I’m gonna be a bit more flexible this year. I’ve only got like five attacks actually planned out and I’ll try to fit in some revenges. I really want to play with style a bit this year so I’ll be doing that. See yall on the battlefield
If you wanna fill out this card yourself, go for it but can you please credit me and maybe let me know? Thanks
nimble, a border collie-papillon mix, wins the 12” class in the 2024 masters agility championship. the first time a mixed breed has won at westminster ever.
*thinks about OCs* *Thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks About OCs* *thinks about OCs* *Thinks About OCs* *thinks about OCs* *THINKS ABOUT OCS* *thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCS* *thinks about OCs* *THINKS about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks ABOUT OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *Thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks About OCs* *thinks about OCs* *Thinks About OCs* *thinks about OCs* *THINKS ABOUT OCS* *thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCS* *thinks about OCs* *THINKS about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks ABOUT OCs* *thinks about OCs*
I think being human is overrated, honestly. I mean, two eyes? That's way too little. I need one at the back of my head. And don't get me started on tails
gonna be honest, I'm a little done with artfight. the motivation to art isn't hitting the same and I feel like any more art I do won't quite be up to the same standard. I still wanna do a couple more attacks but they'll probably be sketchy-doodly ones that are low effort but low reward. I'll still revenge any attacks I get (that I can) but consider this my letter of I'm-slowing-the-fuck-down-and-just-having-fun-because-I'm-burning-out
Hazel's says she only looks out for herself but she also comforts Max several times and, while usually annoyed with them, kind of looks out for the Smees. Oh so you do care actually.
Weird peeve time. Calling lab grown gemstones “fake” is stupid because it’s the same shit just not formed naturally. An artificially grown diamond is the same shit as a natural diamond it is the exact same material bro it’s all fuckign carbon
There is so much bullshit in the diamonds industry to be mad about tbh. It also ties into the bullshit of the wedding industry as a whole but we don’t have the time to unpack all that
not even going to lie, the day i learned i could get like 15 lab grown rubies the size of dimes for $20 is the day i spent $20 on rubies, and i have never once said to myself “man, i wish this cost $1,600 and the lives of eight children to produce”
another very cool lab grown gem is Moissanite. It has a 9.25 on the mohs hardness scale where diamond is a 10. Moissanote also has a 2.69 refractive index in comparison to diamond’s 2.419 and here is the difference
and the best thing about moissanite? It is all lab grown and it costs only a fraction of what diamond costs. So fuck the diamond indsutry and buy lab grown gems which cost significantly less
Also it’s just cool to think of some mad scientist lookin person doing shit against the law of the universe and making pretty gems for you. Like cmon. This shouldnt be allowed probably. But humans really be like on gOD i want some shiny an just started MAKIN em
Yk the number 1 thing I hate about “New Descendants” hater is when they say “oh this part is cringe” “oh that song is cringe”
THIS IS DESCENDANTS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT. the descendants franchise is and has always been cringe, be it from the writing, choreography, and/or music perspective. It’s a Disney musical for fucks same
We are basically watching fanfiction made into a movie, it’s gonna be cringe one way or another and that’s the beauty of it.
From re listening to both D:RoR and D:WW album, I feel like D:RoR has the feel of old descendants movies more ngl
Doesn’t mean I don’t like the D:WW album, it just has a different vibe in my opinion and I like that a lot more than going by the same feeling. It’s like showing that this not a continuation, it’s a spin off.
The original trilogy is done, we’re telling a whole different story with different characters, just placed in the same universe (or ig technically different considering the whole time travel thingy)
I do have to say tho, Descendants: Wicked Wonderland music feels more individual than a whole soundtrack album. Idk how to explain it, but other than “mad” it doesn’t feel like a movie soundtrack (compared to previous descendants movies)
I just want to preface that I think enjoyability and "objectively good" movie reviews should be separate while being fully capable of existing simultaneously with one another, 🙂↕️! I just need an outlet to organize my thoughts!
PRIOR TO MOVIE THOUGHTS:
I wasn't a big fan of a certain fandom's portrayal regarding how Red and Chloe would act toward each other because of their actresses behind the scenes. Naturally, their characters and how they interact with each other are influenced by their actresses' level of comfort with each other, but they are distinct entities!
That is to say, I saw a lot of interesting characterizations of Hazel Hook before the film came out that portrayed her in this "savior" light (?) and I didn't really like that, so I felt like a contrarian to be so pleased with how Hazel actually is in the film, LOL. (I will elaborate on this point later!)
Despite its flaws, I enjoyed Descendants: Rise of Red because it was so lead-centric! (Err, something, something. 'Distinction between enjoyability and objective goodness. Something, something.)
In my ideal world, I would have loved to see more of just Red and Chloe working together against a common enemy. They're like soulmates to me, LOL. Their souls are linked; they've shared such a unique experience that I doubt anyone else could fully comprehend it but each other.
This is to say... I think the cast is a little too bloated now. I think the decision to try and include so many moving parts negatively impacted the story from the start, but I still found the characters to be enjoyable!
I CAN'T FIND THE TWEET ANYMORE, BUT I SAW A POST THAT SAID SOMETHING LIKE, "Disney saw everyone shipping Red and Chloe and said, 'Quick, add 7 brand new men to the script immediately," and I thought it was pretty #REAL, LOL.
...
'SUBSTANTIAL' MOVIE THOUGHTS:
The pacing is kind of WACKY! Wicked Wonderland (WW) taking place the immediate day following the events that unfolded in Rise of Red (RoR) was kind of jarring. It was two years in real-time from the RoR to WW, so I forget this too, but realistically, Chloe and Red only knew each other for like a couple of days by this point.
I think it makes the points Chloe makes further down the movie a little drastic, but experiencing a life-changing event with someone can make you forget that you've only just met a few days ago, me thinks. It's not entirely unbelievable to me!
Undoubtedly, they've learned a lot about each other in such a short span of time! However, there are still aspects of each other that they haven't encountered yet, and I think WW addresses those elements.
During Perfect Princess, Chloe was able to identify everybody—I wonder if she knew them beforehand in the old timeline!
Headcanon that I've adopted regarding Max and Red! I think that they were something like family friends! Grew up together but weren't particularly close, LOL. Regardless, I'd like to think Red knew enough of him to be taken aback that he's supposedly "evil" in this timeline, heh.
My personal headcanons:
Red, in my opinion, underwent the most drastic change from the original timeline, but Chloe was struggling more to cope with the pressure and subtle shifts.
I headcanon Red to have some avoidant tendencies; she appeared to be so scatterbrained throughout the film, solely focusing on the pressing matter at hand and saving her mother because she didn't want to dwell too much in the present moment. It was probably unfamiliar to her, and doing so would force her to process her emotions and thoughts, LOL.
THIS is much to Chloe's chagrin ("Can we talk about this afternoon? You kind of blew me off"), because she desperately needed someone to talk to! I headcanon Chloe to be the type of person who needs an outlet to process her thoughts and emotions; bottling them up inside makes her feel worse. I think that simply being heard would have helped to substantially alleviate a significant portion of her stress during this film.
I also think that Red's behavior can undoubtedly come across as selfish and dismissive, but I believe it is a flaw in her that stems from her upbringing in the original timeline rather than her being Heartless.
I forget if an exact timeframe was ever specified, but I wonder how much time has passed since the barrier was taken down and RoR/WW. Luis' reaction to the VKs ("Drop the act, Max. No one's buying it. No matter how hard you pretend not to be your father", it makes me forget that the AKs still hold some unsavory feelings towards the VKs.
("Our interests don't exactly align.") This is completely self-indulgent on my part, but I also believe Chloe's initial disposition toward the VKs stemmed from her desire to spend this adventure alone with Red, LOL. Soulmatisms—nobody else could possibly understand each other like they do! It was "their mess" to begin with. They can fix it together!
I believe that spending time with Red in the past and having the opportunity to understand her better would make her far less judgemental of the other VKs in the present timeline! Her personal beef with Hazel and Felix was most likely because she knew them in the original timeline... rather than judging solely on the basis that they're VKs... That's my hunch! BUT ALSO, both Chloe and Red react like 🙄😒 when the rest of the HKs pull up feeds fuel to my delusions, HAHA. She doesn't want ANYBODY ELSE, regardless of their affiliations, to join them; she just wants to go with Red!
Red's behavior towards the other VKs… I believe that because of her background as a technically former VK, she finds kinship and connection with them. I believe that's why she gravitated towards Max! I think it's partially "these are my people," but also the "being a villain / having these villainous tendencies is all I've ever known…" type beat. I think that is what Red was attempting to convey when she said things like "VKs got it" and "I'm used to their ways of doing things," which was not necessarily that she is and wants to be an evil villain but something along these lines. I hope this makes sense, 😭.
I WONDER what happened in this timeline that made Cinderella different than how she was in the original timeline. Was it Bridget's additional presence that caused her to become more strict? ("There are rules. Chloe. Protocols to follow." "We don't break rules, Chloe, even for a good cause.") I'm not sure!
I THINK THE MOST EGREGIOUS PART OF THIS ENTIRE MOVIE WAS THE FUCKING PORTAL IN CINDERELLA'S MIRROR????????????? You're telling me that the main entrance to Wonderland got closed off and the only other portal was wasted by Cinderella??? WHY DIDN'T ANYONE WAIT FOR HELP 😭😭😭? Everybody could've stormed the palace through her secret portal and caught Maddox off guard. OR, YOU COULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY PULLED BRIDGET FROM WONDERLAND AND INTO THE PORTAL TO SAFETY??? WHY DID THEY DO THAT? 😭😭😭
I absolutely love how dynamic both Luis and Hazel are! The following points will be referring to "Did You Hear About Them?"
Luis is likely optimistic by nature, but it's also probably a byproduct of the underlying high expectations placed on him, but I find it so refreshing that he is also a bit indignant in the way he defends his own worth and accomplishments.
Hazel is so fierce and threatening, and it's super obvious that she cares very deeply for her crew, but she's also so... SILLY? She's just a girl™️; it's incredibly endearing!
RETURNING MY EARLIER POINTS! Chloe just needed someone to talk to and she really wanted to spend more time with Red (alone) 🥺.
The sequence following "Did You Hear About Them?" regarding Chloe and Red's talk:
C: "Well, you kind of blew me off. I thought we were going to figure this out together."
R: "It's not like that. I'm just—"
C: "You don't want to listen to what I have to say. I'm not sure why I even came."
R: "I thought you came to help clean up the mess we left in our wake, Chloe."
I believe Chloe is venting right now; since returning to the present, she has been carrying a lot of emotions inside and hasn't had a proper opportunity to articulate them yet.
She is expressing her frustration to Red ("You kind of blew me off. I thought we were going to figure this out together."
Red, who has been trying to occupy her mind this entire time with saving her mom, finally takes a moment to try and open up. ("It's not like that. I'm just—")
("I'm not sure why I even came.") IMMEDIATE TONE SHIFT! Red was on the verge of being vulnerable and opening up, but she quickly hardened and returned to the goal at hand!
I think it was this moment that they both realized that they still don't know each other completely!
R: "Right now that's Max. He's trying to help, too, and he's being judged for what his dad did, not who he is. Sound familiar?"
C: "Yeah."
Something, something, kinship! Something, something, Red finds kinship in Max and the other VKs. Chloe continues to suppress her feelings 🙁.
C: "I'll go with you. It's my mess, too."
R: "No, I think he needs to hear it from me."
Urgh, I'm not sure why Red wanted to exclude Chloe from this part, but I think she was too in her head...? She probably blamed herself for the mess because having a loving mother was "what her heart most desired." None of this would have happened if it weren't what her heart desired. She probably blames herself heavily for everything she has ever done wrong. Headcanon adopted from this tweet!
Chess Board Sequence (and other adjacent moments):
HAZEL GIVING CHLOE A HARD TIME POST-CONVERSATION WITH RED (😭😭😭). She's already having a hard time; oh my goodness gracious, she is not in the right mental headspace to be the receiver of all these jabs.
I find her interactions and dynamics with Chloe and Red to be particularly interesting. Belittling Chloe by implying she is beneath Red and telling her to get her head out of her tiara... she is hostile to the HKs; it's interesting, but totally in character based on how the HKs and VKs interacted with each other at the start! Red immediately backing up Hazel is also in character following the previous conversations, but it definitely doesn't hurt Chloe any less.
I absolutely adore how Red earns Hazel's respect through "Dancing with the Enemy"! The little jab "Oh, they listen when she says it (-.-)" was so silly, HAHA. #TBH, there was probably already a little bit of mutual respect between the two since entering Wonderland, but I like to think that this was the moment where she truly regarded Red as more than just an HK and a perfect princess. Better yet, I loved how Red took control and earned the respect of all the other VKs, too!
The Infamous Assassin Plant Scene. I loooveeee that Hazel and Red were on the same wavelength! They saw the assassin flower and knew exactly what to do! Musicals are silly, so I like to think of them as an alternative for exposition. I believe the song was intended to represent Red "explaining the plan."
In Red's mind, Chloe is most definitely not a helpless maiden in need of saving, especially after the events of RoR! She knows this better than anyone else! They traveled back in time and fought the old VKs! Red saw Chloe's sword-fighting abilities. She knows Chloe is more than capable of holding her own!
I read that scene as Red assuming that Chloe already knew the plan (catch the assassin plant with her dagger) so that Red could jump on it and take over the game. However, Chloe was disoriented and not in a good mental state, so she made a mistake, and Hazel, WHO SHARES THE SAME WAVELENGTH AS RED (!!!), took over and hooked it. It's ultimately a big misunderstanding!
White Rabbit & Post-"For Once in My Life":
Urgh. I wish Red's and Chloe's argument wasn't so surface-level? I understood the point of the argument and why it took place, but the topics brought up by both characters fell flat for me. It is entirely possible that I didn't pick up on important details for context, though!
I believe the bottom line was that Chloe was overwhelmed and ultimately lashed out; Red continues to dismiss her feelings, causing Chloe to become even more upset and flee. This makes sense to me! However, bringing up the different sides, doing whatever is most convenient, and referring to each other as villains? There must have been something underlying that I didn't notice, because it felt out of place. I THINK it was due to everything overwhelming Chloe, so she brings up everything that bothered her. However, because she brought up those less relevant details, Red began to respond with rebukes of her own, diverting the conversation away from the main topic that Chloe wanted to communicate, that being how Chloe is drowning from all the stress and pressure and just needed someone to talk to. I think I'm understanding it correctly? I hope I am!
"Heartless" and other adjacent moments:
There's a good chance I'm wrong about this statement, but I don't believe that Red did anything in this film to justify the others deeming her as "Heartless." I completely understand Max's feelings of hurt and betrayal upon seeing the original timeline and everything he had lost (and I believe I've already discussed all of my thoughts regarding Chloe). However, I wish she defended herself and mentioned how everyone else would have been utterly fucked if they remained in the original timeline. Both Cinderella and King Charming would have been dead. Fairy Godmother and Uma, too, probably.
What Red's heart truly desired most was a mom who loved her, but during RoR, in an attempt to prevent her mother from starting the coop and killing everybody, she tried to turn the clock back a few minutes and grab her cards; that was what she wanted to do. She didn't know that the Pocketwatch would make her rewrite the entire timeline. I don't think she's as selfish as the others depict her to be 🙁.
Y'know, on the topic of people using Chloe as a pawn for their own convenience, I believe Max was actually the person who did so. (He was acting from a place of hurt, but he still did it.) He saw her involvement in time travel, wanted to use her for his own benefit, and took advantage of her vulnerable mental state.
Evil!Chloe kinda being Max's mad scientist creation, is so entertaining and interesting to me as a mad scientist enthusiast, hehe. The dark magic making Chloe evil-smiley and giddy scratches a little itch in my brain, and Max's reaction to her as something akin to a nervous smile makes me happy, HAHA.
Ending:
Evil!Chloe sure is hung up about being the omega of the two. (JOKE.)
Red being the only one who has the slightest chance of freeing Chloe from the grip of dark magic. Max had absolutely no chance, HAHA. Chloe becoming increasingly more emotional when Red focused her full attention on her... 🥹.
Oh, I would have loved a tender moment in which these two sang a reprise of "Fight of Our Lives."
"We might not be a team, but we have to try. Can I change your heart or just... change your mind? ...I don't want to be on opposite sides for the rest of our lives." Can a lyricist help me out here?
BIG OL' GRIPE that I had with the ending of this movie was how Maddox's and Max's traumas didn't feel properly addressed 🙁. Maddox was probably gaslit to think he was crazy for his entire life, but there was merit to what he believed in and saw! It doesn't justify his actions as a villain, but it feels unfair to have him jailed up and thrown away like that. I'd love for Red and Chloe to have a more in-depth conversation with Max about his life in the original timeline! I believe that would give Max and Red a chance to bond. I think it would give him some closure at the very least.
I THINK I touched base with everything I wanted to discuss about this movie! I'll probably update it as it comes along if I have another thought that I forgot to mention, but this was a full-day activity for me, LOL. Thank you for reading this, dear reader!
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Miscellaneous
How powerful are the QoH's card set and magic?
Was the Jabberwocky mentioned at all?
I believe Red's attitude during the "The Queen of Hearts has been captured" scene can be interpreted in different ways. "Red's so high and mighty, expecting people to listen to her because she's a 'perfect princess' 🙄" is probably what some of the VKs thought, but I think that she was attempting to exercise righteousness, LOL. "Give that back to me; it is not yours."
"OH MY HEARTS!!!" SOOO CUTE, BUT SCARING CHLOE AND RED, LOL. Luis immediately catching her when she collapsed, too. I'm thinking this crew of HKs were childhood friends?
Pink being friends with all the creatures of Wonderland is so cute!
Luis is so smitten for Red, HAHA. He was probably so confused when she lashed out at him during the backyard scene.
Does Chloe know to tinker with gadgets and gizmos? New headcanon unlocked, heh.
Alpha Red and Omega Chloe. 🥸.
Perhaps I missed something, but I didn't understand why Max suddenly became interested in Chloe post-"Dancing with the Enemy" 🤔. I understand why he sought her out after seeing the original timeline, but I'm not sure why he spoke to her currently! I'm assuming he doesn't vibe with Red because her mother banished his father and him to the Isle of the Lost, but what exactly about Chloe, the other half of the seemingly perfect princess HK, interests him? BIG FAN of how Chloe does NAWT fuck with Max, though, LOL; even as a villain, she doesn't.
Once again, Luis wants Red so badly, HAHA. He wants to spend so much time alone with her; it's kind of amusing. I like to personally interpret "For Once in My Life" as a song about Luis and Red discovering and navigating through their feelings for one another, rather than the first time they've ever felt love! (I believe this was how it was advertised?) That spot would go to Chloe (for Red), and Mirabel would never let any of the kids feel unloved!
IJBOL. THIS MADE ME LAUGH SO HARD WHEN I FIRST WATCHED IT. THEY'RE JUST GIGGLING AND RUNNING. FROLICKING. FHJKGSDFHGKJ.
If you want to push it back even further Margaret Cavendish, the duchess of Newcastle (1623-1673) wrote The Blazing World in 1666, about a young woman who discovers a Utopian world that can only be accessed via the North Pole - oft credited as one of the first scifi novels
Women have always been at the forefront of literature, the first novel (what we would consider a novel in modern terms) was written by a woman (Lady Muraskai’s the Tale of Genji in the early 1000s) take your snide “Isaac Asimov” reblogs and stick it
even in terms of male scifi authors, asimov was predated by Jules Verne, HG Wells, George Orwell, you could have even cited Poe or Jonathan Swift has a case but Asimov?
PbbBFFTTBBBTBTTBBTBTTT so desperate to discredit the idea of Mary Shelly as the mother of modern science fiction you didn’t even do a frickin google search For Shame
Kinda funny, considering this Isaac Asimov quote on the subject:
Mary Shelley was the first to make use of a new finding of science which she advanced further to a logical extreme, and it is that which makes Frankenstein the first true science fiction story.
You know what else was invented by women? Masked vigilantes, the precursor to the modern superhero. Baroness Emma Orczy wrote The Scarlet Pimpernel in 1905. The character would later inspire better known masked vigilantes such as Zorro and Batman.
the first extended prose piece - ie a novel, was not, as many male scholars will shout, Don Quixote (1605) but The Tale of Genji (1008) written by a woman