sábado, 23 de julio de 2016

CATNIP - TSQ-IV FRENCH GRAPHIC NOVEL






From the French comic Coeur de Glace.
Written by Marie Pommepuy
Drawn by Patrick Pion


As an Easter egg, here's the TSQ-IV princess as seen by Amlagam.
Reminds me of Savitri a lot.


sábado, 9 de julio de 2016

WIT AND WINTERFELL: MBT/ASOIAF CROSSOVER

What if... Sansa Stark lived Threnody Vey's life and vice versa?
How would it unfurl for a badass wit to live at the Red Keep, and for a fragile court lady to adapt to military life, overnight?



This bunny is a crossover with cross-transplantation, confusion left and right, 
a rebellious only child and a demure older sister switched and catapulted into one another's worlds in a mysterious storm (actually, a tesseract), Lannisters, Tyrells, lamplighters of the Haacobin empire, cothouses, calendars, cathar's treacle, the Right, a dashing Dornishman and an enlightened surgeon who both become interested in this  "Sansa..." (yes, both Oberyn and Qyburn are naturally curious about Threnody), firearms, fodicars, and seltzer lamps (things about this brave new world that Sansa is curious about)...
From Winstermill to Herbroulesse, from King's Landing to Winterfell, these are the stories of a wit in Westeros and of a Westerosi princess on the Half-Continent.
 The question is: will they stay in their new homeworlds or return to their old at the end of the day?

TOWARELLA: EXTENDED VERSION

Since the School Play episode (ep 37) of Go!Princess Precure focused on the Flower Class rendition of Romeo and Juliet, I have made spin-offs detailing the making off the plays staged by the Ocean and Star Classes. The Star Class one is "Towarella," in which the spare princess of the Hope Kingdom stars as the quintessential orphan scullery maid, with Kirara Amanogawa herself for an unlikely fairy godmother. The premise of that play was great, so I decided to expand upon it, adding Kirara's two muggle friends (Those Two Gals/Hitomi "Hitomin" and Yoko "Youtan") and a dramatic, hammy, attention-hogging Ranko Ichijo to the mix, as well as a Shut who, like Close as Kurosu later on, has decided to spy on the Cures by entering Noble Academy as a foreign exchange student. Oh, and elements of Hamilton, particularly the musical numbers (and a real-life parallel with Kirara as the Burr to Ranko's Alex). The result is astounding.
Pairings: Shutowa (my OTP!), Kiraranko (foe yay).
Inspirations: Disney-style Cinderella with elements of the 2015 live action film (the stepfamily's attire, the goose coachman and lizard footmen, the spirited heroine who can speak French, an evil chancellor in cahoots with Madame Tremaine, and her mourning her first husband, Kirara's FGM role being rather eccentric)... and of Ever After (spirited badass heroine, many character names, a funny not-so-wicked stepsister as comic relief, the royal ball being a masked ball), as well as a thwarted poisoning plot, crowned with well-deserved karmic deaths, at the end. The setting is eighteenth-century Central European, reminiscent of both France and Prussia. ('Cuz Ever After is so French and the Disney version is so Prussian when it comes to setting...)


The cast:

Towa Akagi (née Hope Daylight) as Daniella/Cinderella (in scarlet)
Kirara Amanogawa as the Fairy Godmother
Ranko Ichijo as Baroness Rodmilla Tremaine (the Wicked Stepmother)
Charles de la Rose Noire (Shut) as Prince Henry Charming
Hitomi as Drusilla Tremaine (the Wicked Stepsister, in orange)
Yoko as Jacqueline Tremaine (the Not-So-Wicked Stepsister, in blue)
Naoto Koshiba as Chancellor Regent de Montmorency (the evil chancellor who wants to dethrone his ward)
Shun Imagawa as Captain Laurent (fencing master, commander of the royal guards)
 (needs a name) as Goose/Coachman/Court Prelate (like the one in The Princess Bride)
 (needs a name) as Lizard/Footman I/Cupbearer
 (needs a name) as Lizard/Footman II
Directed by: That kid with the afro, who wanted to be a director (needs a name)

WAKE UP, KIRARA!!!

This is my Noble Academy Christmas Carol bunny, which I have had for a while...

WAKE UP, KIRARA!!!

CAST

Kirara Amanogawa (in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge)
Towa Akagi, née Hope Daylight (in the roles of Robert Cratchit and Jacob Marley)
Shut as the Ghost of Christmas Past
Stella Amanogawa and Ken Takamagahara (as themselves)
Wataru Kaido (in the role of Isabelle)
Lock as the Ghost of Christmas Present
Asuka Kitakaze (in the role of Isabelle's husband)
Tsukasa, Masumi, and Minami Kaido
Karin "Rinrin" Akeboshi (in the role of Tiny Timmy Cratchit)
Ranko Ichijo
Kyoko Tachi (Kirara's manager)
Hitomi "Hitomin" and Yoko "Youtan"
White-Haired Close as the Ghost of Christmas Future

SETTING: Canon GPPC setting

PREMISE: When a stressed Kirara shuts her friends and family out as she prepares thoroughly for a great Christmas runway, she receives three visits from ghosts that cause her to revaluate her holiday priorities:
1) Christmas Past: child Kirara as a lonely celebrity brat, her father's disappearance (parents' divorce), how much Kirara worshipped her mum, and her short-lived romance with her senpai Wataru as an NA freshwoman...
2) Christmas Present: how the basketball team, the Hope/Akagi siblings, the production staff at the agency, and the Kaidos (including Wataru and his new fiancée Asuka) celebrate Christmas...
3) Christmas Future: 30-sth Kirara a drug addict in a coma on life support, her former friends living parallel lives and more concerned with their own lives, her parents living in retired obscurity, Rinrin having become as cold and arrogant as Kirara in the present and also on the path to drug addiction, as Ranko's star rises (and she tempted Rinrin to take drugs)...
In the end, she awakens completely changed and ready to embrace the spirit of the winter holidays on Christmas Eve morning... <3 <3 <3



viernes, 8 de julio de 2016

THE PAINFUL LIFE OF A LONELY EXTRAVERT


Again, this is about having to work in black and white as the translator I will be. Very few times will I be allowed to use colour in exchange for money. Very few (such "experimental") books, The Neverending Story for example, employ colour in their fonts.
I worship Francesc Gómez Guillamón/neilabbott for not having met obstructive forces that derailed his career. I mean, a kindred spirit of mine who is a successful kawaii illustrator and character designer...

Long, long time ago,
I can still remember
how bright colours used to make me smile...
And I knew if I had a chance,
my characters would them entrance,
and maybe, they'd be happy for a while...

But then, Jesús Mey made me shiver
with criticism he delivered...
bad news on the doorstep...
I couldn't take one more step...

I can't remember if I cried
for having to write in black on white,
but something pierced me deep inside
the day my childhood died...

So I keep singing...
Bye, bye, Sandra Dermark, goodbye;
you left your dream and took your calling, 'tis too dull for your eye...
You'd love to turn left, but already gone right,
singing: "this would be the day that I died..."

So maybe this is like Maud Müller 2.0. You know, the farm girl who gave a dashing Judge Jenkins a drink and then both stood speechless, face to face, for a while. She wished to partake in high society, he wished to live a more simple life by her side. Yet, in the end, Reality imposes herself.

But he thought of his sisters, proud and cold,
and his mother, vain of her rank and gold.
So, closing his heart, the Judge rode on,
and Maud was left in the field alone.
Oh yes, the shadow of a dragon matriarch looms large. Like that of a psychologist who chaperoned one throughout her adolescence and attempted to live one's life constantly. Thus, I became a translation student with very little to use colour in the workplace; while a fashion victim socialite was chosen to play the role of Mrs. Jenkins:
He wedded a wife of richest dower,
who lived for fashion, as he for power.
Yet oft, in his marble hearth's bright glow,
he watched a picture come and go:
And sweet Maud Müller's hazel eyes
looked out in their innocent surprise.
Oft when the wine in his glass was red,
he longed for the wayside well instead;
And closed his eyes on his garnished rooms,
to dream of meadows and clover-blooms.
And the proud man sighed, with a secret pain,
"Ah, that I were free again!
"Free as when I rode that day,
where the barefoot maiden raked her hay."
And Sansa Stark, captive first of the royal court and then of her deranged aunt, wishes herself back to Winterfell. And Brienne, in wartorn lands, misses Tarth terribly. While Maud Müller marries an uncultured, unlearned lager lout (surely, her parents also had made that match) and they spawn like rabbits. Yet she cannot stop dreaming about a possible high society alternate reality in which she is Mrs. Jenkins:
But care and sorrow, and childbirth pain,
left their traces on heart and brain.
And oft, when the summer sun shone hot
on the new-mown hay in the meadow lot,
and she heard the little spring brook fall
over the roadside, through the wall,
in the shade of the apple-tree again
she saw a rider draw his rein,
and, gazing down with timid grace,
she felt his pleased eyes read her face.
Sometimes her narrow kitchen walls
stretched away into stately halls;
the weary wheel to a spinnet turned,
the tallow candle an astral burned;
a manly form at her side she saw,
and joy was duty and love was law.
Then she took up her burden of life again,
saying only, "It might have been."
Pity on them both! and pity on us all,
Who vainly the dreams of youth recall;
For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: "It might have been!"
It might have been. Then, let me write it down: Sandra Dermark might have been an illustrator or character designer, as she wanted to be one as a child to entertain others. To give them respite and solace, feelings like the ones she was given by such creative people, that made her forget that she lived a life full of absence and coldness. I am Maud Müller, Sansa Stark, Brienne of Tarth. We all have had childhood dreams. And it's painful to see them come undone. It fills one with longing for what could have been. 
Drawn by infatuation, whim, passion, and impulse, and seeing them all shattered at one fell swoop... To "never breathe a word about my loss" is not that easy.
I am writing this part in orange to appease my need for colour. A need that, like that for kindred company, has rarely been satisfied. Not only am I a translator in love with bright colours... but also a lonely extravert.



TSQ-IV (GDR): RAINER SCHWARZ

TSQ-IV (GDR): RAINER SCHWARZ

This is a free East German retelling... Voice actors unknown.

Prinz
Prinzessin

Ja, er wohnt bei eine Prinzessin, im Schloss! Die Prinzessin hat ihn direkt von der Landstrasse zu sich genommen! Das war ein Skandal!
...im Schloss an.
Die Garde in Silber und die Lakaien in Gold wollen es nicht erlauben. () ...ins Schloss kommen.
Ich kenne eine kleine Hintertreppe, die zum Schlafgemach der Prinzessin führt.

(Eerie, chaotic sounds)
Das sind nur Träume, die kommen und holen die Gedanken der hohen Herrschaft zu Jagd ab.
In den ersten Saal hinein, der war aus rosenroten Atlas mit gestickten Blumen an den Wänden. Da sausten die Träume schon wieder vorbei, Pferden mit flatterden Mähnen und dünnen Beinen, Jägerburschen, Herren und Damen zu Ross! Aber sie flogen so schnell, dass man nichts erkennen konnte.
Ein Saal war immer prächtiger als der Andere, und dann [···] im Schlafgemach.
Die Lilien dort, die mit den goldenen Stengeln an der Decke hängen, das sind die Betten! In der weissen schläft die Prinzessin, und in der roten der Prinz.
...an seinen braunen Nacken!
Da sausten die Träume zu Pferde wieder in der Saal herein. Der Prinz erwachte, drehte den Kopf um...
Der Prinz...
Aus den weissen Lilienblatt blinzelte die Prinzessin hervor.

Hm... Was ist denn hier los? Wer dringt das nacht in unser Schlafgemach!? Oh! Hilfe!! Wachen!!
Sei still, liebste Prinzessin. Vielleicht ist es nur ein Abordnung auf dem Volk und sie haben Hunger oder frieren!

...ist eben so keck und hübsch und arm wie der Prinz, und soll sich auf der Landstrasse herumtreiben.

Oh! Und ihr dachten ich gebe meinen Prinzen wieder her? 

Seid uns nicht böse, schöne Prinzessin.

Der Prinz stand aus seinen Bett auf und liess () darin schlafen. Und mer konnte er nicht tun.

von Kopf bis Fuss in Samt und Seide gekleidet.

Willst du nicht im Schloss bleiben und uns Gesellschaft leisten?
Ja! Du wirst gute Tage haben. An nichts soll es dir fehlen.

Hier. Ich schenke meine Stiefel! Mit denen bin ich schon durch viele Länder gewandert.
Von mir, nimm diesen Muff. Es ist kalt. Ich habe ihm selbst bestickt, als der Prinz auch nicht bei mir war!
Haha! Du sollst unsere neue Kutsche haben!
Die ist aus reinem Gold! Und das Wappen unsere Liebe ist an ihr befestigt!

Mit die Kutsche fährst du durch das Land, bis auch du dein Glück gefunden hast!
Gute Reise!
Und viel Glück!

Die Kutsche fuhr mit Kutscher, Diener und Vorreiter, denn es waren auch Vorreiter da, und die hatten Goldkronen auf dem Kopf.

......................................................................................................................
Das Räubermädchen erzählte, dass der Prinz und die Prinzessin ins Ausland gereist werden.








BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS... AND TOIL

Let's face it: we all remember old Churchill saying, during the war, that he had nothing to offer but "blood, sweat, and tears." But it was not that way. There was actually a fourth item on the list of "blood, toil (i.e. effort), sweat, and tears." Still, it felt a bit long, and a tripartite statement like the motto of France had got more rhythm. One of the items on the list had to go. And, knowing how phlegmatic the Britons are, it just had to be the toil.

jueves, 7 de julio de 2016

SHAKESPEAREAN CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF A NEW AUTHOR

This post deals with my fave Shakespearean characters and how they have impacted me. Long story short: I explain the character in shorthand (hashtag included!), what I admire in them and/or what has impacted me, what kind of person they would be in the present-day Occidental world, and also a few songs that would be on their playlist ;)


WISE MENTORS

Gonzalo: #AlwaysSunnyPacifist
What I admire/what strikes me: He's the token optimist, and the only righteous person, at a decadent royal court, which is a hard life... as Ned Stark got to know too late. However, Gonzalo still keeps his head on his shoulders and his position as the right hand of royalty without giving up his worldview and values. And, as proof, a few words from his vision:
[...] treason, felony,
sword, pike, knife, gun, or need of any engine,
would I not have; 
[...]

And some wise words from his section (my favourite, BTW) of The Sea and the Mirror:
A simple locus now, a bell
the Already There can lay
hands on if at any time
It should feel inclined to say
to the lonely--"Here I am",
to the anxious--"All is well".

In our days, s/he would be...: a cool flowerchild born in the 60s, who nowadays, in spite of being fiftyish and occupying one of the highest positions within a corrupt international group, still keeps his flowerchild values. A cool old(er) guy with a positive outlook on life and wise advice to dispense to the younger Shakespearean characters on this list.
Songs on his/her playlist: "Imagine," John Lennon
"Octopus's Garden", The Beatles
"Destra-Sinistra," Giorgio Gaber
Milky Way Song, Monty Python
"Alla fiera dell'est," Angelo Braduardi
"Fiorecrì," VillaZuk

Cerimon: #OthersComeFirst
What I admire/what strikes me: Let the Bard and the Lambs explain it themselves, right?
In reverend Cerimon there well appears
The worth that learned charity aye wears.

(Shakespeare)
In the worthy Cerimon, we are instructed how goodness directed by knowledge, in bestowing benefits upon (hu)mankind, approaches to the nature of the gods.
(Mary Lamb)
In our days, s/he would be...: a cool flowerchild born in the 60s, like Gonzalo, but as an eccentric healer who resorts to surprisingly good alternate therapies. Always ready to lend a helping hand, just like Gonzalo, to whom he is very close. Perchance tied with Gonzalo as the person leaning most to the left in the political spectrum of those I mention here.
Songs on his/her playlist: Meditation music
Hear the Loon Cry (or any loon song recording, for that matter)
Any quality whale song recording
"Within You Without You," The Beatles
Soothing Mozart
"Fiorecrì," VillaZuk


GIRLS IN BREECHES

Portia: #ThisIsNotAHashtag / #123Stella / #DamselOuttaDistress
What I admire/what strikes me: Her brains. Unable to attend any university due to her gender, and having never left her birthplace of Belmont, she is self-taught (just like me, btw). As an only child, an orphan, and the heir to a vast fortune, it comes as no surprise that suitors flock in throngs to her grand estate of Belmont. Yet she sees all of them as shallow opportunists, which is revealed when she puts them to the (casket) test. In the end, she finds a spouse worthy of her, a young man who loves her for her wit more than for her fortune or looks. Yet Mr. Right is broke, and his formerly loaded best friend is in a pretty shade of red, owing a pound of his own flesh to a certain Jewish loanshark. Portia is the one who saves the day, cross-dressing and appearing as the debtor's lawyer in court ("a young barrister fresh out of university"), then exploiting a loophole in the loanshark's contract (a pound of flesh... but without shedding any blood [you know, these Jews and their blood taboo]). The whole debt is cancelled as a result! Even the judge praises her, stating that he's never seen such a young body with such an old head... <3 <3 <3 Congrats, Portia!!!
In our days, s/he would be...: a Law student in her 20s, who is an ojou (heiress) kind of character like all others in this list, but also a bookish ice queen who, in spite of her cold-as-ice façade, never tolerates injustice and will do anything to set things right. Her appearance is that of the typical bifauxnen/otokoyaku character (think of Haruka Tenoh, a better-looking Brienne of Tarth, a blond Naoto Shirogane, Falsetto, Utena, or Oscar de Jarjayes). Her parents were killed by terrorists, which has largely shaped her worldview. She likes classical literature (Dickens, Voltaire, Rilke, Victorian poets...), Utena, La Rose de Versailles (and any other story with strong female characters in it), and Zexal. Oh, and she just luvs GoT (is a book and screen throny). Leans towards the left-centre when it comes to ideology. She is a popular "prince" figure at university (think Naoto Shirogane or Itsuki in Heartcatch Pretty Cure), both guys and girls in throngs want her, but she is still looking for Mr. Right: someone she can have interesting conversations with... She starts off as being cool and aloof, but gradually begins to warm up to others and welcome them into Belmont, which becomes their kinda after-school clubhouse.
Songs on his/her playlistGame of Thrones opening theme
"Sans contrefaçon," Mylène Farmer
"Astrologen," Magnus Uggla
"Heidenröslein," Franz Schubert/¨J.W. von Goethe
"Das Karrusell," Rainer Maria Rilke
"Fiorecrì," VillaZuk
Every single Utena opening theme


SASSY GIRLS

Katherine: #DontCallMeK8
What I admire/what strikes me: Girl's got temper. Short temper. A fuse millimeters short. She is not afraid at all to speak her fricking mind. And she meets her Waterloo: she and her hubby interact at first like two zax in the prairie of Prax. In the end, he tamed her. But Kate... 'scuse me, Katherine is at heart the same old hotheaded tsundere.
In our days, s/he would be...: a hard-hitting and hard-drinking ladette, surely a biker and a hard rocker (li'l sis Bianca being a pink and prissy girly through and through). Her berserk button, as in the original TotS, is calling her Kate, or K8 (in whatsapps and other short e-messages). Her parents are divorced and she grew up with her dad, a university lecturer (while Bianca grew up with her fashionista mum in the capital of the country). Katherine is left-handed and does martial arts.
Songs on his/her playlist: "Mitt namn är Lena Philipsson"
A lot of Chenoa, in fact, all the major Chenoa songs
"Hard Rock Hallelujah", Lordi
A lot of hardcore Rammstein
The whole Carolus Rex album of Sabaton

Beatrice: #IWontSayImInLuv
What I admire/what strikes me: So Lizzie fricking Bennett. In fact, mentioning Bea as proto-Lizzie ("cool" girl with a heart of her own, who develops sexual tension with her spear counterpart) is the first thought I have. Plus the savviness of a female Mercutio or of Toph Beifong, or Astrid Kolfinnsdottir. There's a soft centre within that prickly chestnut...
In our days, s/he would be...: a Lizzie Bennett kind of girl (with Benedick for her Mr. Darcy). Ostensibly savvy yet with a soft centre, even more of a tsundere than Katherine. She puts on the façade of a tough-as-nails and witty ice queen, more feminine and far cooler than Katherine yet still tomboyish, dressed in a salopette and boater hat; something along the lines of Margaery Tyrell, Lizzie Bennett, and/or Megara in Hercules, or the aloof ally in every magical girl warrior series. Speaking of which, she likes magical girl warrior anime, especially the the mature aloof ally members of every sentai, whose persona she emulates.
Songs on his/her playlist: "Roar," Katy Perry
"I Won't Say I'm In Love!"
"Poker Face," Lady Gaga
"¿A quién le importa?", Alaska y Dinarama
"Mitt namn är Lena Philipsson"
A lot of Chenoa, in fact, all the major Chenoa songs
"Lady Marmalade", Christina Aguilera

Emilia: #DesperateArmyWife
What I admire/what strikes me: That she has survived for so long the ordeal of being married to Iago without losing her sanity. No matter how much she has to endure. And she's been through hell, to say the least. As lady in waiting to Desdemona, she's like a cool aunt or older sister, a fricking oneesama, far more sensible and realistic, the Tiana to Desi's Lottie, or the Elsa to her liege lady's Anna. And, in the end, when Desi is gone, this Desperate Army Wife snaps. And spits out all the poison and all the truths she had been holding back for, surely, decades. And she dies singing out the truth, right when Iago told her to shut the bloody hell up in the most dramatic way possible. Right. Milly, you were the only one who could stand against that dastardly, sinister plotter in faithful right-hand-man's clothing. And you went out in the most badass and shocking way possible, letting everyone alive deceived by Iago what a bloody snake he was...
In our days, s/he would be...: Iago's spouse and the show's resident Desperate Army Wife. Tough as nails, savvy, sarcastic, yet soft and broken at heart... she would look and act a lot like Catelyn Stark (actor allusion) crossed over with Tiana and Meg from Hercules, as well as a tsundere oneesama and Desi's older sister/aunt figure, perhaps even her sitter since childhood. Surely, this left-handed darkhead's got bruises and a badass look, as well as quips to give... and, when she loses her beloved ward, she will reveal every secret that she has kept inside herself out of fear... Milla, as Desdemona calls her, is also a fiery feminist and crusader for the rights of outgroups, knows martial arts, and is pretty leftish (which Desi keeps a secret from her parents): the perfect role model, idealized by her ward, for the sheltered, innocent ojou.
Songs on his/her playlist: "Roar," Katy Perry
"Nada que perder," Amistades Peligrosas
"I Will Survive," Gloria Gaynor
"Det gör ont," Lena Ph
"Malo," Bebe
"Ni tú ni nadie", Alaska y Dinarama
"Bad Romance", Lady Gaga
"Lady Marmalade", Christina Aguilera
"Rytmen av ett regn", Millas Mirakel
"Torn", Natalie Imbruglia


MALE TRAGIC CASUALTIES

Mercutio: #TheFairyFeller
What I admire/what strikes me: The mercury in his veins. As quick with his wit as with his rapier. And he manages to keep his face up even as he's dying in agony. Seriously, to die of a punctured lung is excruciating... but to keep on joking and crazy ironic while dying such a slow, painful death, and to go out with a pun and a smile, one must be either mad as a hatter or have one worldview of a kind!
In our days, s/he would be...: the ideal senpai and the eccentric class clown rolled into one. Like the Weasley or Hitachiin twins fused into one person, or a male Pinkie Pie/Ty Lee. Always the centre of attention and the life of the party. Luuuuvs classic British humour (Blackadder, 'Allo 'Allo, Monty Python, Fawlty Towers...) and Tarantino films alike. Left-handed.
Songs on his/her playlist: A lot of Monty Python: "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" would definitely come first...
...followed by the Penis Song...
...and the Milky Way Song
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", The Beatles
"For the Benefit of Mr. Kite," Eddie Izzard version
"Hakuna Matata"
"Sir Reginald's Marvellous Organ"
A lot of Queen: "I'm Going Slightly Mad," "Killer Queen," "Bohemian Rhapsody..."
"Harold the Barrel," Genesis
"A Very Merry Unbirthday"
"Dumb Ways to Die"
"Sjuttonde balladen," Evert Taube
"Forever Young," Alphaville
"Das Karrusell," Rainer Maria Rilke

Laertes: #TheGoGetter
What I admire/what strikes me: That hot blood, that big brother instinct, the fact that he's the extroverted, impulsive, and sportsy go-getter foil to emo Hamlet... The kind of oniisama that every only child, not only yours truly, would like to have got along with. Of course his short fuse gets him into hot water and leads to his untimely demise, but he remains loyal to those he loves until the end of the day, acknowledging his mistakes, and regretting that he had been too rash, in his last words.
In our days, s/he would be...: a hot-blooded tennis-playing and fencing half-French half-Scandinavian preppy, crocodile on the polo shirt and all (he would never be out of place in the anime The Prince of Tennis, which is all about hot boys with rackets)... and Ophelia's older brother of course. Don't get too close to her, or you'll get to face the end of a fleuret or (more probably) a racket. His greatest dream: to win Wimbledon. His worst nightmare: Ophelia dying dreadfully due to his own rash actions.
Songs on his/her playlist: "Gonna Fly Now"
"Eye of the Tiger"
"O Fortuna"
Every single Prince of Tennis opening
"I'm Almost There" (Tiana's song)
"Search for Your Love," ThreeLights
"Teenage Icon," The Vaccines
"Poker Face," Lady Gaga

Percy Hotspur: #INeedNoIntroduction
What I admire/what strikes me: The same as for Laertes, plus that intolerance and the far more ideological bent he gives to that youthful passion... there are things about this dapper young rebel with a short fuse that I love to hate. At first I was a bit hesitant of whether putting him here or with the villains... but at least his intentions were good yet misguided.
In our days, s/he would be...: That guy in every teen class with his head shaved like an eight-ball (and a fuse as short as his hair to match), wearing a punk jacket and presumably swastikas. Long story short, the leader of the local far-right hooligan circle, putting on that façade to cover up his own dad issues (which do not differ from those of Okonkwo or Tywin Lannister). Hates being called "Percy" by given name, obviously... for is that a name scary enough for a Führer? Also hates sissies with a passion, as well as active women.
Songs on his/her playlist: The whole Carolus Rex album, Sabaton
A lot of Rammstein, especially songs about sex, violence, and warfare, his fave being "Wollt ihr das Bett im Flammen sehen?"
"Kuruc-Labanc", Kárpátia

FEMALE TRAGIC CASUALTIES

Ophelia: #SaveOurNargles / #ABasketCase (post-snapping)
What I admire/what strikes me: How she goes from "average" eccentric girl to outright psycho yandere in response to Hamlet friendzoning her. How her sanity gradually slips and she develops from adorable quirky ingénue into the drowned maiden in the Millais picture, which leaves no one indifferent.
In our days, s/he would be...: an artistic, eccentric teenage girl like Luna Lovegood and Ty Lee. Until emo Hamlet turns his back on her. Then, she becomes a sinister emo/perky goth and goes full-on yandere mode (think of Alison, the basket case in The Breakfast Club), even taking drugs like Xanax (until she finally drowns in a lilypond trying to pick some water lilies... or to kiss a frog prince?). She is exceedingly fond of 80s fantasy films like Labyrinth and The Princess Bride.
Songs on his/her playlist: "Wuthering Heights," Kate Bush
"Neverending Story," Limahl
"Son mis cuentos," Amistades Peligrosas
"Désenchantée," Mylène Farmer
"Tristana," Mylène Farmer
"I Dreamed a Dream," Anne Hathaway version
"I'm Going Slightly Mad," Queen
"Harlequin," Genesis
"Total Eclipse of the Heart," Bonnie Tyler
"Delirium," Lena Ph
Anything by El Último de la Fila or Manolo García written in their particular lyrism
"Torn", Natalie Imbruglia


Desdemona: #FairWarrior
What I admire/what strikes me: Her death, together with Ophelia's, is one of the most heart-rending female casualties in tragedy. Accused by her no-longer-loving spouse of having an affair with her childhood friend, and then, while defending herself, violently strangled by her husband in an irrational fit of rage. And all because she wanted to heal a rift between both men... The primrose path is paved with good intentions, and her story, of innocence lost and good deeds twisted, exemplifies it.
In our days, s/he would be...: the typical sweet and demure, cultured and friendly ojou (daughter of a runway star and a right-wing MP), who can be cool and/or bold if pressure is put on her (think Mayu Miyuki, Cornelia Hale, or Minami Kaido). Sheltered as she has been, she is quite innocent and naive, though always ready to lend a helping hand. Intelligent, learned, cultured, open-minded kindred spirits with Portia, though not that fond of GoT, preferring historical shójo and magical girl warrior anime. And 80s fantasy films like Labyrinth and The Princess Bride (the latter being her favourite). Think Disney's Rapunzel crossed over with Éowyn and with one of the three ojou characters above... Or, to be more precise, with Sansa Stark. Many characters do compare her to Sansa or Éowyn, indeed.
Songs on his/her playlist: "When Will My Life Begin?"
"I See the Light"
"For the First Time in Forever"
"Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" (duet with Othello)
"Désenchantée," Mylène Farmer
"Harlequin," Genesis
Go! Princess Precure opening
DokiDoki! Precure opening
"Search for Your Love," ThreeLights
"Högt över havet," Arja Saijonmaa
"Das Karrusell," Rainer Maria Rilke
"Fiorecrì," VillaZuk
Anything by El Último de la Fila or Manolo García written in their particular lyrism
"Torn", Natalie Imbruglia


TRAGIC SURVIVORS

Cassio: #RightfulLieutenant / #INeverGaveYouCause
What I admire/what strikes me: Out of all the tragedy survivors the Bard has portrayed, IMOHO, the young lieutenant in Othello takes the cake. At the end of the play, he has lost his female childhood friend and his commanding officer (who were married to one another), the two most important people in his life, at one fell swoop, plus one of his legs (left or right, Shakespeare does not specify), which abruptly ends his military career due to disability. And he must surely be traumatized: had he resisted a little more that offer to drink liquor that night when he was on duty... That has made all the difference (to quote Robert Frost). The by-the-book young lieutenant, charming with women and insecure with men, whom we saw at the start of the story... has lost his innocence and everything that defines his life, and he must surely feel that it was all his fault. For want of a nail, a war and a kingdom were lost; for want of a sip, everyone and everything he cherished was lost. Definitely, give him a hug.
In our days, s/he would be...: a nice guy, charming, cultured young cadet or lieutenant, a ladies' man socially awkward in the company of other males and with a prominent bookish streak (think of Napoleon as a teen), who wants to rise in the military hierarchy and still become "one of the boys." After the end of the play, he's got massive PTSD, takes Xanax regularly (feeling guilty for the loss of his childhood friend and commanding officer), and turns to academia for a new future, having had to leave the military due to his disability. Likes classical literature (Dickens, Voltaire, Rilke, Victorian poets...) and beautiful women, aside from being an officer and wearing fancy attire. He's also a Throny, but he reads the books instead of watching on screen. To sum up: pre-downfall he would be like Lon Hammond; post-downfall, like Haymitch or Remus Lupin.
Songs on his/her playlist: "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," Eddie Redmayne version
"Careless Whisper," Wham
"The Joker," Steve Miller Band
"Teenage Icon," The Vaccines
"Ingenting," Kent
Dennou Boukenki Webdriver first opening theme
"Vandrar i ett regn," Pugh Rogefeldt
"Snart kommer det en vind," Pugh Rogefeldt
"Bröllopsklockor," Pugh Rogefeldt
"Livet är en fest," Nationalteatern
"Lady Marmalade", Christina Aguilera
"Search for Your Love," ThreeLights
"Frauen dieser Welt," Die Toten Hosen
"Forever Young," Alphaville
"Shine On You Crazy Diamond," Pink Floyd (dedicated to Othello)
"Jag ville sjunga om Katarina"
Anything by El Último de la Fila or Manolo García written in their particular lyrism
"La mère de l'officier", Matthieu Côte (post-snapping)


SINISTER VILLAINS

Malvolio: #KilljoyPuritan
What I admire/what strikes me: Like Hotspur, here's another character that makes me wince, yet for whom I develop feelings as his character arc unfurls. Picture yourself a curmudgeonly and unpopular estate steward (jobsworth, of sorts) secretly in love with his mistress, a brooding young orphan countess in mourning for her brother/guardian. The other servants, to play a prank, send him a letter with handwriting very like the countess's, saying that she'd like a rendezvous in the estate gardens... if he wears what she likes: oodles of brightly coloured and thickly embroidered gold brocade, garters tied up in bows, and a Cheshire-cat grin from ear to ear. What the countess says is that Malvolio looks silly, ridiculous. And she has him locked in a dark room throughout her wedding revels!! There he got his karma for being such a Puritan!!! At the end of Twelfth Night, he is the only character who does not live happy ever after!! :D :D
In our days, s/he would be...: The typical stiff-upper-lip British butler/jobsworth, usually called James or Jeeves and always a sharply dressed, no-nonsense curmudgeon. He would do great at Belmont as Portia's retainer. He is perchance the character that leans second most to the right on the political spectrum of the ones I cover here.
Songs on his/her playlist: "The Passion According to Matthew," J.S. Bach
"Zadok the Priest," Händel
(nothing more, after all, he is a Puritan and only listens to select sacred music, preferently Bach)

Bawd & Pander: #7SeasThénardiers
What I admire/what strikes me: These are clearly the Thénardiers in a Mediterranean Pirate Greek-islands setting. A devious married couple who run an inn of ill repute and do not hesitate to oppress their adoptive daughters just for the money's sake. Clearly Hugo's inspiration for his evil innkeepers (Hugo translated Shakespeare into French!).
In our days, they would be...: A Thénardier-esque husband and wife couple who run a three-star nightclub. She (Bawd) is the one in charge (think Bonham-Carter and Baron-Cohen as the Thénardiers).
Songs on their playlist: "Masters of the House," notch. Precisely the Bonham-Carter & Baron-Cohen version.
"What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor?"
"The Drunken Scotsman"
"Lady Marmalade", Christina Aguilera

Lady M.: #IceIceQueen
What I admire/what strikes me: she's got the lust for power and the guts to reach out for it. This fiery ice ice lady (later on, ice ice queen) eschews traditional gender roles, and she is clearly the one in charge, her husband being her second-in-command. She has the idea, the strategy, carried out like clockwork. Then, having become Queen of Scots, the pangs of conscience, the blood that cannot be washed away, no matter how much soap and water and scrubbing.
In our days, s/he would be...: an ambitious, beautiful, and intelligent entrepreneuse, ready to tread on anyone to reach the topmost rung of the ladder, yet also decadent and half-insane (think of Cersei Lannister as Dolores Umbridge and/or as the owner of the magazine in The Devil Wears Prada, with just a hint of Mme. Thénardier).
Songs on his/her playlist: "Roar," Katy Perry
"I'm Almost There" (Tiana's song)
"Rainbow High"
"The Art of the Possible"
Game of Thrones opening theme
"Diamanter," Lustans Lakejer
"Ma Baker"

Iago: #IAmNotWhatIAm
What I admire/what strikes me: IMOHO, this is the most sinister villain Shakespeare has ever created. Like the mirror of truth (and its victims) in The Snow Queen: unable to feel positive emotions and see the bright side of reality (perchance envying the outpost's beautiful elite for having those warm feelings), utterly cold, calculating, and rational; if you, like most humans, have a soft spot or two, Iago will surely find out and strike them, all while maintaining an elusive façade of the perfect best friend or right-hand man, so subtly that you would not notice you have been fooled. And then, he will add more fuel to the fire by giving advice that may be helpful out of context, but merely serves to tangle things up even more, all while not looking or sounding sinister. The Bard has given us a psychopath at his finest.
In our days, s/he would be...: a badass veteran with PTSD, ostensibly an unusually reliable and efficient non-commissioned officer, actually a broken soul ravaged by the hell of war and unable to feel positive emotions, which inspires him for his psychopathic games with others. An abusive childless husband who has just discovered that he is actually gay and sweet on his commanding officer, and wonders what is this thing called "love" and why Cassio and the other officers just see him as the perfect right-hand man... Iago, who had previously only liked Hitchcock thrillers, bonded with Cassio over GoT, and, unlike his lieutenant, prefers the show on screen. Besides, he idealizes Tywin Lannister for many a good reason. Aside from Tywin, Iago also worships Blackadder, aside from Walter White and sees his kouhai, flunked cadet Roderigo, as his Jesse. They operate a secret meth lab as well (which they'll use in the kegger scene, slipping their crystal into a certain lieutenant's drink...). Oh, and they use the respective codenames "Blackadder" and "Baldrick" as a reference to Iago's favourite British comedy... (second fave is 'Allo, 'Allo: it was Leutnant Grüber's hots for René that made him realize. Oh, and the fact that Iago himself looks a tad like René and Cassio looks just like the Leutnant!)
Songs on his/her playlist: Game of Thrones opening theme
Blackadder opening theme
'Allo, 'Allo opening theme
"The Art of the Possible"
Iago's Credo from Verdi's Otello
"Loathing, Unadulterated Loathing"
"Livet är en fest," Nationalteatern
"Skenet bedrar," Kaipa
Any Rammstein song involving sex and/or sadism
"Livet är en fest," Nationalteatern
"The Drunken Scotsman"
"Lady Marmalade", Christina Aguilera
Music from the shower scene in Psycho
Music from the cropduster scene in North by Northwest


SUPERNATURAL CHARACTERS

Robin "Puck" Goodfellow: #NamesGoodfeller
What I admire/what strikes me: all the pranks and the mess-ups that this perky, plucky pixie causes dripping nectar from the love flower on sleepers' eyelids left and right. And that during the shortest night of the year! Not to mention the pranks they have previously played on people in the villages around the woodland...
In our days, s/he would be...: a non-binary Peter Pan-ish trickster who does matchmaking as a hobby and also enjoys playing pranks. Something like Austen's Emma in the 1990s film, but more of a tomboyish/ambiguous gender character. Emma mashed up with the Amazones Quartet in SuperS, to think of it.
Songs on their playlist: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
"I'm Going Slightly Mad," Queen
The Love Boat theme
anything by Wham!
"A Very Merry Unbirthday"
"For the Benefit of Mr. Kite," Eddie Izzard version
"Lady Marmalade", Christina Aguilera

The Witches/Norns: #RlyWeirdSisters
What I admire/what strikes me: These three speak always in rhyme. Their prophecy soup includes the liver of a Jew, the nose of a Turk, and a Tatar's lips. And they are most surely the Norse Norns (equivalents of the Fates in classical lore).
In our days,they would be...: three Wiccan sisters (the eldest middle-aged, the youngest still a child) who run a coven together. They also worship the old Norse gods and tell fortunes in Crowley-Harris Tarot cards, and they give séances. Their foretellings are seldom wrong and always cryptic.
Songs on their playlist: their incantation from the cauldron scene
O Conxuro da Queimada
anything Celtic-sounding by Amistades Peligrosas

ANOTHER AUTHOR'S EAH/TSQ-IV OC

Hyacinth, né Zinnia, Flowers:
Turns out someone else had the idea of making the prince in The Snow Queen an Ever After High OC. And it's an F2M trans guy (with the surname of a Reacher lovechild and the looks of Oberyn Martell)!!! Sadly, she did not make the princess, though these characters are her OTP as well, which makes both of us sigh...



Quotation1 I have cool hair and a good destiny. How am I supposed to ask for more? Quotation2
— Hyacinth

 Hyacinth Flowers is the successor of the Prince from the Snow Queen.
He was the son of an ordinary florist, until one day, unexpectedly, he is given the offer to attend Ever After High as the next Prince from the Snow Queen. It was an offer that he couldn't refuse and accepted instantly, as Hyacinth found it comforting and awesome that some authority figure out there thought he was awesome enough to be a prince.


CharacterEdit

PersonalityEdit

From a young age, Hyacinth has demonstrated a sense of responsibility. In all senses of the word, Hyacinth is a team player – he's always there to help out others, play the leader role in group situations and is always willing to take one for the team. Other than flowers, Hyacinth's devoted to people and making sure everyone's happy.
However, his constant need to help people and to make others happy or comfortable or whatever makes him a little bit of a pushover as he's a little undecisive and unsure of his leadership skills. Obviously, he wants the best for everyone, but his constant indecision makes him confused on what really is the best. That means that people can take advantage of this indecision of his, and can manipulate Hyacinth quite easily.
Another of his traits is his confidence, being a natural speaker who enunciates his thoughts clearly and makes himself easily understood. He asks questions a lot and he acts like he's very sure of himself. Hyacinth's face is typically graced with a cute smile as well, making him seem approachable. As a result, Hyacinth seems like a trustworthy person on the outside, and that helps him look and act the leader he wants to be. 
Adding on to his natural speaker-ness, Hyacinth has never taken any serious classes on rhetoric or public speaking, he's gained most of his skills from running his mother's shop. Now that he's also technically a prince, Hyacinth often observes his fellow princes to see how they speak and act, hoping to pick up those skills and become the best prince he can be. Since then, Hyacinth can easily change how he speaks – whether it's like a prince or like he did back home.
Of course, that shows the guy's remarkable adaptability. Hyacinth is adaptable and changes to situations easily. He went from thinking he was a girl to realising that he was a guy, and he went from a commoner to a prince. The guy had adapted to such drastic changes in life and is absolutely alright with going through more changes, so he has simply just picked up the habit of adapting.
That is not to say that his adapting is in any way completely smooth, though. As a bicycle clicks when changing gears, Hyacinth stumbles over words and messes up princely etiquette. As royally confident and composed as he would like to compare, this young prince is still adjusting to being part of the Snow Queen, one of the most famous fairytales. Hyacinth will forever be a nervous little guy with a desperation to succeed in his destiny. 

AppearanceEdit

Hyacinth is black-Norwegian, with dark brown skin dotted with freckles. He is rather short and slim in statue compared to the other princes. He has rather rounded facial features which he tries to contour away with makeup, and wide, inquisitive brown eyes. 
At the start of his sophomore year, Hyacinth decided that, despite being the next Prince in the tale, he would not dress or try to look as the Prince was described by Andersen. More specifically, he did not want to have long hair, even if all the previous princes did. Not only did his dark hair inconvenience him as he worked, his dark hair would trap heat (making him uncomfortable on summer days). Most importantly, Hyacinth thought that his long hair made it harder for him to pass, as he would be constantly misgendered by people who didn't know him too well. Waltzing into the nearest hairdresser, Hyacinth asked for his hair to be shaved on the sides, and cut in a way that his fringe would flop down in front of his face. He thinks his new haircut makes him look trendy. It does.
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Fairy tale – The Snow QueenEdit

How the Story GoesEdit

Hyacinth is the successor of the Prince in the Snow Queen – a commoner boy who becomes the princess' fiancé.
He appears the Fourth Story: The Prince and Princess, where Gerda is told by a Raven that Kai is in the castle. In reality, Kai is not the princess' castle, but since his appearance is so similar to the Prince's, the Raven has mistaken the Prince for Kai.
Gerda searches for her friend in the garden. She spots a brown neck. Thinking it to be Kai, she rushes towards him, only to find that he is really the prince.
The prince and princess listen to Gerda's story and decide to send her on her way in a coach.

How does Hyacinth factor into it?Edit

Hyacinth had always grown up thinking that he would take after his mother's florist shop, and become an ordinary florist with no particular fairytale lineage.
He received the invitation letter when he was 13, and accepted it immediately. He was excited to hear that he had been chosen as a prince, and that he would attend a prestigious school that many have dreamt of going to.

RelationshipsEdit

FamilyEdit

Hyacinth is the son of a single mother. People sometimes ask him – don't you feel bad about your father leaving you? He always found that question rather strange, since he had never been close to his father, and his father's absence in his life had never affected him. As a result, he has always found it weird that people think it did.
He's very close to his mother, and she's always been supportive of him. His mother, named Marigold Flowers, once she knew of Hyacinth's realisation of his gender, aimed to make her son as comfortable as possible. She donated his old clothes and got him new ones. She made sure to correct anyone who misgendered her son. And finally, she made sure Hyacinth's experience at Ever After High was as safe as possible – rooming him with someone who she and Hyacinth trusted.
However, his mother's mother – his grandma, Dahlia, was not as supportive. She calls Hyacinth "Zinnia" when she's not speaking to him face to face, and tells some people that her "granddaughter" "wants" to be a boy. His grandmother also blames Hyacinth's lack of a father figure in his life for "corrupting" him. This has lead to Hyacinth and his mother cutting down visits from his grandma and possibly cutting her out of their lives completely.

FriendsEdit

Hyacinth's close with Klara Spiegel, the next Kai, as the two get mistaken for each other in their tale. The two are pals, taking about pretty girls together and growing flowers.
He also likes to chill with Hildegarde Olhouser, the next Gerda, and Massak, the next Snow Queen. They form the impromptu "Snow Queen club".
Hyacinth is generally a pretty friendly person, especially when around Klara, who makes friends super easily.

PetEdit

Hyacinth isn't the best with animals, so he always tells people that his only friends are people and flowers.
During animal calling, a small hare ran up to Hyacinth. Hyacinth subsequently named the hare 'Harey Potter'. Harey Potter has a weird marking on its head that resembles a lightning bolt.

RomanceEdit

Hyacinth would probably be heels-over-heals for the next princess, if she existed.
Meanwhile, he's not really looking. Instead, he's obsessed with the idea of Ever After High, and loves pursuing all its mysteries rather than pursuing hot people.

OutfitsEdit

Art
Hyacinth's Outfits

Finished hyacinth

Basic Edit

Hyacinth wears a purple vest over high-collared white shirt and a red scarf. The purple vest is covered in designs of vines and has two shiny column of silver buttons. For pants, he wears dark blue jeans that are just beginning to fade.
Over that, he wears a long blazer-overcoat-jacket-thing. The outside of the coat is a rich dark purple, and the texture almost looks velvetly. Inside, the coat is lined with a shiny silver fabric, with a black and white pattern of lillies.
For shoes, Hyacinth has a pair of silver high-top sneakers. On the side, there is a crown and flower pattern. Finally, he wears a pair of fingerless red gloves on his hands, and his hair is in an undercut that's brushed forward.
  • The floral and nature aesthetic Hyacinth tends to don is based off the fact that the Prince lives in a castle full of flowers, and the general motif of flowers in the Snow Queen.
  • That explains the vines on his vest.
  • And the flower pattern on his lapels and lining of the blazer as well.
  • The crown and flower on the shoes is because I jokingly call Hyacinth 'The Prince of Flowers'
  • The gloves are because his story is super cool and he's probably cold.
  • Finally his wardrobe colours are generally red and purple because they're rich and 'royal' colours, emphasising that he is a prince.
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Legacy DayEdit

He borrows the previous prince's outfit
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Hat-tastic Party Edit

snazzy suits snazzy suits

Hyacinth spring unsprung

Spring Unsprung Edit

Hyacinth wears a black floral blazer, under a simple white t-shirt. He wears pale trousers with a bright floral pattern. He also wears a pair of floral sneakers.
His head is topped off by a flower crown of hyacinths
This is actually such a boring Spring Unsprung design. I bet it would probably be a budget doll.
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Through the Woods Edit

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Epic Winter Edit

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Birthday Ball Edit

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TriviaEdit

  • Born Zinnia Flowers, Hyacinth is a trans guy whose gender is accepted by many in the fairytale world, as he's destined to take a role in a major fairytale.
  • Hyacinth's first concept was when Zena scribbled down "trans guy prince in the Snow Queen" and left that scribble somewhere on her tumblr blog. Later she went back and made Hyacinth, and regretted NOTHING.
  • Zena ships Hyacinth/his princess but since she doesn't exist and it causes Zena pain.
  • The flower motif that Hyacinth has is a little overboard so I guess you could call that an ovaryaction.

QuotesEdit

  • tba

GalleryEdit

Art By MeEdit

Art By OthersEdit