#there is a special kind of hate i have reserved for characters who are mopey bc they have too much money or power

[catastrophicgay]

has enough time passed for us to admit that red, white, & royal blue was the worst queer movie to come out this year

[asktheprincessofhearts-archive]

AskingDescendants Task 002: About the  Mun

Name/Alias: Ruby

Pronouns: She/her

Which characters do you write currently?: Cora, Princess of Hearts (asktheprincessofhearts), (Spawn of) Sarah Sanderson ( ask-salem-siren), and Katie Norrington (askascarlettletter)

What got you into Descendants?: I had had a seizure and was feeling kind of down and mopey, and wanted to distract myself.  I’d read an article about Descendants coming out a few months before and ended up googling it and watching it.  I was okay with the first film, but I LOVED the second one. 

Favorite color: Red

Favorite food: Oooh.  I love spicy food.  Also Oreo cheesecake XD 

Favorite book(s) and character(s) from it: I hate answering this question!!!! um...I love Harry Potter obviously (favorite character being Hermione).  I also love Phantom of the Opera (with favorite character being Christine).  I love too many books to pick one honestly.  

Favorite movie(s) and character(s) from it: Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Mina), Titanic (Rose).  There’s a lot, but those are the two that I’m thinking of off the top of my head.  Also, I’m a musical theatre lover, so I do love musical movie adaptations (except POTO. I despise movie POTO with an undying passion).  

What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever done?: I’ve technically performed off-Broadway! (surprise!) 

Corazana (Cora), Princess of Hearts

Parent(s)/Movie: Queen and King of Hearts/Alice in Wonderland

What makes this character special?: Well, she’s my first character, so I’m sentimentally attached to her.  But I also tried to make her morally gray in some ways.  A lot of the “Descendants” characters almost seem over-powered in film universe to me (*cough* Mal), and I deliberately tried to write Cora with weaknesses and insecurities.  I also made her not magical on purpose.  What I do like, though, is that despite her faults she’s a loyal friend and utterly determined to get what she wants. 

How are you and this character similar? Dissimilar?: I realized AFTER I wrote her for a little while that Cora’s “slips” are sort of inspired by my own epilepsy.  Obviously, I don’t have violent psychotic episodes and/or homicidal tendencies, but the whole idea of being defined by a medical condition and being in fear of something happening to you at any time (that’s totally out of your control) is inspired by my epilepsy, accompanied by people judging you for it.  Cora is also very stubborn (much like me), and cares deeply for her friends.  Unlike me, Cora actually likes caffeinated drinks (I don’t), and she’s I feel, in many ways, braver.  Stuff that I am very reserved with or would take a lot of time deliberating over Cora just does.  This impulsivity is a big difference, and can have both positive/negative results. 

What’s the hardest part about writing this character?: Cora likes to get on a soapbox and rant a bit and when she does she can come off as snobby.  It’s also very hard not to write her as super kind all the time- I have to remember that just as in real life, people aren’t perfect; not everyone’s going to like her, and she’s going to have her moments.  So writing her negative aspects is more difficult for me, as is writing it when she’s mean to other people (even the Alice characters). 

What do you see this character doing in the future?: I really hope she gets to achieve her dream one day and become the next Queen of Hearts and ruler of Wonderland. I also hope that she comes to accept that her slips don’t mean she is inherently flawed or broken; they’re just a condition that she deals with.  And if she and Cole get married, I hope that they’re happy together (I think they will be- she may also find a way for King Candy to disappear).  And that Cora will someday actually be able to cook something for him without messing it up! 

(Spawn of) Sarah Sanderson

Parent(s)/Movie: Sarah Sanderson/Hocus Pocus

What makes this character special?: Sarah is my first “evil” character.  She’s struggling between the role she’s been told she’s going to fill her whole life (that of a witch serving Satan- that’s who “the Master” is, by the way; I just never refer to him by name as the witches in “Hocus Pocus” call him “Master”) and maybe being someone else.  She doesn’t quite have her own identity, and it’s very intriguing playing someone who has not only never developed their own identity, but never been given a chance to.  

How are you and this character similar? Dissimilar?: I did not sell my soul, nor did my parents sell mine for me.  I’m not a witch.  I also really like being friends WITH people who are nice to me, not for what they’ve done/can do, so the concept of “no friends unless they are part of the coven” is alien to me.  She’s also much more manipulative than I am.  We are similar though in that we both hunger for approval from our parents, and in some ways, may never get it.  

What’s the hardest part about writing this character?: Trying to balance her “meanness” and inherent evil quality with the little spark of light in her that’s like, “I don’t know who I am, but I wanna find out.”  I don’t usually write evil characters so it’s tough for me to keep her squarely in that category, which I really want to do.  I also feel super guilty anytime she says something rude (which is a lot). 

What do you see this character doing in the future?: No idea!  She doesn’t either.  I’m hoping she does find a home though and realizes that she doesn’t need her parents/aunts’ approval to be happy.  She can be her own person.  Whether her own person is staying evil and serving the Master or freeing her soul and learning different magic styles remains to be seen.  

Katie Norrington

Parent(s)/Movie: Scarlett (“The Redhead”) and James Norrington/Pirates of the Caribbean film series/ride 

What makes this character special?: Katie is the first character who’s an amalgam of ride and movie canon.  She’s also...like, completely, 100% different from me.  It’s a new experience writing someone who is so different.  Every time I write her I feel like it’s a challenge and I learn something new about her (and me).  

How are you and this character similar? Dissimilar?: As I previously said, we’re totally different!  She’s very confident, kind of entitled, and relatively fearless.  I am none of those things lol.  I guess you could say we’re both pragmatic, but that’s if you HAVE to find a similarity.  

What’s the hardest part about writing this character?: That we’re so dissimilar.  I never know her motivations or how she’ll react to something- often, the reaction I end up writing is different from what I think she would do.  It’s like she taps me on the shoulder and goes, ‘Hey, mun, that’s wrong.  I wouldn’t do that.’  It’s a novel experience. 

What do you see this character doing in the future?: I’d like to see her roam the seas somehow, though whether it’s respectable (like her father would want) or as a rogue pirate queen (like her mom would want) is unknown.  She’s new!