This capstone project was inspired by what I had learned about the genre of fairy tales during my last semester. Essentially, the genre is built for adaptations because it had originally evolved from oral tales where stories changed with each re-telling of them, creating a natural web of intertextuality. I wanted to carry on that tradition and use it to make my own creation that would reflect my own beliefs. That same semester I also took a class on Hawaiian Mythology, as well as another class that focused on queer media. The stories and coursework gave me plenty of ideas and inspiration to draw from, and I was inspired to adapt a fairy tale that could incorporate elements from my Hawaiian heritage and my firm belief in justice.

The genre of fairy tales uses fantastical elements to teach lessons grounded in reality, but when so many of these stories originate from older times, they also come with morals and beliefs that are outdated. Two classic fairy tales stuck with me in particular: Little Red Riding Hood and the tale of Bluebeard. These two stories feature predatory men attacking women and frame it as the fault of the victim, requiring them to be rescued by the kindness of a different man. In Little Red Riding Hood, a young girl is used as an example of what happens when girls trust strangers too much. Similarly, the protagonist of Bluebeard is punished for disobeying her husband’s orders. I wanted to revisit this type of theme through a modern lens that doesn’t place blame on victims. While UlaUla never becomes a victim of the Blue Puaa himself, we do see her find solidarity and strength with his past victims. She doesn't get saved by them, nor do they get saved by her. Instead, they support one another and give each other the strength and rage needed to hold the Blue Puaa accountable for his actions.

I chose to bring Hawaiian influence into the project because I was particularly inspired by some of the myths that we studied in class. The battle between Kamapuaa and Pele stood out to me, and their inspiration is very present in the design of both ‘Ula’ula and Polu. Much like fairytales, myths are also an oral genre that gets slightly changed with each telling of them. I had looked over several different versions of Pele and Kamapua'a’s battle, and I found the way that their dynamic varied to be fascinating. In one version she was an irrational lover of his, while in another she was a stranger who didn't return his affection and had to fight him off her land. This inspired me to create Ula`Ula, a woman with a strong sense of justice who could be perceived as rude from another perspective for how she refuses the advances of Polu, and even tricks and uses him. Sadly, I wasn't able to elaborate much on this character trait, but it was something that I thought was interesting nonetheless. Polu, the Blue Boar takes inspiration from Kamapuaa in that he is mischievous and could be mistaken for charming. In reality though he is a savage animal that pretends to be human to toy with others and eventually kill them. He serves as a parallel to the wolf disguising himself as a kindly grandmother.

Brainstorming for the project was the easiest part, but designing the characters took a bit more thought. I wanted them to look genuine to their culture, but I also had to keep in mind that their character designs needed to be appealing to my target audience. It was a bit of a challenge to find a blend between modern fashion and more traditional garb. While working on it, I remembered that Pasifika culture uses Hula to tell some of their stories, and was really struck by the fashion I found.

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