Okay. I'll admit that when I first saw the pictures for the film, I was not so sure about it. I was already invested in Once Upon A Time, Ever After High, and following the University Ever After web series. All are good by the way.
Descendants has a few similarities to Ever After High. But fairytales have been around for generations.
Mal is Malificent's daughter, and the narrator of the story. She has a big name to live up to, and she's constantly putting pressure on herself to live up to her mother's name. She starts out living under her mother's shadow, along with Evie, the Evil Queen's daughter, Carlos, Cruella DeVil's son and Jay, Jafar's son. As the villians pressure their kids to be like them, the kids show off their own hobbies, but none of them are thrilled when they have to live among the goody goodies of the world.
Ben, Beauty and the Beast's son invites the kids to have a second chance, and to write their own stories. But the kids see this as an opportunity to make their parents proud.
Malificent is, of course, the mastermind and her plan is for the kids to steal the magic and break the barrier between the island and the kingdoms.
Mal takes it upon herself to be the leader of the operation, and they get the welcome to the school that they expect. No one wants to be with the Villians' offspring.
The only person who treats them like people at first is Ben. He really believes that they will try their best to be good students and decide what they want to do in their own lives, without the bad influence of their parents. As time passes, Mal is torn between knowing good from bad, and the call of her heart versus the call of her head.
This movie was several things:
1. Disney having fun with Disney- It had a similar atmosphere as Enchanted, with a High School twist.
2. A character study- what are Mal and company really like? Who will they choose to be?
3. A commentary on the power of choosing who you are.
4. A fun musical: If Only and Did I Mention are my favorites :)
If Only (Spoilers)
Did I mention (Spoilers)
I enjoyed this movie. Especially for what it was, and I hope that I can help write the sequel. It would be fun to explore what happens next, as the second generation decides who they want to be.
I give it five out of five chocolate chip cookies. :)
It's been a while since I've written a theory, but this trailer convinced me.
SPOILERS AHEAD! FOR ALL SEASONS OF ONCE UPON A TIME
First off, this video does a great job pin-pointing all the major dark moments in Emma's life. From her doubt in herself to her loses and the rejection of her power.
Once Upon A Time has been Emma's story from the first episode, and each trial brings her closer to the light. She has yet to deal with darkness.
Due to her circumstances, Emma has felt abandoned for most of her childhood, and it caused her to grow tough and guarded as an adult. As she walks the path of a hero, Emma learns that accepting her life and role as it is will only happen when she stops doubting herself. This is her first step down her own path of becoming a hero. The second step was to accept her past, and she used that knowledge to save her son from the darkness. The third step is learning what she can do. She must embrace her magic and accept it as a part of who she is. It took a long time for her to do this, and she still struggles with accepting herself as a hero, a mother and a magic user at times.
But this season will be her most difficult challenge of all: embracing her dark side. As she did sacrifice herself to the darkness, becoming the hero that she knew she could be, she still had issues with accepting her heart. This childlike part of Emma is always pushed away, and now, with darkness to tempt it, we will see this side of her character.
This is our first look at Emma, and already she seems a little childish, playing a cruel game of hide and seek. Her expression reminded me of Peter Pan when he is testing Hook. She acts on impulse as well, and before he can blink, the guard is dead. This is a scary moment to witness, because despite her act, Emma instantly regrets what she has done. You see it in her expression, as she stands there, staring at him.
There's another interesting detail in this scene: the diamonds.
Something to keep in mind here is that Emma did not become the Dark One to be evil. She did it to save Storybrooke, and the darkness seeped into her soul.
Each dark one has an element that is related to the soul tied to the darkness. For Rumple, it was gold. For Emma, it looks like it will be diamonds.
Diamonds are symbolic for healing, shining from within and they reflect light.
The word diamond relates to the word adamas, which means unbreakable or unalterable in Greek.
So the diamond is a specific symbol for Emma, in the fact that it disperses light.
Emma was made of light and love, and her soul is still in there, probably constantly battling the darkness. She is still aware of her actions, as we see in this clip, but she is surrounded by so much darkness, darkness that has been growing for centuries, that she is unsure how to stop herself.
It's already been confirmed by the writers that Emma will slowly turn dark, so this clip may be way later in the series, when it is more difficult for her to resist out of pure exhaustion.
I beleive that the child side of Emma, feeling abadoned and lost will become the shadow side that the darkness will attach to, but the diamonds are Emma's own strength, light within the darkness.
I hope this series reveals the reason Merlin believed that the only way to contain this horrible evil thing was to tether it to a human soul, because it seems to have a conscious of its own.
Because Emma is more light than dark, the darkness will eat at the light for a long time, but I think Dark Swan will be a projection of Emma's childhood self, the self she pushed away for a long time.
In Once Upon A Time true love does conquer all, but I'm not sure they will do a true love's kiss for this one. It didn't seem like that would work for Rumple, and it probably won't work for Emma.
It will probably be exactly what Emma said to her parents and to Killian that will at least reach out to her. They will have to find the light in the darkness to save Emma.
And now for Regina's role as saviour. This is an interesting story arc. We've seen Regina be a hero, but I imagine she still has demons to fight from her dark past. She may be Emma's only hope because she has been part of the darkness, and it nearly consumed her. (And she's not lying on the ground unconcious like Rumple)
I think the big moment in season 5, and the theme they have been going for since season 3 really, is the acceptance and love of the self. To love yourself as who you are. To accept your faults and weaknesses.
This was a similar motiff for Riku's story in Kingdom Hearts, and Lightning's story in Lightning Returns. Emma will probably have to accept her shadow side, and her parents, son and pirate will probably help her with that. It is the most difficult battle for any character to face, and it may be balanced through Regina's new role.
While Emma embraces the dark, Regina must embrace the light.
This is just a theory, but it comes from being a writer, a reader and an observer of characters.
The shadow is the scariest and most challenging villian for a character according to Carl S Jung. There are only two ways that stories have invented to defeat it: accepting it or banishing it.
This darkness was already banished by Merlin, so my theory is it will only be defeated once it is accepted.
That said, I'm both thrilled and wary of this season. It looks pretty dark.
An interesting twist would be Merlin needing to embrace his dark side, or his dark magic. I hope Morgana is involved because she is known to be his worst nemesis. Who knows, maybe she taught Maleficent how to be dark.
It will be interesting to see how they portray Emma's dark side, and how the characters will react.
From Avatar the Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.
Iroh's wisdom comes from experience, and so many of his words inspire me to live as the best person I can be.
His story is a long and complicated one. He lost his son to the war, and though he was a Great War general, he was not able to take Ba Sing Se. He becomes caretaker to his bitter nephew Zuko and does his best to guide Zuko on a happier path.
Iroh is not only the wise and mellow old man, but he is also a great and open minded warrior who has learned from all the cultures that he has met in his life.
He not only advices Zuko, but throughout the series he is mentor to Toph, Aang and Korra, guiding them when they need it most.
Not only do I wnat to write a character like Uncle Iroh, but I also want to echo his wisdom in the way I live my life. His quotes have inspired me to look for light when I am in darkness, and to remember that everyone has their own battle, and we should do our best to help them on their journey.
It happens. You're writing a story and then the character goes out of control. You lose track of where they are in the story. They no longer want to walk the path you intended fof them. Sometimes this can be a blessing in disguise, but other times, it becomes a writer's block.
I've been having trouble with this lately, so I decided to find some tips to get me back on track.
Here's what I've found:
1. Observe your favorite characters from other stories.
Chances are that their goals, wishes and characteristics speak to you in some way. Are they complex? What do you like about them. Is there a story you see behind the scenes? Sometimes reading or watching a favorite story can help you continue writing your story.
2. Write from that character's point of view.
If you're writing in any other point of view than the character's, it's difficult to see things as they see them. What do they want? Who are they? Do they have goals? Sometimes tapping into a character's head can help you understand why they have gone of course in your story.
3. Interview your character/ Make a character profile
It may seem silly, but what's their favorite color? What's their deepest fear? What do they want?Some of these questions may bring the answer you need to move forward with your story. It may not seem important to you as the writer, but the details of a character matter to them and help them stand out from any other character in your story.
4. Make a collage/playlist for your character
This is a great way to discover your character's emotions. What would inspire your character? What would they be interested in? Find out what makes your character special or important. Why should the audience care about them?
5. Reread what your character has done or said
Do they say what they mean? Does their dialogue reflect who they are? Do their actions portray the type of person they want to be? What makes them human? Relatable? Empathetic? Do they change from chapter one to chapter 20? Are they consistant and "in character"?
6. Put yourself in the character's shoes
What would you do in their situation? Would they act the same way or different? Pretend you are the character and the story is actually happening to you. Wohat goes through your head? Your heart? Would you accept the role your character has? Would you choose a different role? Why?
Hopefully these tips will help anyone who (like me) is stuck with character problems. The important thing is to never give up on your character, sometimes they know the story more than you do.
When I first saw the trailer for Frozen, I was very confused. It showed a snow man and a reindeer, and didn't explain anything. At the time I knew that rumors of a Snow Queen based Disney movie were going around, so I knew that this trailer was advertising that movie. The trailer was misleading.
Finally they released a trailer about the story, and I was intrigued. The story was epic and the characters were charming. So I began to count down the days.
First: the music is amazing! The first song gave me chills, and the lyrics brought back the Disney magic of the 90s Renaissance movies.
Second: the art is gorgeous. It's almost like a painting in some scenes. It reflected the beauty of Norway, from what I've seen of it at Epcot and in pictures.
Third: the story is phenomenal. Its complexity adds to its charm. The serious and lighthearted scenes complement each other, and the story is refreshing and original.
I recommend this movie to everyone. It has a great story and a playful spirit.
In my Mythology class a few years ago, my College Professor explained that you can learn a lot about a person by their disguises. Halloween itself is an archetypal holiday where people dress up as someone they admire, fear or want to be like. This lecture stuck with me as I learned about theatre, writing and the choices I've made for my costumes. Every character I have dressed up as is someone I admire or aspire to be.
When I was ten, I wanted to be just like Sailor Moon. She was brave, powerful, kind and beautiful. I dressed as her for Halloween because I admired her courage, kindness and her ability to overcome any obstacle thrown at her. Sailor Moon was my favorite character because I wanted to be just like her.
Belle has always been my favorite Disney Princess, and when I read the original fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast, I admired many elements of Beauty or Belle's character. Belle is kind, true to herself and very smart. Her love of stories is something I relate to. Belle is also brave, and made the decision to stay at Beast's castle on her own to protect her father. I can't even count how many times I've dressed as Belle for Halloween. She's been a role model of mine for a long time.
Yuna is my favorite Final Fantasy heroine, because she taught me how to find my own path, despite what I believed people expected of me. Yuna is a character that represents hope, courage and wisdom. Her difficult path made her stronger, wiser and insightful. As Yuna learns how to overcome obstacles, she discovers who she wants to be. I look up to Yuna's ability to face adversity and create her own path.
Serah was only in Final Fantasy XIII for a short time, but I was able to relate to her. Not only did we share the same name, but we have similar fears. Serah was afraid of becoming a burden, and even though she couldn't change the past, she guided her sister and the lcie to change their fate. In FFXIII 2 Serah is a main character with a difficult quest ahead of her. She makes the decision to do something instead of sit and wait for things to come to her. Serah doesn't let fate control her, she creates her own. This is why I dressed as Serah for a convention.
Alice has quite the story in the Tim Burton film. During the time when the movie came out, I was facing a big decision about facing fears, living my own life and not focusing on the expectations of people my age. I remember watching the film, and feeling exactly like Alice the entire time. All I wanted to do was run away. I didn't want to solve my problem. I wanted to run from it, as far as I could. But by the end of the film, I realized, just like Alice, that the only person who could solve my problem was myself. If I never faced that fear, I would never grow and change into the person I wanted to be. I dressed like Alice because I admire her bravery, and I believe that one day I will slay my own jabberwocky.
Lizzie Bennet is my current role model. She's smart, creative and cares for her family. Lizzie is even my age, or turns my age at the end of the show. Lizzie's character is a beacon of hope for my generation. She lives at home, and has a hard time deciding what she wants to do in the future, but she never gives up, and stays true to herself. She knows that she's not perfect, but she accepts her flaws and learns what she wants to do in her life. As a modern day Lizzy Bennet, Lizzie's character is a wonderful role model for the twenty something generation fresh out of college. I hope to be as creative, clever and true to myself as Lizzie is.
Every Halloween, I dress up like a character who inspires me, or who I aspire to be. A few other characters I remember, but couldn't find pictures for are : Megara from Hercules, Queen Amidala from Star Wars, and Mulan.
What about you? On Halloween do you dress up as a character who inspires you, frightens you or who you aspire to be?
Kyo Sohma. There's no contest. Of all the Sohmas, his curse is the most difficult to overcome, and as an outcast, even in his own family, he is basically alone for most of his life. Filled with unnessacary guilt, depression and anger, Kyo lives his life in a constant cloud of darkness. Once Kazuma takes him in, Kyo learns that he can trust some people, but he begins to blame everything horrible about his life and situation on Yuki, and becomes determined to best him at everything. Once Tohru enters his life, things change. He learns how to be nice to people, by learning to appreciate Tohru and take care of her in a way he doesn't even notice consiously. His care for Tohru motivates him to become more positive about his life and situation. He begins to appreciate each day that the curse doesn't loom over his head. But once Kazuma decides to reveal the truth to Tohru, Kyo becomes terrified of something he never thought he would, losing someone. With his true form revealed, he runs, remembering all the bad memories of rejection from his family, one by one. Tohru goes after him, which makes him realize that he can be accepted and makes him understand that his life is something he can change by changing his attitude. From that point Kyo vows to appreciate what he has, every precious moment that he isn't locked away and ignored, he grows to love Tohru and does what he can to be there for her and treat her with the same kindness, understanding and support. From his awkward ways of apologizing to his honest statements of worry, Kyo sees behind Tohru's masks and accepts her faults in a way no other Sohma is able to do. Instead of seeing Tohru as a saint, mother or naive victim, Kyo sees her as a person, and in that, he eventually sees himself as a person who deserves happiness, kindness and love.
Although it's easy to feel sorry for Kyo, especially in the beginning of the series, it easy to love him for the amazing challenges he overcame, all the positive characeristics he learned, and the way he learned to accept and love himself. Watching Kyo grow, from an angry, depressed and lonely person into someone with goals, dreams and ambition really made the story of Fruits Basket for me. Because his story was the darkest and most difficult, his triumph was the most impressive. He develops a strength that none of the other Sohmas could even imagine, and he accepts himself long before any of the other Sohmas can.
Kyo Sohma is my favorite because we see all sides of him, his faults, past mistakes, his habits and his perspective. He is never fake and his confidence, even when he blamed everything on Yuki was admirible and powerful. In a sentence, Kyo isn't perfect, but that is why I love him.
Do you create purpose, or does purpose create you?
Many stories explain that adversity is an important element to becoming great. Many people choose their dreams and goals based on adversity, but does that adversity give them purpose? We choose things, we make decisions and we strive towards goals. But is it a goal without a purpose? Even the most basic things that you chose, do they create or add meaning to your life?
So what is purpose really? Is is meaning? Is it motivation? Is it just one of those things you don't look for because it inevitably finds you? Or is purpose something you create to define yourself, or define your dream?
Do you choose your purpose, or does your purpose choose you?
I never liked Lydia in the novel. She was so selfish and constantly cried for attention. She runs off with George Wickham, then brags about being married to him, leaving her family to patch up the situation. She never really bonds with her sisters, too busy bragging about herself to care about the difficult situation she put them in. Every interpretation of her is negative, so I was pleasantly surprised to find positive aspects in the Lydia of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Yes, this Lydia cries for attention, but we see her concern for her sister. When Lizzie is sad, Lydia tries to cheer her up by being goofy and obnoxious. Instead of running away with George Wickham, Lydia learns from her mistake and decides to be more open and honest with Lizzie. This is a good transformation, because it makes this Lydia more misunderstood than selfish. Her cry for attention is really a struggle to find who she is and what she is capable of. So I think Lydia is inbetween adorable and annoying. The annoying stuff is an act so she can feel in control of her life while the adorable part is her real character shinning through the mask. This was never explored in the original novel, but that could have been the motivation behind Lydia's actions.
This one is a tie. Of course I love Darcy and Lizzie because they're perfect for each other, but I also like Bing and Jane. Darcy and Lizzie are both similar in matters of pride and prejudice (not just a shout out to the novel.) Darcy's prejudice comes with his view of people, especially Lizzie's family. His pride comes from the social status that he believes in, and what he expects of himself. Lizzie is quick to judge and does so often without reflecting on her judgements. This is her prejudice. She judges people based on what she hears and witnesses. Her pride is her personality. She has a habit of wanting to stand out, and her opinions will be heard, regardless of their exaggeration or bias.
Jane and Bing are different. They have similar dispositions, and both of them are kind, caring and trusting of their family and close friends. There's something charming about two similar personalities, but they are not identical. Bing values his friend's opinion over his own feelings. Jane doesn't show her feelings right away, but she trusts them completely. Although status is an important part of the novel, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries makes the issue different. Jane becomes busy to get her mind off off Bing and she doesn't sit around waiting for him to return, she changes. So even though Jane and Bing are both kind and caring, they respond to situations very differently.
That's why my favorite ship is tied. Darcy and Lizzie are a conflicting couple. Jane and Bing are a sweet couple. Both of these relationships reflect the personalities of the characters very nicely, and help them grow and learn.
Of course, knowing the story and reading the novel long before the show, Wickham was always my least favorite character. He messed around, lied about his life and took advantage of women, especially Lydia, as silly as she is. But this George Wickham is the lowest of the low, because he used Lydia and tried to make money off of their relationship.And lets be honest loyal viewers, he loved the spotlight of the camera a little too much.
Prompt: The book you want to write. What's going to be in it?
An epic journey.
A world with it's own mythology and religion.
A growing up tale where the characters learn and change.
A challenge between the head and heart.
Magic.
Adventure.
Philosophy.
Beauty.
Mystery.
Many important characters like Gods and Goddesses.
Two evil villians.
A lake that reflects the stars.
A desert made of moon sand.
The ultimate test of light and dark.
A history of an ongoing custom.
Forbidden uses of magic and power.
A ruby palace.
An ice wasteland.
A sapphire forest.
Magical beings called starsouls.
A faelin.
A foi.
Lizzie Bennet.
Elizabeth has always been my favorite character in Pride and Prejudice because she is clever and caring. Her character is upgraded for the 21st century with Lizzie Bennet, a clever, creative and opinionated young woman. Her concern for her sisters and her friends is obvious when she performs her costume theater, but she also has a bias in the way she views people, and as the show goes on, she learns this.
Part of Lizzie's charm is that she has flaws. She judges people, and has an opinion for everything that she values and cherishes in life. She bosses Lydia around because she is concerned for her. She advises Jane on what to do because she cares for her. She gets angry at Charlotte because she misses her. And of course, she judges Darcy, because she doesn't know who he really is, and goes by what she has heard of him.
I think Lizzie is my favorite female character because I can easily relate to her. The way people view her and the way she views people.
Prompt: Has Final Fantasy made an impact on your life? If so, how? If not, what do you like about the whole series itself?
Yes.
Final Fantasy has a powerful formula for story telling. I would say that the game series, particularity Final Fantasy X has inspired me to create world and tell a story by coming up with my own mythology and honoring the hero's quest. The game series has impacted me by challenging my knowledge of mythology and learning the steps of a hero's journey.
The stories of the games are philosophical and connect with the human condition in a way that involves the creation of different worlds. The characters have human elements, and even the deities and villains show powerful symbolism that relates to epic folklore. The pattern of a Final Fantasy story is varied, but asks the same questions: What is true purpose? What makes someone a hero?
These questions are powerful keys in storytelling.
The other characteristic of a Final Fantasy game is world building. How was this world created? How does magic work in this world? What kind of civilization thrives here? Do they have a close or distant relationship with their deity? Is there more than one world? Does time play an important factor in this environment?
And of course: character building is a crucial part of a Final Fantasy story.
How strong is this character? How do they view themselves? How do they view others? How do they act/react? Do they have a goal? What motivates them? Who matters in their life? What choices do they have to make?
Final Fantasy impacted my life by helping me understand a complex and advanced story. By exploring new worlds and following many different characters, I have learned what stories I can tell. I know what worlds I want to create, and what makes my characters heroes or villains. Final Fantasy has taught me that stories can have many layers, and characters can change depending on their history and the changes they must cope with throughout their journey.
Final Fantasy has inspired me to tell great stories.
So many of you know that I have been watching The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and I'm fascinated with the writing behind the series.
This is no ordinary writing, with direct and immediate interaction with the audience. The characters participate in social media sites, and actual events take place in both the story and real world timeline. I wonder if this type of entertainment is the future of stories to come. I remember people talking about books going in this direction, much like the choose your own adventure titles that are still sold today. But this type of show is very different from a reality show where people vote, or a staged, planned and solid story that fans can ask questions of the writers or characters, but it is not part of the overall storyarc. In my scriptwriting class, we all turned in a short paragraph answering the same question, "What is the future of script writing?" At the time, many of us answered with more 3 D films and we actually argued about a type of film where the viewers were the characters, and the process would be similar to a role playing video game. But even after that argument, we all agreed that the world has always loved stories about characters. This new form of story, where the characters and audience actually interact, is a new idea that blends the world's love of characters and the viewers' desire to become part of the story.
I might take the challenge to come up with a story of my own in this format.
Having a modern day Pride and Prejudice is a great way to engage an audience in a story, and the future of scriptwriting may be projects as fascinating and clever as this one.
I've only seen her in Kingdom Hearts and the Final Fantasy Advent Children movie, but she wasn't as annoying as Rikku or Vanille. While she works with Leon in Kingdom Hearts, I enjoyed the contrast between her personality and his. She was bubbly and friendly while Leon was stand offish and awkward. She also had a few fun lines in the Advent Children movie that lightened the moment. Compared to Rikku and Vanille, Yuffie knew when to stop being annoying and she would actually be serious for a while.
He was never a warrior to begin with. He always wanted to be a sky pirate, and he was pretty obnoxious and immature. Balthier or Basch would have been a better knight for Cosmos's Army. Even though Balthier was a pirate, he still became a hero. Basch served in Princess Ashe's army, so he was always a warrior. While playing Duodecim, I found that Vann's storyline was very odd. Other than teasing Light every now and then, he didn't do much except fight Galbranth. He also seemed like a secondary character in Terra's storyline.
I'm currently watching the Korean Drama "Flower Boy Next Door" where a girl in her twenties named Go Dok Mi lives her life in her room and rarely ventures outside. Due to a traumatic past, she never speaks to people unless she has to, and stays in her room, watching her crush from the window as much as possible. With a job that doesn't involve meeting people (freelance editing) and a simple routine to keep away from strangers, you would think that Go Dok Mi would succeed in her goal of staying away from the world.
Then Enrique, her crush's younger brother catches her staring at the apartment and won't leave her alone. He is determined to make Go Dok Mi face her fears, and encourages her to live life the way it's supposed to be . . . with other people.
I find that I can relate to this story in more ways than one. I may not sit by myself and stay in my room all day, but I do avoid others as much as possible, and I observe instead of live. But as I watched this show, I thought of something. Characters have to act. If they don't, there literally is no story. Readers don't tend to enjoy people that ponder over things and never come to a decision. In the end, a decision has to be made, and the main character must leave the familiar and face the unknown.
So if Rapunzel never left the tower . . . there would be no story.
