Trope edition: Love-Triangle/betrayal/jealousy

Wait, you can still ask about the Dark Phoenix X-Men film that is called Dark Phoenix, because they just did the thing twice. XD Out of the two Dark Phoenix at least puts the focus on one thing and doesn't run into three different directions like Last Stand. So let me say something nice about it!

I think the brief moments we have with Raven are incredible. I love how she calls out Charles for being so wrapped up in this image as the savior. Yes, he is right, one bad day can turn it all, but oh, he loves the attention and prestige so much. I loooooooooooooooooooooooove the space mission, the rescue of the Endeavour. And the moment when Mystique says "nope, we go back, this is too dangerous" and Xavier presses on "no, Jean can and will do this". Mystique cares more about her own team and yes, she will leave a man behind who looks like the one who can't be rescued. Her concern for Jean is genuine. :3

Jessica Chastain!! All she has to do is stand there and it's enough. Magneto is gardening grandpa in his mutant commune now, nice, let the man rest. I got to see Dazzler for a hot second.

This film gives us one of the best Xaviers. Because we get to see all his arrogance, but also this unwavering belief that humankind, including mutantkind the homo sapiens and the superior homos is good actually. I want that message of hope. But he admits his mistake. McAvoy's Xavier is always allowed to be flawed, thus being closer to the comics, but without becoming so cartoonishly misguided he becomes the villain of the piece. I like that.

Also the whole train scene? Oh look, soldiers with power dampening collars at the ready. But then the fight turns into Aliens vs Mutants and it's glorious. Even dearest, most beloved, special cute Nightcrawler has enough and goes feral. Amazing. He teleports one of the aliens out in front of the train - best move!

And then there is the ending that gets something very right. The only person who can stop Jean Grey is Jean Grey. Cosmic Bird Host Lady.

Okay, a trope edition, something nice about: Love-Triangle/betrayal/jealousy.

Love Triangle - that can actually be a very fascinating thing. It's not just "oh no, A choose B or C". A closer look can reveal who A is as a person, seeing different sides of the character depending in who they are with. And then fleshing out the reasoning, why is the love stronger for one person, what does the future promise to be, what obstacles are there that this even became a triangle in the first place, is there some history involved.

Betrayal - delicious. It's best when the bond is very strong first, when the friendship and loyalty has been tested and is fireforged. But something happens, and the thing must be big and it must be reasonable, you need to be able to understand why betrayal is chosen over loyalty. Except it's not even "I want to betray you", oh no, the betrayer feels some pain with that, but it is the best course of action for them, they need to feel right. And then the backstabbing begins. If the betrayal aligns with everything the character has done before and it is truly shocking, but not surprising, when you think about it, then it is done so very right.

Jealousy - an easy thing to fall back on to look at the darker side of a character. When you want to show somebody doing a bad thing, but it feels irrational from the get-go, throw in some jealousy, that makes it easier to backpeddle, when there is personal growth in overcoming it.

Redesign Rubërt Gale-Lucas a lot better than the original one & here’s the original artwork of Rubërt, so what do you think of Rubërt’s redesign? I’ll draw Donovan to very soon. Redesign Rubërt Lucas a lot better than the original one & here’s the original artwork of Rubërt, so what do you think of Rubërt’s redesign? I’ll draw Donovan Gale-Lucas to very soon. @konako @crowwrites2140 I hope you enjoy him!

7.Two films - from very different genres at best - you'd want to mash-up in an unholy experiment.

Okay, hear me out. We take all of these nice teen coming of age John Hughes movies like Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful, The Breakfast Club etc, but in the middle of it all the kids have to bunker down at home. Because it's The Purge. Imagine we have this film with an obvious bully type of person and all the kids decide to get revenge now (sssshhhh, I realize I just reinvented The Final, too late now, I'm typing) In the middle of it all there is still some romance happening, also trying to steal the perfect prom dress from that one well guarded boutique in town. The music is all 80s bops and one of the kids is related to a politician involved for commentary. (I know, I'm just throwing characters from A into setting B, not even mashing-up in true fashion. I need to think more about the concept.)

9. A scene that made you pause a movie and why. (Too scary, too non-sensical, second-hand embarrassment, crying, laughing...)

It happened only like a week ago or so, this is why I remember. But I watched Orphan: First Kill finally. It was on my list, but not in this must-see kinda way, so I never read up on anything about it. And then in comes this mother character and I'm like "huh, looks familiar" and then suddenly it hit me so hard, that I had to pause and absolutely scream into my pillow. It's Julia Stiles. And not recognizing her made me feel so old all of a sudden. You say that name and I think about 10 Things and such (I completely forgot I saw her in Hustlers). I often have this "oooohhhh, that's where I know them from" moment with actors I can't immediately place, but that felt like a total punch to the face for some reason.

Also, I absolutely remember watching Ju-On for the very first time. Alone. At night. In a very quiet house. That moment with the ghost appearing under the covers? Yep. PAUSE BUTTON! LIGHTS ON! Let me take a quick breath here. That freaked me out. And I stayed awake after watching the whole thing (I had to finish or it would have been worse) and posted on a forum. That film was tense, but especially NOT BEING SAVE UNDER THE BLANKET!! COME ON!!!!!!!

14. An action sequence you deeply enjoy.

I have recently watched the film The Princess again. So let me talk about that whoooooooole thing. Because sadly it's not well known and I'm afraid it will be lost overall, only pirated copies circulating, because streamers delete content and pretend it never existed.

I was in the exact mood of "I wanna watch something action-y" and there is so much to choose from to scratch that itch, but I wanted some hand-to-hand combat, not car chases and mindless fun - so this is the perfect fit.

The story is so simple and almost irrelevant (in a good way). Princess should get married, she said no, dude got angry and tries to take over the kingdom by force then. But ohohohoho, the Princess has been training since she was a little girl with her super cool personal female warrior bff (no homo) and she takes matters into her own hands. Which means battling her way all the way through the tower she is kept in and save her family.

7 Red Snow?

or

19 Red Queen?

Howdy entirely unknown anon.

Red Snow 7. guiding them with a hand on the small of their back

Come on, you just want me to yell about the moment Snow guides Red away from the mob. This is a canon thing!! hmmmm..... so you have chosen angst. (There are liberties taken, but it’s clearly just the editing cutting things out...)

Red can't feel a thing, yet she feels everything at once. Her knees buckling under the crushing weight of the truth, the murder, the loss of Peter, her True Love! But also the hands reaching out, pulling her up and away. Away from the scene of the crime and towards the safety of the woods, a road out. But she can hear the mob, so loud and clear, asking for the beast's head. She should run towards those flickering lights.

But there is Mary, pulling, determined. One hand around hers, the other on her back, pushing. Choosing to flee. Red can't do anything but follow her lead. She is so weak. In body and spirit, even though she could probably overpower her. Overpower the whole crowd like she must have done with the hunting party the night before! It's too much to take in. It's easier to give herself over to Mary's guiding hands.

Days later Mary confides why it's easy for her to choose to run. It's already all she does as Snow White. Then it’s easy for Red to follow her lead. It’s not so easy to accept the kindness she is given. But that kindness means it’s not hard at all to stand against her mother’s wishes. And walking away from Anita’s grave side by side, Red feels the hand on her back again. The only comfort she needs in that moment.

During the curse when Ruby is at her lowest and she finally tries to leave town for good, Mary Margaret and Emma show up out of the blue. Since there is no bus coming, she accepts Mary Margaret’s their invitation. Emma opens the apartment door and is already halfway to the kitchen counter, but Ruby hesitates. She’s never been here before and she doesn’t want to impose. But Mary Margaret takes a step away from the doorway, to stand right next to Ruby.

“It’s okay, we’ve got you for tonight.” And with that she puts her hand on the small of Ruby’s back. The pressure is the slightest of nudges, but Ruby feels like it’s a big push, yet at the same time it’s clear that hand will support her. She smiles as she enters. They have never spend much time together, but this moment felt... right.

And it is years later when Ruby feels the same kind of push, this reassurance of her own strength and the promise that the hand will always be ready to catch her should she stumble. It’s when her heart beats so fast it’s jumping up her throat, when her lips are dry and she is so scared to put them on Dorothy’s mouth. Snow’s hand holds her arm, but for a second it glides under her cloak and rest on her back when she starts walking towards her happy ending. Electrifying.

Ruby learns a whole new love language through touch, but the effect Snow’s hand guiding her through painful moments is never matched. It is special.

The unthinkable happens, Ruby doesn’t know how to comfort Snow. “We share a heart.” Her voice cracks on each word. “He can’t die and leave me behind.” Nobody knows what to say to that. Protocol demands the royal widow to follow her late husband’s casket. While Charming is rolled down the streets to the cemetery where a tomb awaits, Snow is to walk behind, her mourning exposed. Ruby can’t stand the sight of it and only a few paces in she crosses the line.

“I’ve got you.” She takes Snow’s left hand into hers and her right hand travels over her back, resting at the spot where she knows strength and confidence can spring from. Her thumb rubs up and down, even though Snow probably doesn’t notice through the thick black fabric. Protocol is broken and whoever cares can be mad, but Ruby knows this is how they started and she will see her friend through this moment. Through all the pain and uncertaintity, a hand on her back can make all the difference.

++++++++

(If you weren’t such a mysterious anon, I could have seen right through you; what touching Red’s back could mean in other universes, with the scar from a silver ring or the branded symbol of loyalty... huh... ouch... but here, have some canon-fitting feels or... I don’t know what that is)

++++++++

Red Queen - 19. tugging at the other’s clothes to keep them close 

The Evil Queen still couldn’t believe how Snow White’s oh so loyal pet turned on her. Having a werewolf in her army did make things more fun for sure. But there was more to it, slowly building, hard to admit. At first she kept a close eye on Red, because there was a chance this was an act. Of course Regina used a truth spell and the way Red had spilt her heart out -- there was something familiar in the exposed pain.

After being assured of her motives, it was nice getting any update directly from Red. She knew her place! But she knew how not to tremble and try to sugarcoat any bad news. That was refreshing. Regina started to find ways to keep Red around longer, to talk more to her. Finding special tasks for her to do that warranted private instructions.

“You understand what I want you to do?” Red got up from her kneeling position, ready to leave. “Yes, my Queen. You’ve been very clear.” She started to turn, but Regina’s hand shot forward, getting a hold of the red cloak. Red looked down at the fingers and then dared to meet Regina’s gaze. “Be careful though. I’d rater have you back in one piece.” For a second Red smiles. “Is that worry I hear?” “I have punished people for less impudence!” Regina’s face turned stone-cold, yet her hand remained a gentle grip “Where would I find the ten men to replace your strength?”

The Curse swallowing the Enchanted Forest was the Evil Queen’s greatest victory, but she wished she would have had more control over the exact outcome. Something about seeing Red... Ruby as a waitress seemed wrong. Yet it was nice still having her around to serve, even if it was just bringing food. And with Henry around going for a weekly burger was okay even for a Mayor.

Although Regina never was one of Ruby’s favorite customers. No matter what there was always something about the order - extra salt, a table spoon, more ketchup, a second serving of coffee right away; it was like Regina demanded special attention every time. And her very well chosen and polite words were always accompanied by a tug on her blouse or jeans or skirt.

Ruby served the food and the second she would try to turn, Regina found a way to hold on to her, no matter how flimsy the clothes. “One second, Miss Lucas.” It became a dance. Even Henry noticed and tried to tell Regina it seemed rude, but Regina talked over him. She never did this with any other staff, but somehow Ruby found herself to be on shift when Regina walked in. Well, other guests touched her in far ruder ways... ... ...

When the curse broke though, every instance of this since time had moved on rushed back to Red’s mind. Every tug, every time those finger reached out, every pull as if to draw her true conscience out. And while people rejoiced meeting again as their true selves in the street, Ruby ran towards the Mills’ mansion.

Regina was... a pile of misery. The defeated Queen. Lost the war. Lost her son. Lost the bit of happiness that was Snow White’s misery. There was lots to work through, but barging in Ruby wished to do only one thing - bury her fingers in the collar of Regina’s very nice white blouse and pull her close. Surely somewhere a kiss of true love had ended this nightmarish existence in smalltown Ohio, but she wanted a kiss she was denied in the land of fairy tales.

Is that being worried about people and wanting to help them at any cost is kind of one of the things Ruby is known for. Snow, Ashley, Belle, Whale, Billy, Archie, Mulan, Merida— They've all been on the receiving end of some good old Ruby Lucas Care and Protection™ at one point or another. (Good for them!) She cares about people and she wants to help them and that's not unusual. That's basically her default!

But Snow freaking White took one look at Ruby's face and knew right then and there that that brand of Care and Protection™ was different, and it meant romantic love. Oh, my god!!!

Ruby rides into the Underworld on a tornado, clings to a piece of fabric (how even in wolf form, but yeah okay, stuff on her person just transforms with her, so convenient), has A Look on her face.

Snow:

It's so funny at the end of Ruby Slippers how Mulan is so puzzled. "Snow?" But Snow doesn't say anything. She's probably processing "oh Mulan is here, with Ruby, this is weird, huh, how did they meet, but also damn Mulan was so in love with Aurora, did they meet at a gay beacon?? Oz truly is over the rainbow, I guess".

But back to your very keen observation. Yes, Red has this tendency to be very helpful and caring for people. Snow missed a good deal of that when Storybrooke fell apart and Charming could only think about getting her (and Emma) back, but Ruby tried her best to steer him to be kingly or whatever, to lead his people, because the people needed him and she knew. So good at caring.

So Ruby talking about a friend in need and all, not that unusual. But the INTENSITY. Yep. And oh, Snow took one look at Peter smiling at Red and she KNEW. Damn, Snow knows what a giddy Red looks like talking about the boy she likes. She knows what Red looks like mourning the death of said boy and the guilt and shame and pure terror for causing it, oops. And she absolutely understands what this special kind of distress means. When she finds Ruby in the hallway she has already played different ways of breaking the topic now.