The Brooklyn Project: Writing Anger, Part One

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bbc sherlock, c.s. forester, captain america, character type, characters, disney, doctor who, horatio hornblower, marvel, rapunzel, story dynamics, tangled, writing

Yes, I know it has been a while. I’m sorry. Also, I am not going to list all my (completely valid) excuses here because that would be an entire post in itself. And a half.

In this post, I will explain the different ways different types of characters get angry and why this is important to your story. In the second part of this post (coming soon,) I will give specific examples and explain how you can use this in your story.

Warning: This post will be working off of WriteFury‘s and my character typing system, so if you are not familiar with it, you should probably go and glance through them now:

Click here for Character Profile #1.

Click here for Character Profile #2.

Click here for Character Profile #3.

Click here for Character Profile #4.

Click here for Character Profile #5.

Now that that’s out of the way, we can talk character!

Anger is always a useful tool to better define characters in your readers’ minds. A character who does not get angry or otherwise show an emotion at some point (preferably multiple some-point’s!) in the course of a story will come off as either an emotionless robot or a soulless, undeveloped, bland nobody.

Of course, different characters get provoked to strong emotion in different ways. Here’s a quick checklist to consider (using gender-neutral pronouns for brevity):

• What would xe see as an unforgivable outrage?
• Is xir anger more likely to be righteous or not-so-righteous? (More about this below!)
• Is xe easily provoked to anger? (Bonus points if the villain uses this character flaw against xir!)
• How does xir anger come out? (aka shouting, sarcasm, physical actions, etc.) Also, is xe completely unreasonable when angry? (If so, here’s something for xir to work on in the course of the story!)
• Is xe more likely to try to control xir anger?
• What most commonly makes xir angry? (As in, what everyday annoyance would be most likely to provoke xir?)

Different character types tend to get angry differently. Type Ones can get this look that they are plotting horrible revenge (I am looking at you, Steven Rogers!), or alternatively get quiet and extremely calculating when they are angry. In fact, they may not seem to be angry at all, but use calculated language to make others angry.

Type Twos and Threes often explode in anger or lash out verbally at others because they feel their Fortress of Solitude has been penetrated or wronged. (Incidentally, these two types are also the most likely to take criticism personally rather than realistically and implementing it to improve performance, like Type Ones and Type Fives often do.) Type Twos and Threes are often blissfully unaware of their own character flaws and defects (unlike Type Ones and Fives, who tend to know their own personalities altogether too well and are more likely to develop self-hate as a result), and when their personal flaws are pointed out to them, they get defensive and angry. They’re also more likely to get worked up about things (taking gentle criticism completely out of context, for instance.) Like Type Fives, Type Twos and Type Threes sometimes do things that are considered inappropriate, but because they are in the grip of some powerful passion and they aren’t thinking ahead.

Type Fours are most likely to explode in anger when their friends are attacked, whether physically (when Steve Rogers was being beaten up behind the theater, for instance) or verbally (if one character says something bad about another character), especially if the accusation is untrue or perceived to be untrue. They are more likely to lash out with words than physically, and when aroused can be just as verbally cutting as a Type One or a Type Five.

Type Ones and Fives are the deep thinkers. Type Ones tend to get angry about social injustice and similar issues, while a Type Five is more likely to go out and do something about it. (However, since Type Fives often tend to be “poorly socialized”, sometimes the things they do about injustice are either blown totally out of proportion or just generally inappropriate, though their solutions are almost never completely ineffective.) Both Type Ones and Type Fives are the most likely to work themselves up about things that may or may not be personal to them, but in a completely impersonal way. Type Fives almost never get angry because of a personal attack. Type Ones may get depressed over being attacked in a personal way, but they don’t retaliate. Type Fives are the most likely of any type to retaliate for any perceived wrongdoing, simply because they perceived it as a wrong and not out of any personal, emotional response. Type Fives always think ahead–in terms of logic, not generally accepted norms–and will reach conclusions and do things that make them appear to others as amoral, weird, or unfeeling. However, those conclusions, to them, make perfect sense, and they often react with surprise or confusion when informed that “People just don’t do that!” Type Fives will also go through with a logical course of action, even if it will have a negative impact on them. They aren’t unware that there will be consequences. They’ve simply weighed benefits against consequences and decided on (to them) an appropriate course of action.

As a result, it may seem like Type Fives don’t get angry, but they may simply not be showing that anger on the outside while their movements are calculated and driven by deep, elemental passion. If you have posed a threat, done something to, hurt, or otherwise upset to the friend of a Type Five (even one who, like Batman, won’t kill you,) you are done for. Prepare for your life to be made miserable. The perceived wrong may not have even particularly upset the friend. In the eyes of the Type Five, you are guilty and the logical conclusion is that you deserve to be punished.

Don’t simply assume that just because a character is male, or female, he or she will get angry in a certain way. Not only is that sexist, it’s also unrealistic, and lazy. (Very, very extremely lazy.) Character types are spread out among both genders, just as all personality types appear in both men and women (though, as a quick caveat, they do operate slightly differently in men than in women.) See this post for more information. Some women will get angry in a seemingly stereotypical way. Some will cry. Others will lash out verbally. Others will resort to cutting sarcasm, while still others will be silently plotting your demise. (On a side note and as a woman myself, I would advise you to simply not make women angry at all. There’s always the off chance that you’ve just insulted a Peggy Carter and you are about to DIE in a creative and impressive way.) Some men cry when they’re upset, too, though Society frowns on this and they try to hide it. (It’s really not shameful to cry, people. However, it’s the Types Two, Three, and Four that are most likely to know and accept this. Types One and Five are notorious for bottling it up inside in that infamous Stoic Hero way.)

Here ends Part One of this post. You might also want to check out WriteFury’s post on Myers-Briggs personality types as a characterization tool. For specific examples and more on how backstory drives characters’ emotions, check back in shortly to read Part Two. As always, thanks for reading, have a great day, and God Bless!

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Versatile Blogger Award: Some Thoughts on Worthy Womanhood

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beauty and the beast, bible, cinderella, disney, j.r.r. tolkien, proverbs chapter 31, tangled, the hunger games, the silmarilion

By the Two Trees of Valinor! It’s another blog award! This one from Proverbs31teen. Thank you so much, dear!

Apparently this one is simple. Seven random facts. And then nominate other bloggers. 😉 Someone should start one of these awards where the acceptance post has to have a newly-written short story or something. 😛 Just for variety. I AM NOT STARTING ONE, THOUGH. Goodness, no. I already awarded to everyone I can think of in very recent history… that, and my awardees probably all have lives of their own and procrastinate on these nearly as much as I do. 😛

Now, because I realized I had never looked up the verse behind Proverbs31teen’s username, I decided to do so today. (The other reason why I didn’t know already is because I am notoriously bad at remembering verse numbers. I’m better at noticing background material than verse numbers.) Proverbs chapter 31 is the last chapter in the book of Proverbs. Specifically, it is the advice Lemuel, king of Massa, was given by his mother and recorded for readers of the future. She begins by warning him against reckless actions (such as drinking,) because he is his people’s hope, and calling on him to stand up for his people and help the needy. Then she proceeds to tell him what the ideal of womanhood is.

When one finds a worthy wife, her worth is far beyond pearls.

Her husband entrusts his life safely to her; in her he has a worthy prize.

She goes on to say that the ideal woman is diligent and hardworking, does her duties well, is pure and honest, and does not go in for idle pleasure. Which makes us girls think, wow, what standards! and ask ourselves if we are living up to them.

To everyone who reads this, I have a challenge. This challenge is to look up Proverbs Chapter 31 and break down your favorite female characters to see if they measure up. Does Katniss Everdeen ever stop to ask if she’s being diligent? Did Cinderella use her new-found affluence to aid the impoverished? Did Rapunzel try to make Eugene better? What about Belle? What is this “something more” that she wants, really?

However, you must bear in mind that this applies not only to married women, but unmarried ones as well. Also, you really have to read in between the lines to understand it fully. Today, we talk more plainly than the various writers who put pen to paper under divine inspiration to make up the bible did. Rather than saying exactly what they mean, they use imagery as metaphor. Thus, a “lamp burning brightly after dusk” means that the lady of the house is still keeping busy, no matter how late the hour she stays up to. And the fact that “Her husband sits at the gates of the city with the elders” means not just that he’s influential or works actively with the others in the city council, but that his wife encourages him to aim high and supports him in his endeavors and even tries to make him better by her own efforts. (Which is undeservedly resented, these backward days.)

A quick caveat: I read the chapter in the New American Bible and it… well, it just seems incomplete. (Yes, I do despise this particular translation. Grrr.)

And now, for the actual award stuff!

1. I do occasionally swear by the Two Trees of Valinor. (If you do not know what that is, then you really need to read The Silmarillion.)
2. Most people I know tell me “you think too much!” every once in a while, despite the fact that I think it put my IQ in the gifted range…
3. I have a tendency to ramble on posts. (Hence the fact that this is not just a simple acceptance post.
4. I can’t find my headband. Thus, my hair is in my face.
5. I love hot cereal, but I love muffins even more.
6. Right now, my biggest concern is getting my spot in the Orientation Days for college… though, thanks to bureaucracy, it looks like I will be missing out. Thank you to whoever had that bright idea that required all this Social Security/federal loan/paperwork stuff!
7. My second biggest concern is finding a part time job. :’-(

Yes, my life sucks right now. It would be nice if someone could invent the next-generation version of Turbo Tax to help people get in their schooling paperwork on time.

Now, I would like to nominate Robyn Hood because she is a wonderful blogger and honestly, I can’t think of anyone else who I haven’t just nominated… :’-(

Thanks for reading, and God Bless!

Teens Can Write Too!: Books or Movies?

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a&e, alice in wonderland, baronness emma orczy, bbc, bbc sherlock, c.s. forester, c.s. lewis, courageous, disney, dumas, film, filmmaking, fireproof, horatio hornblower, hornblower, independent films, iris, j.r.r. tolkien, james fenimore cooper, jane austen, joe morlino, lewis carrol, movies, navis pictures, novels, pixar, plans of trust, pride and prejudice, seaward, sherwood pictures, star wars, steven graydanus, susan cooper, t.h. white, tangled, teens can write too blog chain, the chronicles of narnia, the last of the mohicans, the lord of the rings, the once and future king, the scarlet pimpernel, the sword in the stone, the three musketeers, the war of the vendee, through the looking glass

First of all, I’d like to say that if my books ever get published, and if I ever get a proposal to make movies based on my novels, I definitely want to be in on the process. Not only do I want my books to stay at least reasonably like the books–I don’t mind characters who don’t look like they did in the books so much, as long as they act like the characters in the books–and not only have I seen too many movies where the essence and messages of the books were lost, but I’m also fascinated by all things filmmaking. 😉 See Plans of Trust. Also see The War of the Vendee, from Navis Pictures, and the Sherwood Pictures films. All of these movies are done by independent groups and have more charm and in most cases better acting than Hollywood movies. I have not seen Plans of Trust yet, but Vendee, Courageous, and Fireproof are among my favorite films of all time. Thank you, Mr. Morlino! And I know that was off-topic… In the case that I have passed away by the time my books catch the eye of some director, then I hope my estate will definitely be consulting. (My de facto, informal will at this time is pretty much that Iris inherits all my writing stuff, including unfinished texts, with the hopes that she will continue them. Also, anyone else may build on my work with Iris’ permission. The rights to my completed poems and novels go to my family, to help support them.)

Wow, I just got really off track. I’ll blame it on my cold. (The same cold that Obi-Wan also caught and is still recovering from… *sigh*)

Now, I think that it’s only fair if we judge the movie by its own criteria and not by the industry in general. There have been marvelous adaptions (aka, The Lord of the Rings and the Hornblower series,) and there have been bad ones (Alice in Wonderland… *shudder* Frankly, I’ll take my chances with the Balrogs and mumakil. I don’t want to face a Jabberwocky or a Mock-Turtle. Ever again. But maybe I’m unfair, even if the movie sucked. The books was almost as creepy… Sorry, I just can’t read Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, or any of the book clones *cough* Seaward *cough* without suffering nightmares. The book destroyed my childhood, and the movie freaked me out.)

The adaption of The Lord of the Rings is a great movie, but it does play free with certain parts of the books. And yet, at the same time, it goes very well as an adaption of the books. It can stand alone, yes, but it also ties in very well with the books, if we can stay our bookish-snobbishness for the time being as we watch the movies. The only thing that really annoys me is if someone takes only what happens in the movies as “canon”. To me, the books will always be the only canon. People love to hate on The Lord of the Rings for eliminating Tom Bombadil, having other elves than Legolas at Helm’s Deep, the too-early deaths of Sauruman and Wormtongue and Frodo telling Sam to go home on Cirith Ungol (yes, those last two are my own private pet peeves), but frankly it’s probably the best book adaption out there if you use both epicness and true-to-the-book-ness as your measure.

The A&E adaption of The Scarlet Pimpernel, starring Richard E. Grant, is another really good adaption, if you can temporarily suspend your sense of disbelief and/or your booksnob attitude. True, it plays free with the situations, historical accuracy, and (to an extent) Chauvelin’s appearance and character, but if you like action and historical movies, this is your cup of tea, courtesy of the BBC. (To balance out the blah-history-ness in the third movie of the trilogy, Mademoiselle Guillotine, I highly recommend The War of the Vendee, above. Also, this same movie has the best villainess I have ever seen in any movie! She almost beats Lady De Winter from The Three Musketeers for sheer evil and disgustingness and oh-heaven-I-so-want-to-slaughter-her!)

The Hornblower movies, also from A&E, are perhaps the only franchise about which I will ever say “I actually liked the movies better than the books.” The C.S. Forester classics, while good reading, can be very dark and a little depressing at times, not to mention the blood. C.S. Forester is nothing if not honest. Not necessarily family-friendly material. However, if you ignore the four-letter words (which, let me promise you, is pretty much limited to just ‘hell’ or ‘damn’), you find yourself in the middle of a movie just about everyone can like. If there is one disappointing thing about this series, it’s that it didn’t follow the course of all the books and take the unfinished one–Hornblower During the Crisis–which would have had Horatio as a spy *swoons*!–into the cinema world as a full blown story.

And I need not even mention Sherlock, which is sheer brilliance!

Now, for the not-so-good.

The Chronicles of Narnia (the old BBC adaptions.) While these were charming movies and re-created the charm of the books quite well, they weren’t all that imaginative, and they cut some of my favorite scenes from the books. Also, the series was discontinued, leaving the count at The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair. And… *cough cough* I would like to see anyone try to make a movie of The Last Battle. It could never be as awesome as the book!

…Ahem.

The Sword in the Stone. It is a cute family movie, but let’s face it–except for bits of the face-off between Merlyn and Madame Mim (Yes, I spelled Merlyn right! This is how he’s spelled in the T.H. White-verse–probably to differentiate from the falcon species… which does appear in the book…), this movie is absolutely nothing like the book. It lacks the book’s charm and humor and incredible detail. It cuts out chunks (the more interesting ones) from the book, it completely mutilates Kay… I could go on and on. Not that I have any particular hate for this movie. Like I said before, it’s a nice little family movie. It’s just not… all that memorable. Unlike the book. I’m glad they stopped there rather than trying to make the whole Once And Future King cycle into animated movies. It’s a movie about Merlyn educating the Wart. It’s not a movie about the Wart, the Wart and Kay, or even the Wart and Merlyn. It’s not exactly character-oriented, which is probably why it’s less than memorable. (Though Archimedes was adorable. Which is almost sacrilege, to a fan of the books… No spoilers. >:-D)

The Last of the Mohicans. (The animated one.) It’s another charming family movie–and not really forgettable–it might even be a cult classic–but it’s just not the book. Characters were different. Different people died. (More people die in the book, which gives it a more complex aspect. No spoilers. :-3) Again, recurring theme here, it lacked much of the humor of the book, such as SPOILER Major Heyward trying to impersonate Hawkeye END SPOILER.Now, the book might be both sexist and racist, but let’s face it–almost anything could be labeled sexist or racist in one way or another. And it’s a classic, and a good read besides. Need I say more?

But about the movie, I did rather like it. But if I’m looking for entertainment when I’m not absolutely worn out by Raya’s antics, I’m going to the book.

Pride and Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley. Most Austen movies tend to be very close to the books, but this one… All I can say is pretty much… meh. The acting may be good, but the story is pretty much insipid–at least to someone who’s seen the version with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. Its only advantage above the latter movie is that it’s shorter–and some people wouldn’t call that an advantage. (I only do because I’d really rather read Austen than watch Austen. No offense, people.)

This movie is also fairly good, but next to the A&E version… it does not stand a chance.

I would like to present a new set of criteria for judging movies (and especially book adaptions) as a whole, which is based on the way Steven Graydanus breaks down the good and the bad in his film critiques. It is based on systematic evaluation of the message, the way it executes the story, and the divergences, which should be justified. While critiquing any art form is in itself an art, this should at least simplify it for people who don’t have much experience with critique. Be forewarned, though, it takes a little math, and some familiarity with negative values.

1. Message. Is the message true to the book? On a scale of one to five. How good or bad is it? (Yes, add points to score; no, subtract points from score. If the message is virtually unrecognizable or mangled into a twisted dark clone of itself, subtract up to ten points.)
2. Trueness to the book. (Yes, +0points; no, -1point unless it’s really really bad. Then -3points.)
3. Diversions from the book. (Yes, +0points; no, -1point. Come on. It’s a movie. It is a separate entity. And if it has no diversions, it’s unimaginative.)
4. Execution of diversions from book, on a scale of one to five. (Well done; +points. Poorly done; -points.)
5. Execution of book canon portions, on a scale of one to five. (Well done; +points. Poorly done; -points. Superbly done; +7 to 10 points. Extremely badly done; -7 to 15 points. Yes, I’m a cynic. The real question is… are you?)
6. General inventiveness, on a scale of one to five. (Well done; +points. Poorly done; -0points. Unless it’s completely unimaginative, in which case -up to 5 points.
7. For Christians, believers in moral absolutes, and concerned parents only! Moral value, on a scale of one to five. (Moral value positive: +0 points. Moral value extremely positive: +5 points. Moral value negative: -up to 7 points.)
8. Special effects, on a scale of one to five. (Good; +0points. Poor; -1point. Poor but ignorable; -0points. Poor for a reason–such as to emulate another era or style of film– +1point.)
9. Other. For depressiveness, euphoria, simple beauty, etc. + or – up to 5 points.

Bear in mind, this system is not perfect. Different people will most likely get different scores on the same movies. Lord of the Rings scored 20 (17 without morality points), and the BBC show Sherlock scored 27 (24 without morality points), due to its sheer inventiveness and addictiveness. Alice in Wonderland, on the other hand, scored a -11, or a -13 without morality points. *shudders* I really, really dislike that movie.

So, in general, I am a connoisseur of movies, and a lover of books, but I have my limits. And some things (such as blatant departures from book canon without any justification, or book canon so badly done it doesn’t even recall the book canon,) just drive me nuts. In general, I’m not as hard on fairy tale adaptions as I am on book adaptions (Tangled scored a princely 23, 22 without morality points–yes, I only gave it one morality point, because she runs away from the only parent figure she’s known and disobeys and rebels–she got the point because she’s a peacemaker and willing to sacrifice herself), but that’s mostly because folk tales belong to everyone and sheesh, I know what it’s like to slave and suffer over a book for months and years and then realize it’s not what you want and overhaul it and spend blood from your paper cuts and tears from your text cuts on it! A book is a little piece of the author’s heart. With something that personal, it needs respect. Just as movies are little pieces from the hearts of everyone who worked on them.

I hope you enjoyed the post. Be sure to check in for the other bloggers’ posts in this blog chain!

5th – http://nasrielsfanfics.wordpress.com/

6th – http://theloonyteenwriter.wordpress.com/

7th – http://sammitalk.wordpress.com/

8th – http://thelittleenginethatcouldnt.wordpress.com/

9th – http://insideliamsbrain.wordpress.com/

10th – http://maralaurey.wordpress.com/

11th – http://charleyrobson.blogspot.com/

12th – http://taratherese.wordpress.com/

13th – http://theweirdystation.blogspot.com/

14th – http://fairyskeletons.blogspot.com/

15th – http://musingsfromnevillesnavel.wordpress.com/

16th – http://novelexemplar.wordpress.com/

17th – http://magicandwriting.wordpress.com/

18th – http://mirrormadeofwords.com/

19th – http://www.brookeharrison.com/

20th – http://miriamjoywrites.com/

21st – http://eighthundredninety.blogspot.com/

22nd – http://unikkelyfe.wordpress.com/

23rd – http://aaronandtamarabooks.blogspot.com/

24th – http://www.butterfliesoftheimagination.weebly.com/

25th – https://erinkenobi2893.wordpress.com/

26th – http://turtlesinmysoup.blogspot.com/

27th – http://missalexandrinabrant.wordpress.com/

28th – http://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com/ – The topic for July’s blog chain will be announced.

Thanks for reading, and God Bless! 🙂

Dystopian is the New Romance

Tags

bbc sherlock, beauty and the beast, bound to the flame, brave, disney, divergent, dystopian fiction, frozen, insanity, long rants, madeleine l'engle, pixar, romance, star wars, tangled, the hunger games, veggie tales

Of course it is. No matter what the romance authors say. I suppose it was bound to happen; romance is being replaced.

Just kidding. Nothing really can compare to the juggernaut that is romance. It even outstrips fantasy (though, let’s face it, fantasy fans are more passionate than romance ones.)

But, if you look at recent book sales, I think you’ll start to notice a trend. Think of all the literary versions of BBC’s Sherlock (which, you’ve got to admit it, for a show to be like that and go from zero to sixty in that little space, that never happens!), like the Hunger Games. Dystopian. Divergent? Dystopian. Veggie Tales?

Okay, I guess it could happen… 😛

And now I find myself caught up in the genre. I was writing a dystopian-style alternate universe Star Wars fanfic, and all of a sudden… Bam!

It mutates into an original dystopian and I topple over the line between fantasy and sci-fi and land solidly (on my posterior, no less) in the dystopian fiction world.

It’s happening more and more often. I mean, really, Bound to the Flame started as a crossover between Star Wars and Brave (I wanted to see what would happen if Star Wars took place in the historic Scottish Highlands, and then Merida hopped in, and for some reason Qui-Gon Jinn and Tahl were the king and queen of a small kingdom and guess what? They have a son named Obi-Wan! Who promptly goes off on his own tangent like he always does…) that gained influences from A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Rowan’s disability and the way he gained it? Blame L’Engle. It all came from Matthew Maddox. I even borrowed an Ecthros or two! Or five…), Beauty and the Beast (umm, yeah. Rowan’s not comfortable with being half-crippled, no matter what he tells you to your face.), Tangled (minus the lock on the tower and the sheer isolation, but for some reason Margery is Flynn Rider and got herself arrested to get herself into the tower), and possibly even Frozen, though I haven’t even seen it yet!!!

Dare I say, oops?!

I guess I’d better just enjoy my own madness, at this rate. 😛

But anyway, about dystopian. It’s here to stay, people. It’s all about stepping up and standing out. It’s about purpose. It’s about people who really make a difference.

And maybe that’s what makes it so powerful.

Then, too, it’s a challenge. After all, not everyone can rely on an innate magical ability, can they?! 😛

Thanks for reading, and God Bless!

Bound to the Flame preview

Tags

brave, disney, frozen, kysherin, madeleine l'engle, pixar, star wars, stories in progress, story dynamics, tangled

All right, this story has a lot of backstory. It’s my first novel-length original story to be posted serially on this blog, and I hope everyone enjoys it! Please note, Bound to the Flame will be posted as I complete the chapters, so there may be some pauses longer than others between chapter postings, and the chapters may be of odd lengths.

Anyway, this story was inspired by an idea I had while watching Disney/Pixar’s Brave, and I thought, hmm, what would happen if Star Wars had happened in the medieval Scottish Highlands? Then the story slowly gained influences from Tangled, Beauty and the Beast, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and (possibly) Frozen (?). Then it changed from a crossover to an original story. Why did that happen and how? I’m not quite sure, but this is the result. I hope you enjoy it…

Bound to the Flame

Prologue

                Queen Melilana was not an easy woman to faze.

However, despite being among the most powerful Wielders in existence, she was still human, and the return of her son, missing for a fortnight, was enough of an event to break even her stoic fortitude and run down the hallways of Castle Daareth, down to the courtyard. As she hurried down the stairs, Fortaine came to join her.

“Queen Melilana,” he said. Melilana instantly knew that he was troubled, due to the use of her formal title, rather than his more familiar manner with her as his adoptive parent, but neglected to ask him to call her “mother.” She looked at him in silence. “We… we found him.”

Now King Halbryn was hurrying across the high entry hall to meet her. She grasped his hand as they both ran toward the hall doors, drawing strength from their unity, their connection, much as she always had, even when he was a young knight errant and she the inexperienced Queen of the kingdom of Ertraia. He smiled reassuringly down at her once, then the doors boomed open and they were running down the steps into the courtyard.

Julian, their other adoptive son and Hal’s second apprentice, came slowly toward them, bearing the young prince of Ertraia in his arms, as if the boy weighed nothing. The boy was wrapped in the traditional green cloak of the knights of Ertraia, the same cloak worn with formal wear by all the nobles. The cloak was faded and worn, made of a durable, coarse homespun cloth, being more practical than fine. It was tattered, the edges torn. Both the boy’s cloak and the knight’s were streaked with damp, dark stains. Melilana gasped.

“Rowan,” she whispered. The boy was perfectly still. Melilana ran to her son’s side. Julian stared at her, their eyes meeting. His eyes were hollow. Together, they slid slowly to the cobblestones of the pavement, Julian cautious to shield the boy’s broken body from any jarring or sharp impact. “Is he all right?” Melilana pleaded. “Please, tell me he’s all right!” Julian’s midnight blue eyes filled with tears.

Between them, the boy breathed, but only barely, as above the merciless moon stared down from the night sky.

Its light slowly dimmed to nothing as clouds gathered across the sky, veiling the stars. It was dark, but not as dark as the night that awaited them now.

 To Be Continued

So, that’s the story… you’ll have to tell me if it’s any good. Also, I may need ideas for continuation… however, that depends on my muse. *leans out the window to shout at Kysherin, who is currently engaged in blowing away all clouds that might lead to any snow* HEY! GET BACK HERE! And leave off blowing away all our poor snowstorms!!! *turns back to audience with an apologetic smile on my face* Sorry about that. She’s such an idiot sometimes.

When Rebellion Isn’t Justified

Tags

bbc merlin, brave, disney, elanor h. porter, merida, pollyanna, star wars, tangled

I’ve been meaning to write this post for quite some time now, but I never quite got around to actually doing it.

Normally, I’d blame life or make some excuse right about… here, but this time I really can’t. I was just lazy, this time, or I kept on forgetting about it, for reasons which do not make any sense whatsoever.

The point is, this is an issue that needs to be addressed. And I haven’t addressed it. I have been remiss in my duties, and I will willingly accept any punishment that you, the readers of my blog, deem to be sufficient for my offense.

Anyway, this post is about the consistent themes that seem to abound in literature and media of all kinds.

For instance, in Tangled Rapunzel runs away from home, even though Gothel told her not to. In fact, the whole movie is riddled with everything Rapunzel does in rebellion against Gothel’s authority. We can try to excuse this by saying that Gothel’s authority is tenuous at best, since she is not Rapunzel’s mother; in fact, she stole Rapunzel from her parents, and Gothel’s motives are always selfish. But the fact remains. Rapunzel doesn’t realize that Gothel’s motives are selfish, nor does she know that Gothel has no legal claim upon her. For all she knows, Gothel loves her entirely and selflessly and is, in fact, her biological mother.

Rapunzel’s excuse? Following her heart.

Now, I wouldn’t have such a problem with this, if Rapunzel’s offense hadn’t gone entirely unpunished. Actions have consequences, people.

Where are those consequences!?

The movie was good, I’ll grant you that. But it would have been better still if the writer, producer, and director hadn’t been sappy and cowardly about it, and given Rapunzel’s action some consequences, and she spent the rest of the movie trying to make it up, like Merida did in Brave.

Over and over again, we see this same thread. Anakin Skywalker? Rebels. Excuse? Following his heart. Gets away with it scot-free (up until Revenge of the Sith.) Obi-Wan is great and all, but he needs to be a bit more of a disciplinarian in my opinion. You don’t have to be stern and severe to be a disciplinarian, though. If Obi-Wan had been a little less scared by the mood swings Anakin went through, things might have turned out a whole lot better. Qui-Gon Jinn? Rebels. Excuse? Following his heart. (Beginning to see a trend here?) Gets away with it. No retribution.

However, fortunately not all rebelling characters get away with their misdeeds. I think my favorite example of this is Disney/Pixar’s Brave. Merida is being pushed into a marriage with one of the noblemen. She tries to stop her marriage, going against her mother’s wishes. (Want to know her excuse?) She goes to a witch and buys a spell that will change Elinor’s mind and her own fate. Unfortunately, the spell changes Elinor into a beautiful, sleek, elegant, lovely black bear. (I think that no matter how awkward the beginning, Elinor still retains her grace while she’s in the shape of the bear.) Of course, they want to change her back. Merida sees that she made a mistake, and the whole adventure results in mother and daughter growing closer. (I still can’t believe that Merida cut a huge slash in a priceless tapestry, though.)

BBC Merlin has multiple examples. Gaius tells Merlin not to do certain things (such as healing Guinevere’s father) for a reason; Merlin does it anyway, and learns the hard way, growing as a character and man in the process. Outside of the movies (and in The Phantom Menace), Obi-Wan Kenobi has his rebellious moments too, but winds up repenting them, bitterly. Especially regretting his sharp-tongued comeback at Qui-Gon in The Phantom Menace. But more still on Melida/Daan, he decides to leave the Jedi Order and finds out that he can’t fix everything; the young girl he befriended (I don’t think there were romantic overtones, but frame it how you choose) died in his arms. But Obi-Wan’s different–it seems the galaxy has a grudge against him for some reason.

Never mind.

Anyway, I’ll tell you all what I would like to see, eventually.

I want to see someone who obeys their elders, even though the elders’ motives are not altruistic. I want to see a Pollyanna. I don’t care who says Pollyanna is old-fashioned. *glares at anyone who might mention it in the comments* Don’t do it. I will smack you. 😛

I want to see someone who obeys not out of grudging acquiescence or out of fear or out of laziness or ignorance. I want to see someone who obeys out of knowledge and love.

If you could kindly guide me in that direction, I would be very grateful indeed.

Thanks for reading this little rant, and God Bless!