Welcome back to another installment of SGS! Heather’s prompts this week focused on royals and some trappings of royalty. Confession, I did have to bend the rules for some of the questions. Links of note will be listed under Further Reading.
Who is your favourite female royal character?
Anne of Cleves as interpreted in Six! While she was a real person (and a total badass), the musical features a retelling of her story framed within a girl band competition. All the wives of Henry VIII were brilliantly thought out and cast, and she stuck out the most to me. I can’t recommend the soundtrack enough!
Who is your favourite male royal character?
Balin. I remember he was only a passing reference in The Lord of the Rings, but I loved Ken Stott’s performance in The Hobbit. He was robbed of the proper title of king by a technicality. I had to crack a book open to confirm this: the colony he established in Khazad-dûm was too small to be a kingdom, thus he was only a lord. Balin will always be a king to me, as he was the most reasonable and kindest of Thorin’s company. I hold those leadership qualities in high regard.
Bonus fact, Khazad-dûm translates to “dwarf-mansion.”
Who is your favourite royal couple?
Hiccup and Astrid. The development of their relationship was refreshingly natural. It wasn’t an arranged marriage, there weren’t any creepy power dynamics, and they treated each other like equals. In short, goals.
What is your favourite storyline involving a royal character?
I guess she’s technically not a royal, but since her name has “Princess” in it I’m running with it. My heart was so happy with the Princess Carolyn and Judah arc resolution in BoJack Horseman. While I agreed with her decision to let him go as her assistant for overstepping his bounds, I was still sad because I liked him, and I liked their dynamic. I was thrilled to see he came back after both had independently matured through serious life changes.
In line with the last question, I appreciate how their relationship evolved organically over time. It felt like a true to life relationship; it wasn’t flashy or grand, just two adults balancing work and family life together. I wish their story had more screen time, but I understand with the show’s cancellation the writers had to abbreviate the timeline.
If you could live in any fictional royal residence, which one would it be?
Cat Kingdom from The Cat Returns, no questions asked.
“Hmm…who knows? Maybe I’d fit in better with a bunch of cats.
-Haru
You get to lie around all day, don’t you? Eat all the food you want, take naps in the sun, forget about all your problems.”
The main character of the last fandom you experienced just became King/Queen of their universe; how do they react?
I am finally catching up on the second season of Hi Score Girl. To me the obvious royal coupling would be Akira Ono and Haruo Yaguchi.
I see Haruo going off the rails a little with power. He wouldn’t go on a serf murdering spree, but he’d churn out ridiculous edicts left, right, and center. Akira would be the strong, even-keeled half to rein him in. Plus, she would have a vanguard of Zangief/Haggar units which would be amazing (low-key love that she appreciates tank characters).
Further Reading
“What You Need to Know About the Real Queens of the Six Musical“
I’m pretty sure I’ve bent the rules already myself so don’t worry! It all falls under interpretation and that is the beautiful run of prompts like this 🙂 Like having someone answer with a musical, for instance, which I certainly hadn’t considered! Thank you for introducing me to a bunch of new characters and universes with your answers this week <3