#never realized how well that slotted into cinderella

[fictionadventurer]

Her Feet Beneath Her Petticoat, romance

Her Feet Beneath Her Petticoat by Angela Acker

In her first London season, Elinor Carstairs enchanted the Earl of Ashby, but her father's death forced her to leave town before any intentions could be declared, leaving the Earl nothing to remember her by except one lost shoe.

When Elinor becomes a ward of her aunt, she is treated like a servant, forced to serve as a maid to her nearly identical cousin, Isabella. Elinor remains hidden away while Isabella goes into society, and her cousin attracts the attention of none other than the Earl of Ashby--who believes her to be Elinor. Isabella will do anything to continue the deception, and Elinor is forced to keep her true identity hidden as her cousin romances the man she loves. But as the Earl grows more suspicious, Elinor's lost shoe may be the key to unraveling this question of identity.

[jq37]

Twice Upon a Time - Neverafter Ep 3

No Place for a Prince or Princess

Welcome to another entirely unhinged episode of D20 Neverafter and the first battle ep of the season. A battle episode with no dedicated healer with the whole party at level one? What could possibly go wrong? Well, let me tell you exactly what.

When I first started doing this commentary recap/posts, I did them in stream of consciousness bullet points and I'm going to do something similar for this recap since a battle ep means more nitty gritty that can be skipped over and also because I'm pressed for time due to being home for the holidays. Worry not though! I still have compiled all the most important juicy story bits for y'all. So let's get started. 

When we last left off, the group lost the element of surprise as they readied to attack the Fairy Godmother and her army of half human/half furniture goons.  Their goal in the fight is to steal the glass shard stuck into the Fairy Godmother that Cinderella stabbed her with and is greatly weakening her.

Puss right away Taun-Taun style dives into a dea cow while Roz distracts the Fairy Godmother by loudly declaring her princess status. As the mice told her, she can't resist a princess. 

Meanwhile, Red draws a ton of enemies into a corridor which they nickname "Ylfa's Bottleneck" as if it's a hit nightclub and it comes up so many times you just KNOW it's gonna be a shirt or a poster at some point.

Pinocchio offhandedly mentions that he's been a puppet for about a year which helps us with the timeline a bit. Also, he's apparently using his broken off nose as a weapon which is...not amazing.

Roz gets hit by a spell and she sees a vision of zombie looking versions of the fairies from her christening looking at her in her crib and the blue fairy asking what she thinks her gift would have been if she hadn't had to soften the evil fairy's curse. [Note: Hmm, wonder if that Blue Fairy is Pinocchio's Blue Fairy]

Oh, also the Fairy Godmother says to Roz that curses are also gifts in their own way and idk if that's annoying fae-speak or an actual valid thing to say.

Roz and Red both have to make Cha saves and when Roz fails, Brennan gives her a red token which he tells her to hold onto without explaining at all. Siobhan is trepid, as am I, despite Brenna's claims that it's nothing to worry about. 

Tim doesn't end up doing this because he wants to save his spell slots for healing (smart man) but his Vicious Mockery is a paternal "I'm very disappointed in you."

Puss tries to hide in another animal carcass, this time a mule (which Emily hilariously thinks might be Donkey from Shrek) but finds out that it's the mule of the 2nd brother in his fairy tale and also that he's just faking dead and is alive. 

Brennan introduces a new game mechanic: If someone deals more than half of your remaining HP in damage in one blow, you have to make a Con save or take a level of exhaustion. This counts for enemies and PCs. Yikes! This doesn't appear to have anything to do w/ the red token.

The Fairy Godmother says to Roz, "Don't you want the kind of life I can provide? [...] They're taken your true love from you." When Roz insists that he's coming, the Fairy says, "Then why did his face change?" Siobhan is like, "How did she know that?" and I'm like, "Girl, same."

Pinocchio casts Hex on the Fairy which takes the form of spectral strings appearing on his body and his Stepmom's voice pouring out of him to berate the Fairy. The Fairy, of course, recognizes the voice as they're from the same story. Pinocchio gets the sense that more is happening than his mom told him.

Ger realizes that this Fairy is the fairy who cursed him to be a frog for being rude to her as a kid! [Note: I knew we'd end up doubling up on fairies at some point!] He is, if you'd pardon the pun, hopping mad at the realization. 

Puss successfully lies to the Fairy that Cinderella sent him to help her get the shard out of her chest but that success will be fleeting. 

The fairy says, "Magic was never yours. Magic is ours!" to Pinocchio (and really, I assume to his mom) and drops him. [Note: Hmm, magic hoarding? Is this like a Fae and Flowers deal? This feels like a line that we might be coming back to.]

Ger drops to an attack soon after.

Puss on an investigation check realizes that they've royally botched this and all that's left are bad and risky options. He tries to get the Fairy to give him her wand but that's a DC 20 check with disadvantage that he fails. Roz does 12 damage on her and it does enough damage that the group realizes that she's a total glass cannon that they should be attacking.

[Note: Y'all, I'm not the type to backseat D&D--and I wasn't yelling at my screen or anything while I was watching this--but you always take out the monster that is creating the other monsters! That's battle strats 101! Of course--spoiler--they didn't despawn when she died at the end but still! Taking her out and grabbing the shard would have been my plan for sure.]

Oh, also, Brennan introduced yet another mechanic. Because battles in the NEverafter are super risky, on a crit there is a save and if your fail the save, you're insta-dead. Great if you're giving the crit, bad if you're getting it. 

At this point, it feels like I'm just reciting obits. Roz drops. Tim brings Ger back up. Puss goes down. Everyone is failing death saves--often with a fairy tale appropriate 3 on the die. 

Ger yells at the Fairy, "Are you happy? I'm supposed to be a handsome prince!" The Fairy, surprisingly, agrees. She says, "We're trying to set the Neverafter to rights!"

Lou points out they're flaming out in the EXACT same way they did in the first fight of the first season--Fantasy High. He is hilariously correct. 

Tim goes down. Ylfa goes down. The energy at the table is palpable as the inevitability of a TPK sets in.

Pinocchio fails his last save and black smoke sweeps through the dome. With his dying thoughts, he thinks about him and his father riding home to his village having escaped the belly of the terrible dogfish. He hears a voice--I think his father's--saying, "My little Pinocchio. She has lied to you." Then he fades. As his last action, he has to make a Cha save which he can choose to fail on purpose. He tries but fails and gets a red token.

Ger thinks about how the last time he needed to be brave--when his castle was being attacked--he hid with the children then ran. He sees Red and Pinocchio down and steels himself. There's no running or hiding today. He tries to get the glass shard and Brennan allows him to do it without a penalty IF he agrees to potentially get hurt in the process. He agrees and just meets the Fairy Godmother's roll, pulling it out. HOWEVER, as he pulls it out, the momentum sends it squelching into his own body, and he drops. The Fairy Godmother, as she dies, says, "Gerrard, we're here to help you! It's not what you--!" But of course, she's cut off. 

As I said before, when she dies, the soldiers don't de-animate. And they WILL kill anyone who stabilizes. So everyone has to roll a Nat 20 or die. It's a weird situation where sometimes you have to roll a failure to keep doing with saves. 

I'm going to tell you right now, no one saves. It's a true TPK. I'll run you through everyone's last thoughts. 

Puss: Puss dies with a Nat 1 on the die (a cat butt that they briefly think is the image for a Nat 20) and he sees himself in Tomas' castle, resting in a shaft of light. Brennan says he sees the king and queen. Then the castle on fire. Then he's gone. He fails his Cha save and gets a red token.

Roz: Roz also dies with a Nat 1. She sees herself on her wedding day, going to meet her true love. Brennan says she sees two beautiful princesses turn to look at her. Then she's gone. She fails her Cha save so she's now up to 2 red tokens. [Note: Princesses. Her sisters?]

 Red: Red gets the most intense vision. She sees herself with her grandma who then turns into a wolf and starts dragging her into hell. When she turns to face the wolf at his request he says, "Will you remember?" Then he says, "There are things trying to stop the turning of the pages," and asks her the 4 most important words. "Once Upon a Time?" she says. "I knew it was you," the wolf replies before she realizes he's falling into not hell or a boiling sea but a cauldron. She's blown out of a brick chimney and hears a voice from below say, "Got you now," with a suspiciously piggish snort. She seems to make her save and does not get a token. 

Ger: Ger actually stabilizes but that just means she's going to die via furniture. He cries and says that he and Elody should never have gotten mixed up in this. He sees his wife in front of him who says that it's not too late and throws a golden ball in the air. As he watches it, he experiences drowning for the first time and then is gone. He is the only one who elects to fail his save on purpose. He gets a red token.

Tim: Tim thinks about the last fight he had with his husband who wanted him to just get rid of the book and stay home while Tim really thought what he was doing could help save everyone. And he still thinks that despite everything. He sees the Gander who mocks him. He sticks up his middle finger and says, "I got your third with right here." "Granted," says the gander, biting his finger off as he vanishes. He fails his Char save. That's a token.

Brennan asks Red again what her last thought was. She says she thinks she realizes what's going on. They've been thinking about things wrong. A book is about new memories, not just nostalgia. They have to be creating new stories and all they have to say is "Once upon a time." And that's where we end: with a TPK and those immortal words. 

This new ep drops in less than 3 hours so I'm not gonna do a ton of speculation. I'm just gonna say that I haven't been this hyped for a new ep in AGES. Are we doing a time loop? Further fractured tales? How meta are we going? I can't wait to find out. Also, I'm glad we got such a mixed data set with regard to these tokens. Roz has two. Ger failed on purpose. And Red didn't get one. So we're gonna get a lot of data when this new ep airs tonight! Can't wait to see what Brennan has in store!

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

[serenlyss]

Mob Psycho Fic Recs Part 3

Here we go again! I’ve racked up another 10 bookmarks to share. As always, if you are the author of any of these wonderful fics and want to have your tumblr tagged just let me know!

Parental Supervision Author: piperita Rating: G Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: In Progress Tags: dad reigen, good parent reigen, protective reigen, found family Summary: Reigen finds out that Teruki lives alone. No parents, foster parents, or even a hired caretaker. He doesn't know exactly what he's going to do with this information, but it's certainly not 'nothing'. Or: Reigen's awkward, messy, and backwards guide to adopting psychic children. My Notes: Just a nice cute fic about Reigen looking out for and helping take care of Teru after finding out that he lives on his own. It’s cute and very sweet how Reigen takes a kind of backwards approach to helping out Teru, since Teru is way too stubborn to allow himself to be completely cared for by someone else. I really love Reigen and Teru’s dynamic in this fic so far and I’m excited to see more!

aquarium Author: amaranthinecanicular Rating: G Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: Complete Tags: ritshou, mermaid au, background terumob Summary: It was just a fairytale. One of those bedtime stories parents tell their kids to make them wary of the surface. Merfolk didn’t fall in love with humans, they didn’t fall for the sweet words of seawitches and they didn’t fall out of the ocean with legs only to fall back as seafoam. It was just a fairytale. It was supposed to be a fairytale. My Notes: One of my all-time favorite ritshou fics, I go back and reread it all the time! I’m such a sucker for mermaid fics and this one is super beautifully written. It’s poetic and flows so so well, it wraps you in from the very beginning with its gorgeous prose and mysterious story. It’s definitely been an inspiration to me in pursuing a more descriptive and flowery writing style for certain fics. The budding friendship between Shou and Ritsu is endearing and believable and very in character, and the little mermaid inspiration brings a familiarity to the story as well that makes it easy to follow and understand what’s going on behind the scenes. I absolutely adore how the author writes Ritsu’s point of view, it’s just a really really solid and fun fic that I’ll continue to go back to after this.

Out of Body Author: bobmoss Rating: M Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: In Progress Tags: serirei, slow burn, mental health issues, recovery, case fic, hurt/comfort Summary: Serizawa's recovery seems to be going so well, but then he suddenly develops a habit of accidental out of body experiences during panic attacks. My Notes: A very sweet, emotional exploration of Serizawa and Reigen’s budding relationship post-world domination arc. I absolutely love the way the author writes these two as friends who know and understand each other, and how that leads into an eventual romance. It has some really heart-stoppingly scary dramatic moments, too, for being such a character-centered story, which took me pleasantly by surprise. I really look forward to what the author has planned for the future of this fic!

Night Terrors Author: futuresoon Rating: T Archive Warnings: Unspecified (there’s some blood/injury and horror elements, but nothing too extreme) Completion Status: Complete Tags: Yomawari: Midnight Shadows fusion (no knowledge needed to read), horror, angst, alternate universe Summary: Ritsu wants psychic powers more than he wants almost anything. But he didn’t expect them to only be good for seeing spirits, and he didn’t expect them to only appear after his brother walks into the forest and doesn’t come back. Now the town is full of monsters, and all Ritsu can do is search for his brother--but even powerful children are still children, and the night is not always kind. My Notes: This fic really took me by surprise, since I had never played Yomawari and knew nothing about it before reading this. It’s dark and relatively scary as far as my usual taste in fics go, but it’s written really well. The author is really good at displaying the hopeless aura of the situation without making it seem like all is lost, and the atmosphere and constantly moving story make it really easy to get lost in this dark alternate reality. It’s not really a happy fic, though, and the ending is rather bittersweet, so be aware if you decide to read this one.

The Accelerated Velocity of Terminological Inexactitude Author: LogicalBookThief Rating: G Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: Complete Tags: terumob, fake dating au, slow build/slow burn, crushes, pining, holding hands, slight angst, mentions of mogami arc Summary: Teru offers to fake date Mob in order to gain Tsubomi's attention. His own crush on Mob makes this plan somewhat problematic. My Notes: Teru has a big ol crush on Mob and takes advantage of his crush on Tsubomi to become his fake boyfriend for a time, except it really does more harm to himself than to anyone else. The fake dating AU we all know and love, now with added mogami arc angst (just a little) and the slow realization that their fake relationship might have more truth behind it than either of them are intending. It’s a super sweet fic and a relatively quick read if you’re looking for something with meat that isn’t 100k words long. It brought quite a few smiles to my face and a couple of excited squeals as well.

Grow as we Go Author: lesboba Rating: T Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: In Progress Tags: terumob, fluff, character study, hurt/comfort, dad reigen, established relationship, good person teru, post-canon, kissing, panic attacks Summary: Teru's still working on himself, but he has time and the right people with him now. My Notes: This fic is so so good and sweet, it focuses on Teru coming into his own and figuring out how to be a good person post-canon. It’s so endearing seeing him interacting with the whole Kageyama family, especially Shigeo, who he’s dating in secret, and his parents, who treat him like their own son and it’s great. It’s so nice to see Teru’s struggle to remind himself that he can change and become better from inside his own head, since in canon we only get brief mentions of what that must be like. It’s also super soft, just very very soft, and it makes me feel nice every time I go back to refresh myself on it.

Blind Eye Author: NewWorldFool Rating: G Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: Complete Tags: ritshou, pining, fluff, mutual pining, john mulaney references Summary: “Yo, Ritsu!” Shou says with a nonchalant wave as he walks through the doorway, entering the threshold of the student council room. The boy in question sighs, but not unkindly. “Shou,” he says in lieu of a greeting. Shou showing up to the student council meetings has become a somewhat common occurrence even though he doesn’t even attend the school. He won’t admit the exact reason why, but Ritsu deduced it was probably to mess with him. Normally he’d be annoyed, but today? Ritsu is grateful for the interruption. (Basically a ritshou fic where they're dating but not really dating and Ritsu gets an epiphany) My Notes: This is a super sweet, super cute one-shot about how Ritsu and Shou act like they’re a couple long before they actually start dating and I love it. Shou showing up at Ritsu’s school and house out of the blue is one of my favorite fanon interpretations of him and it’s played out really well in this fic. I also love the idea of the two of them just being unabashedly affectionate when it’s just the two of them, they have such a cute relationship in this interpretation!

Cinderella-Esque Author: beanpots and Floral Fancies (lovelycoris) Rating: T Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: Complete Tags: ritshou, terumob, cinderella au, curses Summary: Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was a tiny kingdom that was peaceful, prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition. Tucked away in the corner of town lies a charming little stone house that's absolutely smothered by flowers of impeccable beauty. But the life around the Kageyama house belies the bane plaguing them - Ritsu Kageyama will do anything to lift the curse from his older brother. Even if it costs him a glass shoe. My Notes: This might be my favorite mob psycho fic like.. ever. I remember staying up into the early hours of the morning to read it all in one sitting because I just had to know what happened next. It’s beautifully written and leaves you on the edge of your seat wondering what might happen next, and the fantasy/cinderella vibes are so so fun to read. This art also comes with the amazing added bonus of having beautiful chapter cover art and even some mini comics slotted into the fic itself, which is such a treat to come across every single time. I highly recommend this fic to anyone who likes ritshou and terumob even a little, it’s so well-written and the characterization, specifically for Ritsu and Shigeo, is really solid.

first day Author: shcherbatskayas Rating: T Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: Complete Tags: ritshou, school nonsense, hugs, undiagnosed dyslexia, lunch sharing, mutual pining, trauma Summary: Ritsu can't stop himself from being excited about it: Shou's first day in his class. He can't stop himself from being nervous, either. My Notes: post-canon, Shou starts attending Salt middle school and ends up in Ritsu’s class. Shou’s not really cut out for school, unsurprisingly, but Ritsu’s there to keep him company and reassure him that he’ll end up alright. Ritsu makes a pro vs con list of what it’s like to have Shou as a classmate (and to have a friend in his class who he actually likes). It’s a really sweet, nice, fluffy fic and I love the way the author writes Ritsu and Shou’s friendship and how they support each other, I just really love all of the author’s ritshou fics actually. This one was particularly nice to read though, their interpretation of Ritsu and Shou’s relationship is really nice to read and comes across very natural and close.

It’s Hard to Read When You’re Fast Asleep Author: Squishy360 Rating: G Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: Complete Tags: good brother ritsu, family fluff, ???% as a character Summary: Mob passes out. ???% wakes up. Ritsu helps his brother take care of himself in the meantime. My Notes: This fic caught me by surprise in the best way. It’s short and tame and is such a fun and interesting take on ???%’s relationship with Ritsu, how he still recognizes Ritsu as his brother and has that sort of instinctual caring attitude toward him. It’s surprisingly wholesome and comes across almost like a crack fic but it just leaves you feeling warm and happy in the end. Ritsu’s initial fear of ???% and his slow realization that he’s not going to get hurt this time is so nice to read and very cathartic overall. I really love this idea and the author executes on it really really well!

[tyguygoodman]

Mystery Man

At Jefferson high’s masquerade ball, Cyrus follows a trail of notes to find his Prince Charming 

———————————

The repetitive pitter-patter on the window was all Cyrus could hear as he drove his gray Honda Civic through the pouring rain.

He was currently on his way to Andi’s house to meet up the rest of the GHC so they could get ready for the dance. OK, well it wasn’t just any dance. It was a masquerade ball. And Cyrus was so undeniably excited for it.

His cheeks hurt from smiling so much. And even though his suit was slightly tight, he couldn’t care less.

Ever since he knew it existed he’s dreamed of finding some beautiful girl and making her his Cinderella. And he still wanted that! Except now, his plans had changed a little.

Instead of finding some beautiful girl and sweeping her off her feet, he wished more than anything that TJ Kippen, basketball team captain, the most attractive guy in school, his best friend, would be the one to sweep Cyrus off his feet.

The thought made a strange mix of sadness and happiness stir up inside his brain.

Of course, this always happened when he thought about being in a relationship with TJ. Cyrus really truly liked him, but the boy was so obviously straight, it actually hurt.

Girls would come up and flirt with him after games and give him their numbers, although he always denies them, that didn’t mean he didn’t like girls. In fact, One day when Cyrus asked why he always denied the female companionship, He said that he already had a crush.

Probably some beautiful cheerleader with blond hair and perfect blue eyes with a really nice personality…

Cyrus let out a sigh as he realized he was already at the house and had probably been sitting there for a moment or two without moving. He parked the car and grabbed his umbrella, as he stepped up to the front door.

He pushed the cold plastic doorbell into its slot, alerting the girls that he was there, but instead of squealing, he could’ve sworn he heard someone say “Thanks for the help guys, I’ll leave through the back door.” And it was a boys voice too.

It couldn’t have been Bowie’s, it was too high pitched. It couldn’t be Jonah or Walker because they were already at the dance together taking pictures.

It didn’t really matter though, so he let the thought pop out of his head as the door opened up, revealing an Andi with one half of her face covered in makeup and a robe over her dress. “Cyrus! Thank god! Uhm, me and Buffy were just having a disagreement on which mask I should use. Come on in!”

As the girls worked their magic on Cyrus’ face and outfit, making him a huge glittery mess, somewhere in the middle He felt his phone ding in his pocket.

“Stay still!” Buffy groaned when he tried to retrieve it but as soon as he pulled his hand away from his phone, Andi elbowed her harshly, giving her some look that Cyrus didn’t understand.

Buffy’s eyes widened and she stepped away,“ Actually I’m gonna go get some water. You check your phone or whatever.”

He chuckled awkwardly as he shuffled around his back pocket in search, pulling the cold screen out after a second.

It was a Text from TJ.

“I’ve never understood how people can’t recognize a friend under a mask.”

—————

45 terrifying minutes later, the trio was stepping into the school. Cyrus told them to act like they weren’t friends, which would be an obvious give away to who they were, seeing as the whole school knew them as the GHC, but they both stood planted at his side.

“Hey,” Buffy nudged him motioning her head in the direction of the lockers, “I was wondering if I could have back that book I lent you? It’s in your locker right?”

“Well yeah, but do I have to get it right now? I could get it before we go home-”

“Yes!” Andi piped in, seeming overly intrigued by the situation, “I need it now! B…Because I wanted to borrow it! And I need it right now. How could you deprive me of the wonderful world of reading for one more second Cyrus?!”

“Wow, okay…I didn’t realize you wanted to read about basketball so much…”

He walked away tentatively. He was honestly a bit worried about their health at this point.

As Cyrus swished the pesky metal knob back and forth, even failing one time, he finally got it. But instead of immediately grabbing the book from his bottom shelf, he watched a white piece of paper float down to his feet gracefully.

“What the…” his voice trailed off as he leaned down to pick it up, folding open the white material.

‘I heard you talking about a dream’ -Mystery Man

What?

Something so strange was happening…he just didn’t know what.

Who in the world was mystery man? And why did he put a note in Cyrus’ locker? Was it just Andi and Buffy playing a trick on him?

He let out a bit of a laugh, shaking his head slightly. it must’ve been them. That’s why they were acting so suspicious! “Excuse me?”

Cyrus jumped, spinning around suddenly to look at whoever the voice belonged to, simultaneously hiding the note behind his back.

There was a short-ish boy with ginger hair standing in front of the first locker in the row, looking at him.

It was like…incredibly creepy

“Uhm–hi? D-did you need something?” He stuttered, mentally facepalming for tripping up so much.

“This might seem a bit strange,” he started, even taking a deep breath before he started talking again,“ But I’m supposed to give you this.”

The boy pulled out a rose with another piece of paper attached to it. As soon as it was in Cyrus’ grip, the boy ran back into the party.

Got it…Andi and Buffy, we’re really trying to weird him out here.

Maybe they were actually having fun with this. Of course, why would Cyrus wanna ruin their little joke? He read the note on the rose, giving an overdramatic reaction to the girls, who were probably watching him from around the corner.

But when he looked around, he didn’t see either of his friends, but another boy smiling at him. Not creepily, just…happily.

Even if he was smiling creepily, Cyrus wouldn’t care because– oh my god

The teen had a dark gray suit with a red lining and a white undershirt. Tucked in his chest pocket, was a rose. The rose with the most beautiful shade of scarlet covering it. Not to mention it fit his body like– perfectly.

“What did you find?” He asked, motioning to Cyrus’ hand. “Oh, just something…my friends are pranking me. At least I think they are.”

The boy cracked a smile, “I Don’t think that’s the case. If your friends were the ones that gave you those, how do I know about the Dream?”

“Oh…” Cyrus felt his face flush, “You put them in here? What’s your name?”

“Be creative Cyrus. You’re going to have to figure that out yourself.”

The guy walked away after that, leaving him dumbfounded, so Cyrus turned to his note.

'For someone to love you at every seem.’ -Mystery Man

So, he wasn’t being pranked, 'the Fancy-tux-mystery-guy was the one behind the rose and locker note, but Andi and Buffy were still the ones that told me to go there, so they must know something’ He concluded.

with a sigh, he walked out into the dance room, coloring his locker door in the way.

As soon as he spotted Andi’s dress he walked up to her, giving a slight slap on the back of her head.

She turned around with a pout, making Cyrus feel slightly bad. But at least she deserved it.

“What is this about?” He groaned, holding up the notes.

“Who’s mystery man?”

“Don’t play coy with me, Andi! I know you know who he is. He told me.”

“He did?”

Cyrus Smirked, “Not really, but you just confirmed it.”

Andi rolled her eyes, punching him in the shoulder.“I can’t tell you, I’m sorry Cy.”

“Do I at least know him?”

“I mean you would know if you knew him.” Cyrus glared at Buffy as she walked up behind Andi with a smug look on her face.

“Don’t use that with me. Don’t you have some boyfriend to be getting punch for?” He mocked, sticking his young out at her like a mature 17 year old would do.

Andi gasped, pointing to the bottom of the stage “No, but you do!” She handed him an empty cup as she grabbed Buffy’s arm and dragged her away “Enjoy the party!” She yelled back.

He followed where her fingers went, leading him to the same perfect tux boy that he had met before. The boy pointed down to Cyrus’ cup, then winked at him. Leaving the same way Andi did.

He peered into the cup, gasping at the piece of paper taped to the bottom.

Did they plant these things before the party?!

'A boy to make you feel like royalty’ -Mystery man

Now that Cyrus was sure it wasn’t one of his friends being dumb, he really wasn’t sure who this guy was. All of the notes that were given to him made a poem, but the poem didn’t give any hints away as to who the mystery man was.

For half a second, a thought popped into His head that maybe…just maybe, his mystery man was none other than TJ kippen, but he shoved it down as hard as he possibly could. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, and even if He isn’t TJ, he sure is going through a lot to get this message to Cyrus. So he must be a hard working person at least.

“Would you like a snack with your drink dude?”

The black haired boy silently thanked whoever this was for pulling him out of his head.

Now, in front of him was one of the dance waiters. Yes, waiters. They were usually kids that got in detention days before the dance, used as a luxury for the good kids. They weren’t allowed to wear masks so Cyrus was pleasantly surprised with a familiar face.

“Hey, Reed!” Cyrus took a cookie off of the silver platter he was carrying with a polite smile. “You get detention again for smoking weed in the bathrooms?”

Reed cackled, nodding triumphantly. He started to walk away but after a second he backtracked quickly, switching the platter to his left hand,“By the way, I was supposed to somehow get this note on that Cookie,” he mumbled, fishing something out of his pocket and handing it to Cyrus, “But uh, I was kinda high when I did that too and I tried to bake the note into the cookie. Needless to say, it didn’t work, so I thought I’d just hand it to ya. Bye kid!”

He probably should’ve expected that.

'To show ultimate loyalty’ -Mystery man

——————————

Two hours Later, a very tired boy was sitting at a table, head down with a massive headache.

As cute as this was, and it really was cute, Cyrus couldn’t figure out for the life of him how he was supposed to find this boy.

All throughout the night, there were people giving him notes. It almost seemed like the whole school was in on it! When he had gone to get pictures with Andi and Buffy, Amber (she was taking the pictures for extra credit in journalism class) gave him the pictures with the note somehow already written on the back!

It had said, “I can give you what you what.” -Mystery Man

And not to mention, can you guess how was talking to her after they left? That’s right! Fancy tux guy himself.

He felt a pout slide on his face as he rearranged the pieces of paper on the tablecloth. It was easy to tell that the poem wasn’t written by any Edgar Allen Poe, or maybe it was because Edgar kinda sucked at love poems. And yes, the poem wasn’t the most creative thing, but it was still sweet.

He liked the most recent pieces he got from Walker and Jonah that said

'It’s all I want to do’ -mystery man

And 'I will sweep you off your feet’ -Mystery Man. They didn’t seem like much on their own, but it sounded like the poem was coming to an end. Maybe he could finally figure out who his Prince Charming was!

“Are you getting worn out?”

The shorter boys head popped up, with a smile. It was TJ! Accept, when he made eye contact, it wasn’t. It was fancy man…

'I must be hallucinating.’ He huffed

“What? Not happy to see me?”

“No, I just thought you were someone else,” Cyrus said with his most respectful smile. He didn’t want to make the one person that might actually like him, feel bad.

“And who would that be?”

His voice almost sounded hopeful and happy, even though Cyrus wasn’t talking about him. And he knew that.

“My friend TJ. I wanted to talk to him tonight.”

He gave a nod a stood up from his chair. For an odd second, Cyrus panicked because he though tux guy was gonna leave him alone, instead he walked up to him and held out his hand. “How about I distract you for a bit? I like this song.”

A sigh a relief exited his mouth as he got up with a slight hop in his step. If he spent time with the taller boy, maybe he could figure out who it was.

Cyrus was absolutely burning red as Mystery Man put his hands and his waist. He was hesitant to put his arms around the other boy’s neck, but when he smiled at him encouragingly, Cyrus relaxed and slotted his hands behind the taller boys head.

The Smile seemed strangely familiar, which was easily a sign that he knew this person, but who’s smile was it? Cyrus titled his head slightly, observing the other boys facial features. He felt as if the name was on the tip of his young, but it got swept away as Mystery man started to speak.

“Any clue who I am yet?” He nudged on.

The dark haired boy rolled his eyes at the irony and giggles, “I would if you didn’t interrupt my thinking process.”

“My whole goal tonight is to distract you. I’m glad I’m succeeding.” Something seemed a bit off about that. Why would Cyrus need to be distracted?

“What do you mean?” He prodded.

“If you weren’t distracted, I wouldn’t be able to finish this part of the plan.” Mystery man spun Cyrus around, letting him expand to the edges of the dance floor, the grabbing him again and pulling him closer than before. “Nobody else is dancing, cutie.” He whispered, sending shivers down Cyrus’ spine.

He looked around frantically realizing that he and the taller boy were, in fact, the only people on the dance floor. Everyone else was standing around the edge, smiling at them.

He noticed a very energetic Buffy and Andi standing at the front of the crowd giving him a thumbs up, but it barely made him feel less nervous.

“Who did you say you were looking for again?” Although Cyrus was somehow positive that he remembered the name, he repeated himself.

“My friend TJ kippen…” he murdered, flushing at the realization that TJ could very well be watching him from the crowd.

“And why can’t you find him again?”

“Well everyone is wearing masks…it would be hard to spot him in the crowd.”

“You know,” he started, leaning in closer, “I’ve never understood how people can’t recognize a friend under a mask.”

Why did that sound so familiar?

“I mean, if you’re close enough, you should be able to tell easily.”

Where in the hell had he heard that before?

“Do you think you could do that for me underdog? Do you think you could look slightly closer?”

Cyrus had almost missed it. But with the close proximity, every word that was being conveyed and processed, was clear as water.

And then, he looked closer.

“TJ..?”

The taller boy stayed silent for a moment, then smiled nervously.

“I heard you talking about a dream, for someone to love you at every seem.

A boy to treat you like royalty, to show ultimate loyalty. I can give you what you want, it’s all I want to do. Thanks for looking closer so I can say that I love you.”

He took a hand off of Cyrus’ waist and untied his own mask, gripping it in his hand as it pulled away.

“Yeah…I know it’s cheesy.” He sighed, “But I wanted to give you your Cinderella story.”

Cyrus was dumbfounded as he studied the other boys face. Just to double check, that yes, standing in front of him, holding his waist, confessing his feelings, was TJ kippen. His best friend.

Cyrus retracted his hands, pulling his mask off with a small tug.

He felt his cheeks dampen, overwhelmed with happiness.

“Maybe it was.” He whispered, “But at least it was from you.”

He stood up on his toes, closing the distance, and moving his lips along TJ’s.

The entire room erupted in cheer and Cyrus found it hard not to break the kiss by smiling entirely too much.

—————THE END—————

Thanks so much for reading this! I had a masquerade ball idea in the drafts so quite a while, so I decided I would finally write it. 💗

[the-knights-who-say-book]

Girls made of snow, language made of thorns, and putting ourselves back in the narrative

I’ve had some ideas swirling around my head ever since I finished reading Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust that condensed while I was reading Leigh Bardugo’s short story collection The Language of Thorns, so I want to talk about it a little.

It started with the realization that Girls made of Snow, while it is a Snow White retelling (or perhaps better called a reimagining), completely leaves out the whole seven dwarves part of the story. In my review, I pointed this out as something I liked — the story didn’t need to sidetrack there, and it kept us focused on the real core of the story: Lynet’s relationship with her stepmother, Mina. Lynet being Snow White, Mina is the Evil Queen.

The book alternates chapters between Lynet’s present day and Mina’s journey from the daughter of a sorcerer to the bride of Lynet’s father, making Mina the second main character. This is where the book’s “feminist fantasy reimagining” tagline comes in. The point of Bashardoust’s story is to explore the stepmother-daughter relationship and how they could come into conflict without it being about who is the fairest of them all.

The point of tension Bashardoust goes for is about politics and power, a much more satisfying reason than “well, women get angry when another woman is prettier, that’s all”. But the framework of Snow White also gives her plenty of room to work with how women’s appearances and age are seen and judged. What if Lynet’s beauty binds her to her dead mother in a way that strangles her, while Mina struggles with knowing her beauty gains her what respect she commands and aging could steal it away? The commentary that emerges isn’t new — I think we all realize how damaging the value placed on women’s appearances is — but using the cultural touchstone of Snow White makes this version powerful. It’s probably my favorite thing about the book, even above giving Lynet a female love interest, which is something we’re going to circle back to.

Consider, for example, Mina’s power to control glass. The idea of giving a woman who is forced to care about her beauty the power to make looking glasses into weapons (the power to control what controls her in the original story) has an inherent message that’s only as powerful as it is because the iconography of Snow White is so well known to Bashardoust’s audience. That’s why she can give us a handful of Snow White parallels and then leave out one of the biggest story points and still have us understand the commentary she’s making. The messages are built in; she doesn’t have to build them first in order to tear them down. They’re already there.

Because we know fairytales. Reference Cinderella’s slipper, Sleeping Beauty’s spindle, or Snow White’s glass coffin and you can easily call up a whole set of values, assumptions, and feelings with hardly another word. Our reservoir of shared stories (consider also the Greek myths) is essentially a resource for writers who want to make it obvious they’re subverting our cultural mores. It’s shorthand for “Society is fucked up, hold my beer and watch this”. It’s a way of making subtle commentary in an... obvious manner? It’s a unique way of balancing obvious and subtle; it’s the equivalent of roadsigns you only need to glance at to know that you’re driving towards; it’s an ocean of potential stories waiting to be overturned. The ability of writers to take any of these classic objects or situations and drop them into their stories and immediately add a whole slew of connected ideas is fascinating to me. It’s magical.

Which brings us to The Language of Thorns. The collection isn’t exactly labeled “retold/reimagined faiytales” anywhere (it’s a collection of stories that would be read to children in her Grishaverse), but Bardugo says in her author’s note, “That unease [with the ending of Hansel and Gretel] has guided me through these stories […] The more I listened to that note of warning, the more inspiration I found.” The stories indeed feature a retelling of Hansel and Gretel, a prequel to The Little Mermaid, and a reimagining of The Nutcracker.

In one of my gleeful posts as I read the book I ended up gushing that “by writing her own fairytales [Leigh Bardugo] gets to play with our expectations, because we get all the references to our own stories — gingerbread houses, labyrinths holding monsters, clever talking animals — so we have a false sense of security that we know where it’s all going, and then she treats the ending of the stories more like writing a novel and adds more complexity than we expect of stories like Cinderella or Hansel and Gretel” and yes I’m going to quote myself in my own essay-thing because I still think that was a good reaction.

The first story of the collection, Ayama and the Thornwood, makes Bardugo’s intentions clear when the main character literally retells three different tales with improved endings to satisfy the boredom of a beast who finds fairytales too predictable and unrealistic. So it’s, you know, meta.

There’s an excitement there, in reading the fairytales you (sort of) know with their seams torn open to make room for you, stitched into something new. In Bardugo’s stories, the Grimm brothers’ female villains are reexamined, blame is shifted, new ideas are put forward (not all connected to feminism, but the treatment of Hansel and Gretel and The Little Mermaid’s villains, and the creation of a new female villain in Bardugo’s The Too-Clever Fox, make a clear argument about the roles women are given in our fairytales).

This is a nice connection to Girls Made of Snow and Glass: the deeper treatment of women’s motives that make familiar tales new. I’m almost disappointed The Language of Thorns didn’t include a Snow White story to compare and contrast with.

But let’s circle back to Lynet’s love interest in Girls Made of Snow: Nadia, the castle physician. It was the promise of a gay Snow White that drew me to the story, and it’s still a wonderful aspect of the book. Putting women into slots reserved for men is almost always a breath of fresh air, especially when the rest of the story isn’t then adjusted to keep it heterosexual. One reason is because it eliminates the “man always saving the woman” aspect by making it one woman saving another — consider Nadia filling the prince’s role in awakening Lynet from her coffin, and the female river spirit of Little Knife winning the hand in marriage of the beautiful girl. But of course the major reason is getting to see non-heterosexual people in fairytales.

We don’t get this when we’re younger. At least, I didn’t, though I hope that starts changing for kids now. So to read stories where the women love women, where men can love men and women (to reference The Language of Thorns specifically, since we get a bisexual protagonist in one story and a wlw couple in another) feels like — to quote a certain musical — putting ourselves back in the narrative. I can’t change the stories I was read when I was little, but I can (we all can) read the stories that are slowly but surely filling up goodreads’ “lgbt retellings” shelves.

(Possibly it’s weird to use the phrase “putting ourselves back in the narrative” when I’m actually not sure about either author’s sexuality, but this is mostly about the perception of queer readers getting queer retellings anyway. If I read Julia Heslin’s Once more recently I would have loved to add something about her version of reimagining queer fairytales but it’s been a bit too long for it to be fresh in my mind.)

“I put myself back in the narrative” isn’t a flawless parallel for other reasons as well. After all, the whole point about “Eliza and the narrative” is that she took herself out of it in the first place, and then put herself back in. The first action was as much an act of power as the undoing, and queer people never took ourselves out of fairytales in the first place (I don’t think that’s really a thing that happened, anyway). But I couldn’t get that line out of my head as I thought about this, so it seems like the right way to end this ramble.

When we put ourselves back in our narratives, when we tell our touchstone stories with us included, it’s automatically a powerful statement that we belong there. So yes, while this has mostly been me trying to figure out how to say “we all recognize fairytale elements at such an essential level that it gives authors an amazing tool to work with to make their works more nuanced and gives them a basis to build social commentary on”, I want to end this with the point that works created with these tools, narratives constructed on these foundations, are so liberating and important and wonderful because they not only make use of our childhood tales but tell us we belong there.

[onstageoffstage-blog]

Auditioning at 25

I got a Facebook event invitation while I was pretending to be productive at work on a slow Tuesday afternoon. I don’t usually respond to those annoying invitations or even bother opening them, for that matter. I feel like they are a sad attempt to connect people in an overly digital world. Seeing that it was a slow Tuesday and I hadn’t seen a customer in 45 minutes, I humored myself and clicked the link to the event.

“Audition Notice! Regional premiere musical! All Female cast! June 28th, 7:00pm -10:00pm. Click here to reserve your spot!”

“Hmmm, someone’s trying to really play up the mundane reality of auditioning.” I thought to myself. Despite my cynical reaction, I was intrigued. I took the next hour and researched everything I could about the theatre, the production, the theatre staff... all the way down to the marital status of the playwright. I’m not sure how I got that information but it seemed important at the time. After finishing up all the Nancy Drew-ing I could do, my concluding thought was: 

“Fuck it. Maybe I’ll shake off the dust on the ole audition book and give it a whirl.”  

I continued reading the audition notice. I haven’t auditioned for a show in a little over a year and this audition was a true musical theatre audition complete with a dance call... Fuck. “I haven’t danced since college,” I thought “there’s no way I’m gonna be able to keep up.” The most dancing I do now is an occasional drunk 8 count to whatever the latest hits are... how the fuck am I going to put on my character shoes and “step-ball-change” my way into a callback? BUT after consulting with literally anyone who would listen to me, I was affirmed all the way to an audition slot at 7:30pm. 

Preparing for the audition came back naturally to me, like riding a bike or smoking a cigarette. You never forget, right? I called my mom the day after confirming my audition time and asked her to enter into the nostalgic nightmare that is my childhood closet to search for my entire music catalog and dance shoes. She found them quickly, which is surprising considering I wasn’t even a hundred percent sure they were in there. She had my brother drop them off at my house that next day. 

My music catalog was barely in tact and my dance bag had a few stains and tears on it. I guess it’s either a sign of good use or total neglect. I opened up my college dance bag and dug out all four pairs of dance shoes I owned: two pairs of character shoes, my taps and my ballet slippers. “Oh my god, I hope these still fit me.” I groaned as a slipped off my tennis shoes to seal the fate of my dance attire. I gained a few pounds since college and I was convinced these worn out, faded shoes were not going on my fat feet. I slipped on my character shoes and they fit like they always had. “Congratulations, Cinderella” I muttered under my breath. One task to check off the to do list before this audition. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, fitting into those shoes made me feel like me again. I could still belt out a power ballad and kiss the leading man with the best of them. I could feel it.

The day of the audition came and I was ready to kick some ass. I was dressed in my favorite polka dotted skirt and a calm, cool and collected veteran attitude. My husband pulled up and parked right outside the doors of the theatre at 7:15pm. “You nervous?” he asked. I looked up from my sheet music that I had been counting in my head, “No, actually. I’ve done this countless times. Just have to get back in my groove.” He smiled and put his hand over mine, “ I’m so proud of you. Go fuck it up, babe.” He kissed my cheek and got out of the car and walked through the double doors.

There were signs everywhere pointing me in the direction of the audition space. When I reached the end of the paper trail, I was surprised to see that there was no one in the waiting room except a girl who looked like an assistant. I walked over to her makeshift desk of a card table and folding chair to check in. “Hi, name please?” she said in an adolescent pitch. “Um, Hi, I’m Lindsey. My audition is at 7:30.” She looked down at her sheet and put a check by my name. She handed me a form and a pen to fill out and told me to have a seat. “Damn, how old is she?” I thought as I sat down “There’s no way she’s older than 18.” I quieted my curiosity and filled out the form swiftly. As I was finishing up, I heard the audition door open. I looked up from my lap and saw another painfully young girl come out. She was wearing a textbook audition dress; jewel tones, A-line, sweetheart neckline... the whole fucking works. I tried not to audibly groan. Her hair was curled with the tightest of curling irons and her makeup looked like she spent way too much time on it this morning. “Holy shit, she’s a newbie. Didn’t anyone tell her we don’t dress like that anymore?” I thought. “Break a leg” she whispered as she walked past my chair. I looked up and smiled as she walked out the door. I remember when I used to dress like that for auditions. I remember when I had that same shy, nervous yet overly sure of myself attitude. I remember not knowing anything about auditioning in the “real world.” My education ruined me when it came to practicality. When you got to a performing arts college, they pound it into your head that your appearance is half your audition, so do it up big. It makes my skin crawl thinking about it it still. Shouldn’t my talent be more important in an audition? It made me angry that this philosophy was apparently still being taught to the younger graduating classes after me. My thoughts were interrupted by the girl behind the card table desk. “Lindsey, if you’re ready, you can go on back.” I stood up smoothed the wrinkles out of my skirt, exchanged pleasantries and walked through the big black door, trying to forget all that bullshit I was taught.

...

“How’d it go?! Tell me everything!” My husband explodes the moment I get back into the car. I love how supportive he is. “It went really well actually. I only sang one of my songs because the auditioners and I talked too much. They seemed to really like me.” I was really proud of myself for even getting out and doing this audition at all. “But you know what made me feel a little odd though?” I asked out loud “when I left my audition and walked back through the waiting room, there were seven girls in there all dressed up in that audition look” I said with air quotes. “It made me feel so weird. They were so young, babe. I mean, I felt like an jaded hag walking through a crowd of virgins.” He let out a loud laugh and put his hand on my thigh. “You’re not jaded, just seasoned.” I have a tendency to exaggerate but this time, I really meant what I said. I let my head rest on the back of the seat and let out a sign of relief that it was finally over. 

I’m not entirely sure why the age gap bothered me. After taking some time to decompress, I think it wasn’t the age difference that struck a sour note with me, but the length of time I spent away from the audition scene. Maybe I felt a little outdated. I sang songs that were older that myself, carried myself like a retired thespian and was searching for validation from the auditioners that I “still had it.” I realized that I wasn’t tired, jaded or overdone, I was just really confident in myself. I didn’t spend hours on my makeup. I didn’t go out and purchase a special dress. I didn’t obsess over the tempo of my song or properly notating my music. I didn’t pace the audition waiting room floor going over my songs in my head. I didn’t panic. I didn’t sweat. I didn’t worry. I just did it. I just did the damn thing. I did the thing that comes so naturally to me. I just went in there and did what I loved. Like me or not, I don’t give a fuck. I just did it.

[ecoamerica]

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The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

[fictionadventurer]

WIP asks: 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 24

5. Where did you draw inspiration from?

I’ve already talked about my direct literary influences (my philosophy for this story is ‘shamelessly steal from everything’ and it’s great), so I’ll talk about some more general sources of inspiration. I’ve gotten a lot of aesthetic inspiration from Pinterest, worldbuilding inspiration from European history, and some physics help from my brother. When brainstorming, I tend to get inspiration about plot structure from writing podcasts, and get character insight from listening to music (I’ve only just noticed the distinction).

I’m also doing research into the flight aspects via the James Holzhauer method--reading children’s books. It’s already been so helpful that I don’t know why I haven’t done this before. Rather than getting 300-pages-minimum of highly technical and specific information that largely doesn’t pertain to my work, I get 30-40 pages of very general, easy-to-understand information that provides a great knowledge base and tons of pictures! (Did you know that there was a pedal-powered plane that successfully crossed the English Channel? Do you know how perfectly something like that would fit into this book’s aesthetic?)

6. Is your WIP part of a series or standalone?

It’s a standalone story within a wider universe. The original “lost library” idea that sparked this world still has potential if I can ever figure out a coherent plot/character arc, and I have nascent ideas for Beauty and the Beast, The Princess and the Pea, and Goose Girl retellings in this universe. I’m also considering the possibility of reworking A Beautiful Tomorrow and setting it here.

7. What genre is your WIP in?

Though I’m somewhat ashamed to admit it, it’s fantasy romance. You wouldn’t think I’d be surprised by this, given that it’s directly Austen-inspired, but I was so focused on the fact that I’m weaving together Austen and Cinderella plot points with the details of this world that it wasn’t until later that I stepped back and realized, “This is a romance.” But I’m aiming for a classic-novel romance where romance is just one part of life, rather than romance-genre romance where the feelings and emotions and attractions are the point of life.

9. Who is your favourite character to write?

Based on my usual character preferences and the fact that he undergoes the most significant character arc, I would guess it would be my prince character (I keep avoiding his name, so I think I need to change it). However, he’s a bit too unpleasant early on, and I think his character arc’s going to be difficult to write. So if he’s not my favorite character to write, I’m hoping it’s Lisette, because we’re going to be in her head the whole time and I want her to be a character worthy of that focus. It’ll probably be a side character though. Maybe the fairy godmother, if I can decide exactly who’s filling that role.

10. Do you have an outline? Do you stick to it?

I’m going to have such a detailed outline. I’m getting tired of having intriguing beginnings that never get finished because I hit roadblocks. However, I’m using an outlining process that plays to my discovery writer strengths. Rather than filling out forms and making charts and making sure that every scene has all the Required Points of Conflict, I’m just...writing. Writing quick sketches of scenes in the plot and adjusting them as brainstorming reveals better directions. Sketching out a character’s life story rather than filling in slots in a checklist. I’m building my story piece by piece and fleshing it out, so that by the time I get to the drafting stage, I’m going to stick to it because I’ve already figured out that this structure works.

11. How do you structure your plot?

I’ve got the fairy tale to guide the first half of the story, and I’m just figuring out the big scenes that need to happen and filling in the gaps between them. For the second half, I reintroduce the characters, set up their new situations, and figure out the points that believably lead to a happy ending. I’m probably going to throw seven-point structure over this at some point. And I’m trying to figure out ways to have parallels between the two parts of the story.

12. What part is the hardest to write in your WIP?

Again, not drafting yet, but I think the hardest part is going to be making the two halves feel like they’re both part of the same story. Both my mains undergo a lot of character growth during the time they’re apart, so they feel like two sets of characters in two separate books. It’s going to be a big challenge to make their older selves feel like believable developments of their younger incarnations.

15. Post a line from a WIP that you’re working on.

No lines yet from this project, but there’s a line from the planning document that’s necessary to all Cinderella retellings: “As long as you’re back by midnight, you’ll be fine.”

16. Give a spoiler for your WIP.

I’ve already given away most of the spoilers I know. Oops. Well, here’s a minor one: It rains on the night of the ball.

24. Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

There are very few that are entirely abandoned, because aside from extremely minor ideas that never got past a page or two of brainstorming, there’s always at least a chance I could return to an old project someday.

One of the few major projects that I’ve permanently abandoned is actually another Cinderella retelling. It was a space fantasy on a planet where storms had strange effects on people. I abandoned it because  I decided the premise of the world was really dumb. And because there was no real narrative drive--my Cinderella character just wandered through her world having things happen to her. I may reuse some of the character dynamics in other projects, though.