#cleverqueencommander

[bellaaldamas]

Hey, what are your thoughts on Disney’s Descendants?

Hi there <3 Thanks for the ask. Considering Disney Descendants, I admit, I've never seen a single installment and, surprisingly enough, not because of my critical view and gripes with Modern Disney but because the concept doesn't necessarily appeal to me. However, being primarily invested in the romance content, I've been finding myself compelled to check it out because some of the couples in the series appear to have palpable chemistry and I might potentially enjoy them.

Another reason I consider giving it a try if I ever have the time or desire to do so is that if the series strikes me as sloppily written it won't in any way tarnish the earlier Disney films and shows. Seeing as, fortunately, Disney Descendants is largely marketed as an add on, effectively an "official fanfiction" that doesn't have to be considered canon (and, in fact, contradicts the canon of most classic Disney films). It doesn't affect the existing stories nor is passed off as their continuation. The series, from what I gather, is no different from the novels produced as "extensions" of popular television shows and usually taking place in between the episodes/seasons (such as the books based on original Charmed or Sabrina the Teenage Witch). None of those are considered canon, at least not in the non-optional way.

In that vein, regardless of the quality of this series or how I end up feeling about it if I do catch up, it is still harmless and far more acceptable than the Tangled Series. Which bastardized literally every single positive, inspiring and empowering thing about the original movie and the main romance. And it did so for pandering purposes openly and, covertly, to satiate superficial insecurities and fragility of the male producer. Though he did a job as terrible covering those insecurities as he did with the series itself. He allegedly harassed Rapunzel and Cassandra cosplayers because he was fetishizing their relationship in the show and treated Cassandra as his waifu OC insert/fictional crush, got banned from official Disney Discord for being rude to underage fans and admitted he never liked either Flynn's character or Rapunzel/Flynn as a couple, with the series evidently being his attempt to exact his Nerd Revenge on a Pretty Boy (Lawrence from PatF could never).

It's especially atrocious if one compares the Tangled Series to Aladdin series which honored not only the canon of the OG movie and the second sequel but made Aladdin and Jasmine's relationship development the central point. Along with them learning to navigate their romantic life despite the social challenges: Aladdin coming from an underprivileged background and still struggling with insecurities (and having his own history related to having been a thief which occasionally surfaced); Jasmine having lived most of her life as a sheltered princess and only starting to adapt to independent adult existence outside of her privileged bubble.

The series didn't shame Jasmine for trying to break free in the original - it expanded on the obstacles she had to face and had her grow and learn from her mistakes (and no longer be the girl who got herself in trouble for taking the apple at the market and forgetting about the concept of money and having to pay for things). She gets to face consequences of her obliviousness to her privilege and become more aware and capable, not needing Aladdin to get her out of danger or guide her through "real world" every step of the way, lest she gets caught up again.

Instead of reinforcing Jasmine's position of power and passing it off as "feminist" by having her embrace classist prejudice and belittle Aladdin for his marginalized background and having to steal for living (the way series Rapunzel did towards Flynn any chance she got - when she wasn't rewriting his personality with time travel or drawing his face on a punching bag, both times to cater to her brand new abuser Cassandra) Jasmine in the series gets to learn more about socioeconomic challenges people of Agrabah face and use her privilege to help them.

Even more poignant is that Aladdin in the series does not have to change his proactive, mischievous, playful personality to be considered "worthy" of Jasmine. His growth is about learning to commit to his partner and not resort to lies to fix or avoid relationship issues - a legitimate problem with his behavior in the OG movie which the second sequel also tackled. This is how growth and character development should be written.

Series Aladdin and Jasmine decide to not marry right away not because either views marriage to the other as a prison (as did Series Rapunzel - to the point of comparing the idea of marrying Flynn and his "thief legacy" with her 18 years long imprisonment in the tower by Gothel and having nightmares not about the tower but about being Flynn's wife). Aladdin and Jasmine choose to take time to have adventures and learn to build their own family together, like two independent adults. So that when the time is right, they would enter marriage as matured persons who have worked through their communication and personal issues.

THAT'S a healthy scenario and a fulfilling journey for a young couple, not a character assassination under the guise of "feminism" brought on by a bitter misogynistic man.

[fantasyloverforever]

Hi, what do you think of this Bal dynamic?

Later in the afternoon, round 3 P.M., Mal sat around the table, sitting across her boyfriend, King Ben, with her hands under the table nervously fidgeting the hem of her lavender dress while constantly flickering her light green eyes at Ben, who was happily enjoying his strawberry tiramisu. He was blissfully unaware about his girlfriend not eating.

Mal glanced at her boyfriend for a moment and bit her lip slightly. She could feel a large, hard pill stuck in her throat.

Mal had felt uneasy since Anxelin challenged her earlier about she(Mal) wasn’t planning on telling Ben the real truth about the spell, then Anxelin would do it herself. Since that moment, Mal had mentally cursed Anxelin about bringing up the spell in the first place but then again, Mal thought it over and even if Anxelin hadn’t brought up the spell, Mal’s conscience about the spell would eventually catch up to her.

Damn it, Anxelin! Sigh…

Now, a multitude of thoughts running through Mal’s mind, most of it being on whether she should tell Ben about the love potion or not. A part of Mal wanted to tell Ben the truth, but another part of Mal refused to because if she tell him, she feared that either Ben would get angry at her(like what he did the last time with the spell book and rightfully so) or he would be upset with her for not telling him this from earlier in their relationship and because of this, he’d probably stay far from her or leave her.

Mal became visibly worried, she didn’t want this. Her relationship with Ben was going so well after they reconciled back in June until the potion was brought up again. It’s like that stain on a shirt that wouldn’t be removed. She didn’t want to lose Ben again.

While the purple haired girl was drowned in worry, Ben had just finished his strawberry tiramisu and began to rub his tummy in delight. The dessert was delicious! He could taste the tiramisu aftertaste in his mouth after eating it. He then looked up at his girlfriend and noticed that she hadn’t touched her dessert at all and was slightly pale.

Ben frowned and knitted his thick eyebrows at her. “Mal?” He called, sounding concerned.

Hearing her name being called, Mal immediately looked up at Ben, snapping out of her thoughts. “Uh, yes?”

“Are you okay?” He asked gently. “You hadn’t touched your strawberry tiramisu which was absolutely rare for you as you love strawberries.”

Hearing Ben’s question caused Mal to fix her eyes on the dessert, and tiramisu stood there, looking back at her and she lightly smacked her forehead. “Oh shoot, I’ve been thinking so much that I almost forgot about it. Haha.” She then took up the fork and dug into the dessert, taking off a piece of the tiramisu and placed it into her mouth. Mal hummed as the strawberry tiramisu melted on her tongue, releasing the strong flavor of strawberry.

“Mmmmm…”

Ben watched his girlfriend enjoying her dessert and couldn’t help it but gave her a small smile.

“I’ll take that you like the tiramisu?” The young monarch asked slowly, his eyebrows arched. He knew that Mal liked the dessert but he wanted to be sure.

After she ate a piece of the tiramisu, Mal placed the fork on the saucer and took up a napkin to wipe her mouth. After she did this, Mal cleared her throat and smiled at Ben.

“I…love it!” She beamed. “It’s so delicious! It’s like I’m eating a slice of heaven.”

Hearing her result made Ben leaned back in his chair, smiling.

“I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the dessert,” Ben told his purple haired girlfriend, his voice sounded genuine. “Mrs. Potts is a great cook and baker, so her dishes are always on point.”

“So…it wouldn’t be greedy of me to want another strawberry tiramisu after I had this one?”

Ben shook his head. “Oh no! Not at all! I think that Mrs. Potts is baking some more, if she hasn’t already.”

Mal placed her left hand on her chest as she breathed a sigh of relief.

Ben shook his head in amusement. “So, Mal, before you had your dessert, you were in deep thoughts. Are you okay?” He tilted his head slightly. “Is there something bothering you? Do you not like the dress that Madame De La Grande Bouche made?”

Mal’s smile faltered instantly the moment when Ben asked her that. The daughter of Maleficent went back to being pale and immediately felt her palms becoming sweaty and her heart raced faster than horses on a race track.

Ben saw this and leaned forward, stretched his hand across the table, and took Mal’s hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“It’s okay, Mal,” Ben reassured her, his voice soft. “It’s okay, whatever you have to tell me, I’m not going to judge you for it.”

You sure about it, Ben? If I tell you about me casting a spell on you to get the wand, I’m sure as hell you’d judge me for that. Mal thought skeptically.

Mal then lowered her green eyes for a moment before fixing them onto Ben’s, and bit her bottom lip.

Ben, whose face was filled with concern and worry said, “Mal?”

“Hm?” Mal blinked.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Like I said, don’t be afraid to tell me how you’re doing. I’m here for you, always.” He proceeded to squeeze Mal’s delicate hand a bit tighter. Ben did this so that he wanted to urge Mal what was bothering her.

Mal on the other hand remained silent. A part of her wants to tell Ben the truth behind the cookie but another part of her is scared to reveal the truth to him.

So, as painful as it seems, Mal bit her lip harder and went with the latter, slipping her hand from under Ben’s, causing him to look surprised.

“Um, first of all,” Mal began. “I adore the dress that Madame Grande made for me and secondly, I’m doing fine-”

Mal mentally slapped herself.

Ben arched a brow at her.

And the purple haired girl cleared her throat. “As I was saying, I’m fine. Just some thoughts running through my head a bit.”

As much as Ben didn’t show it on his face, he was a tad disappointed that Mal didn’t reveal what was bothering her to him, and Ben knew very well that despite Mal stating that she was fine, deep down she was eaten inside.

Although, if Ben was honest with himself, he felt slightly guilty for forcing Mal to open up to him. The last time he did something like this was the near ending of May when they had their last date, with Ben putting pressure on Mal since she was the Lady of the Court, which caused a quarrel between them, and resulting Mal to run away from Auradon to the Isle. He mentally slapped himself for doing that as he didn’t want him and Mal to fall out again.

So with a defeated sigh, Ben leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “Alright, you won this time but you won’t be so lucky next time,” he smirked slightly.

Mal let out a soft and small chuckle as she rubbed her sweaty palms on the hem of her dress under the table. “Okay, okay, I promise I’ll tell you soon, Benny boo.” She teased.

Are you sure about that, Mal?

Ben just shook his head in amusement at his nickname, a name that his ex girlfriend, Princess Audrey used to call him. “You really can’t stop calling me that, huh?”

“Nope, I actually like that nickname. It suits you.”

Hearing Mal’s reason made Ben laugh softly.

As the young couple continued to have their light conversation, they didn’t notice that someone was approaching them at the gazebo.

“Well, well, well, long time no see, Benjamin Florian,” the voice said.

Mal and Ben paused their conversation abruptly the moment they heard an unfamiliar voice. Mal turned in her chair while Ben looked up and saw who it was. It didn’t take long for the young king’s eyes to widen in absolute shock at the sight of the unexpected visitor.

‘….!’

The visitor appeared to be a tall, toned young man, who looked around in his late twenties with his neck length blonde hair done in a curtain bang style. He wore a cobalt blue vest with a white long sleeved shirt beneath and a pair of khaki pants. His bright blue eyes sparkled with delight and joy as he had a huge smile on his face on Ben and Mal, in particular Ben.

I like it! It makes too much sense that both Ben and mal would spend so much time mentally blaming themselves for everything that they forget to actually communicate with each other.

Personally I believe that Ben always knew the real reason for the love spell(due to a variety of things said in the franchise and the fact that he's not stupid) but having an actual scene where he is told and apologized to would have done wonders for Bal.

[isleofdarkness]

You can’t convince me that there’s isn’t anemia rampant on the Isle.

Here’s a snippet of chapter 2 for the link I sent you:

Harriet tilted her head and rested her elbow on the desk, letting her cheek rest in her palm and used her other hand to softly drum her fingers on the old, and torn desk. Her blue eyes were drooping due to boredom and threatening to get some shuteye, but she tried her best to stay wide awake as she as well as the other students in Weird Science class watched Sophie, a new and young assistant teacher nervously and an apprentice of Yen Sid since the old wizard was off to do some errands for the day.

Harriet breathed and sighed, still drumming her slender fingers to the point that she winced and stopped. She then brought her injured hand up to her face to examine and noticed that there was a splinter pierced under her fingernail. The pirate girl sighed again as this wasn’t her first time she’d gotten splinters or any minor injury. Since there was no bandages on the Isle, Harriet would have to either use an old and worn out cloth to stop the bleeding or just let the wound heal itself, as in this case when she gingerly took out the splinter from under her fingernail and threw away the tiny fragment of wood. She looked back at her finger and saw that it was bleeding. Harriet hummed as she curled her fingers into a fist. The thing with Harriet’s blood was that it’s not crimson red as how a normal color of blood would look like, instead the color of her blood was paler than the handkerchief that was tied around her head. Harriet’s blood has been pale for a long time but according to her, it was normal and she lets it slide.

Absolutely. Anemia is so common that everyone on the Isle considers it normal to get extremely dizzy when you stand up. They even know how to tell a seizure from a bad vasovagal syncope (they can look similar if the syncope is bad enough.) Someone send these poor people some iron

[lsleofthelost]

What are your honest thoughts on the book kids? Both vk and ak?

i’m gonna be so honest with you it’s been a while since i reread the books. (what’s kinda adjacent is that i wish the books, the movies and the animated stuff was more cohesive with each other but i understand that they never planned on it being such a big franchise)

let me cut it here bc it got so long, i was very into it

i most vividly remember the first one, the prequel, and i dont think we see any kids that aren't in the movies, other than mentions. though i think Audrey in it is great, like her brittle handle on being the Perfect Auradon Princess and her huge desire to just sweep all unseemly things under the rug and like almost forceful insistence that everything is fine and great and all that exists is the softness and beauty in Auradon, down to her ignoring animals that aren't cute, ones that dont coo and cuddle. but when Ben pushes her she's intense and angry and almost scary.

the second book, return to the isle of the lost, introduces fun vks and mainly just name drops some aks:

i really like Mad Maddy, i like the thought that she and Mal were besties as kids, as close as sisters, twins even. and the fact that something happened between them that made Mal dye her hair, which she still does all these years later. i also think it's fun that her and Evie immediately dislike each other upon meeting. and i like that she's never 'redeemed', she's bitter and angry and scheming. and not bitter like Uma is, who wants more and better for herself and others, but deep in 'evil over everything' bitter, she leans into it and wants worse for everyone else.

Anthony Tremaine is so cunty. like i know we never get a visual of him but i know he was serving. he was comitted to his noble aesthetic and his bored drawl. i also liked that in the books there were a lot of cousins, i think it could be fun to have like a gang of them with maybe other nobles from their country (though obvi they wouldn't refer to themselves as a gang, they're too self-important and 'above it all'). i don't remember him doing anything super important other than supporting Maddy, which makes me think he's like a passive guy re: Isle situation, just choosing whatever he thinks is going to benefit him (and by extension, Tremaines) the most. in my fics, he and the Tremaines usually are adjacent Mal's gang through Dizzy's connection to Evie, just as like gratitude for watching out for her.

Ginny Gothel is great too, i don't know why i don't use her more, i really should. she was kinda friendly with Mal in the first book, not like they run together but more like they don't really have anything against each other and in social situations they talk and drink together. i love that she stole stuff from Maleficent's apartment it's fun. she very much gives me narcissit's daughter, who internilises it all and tries to imitate her mother. i think she would probably be very competetive, especially with Evie (overall, i think they have a potential for an interesting dynamic... a lot can be said but i don't wanna get too sidetracked, send me an ask if it's interesting to u)

Yzla doesn't do much except attend the Anti-Heroes club which i took as a green light to pretty much create my oc. i still think it's kinda dumb for Yzma to have a kid but eh whatever. i think Yzma wouldn't be a stereotypically bad mother, i think she's more like neglectful in a bad mood and "my kid and i are friends, im cool" in a good mood. anyway, when i do Yzla, they're nonbinary and androgynous, and a little manic, really smart, good at engineering and chemistry, so usually i make them a part of the gang and Carlos's assistant.

genuinely don't care for Hadie. like, i think the name is stupid, i think that he's Mal's half brother is stupid (since they never do anything about it), but i think there's potential to this character.

Diego de Vil is my babygirl. i have like a whole character inside my head for him because i think the potential of Carlos having a cool older cousin is just so great. if you go to my bad apples tag, you'll see more, but i created a whole band for him (and a twin!). he has a devil may care attitude and cares for Carlos but doesn't know how to express it at all.

now for the ones i don't have much to say about: Claudine Frollo has so so much potential and i've read really cool fics with her and the religious trauma she would obviously have. Harry and Jace should probably have a cool dynamic with Carlos, what with being forced to work for the de Vil family but i honestly forget they exist a lot of the time. Big Murph is friendly and helpful that is all i have to say about him (but it's interesting that he doesn't follow Uma). Eddie Balthazar and Hermie Bing just seem like they're there to fill spaces, but i'd love if someone fleshed them out. Gaston twins, i've seen good characterisation of them as following their father's footsteps and i think they are like if himbos were evil.

for the AKs of this book:

Pin, eh, not much to say except the name's dumb. Artie is a baby, but seems hot-headed in that heroic way. Herkie (again, dumb name) should have beef with Mal. Gordon is a little jealous, but i think he opens up a possibility of like messy family drama between the kids of the dwarves lol. i don't even wanna discuss Tiger Peony because i wish they didn't touch the indigenous characters because of the implications it has in-universe and they didn't do much with her anyway.

okay, now onto the rise of the isle of the lost:

whew, i love that this is focused on uma. i know i personally don't talk about her a lot since i'm mostly absorbed with the rotten four, but i love her and the pirates dearly.

(re: the Hook sisters, i don't have strong opinions on them, just thathc that's canon to me, they're all from different mothers)

Jonas is one of the people who has a confirmed appearence and the same actor was in the rotten to the core sequence, so i choose to believe it's the same guy. in my head, he used to be a vendor at the market, bored and tired of having to protect his stand, which is why he eagerly joins Uma.

i don't remember much of the personalities of other crew members, if they were given any, but i've read great Uma-centric stuff that fleshed them out greatly and really made me care about them.

for the aks, this is the first time we meet Lonnie's older brother. i don't wanna even type out the hate crime of a name they gave him. but overall, i think it's funny that Lonnie's a little sister, explains why she want to rebel and is always in everyone's business lol. for him personally, afaik he's not that much older than the main cast and i think the fact that him and Jay are friends so fun.

for Arabella, it's never revealed who her parents are but if we base it on the live action, i'd say her mum is Perla, she's said to be charismatic and diplomatic, her kingdom values the arts, which are qualities i think we can see in Arabella. i think it has interesting implications that she can go between land and sea as she wishes, especially if we take into account that magic is practically forbidden. is she an exception? also this is the second time an ak causes a uhhh hardship? in their desperation. Jane in d1, to change herself to fit into the judgemental social world of Auradon nobility, and Arabella here to prove that she's capabel of leading. she's said to be obsessed with Evie's style and overall a huge fashion lover, which i think probably makes people call her vapid, vain, ditzy, etc and why she wants to prove herself so badly. honestly, i don't see her a lot and i don't think i've ever written her into any of my fics but she offers a good window into what it's like to be a royal.

i thiiink this is also where Aziz is mentioned again? but genuinely all i take for him from canon is just his name. i love him and Jordan (Laila's version): they're practically siblings, they're a little too carefree, Aziz is leading the sassy man apocalypse and Jordan takes every opportunity to humble him (lovingly), they're kind of party animals though media just calls them socialites lol

ok im gonna be real with you, i never read escape from the isle of the lost so i think that's all, i hope i didn't miss anyone!

[dragoneyes613]

If you had kids, whether it's a boy or a girl as the firstborn, what would you name them?

I've thought of naming a daughter after my great-grandmother, who passed away a few years ago. Her name was Anne.

I haven't thought of what I would name a son. Quite possibly after a different relative. Maybe my future husband would suggest something, or want to name after one of his relatives.

Why, what would you name your kids?

[shellyseashell]

Have you finished your Descendants liveblog?

no! i do plan on rewatching two and three, i’ve just had other stuff i need to do. will probably watch two tonight.

[fantasyloverforever]

Hi, I was wondering what are your thoughts on these two rare pairs?

Li’l Shang and Jordan

Herkie and Ally

I never would have thought of either of these pairings together.

Li'l Shang and Jordan might actually be a good fit since they're both artistic (Shang with his hip hop and Jordan with her web show).

I'm not sure about Ally and Herkie. Since we don't really know anything about Herkie beyond his name and famous parent it's hard to say if they'd have anything in common.

[bellaaldamas]

How would every prince would react if they’d become a father? And who would be amazing dads and why?

Discounting Eric whom we've already seen canonically as a parent in TLM 2 Flynn in the original Tangled movie would be the most fit to become a father (not his comedic relief dead weight self in the insulting joke of a series written by a "progressive" male fetishist who was in fact a staunch conservative and subscribed to the idea men cannot be vulnerable and can't cry - hence all the ideas about Flynn/Eugene's traumatic past in the orphanage having been allegedly discarded by Sonnenburg and his team).

For one, in the OG Tangled it was established that despite the hardships and complete lack of guidance Flynn/Eugene was acting as a mentor figure for the younger kids in the orphanage and read them stories every night to inspire them. Noteworthy part is that book Flynnigan Rider was not a thief - something that was explicitly stated in the campfire scene of the OG film - and instead was a classic Power Fantasy that vulnerable children, including Flynn himself, could derive motivation from. Eugene expressed as much admiration of Flynn the character as he did self awareness of his own bad choices (quoting not directly: "for a kid with nothing [stealing] seemed like a better option"). Indicating, thus, that he never wanted for the fellow orphaned kids to go down that path or to assume the only way they can become like book Flynn is by turning into outlaws.

Throughout the OG movie Flynn also showed acute knowledge of psychology: when he believed he'd gotten under the crossfire between a strict mom and unruly grounded teenage girl who blackmailed him in order to get away from house arrest Flynn used his own wits and manipulation to try to talk Rapunzel out of leaving the tower. At that stage he assumed the two of them were operating on equal footing and that it was now "his move" after Rapunzel started this game with blackmail. And didn't stop even when Flynn mentioned the danger he'd be in if he returns to the Kingdom. In that situation Rapunzel was the one holding power over him and wielding it in accordance with her own desires (with little to no regard for Flynn's safety). As far as Flynn was concerned he was responding in kind, unaware of the context of Rapunzel's actions or the power imbalance between them.

When Flynn did finally realize Rapunzel wasn't just a sheltered rebellious teen who wanted to defy her overprotective mother but a victim of lifelong abuse and isolation he realized she had "never left that tower" even before she said it out loud. It's important how when Rapunzel tells her story during the campfire scene and details all the manipulations Gothel used to keep her locked up Flynn listens intently and does not interrupt or express any opinions/insert any input about it. Even though his facial expression clearly showcases how tensed and disturbed he is by what he's hearing and by Gothel (indicating his natural aversion to emotional abuse and child abuse in particular).

Flynn now knows Rapunzel has been pressured and gaslit since childhood by a guardian figure and that telling her that the world is not what Gothel described it to be or that Rapunzel's fears are unfounded would do more harm than good. So he doesn't invalidate or argue with anything Rapunzel is saying or anything Gothel has led her to believe.

Instead, Flynn makes sure to dispel Rapunzel's fears the next day by making her as comfortable as possible: having the girls braid her hair so it wouldn't continue to be a deterrent to Rapunzel's freedom and mobility, risking his life to ensure she has a "decent seat" when her dream finally comes true. During the boat scene when Rapunzel admits she is "scared" Flynn isn't invalidating this concern either (nor is he feeling insulted that after all the effort he made she still "dares" to complain). He listens, acknowledges her feelings and gives her more comfort by assuring that having one desire fulfilled doesn't mean life loses meaning. Very delicately, with no judgment or pressure or "it's all up to you, now get over the years of abuse and conditioning and go prove you're a badass girlboss who should have a bigger goal than some stupid lanterns". Flynn reminds Rapunzel that taking one step, however big for her, doesn't mean she has to go back to where she started and be a prisoner again, that she can find other motivations and milestones to look forward to (and calls it the "best part" for further reassurance).

OG Tangled provided a perfect set up for Flynn to become a compassionate and loving father - even him delivering Rapunzel to her biological parents that tried to kill him and once again risking his life for her well being highlighted that he recognized the importance of family and, most of all, of dealing with your lingering traumas and issues. It is the the post-climax developments that were underwhelming and problematic because the work and exploration stopped dead end there and none of the previously established issues with Rapunzel's parents were addressed. Them sentencing Flynn to death without trial for a slight, them ceasing to keep looking for their daughter and the kidnapper while throwing Lantern Pity Parties, Flynn's reaction to learning about the socioeconomic inequality between him and Rapunzel - all of that was ignored in favor of "biological family is the most important thing" message (and still remains the only major flaw of the movie and why it fails to live up to Renaissance era princess films, especially TLM).

Don Bluth's Anastasia utilized all the same themes infinitely better: Dimitri's reaction to finding out Anastasia was royalty was not only shown but emphasized repeatedly in his conversations with his friend Vladimir, Anastasia's grandmother and Anastasia herself. It wasn't just there to encourage sympathies towards Dimitri and his insecurities but to show how he would deal with them. Hence the powerful character growth when he declined to take the reward money because he refused to take advantage of Anastasia and her family's tragedy even if she and her grandmother were together now thanks to him (and alive thanks to his childhood self too).

Dimitri also did not use this "change of heart" as an advantage to make Anastasia see how noble he is and possibly have a chance with her. He didn't even tell her he was the kitchen boy who had saved her and her grandmother like Vlad suggested (Dimitri confessed that to Anastasia's grandmother in private because she ended up remembering him herself). Dimitri recognized Anastasia was out of his league socially and didn't tell her he'd turned down the reward so it would be easier for HER to let him go thinking he'd collected the money and that was all he ever needed.

This is the free choice development that Dimitri had all the power in and that's what makes it an example of outstanding writing (Flynn and Naveen from PatF were robbed of the free choice development because their growth happened in dire, life or death situations when the safety and/or well being of Rapunzel and Tiana was also on the line).

Anastasia's grandmother got to prod Dimitri for how he really felt and realized after their conversation that he and her granddaughter had fallen in love. The first thing she did after that realization was encourage Anastasia to be an independent adult and a woman with agency who acts on said agency instead of trapping herself in a privileged bubble (the way King Frederic in the Series trapped Rapunzel). Anastasia's grandmother, who went through far worse tragedies than Rapunzel's parents and had her son, daughter in law and all grandchildren brutally murdered was willing to let go of the only close family she had left - after having just found her long lost granddaughter again - because she valued Anastasia's free will and Dimitri's devotion to her more than her own selfish needs.

However, those are all narrative issues and certainly not the problems with Flynn's in universe characterization. OG Flynn is still one of the best Disney male leads who would have made one of the best dads.

Once I do my rewatch of the older movies I might write up my thoughts on other princes and how they would manage parenting.