Life is Sweet, and I talk again about heroes

It seems my last post wasn't too popular, so I take that to mean that 1.) 98% of my readers aren't hoodies and 2.) Molly missed this post (she's as obsessed with Robin Hood, medieval things, and history as I am.) Maybe y'all will tell me about some of your favorite tv shows? Or just story/character obsessions in general? :)

edit: Molly said for some reason she wasn't able to comment on this post, so my Hoodie hasn't abandoned me. Not at all. :P

(Ara, would I be the first person to point out what a beautiful button that is?!)

1. The sweetest Valentine's Day story you ever heard: http://owlcityblog.com/2011/02/14/dear-taylor/

2. Talking on the phone to my cousin a couple nights ago and laughing so hard I nearly cried. I'm not sure why she brings out the hyperness in me. Plus I get to see her in a week and a half, and we haven't seen each other since Christmas. ♥

3. In Christ alone, my hope is found, he is my light, my strength, my song. That song is so stunning and makes me want to shout, "Jesus, I love you!"

4. Having sisterly talks with my...sister. :P

5. Saying something like "Did you know...that your name..." to your best friend and having her finish the line. You know what's really weird? We know each other so well we're telepathic. We have begun saying the same things at the exact same time.

6. Season three finale of Larkrise to Candleford tomorrow night, along with introducing my second favorite tv show--Merlin-- to my parents and grandmother

7. Lying on the driveway looking up at the siluhouette (sp?) of black trees against an orange and blue sunset-y sky.

8. Writing a prologue for The Labyrinth (new possible title--what do you think of Hero?) and actually liking it

9. Really hitting it off with my classmates

10. Thinking about going to camp in a month :)

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Not my most exciting list ever, but oh well. They're sweet things for me. :)

So, I mentioned writing a new prologue for The Labyrinth. When I was doing Nano, I hated this book so much. Hated it. I thought it was junk, and in some ways, it is. It doesn't make any sense and the ending was extremely rushed, because I wanted to finish it on the last day of November (and did!). But Shaynie just started editing her Nano novel too, so we made a deal to edit our books together and to pester each other relentlessly from time to time to see how the editing is going. I have 300 words of a prologue, but it isn't bad. And I'm beginning to see who my main character, Theseus, really is. I think during Nano, the pressure of the race really overshadowed him, and in all respects, he was pretty flat. But I can see that he has a lot of potential. Mind if I talk a bit longer? :)

I had an idea today about changing the name of the book from The Labyrinth to Hero. Because that one word is the essence--or rather, will be, with this draft--of the story. The theme is Theseus struggling with what a "hero" is, what they do, and how he doesn't want to become one (because 98% of the Greek heroes got really big heads about their accomplishments, so the gods zapped them or had them die painful deaths. He doesn't want that.)

What is a hero? What makes a hero? What will define who he is?

It would be a perfect title. Theseus (my version, anyway, forget the old legend about him) isn't the hero type. Alright, I know that sounds stereo-typical. But Theseus is more like a commoner than a prince; he doesn't think very highly of himself; and he doesn't even want to be king of Athens one day. Unfortunately, he's 6 foot 2 inches, built well, fights like nobody's business, and looks like a hero, and everyone expects him to go do something amazing and heroic, because, well, that's what heroes and princes do. But to be a hero isn't his aim. He doesn't say, "Hey, I think I'll go to Crete, because if I killed the Minotaur it would make me look really good!" He goes because his best friend, the healer's son Pollux, is among the group of youths and maidens who are captured to be fed to the Minotaur. So he really has no choice. And the word "hero" is the question he will struggle with throughout the whole book.

I'm talking in circles. It just felt good to talk about that, and maybe, possibly, convey my ideas of what The Labyrinth is. It's amazing, but I'm actually liking my main character. I take that to be a good sign.

Wanna see a picture? Yes? Aw, y'all are just too sweet =D

left to right: Minos (the king of Crete, Ariadne's father, "played" by Keith Allan), Theseus (played by John Dagleish), Ariadne (princess of Crete, played by Selena Gomez), and Sarpedon (Minos's brother, played by Steve Coogan)

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Well, that's about it from here. I must leave. Have a fabulous night, friends!

ALLAN!!!!!!!!!

So here's this funny story. Well, it's kind of funny, I thought it was. :) I start writing my blog posts out in my head, and my first line was going to be "Funny title for a post right?" And then the sentence got mixed up in my head (don't blame me too much, I am Caroline, after all :P) and came out as "Funny tist for a potle, right?"

I do make myself laugh sometimes. :) That wasn't supposed to sound like bragging, but hey, it's not healthy to take yourself seriously. So laugh at yourself, or laugh at me. It's quite good medicine actually =D

Anyways! Got sidetracked again. So yeah, that's a funny tist for a potle. Now where were we? Oh, right!

ALLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quite literally the best character in BBC Robin Hood anndddd one of my all-time favorites. That's right, he gets a very honored spot in Caroline's Character Hall of Fame! (Hey...that's actually a good idea)

So for the post hour or what I've been reading a RH blog and watching videos from season three. Are there better ways to spend my time? Yes. I admit it, so don't go all balistic on me. :P Here is what I have to--no, what I must--say about season three:

IT STINKS.

I can imagine the show's writers and producers just sitting in their little room with pieces of paper, cackling evilly about axing killing off one of the show's biggest characters and then writing out of the show two of the other best characters. Oh, and while we're at it, we might as well kill off the BEST guest star RH has EVER had! Why don'tcha!

(that's only at the end of season two. End of season three is a train wreck. What, three or four of the most amazing characters killed? About that?)

Alright, I know, it's only a tv show. But more than a tv show...it's a story. A story that gets to my heart, because I love these characters. Robin and the gang feel like my family. I've known them for so long (only about a year, but it feels like a long time). It's like your favorite book or movie, or your favorite show. It's more than just that. It's something we can relate to and that inspires us, just like any other great story. That does make sense? Probably not. I'm not very eloquent.

Thankfully, and yes I mean thankfully, they aren't making a season four. I can only sigh in relief. After the complete mess they made of season three and its ending, it's definitely for the best.

(oh, and why did this particular character who shalt not be named in case you ever watch it which you really should cause it's amazing have to be killed? It couldn't have been Tuck who is honestly one of the worst characters I have ever come in contact with? *gags* Nopeee. It had to this guy.)

It's 8:20 and I still haven't eaten dinner, so I should be signing off. It feels good to get that out of my system. But before I go, here's what I posted on my Buzz tonight:

ALLANNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that pretty much sums it all up. That, and, the writers/producers of series three were morons. My feelings? Season three is NOT real Robin Hood. It doesn't deserve to be. That right goes to series one and two...can't be beat. Series three quite frankly ruined the show and ruined Allan and pretty much everyone, and Kate is....Kate is grr. That's all I'm gonna say. But series one and two? They bring back such good memories...Robin and Marian and Guy and the Sheriff and Much and Little John and Allan and Will and Djaq. Call me obsessed, I don't mind. :)
I've been looking at RH stuff like the past hour so I have to say: I ♥ Robin Hood...yes I'm a *cough* obsessed *cough* I mean devoted, Hoodie. :) (And Allan I love you too. Just sayin'.)
K I'm done now...I wish someone here loved RH as much as I do :) :) Abi? *grins hopefully*

Well, I know Molly loves RH as much as I do and was just as infuriated by the end of season two and horribleness of season three. We're both obsessed hoodies. :)

^ true, dat. =D

Let's take it from the top

Cymbeline has started a complete rewrite.

Yes.

I've been thinking ever since I wrote this prologue a few nights about posting it on here for everyone's opinion. What's this, you say? This, my friends, is an ambush! Oops, sorry. An Allan line got sneaked in there! How did that happen?! No, this isn't an ambush. That would be fun, but this, my friends, is a novel, which you should have already guessed! I'll give you a brief overview of what this particular novel is about.

My journalism teacher would be proud of me--I'm going to explain this using the five W's and the H of reporting. Ready? :)

Who--the main characters are Tresalde, the book loving, rather shy, but with an extreme sense of justice 14-year old MC (it's a guy); Saphira, a pirate and the ruthless, cruel, and angry captain of The Poison Ivy, who kidnaps Tresalde in order to help her find gold; Julian, Tresalde's half brother who's obsessed with becoming a world-class fencer; Elliot, Julian's brother and Tresalde's half brother, the oldest of the three of them who's pretty much got a level head and thinks clearly; Isabel, a friend of the family's from Spain, who claims that Saphira murdered her father; and Miriam, Tresalde's mother and Elliot and Julian's stepmother. (If any of you remember this post, there was another character, Finna! What happened to her? I cut her. Completely. She just didn't fit into the story. Sorry, Finna.)

Oh, and by following that link above, you can see pictures of my characters!

What--Pirates.

When--1764.

Where--Apeci (an island in the Atlantic, near Spain and Portugal, that I made up); the waters of the Atlantic; and possibly Spain and Portugal.

Why--Saphira wants gold, and since Tresalde is so smart for his age (I assure you, he's not a nerd), she kidnaps him so he can help her find it. Naturally, his brothers and mother don't take so well to this, and go after Saphira to rescue him. Joining them is Isabel, a friend of the Cervantes' from Spain. She says Saphira murdered her father, and she is determined to avenge his death. (I'm still working on that bit)

How--well, the story isn't finished yet, is it? You'll just have to wait. :)

Alright, so now you have an idea of this beloved novel of mine! Seriously, I just love Tresalde and Saphira. Their relationship is like one I've never written before. It's not romantic--he's 14 and she's 21 or 22--but it's one of tentative friendship. Saphira is holding so much bitterness inside from an abusive past. She doesn't want to let anyone in, and she covers up her hurt with anger and control and when it comes to it, physical blows. She's quite a piece of work. But, excepting perhaps Aeronwen, she's my favorite female character that I've created. And where does Tresalde come in? He both loves and hates her. She kidnaps, mistreats, abuses, and hurts him. Some kind of gal, right? But he sees something in her that no one else has seen, and he wants her to open up. He wants there to be healing for her, despite everything she's done to him.

The thing I love about Tresalde is how much strength, emotional and not physical, he has. One of my favorite lyrics is from Bryan Adam's You Can't Take Me--"Don't judge a thing till you know what's inside it, don't push me, I'll fight it." Tresalde doesn't look like a fighter. He reads books. And Saphira and everyone else mistake him for someone who doesn't fight back, whose opinion doesn't really matter. But he's built of stronger stuff than that. They judge him before they know what's really inside him. Did that make sense? I don't think so. I guess no one can understand a writer's character like the writer herself. Those lyrics describe Tresalde amazingly well, but only I can understand how well.

Alright, I've gotten really side-tracked! Here's the prologue I wrote for this the other night. Let me know what you honestly think.

Cymbeline

prologue

“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning.”

The old sailors’ rhyme came to mind as she watched the red sunset with an impassive face. Behind her, crewmen rushed to complete their tasks before the evening meal, raising and lowering sails and swabbing the decks to make sure that The Poison Ivy stayed spotless. Now and then she would turn around and shout an order or scold them to move faster. They cast their eyes to the deck with worried looks and never argued.

Once, one of them had argued. Ichto was still famous among the men for having stood up to their cruel, abusive captain. Her anger at him for questioning her authority had been that of the cold, stone-hard stare that was reserved for only her angriest moments. The men sometimes feared her more when she got that look than in her violent fits of passion and rage. Ichto had been let off easily; the captain dropped him off at the next trading town they came to on the mainland with only the clothes on his back and his name on his tongue. They hadn’t heard from him again.

But after that, no one argued with the captain.

“Good weather tomorrow,” said a voice from behind her. It was Edgaro, her first mate and the only person on the ship she really trusted.

“It seems so,” the captain replied shortly. She didn’t turn her head or look at him, her gaze on the red horizon unwavering.

Edgaro checked himself and stepped back. If she had wanted to talk, she would have, but trying to force the captain to talk when she didn’t want to was like placing yourself in front of a lion that hadn’t eaten for days.

“Edgaro,” she called back, but she didn’t turn around. Her first mate turned to face her back. It was a while before she spoke, first lifting her head towards the sky and then running her hands along the smooth grain of the railing. Finally, she asked, “Is there news?”

He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. Had he not been her first mate for so long, he certainly would have been fearing for his job at that moment. But he was too valuable for her to let go, and she knew that. “No,” he said. “There hasn’t been any news.”

She nodded silently. Edgaro walked away to finish his evening tasks, and the captain continued to watch the sunset.

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Let me know how I can improve it! Improvement is always good. :)

Oh, and here is where I exhibit my incredible graphic making skills once more! Click on it to see it fully. The words are from You Are More by Tenth Avenue North.

In the black and white photo is Julian, Isabel is with the black hair, Tresalde is the blond dude who looks like he's screaming, or singing, Elliot has the white scarf thing-y, Miriam is in the purple dress, bending down, and Saphira is Keira Knightley in the awesome pirate outfit.

As they would say in my novel, since Spanish is spoken sometimes...buenas noches!

I love them

{be prepared for a really, really long post.}

You know you love them too. They make you laugh. They make you cry. They make your jaw drop at the twists in the story. They're feisty and they're unique and most importantly, they're real.

I won't ever, ever get out of how much I love characters. I like to think of them as my family. Now, don't judge--I bet you do the same thing! Whether they're your own characters or those in your favorite book or tv show, you love them like your own brothers and sisters.

I've got a huge taste of that last weekend. I slept over at my buddy Molly's (who is also like a sister to me ♥) and we did PB almost non-stop. These characters are at the moment undoubtedly my favorite group of characters, perhaps because I helped create them. :) They have quirks, they have fights, they have magical powers, and basically every episode something really bad happens, but it's alright. Everything will turn out in the end. :)

Phoenix Burning

Tiegan (Selena Gomez), Aeronwen (Bridget Mendler), Ciaran (bottom left, Joseph Kennedy), Aveari (top right, Skandar Keynes), Hadyn (b+w, Harry Lloyd), Erik (next to Tiegan, Bradley James), King Geraldo (top middle, Anthony Head), and Mr. Smid

BBC Robin Hood

This was my summer show. I actually started watching maybe sometime in February 2010, and saw the season two finale in August or so. After I'd been watching it for a while, I told Molly about it. The rest, as they say, is history. I think part of the reason I love this show so much was that I "was Djaq"--aka, she was my make-believe alias, all summer. And we have so many inside jokes from it, that just makes it more special. :) We've gotten so many of our favorite quotes from this show:
"I'm good with nuns" --Allan
"Don't tell me to shush, we're looking for a tree in a forest!!" --Much
"Earn your keep!" --Guy to Allan
"I can feel a song coming on!" "No! No song! Absolutely no song!" --Much and Robin
"SUSSEX! I have lost SUSSEX!" --The sheriff
"You could've had my eye out!" --Allan to Marian
"SLEEEPPPPPP" --Allan
(notice how many of these come from Allan? He's just that awesome.)

(self-proclaimed Hoodie xD)

If there's one thing the BBC can do, it's create incredible characters. (they can do a lot more than that, but characters are, as always, my favorite ♥)
However, I'm not including pictures from season three, because season three was atrocious, and it had Tuck and Kate in it, and Tuck is one of the worst characters I have EVER met. He's completely awful *blech*

Robin and Much

The gang

This is the best Robin Hood video I've ever seen. It's just beautiful. Even if you don't like/don't watch RH, watch it anyway :)

Larkrise to Candleford

The amazing thing about this show is that you feel like a part of these characters' lives. This is the one show my whole family (mom, dad, sister, grandmother, and me) watch together. If it's Friday night, one of us will say, "Larkrise?" and everybody else is just like, "YES!" I know I've said this countless times before, but I must repeat: these characters are so real. I warn you: if you start watching this show, you'll be hooked for all three seasons (and there's a season 4 coming out! Eep!)

Dorcas and Laura

Robert and Emma

Laura and Alf

Larkrise and Candleford (those are the names of the two places in the show--Larkrise is a small hamlet/village out in the countryside, and Candleford is the merchant town eight miles away. The show is about the different characters in each place and their interaction with one another.)


The Queen's Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

My goodness. This woman is a genius. Her books, set in a Byzantine-Greek world, are so political they'll make your head spin. Yet she creates characters who keep you guessing throughout the entire book. You'll be shocked by the endings of at least two of these books. You think you know what's going on, and then boom, something blows you away and it turns out that the characters had something completely different planned the entire time.

Gen, without a doubt, makes it onto my list of top-ten all time fictional heroes.
Who else is on that list, you ask? Well, since you asked so nicely... (this isn't in particular order)

Eugenides (aka Gen)
Allan a Dale
Ciaran de Reinwick
Merlin (tv show, Merlin)
Sophos (The Queen's Thief)
Percy Jackson (you know where)
Finn (books of Bayern)
Lee Colbert (The Book of Jane)
Sheftu (Mara, Daughter of the Nile)
I'm gonna go have to go with Merry from LoTR, though I do like Troy from HSM. Don't laugh, even though I know you will. :P

Anyways! You distracted me--shame on you. Let's continue, shall we?


There's only a handful of characters in this book--90% of the time it's just Gen, the magus, Pol, Sophos, and Ambiades.

This was my least favorite in the series, but I think I might like it better upon a second read, which I plan to do as soon as I finish rereading The King of Attolia. :) Sadly, Sophos isn't in this one, and he's awesome.

As I mentioned before, I'm reading this for a second time. This is the only one of the books that has Costis in it, which is too bad, cause Costis is great even if he has no sense of humor. I suppose he wouldn't really have a place in the other books, though.


The main character in this book? Sophos. Yes. We've waited since book one for him to return, and he FINALLY has. Sophos is probably my favorite example of how much a single character can grow and change within a story. Half of the book is told in first-person by him, and such a charismatic, completely real voice. It's like he's really talking. And I loved that even with all the changes he went through in this book, and how he could take down a man with one hit, he's still shy, blushing Sophos. :) He's so different by the end, but I still love him.
This book was actually a lot better the second time around. The first time I read it I was disappointed by it, expecting more, but when I read it again a couple weeks ago I loved it a lot more, and it's earning a place among my favorite books. :)

I wish I knew Megan Turner's secret for creating characters the way she does.

Merlin

Of all the characters in this show, my favorite is the title character, Merlin. You may think he's dorky looking, but he could take you down with less than one blow (or so he says.) He's really friendly, kind, and I would love to have him as a brother or friend. Plus, he's hilarious. :)
Arthur is hilarious as well, and he's handsome, but what bothers me is that he's so ignorant about who Merlin really is (Merlin has to keep his magic a secret, or he'll be killed by King Uther, who hates magic). And when Arthur finally grows up and learns something in an episode, in the next episode, he's back to his old snotty prattish self.
But I do admit that I love him. :) He's a pretty good character.
More annoying than Arthur, though, is Gwen. I liked her in the first season, but in the third season, she's gotten so dry. She just has no personality, and I cannot include in my list of favorite characters. There's no spark, no life to her. She's not right for Arthur.
Morgana is pretty awesome--she's completely different in season three, which I think is cool, cause she's more vital to the show now. The plot with her can get old at times, but she has more of a place now.



Arthur, Guin, Morgana, and Merlin

Elyan, Gwaine, Merlin, Arthur, Lancelot, Leon, and I don't know who the other dude is (this is a poster for the season three finale)

Arthur, Merlin, Morgana, and Morgause

Uther, Arthur, Merlin, Gaius, Morgana, and Guin

So really, Merlin is one of my all-time favorite characters, and Arthur's pretty good, but the others can't make the cut. :( (Gwaine is really cool, but he's not a regular, and not quite cool enough)

I did a post on Merlin a while back, which you can read here.

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I think that's enough for now. :) Tell me about some of your favorite characters!

Normalness? Not nearly.

Let me just remind you--though you already know this--of what happened 9 years ago today. Nearly 3,000 people died in the Terrorist attacks on the United States. Let us remember and honor them and never forget them.

*moment of silence for everyone who died on that horrific day*

It seems, much to my mortification (isn't that an awesome word?), that I have terribly neglected my writing on this blog. What is the world coming to?!
I'm in the process of editing/rewriting Cymbeline (quick recap: my pirate novel) and thought it fitting to introduce you to my characters. Wait, you already met them? No, this is better than before...much better. I promise. ;)

The youngest of the three Cervantes brothers; actually, he's a half brother. They have the same father and a different mother.


Female pirate captain, hunting for gold.
Memzie put it aptly: "Hard as a rock." Yep, pretty much. At least in the first book.

"You will hear thunder and remember me, And think: she wanted storms. The rim Of the sky will be the colour of hard crimson, And your heart, as it was then, will be on fire."
Anna Akhmatova

I found that poem on Shaynie's blog and think it fits Saphira perfectly.:)

The middle of the brothers; excellent fencer and rather stubborn.

The girl who shows up on the Cervantes' ship with no memory.

The oldest of the three brothers, and probably the most level-headed.

Second wife (after the first one died) to the late Gervasio Cervantes, mother to Tresalde, and stepmother to Elliot and Julian.
(And Mirriam...I used your name. I needed a name for her and yours is really pretty and fits her.:D So I hope you're not mad. She's a good character.)

Mysterious pirate captain dude who I can't even say much about cause, well, I'm still pondering him.
Did you enjoy? :)

There you have it, an updated cast of Cymbeline. And yes....no Isabel. She no longer fit into the story. Saphira had kind of taken her place, and that's alright with me, since I like Saphira better anyways.

featuring...
Jeremy Sumpter as Tresalde
Keira Knightley as Saphira
Harry Lloyd as Julian
Kirsten Dunst as Finna
Justin Gaston as Elliot
Claire Danes/Michelle Pfeiffer as Miriam
Richard Armitage as Stefan

*Oh and please....Do not forget my poll!!! 9 votes? Really? Please, please, please vote...*

Have a good one (and a rememberful--new word--one) my lovelies.:D

Don't worry, Merlin fans!

{note: I do not own any of these photos or the trailer.}


In a land of myth, and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy. His name...Merlin.

"I have special eyes."
(not going to make sense if you haven't seen the tv ad for 1-800-Contacts.)
Actually, he does. They even turn gold...



left to right: Guinevere, Gaius, Morgana, Merlin, Arthur, and King Uther

S0rry this post is so pointless and does not deal with anything deep...I'm going through a Merlin phase, just like I did with Robin Hood. Why is the BBC so amazing? How do they manage to produce almost all of my favorite shows? Merlin, Robin Hood, Inspector Lewis, Little Dorrit...maybe Merlin, with his magic magical-y-ness, is helping them. That must be it.


"How do you think it's going, ANGEL?!"

"I'm glad to see you're resting, Merlin. That means you'll have the energy to clean out my leech tank." --Gaius


"There's only one man to save the day. Merlin. And his best friend. Arthur. Who helps him a lot. A LOT!"


She and Marian could be sisters...

Uther: Could somebody tell me what happened?
Merlin: Well...
Uther: Someone with a brain.



Do you think I sit around doing nothing? I haven't had a chance to sit around and do nothing since the day I arrived in Camelot! I'm too busy running around after Arthur. Do this, Merlin. Do that, Merlin. And when I'm not running around after Arthur, I'm doing chores for you! And if I'm not doing that, I'm fulfilling my destiny! Do you know, how many times I've saved Arthur's life? I've lost count! Do I get any thanks? No! I have fought griffins, witches erm… bandits! I have been punched, poisoned, pelted with fruit and all the while, I have to hide who I really am because if anyone finds out, Uther will have me executed! Sometimes I feel like I'm being pulled in so many directions, I don't know which way to turn! --Merlin, season 2 episode 2: The Once and Future Queen

Season 2 trailer--(utterly amazing)




It's available on Netflix.com if you have an account, or fancast.com, or youtube. WATCH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(by the way, a big thank you to all my lovely followers, who put up so patiently with my British tv show obessions.)