Jab’s Builds! (Nightmare Creatures/Circus! Lawnmower Man! Metroid!)
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Luisa
Art by HugoTendaz.
LUISA MADRIGAL
Played By: Jessica Darrow
Role: The "Rock", The Strong One
-Luisa represents the "Rock" of a family- a strong, stable, unconquerable person who acts as a protector. However, she gets a song immediately indicating how she's breaking under this "Surface Pressure". She's defiant and strong-willed, but is afraid of losing what makes her special, and frustrated by her own weakness. In the end, she realizes that it's okay for her to cry sometimes. Unfortunately, this is the FIRST "Mirabel deals with a family member's problems" in the story, so we get like another hour and five minutes of Madrigals while Luisa just sits in the background bawling every time her strength fades and she can't move a plant. This is largely used for comedy rather than something sad, though- everyone ELSE's stuff is used for tearjerkers or great spiritual awakenings. Luisa just gets her moment and then we laugh.
-Luisa ended up getting a fair bit of attention in Encanto, thanks largely to one story that indicated that despite her muscle mass and "unattractive" design, her dolls sold out and girls wanted more, while the prettier Isabela's "shelfwarmed". However, this story just kept on being repeated, and every article about it seemed to just use the original as a source, and that itself didn't seem to quote toy stores or Disney or anyone, so it's tough to say how accurate it is (in my area and many others, ALL Encanto toys sold out, as Disney under-ordered due to the failure of Raya and probably wanted to hedge their bets here). Though one of the animators on the movie said "You wouldn't believe how fkn hard it was to get Disney to allow us to give her muscles"- in general, this kind of fits a "narrative" that there is room for this kind of character.
-Of course, given my own interests, people seemed to expect me to lust for this character immediately, which is amusing because she didn't appeal to me that way. She's more the "Bulky Big" type of muscle, where she's built like an actual powerlifter instead of having a lot of tone, so her physique wasn't in my wheelhouse. I do like the design overall, though, as she has the "Madrigal Nose" and a standard girly face, but has that strong, useful mass added to her. REAL powerlifters rarely look like the Ultimate Warrior (or AEW's muscular A-tier hot girl Jade Cargill) but are instead these thick bulls with massive shoulders and barrel-shaped torsos & arms. Surface Pressure also contains some of the most wild visual gags in Encanto, which typically uses actual real events or memories that are happening in front of Mirabel (Isabela, for example, is literally using her powers during her own song, and Antonio is indeed shapeshifting during his parts)... Luisa, by contrast, is seen fighting Cerberus or doing a bunch of other cartoonish things in a fantasy scene.
-For stats, Luisa is a tricky one because her fighting is mere conjecture- she's only seen doing fighting in her own fantasy world so her actual PL is impossible to determine. She is MASSIVELY strong, though, able to heft a dozen sheep at one time, pick up an entire bridge and shift it a few paces over, and more, and she's durable enough to throw several huge boulders into the air and no-sell them as they crash down and break across her flexing back. Probably upwards of ST 8-10 with comparable STAMINA.
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Isabela Madrigal
Fanart by Lurrkingly, Alans Campos & Maureen Narro.
ISABELA MADRIGAL
Played By: Diane Guerrero
Role: The Golden Child, The Prima Donna, The One With Hidden Depths
Isabela- The Golden Child:
-Isabela provides another interesting case of a family archetype- "She's a perfect GOLLLLLLLLLLLDEN Child!" as Mirabel herself says, though she adds to her would-be fiancee Mariano "you can marry my sister if you wanna/but b'tween you and me she's kind of a primadonna!". Isabela is the stunning, beautiful older sister of Julieta's side of the family, given the power to control plants. This is made to beautify the town, reflecting her own outer beauty, which is enhanced by "perfect, practised poses"- Isa has flowing hair which she always swings about in a very precise manner, has flowers follow in her wake, and she moves softly like a ballerina. People adore her, Abuela seems to adore her best, and she lives this life of golden promise. And of course Mirabel HATES THIS, grimacing at Isa bragging about how Bruno, who always predicted the most dark, frustrating things to everyone around him... told her that her powers will only grow and she'll get all her dreams.
-So of course Isa comes off as a "Mean Girl" frequently- when Mirabel acts clutzy or just gets in the way, it's Abuela who's concerned or disappointed, but it's ISA who responds with disgust and eye-rolls. "Hey sis..." she warns during one song, "I want not a SOUND out of you..." to ruin her engagement celebration. She reacts with shock when she hears that Mariano wants SEVEN babies (her flowers bloom automatically as her eyes widen with shock at the implications), but wears a HUGE smile on her face when he proposes... oh, but then you go back and you realize her EYES tell a whole different story!
-And when Mirabel ruins everything, but finds out from Bruno that the way to fix their home is to "Hug my SISTER!!!", she kinda blows it off but agrees to do it. And Isa (who only now makes asymmetrical, ungainly, unpracticed faces because Mirabel annoying her is the only thing that can break her out of it) finally snaps when Mirabel's like "Oh hey now you can get married!", revealing "I never WANTED to marry him! I was doing it FOR THE FAMILY!". Mirabel is shocked by this moment of honesty, and Isa's shock at revealing this is exacerbated when she realizes she's created this weird little cactus. "I've just done something unexpected... something SHARP. Something new. It's not symmetrical or perfect, but it's BEAUTIFUL..." and then asks "What else can I DO?". Mirabel doesn't quite understand what's going on, but Isa drops the bomb that everything she does is for show. She feels incredibly pressured to be perfect, largely because of the same effect Abuela has on Mirabel and the others, and is torn between what she wants and what's best for the family. So when the equally-beautiful Mariano falls for her, she feels pressured to get engaged because obviously that's perfect. All her poses are LITERALLY practiced (via topiary statues she's made of herself), and all her flowers just have to be the prettiest and most wonderful. But this bores the hell out of her and Mirabel has made her realize what else she's capable of. She creates a mess of flowers, a "hurricane of hacarandas- hanging figs; strangling vines!" and even changes her look for a punkier, multi-colored one that suits her real personality.
-And here's kind of the interesting thing- Mirabel & Isabela were the only members of the family with an OUTWARDLY antagonistic relationship (everyone else internalized it), which made them repairing their bond even a bit easier- Mirabel now feels empathy for Isa's situation, and Isa realizes that Mirabel is the one who can sort of bring this side out of her- her goofy, weird faces when arguing with Mirabel were REAL AND TRUE, frustrating as they are; the only times she's not faking it.
Isabela's Design:
-All this of course kind of comes off as ironic... because every doll of Isabela features her ORIGINAL look- the perfect, poised girl with the lavender dress. That's the version Disney seemed happiest with, and the one the toymakers went with- as the most "Disney Princess"-like of all the Encanto characters (hell, she creates giant masses of pretty flowers!) she was by far the most "Toyetic" person in the movie, and so we got a lot of Isa-related stuff, but only in her fake persona. Also funny is my friend's daughters are HUGE Isa fans, preferring that original look (though they noted that her doll had darker skin than she did in the movie).
-It's a great design, though- myself and others noted that despite her beauty, there was a lot "different" about her- she has darker skin than anyone in the Disney Princess lineup (even Tiana!), and that very prominent nose-bridge, as well as these enormous, super-thick eyebrows. It's very "non-standard" to Disney's typical look (especially the nose- most Disney Princesses barely have noses at all!). And the punky design only shows up for like five minutes and then she's a backgrounder again, so no WONDER that nice lavender flower dress is the one shown most often.
Isa's Powers:
-Isabela's powers are probably the most grandiose and powerful in all of Encanto, as she can literally grow and alter any flower at will, over a wide range. She covers their entire town in a variety of wildflowers on more than one occasion, uses them to swing and climb, and more. They're so precise that she can have a flower-backdrop change color rapidly to match her movements with a "Giant Isabela" dancing behind her. She's effectively the Elsa of Plant Control. Modified into a superhero, she could have the whole shebang- Growth, Snare, Swinging, Move Object, Blast (poor Mariano's nose!), and more.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Oct 06, 2022 3:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Isabela Madrigal
<takes notes>Jabroniville wrote: ↑Thu Oct 06, 2022 2:52 am -Isabela's powers are probably the most grandiose and powerful in all of Encanto, as she can literally grow and alter any flower at will, over a wide range. She covers their entire town in a variety of wildflowers on more than one occasion, uses them to swing and climb, and more. They're so precise that she can have a flower-backdrop change color rapidly to match her movements with a "Giant Isabela" dancing behind her. She's effectively the Elsa of Plant Control. Modified into a superhero, she could have the whole shebang- Growth, Snare, Swinging, Move Object, Blast (poor Mariano's nose!), and more.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Dungeons & Dragons! Encanto- Mirabel & Luisa!)
Isabela’s song, and the best showcase of her powers: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bBeZSuHI4Qc
Luisa’s “Surface Pressure”: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tQwVKr8rCYw
Luisa’s “Surface Pressure”: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tQwVKr8rCYw
Re: Jab’s Builds! (Dungeons & Dragons! Encanto- Mirabel & Luisa!)
What I’ve heard about MYSTARA interests me, though one must admit to being more inclined towards RAVENLOFT - I find something especially fascinating in a whole setting built around Mystery Plays (“Mystery” in the very old Medieval sense of SPIRITUAL mysteries and in the more modern, possibly-forensic sense), though the strong element of Classic Horror doesn’t hurt.What was cool was that this took place in the 'Basic' D&D world of Mystara, which is honestly one of my favorite D&D settings. Instead of gods, Mystara had Immortals that were aligned with one of five Spheres of Power (Energy, Entropy, Matter, Time, and Thought), and you had cool things like a floating island with a society where magical power denoted your rank in the society and was ruled by a royal family of mages. The whole setting was a lot of fun, and I honestly wish it got more of a focus these days, where everything seems centered on Forgotten Realms.
I’m also continually surprised they, in these days when GAMES OF THRONES/HOUSE OF THE DRAGON and their literary originals are doing Big Business - that BIRTHRIGHT hasn’t been overhauled to pull in some of the same customers.
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Julieta
JULIETA
Played By: Angie Cepeda
Role: The Mom, Surprisingly-Hot Grey-Haired MILF
-Julieta is another minor character- her power is "to Heal you with a meal", which is basically the most Mom-Like power of all time. She's the mother of Mirabel, Isa & Luisa, giving them all the "Madrigal Nose". I thought she had a very nice design- pretty, but very maternal and not sexed-up or anything. Her curly, greying hair gave her some age and gravitas. She and her husband Augustin (an accident-prone, well-meaning tall guy) were protective of Mirabel, and confess to Abuela that she was way too hard on Mirabel all the time, but this is one of the only challenges the old woman gets.
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Pepa
PEPA
Played By: Carolina Gaitán
Role: The Mercurial One
-Mirabel's aunt Pepa is mostly a background character in Encanto, with the running gag that the weather is affected by her emotions- angry creates a thunderstorm and such. This is mostly for jokes, as she isn't delved into as a character (supporting materials indicate she was developed from an invincible, thrill-seeking aunt character). She gets some funny moments in We Don't Talk About Bruno, as she scolds her husband for bringing up Bruno's powers, then complains about how on her wedding day, he said "It looks like rain", and "In doing so he floods my brain... married in a hurricane" as a disaster unfolds once she starts worrying about it. This is kind of emblematic of how Bruno's powers worked. Oddly, we never get to see Pepa's response to her mother's pressure, especially as her power is one of the more negative and potentially dangerous ones, and never seems to be in control.
-Pepa and Félix (a cartoonish, short black man that results in biracial Latino children- a deliberate attempt to diversify the cast a bit) have a fun relationship some fans adored- though it's mostly him being a "Wife Guy"- someone who lives for his beloved wife and tries to keep her happy. Which seems like a never-ending career, as her constant mood shifts require a herculean effort to reverse.
Re: Jab’s Builds! (Dungeons & Dragons! Encanto- Mirabel & Luisa!)
Pepa was another interesting case study though. Because her powers were tied to her emotions, she had to constantly control them which led to serious repression of her emotional state which is precisely what Bruno predicted would happen. his timing was just bad though as a wedding a stressful time for any bride so combine lots of built-up emotions needing release pressure from abuela and the stress of a wedding, Brunos prophecy comes at a perfect storm moment, and she rains out her own wedding just as he predicted
Dr. Silverback has wryly observed that this is like trying to teach lolcats about Shakespeare
Showdown at the Litterbox
Catsi stories
Showdown at the Litterbox
Catsi stories
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Dolores
Art by Lurrkingly, Jackzyl & Mantisverde.
DOLORES
Played By: Adassa
Role: The Listener
-Dolores has SUCH a freakin' cute design. With very curly hair, HUGE Disney Eyes, black features and a long crane neck, everything about her is adorbz. Especially her little shimmy when Mirabel goes "Cousin Dolores can hear this whole chorus from a mile away!". Dolores has a very weird power, and I'm not sure how they came up with it- Super-Hearing. This begs the question as to the ethics of the situation, as the family very clearly uses it to spy on Mariano and his intentions to propose to Isabela, though it's likely the town just accepts there are no secrets when it comes to her. Even when she doesn't want to hear one- she's blasted with the secret of Bruno's prediction about Mirabel inadvertently (visualized hilariously by an opening door slowly moving to reveal her).
-This actually creates an interesting notion in the movie- if she can hear everything, they she can DEFINITELY hear what's going on with Bruno, right? That he's living in the walls? She admits in We Don't Talk About Bruno "I can always hear 'im always muttering and mumbling" (and if you look closely, you can see a dark shadow version of him dancing in the top right during her verse). Unless Casita is deliberately muffling the sound, but this is a place where she can hear Luisa's eye twitching in her own bedroom. This also brings to mind having super-hearing in the same house where your parents (who are VERY into each other) live. Some things are better left un-thought.
-Dolores actually gets a mini character arc, though it's barely there- she mourns that Bruno told her "My true love would be just out of reach, betrothed to another..." which makes it clear that she loves Mariano. When Isa finally admits to herself what she wants and rejects the idea, Isabela just boldly tells him "Would you notice me?". He naturally immediately proposes because he's a wonderful dumb himbo, but she settles him down and ends up happy by the end of it.
Re: Jab’s Builds! (Dungeons & Dragons! Mirabel! Luisa! Isabela!)
in Dolores case about Bruno i felt she knew about him easily her powers would assure that, but it was a case of We dont talk about Bruno that kept her quiet. The implied black sheep of the family was to be kept at arms distance and she basically just went along with it for the family's sake.
Dr. Silverback has wryly observed that this is like trying to teach lolcats about Shakespeare
Showdown at the Litterbox
Catsi stories
Showdown at the Litterbox
Catsi stories
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Antonio
ANTONIO
Played By: Ravi-Cabot Conyers
Role: The Kid
-Antonio debuts more or less to be a younger child, and to act as proof that Mirabel really IS the only Madrigal without powers- he gains his gift after she is rejected. This also proves that Mirabel isn't the cause of magic fading. He appears worried that he, too, will be giftless and she has to talk him down- this is a good establishing moment to show her communicative skills and kind nature, as well as one showing just how the "Gift Ceremony" goes... and to put a fine point on how much Mirabel wishes she could have had one, as she's now all alone. Antonio luckily gains the power to speak to animals, who flood Casita and come with him to his room, which establishes how THAT works- one gets their own magical door (Mirabel is thus stuck in the nursery) which opens up into a much larger space "inside"- his becomes this child's paradise of a massive treehouse with animal companions. He actually got his own picture book when then movie came out, which is kind of funny because he completely vanishes from the narrative after his gift is revealed, and he never matters again.
-Antonio has Animal Communication powers and seemingly instantly befriends them.
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Camilo
CAMILO
Played By: Rhenzy Feliz
Role: The Prankster
-Cousin Camilo ends up being the odd man out- the ignored character who has the fewest lines in the household. Nearly everyone else gets a character arc or a moment with Mirabel- Camilo gets NONE of that, and is merely established as a helpful shapeshifter, able to mimic the shapes of others. He does this to tease his cousins (mimicking Isabela's would-be fiancee to bug her), but also to help out around the town, mimicking a tired mother to let her get some rest while he calms her baby, or mimicking a tall man to help place decorations on a high level.
-Camilo at least gets a very iconic part in We Don't Talk About Bruno, as Pepa, Isa & Dolores all give these long descriptions of how his predictions for them have gone down... and then Camilo blows the roof off with "SEVEN FOOT FRAME- rats along his back! When he calls your name- it all fades to black!". He went Full Broadway on that one, and his actor went all out. The character was kind of "adopted" by the weird portion of animation fans who are adult women who have a perhaps inappropriate attention to underage male characters (note: lotsa male fans ain't better, lol), as he has that "Skinny frame/childlike eyes" like Mateo from Elena of Avalor and Varian from Tangled: The Series did. There's a lot of stuff going to him possibly being gay. Which none of his seven lines in the movie indicate, but that's fandom for ya.
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Bruno
BRUNO
Played By: John Leguizamo
Role: Future-Teller, The Outcast
-Naturally one of the biggest stories in in Encanto is that of Bruno- the shrimpy, big-nosed younger brother of the Madrigal Triplets, who has the power of Precognition. Unmarried and alone, he abandoned the family and disappeared years ago- Mirabel doesn't remember him and Camilo only barely does (imagining him as a seven-foot terrifying monster of a man). When all the villagers and family members sing about his annoying, dark predictions coming true, you see why- he predicts that Mirabel might be the reason the family is broken, and hides the revelation and vanishes in order to protect her. And with the pressure Abuela puts on the rest of the family, it becomes clear he feels that he's only hurting them by hanging around, too. But Mirabel finally discovers him living in the very walls of Casita, hanging out with his rats- he even paints his own "dish" near the family kitchen so he can pretend he's still with them. Mirabel ultimately figures it all out, and corrects Abuela's insistence that he abandoned them- "Bruno LOVES this family!".
-Bruno helps Mirabel realize what must be done- she needs to reconnect with a broken bond (that with her sister). Unfortunately, Abuela ruins it when she freaks out over the change in Isa. Ultimately, however, there is a reunion, especially with the sisters hugging their much shorter brother.
-Bruno's Future Sight power was handled in a really cool way- his eyes glow with an intimidating green as he fashions a green plate that shows what's going to happen. However, the Mirabel plate is strange- if held a certain way, it shows a cracked Casita- another way, it's fine. So Mirabel is the secret to the success or destruction of the family, and it's unclear just how, meaning her actions are incredibly important.
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Abuela
ABUELA (Alma Madrigal)
Played By: María Cecilia Botero (speaking), Olga Merediz (singing)
Role: The Family Matriarch
-Most of Encanto revolves around Mirabel and the family's always-present grandmother. I would learn after the movie came out that "Abuelas" are like KING SHIT in Latino families (this is common in many cultures, of course), and they tend to have the most say as a result- "Let's be clear/Abuela runs this show!" is even given in the lyrics so you REALLY get it. In the movie, Abuela is seen as a very friendly, outgoing lady- in the opening number, she proclaims that her family will always "Help those around us" and she shows love to her family, and only a bit of "What are you DOING?" to Mirabel. But it rapidly becomes clear that she doesn't approve of her youngest granddaughter- when young Antonio calls out for her to walk him to his door, Abuela is seen frowning to herself- she associates Mirabel with worry and fear. She is relieved when Antonio gets his gift, but the celebration hurts Mirabel, who is left out. Mirabel even gets a happy imagination spot with a smiling Abuela, contrasting the actual image of her grandmother, which is of a serious, stern, unsmiling woman.
-Mirabel's parents stick up for her ("You're always really hard on her!" her father proclaims), but we learn that this isn't the only negative effect she's had on the home- Luisa is cracking under the pressure to be the strong one, and Isabela is entering into a loveless marriage just so the family will be happy. Bruno exiled himself from the family in part because people didn't appreciate his gift (and it's not hard to see why Abuela would disapprove of him, given how she treats Mirabel). We even get a shot of Abuela walking by the grandchildren and Bruno, all of whom look nervous and try to stand up straight and true for her.
-And like I said, the movie cleverly played us- Abuela's story of losing her husband is played in a very emotionless "oh no..." kind of way so we buy her as more antagonistic at first... it's only LATER that we get the full impact of the scene; a bawling woman crying out for her husband as he's cut down before her eyes, and a blank face as she stares at the three children she now has to raise alone in this big house. THAT brings us back to seeing it from Abuela's perspective- her loneliness with her grief, and her fear of losing the protection of the magic candle that empowers the family becomes a lot more understandable. This notably doesn't FORGIVE her, and Abuela has to realize her own wrongdoing and the toxicity she brought to the family, but it's something. And apparently this is REALLY COMMON in families of people who've experienced horrible trauma (this is very common in Colombia, where the movie is set- it really inspired the whole thing)- the grandparents internalize it and act increasingly demanding and righteous in the household, indirectly harming the psyches of their children and grandchildren in the name of protecting them. The finale of Encanto is the home being fixed because this damage has been mended, as Mirabel and Abuela see each other as whole people and realize their own (mostly Abuela's) mistakes.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Encanto- Mirabel! Luisa! Isabela! Bruno!)
And that knocks down another Disney movie! This one couldn't really involve many actual builds (no characters do any fighting and the limited screentime of many makes even Skills or Mental Abilities hard to assess) but they're nonetheless fun characters to talk about- the movie proved popular enough Disney's considering adding a "Latin American Places" part to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, and people are angling for a TV show or sequel, so we'll see what becomes of the Madrigals.
Next up... a series of legendarily-bad 3D Fighting Games I nonetheless built like TEN FREAKIN' MONTHS AGO and figured I really had to post now before I end up putting them off for an entire year, lol. This likely won't last TOO long, and I'll post them at a pretty solid clip, but what with a 2-week vacation, me stalling out on building a bit, then an additional short vacation coming up, I need to build up some space and need to post these.
It's a "Trilogy of Terror" for Kronos Digital Entertainment, as they produced a trio of really weird 3D fighters- Criticom, its sequel Dark Rift, and the medieval-themed Cardinal Syn!
Next up... a series of legendarily-bad 3D Fighting Games I nonetheless built like TEN FREAKIN' MONTHS AGO and figured I really had to post now before I end up putting them off for an entire year, lol. This likely won't last TOO long, and I'll post them at a pretty solid clip, but what with a 2-week vacation, me stalling out on building a bit, then an additional short vacation coming up, I need to build up some space and need to post these.
It's a "Trilogy of Terror" for Kronos Digital Entertainment, as they produced a trio of really weird 3D fighters- Criticom, its sequel Dark Rift, and the medieval-themed Cardinal Syn!