#I really want to find the original dark Rapunzel fairytale and read it

[winterfireice]

Cinderella if you want to do more an angsty right or wrong thing

Or Rapunzel because I don’t know I just think it’s a cool fairytale 

okay i need advice

which fairytale should i do a retelling of for my class(and subsequently which should be my first original piece that i share with the general public)?

Rapunzel.

Cinderella.

Beauty and The Beast

[tsuzuruteeth]

I’ve been thinking and what if mc was a musical fan, what musicals would they make the brothers watch with them.

Lucifer:

- the phantom of the opera

- fits his aesthetic visually

- probably one of the only musicals that would fit him musically cause of the classical feel

- favourite song would probably be music of the night

- doesn’t mind the plot but prefers to just listen to the soundtrack after the first time

- sometimes refers to mc as Christine as a nickname after watching it together just to see them be flustered

Mammon:

- the Rocky Horror Picture Show

- shows him the live version for the heckling he loves that shit

- doesn’t get the plot until mc explains that no one really does then he just doesn’t care

- was apprehensive about watching a musical but doesn’t mind this type

- loves hot patootie

- the songs get stuck in his head all the time can you imagine Asmo’s reaction when he sings “I’m just a seeet transvestite” under his breath one day

Levi:

- Be More Chill

- feels like he relates to most of the charas

- fav song is two player game and he tells mc that they’re his player two while mc tried not to melt into a puddle

- cried at Michael in the bathroom cause he felt that

- wouldn’t ask to watch it again but wouldn’t say no if his player two wanted to watch it with him

Satan:

- was gonna be funny and say cats but I don’t think he’d appreciate humans dressed up as cats

- Into the Woods

- based off fairy tales and he loves seeing how the stories all connect

- thinks last midnight is a bop and loves the witch

- thinks rapunzel is stupid

- again wouldn’t ask to watch again but wouldn’t complain if they asked him to watch it with them

- totally wants to have a fairytale reading session with them after it though

Asmo

- Mean Girls

- relates to Regina and and thinks she’s a queen

- thinks world burn is so sexy

- loves the Halloween scene when they’re all wearing sexy outfits

- will ask to watch the original mean girls afterwards

- sometimes asks you to put on the musical cause he likes to sing along with the songs

Beel:

- six

- it had to be a short musical cause his hunger ain’t gonna let him be there for that long

- loves when they reclaimed their stories at the end

- really loves heart of stone and I don’t need your love

- says that heart of stone is how he feels about mc and suddenly mc is crying on the floor and beel thinks he’s done something wrong but no no you’re just too sweet

- doesn’t ask to watch it but if he sees you watching it he will sit next to you with popcorn no questions asked

Belphie:

- Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

- he loves for this type of dark shit

- disappointed when no ones throats actually get slit like belphie plz remember this is pretend

- likes the intro cause it’s dramatic and tells him everything he needs to know so if he accidentally all asleep half way through he knows what’s gonna happen

- won’t watch it again because he’ll just fall asleep

Bonus

Diavolo:

- Les Miserable

- finds it intresting because it shows how humans deal with their issues

- cried at empty chairs at empty tables (diavolo ur literally the king of hell you’ve seen worse??? He knows it’s just... humans are so fragile)

- likes hear the people song because people joining together in unity!!!

- he’s gonna be depressed for days after finishing it why did you have to show him one of the most tragic musicals out there

- refuses to watch it again because he has dignity!!!

Barbatos:

- Heathers

- likes the overall message and dark humour

- if you show him the movie he’s gonna prefer that cause it’s more his humour style but still likes the musical

- likes our love is god because it’s the turning point and because he’s thinks it’s funny cause you know, devildom

- won’t watch it with you again because this man is busy but if he’s free... he won’t say no

Simeon

- Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat

- Made for kids so it’s family friendly! Plus it’s a bible story!!! He loves it!!!

- close every door to me is his song because it’s a song of faith in your darkest times praise the lord amen

- thanks mc for showing him this, will watch again in his own time and will also show luke

Luke:

- the lion King

- he is a child he’d love it

Solomon:

- Legally Blonde

- already watched it before so is glad to join you to watch it again

- plays gay or European whenever lucifer and diavolo are together

- fav song is positive just for the lyrics “keep it positive as you pull her hair and call her whore” and will quote it if given the chance

- probably watched it again with you and asmo

[atiny-piratequeen]

since you dont know many german tales, how about the original story of rapunzel?

~~

There were once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child. At length the woman hoped that God was about to grant her desire. These people had a little window at the back of their house from which a splendid garden could be seen, which was full of the most beautiful flowers and herbs. It was, however, surrounded by a high wall, and no one dared to go into it because it belonged to an enchantress, who had great power and was dreaded by all the world.

One day the woman was standing by this window and looking down into the garden, when she saw a bed which was planted with the most beautiful rampion - Rapunzel, and it looked so fresh and green that she longed for it, and had the greatest desire to eat some. This desire increased every day, and as she knew that she could not get any of it, she quite pined away, and began to look pale and miserable.

Then her husband was alarmed, and asked, "What ails you, dear wife?"

"Ah," she replied, "if I can't eat some of the rampion, which is in the garden behind our house, I shall die."

The man, who loved her, thought, sooner than let your wife die, bring her some of the rampion yourself, let it cost what it will. At twilight, he clambered down over the wall into the garden of the enchantress, hastily clutched a handful of rampion, and took it to his wife. She at once made herself a salad of it, and ate it greedily. It tasted so good to her - so very good, that the next day she longed for it three times as much as before. If he was to have any rest, her husband must once more descend into the garden. In the gloom of evening, therefore, he let himself down again. But when he had clambered down the wall he was terribly afraid, for he saw the enchantress standing before him.

"How can you dare," said she with angry look, "descend into my garden and steal my rampion like a thief? You shall suffer for it."

"Ah," answered he, "let mercy take the place of justice, I only made up my mind to do it out of necessity. My wife saw your rampion from the window, and felt such a longing for it that she would have died if she had not got some to eat."

Then the enchantress allowed her anger to be softened, and said to him, "If the case be as you say, I will allow you to take away with you as much rampion as you will, only I make one condition, you must give me the child which your wife will bring into the world. It shall be well treated, and I will care for it like a mother."

The man in his terror consented to everything, and when the woman was brought to bed, the enchantress appeared at once, gave the child the name of Rapunzel, and took it away with her.

Rapunzel grew into the most beautiful child under the sun. When she was twelve years old, the enchantress shut her into a tower, which lay in a forest, and had neither stairs nor door, but quite at the top was a little window. When the enchantress wanted to go in, she placed herself beneath it and cried,

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair!"

Rapunzel had magnificent long hair, fine as spun gold, and when she heard the voice of the enchantress she unfastened her braided tresses, wound them round one of the hooks of the window above, and then the hair fell twenty ells down, and the enchantress climbed up by it.

After a year or two, it came to pass that the king's son rode through the forest and passed by the tower. Then he heard a song, which was so charming that he stood still and listened. This was Rapunzel, who in her solitude passed her time in letting her sweet voice resound. The king's son wanted to climb up to her, and looked for the door of the tower, but none was to be found. He rode home, but the singing had so deeply touched his heart, that every day he went out into the forest and listened to it. Once when he was thus standing behind a tree, he saw that an enchantress came there, and he heard how she cried,

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair!"

Then Rapunzel let down the braids of her hair, and the enchantress climbed up to her. "If that is the ladder by which one mounts, I too will try my fortune," said he, and the next day when it began to grow dark, he went to the tower and cried,

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair!"

Immediately the hair fell down and the king's son climbed up. At first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man, such as her eyes had never yet beheld, came to her. But the king's son began to talk to her quite like a friend, and told her that his heart had been so stirred that it had let him have no rest, and he had been forced to see her. Then Rapunzel lost her fear, and when he asked her if she would take him for her husband, and she saw that he was young and handsome, she thought, he will love me more than old dame gothel does. And she said yes, and laid her hand in his.

She said, "I will willingly go away with you, but I do not know how to get down. Bring with you a skein of silk every time that you come, and I will weave a ladder with it, and when that is ready I will descend, and you will take me on your horse."

They agreed that until that time he should come to her every evening, for the old woman came by day.

The enchantress remarked nothing of this, until once Rapunzel said to her, "Tell me, Dame Gothel, how it happens that you are so much heavier for me to draw up than the young king's son - he is with me in a moment."

"Ah! You wicked child," cried the enchantress. "What do I hear you say. I thought I had separated you from all the world, and yet you have deceived me."

In her anger she clutched Rapunzel's beautiful tresses, wrapped them twice round her left hand, seized a pair of scissors with the right, and snip, snap, they were cut off, and the lovely braids lay on the ground. And she was so pitiless that she took poor Rapunzel into a desert where she had to live in great grief and misery.

On the same day that she cast out Rapunzel, however, the enchantress fastened the braids of hair, which she had cut off, to the hook of the window, and when the king's son came and cried,

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair!"

she let the hair down. The king's son ascended, but instead of finding his dearest Rapunzel, he found the enchantress, who gazed at him with wicked and venomous looks.

"Aha," she cried mockingly, "you would fetch your dearest, but the beautiful bird sits no longer singing in the nest. The cat has got it, and will scratch out your eyes as well. Rapunzel is lost to you. You will never see her again."

The king's son was beside himself with pain, and in his despair he leapt down from the tower. He escaped with his life, but the thorns into which he fell pierced his eyes. Then he wandered quite blind about the forest, ate nothing but roots and berries, and did naught but lament and weep over the loss of his dearest wife.

Thus he roamed about in misery for some years, and at length came to the desert where Rapunzel, with the twins to which she had given birth, a boy and a girl, lived in wretchedness. He heard a voice, and it seemed so familiar to him that he went towards it, and when he approached, Rapunzel knew him and fell on his neck and wept. Two of her tears wetted his eyes and they grew clear again, and he could see with them as before. He led her to his kingdom where he was joyfully received, and they lived for a long time afterwards, happy and contented.

~~

so i have been taught a version that is a little easier on children, where rapunzel was basically safed by her prince and they lived happily ever after. and no birthing twins either. BUT this version has been the one read to children for decades since it was written.

i liked the disney movie, but as usual it glossed over the original everywhere. thats fine tho, it was fiction in the first place and an accurate verion might be more of a thriller, or horror movie... or just a very sad one. it just saddens me sometimes when so much detail is lost. just like malificent wasnt called by her original german name (malefiz) in the german dub of her movie. that irked me greatly.

(also if this is starting to get annoying, tell me!! i just really enjoy revisiting fairytales and telling people about them uwu)

Its not annoying at all. Again, i always appreciate this so much. Plus you're sharing part of your culture, for folklore and fairytales, even those with more wider known adaptations, are still important to people's culture. So even if you tell me a Grimm or something that i do know, i still appreciate it so much.

I know a lot of fairytales have gentler adaptations for the kiddos but ive never seen the traditional one for rapunzel so thank you sm!

[bestworstcase]

bro can you just do like the entire ever on meme, I could read your headcanons and commentary all day (but for real, your takes are super interesting!)

a n o n. bsdhfsdh

How many kids do you want Rapunzel and Eugene to have?

in all honesty i Literally could not care less. maybe twins as a nod to the original fairytale, but like, a good ten years into the future. rapunzel deserves a nice long stint of just Living Her Best Life before she even thinks about having kids

Where do you want or see Cass going?

answered here. also, self indulgently, in my head at some point she ends up in antares, which is a city-state near the dark kingdom which i developed for bitter snow. it’s big and old and crowded and given that it’s built on top of a bunch of huge black rocks we’re going to just... ignore what happened to the black rocks in canon when the sundrop and moonstone fused, k?

What are some of Queen Rapunzel’s new policies?

blah! i like to think she would also institute widespread public schooling, because she’s so curious and so many of her skills are self taught out of passion and personal interest and i think she would want to inculcate those values in the children of her subjects. coronan literacy skyrockets under her reign

What will Varian think of next?

i think it’s sort of funny to take varian at his word when he calls himself an alchemist and assume he is, in fact, in a perpetual state of trying to make a philosopher’s stone. 

How many partners will Cass have, if any at all?

i mean look at her she could have her pick of any gay woman on the continent. um. in bitter snow she dates or has flings with 2... people, maybe 3 depending on how exactly we define “dates.”

What will Captain do now?

he will grow an ever more glorious beard. also this.

How will Hector, Adira, and Edmund live in the Dark Kingdom again?

they’re going to have a very welcoming immigration policy otherwise dark kingdom 2: electric boogaloo is not going to last for very long, now is it.

i think adira will spend a lot of time being the voice of reason considering that edmund lived in total isolation for twenty-five years and went a bit funny while hector lived in total isolation for twenty-five years and turned into a feral tree man and then got possessed. i also think the dark kingdom will be instrumental in the development of fantasy-telegraphs, because they do after all have a pretty pressing reason to do so

How are Stalyan and Brock doing?

stalyan met brock in, like, a dive bar somewhere and went oh my god you have to come to corona with me and pretend to be my date it’ll be so fucking funny so that’s what they did. anyway caine happened to be out on parole at the time and they bumped into each other and stalyan was like 👀 and caine was like 👀 and they’re pirate queens now. stalyan and brock are still bros.

How are the Stabbingtons doing?

they’re like three months away from getting out for good behavior. eugene is so proud.

How many times will Andrew keep trying to escape?

He Will Never Stop

How will Vex and Quaid rebuild Vardaros?

i mean we’re all basically agreed that quaid is an expy of sam vimes, right? right? which is to say they’re going to drag vardaros kicking and screaming out of the hole its in through sheer raw stubbornness and innate sense of justice and fair play. also at some point quaid is going to arrest a dragon, probably

How will the Baron react to Stalyan dating Brock?

you think stalyan is still in contact with her shitty dad? HA! it is to laugh

How are Hookfoot and Seraphina doing?

seraphina did several months of community service due to her sentence being considerably lightened after her willing return of the stolen pearl and she has since gotten her life in order and is doing a tour of the coastline with hookfoot while she tries to figure out what she wants to do with her life instead. possibly she will become a singer, since she is, as you’ll recall, immensely talented in this department.

How will the Pub Thugs react to reuniting with the Hook Brothers again?

all i know is big nose is going to ask seraphina if she has any mermaid friends she could set him up with and she is going to give him the most withering look on the planet and he’s going to write bad, sad poetry about it for at least a week. also there will be a dance party

Will Varian talk to Quirin about his mother?

my headcanon is that varian is old enough to remember his mother, and that she died when he was perhaps eight or nine. i think after the series quirin would understand that shutting down and refusing to talk about things with varian doesn’t help either of them so they will be able to have normal conversations about her sometimes.

Will Varian have his own adventure?

in all honesty i don’t think about post-series varian all that much outside of the canonical royal engineer thing so instead i’m going to talk about bitter snow varian and say that: yes, he gets a hell of a lot more adventure than he ever bargained for. 

Does Varian have a room in the Castle now? Or does he stay in Old Corona?

i mean he’s like sixteen i assume he’s still living with his dad for at least a couple more years. he’s more urban than quirin is so when he comes of age i think he’ll eventually get himself a nice little flat in corona somewhere. 

Will Faith stay as Rapunzel’s lady-in-waiting? If so, will they be close friends?

i think in once a handmaiden faith booked herself passage on the next carriage to koto and is living her best life there. it’s what she deserves

Will Nigel ever reunite with a dragon again?

[gets on my soapbox] nigel’s story is a cautionary tale about the perils of taking wild animals out of the wild and attempting to keep them as pets and having seen firsthand the dangers of doing so nigel is never going to make the same mistake again. however, he learns to appreciate them as they are, in their natural habitat, living as they please, and will one day found a dragonspotting club. [/gets off my soapbox]

Will Eugene ever talk to Edmund about his mother?

yes and edmund will tell eugene like nine million stories about her and show him the letters she wrote for their son on her deathbed and eugene will realize that he actually has more in common, personality-wise, with his mom than his dad and will end up feeling very close to her even though he never got the chance to know her. 

Is Lance still smitten over Adira?

nah not really, though he still admires her very much and i think they end up having a decent friendship. they’re foodie buddies and whenever she passes through corona she teaches the girls survival skills or practices fighting techniques with them.

Did Max and Pascal rescue the wedding cake?

probably

Will Varian and Cassandra keep in touch?

i think she’ll keep in touch with him as much as she keeps in touch with any of team corona, really. they’re friends but not especially close, yknow?

Who will Cass run into on her adventures?

like i said in one of the other asks i think she passes through ingvarr at some point and maybe bumps into the princesses there. i definitely think she encounters caine and stalyan at least a couple times in contexts that range from adversarial to reluctant allies. the idea of her passing through vardaros and helping quaid and vex out with some mystery is kind of fun. 

Will Cass become a famous adventurer or live elusively?

cass is going to fall into the sam vimes camp of her reputation preceding her completely by accident

Who will be at Rapunzel and Eugene’s child(ren)’s christening(s)?

i assume, like, all the important people. fred and arianna and edmund, lance, varian, cass if she’s around. plus they’re royalty so like, a lot of noble types and diplomats and whatnot. 

What will Rapunzel and Eugene name their children?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Who from their adventures will Rapunzel and Eugene visit? The Lorbs? Calliope? King Trevor? Vex and Quaid?

i think there will be occasional trips to the dark kingdom via hot air balloon and they’ll probably check in on vardaros from time to time. can’t see them visiting calliope unless they absolutely have to. diplomatic visits with equis are... probably unavoidable, but filled with Regret. i think the lorbs would probably be happier if the crazy fleinfloofers didn’t keep coming back to the island to trigger horb the lorb’s various failed magical cures for depression, all things considered.

Will Rapunzel make amends with Lady Caine? Will she pardon her father and let him reunite with Lady Caine?

i think caine’s dad is dead. and i think rapunzel would try to make amends, but caine is in the category of... things can’t always be made better? her father was taken from her in a horribly traumatizing way and then in all likelihood either executed (remember that corona canonically hangs thieves) or died on a prison barge years ago, and there’s nothing rapunzel can realistically do to make that better. sometimes an apology isn’t enough, you know? i think she could provide caine with some closure by helping her find out exactly what happened to him, but caine would never harbor any positive feelings for corona or for rapunzel.

Will Cassandra settle in Corona, abroad, or remain indefinitely itinerant?

i think she’ll eventually settle down but i also see her as developing a real love for travel and continuing to do it frequently even after she finds her home base, so to speak. i also tend to lean on the side of she comes back to corona to visit but doesn’t have enough positive connections to the place to ever feel completely at home there. 

Will Madame Canardist ever learn of Vigor’s origins?

madame canardist is a racist romani caricature and i don’t like thinking about her if i can possibly help it. it leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.

Will Varian rebuild any of Demanitus’ work?

dunno, maybe? varian is a demanitus fanboy for sure and if he encountered a demanitus blueprint for a machine that he could put to good use i think he’d absolutely build it at the first opportunity. i can see him rebuilding the weather device just in case zhan tiri’s blizzard were to reoccur, for example. but also, a lot of demanitus’s inventions were pretty dangerous (see: the portal to the lost realm, the body-switching ray) and varian as of season three has learned his lesson about doing Reckless Science so i think he would approach with a certain amount of caution.

Will Cass be nervous when meeting her New Dream nieces and nephews?

...a bit? maybe? i guess? prior to this i spent literally 0 braincells thinking about new dream children so i dunno. i’m not a kid person and i rarely if ever speculate about non-canonical children of fictional couples. she’d be the fun adventuring family friend i suppose.

[alexsfictionaddiction]

‘Life itself is the most wonderful fairytale of all.’

If you missed my announcement post last week, you may not know that I am a co-host of a wonderful readathon that will be taking place from 11th-18th August. My co-hosts are BookTubers Sam, Becky, Erica and Jordan and I would love if you could subscribe to all four of their channels. They are all fantastic creators and their videos deserve a LOT of love!

Today’s post aims to give you some inspiration for your FairytaleAThon TBR. The challenges for this round are in the above image and I’ve selected a few books that fit each one, which you’ll hopefully be interested in. FairytaleAThon encompasses original fairytales, myths, folktales and retellings of them so the possibilties are almost endless! Here are my very best recommendations:

1. THUMBELINA: Read a fairytale or retelling under 250 pages.

ELLA ENCHANTED BY GAIL CARSON LEVINE: 240 pages.

This very funny and sweet retelling of Cinderella is perhaps better known as a cute Anne Hathaway film but the source material is definitely worth the read. It follows Ella, who was given the curse of obedience by a fairy, when she was a baby. This means that she has to do anything that anyone tells her -fight monsters, let down her friends and even deny that she’s in love with the prince. However, there is a beautiful feminist resolution that is sure to delight modern fairytale lovers!

THE SNOW QUEEN BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN: 96 pages.

The story that inspired Frozen is over 200 years old but this beautiful new edition from independent publishing house Pushkin is worth picking up for the coverlust alone! The original tale is quite different to Disney’s version but it is still an epic story of love and loyalty in the harsh landscape of the snowy North. When a magic mirror breaks and curses Kay to be blind to all of the good in the world, he is taken by the Snow Queen and locked in her ice palace. It’s up to his friend Gerda to trek across the icy plains and rescue him and his frozen heart.

THE BROKEN SWORD BY POUL ANDERSON: 237 pages.

Inspired by Norse mythology, The Broken Sword is a dark high fantasy that has somehow been packed into just over 200 pages. Skafloc is a human boy who has been raised by elves amidst their war with the trolls. The elves require the use of the sword Tyrfing, which the mighty Thor broke in order to stop it destroying Yggdrasil -the tree that brings the earth, heavens and underworld together. Only the giant Bolverk can fix it and it’s Skafloc’s job to persuade him. As well as this huge undertaking, Skafloc also needs to face his dark changeling self! This is ideal for Tolkien fans who need a quick whimsical adventure in a strange land.

THE WILD SWANS BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN: 64 pages.

I’m aware that this is the second Christian Andersen Pushkin edition in this post but LOOK AT THEM! The Wild Swans is a little-known story about a princess whose 11 brothers are turned into swans by their evil stepmother. Despite being determined to break the curse, the stakes are high and huge sacrifices will need to be made to reunite the siblings. It’s a heartbreaking story about familial love and loyalty.

2. GENTLE GIANTS: Read a fairytale or retelling over 500 pages.

CRESS BY MARISSA MEYER: 560 pages.

This sci-fi retelling of Rapunzel is actually the third book in the Lunar Chronicles series. Although each book is a retelling of a different fairytale, the characters do overlap and therefore it is best to read them in order. The good news is that you have plenty of time before the readathon to read both preceding books -Cinder and Scarlet. The series is incredibly unique, quirky and funny with some truly shipworthy romances and madcap adventure.

COMPLETE FAIRY TALES BY BROTHERS GRIMM: 1019 pages.

Ok, so this may be cheating a little BUT what would FairytaleAThon be, if you didn’t dip into some classic original stories at some point? This Penguin Vintage Classics edition of the tales collected by the Brothers Grimm is a simple yet beautiful chunk of a book that I believe should be a staple in any fairytale lover’s library. Featuring the original gruesome versions of classics such as Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Twelve Dancing Princesses and so many more, there is bound to be more than a few of these 279 twisted, disturbing stories that you love!

CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE BY TOMI ADEYEMI: 544 pages.

It was one of the biggest books of last year and its sequel is on its way next year. Children of Blood and Bone is inspired by the Orisha (deities) of West African mythology. It follows Zelie, a young girl with magical powers in a world where magic has been taken away and people like her are hunted by a tyrannical king. However now she is on a quest to avenge her dead mother and restore magic to her homeland. Followed by her brother Tzain, a rogue princess Amari and enemy prince Inan, this is a truly unique YA fantasy that I found completely unputdownable.

WICKED BY GREGORY MAGUIRE: 512 pages.

This prequel to The Wizard of Oz is best known as a hit West End and Broadway musical but the source material is also a fantastic read. Elphaba has been an outcast and persecuted all her life because of her green skin and this doesn’t change when she starts at Shiz University, where she meets the beautiful, queen bee Galinda. After a reluctant start, they soon form a friendship and band together with Munchkin boy Boq and quiet Vinkus prince Fiyero to put the injustices of their world to rights. Spanning over years of Elphaba’s life, Wicked features forbidden love, high-stake drama and challenges your idea of what evil really is.

3. IF THE SHOE FITS: Read any fairytale or retelling on your TBR.

Of course you should use your own TBR for this challenge but I’ve chosen some popular releases over the last couple of years that just might be on your TBR anyway.

CIRCE BY MADELINE MILLER

Not only is it a beautiful book but the story inside is truly captivating, bewitching and heartbreaking. This is a feminist retelling of the Greek myth of Circe, the sorceress living alone on the island of Aiaia with a talent for potion-making and a penchant for turning sailors into animals. In this version, Circe is banished to Aiaia by Zeus when he feels threatened by her unique brand of magic. There she develops her craft, tames the animals, grows herbs and even encounters travellers such as Daedelus, Icarus and Odysseus. After angering both mortals and gods, she needs to decide where she truly belongs to protect the thing she loves most. Madeline Miller is a gorgeous writer and Circe is a masterpiece.

THE HAZEL WOOD BY MELISSA ALBERT

Although not a fairytale or a retelling, The Hazel Wood has many fairytale elements and therefore, I feel it more than qualifies for FairytaleAThon. It follows 17-year-old Alice who has spent most of her life moving around with her mother because bad luck and disaster seems to follow them around. Alice’s grandmother is the author of a book of dark fairytales set in mysterious Hinterland. When her grandmother dies and her mother goes missing, Alice has almost nothing to go on. She teams up with classmate Ellery Finch, who also happens to be a superfan of her grandmother’s stories, to find her mother and discover the secrets of her grandmother’s creation. It’s the perfect remedy if you’re craving some fast-paced, whimsical action. THE SILENCE OF THE GIRLS BY PAT BARKER

Ok so it’s ANOTHER Greek myth retelling but this is another book that should really be on your radar.  The Silence of the Girls tells the story of the women affected by the Trojan war, who have been largely ignored by the original myth. It focuses primarily on Briseis, a Trojan queen who became a concubine to Achilles after he murdered her husband and brothers. Her life in the Greek camp is a world away from the one she led in Troy and she is now a slave to the army. When commander Agamemnon wishes to claim Briseis as his own prize, she finds her fate entirely at the mercy of the two most powerful men of Greece as the war wages on. It’s an engaging accessible version of the story with some lovely female friendships, intricate and illicit romances and an ending that will definitely touch your heart.

GEEKERELLA BY ASHLEY POSTON

This quirky, nerdy YA romance is enormous fun to read! Vegan food-truck worker Elle is a superfan of hit sci-fi series Starfield, a love she shared with her late father. When a cosplay competition is announced to celebrate the upcoming movie reboot, Elle has to enter. The prize is a ticket to the Cosplay Ball at the fandom’s convention ExcelsionCon and a meet and greet with the new Prince Carmindor. However, when it’s announced that the role will be played by teen idol Darien Freeman (who her stepsisters are obsessed with) Elle isn’t hopeful he’ll do the part justice because surely a pretty boy actor doesn’t know the first thing about Starfield, right? Told through the viewpoints of both Elle and Darien via alternating chapters, it’s full of dramatic irony and the subtle similarities to the story of Cinderella are so fun to pick out. Our group book for this round is its recently released companion The Princess and the Fangirl, so what better reason to pick up Geekerella if you haven’t already?

4. CREATURES OF THE DEEP: Read a book with mermaids, sirens or sea monsters.

As this is a summer round of FairytaleAThon, my co-hosts and I decided that we wanted to dedicate a challenge to stories that feature cool blue waters. We agreed that this book doesn’t have to be a fairytale, folktale or retelling; it just has to feature a mythical aquatic creature.

TO KILL A KINGDOM BY ALEXANDRA CHRISTO

This dark retelling of The Little Mermaid sees Princess Lira as a ruthless collector of princes’ hearts. However, when she kills a fellow siren, the Sea Queen punishes her by turning her into a human and taking away her singing voice. She needs to bring back the heart of Prince Elian in order to return to the sea. Prince Elian is himself a siren-hunter and when he rescues a drowning Lira, she promises to help him destroy all sirens but of course, she has her own motives for getting close to him. Although I’ve seen mixed reviews for this book, I really enjoyed it for the concept. Lira is a much more powerful, more formidable figure than Ariel and the story is much more brutal. I’d definitely recommend it for anyone who feels like Ariel deserved more.

THE PISCES BY MELISSA BRODER

The Pisces is an incredibly strange novel about Lucy who has recently split from her long-term partner and is lacking inspiration for her thesis. In the hopes that it will help her forget her problems, she agrees to spend the summer in LA, looking after her sister’s house and foxhound. While there, she goes on a string of grisly Tinder dates, attends a therapy group for love addiction and falls in love with a mysterious but gorgeous surfer dude… who appears to have scales over the entirety of his lower body… It’s funny, it’s weird, it’s sad in parts but it’s also somehow bloody brilliant. Be warned that there are some pretty graphic sex scenes, so perhaps avoid it if you’re sensitive to that!

THE GLOAMING BY KIRSTY LOGAN

This is a wonderfully charming magical realism book following Mara and her family, whose island is surrounded with magic and stories. When tragedy strikes her family, Mara finds solace in enigmatic Pearl who introduces her to a new way of life and possibilities she never dreamed of. Torn between the traditions of her island and the ever-changing course of the sea while still haunted by the past, Mara needs to decide which is the best path for her to take. Kirsty Logan is a lyrical genius so if you like beautiful imagery and strange diverse storylines, The Gloaming is a great choice for you.

THE MERMAID AND MRS HANCOCK BY IMOGEN HERMES GOWAR

Set in the 18th century, The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock is a beautifully written and surreal read that will appeal if you’re looking for a more literary, social history-led mermaid book. Merchant Jonah Hancock learns that one of his captains has sold his ship for what is apparently a mermaid. Naturally this piques the curiosity of the area and he is soon thrown into upper class circles, where he meets the beautiful, accomplished Angelica Neal. Soon enough, both of their lives take a new course at a high price. It’s a pretty big book so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it if you’re not already a historical fiction reader but it’s definitely a unique story of obsession and intrigue with bags of wit.

5. TRY THE GREY STUFF: Read with a yummy treat.

Naturally, your choice of reading snack is ENTIRELY your choice but these are four of my favourites to get your tummy rumbling!

ICE CREAM

The perfect treat for a hot day. Just don’t let it drip onto the pages!

COOKIES

Is there anything more tasty than a plate of warm, gooey, freshly baked cookies? Pretty sure there isn’t!

POPCORN

If your book is painting beautiful cinematic images in your mind or the drama is getting a little tense, you might want to grab some popcorn to add to the experience. MOZZARELLA STICKS

Possibly my favourite savoury snack ever. A few mozzarella sticks dipped in sweet chilli sauce is simply delicious!

6. A WHOLE NEW WORLD: Read a fairytale or retelling with a diverse character.

ASH BY MALINDA LO

This bisexual retelling of Cinderella is one of my favourites ever. Ash dreams of being taken away from her miserable life with her stepmother by fairies so when she meets handsome but dark fairy Sidhean, she thinks her life is about to change. Then she meets beautiful huntress Kasia and begins feeling things she hasn’t felt in a long time. But how can she choose between true love and her fairytale escape? It’s sexy, enchanting, incredibly intense and I absolutely devoured it.

A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY BY BRIGID KEMMERER

This was our group book for the last round of FairytaleAThon, so if you joined us then, there is a good chance you’ll have already read A Curse So Dark And Lonely. It’s a recently released Beauty and the Beast retelling which has been getting a lot of hype in the book community. It follows Harper, a teenage girl living in Washington DC with her ailing mother and dismissive older brother. When she intervenes in a street incident, she finds herself being pulled into Emberfall, a broken kingdom ruled by Prince Rhen, who has been cursed to relive his 18th year until a girl falls for the vicious beast he has become. With evil forces at work, Harper and Rhen need to defeat more than a curse to save the people of Emberfall. Harper has cerebral palsy and as a result, she has developed a strength and feistiness that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in YA fantasy. It’s a must read for anyone who loves cursed hearts, easy-to-root-for characters and page-turning tension.

EVERY HEART A DOORWAY BY SEANAN MAGUIRE

The first in the Wayward Children series of novellas, Every Heart A Doorway is the perfect twisted fairytale. The premise explores what happens to the children who have been to magical lands on their return to the real world. Ever-changed by their experiences, they are often take to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, where everyone is seeking a door to the fantasy world they’ve left. When Nancy arrives, darkness and tragedy are just around the corner. There are asexual and transgender characters, multiple ethnicities represented as well as plenty of dark whimsical adventure. It’s certainly a strange little series but once you start it, you’ll be hooked.

THE WRATH AND THE DAWN BY RENEE AHDIEH

A retelling of an Arabian Nights story, The Wrath and the Dawn tells the story of the young king Khalid who murders a new wife every night. When her best friend becomes one of the slain, Shahrzad volunteers to be his next bride with every intention of not being the one who ends up dead. Through the power of storytelling, she survives night after night and inexplicably finds herself falling in love with Khalid, who appears to be nothing more than a tortured soul -much like the rest of his palace which seems to have more than a few secrets. It’s a novel full of tradition, elegance and fantastic world-building. You’ll definitely get swept up in this one!

7. RAGS TO RICHES: Read the group book.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FANGIRL BY ASHLEY POSTON

Our group book this round is The Princess and the Fangirl and I can’t wait to dive into it! It’s set in the same fandom as Geekerella but is not a direct sequel, so you can technically read it if you haven’t read the previous book. It follows fangirl Imogen who is on a mission to save her favourite Starfield characters Princess Amara from being killed off. However Jessica, the actress who plays her, is desperate to shake off the pressure and intensity from the fandom and would actually quite like to bow out of the series. I don’t want to know too much more about it but I know it involves an F/F romance and I’m guessing there’s a case of switching places or mistaken identities at some point, given that it has been touted as a retelling of The Prince and the Pauper. I am INCREDIBLY excited for this one and I hope you’ll be picking it up too!

Hopefully I’ve given you some ideas for your own TBR. I’ll be posting my own next week, so look out for that. This round looks like a good one!

[of-theatre-and-fandoms]

The Princess and Her Sorcerer (Sondam)

Sonia Nevermind was a princess, a real actual princess of her country, Novoselic. She was beloved by all, even at the young age of ten, and no one liked her more than her friend, and the castle’s sorcerer in training, Gundam Tanaka. They spent a lot of their time together, he taught her about dark magic and chants and how to summon a demon (though in their experience, they had never actually managed it), and she had such fun learning!

In return, he sat with her when she read her fairytales to him, and today was one of those days.

“Look Gundam, this is a good one!” Sonia grabbed a book off of her shelf and plopped down on a pillow on the floor, stuffed animals surrounding the both of them. “Let’s see.. Oh! There’s a princess, in a tower, oh my gosh that’s just like me!” She smiled and flipped a few pages ahead. “Poor Rapunzel.. The witch won’t set her free!”

Gundam watched as she flipped through the book, watching her pout as she skipped through the less than happy parts of the story. “My Dark Queen, why don’t we actually read the book?”

“Wait wait! Here we go.” She sighed happily, leaning on her hand. “In the end Rapunzel finds a millionaire, he’s really good at climbing, and braiding golden hair..!” Suddenly she stood up, taking him by surprise. “So I know, he’ll appear, because there are rules and there are strictures! I believe the story books I read, by candlelight!” She grabbed his hands and pulled him up, dancing around her room with him and giggling. “My white knight and his steed will look just like these pictures, see? It won’t be long now, I guarantee! Day number.. 23..” She sighed and sat back down, “I know it’s today..”

Gundam chuckled and stood up, waving. “I have to go my Dark Queen, I’ll see you later.”

“Oh, bye Gundam! Thanks for reading with me today!” Sonia beamed and hugged him, waving back. “See you at dinner!

After he left the room, he sighed, smiling wider despite himself. His she-cat, she was definitely something.

———

This tradition of theirs continued for years to come, and here they were, back when she was fifteen, in her room with a fairytale. At this time she was still being prepared for when she became queen, and he was still a sorcerer in training, and they were still as close as ever.

Anyway, here they sat in her window seat, looking out at the big garden that was currently being tended to by the castle’s gardeners. Sonia smiled happily at him, holding up the book, opening it up. “Snow White, hope you don’t mind!”

“Not at all, Dark Queen, I’m your humble servant after all.”

“Oh hush, none of that! You’re my best friend!” She squeezed his hand, turning her attention back to the book. “There’s a princess, in a coma, jeez, glad it’s her instead of me.. Pretty maiden, in a glass box—“

“A box?”

“Yeah, like a coffin, sort of..” Sonia frowned a bit, “I wonder how does she pee..?”

“Well.. She’s in a coma, so she must not have to..” Gundam shrugged and leaned back against the pillow.

Sonia smiled and shrugged, continuing. “Blah blah blah, poison apple.. Boring, evil queen, jeez, do fairytales have nothing original anymore? Skipping ahead.. Oh! In the end the princess wakes up with a start, the prince is good at kissing, and melting Snow White’s heart..” Sonia sighed and leaned against the window.

“She-cat..?”

“My parents are expecting me to find a prince to marry, and I don’t want to marry a prince.. I don’t want to marry anyone! At least not right now..” She huffed and hugged her legs. “I want to marry for love, not just because I have to..”

He sighed and reached out hesitantly, squeezing her hand. “My lady, I believe that one day you’ll find a prince worthy of your affections! After all, you’re skilled in the taming of wild beasts, and dark magic! What man wouldn’t want that?”

Sonia smiled a bit, nodding. “I guess you’re right, though, I think most people find dark magic and things having to do with demons a little scary and taboo, and I think that would scare any potential suitors.”

“Well, it’s their loss then! Besides, I think the Four Dark Devas Of Destruction would miss you if you were to go off and marry someone else.” With that, he took the four devas, aka his hamsters, out of his scarf where they promptly ran over to nuzzle her, squeaking happily. “See?”

Sonia giggled and stroked their tiny little heads, smiling as she felt her spirits being lifted. “Thank you Gundam, you always know how to make me feel better!” And with that, she gave his cheek a soft peck, grinning.

At that moment, it was if Gundam had short circuited, he couldn’t find the words to form a sentence, and he could feel his face getting redder. “I-I, um.. U-Uh..”

“Heh, sorry, but you’re really cute when you’re all flustered!”

“C-Cute..? D-Dark Lords are not cute!” He huffed, pulling his scarf over his face, which was slowly getting redder. What was this feeling? He didn’t like her, she was his friend, though Dark Lords like himself didn’t have friends, she was the only exception. Sure, she was nice and smart and was the only one who his Devas liked being around, so.. That should’ve been a sure sign right?

“Well, anyway, I have fencing lessons so I have to go, see you later?” She smiled and hopped off the seat, waving to him and heading out the door, leaving Gundam to sit with the Devas Of Destruction. He glanced at them, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t look at me like that, besides.. I’m not a prince, we couldn’t be together anyway..”

———

Five years later, Sonia Nevermind is about to be crowned queen, her coronation is in a week, and she’s a nervous wreck.

The night before her coronation, she sits down on her window seat, looking out the window at the garden. She can’t sleep, so she does something she hasn’t done in quite a while, she reads a fairytale. It seems silly, she’s an adult, but she’s nervous and this will at least get her mind off of everything. Though.. It’s not the same without Gundam.. She hasn’t seen him in a while, he’s been a lot busier lately since he became a full fledged sorcerer, and that makes her sad, because he’s her best friend.

She sighed and grabbed a book, frowning. “There’s a princess, any princess, take your pick they’re all like me..” She huffed and slipped it back into the bookshelf. “Not exactly, I’m still waiting, they’re out living happily.. Ugh, why can’t I have my happily ever after?”

Sonia sighed and grabbed a pillow, hugging it tightly. “I want my prince.. He doesn’t even have to be a prince, I just want to- Oh!! Oh oh oh!!” She stood up so fast she knocked her head on the wall, but at the moment she didn’t even care. She had just had a sudden realization! She dashed out of her room, her bare feet pounding against the marble floors that soon turned to stone as she made her way to the sorcery tower. Hopefully he was there..

Thankfully, he was. He was bent over a big spell book of some sorts, but he looked up when he heard the door open. “My Dark Queen? What’s the matter?”

“I love you!”

He froze in place, feeling his heartbeat begin to speed up. “W-What..?”

She smiled and approached him, her face flushed. “I just.. You’ve always been there for me, and we’ve always been together, all my life and.. Well do you remember that day all those years ago I kissed you?”

“I-I.. Well yes.. It’s hard to forget being kissed by you my lady..”

“Well, I think then I liked you, but now I’m for sure! I like you, no, I love you! I want to be with you Gundam, and I know this all spur of the moment and you don’t have to answer—“

“No! I mean.. No, because, I share your affections as well..” He sighed, tugging his scarf over his face again. “I believe I have for a while as well, but I was afraid it wouldn’t work..”

“Well, I’m about to be queen so I can choose who I’d like to be with!” Sonia smiled and laced her hands with his. “And, I’d like to be with you, if you’ll have me..”

Gundam gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand in return, nodding. “Well of course! You’re my Dark Queen, and together we shall rule the kingdom!”

Sonia grinned and nodded, kissing him softly.

He was definitely taken aback, but he’d be lying if he said that he hadn’t thought about this moment for a long time. And it was just as sweet as he had imagined.

———

The next night, after her coronation at her coronation ball, she wasn’t alone. Instead, she was happily announcing her relationship to anyone who would listen.

Turns out she had gotten her happily ever after, it had just taken a while to get there.

-The End-

(Sondam is good and pure and I love it, it’s my first time writing them and hopefully I did a good job, oh, and the song is also based off of this https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ubBN38hL9KY ! It’s from Shrek the musical which isn’t is as bad as one might think. Anyway, I included some of the lyrics into this, but otherwise the plot is mine, enjoy!)

[j-philly-b]

So, reporting back after watching both Into the Woods and Tangled! ITW witch looks similar and brought a dead cow back to life, which is interesting since the OUAT witch is supposed to resurrect Anastasia. She also was an expert on herbs because of her garden (that included magic beans), cursed to ugliness coz said beans got stolen on her watch and seemed to actually love Rapunzel like a daughter, albeit very selfishly. Also of note is the fairy tale mesh up which is totally OUAT's thing. cont

Into the Woods was taking the originalfairytales and building on what happens after idea, right? That the HEA isn’tas happy as the tales lead us to believe. I always assumed that witch in ITWwas an amalgam of the various witches and crones in the Grimm Bros stories.Then again, I’ve only seen bits and pieces from the Broadway show, and neversaw the movie, so I may be wrong.

As far as the storyline with LT trying to bringAnastasia back, we already know OUaT is big on the theme of resurrection:

Regina’sfailed attempt to use Dr. Frankenstein to bring back Daniel

Snowsplitting her heart to bring back Charming

Emmausing her magic to bring back a mostly dead Robin, which failed in the end

Emmausing the darkness to bring back a mostly dead Killian, which, again, failed inthe end

Zeusliterally resurrecting Killian

There’s someone I’m forgetting, I know there’ssomeone I’m forgetting. But the gist of it is that resurrection attempts withoutsacrifice fail. So based on that alone, and the fact that LT is trying to stealsomeone else’s heart to use in resurrecting Anastasia, does anyone reallyexpect it to work? Or for the witch not to somehow cross LT and Drizzy?

cont Though what I found more interesting wasTangled coz I forgot that Rapunzel befriends a tavern full of ruffians whoseleader is a guy with a hook?! So, if they are doing Tangled, not Rapunzel, Ican see a lot of stuff they could play with, like making her Hook’s daughterand making a parallel out of her probable abandonment issues, coz there’s thisone scene where she’s lead to believe that Flynn abandoned her, or Gothel’sreason for taking her is the magic hair with healing powers she cont

cont uses to save Flynn’s life, which theycould totally do with Hook instead! There was lots of stuff where I was going“Wow, OUAT would have a field day with this!” and basically, I’m now convincedthat, if they are doing Tangled, Rapunzel is Hook’s daughter until the showproves me wrong! Also, I read somewhere that her casting call said she wantedrevenge on her tormentors?! Anyway, interesting observations re: the darkcurses. Do you think LT still has the wand in HH? Would it still cont

Oh, interesting, and certainly possible! Weknow that Rapunzel’s first episode is 7x07, and it seems like that episode willbe focusing on Roger’s search for the missing girl. Then she’s back for 7x09with all the witches. It will be interesting to see if she comes back afterthose two episodes and whether or not Rapunzel is one of the eight witches thatgives 7x09 its title.

(Pause for tangent: What would really be fun isif we find out young Anastasia was actually somehow magical and one of the eightwitches. To me, it would give LT’s stance on eschewing magic for power, only toembrace using the fairy’s wand at every opportunity and turning to magic tobring Anastasia back a bit more depth.)

cont work? And yeah, Lucy’s role in all thisreally puzzles me, like, the finale made it look like she was excluded from thecurse since Tiger Lily had to reunite her with her mom? But now she seemsintegrated into the curse? She’s awake but doesn’t really know much since she apparentlydidn’t realize Roni was her grandma until the photo? Did Henry write her bookbefore the curse or is it part of the curse? So many questions, I kinda lovehow much this season keeps me on my toes coz I cont

cont didn’t expect much after last season tbh.I got kinda disillusioned with the writers and their decisions, like, theystarted out pretty well, but then there was no follow through, the wishversemade no sense and I still resent the contrived CS angst in the second half.Honestly, I feel like that’s a general problem: They have good ideas, but Ioften find the execution lacking and it saddens me coz I know they could begreat if they just tried a little harder, sigh. Still love it though!

That pretty much sums up OUaT in a nutshell:Great ideas, lousy execution.

I do think the fairy’s wand is in HH, not sureif it is currently in LT’s possession or if it is in that underground cavernwaiting to be found yet. We know there is at least some magic in HH because of theflowers in the garden, so I’m going to guess the wand will have to come up atsome point and that it will be a question of whether it falls into LT, thewitch, or Rumple’s hands. Although, circling back to my budding thoughts onAnastasia, maybe she does get revived and the wand falls into her hands,revealing her powers to LT and being the trigger that flips LT from an assumedposition of power to one of service.

As for Lucy, I expect 7x09 when Tiger Lilycomes back that we will have some answers as to how the curse worked and howthe alt!EF folks were transported to HH. We know that Henry had a storybook inthe alt!EF and that Tiger Lily made sure Lucy had the book and would protect itand get it to her mother. In addition, the S6 finale seemed to imply that thestorybook Lucy was protecting was the same one that she has in Seattle. So, fornow, I’m going with the reason Lucy doesn’t recognize certain people eventhough she’s woke is that the curse only altered the images in the book of thepeople caught in the curse. (I actually made a joke post about this yesterday.)So that explains why Emma’s image is perfectly rendered, and why Lucy doesn’trecognize Roni, Rogers, or Rumple.  

(P.S. You should totally watch Tangled someday,it’s one of the best Disney movies imo)

Someday my friend, someday…