Finally I just remembered something major I appreciated about the books that was sadly missing from the show:
How Eva never outright forgave anyone who wronged her. She didn't entirely close off the idea of eventually forgiving them (Hailey, Redimus, Zin, Eight), however she let them know the consequences of their actions-- and their actions had consequences! And I loved how Eva was never pressured to forgive them or how the narrative didn't try to frame Eva's lack of forgiveness as a bad thing! Eva was allowed to process and be angry about the various betrayals she faced, and also sometimes was allowed to just simply...not forgive (Caruncle, Cadmus). Too much media directed at kids these days feels like it exudes this idea of toxic forgiveness, so seeing that in the Wondla books was so refreshing when I first read it (especially as someone with difficulty forgiving myself).
However, in the show, Eva just forgives. She will probably be mad or sad about betrayal for a moment, but then it's completely brushed over without so much as an actual apology (Rovender, Hailey, Redimus, Zin, , Eight, Cadmus, etc.). It felt like the narrative (or more the break-neck pacing) essentially forced Eva to have to forgive them because she was facing bigger issues at the moment. I hate it because it again sends this message of toxic forgiveness, and if you don't forgive you're just a bad person (perhaps unintentionally portrayed through Eva Eight).
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If he mispronounces something or gets a word mixed up and gets teased for it, he'll just shut down-- as in immediately stop talking and then start silently brooding. It's a sore spot for him, because he had a lisp as a eyas and was punished severely by his father for it. Even Besteel wouldn't tease him over it.
He had poor experience in dating as a youth. Mostly because his and Besteel's father didn't necessarily teach them how to court females properly, and they didn't have a mother. The major reason Redimus struggled though was because he refused to hunt for trophies to impress a female. However, once he did manage to get to a stage with an older female who humored him for a bit (not uncommon in some rare situations, as an older female will allow a younger, inexperienced male to "play court" her to teach him proper etiquette). However, female Dorceans are much less social than the males. Redimus got too clingy and she gave him a few scratches for his trouble. Redimus, however, was grateful for the experience; it taught him how to act towards females, which later helped him court Doshika.
Before Doshika and after the poor experiences with females in his youth Redimus practically gave up on the idea of having a mate. He's not "inexperienced", though.
Still in the rough but I'm working on getting used to the art program and trying new perspective. The idea is his head is somewhat tilted away from the viewer but right now it's coming across like that one Frieren drawing
When they were just little puffballs Besteel would crawl on top of Redimus and just sleep like that. Redimus didn't mind because he found the weight and the warmth comfy. Occasionally as adults Besteel would still sleep on top of him.
Most of the time, despite how terrifying it looks and sounds to everyone else, the "physical spats" Redimus and Besteel get into are just playful rough-housing to them, even if these sometimes end with one or both of them bruised and bleeding; it's good-natured though.
Besteel will usually be the first to engage in playful face-biting behavior with Redimus. Redimus will occasionally sneak a nom in while Besteel isn't paying attention.
Besteel will also try to preen Redimus upon occasion. Redimus doesn't always let him, so it usually ends in a rough-housing session instead; when he does manage it, he's aggressive. He doesn't let Redimus preen him, though.
Both would engage in friendly bets or competition with one another. Before the menagarie incident it could be as simple as a race or a drinking contest-- or even a "pain tolerance contest" which would involve drinking a mirthian smoothie that's intended to aid gravid females in inducing labor but just gives males bad abdominal cramps until one of them gives in and drinks the antidote.
Feel free to add your own! That is a command not a request! °^°
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I need to put them in a jar and shake it. They make me sick they mean everything to me. I want to know more about them and their relationship because what did DiTerlizzi mean by introducing them and implying such an incredible, heart-breaking doomed siblings narrative reflecting that of the main protagonist and her sibling-- and then just not elaborating?
I know I've kinda alluded to the fact that I don't like how Redimus was handled in the show. But I'd argue that Besteel got it even worse. At no point does the series hint at a deeper motivation for his desire to capture Eva or even hint that Besteel has a brother. He's just the typical "evil hunter who only cares about money" when the whole point was that we were made to believe he was only that before we learn about Redimus and his backstory
"But Besteel isn't a good person and caused so much trauma and destruction for Eva." Yes, and the books KNOW that. At no point do the characters downplay the hurt he's caused or try to convince Eva to forgive him. His backstory explains his actions, but it doesn't change the fact that he caused so much pain for Eva
There's also his threat factor, which has been significantly toned down. In the book, Besteel was presented as this unstoppable force that was hellbent on capturing Eva by any means necessary. Even before he would appear, you always had this feeling of dread that he could strike at any moment. But in the show. They constantly have Eva be able to thwart and get away from Besteel easily, when in the book Eva was constantly fighting for her life to get away from him even for a moment. The whole chase sequence in Episode 4 perfectly shows just how much of a downgrade Besteel is as a villain. Just the sheer fact that he lets Eva give herself up willingly is baffling for how he was presented in the book. Book Besteel would've gone "fuck that" and ordered Eva to start running again so he could capture her properly
Finally, I wanna talk about this blurb in the art book about Besteel
This is gonna sound harsh, but this feels like such an ass pull. Having Besteel add salt to his meat doesn't suddenly hint that there's more to his character when said scene is presented as comedic in the show. There are plenty of ways you could've hinted that there is more to Besteel as a character. Why not have Besteel have Redimus's eyepatch and be looking down at it somberly? Or have Eva be in the Solas prison, where she hears Besteel talking to someone which we later find out was Redimus? Or at the start of episode 5 when Eva is being taken away by Zin. We hear and see Besteel ask Loroc about negotiation to the queen about his deal. At first, Loroc plays dumb, asking "what deal," and we see Besteel's expression grow dark as he says with a growl, "You know who I'm talking about", and Eva is brought out of the room before we hear the rest of the conversation. There are so many better ways you could've done this than just "Uh, him salting his food is actually a really subtle hint to his character. We TOTALLY didn't just pull this explanation out of our asses"
Eegis? I think Eegis would be charmed by her and her fiesty personality. Eegis always wanted daughters. I could see her showing Fayluna some of her gyotaku-like artwork of the many creatures she found near the Heart of the Forest, and introducing her to the Death Rollers (giant rolly pollies). Maaaybe Fayluna could see some of her poacher trophies, too-- if it wouldn't scare her too much. Overall I think Eegis would love her.
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"If a design element is just extra or just for show, we took it out. Everything had to be functional."
They didn't just do this with the design and animation of the show itself; they did it to every single area of the show. The writing, the characters, everything-- if it served no purpose that was not the most rudimentary, bare-bones function, it was cut out. That's why it all feels so shallow. Why everything is so rushed and smooth and flat. They got rid of everything that didn't only exist to function.
The Wondla itself?-- It's just a mcguffin to move the plot forward. Hailey's betrayal? Vanpa? Same. Azura and the added ocs? They're just there for similar purpose. Zin? He can serve the Taxidermist's place. Besteel and Redimus's backstory?-- Besteel is just a villain in Eva's way and Redimus is a background character meant to be the muscle to help achieve their goals. Queen Ojo?-- Make her a means for Eva to escape the palace somehow, rather than deal with expensive action sequences and have Eva actually show real agency and cleverness. Gen and her relationship to Cadmus?--Not necessary. Eva Eight's trauma? Just make her a villain and resolve her story with suicide. No need to delve any further, only keep the most necessary basic facts of the plot and character to keep it all moving.
It's how a tech bro or an executive thinks; not an artist. That's why the original books by DiTerlizzi work.
How Queen Ojo exposes the underlying sexism in Wondla's TV adaptation
It's no secret that Queen Ojo's design and personality changes in the show have been one of the most contentious parts of the changes to the book. I think a big reason for it is how a lot of the changes to her character feel like they were an attempt to make her more traditionally feminine compared to how she is in the books
Ojo's book design is fantastic. She's massive, looking both alien and still regal. She's somewhat imposing when we first see her, and she's even somewhat of an antagonist. But during Battle For Wondla, we find out that Ojo genuinely does care for her subjects, and the moment she learns about Loroc's treachery, she works with Eva to find a way to stop him. Multiple moments throughout the book show how highly respected and loved she is as a ruler. Even Redimus, who had been thrown in prison by her orders, still kisses her necklace as a sign of respect
However, when you look at every change the show made to Ojo as a character, it comes across like they are doing everything in their power to try and remove her agency as a character and a ruler
Queen Ojo in the show is a lot more of a pushover than she is in the books. Loroc and Zin are already calling the shots by the time Eva meets her. None of the characters respects her as a ruler, not even Zin. Loroc is easily able to take over the throne from her when, in the book, he had to play the long game. Ojo's whole arc is about her proving herself that she can be a good leader when she was already respected in the books. She and Eva become fast friends when Eva had to show Ojo that she wasn't lying. And this is without mentioning her redesign
She's much smaller; her more alien features are softened to make her look more human. She has a cute little tiara, and she just generally looks a lot more cutesy than the respected ruler she's meant to be. The art book makes constant mentions of her looking soft and beautiful, even comparing her to a goat or lamb. There's just this very weird vibe of them implying that Ojo needed to look beautiful and regal, almost implying she wasn't in the books
Now I want to make this clear. I'm not saying that the designers and/or writers are raging misogynists who are yassifying all the characters in the book. I think Ojo's show design is genuinely really pretty and could've worked for another character. But something about Ojo's changes in particular and seeing all the other female alien characters be made to look more traditionally feminine compared to their book counterparts leaves a bad taste in my mouth
Summary: Eva Nine was just going to the market. A certain baby Dorcean has other ideas.
Eva Nine had just been heading for the evening market-- she thought Rovender and herself could use fresh spiderfish for dinner, and she had been on her way to get some. She was thinking of how they would prepare it, when a tiny voice suddenly cried behind her:
“Eva Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!”
Then something small but heavy latched onto Eva’s right leg, nearly sending her stumbling. She gasped, caught herself, and then laughed. Smiling, she turned to look down at the little ball of gray fluff sticking to her.
“Hi, Besteen,” she said.
“Eva!” The little Dorcean peeped, “I zaw you! I wuz playing wid Dorcy d-d-down dere and I zaw you, and zaid ‘hello’--but–but you– you deedn’t ztop!” She made a series of small puffing noises—the outset of a Dorcean eyas temper-tantrum.
Eva recognized the threat, and was quick to try to neutralize it. She reached down, stroking the baby's fluffy, slate-colored fur.
“I didn't see or hear you,” she said gently, “if I had, of course I would have stopped to say hello to my favorite Dorceans.”
Besteen huffed, but seemed placated; she was much more easily pacified than her sister, with her mild temperament. She rubbed her face on Eva's pant leg, then lifted a pair of arms.
“Up?”
Eva had to really bend her knees—and even then, it still took a little bit of effort to haul the eyas off the ground. She had her hands firmly around Besteen, just under her main pair of arms, the rest of the eyas dangling until Eva held her close. Tiny claws dug into her clothes and pricked her skin as Besteen settled in her arms. The eyas's little beak nuzzled into the crook of her neck, and she made a few soft, happy chirping noises. Eva could feel the tiny Dorcean's whiskers brush against her skin.
Besteen was getting heavier by the week, but Eva still enjoyed holding her: every time she did, she could feel a wave of intense, calming contentment radiating off the baby Dorcean and into her. It was an immediate salve on her nerves, whenever they did get frayed, usually if she thought too much about the past; it always grounded her, brought her back to the here and now.
“Wheel you marry me one day?” Besteen asked wistfully. She played with a few strands of Eva's long white hair.
It took so much willpower for Eva to not burst into giggles. Besteen was too cute. Fortunately, all that managed to escape was a chuckle.
“Of course,” she humored, “but only when you're big.”
Besteen's large yellow eyes went even wider. “How beeg?”
“As big as your mother,” Eva said.
“But I'll nezer be az beeg az mommy!” Besteen whined, several arms flailing in dismay, “dat wheel take forezer!”
Eva chuckled again and adjusted her hold on the squirming eyas. “Alright, good point. Your momma is huge. So how about when you're as big as your papa?”
“Hmmmm,” Besteen considered this. “I could geet az beeg az papa,” she mused. Her fur puffed up, and she chirped.
“Yez,” she agreed solemnly, “when I am az beeg az papa, we wheel marry.”
“Sounds like a deal,” Eva agreed. Besteen clung tightly to her again, nuzzling and preening Eva's hair. Eva rocked her a little, humming a lullaby Muthr once sang to her. It did nothing to calm the baby Dorcean, who continued her affectionate frenzy, but Eva didn't mind.
“Bezteen!” A gravelly voice called from the distance, getting closer. Occasionally a smaller, higher voice would echo it: “Bezteeeeeen!”
Redimus was coming up one of the ramps that circled around the inside of the nest-shaped village. Dorcy, Besteen’s twin sister, was clinging to one of his legs.
“I'm here, papa,” Besteen said. She rubbed her cheek against Eva's and snuggled into her harder. “Wid Eva Neen!”
Dorcy pointed at her sister. “Papa! I found dem!”
“Yez,” Redimus said. “You are a very skilled tracker.” He then addressed his other daughter: “Bezteen, da zun is zetting.”
Besteen made a soft whining noise. Eva chortled, shaking from trying her hardest to not burst out laughing at the cuteness of it. But she could tell the baby Dorcean was torn between obeying her father and her desire to stay with Eva. Redimus knew. He crept a little closer, lowering his head slightly.
“Eva may want to go home,” Redimus said, more gently, “and we need to leave az wheel.”
Besteen’s large yellow eyes went even wider. She clung even tighter to Eva. “One more hug?” She bargained.
“Alright,” Redimus sighed, “juzz one more hug. Den let Eva Nine go home.”
Besteen squeezed Eva as much as she was able, nestling into her close. Eva gave her a kiss on her little cobby head and put her down. Besteen sighed wistfully and scurried over to her father. She crawled up one of his legs.
“Papa! Papa!” She squeaked, “Eva Neen zayz she wheel marry me when I am beeg az you!”
Redimus glanced at Eva with his good eye. He smiled, chuckling. “Oh? Deed she?”
Besteen tugged on his fur. “Yez! Zo I have to go home and have deener now, zoz I can geet beeg.”
“Alright,” Redimus said, in a slightly playful tone, similar to the ones Eva had used on her earlier. “Let's go home, den. Dinner eez waiting. You'll need to eat up if you are to get my size.”
He nodded to Eva, then continued up the ramp, back towards their home. Besteen and Dorcy waved to Eva as they passed, and she waved back. She waited for them to be a good distance away before she turned back towards the markets and her original goal– but then something clung to her leg, and she almost stumbled again. She burst out laughing.
“Besteen,” she chortled, echoed by Redimus's more severe cry as he scrambled back down the ramp.
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Dorceans have no separate words for arm or leg in their native language; the same word applies for both appendages, same thing with hand or foot-- this is due to their hands/feet being prehensile and basically serving the same purpose.
Terradora is keeping an eye on Besteel's rambunctious daughter when she noticed the young cub was enamoured by her lute
Fayluna belongs to @ladyanaconda
Fayluna stared up at the instrument resting against the wall curiously. Her father, Besteel, had let her stay with her Uncle's friend while the two of them had gone out to help the Burrowing Dorceans with something. The rambunctious cub was trying to find any way to pass the time when her eyes landed on the wooden instrument
"Pretty...." She whispered as she stared at the colourful strap. She wrapped her claws around the base of the lute to try to lift it up. But to her shock, it was surprisingly heavy, despite its light appearance. Fayluna stumbled backwards and fell on her back with a thud, yelping as she held out her arms to stop the lute from falling on top of her. But someone beat her to it
"Careful there, you little troublemaker." Fayluna moved her arms to see Terradora holding the lute in her upper arms whilst she picked her up with her lower hands. Though she didn't look too impressed, there was a slight smile on Terradora's face. "I promised you're grump of a dad to keep you safe till he's home. So I can't have you get squished."
"Sorry miss Terradora." Fayluna looked down sheepishly. "I just wanted to see what it was."
"Fayluna. Call me Terradora. Or just Terra, whatever you're most comfortable with." Terradora knelt down to Fayluna, her expression soft. "If you wanted me to show you something, please tell me next time. Promise?"
"Promise!' Fay nodded quickly, still looking at the lute in Terradora's claws. "I've never seen anything like that back home."
"It's my family's lute," Terradora explained, smiling as the cub tried to reach out to touch it. "Make sure to be careful. It may be made of wood, but it's still just as delicate as a branch."
Fayluna's eyes went wide as she saw the leaf patterns etched into the face of the lute. "That looks like The Heart!" She pointed to the carving on the sound hole
"That's because it's meant to look like it," Terradora continued, making sure Fayluna didn't accidentally break one of the strings. "My great-great-great-grandmother migrated to Orbona when she was still quite young. Once the first few trees sprouted after The Heart was deployed, she waited for one to fall over so she could use its wood to carve our lute and become the first Storyteller of her tribe."
"Woah... really?" Fay asked, for once not causing a ruckus as she seemed to genuinely be interested
Terradora nodded. "Since then, it's been passed down through my family from generation to generation. My father gave it to me when he retired from being a Storyteller of our tribe."
"How do you play it?" Fayluna asked
"Two ways. The first way is with all four arms." Terradora placed the base of the lute between her legs and placed her hands on the neck and lower part of the instrument. "Now I can't play it; this was cause of these." She waved her missing hand and fingers playfully, causing Fayluna to giggle. "So I play by using only two of my hands." She turned the lute on its side as she used her good hands to hold the neck and base, strumming a short melody for the Cub to demonstrate
"Woah! That's so cool Terra!" Fayluna gave a toothy smile. "But why would you want to do that when you could be a hunter like daddy?"
"Well, why would you want to be a hunter?" Terradora asked playfully
"Because that's what I want to do when I'm big enough." Fay shrugged her shoulders in response
"Well, that's why I want to be a Storyteller. It's what I want to do." Terradora said as she placed the lute down carefully. "My father used to tell me that music is one of the most powerful languages anyone can listen to."
"Why?" Fay asked as she moved to look at the strap of the lute
"Because it doesn't matter what language it's sung in. You can still feel the soul and passion in every word, every strumming of an instrument. It's a language that anyone can still understand, even when they don't know the words." Terradora spoke with so much passion in her voice
Fayluna didn't respond as she was still looking at the lute. "Your strap is really pretty."
Terra let out a chuckle, reminded that Fay was still a kid fueled by curiosity for the world around her. She reminded her of herself when she was young
"Thanks. Made it myself. All Storytellers make their own straps for our instrument." Terradora gently lifted Fayluna up to sit on her lap as she showed her the colourful strap in detail. "We add to it as a way to tell our own stories. See? This is when I first met your father, uncle and friends." She pointed to an embroidered part of the strap. The crude shapes of three Dorceans, 2 humans, and a Mirthian were etched onto the fabric
"So, like, when Uncle Reddie draws you." Fayluna said as she looked at the picture. Not noticing Terradora freezing
"He... what?" Terradora asked, surprised, looking down at Fayluna
"Yeah. He likes drawing, and sometimes he likes drawing you." Fayluna told her nonchalantly. "I actually took one of his drawings of you. Be right back!" Fay hopped out of her lap and scurried out of the room. Leaving a dumbfounded Terradora alone as she felt her face heat up
"Found it!" Fayluna ran back in with a piece of paper and held it up to Terradora. "See?"
Terradora stared at the drawing of herself. It was of her tuning up and polishing her lute; she had to admit that Redimus was a really great artist. "Woah....he drew that?"
"Yep! When I asked why he couldn't show you them, he got all embarrassed for some reason." Fayluna continued. "Hey, why are you blushing Terra?"
"Oh! Sorry, just didn't know he was a good artist; that's all." Terradora stammered, her fur flaring from embarrassment. "You should hide it before your father and uncle see it"
"Why? I think you and Uncle would make a cute couple!" Fayluna laughs as she quickly runs off with the paper. "Uncle and Terra sitting in a cave! N-U-Z-Z-L-I-N-G!" Fayluna sang loudly, causing Terradora's cheeks to flush purple. She was starting to realise why Besteel warned her about how cheeky Fay could be
"Young lady, come back here this instant, or I'll tell your father about what you did!" Terradora laughed as she playfully began to chase after the still laughing cub
