the story needs some mending and a better happy ending

[slumber]

So because school's usually an hour away and my brother and I are always busy with extra-curricular activities, the last time I actually cooked anything was in sixth grade, SEVEN YEARS AGO, and it was only an attempt at teaching me, and involved only frying things.

Anyway, today I woke up after about ten hours of sleep and a day spent locked up in my room eating nothing but baby food--shut up, I wasn't inclined to eat anything better--and I was really hungry, so I decided that if there was nothing good to eat downstairs, and at two in the morning that was highly probable, I was going to have to cook something.

Considering I wasn't sure how to turn on the stove--if it's even really called THAT. I know nothing--this was quite a terrifying thought.

I went down, spent about five minutes faffing over whether I should just get a donut, told myself I'd never learn if I always took the easy way out (HAH. Lesson of the YEAR.), and dug around the fridge. I ended up with sausage/hotdog type hybrids--longgadog, a company here calls it--and two eggs. Set up the stove, got a small frying pan (non-stick!), and while I was thawing out the longgadogs, I had the bright and brilliant idea of making an omelette instead of just a sunny-side up, so I went back to get some cheddar cheese.

There was also a moment when, not knowing where they kept the salt, I thought to use soy sauce on my eggs. :|

To cut a long story short, I only burned the longgadogs a little on the outside, I am not an omelette master (too many add-ins, too few eggs, too small a pan), and the non-stick pan? TOTALLY STICKS.

The cheese, however, was a Very Good Idea.

*


So I was wondering, you know I love fairy tales so much, and re-telling them, and most other aspects involving fairy tales, really. Thus, here is a poll, and to the boys in my flist, I hope you forgive the gender insensitivity:

[Poll #828392]

Which is a very simple question. But. You know. Have you ever wanted one over the other particularly, like, when you were a kid? And what do you suppose the differences are? What kind of girl would like a Prince Charming, what kind of girl would like a Knight in Shining Armour?

AND and and, what was your favourite fairy tale ever, barring Disney adaptations? And what kind of heroine did you ever see yourself as?

I swear this is not just so I could use my newest icon. :|

Comments

[ccharlotte.livejournal.com]

I wholeheartedly feel there should be an option to choose both.

[slumber.livejournal.com]

But they're not the same, you can't marry BOTH. :|

[ccharlotte.livejournal.com]

You're upholding traditional gender stereotypes! I choose to have a relationship with both. :|

[slumber.livejournal.com]

Not traditional gender stereotypes, Line. Traditional values of monogamy, perhaps. :|

[jaig.livejournal.com]

Yes you can! It's 2006, things happen in Fairy Land! :D

[wikdsushi.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I never really went for either Prince Charming OR the Knight in Shining Armour. My favourite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast, but I prefer the older versions, the ones not sanitised for Victorian nurseries. Honestly, as far as the guys go, I always like the monsters. Prince Uncharming (like the Beast) or the Knight in Rusty Armour (best example I can think of is Dracula). Hell, even in The Last Unicorn, I always preferred Schmendrick to Prince Lir. (I liked King Haggard, too, but on a TOTALLY different level.)

Keep in mind, I never really looked at fairy tales as romantic ideals. I liked them for the villains, and the more crazy-powerful, the better. (Rumplestiltskin always struck me as a jerk, but I never liked the story much anyway. Oh, no, he stole a kid for ransom. Why not just have another one? Yeah, I was a weird little kid.)

So, yeah. As much as I'd like to see Prince Charming rescued and carried off by the Knight in Shining Armour, as far as I'm concerned, they can go bother other people. I've got more interesting things to do.

[slumber.livejournal.com]

Ooh, hee. As a kid growing up, I honestly never actually realised I had to want either a prince or a knight. I liked them for the female leads, all the time, with the exception of Snow White, which is strange, because I'm really quite fascinated with that fairy tale right now. :P

*giggles* I love this idea that Prince Charming is actually the same person in all the fairy tales, hence he's in reality just a regular old heartbreaker. :|

[hermione-like.livejournal.com]

I'd choose both options if I could. I always thought of Prince Charming as being the same as the Knight in Shining Armor--like a Prince who was also a Knight or something.

My favorite fairy tales are Rapunzel and The Frog Prince.

[slumber.livejournal.com]

I probably should have added that in. :P Hmm, that's true, although I did have this idea of a King Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot sort of triangle. :P Perfect example of Prince Charming versus Knight in Shining Armour, or something. :P

Ooh. :D

[hermione-like.livejournal.com]

Ahh, true. I wasn't thinking about it that way--the King Arthur way. I always thought about it more along the lines of how the Prince is always the rescuer in the fairy tales so he kind of was the Knight in Shining Armor who rescued the princess (whether in a physical battle or by marriage). :) And they usually had the white horse to boot. ;)

[slumber.livejournal.com]

Heh, that's true as well. :P The difference didn't come to me until recently, when someone asked. :P

[ccharlotte.livejournal.com]

Or Prince Charming as that stereotypical sort of perfect blond boy and the knight as more of an anti-hero, rugged sort. At least in my head. :|

[slumber.livejournal.com]

You'd still have both?

[ccharlotte.livejournal.com]

Are you questioning my morals? :|

[slumber.livejournal.com]

No, only your tastes. :|

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I loved Cinderella, and not the Disney version, either. I didn't see the Disney version until I was an adult and I thought she was inane.

I suppose I loved the rags-to-riches possibilities of Cinderella; not that I was suffering as a child or anything, but don't we all love the idea that at any moment we may be given everything in the world that our heart desires?

[slumber.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, I LOVE your icon. :P

I saw Cinderella as a child and thought the first dress was prettier. But yeah, that's true. :P Everyone wanted to grow up with the capability of getting anything one's heart desired.

Oh, and--

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

The problem with the Knight in Shining Armour is that he doesn't have a good sense of humor. Prince Charming is usually as competent as the Knight, when the going gets tough, but you always wonder if he's going to hold your low birth over your head as the ultimate trump card.

There's a lot to be said for the Noble Turned Outlaw. *points to icon*

Re: Oh, and--

[slumber.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, Prince Charming's a little boring, I always thought, AND he has princesses in every land. :| I'm more a Knight in Shining Armour kind of girl, I guess, in terms of what they actually do, because I have this notion that PC just admires himself in the mirror. :|

Bad boys are rather more interesting. ;)

[sparklychibi.livejournal.com]

What all of you are forgetting is that he is Prince Charming. So, you know, in my mind, you wouldn't be a little bored of him, or think him a little arrogant, or never see him during the day in the halls of the giant castle, because he's all nice and loving and perfect, you know. Whereas the Knight in Shining Armor rides in and rescues you and you ride along with him for a bit. But. Eventually I'd get pretty tired of that and be like, dude, d'ya think you could be a little more charming once in a while? Plus, he's so chivalrous, he'd probably be rescuing other ladies all the time, and the horse would get crowded. When I picture them, I find the prince who dances with you more appealing than the faceless suit of armor who kills things.

[slumber.livejournal.com]

*giggles* I wondered about your answer. Prince Charming cheats, though. :| He swept at LEAST Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel off their feet. :|

[sparklychibi.livejournal.com]

:( I could change him!

[draconianangel.livejournal.com]

Simple. Prince Charming, because princes are richer than knights. ;)

Hmmm... I actually like Cinderella, the unabridged version, because there were blood and cut toes and all... :D There is also that story that I read a loooooong time ago about a girl named Vasilissa (I forgot the story though...)

But my favourite Disney fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast, though my favourite Disney princess is Aurora (she's so pretteh!).

[draconianangel.livejournal.com]

kjasfk;hdjhg sod that, my favourite fairy tale is Sleeping Beauty! >:D

[slumber.livejournal.com]

Aurora's so gorgeous! :D I, like, pretend I like Beauty and the Beast too, but hot damn, Aurora's the best-looking and that just. Tops them all. :|

[draconianangel.livejournal.com]

kjahsfhdlf SO TRUE. Nakaka-tibo, ika nga ng friend ko. :| SO PRETTY.

But when I say my favourite is Sleeping Beauty, I was referring to the very original Sleeping Beauty, where there is rape, some sort of necromancing and cannibalism, OH MY! ;)

[slumber.livejournal.com]

Mwahahaha, ooooh, THAT Sleeping Beauty. *dies* My friend told me about that too--she used fairy tales for her topic in a senior high school term paper.

[draconianangel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's so COOL! And to think I thought Cinderella was the goriest... hahaha, Sleeping Beauty is better! ^___^

Aurora pwns!

[slumber.livejournal.com]

*snickers* Yeah. I LOVE all the creepy adaptations of Snow White too.

[draconianangel.livejournal.com]

Nothing beats the original. Heh, ultra hot shoes that made the stepmother dance till she died? Priceless. :|

Btw, I just HATE Disney's Snow White. Her voice gives me a headache.

[slumber.livejournal.com]

*snickers* we're so morbid.

I KNOW. She's so. Blegh. The reason I didn't like Snow White at the beginning was because I hated the Disney version of it.

[draconianangel.livejournal.com]

How true. LOL!

The Snow White anime is much better! The Cinderella anime too! :D

[slumber.livejournal.com]

!!! I remember the Cinderella anime--this was with the talking animals, right, and she didn't know the prince was the prince?--but what is this Snow White anime and how come I missed it!

[draconianangel.livejournal.com]

Yep, it's the one with the talking animals and where Cinderella made friends with the prince first (without knowing he's the prince) and falling in wuv before the ball. :D The Snow White anime came before Cinderella, and the story is much more complex than the Disney version, I think (since it has a lot of episodes).

[slumber.livejournal.com]

I saw a few episodes of Cinderella but never managed to follow it faithfully. Stupid Disney version made me biased. :|

Damn, I want to see that version.

[draconianangel.livejournal.com]

Me too, it has always managed to clash with my school sked. :| At least I liked the disney Cinderella better than the disney Snow White. :|

I looked at the Anime News Network, and it says that the anime Snow White has 52 eps! :| It also clashed with my sked so I wasn't able to finish it. :|

[sparklychibi.livejournal.com]

Vassilisa sounds familiar! Isn't she from the Baba Yaga story?

Ah yes, Google agrees with me. And she gets the prince, not the knight.

[slumber.livejournal.com]

Ooooh. Is this a story with both knight and prince in it?

[draconianangel.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes! I googled it and refreshed my memory about the story. All I remembered was the doll and the black, white and red knights (because they reminded me of the four horsemen of apocalypse, heehee). :D