Wip Crooked Fable - Tumblr Posts

(Another) Writing Share Tag

Let's go with my newest side (twisted fairytale/dark fantasy) WIP, Crooked Fable, for this one!

(Context: This story starts out as a traditional Fairy Tale but then takes a turn and gets progressively darker and larger scale than usual fairytales lol. So you can probably guess what this scene leads up to doesn't exactly end well)

Nadya, the Queen, took a long sip of tea, sitting at the small, ornate table by the window as she spoke, a smile on her crimson lips, "I saw you with that... boy, yesterday, dear. You ventured out into the woods, did you not?" The girl, Maisie, stopped in her tracks, straightening out her flowy gown as the soft summer breeze flowed from the window into the small tea room. "... Y-You did?" She stammered with an awkward smile, mouth straightening into a thin line, "Well, he's my friend, we just went for a little walk." Nadya chuckled, giving the girl a matronly knowing look as she set down her cup on the table, "Oh, I'm no dummy, dear." She turned to Maisie with a slight shake of her head, voice percolated with sweetness, "You've been sneaking out of the castle for the past month every day - that, and I saw the look in your eyes," The Queen paused, tilting her head as she turned - almost imperceptibly - more serious, but still smiling, "We both know he's much more than a friend to you." Maisie made a surprised little sound, more akin to a squeak, and her cheeks flushed bright pink, "Oh." She fiddled with the hem of her glittering corset, "I'm not that sure yet." The girl bit her lower lip as if holding a lovestruck giggle, before being unable to contain herself and speaking out again, almost stumbling over her words she was speaking so fast, failing to notice the slightly smug smirk in her aunt's lips, "Well, Rory is indeed wonderful! He showed me the most beautiful meadow and we read books -" The Queen cut her off, "And he's a blacksmith's apprentice. Is he not?" Maisie deflates, voice shifting from joyous back to anxious in a flash, "Yes," She tilts her head, nervous about where this was going, "But why do you ask?" Nadya smirks, but this time all hints of matronly care and sweetness have left her expression, leaving the sight cold and calculated. "Because you are a Lady - my sister's only heir. And he's a peasant." She says with a distinct look of disgust, dismissing the word with a wave of her hand, "Whatever is going on between the two of you, it needs to end, my dear." The girl shakes her head, speaking through gritted teeth, "You don't know what you're talking about -" Her aunt cuts her off again, and this time, her tone is imposing and harsh, like the one she uses in Court to get other nobles to heed to her words. "Maybe not, but what I do know is that I will not tolerate my niece strolling around in the woods with some random pauper she met in the city! What kind of Queen would that make me?"

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers, @finickyfelix

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid,

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

WIP Aesthetic Tag!

I don't know if something like this already exists as a tag game but I'm inspired so here we go: new tag game!

Rules: Make a moodboard for your WIP, a playlist (3+ songs/music will suffice but it can be as long as you want) and describe the Vibe of your WIP.

I'll go first with my new side project, Crooked Fable, a twisted/dark fairytale-style fantasy novel!

✦ Moodboard! ✦

✦ Playlist ✦

Instrumental:

Prologue - Beauty and The Beast

Once Upon a December - Piano Version (Emile Pandolfi)

Ice Dance - Edward Scissorhands (piano version)

Love Story - Indilla (piano version)

Salvatore - Orchestral Instrumental Cover

Vocal:

Rewrite The Stars - The Greatest Showman

Hold Me (Alternate Version) - The Sweeplings

The Wish - Eurielle

Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush (Karliene Cover)

As Long As You're Mine - Wicked

Far Too Late - Bad Cinderella

✦ Inspirations/Vibe ✦

Traditional fairytales given a dark/unexpected twist

"There's something lurking in the enchanted forests and that something isn't very nice"

Forbidden Love Story/Princess & The Pauper Love Story

Magic, prophecies, spellcasting, and other mystical shenanigans are a daily occurrence.

There are actual soulmates, prophecies, enchanted mirrors, talking animals, memory-changing magic, potions, a Mysterious Morally Grey Supernatural Guide, nightmare fuel magic, story-bound magic (magic that needs to be written, fates and lives as threads in the tapestry of history, etc). This is, after all, a Twisted/Dark Fairytale, so most fairytale tropes are present here but given a twist or subverted.

Masquerades, mystery, enchanted places and cursed ruins!!!!

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@the-golden-comet, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

For the fantasy ask game, Darkness and Desire

Thank you so much for the ask, @crowandmoonwriting! These are some good ones from the Ask Game! I'm excited to answer them! (:

I'm gonna go with some of my main WIPs for this one <3

DARKNESS - What do children fear most, and is it warranted?

Song Of Thorns -

Human children usually fear the Blood Plague and the strange Ghouls that lurk in the woods that divide the human lands from the magic lands. Some of the human children are also brought up to fear all Vampyrs/Fey and Elves and see them as blood thirsty monsters as well. As for whether it is warranted or not:

The Blood Plague - a very real concern, though the illness is supposedly "under control" by command of the royals and the Corvus Order, many of the commonfolk know that is not the case. People afflicted with this illness are often taken in by the Corvus practitioners, who claim they will heal them - but most do not return, and those that do are forever changed in various ways. The poor are expecially at the mercy of this plague, as many are exposed to less than ideal work conditions closer to the corrupted wild magic of the Borderlands, where the plague stems from. During the story, for example, one of the main characters - Tarrant - discovers that he is infected with the Blood Plague, but fearing both being sent to the Corvus Order and the rage of the warlord to whom he is soulbound, Tarrant decides to seek a cure on his own.

The Ghouls - also a very valid concern. The ghouls are undead humans that were infected with a dangerous strain of the Blood Plague and left untreated, as well as elves accidentally exposed to corrupted human magic and who end up transformed by it. They lurk the woods of the Borderlands, forlorn and ravenous, thirsting for blood and flesh to sate their vicious, cursed hunger, and that peril is all the more real at night, or for those that wander deap into the forests of the Reaper's Way without the guiding embers of an Eversummer Flame.

Vampyrs/Fey/Elves - not a valid concern. While the kingdoms are technically at war, the magical folk (vampyrs, fey, and elves) are actually the victims here. Humans were the ones who tampered with chaos magic that should've been left untouched, and all the realms paid the price for it. Because the human rulers didn't want to take accountability for the mistake they made, instead they fed prejudice and lies into the minds of their people, twisting them against anyone of magical origins, even though the real villains here are some of the humans themselves. Vampyr/Fey/Elves fear the humans and their so-called Monster Hunters much more than any humans should fear them, and they are much more merciful towards humankind than humankind is to them.

Crooked Fable -

In Crooked Fable, my twisted fairytale/dark fantasy WIP, as of the start of the story, their world - their magical, enchanted land - is considered by all to be a perfect haven of prosperity and magic, though the Queen and her followers are actually hiding dark secrets, especially those surrounding the evil Queen's true origins and her actual corrupted rise to power. However, there are a few things that children in this enchanted fairy tale land do fear:

The Vanishing: while in the beginning of the book the mysterious "vanishing" is thought to be just children's imagination or a misguided, spreading folk-tale to keep children in line, it is actually very true, and tied to the way the Evil Queen harnesses her immortal "perfection". People often vanish around these lands, though they're usually magically forgotten by most - their disappearances chalked up to hunting accidents, monster attacks or just coicidence. Some children, however, do suspect there is something more to this situation than it seems. For example, in the first chapters of this story, young cartographer and letterbound mage, Faye, one of the MCs ends up witnessing a strange occurance that led to her half brother's sudden dissapearance, and decides to investigate it - despite considering Heath, her half brother, annoying and overbearing, she couldn't bring herself to just forget what she had seen - leading her to slowly uncover the true secrets of their kingdom's woven magic.

There are a few monsters native to these lands, born of myths and internal fears that spring them subconsciously to life. Some are akin to the Jabberwocky from Alice in Wonderland, others are more akin to Greek Myths, and others are just straight up eldritch. The appearances of these creatures vary heavily from each region, and the ways to avoid them are also much different depending on where you are and which creature you're dealing with. Most kids grow up hearing tales about these monsters so that they don't wander off alone, but some do end up prey to those creatures once every few years, so it is a valid concern.

DESIRE - Why do you write fantasy?

Fantasy has always been my all time favorite genre, along with Science Fiction and Superhero Stories. I was always reading books like the Chronicles of Narnia, the Grimm Fairytales, Percy Jackson or Trials of Apollo, and many, many others! Plus, I loved all movies that were fantasy adventure in some way - from How To Train Your Dragon, to Hunchback of Notre Dame or Avatar The Last Airbender - fantasy stories with compelling settings and interesting characters have always, always been something I enjoyed. To this day, I love those stories very much, and they provide me with a sense of wonder, adventure, heroism and just downright coolness that I just can't find anywhere else when it comes to fiction. I usually don't like contemporary movies at all - they aren't as compelling to me, and quite frankly, they often feel bland and boring (not to offend those who enjoy them of course!) to me, as we already experience real life IRL - why spend our downtime watching more of it instead of something wonderful?

Nowadays, movies, books, musicals and series like The Hobbit, The Dragon Prince, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Epic The Musical, Star Wars, Star Trek, anything that has superheroes (from traditional superhero movies to the dark and gritty alternative ones), are still my favorite genres to watch - and I'm always coming back to these stories when I need a good tale to entertain myself or when I'm just really needing inspiration. <3

For the writing meme, Eyes and Illusion! For whichever you'd like to go for, but also here's me asking you to talk about Crooked Fable some more hehe

Yay, thanks for the ask, @littleladymab!!! I'd love to ramble about Crooked Fable so here we go! <3

Ask Game Here

EYES - How does the ruling class treat the working class?

Crooked Fable takes place in a world that is heavily inspired in traditional fairy tale kingdoms - think the kingdom from the movie Damsel, the realms from Hunstman Winter's War or the enchanted world (not the modern one, the fantasy one) from Once Upon A Time. Thus the political system of this setting is a monarchy, though of course a fictional one.

The land is currently ruled by Queen Nadya, who rose to power a few decades prior to the main story. She is generally beloved by the people and seen as a benevolent ruler - because few know the truth about her cruel and despotic nature, and though she often mak does strive to hide it, whenever she does not her magic and enchantments keep the population trapped in a mindset of "the Queen is so lovely and kind!" without caring for the atrocities she commits behind the scenes.

Fun Fact: Queen Nadya is a character inspired by the Queen of Hearts (from Alice In Wonderland), the Ice Queen (from the folk tale) and the Evil Queen (from the Snow White fairytale), but is much more conniving and manipulative, maintaining a sweet and motherly facade to hide her sadistic heart from the people and keep them adoring her.

Because of the typical medieval fairy-tale vibes of this world, though a lot of the population is composed of peasants, artisans, scribes, mages, merchants, etc. However, even they tend to lead rather idyllic lives, as the kingdom is indeed a place of prosperity despite the Queen's corruption slowly destroying the land from within.

But still, Queen Nadya is shown to - despite posing as a "mother to the masses" - have a strong disdain and anger towards common folk, seeing them as vermin. This is well examplified in this scene from the WIP, where Nadya is disgusted at the fact that her niece - the main character, Maisie - is in love with a young blacksmith's apprentice and demands that the girl's relationship with him comes to an end.

ILLUSION - How common is magic?

Magic is a huge part of everyday life in this setting, being woven into the very fabric of this world's reality. Not only that, but potions, spells, curses, hexes, prophecies, soulmates, and other fairy tale devices are commonplace to this world, just as going to the supermarket or talking about a celebrity is to us IRL. There are also tons, and by that I mean tons, of magical creatures and places, with this realm literally brimming with magical forces at every corner. Whimsical, horrifying, unusual, outlandish, creepy, absurd situations and creatures are everywhere to be found, since this world is pretty much a darker and more larger scale version of Wonderland or traditional fairy tales' enchanted kingdom!

‼️Clickbait Description Tag Game 😱😱👇👇 ‼️

Thank you for the tag, @the-golden-comet! And honestly shoutout to @the-letterbox-archives for creating this lovely tag! I love a good tag game and this one is super cool!

Rules: explain the plot/premise of your wip/s as if it were a clickbait (or just a regular one if you don't want to do clickbait) y Youtube video.

Supernova Initiative

Hot 25-year-old and his group of friends trespass on a secret government property, you will never guess what happened next! 😱😱😱😱

Scrapyard Boys

UNBELIEVABLE billionaire conspiracy scheme uncovered by HOMELESS TEENAGER - have they lied to us this whole time?

Crooked Fable

HELP, my crazy rich aunt tried to kill my boyfriend and tried to gaslight me into thinking she was right! 😓💀

Song of Thorns

Have they cracked the code to ETERNAL BEAUTY AND IMMORTALITY - follow these 10 easy, that absolutely not murderously bloody rituals, steps to do the same! (authentic advice from Royal Alchemist)

The Crystal of Ash (New)

Don't fall for those absurd lies! Top 10 reasons why you should absolutely trust the Triarchy with your life without question. Don't be ridiculous. Trust us.

+ Bonus: Young crook attempts to ASSASSINATE the reputation of BELOVED local benefactor. Are kids these days truly lost?

The Last Wrath

They invaded her home and she lost everything! You'll never believe what this 16-year-old did next! 😱😱😱

Enchanted Illusions

TEN MORE PEOPLE KILLED by mysterious killer, GOVERNMENT TURNS A BLIND EYE - what is it that they are hiding? 🙄

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers, @finickyfelix

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid,

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

What is the most common trauma you give your characters? The one that most/many of them have. For example abandonment issues, survivor's guilt, something along those lines

Thank you so much for the ask, @an-indecisive-nerd!!!

Sorry for the late response btw - these past two weeks were really tough on me due to the fact I was anemic AND had a really bad flu, but now that I'm 100% back to health I'm ready to catch up with my asks and tags lol

I think a few of the most common traumas my characters face in my books are the following (mostly because I'm a whump enjoyer but also because those things are really plot relevant too):

Familial Loss - Most of my Main Characters have suffered some kind of familial loss in their past. A lot of them don't have their parents and if they have the good one is usually dead and the bad one is hunting them. Examples of this in my stories include: the Millihan siblings from WLITH lost both of their parents at a young age, Savvy Hahn from WLITH lost her half-brother to a brutal kidnapping when she was six, Adahm Ryker from Scrapyard Boys lost his childhood best friend when he was 12, Kaelan Brimcaste from Arrows of Nightfall lost his older brother and only guardian he ever had to an execution, and so on.

Poverty and Oppression- Many if not most of my MCs have suffered poverty in their past. In Grim City Chronicles Willem and his brother are street urchins in a Victorian Era-inspired city, Vince became a common prostitute to pay the bills and his cousin Peggy is a thief, and Ilya is a conman renowned for swindling nobles. Most of the characters from Scrapyard Boys suffered from various forms of poverty plus they live in a cyberpunk dystopian regime that is infamous for its oppresive and murderous tendencies. In Supernova Initiative, before Jack and Cassie Tithus became the richest and most wanted intergalactic thieves in the galaxy, they were just common street urchins in a backwater moon that was swamped by crime of all kinds. Even in WLITH - though NOT to the same extent as the other books, since the MCs in this book do have some stability - the Millihan siblings aren't exactly well off and Dylan often has to have 3 jobs just to pay the bills and settle their grandmother's debts that are still in their name.

Torture and/or Major Injuries: Many, many, many characters in my medieval high fantasy stories (Arrows of Nightfall, Realms of Loss, The Last Wrath, Crooked Fable, etc) AND in my science fiction stories (Scrapyard Boys, Plague of Tomorrow, Supernova Initiative) at one point or another of the story undergo some form of torture or continuous injury at the hands of their enemies.

Abandonment Issues & Betrayal - Though not as prevalent as the other traumas above, a lot of the cast from many of my WIPs has some form of abandonment issues. Erin Niemand from WLITH has very much unresolved abandonment issues due to her mother blatantly walking out on the family after cheating on Erin's dad. Adrien Rosetrom from Scrapyard Boys was literally kicked out from home and abandoned by his grandparents when he was 15. Victor Moreau in Grim City Chronicles was betrayed and shunned by his best friends when he was turned into a vampire at the age of 20, and lost his son to a monster hunter his so-called 'friends' sent after them a few years later.

Sexual Harassment: To a lesser extent (this time probably as some form of catharsis for my inner child 😭lol, but I'm fine btw) but still there, a few, specific characters in my WIPs have suffered some form of harassment or even, unfortunately, assault. Dylan Millihan in WLITH is stalked by a 50-year-old cougar (Mrs. Adelaide Draycott) who is disturbingly enamoured with him and wants to get the 23-year-old to fall in love with her or at least sleep with her at all costs, which she luckily fails at everytime but is still harassment. Adrien Rosetrom (Scrapyard Boys) has been catcalled, received inappropriate touches/groping or even snide comments from multiple men in clubs throughout the years due his job as a stripper - and the same applies to Vince in Grim City Chronicles but to a worse extent. (Also in Scrapyard Boys) It is implied Adahm Ryker suffered some form of assault by Dr. Gladys from the PHANTOM Labs when he was a teen, though any details are unclear. In the same WIP Karima Sallow offhandedly mentions that Caroline Tarych and her husband James both had a grooming-like attitude towards her before the Tarychs massacred House Sallow.