Twisted Fairytale - 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 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!