O'Frost

[Not enough gifs of this actual fight and I need to finish this list so this is what you get]. The fight at the very start of this show escalated so quickly, at first I wasn't sure about it even while I appreciated the performances and the intimate way it was shot. But when we get the backstory and we finally understand how much has been withheld and said vs. not said between them, and where their anxieties were rooted and the source of these big feelings, this fight makes so much more sense. This is a show that really benefits from being watched more than once.

La Pluie

[for some reason tumblr is giving me this link to Shan's blog rather than @liyazaki so tagging you, friend!]

Patts was pushed and pushed and pushed, and he lashed out in his insecurity, and when he asked for reassurance (this lineeee) Saengtai refused to give it to him and instead lashed out out of his own insecurity. This was a painful fight that was fully earned; all of the characters and their choices were legible even as they were infuriating. And it led to a critical awakening of Saengtai who was so caught up in his own sad boy narrative he hadn't realized how much he was hurting everyone around him.

My Beautiful Man S2

Kiyoi and Hira's communication issues continuing past S1 is very believable. I said elsewhere that Hira's work on his self-worth is more like a spiral than a straight line and that's very relatable and realistic. Kiyoi being hurt by Hira not valuing Kiyoi's feelings was such an important lesson for Hira to get more than once. Again, so earned, and resulted in the characters self-reflecting and moving a little closer to whatever a healthy relationship means for these two lol

Laws of Attraction

How much do I Love Tinn seeing right through Charn and Charn being big mad at him for Perceiving him so well? All of their fights are so good because they're about boundaries and mutual respect at their core, and they actually listen to one another and are based on how well they know one another (rather than what so often happens, when the characters seem to forget who the person they're in love with actually is). This barely counts as fight but I love it and it's my list so it stays.

Bonus entry that's only for me (shh stop counting the above):

Mr. Cinderella S2

Nobody but me and like 2 other people watched this show, but I'm actually obsessed with the couple fight in Mr. Cinderella s2 so thank you for the chance to rant about it on main some more. I need to start by saying: this plot is ridiculous and the ending sucks. But within this show, Dung and Khoa have an established relationship that has been tested in S1 and is being tested harder in S2, and to a point, they actually stand together and weather the storm, and it was rewarding to watch. And then slowly everything happening ("everything" here being an ABSURD amount of melodrama) starts to wear on Khoa, who sees himself as the one solely responsible for everything, and he unlearns some of what he learned in s1, he stops relying on Dung as his support, stops telling Dung what's going on because he doesn't want to burden him, and stops trusting Dung's word about what is happening. And so, when the jealousy plot hits, it's actually believable that Dung would be mad at Khoa, not for cheating, but for not respecting Dung as a partner in their relationship. It's well done, I wish so much that it were in a better show so that I could actually recommend anyone watching (I don't). I've seen this trope (assumed cheating) done so badly and so unearned in so many shows, this was so refreshing.

Extra bonus: Best couple fight scene of all time?

Gameboys S2

[I give up on gifs of this scene; have them upset for other reasons instead!]

What I love about the way they fight in this show is that, beyond it being earned etc. etc., the dialogue is so raw. They repeat themselves, they just yell over one another, they get rude, they try saying something to de-escalate and it gets worse instead. This is not a carefully crafted speech, or a single perfectly delivered devastating line; this is raw emotion. I recognize this fight, I've been in this fight, this is what I sound like when I fight lol And we see them really fight at least twice, and the way they fight in ep8 has changed as a result of the earlier fight is also SO good.

#2023 round-ups #bl meta #multi bl #thank you for the ask! #this one was very fun #i got close to actually being good about following the rules on this one...sort of #moonlight chicken #my personal weatherman #taikan yoho #jack o'frost #la pluie #my beautiful man s2 #utsukushii kare #laws of attraction #mr cinderella s2 #twig talks #gameboys s2 #i feel very strongly that a fight needs to be about the characters as they are and where they need to be in order to work as a couple #and so many shows regress their characters in a fight in order to be able to have a fight and resolution #rather than letting the characters actually grow and mature #anyway I have strong opinions about fights and they're rarely done well lol

[gutsybitsies]

I know this is a cliche at this point but Jason has the energy of that “straight” guy from Reddit who didn’t realize he had a crush on his gay roommate, and just thought he was being subconsciously homophobic.

Just like “I really care about Nico and support him so why do I always feel uncomfortable when he brings a guy home??? Am I being homophobic? :(“

Odds are it’s Piper who eventually has to be like “you are a big gay moron…”

omg you have hit a sweet spot for me because I have like. such strong Bisexual Jason beliefs. and i love the idea where he is relatively friendly and nice to everyone, and disarms people by being genuine, except for nico's dates who he automatically HATES.

he hates them so much. he can't explain it, the only difference between nico's dates and other people are that they are mlm who are in a romantic situation with his gay roommate. the only explanation must be that he's homophobic.

but also!!! jason with an unreasonably petty dislike of will is my jam, especially if will is this great amazing guy that everyone loves and he's also genuine and friendly and always happy to lend a hand to people in need. and this is the guy that jason is for SURE certain that he's evil or up to something. will solace can be rescuing a baby kitten from the streets and giving cpr to a dying person and jason's narrowing his eyes thinking "wow this guy can't be the wind underneath nico's wings, he can't even defibrillate the heart without an aed machine." of course then will is able to do exactly that with his healing powers and it just leaves jason even pettier.

i do love the idea of the whole "oh no what if i'm being homophobic" vibe but i also love the idea of jason unleashing his inner bitchiness and pettiness, lord knows this boy needs to unload some of his feelings

#jasico #jason grace #nico di angelo #pjo #heroes of olympus #percy jackson and the olympians #jason being smug with electricity crackling through his fingers ready to help with the heartbeat #and will whistles a tune to get the heart beating #now imagine jason just biting into a handkerchief like one of cinderella's stepsisters #IM WRITING HIM THIS WAY BECAUSE I LOVE HIM AND I WANT HIM TO ENJOY THE PETTIER THINGS IN LIFE #anon #pjo meta

[elegantwoes]

Contrary to what some might believe the fanon interpretation of Cinderella isn’t the slight they think it is to her. I mean take a look at her situation. If we go by aesthetics of the Disney movie the story takes places in 1800s England, Cinderella’s family estate has been taken over by her stepmother, she’s forced to do unpaid labor the whole day, and though it hasn’t been said out loud it’s likely her education had been put to stop the moment her father died. Meaning Cinderella has no title, no estate, no money, and no formal education. If she tried to run away there would be no resources to help her.

Cinderella is quite literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. The only realistic way that Cinderella could get out of her situation is by marrying and marrying well. So while marrying a prince might not have been Cinderella’s goal when she went to the ball, I think that there’s nothing wrong if that was her intention. In this scenario she does the opposite of what she is accused off (i.e needing to be rescued).

In fact in canon Cinderella saves herself too. The only reason why the fairy godmother comes to her to fulfill her wishes is because she never stopped believing, she literally says that to Cinderella. And the reason why the mice, the birds, and the dog go so hard for her is because she saved them and showed kindness to them first.

So whether in fanon or in canon Cinderella doesn’t need any saving.

#disney #cinderella 1950 #cinderella #princess cinderella #meta ish #just because cinderella doesn’t fit your modern idea what a heroine should be doesn’t mean she’s a heroine altogether #cinderella is amazing #both in canon and in fanon #deal with it

[princesssarisa]

Disney's unconventional "Cinderella" (1950) (long)

Having watched most of the many adaptations of Cinderella, I've come to realize what a unique adaptation Disney's 1950 animated classic really is. Unlike Snow White, which only had a few stage and screen adaptations before Disney produced its groundbreaking film, Cinderella had already been adapted many times before Disney's turn came, and Disney's version makes a surprising number of departures from the standard Cinderella "formula." It was definitely a fresh, creative Cinderella when it made its debut, and it arguably still is. Yet because it's become so familiar in pop culture, and today so often serves as our childhood introduction to the tale, it's easy to overlook its inventive storytelling choices. The 2015 live action remake uses several classic Cinderella adaptation tropes that the original 1950 film actually subverts!

Here's a list of the often-overlooked ways in which Disney's Cinderella stands out from earlier adaptations, and from many later ones too.

Cinderella herself. Disney's Cinderella isn't a traditional Cinderella in personality. The "traditional" portrayal of Cinderella, seen in virtually every adaptation before Disney's and several afterwards too, is the portrayal I call "The Waif": a very young, fragile, melancholy girl, dressed in pathetic rags and smudged with ashes, who makes the audience want to rescue her and who wins the Prince's heart with her wide-eyed innocence and artless charm. But whether chiefly to set her apart from earlier screen Cinderellas or from Disney's earlier delicate ingenue Snow White, Disney's Cinderella is none of those things. She comes across as older, or at least more sophisticated. Nor is she waif-like, but instead combines down-to-earth warmth with ladylike dignity, even at her lowliest. She doesn't sit in the ashes ("Cinderella" is her real name in this version), and her servants' dress is humble yet clean and only slightly tattered. She's gentle and kind, yes, but also intelligent, practical, playful, sometimes sarcastic, philosophical, optimistic, genuinely cheerful when she's with her animal friends, and yet angrier and stronger-willed than virtually all earlier Cinderellas. She doesn't beg to go to the ball, but asserts her right to go, and then sets to work fixing up an old dress of her mother's for herself. Only her stepfamily's sabotage, first by keeping her too busy to finish the dress, and then by destroying it after the mice and birds finish it for her, prevents her from taking herself to the ball without a Fairy Godmother. To this day, she stands out as a complex, unique Cinderella, which pop culture too often forgets.

Lady Tremaine. Some critics today complain that Disney makes Cinderella's stepmother a total monster instead of giving her "nuance" and call her portrayal "sexist." But can't we agree that her sheer cruelty enhances the film's dramatic power? And compared to earlier portrayals of Cinderella's Stepmother, it definitely makes her stand out. In most pre-Disney Cinderellas and many after, the Stepmother is a pompous, vain comic antagonist. Once again, Disney was innovative by portraying Lady Tremaine as a dignified, manipulative, and truly sinister villain, who takes quietly sadistic pleasure in abusing Cinderella and will stop at nothing to prevent her from going to the ball or marrying the Prince. As far as I know, she's also the first Stepmother to realize before the slipper-fitting that Cinderella was the lady at the ball and to take action to prevent her from being found. That's a commonplace plot device in more recent adaptations, but in 1950 it was a creative twist!

The mice and other animals. Viewers debate whether Cinderella's mouse friends, Jaq, Gus, et al, and their misadventures evading Lucifer the Cat are a welcome addition or take away too much screen time from Cinderella herself. But there's no denying that the presence of the mice and birds is an inventive storytelling choice, which makes Disney's Cinderella stand out! And I can provide a long list of reasons why they're more than just "filler." (1) They add liveliness, humor, and appeal for younger children. (2) They gave the animators an outlet for the type of character animation they did best, rather than binding them to the harder work of animating realistic humans. (3) They give Cinderella someone to talk to besides her stepfamily. (4) They give her a way to demonstrate her kindness. (5) The struggles of the mice with Lucifer parallel Cinderella's abuse by her stepfamily, and Cinderella's undying optimism not only keeps her from despair, but inspires them too. (6) They arguably provide a further reason why Cinderella stays with her stepfamily – not only does she have nowhere to go, but an entire community of small sentient creatures relies on her for food and protection. (7) They reward Cinderella for her kindness. From the start, her friendship with the mice and birds makes her life easier to bear, both by easing her loneliness and because they do helpful deeds for her, like mending and cleaning her clothes. They fix up her mother's dress for her to wear to the ball – only the stepfamily's last-minute cruelty requires the Fairy Godmother to step in. And in the end, they're directly responsible for Cinderella's happy ending by freeing her from her locked room. They do all these things because Cinderella has protected them, fed them, made them clothes, and been their friend. Therefore, Cinderella's good fortune never feels "just handed" to her: her kindness directly earns it.

The Fairy Godmother. It's always varied between illustrators whether Cinderella's Fairy Godmother is portrayed as a grandmotherly old woman or as youthful, regal, and beautiful, but screen and stage adaptations before the Disney version virtually always took the "youthful, regal, beautiful" approach. That is, when they didn't change her into a wise, fatherly male magician-advisor, as in several opera adaptations! At any rate, seriousness and dignity were the norm for this character in most adaptations from the 19th century through the 1940s. Making her a sweet, comforting, grandmotherly figure, with a comically and adorably absent mind, was another of Disney's fresh choices.

Cinderella's entrance at the ball. We all know the classic image of Cinderella's entrance from other adaptations. Cinderella appears at the top of the grand staircase that leads down to the ballroom, and a hush falls over the assembly, as not only the Prince, but all the guests and members of the court are amazed by the unknown lady's beauty and magnificent dress. Even in versions without a staircase, Cinderella captivates the room the moment she enters. Adaptations both before and after Disney's, including Disney's own 2015 live action remake, play her entrance this way. But the 1950 animated classic subverts it! The grand staircase leads up to the ballroom, not down to it, and Cinderella's entrance isn't a triumph at first, but a vulnerable moment as she makes her way up the stairs alone, dwarfed by the splendor around her. Then, when she reaches the ballroom, no one notices her at first, because the other ladies are being presented to the Prince and all eyes are on him. But then the Prince notices her in the shadowy background as she quietly marvels at her surroundings, and leaves his post to approach her and invite her to dance. Only then does the rest of the assembly notice her, because she's the one the Prince has singled out. It's more understated and it feels more realistic than the traditional entrance, as well as more clearly symbolic of Cinderella's venturing above her station, then both literally and figuratively being led out of the shadows by the Prince's unexpected attention.

The slipper-fitting plan. Over the years, it's been fairly popular to mock the idea of using the glass slipper to find the Prince's love, as if there were no chance it would fit anyone else. Disney's version is creative by having the slipper-fitting search be the comical, hot-blooded King's idea, not the Prince's, and making it clear that it's not, nor is it meant to be, a foolproof plan to find Cinderella. The Duke points out that the slipper could fit any number of girls, but the King doesn't care if they find the right girl or not: he just wants to hold his son to his pledge to marry "the girl who fits this slipper" and force him to marry the first one who fits it. This also means that Disney doesn't do what most adaptations do and have the Prince conduct the search himself, but follows the original Perrault tale by having a gentleman, in this case the Grand Duke, do it instead. This prevents audiences from mocking the Prince for relying on the slipper instead of knowing his beloved's face.

Cinderella breaking free and asking to try on the slipper. Even though in Perrault's original tale, Cinderella asks to try on the slipper, she almost never does in adaptations. In most versions other than Disney's, including Disney's own 2015 remake, Cinderella's presence in the house (and/or the fact that she has the other slipper) is either discovered by accident or revealed by Cinderella's allies, not by Cinderella's own initiative. In some versions, she even tries to hide from the Prince and/or the search party, either out of fear of her stepfamily or because she feels unworthy of the Prince in her rags. But not Disney's animated Cinderella! First of all, she has an assertive emotional breakthrough when she calls on her dog Bruno to chase Lucifer away and free Gus to slip her the key to her locked room. Earlier on, she urges Bruno to try to get along with Lucifer, lest the stepfamily not allow him to sleep in the house – it's clear that Bruno represents her own rebellious side, and in that scene she's really talking about herself, revealing that she tolerates her stepfamily's abuse so she won't lose her own "nice warm bed" and be homeless. But in the climactic scene, when she finally sees a way out, she gives up playing nice and seizes her chance. First she unleashes Bruno on Lucifer, and then she runs downstairs and directly asks to try on the slipper, not caring how her stepfamily will react, or what the Grand Duke will think of her shabby dress, or whether the audience will accuse her of gold-digging or not. This isn't a common breakthrough in other Cinderella adaptations, but it fits perfectly (like a glass slipper, you might say) with the Disney Cinderella's stronger-willed and more self-assured characterization.

"I have the other slipper." We can probably all safely assume that when audiences first saw Disney's Cinderella in 1950, they all expected Cinderella to try on the glass slipper she lost, with her identity revealed by its perfect fit. They never would have expected Lady Tremaine to trip the footman and break the glass slipper... only for Cinderella to calmly reveal that she has the other one. It's yet another clever and unexpected twist, not seen in any other version. Not even Disney's own 2015 remake.

Disney's Cinderella deserves far more credit than it gets for being unique among the myriad versions of the tale, especially compared to the versions that came before it.

#cinderella #fairy tale #disney #1950 #animated film #adaptation #meta

[cinderella-ish]

My evolving thoughts on who Yuki should've ended up with, and fanfic's role in changing my mind

So, I want to talk about Yuki Sohma.

Yuki is the member of the main trio in Fruits Basket with whom I most identify. I have little in common with both Tohru and Kyo, and it took me several watches and read-throughs to start to understand their characters/arcs. (I love them, don't get me wrong! I just didn't fully appreciate the depth of their characters/arcs until maybe my third time through the series.)

Yuki, on the other hand, not only had many external qualities in common with me, but the way he grew mirrored some of the ways I changed in early adulthood. His arc felt true to my life, and so he was my favorite character from my first exposure to Fruits Basket.

When I started reading fanfic, I initially limited myself to canon compliant or limited canon-divergence fics, but eventually, I dipped my toes into some alternate pairings. Interestingly, while I truly can't see Tohru with anyone but Kyo, and I can only see Kyo with someone other than Tohru in very specific circumstances, Yuki seems to work with almost everyone he gets paired with. I mean, Yuki and Machi are my OTP, yet I have probably read (and bookmarked) every Yuki/Kakeru fic on Ao3, and some of the most beautiful fanfic I've ever read is Yuki/Kyo.

This confused me at first. Deeply. If Yuchi is my OTP, why do I devour every Yukeru and Yukyo fic?

Well, I think that's because Yuki's arc is, among other things, one where he rejects compulsory romance. This is made explicit in the Cinderella-ish story (why yes this is my favorite part of Fruits Basket, why do you ask?), where he quite literally rejects the role of the prince - the role that's been put onto him by others through the series. I think his arc would have been complete without him ending up with Machi, but there are things about their relationship that make his ending so much more satisfying. In stories where he ends up with Kakeru or Kyo, Machi almost always appears as an important friend for him. I think, for him, having strong bonds outside the Sohmas that he forged on his own was the point, rather than ending up in a relationship.

Anyway, with that out of the way, here are my thoughts on the five most common Yuki pairings on Ao3!

Yuki/Machi

Yes. I love them. 1000/10.

Okay, so the one criticism I have of Yuki/Machi is that Yuki is strongly gay-coded throughout the series, and it would've been awesome to see that play out in the way it was set up. I think that's a huge part of why I connected with Yuki - his arc definitely reminded me of my own experience coming to terms with my own queerness. For more on this, see this exceptional post by @yunsoh

But there are so many moments between them that make me swoon. The chalk scene, first and foremost. I used that scene to talk to my partner about how to support me when my OCD or ADHD is bad. Then there's scene where Yuki figures out why Machi destroys things, then asks to make footprints in the snow together (and tells her he's proud of her! and sees how hard she's worked!). The way he bought her Mogeta memorabilia or figured out she likes red or understood her intent when she chased him around the school to give him a flower and just ended up getting angry at him. The way he understood she bought Tohru a bath set because it's what she would want, just because Kakeru made a similar remark. The way he lit up when he saw Machi's trashed apartment - "the sea of despair."

And the way Machi understood and empathized with Yuki. The way he lit up and started laughing when she called him an airhead. The way she said it took someone like him to notice someone like her. The way she opened up to him and always sought him out. The way Kakeru shipped them. The way he knew she would miss him if he were to disappear, and the way being a support to her was something he needed for himself. The way she accepted him as he actually was, and not the way he thought he was supposed to be. The way she broke the door down with a chair when Yuki was trapped in the storage room. The way he teased her!

They've both been put in seemingly desirable positions within their families, yet those positions are responsible for so much of their pain and trauma. They get each other at a deep level. There's a mutuality to their relationship that Yuki desperately needed. I love them so much!

PS: if you also love Yuki/Machi, come find me on Ao3! I'll be posting some Yuchi content later this week!

Yuki/Kakeru

They have a fantastic and fun dynamic, and they are always touching each other. Kakeru is Yuki's confidant and someone who makes Yuki feel safe in being himself, flaws and all. They help each other grow - Yuki helps Kakeru be more empathetic, and Kakeru helps Yuki become more comfortable with himself. I think this pairing would have also been a satisfying end for Yuki, full stop. I love them, and I will read all your Yukeru fics, please and thank you. (Also, lots of Yukeru writers are just really good writers, so there are some gorgeous works for them.)

Yuki/Kyo

So, I didn't get why this ship was so popular at first, but then I was reminded that Yuki's first thought when he met Kyo was "pretty!" They both secretly admired each other, they're written as foils for each other, and there's a reason enemies to lovers is so popular (and it's called sexual tension).

There's a Yuki/Kyo fic that I'd credit with showing me what fanfic can really do - especially in the ways it expanded the universe, found its own way of handling the curse, and developed the relationship between the two boys in a way that also grew their characters. That fic is The Pursuit of Repeating History by @mistergrass

I do think that Yuki ending up with someone outside the Sohmas is more satisfying for his character arc than someone from the Sohma clan, but his relationship with Kyo is such a key part of his arc that this could be satisfying in its own right.

Yuki/Haru

I absolutely love the relationship these two have in canon. I love how Haru looks out for Yuki, and I love how he drives Yuki a bit crazy. I love how Haru tells Yuki the things he needs to hear, like that it's okay for him to focus on himself for a while, and I love how Yuki braves the Sohma estate to check on Haru. I also love the way Haru can read Yuki like a book.

Haru's words to Yuki about finding someone who will appreciate his fragility and kindness are always so touching. Haru is almost a mentor to Yuki, in a way, or a fairy godmother. (Or a long lost sister?) The fact that he was the one who got Yuki out of isolation at the hands of Akito, or that he was the one person who would check on him just speaks to the strength of his loyalty to Yuki.

I take Haru's statement of "Yuki was my first love" seriously, because he tells Yuki he is serious when Yuki warns him people will take him seriously when he says that. I know there's an argument to be made that Haru is just being his weird self, but that gives me and they were roommates vibes.

Unfortunately, most of the Yuki/Haru fics are dubcon with Dark Haru, which is not something I enjoy reading. What I'd really love to read is an AU where they're together in high school or later, or something that explores Haru's early feelings for Yuki, or just something that explores interesting sides of their characters that are brought out when they're together.

I don't think this would be a terribly satisfying end for Yuki, but I do really love their dynamic.

Yuki/Tohru

Okay, so, full disclosure: I was #teamyuki when I first watched Fruits Basket. Yet now, they're the only pairing on this list that I don't like. Why? Well, as I said above, Yuki's arc is much about rejecting this specific compulsory romance.

Compulsory how? Well, from the beginning, the series seems like it's setting up a love triangle, but kind of tells us (more and more explicitly as the series goes on) that things are not what they seem.

I think the series does a phenomenal job of making the reader/viewer complicit in placing this compulsory romance onto Yuki. A brief aside, making the reader/viewer complicit in the thing a story is criticizing is one of the most effective ways to criticize something, IMO, because it doesn't let the reader/viewer off the hook. We don't get to say, "Look at them, they're so foolish!" We're forced to examine our own expectations and acknowledge that we were made a fool of, too.

I totally got tingles at the spa scene (pictured above), even though upon rewatch, it's obvious how much of an act it is on Yuki's part, and how uncomfortable it makes Tohru. In fact, many of their most "romantic" moments, where the shojo bubbles appear and everything, are when Tohru is acting in an explicitly motherly way to Yuki, and he awkwardly tries to flirt because he's either misinterpreting his feelings or in denial about them.

I also thought his line, "that isn't what I want!" when he tells Kakeru about his true feelings for Tohru is one of the most powerful moments in the series. It's the moment he's finally letting go of being the Princely character and choosing to be himself, for himself, because he deserves to be known and accepted - something he'd never fully believed until that moment.

I think part of why I was initially #teamyuki was because I came to Fruits Basket through the anime first, where much of the development of his relationship with Machi was cut. Also, as I said above, I didn't really get the characters of Kyo and Tohru right away, and I think that prevented me from seeing the power of their romance. The True Form arc was a key moment that I truly didn't understand until several viewings/readings later.

So, all of that is why I don't care for this pairing. I get why people do, but I do feel it undermines Yuki's agency and his character arc. It's a pairing that makes me sad when I see it, as if this character I love has taken a step backward.

(Incidentally, I've been wanting to write a fic where the True Form arc plays out differently and Yuki takes longer to realize the nature of his feelings for Tohru. I truly wonder how he would've come to that understanding without witnessing her running after Kyo. Would he have tried dating her? Would it have been a total disaster?)

Other pairings and larger relationship structures

Out of the other pairings I found, the only one I'm genuinely curious about is Yuki with Saki Hanajima. I'll have to go read those fics. They are each the "cold" half of a "hot/cold" duo (the "hot" halves being Kyo and Arisa, who are basically the same person). I'm very curious what led people to pair them in the handful of fics about them!

(Interestingly, I think it's possible to read Saki and Arisa both as having a bit of sexual tension with Kyo, but not with Yuki.)

The others include Akito, Ayame, Hatori, and Shigure - all pairings that would have a noncon/dubcon element due to Yuki's age, and that's before you get into the specific traumas that these characters have inflicted on Yuki, or the inherent power dynamics between them, or the close familial relationship with Ayame, etc...

The trio relationships are all intriguing and full of possibility. Yuki/Tohru/Kyo? Obviously. Yuki/Kakeru/Kimi? Potential for lots of wackiness. Yuki/Kyo/Haru? Could be the next Mabudachi trio.

(No shade to anyone who enjoys fics with the pairings or tropes I don't like! This blogger believes in "don't like, don't read.")

#fruits basket #furuba #fruba #fanfic #yuchi #yukeru #yukyo #yukikyo #yukiru #yuki x machi #yuki x kyo #yuki x kakeru #yuki x haru #yuki x tohru #analysis #fruba analysis #fruits basket analysis #fanfiction #yuki sohma #romance #kyo sohma #rarepair #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #tohru honda #kakeru manabe #machi kuragi #haru sohma #by cinderella-ish #my meta

[princess-ibri]

Updates DisneyVerse Timeline! Now that we've got a better look at the costuming in Wish (and got confirmation on when Encanto takes place. Still think the costuming fits better with the 1910s but I can take correction)

#disneyverse #disney #disney crossover #disney timeline #disney meta #disney movies #wish 2023 #disney princesses #disney heroes #disney snow white #sleeping beauty #cinderella #the little mermaid #beauty and the beast #aladdin #pocahontas #mulan #hercules #tarzan #princess and the frog #enchanted #tangled #frozen #moana #raya and the last dragon #sofia the first #elena of avalor #lilo and stitch #treasure planet #atlantis

[owlhari]

if grace & max win the death match i'm posting the beginning of my interactive hatchetfield project today instead of wednesday like i was planning to

#donate to cinderella's castle anyway but do it for them #and also for my meta ask blog. its got so much art. please #hatchetfield #starkid #hatchetverse #grace chasity #max jagerman #hatchetfield death match #conflux #<- .....hinting

[allgirlsareprincesses]

Do you think that Rey's story (excluding episode 9 'cause that was a shitshow) could be interpreted as a Cinderella/Ash girl story?

I hope you realize asking me this is like throwing chum to a shark 😈. But the short answer is yes, to a point.

The long answer is more complicated, so to begin with, let's consult the Cinderella bible:

According to the Aarne Thompson Uther Index, there are five primary motifs to a Cinderella tale:

Persecuted heroine, usually by family

Help or helper, usually magic

Meeting the prince, usually with true identity disguised

Identification or penetration of disguise, usually by means of an object

Marriage to the prince

Rey is abandoned by her family, which is a form of persecution, and harassed by the inhabitants of Jakku like Unkar Plutt. Thus she clearly fulfills the first item.

As for meeting a helper, there are several for her, including Han Solo, Maz, Luke, and Leia. Any or all of these may be considered fairy godparents in the way that they offer her wisdom and material help. Further, except for Maz, they all die in the course of the story, which is consistent with many Cinderella tales in which the helper dies and their bones continue to offer wisdom and comfort to the heroine.

Next, meeting the prince. I mean

To the extent that Rey is "in disguise' here, it would be the extent of her force powers, her destiny as Ben Solo's dyad mate, and her role as the heir apparent to the Jedi (chosen by the Force to wield the legacy saber), all of which are obscured from Kylo Ren when he discovers her in the forest. Further, she is grimy and covered in desert sand, similar to how Cinderella is smeared with ashes that hide her true beauty.

So now an object penetrates the disguise. This is obviously the Skywalker lightsaber, which reveals Rey to be everything listed above, especially when she calls it to her on Starkiller Base, and again when she wields it on Ahch-to.

And lastly, marriage to the prince. As many others have pointed out over the years, Rey and Ben have almost too many symbolic marriages to count in the course of the sequel trilogy. They're extremely married, the Force said so.

BUT WAIT! Go back and look at that list again. Who ELSE fits all those criteria?

It's our boy! Consider:

He is indeed persecuted by family, most notably when Luke momentarily considers killing him.

Ben's helpers are both dark and light, as Snoke/Palpatine guide him in the dark while Luke guides him in the light (poorly). But note again what I said above about the bones of the mentor continuing to offer guidance and comfort after their death. Who should appear at Ben's lowest hour but his departed father, Han Solo? With a message of love, acceptance, and encouragement, Han's memory (because in fairy tales, bones contain memory) encourages Ben to at last cast off his beastly skin and become who he always was.

Next, meeting the prince/ss in disguise. He's wearing a literal mask when he meets Rey, so yeah.

An object penetrates the disguise? Rey slashed his face with the legacy saber, thus symbolically peeling away his mask. And I've argued before that the stabbing in TROS (which I still HATE, btw) is another cutting or burning away of the beastly skin.

And lastly, marriage to the prince/ss. As previously stated, that happened. Many times.

So yes, the Sequel Trilogy can definitely be considered a Cinderella story, with but one glaring issue: Cinderella's husband usually doesn't die at the end. But that's another topic that's been done to death, so let's all just read some more fanfic and forget about it. 👑 Thank you for the ask, this was fun!

#reylo #reylo meta #star wars #star wars meta #sw meta #star wars sequel trilogy #sequel trilogy #sequel trilogy meta #sw sequels #rey x ben #rey of jakku #ben solo #kylo ren #cinderella #aschenputtel #fairy tale #fairy tale meta #folktales #folktale types #folktale motifs #atu 510 #aarne thompson uther #han solo #luke skywalker #leia organa #maz kanata #fairy godmother #my meta

[gofancyninjaworld]

Deshiderella

So, one of the more fun sketches Murata did in his stream was the story of Deshiderella, a sketch featuring Genos as Cinderella, Sonic, Tatsumaki, and Fubuki as the Evil Stepsisters, Saitama as the handsome prince -- and a delightfully demented take on it all. All stream screencaps courtesy of @rayadraws.

Since then, we've had the Monster Association arc and the extent to which you can map the Deshiderella story to what unfolded during the arc is fascinating.

So, throughout the land, there was mass panic and consternation because a group of monsters had caused chaos and had challenged the heroes to a showdown. There's a Monster Bash to attend!

Genos couldn't go to the Monster Bash because he broke his nice new body, on the eve of the battle even. Guess you'll have to sit this one out, son!

But his Fairy God Scientist came through for him at the last minute, complete with dire warnings about time limits.

He arrived after everyone had left for the ball but when he finally set foot on the scene, boy did he steal the show!

Unfortunately, he's not good at listening to warnings and he suffered greatly: he couldn't fly, half his armor melted off, his core was unstable, and there were still many strong monsters to fight. Nevertheless, he pressed on, even winning over the evil stepsisters *cough* I mean, forging a better relationship with both the Psychic Sisters.

Despite the setbacks, he captured the heart of the most noble Saitama, and for a moment, everything was just right.

And just like a Cinderella story, it is precisely when everything looks like it'll turn out all right after all that true horror descends. 'Won't you join me in my dance of death?' seems horribly prescient.

Fortunately, Saitama was able to work a miracle and make things right again.

With even the evil doer saved and admonished to do no wrong, all seems well as the two of them watch the sun rise together.

The only part of Murata's tale still missing is the chase scene. Heh! I'm sure we'll see what he was alluding to shortly! I guess Genos is not letting go of his quest to reach where Saitama is.

EDIT: Thanks to @stuckinfangirllife for reminding me of the most important thing of a Cinderella story: THE MIRACULOUS OBJECT THAT LEADS BACK TO THE TRUE LOVE.

Deshiderella leaves behind his shoe, and yup, in the story we have the precious, precious core:

#OPM #Yusuke Murata #Deshiderella #Genos #the margin sketch turns out to be a real allegory for what was to happen next #very clever #A Cinderella tale is less a rags to riches story than of the perseverance to seek what's good in the face of outrageous setbacks #and it does fit #now bring on -- the chase! #meta