#i like thinking of a very Alice in wonderland type wandering through scenes and characters.

[stonyponyofficial]

scrolling a therian vibes playlist shaking my head and verbally disagreeing with almost every song i recognize until i see borderline by tame impala, and my secret in-my-head-only furry amv set to that song has been retroactively validated.

[darkwingsnark]

FIC WRITER MEME

Tagged by @prince-luffy

AO3 name: DarkwingSnark

Fandoms: ...SEE, I’m in lots of fandoms. Or at least, I’ve written for them during hyper-fixation periods. Let’s see what AO3 says...

Batman: The Animated Series (20)

Batman - All Media Types (7)

Wander Over Yonder (Cartoon) (6)

DuckTales (Cartoon 1987) (5)

Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero (5)

Penguins of Madagascar (3)

James and the Giant Peach - Roald Dahl (3)

Darkwing Duck (Cartoon 1991) (3)

Disney - All Media Types (3)

Dan Vs. (2)

Milo Murphy's Law (2)

Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja (1)

The Batman (Cartoon) (1)

Lady and the Tramp (1955) (1)

Looney Tunes | Merrie Melodies (1)

Winnie-the-Pooh - All Media Types (1)

Alice in Wonderland (1951) (1)

Gummi Bears (TV) (1)

Winnie-the-Pooh (Disney) (1)

.... Honestly, I feel like there’s more that this list isn’t covering. Like Phineas and Ferb isn’t here and I wrote for that show too. And many of these can be simplified and condensed because they belong to similar fics.

Tropes: Depends on the fic. But as a whole, tend to write Romantic Comedies with a lot of slow burn. Mostly because... struggle is funny. People being dumdums and oblivious to the obvious is funny. Aaaaand also because it allows the episodic quality of shenanigans to occur.

Number of fics: Up and posted on AO3? 53. Does not include stuff on FF.net or that’s sitting in google docs begging to be finished.

Fic I spent the most time on: Not sure how to read this. Does it mean active man hours? Or does stuff like having a hiatus in-between count? Because TECHNICALLY ‘Real Value’ was started in high school, and I didn’t rewrite it and carry on the series (with Moonie) until many years later. There are also fics like ‘Growing Love’ or ‘Priorities’ that took a lot of time to do research. Like learning how to build a lawn mower so I could have a character believably break it apart for repairs.

....God I do a lot of research that doesn’t go into the actual fics. Because all I need, really, in the confidence of what I’m doing to be the character and describe an action here or there. 

Fic I spent the least time on: Probably something drabble related? Or maybe the fic I did that was just me venting out emotions because I was feeling guilty? ‘A Mother’s Intuition’ was written and posted within a couple of hours.

Longest fic: Complicated. The longest thing written is technically an RP, NOT a story. (Different, trust me.) ‘What Happens in Gotham’ has a word count of  207,413. But fic wise at 89,022 word would be ‘The Constant Gardener’ . 

Runner up being ‘Priorities’ at little over 87k.

Shortest fic: Drabbles? Uh, let’s see.. Probably from ‘Beauty and Your Worth’, as i think one was literally a paragraph long. ... Speaking of Gummi Bears, I wonder if I still have my notes on the GruffiGusto fic I wanted to write. Something to look into.

Most hits: Apparently ‘Fallen Hard’ at  5354

Most kudos: Also ‘Fallen Hard’ at 518. There... were more fans of Milo Murphy’s Law than I realised. 

Most comment threads: ‘Fallen Hard’, 193 comments. ‘What Happens in Gotham’ following at 185.

Most bookmarks: .... that’s something people care about? I hardly ever bookmark things, since I read it in one go. But... I can look?

Ah.... ‘Fallen Hard’. 63

Total word count: 971,833 Oh hey! Almost a million. That’s something to celebrate.

Favorite fic I wrote: 'Knights of Dobenshire’. Hands down. (With ‘Heart of the Cards’ being very close.) I like writing road trip styled stories. It allows many things to happen within the narrative. BUT, ‘Knights of Dobenshire’ wins because it was such a satisfying conclusion of this build up, you know? Scrooge is finally no longer just putting up with the relationship with Fenton, but fully embracing it. That surprise feeling that hits him when he realizes, dear lord, he IS attracted to Fenton beyond affection. 

It hits me more than a mutual pining because there I KNOW they will get together. But here? While writing with Moonie? I DIDN’T KNOW! I was worried in the end we’d have to write another fic to finally reach that step. Scrooge is stubborn and does what he wants, let me tell ya.

Fic you want to rewrite/expand on: 'Fallen Hard’, ‘Season of Miracles’, ‘Going with the Flow’, pretty much anything that isn’t complete. BUT, not posted, I really want to get back to more of the stories planned in the McCrack series. It was a ship I kinda made from the ground up, with nobody caring about it in the beginning. So it feels very important to see that series through.

Share a bit of a WIP or a story idea you’re planning on:

... Actually, I can share something from 'Donald’s Party (Working Title)’. @swampy-tiefling and I started. Just the first scene to get you guys hooked.

Donald took a deep breath of air from the doorway of the house and sighed, once again pleased to find himself at his home away from home. Traveling the seas and exploring the world with the navy were its own rewards, he supposed, but there would never be anything quite like the countryside-- the middle aged mallard having practically been raised on Grandma Duck’s farm. Donald Duck was happy to be on shore-- his naval carrier being docked for the week in Duckburg as they replenished supplies and took care of whatever repairs that were needed. Whatever excuse his bosses wanted to use were fine by him, he was just happy to not be scrubbing decks for a change!

That didn’t, however, mean he was able to rest and relax-- as the duck was startled out of his thoughts as somebody bumped into him. That somebody was his grandmother as she came to, just having caught her plate of cookies before they fell.

“My land, Donald! What in the world are you doing hiding here when you should be meetin’ and greetin’ the guests?”

Donald ignored the woman’s soft glare as he waved her off, using his other hand to steal a cookie in the process. Stuffing it in his mouth, he murmured out a response.

“Phooey, they’re just relatives.”

“Even more of a reason to go out and talk to them.” Before the sailor could argue, Grandma Duck placed the plate of treats into his hands. “And put these out on the snack table while you’re at it. Poor Fethry is looking peckish.”

Donald rolled his eyes, but otherwise did as he was told. Wasn’t it just like life to make him work at his own welcome home party? Walking towards the open yard where the party was taking place, it didn’t take long to reach the table, where his cousins were already gathered around as they chat.

This instantly caught the attention of the lankier duck, his gaze zoning in as he smiled widely towards Donald in greeting.

“Well if it ain’t the guest of honor, with snacks to boot!” Fethry leaned closer, his red hat wobbling with him as he continued to inquire. “Say, cuz, ya wouldn’t happen to know if these are gluten free, would ya?”

Donald gave him an unimpressed look. 

“You’re not going on another crazy diet, are ya?” Though, in all honesty, he was more worried his looney cousin might try to drag him along-- and after months of eating nothing but mush, he would NOT miss out on his first chance to pig out on actual home cooked meals.

"Not crazy at all, actually!" Fethry grinned that goofy grin. "See, it's all right here; Gluten Free; It's the Way to Be' !" he shoved a rather lengthy-looking hard cover book in Donald's face. Donald had no choice but to stare at it, the words all blurring together from its close proximity to his eyes. The offending object remained there for only a second, however, before it was yanked back, the nutty mallard already busy flipping through it.

"Let's see, here, there's a fascinating chapter I think you should-- Don?"

Phew, that had been close. Donald was still in sneaking away mode, and jumped and yelped when he was tapped on the shoulder. Oh no. He'd been caught, after all. He slowly turned, with a forced, toothy grin, to face his fate.

A wave of relief washed over him when he saw his girlfriend, Daisy, smiling sweetly at him, instead.

“And where do you think you’re sneaking off to, Mister? You’ve been gone for so long, and here we are, with you haven’t even given me a kiss ‘hello’ yet.” 

Now there was something Donald didn’t mind doing, as his girlfriend leaned in her face for her reward. Wrapping his arms around her, he planted the biggest of smooches to her temple. 

“Gaww, I’m sorry Daisy. I really did miss you.”

This earned him a soft smile, as it was Daisy’s turn to kiss him on the forehead.

“And I missed you, hun. Now, tell me… why WERE you sneaking around?”

“Grandma put me on entertainment duty.”

“Well, “ his girlfriend began, “it IS your party, after all. They came to see you, seems fair to me.” This made the sailor groan as she looked at him unsympathetically. Rolling her eyes, the reporter sarcastically patted her boyfriend in comfort. “There there. Now don’t go sneaking off for real, the boys will be arriving soon. And Grandma tells me Uncle Scrooge will be bringing along a special guest.”

“Special guest?” Donald asked incredulously. “Like who?” This caused Daisy’s eyes to glimmer all the more in mischief, a look that told him that she knew something he didn’t know. And that something was big news, if he was reading her right.

“Oh, nobody TOO special, I suppose,” Daisy was stalling, and it was driving Donald up the wall. The duck woman continued her teasing. “Nobody except your uncle’s new date friend.”

"Date friend?" Donald practically exclaimed, prompting Daisy's grin to grow all the more smug.

"Yep! You've missed quite a bit since you've been away, you know."

"No kidding...well I'll be..." Donald was shaking his head, but he was smiling. Uncle Scrooge, dating, at his age... it was nothing short of a miracle. It was about time, too!

"Meanwhile, why don't you go say hi to the rest of the guests? I know it's hard..." she rolled her eyes. "but at least make an effort, okay? Thanks, hun!"

Donald's heart fluttered as she smooched his cheek, and left. He glanced out over the yard, and saw quite a few familiar faces; Gus, Ludwig, Gladstone... heck, even Gyro Gearloose had shown up!

He sighed, but this one wasn't a sigh of pure despair. It did feel nice to be home, surrounded by people who most likely cared, and his nephews were even going to show up soon. Not to mention, he'd get to tease his uncle for finally taking his advice on the whole dating thing. 

That alone gave Donald the pep in his step he needed as he threw himself back into the party-- where he knew his crazed family would be waiting for him. 

[dukereviewsmovies]

Duke Reviews: Alice In Wonderland

Hello, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews, Where Today We Are Continuing Our Look At Disney...

By Looking At Walt Disney's 13th Animated Feature (And One Of My Favorites), Alice In Wonderland...

This Movie Sees Young Alice (Voiced By Katherine Beaumont) Following A White Rabbit To The Merry, Topsy Turvy World Of Wonderland, Where A Person Can Grow Big Or Small Or You Could Run Into Funny Creatures Like The Mad Hatter Or The Cheshire Cat...

So, What Are We Waiting For? Let's Journey Down The Rabbit Hole As We Watch Alice In Wonderland...

The Movie Starts On A Summer Day As Alice Is Listening To Her Sister Read From A History Book To Which Alice Is Bored From...

Wandering Off Without Her Sister Noticing, She Lays Down On A Riverbank Wishing That She Had A World Of Her Own Which Leads To The First Song...

And For Song To Start This Movie Off, It's Okay But It's Not My Favorite Song Of This Movie However, We Do Get To A Song I Do Like Directly After This One...

It May Be Brief But I Do Like I'm Late For What It Is And I'm Also Glad It's Short Because Having One Song Directly After Another Can Be A Problem In Some Films...

Crawling Into The Rabbit Hole, Alice Soon Finds Herself Going Down,Down,Down The Hole Until She Catches Up With The White Rabbit Until He Enters A Large Hallway With A Small Door That's Barely Big Enough For Alice's Head...

With The Doorknob On The Door Suggesting That Alice Drink The Bottle Marked Drink Me On The Table To Shrink Down To The Door's Size, Which She Does...

However, When She Goes To Open The Door, He Admits That He Forgot To Tell Her That He's Locked...

But Luckily A Box That Says Eat Me Appears Which The Doorknob Says Will Help Her Reach The Key However, When She Does She Grows Too Big...

Weeping Hysterically, She Drinks The Drink Me Bottle Again To Become Small, She Goes Right Through The Doorknob And Into A River Of Tears Which Is Where She Meets The Dodo Who Sings Our Next 2 Songs...

And While The Sailor's Hornpipe Song Is Short Like I'm Late, The Next One Which The Caucus Race Song, Is A Good Song And Really Makes You Want To Run Around The Room...

Running Into A Thick Forest, Alice Meets Tweedle Dee And Tweedle Dum Who Do Another Short Song...

It's A Cute Song, But I Think I Prefer The Version Done In The 1985 Version Sung By Edie Gorme And Steve Lawrence...

(Start At 0:09)

But We'll Talk About That One On Duke Reviews Xtra On Thursday And Friday...

But Hearing About Alice Being Curious, They Tell Her The Story Of...

(Start At 0:34)

And I Love This Sequence The Song Is One Of The Best In This But The Ending, Of Course Is Very Sad...

Getting Up To Leave The Two Boys Stop Her As They Attempt To Tell Another Poem Called You Are Old, Father William As Alice Sneaks Away...

It's A Cute Song For As Long As It's On Screen But Again For A Better Version I Refer Again To The 1985 Version Where It's Sung By Sammy Davis Jr....

Coming Upon The White Rabbit's House, She Goes To Talk With Him Only For Him To Confuse Her With His Housemaid, Mary Ann...

That's Because She's Not In Wonderland But On A Deserted Island With 6 Other Castaways...

Ordering Her To Fetch His Gloves From His Bedroom, Alice Gets Them Only To Eat A Cookie That Makes Her Grow So Big That Her Arms And Legs Are Sticking Out Of The Windows And Doors...

Going To The Dodo For Help, He Gets A Chimney Sweep Named Bill To Rip The House's Chimney Off, But Bill's Scampering Causes Soot To Rise Inside Which Makes Alice Sneeze And Shoot Bill Out Of The Roof Like A Cannonball...

Having No Other Option, Dodo Decides To Burn The House Down Which Leads To Another Short Song...

It's A Cute Song, But There Are So Many Short Songs In This Movie They're All Starting To Sound The Same...

Luckily Though, Alice Finds A Carrot In The Rabbit's Garden And Eats It, Shrinking Down In Size To 3 Inches...

Going Into A Garden Of Flowers Where The Flowers Are As Tall As A Tree, They Come To Life And Entertain Her With Our Next Song...

(Start At 0:05)

And It's One Of My Favorite Songs In This Movie...

It's A Fun Song Which Shows The Different Types Of Flowers And Bugs In Wonderland With My Favorite Being The Rocking Horse Fly...

But Their Attitude Changes When Alice Reveals Herself To Be Not A Flower Which Then Causes Them To See Her As A Weed...

After Being Shooed Away By The Flowers, We Move Into Our Next Song As Alice Meets The Caterpillar...

Who Despite Her Best Efforts To Ask Him How To Grow Tall Again, Continues Interrupting Her And Instructs Her To Recite Various Bizarre Poems...

Eventually Growing Angry At Alice's Displeasure Of Being The Same Height As Him, He Becomes A Butterfly As He Tells Her That One Side Of The Mushroom Will Make Her Grow Taller And The Other Side Will Make Her Grow Smaller...

Eating One Side Of The Mushroom, Alice Grows Back To Her Normal Height After A Pointless Scene Involving A Bird That Just Wastes Time...

Wandering Through The Woods, We Get Our Next Song As Alice Meets The Cheshire Cat (Voiced By Sterling Holloway)...

After That Encounter, We Get My Favorite Scene Of The Movie And Favorite Song Of The Movie As Alice Meets The Mad Hatter (Voiced By Ed Wynn)...

Disney Showcase: Ed Wynn

Other Characters He's Played For Disney Other Than The Character He Plays In This One:

The Toymaker In Babes In Toyland

The Fire Chief In The Absent Minded Professor

A.J. Allen In Son Of Flubber

Uncle Albert In Mary Poppins

Ed Parker In Those Calloways

Mr. Hoffstedder In That Darn Cat

And Rufus In The Gnome Mobile (Which Was His Final Performance Before His Death)

Going Back To The Story, There Is Also The March Hare (Voiced By Jerry Colonna, Who You May Remember From Casey At The Bat From Make Mine Music) And The Doormouse

After That Song, They Maniacally Go About The Table, Offering Alice Tea Without Actually Giving Her Any Until The White Rabbit Shows Up, As Hatter And Hare Attempt To Fix His Watch Only To Destroy It As They Send The Rabbit Flying Through The Air...

With Alice Saying...

She Tries To Go Back Home Through The Tulgy Woods, Where She Confronts Many Creatures But Doesn't Find Her Way Home Which Causes Her To Cry As We Get Our Next Song As Alice Cries..

It's A Sad Song But I Don't Know, I Just Don't Care For It...

Finding The Cheshire Cat Again, He Tells Her That The Only Way Home Is Through The Queen Of Hearts, So He Creates A Shortcut To The Queen's Maze Where We Get My Second Favorite Song...

Which Leads To My Second Favorite Scene In The Entire Movie, The March Of The Cards, And This Scene Is Just Amazing And Full Of Color As We See The Cards March, It Is Honestly A Spectacle To See...

With The White Rabbit Announcing The Arrival Of The Queen Of Hearts And The King, The Queen (Voiced By Verna Felton) Notices The Painted Roses Which Leads To Our Next Song...

Finding Out It Was The 3 Painters, She Has Them Ordered To Be Beheaded Before She Meets Alice Who She Invites To Play A Game Of Croquet With Her...

But As They Play The Cheshire Cat Appears And Attaches The Queen's Croquet Mallet To The Bottom Of Her Dress, Believing That Alice Did It The Queen Is About To Order Her To Be Beheaded.

But With The King Demanding A Trial, The Queen Starts The Trial Of Alice...

Having A Frantic Chase All Throughout Wonderland, We See Various Characters From Alice's Journey Through Wonderland Until She Ends Up Back In Front Of The Doorknob Who Is Still Locked...

Asking To Get Out Anyway, The Doorknob Laughs Saying That She Is Outside, Showing Her That She Is Actually Asleep Under A Tree In The Park And All Of This Is Just A Dream...

Saying To Wake Up As An Angry Mob Grows Closer And Closer, Alice Eventually Wakes Up To The Sound Of Her Sister's Voice As They Walk Home...

And That's Alice In Wonderland And Despite Sometimes Having Songs Coming One After Another, It Still Is One Of My Favorite Disney Animated Movies..

The Story Is Very Adventurous, I Love The Characters, Most Of The Songs Are Good, I Love Ed Wynn As The Mad Hatter, I Love The Queen Of Hearts As The Bad Guy, It's Just A Great Disney Animated Feature Altogether And I Say See It...

Be Sure To Check Out Duke Reviews Xtra This Week, As We Look At Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland, The Burton-Less Sequel, Alice Through The Looking Glass And The 1985 TV Version Of Alice In Wonderland That Was Done By Irwin Allen...

Till Then, This Is Duke, Signing Off...

[maddie-grove]

I was tagged to answer these by @forthegothicheroine, and am tagging @saucespider, @galatea-wannabe, @biorhythmsyo, @secretlyatargaryen, and @charlottemarney. 

1) Diabetes: A very sweet book.

Silas Marner by George Eliot (1861). The title character, a lonely weaver haunted by his sad past, loses his only comfort (a hoard of gold coins) but gains a daughter when an orphaned toddler wanders into his house during a snowstorm. Many scenes follow of Silas flailing around after a mischievous two-year-old and making friends with a sympathetic neighbor lady. It sounds like a Victorian Hallmark Movie, but it works, largely because Silas is so socially awkward, withdrawn, and wary of people that his eventual willingness to accept help and companionship from the basically kind villagers feels like a real victory.

2) Chickenpox: A book that you read once and will not read again.

Leaving aside everything that was just plain bad, Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue (2000). You know that episode of Futurama where Bender drops out of school, joins a gang, takes money from a loan shark, and falls into a spiral of despair, addiction, and discount prostitution, all in one day? Well, that’s essentially what happens to the fourteen-year-old (non-robot) heroine of the Georgian-set Slammerkin, and that’s just the beginning of her troubles. It’s a huge (if lively and beautifully written) bummer.

3) Influenza: A contagious book that spreads like a virus.

The influence of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1871) is clear; it’s left its mark on countless stories about young people who leave (or, more often, are forced out of) their well-ordered homes and find themselves in an exciting, troubling world of chaos and, often, cruelty. Even aside from the more obvious examples (subsequent classics of children’s literature like The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan, clearly intentional parallels in works like Spirited Away and Pan’s Labyrinth),  there’s Mervyn Peake’s Boy in Darkness (in which young Titus Groan leaves his stultifying home and does battle with abominable anthropomorphic animals),  A Series of Unfortunate Events (in which the Baudelaire siblings are thrust into a world of villainous people and misery-inducing absurdity after losing their happy home and kind, intelligent parents), and even Arya Stark’s storyline in A Song of Ice and Fire (in which our girl, both loved and mistreated by her family, ends up taking an identity-bending journey through a landscape of senseless violence and strange magic). I enjoyed the Alice books more at ten (when I thought I was too old for them!) than at twenty-five, but I liked making these connections.

4) The Cycle: A book that you read every month, every year, or very often.

I reread books I enjoyed as a kid fairly often, but it’s been a long time since I repeatedly went back to any one book. My last reread was Madeline L’Engle’s A Wind in the Door (1973), the first sequel to A Wrinkle in Time. I slightly preferred it to the original as a kid (as my falling-apart copy indicates) for a few reasons: the stakes were more immediately clear, Meg is a more active heroine, and the journey-inside-of-the-mitochondria plot appealed to my blossoming hypochondria.  There are several wonderful moments that have stuck in my mind for years: the New England vegetable garden where strange creatures appear, Meg’s confrontation of Mr. Jenkins, the Echthroi who “splits the night,” Calvin’s story about the shoes, Calvin’s other story about his science fair project, and the three Mr. Jenkinses, to name a few. Upon rereading, the more realistic parts of the story (both the world of Meg’s village and the psychology/relationships of the characters) were stronger than their A Wrinkle in Time equivalents; however, the sci-fi/fantasy elements were more beautiful and fully developed in A Wrinkle in Time.

5) Insomnia: A book that kept you up all night.

Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough (2012). Inspired by the chilling Child Ballad of the same name, Long Lankin kept me up all night both because it was fascinating and because I didn’t want to fall asleep in the dark, lest its child-hungry, marsh-dwelling villain eat me.

6) Amnesia: A book that’s been forgotten and failed to leave an impression on your life.

Killing Yourself to Live by Chuck Klosterman (2005). I’ve enjoyed both fiction and nonfiction by Klosterman—his novel Downtown Owl was my favorite book that I read in 2012—but I remember exactly two details that are definitely from this unfocused book: he talks about a part of Prozac Nation that he liked, and he expresses a very troubling opinion that I hope he doesn’t hold anymore. He might say something about his fascination with women in New York City who wear gloves/hats/scarves but no coat, but maybe that’s from another book? Also, my records indicate that he talks too much about his relationship troubles and not about whatever the book’s supposed to be about (death?).

7) Asthma: A book that took your breath away.

When I was in tenth grade, I went into a used bookstore after school and picked up Nathanael West’s Miss Lonelyhearts (1933), a novella about a severely troubled advice columnist at the nadir of the Great Depression. Within two pages I was knocked out by the language—I literally felt sick with excitement. I’d gotten that feeling from books before, but I’d never truly realized that an author could make that happen. The revelation changed my approach to writing because I knew I could use phrases and details to provoke that kind of reaction.

8) Malnutrition: A book that lacked food for thought.

Once and for All by Sarah Dessen (2017). While Dessen’s latest is an enjoyable read, it doesn’t feature the thematic richness that usually characterize her work. “Tis better to have loved and lost/than never to have loved at all” is a fine message, but it’s also well-traveled territory and Dessen doesn’t do much new with it. The heroine’s relationships aren’t particularly complex, either. The central romance, although complicated by the heroine’s concealment of her last boyfriend’s death in a national tragedy, mostly consists of “she’s punctual and makes checklists, he shows up an hour late with Starbucks and once accidentally adopted a dog” type of conflicts. (Not that I’m complaining about the scene where he accidentally adopts a dog—it’s hilarious.) Most surprising was the heroine’s lack of conflict with her mother. Dessen has written some truly fascinating moms, and it’s not like they’re all terrible parents, either; Annabelle’s reluctance to upset her gentle, fragile-seeming mother in Just Listen creates an incredible amount of tension.

9) Motion sickness: A book that took you on a journey through time and space.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (2009). I love historical fiction, and I’ve found the Tudor period fascinating since I was eleven or so. Outside of YA, though, I’m usually disappointed by novels set during that time. The tone is often stiff and/or pretentious, which makes me feel removed from the story. Not so with Wolf Hall (or its sequel, Bringing Up the Bodies). Mantel’s style, both informal and slightly experimental, make Tudor England feel as immediate as the present day despite its differences. I think it’s because it’s written from such a close third-person point-of-view; I feel like I’m reading Thomas Cromwell’s thoughts, and to him Tudor England is the present day.