Me Having Watched The Most Recent Episode:

I Am Not Your Asian American Doll: a comic for AAPI Heritage Month 2023

I usually spend a lot of time editing and fine-tuning my comics so that they come across as polite and inoffensive. But honestly, I’m really tired of the way Asian cultures and countries are treated / talked about while Asian people themselves are excluded, and thought it was about time I really let my rage out lol.

id in alt

i did it :D

i am hard at work on an owl house ghost au :>

When are we gonna talk about this specific scene in Dos Orugitas?

Abuela: "Ive never been able to come back here. This river...is where we were, given our miracle."

Mirabel: "Where...Abuelo Pedro....?:

This entire scene, Dos Orugitas, is so powerful all together, but the RIVER. The river is so important to the context of their family and the theme of generational trauma.

At this point we all know what Abuela's trauma is and how it affected everyone in the family, hence "generational trauma" part of the story.

Abuela Alma, while holding her 3 newborn babies, watched the love of her life be slaughtered right in front of her eyes in that river that night.

At the very beginning of the movie we can see that Abuelo Pedro was standing in the river when he was murdered.

Once again, like we have already seen, Abuela put her own feelings about her trauma aside, and puts on a brave face to comfort Mirabel. But like she says to Mirabel, she had never been able to come back to that river herself, she was only there for Mirabel.

Finding Mirabel sitting at the river, the same place her husband was brutally murdered, must have been very triggering and painful. She was staring at the very spot she watched her husband be murdered.

But here's what's interesting about how the scene continues.

While Dos Orugitas plays, the story of what happened to Abuelo Pedro is shown in detail (at least more detail then when Abuela tells the story at the beginning)

We see Mirabel observing the scene for herself, implying that Abuela is telling the story to Mirabel in great detail, and Mirabel is finally understanding the pain Abuela experienced in that very spot.

Abuela then apologizes saying, "I am so sorry. You never hurt our family Mirabel. We are broken, because of me"

Now, after understanding why Abuela acted the way she did towards everyone, seeing the pain she is still holding on to after all those years, Mirabel looks out and sees:

The scene from Bruno's vision.

At first she didn't know where that scene was, but it was when she looked out into the river that she saw what the vision was showing.

Now in Bruno's vision it was very unclear who Mirabel was meant to hug in order to save the miracle for a long time, and it ended up being Isabela. BUT, Bruno's vision had two different outcomes, one when Casita fell down, and one where Casita didn't. How I'm choosing to interpret this is that, in the outcome where Casita didn't fall Mirabel would have to hug Isabela, which is what the vision ended up choosing to display, but in the outcome where Casita did fall, Mirabel would have to hug someone else, which is why the vision was so confusing for Bruno.

Now Casita obviously fell, which means the only way the miracle would be saved is if Mirabel hugged someone else. And because of that scene in Bruno's vision, Mirabel realized:

It was Abuela she needed to help

This is exactly why I think its a bunch of bs when people claim that Abuela was "forgiven too easily"

Mirabel saw Abuela's silent suffering, she saw how much pain was still in her heart from what happened that night, and how much trauma Abuela experienced. She understood why Abuela acted the way she did, and instead of getting angry, Mirabel sees that she is meant to help Abuela, and in turn, help everyone else.

THIS!!! ^^^^^^^^^ THIS VERY SCENE RIGHT HERE!!! THIS IS SO INSANELY IMPORTANT!!!!

This river was the place where the most traumatic thing that ever happened to any of them occurred. The source of the family's generational trauma took place at this river. And Abuela herself admitted that ever since that night, she had never been able to go back.

Abuela had to cross the river too, to flee from the bandits (or whoever they are)

But after she saw Pedro be murdered, she never stepped foot in that river again.

BUT MIRABEL LED HER INTO THE RIVER, HOLDING HER HANDS, GUIDING HER BACK THROUGH THE RIVER LIKE PEDRO DID.

Mirabel understanding Abuela's trauma, and Abuela finally going back into the river after 50 years, you wanna know what this scene is symbolizing????

THEIR HEALING

THIS RIGHT HERE, IS THE START OF THEIR HEALING FROM THEIR TRAUMA, ESPECIALLY ABUELA

After 50 years, Abuela was not only able to go back to see the river, but go into the river. WITH THE HELP OF MIRABEL.

Together, they walk into the river, finally understanding one another, and they both decide together that their healing starts HERE. The rest of the family can't heal before Abuela can heal, and Mirabel UNDERSTANDS THIS. So what does she do????? SHE HELPS ABUELA HEAL.

This entire scene is so important in understanding the entire movie, but the DAMN RIVER IS WHAT STOOD OUT TO ME.

I didn't get why they had to walk into the river in order for this scene to continue, but then it HIT ME LIKE A BUS.

Casita being rebuilt symbolizes the family healing as a whole, but the river symbolizes Abuela's trauma. Therefore, walking into the river symbolizes addressing and HEALING from that trauma.

God this movie is so beautiful and powerful and important.

no bc spoiler alert for national treasure: edge of history newest ep

warning 2:

!!!

HOW LONG HAS HENDRICKS BEEN SALAZAR BECAUSE HONEST TO GOD ??? I USED TO THINK HE WAS JUST SPPOED TO BE LIKE THE "DUMB" GUY WHO DOESN'T BELIEVE LIKE ROSS DID RIGHT??? AND THEN IT TURNS OUT THAT HE'S SALAZAR AND IDK HOW TO FEEL AB IT LIKE DID HE JUST NOT ACT ON IT BECAUSE HE WAS DUMB OR WAS IT BECAUSE HE WANTED THE TREASURE FOR HIMSELF? IS HE A RECENT LEADER? i also thought he was a bit like holding on to that disbeliever part with not believing ross until IT WAS REVEALED THAT HE WAS SALAZAR and i am so in love with this series but i think they did that for shock value bc why would he become salazar? i hope we get his motivation.. and after seeing a few posts (since ik tumblr will almost always have that content i crave) i don't like hearing that the show is badly written since i like it so much but at the same time THIS PLOT TWIST SEEMS UNPLANNED??? unless they expand on it yk? i don't really ship ethan and jess i just love childhood friends to lovers, but i like liam and jess together better iykwim? oren and tasha >> though they're so sweet i <3 them sm I AM LITERALLY INSANE AB THESE PPL anyways SALAZAR REVEAL HAD ME GOING WILDDDD

National Treasure: Edge of History (2022-) / National Treasure (2004)

:D

does this mean his name is matthew tholomule..........

the mattholomule thing is really funny to me because i have a cousin named matthew who pretty much everyone refers to as "matt [last name]"

and i mentioned that to the friend i was watching the episode with and she said she ALSO knew a matt that went by "matt [last name]"

and then i remembered an older boy from marching band who people ALSO called "matt [last name]"

(though in both matts that i knew, they were semi common single-syllable surnames)

is this just a thing that guys named matt DO???

i made bruno elmo memes

— things i wish you’d never asked || jph (via hellboner)

have you ever been unable to sleep so you get up to get a snack and end up accidentally staying up til 5 to draw the madrigals? bc i have now

i struggled with luisa and abuela sm also julieta

anyways encanto is my comfort movie ehehe and hope y’all like the art :))

day fourteen(!!!): fav ship’s first kiss

nischa

like right before it bc i can’t draw ppl kissing

“can i kiss you?”

“uh… yeah”

they’re so awkward kms