Jab’s Builds! (Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef! Sweetums! Gonzo!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Queen Arianna

Post by Jabroniville »

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Image

QUEEN ARIANNA
Played by:
Julie Bowen
Role: Stick In The Mud, MILF
PL 1 (30)
STRENGTH
-1 STAMINA 0 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 0 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+3)
Expertise (Royalty) 4 (+6)
Insight 2 (+6)
Persuasion 4 (+7)

Advantages:
Benefit 2 (Queen of Corona)

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (-1 Damage, DC 14)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +1 (DC 11), Toughness +0, Fortitude +1, Will +5

Complications:
Responsibility (The Queen of Corona)
Relationship (King Frederic)
Rivalry (Wilhelmina)- “Willow” was a wild and adventurous sister to Arianna, frequently daring her sister (“DARE-ianna”) to take crazy risks. This needles Arianna tremendously, causing the occasional blow-out- she sees Willow as irresponsible, flighty and undependable.
Relationship (Rapunzel)- Arianna missed out on eighteen years of her little girl’s life, and appreciates every moment, while understanding that her daughter needs to be free.

Total: Abilities: 16 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 5 (30)

-Like Frederic, Arianna was a non-speaking character in Tangled, and so needed to develop a personality. In the series, she became a mature, adoring parent, dutiful to her people and respectful to her husband. She is less intense and moody than her husband, though is a trifle more ordinary- it’s a big plot point that her sister is the irresponsible one. Arianna is thus MUCH more boring and mature by contrast- this also sees her playing a minor role over much of the series, with only a single episode of focus (where her big day with Rapunzel is ruined by the intrusion of her sister). Also, she’s WAY HOT, YO- looking almost exactly like Rapunzel, but with greater height and darker hair.

-The character isn't very popular in fan-art, really. It's a bit funny to look through the first 20 or so pics on DeviantArt in terms of popularity and find one of MINE in it, lol. Not a good sign of a character's popularity! I don't even COLOR stuff!
-Arianna is only briefly in the third season, falling for her husband all over again after their memories were wiped. But a phrase she told her daughter, "Plus et en vous" ("There is more in you") becomes an important calling card later on, as Rapunzel uses it to forgive Cassandra's betrayal, and find more inner strength.

About the Performer: Julie Bowen’s appeared in a lot of stuff I haven’t seen, but at least have heard of. She was in Happy Gilmore, apparently, and has received six Emmy nominations in a row for Modern Family, winning twice.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Brood! The Human Fly! Due South! Tangled: The Series!)

Post by Jabroniville »

As I mentioned ages and ages ago, I tend to be hard to impress when people "showcase" their favorite songs from animated shows. This is perhaps because I spent too much time watching Alan Menken & Howard Ashman-produced Disney musicals... much less Menken's work on Tangled.

The show tends to include one song per episode... and usually, like most Disney Channel originals, it's weaksauce "filler". Just generic "Hey, try a little harder!" crap.

But as soon as they REALLY crank some effort into it you'll know. Oh, boy you'll know:

Ready as I'll Ever Be: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-PYYaoq0fY
-Varian contemplates his dark path while insisting it's the right one for revenge, while everyone else dose a "We can DO this!" song. And Clancy Brown sing-talks.

Waiting In The Wings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87HAEkf_Li0
-Cassandra sings to herself about lost dreams and her failed attempts to be important and be listened to. A very important "I Want" song that shows these things aren't always heroic. For you see...

Crossing The Line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaHBg8E1o00
-The theory of Broadway is "you sing when your emotions overwhelm you and you can't talk anymore". So Cassandra betrays Rapunzel for a taste of her own power, and the friends sing at each other. Cass is now hurt, accusatory and powerful, while Raps is just confused and unaware that she ever hurt her friend.

Nothing Left To Lose: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkZEpNsw6zA
-The show's most spine-tingling moment, as Varian, who knows what this path is like, tries to talk Cass back, but finds her willing to cross the Rubicon and give up everything else so that she HAS to see this through. The whole "two people singing two different songs at once" is my favorite "Broadway Trope" of all, and oh so rarely done. And never like THIS.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Lance Strongbow

Post by Jabroniville »

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LANCE STRONGBOW (Arnwaldo Schnitz)
Played by:
James Monroe Inglehart
Role: Team Coward, Eugene's Buddy
PL 5 (74)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+6)
Athletics 4 (+7)
Deception 5 (+7)
Expertise (Thief) 6 (+7)
Insight 2 (+4)
Perception 3 (+5)
Persuasion 3 (+5)
Sleight of Hand 4 (+8)
Stealth 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment (Sword +2), Ranged Attack 2

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Sword +5 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)- Lance is a career thief.
Relationship (Flynn)- Flynn & Lance were old buddies in the orphanage, and as thieves. Lance is Flynn's best friend, but is a total scoundrel and thief, and must constantly be brought back into line.

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 7 (74)

-Lance was introduced shortly into Tangled: The Series as Flynn Rider's old buddy from way back in their orphanage days, who later became his partner in crime. He arrives in Corona, eight years after having last seen his best buddy, due to being imprisoned. Essentially a Retcon (though, to be fair, Flynn doesn't have much backstory in the movie), he more or less provides Eugene (as he now goes) with someone to talk to, and a foil to reflect himself against. See, Lance was STILL into the whole "being a thief" thing, which both gave us an example of what Eugene USED to be, and what he might still be drawn to. Lance's greed (he's often seen trying to swipe things) is finally assuaged, as he gives up the hidden treasure he'd stole to charity (after Eugene was blamed, thus threatening his relationship with Rapunzel), and he just becomes part of the recurring party.

-An odd thing with Lance is his great cowardice and whininess- he's frequently seen getting upset over little things and freaking out- this reminds me a lot of Wasabi in Big Hero Six and Iridessa in the Disney Fairies franchise. Curiously, all three are black characters with some kind of great anxiety. I'm wondering why this particular personality flaw keeps showing up in black side heroes- is it one of the few interesting "negative" characteristics you can attach to a minority without seeming racist or otherwise bad?

-Lance joins the team for the "World Tour" arc in Season Two, and doesn't... actually do much. In that or Season Three. Most of his stuff is his obvious crush on Adira, owing to her remarkable height and strength (WEIRDO) and backing up Eugene here and there. He & Hook Foot mess up a chance to find a gopher, as both are too dumb to know what one looks like, having never seen one. He has a lot of asides and humor that makes him look pretty dumb and over-reactive, too. The Series Finale reveals fairly randomly that he adopted Red & Angry, which is completely adorable.

-Lance is basically a bigger, stronger version of Eugene, and is just as good at thievery. He's less agile, however.

About the Performer: The character of Lance is basically a double-bonus for Disney- it adds some diversity to the all-white Tangled cast, and it gives a "Thank You" successive role to James Monroe Inglehart, who turned heads as the scene-stealing Genie in the Broadway version of Aladdin. A role this this basically demands "Okay, just give him the Tony already", and he seems to have been rewarded with the Lance character. Despite this active job, he's also the current Marquise de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson on Broadway's Hamilton.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Due South! Benton Fraser! Tangled- Rapunzel & Flynn!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Seriously, they might as well have just given him the Tony right here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-UL0CDMhjj4
Spectrum
Posts: 3128
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:08 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Due South! Benton Fraser! Tangled- Rapunzel & Flynn!)

Post by Spectrum »

Thank for bringing the characters back. It's up there at the top of my Disney series.
We rise from the ashes so that new legends can be born.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Red & Angry

Post by Jabroniville »

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Angry: "I'm sorry I'm late."
Varian: "What happened?"
Angry: "Nothing, I just didn't wanna come."

ANGRY (Kiera)
Played by:
Vivian Vencer
Role: Background Character, Adorbz Kid, Ne'er-Do-Well, The Angry One
PL 4 (50)
STRENGTH
-1 STAMINA 0 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 9 (+8)
Deception 6 (+6)
Expertise (Thief) 8 (+8)
Sleight of Hand 4 (+8)
Stealth 5 (+7)

Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Jack-Of-All-Trades, Ranged Attack 2

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (-1 Damage, DC 14)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +0, Fortitude +1, Will +4

Complications:
Reputation (Troublemaker)- Angry & Red made a living as thieves.
Enemy (The Baron)- Angry & Red were forced to work for the Baron years ago, and steal on his behalf when the gang first meets them.
Relationship (The Gang)- Angry & Red are closer to Rapunzel's group than they are any other adults, eventually becoming allies when they return to Corona. Both are eventually adopted by Lance.

Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 12 (50)

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"I don't want to! Maybe I like being the Wolf! Maybe I'm tired of everyone telling me what to do! And I'm sick of people assuming I'm okay, just because I won't say I'm not! And for the record, I don't even like the name Red! I only went along with it because everybody expected me to!"

RED (Catalina)
Played by:
Ruby Jay
Role: Background Character, Adorbz Kid, Ne'er-Do-Well, The Angry One
PL 2 (96), PL 8 (96) Werewolf
STRENGTH
-1/7 STAMINA 0/7 AGILITY 2/4
FIGHTING 4/8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 9 (+8)
Deception 6 (+6)
Expertise (Thief) 8 (+8)
Sleight of Hand 4 (+8)
Stealth 5 (+7)

Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Jack-Of-All-Trades, Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Werewolf"
Enhanced Strength 8 [16]
Enhanced Stamina 7 [14]
Enhanced Agility 2 [4]
Enhanced Fighting 4 [8]

"Animal Senses" Senses 6 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision, Scent-Tracking, Ultra & Extended Hearing) [6]
"Animal Physiology" Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]
"Natural Weapons- Teeth" Strength-Damage +1 [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (-1 Damage, DC 14)
Werewolf +8 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Teeth +8 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +2 (+4 Werewolf)

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +0, Fortitude +1, Will +4
"As Werewolf" Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +7, Fortitude +8, Will +4

Complications:
Reputation (Troublemaker)- Angry & Red made a living as thieves.
Enemy (The Baron)- Angry & Red were forced to work for the Baron years ago, and steal on his behalf when the gang first meets them.
Relationship (The Gang)- Angry & Red are closer to Rapunzel's group than they are any other adults, eventually becoming allies when they return to Corona. Both are eventually adopted by Lance.
Secret (Werewolf)- Unbeknownst to everyone but Angry, Red was actually a WEREWOLF all along!
Responsibility (Quiet)- Owing to a life of mistreatment and people ignoring her & Angry, Red tends to just follow along with others, and rarely speaks her mind, prefering to keep her voice secret.

Total: Abilities: 14 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 52 / Defenses: 10 (96)

-Angry and Red were ADORBZ, you guys. With facial markings that evoked San from Princess Mononoke, they actually acted as one-offs in the first season of Tangled: The Series, appearing as a pair of thieves who got Eugene & Lance framed- it turned out that they were working for the Baron (whom we'd meet later), and were forced to steal to feed themselves- both girls were orphans. Their nicknames came from Eugene & Lance noting their most prominent traits- Angry is short-tempered, terse and rude, while Red... has red hair. Red is honestly pretty quiet and sweet, so Angry leads the way. In any case, the boys felt sympathy for the girls (being orphans themselves), and so all was forgiven. They appeared once in Season Two, and then lo and behold, Season THREE sees them in prominent roles! They actually appear in a half-dozen episodes with speaking lines and everything!

-Here, we finally learn their first names, and also discover a new secret- Red can turn into a FRICKIN' WEREWOLF!! Here, they are hunted by a prominent beast-slayer, and ultimately manage to survive- Red thus acts as a "Heavy" in a few later episodes, helping try to fight Cassandra and Zhan Tiri. The Series Finale reveals that both girls were formally adopted by Lance, and they currently live together.

-Neither character is very dangerous in melee, but they are clever, crafty and hard to catch. But of course, Red has that alternate form with unknown levels of power (but presumably enough to whup on most of the rest of their party).
Last edited by Jabroniville on Wed Jul 15, 2020 11:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

The Pub Thugs

Post by Jabroniville »

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THE PUB THUGS
Played by:
Various
Role: Ruffians With Hobbies
PL 6 (63)
STRENGTH
4 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+8)
Deception 4 (+4)
Expertise (Ruffian) 4 (+4)
Expertise (Secret Hobby) 6 (+6)
Perception 4 (+4)

Advantages:
Equipment (Sword +2), Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Ranged Attack 3, Startle

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Sword +6 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +4

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

Complications:
Reputation (Ruffians)
Secret ("I had a dream... ONCE")

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 9 (63)

-In one of the best scenes in Tangled, Rapunzel and Flynn get holed up in a pub called "The Snuggly Duckling", filled with the biggest, ugliest, scariest-looking thugs imaginable. While Flynn is terrified, and quickly pisses everyone off, Rapunzel simply speaks honestly to the biggest, nastiest one (voiced by Brad Garrett), asking him "Haven't YOU ever had a dream?". And so this monstrous guy just stomps up to the pair, looks them dead in the eyes... and tilts his head to the sky and says "I had a dream... ONCE". At which point the Pub Thugs start singing a song about all of their secret hobbies, such as one wanting to be a mime, another a concert pianist, and another (an armored goon named Atilla) a baker. Thus satisfied, they back up Rapunzel and refuse to turn in Flynn for the reward money. And then they appear later on, rescuing Flynn from execution after Maximus recruits them!

-The Thugs appear frequently in Tangled: The Series, with a few getting one-offs (Atilla is blamed for the destruction of a business rival; it turns out a goat is responsible). However, most get only minor roles here and there, with Hook Foot being a new character and thus getting the most focus (he and Shorty are chosen to go along in the second season's Grand Quest, becoming the Comic Relief). Big Nose searches for true love, Hook Hand wishes to become a concert pianist (he only appears once in The Series), Ulf a mime, Atilla a baker, and Vladimir, the mightiest of the Thugs, is an avid collector of ceramic unicorns. Of them, only Hook Foot (build to come) and the infamous Shorty had any sort of a focus, and they were absent from Season Two (the "World Tour" arc), and background Good Mooks in Season Three. In short, they kinda never mattered.

-Most of the Thugs fit this template, though Vladimir is likely more powerful. Shorty is a sluggish, drunken old man usually used for one-off gags.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Hook Foot

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

HOOK FOOT
Played by:
Jeff Ross
Role: Butt-Monkey, Comic Relief
PL 5 (56)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE -1 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+8)
Deception 4 (+4)
Expertise (Ruffian) 4 (+4)
Perception 4 (+4)

Advantages:
Equipment (Sword +2), Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Ranged Attack 3, Startle

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Sword +5 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Reputation (Ruffian)
Disabled (Hook For A Foot)- If his food is unscrewed, Hook Foot will be unable to walk properly.
Relationship (Seraphina)- Though she initially gets close to him just to use him as a hiding place for something she stole, Seraphina and Hook Foot fall for each other quickly. She sacrifices her freedom for him, leaving him devastated.

Total: Abilities: 28 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 8 (51)

-Hook Foot is a fairly random, oddball character in Tangled: The Series, in that he was a Pug Thug invented solely for the show, replacing his older brother, Hook Hand. This confused the hell out of me at first (with a half-dozen anonymous Pug Thugs, you gotta add a new one?) until I realized he was played by a quasi-celebrity- Jeff Ross. The fact that Ross was a bit of a name at the time, and that many of the other Thugs were one-off Voice Actors or Brad Garrett (who probably wouldn't work super-cheap) meant that a new guy was "necessary".

-That said... he didn't really DO much. He & Shorty ended up going on the "Grand Quest" that makes up season two of the series, but both were comic relief. And Lance was ALREADY a comic foil to the others, while Shorty was the extreeeeeeeeeeeemely comic character, being an insane, shrunken weirdo. So Hook Foot just ended up being a generic whiner, honestly- he'd grumpily complain in his high-pitched voice or team up with Lance to catch a "gopher" (not having seen one, and Eugene being a terrible artist in the picture he gave them, they grabbed a deadly "Sneeze Weasel" instead). He finally gets more focus in an episode where he falls for a BBW mermaid named Seraphina- despite her manipulating the gang at first, they soon fall for each other legitimately, and she sacrifices her freedom to save him and the rest of the gang, leaving him devastated. He finally meets up with his brother in one episode (the only one to feature Hook Hand, who I always thought looked more Asian), having an argument, but finally coming to terms and deciding to continue Hook Hand's "World Tour" as a duo.

-This marks the end of Hook Foot in the story- he has no lines in Season Three, and is barely mentioned at all- he's thrown in as a cameo in the Series Finale, appearing holding Seraphina- confirmation that they found each other again (curiously, the animators tossed this in- the writers apparently had nothing for him). I'm thinking maybe Ross just left the show?

-Hook Foot is like the other Pub Thugs, but actually less threatening- that said, the Thugs were often mere Mooks in the TV show, going down in droves with no bad-ass moments. But in any case, he's a dumb PL 5, rarely a major factor in any scrap. Unlike the other Thugs, he doesn't even have a "Secret Hobby"!

About the Performer: Jeff Ross is most well-known for his appearances on the Comedy Central Roasts, infamously bawdy, vulgar affairs that see people toss out every swear word and slur in the book for the ultimate in Shock Comedy. He's also one of the writers, crediting a tough upbringing (he'd lost both his parents by 19, and had several mouthy relatives) for his penchant for insult comedy. The popularity of the Roasts led to a mini-push a bit too late to really take off in 2012 (the roasts started in 2005, and peaked around 2010), with The Burn With Jeff Ross, which lasted only a couple of years. He's been a comedy writer for ages, having helped with The Man Show in the Kimmell years and wrote jokes for Billy Crystal's Oscar show in 2000. His acting career is fairly limited (which may be part of why Hook Foot never got much to do), but the role here didn't really play to any of his strengths.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue Aug 09, 2022 11:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Due South! Benton Fraser! Tangled- Rapunzel & Flynn!)

Post by Jabroniville »

The Making of Frozen II- Episode Two:


I like how the "Frozen II" writers were like "So this song is our gift to Kristoff/Jonathan Groff since he didn't get to sing a real song in the first movie!" yet Kristoff's story is the universal complaint about that movie, lol.

Given how often the story changes in movies, it's a wonder that actors do as good a job as they do. Bruce Campbell says scenes are ALWAYS shot out of order, which is why actors need to know their motivation or their instructions from the director. Like in the first Frozen, they changed Elsa's story so many times that Idina had to reinvent her every time and hope they chose the best stuff. Throwing out scenes where she & Anna were feuding sisters. Instead the character was played as if she hadn't seen Anna in years.

Kristen Bell: "The changes are NECESSARY, but it difficult to keep up with. For the course of three and a half years, I'll come in every... six weeks? Sometimes I'll record for eight hours- sometimes for TWO..."

lol Bell is now freaking out at the quality of the water in the trailer for the movie. "That's animation?" "Yeah" "THAT'S ANIMATION?! It looks so ADULT! Like it should be rated R or something. Now I wish I hadn't used such a baby voice through the whole thing", and everyone cracks up.

PS The offices at Disney Animation have some much Frozen shit in them they look like my apartment.

ahhhhhhh... so the reason "Show Yourself" got softer was because Elsa had just come in from an adrenaline high across the dark sea, so they needed to bring things to a "new energy" in the scene- they couldn't do the song aggressively.

Episode Three:

Funnily enough, they only now introduced the fact that there's a song in the middle that they cut, lol. "See the Sky" would have ABSOLUTELY been this movie's "Fixer Upper". Aka "the one bad song everyone skips over". A guy has to send a mass email to the entire production team that it's "Out of Picture" so they stop!

Sterling K Brown was happy to sing, had to sing for his audition, and now his song got cut, lol. And then the directors do the thing where the want different emotions and inflections in his voice for some lines, which reminds me of a panel with Wallace Shawn, where he talked about how no live-action director would EVER do that, "or it would be call for that director's removal", but it's normal in animation.

And now they FINALLY cracked the code of "Show Yourself", figuring out the voice that was calling Elsa (they'd been fighting over it the whole time). Naturally, it was the Lopezes (the songwriters) who cracked it, by having their mother's line from the lullaby intersect with Elsa's song. And now they had to call in Elsa's original designer to spruce up the glacier, as that was a nightmare to design.

haha their meeting room is called "Motonui" (Moana's island) and it says "Atohallan Brainstorm Session- next 57 minutes". They schedule it THAT HARD.

Being a voice actor must be so weird. Kristen Bell is a complete wreck, mascara running, bawling her eyes out while recording "Do the Next Right Thing"... with the directors and voice coach right beside her. And they of course have to give directions and be like "break your voice at THIS part"

It's only now that they get to Anna's grief in that song, mentioning it stems from Chris Buck's son Ryder, who died in a car wreck right before Frozen finished completion. Buck talks about the see-saw emotions of being congratulated at the wrap party, and then getting "And I'm so sorry about your son".
Virtuegm55
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2020 1:48 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Spiral! Super-Brood! The Human Fly! Due South!)

Post by Virtuegm55 »

Jabroniville wrote: Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:23 pm
Virtuegm55 wrote: Tue Jul 14, 2020 7:50 pm
Jabroniville wrote: Mon Jul 13, 2020 9:30 pm

Thanks!

I just cut & paste the previous build and write the new build over it. This is why sometimes you see old information in the "Complications" or "Role" section, or incorrect math :). I can never use Hero Labs- the searching just takes way too long for me.
Man I can’t even make a character without hero labs. Is there a good way to search for the builds you have that I want I’m doing a spin on the X-men and the entire x-universe and steal your builds and scale them and put them on hero labs but I want an easier way to find them.
My first page here has all the X-Men builds with working links now. If you want them all at once I can send you an email if you’d like. Are you on our Discord? I can also send them that way.
Yeah I'm on discord same name and on the freedomverse server
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

The Stabbington Brothers

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

THE STABBINGTON BROTHERS (Sideburns & Patchy)
Played by:
Ron Perlman & John DiMaggio
Role: Recurring Thugs
PL 7 (74)
STRENGTH
4 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+8)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Thief) 6 (+6)
Insight 2 (+2)
Perception 4 (+4)
Sleight of Hand 2 (+4)
Stealth 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Equipment (Sword +2), Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Ranged Attack 3, Startle

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Sword +8 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)
Enemy (Flynn Rider)- Flynn's betrayal put the Stabbington Brothers into a lot of trouble. They constantly seek revenge.

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 11 (74)

-The hilariously-named Stabbington Brothers are recurring nemesis in Tangled, having been Flynn Rider's partners in crime, only to have him swipe their share of the stash. And so they hunt him frequently, nearly getting him twice before Mother Gothel has them capture her... then knocks them both out with a tree branch. They are last seen having been arrested. They appear once in Tangled: The Series, in an episode where Rapunzel does the "Enemy Mine" with Eugene & Cassandra, locking them in a dungeon together so that they'll get along, but they end up having to fight the jailbreaking Brothers. They use Cassandra (the Captain's daughter) as a hostage, but are KO'd by her when they try to exact revenge on Eugene. They appear a couple more times in Season Three, kidnapping Eugene's father to lure him into danger, then again in the past, as Rapunzel accidentally has herself placed one of their bodies. Tangled: Ever After shows them weeping at Eugene's funeral to Rapunzel, which is either just a one-off gag, or proof that they've reformed.

-Either Stabbington Brother is more powerful than Flynn himself, and they're quite potent overall.

About the Performers: Actually respected actors in their own rights, these two gravel-voiced fellows are best-known for other work. Ron Perlman is of course The Beast from the old Linda Hamilton Beauty and the Beast series (which I always found dreadfully boring and pretentious, but I was WAYYYYYYYY too young to have been into it at the time), Hellboy from that series, and appears in many other sci-fi films. John DiMaggio plays a lot of grouchy characters, such as Bender from Futurama, and Dr. Drakken from Kim Possible, though Motor Ed from the latter show is considered the role most clearly like his actual personality. He was also Jake the Dog on Adventure Time.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Mother Gothel

Post by Jabroniville »

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This cartoon is SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD with MILFs.

MOTHER GOTHEL
Played by:
Donna Murphy
Role: Manipulative Bitch
PL 6 (76)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+4)
Close Combat (Knife) 2 (+8)
Deception 8 (+12)
Expertise (History) 2 (+5)
Expertise (Singing & Dancing) 6 (+10)
Insight 2 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+6)
Perception 3 (+7)
Persuasion 4 (+8)
Stealth 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment (Knife +1), Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
"Sneaky Bitch" Strenght-Damage +2 (Flaws: Limited to Vulnerable Opponents) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Sneaky Unarmed +6 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Knife +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Sneaky Knife +8 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Youth)- Gothel is a very old woman, and has used Rapunzel's hair to keep herself young after losing the magic flower that initially helped her out. Ironically, it's that very hair that does her in, causing her to fall towards a Disney Villain Death.
Involuntary Transformation (Old Hag)- Without regular applications of the magic hair, Mother Gothel will become old and shriveled.
Relationship (Rapunzel)- Though Mother Gothel appears to have some degree of affection for her "adopted" daughter, there is little question she cares only for herself, and seems to do things just to keep Rapunzel happy enough to stick around.

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 1 / Defenses: 8 (76)

Mother Gothel- Evil MILF From Hell:
-Mother Gothel has a neat design- not being as ostentatious or blatantly evil as many Disney Villains, she's instead a "grrrrrrowl"-worthy dame with a wild hairstyle and elegant appearance. Her abilities are more towards manipulation and deceit than magic, making her more like Lady Tremaine or Judge Frollo than many mysical Disney baddies. The manipulative, abusive way in which she dominates Rapunzel is actually quite chilling and true to life, right down to the moment where she yells at the girl until she cries, then sighs and goes "GREAT... now I'M the bad guy.", turning it on her victim to pull the "why do you make me get so angry?" routine known to many chronic abusers. There's a real menace to the way in which she says even the little things, like "Don't EVER ask to leave this tower again." It actually takes some real gusto to make a simple line like that cause shivers.

-The only issue is her "Villain Song" isn't very grand- a little too comedic and full of silly tone changes ("Come with MA-MAAAAAA!!!") and voices ("The PLAGUE!" "No!" "YES!")- this is the kind of thing most villains should revel in, but this is too much of an "I'm Lying" kind of song.

Gothel in the TV Series:
-Shockingly, despite being the only major villain of Tangled, Mother Gothel does NOT return for Tangled: The Series. I mean, The Little Mermaid and Hercules both had Prequel TV shows and they used Ursula and Hades REPEATEDLY, despite those characters supposedly meeting the heroes for "the first time" in their respective movies! So it would have made perfect sense for Gothel to be resurrected somehow and become a major, conniving new threat. However, in a clever bit, they never went that easy route, and instead made it more of a "Superhero Story" show with action scenes and weird powers (Gothel, despite being an old witch, doesn't showcase any super-powers in the movie).

-Instead, Gothel exists as a vicious, nasty memory- one that continuously haunts Rapunzel and her friends throughout the show. The first season has her finally return to her old home, shuddering at the mere concept ("Come on, Rapunzel..." she mutters, trying to shore herself up, "it's JUST a tower..."). A fantasy Raps has sees her clobber Gothel with a frying pan, too. But the BIGGEST effect Gothel has on the series comes in Season Three, when it's revealed that an old Fan Theory is true- Gothel is CASSANDRA'S MOTHER.

-With no father seen, we find a little Cass trying to help out around the house, with an unloving, unkind Gothel being emotionally distant and horrible- finally, she abandons a sobbing Cassandra when she finds the "Sundrop" flower she'd loved- the infant Rapunzel. And so Gothel's abusive parenting casts a pall over BOTH heroines in Tangled, having abused Rapunzel via lies, dominance, and imprisonment, and Cass with a lack of caring and abandonment. Cass is at first despondent that she AGAIN falls second to Rapunzel, and is shown only memories of Gothel saying nice things to her- only later do we realize that this was just done to placate Cass to her face- Gothel mutters about how annoying an needy "that child" is as soon as Cass is gone. This actually gives Donna Murphy a bit more to do in the show here and there, but again- it's just background stuff.

Gothel's Danger:
-Mother Gothel is mean and nasty as hell, despite not being treated as an elite fighter, because she specializes in backstabbing (literally) and catching people unawares.

About the Performer: Donna Murphy is an unknown to me, and has mostly played minor roles in film, though she's an experienced and respected theatrical performer, winning a Tony in 1994 for Passion. The only other stuff I've seen her is was Dr. Octopus's wife in Spider-Man 2 and Captain Picard's love interest in Star Trek: Insurrection.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Cassandra

Post by Jabroniville »

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Angry Cass gives me life.

Varian: "Cass, trust me- Becoming the villain isn't the answer."

Cass:
"Is that what you think I am?
The path I'm on is a path paved in black
I'm taking that road and I'm not looking back
Each twist and each turn
Leads straight where I'm yearning to go
Yes, it's true, my path is dark but I see where it ends
My rivals will fall as my power ascends
Despise me, that's fine
I'm taking what's mine even so
Not like you
You lost your nerve, you lost the game
But you and I, we're not the same
I'm not lost, this fate was mine to choose
So I chose to lose my doubts and lose my chains
Lose each weakness that remains
Now that I have nothing left to lose
Nothing left to lose
You have so much to hold onto
I only want my rightful dues!"

Both:
"Listen please, you've lost your grip
And lost your mind (I'm not gonna lose)
All's not lost, don't be so blind (I refuse)
Cut your losses, drop the IOUs (I refuse)
Oh-oh, choose
I lose no tears and lose no sleep
What I want I'll take and keep (It's time for you to choose)
You can't stop the turning on the screws
Now I have nothing... left to lose...


CASSANDRA
Played by:
Eden Espinosa
Role: Sword Lesbian, Grouchy Girl, The Tomboy, Deadpan Snarker, The Lancer (to Rapunzel), Best Girl
PL 7 (102)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+8)
Athletics 7 (+10)
Deception 5 (+6)
Expertise (Handmaiden) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+7)
Expertise (Guard) 5 (+7)
Insight 2 (+4)
Perception 3 (+5)
Persuasion 3 (+5)
Sleight of Hand 4 (+8)
Stealth 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Sword +2, Bow +4), Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Critical (Sword), Improved Defense, Improved Hold, Improved Trip, Minion 4 (Owl), Ranged Attack 2, Takedown 2

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Sword +9 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Responsibility (Castle Servant)- Cassandra has numerous chores and responsibilities.
Motivation (Becoming a Castle Guard)- Cassandra wants to be a Castle Guard, like her father, the Captain. He finally makes her acting captain in the first Season Finale.
Relationship (Rapunzel)- Cass is very close to “Raps” and tries to defend her from a lot of bad things in life.
Rivalry (Eugene)- Cassandra finds Eugene to be a poor match for Rapunzel, as he is selfish, annoying, and a freeloader. However, she eventually comes to realize that he DOES love Rapunzel dearly. The two eventually just start teasing each other more delicately.
Responsibility (Grouchy)- Cass has a quick temper, and will beat up anyone who annoys her.
Secret (Responsible For Letting Rapunzel Out)- If the truth got out about Cassandra allowing Rapunzel to leave the castle, leading to her regrowing her magical hair, she fears she would be sent to a convent as punishment.
Responsibility ("Waiting In The Wings")- Cassandra suffers from a great deal of frustration over being held back in life- she wasn't able to be a Palace Guard, her best friend is the PRINCESS, and more. She's embarrassed when Adira proves to be a superior fighter, and grows increasingly angry over Rapunzel ignoring her advice and protection and just forging ahead ("This thing where you think that you've been my friend/ and you don't even hear how you condescend, the way you've always done!"). She cops (to herself) that she's always been "Waiting in the wings" of someone else's story. So when she discovers yet ANOTHER way Rapunzel has superseded her (Cass was abandoned as a girl by her mother, who adopted Rapunzel instead), she takes her shot- grabbing the Moonstone and becoming a powerhouse in her own right.
Responsibility ("Nothing Left to Lose")- Cassandra feels guilt and admits that she's walking "a path paved with black", but finally casts aside her friendship with Rapunzel, confessing that "I have nothing left to lose" and is now forced to commit. She's as much telling herself as she is others.
Motivation (Redemption)- Despite taking power, Cass grows morose over losing Rapunzel's friendship.

Total: Abilities: 62 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 8 (102)

---

CASSANDRA- Moonstone Powers
Played by:
Eden Espinosa
Role: Sword Lesbian, Grouchy Girl, The Tomboy, Deadpan Snarker, The Lancer (to Rapunzel), Best Girl
PL 10 (155)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+8)
Athletics 7 (+10)
Deception 5 (+6)
Expertise (Handmaiden) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+7)
Expertise (Guard) 5 (+7)
Insight 2 (+4)
Perception 3 (+5)
Persuasion 3 (+5)
Sleight of Hand 4 (+8)
Stealth 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Sword +2, Bow +4), Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Critical (Sword), Improved Defense, Improved Hold, Improved Trip, Minion 4 (Owl), Ranged Attack 2, Takedown 2

Powers:
"Moonstone Powers" (Flaws: Removable) [44]
"Crescent high above, Evolving as you go
Raise what lies beneath
And let the darkness grow
Let darkness grow"
"Rock Cage" Snare 10 (Feats: Accurate 2, Reversible, Indirect 4) (37) -- (44)
  • AE: "Mass Cage" Snare 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Shapeable) (Feats: Reversible) (Diminished Range -2) (33)
  • AE: "Controls the Black Rocks" Create 10 (Feats: Innate, Precise) (Extras: Continuous) (32)
  • AE: "Black Spike" Blast 10 (Feats: Accurate 2, Improved Critical 2, Indirect 4- Any Direction, Extra Knockback) (29)
  • AE: "Spike Barrage" Blast 8 (Feats: Accurate 2, Indirect 2) (Extras: Multiattack) (28)
  • AE: "Rock Wall" Damage 9 (Feats: Extra Knockback) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Shapeable) (19)
  • AE: "Spike Thrust" Damage 9 (Feats: Extra Knockback) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Line) (19)
  • AE: "Rock Lift" Move Object 10 (Quirks: Objects Must Be Reachable) (19)
"Spikes From The Walls" Movement 1 (Wall-Crawling) (2)
"Rock Deflect" Enhanced Advantages 4: Defensive Roll 4 (4)

"Ride The Black Spikes" Speed 3 (16 mph) (3) -- (4)
AE: "Rock Lift" Leaping 2 (30 feet) (2)
-- (54 points)

"Black Sword" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [9]
Strength-Damage +5 (Feats: Improved Critical 2, Penetrating 8) (15 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Sword +9 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Black Sword +9 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Spike Thrust +10 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Spike Barrage +10 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Rock Wall +9 Area (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Rock Cage +10 (+10 Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Mass Cage +8 Area (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Responsibility (Castle Servant)- Cassandra has numerous chores and responsibilities.
Motivation (Becoming a Castle Guard)- Cassandra wants to be a Castle Guard, like her father, the Captain. He finally makes her acting captain in the first Season Finale.
Relationship (Rapunzel)- Cass is very close to “Raps” and tries to defend her from a lot of bad things in life.
Rivalry (Eugene)- Cassandra finds Eugene to be a poor match for Rapunzel, as he is selfish, annoying, and a freeloader. However, she eventually comes to realize that he DOES love Rapunzel dearly. The two eventually just start teasing each other more delicately.
Responsibility (Grouchy)- Cass has a quick temper, and will beat up anyone who annoys her.
Secret (Responsible For Letting Rapunzel Out)- If the truth got out about Cassandra allowing Rapunzel to leave the castle, leading to her regrowing her magical hair, she fears she would be sent to a convent as punishment.
Responsibility ("Waiting In The Wings")- Cassandra suffers from a great deal of frustration over being held back in life- she wasn't able to be a Palace Guard, her best friend is the PRINCESS, and more. She's embarrassed when Adira proves to be a superior fighter, and grows increasingly angry over Rapunzel ignoring her advice and protection and just forging ahead ("This thing where you think that you've been my friend/ and you don't even hear how you condescend, the way you've always done!"). She cops (to herself) that she's always been "Waiting in the wings" of someone else's story. So when she discovers yet ANOTHER way Rapunzel has superceded her (Cass was abandoned as a girl by her mother, who adopted Rapunzel instead), she takes her shot- grabbing the Moonstone and becoming a powerhouse in her own right.
Responsibility ("Nothing Left to Lose")- Cassandra feels guilt and admits that she's walking "a path paved with black", but finally casts aside her friendship with Rapunzel, confessing that "I have nothing left to lose" and is now forced to commit. She's as much telling herself as she is others.
Motivation (Redemption)- Despite taking power, Cass grows morose over losing Rapunzel's friendship.

Total: Abilities: 62 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 53 / Defenses: 8 (155)

Cassandra- Best Girl:
-A controversial character to the Tangled fandom, Cassandra is a Suddenly-Introduced Character in the pilot episode of Tangled: The Series, appearing as Rapunzel's "Lady in Waiting", wearing a "Maid Marian"-style silly outfit. However, very quickly, we discover that she's this rough & tumble tomboy, calling her friend "Raps" and giving practical advice like a natural cynic. With a dry, sarcastic tone of voice that comes off as lesbian-bait ("That VOICE" one fangirl wrote on Twitter, "I'm MELTING!"), she also seems to find Eugene terribly annoying, and makes this known frequently. So despite being a huge bad-ass who frequently beats people up in fight scenes, she also gets a lot of hate from the female part of the Tangled fanbase, who ADORES Eugene, and sees her snarky attacks as a rude, out-of-nowhere character decision. To be fair, Eugene is a snarker, and Cassandra is a grouch- it’s a natural conflict.

-Also controversial was the “Challenge of the Brave” episode, which featured Cass training her ass off for a big bad-ass challenge of warriors. To her shock and annoyance, RAPUNZEL also entered, using delicate femininity and luck to win most of the contests- this led to a very strong blow-up from Cassandra, for her friend taking something so dear to her. This pissed off a lot of viewers, as it made Cass seem selfish, rude, and ungrateful- never mind that she never brought this up to Rapunzel in the first place. Raps apologizing just made it worse. I kind of saw both sides, but Cass just bottling everything up made it worse.

-The character had some other quirks, too, of course. She desperately wanted to be a member of the Palace Guard, along with her adoptive father (the Captain from the movie). She has a really bad-ass design, with scraggly hair, a cool smirk, and a grey & red outfit that just cries “tomboy”. After a bunch of episodes of being hostile to each other (curiously, Eugene always calls her "CassANDRA", while other characters saw "CassAWNDRA", Rapunzel locks them in a dungeon together until they get along, and they’re forced to take out the Stabbington Brothers, who’ve made a jailbreak. Eventually, she confesses an admiration for Eugene’s spirit when he attempts to become a Guard himself (she gets agitated when she sees her own father torture Eugene and create unfair challenges), and cops to Rapunzel that while she personally finds him annoying, "He DOES love you", and refuses to believe he’d falter.

Cassandra in Season Two:
-HOO BOY. My last build was set around Season Two just beginning, but things... happened. Cass was at first kind of ignored- easily beaten by Adira and being kind of a hanger-on to the group. It actually felt like she was forgotten by the writers... but this actually had a PURPOSE. See, Cass being dumped on so much paid off when she hit the blazing "I Want" song Waiting In The Wings, where she confesses to feelings of inadequacy and being an unimportant addition to someone ELSE'S story (which, as Overly Sarcastic Productions has noted, is CLASSIC "Lancer" behavior- a side-character who contrasts the main hero). She's grown frustrated over being ignored in favor of Rapunzel, and having her opinions and talents disregarded. It was a wonderful moment that really explained a lot of the character... and made it all the worse when Raps would lecture her later on what they were going to do. While Cass attempted to be protective, Raps was like "Um, naw" and just did what she wanted, to often disastrous results. Cass did get one of her greatest bad-ass moments, however, when the mighty Hector completely wiped the floor with the group and easily outclassed her... so she just pulled a Virtua Fighter and scored a Ring-Out victory, grabbing his foot and THROWING him into a hundred-foot drop off the edge of a platform!

-Finally, Rapunzel over-using her "Wither and Decay" powers led to Cass trying to free her... and losing the use of her hand in the process, as the power dessicated her arm in a horrifying moment that was sold amazingly by the animation. Cass was again lectured as neither would admit that they were wrong to ignore the other, making things worse- Cass would get a redesign, tossing out her patchwork outfit for a suit of armor. And without the two really having had an important talk, Rapunzel goes for the Moonstone in the season finale... and Cassandra grabs it, chiding her "I warned you... be careful who you TRUST."

Cassandra the Rock-Demon:
-Yes, Cassandra is NOW THE BAD GUY! Her feelings of resentment came to a fever pitch when, in some backstory, we discover where she'd disappeared to in a prior episode- a demonic little girl was now her "Shoulder Devil", explaining her origins- she was the daughter of MOTHER GOTHEL. Many fans had guessed this already (she was adopted, after all), but in any case, she realized that right from the beginning, she'd been a sidekick to someone else's story, and she completely lost it. Grabbing hold of her own destiny, Cass became a blue-haired supervillain, building a giant spire tower outside of Corona's walls and threatening everyone. She upends nearly everybody in big fights (even curbstomping Adira), and the little girl advises her even more. The one time she attempted to make amends with her old friends, circumstances (ie. the girl) resulted in her feeling betrayed once more, and she became an even more implacable foe.

-Ultimately, however, she couldn't keep up the act. Her love of her friends, and the dawning realization that what she was doing was wrong, built up and she turned on the girl... who revealed herself to be Zhan Tiri, a demon mentioned in prior episodes. And so Cass had to team up with Rapunzel in one last fight, stopping Zhan Tiri and exiling her back to another dimension. She ends the series deciding to go off on her own- since she'd been a great betrayer, I guess there was no place for her in Corona, despite making amends. She hugs her adoptive father and leaves before Rapunzel & Eugene can get married (answering the long-term Fan Question of "Why wasn't Cassandra at the wedding?").

Cass as a Whole:
-Cass was really an AMAZING character overall- I had my concerns when she sort of got dumped down in Season Two for a while, but when all that shit PAID OFF, it was glorious and turned her into a true megastar character. I mean, early Cass was awesome, with her raw sass and ability to awaken lesbianism in the show's audience, but what we ended up with was this epic, deeply-hurting individual- her frustration with her own failures, tragic backstory, well-earned resentment of Rapunzel and more all paid off into this epic, self-hating bad guy. During the fantastic duet with Varian (who himself took the dark path of betrayal and villainy and knows that "it feels good at first/but soon it turns dark"), you can both see and feel the stresses she's under, and her own misgivings as she tries to convince herself that she's made the right decision. Saying "I have nothing left to lose" is NOT the defiant roar back at Varian that it's supposed to be- it's HERSELF that she's telling this two. It's made most clear right at the end, when she casts Varian into an impossible prison cell, and sits down, expression dripping with sadness and being completely along- "Now... I have NOTHING... left... to lose...".

-And then when she thinks about possibly making things right, she's frustrated by what she sees as betrayal and redoubles her efforts, only later realizing that she's been manipulated by Zhan Tiri. And so a powerless Cass & Rapunzel team up and have to "Bad-Ass Normal" this giant demon away.

Cassandra's Abilities:
-Early Cass is one of the best fighters in the series, and has easily defeated Lance and most minions. She’s still quite “human”, however, and struggles against seriously talented individuals. For example, she's effortlessly beaten by Adira, and the other Brotherhood members completely overwhelm her, also.

-Cass with the "Moonstone" power (a Removable Device, since it attaches to her but is a physical thing people can grab) is a high-end powerhouse in this low-PL setting, now easily crushing Adira and entire swaths of people. In the low-Toughness world of Tangled, someone throwing out PL 9 Area Attacks and +10 Blasts is going to be a murderous opponent to deal with.

About the Performer: Realizing that Eden Espinosa plays Cass was a big deal for me, because I’ve seen that name pop up A LOT in the past few years. Mainly because I’m such a fan of Idina Menzel, because... Eden has this strange career of taking former Menzel roles. She was the standby and the second person to be Elphaba in Wicked, and the final person to play Maureen in Rent, both roles originated by Menzel. This led to a bit of a fandom rivalry, with many stating that Eden was a more talented natural singer than the one who got all the fame and glory. And, like a lot of post-Idina Elphabas, she played the role A LOT, including for more than a year in her second stretch on Broadway, and on a few national tours. Sadly, her own personal career never really took off, as whatever she debuted herself tended to close quickly (keep in mind that Broadway shows are workshopped for YEARS, and almost never make money).

-As a voice actor, she’s only been in a handful of stuff- Titan Maximum, one episode of Elena of Avalor, and finally- Cassandra on Tangled. Ironically, despite a career full of musicals... she almost NEVER sings on the show- Cassandra is too grumpy and introverted. I can seriously only remember one time she sang- in the first season finale, and only for a single line. It’s VERY weird- who hires a singer this good and never lets her use those pipes? Still, she’s good in the role- her dark, deep voice is ideal for a mean tomboy character, and I re-watched many of her best lines- even her semi-monotone delivery of “NOW” was really fun to listen to.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Jul 18, 2020 2:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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squirrelly-sama
Posts: 611
Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2018 2:07 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Due South! Gothel! Cassandra the Sword Lesbian!)

Post by squirrelly-sama »

I see you've finally come around and admitted that Sword Lesbian was best girl. Sometimes I wish to visit an alternate universe where this show was made without the original Tangled movie being made, so that Raps ending up with Eugene didn't need to be a forgone conclusion. If ever a show needed a lesbian ending it was this one. Fuck Adventure Time, She-ra, and LoK, Tangled the series should have gotten that lesbian kiss!
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Due South! Gothel! Cassandra the Sword Lesbian!)

Post by Jabroniville »

squirrelly-sama wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 3:52 am I see you've finally come around and admitted that Sword Lesbian was best girl. Sometimes I wish to visit an alternate universe where this show was made without the original Tangled movie being made, so that Raps ending up with Eugene didn't need to be a forgone conclusion. If ever a show needed a lesbian ending it was this one. Fuck Adventure Time, She-ra, and LoK, Tangled the series should have gotten that lesbian kiss!
Cass is Best Girl... within the confines of Tangled. Elsa & Belle remain eternal Best Girls otherwise :P.
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