#like it wasn’t out of the ordinary for her to be aggy like that | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

zafirosreverie · 3 years

Text

Their reaction to you being super interested in their passion( KH’s characters)

Agatha Harkness:

Agatha found it cute how you kept trying to do magic, even if you were a simple (and beautiful) mortal. You would often ask her about it, and were always so eager to learn as much as you could (you were especially happy when she’d let you read some of her books, even if they were the simpler ones). She was so happy that you weren’t afraid of magic nor think she was evil or a monster. It was so hard to find someone who still believed in magic like you did.

“Aggie!” you squealed “I did it!”

She laughed and turned to you. Sometimes, you’d come and show her one of those “tricks” humans called magic. You were so cute.

“Alright, buttercup, let’s see” she smiled.

You smirked and closed your eyes. You lifted your fist to her face before you opened your eyes and slowly opened your hand. Agatha expected to find a card or a small gift, but a small butterfly flew around her. It was made of light and even if it was small, it was also the most beautiful thing she ever saw.

You giggled when the butterfly landed on her nose before disappearing. She looked at you, shocked.

“I did it!” you squealed again and hugged her “I’m like you!”

Agatha hugged you and kissed your temple. No, you weren’t like her, you were something more. You were one of the few humans that still could control the most powerful magic of them all. The ordinary magic that flew around every living being but that just a few could see. Life itself.

Olivia Octavius:

Olivia knew that science is usually a hard thing for most people. Yes, there were a lot of renowned scientists in the world, but it wasn’t something every child dreamed of being. Even in Alchemax itself, it was hard for her to find someone who shared her interests and passion. It was like everyone there just wanted the payment (which was good, to be fair).

So, the fact that you seemed to be so interested in it, was a gift. You weren’t necessarily good at it, but you had fun and were so cute, never giving up. She loved to watch you playing around her lab (but she always kept the dangerous things out of your hands), discovering your own things. You were always so happy when you could show her something you discovered on your own, no matter if it was simple and she already knew it.

What made her fall completely in love with you tho, was that you also shared Doc Ock’s interests. You were as devilish as her, and so much naughtier. Your “plans” were often so much better than hers and New York had to deal with the fact that sometimes Doc Ock won over spider-man, even if no one knew how.

“What are you working on, love?” she asked.

You smirked as you showed her your new design. “I think Doc Ock could use a companion” you said.

Ursula Gernsback:

For Ursula, the fact that you were so interested in robots was both a blessing and a curse. You were always asking her questions about her and her programming and often asked for permission to look closer (which she gladly gave, in hopes to get more...intimate, but you never fell for it. You were just too innocent).

You’d spend hours playing with her buttons and cables (but nothing too important, you didn’t want to hurt her), and she didn’t mind sitting on a cold table for hours, as long as your hands were on her, she was fine with it. You were so tender with her, you touched her with so much love and veneration. As if she was the most precious thing ever.

But you were also oblivious af. No matter how much she tried to flirt with you, no matter how obvious she was, you just didn’t get it. Which means that it was a torture to have you so close and not being able to kiss you or hug you.

“I like your eyes” you said while you were analyzing her again “They look so real and beautiful”

“Can you see the love of my life in them?” she tried again.

You blinked and frowned in confusion “You’re so silly, Sulie” you giggled

“Why? Can’t you see yourself reflecting on them?”

“Yes I can, but I don’t know what it has to do with-”

Ursula smiled as you blushed and seemed to realize (finally!) what she meant.

Carla Dunkler:

Carla actually met you at the Spa. You were the new member of the staff and she was quickly dragged to you. You were just so charming and kind and cute and she was quickly head over heels for you.

You seemed to be interested in her too and started to try to get closer to her. You usually asked her about her life, her hobbies, what she wanted to be when she was little, etc. Carla thought you’d lose interest in her after she told you she had a son (it had happened a lot of times, she was used to it by now), but you were actually even more interested now. She was surprised when you started to ask about Jackson too, his dreams and aspirations.

She didn’t know what to do, because she wasn’t used to someone being actually interested in her like that. So you had to be the one who made the first move.

Eve Fletcher:

Eve loved doing things with you, no matter what. She just loved to spend time with you and feel like you loved to be with her too.

She was so grateful when you started to show interest in her literature class and asked her to show you her works. She was shy about it, but you were so reassuring and you quickly started to ask her for more. You didn’t pressure her, but you were so invested in it that Eve couldn’t help but find it extremely cute.

Jennifer Barkley:

Jen was so proud when you started to show interest in her work. She loved what she did almost as much as she loved you, so it was like a Christmas gift, but better. Because she quickly took you under her wing (even if you didn’t actually want to work in it, just were interested), and she was able to have you near her 24/7, even when she was working.

You seemed to be having so much fun and it made her so happy. People started to call you her apprentice, until she corrected them and everyone knew you were her partner. After a while, everyone got used to your presence, and would be pretty worried if you don’t show up with her at an event.

They all started to make bets on when Jen would actually propose to you.

172 notes · View notes

monigheandonn1743 · 6 years

Text

Ceart-leth

Previous Chapters

Chapter 19

The quiet, hiccuping, whimpers of wee Jamie seemed deafening in the other wise deathly silent garden. The small boy was half buried in his mother’s skirts, staring up at his uncle, his eyes wide with fright, his cheeks streaked with tears, and his plump bottom lip trembling alarmingly.

The sight completely broke her heart.

Before her eyes had drifted to the terrified child, she’d been waging a near impossible internal battle. Fluctuating between jumping head first into the melee, to defend herself and Jamie, or keeping her mouth shut…for now…and letting him handle it. She was his sister and Claire didn’t want to do anything to embarrass him or undermine his authority.

But it had been a close call. She was so infuriated she could hardly see through her rage, and she’d been on the verge of going nuclear on the pint sized shrew.

Child bride my arse!

Then she’d noticed wee Jamie, and as she stood looking at him, reason had penetrated the fog of her mind and she’d clenched her jaw tight against the words dying to pour out. The poor baby had seen more than enough, and she needed to do something to put a stop to it. But short of snapping him up and marching into the house, she had no choice, she had to enter the fray.

She took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself enough to speak rationally, and looked back up. The two Fraser sibling were still stood toe to toe, glaring at each other, one shrouded in hurt and anger, the other in righteous indignation. If she’d been about to go nuclear, it was nothing compared to what was brewing between the two of them.

Just the thought of coming between them was enough to have her praying for her life. But she was the only adult here that seemed to still have an iota of sense left. So she took another deep breath for courage, stepped around Jamie and placed a gently hand on his arm.

“Jamie?”

He didn’t move, it was as though he’d completely forgotten that she was there. But Jenny did and her hate filled eyes snapped to Claire’s so quickly she thought her head would spin.

Linda Blair eat your heart out.

“Dinna even think about it!” Jamie growled in warning, his voice so cold that it sent a shiver down the back of her spine. “Ye dinna speak to her. Ever.” Jenny turned quickly to look back up at him, and clenched her fists around the letter.

“When ye minds bein’ controlled by ye cock, yer in no place to tell me what I can an’ canna think, James Fraser.” Jenny spat back as she took a step closer to him. “So get this Sassenach hoor off my property afore I give ye one less brain to think wit’.”

“I think we’ve established who’s property this is, Janet Murray so be mindful of how ye speak of it’s future mistress, ye wee bitch.”

“Jamie…” she tried again, one eye on the fight and one on the small boy that had fallen onto his bottom as his mother moved.

“I’m the mistress of Lallybroch…”

“Like hell ye are…”

“Jamie?”

“…an’ I willna have ye stray harlot an ye wee bastard bairn…”

“…ye run the house cause ye asked to stay on when da left. But no more…

“Jamie, stop.”

“…usurp my position an’ run it into the ground. She’s no but a child…”

“Oh for God sake!” Claire growled, giving up on the feuding pair and crouching down to wee Jamie. “Come here, sweetheart.” She cooed quietly, scooping the little boy up into her arms. She almost wept along with him when he buried his head in the crook of her neck and held on tight. “It’s alright. Ssh.”

She was a complete stranger, yet he was so scared he’d come to her without question, and she needed to get him away. Holding him close, she rubbed his trembling back and covered his ear with her hand, as she stood and turned to walk towards the house as fast as she could. If they wanted to kill each other, fine, but she wasn’t letting the baby witness it.

“Get ye rancid hands off my boy, ye Sassenach bitch!”

“No.” She called back calmly, not even bothering to look behind her as she passed through the garden gate, and across the driveway.

There was a whole load of vitriol that she planned to lay at Jenny’s feet. There was no way on earth that she’d ever let her get away with the shit she was spewing. If it wasn’t for wee Jamie she’d have done it there and then, because she’d had enough. But right now the scared little boy was her priority.

“If ye lay a finger on her, I’ll flay ye alive.” Jamie hissed, his dangerous voice much closer than it should have been. Brian had warned her of his temper, but in truth she hadn’t really believed him. Other than the small incident with the mug, she’d seen no sign of it.

Now that she had, she made a mental note to try and stay on his good side. Because she had no doubt that before the end of the day, Jenny would see the strap.

Hitting a man, woman or child went against everything she believed it. But her twenty first century morals meant nothing here, where belting and flogging were the norm. So no matter how much the thought turned her stomach, it was the reality, and something she was going to have to get used too.

“Get off me, ye bastard, afore I tear ye bollocks off.” Jenny screeched, pulling her back from her thoughts.

“What the hell is goin’ on?”

Claire froze at the bottom of the steps and looked up at the man that held his position at the top. He was tall, almost as tall as Jamie, but not nearly a big. He had dark brown hair, tied low at the back of his neck, and deep set dark eyes that moved quickly between her and what was happening behind her.

“Ye damn wife’s lost her mind.” Jamie growled as he passed her and mounted the steps, dragging a thrashing Jenny by her arm. “If ye dinna skin her arse, Ian, be sure that I will. The wild bitch dinna ken when to keep her trap shut.”

“I’ll keep my trap shut when ye learn to keep yer cock in yer kilt!” Jenny spat back as she turned in his grasp, drew her leg back, and booted Jamie in the shin. He growled out a Gaelic curse and shoved her towards Ian who clamped his own hands around her arms.

“Janet Murray!”

“That’s enough!” Claire shouted finally reaching the end of her patience. Three pairs of eyes shot to her, and she squared her shoulders and looked up at them, still attempting to sooth wee Jamie. “If you two want to kill each other, fine, go ahead I won’t stop you. But right now there’s a baby boy scared half out of his wits. So until he’s out of hearing range, show some maturity and shut the hell up.”

“I couldna have said it better myself.” Murtagh said calmly as he appeared behind Ian and walked down the steps towards her. “I’m ashamed off ye, Janet, an so will ye da be when he hears.” He told her sternly as he plucked wee Jamie out of Claire’s arms and continued along the drive way. “We’ll be in the stables, an’ I suggest ye take yer conversation somewhere more private.”

“In the house, Jenny, an’ no another word.” Ian ordered, as he turned her towards the door and gently nudged her back. Jenny huffed, steam still pouring from her ears, and grabbed her skirts before marching into the house. Making sure to throw Jamie a death glare as she passed. “I apologize for my wife.” Ian said, as he turned back to face her.

Ordinary she’d brush it off and tell him not to worry, that it was okay. But it wasn’t okay. The pain in Jamie’s eyes, when Jenny had hurled her hurtful words, will haunt her for a long time to come. No matter how angry she was, it was cruel and uncalled for.

“It’s not your responsibility to apologize, and it’s not just me that’s owed an apology. But thank you.” She nodded, as Jamie held out his hand for her to join them. He was still murderously angry. So much so, that she could feel his hand trembling with the repression of it, as he wrapped it around hers and helped her up the steps.

“If ye hadna already guessed, this is my brother-in-law Ian Murray.” He introduced as he removed his hand from hers and placed it at the small of her back. “Ian this is Mistress Claire Beauchamp from Oxfordshire.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr Murray.”

“Ye as well, Mistress Beauchamp.” He bowed politely, though his confusion at the whole situation was still clear on his face. Despite being in the middle of it, she couldn’t claim much clarity herself, so she just had to hope that Jamie would shed some light.

“Come, lass. Ye need ye rest.” Jamie instructed adding pressure to her back and guiding her through the doorway and into a huge hall. “I’ll see her settled an’ meet ye in the study, Ian.”

“Aye.”

Silently, he lead her further into the room, and as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, Claire noticed an older, plump woman waiting patiently at the foot of the stairs. She was calm and serine, acting as though world war three….or one as it would be…wasn’t just breaking out at the front of the house. She curtsied when she saw Jamie and he drew her closer and stopped just a few feet away.

“Mrs Bissett, please show Mistress Beauchamp up to the ivory room an’ see her comfortable.” He instructed without introducing her. “Send Aggie up with water for her to wash up, an’ something to see her over ‘til dinner.”

“Aye Milord.” She curtsied again, “I’ll take care of er’ dinna fash. Come, Mistress, ye look dead on ye feet, ye do.”

Claire looked up at Jamie about to tell him that she was fine, that she didn’t need rest and that she wasn’t hungry. She didn’t want to leave him, not when he was clearly so upset, and what she needed was to be in his arms. But she could see from the look in his eyes, that now wasn’t the time. He needed to deal with the aftermath of hurricane Jenny, and he didn’t want her witness to it.

“Go lass.” He whispered, as he reached up and ran a finger softly down her cheek. “I’ll get yer bags and bring em up to ye.”

“Okay.” She whispered back as she offered him a sweet smile of comfort. I love you.

As I do ye. He mouthed back as he took her hand in his and pressed his lips to her palm in a lingering kiss. Then he closed her fingers around it and sent her on her way.

He watched her go with his heart still stuck in his throat, smiling at her softly each time she looked back, despite the seething anger that still raged in his guts. He’d never been so ashamed and embarrassed by anyone in his life.

Nor so proud.

Claire had composed herself like a true lady, but if he laid eyes on his foul mouthed sister before he’d calmed down, he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions.

As soon as she disappeared around the corner, he spun on his heels and stormed back out to the gardens. He needed to collect her bags, make sure she was well, and then speak to Ian about his vapid wife. She was out of her damn mind if she thought for a second that there’d be no repercussions for her actions. With child or not, she’d pay dearly for the hurt and humiliation he’d seen in Claire’s eyes.

He was happier then he’d ever been in his life, and the joy of bringing Claire home for the first time had been unequivocal. She’d looked so beautiful stood on the mountain, gazing in awe at all that was to be hers, that she’d had neigh on stollen his breath. In that moment he’d have handed her the world, and he could hardly wait to get her home and introduce her to his family.

But in the first parting of her vicious lips, Jenny had erased all of that joy and expectation. He had no idea what his da had written in that letter, but it had been a red rag to a bull, and he wouldn’t stand for it.

Seeing the bags, he grabbed them off the grass and stormed back into the house. Ignoring the curious stares from the staff, he took the stairs two at a time and quickly made his way to her bedchamber. It wasn’t proper, and it was bound to start rumors but they wouldn’t be alone, and at the moment he really didn’t care.

His quick knock was answered by Mrs Bissett, and when she saw the bags, she stepped back and allowed him entrance. Claire was stood by the window, with the suns soft rays dancing on her skin, and highlighting the deep auburns in her hair, she looked almost angelic. But when she glanced up at him, her eyes bright with tears, he placed her bags on the floor and quickly crossed the room towards her.

“Hush, Lass.” He whispered, wrapping his arm around her, and pulling her against his chest. “Dinna weep, ye break me heart.”

“I’m so sorry.” She stuttered, swiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her dress. “I’m sure this is the last thing you need.”

“What I need is no matter.” He argued, tilting her head up so he could see her bonny eyes. “It’s what ye need that worry’s me. What can I do?”

“Oh, you dear, sweet man.” She whispered, reaching up to cup his face in both hands. “I need you to be happy. I’m not crying for myself, I’m crying because I’m so angry at the way she hurt you. So please, don’t worry about me, I’m in good hands with Mrs Bissett. So, you go and do what you need to do and I’ll be here when you need me.”

“What did I ever do to deserve ye?” He breathed as he brought her close and pressed his lips to her forehead.

“Ha, you say that now!” She laughed, flashing him a cheeky wink, as she straightened herself up and took a step back. “Just wait until it me at the wrong end of your wrath. You’ll be cursing the day you met me then.”

“Never.”

“We’ll see, my Lord.”

“Minx.”

“Aye.” She drawled in her terrible Scottish accent. He laughed and brushed a lock of her long hair out of her eyes, before stepping back and walking away.

“I’m still in the frame of mind to belt someone, ye ken.” He called over his shoulder as Mrs Bissett quickly moved out of his way and opened the door.

“You’d have to catch me first.” She sassed, blowing him a kiss as she made her way towards the bed and sat down. Just seeing her there on the soft mattress, surrounded by the ivory sheets and billowing curtains, was enough to send his blood running south.

He wanted noting more than to take all his anger, all his pain, all his love and to lose himself completely within her. He couldn’t wait much longer without losing his mind, or taking her regardless and damning the consequences.

“I already have.” He told her, flashing her a wink of his own as he walked from the room. “A moment, Mrs Bissett.” He asked, drawing the housekeeper into the hall.

“Milord?”

“She’ll need a selection of clothin’ an’ such. Take em from my mam’s chest. As much as she needs, an’ send a note to the dressmaker in the village. I want her here tomorrow.” He ordered. “I’ll spare no expense.”

“Aye, Milord.” She smiled, her eyes twinkling with merriment, “She’s to be the new Lady, aye?”

“God willin’ Mrs B.” He nodded and turned towards the stairs and what awaited him in the study.

He caught young Rabbie MacNab coming in from the kitchen, and scaring the poor lad to death, he ordered his presence in the study. Ian was stood by the fire, leaning on the mantle, will a glass of whiskey in one hand, and his head in the other. He felt much the same, and he nodded to him briefly before sat to pen a quick note. Sanded, folded and sealed, he sat back in his chair and motioned the pale lad over.

“See this note to Father MacBride at the kirk.” He instructed, handing the letter over to the lads keeping. “T’is important, ye ken. It goes to him an’ no-one but. Wait as long as ye need, then come back, an’ they’ll be a shillin’ in it for ye.”

“Aye, Milord. Thank ye.” He bowed, near bouncing on his heels, eager to be away.

“Good lad. Be gone wit’ ye.”

Rabbie shot out of the door like his arse was on fire, and Jamie sighed as he pushed up from his chair and made his way over to the decanters.

“So ye to marry again?” Ian asked as he moved from the mantle to take a seat before the fire. Jamie could feel his eyes burning into his back, and he just hoped Ian would be more understanding than his sister had obviously been. He was in no mood to battle with his friend as well.

“I’v no asked her yet, but, aye. God willin’ she’ll be me wife as soon as the banns are read.” He nodded, before downing his drink and topping off his glass. He’d need more than one to get through the rest of the day.

“Ye da said she’s a healer.”

Surprised by his knowledge, Jamie turned quickly to see Ian holding up the letter that had so enraged Jenny. He moved forward and set his drink down, before he snatched the letter out of Ian’s hand, and sank into the chair opposite him.

“Aye, she is. An’ a damn fine one too.” He told Ian with pride as he shook the crumpled paper out so he could read.

Jenny my dear,

Due to matters arising at Leoch, and a joyous event yet to take place, I’ve sent your brother home early from his planned trip to Beauly, without him once having set foot on the estate.

Lacking your brothers much desired attention, the castle will remain in dire need of repairs and a collection of rents that remain long overdue. So, I ask, my dear, that once the bairn comes, and you are fit for travel, that your Ian takes up the office in Jamie’s place and sees the tasks complete.

The trip will give you an opportunity to see more of the world beyond Lallybroch, and your brother a chance to honeymoon at his own home in tranquility with his bride to be.

Ah yes, a honeymoon. The mention of it brings me to the point of Mistress Claire Beauchamp. A wonderful young lady from England, trained in the arts of healing, and skilled in the task of drawing the long lost light from your brothers eyes.

Since witnessing her care and talents in the treatment of illness and injury, I have secured her services to aid you in the birthing chamber. I have no doubt in my mind that we will be leaving you in good hands, as we enjoy our whiskey in the peace and quiet of your brothers study.

I will be journeying to Lallybroch myself in hopes of staying to welcome two new members to our small family. But first, I must see the captured Captain Jonathan Randell esquire, to the gallows at Fort William.

You should take time to ask your new sister-to-be how that event came to take place. For it’s a shocking and amusing tale, that the man still bears injury from.

I must leave you now, but I do so with a final request.

We both ken well how rumors and spite can easily destroy the reputation of a young lass. Away in London as he was, your brother was spared that painful knowledge, and the new couple have a tendency to forget themselves easily.

So, I ask that you and Ian take up the role of chaperones until my return, and see no harm befall our dear Claire.

I will be with you soon, my lass, but until then I remain

Your loving father.

Brian Fraser

“What happened when I was in London?” Jamie asked, looking up from the letter to stare at Ian. He’d heard nothing of any ill befalling Jenny, but at the time he heard naught of anything but his own sorrows.

His friend shrugged and knocked back his drink, before raising to pour another.

“Ach, t’was somethin’ and nothin’.” He sighed bringing the decanter back with him and topping up Jamie’s glass. “Martin Mackimmy followed Jenny into the barn. T’was for no reason other than to help her carry the milk, but Blair Twaddle saw and caused a right raucous in the village. Claimed the newly minted Lady Janet a fallen woman.

“Her reputation was in tatters, an’ she refused to wed me for fear of bringin’ me down with her. No one of her friends stood by her, an’ they werena at the Kirk when she did finally agree.”

“And yet she loudly and viciously slanders Claire, out in the open for all and sundry to hear? Even after readin’ what me da wrote?” He seethed screwing the letter up in his hand and throwing it against the wall. “I’m sorry Ian, but I have verra little sympathy for her at the moment. An’ if she’s done any damage to the lass, I’ll no see her set foot in Lallybroch again after ye leave for Beauly.”

“I canna say I blame ye, brother.” Ian huffed as he slouched back down in his seat. “I dinna understand what’s gotten into her. No that she’s a placid lass, like, but she shamed us both today, an’ i’ll see her dealt with, dinna worry about that.”

“See that ye do, ‘cause so help me Ian, I’ll belt her myself.” He warned holding Ian’s eyes as he took a drink. Ian nodded and Jamie slouched back in his chair and closed his eyes, wounded and drained. “Claire’s no a lass to speak in haste, but when she’s got her mind right, she’ll have a thing or two to say herself, ye ken.”

“An’ are we to stand back and watch the fireworks?”

“Aye, I think she deserves her say after listening to such insults.” He sighed, part dreading and part anticipating the inevitable showdown.

“Fair enough. Now tell me how ye happened to meet her. She’s a long way from home, no?”

Ye have no idea, brother.

Chapter 20

#outlander #jamieandclaire #outlanderfanfiction #ceart-leth

208 notes · View notes

tomeandflickcorner · 6 years

Text

The Halloweentown Tetralogy

To commemorate this Halloween, I’ve viewed all four of the Halloweentown movies, as requested by @knightrookjones. Special thanks to @xemmaloveskillianx @unabashedlyswimmingtimemachine and @midouriya for helping me locate sources where I could watch them.

Halloweentown- The first movie in the Halloweentown Tetralogy where we’re introduced to the series’ main character, Marnie, and her family. In the first installment of the franchise, Marnie is 13-years-old, and she lives in an unnamed town with her apparently widowed mother, Gwen, and her two younger siblings, 12-year-old Dylan and 7-year-old Sophie. For some reason, Gwen is clearly adamant about preventing her children from participating in any of the usual activities associated with Halloween, from going trick-or-treating to attending costume parties. But when the family receives a surprise visit from Maternal Grandmother Aggie, played by the dearly departed Debbie Reynolds, Marnie ends up eavesdropping on a conversation between her mother and grandmother, which leads her to discover that their family are actually descended from a long line of powerful witches. But, because Gwen’s late husband was an ordinary human from the Mortal World, Gwen had decided to keep her children from ever learning of their magical heritage, in the hopes that they would grow up to be normal. This doesn’t sit well with Marnie, however, and, with her younger siblings tagging along, she ends up following Grandma Aggie back to Halloweentown, a pocket dimension where witches, goblins, monsters and every manner of spooky creature have been living in peace for centuries in order to avoid persecution from the people of the Mortal World. Shortly after they arrive, the children learn from Aggie of a mysterious being known as Shadowman, who is behind the disappearances of many of Halloweentown’s inhabitants. It eventually comes out that the Shadowman’s ultimate plan is to lead Halloweentown’s population in a revolt against the people of the Mortal World, in order to take back their rightful place instead of continuing to live in hiding. The only hope of defeating the movie’s antagonist is by activating Merlin’s Talisman, which Aggie just happens to have in her possession. But when Aggie and Gwen (who ends up journeying to Halloweentown herself upon discovering her children were not in their beds) fall prey to the Shadowman’s evil spell, it’s up to Marnie, Dylan and Sophie to help save the day.

As far as made-for-TV Disney movies go, this one is fun. I particularly like how creative they got in regards to creating the world of Halloweentown and the number of creatures that live there. We got a skeleton who drives a taxi, a werewolf hairdresser, and a literal cat woman who works as an aerobics instructor. They even had the town dentist be the actual tooth fairy. And actress Debbie Reynolds was by far one of the highlights of the movie, as she just took this role so seriously. Not just when she had to play the part of a bonafide witch, but also when she was interacting with her on-screen family. You really got the impression that she was utilizing her experience of being a real-life mother and a grandmother when she was portraying the role of Aggie Cromwell.

Of course, the movie is not exactly a masterpiece. There are a few moments when they resort to obvious green screen technology, and that can be a bit distracting. But that wasn’t my only issue with the movie. For instance, Marnie’s brother, Dylan, comes across as a bit of a pod person. I get the idea is that he’s supposed to be the serious-minded sibling, but come on. What 12-year-old kid talks like that? I’m also a bit confused on exactly why Gwen was so adamant about keeping her children from having anything to do with Halloween. The movie claims it was because of her mortal husband, but that seems like a rather weak explanation to me. It would be one thing if the movie gave any indication that Gwen had experienced some kind of ostracization because of her magical heritage when she first decided to stay in the Mortal World with her non-magic husband, but they never alluded to anything like that. Though, to the movie’s credit, Gwen eventually acknowledges that she was wrong to try and prevent her kids from learning of their family history. As far as the main character goes, Marnie was a pretty believable 13-year-old, right down to the fact that she was clearly at that stage where she felt she was, and I quote, ‘practically an adult.’ Even though everyone over the age of 20 would know that’s not the case. And admittedly, there were many times when she was a bit useless. Not that I’m saying that to mock her or anything, because she was able to figure things out on her own when it mattered the most. But at the end of the day, it actually was the little sister, Sophie, who contributed the most. They wouldn’t have managed to even activate Merlin’s Talisman in the first place if it wasn’t for this kid. Honestly, Sophie was probably the best out of the three siblings.

I also do have to applaud the movie for the reveal of the Shadowman’s true identity. I suppose you could say it was a pretty big Scooby Doo moment when it’s revealed the main antagonist was the town mayor, Calabar. They even have him do this whole bit when he explains that his true motivation was his bitterness over how Gwen ended up marrying a man from the Mortal World instead of him. That’s right, the movie’s antagonist is angry over how he was ‘friend zoned’ by his crush, and that made him decide to turn evil. I can see how this could potentially rub some people the wrong way. Of course, on the other side of the coin is Luke, who is initially Shadowman Calabar’s smart mouthed flunky. At first, he admittedly comes across as this punk kid who thinks he’s all high-and-mighty because of his position of being the main antagonist lackey. But once he figures out that Shadowman Calabar is even willing to harm Aggie and the rest of the Cromwell family in his quest to overthrow the Mortal World, he quickly recognizes the error of his ways and even helps Marnie save the day. On a final note, I think it could be argued that the way they ultimately defeat Calabar seems a bit too convenient, in the sense that it really comes across as a whole ‘defeated by the power of love/friendship/etc.’ sort of deal. Especially when Dylan is suddenly revealed to have magic powers as well, despite there not being anything to suggest he had inherited the magical gene before that point. But hey, it’s clear this was never meant to be this big epic movie, so I suppose I can cut them some slack. After all, for what this movie was, it was pretty good. Though the people who wrote the movie’s script really need to come up with better insults. (Seriously, did Marnie actually call Shadowman Calabar ‘chocolate bar?’ What kind of insult is that?)

Halloweentown 2: Kalabar’s Revenge- The first sequel to the Disney Channel original movie, this one was certainly the darkest film of the four. But it also brought about a slight issue with how to spell the name of the first movie’s antagonist. The title card for this movie stated it was spelled with a K, but the closed captions and opening & closing credits for the first installment had his name begin with a C. But that’s probably just a small nitpick. Regardless, I’m going to continue spelling it with a C for these reviews. Anyway, the movie opens on Halloween night, exactly two years after the events of the first movie. Right away, we see that Aggie has moved in with her daughter and grandchildren, and Gwen has eased up on her anti-Halloween stance enough to allow her family to throw a Halloween party at the house. Of course, that doesn’t mean things are completely harmonious for the Cromwell family, especially since Marnie is scheduled to spend an entire year in Halloweentown with Aggie in order to focus on her training, as she is first in line to become the next head of the Cromwell line. And if Marnie chooses to follow that path, she’d have to completely give up her life in the Mortal World. Which is something that would deeply affect Gwen. Of course, Marnie is still a bit of an idiot, and when a young boy her age named Cal shows up at the party, Marnie instantly develops a crush on him, like you do. And, in order to impress her new crush, she proceeds to show him around the house, including a stop at Aggie’s room. This, of course, proves to be a mistake, as Cal is actually Calabar’s long-lost son. No word on who the baby mama was, but it appears Cal has decided it’s up to him to continue his father’s work in conquering the Mortal World. Taking advantage of Marnie’s naive trust in him, he steals Aggie’s spell book and uses it to cast a spell on all of Halloweentown, turning the whole place into a warped version of the Mortal World, in which everything is dull and gray and the people of Halloweentown are transformed into caricatures of boring old humans. This, of course, turns out to be only the first step in Cal’s evil plan, as he only casts this spell in order to trick Marnie and Aggie into entering Halloweentown, thereby getting them out of the way while he gets to work on his real plan- turning the humans into the very creatures they dress up as for Halloween, as punishment for always mocking the people of Halloweentown. When Aggie is once again put out of commission because of Cal’s spell, Marnie has to team up with, Luke, the goblin she befriended in the last movie, to try to find a way to fix things while Sophie and Dylan work to assist them from the Mortal World. They even manage to utilize a time traveling spell in their attempts to stop Cal’s plan. While there are moments in the movie where it seems like they’re simply following the formula from the last film, there’s still enough fresh elements to make things seem new and interesting. Including the introduction of the crotchety Gort, who collects and hoards every single item that’s ever lost in both Halloweentown and the Mortal World. Basically, every time something ends up lost, from that last puzzle piece to the left sock, it magically ends up at Gort’s place.

In a lot of ways, this movie often seems to be better than the last one. Especially since the stakes seem a lot higher, as Cal’s plans will effectively destroy both worlds if he succeeds. We also get a legitimately creepy scene where the mother, Gwen, is transformed into a hag and even tries to attack Sophie. And, towards the end, it really seems that Cal actually wins, as the portal between Halloweentown and the Mortal World closes before Marnie, Aggie and Luke can succeed in stopping Cal, which means they’ll be stranded in Halloweentown and won’t be able to save Dylan, Sophie and Gwen, not to mention everybody else, for an entire year. But because of another Deux ex Machina moment, which involves Marnie deciding that they can take advantage of the strength of the Cromwell family’s magic and pretty much rewrite the laws of magic, they manage to reopen the portal despite Halloween being over.

One thing I particularly liked in this movie were the scenes with Sophie and Dylan. And not just because these two really sold the whole brother and sister dynamic. Sophie is more or less the same as she was in the last movie, but she’s become a bit more assertive than the sweet little 7-year-old she was when we last saw her. Dylan, on the other hand, really has improved in terms of his believably. In the original movie, the character of Dylan came across as if it had been written by someone who wanted him to act like a nerdy stick-in-the-mud kid, but had never actually been around a 12-year-old and therefore had no idea how they actually acted and spoke. This time around, Dylan’s characterization was much more believable. He’s still reluctant to embrace his magical heritage, but he actually does act like an average 14-year-old. Especially when he’s trying to find a date to a costume party at the school later that night. (Though that does seem a bit odd, that the Cromwells throw a Halloween party at their house when there’s another party being held later on that night. Exactly how long is this Halloween night supposed to be?)

Now, there’s this one part in the movie that, depending on your sensitivity level, might be offensive. There’s a character in the film named Alex, who poses as Cal’s father before Cal’s true identity as Calabar’s son is revealed. Thanks to Sophie’s intuition, Alex is eventually revealed to be a golem that Cal created out of frogs. Considering the golem is a figure of Jewish folklore, the inclusion of Alex in this movie could potentially offend some people and be taken as cultural appropriation, especially when the golem was created and controlled by a warlock. It’s possible that this was just an unfortunate oversight on Disney’s part (and let’s face it, they do have a history of overt racism in some of their movies, particularly the older ones,) but you could argue that makes it even more offensive. That particular issue aside, however, this was a good sequel to Halloweentown, as it brought back the whole cast and actually connected to the events of the first movie. But the problem is, the sequels that came after the movie never referenced anything about Cal again. That admittedly bothered me a lot, because the movie even had them acknowledging that Cal would probably come back. But if he did, we never saw it happen. Talk about a major loose end.

Halloweentown High- Once again, two years have passed, and Marnie has been commended by the Halloweentown Council (because there’s a high council now) for the part she played in ensuring the portal between Halloweentown and the Mortal World would remain open all year round, and not just on Halloween. But now, Marnie has developed an idea to fully heal the rift between humans and the people of Halloweentown by creating an exchange program of sorts, in which some teenagers from Halloweentown would actually attend a school in the Mortal Realm. Unfortunately, Marnie ends up accidentally wagering her entire family’s magic on the outcome of this, meaning that if this attempt to prove that humans have changed since the creation of Halloweentown and would no longer persecute the creatures that live there doesn’t work, then her entire family would lose their magical powers forever. When Marnie realizes what she’s just done, she is reasonably uneasy, but is still confident that she can make this work, as long as she’s there to help guide the Halloweentown students, which consist of Cassie the witch, Pete the Werewolf, Natalie the troll, Nancy the fairy, Chester the gremlin, Bobby the ogre, and Ethan the warlock, with the non-humanoid students donning human disguises while attending the school. The whole human disguise thing alone was pretty laughable by itself, as they’re basically just wearing human skinsuits like it’s a Men in Black movie. (Wasn’t there a spell that could make them appear human?) Aggie also ends up stepping in to assist Marnie’s efforts by getting a teaching job at the school. But of course, this movie decides it wasn’t enough to just have this be a simple high school themed movie, because we also have to contend with an apparent threat from Knights of the Iron Dagger, a fabled order that sought to destroy all things magical.

Okay, I’m just going to come out and say it. This movie was terrible! I can’t think of a single scene in this movie that I even remotely liked. In fact, while watching it, I kept checking the time to see how much longer I had to endure this crap. I think the worst part was that they were clearly trying to give the movie this whole underlining message about prejudice and whatnot, but the execution of it was just so horrible. In the climax of the movie, it’s revealed that the father of the warlock student, Ethan, who is actually on the Halloweentown Council, wants the portal between Halloweentown and the Mortal World to be closed permanently. So he conspired with the human school’s principal to expose Marnie as a witch in the worst possible way, by making it look as if she was openly attacking the school with her magic at the school’s annual Halloween Bash. Thereby getting the other students to resort to a mob mentality and try to chase her and the Halloweentown exchange students out of town. But all it takes for everyone to calm down is a whole ‘shame on you’ speech from Cody, Marnie’s new love interest, and then it’s all hunky dory. Even the school principal, who was in league with the movie’s main antagonist, ends up changing his tune because of his apparent crush on Aggie. Okay, obviously, it should go without saying that prejudice is bad. But it’s a very complex issue. It’s not something that can be instantly solved with the substance of an after school special. So seeing the way this movie resolved everything was quite eye rolling. They even have Aggie completely forgive the principal, even though he had been openly persecuting her and her granddaughter moments before. While forgiving someone is obviously admirable, it’s a bit bothersome that the movie is acting as if Aggie should just forget all about what the principal had just tried to do and enter into a relationship with him. Just saying, forgiving someone does not mean you have to let them back into your life. Especially if there was a serious breech in trust between you and the person you’re forgiving.

And even the way this movie portrays characters we’ve grown to love in the first two movies was really bad. Sophie, who was a prominent character in previous installments of the Halloweentown series, is now little more than a background character. And she seemed to disappear from the movie altogether after the mall scene. That alone was annoying, as Sophie was arguably a better and smarter witch than Marnie, and the only reason why Marnie was first in line to be the head of the Cromwell line was because she was the oldest. As for Aggie, she suddenly seems to be more of a senile old woman than a powerful and wise old witch, with the movie playing her up for laughs. I’m just saying, considering she’s supposed to have spent four years living in the Mortal World, you’d think she’d be a bit more careful in regards to her magic and wouldn’t accidently magically create a parrot in front of a roomful of students. Oh, and Gwen, who had made it clear beforehand that she wanted to simply live her life as an ordinary mortal like her late husband and only used her magic in special circumstances, is now using her magic in everyday situations. The only character who seems to have maintained his characterization from the last two movies is Dylan, even though he spends most of the movie sharing a possible romance subplot with Natalie the Troll.

Finally, there’s the fact that they’ve seemingly forgotten all about Cal, the antagonist of the last movie. Even after the last movie implied that he would be back, we never see him do so. They don’t even acknowledge his existence, even though they had the perfect opportunity to do so. At one point, Marnie and Aggie are having a mild argument about Marnie’s latest crush, Cody, with Aggie being suspicious of him as Cody has apparently just moved into the area. So, when they start seeing evidence that the Knights of the Iron Dagger were lurking around the school, Aggie speculates that Cody might have something to do with it. Of course, Marnie isn’t interested in hearing any accusations against her crush, but this was such a perfect opportunity for Aggie to say something like ‘remember what happened the last time you met a boy who had just moved here.’ But they don’t. It’s such a missed opportunity. And by the way, why are the movies so determined to give Marnie a love interest? I know, she’s supposed to be a teenage girl and all. But doesn’t she have enough on her plate, considering she’s training to be a witch while trying to help bridge the gap between Halloweentown and the Mortal World so they won’t have to remain separate anymore? Not to mention the fact that her entire family’s magic is on the line. Does she really have the time to worry about finding romance? I’m not saying that finding love is necessarily bad, but it is bad to imply that someone NEEDS to have a boyfriend to be fulfilled. Besides, what happened to Luke? I know there was never anything to suggest that they were ever more than friends, but Luke clearly had a crush on Marnie ever since they first met at 13. And the last movie had him saying something along the lines of how he believed anything was possible as long as Marnie was there. So I was admittedly a bit of a Marnie/Luke shipper. Thus, I was really upset that we didn’t see him appear in this movie. They could have easily made him be one of the Halloweentown exchange students. Even if they didn’t have him and Marnie end up together, they had a pretty good friendship going on. I would have been satisfied with them simply continuing on as good friends.

Return to Halloweentown- Okay, apparently, Halloweentown High was supposed to be the final installment of the Halloweentown series. But in 2006, someone over at Disney decided to try and squeeze out a bit more milk from the franchise, creating this fourth film. I’m not sure why they thought it was a good idea, as Halloweentown High wasn’t even good. And apparently, Kimberly J. Brown seemed to agree that this was a bad idea, as she didn’t return to reprise her role as Marnie, forcing them to hire Sara Paxton to take her place.

So, in this movie, Marnie has been accepted at Witch University, a college located in Halloweentown, with a full scholarship. This is a bit distressing to Gwen, who had hoped that Marnie would go to college in the Mortal World, but Marnie insists on going to college at Witch University because she didn’t want to hide her powers while attending a human college. Which does present a bit of a continuity issue, as Halloweentown High suggested that everyone now knew all about Halloweentown. And it’s not as if they try to pretend that movie never happened, especially since the character of Ethan Dalloway comes back as one of Marnie’s classmates at Witch University. Regardless, Gwen eventually allows Marnie to go off to Witch University, on the condition that Dylan goes with her. (It’s stated at one point that Dylan ended up skipping a grade). Of course, once Marnie arrives at Witch University, it slowly becomes apparent that she was only given her scholarship because this evil group of witches called The Dominion stumbled across some moldy old prophecy involving an ancient box that had once belonged to one of Marnie’s ancestors, Splendora Cromwell. This box is said to contain the Gift, an extremely powerful magic, and that only a Cromwell can open it. So this evil group of witches, which includes Witch University’s headmistress and the history professor, plan to trick Marnie into opening the box so they can steal the Gift for themselves and become all powerful. Yeah, the plot of this movie is just as painful as the one of Halloweentown High. And to make it even worse, we have to endure the inclusion of the Sinister Sisters, the typical Mean Girl™ troop, the leader of whom Dylan ends up getting a crush on simply because she can speak Latin. Which just really makes Dylan seem extremely pathetic as he doesn’t even care when Scarlet and her sisters treats him poorly. Not even Debbie Reynold’s portrayal of Aggie Cromwell could save this movie, considering she was barely in it, since Aggie was away focusing on Sophie’s witch training and only appeared briefly through magical hologram. Yeah, that’s right. Sophie wasn’t even in this movie, and Aggie only briefly appears twice. Instead, we got a Aggie lookalike in the form of Miss Periwinkle, one of the professors at Witch University.

Of course, one of the most painful aspects of the movie is one I have to go into spoiler territory for. Marnie, at one point through some more time travel shenanigans, ends up finding out that Splendora Cromwell was actually just a younger version of Aggie. And that the Gift was a magical amulet that could be used to grant the wearer the power to control anyone. Unfortunately, after she finds that out, the members of the Dominion try to blackmail Marnie into helping them enslave all the non-magical inhabitants of Halloweentown. Okay, since when was it even hinted at the fact that some witches and warlocks viewed the non-magical inhabitants of Halloweentown as inferior? Wasn’t the last movie’s attempts to send an anti-prejudice message bad enough? Now we got a moral about segregation? Even though these are good points to get across, the Halloweentown films are not exactly the best place to try and convey those messages. Besides, how did we go from angry warlocks who wanted to punish humans for persecuting them to angry witches and warlocks viewing their non-magical neighbors as inferior beings?

It’s just really upsetting that the Halloweentown franchise went so downhill like this. The first two installments were really good. Not great, but really good. They were fun and imaginative and unique. But then they had to go and butcher it by turning the last two movies into generic, formulaic drivel, complete with one-note antagonists who are either lack a relatable motivation or are simply being mean for the sake of being mean. And of course, they’re also trying way too hard to give the movies a relevant moral to teach kids some life lesson or whatever, completely forgetting what made the first two Halloweentown films special in the first place. We watched the Halloweentown movies because we wanted to see something fun with interesting creatures. I don’t think anyone was interested in seeing the franchise turned into bland ‘high school movies.’ Because that’s what Halloweentown High and Return to Halloweentown were. They were just another set of ‘high school movies’ that just happened to feature the characters of Halloweentown.

I don’t know what else to say. By all means, check out the first two Halloweentown movies sometime. Especially if you want to see something fun and lighthearted. As for the other two, just skip them. Because you won’t be missing much.

#halloweentown #halloweentown franchise #halloweentown tetralogy

2 notes · View notes