Week 2 Topic Brainstorm

Belle’s New Normal

In a modern-era, a more real-life epilogue of Beauty and the Beast, told through Belle and Beast’s diary entries. After being a poor provincial girl in France, she now has a husband (formerly a Beast, though he still has the baggage), practically beginning a new life, and not to mention, all her furniture turned into people! This book tells the story of Belle, her family, and her friends starting anew in America, adjusting to a new town, a new job, and meeting new people. Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/39302636/the-true-stories-behind-beauty-and-the-beast-and-other-disney-stories; https://web.archive.org/web/20140726163822/http://www.endicott-studio.com/articleslist/beauty-and-the-beast-old-and-new-by-terri-windling.html

• I’ve always loved Disney and the story of Beauty and the Beast; I even was the Beast in my middle school musical of the same name. I’m pretty familiar with the basic premise of Beauty and the Beast, so I wanted to explore the idea of the family rejoining normal society and becoming more ordinary people.

Hawaiian Mythology

Hawaii is a beautiful landscape, full of palm trees, warm sandy beaches, crystal blue waters, and sunny throughout. Hawaiians even felt an otherworldly connection to the land. However, some creations also brought curses, threatening those who dare break its sanctity. But how did the land of Hawaii become the place we know and love? This book explores how the various land creations of Hawaii and the legends that come along with them. Source: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/hawaii/hi-mythology/

• Before the pandemic, my family and I were supposed to go on vacation to Hawaii. This topic would give me the opportunity to learn more about Hawaiian legends and culture.

Ghosts of Disneyland

Disneyland has been a beloved theme park for over 60 years. Millions of people visit the park each and every year. However, the “Happiest Place on Earth” hasn’t been happy for all. Some have even met their fate within the property, and their souls have lingered in the park. This book tells about the last moments of those people, and how they now haunt various attractions throughout Disneyland today. Source: https://www.ranker.com/list/haunted-disneyland-creepy-stories/lisa-waugh

• Disneyland is my favorite theme park, and I’ve been obsessed with it since I was a kid. My family and I have visited over a dozen times. I want to show a darker side of Disney, and I think telling ghost stories would give me more creative freedom, between the haunting of rides and possibly having guests talk about what spooks they experienced while within seemingly innocent attractions. I’ve known about the rumors of people dying within the park, but I’ve never read about them myself before. I am thinking about writing them in the mind of the victims reacting to it as it happened, or as a news report being told the next day.

The Legend of Cupid

Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest holidays celebrated around the world. People profess their love, give each other gifts and candy, and go out on a romantic dinner date. This book tells the story of how Cupid came to be.  Source: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/search/label/Unit%3A%20Cupid%20and%20Psychehttp://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/search/label/Unit%3A%20Cupid%20and%20Psyche

• I think not very many people know about Cupid. A lot of people know about the story of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and other holiday characters, but not Cupid. I don’t know much about Cupid myself, other than shooting arrows at people to make them fall in love.

"Time-Lapse Photography of Fireworks Shooting Above Disneyland Castle" via Unsplash