Friday, February 7, 2020

Fairytale Blog Tag... from Fairytale Central!


So, Fairytale Central had a cute blog tag which tempted me out of internet obscurity... and here's my answers to them! 
THE QUESTIONS
– What’s an obscure fairy tale you love?
E. ~ Hmmm...  hard to say!! There are so many obscure tales, and often I like elements from this one and that one... which is one of the reasons why I write! To make a "better story" and iron out the wrinkles which bother me in the originals!!! ;-) 
– If you got to choose Disney’s next animated princess movie, what fairy tale would you choose to be adapted?
E. ~ I might get yelled at by some, but after recently seeing Frozen 2, and loving it even more, perhaps, than Frozen 1... right now, I'd vote for Frozen 3. I love the sister dynamic, and exploring more about how to grow up and yet stay close... a theme that's often ignored in entertainment.
   (And personally
.
.. as someone who gets super tired of that beaten-into-the-ground trope; I love that "Twu Wuv!" is NOT the focus.)
  Also, my soul adores the Nordic aesthetic for that world... it's beautiful in ways I can't even articulate here!
Such details! Such inspiration!
– What is the first fairy tale you remember hearing when you were a child?
E. ~ I can't recall... perhaps Red Riding Hood? I've always hated that one... the "oh, they're still alive!" twist at the end can't make up for all the deaths that batter you right off the bat in that tale!
– If you were to embark on a fairy tale quest, what necessities would you pack in your bag?
E. ~ Oh, definitely a water canteen, a dagger, and fire starter, and pens and paper to make maps and notations so I'd be less likely to get lost!! ;-)
  Then I'd wrangler up a couple horses, because I'm all about the ability to get away fast, and having multiple horses to switch through boosts the chances of success on that!! 
– What’s your favorite fairy tale trope?
E. ~ I love the "misfortune-befallen royalty"... the idea that true worthiness will show through even under the worst circumstances, and that you can still tell someone's mettle no matter how disguised their state may be. I definitely "heart that", big time! 
– If you could be any fairy tale character archetype (the princess, the soldier, fairy godmother, talking animal, mischievous imp, wise old woman, evil stepmother/sister, etc.), who would you want to be and why?
E. ~ I've always had a deep affinity for the Cinderella archetype... I suppose it ties in with my answer above. So the Princess and the Pea is a great one (though I've always had mixed feelings about the Pea part of that tale... I prefer "actions speak louder than words" type of solutions! :-) )
– What animal/mythical creature would be your sidekick for fairy tale adventures? 
E. ~ Well, a horse would be invaluable for traveling, but dogs are fantastic, so I'd not want to be on an adventure without one.
 Also, goats are terrific, and so devoted and generous... so I guess I'd be the classic "Dairy maid with goat herd in tow, accompanied by dog/s and with a stout, sturdy horse to complete my animal friends."
   (Is that allowed? ;-) )
– What is your favorite historical era, and what fairy tale would you love to see in that setting?
E. ~ I like certain elements from many eras, and yet dislike other parts of each, so for my "perfect world" I pull from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Victorian eras... and enjoy the mashup!
– If you could change a fairy tale’s villain into a hero, who would you choose and why?
E. ~ I'm generally okay with the villains being bad... I mean, that's the point of fairytales. To show Bad Things, in extreme focus, so hopefully they're easier to recognize in the real world?
  But... as much as I enjoy the Frozen movies.... I get very irritated when tales represent the polite, well mannered, and dignified (usually a prince!) as a the "Horrible Person" TM... It really makes me angry.
   As someone raised to by a mother who instilled manners and expectations of  gracious behavior... and who schooled us to value those things in others, it makes me see red when those merits are treated as signs of despicability.
  (And the vice versa trope, where ill-mannered boors are naturally the Hero (TM) Ugh. Hate that!) 
– Do you prefer fairy tales with happy endings or sad/tragic endings? why or why not?
E. ~ Oh, they must be happy. Of course... nothing else would be worth while!!!

3 comments:

Christine Smith said...

I LOVED reading your answers! I, too, have SO many retellings I want to do, to just to make some SENSE to the otherwise senseless tale. Fairy tales are amazing, but logical? Not so much. XD And happily ever afters are my favorite too. ^_^

Thank you so much for joining in on our tag! Don't forget to add your link to the linkup if you want! --> https://thefairytalecentral.com/februarys-fairy-tale-blog-tag/

Becky said...

I didn't like how Hans was handled either! The twist seemed kind of out of the blue, and I LIKE polite princes. I also like down-to-earth commoners, but I don't think either trope is inherently better or worse than the other. It does kind of get my goat, so to speak, when a story goes, 'oh, see, he's just TOO polite. He's clearly fake.' But then they don't seed any actual hints in or SHOW signs that he's fake--it's just that he's too polite. That's it.

I love retellings a lot! They're some of my favorite stories to write! It's so fun to take a fairy tale and see what you can do with it.

A dairy maid with a herd of goats and a nice horse in tow does sound fun ;-)

E. KaIser Writes said...

HAah, yes, the lapses in logic have always been something "fixable" to my mind!! :-)
And yes, I did link in the first sentence... thanks for sharing!!! :-)

Becky, glad you agree!! :-) Yes it was, and yes, I like polite people too!
To have that be "the only sign of villainy" just really rankles... and it's not a in the least realistic.

Hahaha!! Okay, now that it's received a vote of confidence, I'll have to see what I can do about having that kind of heroine in one of my upcoming books!!! :-)
Now I'm off to read your answers, Becky, and see what you said!! ;-)