Beautiful People | Masara 3

*happy sigh* Oh summer, how you've flown by. This summer I've been participating in a blog link up called Beautiful People. It's hosted by the world dominating Notebook Sisters. (They really do promise world domination so you might want to check them out cause lets be honest here, we all secretly want to take over at least a part of the world ;) )

If you haven't heard of Beautiful People, you can check out what this fun is all about here.

This month I'll be using Masara for one last time. Masara is from my WIP science fiction novel, Crec. I've gotten to know her so much better through this link up and I've only done two other posts with her! If you're considering doing this thing, I highly recommend it. 

And now, onwards to the questions!

1) What does your character regret the most in their life?

Masara regrets agreeing to go with her friends to Brooks Tower when she was twelve. It's kind of a minor spoiler but what happened there sparked a new wave of cautiousness in her. She constantly wonders is she'd be a lot braver now both physically and emotionally had she refused to go.

2) What is your character's happiest memory? Most sorrowful memory?

When Masara was seven, she, her older brother Trey who was fourteen at the time, and her dad hiked up the mountains near their hometown. They had a picnic in a field at the top overlooking the valleys and played games until the sun went down. On the hike home, a tired Masara was given a piggyback ride on the way down by her dad. Since she hardly ever sees her dad now because of his job, it's one of her fondest memories.

As far as most sorrowful memory goes, that would probably have to be what happened at Brooks Tower.

3) What majorly gets on your character's nerves?
Masara really hates it when people don't take action. Whether it's for something smaller like a school project of something bigger like spying on some baddies, she's one of few words and much action. Talking about plans mean nothing to her if they're never followed through.

A picture I found of a girl that looks a bit
like Masara.

When all people do is talk and talk and try to revamp plans until they're 'perfect', she really wants to smack them upside the head and get moving.

4) Do they act differently when they're around people as opposed to being along? If so, how?
I guess in a way she does. When she's around other people she likes to try to prove herself to both them and herself. People are her motivation to push herself a little further. When she's by herself, she tends to give in a bit to her fears.

5) What are their beliefs and superstitions? (Ex. their religion or lack of one, conspiracy theories, throwing salt, fear of black cats.)

Masara really doesn't have many beliefes or superstitions. She bases a lot of things—and by that I mean almost everything—on facts and logic. Since conspiracies are all theories, she doesn't waste her time with them.

6) What are their catchphrases, or things they say frequently?

"Alright, let's go."

"Just forget about it."

She uses the word, "Fantastic," quite often.

She also asks, "What do you mean?" more than she should XD She's a very questioning person.

7) Would they be more prone to facing fears or running from them?

She'd really like to run from her fears and her instincts tell her to but her friends and older brother subconsciously motivate her to face them. Their own fearlessness is something Masara really admires and she strives to be like them. She's sees them as strong people and wants to be able to call herself strong too. 

8) Do they have a good self image?
I wouldn't say she does. In the case of her own appearance, sure. But when it comes to other things, not so much. Like I mentioned above, she looks at other people's strength and longs to be like them. She's pretty hard on herself and doesn't think she'll measure up to the standards she's set for herself. 

9) Do they turn to people when they're upset, or do they isolate themselves? She isolates herself. Masara's doesn't like to bother other people with her problems and prefers to move on when it comes to emotional and personal problems. She won't dwell on anything long enough to feel the need to vent. 
"Just forget about it," is something she'll tell herself as well as other people in a variety of circumstances.
Look how nicely those two questions tied in!

10) If they were standing next to you would it make you laugh or cry?
I would laugh ^ ^ I'm imagining her just popping up beside me and looking super bewildered. Her expression would make me laugh! And then she would blush and wonder what she did...

So that's this month's Beautiful People. I hope you enjoyed reading it and that you got to know Masara a little better over the last few months. I know I have! Thanks for reading and be sure to check back next month for the next Beautiful People featuring a new character :) 

Also, stayed tuned for a super neat research/interview project I'm working on right now. I'm really excited about it and can't wait to share it :D

Liebster Award 2014

Not even a year into blogging and I've been nominated for a Liebster Award! Say what?! I guess this is what happens when you have blogger friends XD A huge thanks to Victoria Grace Howell @Stori Tori's Blog for the nomination. Be sure to check out her blog cause it's awesome :) 

11 Things About Me

1) I'm an avid long-boarder. In the summer and fall months I like to take my board to the trails and head to one of my favourite spots to recharge. Exercise + Tranquility = a happy Cassia.

2) I take karate classes twice a week. I'm not a black belt yet but there's no way I'm quitting until I get there. And lets be honest, once I get there, I won't want to quite. I'll feel like a ninja! 

3) In tenth grade, I won a film festival for my music video The Moment by 'Goldhouse'. It took me over one hundred gruelling hours of work to get there but the feeling of watching it on the big screen was totally worth it. Film and photography have always been a side hobby of mine. I love capturing life, stories, people and the world through visual mediums.  

4) I'm a certified lifeguard. You'll never have to fear the water again! 

5) I have this strange ability to shake the irises of my eyes (and sometimes they shake on their own when something gets to close to my face) and to wiggle my left ear...only the left one. I've tried to train my right one to do it too but I can't for the life of me! 

6) I've been to Hawaii and learned how to surf while there. Maui is a beautiful place plus it's super fun! PS: Shaved Ice is the most fantastic dessert on the entire planet ^_^ 

Nothing beats the vibration of the wave under your feet

7) I'm an owner of a QWERTY keyboard phone. Remember the commercials? "Slide in, slide out." My parents have been bugging me to get a new one but I'm persistent to hold onto little Jarvis until he dies. Stay strong, Jarvis!

8) My birthday lands on friday the thirteenth every once in awhile. That being said, nothing catastrophic has ever happened. In fact, I think the cake was better that year. 

9) I can officially say that I've dry-land luged down an olympic track. It was spectacularly fast and beyond fun. If anything makes you feel like a kid again, it's steering those things around corners, racing your younger sister to the finish line XD

10) I don't watch TV. Why would I waste my time with that when there's stories to be told, new places to see and adventures to go on!

11) My favourite foods are sushi and anything Thai. When my mom found out about this on our vacation to the Rockies last week, she brought me Thai food and sushi brochures from the front desk at the resort ^_^ 

11 Questions From Victoria (I love these questions!)

1) If you could have one day with any superhero, who would it be?
Spiderman! While I love Iron Man for his sarcasm, I feel like Spiderman would actually talk to me and make an effort to make that day the best day ever—and it totally would be! Gosh...now I want this to happen. Somebody, please contact Spiderman and set this up XD

2) If you could have any object from any book, movie or show what would it be?
Hm...well I already have a mockingjay pin, a coat of midnight would be fantastic but I'd probably have to say a Loric pendant from the I Am Number Four Series which by the way, I'm obsessed with! I know you can buy them but getting it straight from the series would be a dream come true. 

Four's Pendant (look how cool it is!)

3) Why did you start blogging?

I noticed that a lot of teens at Go Teen Writers blogged along with one of my friends (who happens to be the person who nominated me) so I figured I could give it a shot. I wanted to connect with other bloggers and build a platform. I really like it so far! 

4) What genre do write in?

Science-Fiction and Dystopia are the main ones but I'm venturing into action/adventure too. One thing at a time, Cass!

5) Do you have any pets?
I do! I have a little dog named Ciro. He's a bit of a brat but I love him ^_^ 

Ciro's finally found good use for my biology homework: it makes a great bed!

6) Light saber or sonic screwdriver?

Ooo...that's a hard one. A sonic screwdriver can do more things but a light sabre would make me feel so epic using it! I don't think I can make a decision on this one XD

7) What's your favorite Disney movie and why?
I love Brave. 

What? Not Frozen? *crowd gasps* 

No, not Frozen. I love the themes in Brave, and Merida's journey is so captivating. I can totally picture myself as her. And bonus points go to it for the fact that Merida isn't involved in any sort of romance. I just get to sit back and enjoy the story. Oh, and it's not a musical. I'm okay with musicals....until everyone in Walmart is singing Let It Go! 

I've been told I'd like Pocahontas and Mulan for similar reasons but I haven't seen them yet...*hides* I'm sorry! I had a sheltered childhood! No worries though, they're on my very, very long list of things to watch. 

8) What's your favorite kind of music?
I'm a big Indie music listener. Indie Rock and Indie Folk are my favourites. I'm also super drawn to soundtracks. I even listen to an online 'epic soundtrack' radio station.

9) Do you have any other artistic talent besides writing?
Well I'm not sure they're considered talents but I do some photography and I like doing pencil sketches and watercolour paintings when I can. I'm also in choir and make short films. Does that count as artistic?

I'm a pretty artsy person whether I'm good at it to not ;) 

10) What place in your books would you like to travel to?
The Dome by far! How could I pass up an opportunity to visit an underwater dome where everyone has superpowers? I'd probably be that weird person who's obsessed with the dome wall and just stands there looking at it and touching it XD Oo! Do I get a superpower too? 

And maybe I would run into some of my characters!

11) Which character of yours would you go on a date with?

Always the hardest question last...
After long consideration, I think I'd have to say Sorrel from my science fiction novel, Crec. With his teasing, spontaneous and awkward personality, he'd make that date memorable.

Sorrel: You're hotter than an overheated computer. 
Me: *blinks* Uh...right. 
Sorrel: Didn't think that one would work anyways.

Yeah, memorable for sure. My friend and I talked about my characters until I could decide...maybe I took this question a little too seriously XD

And now comes the time where I nominate 9 bloggers:

1) Leah @ Apassionata

2) Heather @ My Writing Desk

3) Bethany @ The Ramblings of a Young Author

4) Emily @ Emily Rachellle Writes

5) Brian @ Shattering the Darkness

6) Gillian @ Of Battles, Dragons, and Swords of Adamant

7) Heather @ Sometimes I'm a Story

8) Lily @ Lily's Notes in the Margin

9) Sarah @ Inklined

Bloggers, your mission if you choose to accept it, is to answer these 11 questions: 

1) What is something that you always carry with you?

2) If you could live in any fictional world, what would it be? 

3) What book has left the biggest impact on your life? 

4) Are you a city or country kid at heart? 

5) Do you collect anything? 

6) If you could pick an element (earth, air, water, fire) to describe you based on your own criteria, which element would you choose?

7) If you had to chose one of your characters to room with, who would you pick?

8) Summer or winter?

9) Which reality TV or game show would be like to be or think you would do well on?

10) What is the most listened to song in your iTunes library? 

11) If you could take the place of any famous book or movie character and live out their story, which character would you chose? 

So there you have it! Be sure to check out the nominees above cause they're pretty cool people and I'm sure their answers will be just as great as they are :) 

Beautiful People | Masara 2

Hey guys! Last month I participated in a blog link-up called Beautiful People hosted by The Notebook Sisters. 
Each month they post new questions and anyone has the chance to answer them. Once they publish the blog post, bloggers link their post to the Beautiful People page and other readers and writers can check it out!
I really enjoyed doing last month's questions for Masara and after talking with a fellow writer, decided to do her again this month and next. 
If you missed last month's post, click here. 

Masara is the protagonist from my work in progress science fiction novel Crec. 

Onwards to the questions! 

1) What’s their favourite food? 
Masara loves mostly any type of fruit. Give her a fresh fruit salad and she's in heaven. Her favourite fruits are mangos and plums.

Bonus question: favourite flavour of chocolate!
Dark chocolate for sure!

2) What do they absolutely hate?
Being alone. Don't get me wrong, Masara's an introvert and spends time by herself quite often to recharge. The type of loneliness she hates is more along the lines of long term absence from the people she loves. To her, it's more like they've disappeared. 

3) What do they enjoy learning about?
Anything involving Crec and the Sentries that guard the portal to Crec. Since both topics are super secretive to the general public, any new information that she can get ahold of will satisfy her curiosity.

4) Who is the most influential person in their life?
Without a doubt, her older brother Trey. The two of them are seven years apart but are closer than ever. Once Trey turned ten, he basically took over the job of raising her. Not only did he quickly become a close friend but he became her mentor. 

A photo I found that reminds me
of a younger Masara

5) What is their childhood fear?
Masara used to be afraid of the dark but grew out of it. She hated being alone in an environment she felt trapped in. To combat this, Trey suggested that she and her friends press their handprints and sign their names to the ceiling of Masara's bedroom above her bed using Lumipaint. Whenever she felt alone and scared, she just had to look up to the handprints and names of her friends.

6) What is something they have secretly dreamed of doing, but thought impossible?
She's always really wanted to take a trip somewhere with just her dad. Going somewhere with him for like a week or so would be a dream come true because she could just spend nonstop time with him. Because of his vacationless job though, she doesn't even both to bring it up. 

7) What is something she is impractically afraid of?
Heights. When she was twelve, she witnessed an accident from high heights and ever since then, she's been afraid of them. 

8) Are they a night owl or a morning person?
A night owl. Sometimes she's forced to wake up early for her volunteer position or her older brother will wake her up but by nature she's a night owl. 

9) Do they say everything that pops into their head, or leave a lot unsaid?

Masara leaves a lot unsaid around most people. The closer she is to a person though, (for example Trey or any of her besties) the more open she'll be with them. However, she certainly doesn't just let her thoughts go straight from her head and out of her mouth even with them.

10) What are their nervous habits?

When Masara is nervous she'll wring her hands together to stop them from quivering or play with the ends of her hair. 

There you have it! If you want to read more posts like this or write your own, click here. 

If you want to check out the Pinterest board from Masara's world, follow this link. 

Thanks for reading and don't forget to comment if you have any questions about Masara or would like to know more about a different character I mentioned :) 

Archetypes: All the World's a Stage Part 3

Read previous entries on archetypes:
Archetypes: A Hero's Journey Part 1
Archetypes: A Hero's Journey Part 2
Archetypes: All the World's a Stage Part 1

Archetypes: All the World's a Stage Part 2

Hey guys! It's been less than a week since I last posted but I wanted to get this post up close after the last one since they're supposed to be one thing always. 
If you missed last week's post there's a link above that will escort you there ;) 
As a reminder, I'm currently covering symbolic setting archetypes which are settings in stories that mean more than what how described. They can prove a point or add some weight behind what the author is trying to say. 
Now, let's move straight into the facts!

FUN FACT: Hundreds of archetypes are in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Go ahead and count them if you don't believe me XD

7) The Maze or Labyrinth

This can represent a puzzling dilemma or a great uncertainty. It's sometimes a symbol for the monster within one's self. 
In the maze or the labyrinth, our hero may ask questions regarding himself or his journey. Perhaps he feels lost or afraid. Not necessarily lost in the maze and afraid he'll never get out (though that may also be the case!) but lost in himself and afraid he'll never reach the goal. 
What better example for this than the Maze Runner? The entire book is centred around escaping this unsolvable maze! I'm posting the trailer for the movie because I'm way to excited for this thing XD 

ex. The Maze Runner by James Dashner, The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

8) The Castle

Oh the castle... I can think of a million–bagillion examples for this one! 

Castles are strong places of safety. They can hold treasure or the princess (Super Mario anyone?). Sometimes castles are bewitched or enchanted. They can represent home or another safe place. 

In The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien, Rivendell (the place in the photo) is most definitely seen as a safe place. Bilbo describes it as "A perfect house, whether you like food or sleep or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all."

It's a safe place, protected by Elven magic, the River Bruinen and Eldron himself. When our heroes arrive in Rivendell, I feel a sense of 'everything will be okay', I feel a bit relaxed. 

When characters leave the castle walls, bad things may happen to them like they do in The Little Mermaid. Castles are shelters.

Disney knows how to use castles well. It's true that a lot of the villains reside in castles but who said that they were safe places for the protagonist alone? Our antagonist needs a security blanket too and maybe it just so happens to be a castle.

ex. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien, The Little Mermaid, Brave 

9) The Tower 

This is the strong place where evil resides or where something is locked away from society and fellowship. How many people thought of Lord of The Rings when they heard 'tower' and 'fellowship'? I know I did! 

The Tower of Cirith Ungol used to be a place that protected the province of Ithilien from the evil of Mordor. However it slowly became a base for Orcs. Bad things happen at this tower and what it became was the complete opposite of fellowship. It was built after The War of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men and then slowly became corrupted. See the link? 

Towers also keep princesses locked up like in Tangled and Shrek. The person that locked them up usually isn't the nicest of people either, supplying the evil in the tower.

ex. Tangled, Shrek, The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers

10) The Winding Staircase

This is symbolic of the long and difficult way into the unknown. 

This archetype will forever remind me of Gattaca. There's this one spiral staircase that shows up every time Vincent and Jerome are in the apartment and my teacher couldn't stop pointing it out when we studied the film in class! It really is a fantastic example though. Jerome physically can't climb stairs and Vincent is taking on a new identity. The photo below is a screenshot of this.

There might be a staircase that leads up to the a tower (*wink, wink, nudge, nudge*). Our hero must climb it but they have no idea what lies ahead of him. Maybe there's a spiral staircase in the hero's home that leads to their thinking spot. The hero may go up their when he doesn't know what to do. And a staircase doesn't just have to lead up, it can lead down too. Maybe it leads to the underworld (*gasp* another archetype!) The possibilities are endless with this one! 

ex.  Gattaca, Cinderella, Enoch's Ghost by Bryan Davis

So that concludes the setting archetypes. After three posts, I've got everything covered XD I hope they've been useful and inspiring to those of you who read them :) If you enjoyed them, be sure to check out the other archetypes posts at the top of this one. 

Are any of these archetypes in your story? I'd love to hear if they are! Let me know in the comments below :) 

Archetypes: All the World's a Stage Part 2

Read previous entries on archetypes:
Archetypes: A Hero's Journey Part 1
Archetypes: A Hero's Journey Part 2
Archetypes: All the World's a Stage Part 1

Between the Beautiful People link up, my neglect of my school work from last semester and my attempt to make summer holidays the best is can be, I let blogging slip through my fingertips. Whoops...*coughs* Now that's it's officially summer, I don't have many excuses though ;) 
Before Beautiful People, I wrote about the situational setting archetypes in stories. This time I'm going to write about symbolic setting archetypes. The difference you ask? While situational settings are more like the premise of stories, symbolic settings are more like elements in the story that show up once or twice. I suppose you could say that the main difference is that symbolic settings don't wrap the story around them as much as they add extra punch to the plot, characters and theme. Since there's a lot of them, I decided that I'd split this post into a two shorter parts rather than making it super long. 

FUN FACT: Joseph Campbell took Carl Jung's ideas of archetypes and used them to write his book, A Hero with a Thousand Faces. This book is what aided George Lucas in creating the Star Wars Saga. 

Bilbo Baggins in
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

1) The Threshold 

This is the metaphorical gateway to a new world. The hero has to go through it in order to start the journey, to change and to grow. It's a pretty broad term but I really do think that all stories have them. The Threshold could be a conversation with a certain person, an irreversible action, a decision that have to make within themselves or it really could be a door. Going trough the threshold won't ever be easy. Our hero will struggle to go through it either internally or externally. 
In The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins signs the contract with the dwarves but not after he really thinks about it. However, in the The Fifth Wave Ben's Threshold is the gruelling military training camp. In both cases, these things set the character on a path to change and grow. If a major character change doesn't come afterwards, it's not a Threshold and without the Threshold there is no story.

2) The Underworld

This is another thing I think all stories have. It shouldn't be taken though as a literal underworld. In archetypes the underworld is the place where our hero will encounter their greatest fear and maybe even death if it's that kind of story. It can be a dragon's den like in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, or a big city like in Mockingjay. Of course, or hero is always confronting their fears and possibly death throughout the entire story but the Underworld will be the place where they almost won't make it out. Don't let the hero fail though! We all want them to beat their fears, that's what we've been routing for since the start. 

Katniss and Gale in the film
adaptation of The Hunger Games

3) The Wilderness 

Rules don't apply here and people and things run wild. A fantastic example of this is the forest outside of District 12 in The Hunger Games. There's no peacekeepers out here to tell Katniss and Gale that they can't hunt. Many times the wilderness is tied to serenity but not always. 
Something I've noticed is that children are often associated with this archetype. Where the Wild Things Are, The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin the music video for Featherstone by The Paper Kites comes to mind. 
ex. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin by Mark Twain, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Epic

4) The River

In archetypes, when our hero comes in contact with river it represent the flow of time. This can be taken in many different ways. Maybe our hero took a trip back in time and ends up near a river, maybe like in the case of the film Chocolat the village is trapped in their traditional ways and our hero often finds herself looking out over the river. In Tom Sawyer, Tom and his friends play by the river, bringing emphasis to the boys' youthfulness. 
It's a more subtle symbol but it can be pretty effective if used properly. It's probably one of my favourite symbols ^ ^ 
ex. Chocolat, Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 

5) The Wasteland

Erindale as a frozen wasteland in Frozen

You see this one all the time now in pop culture since dystopian novels and film adaptations have peaked. This represents loneliness, desolation, despair and no growth. The Scorch in The Scorch Trials is a great example. Sun flares destroyed the land and left it dry and festering with disease. The characters come across an near empty city, getting a taste of just how lonely this wasteland is. 
Another good example of a wasteland is in Frozen. Instead of a dry wasteland, it's a frozen one. Who would have guessed? XD After Erindale is cast into eternal winter, the people of the kingdom are in despair. Scene cuts to the kingdom really do leave you feeling lonely. Not until the resolution of the film does that feeling let up. 
ex. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner, Frozen

6) The Crossroads 

Another element that I think is in every story is the crossroads. This is where our hero enters a place of suffering (maybe even the underworld!) and is forced to make a decision that will affect the rest of their journey. This is a pivotal moment for the hero no matter what they choose. 
Since most people have seen Frozen, I'll use that as an example. 
Spoiler alert! At the end of the movie, Anna is freezing to death and knows that only an act of love can save her. She sees Kristof running towards her, he can save her. But in the other direction, her sister is about to be killed. She's dying and must choose her life or her sister's.

Are any of these symbolic archetypes in your story? What's the threshold, underworld and crossroads in your heroes journey? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to read them! :) 

Beautiful People | Masara

This week I discovered this fantastic blog link-up called Beautiful People. The host blog, The Notebook Sisters, post new questions for your characters at the beginning of each month and then you get to answers them. After that, you link your blog on their page and other writers or readers can click on it to learn about your characters and you can learn about other people's characters. I'm really excited about this! 

The character that I chose to do for this set of questions is Masara, the main character from my science fiction novel Crec. Let's get right into the questions!

1) What is their full name and is there a story behind why they got it? 

Masara M. Gold. There's not much of a story behind her first name; her parents just really liked the name Masara. The middle initial comes from her mom's maiden name, Morgan. In the future Earth Masara lives on, the classic middle name disintegrated from culture. Everyone uses their mother's maiden name initial as their middle initial.

2) How old are they, and when were they born? 

Masara is fifteen and was born on September 17th.

3) Describe their physical appearance. 

Masara has long, wavy, brown hair and mud brown eyes. She has an oval shaped face and is smaller in build and stature—about five foot three inches in height. 

Bonus questions 1: What is their race/nationality/ethnicity? 

Caucasian.

Bonus questions 2: Do you have a picture of them? If so, include it!

A photo of Georgie Henley that
looks exactly like Masara

4) Describe your character's personality first in one word, and then elaborate with a few sentences. 
Suspicious. Masara is suspicious of both people and events. Her inquisitive mind and over-analytical thought process doesn't allow for much to pass through her filter. While she may not always act on these suspicions, she notices danger in things and people where others don't.

5) What theme song(s) fit their personality and story arc?

Probably "This Is Home" by Switchfoot. I've been looking for better songs for my characters and I know there's probably a more suited one out there than this. But this one, especially the first verse, captures her fairly well.

6) Which one of the seven deadly sins describes your character? 
Envy. Not necessarily of possessions but of courage. She looks at her best friend Piper and sees in her a fearlessness that Masara has lost.

7) If they were an element (fire, water, earth, air), which one would they be? 
Earth. Masara has a set opinion on things, won't be moulded into someone else's plans, is stubborn and unshakeable.

8) What is their favourite word? 
Adrenaline.

9) Who’s one person they really miss? (It could be someone who’s passed away, or someone they’re not close to anymore, or someone who’s moved away.) 
Her dad. Because of his job, Masara hardly ever gets to see him anymore.


10) What sights, sounds, and smells remind them of that person?

Her brother's and her own cutlass sword, and cinnamon or the two big ones. Her dad taught her and her older brother, Trey how to use a sword and gifted them each with their own one Christmas. As far as the cinnamon goes, her dad used to bake cinnamon twists Saturday mornings when she was a kid and so the smell of it reminds her of him. 

And so that wraps up the questions! If you want to read more posts like this or write your own, click here.
If you want to check out the Pinterest board from Masara's world, follow this link. 

If a character I mentioned in Masara's answers interested you (despite the little information XD) or you know of some others that I've mentioned in previous posts, be sure to comment below and I'll keep them in mind for the next set of questions. 

Archetypes: All the World's a Stage Part 1

Read previous entries on archetypes:
Archetypes: A Hero's Journey Part 1
Archetypes: A Hero's Journey Part 2

In school we recently picked up Archetypes and it got me thinking about them all over again. I figured since I haven't written about them since February, it wouldn't be a bad idea to reopen the topic.
When I wrote about them last time, I discussed both the origin of archetypes and the different journeys that characters can go on. Today I'll go through the different recurring situational settings that come up in archetypal stories. Situational settings are basically the premise of stories.

FUN FACT: Carl Jung, the psychiatrist that came up with the idea of archetypes, also came up with the idea of introverts and extroverts along with other personality types.
All of us are living, breathing archetypes! I'm not sure why, but I find this really cool.

1) The Desert

The desert is commonly associated with spiritual sterility and barrenness but shouldn't be confused with the wasteland archetype. 

If you've ever seen the movie Hidalgo, you would know that this archetype fits it perfectly. The main character, Hopkins, has close relations to the Native Americans and their spiritual traditions but refuses to acknowledge this side of him until the climax. 

By the end of a story in the desert, the hero will likely come out of their spiritually stale place after leaving the desert or just before they do. 

The hero may also contrast the others in the desert and become the only one who isn't barren. Throughout the story they may be the only character that's taking their beliefs anywhere and their battle involves changing the minds of others. 

ex. Hidalgo, Quarantine by Jim Crace

2) The Orphaned Ruler 

In this story, our hero grows up ignorant to the power he/she really holds. He could be anything from a prince separated during a war and raised by a young peasant girl to the son of a mafia leader sent away for his own protection.
So how does the hero discover their power? It could happen through a number of ways but according to the archetype it happens after they're rediscovered by their parents.

Rapunzel in Tangled

The most classic and well known example of this is Tangled. Rapunzel is kidnapped by Gothel as a baby and is raised without knowing that she's a princess. After unknowingly visiting her home kingdom (and a few other happenings) she discovers that she's the lost princess. This discovery sets the stage for the events that lead to the climax.
The hero in this story always, always discovers their true identity and this discovery will bring both good and bad to the character.
ex. Tangled, Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz, Jupiter Ascending 

3) The Damsel in Distress

This one is pretty self explanatory but incase you're not familiar with it: a beautiful young woman is rescued from a monster by a handsome young man who later marries her. Tons of fairytales follow this settings.
Shrek is the complete reverse of this archetype. The creators flip everything on it's head. The monster isn't really a monster, neither the hero or the damsel are drop dead gorgeous and while they get married, it's certainly not expected.
The monster in this story doesn't have to be a beast, it can also be a monstrous person like in Cinderella. Simplified, the monster is the villain.
ex. Cinderella, King Kong, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

4) The Long Journey

Hiro (Masi Oka) and Peter
(Milo Ventimiglia) in Heroes

This one is pretty vague but probably my favourite. It could include anything from a difficult quest to a pursuit for revenge. When I first read this archetype I initially though that all stories fit this category but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was wrong. Most romances don't fit here and neither do most contemporary novels.
The hero could be physically trekking across miles of land (The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien), waging war on an empire (Code Geass) or saving New York from destruction...again (Heroes). 
ex. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, Code Geass, Heroes, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Hades and Percy in the movie
adaptation of The Lightning Thief

5) The Katabasis

Katabasis is a Greek word meaning "going down". In literature and especially greek mythology, it refers to a decent into the underworld. This one can be taken both literally or metaphorically. The hero could literally descend into the underworld or could enter an 'underworld-like' place in hellish conditions such as a dystopian land.
Our hero in this story is brave, very motivated and sacrificial—they have to be, it's the underworld! In these stories, our main characters may spend quite some time in the underworld or they may visit it briefly. An important element to note is that the hero can not die or it would not be true Katabasis. Anabasis (a Greek word meaning "going up") should always follow Katabasis.
ex. Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, Orpheus and Eurydice from Greek mythology, Alice In Wonderland

6) The Garden

The Garden is known in the archetype world as one of the 'Big Four'. It's a symbol for birth, fertility, abundance, growth, peace, tranquility—you get the idea. Characters can find refuge in gardens and while the entire story may not take place in one, it's something that our hero will continuously return to.
Gardens can sometimes be ruined or 'poisoned' which will force the hero to leave, sending them on their journey.
ex. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden

A still from the film adaptation of Beastly

7) The Redemptive Rituals 

At the beginning of these stories, the protagonist screws up. The premise will then surround their redemption.
The ritual could be a set thing that they must do according to society, a contract or a spell, or something they believe they must do in their own heart to make things right.
A famous example is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Our protagonist has a bitter heart and is shown through three spirits that he needs to change.
Redemption must always be found in these stories or the premise is worthless.
ex. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Beastly by Alex Flinn

8) The End of the World

Another self-explanatory archetype: so many popular young adult novels fall under this archetype. Whether it's a dystopian/post-apocalyptic society or the impending doom of a city, danger will always be looming over the heads our our heroes. There might be a time limit like there is in Heroes but that's not always the case. Instead, the danger may be the world they live in or the people that want to destroy the world.
ex. Oblivion, I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore, The Scorch Trials by James Dashner, Enders Game by Orson Scott Card

Which archetypes do your stories fit into?