Costumes And Characters: The Enchantress

And here we are, Halloween. So, here's the final (for now) character in my story who is also my Halloween costume this year!

I wrote these chapters a while ago and after I wrote the Mad Hatter Chapter I really didn’t know what came next. I mentioned this to a friend of mine who knew I was writing these and she said that maybe I was in the wilderness. The waiting place. And at the time I truly think I was. I was preparing, in limbo, waiting for whatever God had planned for me next. But now, now I know what chapter comes next, what character. And that is what I will share with you now.

This character appeared last summer, the day before my sisters Graduation Party. I walked into the kitchen to find her and some friends of ours (really more like siblings) creating characters for themselves. So, as I listened to the crazy characters developing around the kitchen table, naturally I wanted in on the action. There was an undercover princess, a time traveler, a werewolf, and a demi duck… that’s a long story of its own… And that was when Crystal the Enchantress appeared. All our characters continued to develop all throughout the summer and continue to develop even now. Back stories emerged, new adventures began, new characters joined the game. And Crystal the Enchantress began to get her own little personality.

The most unique part about Crystal is that she enjoys turning herself into a dragon. But that’s not the only interesting part about her. What I was surprised to discover as The Enchantress began to develop was that she has a little bit of every character I’ve ever been in her. Everything from a fairy to The Mad Hatter, it’s present in her personality, just as it is in mine.

She’s regal and majestic like a princess to start. She has magic and she has a passion to help people like I did when I was the fairy in my story. She also has the power to heal people and creatures with her magic, like I did as a fairy.

She lives in a castle and takes in countless creatures if they have nowhere to live, much like Jamie The Jungle Princess. Anything from everyday animals to wizards and warlocks take refuge in her castle. And I’d like to think her castle sits atop a cliff somewhere overlooking the ocean on one side and perhaps a jungle or magical forest on the other. And she doesn’t just have a love for animals, her flower gardens would be immaculate both inside and outside her castle.

So the jungle, fairy, and princess are easily explained as part of The Enchantresses personality, but how does a spy fit in? Well, she loves solving problems and she is smart and cunning. She also quite enjoys staying hidden and sneaking around without anyone seeing her.

The enchantress is certainly part pirate. Part pirate captain to be precise. She may be quiet most of the time, but that is simply because she is carefully calculating the right thing to say and when to have the most impact. She knows how to take charge and when. And she knows when is best to take the rest of her “crews” advice.

The Mad Hatter is certainly a quieter part of her. She hides it well but it’s still there. She… I… survived a lot of heartbreak, perhaps not as much as most, but her heart breaks for anyone who is hurting and that has a way of wearing on a person. It is only natural for a little bit of madness to seep through every once in a while.

She is very different than any other character I’ve ever been, but at the same time is much like a combination of all the characters. The Enchantress in me is still developing. Still writing her story. This chapter is only just beginning. But I already know who the Enchantress is. She is kind, and loving, just a bit mysterious, not afraid of adventure, and ready to take on the world. I don’t know what this next chapter will bring exactly, but the Enchantress in me is ready to take on the world with confidence and grace.

 

                   Thank you for going on this journey with me!

Costumes And Characters: Mad Hatter

I would have to say that my love of hats really started with being a spy. I don’t know where the connection between spies and fedoras originally came from, but we decided that spies needed to wear fedoras. And that was the first time I remember really starting to wear hats. I started collecting them after that. I have probably five or so fedoras, including one covered in pink sequins. Then my love of fedoras turned into a love for hats of any kind. Pirate hats, top hats, bowler hats, any kind of hat really. And then it began. The Mad Hatter in me started to make an appearance. And so begins the most interesting chapter of all, because who’s more interesting than a Mad Hatter?

I, like most kids, grew up knowing the Disney version of the Mad Hatter. Short, old, rambling, crazy Mad Hatter in the Disney Alice in Wonderland. He wasn’t my favorite character, that’s for sure. But then, when I was about sixteen, I watched a miniseries on Netflix about sort of a modern Alice in Wonderland. The story itself was a bit strange, it was Alice in Wonderland after all, but I was intrigued by their interpretation of the Mad Hatter. He wasn’t mad, not really, just misunderstood, and a little crazy. He was actually quite sweet and ends up falling in love with Alice. At the end he misses her so much that he leaves Wonderland and goes back to her world to be with her. But this Mad Hatter was completely different than any other interpretation I had ever seen before. Such as the Tim Burton version with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter for example. He was a bit too mad for my taste. Little too creepy. But then there was the Mad Hatter in the show Once Upon a Time, he was very much like the miniseries version. And I liked him a lot.

So, October 2012, before I turned seventeen, I bought my first top hat. It was a dark blue, it was from some Halloween store and was cheaply made and didn’t fit quite right, but I loved it. I put a big flower on it and wore it to a party our friends host every year, it was Mad Hatter Day after all! And then I became obsessed. We were going to have a Once Upon a Time Party in November and I was going to be the Mad Hatter. I searched and searched for just the right pieces for my costume. It had to be perfect. I got bouncy hair pieces that I could clip in. I had my hat already but it needed more. I bought some funky ribbon to tie around the middle and the extra hung down the back. Then I had a big scarf around my neck poking out of the most awesome jacket I own. It’s this cool blue green color and has swirls in the pattern. Then I had half finger gloves and knee high socks to match. It was perfect. My own crazy interpretation of the Mad Hatter.

I would go on to dress as the Mad Hatter for Halloween and I would wear my hat for New Years and other random events. Then the Mad Hatter found his way into my writing. I wrote, and am still writing, at least three different poems about the Mad Hatter. Two of them were for writing projects in school. One of them I actually submitted to a writing magazine on campus and it was printed in it. I was asked to read it at a reading for students who had their work in the magazine. I was terrified. I hate speaking in public where all the attention is on me. I’m a writer for a reason. You can read my work without me being present. I’m the girl behind the curtain; I’d rather be the writer hiding behind the page.  But I did it. I got up there and read my poem in front of everyone. I am glad I did it, but don’t know that I will rush to do it again.

I often wonder if I will end up like the Mad Hatter. By myself in a little cottage, alone with my collection of hats. Of course I’m usually thinking of that when I can’t sleep and am left to find company in my own crazy imagination. I get stuck in my head and it leads me to places I don’t necessarily want to go. The madness occasionally seeps out into my day as well. I find myself rambling more than usual or I start laughing for no reason in particular and can’t stop myself.

Turning into the Mad Hatter has had its good parts too though. I don’t care what other people think of me as much as I used to. I don’t care if they think I’m a little crazy because I am, why hide it? And if I hadn’t been obsessed with the Mad Hatter then I wouldn’t have written the poem that gave me the opportunity to share my writing, and that has given me the confidence to start sharing it with the world. If I didn’t have a little bit of Mad Hatter in me I probably wouldn’t have this blog right now. I would still be too afraid to share what I write. And of course the Mad Hatter has inspired my now quite large hat collection. I now have at least 25 hats in all sorts of styles. The Mad Hatter, like every other character, is very much still in me somewhere. And sometimes, usually late at night, the Mad Hatter in me will make an appearance...

 

 

Tomorrow is Halloween! Come back tomorrow to see how all of these characters tie into the character I currently consider myself.

 

 

Costumes And Characters: Pirate

It was July eleventh 2010. We were on a walk and were trying to figure out what to do the next day. That’s when mom suddenly, for the first time ever, mentioned the Sterling Renaissance Festival. We decided to go. My sister and I had no idea what to expect. The feeling I got as I walked under that archway for the first time was amazing. It was like stepping back in time. I don't remember much from that first time. But I do remember that as soon as I got home I started putting together my outfit for the next year. That day was when it all began, but the real turning point into this next chapter, this next character, came the next year. And it would be the beginning of the Pirate Chapter.

We walked under the archway into another world and I knew I was about to have a very exciting day, but I didn’t know it would change the way I see myself. Everything looked as if it had been brought back from the 1600‘s. The buildings were permanent, they looked as if they had been standing there for centuries. All of the workers dressed, spoke, and acted the part and rarely broke character. Like my family and I, most of the guests, dressed up as villagers, fairies, pirates, and gypsies. This added to the magic and made it seem like we really walked back in time. I felt like I fit in with the crowd, but yet I stood out in my own way. That is one of the best things about the festival. You can be anyone you want to be and no one will think you were strange. Something I have had problems with in the past.

Then we found the pirates. They were playing music and I tapped my black boot on the dusty ground and swirled my long pink skirt. Two things I would never wear on almost any other day. Now I wear things like that all the time. I didn’t usually like to stand out; I didn’t like being the center of attention. When the pirates had finished, I walked up to the three girl pirates on the path. “There be a pirate” they said. That one comment made my day. I was recognized as a pirate by the pirates. I had only expected a picture from each, but I got a whole story and a pirate name. I was known as “Jessica the Bloodthirsty.” That name didn’t really suit me; I was definitely not the pirate type any other day. I never was. However, I wasn’t about to complain. They invited me to be part of their crew. I played along and told them that I would love to, but that my parents probably wouldn’t let me.

And that was where it all began. I would go to the festival almost every after that and every year the pirates would recognize me. In addition to the renaissance fest, my pirate personality managed to find its way into my everyday life. I continue to improve my pirate costume. I continue to form my back story. I became Captain Opal Jemstone (yes I spelled that with a j on purpose). And I host a Pirate Feast every year where all of the “pirates” take a break from fighting each other to sit down and eat a grand feast and dance and drink together.

I felt different when I got home that day; after the Renaissance Festival. I suddenly didn’t care as much if I fit in or stood out. I don’t mind being the center of attention anymore. If it wasn’t for this chapter in my life then I would still be that shy little girl who was afraid to stand out and afraid to take control of anything. Taking on my pirate personality has given me confidence I never thought I could have. I turn myself into a pirate pretty often now, I pretend I am the captain of my crew; it gets me to speak up and get people to listen. Although I have moved on from this pirate chapter, Captain Opal Jemstone is still a very large part of me. It’s the part that isn’t afraid to go on an adventure, no matter what that adventure will bring. I would be the first to admit that this part of me does not come out nearly as much as it should. But that will change, because now I am part pirate.

 

One more character before Halloween! And its one of the most interesting, so check back tomorrow!

Costumes And Characters: Spy

This next chapter is one I often forget but is still important. It’s the “Missing Chapter” otherwise known as the Spy Chapter.

It all began with a love for Mary Kate and Ashley the mystery solving Olsen Twins. My sister and I would read the books and watch the movies over and over again. We would go sit up in our tree house and pretend we were the twins, I was Mary Kate and she was always Ashley. We would solve imaginary crimes and mysteries. Somewhere along the line I started really getting interested in codes and nicknames and putting together riddles for my sister or friends to figure out. I would put together these complicated puzzles and maps and they would lead them around the property until they found their prize, usually a treasure chest full of gold fish crackers. I loved the thrill of putting something together and having it lead to something cool. It was like a treasure hunt.

The riddles and puzzles turned into codes and complicated clues as the years went by. My sister and I created a fairly simple code or two and would spend hours trying to memorize them. Then we would write to each other in code and try to read it without cheating. At some point our love of solving mysteries somehow turned into a spy movie commercial.

One of our friends had stayed the night and we randomly decided we should film a commercial. A spy movie commercial. So, we did. We got all dressed up, fedoras, sunglasses and all, and I got out my video camera. And that was the beginning of the spy movie. The beginning of Opal the spy; otherwise known as Agent Jem.

We weren’t really planning on turning it into a real movie. In fact it was a year or so before we even came up with a real plotline. But since that random night of creating a spy movie commercial, spies was the only thing on our minds. We would start to go through “spy training” where we would split into two teams and write riddles in code and put them around the house. Then the other team would have to figure them out and they would lead them to our location. It was quite fun. In addition to the riddles and codes, we would also try to sneak around without anyone knowing where we were. We would call the tree house our hideout and we would try to go from the tree house down to the kitchen for food without being seen. I still find myself sneaking around sometimes, trying to walk through the house undetected.

Eventually the idea of filming a movie sounded too exciting to pass up, so we wrote a script. It took a while. And a lot of sitting around having everyone throw random lines at me while I sat on the computer attempting to put them in an order that made sense. I was surprised we even ended up with a script let alone a movie. But we managed to get it done. My sister and I still turn to each other with smiles on our faces whenever we watch it and say “we made a movie!” we still can’t believe we actually did it!

So, the spy is still lingering in my mind somewhere, just as every other character I have been over the years. I learned a lot while making the spy movie and I have learned a lot by pretending to be a spy.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow to see who the next character in my story is!

Costumes And Characters: Jungle Princess

The next character, or chapter, is Jamie the Jungle Princess. Whether my sister and I were rescuing imaginary injured animals and bringing them back to our tree house, going on a treasure hunt, or being the Jungle Princess and the Ocean Princess at a royal ball, a love of animals and the jungle is definitely present in the next part of my story.

This part of my story really starts when I was a baby. One of my parent’s friends used to watch me and we would watch The Crocodile Hunter together. Now, I don’t remember that, I was a baby after all, but my love of The Crocodile Hunter continues to this day. I loved how he would capture animals in trouble and nurse them back to health. I grew to love snakes, koalas, monkeys, any animal really. When I was ten I wanted to go to Australia and work at Steve Irwin’s zoo. Most kids want to be doctors or astronauts when they grow up, I wanted to be a zoo keeper. In Australia. A lot has changed since then…

From the time I was little my family started going to Florida every winter. Yes, sometimes we went to Disney World, but most of the time we were in the middle of the wildlife of Florida. I would grow to love watching the birds, gators, and manatees. My love of animals continued to grow with every time we went. And of course, living in the Adirondack Park and going camping every summer brought even more of a love for animals and wildlife.

When I was ten years old my love of the jungle transferred into my room. It was literally painted on my walls. My parents told me that they were going to paint my room and I could choose anything I wanted. But they were only painting it once, so if I changed my mind I would have to paint it myself. So, I chose something I knew I would like for a long time, the jungle. The finished product was more amazing than I could ever imagine. There is a rainbow, a waterfall, vines, flowers, and of course some fairies. There is even a painted tree on the wall that branches into a real tree branch over my bed. A canopy full of monkeys, birds, and snakes.

Not too long after that we would venture into some real jungles in Roatan Honduras. I would get to hold some real monkeys and we would eventually buy property in the jungle where the Runaway Pineapple Lodge now sits.

My love of the jungle and animals really is spread throughout my entire life and continues to grow. But it is out of this love of the jungle and animals that some of my other characters and chapters come to be, including the one I’m in now. So I suppose it is still a good story to tell. The story of the Jungle Princess.

Check back tomorrow for the next character!

Costumes And Characters: The Fairy

I like to think of my story, my life, as a series of characters. As I go through life my personality changes and grows, and the characters I choose to play changes with it. I separate the chapters of my life by the costumes I wear. I know, that sounds ridiculous, but it is totally true. Seeming as Halloween is just around the corner, I figured what better time to write a post, or a series of posts, about costumes than right now? So, in the next week leading up to Halloween I will be posting a series of stories about different phases, costumes or characters if you will, I have been throughout my life and how they all tie together into my current character. I hope you enjoy going on this journey with me!

(But if you’d like to just skip to the end, check back in on Halloween for the current character, who, appropriately, will also be my Halloween costume)

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The first chapter of my life is a princess, as any little girls is. But I don't remember most of that except that I had a Cinderella dress that I wore all the time, even though my favorite princess has always been Snow White. So, I’m going to start this with the next character, A fairy.

When I was little, my sister and I would go to our friends house all the time. His family was close to ours and we grew up together. Whenever we were at his house we would occupy ourselves in countless ways, but my favorite times were when we would go out to his backyard and end up in another world.

I was always a fairy, I had the ability to fly, of course, and I could heal those who got hurt in battle. I could also shrink or grow whenever it was necessary. My sister was usually a princess and our friend was always the hero. Our adventures would begin with us jumping off the swing. It was as if we were flying into an imaginary world or jumping into our character. We would use sticks for swords, or a wand in my case, and we would fight off imaginary villains. Whenever someone would fall in battle I would rush to their aid and heal them with my wand. I guess I’ve always had a desire to help people.

Like all good stories, we would always win. Even though the odds were entirely not in our favor as it was usually three against hundreds. But we were young; when you’re a child with an active imagination anything is possible.

We would spend hours out there, going on new adventures and coming up with new villains to fight. Day after day after day, we would never get tired of it. But, like all things, this chapter of my story came to an end. But I am still very much that same little girl. Just a little older, hopefully wiser, and unfortunately fighting some real battles now, not just imaginary pirates with stick swords. Life was so simple back then…

Check back tomorrow for the next Character in my Story!