Prince Henry

No, because Prince Henry, from Red, White, and Royal Blue is the expert and absolute King-- near God-- of literary knowledge and prestige that every book nerd wishes they had. That sheer variety of readership and to wax on about theme and era and oh yes, the very social implications of certain writing styles and genres being introduced to society, injected within cultural spheres until they require their own name.

I am a writer, and perhaps a bit too generously, I consider myself above just an amateur writer penning vague ideas or the dreams she occasionally has. Believe it or not that was my start.

But when you write, let me tell you, it is a process of minute details, of sweeping themes and how certain ideas you wish to bring to life through other people who happen to be made of ink, all connect together. It is how certain gestures within a line of dialogue, or word choice, or diction and vocabulary, of just one single line changes the meaning. Pivots tones and intentions of a story so even a moment between lovers becomes dark and sinister, or the supposed "villain" of a work is all the more human and tragic. Or better yet, ridiculous. Even comedies have something to say. And I can, with fair confidence declare that in some way comedies achieve the most poignance and emotion from their stories and characters than any other genre. It is almost universal, perhaps in the last few decades or perhaps it has always been an author's subtle intent. That humor and bliss must inherently be paired with heartbreak, anguish, or the bittersweet garnishes so common in real life. Until the reader or the viewer is not laughing anymore but crying.

And that is only juxtaposition and intent!

Consider themes next. All the myriads of ways they can be portrayed in stories. Of course, each and every theme is constructed through repetition. As broad concepts the best provides multiple examples within their casts of characters or the settings around them. It is often better when the world itself showcases the more broad thematic elements of the story. Highlighting the most important aspects in the smallest moments. We may not think much of small moments when they occur to us-- not at the surface-- but rather we do subconsciously. We may feel a twinge of loss to see another child holding their mother's hand in the way we never got to, because our parent left us. Or cover more concrete rules to live by or empathy towards those unlike us either of different race or age group.

Consider the Bluey episode "Space" that as the title suggests and analysts will argue(as media and fiction is by its definition quite subjective and fluid, never confined to a single meaning) has themes of personal space as well as the impact of physical space and what that may do to a person. Physical distance-- "space"-- is equated with the unknown. The space the children in the episode explore through the planets, asteroids, and sun belt, away from their familiar Earth. Much can and occasionally does go wrong in their game. Space is the great unknown and as a game it appeals to imagine exploring these places even grown-ups don't have all the answers to.

Then there is the black hole, explained within their play as a space where matter nor light can escape and where others would be unable to follow, one would be completely alone, adrift, lost and to the subject of space.

However, the main child Mackenzie, is interested rather than uneasy, terrified, or belligerent to the idea of such a thing existing, and instead desires it. She desires space from her friends for an as of yet unknown reason.

Space in this case also represents clarity and comfort, and speaks to those instances a person doesn't want to be among others or children may need time to themselves to process or socially recharge even from the company of those they enjoy. And that's okay and even healthy for them to pursue, it is a boundary. One that cannot always be voiced effectively. But, Mackenzie tries even if he doesn't exactly know how.

Mackenzie is eventually able to get the space he desires, with his friends understanding that it is something he wants and even respect the desire to integrate it into the gameplay. Which is when the concept of space gets flipped on its head. While space is still equated with the unknown that can be dangerous and induce fear, we also see that space has deeper emotional connotations for a child.

The writers of Bluey did amazingly in subtle nods and imagery to present this definition of "space" as both a physical and mental thing. Mackenzie imagines the space under a bridge to be a black hole. And that space is completely dark with no way to see even an inch inside or to see even a dog's own paws should they choose to walk into it. The 'black hole' essentially represents the anxieties that come with wide physical space and the emotional reaction of being alone-- having space from those who care about you. In the ways that Mackenzie physically and emotionally made space between his friends and himself.

And as he enters the black hole we are suddenly in the colorful, idyllic imagination of a child. Or, a child's toy as that child remembered it. A memory that the episode had been building up to with the topic of space and the need to have some space when in a low emotional state. Mackenzie had seen a reminder of an experience in his formative years-- 2 or 3 as established by the author-- and was somewhat uncomfortable remembering, therefore, needed some time and space away from the noise and distraction to collect himself.

What this memory shows, is that he had previously experienced a temporary separation from his mother-- completely by chance and only for a brief time-- as he had seen her before going into a child slide in a play area only to come out and not see her. And experiencing that physical separation as well as not knowing, culminated into a separation anxiety that has made her associate certain spaces with fear and not knowing, it creates anxieties in her that ironically require some space to work through when an adult isn't readily available.

This is startling as it is beautiful and dazzling character writing in a brief aside away from the present plot of the episode. It lets viewers come away with the important lesson just how important steady and consistent presence of parents and other caretakers is to a young child. We see that Mackenzie was left alone for no more than a couple minutes by his mother and within that time was gently reassured by his teacher to ease his anxiety in the moment-- and notice that the mother comes back quickly and is prepared to offer her own physical comfort. This is a good mother and it shows in the way Mackenzie is reassured when in her mother's arms in the memory. But at such a formative age the experience still affected him deeply and as stated, is the root of some separation anxiety that he faces in that episode. So that by the end the black hole is no longer impeded by darkness but by light.

It is amazing and can teach so much, but does so creatively while maintaining intelligence yet adds reality and sensitivity in presenting the perspective of a child in a way that can then touch the adults that would be around them. And does so while being fun as well as accessible to young children who would feel the characters are just like them. Which is always great, but a difficult thing to do.

Again, small details can change the entire theme that is taken from a story or gives common morals and messages a different twist. Hence subversions, inversions, deconstructions, and reconstruction which are especially fascinating for how they dissect established topics or conventions of genre or archetypes looking at them from different angles-- in deconstruction often interrogating them or subjecting them to a much more realistic standpoint-- that nevertheless make for compelling narratives and often pairs with deeper societal issues in the real world or makes for useful allusions that again, are presented in more creative and engaging fashions.

The examples of this particular style I could think of is the Oshi no Ko anime which deconstructs the idol industry and culture surrounding teen-- often female idols-- as well as other entertainers young and old within the entertainment industry, taking harsh looks into how both young and old stars may be exploited and sometimes that there is an unfortunate lack of protection for stars. As it's an almost silent consensus with executives and even the public at large that you forsake the right to be human or to be regarded as an individual in the eyes of your audience or your agency and essentially become a product.

There is dialogue that is dedicated to explanation that perhaps can get awkward but does make sense for the most part as it is often directed toward newcomers into a certain field such as an actor who is now an as of yet unknown idol talent, since there's little money to make in such a risky investment then her group will get less accommodation and space in a given stadium where the more established stars will get dressing rooms, or the manager character pulling away the truth of what an idol can actually make in way of revenue for themselves, to her client's still young-- if not prodigious-- children.

From a meta perspective getting these bits of information is mostly organic since it's characters are fresh into this world, which is called an audience surrogate and serves the plot not just for the experience points and lore, but also since the characterization means certain people can use that information in other ways that further their own motivations.

Also used and twisted in the anime is the reincarnation trope, where the subject is a doctor who had treated an idol pregnant with twins, murdered and then reborn as the idol's son. While another girl joins him reborn as his twin sister in that life.

The reincarnation actually propels the plot forward as well as a plunge of negative characterization for Aqua-- who has now genuinely loved Ai as a mother-- so has all the more reason to avenge hers and his own death-- making the anime a murder mystery. And what is never acknowledged, is how differently adult behaviors can come off at different stages of a child's life in these situations. Where his overall serious and unaffected demeanor along with an already formal vocabulary made Aqua appear to be the poster boy horror movie child, giving him great acclaim as a prodigy actor due to the dissonance he'd managed to accidentally create at elementary school age, that effect ended as early as first year of high school since teenagers can have many personality types that can otherwise be correlated with life experiences and influences around them such as the adults responsible for their care, upbringing, as well as education or resources of learning. Furthermore, any discrepancies can be chalked up to the traumatic event of his mother's death and him being old enough to understand and remember the loss, not to mention having grown up around stars and entertainers through Ai and later raised by her manager.

Many parodies do well in deconstructing conventions and even the 'facts' of their world through exaggeration, understatement, or usual and theoretical shenanigans taken to their logical extreme. When done in fanworks it frankly shows a passion on the author's end for the original work, and an ability to analyze construct stories that don't follow regular formulas and often eschew the typical tropes found in that work or those similar, and usually the most quality fan works are in those where the characters are kept in character and nuance is presented in the situations they're faced with even when it is tempting to simplify things. This honestly makes for very compelling narratives.

And compelling narratives make wonderful use of outside features such as color, setting, or even objects and other characters as symbols or allusions for certain ideas or give clues to story arcs, character progression, and foreshadow key plot points.

It is in the little details that make the sweeping themes of a story but also provides crystal clarity on character-- from superficial status and prestige to their inner turmoil or their coming character arc. It takes a bundle of research in itself to find the right symbol for what you want to convey and then in how to utilize it properly.

Color creates tone in the setting and often evokes certain feelings or perceptions within the reader from the word "go." Comparing the lush mystery of a green forest in earthy tones that just smells of nature and its magic, to the often saturated palettes of a horror movie where the world is a little darker and a demon stalks prey into a slow state of despair and often followed by death.

Also fascinating is in the way colors may contradict themselves and so in their dissonance astound the reader and again, present more nuanced ideas or sometimes make difficult concepts more palatable to deal with. It's often said that in the horror genre the anime is more terrifying than the live action movies. There are pages upon pages of nightmare content buried in animated media even when it is for an audience of children. Often since animation and drawn scenes give writer full, absolute control of their environment in a much more free way than live action productions are provided. Whereas anime can convey their ideas through visuals live-action is in many ways heavily restricted and must rely upon sound and don't have the freedom of getting into a character's headspace, their psyche, it cuts out some of the metaphor.

Whereas anime has more freedom to perhaps explore more existential dreads or those that often lie more subtly and more common to real-life than the larger than life monsters, demons, and aliens that permeate live action horror and thriller/slasher films or TV. Take Happy Sugar Life, an anime that covers a "kidnapping" storyline where a female villain protagonist takes up the "yandere" trope towards an eight year old girl named Shio. An adorable, vibrant character with bright colors and her own cute little outfits. Now, the kidnapping definition can get a little muddy and there is debate on whether Satou-- our villain protagonist did actually abduct a child, she did keep Shio unequivocally imprisoned in her apartment which is deeply detrimental to any child's development even if they don't realize it as such, but as for abduction there isn't much of a case to charge her for picking up a child off the street whose mother by their own recollection and the child's did abandon them.

But the point is about the colors and contrast of those colors to create an effective horror. As I said, Shio is the "cute" character and throughout the story a "cute" motif is used for much of the main cast; for Satou who is perceived in her world as an unthreatening beauty and a hit working at a maid cafe, Shio who in the anime is often likened to a pure angel by other characters, Taiyou the male protagonist who could be mistaken for a girl on initial viewing, he garners sympathy for the sheer amount trauma he goes through, a choice quite intentionally made to contrast his own deeply disturbing and negative trains. And Asahi is also no exception to "cuteness" being a round faced child despite his serious demeanor and dark clothes in comparison to the rest of the main cast, who the audience can easily see as vulnerable and lashing out at a world that has already hurt him before. Similar to how a small dog might bite and nip at those who try to feed it because it has already been abused.

Overall the anime is overall disturbing in its themes and yet contrasts with a "cute" and vibrant color scheme where save for sparse moments per episode things are completely bright and cheery. It feels like the original cutesy, girls doing girl things anime a title like Happy Sugar Life would imply, yet when the darker moments do hit, it's that much more profound, through its visual medium, being able to capture instability in such a jarring way that leaves the viewer suspicious and concerned afterwards. The otherwise constant calming environment of a bright world lulls viewers to feel safe and so be horrified to see characters so easily shifting into a state that screams danger for anyone unfortunate enough to be around them.

Also, is in the grim, staticky way negative experiences and memories are constantly buried in the characters' minds in either greys, dark shadows, or slit grins on otherwise faceless anomalies, and even the red of blood to portray hurt and violence done to these kids-- they're all kids-- in many different ways even when a hand isn't raised.

All in all color and setting are used to great effect to induce a very different, lingering sort of horror that stays with the viewer and forces them into a given character's headspace without a single word. Delving into personal traumas and how they have shaped their ideologies in later life or now as the story goes on around them(Taiyou is an example of the latter).

The other best example is quite opposite on the cynical to optimistic spectrum: Cursed Princess Club which is a WebToon comic. Again, the format of a comic gives much more visual freedom than one might usually have with a typical book or live action format. In the world of CPC color is a fully integrated aspect of the world from their character design, their worldbuilding, and denoting social status or character beats on a meta-level.

Ships were somewhat decided among the fanbase through real color theory and make speculations on how the 'Red' and 'Blue' characters could pair together based on how their primary colors pair together-- also making the astute allusion that as primary colors, they can be considered the oldest and are in fact the oldest siblings in their respective families. Certain colors and patterns in this world are considered a personal brand that denotes specific reputations and expectations.

Which for the youngest male protagonist-- the youngest brother Prince Frederick-- is often a burden since in his Plaid kingdom he does not meet the standards of typical male strength that his father enforces in the kingdom. This has caused many internal issues within himself that skewer his confidence to attempt carving a place for himself. He has become content to be the brother in a dark hole, unnoticed and unacknowledged by both his family and the world around him.

For a majority of the comic he is in a standard Prince outfit with his own green plaid to compliment with his brothers' red and blue. But when it comes to his chosen fiancee, their best moments is when he can simply be himself-- shy and nerdy as that personality is, whatever weaknesses and doubts he may have-- is when he shows himself and is always received with gentleness and support, something he had never received so unconditionally. These are their best moments as a burgeoning couple and makes the fandom go crazy, and that they quickly made the connection that when shrugging away the role of a Plaid Prince he is also often without the plaid jacket. His jacket serves as a symbol to what others have expected from him and what is imposed as acceptable in opposition to his own wants and nature as a person.

Unlike his brothers he is not a soldier, not athletic, and not extraordinary in military combat situations, nor is he a King who would bravely ride among his army or present an image of sophistication and power similar to a model for his people. Freddy is very much an administrator, able to handle the technical aspects of ruling a country, something of the brains behind the throne that present issues and falling economy charts to the wise ruler. Had the brothers been in harmony and the Father possessing a healthier idea of what makes a man, much less a King then Frederick likely would have been advisor to his older brother. He would be the one getting to organize all of the infrastructural, cultural, and humanitarian improvements to his kingdom with his brother Blaine's signature approving and advertising the projects.

Instead, he is stripped of any slight prestige he had by the comic's final act, now in a black and white color scheme essentially a blank slate. In this arc his Father has been revealed for the villain he is and the true depths of brutality it took to mould the images of his older brothers as "ideal men and Princes." While Frederick is in the deep, dark hole he has always feared, supposedly with no identity nor purpose. Nothing to make him a worthwhile person. Except he finds strength and resolve within himself to do what is right.

The final act is what cements his character arc, that while his identity may be unclear he is free from previous expectations and his own insecurities to find one for himself as a blank canvas, starting over from the toxic home he first came from.

It truly is a very inspiring story and like many I've spoken about on this topic one that I highly, highly recommend and make sure to remember just all the work it takes for an author to deliver high quality stories especially on independent platforms such as comic sites or writing platforms like this one, fan works as well that can grow and evolve into their own beloved universes that expand on beloved characters or introduce us to new heroes that come from the old.