#like… you know the original fairy tale of Rapunzel?

[taibhsearachd]

This is heresy, properly cooked Brussels sprouts are proof that God exists and he loves us.

Brussels Sprouts were invented by monks for use as a mark of penitence. Only those who committed the most terrible sins were condemned to taste their horrible flavor. They are named for St. Bernard of Brussels, who also tasted pretty awful.

[princesssarisa]

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Complete Series

I'm sharing this playlist in response to the post that's been circulating today debunking the "urban legends" about Shelley Duvall.

I was shocked to learn that some people assume Duvall was "driven insane" by the trauma she went through filming The Shining, and think this was why she left Hollywood and became a recluse.

Now, I don't know all the details of Duvall's mental health struggles, but the myth that The Shining drove her into exile is total nonsense! She was active as both an actress and a producer throughout the '80s and '90s – especially in children's shows, as the post that's been circulating points out.

So to thoroughly debunk that urban legend, I've decided the complete episode playlist of the '80s TV series that may be her post-Shining magnum opus: Faerie Tale Theatre.

This series originally ran on Showtime, then was shown in reruns on the Disney Channel in the '90s. Most of the episodes were also released on VHS and later DVD. Each episode is a 50-minute live-action adaptation of a classic fairy tale or fantasy story, with a celebrity cast. Many of the episodes have quirky, irreverent humor, and jokes aimed more at adults than at kids, but they never quite cross the line into "fractured fairy tale" and have genuine heart too. I've written reviews in the past of Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Sleeping Beauty. My personal favorite episodes are probably Cinderella and The Three Little Pigs, but they're all worth watching and were a mainstay of my childhood.

Duvall created and produced the series and introduces each episode in a host segment. In two episodes, she appears as the heroine: the Miller's Daughter in Rumpelstiltskin and the title role in Rapunzel. She also provides the voice of the titular bird in The Nightingale and briefly appears as Snow White's mother in the prologue of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

If you like fairy tales, and if you never knew that Shelley Duvall's career still thrived in the '80s and want to see her work from that era, then watch this series!

[zahri-melitor]

Thinking about my views on canonicity again, and hmm. It's not that I want everything I interact with to be canon-thumpingly rigid, even though I guess I give that impression on occasion. Besides, characterisation in comics is a sliding spectrum and can vary within a range from writer to writer.

I think my main views on characterisation and storytelling is that I want to recognise the characters and scenario. I should be able to look from the canon material to fan creations and be able to see the connection. If I can't recognise the characters that I love, why am I bothering?

It's what occasionally leads to my comments about some comics writers (that they've been imagining this story and this character in their head for so long that what they're writing does not contain the connective tissue getting the story and characterisation from A to B). Sometimes you have to take a few steps back and show your work, if you want people to be able to follow your story.

I prefer when reading to engage with stories written by people who have in fact consumed parts of the canon, because they know the material they're working with, and they're simply less likely to be iterating the same story over and over. I'd rather have a photo someone took themselves, from a bridge, that's a bit blurry or with weird composition, than a duplicate of a famous picture that has been downloaded and saved in a compressed file format and printed out and a photo of that printout taken sitting on a bedspread and then scanned back in and sent to me by email at a too small file size so that it's now blurry, pixellated and distorted. Particularly when it's in reaction to or a reinterpretation of an actual canon event. Because every layer of 'I based this on someone else's writing' that you get away from having looked at it personally and in context, the less I feel the writer has to say on the original topic and the more it is a reaction to the subgenre of fanworks in itself.

And that can be interesting! But it's often the difference between "I have read 16 different recorded variations on the fairy tale of Rapunzel collected over time" and "I have read 16 different novelised versions of the Disney movie Tangled written for toddler bedtime".

(I have in fact read 16 different variations of Tangled stories at toddler bedtime and sometimes I would like to read a variant from a completely different tradition for some variety. And depth)

Or let's take Frozen. It's an adaption of The Snow Queen. But someone who is looking for a story about the Snow Queen is probably not that interested in a story based around Olaf, the talking snowman. And if what you're doing is hanging out making Olaf retell the plot of other Disney movies in charades, then that's both valid fan material and not really related to the Snow Queen except in the most tangential manner, even if all your friends also like doing that.

You don't have to know everything. Goodness knows I screw up and miss things and forget things as well, and have times when I set things very specifically in a particular run ignoring earlier or later material. But I find that stories are more interesting and have more to say on the topic when the writer has a broad and/or deep understanding of the subject, rather than a casual one.

[mrssylvatica]

"The Other Fairy Tale" - Different Fairy Tales (AU?)

~560 words || The members of Crown, represented by different fairy tales than the originals used in the game.

This fanfiction is rated for all audiences, but keep in mind that the game, Ikemen Villains, is intended for a more mature audience.

◇ CW: None...?  Nothing too serious. Let me know if I should add any warnings. ◇ Let me know if you'd ever like to be tagged in my posts!

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William: Rapunzel (original version)

sorry for the jumpscare

You’ve always been a dreamer.  You’ve always wanted to see the world, but the walls built around you prevented you.  Ah, mother (Victor) warned you not to fall in love with anyone (prologue), but look at you now.  You could never see the world, no matter how much you wanted to.  It took a prince to whisk you off your feet and guide you to free will.  Even if William was blinded by thorns, he’d still be able to find you in the dark.

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Harrison: Cinderella

Black hearts may mistreat you, Only a miracle could save you, But he’s able to see through the lies, as well as your disguise, because his love is one that is true.

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Liam: The Little Mermaid (original version)

It was an impossible relationship.  You are of land, while he is of sea.  You’re worth more to him than you’ll ever know.  He loves you so much, oh, he’d die for you.  He saved you so many times.  Liam sacrificed everything just for a chance, a small chance to love you.  Learn from the Prince’s mistake.  You better love him back and not leave him for another.

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Elbert: The Little Mermaid

All the beautiful things he heard about on the surface brought him jealousy.  For years, he would collect every little scrap that fell to him from the sky.  When Elbert looked up at you from the sea’s surface, he fell for you in an instant.  The siren, entranced by you, the most beautiful of them all.  But perhaps he would do something different.  Instead of dragging you to the surface, he would drag you beneath the depths.  A place where he could love you forever.  And now you belong to him.

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Alfons: Red Riding Hood

The wolf will lead you astray with the beautiful flowers on the way. He’ll devour you whole, And take hold of your soul. You’ll never see another day.

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Roger: Pinocchio

Roger will always fix you up when you’re chased, injured, and on the verge of death. It doesn't matter if you're flesh or wood.  He’ll hold you close and shield you from the world.  In a world surrounded by death, in which life is increasingly bizarre, you’re real to him.  You may be a fool, but you’re the only thing keeping him sane.

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Jude: Aladdin (Disney's version)

He’s a rich, feisty prince.  You’re a robber on the streets, on the run.  Strange how you two fell in love.  Quit trying to impress him, he isn’t interested.  Oh-  oh dear.  Jude crosses his arms and sighs.  You should have just been yourself in the first place.

Well then, what are your three wishes?

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Ellis: ??? ("Happy Ending")

The world is full of unhappiness.  Ellis would rather kill you to preserve your happiness than to have the possibility of it being tainted.  He’ll stop time when you’re at your happiest, letting you stay in that happiness - forever.  That’s his happy ending.

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Victor: The Little Match Girl

Victor already knew your fate, but he must let life take its course.  He’s tortured by the visions of the deaths of those he loves.  Ah, but despite their sins, he loves them all so much.  Death watches over the girl, letting the flames remind her of love and kindness.  May you die with a smile on your face, and let the loving Death carry you to Heaven.

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SHITPOST MAIN: @rou-luxe

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Author's Notes

I remember seeing something similar for Ikemen Prince, and I decided it must be done for Villains.

I had to choose a fairytale that's different from the one they originated from. No similar characters either, which means Roger wasn't allowed to be the Huntsman from Red Riding Hood.

Harrison and Alfons' seemed too short... so I just made them into limericks...

Just something I was tempted to include in Roger's. But this fox and cat are rather antagonistic, so I decided against it.

The line from Ellis' is a reference to petite-otome's translation of his trailer~

My favorite is definitely Elbert's. It has such fanfiction potential. Maybe later. But my least favorite is probably Ellis'... I couldn't think up anything better than "happy ending".

Elbert mermay art might come out on my main anytime. @rou-luxe Elbert merman and lighthouse keeper Alfons... my Elbert merman AU... it never stops...

[paschameleon]

After some research, I was able to find out where all of the princesses are from. Here are my notes…

Snow White: Snow White was first published in Germany by the Brothers Grimm, in 1812, in their book Grimm's Fairy Tales. Because of this I assume the Disney version is from Germany.

Cinderella: Cinderella takes place in France and it is based on the French fairy tale by Charles Perrault, it says so in the credits. More proof is that all of the women at the ball have French names and Cinderella’s house is referred to as Ch��teau which is a french word.

Aurora: The French symbol the Fleur-de-lys can be found everywhere in the castle and in the credits. Plus, the credits it says the movie is based on the Charles Perrault version of Sleeping Beauty.  

Ariel: Ariel is from Atlantica which is a kingdom that is located somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. This is confirmed on Disney Wiki "Eric's Castle is located on the shore of a Mediterranean-like country". The official Disney Princess youtube channel has a video titled: Fun Facts About Ariel! How Many Do You Know? | Disney Princess, where it says that Ariel grew up in the Mediterranean and specifies that Eric’s caste is in Italy.  

Belle: The movie literally says that it is set in France.

Jasmine: Ron Clements and John Musker, the directors of the film said that the movie was originally intended to be set in Baghdad, Iraq. However, it was changed to the fictional city of Agrabah during production due to the Gulf War in the early 1990s. Here is part of the interview:  “We kept it Baghdad in our first treatment, and then the Gulf War happened […] This can't be in Baghdad. So, I took letters and did a jumbled anagram and came up with Agrabah, Musker told E! News." Agrabah is an adaptation of Baghdad.

Pocahontas: The movie starts off with “In sixteen hundred seven We sail the open sea For glory, God, and gold And the Virginia Company”.

Mulan: It says so in the movie that it is set in China.

Tiana: The movie says that it takes place in New Orleans.

Rapunzel: In the TV show a satellite shot can be seen showing that Corona is located in central France. Mont Saint-Michel and Rocamadour (France) where some of the inspirations behind the kingdom. The video A Tangled World: Creating the Look on the Walt Disney Animation Studios YouTube channel explains that the executive producer wanted to make Rapunzel’s tower look like “the most charming B and B in the south of France”.  

Merida: Scotland obvious clues in movie.

Moana: I guessed Samoa because she wears a Samoan-inspired ceremonial dress at one point in the movie. The song “We Know the Way” features more lyrics in Samoan than other Polynesian languages, and Motunui, the fictional island of the film, mostly drew inspiration from elements of the real-life island nations of Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga.

Anna and Elsa: Arendelle was based on multiple locations in Norway. The team behind Frozen visited Norway to gain inspiration, and you can see Nordic influence all throughout the movie.

Raya: It's difficult to figure out one specific country since Kumandra is based on multiple Southeast Asian countries.

[dommnics]

Oh your art is so good, your mermaid designs are especially so pretty and unusual! May I ask what other fairy tales would you like to design, both Andersen and not ( seen that you have started with the Snow White)

Thank you so much! I super appreciate the “pretty and unusual” comment!! 🥹❤️

And yes, essentially I wanna cross off the “well-known” fairy tales. What interests me about these fairy tale redesigns (especially for the popular/well known stories) is that they already have existing interpretations, so my challenge is to put something new out there, which is such a fun exercise for me to try to create the most interesting design (to me) and make it feel fresh somehow! I would be interested in drawing some of the lesser known stories as well, especially if they have a smaller cast of characters. It just means less for me to design and draw haha

Some of the fairy tales on my list include, but may not be limited to:

Hans Christian Andersen

- snow queen, wild swans, the real princess/princess and the pea, the swine herd, little match girl

Brothers Grimm

- snow white , twelve dancing princesses, frog Prince, goose girl, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, red cap, rumpelstiltskin, Cinderella, seven ravens, Snow White and rose red

I’d also like to draw two different versions of some fairy tales (ex, Charles Perrault’s Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty vs the Grimm versions, Perrault’s Beauty and the Beast vs the Villeneuve/Beaumont versions) because their story differences interest me enough to feel like they warrant different character designs and because I want to have my cake and eat it too, by getting to design them “twice” lol.

And there’s also literary tales that don’t originate from folk tales (?) that are on my list that I’m really excited to draw designs for, like:

- the wizard of Oz, Alice in wonderland, Peter Pan, the nutcracker, Pinocchio

If there’s fairy tales/stories I’ve also missed that maybe people are really interested to see and let me know of, I might draw for those too! I didn’t expect these to get much attention/interest truthfully but it makes me happy others are enjoying them because it certainly gives me joy working on them!

[nikibogwater]

Hey! So sorry for being absent on Discord, lots of stuff has been happening!

Anywho I had a Tangled thought...

Did you watch Tangled the series and if yes, did you like it?

What are your thoughts on a possible Tangled sequel where they age the characters up a bit like they did with Httyd?

I'd imagine that a time skip where Rapunzel gets to mature as a Princess and where Eugene has to come to terms with his past, as he is a mistrusted future king, would fit the story really well!

No worries, fam, I know how life be sometimes.

Oooooooooooooof....Okay, so, I'm about to say something that many would consider borderline sacrilegious--I did not particularly enjoy the Tangled series.

Now, to be clear, I don't actually think it was bad, per se. I could tell that the people behind it loved and were passionate about the original film (a boon I will never again take for granted after what happened to Star Wars and Lord of the Rings). I adored the art direction and music (no surprise there, since both the art director and composer also worked on the movie). And a lot of the expansions made to the world and characters were genuinely interesting (at least in theory). The problem was that for every one episode that had me going "Oh shoot, this is getting good," I had to sit through at least four episodes of just ....meh. And any time there was an interesting development, I never felt like it was explored enough to actually feel meaningful. I also found Rapunzel's character kind of one-dimensional and boring. It felt like she was never allowed to be wrong or make mistakes. She wasn't allowed to really need her friends, her family, or Eugene, which made the character relationships feel superficial to me. It's possible that the writing improved later on in the series, but I had to stop watching halfway through season 2 because I was just so bored.

As for the possibility of a sequel....I don't know, I kind of think Tangled should just be left alone. It's such a perfectly self-contained movie that adding anything on to it almost feels like bloat. The film's simplicity is what makes it such a masterful adaptation of the original fairy tale to me. I do think there's potential for further interesting character development (like the stuff you suggested--Rapunzel growing as a leader and Eugene dealing with the people's mistrust), but that's not enough to justify an entire movie or tv show, in my opinion. If I were told I had to come up with some kind of sequel to the movie, I think I would just do a mini-series about Rapunzel and Eugene adapting to their new life together over the span of a few years. Maybe have the final episode feature a flash-forward at the end where we get to see their kids (because I am in LOVE with the headcanon that Eugene's narration in the film is actually him telling their story to their children).

Thanks so much for the ask, Red! It was very sweet of you to let me indulge in a bit of hyperfixating on my favorite movie, haha. ✨

[fancylala4]

Ok, I understand what I meant when I said that magical hair shit didn’t add anything to the story. I wasn’t talking about tangled, I was talking about the Rapunzel fairy tale as a whole.

Rapunzel was my favorite fairy tale, and I watched or read every adaptation of the story. Every adaptation brought something new to this tale and stood out to me. Like Barbie as Rapunzel had her as a princess and another adaptation had Rapunzel be a robot. I thought Disney would have some kind of twist to add to the story with tangled, but they didn’t. I felt like they went with the most basic premise in tangled and didn’t really try anything new. But the more I thought about the new additions Disney added in tangled, the more I thought that it extremely unnecessary to the story of Rapunzel. Like the dumb addition of the magical hair and the witch wanting to be young as a motivation instead of keeping Rapunzel safe? Did we really need that sexist and ageist plot point put in? There are so many routes they could have gone with the witch, and they basically made her the evil queen from Snow White but bland. It also added even more antisemitic elements to the story when the “original” fairy tale is already antisemitic. From making gothel look like that to characterizing her as an antisemitic caricature. How did you make an adaptation of an old fairy tale even more offensive? I’m not saying that the “original” fairy tale is perfect. I'm saying that the writers on tangled fucked up big time when they had the resources to know better and avoid making a walking stereotype. So that’s what I meant when I said this plot point didn’t add anything to the story of Rapunzel. I hate this stupid “magic hair and evil witch wants to be young for no reason” plot point, and I’m so happy that it isn’t in any of the adaptations of Rapunzel nowadays.

Edit: a stupid ass tangled stan saw my issues with ageism, sexism and antisemitism in tangled and thought "how dare you! this is true to real life." fuck off, gothel is a fucking antisemitic caricature! So if you have any stupid ass statements like that, don’t interact with this post. Be a clown elsewhere.

[tangledbea]

my brain has decided to go on a tangent regarding names, so I apologise if there ends up being a lot of questions on this subject in this ask. feel free to answer as many or as little as you'd like!

rapunzel was named by her parents, right? so did gothel find out when the whole kingdom found out after her birth, after it had been announced, and then just decided to keep it? i feel like keeping her name AND telling her her real birthday was risky, no? if her birth name was rapunzel, however, wouldn't eugene have known that was the name of the lost princess, and find that intriguing at all. or in this universe, was rapunzel a more common name? i feel like I'm over analysing this 😂 perhaps their just minor plot holes.

also, would she have grown up with a surname? is gothel technically mother gothel's surname? was she rapunzel gothel!?! and do you have any headcanons on what her oficial surname would be, what frederick and arianna's is? i know that in my country royals did not have proper surnames up until way after tangled was set, so perhaps that is the same here.

no idea why i have decided to completely fixate on this tonight but there we go😂 any thoughts?

According to the series, Rapunzel was named by her parents, yes. I have this whole headcanon about that, but it also predates the series, which muddled it up a bit. XD

However! She was also named after the Sundrop flower! You see, it's common practice to say that "Rapunzel" means "lettuce," but that's inaccurate at best and just wrong at worst. The plant in the original fairy tale that the woman craved was rampion. Rapunzel is the name of the rampion flower.

This is a rampion flower.

Look at the center of the Sundrop flower. Look at the way the stamen curl. Yes, it does resemble a lily, but at the heart of it is a rapunzel flower.

Rapunzel was named after the flower that saved her.

And then Gothel kidnapped her. And I headcanon that she also named her Rapunzel, after the flower that she now bore the magic of. So, it was a big fat coincidence that they both named her the same thing.

As for my previously-mentioned headcanon, while her name was officially announced (according to the series), in the movie, she's only ever referred to as the Lost Princess by the townsfolk. I don't think her name was used much by the general public. I also don't think she told her her real birthday with any intent. The baby present for the first lantern raising is not a newborn.

A child as wiggy and giggly as this baby is at least three months old. I therefore also headcanon that this lantern wasn't raised in honor of her birth, but of her naming. She'd made it to three months, the risks of her dying were greatly depleted by that, alone. It was now safe to assume she'd likely survive infancy.

I think Gothel - who doesn't like aging and probably doesn't know how old she is anymore, nor remember when her own birthday is - probably wouldn't tell her about birthdays unless she asked. Rapunzel is smart. Rapunzel charts the stars and observes the seasons and likely notices that there was a pattern. The world turned the same way every year. The lanterns always rose when the stars were about the same. Perhaps Rapunzel chose her own birthday to coincide with the distant floating lights, because she felt like they were meant for her, as opposed to her feeling like they were meant for her because they happened on her birthday. Perhaps when Gothel couldn't tell her when she was born, Rapunzel suggested that day, because she knew the lanterns would rise that night. I dunno, it's a bit of a stretch, but I'm kind of sick of, "You know, if Gothel hadn't told her when her birthday was none of this would have happened lol." (Not that you're saying that, but with a similar -- if sincere -- line of questioning, I'm getting that same old frustration I've had for almost thirteen years.)

As for surnames, I never assumed Rapunzel grew up with one, but I headcanon her royal surname as Solaris.

[hibiscusangel15]

Fairy Tales

Summary: Arisawa Tatsuki did not care for fairy tales. Not that she had anything against these stories, per se. They just always played out the same. A princess gets captured or cursed, some prince comes to save her, then they live happily ever after.

What right does the dragon have to fall for a princess?

Originally written for the @bleachpridezine!

Rating: General Audiences

Category: Arisawa Tatsuki/Inoue Orihime

Additional Tags:

Friends to Lovers, Feelings Realization, First Crush, Confessions, Pre-Soul Society Arc (Bleach)

Also available on AO3!

Spot illustration and full page piece by the lovely @jellyribbons!

Arisawa Tatsuki did not care for fairy tales. Not that she had anything against these stories, per se. They just always played out the same. A princess gets captured or cursed, some prince comes to save her, then they live happily ever after.

“Why can’t the princess kick the monster’s butt?” she had asked her mother countless times. 

Her mother would always laugh and say, “Not everyone knows karate like you, Tatsuki.”

“What if she did?”

Her mother pursed her lips. “Okay, but what will happen to the prince?”

“He can give her a ride home and they don’t have to marry. The end.”

Her mother would laugh dismissively and pat her head. Tatsuki was a kid. It was normal for kids to think romance was icky.

The older she got, though, the less she understood the point of fairy tales.

Tatsuki was tough and it didn’t take long before everyone else knew it, too. Some let her be out of respect. Others feared her wrath more than anything else. When you were this strong, no one—bully or otherwise—dared to bother you.

Come middle school, she knew she’d have to reestablish her credibility, but all the knuckleheads in her grade would soon learn not to mess with her in time.

For now, Tatsuki suffered through class introductions. No one paid her much heed when she introduced herself. The same could not be said when the next girl stood up.

This girl had long, shiny hair trailing all the way past her legs, and for a moment, Tatsuki was reminded of the princess Rapunzel.

“I’m I-Inoue Orihime. Pleased to meet you,” the girl with long hair stuttered. She was beautiful and painfully shy. The complete opposite of Tatsuki in every way.

“What’s with that hair?”

“Is she trying to show off?”

“Damn, she’s hot.”

Various whispers bubbled around her and that Inoue girl sank into her seat again. So it began. There was always at least a handful of rotten kids in their grade who liked to spread rumors. Poor Inoue Orihime seemed to be their first target.

Tatsuki had very little investment in their gossip. Until she heard that same group of kids crowding around the back of the school.

“No! Please stop!” a girl’s voice cried out from within the fray.

Tatsuki didn’t think twice before running towards the commotion. They were too busy jeering at their victim to pay much attention to her. At least, until Tatsuki yanked back a couple kids in her way.

Oh. It was that Inoue girl.

Tears spilled down her face, and half of that long, gorgeous hair had been chopped to an uneven mess. Two other girls held her arms apart so she couldn’t fight back. Another larger boy holding a pair of scissors gawked at Tatsuki, unsure of how to react.

She was on him the next moment. The scissors flew out of his hands and the rest of his group abandoned him in that instant. Cowards, all of them. It was why they attacked her in the first place.

The boy dripped bloody snot and his left eye swelled when she was done with him. He threatened to tell the teacher as he ran away. Pathetic.

Tatsuki spat onto the dirt in front of her, cursing him and all his awful friends and threatening to give him another black eye if he so much as looked at Inoue wrong again.

Pretty soon, it was silent, save for Inoue’s sniffling. Tatsuki’s eyes softened when she turned back to her. “Hey, you okay?”

It was a stupid question. Of course she wasn’t okay.

Inoue wiped at her face and smiled anyway. Even after this, she still had the capacity to smile and thank Tatsuki for her help.

Warmth spread across Tatsuki’s face and she looked away. “Um, my mom’s a hairdresser. Did you maybe want to walk home with me so we can fix your hair?”

Inoue teared up again when she looked at her hair littering the ground. She must have treasured it to have kept it so long. All she could manage was a small nod.

Tatsuki clasped Inoue’s hands in hers. “Don’t worry! My mom’s really good at what she does! She styled my hair like this, so don’t cry!”

Her sudden kindness was too much for the poor girl and Inoue started bawling. Tatsuki flailed about, unsure of what to do. Eventually, she settled on covering Inoue’s choppy hair with her school jacket and holding her hand as she led her back to her house.

Her mother fussed over both of them the moment she opened the door. Tatsuki was relegated to sweeping up hair as punishment for getting into a fight while Inoue had her hair cleaned up. A proud smile lit across her face when her mother managed to cut the mess down to a stylish bob.

Tatsuki quickly swept up the remains of Inoue’s hair so she wouldn’t have to see all she had lost. Inoue still looked a little sad, but she thanked the both of them for their help and left without another word.

The next day at school proved to be a challenge. The bullies threw her and Inoue dirty looks, ones she returned with an equally savage sneer. Inoue seemed oblivious to it all, and Tatsuki made sure it stayed that way.

As it turned out, that kid who threatened to tell the teachers on her never got around to it. He and his gang were caught bullying another kid during lunch and immediately sentenced harsh suspensions.

It was a relief to not have to deal with those snot-nosed punks anymore. That still left the matter of Inoue being outright ignored by the other kids because she’d once been a target of their bullying.

Days passed and the situation did not improve. Eventually, Tatsuki strolled right up to her, took her hand, and invited her to hang out.

Inoue seemed startled. “Why do you want to hang out with me?”

Tatsuki jabbed a thumb to her chest. “I won’t stand by and let anyone bully anyone else. You seem nice, so I’ll be your friend. And if anyone dares to make you cry again, I’ll beat the snot out of ‘em!”

Inoue still seemed confused by this brash offer, but she allowed herself a smile and said, “O-Okay. Thank you, Arisawa-san.”

Tatsuki shook her head. “If we’re friends, you gotta call me Tatsuki!”

“Eh? But…um…”

After Inoue fidgeted for a bit, Tatsuki said, “Then call me Tatsuki-chan! I’m fine with that!”

“Tatsuki…san.”

She snorted. “We’ll work on it. In the meantime, you wanna come hang out at my house today, Orihime?”

Too flustered to speak, Orihime nodded. From then on, it was the two of them against the world.

Tatsuki had friends before her, of course, but she never sought out their company as often nor as fervently as she did Orihime’s. There was just something so soothing about her.

Her mother often scolded her for picking fights with the other kids, but Tatsuki always had a reason for it. Most of the boys in their neighborhood were sexist, little pricks who didn’t believe a girl could fight. She proved them all wrong by beating them up and sending them crying to their parents. Most of the other neighborhood girls did not like the way she wrestled in the mud or caught bugs or even that her hair spiked out like a boy, and so, they did not want to play with her, either.

Ichigo was the only one she actually liked hanging around, and even then, he could be a blockhead sometimes.

Orihime was different. She liked to be feminine, sure, but she liked Tatsuki’s rougher interests, too. She wanted to learn karate, not just for her own sake, but so Tatsuki always had a sparring partner to practice against for competitions. Pretty soon, they both grew to be adept black belts.

It made Tatsuki proud to see her best friend become this strong. Prouder still to know that she was the only one who could make her smile brightly to this day.

As Orihime gained more confidence in herself, she opened up more and more to others around her. Soon, their friend group grew. Honshou Chizuru was perhaps the most annoying addition due to her insistence on being close to Orihime at all times.

Tatsuki wasn’t sure why that irritated her so much. The casual way Chizuru would sidle up to Orihime and ask for a hug, or when Chizuru teased that she would kiss her simply irked her to no end.

Maybe she was just jealous that she was no longer Orihime’s only friend. Which was a completely selfish notion and one that didn’t hold any weight the more she thought about it. If that was the case, then shouldn’t she also be mad at Mahana or Michiru or Ryo, too? The fact that she only grew tense around Chizuru puzzled her.

It was not until they both offered to wait for Orihime after she was stuck with classroom clean-up duty did it all become clear. After a few minutes of waiting, Chizuru let out a huge, dramatic sigh and Tatsuki knew she was in for another argument.

“Hey, can I ask you a question, Tatsuki-chan?”

Tatsuki spared her the barest glance. “What?”

“Geez, can you relax? I’m only asking you a question. No need to scowl at me.”

She hadn’t realized she’d been frowning. In hindsight, she supposed it was a bit unfair for her to treat Chizuru this way all the time. “Sorry. What is it?”

“Why’re you so overprotective of Hime?” Chizuru asked. “I mean, I get it. Hime’s so cute, you can’t help but want to stick up for her. But you need to relax. Hime’s always gonna be by your side anyway.”

Tatsuki frowned. “It’s just how we are. It’s how we’ve always been.”

“What, like she’s always in need of saving?” Chizuru scoffed. “I swear, it’s like you’re the dragon guarding the princess locked away in her tower. It’s so unfair! I love her as much as you do, you know!”

Love? Did she love Orihime?

“I don’t…”

Love was too strong of a word, wasn’t it? They were friends. Just that.

But Chizuru also had a point. Orihime could take care of herself. Tatsuki knew that.

And still, Tatsuki found her gaze trailing after her to make sure she was alright, felt her heart skip when Orihime met her eyes and smiled that sunny smile of hers.

Was that love? Something that bright and warm and all-encompassing? Something that made her fight to see that smile every day?

Chizuru waved a hand in front of her face. “Hello? Tatsuki-chan? Can you hear me?”

“Huh?” Her voice sounded far away even to her own ears.

“Geez, you’re really out of it today. You want me to grab you a drink or something?”

“Oh, uh, juice would be nice. Any flavor.”

Chizuru gave her one last once-over. “Okay. You can pay me back tomorrow.”

A question tugged at Tatsuki’s chest like a vice. She had to know. Had to know if she was messing with her.

“When did you first realize you liked Orihime?”

The question took Chizuru aback. “Oh, well, when I first met her, I guess? I thought her being shy to introduce herself to the class was so cute, but really, it was her smile that won me over. I fall for girls with big smiles way too easily.”

Chizuru’s dreamy look quickly became a teasing smirk. “Why’re you asking? You assessing your competition?”

“No, I…” Tatsuki trailed off with a scowl. “Orihime likes Ichigo, so it’s pointless.”

Chizuru’s eyes grew wider. So she had been messing around with her, after all. Was she going to use this against her? Maybe even tell Orihime and ruin everything.

Much to Tatsuki’s surprise, Chizuru offered a sympathetic smile. “Yeah, I know. That’s the hardest part, knowing all that and loving her anyway. But if it came down to it, I think Hime might surprise you.”

And with that, she twirled on her heel and left to get the both of them drinks.

How did you come to terms with the fact that you’d fallen in love with your best friend? Another girl, no less. A girl who had a crush on a boy you’d known your whole life.

It was exactly like Chizuru said. Ichigo was Orihime’s knight in shining armor, and Tatsuki was just the dragon to be slayed before the happily ever after.

A memory of Ichigo in a traditional black uniform lingered in the back of her mind. Just some vague blur that might have been a scrap from a dream. It nagged at her for a while, but she tried not to let it bother her. Until she saw her first ghost clear as day. Until a monster nearly killed them all.

Tatsuki didn’t remember much about the attack, if she was honest. Chizuru refused to talk about it, especially around Orihime. Better to forget. Better to think of all this as a bad dream.

Life went on, and she was never given an explanation on the events of that day. Orihime too began to pull away, often hanging more around Chad or even that surly Ishida.

And with Ichigo.

Something had changed after that monster attacked them. There was something Orihime wasn’t telling her.

The last day of the summer festival, Orihime finally announced that she had to cut their summer plans short and go to a relative’s house for the season. Funny how Chad and Ichigo were also supposed to visit their relatives at the same time. Funnier still that Tatsuki acted like she believed them.

Kuchiki Rukia had disappeared. It was obvious they were going after her, wherever she had gone. She only wished she could come along with them. If her arm hadn’t been broken in that last karate competition, she might have insisted she do so. She didn’t know Kuchiki all that well, but both Ichigo and Orihime were friends with her and that was enough reason in itself.

Bursts of color erupted in the sky, faint and fleeting.

“I’ve been thinking,” Tatsuki said after the fireworks stopped. “You’ve grown pretty strong.”

Orihime smiled. “It’s all because of you, Tatsuki-chan!”

At this, Tatsuki allowed herself a smile of her own. “Yeah, well, you certainly don’t need me to protect you anymore. I’m sure you’ll be able to handle whatever challenges you face on your trip, no problem.”

She refused to look at her. This was her way of letting go. It’d be easier this way.

You don’t need me anymore.

The dragon slayed with mere words. What a predictable fairy tale ending.

Without warning, Orihime grabbed her hand. “That’s not true, Tatsuki-chan! I’ll always need you!”

Tatsuki blinked, startled when she squeezed her hand tighter. “You don’t need to protect me all the time, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need you! How could you say that?”

Tatsuki glanced down at their intertwined hands. “Er, well….”

A stray firework burst overhead, illuminating the air between them. And that’s when she saw it. Orihime’s blushing, glowing face, clear as day.

The sky went dark again, and she ducked her head. “I like you, Tatsuki-chan.”

The next firework exploded and Tatsuki caught the barest glint of tears in Orihime’s eyes. That all-too-familiar hint of nervousness twisting in an incurable ache until finally, finally she had no choice but to unwind.

Oh.

“Orihime…”

“Ah! I should go pack up my things now!” Orihime said all of a sudden. “I wouldn’t want to be late for my…bus! Yes, my early-morning bus!”

Before she could pull away, Tatsuki cupped her face in a hand. “Wait. Orihime…”

Once she met her eyes, however, she fumbled. No one told her that confessing to someone would be so difficult.

“You know, you’re a terrible liar,” she said instead.

Orihime blinked. “What?”

“Whenever you lie, you either blush or run away.” Tatsuki couldn’t help but grin. “It’s cute.”

Orihime’s face bloomed a startled red. “Eh? What are you saying, Tatsuki-chan?”

Even after the confirmation, even with Orihime here by her side, why was it still so terrifying to say?

“I…I like you, too, Orihime.”

Her hands trembled. She had never trembled before.

Two fireworks spiraled and burst in the sky, each lighting up the pure relief glowing in Orihime’s eyes. Tatsuki brushed a light thumb from the edge of her lips across her cheek. “Wherever you, Chad, and Ichigo are going, I hope you’ll tell me all about it when you get back.”

Orihime leaned into her touch and it took everything in her not to sink to her knees then and there. “I’ll miss you, Tatsuki-chan.”

Before Tatsuki could summon up the courage to respond, Orihime’s phone alarm went off. They exchanged that same shattered look with one another. Oddly enough, that was a comfort. Orihime did not want to leave, either. She wanted to stay here, in this wonderful, quiet moment with her.

She shut her phone alarm off and gently clasped Tatsuki’s hand with her own. “Sorry, Tatsuki-chan. I have to go soon.”

“It’s fine. I just…”

I wish I could go with you. I wish you could stay.

So many things to say, but Tatsuki was never very smooth when it came to these things. “Can I kiss you goodbye?”

The words fumbled out in a rush, clumsy and nervous but earnest all the same. If she was granted this, maybe, hopefully, it wouldn’t hurt as much not to be able to follow her.

Orihime fidgeted, her cheeks puffing out. Then she blew out a slow breath the moment another firework flew into the sky.

“Okay.”

The fireworks finale erupted around them in a whirlwind of color. Neither of them paid it any mind. Here, under these riotous lights, all Tatsuki cared about was how soft Orihime’s lips felt against hers.

Floating. She was floating.

Moments after the very last firework exploded in the sky, Tatsuki pulled back, slow and reluctant, and leaned her forehead against hers. “Stay safe, okay? Wherever you’re going, you stay safe and come back to me.”

“Don’t worry, Tatsuki-chan,” Orihime whispered. “I promise. Next time we see each other, I’ll be the one protecting you from getting hurt.”

Tatsuki snorted. “Is that a challenge?”

Her soft laughter warmed her like nothing else. “I guess I learned that from you, Tatsuki-chan.”

And then, Orihime leaned in once more. She would be late, but she didn’t care. It made Tatsuki’s heart soar, if only for that brief moment.

Orihime laughed as she stepped back, a giddy noise that infected Tatsuki, too. Soon, she turned away, glancing one last time over her shoulder and waved goodbye. “Bye, Tatsuki-chan! I love you!”

“See ya, Orihime!”

That was how all fairy tales ended, wasn’t it? A kiss to seal the tale before the happily ever after?

Tatsuki pressed her fingers to her lips and turned to head home.

Maybe fairy tales weren’t bad after all.

Notes:

It's been so long since I first wrote this fic, but all the physical copies of this 'zine should be out now, so here it is in time for Pride Month (and the first day of summer)!

Hope you enjoyed this cute, little summer fic! Comments and kudos mean the world to me. Until next time!

[positivelymossie]

So I am doing more world building/remaking on my little MCD Blessed Children Au (It's just for fun, nothing serious) and I want your opinion/suggestion because you are good at it.

So the main cast is based a lot on fairy tale tropes because I think it's a lot of fun with each of the major players getting 2-ish tropes

Garroth - Overprotective King and Classic Knight - He is Lilith's primary care giver and wants to protect her with his entire heart. Very much a King Triton kind of character trope, and while he isn't a King, he is Aphmau's right hand

Lilith - Rowdy Princess and Neglected Sister - She is a Rapunzel type of character who craves freedom and to be her own person away from pretending to be Alina.

Alina - Rowdy Princess and Magical Child - The classic overpowered magical girl trope with a splash of Merida from Brave. Because she gained the Irene relic, many people want to obtain this magical child

Aphmau - Widow and STRICT Royal Parent - Aphmau is a very stressed and sad mother who is overprotective of her kids and especially Alina.

Lo - Fairy God Parent and Mentor - I have officially made Lo a former pirate along with be a bard and a seamstress, so he is officially the coolest nanny one could ask for. Theres more, like Shad is the evil stepparent and Katelyn as the NOT-Damsel but I have ran into a small problem. Originally Liochant was meant to represent the animal companion, as he is a meif'wa, but I have decided that Lilith needs to have a wyvern named Kitty for hilarity sake. Now Liochant already has the classic fairytale/kid story role of the Helpful Servant but I want to make him cursed and I have no idea what. Like, Liochant is a literal animal man and has fire magicks so I could do something with that but if you have any curse suggestions, let me know! Can spout out as many as you want cause I am drawing blanks.

oooohohohoho hi:

I had a lot of fun just typing away on my mobile device:

•being unable to communicate verbally. Perhaps Liochant only emits the chirps of a bird (despite not physically being one).

•smells of fire and rot (how does fire magic work? Is Liochant "built" to house a system of fire and smoke in their throats and bellies (like certain fairytales dragons) or do they summon it in a ritualistic manner. I think if Liochant was "built" to have smoke and fire on and around, and even in him, smelling of rot, fire, and maybe even. Rotting *flesh* would be a hell of a curse.

•curse for EVERYTHING Liochant says to be taken as rude, rash, and a double-meaning... Garroth would be very "????" (Primarily thinking about that guy). It has to be learned: he isn't actually being an ass, that's just what he sounds like. (Like a snarky humor being taken too far) (Unfortunately)

•being cursed to remain in an animal's body when nature does something specific (like a werewolf and the full moon) (can correspond with curse #1.) (or even being cursed until that animal's body dies *or*, pull a "princess and the frog". Perhaps he is stuck in animal form, and accidentally turns someone *else* into a similar issue (like when Tiana and Naveen kiss, because he thought she was a princess. Since she isn't, she is transformed to a frog, as well).

These were really fun to think about!! Thanks for asking:)

[phoenix-downer]

The Long-Haired Maiden

~1520 words. RokuNami. Fairy Tale AU. Naminé POV. Romance, Love At First Sight, Rapunzel Retelling. Written for @pred1059 for the RokuNami Server's Valentine's Day Exchange.

Summary: Naminé dreams about the day she can be free from her tower when a mysterious stranger climbs into her life.

Naminé longed to go outside her tower. She didn’t care how dangerous it was. What threats might lurk behind the verdant green leaves of the forest surrounding her home. Every time she opened her window and heard the song birds chirping outside, she wanted to sprout wings and fly off with them.

But Marluxia and Larxene were never going to let her, and the tower made it impossible. It had neither stairs nor doors. The only way in or out was through the window, and the drop to the ground from up here was enough to kill a person without the special trick her guardians used.

Sighing, she opened her sketchbook to a blank page and grabbed a nearby pencil. She’d drawn the view outside her small window so many times, but the tower only provided so much entertainment. She supposed she could draw herself looking out the window. Waiting for something, anything to help her step outside her prison, even once.

As her pencil flew across the page, bringing to life the image in her mind, she hummed to herself. It was a lullaby whose origin she did not know. The humming soon turned to words, and she let her voice echo loud and clear through the secluded little valley. No one ever came here besides her guardians, and so no one would ever hear her besides them. And even if they did, they had no way of climbing the tower.

The sun sank low in the sky and the light faded from the world, and she sang to herself as she captured what she could on paper. 

Presently, a sudden sound interrupted her reverie. “Naminé, Naminé, let down your long hair,” a man’s voice called to her. 

It must be Marluxia. Strange, this wasn’t usually the time he or Larxene came. They preferred the mornings or early afternoons, and it was twilight. Well, only her guardians knew the secret call. Maybe something was pressing or urgent. She carefully fastened her long, golden hair around a hook in the window, then let her braid down for him to climb.  

Now that it was night, all she could really make out of Marluxia was his black cloak with the hood pulled over. She waited patiently as he climbed, one gloved hand going over the other. It wasn’t until he had reached the window and was climbing through it that she realized something was wrong. The cloaked figure was smaller than Marluxia for one, and when he straightened and removed his hood, the candlelight revealed a handsome young man with windswept golden hair and piercing blue eyes.

Oh dear. It was much too late to do anything about the fact that this wasn’t Marluxia. It wasn’t Marluxia at all. Her guardians’ warnings about thieves and vagabonds raced through her head, and yet there was something about him that put her at ease. 

“Who are you?” she finally asked when she’d found her voice. It came out much shakier than she would’ve liked.

He smiled, and something about his smile made her breath catch and her heart leap in her chest. That had never happened before. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. But it wasn’t a bad feeling, not at all. Just…unexpected.

“I’m Roxas,” he said in answer to her question, bowing politely. “I’m a prince, and my family’s kingdom isn’t far from here.”

A prince! So he wasn’t a thief or vagabond after all. Well, that was a relief. “But how…”

“I heard you singing when I was passing by one day,” he replied. “Your voice is beautiful, but you sounded sad.”

Sad? Well, she supposed she was sad. How could she be happy when she wasn’t free?

“I wanted to meet you at least once,” he said, his face very earnest and sincere. “Today, I finally figured out how.” He grinned and cupped a hand over his mouth. “Naminé, Naminé, let down your long hair!”

“O-Oh. Well I suppose…” She cleared her throat and rested her hand over her heart. “Yes, that’s right. My name is Naminé.”

“Naminé,” he echoed. “It’s pretty. Like you.”

Heat rushed to her cheeks. Another strange new sensation. “Oh, um, thank you,” was all she could manage. What was it about this man that left her tongue tied?

“You’re welcome.” He glanced around the tower, taking in the rocking chair by the window with her sketchpad and pencils, the small kitchen and cozy fireplace, the little table with three chairs tucked into the corner, her bed with its royal blue canopy and matching covers. “Do you live here?” he asked.

“I do.” It had been her home and her prison ever since she could remember. Marluxia and Larxene made sure her needs were attended to, but a gilded cage was still a cage.

“Do you ever leave?”

She shook her head, and the way his eyebrows knitted together and his lips pulled into a taut line surprised her. Why did he care so much?

“So you’re trapped here,” he said, his voice dropping lower. “That’s why you’re sad.”

“Yes,” she said softly.

“Do you want to leave?”

“More than anything. But I have no way to escape.”

“What if I helped you?”

Her breath caught again. It was one thing to daydream about leaving, it was another altogether to actually act on the urge. Now that the possibility was on the table, she found herself hesitating.

“We would be punished harshly if they caught us. My guardians Marluxia and Larxene would, I mean.”

“They don’t have to know.”

She considered this. She had never tried to hide anything from them. No, that wasn’t true. She never voiced her true feelings about being locked in the tower. She’d tried once, only to be yelled at for several minutes straight about how it wasn’t safe out there, they just wanted to protect her, she couldn’t handle being out in the real world.

But wasn’t that her choice to make? What was the point in being protected from a world she never got to experience?

“Why do you want to help me?” she finally asked Prince Roxas.

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” he said, his eyes flashing with determination. “No one should spend their life imprisoned in a tower. You deserve to be as free as I am.” 

Something about his answer reassured her. Perhaps it was how fiercely he was advocating for her. Maybe it was because he didn’t say a word about what he expected to get out of the arrangement. No, the focus was on helping her and doing the right thing.

Still, this wasn’t the sort of decision she could make lightly. “I…I need time to consider,” she said, pressing her fingers together. “I want to leave, but—”

His expression softened. “You’re scared, aren’t you? Can’t say I blame you. Some strange guy climbs through your window and wants you to leave the only home you’ve ever known. I’d be hesitating too. What can I do to gain your trust?”

“Could you…come back tomorrow?” she said. “And the day after that. But only in the evenings or at night. Mornings and afternoons are when they visit.”

“I’d be happy to. And each time I visit, I’ll bring a small length of rope. Not enough to raise suspicion, but enough for us to make a ladder to climb down, piece by piece. And when the ladder is finished, that’s when we can escape. Together.”

She nodded. His plan was worth a try. It was her only chance of escape, really, and the nightly visits would give her a chance to get to know him before then.

“So tomorrow at twilight, you’ll be back to see me?” The prospect was very appealing indeed, and not just because she wanted to escape. No, the prince was someone she felt like she could spend hours talking to, and the thought of seeing him again made her stomach flutter like a bird that had taken wing.

He smiled. “I will. I promise.”

With that he put his hood back over his head and she fastened her hair into the hook on the window once more. Carefully, she lowered him to the ground and watched as he mounted his horse and rode off into the night. 

Smiling to herself, she pulled her golden braid back up, then sat on her rocking chair and grabbed her sketchbook and pencils. A new idea for a drawing had entered her mind, and she worked on it until the candle was just a stub and the wick flickered. 

When she was finished, she examined her handiwork with a satisfied nod before fastening it to the wall and lighting a fresh candle.

She sat down to eat a delicious supper of apple slices, chunks of cheese, and fresh bread, but her eyes kept wandering to what she’d drawn. Two golden birds flew through the skies together, completely free to go anywhere they liked. The tower was far in the distance, and they would never have to return again.

Someday, that picture would be reality, she was sure of it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Thank you for reading! Pred requested a fairy tale AU as one of the options for the exchange, and RokuNami has such good Rapunzel vibes that I decided to go that route. Thank you for the prompt Pred and for joining the exchange! And thank you to Liv for beta reading the story!

I hope you all enjoyed, and Happy Valentine's Day!

[readerbookclub]

Hello everyone! A new month is approaching so I'm back with another list. This time, it's a collection of fairytale retellings! Hope you like it :)

As always, please remember to vote using the link at the end of the post. And now, onto the books...

Bryony and Roses, by T. Kingfisher

Bryony and her sisters have come down in the world. Their merchant father died trying to reclaim his fortune and left them to eke out a living in a village far from their home in the city.

But when Bryony is caught in a snowstorm and takes refuge in an abandoned manor, she stumbles into a house full of dark enchantments. Is the Beast that lives there her captor, or a fellow prisoner? Is the house her enemy or her ally? And why are roses blooming out of season in the courtyard?

Armed only with gardening shears and her wits, Bryony must untangle the secrets of the house before she—or the Beast—are swallowed by them.

Deerskin, by Robin McKinley

As Princess Lissla Lissar reaches womanhood, it is clear to all the kingdom that in her beauty she is the image of her dead mother, the queen. But this likeness forces her to flee from her father's lust and madness; and in the pain and horror of that flight she forgets who she is and what it is she flees from: forgets almost everything but the love and loyalty of her dog, Ash, who accompanies her. But a chance encounter on the road leads to a job in another king's kennels, where the prince finds himself falling in love with the new kennel maid . . . and one day he tells her of a princess named Lissla Lissar, who had a dog named Ash.

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, Edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman

Sixteen extraordinary authors—including New York Times bestsellers Melissa de la Cruz, Renée Ahdieh, and Julie Kagawa—reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate. This exquisite paperback anthology includes an original bonus story from Ellen Oh. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called A Thousand Beginnings and Endings a “must-read.”

A mountain loses her heart. Two sisters transform into birds to escape captivity. A young man learns the true meaning of sacrifice. A young woman takes up her mother’s mantle and leads the dead to their final resting place.

Bestselling and award-winning authors explore the timeless themes of East and South Asian lore in sixteen original stories that will appeal to every reader. From fantasy to science fiction to contemporary, from romance to tales of revenge, these stories will beguile readers from start to finish.

All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella's Stepmother, by Danielle Teller

We all know the story of Cinderella. Or do we?

As rumors about the cruel upbringing of beautiful newlywed Princess Cinderella roil the kingdom, her stepmother, Agnes, a woman who knows all too well about hardship, privately records the true story. But what unfolds is not the princess's history. The tale Agnes recounts is her own.

A peasant born into serfdom, Agnes is separated from her family and forced into servitude as a laundress’s apprentice at Aviceford Manor when she is just ten years old. Alone, friendless, and burdened with a grueling workload, Agnes carves a place for herself in this cold place that is home to Sir Emont Vis-de-Loup, a melancholic and capricious drunkard.

Using her wits and ingenuity, Agnes eventually escapes and makes her way toward a hopeful future, serving as a housemaid for the powerful Abbess Elfilda. But life once again holds unexpected, sometimes heartbreaking twists that lead Agnes back to Aviceford Manor, where she becomes nursemaid to Ella, Emont's sensitive, otherworldly daughter. Though she cares for Ella, Agnes struggles to love this child, who in time becomes her stepdaughter and, ultimately, the celebrated princess who embodies all our unattainable fantasies.

Bitter Greens, by Kate Forsyth

The amazing power and truth of the Rapunzel fairy tale comes alive for the first time in this breathtaking tale of desire, black magic and the redemptive power of love

French novelist Charlotte-Rose de la Force has been banished from the court of Versailles by the Sun King, Louis XIV, after a series of scandalous love affairs. At the convent, she is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of bitter greens...

After Margherita's father steals parsley from the walled garden of the courtesan Selena Leonelli, he is threatened with having both hands cut off, unless he and his wife relinquish their precious little girl. Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first painted by him in 1512 and still inspiring him at the time of his death. She is at the center of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition.

Locked away in a tower, Margherita sings in the hope that someone will hear her. One day, a young man does.

Vote for our next book here.

[siphoklansan]

Ooo OC interactions!

Anyway, hi

If it's cool with you, can Saima talk about the original unabridged fairy tales with Siphok pls? 😳

It's ok if you don't want to also

“But anyway—” Siphok said, straightening her back as she pulls out a handkerchief (from god knows where) and wipes her tears, “The original little mermaid was sad and all…BUT SLEEPING BEAUTY?!” She recoils, cringing at the mention of the fairy tale.

Saima perks up, eyes widening, “And she didn’t even woke up from true love’s kiss either….it was FROM CHILD-BIRTH!!” Saima added, leaning back into her seat with a ‘blegh’ “I don’t even wanna talk about the reason…I do like the dark versions of those stories, though!”

Siphok nods in agreement, a small smile on her lips “Me too!! I used to binge a bunch of brother grimm’s works…I’m sure you’ve read more about the unabridged fairytales, so how about you tell me about them?”

“I’m glad you asked!” Saima beams, standing up to reach for the teapot before she pours the hot beverage into both of their tea-cups. She turns her face back to Siphok, a slight smirk on her face..

“How about Cinderella?”

I’m not sure if I understand the prompt correctly so crossing my fingers rn😭 ALSO— this prompt is so interesting!! I remember I used to watch videos/read a lot about the original versions of the fairytales, but I can barely remember them anymore🥲 I think I remember a bit on Rapunzel, Cinderella, Little Mermaid and Pinnochio? Not sure if I spelled his name correctly but yeah-

Saima’s so cute though and I’m so happy I get to see another fellow that got transported from another world like me😔🤝 LET’S STICK TOGETHERRRR<3333 WE CAN CONFUSE SO MANY PEOPLE TOGETHER<333

I imagine Malleus turning around slowly if we mention something about Maleficent…or Riddle collaring us for slandering the queen of hearts💀

OC INTERACTION: CLOSED!

[princesssarisa]

Do you have any advice for me about writing a book where it's one of those stories where the plot is like "Main character finds out fairy tales are real and they end up in the Fairy Tale Land"?

Hmmm...

I'd have to know more about the plot before I can give really good advice.

I definitely suggest going back to each of the "original" texts of the fairy tales. Or rather, the original texts of the most popular versions of each tale: Perrault's Cinderella, the Grimms' Rapunzel, Benjamin Tabart's Jack and the Beanstalk, the Grimms' Little Red Cap for Little Red Riding Hood, etc. Use each of those literary versions of the characters as basis for your versions of them. That will add more sophistication to your story than if you just use the common pop culture ideas of the tales.

Or maybe you could use only the Grimms' fairy tales, and when you get to Cinderella, with her hazel tree and the bird in it that's really her mother's spirit, you could have your main character say something like "I thought you had a fairy godmother who turned a pumpkin into a coach for you." Then she could say something like "Oh, that was a girl in France more than a hundred years ago. I read about her in a book once."

[moonstruckme]

maemae!! im thinking about halloween too :] and something popped in my mind, it can be inspo/a req or just rambles, whatever you prefer!!

so!! i thought of reader and the boys who want to all match as fairy tale characters- cause remus and reader absolutely showed james and sirius a bunch of insane muggle fairy tales ( ESPECIALLY the original versions. have you read the original little mermaid?? or rapunzel?!? they're so much darker omg )

and when they inevitably get to little red riding hood, sirius is like "hm.. well we have a wolf right here, but he's not all that big and bad, now is he?" and everyone's giggling and remus is like "wanna bet?" and then they're going as those characters!

reader is red riding hood herself, james is the huntsman because at the slightest "danger" ( read: a little bug ) he goes "i'll save you!!" and starts swinging his fake axe like a lunatic, sirius is the grandma because he wanted to make fun of remus with the "what big ears you have" bit, and remus was ( of course ) the wolf

and he definitely did want to just go as himself as the wolf, for the bit, but he went the extra mile and put together some ragged clothes with fake fur and fake ears and tail and everything to go as the big bad werewolf

and the thought ends there, but!!! i just wanted to share :] they're my loves and i'd adore going trick or treating with them in matching costumes

- ✏️

Omg gorgeous, I'm not sure I could add anything to this, it's already so good!! I haven't read any original fairytales but I have heard about a few and they're insaneeeee I think James and Sirius would be absolutely blown away by the casual gore

The red riding hood bit is PERFECTION! James is SUCH a hero huntsman, and Sirius would soooo eat up the opportunity to make fun of Remus "for accuracy" (I'm positive he managed to turn it into some sort of slutty grandma costume though, Sirius is never going to waste an opportunity to wear a costume without getting to show off even a little). And he and James would probably buy Remus the extra werewolf stuff so that Remus could get into the spirit of things haha

And of COURSE they all think reader looks so cute in her red riding hood costume, and Sirius is messing with her little cape all night. Her basket would make such a good trick-or-treat bucket too!! I feel like they'd be so much fun to do Halloween with, like you know they're getting sooooo into it

Thanks so much for sharing my love :D