Lisa Dawn's Blog: The Princess Blog, page 77
May 29, 2018
Beauty and the Beast in Concert: Social Media Recap
As you may or may not be aware, there was a pretty big screening of Disney's Beauty and the Beast at the Hollywood Bowl this past Friday and Saturday. I wasn't there, so I can't give you a direct account of the experience like I did with their Little Mermaid concert, but I can save you a few hours of searching through social media and YouTube videos by summarizing my own findings. If you're wondering why I didn't bother buying tickets this year, it was a combination having already experienced my favorite movie at the Hollywood Bowl and not wanting to see
One of my biggest priorities in experiencing the concert vicariously through other people was finding out what sorts of fun activities they offered fans at the event. Most of the articles I found only summarized the concert itself and told me things I already knew, like who performed which characters. For what I was looking for, I needed to turn to the magical land of Instagram under the hashtag #beautyandthebeatinconcert. I was pleased to learn that the event gave fans lots of terrific photo opportunities including three different scenes containing life-sized cardboard cutouts of Belle and one with Lumiere and the dancing dishes. That was far more impressive than The Little Mermaid concert I attended, which offered only one photo op with a cardboard Ariel, one with Ursula, and one sitting on a rock surrounded by fish from the end of the "Under the Sea" sequence. Here, fans had a chance to stand in the library alongside Belle reading a book, sit next to Belle on the fountain while she continued reading the book, or snap a photo in the ballroom alongside Belle and Beast in their signature outfits. I would have loved to be in one of those photo ops if I had the chance.
This concert did take advantage of the half-dome shape of the bowl a little more than the one I attended. Instead of projecting colors and lights onto the dome to enhance the movie, they had a team of artists animate extensions of the sets shown on the screen to surround the outer edge of the bowl and make the world of the film look even bigger. A lot of the promos for the event boasted that they had animated "90 minutes of new footage," but I think that's a bit of an exaggeration, as watching a YouTube playlist shot from a good angle reveals a lot of still background art in the projections. That said, it's still a neat little bonus. Another thing that was different in this concert than the one I saw is that the "bonus" songs just showed the performer on all three screens, whereas The Little Mermaid projected concept art from the making of the film during the additional songs from the Broadway play. Compare the screenshot below of the performance of the song "Evermore" from the Beauty and the Beast concert to a picture I took of the performance of "If Only" from The Little Mermaid concert. Personally, I prefer looking at concept art over domed background extensions, but I suppose it's a matter of preference.
As for the performances I watched on YouTube, everything was about as expected. Zooey's rendition of "Belle" was a bit odd. Not only could she not quite reach the high notes, but the audio seemed to keep switching back and forth between the spoken lines from the film and the singing from the performers. You can see what I mean below. On the other hand, Rebel Wilson looked like she stepped right out of the cartoon in full cosplay as Le Fou! It was a very lively performance. One of the biggest highlights of The Little Mermaid concent for me was the talented violinist who came out during the act break dressed as Ariel intricately playing the film's score. This show doubled the fun of that performance by having two violinists--one dressed as Belle and one dressed as Beast! It looks like it would have been a lot of fun to see in person.
Overall, I'm not super bummed about having missed out on this concert, but there are a few experiences I think I would have really enjoyed, such as the photo ops with the life sized-Belle cutouts. Most of the performances look just so-so. While the background projects are kind of cool, I don't think it would have been worth going out of my way for. It was a lot of fun looking at other people's pictures on Instagram, though. The fans seemed very excited for the show, and some even dressed up! I think I'll just stick with my wonderful experience from The Little Mermaid concert from a few yeares ago.
One of my biggest priorities in experiencing the concert vicariously through other people was finding out what sorts of fun activities they offered fans at the event. Most of the articles I found only summarized the concert itself and told me things I already knew, like who performed which characters. For what I was looking for, I needed to turn to the magical land of Instagram under the hashtag #beautyandthebeatinconcert. I was pleased to learn that the event gave fans lots of terrific photo opportunities including three different scenes containing life-sized cardboard cutouts of Belle and one with Lumiere and the dancing dishes. That was far more impressive than The Little Mermaid concert I attended, which offered only one photo op with a cardboard Ariel, one with Ursula, and one sitting on a rock surrounded by fish from the end of the "Under the Sea" sequence. Here, fans had a chance to stand in the library alongside Belle reading a book, sit next to Belle on the fountain while she continued reading the book, or snap a photo in the ballroom alongside Belle and Beast in their signature outfits. I would have loved to be in one of those photo ops if I had the chance.
This concert did take advantage of the half-dome shape of the bowl a little more than the one I attended. Instead of projecting colors and lights onto the dome to enhance the movie, they had a team of artists animate extensions of the sets shown on the screen to surround the outer edge of the bowl and make the world of the film look even bigger. A lot of the promos for the event boasted that they had animated "90 minutes of new footage," but I think that's a bit of an exaggeration, as watching a YouTube playlist shot from a good angle reveals a lot of still background art in the projections. That said, it's still a neat little bonus. Another thing that was different in this concert than the one I saw is that the "bonus" songs just showed the performer on all three screens, whereas The Little Mermaid projected concept art from the making of the film during the additional songs from the Broadway play. Compare the screenshot below of the performance of the song "Evermore" from the Beauty and the Beast concert to a picture I took of the performance of "If Only" from The Little Mermaid concert. Personally, I prefer looking at concept art over domed background extensions, but I suppose it's a matter of preference.
As for the performances I watched on YouTube, everything was about as expected. Zooey's rendition of "Belle" was a bit odd. Not only could she not quite reach the high notes, but the audio seemed to keep switching back and forth between the spoken lines from the film and the singing from the performers. You can see what I mean below. On the other hand, Rebel Wilson looked like she stepped right out of the cartoon in full cosplay as Le Fou! It was a very lively performance. One of the biggest highlights of The Little Mermaid concent for me was the talented violinist who came out during the act break dressed as Ariel intricately playing the film's score. This show doubled the fun of that performance by having two violinists--one dressed as Belle and one dressed as Beast! It looks like it would have been a lot of fun to see in person.
Overall, I'm not super bummed about having missed out on this concert, but there are a few experiences I think I would have really enjoyed, such as the photo ops with the life sized-Belle cutouts. Most of the performances look just so-so. While the background projects are kind of cool, I don't think it would have been worth going out of my way for. It was a lot of fun looking at other people's pictures on Instagram, though. The fans seemed very excited for the show, and some even dressed up! I think I'll just stick with my wonderful experience from The Little Mermaid concert from a few yeares ago.
May 28, 2018
Why Disenchantment Is Kind of a Big Deal
Over the weekend, there was a big announcement that the first season of
Even though very little has been revealed about the show thus far aside from four promo images, Bean is clearly the central character. With an elf and demon as her sidekicks, there appears to be no male lead announced to share the spotlight with her. For an adult comedy series, that's a huge revelation, and quite possibly a first for animation. Most princess parodies such as the Shrek franchise, Drawn Together, and Dave the Barbarian use the princess character as a secondary pawn for the more important characters to play off in a humorous way. Even Disney's Enchanted devoted a good deal of screen time to Robert, Giselle's love interest, despite Giselle being the main character. This is also an issue that has affected women in the animation industry for years. Sexist comments about how women can't be funny are exactly the sort of thing that female artists like Amy Mebberson and Rachel Bloom have been trying to refute with the Pocket Princesses comic and the groundbreaking Crazy Ex-Girlfriend musical comedy series, respectively.
Having an unapologetic female lead is also a first for a Matt Groening series in general. The Simpsons and Futurama both have huge ensemble casts, but Homer Simpson, Bart Simpson, and Fry were the characters that the audience was meant to relate to the most, despite Marge Simpson, Lisa Simpson, and Leela being far more intelligent and capable than their male counterparts. Leela from Futurama, in particular, is one of my all-time favorite cartoon characters due to her complex backstory, comedic timing, and fierce independence. If Matt can create as strong a heroine as Leila, I'm not too concerned about Princess Bean turning out to be a dud. The fact that she's a cynical alcoholic and not to be your everyday happy-go-lucky innocent damsel in distress also makes her more relatable to me as an older princess fan, even though I don't drink.
I also love that the show is strictly aimed at adults because it forces audiences to question the stigma that animated princesses are only meant for children. Disenchantment is described as "if The Simpsons fornicated with Game of Thrones." Though I absolutely can't stand Game of Thrones, I'm more comfortable with the idea of it being satirized in a Rick and Morty style parody setting. I also love all of the subtle fairy tale references that were released in the first batch of promo images, which further push the idea that fairy tales can be molded toward at adults just as easily as children. Take a look at these images of Bean in what appears to be Rapunzel's tower and Maleficent's deadly thorn woods.
Basically, Disenchantment is kind of a big deal. Considering the monumental impact that Matt Groening's shows have had on our culture in the past, Bean is all ready to show the world that fairy tale princesses can be funny, cynical, relatable and enjoyed by older audiences. I know that hype can be a dangerous thing. Some of my theories about episodes of other shows that I hadn't seen yet have been proven wrong in the past. I sincerely hope that I'm not wrong about this one. Everything about Disenchantment looks refreshing and groundbreaking. I'm eager to have a cynical older princess who I can relate to.
Even though very little has been revealed about the show thus far aside from four promo images, Bean is clearly the central character. With an elf and demon as her sidekicks, there appears to be no male lead announced to share the spotlight with her. For an adult comedy series, that's a huge revelation, and quite possibly a first for animation. Most princess parodies such as the Shrek franchise, Drawn Together, and Dave the Barbarian use the princess character as a secondary pawn for the more important characters to play off in a humorous way. Even Disney's Enchanted devoted a good deal of screen time to Robert, Giselle's love interest, despite Giselle being the main character. This is also an issue that has affected women in the animation industry for years. Sexist comments about how women can't be funny are exactly the sort of thing that female artists like Amy Mebberson and Rachel Bloom have been trying to refute with the Pocket Princesses comic and the groundbreaking Crazy Ex-Girlfriend musical comedy series, respectively.
Having an unapologetic female lead is also a first for a Matt Groening series in general. The Simpsons and Futurama both have huge ensemble casts, but Homer Simpson, Bart Simpson, and Fry were the characters that the audience was meant to relate to the most, despite Marge Simpson, Lisa Simpson, and Leela being far more intelligent and capable than their male counterparts. Leela from Futurama, in particular, is one of my all-time favorite cartoon characters due to her complex backstory, comedic timing, and fierce independence. If Matt can create as strong a heroine as Leila, I'm not too concerned about Princess Bean turning out to be a dud. The fact that she's a cynical alcoholic and not to be your everyday happy-go-lucky innocent damsel in distress also makes her more relatable to me as an older princess fan, even though I don't drink.
I also love that the show is strictly aimed at adults because it forces audiences to question the stigma that animated princesses are only meant for children. Disenchantment is described as "if The Simpsons fornicated with Game of Thrones." Though I absolutely can't stand Game of Thrones, I'm more comfortable with the idea of it being satirized in a Rick and Morty style parody setting. I also love all of the subtle fairy tale references that were released in the first batch of promo images, which further push the idea that fairy tales can be molded toward at adults just as easily as children. Take a look at these images of Bean in what appears to be Rapunzel's tower and Maleficent's deadly thorn woods.
Basically, Disenchantment is kind of a big deal. Considering the monumental impact that Matt Groening's shows have had on our culture in the past, Bean is all ready to show the world that fairy tale princesses can be funny, cynical, relatable and enjoyed by older audiences. I know that hype can be a dangerous thing. Some of my theories about episodes of other shows that I hadn't seen yet have been proven wrong in the past. I sincerely hope that I'm not wrong about this one. Everything about Disenchantment looks refreshing and groundbreaking. I'm eager to have a cynical older princess who I can relate to.
May 27, 2018
Review: The Firethorn Crown
The Firethorn Crown
by Lea Doué is the third adaptation of I've read of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" with the first being Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George and the second A Dance of Silver and Shadow by Melanie Cellier. All three books turn the mysterious underground world of glittering trees from the fairy tale into a nightmarish trap that they must find a way to escape. When I first read "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" as a little girl, I loved that the twelve sisters had a magical land they could escape to and find happiness that they didn't have in the real world. To me, that was the heart of the story, not trying to be free from a curse. That said, I didn't exactly dislike any of the adaptations I've read since it's always nice to see new takes on old stories.
The Firethorn Crown tells the story of Princess Lily, who is aggressively pursued by unwanted suitors. As far as princess heroines go, Lily is pretty cookie cutter. She doesn't have any particular quirks outside of being the eldest and not wanting to marry someone she doesn't love. Her sisters are not particularly memorable either outside of Neylan, who always has a baby dragon attached to her. While trying to escape Lily's most aggressive suitor, the princesses find themselves getting caught in an underground world of ballgowns, shadow dancers, and a cursed prince named Tharius, who tells them they are now cursed as well. All twelve princesses must now return to the undergarden every night, and none of them can speak about it. Because she was the first to enter, Lily is not allowed to speak at all to anyone who is not already involved in the curse.
What The Firethorn Crown lacks in character development, it makes up for in descriptive narrations. The undergarden exists on the other side of a hidden mirror in a garden maze outside the palace through a corridor where everyone becomes temporarily invisible before their clothes transform into ballgowns. The descriptions are beautiful and magical, just like in the fairy tale, and they make you wish that you could see it for yourself. The other thing I loved about this novel is the king. The princesses' father is absent for roughly the first three-quarters of the story. Lily's narrations make it sound as if he might not be all that agreeable of a man. When he finally shows up, he turns out to be this awesome feminist who loves his daughters with all his heart and would do anything to protect them. It was a wonderful breath of fresh air from the well-meaning yet stern kings from other fairy tales who try to force their daughters into marriage.
I also found it rather interesting that the book borrowed elements from other fairy tales within the story. Tharius's curse initially sounds a lot like the curse from "Beauty and the Beast" because he needs to love someone and be loved in return in order to break it. However, curses can't force true love, so Lily refuses to trade away her heart in exchange for her and her sisters' freedom. Her inability to talk to anyone besides Tharius and her sisters is reminiscent of "The Little Mermaid." Just like the prince from that story, Lily's true love must learn to communicate with her in spite of her handicap. The Firethorn Chronicles as a series seems to be focused on more obscure stories, so Lea Doué can get away with incorporating well-known fairy tale elements into her books without coming off as redundant in future stories. The next book, The Midsummer Captives , is a retelling of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
At this point, I think I have to say that my favorite adaptation of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" is still Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George due to having more compelling characters, but The Firethorn Crown is still a good contender. The visuals in the book are lovely, and the world is very interesting. It also had what is now my favorite king from any princess story. The romance subplot was nothing I haven't seen before, but the dragons were pretty neat. If you're a fan of the original fairy tale, this book is worth checking out when you feel like a quick read.
The Firethorn Crown tells the story of Princess Lily, who is aggressively pursued by unwanted suitors. As far as princess heroines go, Lily is pretty cookie cutter. She doesn't have any particular quirks outside of being the eldest and not wanting to marry someone she doesn't love. Her sisters are not particularly memorable either outside of Neylan, who always has a baby dragon attached to her. While trying to escape Lily's most aggressive suitor, the princesses find themselves getting caught in an underground world of ballgowns, shadow dancers, and a cursed prince named Tharius, who tells them they are now cursed as well. All twelve princesses must now return to the undergarden every night, and none of them can speak about it. Because she was the first to enter, Lily is not allowed to speak at all to anyone who is not already involved in the curse.
What The Firethorn Crown lacks in character development, it makes up for in descriptive narrations. The undergarden exists on the other side of a hidden mirror in a garden maze outside the palace through a corridor where everyone becomes temporarily invisible before their clothes transform into ballgowns. The descriptions are beautiful and magical, just like in the fairy tale, and they make you wish that you could see it for yourself. The other thing I loved about this novel is the king. The princesses' father is absent for roughly the first three-quarters of the story. Lily's narrations make it sound as if he might not be all that agreeable of a man. When he finally shows up, he turns out to be this awesome feminist who loves his daughters with all his heart and would do anything to protect them. It was a wonderful breath of fresh air from the well-meaning yet stern kings from other fairy tales who try to force their daughters into marriage.
I also found it rather interesting that the book borrowed elements from other fairy tales within the story. Tharius's curse initially sounds a lot like the curse from "Beauty and the Beast" because he needs to love someone and be loved in return in order to break it. However, curses can't force true love, so Lily refuses to trade away her heart in exchange for her and her sisters' freedom. Her inability to talk to anyone besides Tharius and her sisters is reminiscent of "The Little Mermaid." Just like the prince from that story, Lily's true love must learn to communicate with her in spite of her handicap. The Firethorn Chronicles as a series seems to be focused on more obscure stories, so Lea Doué can get away with incorporating well-known fairy tale elements into her books without coming off as redundant in future stories. The next book, The Midsummer Captives , is a retelling of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
At this point, I think I have to say that my favorite adaptation of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" is still Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George due to having more compelling characters, but The Firethorn Crown is still a good contender. The visuals in the book are lovely, and the world is very interesting. It also had what is now my favorite king from any princess story. The romance subplot was nothing I haven't seen before, but the dragons were pretty neat. If you're a fan of the original fairy tale, this book is worth checking out when you feel like a quick read.
May 26, 2018
Story Saturday: Charlotte's Childhood
This will be my last developmental post for The Stolen Jewel. I am pleased to announce that I will be developing it into a feature-length screenplay at UCLA's Professional Program for Screenwriting Online in the fall! I hope you've enjoyed the past few weeks of developing backstories for my characters before they go on their big adventure. Whether or not I will be continuing Story Saturday after this is still up in the air. People don't seem as interested in my short stories as my analytical posts, and it's difficult to come up with brand new worlds and characters every week. Please let me know if there's anything in particular you would like to see more of in The Princess Blog. You can also contribute to my Patreon account if you would like to decide the topic for my next post or contribute a guest post.
The Stolen Jewel: Charlotte's ChildhoodWhen Princess Charlotte was eight years old, her aunt Denise let her play in the royal treasury for the first time. She told Charlotte that she had the most right to be there anyway as the crown princess since Denise was just standing in as regent until Charlotte came of age.
"I don't know what's so interesting about that stuff anyway," said Charlotte's cousin Henry, brandishing his wooden toy sword. "It's all just silly jewelry that will probably fall off in a fight."
Henry playfully whacked his toy sword against the wheel of Denise's chair. Denise inched a little further back in wheelchair each time.
"Henry, sweety, I told you to be more careful when you play knight. You know I need my chair to get around."
"But Mom, I have no one else to play with!" Henry pouted. "Why don't we have any real knights?"
"You know why. Come along, and leave your cousin alone."
Denise's servant pushed her carefully through the hallway while keeping an eye on a very active Henry to make sure he didn't attack the chair again.
Meanwhile, Charlotte wandered through glittering corridors of jeweled scepters, tiaras, and pendants. She giggled and twirled in delight when she saw the circles they reflected dancing on the walls. She felt as though she could spend hours exploring the different colors and shapes of each jewel. Some were round, some square, some reflected rainbows, while others shined in the brightest colors she had ever seen. As she walked further into the depths of the room, she noticed a glow in the back that seemed different from the reflections on the wall. It was a part of the treasury that the light didn't hit, so it shouldn't have been able to glow like that.
In the shadowy corner, Charlotte discovered a small black box. It seemed to be locked. As she approached it, she heard a click, and it opened by itself. Inside were glowing jewels with shapes that seemed rougher than the ones she had witnessed earlier. The colors were dull but glowed more brightly than anything else in the treasury. Each jewel had a symbol carved into it in a language she did not recognize. Finally, she realized that these must be the runes that were banned from the rest of the kingdom. Her aunt warned her how dangerous they were and how they had killed her parents. She cautiously brushed her hand over them, as if they might burn her flesh. Instead, they felt cool and welcoming.
Charlotte took some time to study the different colors and shapes of the runes and finally settled on a deep blue one. As she lifted it gently out of the box, she thought about how beautiful the colors of the jewels in the treasury were when the light reflected them onto the walls. The blue rune in her hand lit up in response, and thousands of tiny water droplets fell from the ceiling. Charlotte looked up, but saw no holes above her that the rain might have gotten in through. If there was no leak, that meant this was coming from the rune. The droplets misted throughout the treasury, reflecting rainbows of every size from the jewels all around her.
Charlotte inhaled the beauty of the rich reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and violets that were reflected around the room. She tried to reach out and touch every rainbow she could find but realized that they were only illusions created from the water droplets. As she twirled, the water that was transfixed in the air splashed onto her hair and dress. After what felt like an eternity, Charlotte returned the rune to the box, promising herself that she would never speak of this to anyone.
"My goodness! Did you fall into the fountain? You're soaking wet, child!" exclaimed Mary as Charlotte exited the treasury.
"No, I was just playing," the princess told her favorite handmaid.
"Well, this won't do at all! Princesses must not ruin their best dresses! Come on, dear, let's get you cleaned up."
Even though Charlotte visited the treasury again a few more times after that, she could never get the runes to glow for her the way they did that day. She didn't know why she was able to control one, but the power was now lost to her. Years later, she would convince herself it was all a dream, but she still became fascinated by the idea of magic. She would often go to the library and read as much as she could about the subject in whichever books she could find that hadn't been burned in the magic ban. One day, perhaps she would understand the powerful forces that tore her kingdom apart and become strong enough to protect her people as queen.
To be continued in The Stolen Jewel....
The Stolen Jewel: Charlotte's ChildhoodWhen Princess Charlotte was eight years old, her aunt Denise let her play in the royal treasury for the first time. She told Charlotte that she had the most right to be there anyway as the crown princess since Denise was just standing in as regent until Charlotte came of age.
"I don't know what's so interesting about that stuff anyway," said Charlotte's cousin Henry, brandishing his wooden toy sword. "It's all just silly jewelry that will probably fall off in a fight."
Henry playfully whacked his toy sword against the wheel of Denise's chair. Denise inched a little further back in wheelchair each time.
"Henry, sweety, I told you to be more careful when you play knight. You know I need my chair to get around."
"But Mom, I have no one else to play with!" Henry pouted. "Why don't we have any real knights?"
"You know why. Come along, and leave your cousin alone."
Denise's servant pushed her carefully through the hallway while keeping an eye on a very active Henry to make sure he didn't attack the chair again.
Meanwhile, Charlotte wandered through glittering corridors of jeweled scepters, tiaras, and pendants. She giggled and twirled in delight when she saw the circles they reflected dancing on the walls. She felt as though she could spend hours exploring the different colors and shapes of each jewel. Some were round, some square, some reflected rainbows, while others shined in the brightest colors she had ever seen. As she walked further into the depths of the room, she noticed a glow in the back that seemed different from the reflections on the wall. It was a part of the treasury that the light didn't hit, so it shouldn't have been able to glow like that.
In the shadowy corner, Charlotte discovered a small black box. It seemed to be locked. As she approached it, she heard a click, and it opened by itself. Inside were glowing jewels with shapes that seemed rougher than the ones she had witnessed earlier. The colors were dull but glowed more brightly than anything else in the treasury. Each jewel had a symbol carved into it in a language she did not recognize. Finally, she realized that these must be the runes that were banned from the rest of the kingdom. Her aunt warned her how dangerous they were and how they had killed her parents. She cautiously brushed her hand over them, as if they might burn her flesh. Instead, they felt cool and welcoming.
Charlotte took some time to study the different colors and shapes of the runes and finally settled on a deep blue one. As she lifted it gently out of the box, she thought about how beautiful the colors of the jewels in the treasury were when the light reflected them onto the walls. The blue rune in her hand lit up in response, and thousands of tiny water droplets fell from the ceiling. Charlotte looked up, but saw no holes above her that the rain might have gotten in through. If there was no leak, that meant this was coming from the rune. The droplets misted throughout the treasury, reflecting rainbows of every size from the jewels all around her.
Charlotte inhaled the beauty of the rich reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and violets that were reflected around the room. She tried to reach out and touch every rainbow she could find but realized that they were only illusions created from the water droplets. As she twirled, the water that was transfixed in the air splashed onto her hair and dress. After what felt like an eternity, Charlotte returned the rune to the box, promising herself that she would never speak of this to anyone.
"My goodness! Did you fall into the fountain? You're soaking wet, child!" exclaimed Mary as Charlotte exited the treasury.
"No, I was just playing," the princess told her favorite handmaid.
"Well, this won't do at all! Princesses must not ruin their best dresses! Come on, dear, let's get you cleaned up."
Even though Charlotte visited the treasury again a few more times after that, she could never get the runes to glow for her the way they did that day. She didn't know why she was able to control one, but the power was now lost to her. Years later, she would convince herself it was all a dream, but she still became fascinated by the idea of magic. She would often go to the library and read as much as she could about the subject in whichever books she could find that hadn't been burned in the magic ban. One day, perhaps she would understand the powerful forces that tore her kingdom apart and become strong enough to protect her people as queen.
To be continued in The Stolen Jewel....
May 22, 2018
Zarya in a Tiara Is the Best Thing Ever
The latest Mysticons episode, "Game of Phones," began with Princess Arkayna calling up her newly-discovered twin sister Zarya and asking for her tiara size. "I don't do tiaras," Zarya scoffed in response. Of course, in perfect comedic timing, the next shot was of a very unhappy Zarya sitting on a griffon with a small yet hilariously out of place golden tiara fastened to her short purple hair. This scene was very funny because it portrayed a symbol of femininity on a character who openly dislikes all things girly. It also goes to show how far the princess trope itself has gone in modern times from being a symbol of feminity to being a symbol of strength. More and more princesses are now warrior archetypes, while damsels in distress have become all but obsolete.
Of course, Zarya, in particular, is a special case. Like Proxima, the red herring in the "twin sister" story arc, Zarya was raised without a family or an identity. However, she and Proxima handled their similar upbringings very differently. Unlike Proxima, who internalized her angst until she turned to the dark side, Zarya became openly cynical, joining a pirate crew in her youth and regularly making snide or sarcastic comments. Until this point in the show, she seemed to be mostly in denial about being a princess even though she quickly accepted Arkayna as her sister. Zarya is exactly the sort of person who would say princess culture is bad for society, which made it both hilarious and revealing of the fact that princesses are just like everyone else when it forced on her anyway.
In making Zarya wear a tiara for the griffon performance, Arkayna meant to present her to Drake City as their new princess for the first time. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as planned, but we still got to have a few laughs along the way. One thing that irks me about Mysticons is that it tends to gloss over important plot points in favor of action sequences. We never actually got to see the people of Drake City's response to learning that there was a secret princess nobody knew about. Even their obnoxious stepbrother Gawayne immediately began calling Zarya his stepsister without truly reacting to the news for the first time. I was wondering if the show would ever address how Zarya reacted to being a princess as a notorious tomboy, so this episode was satisfying in that respect.
Of course, I personally would love to see Arkayna and Zarya in full regal ballgowns, but Drake City doesn't seem to be the type of kingdom where royalty is required to dress so formally for public events. In fact, Zarya's signature jeans and hoody were a big contributor to why her tiara looked so hilariously out of place. Many modern princesses do wear jeans, and there's nothing wrong with that, just like there's nothing wrong with wanting to dress up from time to time. In seeing Zarya's full outfit for the performance, it is very clear that one thing in this picture does not belong. Not every girl can react like Amy Farrah Fowler did in The Big Bang Theory to receiving a tiara.
So, why is Zarya in a tiara basically the best thing ever? Well, for one thing it rhymes, making it a lot of fun to say! For another, it shows that any girl can be a princess, even one who's a tomboy and wants absolutely nothing to do with it. Now that Zarya knows she has a family, she will have to accept the good along with the bad. It's clear that she already loves Arkayna as her sister, but having a family is complicated. Sometimes it means having to deal with things you don't want for the people you love. For Zarya, that thing is being a princess. It almost makes you wonder how Proxima would have reacted, but her submissive nature seems more fitting for the role. I think Mysticons does a good job of encouraging kids to be nice to their siblings because Malvaron's sister went rogue along with Arkayna's almost-sister. Now Zarya is just going to have to grin and bear it.
Of course, Zarya, in particular, is a special case. Like Proxima, the red herring in the "twin sister" story arc, Zarya was raised without a family or an identity. However, she and Proxima handled their similar upbringings very differently. Unlike Proxima, who internalized her angst until she turned to the dark side, Zarya became openly cynical, joining a pirate crew in her youth and regularly making snide or sarcastic comments. Until this point in the show, she seemed to be mostly in denial about being a princess even though she quickly accepted Arkayna as her sister. Zarya is exactly the sort of person who would say princess culture is bad for society, which made it both hilarious and revealing of the fact that princesses are just like everyone else when it forced on her anyway.
In making Zarya wear a tiara for the griffon performance, Arkayna meant to present her to Drake City as their new princess for the first time. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as planned, but we still got to have a few laughs along the way. One thing that irks me about Mysticons is that it tends to gloss over important plot points in favor of action sequences. We never actually got to see the people of Drake City's response to learning that there was a secret princess nobody knew about. Even their obnoxious stepbrother Gawayne immediately began calling Zarya his stepsister without truly reacting to the news for the first time. I was wondering if the show would ever address how Zarya reacted to being a princess as a notorious tomboy, so this episode was satisfying in that respect.
Of course, I personally would love to see Arkayna and Zarya in full regal ballgowns, but Drake City doesn't seem to be the type of kingdom where royalty is required to dress so formally for public events. In fact, Zarya's signature jeans and hoody were a big contributor to why her tiara looked so hilariously out of place. Many modern princesses do wear jeans, and there's nothing wrong with that, just like there's nothing wrong with wanting to dress up from time to time. In seeing Zarya's full outfit for the performance, it is very clear that one thing in this picture does not belong. Not every girl can react like Amy Farrah Fowler did in The Big Bang Theory to receiving a tiara.
So, why is Zarya in a tiara basically the best thing ever? Well, for one thing it rhymes, making it a lot of fun to say! For another, it shows that any girl can be a princess, even one who's a tomboy and wants absolutely nothing to do with it. Now that Zarya knows she has a family, she will have to accept the good along with the bad. It's clear that she already loves Arkayna as her sister, but having a family is complicated. Sometimes it means having to deal with things you don't want for the people you love. For Zarya, that thing is being a princess. It almost makes you wonder how Proxima would have reacted, but her submissive nature seems more fitting for the role. I think Mysticons does a good job of encouraging kids to be nice to their siblings because Malvaron's sister went rogue along with Arkayna's almost-sister. Now Zarya is just going to have to grin and bear it.
May 20, 2018
Review: The Princess Search
The Princess Search by Melanie Cellier is the unplanned fifth novel in the Four Kingdoms series. It came out last week, and I couldn't wait to read it. It is supposed to be a retelling of "The Ugly Duckling," but it was no more the story of "The Ugly Duckling" than The Princess Fugitive was "Little Red Riding Hood," but the lack of predictability only made the story more enjoyable. The setting felt both familiar and new at the same time because most of the other books in The Four Kingdoms had a side character who was a prince or princess of Lanover, but since the main character in this book was not royalty, she had travelled to parts of the kingdom that the readers have never seen before. It was particularly nice to see the rambunctious youngest princess Celine again, who played a large role in both
The Princess Game
and
A Dance of Silver and Shadow
. Since all of her sisters had married off, she was eager to find wives for her two brothers so she could have girlfriends in the castle to play with again.
Isn't the cover beautiful? The Princess Search is told from the perspective of Evie, a talented seamstress who makes beautiful dresses that impress the royal family enough for them to hire her as their exclusive clothing maker. Evie is invited to join the royal family on an extended kingdom tour, which she accepts with some hesitance because she is worried that her past might catch up with her during their travels. Despite her monumental success as a seamstress, Evie was raised as an orphan being bounced from place to place without every truly having somewhere she could call home. Many of her foster families were cruel to her, and she was worried that seeing them again might affect her reputation with the royal family who had treated her so kindly prior to the tour.
I related to Evie's struggles of having what feels like a dark past. Even though I grew up in a loving family, I moved to several other states after college and had a very bad experience in one of them that made me afraid to return. Like Evie, I also had jealous enemies who dubbed me a liar and a thief. It was touching to see Evie's royal friends ignore these claims and maintain their trust in her above all else. They even took her seriously when she learned secret information about a rebellion against the crown and allowed her to lead them to safety. In the end, Evie realized that her lack of a true home was not a hindrance, but a strength that gave her knowledge about corners of the kingdom that even the royal family didn't know about. As a result, the shy lonely girl who didn't believe in herself transformed into a hero.
Melanie Cellier wrote that her main intention with The Princess Search was to give Frederic, the crown prince of Lanover, a love interest since every other kingdom in the series now had a future queen. Of all the princes in The Four Kingdoms, Frederic felt the most like a real guy to me. He was shy, often failed at humor, and couldn't relate to his little sister's energetic antics. He was also a good listener, which is why Evie found him so easy to talk to about her past. That made them perfect for each other. Evie had been bounced around so much throughout her life that she never had anyone she could get acquainted with before needing to leave for the next city. Frederic's faith in Evie gave her the self-esteem she lacked and allowed her to save Lanover from the rebellion.
The Princess Search is a wonderful book about overcoming adversity and finding a place to call home. I thought Evie was the second most relatable character in The Four Kingdoms series next to Marie from The Princess Pact . I enjoyed reading about all of the flowing and colorful fabrics she used in her designs, but more importantly, I loved the idea of being given a second chance. Evie had traveled so far and been through so much that it was satisfying to see it all culminate into something beautiful and rewarding at the end.
Isn't the cover beautiful? The Princess Search is told from the perspective of Evie, a talented seamstress who makes beautiful dresses that impress the royal family enough for them to hire her as their exclusive clothing maker. Evie is invited to join the royal family on an extended kingdom tour, which she accepts with some hesitance because she is worried that her past might catch up with her during their travels. Despite her monumental success as a seamstress, Evie was raised as an orphan being bounced from place to place without every truly having somewhere she could call home. Many of her foster families were cruel to her, and she was worried that seeing them again might affect her reputation with the royal family who had treated her so kindly prior to the tour.
I related to Evie's struggles of having what feels like a dark past. Even though I grew up in a loving family, I moved to several other states after college and had a very bad experience in one of them that made me afraid to return. Like Evie, I also had jealous enemies who dubbed me a liar and a thief. It was touching to see Evie's royal friends ignore these claims and maintain their trust in her above all else. They even took her seriously when she learned secret information about a rebellion against the crown and allowed her to lead them to safety. In the end, Evie realized that her lack of a true home was not a hindrance, but a strength that gave her knowledge about corners of the kingdom that even the royal family didn't know about. As a result, the shy lonely girl who didn't believe in herself transformed into a hero.
Melanie Cellier wrote that her main intention with The Princess Search was to give Frederic, the crown prince of Lanover, a love interest since every other kingdom in the series now had a future queen. Of all the princes in The Four Kingdoms, Frederic felt the most like a real guy to me. He was shy, often failed at humor, and couldn't relate to his little sister's energetic antics. He was also a good listener, which is why Evie found him so easy to talk to about her past. That made them perfect for each other. Evie had been bounced around so much throughout her life that she never had anyone she could get acquainted with before needing to leave for the next city. Frederic's faith in Evie gave her the self-esteem she lacked and allowed her to save Lanover from the rebellion.
The Princess Search is a wonderful book about overcoming adversity and finding a place to call home. I thought Evie was the second most relatable character in The Four Kingdoms series next to Marie from The Princess Pact . I enjoyed reading about all of the flowing and colorful fabrics she used in her designs, but more importantly, I loved the idea of being given a second chance. Evie had traveled so far and been through so much that it was satisfying to see it all culminate into something beautiful and rewarding at the end.
May 19, 2018
Story Saturday: Prince Braydon
The Stolen Jewel: Prince BraydonPrince Braydon glared at a mountain of letters on his desk. Most of them were from wishful noble ladies who were desperate for his courtship in order to raise their status. It wasn't easy being the most eligible prince in the land. Many others would envy him to have such an admirable problem, but he knew better. There was far more to life than making women swoon and throw themselves at his feet. He was far more interested in learning to run a kingdom. His father had some unique ideas about being king. Even though Braydon did not agree with all of them, he found their discussions fascinating.
"Finished sorting through your mail already?" asked King Mercer as his son cautiously entered the throne room. Braydon never knew what sort of mood his father might be in.
"Why must read I them all? Most of these ladies are so vapid, writing about their hair and clothes and showering me with empty compliments about my appearance. I'd work on treaties to improve our relations with Klingland."
Braydon took a seat on the throne beside his father, who fortunately seemed to be in a good mood for once.
"If you court the right lady, it could greatly improve our relations. Have you not received any letters from Klingland?" asked the king.
"Lady Crystal writes me incessantly, but it seems like all she can think about is herself. I could never be with someone like that."
"What about Princess Charlotte? An alliance with the crown princess would do wonders for our kingdom's reputation."
"I can't write to someone I know nothing about! I only saw her once from afar at a wedding we attended in Ganchepone. For all I know, she isn't any different from the others anyway."
King Mercer gave his son a stern look.
"Listen, son. Marriage isn't always about who you get along with. When you are royal, it could mean the difference between war and peace."
"Is that the reason you married Mother?"
"We got along well enough, but the alliance with Sederia did help. It's why we have such a strong army. It's a shame she didn't survive having you."
Braydon was quiet for a moment.
"If our relations with Klingland are so futile, why didn't you just conquer them? They barely have an army, and the use of magic has been banned there ever since the... incident."
He braced himself for his father's wrath. He knew King Mercer didn't like anyone bringing up the event that resulted in the tragic death of the king and queen of Klingland.
"It's a matter of remaining honorable in the eyes of the people. That is how a king stays in power. I hope one day you'll understand. If I had taken over the kingdom after unintentionally murdering their beloved monarchs and crippling their regent, the people would have hated me and formed a rebellion. Our own people would have lost respect for me as well. This way, we show compassion and still hold the advantage over their frail and weak-minded stand-in."
Prince Braydon considered his father's words. In truth, he didn't know what he would have done if he had stood in the king's place during the incident. His father tried to use magic without understanding it or knowing how to control it, and it had backfired terribly. Just then, another thought occurred to him.
"Father, how did all the enchanted runes end up in Klingland? If we had some here, we could study them and gain better control."
"That is something you would have to ask a historian," said the king. "It's been that way for as long as I can remember. Their land has always been infused with magic. That is why I wanted to take some of it for ourselves. I never intended for it to go so horribly wrong."
Braydon saw a secret shining in the king's eyes. He looked at his father curiously, deciding to push his luck.
"Why do I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me? If it will help our alliance, I think I should know before we attend the ceremony in Klingland."
The king hesitated briefly before nodding at his son.
"I suppose you're old enough to know," said the king. "There was one good thing that came out of that huge mess. Come with me."
King Mercer guided his son to the royal treasury, where two guards bowed respectfully to them and opened the door. Braydon followed to the darkest corner of the glittering jewel-filled room, where his father removed a silken cloth from a small box. He pulled out a key that hung on a hidden chain around his neck and unlocked the box. Inside was a dull burgundy stone that glowed faintly in the shadows. Braydon brushed his fingers over the edges careful until he found a marking carved into it that he did not recognize.
"Is this... a rune?" Braydon whispered, even though he knew no one else could hear them.
"It is," said the king. "I had it studied in secret by the same scholars who created the staff. They told me that this symbol represents the mind." He pointed to a looping insignia carved onto the side of the stone.
"And this one," he continued, pointing to a more complex design, "is the symbol for control."
"So you can use this stone to control people's minds?" asked Braydon, panic-stricken. "Father, you can't! Free will is the most basic necessity of every human, whether they be peasant or royal! How could you hide such a dangerous thing?"
"Relax, my son. I have no intention of using it."
Braydon puffed his chest in anger. "Then why--"
"This ruin is simply a precaution. If the regent Denise is lying about destroying all of her kingdom's ruins at the ceremony next month, I will have no choice but to make her follow through on her word. Any other circumstance could be disastrous."
"Do you even know how to use it?" Braydon asked, still in shock by the valuable possession his father had been hiding.
"I'm working on that," responded the king.
That night, Braydon tossed and turned with worry about the repercussions of his father possessing such a powerful item, even though he knew in his heart of hearts that he could never betray the royal family secret.
To be continued in The Stolen Jewel...
"Finished sorting through your mail already?" asked King Mercer as his son cautiously entered the throne room. Braydon never knew what sort of mood his father might be in.
"Why must read I them all? Most of these ladies are so vapid, writing about their hair and clothes and showering me with empty compliments about my appearance. I'd work on treaties to improve our relations with Klingland."
Braydon took a seat on the throne beside his father, who fortunately seemed to be in a good mood for once.
"If you court the right lady, it could greatly improve our relations. Have you not received any letters from Klingland?" asked the king.
"Lady Crystal writes me incessantly, but it seems like all she can think about is herself. I could never be with someone like that."
"What about Princess Charlotte? An alliance with the crown princess would do wonders for our kingdom's reputation."
"I can't write to someone I know nothing about! I only saw her once from afar at a wedding we attended in Ganchepone. For all I know, she isn't any different from the others anyway."
King Mercer gave his son a stern look.
"Listen, son. Marriage isn't always about who you get along with. When you are royal, it could mean the difference between war and peace."
"Is that the reason you married Mother?"
"We got along well enough, but the alliance with Sederia did help. It's why we have such a strong army. It's a shame she didn't survive having you."
Braydon was quiet for a moment.
"If our relations with Klingland are so futile, why didn't you just conquer them? They barely have an army, and the use of magic has been banned there ever since the... incident."
He braced himself for his father's wrath. He knew King Mercer didn't like anyone bringing up the event that resulted in the tragic death of the king and queen of Klingland.
"It's a matter of remaining honorable in the eyes of the people. That is how a king stays in power. I hope one day you'll understand. If I had taken over the kingdom after unintentionally murdering their beloved monarchs and crippling their regent, the people would have hated me and formed a rebellion. Our own people would have lost respect for me as well. This way, we show compassion and still hold the advantage over their frail and weak-minded stand-in."
Prince Braydon considered his father's words. In truth, he didn't know what he would have done if he had stood in the king's place during the incident. His father tried to use magic without understanding it or knowing how to control it, and it had backfired terribly. Just then, another thought occurred to him.
"Father, how did all the enchanted runes end up in Klingland? If we had some here, we could study them and gain better control."
"That is something you would have to ask a historian," said the king. "It's been that way for as long as I can remember. Their land has always been infused with magic. That is why I wanted to take some of it for ourselves. I never intended for it to go so horribly wrong."
Braydon saw a secret shining in the king's eyes. He looked at his father curiously, deciding to push his luck.
"Why do I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me? If it will help our alliance, I think I should know before we attend the ceremony in Klingland."
The king hesitated briefly before nodding at his son.
"I suppose you're old enough to know," said the king. "There was one good thing that came out of that huge mess. Come with me."
King Mercer guided his son to the royal treasury, where two guards bowed respectfully to them and opened the door. Braydon followed to the darkest corner of the glittering jewel-filled room, where his father removed a silken cloth from a small box. He pulled out a key that hung on a hidden chain around his neck and unlocked the box. Inside was a dull burgundy stone that glowed faintly in the shadows. Braydon brushed his fingers over the edges careful until he found a marking carved into it that he did not recognize.
"Is this... a rune?" Braydon whispered, even though he knew no one else could hear them.
"It is," said the king. "I had it studied in secret by the same scholars who created the staff. They told me that this symbol represents the mind." He pointed to a looping insignia carved onto the side of the stone.
"And this one," he continued, pointing to a more complex design, "is the symbol for control."
"So you can use this stone to control people's minds?" asked Braydon, panic-stricken. "Father, you can't! Free will is the most basic necessity of every human, whether they be peasant or royal! How could you hide such a dangerous thing?"
"Relax, my son. I have no intention of using it."
Braydon puffed his chest in anger. "Then why--"
"This ruin is simply a precaution. If the regent Denise is lying about destroying all of her kingdom's ruins at the ceremony next month, I will have no choice but to make her follow through on her word. Any other circumstance could be disastrous."
"Do you even know how to use it?" Braydon asked, still in shock by the valuable possession his father had been hiding.
"I'm working on that," responded the king.
That night, Braydon tossed and turned with worry about the repercussions of his father possessing such a powerful item, even though he knew in his heart of hearts that he could never betray the royal family secret.
To be continued in The Stolen Jewel...
May 18, 2018
Goodbye, Storybrooke
Well, that's a wrap. Once Upon a Time is finally over for good. Though the majority of the finale and new season was underwhelming at best, I couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic by the final scene as the camera dramatically panned out from the half real, half CGI town of Storybrooke. I didn't start this blog until the show was already starting its final season so my opinion toward it in the context of The Princess Blog probably comes off as somewhat negative. When this season started, I had some strong opinions about the way it introduced its new princesses such as Rapunzel and Tiana as well as the way it concluded the stories for its old ones such as Emma and Belle. Eventually, my rants stopped as the series tapered off into a slow build-up to the final episode. Was it the perfect send-off? No, but it was the best they could do with the convoluted multiverse that was formed over years of drawn out story arcs.
The series finale called "Leaving Storybrooke" took place mostly in the "wish realm," an alternate reality created in a previous season by the evil queen's alter ego, who used a genie to grant Emma's supposed wish not to be the savior, even though Emma had stopped wanting that for quite some time. Apparently, that didn't matter, and an entire other dimension was formed with doubles of every character except Emma, who had her memories rewritten (for the umpteenth time). Regina murdered the alternate versions of Snow White and Prince Charming but insisted that it was okay because it was another world so they weren't "real." Fast forward a few years, and everyone from that world is now "real," and the younger version of Henry came back for revenge on Regina for murdering his grandparents. Ugh, just typing that out makes me realize how much the show has gone downhill since the series premiere.
Anyway, the "real" versions of the cast, excluding Captain Hook, who was from the alternate world all along this season, banded together to defeat the alternate world's version of Rumpelstiltskin. Our own Rumpel succeeded in defeating him in the most predictable way possible that would secure his own happy ending as foreshadowed in the episode "Beauty." It would have been touching if there hadn't been so many seasons of him lying to and manipulating Belle leading up to it, not to mention Belle's betrayal of their wedding vows. That's the problem with shows that run for too long. They have to spend so many years building new drama that sometimes it breaks down the character growth we would have been left with if it ended earlier. Some seasons we were supposed to root for Rumpel, and others we were supposed to root against him. Regina followed a similar pattern, but her growth was actually consistent, which is why she received her well-deserved happy ending later in the finale. Of all the characters in the show, she had the most growth and remained the most interesting throughout all seven seasons.
I need to hand it to the show's creators for finally writing a believable gay love story. Though I don't care much for Tilly and Margot individually (calling them Alice and Robin gets too confusing for me), together they have a ton of chemistry and form a very believable romance. All of the show's previous attempts at this fell short. Mulan's romantic interest in Aurora was overhyped and underplayed. Many people I've spoken to who have seen the show didn't even realize that Mulan was supposed to be gay because she never actually told anyone or acted on it. Alternatively, Ruby and Dorothy's one-shot whirlwind romance was so fast that it felt like they only wrote it as a last-minute effort to apologize to the audience for Mulan's story shortcomings. Tilly and Margot were the only gay couple on the show who had an adequate amount of time to establish their identities and form a relationship. The two actresses play off each other very well, and I loved how they made fun of the show's convoluted writing when they arrived in Storybrooke.
The finale also saw the return of some missing faces from this season, namely Snow White, Prince Charming, and Emma Swan. It's shame they didn't seem to do much other than show up and say "Here we are." Emma's appearance was so brief that it was almost insulting for the modern princess who set off the whole series with a wish on her 28th birthday. Her son Henry was also vital to the show's formula in the beginning, but his newly introduced relationship with Cinderella was underplayed in the finale. Many fans felt that the two actors had no chemistry, and that was all but confirmed when their kiss wasn't strong enough to break a curse when every other power couple on the show had the magic of true love on their side. For a show that went out of its way to prove that princesses heroines are just as tough as heroes, this incarnation of Cinderella has been awfully useless after punching Henry in the face and stealing his motorcycle in the season premiere.
Once Upon a Time would have been a terrific concept for a miniseries in the vein of The 10th Kingdom , but after seven seasons, its age was showing. While the heavily CGIed shot of Storybrooke at the end was a little too close to Disneyland for my tastes, Regina's final act in forming it was touching. I enjoyed seeing her get rewarded after all these years of struggling. She deserved it more than any other character on the show after all she had been through. It just goes to show that it's never too late to believe in fairy tales even after your innocence is gone. I think that's the heart of Once Upon a Time. Since that did show through in the finale, it was not a completely wasted effort. In my opinion, the best thing to come out of Once Upon a Time will always be Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. Goodbye, Storybooke. Thanks for the memories.
The series finale called "Leaving Storybrooke" took place mostly in the "wish realm," an alternate reality created in a previous season by the evil queen's alter ego, who used a genie to grant Emma's supposed wish not to be the savior, even though Emma had stopped wanting that for quite some time. Apparently, that didn't matter, and an entire other dimension was formed with doubles of every character except Emma, who had her memories rewritten (for the umpteenth time). Regina murdered the alternate versions of Snow White and Prince Charming but insisted that it was okay because it was another world so they weren't "real." Fast forward a few years, and everyone from that world is now "real," and the younger version of Henry came back for revenge on Regina for murdering his grandparents. Ugh, just typing that out makes me realize how much the show has gone downhill since the series premiere.
Anyway, the "real" versions of the cast, excluding Captain Hook, who was from the alternate world all along this season, banded together to defeat the alternate world's version of Rumpelstiltskin. Our own Rumpel succeeded in defeating him in the most predictable way possible that would secure his own happy ending as foreshadowed in the episode "Beauty." It would have been touching if there hadn't been so many seasons of him lying to and manipulating Belle leading up to it, not to mention Belle's betrayal of their wedding vows. That's the problem with shows that run for too long. They have to spend so many years building new drama that sometimes it breaks down the character growth we would have been left with if it ended earlier. Some seasons we were supposed to root for Rumpel, and others we were supposed to root against him. Regina followed a similar pattern, but her growth was actually consistent, which is why she received her well-deserved happy ending later in the finale. Of all the characters in the show, she had the most growth and remained the most interesting throughout all seven seasons.
I need to hand it to the show's creators for finally writing a believable gay love story. Though I don't care much for Tilly and Margot individually (calling them Alice and Robin gets too confusing for me), together they have a ton of chemistry and form a very believable romance. All of the show's previous attempts at this fell short. Mulan's romantic interest in Aurora was overhyped and underplayed. Many people I've spoken to who have seen the show didn't even realize that Mulan was supposed to be gay because she never actually told anyone or acted on it. Alternatively, Ruby and Dorothy's one-shot whirlwind romance was so fast that it felt like they only wrote it as a last-minute effort to apologize to the audience for Mulan's story shortcomings. Tilly and Margot were the only gay couple on the show who had an adequate amount of time to establish their identities and form a relationship. The two actresses play off each other very well, and I loved how they made fun of the show's convoluted writing when they arrived in Storybrooke.
The finale also saw the return of some missing faces from this season, namely Snow White, Prince Charming, and Emma Swan. It's shame they didn't seem to do much other than show up and say "Here we are." Emma's appearance was so brief that it was almost insulting for the modern princess who set off the whole series with a wish on her 28th birthday. Her son Henry was also vital to the show's formula in the beginning, but his newly introduced relationship with Cinderella was underplayed in the finale. Many fans felt that the two actors had no chemistry, and that was all but confirmed when their kiss wasn't strong enough to break a curse when every other power couple on the show had the magic of true love on their side. For a show that went out of its way to prove that princesses heroines are just as tough as heroes, this incarnation of Cinderella has been awfully useless after punching Henry in the face and stealing his motorcycle in the season premiere.
Once Upon a Time would have been a terrific concept for a miniseries in the vein of The 10th Kingdom , but after seven seasons, its age was showing. While the heavily CGIed shot of Storybrooke at the end was a little too close to Disneyland for my tastes, Regina's final act in forming it was touching. I enjoyed seeing her get rewarded after all these years of struggling. She deserved it more than any other character on the show after all she had been through. It just goes to show that it's never too late to believe in fairy tales even after your innocence is gone. I think that's the heart of Once Upon a Time. Since that did show through in the finale, it was not a completely wasted effort. In my opinion, the best thing to come out of Once Upon a Time will always be Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. Goodbye, Storybooke. Thanks for the memories.
May 14, 2018
Sofia the First Mimics Progressive Real-Life Princess Law
This is a big week for Disney Junior's princess in training, Sofia the First. After an indefinite hiatus, the show is back with a new episode every single day this week. There are going to be some pretty big ones including the introduction of a disabled princess and a return to Merroway Cove, where Sofia's mermaid princess friends live. Today's episode, "A Royal Wedding," was no exception. The episode was set during the wedding of Sofia's Aunt Tilly to Sir Bartleby, both of whom were introduced last season. Tilly is a fun Mary Poppins-like character who is the older sister to King Roland. She revealed in an earlier episode that she had inherited Sofia's magical Amulet of Avalor before it was passed down her. Sir Bartleby struggled to confess his feelings to Tilly because he was afraid she would be put off by his odd high-pitched voice, but she accepted him the way he was as soon as she learned the truth. However, none of that was addressed in their wedding episode. Instead, it focused on a bigger issue that subtly referenced real-life laws about royal lineage.
As King Roland's stepdaughter and the youngest sibling, it's a well-known fact that Sofia would not be inheriting the throne to Enchancia, but with her amulet that allows her to talk to animals, meet Disney Princesses, transform into magical creatures, and become the protector of the Mystic Isles from the wicked sorceress Prisma, who has time to worry about being queen? Instead, the throne would go to one of King Roland's biological twins, Princess Amber or Prince James. The episode "A Royal Wedding" revealed that James had assumed he would inherit the throne due to an old law that parallels real-life history called primogeniture, in which the firstborn son of the king and queen will inherit the throne. However, Tilly revealed that Enchancia has no such sexist law because it's basically paradise and that the only reason King Roland inherited the throne instead of her is that she relinquished it to him because she wanted to be an adventurer instead of a queen. Therefore, Princess Amber, being seven minutes older than her twin brother, would be the one to rule Enchancia after King Roland steps down.
Even though today's episode wrote off primogeniture as a made-up attempt for Tilly to protect King Roland's feelings, the dissolution of it is actually something that was voted on in the UK in 2011 to apply to the real-life royal family. The change to the succession law was unanimously approved at a summit in Australia by the leaders of 16 Commonwealth countries. It goes without saying that this is a huge step for feminism. Boys and girls of royal birth will now have an equal chance of becoming monarchs. It also shows how far princess culture has spread. Princesses are more popular than ever, and now they share equal rights with princes. The first real-life princess affected by this amendment is Kate Middleton's daughter, Princess Charlotte. If her baby brother had been born before 2011, she would have bumped off from her place in line for the throne, but instead, she has made history as the first princess to keep her spot in line for the throne after the birth of a male heir.
In the episode "A Royal Wedding," James does not take very well to the news that his sister will take over the kingdom instead of him. Amber handles his attempts to sabotage her with grace and dignity, showing how much she's grown as a character since the show began in 2012. In the end, James decides he'd rather be a knight than a king anyway, especially after proving that he lacks the necessary maturity to rule, and the two accept their stations in life. I thought it was very interesting that even though the show takes place in a fantasy world that's very different from our own, they chose to incorporate some actual laws about royal lineage. Clearly, Disney is just as excited about the additional rights for princesses as the rest of us are. I'm looking forward to seeing what other creative concepts they will incorporate into the rest of this week's new episodes.
As King Roland's stepdaughter and the youngest sibling, it's a well-known fact that Sofia would not be inheriting the throne to Enchancia, but with her amulet that allows her to talk to animals, meet Disney Princesses, transform into magical creatures, and become the protector of the Mystic Isles from the wicked sorceress Prisma, who has time to worry about being queen? Instead, the throne would go to one of King Roland's biological twins, Princess Amber or Prince James. The episode "A Royal Wedding" revealed that James had assumed he would inherit the throne due to an old law that parallels real-life history called primogeniture, in which the firstborn son of the king and queen will inherit the throne. However, Tilly revealed that Enchancia has no such sexist law because it's basically paradise and that the only reason King Roland inherited the throne instead of her is that she relinquished it to him because she wanted to be an adventurer instead of a queen. Therefore, Princess Amber, being seven minutes older than her twin brother, would be the one to rule Enchancia after King Roland steps down.
Even though today's episode wrote off primogeniture as a made-up attempt for Tilly to protect King Roland's feelings, the dissolution of it is actually something that was voted on in the UK in 2011 to apply to the real-life royal family. The change to the succession law was unanimously approved at a summit in Australia by the leaders of 16 Commonwealth countries. It goes without saying that this is a huge step for feminism. Boys and girls of royal birth will now have an equal chance of becoming monarchs. It also shows how far princess culture has spread. Princesses are more popular than ever, and now they share equal rights with princes. The first real-life princess affected by this amendment is Kate Middleton's daughter, Princess Charlotte. If her baby brother had been born before 2011, she would have bumped off from her place in line for the throne, but instead, she has made history as the first princess to keep her spot in line for the throne after the birth of a male heir.
In the episode "A Royal Wedding," James does not take very well to the news that his sister will take over the kingdom instead of him. Amber handles his attempts to sabotage her with grace and dignity, showing how much she's grown as a character since the show began in 2012. In the end, James decides he'd rather be a knight than a king anyway, especially after proving that he lacks the necessary maturity to rule, and the two accept their stations in life. I thought it was very interesting that even though the show takes place in a fantasy world that's very different from our own, they chose to incorporate some actual laws about royal lineage. Clearly, Disney is just as excited about the additional rights for princesses as the rest of us are. I'm looking forward to seeing what other creative concepts they will incorporate into the rest of this week's new episodes.
May 13, 2018
Review: Unfinished Fairy Tales
When Aya Ling, the author of A Little Mermaid from the Entwined Tales series, placed her novel The Ugly Stepsister on sale, I was hoping not to get too carried away. After all, the book looks like it could easily be a watered down Gregory Maguire wannabe. However, as soon as I began to read the first paragraph, I was instantly hooked on this wish-fulfillment fantasy. Instead of another fairy tale retelling from an alternate perspective, the Unfinished Fairy Tales series is more like a live-action princess movie, in which an ordinary girl travels to another world and transforms into a princess. Even though the series is called Unfinished Fairy Tales, the books do not tell different stories like the Four Kingdoms or Timeless Fairy Tales series. Instead, all of the books are direct sequels about the same character and the same fully fleshed out "Cinderella" world, meaning that if you got hooked on the story from the beginning like me, you will be frantically jumping from one book to the next, determined to find out if Kat will get her happy ending.
I'm mainly just going to talk about The Ugly Stepsister in this review because discussing any of the subsequent books would mean spoiling the others. Katherine Wilson is your average modern-day girl who loves to read. One day, she discovers an old copy of "Cinderella" in her attic and accidentally drops it, causing the cover to rip. The next thing she knows, she is transported into the story, finding herself in the body of one of the ugly stepsisters! The kingdom of Athelia has a surprising amount of depth, with more characters, laws, and locations than an illustrated "Cinderella" storybook would have had. The explanation for this is that the goblin king created the entire fully-fleshed out world inside the book for his own entertainment. Even though the logistics can be rather hard to swallow, once you get fully immersed in Kat's story, you tend to stop worrying about them.
The closest story I could compare this to is actually a cell phone app called Lovestruck. In "Love & Legends," one of the app's visual novels, you play a girl from Chicago who gets swallowed up into a fairy tale kingdom and fall in love with someone from the game's diverse cast of fantasy characters. What princess fan has never dreamed of being magically transported to a fairy tale world and winning the heart of a prince? Twilight is another well-known self-insertion wish-fulfillment story, but Kat has a lot more going for her than Bella does. Even though they are both clumsy and fall irrevocably in love with the male lead, whose name also happens to be Edward, Kat is a leader who wishes to change the old-fashioned customs of Athelia and make life better for its citizens. Throughout the series, she uses her advantages to create movements that end child labor, educate young girls, and tax the wealthy. Unlike characters from similar stories, she doesn't just forget about her world's customs when she enters fantasyland but fully embraces them instead. This is what attracts the attention of Prince Edward.
For the majority of The Ugly Stepsister, Kat tries to deny her feelings for Edward because the goblin tells her that she must complete the story of "Cinderella" in order to return to her own world. Therefore, she does whatever she can to try to push the prince together with her serving girl, Elle. However, it turns out to all be in vain because Edward has never met anyone like Kat before and falls stubbornly head over heels for her. Eventually, Kat accepts that she can't fight true love. However, further complications arrive in the later books that challenge their happy ending together. Even though the goblins who trap Kat in Athelia only pop up occasionally throughout the story, they have a lot of control over her fate and are basically gods in the world of Unfinished Fairy Tales. The goblin world was probably the least believable thing in the series, but I admit that it's difficult to come up with a plausible explanation for getting sucked into another world.
The subsequent books in the series are Princess of Athelia , Twice Upon a Time , and Ever After (not to be confused with another "Cinderella" story of the same name). These books are all about how Kat changes Athelia for the better by incorporating modern laws from her time period and how she and Edward are willing to sacrifice everything to be together. They also answer several questions formed by The Ugly Stepsister, such as "Will Kat's family back home ever find out what happened to her?" and "What happened to the real evil stepsister after Kat took over her body?" I highly recommend this series for lovers of princesses and romance, but I also feel inclined to warn you that it is highly addictive. Once you enter the world of Athelia, it is very hard to come back to realty until you are certain of Kat's happy ending.
I'm mainly just going to talk about The Ugly Stepsister in this review because discussing any of the subsequent books would mean spoiling the others. Katherine Wilson is your average modern-day girl who loves to read. One day, she discovers an old copy of "Cinderella" in her attic and accidentally drops it, causing the cover to rip. The next thing she knows, she is transported into the story, finding herself in the body of one of the ugly stepsisters! The kingdom of Athelia has a surprising amount of depth, with more characters, laws, and locations than an illustrated "Cinderella" storybook would have had. The explanation for this is that the goblin king created the entire fully-fleshed out world inside the book for his own entertainment. Even though the logistics can be rather hard to swallow, once you get fully immersed in Kat's story, you tend to stop worrying about them.
The closest story I could compare this to is actually a cell phone app called Lovestruck. In "Love & Legends," one of the app's visual novels, you play a girl from Chicago who gets swallowed up into a fairy tale kingdom and fall in love with someone from the game's diverse cast of fantasy characters. What princess fan has never dreamed of being magically transported to a fairy tale world and winning the heart of a prince? Twilight is another well-known self-insertion wish-fulfillment story, but Kat has a lot more going for her than Bella does. Even though they are both clumsy and fall irrevocably in love with the male lead, whose name also happens to be Edward, Kat is a leader who wishes to change the old-fashioned customs of Athelia and make life better for its citizens. Throughout the series, she uses her advantages to create movements that end child labor, educate young girls, and tax the wealthy. Unlike characters from similar stories, she doesn't just forget about her world's customs when she enters fantasyland but fully embraces them instead. This is what attracts the attention of Prince Edward.
For the majority of The Ugly Stepsister, Kat tries to deny her feelings for Edward because the goblin tells her that she must complete the story of "Cinderella" in order to return to her own world. Therefore, she does whatever she can to try to push the prince together with her serving girl, Elle. However, it turns out to all be in vain because Edward has never met anyone like Kat before and falls stubbornly head over heels for her. Eventually, Kat accepts that she can't fight true love. However, further complications arrive in the later books that challenge their happy ending together. Even though the goblins who trap Kat in Athelia only pop up occasionally throughout the story, they have a lot of control over her fate and are basically gods in the world of Unfinished Fairy Tales. The goblin world was probably the least believable thing in the series, but I admit that it's difficult to come up with a plausible explanation for getting sucked into another world.
The subsequent books in the series are Princess of Athelia , Twice Upon a Time , and Ever After (not to be confused with another "Cinderella" story of the same name). These books are all about how Kat changes Athelia for the better by incorporating modern laws from her time period and how she and Edward are willing to sacrifice everything to be together. They also answer several questions formed by The Ugly Stepsister, such as "Will Kat's family back home ever find out what happened to her?" and "What happened to the real evil stepsister after Kat took over her body?" I highly recommend this series for lovers of princesses and romance, but I also feel inclined to warn you that it is highly addictive. Once you enter the world of Athelia, it is very hard to come back to realty until you are certain of Kat's happy ending.
