Jab’s Builds! (Beaker! Sam Eagle! Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
User avatar
catsi563
Posts: 4126
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:29 pm
Location: Dark Side of the Moon
Contact:

Re: Jab's Builds! (Quasimodo! Esmeralda! Frollo! Hercules! Megara! Hades!)

Post by catsi563 »

KorokoMystia wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:06 pm Also, man, I never knew that the Disney Titans had actual names: Even in Kingdom Hearts they're just called "Ice Titan", "Rock Titan", ect.
Actually you are not incorrect since that is essentially what they are named

Lithos greek for rock or stone basically

Pryos Fire

Hydros water

Stratos Air


so Yes you are correct as essentially each of them is named Rock titan, Water or ice titan, Air titan, and Fire titan.
Dr. Silverback has wryly observed that this is like trying to teach lolcats about Shakespeare

Showdown at the Litterbox

Catsi stories
User avatar
KorokoMystia
Posts: 1402
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2016 8:42 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (Quasimodo! Esmeralda! Frollo! Hercules! Megara! Hades!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

Huh, that's interesting. In semi-related thread news, Mega Man 11 comes out tomorrow, so that's 8 brand-new Robot Masters.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Zeus

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

ZEUS
Played by:
Rip Torn
Role: King of the Gods, Boisterous Powerhouse
PL 14 (269)
STRENGTH
12 STAMINA 13 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Deception 3 (+7)
Expertise (Magic) 12 (+16)
Expertise (History) 8 (+12)
Intimidation 6 (+10)
Perception 3 (+7)
Persuasion 4 (+8)
Ranged Combat (Lightning) 2 (+12)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Beginner's Luck, Benefit 5 (King of the Gods), Daze (Intimidation), Diehard, Extraordinary Effort, Great Endurance, Inspire, Last Stand, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 10, Ritualist, Startle, Well-Informed

Powers:
"Immortal God"
Immunity 3 (Aging, Poison, Disease) [3]
Immortality 13 [26]
Regeneration 4 [4]
Immunity 10 (Weather Effects) [10]

"King of the Gods" Variable 7 (Magic Effects) [49]

"Zeus' Thunderbolts" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [28]
Blast 16 (Feats: Increased Range 2, Improved Critical 4, Penetrating 8) (46 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Thunderbolts +12 (+16 Ranged Damage, DC 31)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +13, Fortitude +13, Will +10

Complications:
Relationship (Hera, Hercules)- Zeus is a happy sort of guy, and shows affection freely.
Enemy (The Titans)
Enemy (Hades)- Zeus' brother is an arch-nemesis, but he doesn't know it. He apparently doesn't suspect that Hades has been planning to finish him for YEARS, either.

Total: Abilities: 100 / Skills: 38--19 / Advantages: 27 / Powers: 110 / Defenses: 13 (269)

-Rip Torn was a boisterous, happy-go-lucky King of the Gods, oddly un-sad about having missed his son for so long (compare his reaction to that of Rapunzel's parents in Tangled)- he's all "OH HEY SON NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" and stuff. He's a bit vague on how Herc can become a "true hero" and rejoin his parents, but MAN can he beat the hell out of people- he one shots a Titan the size of a mountain, blowing his heads clean off! He's powerful enough to take out any one Titan, but a pair of them team up to entrap him in a Lava/Ice flow.

About the Performer: Rip Torn is ancient, and has been in a TON of stuff, though I mainly remember him from The Larry Sanders Show and Freddie Got Fingered (shut up). With his gravelly, angry-sounding voice, he's ideal as a "character actor" or Mean Boss, like in the Men In Black films. He's known to be a bit of a nut, getting into fights on the set, and apparently once broke into a place while drunk, earning him a criminal conviction.
BriarThrone
Posts: 460
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2016 7:33 am

Re: Zeus

Post by BriarThrone »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:37 pm -Rip Torn was a boisterous, happy-go-lucky King of the Gods, oddly un-sad about having missed his son for so long (compare his reaction to that of Rapunzel's parents in Tangled)- he's all "OH HEY SON NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" and stuff.
As much as I feel like this movie shouldn't have been made, because the final product isn't good enough to justify the mistreatment of the source material, this is one element I thought was conceptually interesting. Zeus isn't some ordinary parent who lost a son to kidnapping. He's an immortal who oversees his realm from on high. What's a few lost years, when you're accustomed to putting everything in the context of forever? Did he lose the opportunity to watch his son grow up, get to know who he is? Obviously not, because he's been following his son's doings from Olympus. So when Zeus doesn't act like a parent reunited for the first time with his long-lost son, but instead like his son who lives across town swung by in the middle of the week when he wasn't expected until the weekend and hadn't been home in maybe a month... maybe it's my habit of reading more into a situation than the writers intended, but it seems profound to me.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Circe

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

Circe: "Hi boys- I'm new in town- and I just drifted in on my big, floating island of LOVE."
Icarus: "SOUNDS NORMAL TO ME!"
Circe: "And I'm lookin' for the best man around to be my- to be my new BOYFRIEND. Anyone interested?"
*millions of boners sprout at once*
Circe: "I thought so."


CIRCE
Played by:
Idina Menzel
Role: Femme Fatale, Enchantress
PL 11 (120)
STRENGTH
4 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 5

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+6)
Expertise (Magic) 4 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+7)
Perception 6 (+6)
Ranged Combat (Staff) 4 (+8)

Advantages:
Attractive 2, Fast Grab, Improved Trip, Ranged Attack 4, Ritualist

Powers:
"Enchantress's Staff" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [42]
"Enchants the Narrator" Mind Control 8 (Flaws: Vision-Dependent) (24)
"Animal Transformation" Affliction 14 (Fort; Impaired/Stunned/Transformed to Animal) (Feats: Reversible) (Extras: Continuous +3, Ranged) (36)
-- (60 points)

Features 1: Can Observe The Narrator [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Affliction +8 (+14 Ranged Affliction, DC 24)
Mind Control -- (+8 Perception-Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +3 (DC 13), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Men)- Circe is constantly on the lookout for her "next boyfriend".
Quirk (Standards Are Too High)- Every time Circe tires of a guy, or even gets slightly pissed off (this usually takes a few weeks; though Icarus, Hercules & Adonis managed it in record times), she basically scraps the whole thing and starts over. A menagerie of exes now sit in her dungeon.

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 43 / Defenses: 11 (120)

-This episode is kind of messed-up to start with- Icarus, who's your classic "constantly sexually-harasses the main girl and always asks her out" character, gets butthurt when she freaks out on him for the 80th time, and Hercules LECTURES HER about being too harsh. Did they not have "#MeToo" in the Heroice Ag-- no, no, they didn't. Never mind. In any case, a heartbroken Icarus is then excited, along with EVERY OTHER GUY IN GREECE, when the cartoonishly-busty and hippy (seriously, she's channeling some Jessica Rabbit proportions here) Circe arrives, sporting the world's most seductive voice, proclaiming that she's here to "find a new boyfriend". So every guy lines up (literally) and starts drooling over her (literally), flexing their muscles, and showing off their athleticism- including Icarus, Hercules and Adonis, our main characters. Naturally, the girls in town are disgusted. But seriously- THOSE PROPORTIONS! THAT VOICE!

-To the shock of everyone around, she chooses ICARUS to be her new boyfriend, proclaiming that "I'm tired of these sculpted, chiseled hunks" and noting of Icarus that "he's such a FREAK!! *laughs* it's adorable". Of course, by the time her clamshell-boat has arrived on the shores of her floating island, she's already declared it over, and transforms him into a Platypus- he ends up in the dungeon, alongside all her other exes, also transformed into animals. Hercules & Adonis then arrive under the cover of Herc checking on Icarus (spoiler: it's actually about his boner), and Circe orders them to "DAZZLE ME with your brilliance!", setting them against each other. Once they start comparing tongue-rolling (yes, really) and ear-wiggling, she basically just gets bored with it and declares they have a threesome. The boys start arguing over who gets which DAYS, and then she's utterly sick of the whole deal and turns them into animals, too.

-Of course, it's the non-horny girls who save the day, as Cassandra and Helen of Troy arrive to spring them (Cass realizing that she actually missed Icarus), though Herc realizes that even in lemur form he's insanely strong, and breaks down the cell door (which... has gaps between the bars large enough for 90% of the animals to fit through ANYHOW...). Cassandra gets into a brawl with Circe, where they grapple over her Rod of Shapechanging, and it's pretty even... until Circe points out a cheering Icarus and says "HE's your boyfriend?!"- one emphatic shriek to the contrary later, and Cirice's on her ass, having been launched through her giant throne. Cassandra shapechanges everyone but a cowering Adonis, then reminds Circe that "there are FIFTY ways to break up with a guy without requiring a veterinarian" after shattering her stick. Adonis is trapped in peacock form thank to a pissed off Helen, who saw him drooling over Circe- she finds out the cure, but in a cute moment, holds it over him as a form of blackmail.

-Circe is basically Jessica Rabbit with actual evil intentions, such is her effect on men. Plus she has a Magic Staff that can Mind Control people or turn them into animals permanently. These operate at high enough levels to make her PL 11, though in combat she's not QUITE so mighty- Cassandra manages to hold her own for a while. Circe is ST 4 owing to the comedic way in which she takes suitors (many of whom are quite large) who displease her, and LAUNCHES them for dozens of feet.

About the Performer: Idina Menzel? Huh- never heard of her. Might be some money in using her again in the future, though.
FuzzyBoots
Posts: 2396
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:20 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Re: Jab's Builds! (Frollo! Hercules! Megara! Hades! The Titans! Circe!)

Post by FuzzyBoots »

As regards people becoming Disney characters, I have a few friends in the acting community who've done it and the one constant I've found is that they will not shut up about it. ;) I think they're trying to convince themselves they didn't make bad choices to wind up there, but they'll tell you of all of the characters they portrayed, who they couldn't be due to height, weight, etc, and then start discussing their later trips to Disney parks where they "totally were in the know" whenever they saw character actors.

They do also universally agree that Disney kicks people out after a year or two in the role to avoid having to give them benefits (if you work at a park long enough, you get discounted or free tickets) and because there are always eager young kids willing to submit themselves for the role.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Mulan (Film)

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

MULAN (1998):
Written by:
Robert D. San Souci, Rita Hsiao, Chris Sanders, Philip LaZebnik, Rymond Singer, Eugenia Bostwick Singer, Dean DeBlois, John Sanford, Tim Hodge, Burny Mattinson, Barry Johnson, Ed Gombert & Chris Williams

-Mulan is one of the last movies of the Renaissance, and is rather more popular than many of the "Late Renaissance" movies- it's definitely done better and been considered better than Hunchback, Pocahontas and Hercules, in any case. Taking the legend/sort-of-reality of Hua Mulan, it basically keeps the same general thread (tomboy becomes a soldier and saves the Empire) and Disney-fies it with some sidekicks and buffoonery, all in the name of good fun.

The movie really works, actually- I was REALLY worried when I saw ads for it that featured Eddie Murphy doing his best "Robin Williams" by COMPLETELY ripping off The Genie's concept, and the stupid Cricket was your "Generic Cute Sidekick" like Meeko & Flit were in Pocahontas, but it avoided the worst of the Disney Movie Template (the damn Cricket was mostly there in one scene and then is just background dressing). The best scenes are pretty much all during the soldiers' training, making the most out of Mulan's general incompetence with everything and her goofy pals. The manliest song in HISTORY doesn't hurt, either.

The Generic Disney Style is merged well to make the characters look Chinese, and the art shift works better than in other movies that screwed around stylistically. The action scenes are generally well-done (though not mind-blowing), and as a whole, the story is quite good. It's one of the funnier Disney movies by virtue of coming by the jokes naturally ("there are a couple of things they're BOUND to notice!"), in addition to throwing out some good old fashioned slapstick. The story's a bit different because it involves the heroine actually setting out to kick some ass, and the villain avoids the usual trappings of Hamminess and Sorcery by simply being some calm, bad-ass War General. And really, how many Disney Villains can lay claim to HUNDREDS OF DEAD BODIES being visible on-screen?

One of the movie's most fantastic moments is in that scene where Mulan fails at training, and is basically kicked out of the army. Because... that's it. That was her mission. Her goal from the beginning was to save her father's life by taking his place in the army, and now that she's been sent him... her mission is over. She could stop right then. But look at her face. The SHAME she feels for having failed- it eats at her. And her sense of duty and pride overwhelms her INITIAL goal, and now she's found the spirit to find her center and find a NEW goal. It's a really wonderful bit- that it all happens non-verbally, during the GREATEST SONG EVER, is all the better. Another great part is that the guys who were being so shitty to her in the beginning (picking fights with the weak Ping like typical bullies and jerks) end up being IMPRESSED by "him"- you can see Ling actually pumping his fists in excitement when Ping is about to get the arrow from the top of the post, and Yao later offers Ping the staff instead of tripping "him"- all during the course of one song.

Given Disney was kind of un-good about using non-white people, it was neat to see a movie FULL of Asians, usually PLAYED by Asians, too. The implicitly feminist story was a good example of how to do it RIGHT, too- it wasn't about male uselessness; it was about a woman fighting against the world and proving herself worthy. Most of the men were positive characters, too- the ones who picked on "Ping" ended up taking her side by the end of Be A Man, and then defended her once the gender reveal came out! Shang, Shan-Yu and Mulan's father were all also great characters. Mulan herself also importantly started out as a screw-up- irresponsible, impulsive and ungraceful. She actually FAILED at the femininity of her world, which is why it seems all the better when she succeeds at the MASCULINE arts later on.

Odd things: We never get a sense of just HOW big Mulan's training group is supposed to be (there's a hundred tents once, then there's her small group and some background guys, then it looks like all of ten people are walking across a mountain pass), but they segue from "The worst thing EVER!" to "HEY WE WON!" with aplomb by doing it super-quickly. Man- Chien Po is FREAKISHLY STRONG- lifting up a half-dozen guys AND A HORSE?? Lots o' thematic imagery surrouding "Reflections" here, which should be obvious given the "I Want" Song- though really people only ever remember one song about this movie.

Reception & Cultural Impact:
-This movie was REALLY big, though disliked in China (for changing the myths and Americanizing them)- it did about as well as the mid-tier Renaissance movies, and was seen as a bit of a return to form, though nobody was calling this The Next Aladdin, Beauty or Lion King, to be sure. Ultimately, though, its eternal legacy is the AMAZING Be A Man- a wonderfully ironic, bad-ass song about strength, fortitude, brotherhood, kickick ass and being spiritually centered. It is god-damn EPIC!

Mulan has since controversially gone into the "Disney Princess" franchise, despite being... well, not a Princess. In a pretty obvious corporate move, Mulan was thrown in there because of her race, for Disney wanted to cover as many bases as possible, regardless of direct terminology (to be fair, having the friggin' EMPEROR OF CHINA bow to you is arguably a higher-tier thing than being "the spawn/bride of a royal"). ALSO controversial was the fact that she's usually thrown into the very feminine outfits she found DIDN'T FIT HER in the early part of the movie. Mulan beings, because it's easier to sell dolls to little girls when they're pretty- girls don't typically by "Bad-Ass Armored Girl" dolls. Because of this link, Mulan is often found in Disney Parks as a Meet & Greet Face Character, usually played by the same girls playing Pocahontas- being vaguely asian will usually help get an actress this role.

Mushu is very popular, though not as much as the Genie- they don't advertise Eddie Murphy QUITE as much as Disney advertised Robin Williams, but they did have the character lead on of the "How-To" Animation things at Disney World. Various Mulan characters show up at EPCOT's China Pavilion in the World Showcase, as well.

Mulan II came out on video shortly, but was pretty bad. Having watched it recently, it barely even has a real "Arc"- it's just Mulan & Shang arguing and nearly breaking up (horribly, it's because MUSHU manipulates them- he's afraid he'll have to leave Mulan once she marries into another family; I feel this really damaged his character), trying to cart three Princesses to another kingdom to get into some arranged marriages. Annoyingly, they sabre-rattle the feminist "No Arranged Marriages!" thing, which would NEVER have been tolerated in this period of China, nor even been questioned like that. Then Mulan's three goofy-ass friends end up falling for the Princesses, and Mulan has to make do so that they can ALL get married. It's... really silly. And no concrete villains, either, aside from some random brigands who show up once. The only really notable thing about the movie is finding THREE named Asian actresses as the Princesses- Sandra Oh, Lucy Liu & Lauren Tom (the Souphanousinphone girls on King of the Hill) played them, and actually did pretty well. I actually found them to be cute characters, but them falling for Mulan's ugly friends seemed a bit too far-fetched.

The movie is getting the "Live-Action Remake" treatment in 2020, though shockingly and sadly ISN'T a musical, and appears to have... an entirely different story. Like, there's some white guy in it, and the love interest seems to have a different name, and there's a lot of other Generals named, etc.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue Oct 02, 2018 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Ares
Site Admin
Posts: 4963
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Jab's Builds! (Frollo! Hercules! Megara! Hades! The Titans! Circe!)

Post by Ares »

It's interesting what will and won't fly in China, as I personally think Mulan is a solid Disney film, possibly even in my top 10 (I've never really created a top 10 Disney films list). While I can understand being annoyed at them tweaking the film, Disney has been doing this since day one. I'd be willing to bet money it more closely resembles the original Mulan legend than, say, Jungle Book or Hercules do their source material.

And Jab's right about this being a positive feminist movie, because it doesn't treat Mulan as a Mary Sue and its not about making men look terrible. Mulan is initially a terrible soldier and has to work her ass off to achieve what she's capable of. The men are never really shown as useless, save for the shriveled old guy being voiced by David Lo Pan. The message isn't how women are better than men or how terrible men are, it's that a woman should be allowed the chance to compete in the arenas they want, and be given due credit if they put in the hard work and succeed on their own merit. It's especially relevant since it's a woman who wants to serve her country as a soldier, but again, has to work her ass off and prove that she is just as capable as the guys around her.

Fun Tidbit: As part of the promotion and play-testing for my own RPG system, I go to conventions and run games. One series of adventures was designed to be this big 4 part crossover called "The Toybox Wars". The idea was that the figures of the recent "Toys to Life" video games (video games that had collectible figures that interacted with the game itself) had been stored in a toybox, and within said toybox had created their own sort of merged universe where they all lived. The two main franchises were Disney Infinity (which included heroes from Disney Classic, Marvel Comics and Star Wars) and Lego Dimensions (which includes LEGO franchises, as well as things like DC Comics, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters, etc.).

But then I had the Dad's old toys from the 80s get stored in the same toybox, and now the bad guy franchises were teaming up with the villains of the existing franchises and trying to take of the unique world of this place. Hence the Toybox Wars. You'd get things like the Decepticons working with the Empire from Star Wars, trying to dig up Unicron's head and attach it to the Death Star. Or Shredder and Cobra had taken over Central Park in New York and were attempting to combine Mutagen with the Jurassic Park dinosaur process to create these weird mutant hybrids.

The adventure I ran relevant to this was set in Asgard, where Skeletor's forces had helped Sauron conquer Asagard, with Sauron's head / helmet being mounted in place of the Destroyer Armor's head, allowing Sauronhim to possess it, the One Ring being worn around his wrist like a bracer, and his mace having become this polearm sledgehammer. The heroes had to find a way to sneak into Asgard, free as many of the captured Asgardians as possible, and try and retake the place.

The characters I'd generated for this game were classic Fantasy heroes, since this was the Fantasy Genre Crossover game. So I had folks like Thor, Wonder Woman, Capt. Marvel, Disney's Hercules, Mauii, Aragorn, and Mulan. Now, Mulan and Aragorn really shouldn't work in a game with this kind of power level, but I gave them a few buffs to help them out. I gave Aragorn Gandalf's Ring of Fire, so that he could cast a fire enchantment on his arrows (turning them into blast arrows) or his sword (making it basically a magical flaming lightsaber). With Mulan, I gave her a sword with some mystic buffs, but specifically had Gandalf loan her some fireworks that she could weaponize in interesting ways, everything from smoke bombs to fireworks that basically worked like magical rocket launchers.

I also gave her some martial arts techniques with names like "Swift as the Coursing River", "Force of a Great Typhoon", "Strength of a Raging Fire", and "Mysterious as the Dark Side of the Moon". Because of course I did. :mrgreen:

What really impressed me was that a dad brought his 11-12 year old kid to the table, and the dad picked Mauii to play. The kid, with folks like Thor and Hercules available, picked MULAN. And played her really effectively! If I remember right, they had this cool little father/son team-up finishing move where Mauii had hooked the Sauron Destroyer's head and tilted it back, and then Mulan fired her biggest rocket launcher style firework up into the underside of his chin, blowing his head off (the rest of the team had been specifically attacking Sauron Destroyer's neck to try and get the helmet off, weakening it), and leaving Sauron just a helmet again.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

Want to support me and Echoes of the Multiverse? Follow this link to subscribe or donate.
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5080
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Circe

Post by Davies »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:36 pm though Herc realizes that even in lemur form he's insanely strong, and breaks down the cell door
... did Walt Simonson write this?
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Mulan

Post by Jabroniville »

ImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
Image
Image
ImageImageImage

People REALLY LOVE the "Casual Mulan" outfit. She has by far the most FanArt of any Princess from that "Wreck-It Ralph 2" trailer.

FA MULAN (Hua Mulan, aka Fa Ping)
Played by:
Ming-Na Wen (acting), Lea Salonga (singing)
Role: Action Girl, Tomboy, Crossdressing Bad-Ass, Disney Princess (SOMEhow)
PL 7 (102)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 7 (+12)
Athletics 8 (+10)
Deception 6 (+8)
Expertise (Soldier) 9 (+10)
Expertise (Singing) 10 (+12)
Insight 2 (+4)
Perception 3 (+5)
Persuasion 3 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+7)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Benefit (Ambidextrous), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment (Sword), Fast Grab, Grab Finesse, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Minion 4 (Horse), Ranged Attack 8, Takedown

Equipment:
"Sword" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Improved Critical) (3)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Sword +10 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3 (+4 D.Roll), Fortitude +5, Will +8

Complications:
Responsibility ("When Will My Reflection Show... Who I Am Inside?")- Mulan doesn't feel like she fits in to the state of things in China- she isn't feminine and dainty like she's expected to be, though she desperately wants to fit in and bring her family honor.
Relationship (Father)- Mulan loves her father deeply, and he her, but she fears dishonoring him. In order to protect his life, she will risk hers by joining the army.
Secret (Is Really a Girl)- The act of crossdressing on a permanent basis is incredibly dangerous in a land where discovery means execution.
Responsibility (China)- Mulan initially makes no remarks about China's safety during the Hun attack (wanting only to protect her father), but becomes one of it's most ardent defenders when the Emperor is threatened.
Relationship (Ling, Yao & Chien Po)- Mulan makes a trio of pals during her training, and comes to see them as brothers. Ugly, disgusting, smelly brothers.

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 50--25 / Advantages: 24 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 13 (112)

-Ming-Na Wen, often just known as Ming-Na for some reason, got the job as Mulan after Tia Carrera & Lea Salonga didn't work out (Lea could sing, but not get her voice low enough for the "Ping" character). Mulan is solidly interesting and stands out in the Disney Heroine scheme of things, because of her warrior background. While she shares a motivation with Belle (personal sacrifice to save her ailing father's life), she differs from Her Royal Resplendence by virtue of ass-kickery. Until Merida, we hadn't seen a Tomboy Heroine barely at all, much less a female character who *gasp* MADE MISTAKES ONCE IN A WHILE. Disney often gets caught up in what ails a lot of the entertainment industry, in that they're afraid to piss off feminists, and thus refuse to give their female characters ANY real flaws. By contrast to this, Mulan is a screw-up at just about anything, and works like a dog to improve. And THAT is how you make a stronger role model (should that be your goal- lady-based media is bad for assuming that EVERY girl must be a role model), and a more interesting character.

-Mulan is the most hardcore Disney Princess ever (though she's not actually a Princess at all- maybe just a noblewoman once she marries Shang in the sequel), being a PL 7 martial artist of high talent, though she has to resort to trickery and smart thinking to defeat powerful enemies like Shan Yu, who's a little too tough to beat straight-up. She's a consummate liar as well, fooling everyone into thinking she was a man (it helps that she's drawn differently as a man- the Animators admit to cheating, pointing out on the commentary that they thickened her eyebrows and chiseled the jaw a little more).

About the Performer: Ming-Na Wen has been around for a LONG TIME, though occasionally you'll see another get a big push- as if Hollywood was only allowed one Asian woman to be in anything for 20 years. I first saw her in The Single Guy. one of MANY sitcoms to get that "Sweet Spot" between Friends and Seinfeld, but fail to keep much of the audience, thus being cancelled despite having MILLIONS watching every Thursday night- the joke was that you could keep a SCREEN TEST signal in that space and drawing ratings, so TV shows were judged by how far OVER that threshold they could get... most failed. She was also in the spectacularly (but gleefully) awful Street Fighter film, playing Chun-Li. She was also in a handful of movies around this time, but kind of took a back-seat for a while, as Martial Arts Films were big, and she was an Asian who seemingly WASN'T good at martial arts. So Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh were bigger for a while, but then suddenly Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. comes out and she's in stuff again. Failing to age at all over twenty years like a goddamn vampire (or... any Asian woman over thirty, really) has helped her stick around. She's one of the few Disney Princesses still getting semi-regular work, in fact.

-The singing voice, Lea Salonga, was detailed with Jasmine's bio- being Asian herself, Salonga still fit. She didn't really have much singing to do, though.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Circe

Post by Jabroniville »

Davies wrote: Tue Oct 02, 2018 4:29 am
Jabroniville wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:36 pm though Herc realizes that even in lemur form he's insanely strong, and breaks down the cell door
... did Walt Simonson write this?
I actually got excited and went to check (like all the times any show's "The girls get in magician uniforms for whatever reason" episodes turn out to be written by Paul Dini), but alas, it's Michael Price listed on IMDB.
User avatar
M4C8
Posts: 759
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2016 10:17 pm
Location: South-East England

Re: Jab's Builds! (Frollo! Hercules! Megara! Hades! The Titans! Circe!)

Post by M4C8 »

I just learned that Mickey, Goofy, Donald Duck, Kermit the Frog and the Duke and King from Cinderella all all had 'blink and you'll miss them' cameos in The Little Mermaid.

Also if the movies are all connected Ariel and Hercules are cousins.
'A shared universe, like any fictional construct, hinges on suspension of disbelief. When continuity is tossed away, it tatters the construct. Undermines it'
User avatar
kreuzritter
Posts: 203
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2016 12:37 am

Re: Zeus

Post by kreuzritter »

BriarThrone wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:27 pm
Jabroniville wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:37 pm -Rip Torn was a boisterous, happy-go-lucky King of the Gods, oddly un-sad about having missed his son for so long (compare his reaction to that of Rapunzel's parents in Tangled)- he's all "OH HEY SON NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" and stuff.
As much as I feel like this movie shouldn't have been made, because the final product isn't good enough to justify the mistreatment of the source material, this is one element I thought was conceptually interesting. Zeus isn't some ordinary parent who lost a son to kidnapping. He's an immortal who oversees his realm from on high. What's a few lost years, when you're accustomed to putting everything in the context of forever? Did he lose the opportunity to watch his son grow up, get to know who he is? Obviously not, because he's been following his son's doings from Olympus. So when Zeus doesn't act like a parent reunited for the first time with his long-lost son, but instead like his son who lives across town swung by in the middle of the week when he wasn't expected until the weekend and hadn't been home in maybe a month... maybe it's my habit of reading more into a situation than the writers intended, but it seems profound to me.
And now I'm reminded of a similar bit from some forgettable Edutainment cartoon series, in their episode about Perseus

"Uh, Zeus, have you checked in on Perseus lately?"
"Nah, he's a baby, he's fine."
"Zeus... mortals age. He's turning 18 and going off after medusa."
"Oh? Oh! OH SNAP!"

and Zeus scrambles to throw together a good overdue last-minute birthday present, grabbing the various wondrous items from the other gods
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Mushu

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

MUSHU
Played By:
Eddie Murphy
Role: Genie Knock-Off, Fast-Talking Black Guy (well, basically)
PL 4 (65)
STRENGTH
-4 STAMINA -3 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 1 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Athletics 10 (+6)
Expertise (History) 2 (+3)
Expertise (Singing) 6 (+7)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Close Attack 4, Improved Initiative

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Natural Weapons- Teeth" Damage 1 [1]

"Dragon's Breath" Damage 3 (Feats: Reach) [4]
Comprehend 2 (Speak To & Understand Animals) [4]
Regeneration 4 [4]

"Small Size" Shrinking 12 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [25]
(-3 Strength, -1 Speed, +6 Defenses, +12 Stealth, -6 Intimidation)

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (-4 Damage, DC 11)
Bite +5 (-3 Damage, DC 12)
Breath +5 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness -3, Fortitude +0, Will +5

Complications:
Responsibility (Guardian)- Mushu is a Guardian, and must ensure Mulan's success in her trials. He has failed in the past and been demoted, and must cover up his "killing" of the main Great Stone Dragon guardian.
Relationship (Mulan)- Mushu quickly comes to legitimately care for his charge.

Total: Abilities: 2 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 42 / Defenses: 5 (65)

-Mushu is Eddie Murphy's attempt at pulling a "Robin Williams", and portraying a popular, modern-speaking Mentor to our young hero. He wasn't exceptionally annoying, and got a handful of good lines, but I wasn't overly taken with the little guy. But considering how annoying he COULD have been, that's pretty solid. Some of his ranting is pretty amusing ("Dishonor on YOU, dishonor on your COW---!"), and they do well by having him be a bit of a Butt-Monkey, himself being known as a screw-up (which makes him a great partner for Mulan, who has the same rep- it's neat how they mirror the two of them). Being frequently humiliated makes the "Annoying Sidekick" character a lot more tolerable, too.

About the Performer: Eddie is, obviously, a huge star here or there, though his career has been through so many twists and turns it's hard to tell just how big he is. He's easily the most famous Saturday Night Live alum ever ("anyone who says otherwise is making a racist argument"- Chris Rock), and was a GIGANTIC star in the 1980s especially, bridging from SNL to high-profile movies like 48 Hours and Trading Places, making a bit name for himself in smutty, racially-tinged comedies. However, a series of horrible things would always be around to screw up his career- picking up a transgender prostitute at one point, appearing in The Adventures of Pluto Nash and others. He's been in some of the most notoriously-awful movies ever, and Nash is still the priciest bomb in Hollywood history. But every once in a while, you're reminded of his past brilliance- his famous Raw comedy presentation hit big again a decade ago (though people now are like "holy shit, you could say a lot of shit about gays and get cheered in the 1980s" about it), and he can still hammer out a good performance.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (Frollo! Hercules! Megara! Hades! The Titans! Circe!)

Post by Jabroniville »

It's funny, because I've been working on just this one decade of Disney now for AGES- a real sign of just how much more "involved" their movies got. Every Renaissance film has a ton of major characters who deserve statting. Compare this to films of the '40s and '50s and it's night & day.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue Oct 02, 2018 8:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Post Reply