Recently I rewatched the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy (if you haven't noticed from my latest posts), and it really holds up: complex and sophisticated plotting, iconic characters with sturdy arcs, and nuanced themes about honor and freedom.
This trilogy did so many things right. It's no surprise it was a huge hit. (Do they even make movies like this anymore?)
While I could go on long about everything that it does right, today I actually want to zoom in on what I consider its weakest element: Davy Jones's Locker.
This is one (1) scene in the whole trilogy, but it's always felt off and just . . . weird to me. To the extent that it sort of taints my memory of the last film (which, revisiting it again, is actually quite well written).
Don't get me wrong--I get it's meantΒ to be weird.
But it's weird in the wrong way.
It's weird in a weak way.
What could have been a major opportunity to add depth and dimension to the series' themes, and to Jack's character . . .Β
. . . is nothing but a strange, delusional 8-minute experience that actually could be cut without really affecting the story.
And that's the main problem. It's not doing enough.
Yes, it did what it needed to on the plot level: The point of the scene is to show Jack trapped, slipping into madness in Davy Jones's Locker. It does that.
But it doesn't do that in a resonating way.
Really, if that's all it's doing, the filmmakers could cut the scene and simply show the crew arriving at the Locker to interact with a delusional Jack. (Though I don't quite like that idea either.)
Watching this film again, I realized, on a subconscious level, I always look forward to Davy Jones's Locker because it's a fate Jack spent the whole previous installment trying to avoid. And now he's trapped there.
I also think I subconsciously look forward to it, because it's a scene loaded with opportunity--because this is where we see (or could have seen) Jack in his most vulnerable state. It's begging to be used to develop character and explore the themes.
But instead, we get a (basically filler) madness trip--one that's trying to be comedic yet doesn't quite deliver--and some rock crabs that don't carry enough significance beyond helping move the ship (yes, I get they relate to Calypso. . . . They aren't terrible, but . . . )
Not as satisfying.
Let's go over what could have been done differently, and maybe it will help you with your own less-than-satisfying scenes. . . .
The bones of storytelling are character, plot, and theme.
And the best ideas for your scenes, are going to be those that hit on at least two--or preferably all three--of those.
When you understand that, you can produce more meaningful scenes (and stories).
Digging into Character & Theme to Revise the Scene
One of the most important aspects of any main character is his wants. His motives.
If you've followed me for a while, you may know I refer to this as the "abstract want."
The abstract want (or wants) exists behind nearly every major concrete goal the character pursues in the plot. (Or it should.)
Katniss wants to survive and save others. That's why she aims to win the Hunger Games. That's why she volunteers to take Prim's place and risks her life to save Peeta.
Luke wants to become, or be part of, something great. That's why he plans to go to Academy, become a Jedi, rescue Leia, and destroy the Death Star.
To add depth to a character, it's often a great idea to dig into this abstract want: What does it mean to the character? Why does fulfilling it matter? And how come the character has it in the first place?
In Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack's abstract want is to live free, preferably forever (as I wrote about somewhat recently).Β This is why he wants The Black PearlΒ back, and to be its captain, in the first installment. This is why he wants to avoid Davy Jones and the Kraken in the second installment. And this is why he wants to replace Davy Jones in the third installment.
Every major concrete plot goal Jack has, ties back to being free (and alive).
And so do many of his minor ones. ("You will always remember this as the day that you almost caughtΒ Captain Jack Sparrow.")
Also noteworthy is that in the first installment, it's said that The Black PearlΒ symbolizes freedom.
So, having a scene where Jack is trappedΒ in Davy Jones's Locker, withΒ The Black Pearl, would have been the perfect opportunity to explore his abstract want more deeply.
Instead of slipping into madness and envisioning copies of himself on The Pearl, it would have been more meaningful to delve into why freedom matters so much to Jack, and even better, why he has that want in the first place.
Often there is a key backstory (referred to as a "ghost" or "wound") that typically explains the origin of the abstract want.
For example, the reason Katniss wants to survive and save others, is because her dad died and that left her family starving; and after Peeta saved her by throwing her burned bread, she determined she was going to be a survivalist and save her own family.
While Jack's backstory of being marooned by his crew (as told in the first installment), relates to losing freedom (he's trapped on an island, without the Pearl), it doesn't explain the origin of his abstract want (since he wanted freedom via The Black PearlΒ before that). I don't consider that a flaw, but the Locker would have been an amazing time to go further back into Jack's past and reveal why freedom is so important to him to begin with.
The reason he's trapped in the Locker, is because he made a deal with Davy Jones to raise The Black PearlΒ (and himself) out of the ocean, so he could be its captain for 13 more years.Β
That'sΒ how much freedom means to Jack. He's literally willing to sell his immortal soul (in addition to working 100 years on The Flying Dutchman) to haveΒ 13 years of freedom.
That's a big want.
The trilogy does hint at other aspects of his past, like how he refused to deliver people in the slave trade, and that's why Beckett branded him a pirate in the first place. The writers had the right idea in giving Jack this backstory, as it's ripe with the concept of freedom (vs. bondage). But this is mainly left in subtext. Again, not an innate flaw.
But again, wouldn't it have been great if the film had delved more into thatΒ while Jack was in the Locker? Maybe his experience with slaves is what led him to value freedom so highly to begin with.
Or, maybe that was one moment in a whole string of moments that defined his desire. Maybe his abstract want has origins even further back. Maybe as a child, he was somehow trapped, and feared he'd somehow become a slave.
Maybe instead of just having a bunch of copies of Jack in the Locker, we should have had Jacks from different parts of his past--maybe different parts of when he felt trapped. Jack who was marooned. Jack who was imprisoned. Jack who was punished for helping the slaves. Jack who was trapped as a boy.
Surely thatΒ would drive Captain Jack Sparrow mad.
The scene would have been so much more interesting if Jack had been haunted by his past. And if the Locker was an opportunity to compound the concept of being trapped.
Naturally, one of the main themes of this film is freedom (vs. bondage): Jack wants to get out of the Locker, Will wants to free his dad, Barbossa wants to release Calypso, and Beckett wants to capture (and kill) all pirates.
So this would have made the film feel more thematically resonant as well. But there are other options too.
The main theme of the whole series explores what it means to be honorable (vs. dishonorable). The nuance (and irony) comes from the fact that pirates, like Jack, ultimately end up being the most honorable. Despite all the (selfish) piracy they engage in, when it comes down it, they're more honorable than Beckett and his men.
And the reason Jack ended up in the Locker at this specific point in time, is becauseΒ he chose to be honorable, rather than dishonorable, at the climax of the previous film.
Jack could have fled to land and saved himself, letting his crew die, as he'd planned.
But when it got down to it, he couldn't--he came back and saved them.
(. . . before Elizabeth--of all people--betrayed him. . . .)
So this moment in the Locker could have also tapped into the theme of honor (vs. dishonor). It could have questioned if honor was worth it, because look at where it got Jack. Being trapped is likely Jack's worst fear, since it's the opposite of his deepest desire.
For the pirates, the concept of honor comes from keeping the code. Later in the film, we learn that Jack's father is the strict keeper of the code--outright killing a man for even suggesting they don't follow it.
The writers could have delved into that--Jack's relationship with his father, who had always been strict in honoring the code, even when Jack was a young boy. "And look, dad, look at where it [honor] got me!" Jack might've yelled, while wasting away in the sand.
Symbolism & Imagery
But let's say, for some reason, the writers didn't want to do any of that. This is an adventure film, and maybe they didn't want to lean into that directly.Β They could have worked with more symbolism, tying into character and theme that way instead.Β The Black Pearl symbolizes freedom, and it's trapped in the Locker. Sure, we get a little bit of symbolism with just that--it's a ship stuck on sand, and it's too heavy for Jack to move.
But there could have been more.Β
We don't need the rock crabs. Or if we do (to show Calypso helping move the ship), they should have been sea turtles instead--ya know, the creatures that were rumored to free Jack off the island in the first place?! Maybe they should have been used to move the ship (and if we wanted to be silly, with ropes of human hair too π).
Or, there could have been more imagery related to being bound--other ropes, chains, cuffs, or bars--driving Jack crazy. Maybe he keeps getting stuck, trapped, or bound somehow.
And rather than these things seemingly randomly moving the ship, Jack should have had a thematic epiphany that apparently led to that, or he should have done something that seemingly caused that to happen (even if it's really revealed it's Calypso later).
In his hallucinations, Jack stabs himself in the heart. We get a brief line about that, but it's not very thematic. If it had tied into one of the themes more, that image would have landed better.
We also get some weird stuff with him eating a peanut, laying an egg, and moving closer to a goat. It's meant to be funny, but it's not very meaningful. Interacting with sea turtles would have been much funnier, since it would have been a callback to the first film. And I get the peanut is meant to emphasize the lack of food . . . but it would have been better if instead, the filmmakers emphasized a lack of rum . . . since that's what he had when trapped on the island, and it was a drink that Elizabeth tied to honor vs. dishonor in the first film (i.e. with a little more work, rum could have been made into a thematic symbol).
Heck, I would have settled for imagery related to Elizabeth "haunting" him--since she's the one who betrayed him, by pretending to reward him for being honorable. Or even traumatic flashbacks of Davy Jones, Jack being eaten by the Kraken, or Jack arriving in the Locker.
That would have aroused more sympathy, for me.
Really, this scene could have been used to emphasize Jack and his vulnerability so much better--rendered in a way that made the audience feel something deeply.
Unfortunately, though, it does little in the way of that.
Now, you would think, based on this post, I positively hate this scene--I don't; it's just a huge missed opportunity.
Yeah, it gets its plot job done.
But it misses out on character and theme.
Regardless, though, this is still a great trilogy.
And despite this post, it's easy to forgive it for fumbling one scene.
Nonetheless, I thought this was a good opportunity to illustrate what character and theme can do for a lackluster scene.
Story isn't just about plot. It's also about character and theme.
If you find a scene lacking luster, you might want to try digging there.
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HiΒ ! So I just happen to be bored and I scroll on tumblr and find some artist blog (Iβll never scroll again lol) saying that the whole thing « itβs just art/fictionΒ Β» should never be an excuse when it comes to romantize dark, toxic themes or illegal age gaps. Basically they said that you canβt at the same time say « itβs art or fiction so itβs okayΒ Β» but then taking position into defending real things like rape, illegal age gaps, incest, and so on that happen IRL. That you cannot have it both waysβ¦.
They justified it by saying that for example people (especially young ones) are not necessarily aware that a relationship is toxic if they watch movies or read some books that romantize toxic topicsβ¦and so that they can tend to choose toxic relationship because they saw it on tv or in books..
So I was asking myselfΒ ; like when I was younger I was a fan of the twilight series (lol) and I was not that stupid to think real vampires exist or that I have to be in a relationship that need to look like the one Bella and Edward shareβ¦
Like they also said that people who ship incest or rape stuff are weird af (and I trully get the point but I mean at the same when itβs fiction, itβs not real, so the characters cannot hurt you).
Like idk they write some post about it defending their point and they make it a big deal and I understand butβ¦
At the same time I disagree and I find the whole discourse surronding this stupid because I think we are all clever enought to realize the characters are not real and we can perfectly like dark stuffs IN FICTION (for me this is what art is all aboutΒ ; some sort of an escape to explore our most weirdest sides of us lol) but perfectly be againts rape or incest or illegal age gaps IRL because itβs def something serious when it happen IRLΒ
What do you think of itΒ ? If you are not conformtable to answer on your blog, you can send me messages..or not answer at all of course. (also sorry I donβt use english on a regular basis)
Hi!
I agree with @hamliet's answer.
My two cents is that I do think fiction and art influence life, but it is never a 1:1 like many people think. Stories and people can both be complex and they may interact in billions of different ways to create billions of different reactions.
A story can be hopeful for a person and can inspire another to exercise violence... In both cases it is never just the story. It is the person's own struggle being projected on the story. For example, it is cheap for society to blame "VIOLENT CARTOONS AND VIDEOGAMES" for violence spreading in younger generations... I think the blame should be on the fact kids lack healthy models and support systems and are faced with a very violent world... I don't think the problem is an internet meme or dragonball :P
I will add that to be able to interact with dark fiction and in general to develop a sense of self strong enough you can understand when you agree with a story or when you don't is actually very important. I remember that when I was little reading was so enriching specifically because of this. I was bound to emphasize with the point of view character, of course. However, I would sometimes be like... "wait, I don't agree with what they are thinking and is being presented as the solution to the problem". In short, to be able to experiment with fiction and to use it as a safe net to explore one-self is pretty important imho.
Finally, basic reading skills are about understanding what to take seriously and what not about fiction. I enjoyed twilight too while growing up... and I would have hated a relationship like the one Bella and Edward have irl. The reason why Twilight got too popular is that it is a feminine fantasy... which means the majority of people would either consciously or unconsciously read it this way, a fantasy. If a person did not have this filter and truly pursued such a relationship, I can tell you they probably had other things going on that would not have been solved by twilight not existing.
There are probably other points to be made, like the importance to be surprised and made uncomfortable by fiction (Revolutionary Girl Utena is great specifically because it makes you uncomfortable as you keep on watching and start re-framing things towards the end) or the ability to understand framing (if you genuinely think Kiki should be considered abusive to Goku cause she slaps him, I think you should re-learn how to approach a text). However, it would probably not add much to the basic point :)
do you know where we could watch RWBY for free pls ?
Hi! Unless you pirate, I don't think you can watch it for free. I think you can buy digital copies of the volumes here. However, they are avaiable only in some countries... Maybe someone else can help with more useful information!
What do you think of the idea that Jinx had to fake her own death so that Vi could finally move on, focus on herself, and stop prioritizing her? Don't you think the writers made a bad choice in confirming this plot point?
Hi,
I have answered several asks about this. Here is my first and most complete answer. I will take this chance to say I will probably not answer arcane asks anymore, sorry. I have recently realized talking with a friend that the resolution of Vi and Jinx's arc ended up killing any interest I had for the series. It is a story I won't be rewatching and I am not really excited to analyze nor deep dive into.
So, just to make you know in case you were thinking of sending new asks :)
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do you know where we could watch RWBY for free pls ?
Hi! Unless you pirate, I don't think you can watch it for free. I think you can buy digital copies of the volumes here. However, they are avaiable only in some countries... Maybe someone else can help with more useful information!
Call it a fixation on a background character (π) but I like her very much, and I feel like there could be much to tell about her! It's a shame the story doesn't show or tell more about her - and I don't blame them, they already had a big cast to handle!
Hi!
I am so happy you like my metas <3<3<3
So, I guess you mean Kanae Ohtori, right?
I quite like her, but as you said, she is a minor character. As a result, I am not sure I will have much to share (I should probably rewatch her episodes, but the series is kinda difficult to find in my country... I watched it with a VPN I don't have anymore). Anyway, I will try my best.
THEMES AND ALCHEMY
Kanae is the character that kick-starts the duels of the second arc, as she is the first Black Rose Duelist. In short, she takes Saionji's role as the prima materia in arc 2 alchemical process. This role is emphasized by her name. I found two possible translations for Kanae's name:
Flowerbed aka an area of ground where flowers are planted
Seedling aka a very young plant that has been born from a seed
Both meanings tie with the idea Kanae is linked to the beginning of the process. She is the earth where the other flowers (aka characters) will grow; she is barely more than a seed.
Because of her role, Kanae's song is really about the theme of arc 2, rather than Kanae herself:
Holy spirits have them
Devilish spirits have them
Ah, though you carry a grain of Heaven
Everyone has infernal ulterior motives--the good have them! The evil have them!
Ah, though you hold the eeriness of Hell
As long as such suspicious figures come,
There shall be debate!
If it be so, on an awesome moonlit night
Come out and go astray!
This mystery is beyond the ken of Man
Humans, dwarfed by the vastness of Creation
Shall tremble in fear at that form!
Arc 2 introduces complexity, as it challenges Utena to try and see beyond appearances. Everyone has a darker side and every person has both good and evil within them. This is the reality Utena should see. She should break the vision rooted in heroes and monsters, princesses and princes. Kanae's song highlights this complex reality and hints at the idea there is a bigger illusion going on.
After all, the second stanza mentions the Moon, which is the tarot of illusion. This obviously hints at Akio's illusion (the castle in the sky) aka the idea of fairy tales and rigid gender roles. Kanae is a girl trapped in an illusion, so she is the first character who challenges Utena to break her own fantasies.
KANAE'S CHARACTER = SNOWHITE
Kanae is a tragic Snowhite.
The allusion is made obvious the moment Kanae dies (this is the implication). She is shown catatonic, as Akio is holding her and Anthy is putting a slice of apple into her mouth. In the next scene, Akio is left in the room with Kanae and Anthy is shown cutting ice in the same room with Utena and Nanami:
The whole scene is pretty unnerving, especially because Anthy stops Utena from entering Akio's room. The implication is that Akio is disposing of the body by cutting it, just like Anthy is cutting ice (aka Snowhite :P). This is also why Nanami is so scared of Anthy in this scene:
Obviously Nanami has no idea of what is going on. However, she knows of Anthy and Akio's incestuous relationship and unconsciously realizes that something very dark is going on behind the scenes.
So, is that all? Kanae is Snowhite 'cause she dies with a poisoned apple? Not really, the meaning of the fairy tale is deeper. In particular, Kanae's allusion is important for both herself and Anthy, as the two girls are trapped in a dark fairy tale written by their guardians.
On the one hand Kanae is the victim of an abusive mother. Mrs Ohtori is the Evil Queen, who uses Kanae to further her goals. She is clearly charmed/in love with Akio, which is why she poisons Mr Ohtory (or so I think it is implied somewhere). However, she can not openly be in a relationship with Akio, so she uses her own daughter to live a relationship by proxy. This is why she gets angry when Akio does not see Kanae that much often anymore. In other words, Mrs Ohtori sacrifices Kanae's life to live through her. This fits the Evil Queen whose whole problem was the inability to accept the passage of time. It is normal for a mother to grow old and for a child to grow up. This also makes it obvious that at one point the mother will be less beautiful than the daughter. It is literally the cycle of nature. However, the Evil Queen can't accept it and decides to kill Snowhite to stop time. Similarly, Mrs Ohtori decides to use her Snowhite as an extension of herself. She uses Kanae's life as if it were hers, which eventually results in Kanae's death.
On the other hand Anthy is the victim of an abusive brother. Akio is Anthy's "twisted prince", who turns her into an evil witch. This obviously means that Akio makes Anthy an accomplice to his crimes. Even in Kanae's case, Akio is the one holding Kanae firm, but he has Anthy poison Kanae. Obviously one can read the whole thing as Anthy being "jealous" of Kanae and Akio's relationship, hence her dislike of Kanae and her killing her. That said, the whole thing is clearly a consequence of Akio's abuse and of the siblings' twisted oedipal relationship. Anthy sees Akio as a father, but it is also implied Akio himself sees Anthy as a nurturing presence ready to sacrifice herself for him. That would be a mother. This is probably why Anthy is often forced into the role of "mother", be it the Evil Queen Mother in Kanae's story or Miki's new adoptive mother. Whatever the case, Anthy is trapped in the role of the Evil Witch.
In other words, Kanae and Anthy are children trapped in twisted fairy tales by adults unable to grow up. However, Anthy will eventually escape, while Kanae dies there.
This makes Kanae an interesting foil to all the three main female characters: Anthy, Utena and Nanami. This may also be why her design is loosely similar to all three. She has green eyes like Anthy, blond hair like Nanami and her overall looks are similar to Utena's. On a deeper level, she foils all three girls.
Like Anthy, Kanae is a victim of familial abuse. Not only that, but both have internalized misogyny that they project on the other. The true enemy in both their stories is Akio, but they are pit against each other (Snowhite VS Evil Queen). On the one hand Kanae knows something is wrong in her new arrangement, but she blames it all on Anthy. This is why she has an unconscious desire is to kill Anthy. On the other hand Anthy ends up truly killing Kanae that she sees as a disposable woman in Akio's life. Just like herself.
Like Utena, Kanae is a child being groomed and raped by Akio. Kanae's introduction is really the first hint that something is very wrong with Akio. Sure, Akio is intimate with his fiance. However, Akio's fiance is really a student in Akio's school. How wrong is that? The implication is that Kanae was once courted and pampered just like Utena. However, as Kanae is about to become an adult (I think she is 18 by the time of the series), Akio progressively loses all interest in her. After all, Akio is probably attracted only by underage kids. In other words, Akio used Kanae for sex and to take control of the school, but now he is ready to move on and to dispose of her. He is switching targets from Kanae to Utena. In other words, Utena is set up to meet a destiny very similar to Kanae, but she manages to fight it by recognizing Akio for who he is and by refusing to be "his princess". Obviously there is also the difference that Anthy starts to genuinely love Utena, while she is indifferent/dislikes Kanae. This is made clear by Kanae and Utena's different family pictures:
Kanae's picture has Akio in the centre and Anthy and Kanae on his two sides
Utena's picture has Anthy between herself and Akio; this detail is important 'cause initially Utena was supposed to be in the middle. However, Anthy steps in between Akio and Utena, as a hint that she does not like Utena being groomed by Akio
Like Nanami, Kanae is a child with a "parasitic" sense of self. Nanami has built who she is around Touga, while Kanae has built her identity around her family name. Both girls unconsciously know there is something very wrong with their situations.
Nanami is deep down conscious that she is "vermin" aka a parasite to Touga. This is why one of her focus episode back in arc 1 has her convinced Touga wants to kill her. Symbolically she gets sure of it the moment she overhears Touga and Anthy speak about "parasites" and "vermins". That is because Nnami IS a vermin to Touga's rose. She is a part of him. This is why her big revelation in arc 3 is to admit that she is indeed vermin like all other girls. It is the first step to bloom into her own self.
Kanae is deep down conscious something is wrong in her relationship with Akio. She knows she is being used by her mother, but this unconscious realization never becomes clear to her. As a result, she is unable to become her own person. This is interesting given her Snowhite allusion. As a fairy tale, Snowhite is the story of a child becoming an adult. As children, we see ourselves as extensions of our parents (hence we see our parents as we look in the mirror). The moment we grow up we realize we are someone different (hence the mirror will stop reflecting the Queen and start showing Snowhite). This makes us scared to the point we would like to stop the process (The Queen wants to kill Snowhite). However, it is part of growing up (Snowhite becomes Queen). Well, Kanae is unable to "kill her Queen" and to become her own person. She is murdered before she can grow up.
Nanami is the apple of knowledge and the fruit that separates herself from the tree:
Kanae is the apple of knowledge that arrives too late and the fruit that gets poisoned. She is the poisoned apple:
Someone pointed out how the apple being pierced by forks is loosely similar to Anthy herself being pierced by swords later on. The apple is Eve being tormented by the patriarchy.
Kanae's death is overall important thematically for two reasons.
1- It happens in the yellow phase, so it can be considered "the yellow death". In my previous meta, I pointed out how the series is divided into three arcs (white, black and red). I discovered recently some people divide it into four. Specifically, the final arc gets divided into the Akio's arc and the Apocalypse arc. The Akio's arc ends in episode 33, when Akio rapes Utena.
If one were to welcome this division, the "Akio's arc" should be considered the yellow phase. It would make sense as the yellow phase is really just a part of the red phase. Moreover, Nanami's arc climaxes in episode 32, which is when Kanae dies. In other words, Kanae can be seen as the "yellow death". She is the child that fails to become the wise woman and can't separate from the parent. Her death makes so that Akio officially moves on to physically target Utena.
2- Kanae is a dark foil of the main protagonists, who all escape fairy tales.
Nanami escapes the idea she is the school princess (I am just vermin!)
Utena escapes the idea she is a heroic prince (I could not become your prince)
Anthy escapes the idea she is a witch (Wait for me, Utena)
Kanae is instead the girl who dies as a princess. She plays Snowhite until her tragic end. A death with no resurrection.
It is not by chance the final scene has Chu-chu fighting a frog before joining Anthy. Chu-chu is a mirror of Anthy's inner world. The monkey leaves the frog, just like Anthy is leaving behind the idea Akio (the frog) could one day grow up (become a prince). She is leaving fairy tales behind. She is done waiting for her frog prince and is ready to step into the world as her own person. Kanae could never reach that level of self-actualization </3
I really like the idea that she initially passes for human, but after spending 30 years on the bottom of the creek sheβs had some damage exposing the more android-y parts of her, which also explains why people after that first episode seem to identify her as an android On Sightβ¦ It also forces her to adapt to some physical change and in some sense take more control over her body/appearance in her recovery, which I think is great as part of her character arc :)
Anyway, really pleased with how the shading turned out on this one, so have a detail shot
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Hazbin merch drops are always fun, so here are some of my favorite details of the Pride 2026 standees.
Last year the focus was on the flags, while this time the key idea is that of Pride Floats.
The Hazbin Hotel Crew Standee is modeled after the Hotel itself and a giant circus
Some characters have bags and suitcases decorated with the pride colors 'cause... it is a hotel duh
Charlie and Vaggi make a giant heart with their flags <3
Husk is still depressed and missing Angel; he is down so bad LOL. Huskerdust is the definition of Falling First (Angel) and Falling Harder (Husk)
It is fun to see Lucifer wear something different than his usual circus ringmaster outfit. I also wonder if in-story he is meant to loosen up the circus imagery a little bit since he needs to see himself as a person and not a Ringmaster. Finally, someone compared the outfit to Mary Poppin's Bert and I am all here for this
Vaggi's outfit is super cute. I love to see her wearing a tailleur; it fits Charlie's, but it also shows her growing into the role of Hotel Manager; moreover, even if both Charlie and Vaggi are wearing similar outfits, they keep their masculine (Charlie's tuxedo) and feminine (Vaggi's tailleur) motif
The Vees Standee is modeled after V-Tower
The Vees are marketing themselves by using their respective sexualities (hence the TV screens)
Angel's outfit is very similar to the one the Vees force him to wear for his speech in 2x7 :( It's also the second merch drop in a row where Angel is not with the Hotel Crew. Moreover, both times his link with the Vees is emphasized. The choice is clearly meant to show Angel's current situation in-universe and to give some foreshadowing of where he will start his story next season. The continuous focus on Angel's situation and Husk missing him are clearly meant to be a tease :P
Heaven has my favorite standee this time around
Sera and Emily have my favorite outfits together with Vaggi and Lucifer; look at the sisters, they are gorgeous! I also love Emily being unlabeled
Abel being so similar/imitating Adam is fun and I hope it teases that more of their past relationship is coming
Despite the set-up she received in season 2, Lute has been consistently missing from Heaven Merch since the Christmas 2024 key-chain. This emphasizes how she is not really part of the "Heaven Crew". This time around her absence is also clearly because Lute's sexuality may actually be important for her character, hence they don't wanna spoil it :P (Lute is a repressed disaster). In general, I think Heaven ignoring her pain and the elephant in the room that she is will bite them in the ass :P
Adam being there obviously makes little sense considering he is dead and the merch is meant to mirror the characters' current situation. Not that it is important, but I am head-canoning Lute is imagining him there, while watching from afar 'cause she can't imagine herself together with the high ranking angels
Aint no way they have Angel in the Vees merch Im crying. The V on his chest too π oh my god bro. I knew it was suspicious when we didn't see him at the hotel.
On the bright side wow lesbian Sera is something I was NOT expecting. She looks amazing!!
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