Disney Character Blog Tag

Photo by Jayme McColgan on Unsplash

{Updated version} 25/6/22

Another Disney themed tag! This one looks super fun. (Any excuse to talk about my characters is super fun, don't you agree?) I was tagged by fellow Australian blogger Chelsea! If you want to see glimpses of Australian culture and life, bookish rants and read about her awesome WIPs (trust me, they deserve attention) definitely check her out, guys. 

 

The rules:

1. Link back to the tag's creator. (it was created by the amazing E. K. Seaver!)
2. Link back to the person who tagged you. (Thanks for tagging me, Chelsea! Here's her post on this.)
3. Pick 10-12 of your favourite Disney characters.
4. Chose which of your cast of characters (Whether from your current or a former WIP) reminds you of those princesses [as in the Disney characters] and tell us why.
5. Tag 4-7 other people.
6. (Optional) Use the graphic I created for the tag.

I don't think there's a question in your minds when I say I'll be using characters from my current WIP, Our Scattered Ashes, FHE. I literally can't not bring up Smoke or his story when I have the chance. Though I don't think any of you guys are complaining about it... not yet at least. 😂

All images were found on Pinterest. All rights belong to the owners and the sources these came from.

Li Shang from Mulan (1998)

Tau* fits this character pretty perfectly. Though he is young, he knows what he is doing and has an authority that people will listen to and respect. He's firm and tough, sometimes a little too stern on others, but he has such a caring heart and he feels things as well. He also has a pride that he makes him deaf to other people's views at times, but he always seeks to do right even if it is against the rules and beliefs he was taught.

*Tau is a new character who I haven't mentioned yet because he was meant to show up in book 2. Now he has taken up a fair amount of screen time in book 1 so looks like his important role as an influential side character has started earlier than I planned. (Seriously, this book is a living beast and it likes throwing me surprises. What can I do?)

How I imagined Tau

Mulan from Mulan (1998)/Rapunzel from Tangled

 

I know I am cheating by using two characters to explain one character of mine, but honestly, Blossom can't be easily explained without using two so you just have to ignore me breaking the rules.

Like Mulan, her love for her family is more important than tradition or expectations. She will risk everything for them, even shame for herself if came to that. She is quite determined, not letting her weaknesses stop her from completing her goals, and is creative in overcoming her obstacles. She does also have a clumsy side to her, when she is in an uncomfortable or awkward situation. She always tries to do the right thing in the end, no matter the cost to herself. Like Rapunzel, she has a bubbly, optimistic, almost innocent (unlike Rapunzel, she isn't innocent at all) nature and view of life. Life to her is an adventure, everything new fascinates her and she always gives people the benefit of the doubt and second chances. She is kind and sweet, and despite the darkness of her circumstances, she is a ray of sunlight always. 

While I can't properly write her as such yet (the first draft is really focused on developing Smoke's voice and getting the story out), this personality is what I aim to achieve with her in the end.

How I imagined Blossom

Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog

Raijin is a schemer much like one of my favourite villains here. He is smart, knowing what to take advantage of and how. His ability to see every opportunity, twist his connections to do what he desires for his end goal and play dirty without cost to self becomes second nature. While he doesn't deal with witchcraft, he does deal with illegal and/or dangerous technology at risk of everyone, including himself and loved ones. He plays all of the cards he can just for the sake of bettering his situation and making people pay for having privilege. It doesn't matter if they actually didn't do anything wrong. Both have no idea that desperation, fear of failure of all they had planned for, drives them forward every moment. They are only vaguely aware that if it all falls apart, they will met their demise.

How I imagined Raijin 

Tadashi Hamada from Big Hero 6

Fun fact about Asahi. He was going to be the typical antagonist older brother. But after a few months of brainstorming this story, this version of him wasn't going to work. It never actually worked in the beginning if I thought about it. He was so underdeveloped and flat when he had this personality. Once I figured that out, it opened the door to who he is now: a more complex, loving and caring older brother, a lot like how Tadashi is (the similarities are almost shocking). Tadashi is a lot more basic, but that's only because *cough spoilers* he died *cough* but then again all of the characters had clear personalities but not a lot of motivation and not a single misbelief or lie... The point is that everything he does involving his brother or other people is his way of caring and looking out for them. Like how Tadashi made Baymax to better help people heal from their injuries and help them with self-care, Asahi aims to help heal cyborgs from their brokenness caused from the war and fight for their rights. He just has such a thoughtful and kind nature, and tries his best to do good rather than harm. His good intentions though are not always the wisest nor the best for everyone, but at least his heart is in the right place.

   

How I imagined Asahi

22 from Soul

Smoke is not a character easy to be found in a Disney character let me tell you. But 22 actually fits him really well. The sarcastic, dry humour, the unwillingness to live life properly, the jaded view of the world around them, just the whole attitude. Also their journeys are kind of similar too. Learning to be human, truly human, is oddly a lot like what she went through (which I won't spoil here). But the biggest thing that me think that Smoke is like 22 is their internal conflict, which they disguised well under that attitude I mentioned before. If you have watched the film, 22's darkest moment is the most powerful reveal of her character, that layer that you will never expect from someone who seems so careless, rude and thoughtless. Smoke is the same. He deals with depression, anxiety, PTSD, insomnia and an eating disorder*, but you will never know that about him if you see him 99% of the time. That's his way of coping, living another day even when he doesn't, deep down. It's so sad, but this is what this series, FHE, is for. To teach him to overcome, to be vulnerable and open more with people, to find healing.

*I didn't on purpose gave him these issues just for the sake of him suffering or anything like that. They actually came naturally the more I thought about him and wrote about him.

How I imagined Smoke

Nani from Lilo & Stitch

This is makes me laugh because I can totally see Hitomi acting like how Nani acted with her little sister. Except that she would be more aggressive because Hitomi only has 5 brothers and 0 sisters. Like Nani, she has a temper, does and says a lot of things she regrets, especially with her siblings, but at the heart of it all, she cares for her family deeply and doesn't want them hurt. She values family staying together even through the hardships. Both, in my opinion, are fighters and survivors, trying to do what's best for their family while also battling against their life falling apart in a way that they never wished to see. They give up sometimes, but then always find hope in the end to keep going, to keep fighting.

 

How I imagined Hitomi

Snow White from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Oh, hello, other-character-who-has-also-changed-their-status-of-appearing-once-in-book-1-and-be-more-important-later-in-book-2. It seems like the characters are fond of overwhelming me at the moment. *coughs* But anyway...

Moe is the sweetest and most innocent of the characters I have in this cast, so thought Snow White was the best choice for her. Also the fact she can be bold even when circumstances are completely unknown and uncertain, and keep positive even when after experiencing extreme darkness for the first time in her life, is quite a similar response as Snow White. Her actions to fight against her hardships may be seem tiny compared to others and she won't have a strong voice among the battle for rights, but her presence in her loved ones' lives would be impactful and would earn their devotion and unconditional love. She's just one of those type of women who live simply, their courageousness invisible to the general eye. Just how I feel Snow White is.

How I imagined Moe

Helga from Atlantis: The Lost Empire

The best way to describe Helga and Kumi is that they are strong women with style. As in they look so feminine but cool because of the clothes they wear and yet they are also the type who will break your arm if you approach them wrong. They are not women to be taken lightly because they are literally dangerous. And it's probably a fact they are generally an antagonistic force because they are just the type to seemly hate everyone and rebel. They are not known for treating anyone nice. I honestly love this type of woman (cause they are so fun) but I don't see them very often. I need more. 😂

How I imagined Kumi 

Colette from Ratatouille

Wants to help but does it in the most aggressive way possible. Yep, that sounds like Maciej. This character is definitely still only important and significant in book 2. I mean this makes sense since he's going to be a main character than a side character so he doesn't have as much room to move around. Or so I think at present. Judging how my plans for my protagonist change as I'm writing it, it's likely he will change a lot of my plans. But maybe he will be a good character (I'm probably starting to sound insane to non-writers, haha.)

And, wow, I really went off topic. I keep on doing that. I guess it's cause I haven't written about this project in a while and so much has changed and I just want to share it (without spoilers of course).

  Anyway, both Maciej and Colette get forced into a teaching/mentor role for the protagonist. And while they criticize them a lot, rebuke and sometimes threatens *coughs*, they know their stuff and are great teachers underneath their tough exterior. They genuinely want the best for their "student" at the end of the day, but personal conflict I think comes in the way sometimes and also the fact that they worked hard for what they are now teaching. Probably personal sacrifices were made.

 

How I imagined Maciej

Pocahontas from Pocahontas

I don't know why yet, but Tree's personality strikes me as a nature-loving person. Someone who really cares for the health of nature and deeply appreciates the beauty of it. Probably someone who will defend it too. But the big reason why he matched Pocahontas is that both are wild, curious and mildly rebellious. They fit in, but also don't fit in at the same time because what they truly value isn't what the society around them cares about. And when they find the thing that they really need to stand up for, they will do anything, risk anything to fight for it, even if it's an unpopular opinion.

 How I imagined Tree

Namaari from Raya and the Last Dragon

The biggest thing Dragon and Namaari have in common is that they are kinda of forced to be antagonists but at the same time feel justified to be one so they don't care how they hurt the person they targeted. It's also so cool to note that both are working for a loved one rather than themselves, but because the thing they are fighting for is something their loved ones believe in so strongly, they follow their cause almost blindly. They have doubts, but they believe their loved ones know best. Both they are very loyal, to their people's values and the cause their loved ones started. At the end of the day, they are pawns in someone's game and, though very powerful people, are trapped in something that they don't believe in deep down. They are unable to fight for what they really care about, out of love and devotion for that loved one who raised them to think the way they do from a young age.

How I imagined Dragon

Ah, nice and long for you guys to enjoy. 😝 I had so much fun rambling all about my characters. It was actually quite amazing to see so many similarities between the Disney characters and my own. It was not on purpose and a lot of it really is just my interpterion of the characters, their motivations and actions and are not 100% accurate for both Disney and my own. Especially since my characters are very likely to change and grow over time.

With that, I will now say farewell, Virtual Paper Adventurers!

Have you watch any of these movies I mentioned? Do you see what I am talking about in these Disney characters (or you think I am way off on them)? Do you know what type of woman I am talking about for Katie (I need to know if anyone else love them!)?