Rumplestiltskin Part II

It's been many moons since my last post on this subject, which you can read here (which you might need to before proceeding onwards, because I might be referencing back to it a lot). I mentioned there that I could easily go on. Well, here we are. I wasn't joking.

Rumplestiltskin from the TV show, Once Upon a Time. Why do I insist on continuing to analyze and write about him, you wonder? Well, I find him an absolutely fascinating character. He's my favorite, as I mentioned in my previous post. I'm learning more about him and his motives as the show progresses, but he still continues to intrigue me. He's not a very straightforward character like most of the other characters in the show. This time as I write, I will not be worried about spoilers, so beware if you have not watched the show up to the latest episode. (I have recently rewatched all the episodes from the pilot to the most recent one with my mom and have had a chance to look at things more closely and to notice things I didn't notice the first time around, thus sparking another reason why I've decided to write this post.)

I covered most of my thoughts in my last post, about how he is certainly not a good guy, but I don't think he's necessarily a bad guy either.

I'm going to do my best to summarize his story so far. I see him as a Faustian figure. He was once a widower wool merchant with one son who would be taken away from him when he turned 14 to fight in the pointless Ogre Wars. Rumplestiltskin once ran from the wars himself and was abandoned by his wife and shunned by everyone else because of his cowardice. Shortly before his son's 14th birthday, an old beggar tipped him off

of how he could gain power over those who would come to take his son. He would have to break into the Duke's castle and steal a dagger that had "The Dark One"'s name inscribed into it. The dagger was the reason why the Duke could control the Dark One's great powers and use it to get people to fight in the wars. If Rumplestiltskin stole the dagger, he would control the Dark One's powers. If he killed the Dark One, then he would take the power for himself.

Rumplestiltskin used his wits and managed to obtain the dagger. Rumplestiltskin summoned the Dark One and declared himself his master. The Dark One was not impressed and wondered aloud what the timid little man would have him do. Rumplestiltskin's answer was "Die!"and he killed him. The Dark One revealed himself to be the beggar from before. He laughed and told Rumplestiltskin that "All magic comes with a price". The magic transferred into Rumplestiltskin, changing his appearance and he became the new Dark One. His name then became inscribed on the dagger. He returned home and used his power to save his son from the Duke's men, declaring that he was not scared of anything. But his son was afraid, seeing that the man in front of him was no longer his father. (We have yet to find out what became of the son after that. There's supposed to be an episode about it in the very near future.)

After this, Rumplestiltskin's story came in chunks. He lived on a large estate somewhere, like a castle. He began using his great power by making deals with people that they thought were to their advantage. Examples of his actions include playing the role of Cinderella's fairy godmother after killing the real one, arranging for the secret adoption of Prince Charming and his twin brother by the king, and giving the evil queen the curse that sent everyone to the real world. At some point, he took a young woman, Belle, as payment for one of his deals, to be caretaker for his estate. In a very Beauty and the Beast fashion, he fell in love with her, though not so obviously until she was gone. He is considered the "most dangerous being in all the realm". Eventually he was trapped by Cinderella when she had him sign a contract with an enchanted quill. He was then put into a special cell built especially for him in the dwarf mines where he remained until the evil queen's curse was enacted, then he became a wealthy pawnshop owner in Storybrooke, Maine, named Mr. Gold.

Mr. Gold, although no longer magical, still possesses a great deal of power and influence over the residents of Storybrooke. From real estate to politics to the personal lives of the town’s residents, his knowledge and involvement is infinite. In fact, he’s got his hands in so many things happening in the town it’s almost scary. According to Granny he “owns” the town. Also, most of the citizens seem to be more intimidated by him than the mayor, Regina (the evil queen). He continues to make shady deals with people who are willing to pay the price, except he plays by the rules of our world. Eventually it is revealed that he remembers his past life as Rumplestiltskin.

Rumplestiltskin will do whatever someone asks, so long as they can pay the price. This is why I don't see him as either good or bad. He has helped both sides at one point and both sides are afraid of him. The Beauty and the Beast episode, where he played the role of the beast, showed a bit of his softer side. That he is still just as alone and cowardly as ever, but it is now hidden under his mad and powerful exterior. He has a power-complex. He desires to be the most powerful being in the realm (which he is) and stay that way. He wants to

do the impossible, such as bottle love (which he eventually manages to do). He is paranoid about losing his power. I think that he feels that he will be like he was before, but worse since he doesn't even have his son anymore. He says of himself before he got his power, "All I got is my boy. And they're going to take him away from me. If I lose him, then I will truly... truly become dust." So I think that his power has replaced his son in a way.

He's like the representation of people's greed, I think. Like "I can give you what you want without having to work for it... but it'll cost you." Also, I've observed that although he's creepy and a little bit insane, he does have his own code and morals that he always seems to follow, they're just different from everybody else's. For example, he has never actually lied to anybody before, but he gets away with so much by manipulating them and/or avoiding the truth.

Back to my claim of him not being good or bad. Lots of people say he's a villain, which I can easily see why they would think that (in some episodes, he sort of is. That's the role he plays for some). But, I don't see him as such because he only does things that are to his advantage. He could easily take over the entire fairytale world and rule over everybody, make everyone his

slaves, or whatever, but he doesn't. He could also help save people from whatever trouble they may be in (genuinely help them), and use his powers for good, but he doesn't. I think this is partly because then what would he do once he had accomplished that? The other reason, and main reason is that it doesn't really benefit him in any particular way. Also, he has a very subtle style most of the time and taking over the fairytale world or something wouldn't fit in his code. So if someone wants his help to take over, he will help them if they can pay the price. A perfect example of what I'm talking about is while he is Mr. Gold in Storybrooke. He is fully aware of the predicament that everyone is in (that they are all storybook characters trapped in the real world, unaware of their true identities, stuck without their happy endings), but he chooses not to do anything about it... because how does it really benefit him? But he doesn't hesitate to give other characters a little nudge if they start to remember their past lives.

Yeah, I think I've covered all the thoughts I've ever had on the subject. So I guess I'll wrap it up by saying that although he's a creepy, insane, sneaky, strange, crafty little devil, Rumplestiltskin is still my favorite character (and marvellously portrayed by Robert Carlyle. I almost forgot to praise this guy for his outstanding performance. He's absolutely brilliant in this role.)

Watch one of my favorite scenes with him (his very first scene) here.

and

easily the most spine-chilling scene with his counter-part, Mr. Gold here.

Cliches of Life

As some of you know, I'm a writer. Well, obviously if you're reading this blog, you know that. But I mean I write stories-- novels, works of fiction. This stems back to my childhood before I could even write. I would make up my stories and then draw them out, sort of like a comic book. I made up stories all the time and, not to toot my own horn, I was pretty good at it for my age. I started actually writing my stories out in novel form in my tween years. I still remember the first one I actually finished. It was the first in a series of books called "The Crossed Swords Series". They were strongly influenced by the Zorro stories, with lots of my own twists thrown in. Now, I'm still working on my BOM-historic novel that I hope to someday get published. I've written and rewritten it several times and I'm still unsatisfied with it.

Anyways, my point is that I've had a lot of experience with fictitious writing (as well as non-fiction stuff, like essays for school and stuff). Now there are several different directions in which I could take this post, but the topic I really want to focus on here is cliches. I don't want to talk about cliches in writing, I want to talk about them in life.

People don't really give me credit for how observational I really am. I notice a lot more than people think, I normally just don't say anything, or I ignore it, or I pretend I didn't see it for whatever reason (I also have a history as an actress. I can really put on a face if I want/need to). I often perceive life as a story, because to quote Doctor Who, "we're all stories in the end", so I look at life like a book or a movie.

All. Stories. Have. Cliches.

At least one. This is a fact. I mean, I seriously cannot think of a single story that did not have at least one cliche in it somewhere. Whether it was in the plot, the dialogue, the setting, the type of character, etc. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. No, no. If they're done properly, at the correct time, and/or there are not too many of them, I fully appreciate the cliches in the story. Sometimes even if they're painfully obvious, I still will sometimes enjoy a good cliche, because nowadays people are trying too hard to be original that I enjoy seeing stuff that's old hat. However, if I am bombarded with cliches, then the story automatically loses several points in my book.

I feel the same way with life. I see cliches all the time. After all, the stories in our books and movies are based off of our everyday life. The cliches had to start somewhere. Of course, it goes both ways. Something may have started on TV or something and now it's happening everywhere.

So, if I am bombarded with cliches from someone or something in real life, they automatically lose several points in my book, just like a book or a movie. I'm praying to high heaven that he never finds my blog and reads this, because that would be extremely embarrassing, but I went on a date this last Saturday. Now, it was a good date, I had a really good time, so don't get the wrong idea here. But it was full of cliches. The date itself was original: drive into Hollister, lunch, then drive to Carmel, and walk around the mission. Nothing really cliche there. However, how I was treated was the cliche part. He always opened the door for me (all the doors), he offered me his jacket, he paid for everything, it was always "ladies first", and if you can think of any others, he probably did it. Now I know that some of those are expected from a gentleman on a date. And maybe I'm just different from other girls, because I'm fiercely independent and don't fall all over that stuff (my friends would love it, I know that). But mostly I'm not impressed by it all because they're cliches. Now I wouldn't have minded if he had hit me with just one of them, or if he did all of them, but did them jokingly like he knew they were cliche and was just trying to be funny, but he wasn't.

When I'm writing, I try to be original, but I throw in cliches every once in a while just to spice it up a little. Like I keep saying, one or two of them are OK, but when you're flooded with them, it's a turnoff and you're probably going to get a bad review. At least, that's how it is for me.

A Drama Reminisce

As the high school's performance of "High School Musical" approaches and I watch Afton prepare for her part as Kelsi the composer, I become more and more nostalgic. I truly miss being in the high school plays. I miss everything about them. I miss the stress and pressure of the auditions, the anxiety as you first read the cast list and find out your part, the first read through, the practicing long hours after school, learning the songs, memorizing your lines, remembering your cues, missing your entrances, getting chewed out by Ms. Porter for texting backstage, the silly warm-ups that Ms. O/Amy taught us, wearing your costume for the first time, the first tech-rehearsal, the first orchestra rehearsal, Ms. Porter and Amy pulling their hair out during the first tech and orchestra rehearsals, dress rehearsals, "nakey time!", the excessive makeup, cast gatherings before each performance, the applause, the singing and dancing for a live audience, flubbing up, the bowing, and then sprinting around backstage to the front doors so everybody can tell you what a fabulous job you did XD.

5th Grade

My first ever play was in 5th grade. I don't remember what it what called. But it was literally a full blown play, not a silly little skit. But we had no stage, no lights, no fancy costumes or makeup; just our scripts, a few props, and our elementary acting skills. I was one of the main characters, Bebe. If I remember correctly, the play was about three kids who, on the 4th of July, got stuck back in time during the Revolutionary War time. I don't remember really what happened, it was sort of an educational play (which is why we were doing it). I was the only person to go off-book for the entire play. And I was a main character. This was when I discovered my appreciation for drama-like areas. (However, I eventually leaned more into the video-making department, but that's for another post.) I know my mom came and took pictures, but I can't seem to find them anywhere. I do remember my costume though: blue and white tennis shoes, blue jean capris, and a red and white shirt that said "Top 5 Reasons Why I'm a Princess" (I don't remember the reasons). My hair was just left to itself and I had no fancy makeup.

Anything Goes

My second play was my sophomore year of high school. This is where my nostalgia really begins. My friend, Angela had been in the play "Once Upon a Mattress" during our freshman year and I thought it looked like fun to be in. So, the next year she agreed to do the play with me (because I was scared to do it by myself). However, like a week or so before auditions, she decided she wouldn't be able to balance the play amongst her already busy schedule and dropped out, leaving me torn. I would have to audition by myself and if I got a part, I would not know anybody. Now, understand, back then I was one of the shyest people you would ever meet and had terrible people skills (I have since improved, but am far from perfection).

The Audition

After changing my mind several times, I went to the audition. It was only a singing audition... and easily my worst nightmare. I went in with two other people, a boy and a girl. I sort of knew the music director, Amy Oelrich, but not really. She taught us a few lines of a song and had us sing it as a group a few times. Then... she had us sing it individually. Worst. Nightmare. There I was singing solo in front of three other people with my not-even-close-to-Kelly-Clarkson voice. After preforming, we were free to go, without any comment or criticism. I of course was beating myself up and wanted to go hide under a rock.

The Part/Read-through

I don't remember how long we had to wait, but after at least a week, the cast list was posted. I was listed under "Ensemble". Great! It was exactly what I wanted. There was no way I wanted a lead after that traumatizing audition. So, we had our first read-through after the Christmas break... which I did not know about and missed. Ms. Porter, the drama teacher, was very stern with me when I came the next time. So there I was, the poor little sophomore who was already terrified and knew absolutely nobody in the room. There were two groups of the ensemble: the passengers and the sailors. All the sailors were men, so I assumed I was going to be a passenger. And I was for a couple read throughs. However, Ms. Porter soon realized that I was not the slacker she originally thought me to be and could actually be a very capable actress if I could just find the confidence. So she made me a sailor. Yes, I was the only female sailor. I was the sailor who arrested Moonface the gangster ^_^.

The Plot

The S.S. American, sailing from New York to England, carries an unusual group of passengers. Included amongst them are a gangster (Moonface Martin), a wealthy debutante and her mother (Hope and Evangeline Harcourt), a nightclub singer (Reno Sweeny), and a wealthy New York businessman and his stowaway assistant (Elisha Witney and Billy Crocker). It turns out that Hope is Billy's long-lost love. Unfortunately, she is now engaged to a wealthy Englishman, Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. During a series of comedic happenings, Billy attempts to win back Hope. Meanwhile, Billy's friend, Reno, tries to seduce and win Lord Evelyn. All this happens while Moonface Martin attempts to escape the law and Hope's mother strives to maintain her social status.

The Costume

Sadly, my mom took plenty of pictures of our performances, but we are unable to access them right now. I remember my costume though: a white sailor's top, a waist-high, knee-length navy blue skirt with silver buttons, a white sailor cap, and black buckle heels. I had my hair in small, tight curls, and my makeup was extremely dark, but just natural colors.

Annie

I had so much fun doing "Anything Goes" that I decided that I wanted to do the play the next year no matter what it was. This time, my sister and her friends had all started high school and wanted to do it as well. (I had quite an influence on them XP). So we all signed up for the same audition day.

The Audition

Now that I knew what was going on and I was older, I was not as terrified as last time. Plus I knew a lot of the people there, so it helped a little. This audition was a singing AND acting audition. I braved through the solo part of the singing audition. There were more people listening this time. The acting audition was kind of fun. Since I had more confidence this time, I decided I wouldn't mind having a bigger part (not a lead, mind you. I'm not stupid, deaf, and/or full of myself. I know I'm not a good enough singer to ever get a lead in a musical). I gave it all I had in the parts that Ms. Porter had me read (I remember reading for some of the orphans, some of the servants, and one person from Hooverville). I really wanted to be an orphan. I never got a callback, but I think Afton did... I'd have to double check that. Because of that, I was afraid that I didn't get ANY part. So many people had auditioned and Ms. Porter had warned us that there would be people that wouldn't make it.

The Part/Read-through

The waiting seemed to take forever! But finally the cast list went up. Luckily I DID make the list. I was Mrs. Greer, the housekeeper. I wasn't entirely happy at first, but I was over it by the time the read-through came around. At least I had an actual name this time, not just "Ensemble". And as we read the script, I found that I even had my own solo line, "Bubbles! No, soap I think." I thoroughly enjoyed having people I already knew in the cast with me. There were people I had befriended from "Anything Goes" and then basically the rest of the cast were Mormons.

The Plot

In the depths of the 1930's, Annie is a fiery young orphan girl who must live in a miserable orphanage run by the tyrannical Miss Hannigan. Her seemingly hopeless situation changes dramatically when she is selected to spend a short time at the residence of the wealthy munitions industrialist, Oliver Warbucks. Quickly, she charms the hearts of the household staff and even the seemingly cold-hearted Warbucks cannot help but learn to love this wonderful girl. He decides to help Annie find her long lost parents by offering a reward if they would come to him and prove their identity. However, Miss Hannigan, her evil brother, Rooster, and a female accomplice, plan to impersonate those people to get the reward for themselves.

The Costume

Ah-ha! I have pictures from this. All the female servants wore these large gray dresses, white aprons, and white caps. My hair was simply plastered to my head underneath the cap, and my make up was excessively dark, but natural colors.

Warbucks and the orphans

Mrs. Greer

Warbucks and Annie

Seussical

Senior year! Senioritus... yeah, it hit me hard. But it didn't stop me from wanting to the play that year. I knew that Ms. Porter always favored seniors and gave them favorable parts. There was no way I would pass that opportunity up. Even if I didn't get a "favorable" part, I still wanted to be in the play, so I, along with the majority of the "Annie" cast, signed up for auditions.

The Audition

Auditions were basically the same as last year. Singing and acting. No problem though, I had done this before, I was more experienced, I didn't have to worry, right? Well... except for one minor detail. I had just got my wisdom teeth out about two weeks before the audition and my jaw was still sore. I pressed on though. Once again, I braved through the solo part of the singing audition (although I had to quit in the middle because I couldn't hit the high notes). I knew that would hurt my chances of getting a good part, but I did NOT want to be singing that high in front of people by myself. I did have an advantage during this audition since I already knew all the songs and the story (and was probably the only one besides Ms. Porter and Amy). The acting audition was fun and I was given big parts to read. Ms. Porter actually laughed heartily at my performance of the Cat in the Hat. I was in fact called back for the Cat, Mrs. Mayor, and a bird girl.

The Part/Read-through

Waiting didn't seem as long this time. People kept telling me that they thought I would get the Cat. That would be nice. I considered the possibility sometimes, but when it really came down to it, I knew that I wouldn't get such a big part. And I didn't. The list came out, I got a bird girl. Even though I knew I wouldn't get a huge part, I was still just a little bit disappointed. But, the bird girls had a lot of stage time since they did a lot of narrating (they were the jungle gossipers). The read-through wasn't long since most of the play is singing. I grew to love my part and the other bird girls (and was exceedingly glad not to be a lead in this particular play after seeing how hard they had to work).

The Plot

The Cat in the Hat is the host and emcee (and all-around mischief-maker) in this romp through the Seuss classics. When the sweet, good-natured elephant Horton hears a small cry for help coming from a small speck of dust, he promises to rescue and guard it because "a person's a person, no matter how small." On that small speck of dust lives JoJo, an imaginative young Who. JoJo has astounding "thinks," in which anything's possible, but his parents believe this creativity is inappropriate for the son of the Mayor of Who-Ville. Meanwhile, the one-feathered bird, Miss Gertrude McFuzz, desperately wants Horton to notice her. Maybe, she thinks, she just needs a more impressive tail. At the same time, the amazingly lazy Maysie La Bird connives, cajoles and convinces Horton to sit on her egg while she goes off on a spree. Will the planet of Who survive? Will Horton pay attention to Gertrude? Will Maysie ever return for her egg? Dr. Seuss's beloved classic characters find themselves intertwined in an incredible crazy-quilt adventure, in which the power of imagination and the most miraculous "think" ever save the day!

The Costume

We got PLENTY of pictures of this production. I loved my costume for this and I especially loved my makeup. Hair, not so much. It was really uncomfortable. All the bird girls wore a fancy dress, a feather boa, a feather tail, and a feather puff in our hair. Our hair was pulled back and had to sit on our heads in curls like a nest, or if it was too short, sprout out like a tree. Our make up was extravagant, it could be whatever we wanted, it just had to match our bird colors. Mine was just the green and pink with sparkles and bedazzles.

Cat in the Hat, Mrs. Mayor, Mayor of Whoville, Jojo

Bird girl

Horton the Elephant

Gertrude McFuzz, Horton, Sour Kangaroo

Ahhh... I do miss it all. I actually remember parts of dances to some of the songs in all of the plays. Yes, even as far back as "Anything Goes". I'm excited to go see "High School Musical" this month. I'll actually be sitting in the audience instead of backstage or in the spotlight. It'll be fun to watch and know what's happening behind the scenes :)