Beauty and the Bad-Boy

Belle made her way across the dark campus, fighting against the wind and rain. She could see the building ahead of her, only a few feet more. With the final steps she reached into her bag, rummaging around for her keys to the front door. Standing at the entrance, seconds turned to minutes as she realised she had forgotten them, along with her phone. She glanced up at the windows, finding each to be dark and empty. Great, she thought. No one's in and there's a storm coming.
The rain continued to fall in zigzags and Belle continued to panic. Then through the darkness she spotted a boy walking to the neighbouring halls. From afar he looked like someone she knew, but as she got closer she realised she didn't. Yet, she did recognise him. She'd heard stories about him. Friends had portrayed him as a dark character, a notorious bad-boy rumoured to have beaten up a female teacher and two students the previous year to the point of sending one into a coma. Mere footsteps away from the boy, Belle began to consider that perhaps this was a bad idea, that maybe she was safer standing in the rain.
"Are you okay?" he asked, staring at her. Dressed in black, he almost dissolved into the shadows.
"I'm locked out of my halls," replied Belle. Her eyes drifted to a scar on the side of his face, which made her all the more wary of him. "But my friends should be here in a while."
"I can call someone to help if you like? My mate's the Senior Student. You can come wait in my kitchen. I'm Adam by the way."
"Umm, okay. Thanks. I'm Belle." Taken aback by his willingness to help, Belle remained suspicious as she followed Adam. Despite his friendliness she couldn't help but feel intimidated by him. What if the rumours were true? He did look a bit shifty. And she didn't know anyone else in his building.
After climbing the stairs to Adam's corridor, Belle was surprised to find it deserted, disturbingly silent.
"Seems really quiet," she said timidly.
"Everyone's gone home for the weekend."
As he spoke the lights flickered to darkness, casting eerie silhouettes on every wall. When they had reached the kitchen Adam made his way towards a phone on the far wall.
"No tone. The storm must have taken all the electricity out."
"Don't you have a mobile?"
"No credit."
Belle grew more uneasy with each passing second, but there was nothing she could do. She took a seat at the kitchen table, glancing momentarily at Adam. As her eyes rested on him, she realised he was staring back at her, his expression serious, almost angry. She smiled awkwardly, shifting her gaze to the floor.
"You alright? You seem a bit nervous." Adam took a seat opposite Belle, his eyes still fixed on her. "Well, I guess you've heard the rumours."
A slight shift in her seat and she gave herself away.
"It's just gossip. I didn't put anyone in hospital." He suddenly looked hurt, judged. "It's all just a bunch of lies by a girl I used to go out with. People believe them 'cause I look the part, you know, a bit rough aroung the edges, and like to keep to myself. But anyone would think I was some kind of animal."
"So you didn't beat anyone up?" asked Belle, a tremor in her voice.
"Only the guy she cheated on me with. But he walked away from it. No doctors needed."
"Oh god, I can't believe some people can stoop so low. I mean her, spreading rumours. Not you beating the guy up. That, I'm sure, was deserved."
"Hey, it's just words. I'm alright. The people who believe them are the ones you should feel sorry for."
Adam and Belle talked far into the evening, their conversation ranging from how Adam got his scar to Belle's love of literature. Minutes turned to hours, and they almost didn't notice when the lights came back on.
"So this was kind of fun. In a strange way," said Adam after calling the Senior Student.
"Yeah. Hey, we should be blackout buddies," giggled Belle. "Next time there's a power cut I'll come see you."
"Sounds good, but can I see you before that? Say like tomorrow?"
It caught Belle off guard but she agreed, and after numbers had been swapped and smiles had been exchanged, she left the building, happy in the knowledge that she had a date.

Trip to Neverland

It began like any typical day for a student. The house creaked with the snores of four friends as Peter, Wendy, John and Michael dreamed the day away. They lived for the night, and the one they had planned required as much rest as possible.
Early evening, as they wiped the sleep from their eyes, they cracked open the cheap vodka and red bull, growing tipsy as it flooded their blood streams. After each had drank their last drop, the four friends made their way into town.
At their favourite nightclub, Peter got the first round. Drinks in hand, he pushed through the swarming crowd towards his housemates. Swaying to the pounding music and blinking through the flicker of neon lights, he quickly checked his pocket to make sure the packet of pills he'd just acquired hadn't fallen out.
"Alright, guys," he shouted over the music as he passed his friends the drinks. "Vodka lemonade for you, and two ciders. And guess what? I got it. Get ready for a good night."
"Oh, hell yes!" exclaimed John.
"Who'd you get it from this time?" asked Wendy as Peter slipped a pill into her hand.
"This guy they call Hook."
"Why do they call him that?" asked Michael.
"'Cause he gets you hooked on this stuff!"
"Same stuff we had last time?"
"No, John mate. It's better. It's new. They call it Fairy Dust."
"Well then, take me to the fairies!" John swallowed his tablet, and the others mimicked.

In the early hours of the morning, after three clubs and more pills than they could count, the four students made their way across the bridge that would lead them home.
"Hey, what you doing? We're supposed to be coming down now." Wendy tugged at Peter as he swallowed another pill.
"I'm just getting started."
"Peter, she's right," cut in Michael. "I admit, it is good stuff, and we had a great night. But, come on man. Let's get home in one piece."
"I'm bloody invincible though." Peter climbed onto the bridge railing. "And you know what? I can fly too."
"For god's sake, get down." Wendy grabbed his arm, but he shoved her away.
"You can fly too, Wendy! Come on, we'll do it together. Just think of something good."
"Are you crazy?" shouted John. "Get down."
"Look down there." Peter pointed to the water under the bridge. "Those pirates. They want a piece of me."
"You're bloody high as a kite."
"I will be. You watch. On the count of three I'll show you I can fly. Ready? One, two-".
At three, Peter became the boy who never grew up.

Wishful Thinking: Stars, Lamps and Fairy Godmothers

In my opinion, the true essence of a fairytale, and the thing that distinguishes it from an ordinary story, is the element of unreality. In other words, the possibility of the extraordinary. This is why magic, true love and adventure is so captivating. They're things we rarely get in the real world. And a major theme that runs throughout many of these childhood tales is wishing. In the fairytale world, wishes can come true via shooting stars, age-old genies and fairy godmothers. Ask and you recieve. But in our world, it's not so easy, and the things we want don't just appear at our feet in a cloud of smoke. Most of the time we have to work hard for the things we desire.
The belief that if you wish on a shooting star it will come true is an old superstition that has been around a long time. I figured that it might originate from a fairytale, but I could be wrong. Yet, there are instances of wishing on stars in the world of fantasy, and one story that comes to mind is 'Pinocchio'. Although not in the original version, Disney's addition of Gepetto's wish on a star for his puppet to become a real boy makes it a little more magical. You're probably all familiar with the rhyme that goes with it, 'Star Light, Star Bright, first star I see tonight' etc. Turns out this rhyme dates back to nineteenth century America. So the idea of wishing on stars has been around for quite a while.
Although the Blue Fairy brings Pinocchio to life, she tells him that his becoming a real boy must be earned. Just like in our world, this shows the things Pinocchio wants rely on his own actions to manifest into reality.
'Aladdin' is probably the best known fairytale associated with wishing. The genie is famed for his place in folklore as the ultimate wish-granter. But this story conveys the moral that with a little self-belief we can achieve our dreams and desires ourselves. The reason Aladdin wishes to become a prince is because he believes Jasmine wouldn't look twice at him if she knew he was poor. But in the Disney movie we can see a spark between the two when they first meet in the market, no genie present. Aladdin doesn't need magic to attract the princess. We'd all like a genie who can give us whatever we wish for in the blink of an eye, but if we were handed everything for free we'd never develop the talents and personality that come from the lows as well as the highs in life.
Finally, 'Cinderella', with its Fairy Godmother, is a well-known story of wishes coming true. When Cinderella's attempts to attend the Ball are thwarted, help comes in the form of the magical godmother she never knew she had. Perhaps the message we can derive from this is that the people in our lives, our friends and family, can be turned to during the times we lose sight of our goals. Sometimes life seems harsh, and we might be told by others to stop dreaming and get back to reality. But everyone is working towards something, and we all have wishes. Maybe, if we're not afraid to accept help when its offered, we'll move a little closer to our dream. If Cinderella hadn't had faith in her godmother's ability to get her to the Ball she wouldn't have had her happy ending. Even though she had been treated badly by her step-mother and step-sisters, she still hadn't lost trust in the kindness of people. And this, I feel, has an impact on our abilities to grant ourselves our own wishes; faith in others and in ourselves.
There are a lot of cliches associated with wishing, one being 'be careful what you wish for'. But this seems to take the magic out of it. Wishing is a sign of hope, in my opinion, an indication that one has faith in the possibility of extraordinary things happening. However, simply sitting back and hoping fate will work its magic is not likely to do much good. Wishful thinking paired with effort - that's more promising. In a world where magic is shoved into a corner, and wishing on stars is considered naive and childish, that perfect partner and big promotion will most likely require us to make the first move, and fate the second. But I may be entirely wrong, and those lucky people who swear they've found their soul mates, as well as the ones who've won millions on the lottery, might beg to differ.

A Christmas Carol: A Dickensian fairytale

It seems that in the blink of an eye the year has sped past and finally Christmas is here, along with the year's end. During these last few weeks of the year magic can happen. For many of us Christmas can be uplifting, bringing us optimism and confidence, a feeling of 'what the hell, I'll give it a go'. It's our last chance to make 2009 the best it could have been, one final opportunity to do the things we might regret if we don't; we know that January will bring back all the hesitations and 'what ifs' we had before. Then it begins all over again, another year, and December seems a lifetime away once more.
At the turn of one year to the next we're often compelled to re-think our lives, contemplate what we achieved during the past 365 days, what we could have done better, what we lost sight of. At this time of year the past comes back to haunt us, and the future looms in front of us, sometimes mockingly. Yet, with all the parties and celebrations that come with this festive season, a lot of us try to live in the present, leaving the past and present exactly where they belong. These conflicts between what lies behind us, before us, and what we're experiencing right now are explored in the classic Charles Dickens novel 'A Christmas Carol'. The moral most people draw from it is that we should be considerate of others, predominantly those less fortunate, and always keep in mind that money can't buy happiness. However, even though Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future in order to learn these lessons, these otherworldly characters can teach us something else; the importance of learning from the past, living in the present, and not worrying too much about the future. And I think that at this time of year it is all the more necessary to keep this in mind. But one without the other can have bad consequences.If you dwell in the past, going over all the mistakes you made and picturing the things you would change if given the chance, you will probably end up neglecting the present. Then that will become another regret. Yet, if you live too much in the present, party hard and give absolutely no consideration to the future, you might end up kicking yourself for lack of foresight when you get there. So when it comes to the past, present and future, balance is needed, and this is what we can gain from 'A Christmas Carol'. Scrooge is forced by the ghosts to think about his past, present and future, all in the same night...and on the other side of dawn he's a changed man. Perhaps the message of this is that an evaluation of our history can sway our future, and a look at our present can make us feel better about the past being where it is. Scrooge is shown both happy and unhappy memories from his past, including the moment he became more concerned with money than loved ones, leaving his fiance to concentrate on business. Therefore, looking back opens his eyes to his present, highlighting how different he is to the man he once was, happy and in love. We've all done things in the past we regret, some we wish we could change, but all things that have brought us to the point we are in our lives right now. And where we are now, the choices we make in the present, they influence our future, determining where we'll end up and who with. It's a never-ending wheel; past, present, future, and as present becomes past future becomes present. I'm one who's guilty of giving too much thought to the past and future, and too little to the present. Then frustration kicks in as what is becomes what was and I begin to wish I'd given more thought to my present when it was just that. The present is where we have the most freedom. The Ghost of Christmas Present in 'A Christmas Carol' is portrayed as a jolly giant, the friendliest of the three spirits. I think his pleasant demeanor shows just how flexible and yielding our present is. It may not seem like it, but it's the one tense we have most control over, and the one that has power over the other two. If we're in a good place in the here and now, we'll move away from the past, taking the good memories with us, discarding the bad ones; and we'll feel ready to experience the future, confident in our ability to shape it to what we want for ourselves. With New Year's approaching it's easy to get caught up in the past and think ahead to the future. Even I'm doing it, right now, by writing about the New Year, which is 2 weeks away! It's so easy to fall into the trap. But we do live in a world where the future is always being thought about, always being worried about. From concerns about global warming to essay deadlines, our minds are always on overload with what's around the corner. And sometimes the future ends up dictating to us, manipulating our decisions, controlling our present. We get scared that we aren't ready, that we won't know what to do when the future turns into our present. But Dickens' representation of the Ghost of Christmas Future as a grim-reaper figure with an ominous message for Scrooge shows that, in some cases, trying to look ahead can be detrimental. If we really knew what was coming our lives would lose all the mystery that life offers. If you knew where you would end up working, who you would wind up dating, and how long you would live, you'd probably get bored very quickly, and quite possibly scared. The future is more fun when it's a surprise. The areas of love and career especially are something we can anticipate, a reward to be worked towards. Well, hopefully at least. Hope is all we can have, the belief that the future will hold something good for us. Scrooge is shown his future death, which, sadly, is something to be found in all of our futures. But, as can be drawn from Scrooge's reaction, nobody really wants to know when something like that will happen. If we give too much thought to the future, to when something is going to happen, for example, a positive thing such as finding love, by the time we find it we will have become so obsessed with it that the real thing will be ruined by our anticipations. I think the fact that Dickens' Ghost of Christmas Future is completely concealed by a black cloak conveys the idea of the future as unseen, undetermined, and unwritten. If our present is a pen, it writes our futures and crosses out our past. We, our present selves, shape the life our future selves will live. If we take each moment as it comes and don't dwell on past mistakes or future choices, we have the license to make the future what we want it to be. But a little thought here and there of past and future won't hurt. When Scrooge is faced with the image of his future grave he says 'I will live in the Past, the Present and the Future' and I think this balance is something we should all strive towards as we move into 2010. So while you're celebrating with friends and family, unwrapping a different kind of present, and counting down to midnight on New Year's Eve, try to keep in mind that 2009, though it may have had many good memories, is now the past. Regrets are not worth dwelling on. And 2010 is the future, nothing to worry about at the moment, because que sera sera and all that jazz. Live in the moment, the in-between, the present. And have fun embracing the unknown. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year people! See you on the other side :)

Beauty and the Beast: A story of Love above Looks and Lifestyles

So many fairytales are about love; Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Aladdin, Thumbelina, Rapunzel...then there's Beauty and the Beast. I think in a way I prefer it to the others. Perhaps it's the one that stands above all the rest as a fairytale of our time, one we can really live by. No Prince Charming, simply 'what you see is what you get'. And a story of love based on something that's more than skin-deep. Belle is a different type of girl to the distressed damsels we see in the likes of 'Snow White' and 'Sleeping Beauty'. She's portrayed as intellectual, curious, caring and patient, which is refreshing in the face of other fairytales about love. She and the Beast, although he at first comes across as mean and dangerous, develop a bond that the other love stories lack. It's not 'love at first sight' and getting married as soon as they meet; it's more special, and it's more realistic. What's more, the Beast, as you would guess by his name, isn't handsome or charming, at least not until the end. At the end, after Belle and the Beast have professed their love for each other, it's revealed that the Beast is actually a handsome prince who was under a spell. But the concept of looks being unimportant is still there, as we're told the spell would only break when he found someone who could learn to love a beast. And, in real life, if you meet someone who stimulates your mind, makes you laugh, gives you butterflies, then who cares if they're not the best looking person in the room? I think that's what we can draw from this fairytale. Or we could think of it a different way. It could be seen as another boy-meets girl scenario with 'Beauty' and 'Beast', opposites of each other, being synonyms for two people who are from completely different worlds; poor Jack and rich Rose from 'Titanic', Pocahontas and John Smith, Noah and Allie in 'The Notebook'...'Beauty and the Beast' could be another story of opposites attract. The Beast is the rough-and-ready guy, Belle is the studious library-type girl; but true love knows no boundaries. And sometimes in the real world of dating we are attracted to someone who's completely different to us. It's usually what happens to me. So 'Beauty and the Beast' could be viewed as more of a modern-day fairytale if we look at it metaphorically. The transformation of the Beast into a prince at the end after Belle tells him she loves him could be likened to a bad boy becoming a good guy when he meets the right girl, which I think is possible. Or another way it could be viewed is as a mirroring of how people's behaviour changes when they're in love. Often we start to see someone differently when we fall for them. At first meeting we might think they're fairly average-looking, but as we develop the feelings their personality, their sense of humour, give us, we begin to see them as more attractive people on the outside. Perhaps we can divulge this message from the ending of 'Beauty and the Beast', as it's only after Belle has fallen for him that the Beast transforms into a handsome prince before her eyes - maybe it's symbolic. This fairytale is multi-faceted in the ways we can relate it to real life.
The other way we can look at this fairytale, the one related to looks, can also fit in with our modern standards. The world does suffer vanity at times, especially with the media being the way it is. We're constantly told how we should look, what's attractive to the other gender. 'Beauty and the Beast' deals with this issue. We learn that the Beast was turned into such because he bahaved superficially, casting away an old beggar who is actually a fairy in disguise. And Gaston announces that Belle is the best girl for him because she is the most beautiful in the village. The issues of looks and vanity are explored throughout this story. Even Belle, on first meeting the Beast, cringes at his appearance.
I've heard or read, one or the other, that we often go for partners that look similar to us, someone who will match us. If this is true, it's probably inbuilt in our subconscious, something to do with finding someone with good genes for when we have children; so outdated and prehistoric. I don't think it's so relevent now. If we are lucky enough to find someone who puts a smile on our face, brings laughter to our lives, we're not going to worry too much about what colour hair and eyes they have, not going to give too much consideration to the fact they're not conventionally good-looking. I admit, there needs to be a physical attraction, a spark that ignites deep down inside you whenever you lay your eyes on that special someone. But a lot of the time our emotions will rise above our reason...we'll realise it doesn't matter if the rest of the world thinks we look incongruous, out of place, next to the person we care about. Beauty and Beast are the most unlikely couple, complete opposites in every possible way. She's pretty, polite and happy-go-lucky...he's not handsome, lacks manners, is bad-tempered. But theirs is one of those great love stories, the type you can actually see happening to you, because it's not about being perfect, about this myth we've all heard about - falling-in-love-at-first-sight. It's real love, real life. And I would hope I could be as open-minded as Belle when it comes to dating. In a world where looks are judged so much, this fairytale shows us that love hits deeper. It has nothing to do with appearance. And, besides this, 'Beauty and the Beast' illustrates how two people with completely different lifestyles can fall for each other; the skater boy and the ballerina, the 'uptown girl' and the 'downtown man'. After all, don't they say variety is the spice of life?! But I suppose at our age, when some of us are not ready for an epic love story, it's okay to be a little superficial. At least for now. Later in life our looks will fade and lifestyles will change. But do you want to know the great thing about this fairytale? 'Beauty and the Beast', our real-life love story, is a 'tale as old as time'. And so is love.

Genies, wolves and noses that grow: A recipe for deception

Deception is a major theme in fairytales. It's a major theme in life. We come across lies every day, white ones that we dish out, or are offered up by others, to save hurt feelings. But then there are the big ones that lead us into a danger zone. And in life there are some people who will try to delude us with disguises, hiding who they really are. It's also in the media, politics, religion...sorry to be morbid but deception is everwhere. And it features in the likes of 'Little Red Riding Hood', 'Aladdin' and 'The Adventures of Pinocchio'. Although each of these have happy endings, the downfall of the protagonists in the first place is partly due to their deceiving others or being deceived themselves. Lies, disguises and misleadings can be found in these famous stories, and they can teach us a few things about our own lives.
'Little Red Riding Hood' is one of the most famous fairytales featuring deception. The most obvious moral that jumps out from it, if a little patronizing, is to beware of strangers that are seemingly nice to you.
In the Grimm Brothers' version Red Riding Hood is portrayed as a naive young girl who meets a wolf on her way to her grandmother's cottage and makes the mistake of telling him where she lives. He rushes to the cottage, pretending to be Red Riding Hood. Grandmother gets eaten, then Little Red comes along and the wolf pretends to be the grandmother. Even after seeing 'what big eyes' and 'what a big mouth' the wolf has, she still doesn't catch on to the fact that it isn't her grandmother. Then it's too late and she get's herself eaten up. I think this does have relevance in our world. Any time we do trust someone we are putting ourselves in a position with the possibility of getting hurt. And often the people we need to be careful of don't look dangerous. They first appear kind and safe. It's true in all walks of life; friends who turn out to be using you, the boyfriend/girlfriend who disguises their real intentions until you've let them get too close, people who promise one thing only to do the complete opposite. We've all experienced it. Maybe we've done it ourselves. I know it's a cliche but if your best friend asks you whether a dress looks good on her, and you think it's awful, you're probably going to lie. And if someone you're not really interested in asks you out, you may feel the need to protect their feelings by saying something other than 'I just don't fancy you'.
But deception can become dangerous ground, a minefield where your next movement may end explosively. The wolf's fate in 'Little Red Riding Hood' proves this. If he hadn't deceived the grandmother to get into her house, or deceived Red Riding Hood to make her his meal, he would not have ended up getting his stomach cut open and being hung up as a trophy on the huntsman's wall. Yet some might see Little Red as the one to blame. Surely you could tell a big bad wolf from your sweet old grandmother! In reality it's not that obvious. Smiles and kind words conceal the dangerous plans some people hold for us. The girl you thought was your best friend may have ended up spreading cruel rumours behind your back; the guy you thought was so sweet and different to all the others may turn out to be a bad boy who breaks your heart. Disguises are all around us. Perhaps the world is a stage and we're all just actors. Maybe, like the wolf, we are all simply playing a part to get to where we want to be. But what happens when the curtain goes down at the end? Will we know who we actually are, who those around us are, behind the costumes, behind the masks? I think, though, most of us do show the world the real us. We might pretend to be someone else at times, maybe when we first meet someone new we'll convince them we like the same things they do so we have something in common. But eventually the truth comes out. Aladdin learned this lesson. Both the original Middle-Eastern fairytale and the well-known Disney version feature a young man suffering poverty who finds a magical lamp in a cave with a genie in it. But, because the Disney version has a much more likeable Aladdin in it, I'm going to stick to this one. In the film he wishes Genie to make him a Prince, complete with all the riches that come with it. Disguise; deception in its rawest state. Even Abu, his pet monkey, is turned into an elephant; yet another disguise. So it's a big part of the movie, the idea of changing yourself to gain something. Although I do love this story, and it's actually one of my favourite Disney films, Aladdin is like one of those guys I mentioned earlier, exploiting a girl with a false pretence. But we can sympathise with him. He only does it because he sees his true self as unworthy of the princess. Some of us are likely to know how that feels, in one way or another.
In the end of the film Aladdin's true roots are revealed to Jasmine, and for a while chaos ensues. But things don't completely fall apart as they might in real life. He still gets the girl and ends up living the lifestyle of a prince anyway. So perhaps there is no moral associated with the dangers of deception to be gained from this tale, except that the truth will out. It often does; if you tell one lie, you have to tell another, and so on until you end up catching yourself out. Half-way through the film Aladdin himself accidently reveals that he is in fact the same boy Jasmine met in the market earlier on, and this shows how lies and disguises can end up getting you into trouble.
However, anyone who has seen the film 'The Invention of Lying' starring Ricky Gervaise would have realised that a world without lying would be incredibly depressing. Brutal honesty is not something we all want to hear. And perhaps sometimes the only way to get to your dream job is to tell a few fibs on your application, and the only way to get close to the guy you really like is to pretend you absolutely love his favourite band. And sometimes it works. Sometimes it leads to a mini happily-ever-after. But not always. Pinocchio comes to mind whenever we think of lying. He is the wooden puppet who wanted to be a real boy, but every time he lied his nose grew. 'The Adventures of Pinocchio' was written by Carlo Collodi, and this original is fairly different to the Disney classic. In the story, a lot of bad things happen to Pinocchio, most of which are fairly violent; he get's his feet burnt off, he's hanged, ends up in prison, changes into a donkey, suffers an attempted drowning, and is swallowed by a shark in contrast to Disney's whale. So, poor Pinocchio! However, this version does not feature the conscience-like character Jiminy Cricket. The addition of him to the Disney version makes it all the more effective as a template for our own lives. Often our conscience will let us know if we're doing something wrong, and the fact that he accompanies Disney's Pinocchio on his adventure shows that we can't escape our own awareness of wrong and right, no matter where we go. I think the concept of Pinocchio's nose growing when he lies, a nose being something that is completely visible to everyone, relates to the fact that lying becomes transparent and you can easily be caught out. Unless you're an award-winning actor, pretending to be someone different or lying to the people closest to you will show. Nobody can act a part forever. And disguises and deception, if used with bad intention, will probably be unveiled due to our own mistakes, our own subconcious guilt.
Well, in the end Pinocchio changes his ways, and is rewarded by the Blue Fairy who turns him into a real boy. So, in the end, the moment he stopped lying was the moment he got what he desired. Patience and self-acceptance are perhaps the virtue we need in these situations. If someone makes you feel the need to put on a different personality, pretend you have different hobbies, then are they really worth your time? Why not wait for someone better to come along who will actually like the real you, no deceptions necessary? Because, in the end, the people we think appear to be perfect, flawless, the ones we're trying to be like, are probably disguised themselves. They hide behind the popular kids, their parents' money, a mask of make-up, trying to live up to who THEY wish THEY were; someone who has a right to feel good about themselves; someone like you.

Prince Charming and his Damsels in Distress

Let's talk about Prince Charming. He's that man all of us heard about as a child, the one who seemed to be sweeping every princess in every fairytale off her feet. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White - they are all rescued by their Prince Charming. I think that, because of these stories, a lot of us girls grew up thinking that there existed a perfect man out there, somebody who would find us, rescue us, and fall desperately in love with us. But, thinking about this, it makes me feel slightly sorry for the guys out there! Because of this Prince we heard about in our childhood, many of the men we meet in our lives may not live up to our high expectations. We might complain that he's not romantic, or he's not witty enough, or he lacks those good looks and charm we crave. The fairytales set the bar pretty high. But, I guess in time the expectation that Prince Charming is going to come along fades. We start to realise that no such person exists outside of fiction. But perhaps, in a sense, the concept is real. Maybe not universally, but subjectively. When you fall in love, that guy is probably, in your eyes, your knight in shining armour, your prince. He may not be fighting dragons and witches, or searching entire kingdoms to find you and return your shoe to you, but in his own way he probably shows you how much he cares. I think it must be kind of programmed in a guy to look after his girl. And perhaps, in a way, they themselves have adopted a 'Prince Charming' persona when it comes to relationships. I don't know, but I think that if some girls have clung to the idea of a Prince coming to rescue them, it's quite possible that this element is dormant somewhere in the male subconscious too.
But, there is something a little annoying about these fairytales, especially for the modern woman. Each Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Cinderella need a man to rescue them. Don't get me wrong, I'm no feminist. But there is something very unsatisfactory about a girl waiting to be kissed so she can wake up from a hundred years of sleep. And who would be ditzy enough to lose a shoe on a night out?! Or eat an apple forced upon her by a suspicious-looking stranger? But I guess they are just stories after all. Yet, these three in particular are probably the most famous of all the fairytales you've heard. And they each have basically the same story structure - girl is mistreated by someone, girl meets prince, girl is tricked, prince rescues girl, then it's 'happily ever after' - I guess that's the formula for a classic love story. But what happens after the Prince and his bride-to-be ride off into the sunset? They've basically just met, fallen for each other based purely on looks, and said about two words to one another. So, is their story-book ending of getting married the equivalent to our real-life version - a first date?! And we all know those don't always have a fairytale ending.
I suppose the people who wrote these stories were simply very big on romance. It's interesting to note, though, that the most well-known versions of 'Cinderella', 'Snow White' and 'Sleeping Beauty', the triad of fairytales that offer its readers a representation of the perfect man, were written by the Grimm brothers. As men, they must have known that they were exaggerating when they sent Prince Charming to bring the princesses their happily ever afters. Then again, the portrayal of the women in these stories are fairly obscured as well. Even though they were written hundreds of years ago, when women had less independence, I'm sure that the image of helpless girls waiting to be rescued must have frustrated women just a little back then. Yet, despite all these weaknesses, it is difficult to just cast these fairytales aside. They give us a sense of hope that, just maybe, it is possible that somebody can come into our life and change it completely, that we can fall for someone at first meeting, and that somebody would fight for us if we were in danger. Prince Charming may be a fictional character, and a fairly unconvincing one at that, but he has had a major impact on the dating world of today and how we go about searching for the perfect partner. Some men try to impress girls by putting on a macho facade, while girls may try to act demure, waiting to be approached by the guys they secretly like. And we all have, if only subconsciously, lists of the perfect attributes we want in the opposite sex. Yet, I guess, when it comes to real love, these lists get tossed aside. So perhaps we should get rid of Prince Charming and the knights in shining armour of the fairytale world and trade them in for the real thing, the real guys.