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crysieofwoodsbeyond · 2 years

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TPK Q&A: Author and Editor Edition with @pumpkinpaperweight

Questions for Kate from Crystal

1.) What were your first thoughts of the first few chapters?

Was nice to see some of Nicola in Gavaldon bc that’s something we never saw for ourselves in the series, anything about Nicola’s past was either mentioned in passing or through another character, so good to see it directly! Also appreciate that we get right back into School stuff, I appreciate it not messing around too much lol.

2.) What drew you to the story?

I always like fics where people pick a side character and give them their dues, and Nicola was so damn hard done by in the series that I really think she deserves a fic or several with her as the main focus! Also I like seeing people play around in the sandbox of the school, there’s a lot of potential there with talents and so on.

3.) Do you have a favorite character in TPK so far?

Very fond of Lakim! Also not exactly a new character but I like Professor Espada’s increasein prominence, that’s fun since he’s not around much in the books.

4.) Do you have a favorite chapter in TPK?

Chapter 7 was nice; I really like extra worldbuilding and trivia about SGE stuff so all the historical bits you made up about other kingdoms were super interesting. Also the Circus of Talents was interesting to see what everyone was competing with, I find talents really hard to come up with but there was a massive variety which was really fun.

5.) If you had to choose one of the special talents shown in TPK, which would you choose and why?

Etain’s talent to manipulate shadows of others to attack them was super cool, really liked that one! Spooky. Realistically I think I would probably actually manage to blow myself up somehow but it sounds cool in theory lol.

6.) What else would you like to see explored in the TPK series?

Anything further than first year is of interest to me, since no one often gets past that! The internships and stuff could be really good to play around with.

7.) Any final thoughts for Crystal or the audience?

Enjoyed editing this, thank you!! Really enjoyed the creativity w the talents and backstories and worldbuilding, the type of thing I always go in for, so great to see!

Questions for Crystal:

Have you been planning on writing this for a long time, or was it a more spontaneous thing?

TPK was the combination of my desire for Nicola to have a story of her own and a dream that introduced me to Lakim and his backstory.

How did you come up with the OCs for this fic? Or are they previous characters you already had?

If you would believe it most of the Odd Evers came from dreams I had around the time I contemplated writing TPK

How have you found writing a multi-chapter fic, since they’re notorious for being a bit difficult?

I would say it was of medium difficulty. I find writing papers much harder and they have outlines!

Who’s your favourite of your OCs? (if you can pick!)

Lakim and Natasha would be tied for me. Lakim because he is everything I wanted to be represented as a black boy in this world. He is caring, loyal, expressive and fully enjoys his interests even if some would say it’s “girly” he would say “and what’s wrong with that?” Natasha is a lot like me in many ways. She’s reserved and knowledgeable but when she’s excited she’ll be so loud most people would be surprised how high her voice can be.

What’s something in the future you’d like to explore in the SGE world / the Woods? Could be a place or a concept or another character, anything.

I’m setting up to thoroughly explore the politics of the Woods because I feel it wasn’t well utilized in the series. This question has a lot of room for me to give spoilers but what I can say is TPK holds quite a few secrets to Lakim’s past.

Are there other fandoms you’d like to write fic for in the future? If not, are there other SGE fics you’d wanna do?

I’m actually planning to post original works through ao3 just to get practice. When the PJO series comes out I’ll probably write short stories for it. I would love to write some Tagatha stories, especially ones that tie into TPK.

What were the most difficult (and easiest!) bits of writing TPK?

The most difficult bits would have to be the descriptions and dialogue. The descriptions were very hard for me to put in words though I knew exactly what I wanted to describe. A lot of times, Kate would edit chapters I wrote at night and I would be so embarrassed by it. The dialogue was hard because I really wanted to make sure it was understandable and sounded like something each character would say.

Any other comments or things you wanna say that you’ve not had a chance to?

There is far more TPK in store as the story continues the Odd Evers will enter their second year at the School for Good and Evil. If you have The Ever Never Handbook that will give you some ideas of what to expect but don’t get too comfortable as a story comes with quite a few twists.

#the school for good and evil #sge #sgefanfic #nicola of woods beyond #the princess knight

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excaliburssword · 2 years

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Hot take on the SGE ships (part 1??)

So, sometimes I can really get carried away with the SGE ships, but I'm just gonna summarise this one down so it doesn't end up longer than the years the earth has existed 😭

Please note than none of these are in order, and all are situated out as my own opinion.

!! MAJOR SPOILERS ALONG THE WAY TOO !!

Tagatha

I guess these two are appropriate for each other, even though the toxicity of their relationship (I might post about this later) really unbalanced some things.

All in all, I'm fine with Agatha and Tedros as a couple since I seriously can't find someone else that would be appropriate for them, plus they'd make a quite capable pair on leading Camelot

7/10

2. Hophie

-This may offend many, but I just can't find it in me to even ship them 😭

First of all, it seemed like to me that Hort was continuously trying to force Sophie into dating him at least from books 1-3, and halfway through book 4. I ended up putting myself in Sophie's shoes, and found it to be actually quite annoying for someone who likes you whom you can't return the same feelings for repeatedly tries to date you.

0/10 (sorry).

3. Hestadil

One of my fav couples in the series. They were suitable for each other from start to finish, and really developed their relationship over time!

8.5/10

4. Nicphie

Eh, they're alright I suppose. Tbh it can end up as a really cute relationship if developed properly, kinda like enemies x lovers.

7/10

5. Hicola

I actually liked this ship more than Hophie, and that's saying something, given Nicola was only introduced in book 4 and started dating Hort in the exact same book whilst we knew him and Sophie since the very beginning.

Still, I wouldn't quite ship it, since it was a little too fast for me.

5/10

6. Rophie (Rafal and Sophie)

If Rafal wasn't realistically thousands of years old, I would've shipped this with my whole heart, aside from the fact their relationship was a little manipulative.

Firstly, like said before, Rafal is extremely old, making it hard for me to process this ship since he's basically an ancient creep that's hitting on a teenage girl because of some prediction/ prophecy.

Secondly, I'm not sure if it was just me, or he truly did love her, but it seemed like Rafal was trying to gain control of Sophie and manipulate her into doing his bidding.

Aside from all of this, I loved their relationship and ate it up in only 2 sittings! It was like a spicy relationship that kept me entertained for the majority of the time.

9/10!

7. Rhophie (Rhian and Sophie)

Given all of my opinions on the other ships, it even surprised me when I told myself I'm actually okay with this one, when it was literally one of the most toxic and manipulative couples in the whole series.

But then again, (DON'T COME AT ME) as much as it wasn't Rhian's right to rule Camelot, I just think that he was a better king than Tedros for many reasons. Plus, I even felt sorry for him when he died towards the end of book 5.

I would've loved to see him ruling a kingdom (doesn't matter which one) with Sophie! And don't even get me started on their dynamics during ACOT! You may think I'm psychotic, but it is what it is 😭

9.5/10

8. Japaric

I'm okay with this one. They're in fact, so evil, they deserve each other 😭

8.5/10

This is it for now, but I might do a part 2 later, or talk a little more in depth of some of the characters/ships 😁

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lovelytsunoda · 6 months

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kiss me down by the broken treehouse // mick schumacher

summary: honeymoons in the midwest, heart shaped jacuzzis and scented bubble bath. this is how mick wants the rest of his life to be

pairing: mick schumacher x newlywed reader!

warnings: vague allusions to sex, two people being sickeningly in love, bathing together. nicolas cage should be a warning in itself

author's note: this is the last fic in the cozy collection and not gonna lie, it's making me very emotional. thank you for coming along for this cozy and warm, and sometimes scandalous adventure <3. i can't wait to share the christmas collection with you all.

the hotel suite was dim as she slipped the rose gold wedding band off her finger, dropping it on the dresser next to the almost identical one her husband wore.

mick was sitting by the window, lighting a tangle of scented candles as the heart-shaped jacuzzi tub filled with bubble bath.

"baby, what's all this?" she asked softly, leaning down to kiss him.

they had spent the day in town, visiting country stores and hiking trails, downing more apple cider than mick had ever thought possible. they were cold to the bone when they returned to the hotel, but that didn't stop mick from pulling his wife into bed and reminding her just how happy he was to spend the rest of their lives together.

"just another way to show how much i love you." mick hummed, reaching for the bottle of champagne he'd had room service deliver on their way back to the bed and breakfast. "i figured the best way to end the night was a nice bubble bath and a movie."

she smiled, giggling as she kissed the side of his head. "i knew there was a reason i married you."

she disentangled herself from mick, slender fingers making quick work of the belt holding her plush hotel robe together, fabric pooling over the floor and revealing her naked body to her lover.

blushing furiously, mick turned off the tap, quickly filling two champagne flutes before stripping out of his own hotel robe.

“after you, my darling wife.” he grinned, taking y/ns hand and helping her into the tub. he slipped under the bubbles after her, nuzzling into her back and pressing a kiss to her shoulder blade. “ich liebe dich.”

“I love you too, mickie.”

she settled on one of the built in tub seats, smiling at her husband before she looked dreamily out the frost covered window. the trees in the vermont woods next to the hotel were dyed shades of red-orange, the colors themselves beyond breathtaking.

“whatcha starin’ at, pretty girl?” mick pondered, kissing the top of her head as he settled in next to her.

“the trees. nature. it’s beautiful. how did you manage to get a room with such a great view?”

mick shrugged. “turns out, telling the hotel you’re on your honeymoon gets you special privileges. but that view isn’t as a great as the one I had earlier when I was on top of you. or the view I have every morning when I wake up with you in my arms.”

she giggled, playfully slapping his shoulder. "mickie!"

mick laughed, kissing the side of her head before reaching for the laptop next to the tub. "how do you feel about the nicolas cage dracula movie?"

"absolutley not! when i get nightmares, are you going to nurse me back to sleep?"

"yes." mick said solemnly, loading up amazon prime on his laptop. "one hundred percent."

y/n snickered, reaching for the champagne. once mick schumacher was alseep, not even a tornado could wake him up. "babe, we both know you'd sleep right through. you sleep like a goddamn rock."

"yeah, babe. you're right. but nicolas cage is in it, it wont be that scary."

“I’m not worried about it being scary; I’m worried about it being gory.” she rolled her eyes, taking a sip of champagne. “if I start watching ‘renfield’ through my fingertips, you’re on your own, mickie.”

mick giggled, hitting the play button before pulling his wife into his lap. “consider me warned. we can watch the original halloween afterwards.”

“you’ve got yourself a deal, husband.” she laughed, passing him a champagne flute.

the room was small and cozy, lit only by the blue glow from micks laptop and the candles around the bath, the air filled with the calming scents of vanilla, cinnamon and pumpkin. micks gentle fingers trailed up and down her thigh as they watched the movie together, sipping champagne and enjoying each others company.

every so often, mick filled the silence with a small praise, a gentle kiss against his wife’s skin. it was still so surreal to him that he would get to hold her in his arms, every day, for the rest of his life.

she rested her head on his shoulder, placing the empty glass back on the ledge outside the tub before she properly folded her body against his, fingertips mindlessly tracing shapes on his chest, the fine blonde hairs dotting his pecs matted to his skin by the water, a few errant bubbles still stark against his skin.

she loved him, truly madly and deeply.

it seemed like just yesterday they had met each other, although it had been almost four years. four great years of love and laughter and highs and lows. and in a blink of an eye, there she was, in her white dress, in micks arms as they danced to a bryan adams song.

four years of feelings she wasn’t sure she’d ever have the joy of feeling for another living, breathing person. and she wouldn’t trade it for anything.

when the movie was half over, candle wax dripping into hardwood and the bubbles all faded away from the lukewarm water, skin dried out and pruny, only then did the newlyweds emerge from the heart-shaped tub.

micks touch was gentle as he helped his wife dress in her long, pale nightdress, silk dusting the carpet as she pulled down the handmade quilt, ready to fold herself into bed next to her husband.

he slipped into bed next to her, laying the laptop down in front of them. his fingers played with her hair, twirling strands around her finger before he began to lazily braid a small section, the last half of the movie playing on the small screen.

“mick?”

“yeah?”

“I’m so excited to spend my future with you.”

“me too, Liebling.” he smiled, kissing her forehead. “we’ve got so much to look forward to.”

BONUS

y/nschumacher ❤️🍂

TAGS

@magnummagnussen @libraryofloveletters @lorarri @diorleclerc @userlando @thatsdemko @oconso @sidcrosbyspuck @cartierre

#mick schumacher #mick schumacher x reader #the cozy collection 2023 #formula one x reader #f1 imagine #f1 x reader #mick schumacher imagine #mick schumacher x y/n #Spotify

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spaceagebachelormann · 1 year

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𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔!

HOW TO REQUEST

— state the character, romantic or platonic, the format of the request, and what you want with it

— do you have any specifics for the reader? male, female, blonde, poc, etc?

— requests can be send through inbox or dms, but inbox is heavily encouraged!

— PLEASE ACTUALLY SPECIFY WHAT YOU WANT WITH YOUR REQUEST!! ITS VERY HARD FOT ME TO WRITE SOMETHING THAT JUST SAYS “_____ x reader fluff” WITH NO FURTHER EXPLANATION!! GIVE ME A PLOT LINE!!

WHAT I WILL WRITE:

platonic

romantic

familial

any gender x any gender

headcanons

poly relationships

sensitive topics

x reader

ships (canon or non-canon, so long as it’s not problematic)

i. i WILL write cheating, but not if a character is going it to the reader/another character. i’ll make someone comforting another person after being cheated on, but i won’t write finnick odair cheating on someone

same thing ^^ goes for homophobic, transphobic, ableist topics like that, and. well i guess the same goes for abuse?

WHAT I WONT WRITE:

smut (i’m 14)

yandere

incest

student x teacher

canonically gay character (ex: wylan van eck) x fem!reader for romantic requests

canonically lesbian character x male!reader for romantic requests

songfics (nothing against them, i just don’t know how!!)

things about ocs

ship fics

character list (more to come!)

❍ = easiest characters to write for

bolded — favourite characters to write for

KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES

❍ sophie foster, ❍ dex dizznee, fitz vacker, ❍ keefe sencen, ❍ biana vacker, ❍ marellla redek, ❍ maruca chebota, tam song, linh song, ❍ wylie endal, ❍ jensi babblos, stina heks

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA

❍ peter pevensie, ❍ edmund pevensie, ❍ susan pevensie, ❍ lucy pevensie, mr tumnus, ❍ caspian, eustace scrubb, jill pole, shasta, aravis

RIORDANVERSE

❍ percy jackson, ❍ annabeth chase, ❍ grover underwood, ❍ jason grace, ❍ piper mclean, ❍ leo valdez, ❍ hazel levesque, ❍ frank zhang, nico di angelo, will solace, reyna arellano, rachel dare, ❍ travis stoll, ❍ connor stoll, thalia grace, magnus chase, ❍ alex fierro, carter kane, sadie kane, lester papadopolous, lavinia asimov

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

❍ christine daaé, ❍ raoul de chagny, erik destler, ❍ meg giry

p.s. i’ll write for the movie, musical, book and 1990 miniseries versions!!

HARRY POTTER

harry potter, ❍ hermione granger, ❍ ron weasley, ❍ luna lovegood, ❍ neville longbottom, ginny weasley, fred weasley, george weasley, ❍ sirius black, remus lupin, ❍ james potter, ❍ marlene mckinnon, mary macdonald, dorcas meadowes, lily evans

RIDE THE CYCLONE

ocean o’connell rosenberg, ❍ noel gruber, ❍ mischa bachinski, ❍ ricky potts, jane doe, penny lamb, ❍ constance blackwood

SHADOW AND BONE

❍ alina starkov, malyen oretsev, ❍ genya safin, ❍ zoya nazyalensky, david kostyk, erm others i accidentally deleted remind me to update this

SIX OF CROWS

kaz brekker, inej ghafa, ❍ jesper fahey, ❍ wylan van eck, nina zenik, matthias helvar

THE OUTSIDERS

ponyboy curtis, ❍ johnny cade, sodapop curtis, darry curtis, steve randall, ❍ twobit matthews, ❍ dallas winston

THE HUNGER GAMES

katniss everdeen, peeta mellark, ❍ finnick odair, ❍ johanna mason, marvel sanford, clove kentwell, cato hadley, ❍ cinna

IT (2017)

bill denbrough, eddie kaspbrak, richie tozier, ❍ stan uris, beverly marsh, ben hanscom, ❍ mike hanlon

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL

❍ agatha of woods beyond, ❍ sophie of woods beyond, tedros of camelot, ❍ hort of bloodbrook, ❍ hester of ravenswood, ❍ anadil, ❍ dot, nicola, aric, rhian mistral, rafal mistral, leonora lesso, clarissa dovey

THE LAND OF STORIES

❍ alex bailey, ❍ connor bailey, ❍ red riding hood, ❍ jack, ❍ goldilocks, ❍ bree campbell

SCOOBY DOO

daphne blake, ❍ fred jones, shaggy rogers, velma dinkley

LITTLE WOMEN

❍ jo march, amy march, beth march, meg march, ❍ laurie

A GOOD GIRLS GUIDE TO MURDER

pippa fitz-amobi, ❍ ravi singh, naomi ward, ❍ cara ward, connor reynolds, ❍ jamie reynolds, nat da silva

THE MIGHTY DUCKS

❍ charlie conway, adam banks, ❍ lester averman, guy germaine, ❍ connie moreau, julie gaffney, ❍ ken wu, dean portman, luis mendoza, dwayne robertson, ❍ fulton reed

DRACULA

dracula, ❍ lucy westenra, mina harker, arthur holmwood, ❍ renfield, dr seward, abraham van helsing, ❍ quincey morris

FRANKENSTEIN

victor frankenstein, ❍ adam frankenstein, elizabeth lavenza, justine moritz, ernest frankenstein, henry clerval, the bride

DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE

henry jekyll, ❍ edward hyde, ❍ richard enfield, gabriel utterson, hastie lanyon, lucy harris

MONSTER HIGH

gotta update this one guys,,,

THE BREAKFAST CLUB

john bender , ❍ claire standish, allison reynolds, brian johnson, andrew clark

THE POWERPUFF GIRLS

❍ blossom utonium, bubbles utonium, buttercup utonium , ❍ brick jojo, boomer jojo, butch jojo

DAVID BOWIE

❍ jareth, thomas jerome newton, david bowie

SWEENEY TODD

❍ sweeney, anthony hope, ❍ mrs lovett, johanna

THE ROSEWOOD CHRONICLES

lottie pumpkin, ellie wolf, ❍ jamie volk, ❍ ollie moreno, ❍ raphael wilcox, ❍ anastacia alcroft leblanc, saskia san martin, lola tomkins, mickey tomkins, binah fae

HAIRSPRAY

❍ corny collins, ❍ seaweed j stubbs, amber von tussle, tracy turnblad, penny pingleton, link larkin

MISC. CHARACTERS

sarah williams, ❍ bernard the elf, ❍ rodrick heffley, ❍ varian

#marlee organization <3

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ladysophiebeckett · 1 day

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heey! been binge-reading your post abt ysblf on my break and one) can't agree more with your takes, especially when you call out (delulu) marcela stans and 2) sorry if you already answered this but I'd love to read your take on the symbolism of the woods-and-duckling shared dream, please. Would i be right to assume that it goes beyond a cheap "ugly duckling" reference? then again, betty did had several duck dolls and plushies around her bed -more than any other animal or character. Thoughts? 🦆

I have never been asked about the duck dream, a mutual has spoken to me about it in passing a while back and about it's dream symbolism origins. Bc everything has a meaning in ysblf, it's not accidental. I actually never saw the duck or ducks in her room as referencing 'ugly duckling', my mind didn't pick up on it. I'm slow.

But yes, their shared dream goes beyond that reference.

Before I get to the symbolism and all that, let's go back to the dream and when it happens, bc context is important. They don't have this dream for no reason.

For Armando, this dream happens the night before the plan starts. It's after el desfile where he and Mario overhear that whole spiel about Nicolas and the Terramoda business card. Mario is pressuring him to start something with Betty bc they see Nicolas as a threat. For Betty, this happens after she gets home with her dad, and he complains to Betty that she's taking too many liberties and that that work (the world with the models and the fashion) is too much for her. It's a critique on her job and the little life she has.

Both Betty and Armando are being pressured in different ways by people about what they need to do or how they need to do things. And it's only when they're asleep, succumbing to their subconscious, where they can allow themselves to have what they really want.

Armando may not be in love with Betty yet, but he does like her, and he does enjoy her company. In the dream, he's happy running around with her in the woods. He's carefree with her, he's not stressed or angry. He wants to be in those woods with her. And that scares Armando when he wakes up. 'It was a horrible dream, it was an ugly dream'.

Was it? Not to Betty. She says 'fue un sueno muy bonito' and goes on to describe everything in it except Armando's presence. She's happy when she wakes up because to her it was just a dream and probably not the first one she's had of him. She's already in love with him but sees him as something impossible. Betty has already stated that love and romance will never be for her and that work is all she has.

Now the dream---Armando is frolicking with Betty in some woods, she has flowers in her hair and they're holding hands. At some point, she runs away from him and he's dream-frantically looking for her. She's playing hide and go seek with him and giggling about it. When she lets him find her, he tries to kiss her and she runs away again. He runs after her, looking for her bc she's yet again, hiding from him. When he finds her, she's hiding behind a tree, teasing him. When she reveals herself, she's holding the yellow duckling. He runs to her, again tries to kiss her but that's when the dream ends and he wakes up.

Yes, the kiss is foreshadowing what's going to happen the next night at the bar.

What I think is funny is that the dream is him running after her and isn't that what he basically does in canon? She is the one woman he said he would never beg or run after bc he doesnt do that and yet that's all he does for the remainder of his arc. Running after her.

Now the duckling.

Reminder that Betty is holding the duckling. And Armando's subconscious is trying to tell him something.

The dream does not mean 'you need to hurry up and seduce your assistant or she's gonna give ur company away'. It's saying 'You have feelings for this woman. Stop avoiding it.' Armando avoids it.

As I said above, it's not a bad dream. They're both very happy in it. And they are an unlikely pairing. It's also an intuitive dream. But what really sticks out is 'transformation'. The tarot cards predicted to Betty that her life was going to change. This dream is telling Armando the same thing. A change, a transformation in his life is coming and it's in the form of Betty.

(click that to read it better, sorry)

'may trigger some uncomfortable feelings...examine why you are experiencing them. perhaps there is fear of the unknown..' really want to hammer in that it's Armando who's uncomfortable and won't examine his own feelings.

For Betty, who's the one holding this duckling and her bedroom has ducks (one is on her nightstand) and ducks are a symbol of transformation-- she is that 'ugly duckling' waiting to turn into a swan. Unknowingly. But it's not all about a physical transformation, it's about her shedding that naiveté and becoming a stronger, more self assured person. Through various trials and errors and heartache.

For Armando, Betty and the duckling symbolize things he's never experienced and that he's afraid to experience because it would mean changing and taking a harder look at himself and how his original beliefs may have been all wrong.

That duck did a lot of heavy lifting despite being 5 seconds of screentime.

#anon #ask #ysblf

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andie-cake · 1 year

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🌁⛺ for ALL OF YOUR FELLOWS! (if you want lmao)

🌁 - Does your HF oc have any kind of reputation around town? Have they ever been the subject of townie gossip, or the center of a well-known town story, ala "Becky Barnes climbed a tree and stayed there for two days"?

for jasper, technically yes? it's moreso their entire family, the mckenzies suddenly inheriting a fortune from a "dead relative who lived in clivesdale" was a big point of gossip around town for a hot second.

mo is very much just some girl, not particularly notable to the townsfolk. even when she starts working on her documentary and snooping around, the general public doesn't have much to say about her.

neferata is the witchwood bat-child, enough said. whether feral or rehabilitated, she's gonna have folks talking about her.

nicolas used to have a lot of gossip centered around him during his high school bad boy days, but he hasn't gotten much attention since cleaning up his act as an adult. and he much prefers it that way.

⛺ - Did your HF oc ever go to Camp Idonwannabang? If so, what was that like for them?

jasper absolutely would not. his family is not remotely prudish or religious enough to consider sending him there, and they've heard enough horror stories from a friend of their big bro to know that they don't wanna go ever. No Thank You.

mo went one summer when she was 15, and hated it so much that she fake-promised her parents that she'd be A Good Abstinent Youth until she got married to an upstanding young man so they'd never send her back. now she's a weed-smoking lesbian. also, boy jerry was one of the camp counselors when she attended, and now he's one of her co-workers at hatchetfield action news and she (and i) just thinks that's really funny.

neffie is a forest cryptid who would probably eat any idonwannabang campers or staff who looked at her funny, if lumber-axe hadn't already called dibs on the place. in the timeline(s?) where she's rehabilitated into human life, she ends up in the care of hidgens (long story), and he has no reason to send her there.

nicolas' parents did end up sending him to camp once or twice with some reluctance- knowing that the church of the starry children resides in the woods, hoping that maybe it'd help set him on a kinder path than the one he was on at the time (and that the camp staff would protect him if their family's old enemy tried to hurt him out there). in a weird way, it kinda did help him, because camp idonwannabang was where nicolas and his future husband jimmy first became friends. like, they'd already known each other since kindergarten, but the shitty circumstances helped them bond and grow beyond mere acquaintances.

#hatchetfield #andie's hf ocs #npmd spoilers #a lil bit

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mask131 · 1 year

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Cold winter: Frank Baum’s Santa Claus

FRANK BAUM’S SANTA CLAUS

Category: Childhood literature

I) Youth

A long, long time ago – in a time that Baum’s own great-grandfather could “scarcely have heard it mentioned”, somewhere beyond three hundred years from Baum’s time – existed a grand, mighty forest where many of the “immortal races” (fairies, knooks, ryls, nymphs) dwelled, and this forest was called the Forest of Burzee. Most notably, the Forest was the home of the wood-nymphs and their queen, named Queen Zurline. One day another immortal named Ak, the Master Woodsman of the world, who “sees everything and knows more than the sons of men” visited Queen Zurline, and told her about a naked baby he found at the edge of the Forest of Burzee, crying and abandoned as a lioness was about to devour him. Ak, always taking pity on the innocent and helpless, ordered the lioness (named Shiegra) to feed the baby with her milk instead of devouring it, and to warn all of the beasts and reptiles of the forest to not harm the child. But one of the wood-nymphs closest to the Queen, named Necile, out of curiosity and boredom, decided to break the “Law of the Forest” that forced the wood nymphs to stay deep within the woods, all to take a look at the babe Ak talked about. Taking pity on the dimpled, chubby, pink thing, she took it in her arms and brought it back with her in the depths of the wood, to her Queen and Ak. She asked them the permission to keep the child and raise it as her own – a decision which was met with skepticism, as the Law of the immortals insisted that mortals shouldn’t dwell or live among immortals. But Necile defended her case so well that Ak authorized the first (and last) known relax on the Law of the Forests/Law of the Immortals, allowing a human to be adopted by an immortal. The child was named “Neclaus” (though Necile usually called him “Claus”) – which the narration points out has been misunderstood by humans as “Nicklaus” or “Nicolas” – and was raised by the loving and sweet wood-nymphs who kept the forest healthy and safe, fed with the milk of various animals. Ak’s decree protected him from all animals, making him live in the wild without fears, and news of his existence attracted the other immortals: he rode on the shoulders of the Ryls, protectors of the flowers and plants, who loved his laughter; he pulled the beard of the Knooks, guardians of the beasts of the world, who admired his courage ; he slept among the Fairies, guardians of mankind, who loved his innocence… And so the boy grew happy, peaceful and content, friend to all immortals and respecting all of their hard work on the natural world.

Yet something disturbed greatly the wood nymphs… Claus, being a mortal, grew. He grew bigger, older, stronger, from a babe becoming a child – and among ageless immortals who never aged and for whom time was measured in eternities, it was a confusing and puzzling experience. The young boy that was Claus learned everything about the secrets of the trees, the language of beasts, the songs of bees, the history of the owls and the poetry of flowers, and when Ak the Master Woodsman returned from visiting all of the forests in the world (which all belonged to him), he found Claus a sturdy, stout-legged and broad-shouldered stalwart youth, “as high as Ak’s shoulder” (which isn’t actually very tall, Ak being quite small). Ak was satisfied to see the boy was still brave and innocent, but he then thought about the situation and asked Claus to come with him in his next journey throughout the world, so that the boy could see and meet humanity, his natural kind. They rode together through the air around the globe, and Claus was amazed at learning he wasn’t the only one of his kind – he was amazed at seeing cities, and the great masses of humanity, and all their differences in appearance, jobs and emotions… But he took a particular note of the children, and discovered how some of them had to play in the streets and eat scraps because they were poor, while other wore fine clothes on cushion beds because they were rich, and yet both were similarly happy and innocent… Ak taught (and showed) Claus death and what being a mortal meant, he showed him hard work and warriors in wars, he showed him commerce and how gold was used as a currency, and he told Claus of his own story, how he was found and adopted… This made Claus think a lot about his own life, and gave him a wish to help all those of his kind that didn’t know the same blessings he had lived with.

Recognizing his ignorance of the world, he understood that as a man he couldn’t live in the eternal fairness, youthfulness and innocence of the immortals – as a man he had to take his share of struggle, and doom, but also his share of the mission of helping other, and he made it his life project to go into the world to help the children of mankind as he was helped by the immortals, and to make sure they were happy. He announced his decision to all the inhabitants of the Forest of Burzee, and Ak agreed to this (for it was his intention to set him upon such a path), but he also reminded him that as a child of the Forest raised among immortals he would be privileged and mightier than other men, set apart from regular humanity, and he still would keep the friendship and help of Ryls, Knooks, Nymphs and Fairies. So Claus left the Forest of Burzee, and made his home in a valley nearby – the Laughing Valley of Hohaho, between rolling green hills, with in between a brook surrounded by cowslips, daisies, dandelions and daffodils.

II) Manhood

Claus built himself a small wooden house in the Laughing Valley with very own strong arms (and an ax from Ak himself) and lived there a simple but happy life, frequently visited by his numerous immortal friends. He frequently left the happy vale to visit the numerous human villages beyond, and there made friend with children and parents all around thanks to his merry nature and natural kindness. His mission was to spread happiness, as he had sworn, and he made sure to try to bring a smile to all, but especially children (with whom he always played) and all the unfortunates (the poor, the abused, the crippled and the ailing…). The only place the merry fellow wasn’t admitted at were the palaces of local lords and barons. His first winter at the Laughing Valley Santa Claus got a visit from Jack Frost himself, another one of Claus’ immortal friends – but Claus convinced him to try to spare the children from his “nipping” of noses, ears and toes (see my post about Jack Frost). Said winter was long and heavy with snow, which prevented Claus from visiting the children of the region – and to occupy these long, dark nights alone, Claus started to sculpt little wooden statues and figurines.

These small statues – at first of a cat that visited Santa Claus – deeply pleased the children due to how real they looked, especially when his friend the Ryls decided to help him by providing him the same magical paint they used to color the flowers. These small wooden cats became the first “toys” Santa offered to children to play with – and he promptly started sculpting more of them, imitating various animals (but always mild ones such as squirrels, rabbits or deer – he decided it after frightening accidentally a girl with a realistic lioness statue). He distributed the toys to the sick and suffering children he met, or offered them to the brave kids who went to his house asking him for some, which gave him the reputation of a “fabulous toy maker”. Now quite busy making toys to please all of his old and new friends, Claus welcomed the help of his immortal friends – the Knooks offering him the softest wood, the Ryls their best colors and the Fairies all the best carving tools they could find. He was so happy to have found an occupation that could make children happy that he started to laugh, sing and whistle all day long, honoring the name of his vale.

One day the rich daughter of an arrogant lord came to his door and asked Claus for one of his toys – for, despite having everything she needed, she didn’t have a toy as only Claus made them back in the days. But this caused Claus a great dilemma… On one side he refused to give her a toy, since he only gave them to the poor and the unfortunate so they could have something to play with and be happy – but at the same time he recognized that he had made the vow to make ALL the children happy, and that refusing her a toy did make her sad… So he asked her for a delay and went to seek council into the woods of Burzee, from both the wood nymphs that had raised him and the Queen of Fairies (fairies being the immortals taking care of humans). Both agree that a child stayed a child, despite their riches that were just like an “outfit”, and that deep down all children were alike and had similar emotions, so a rich girl could be as lonely and sad as a poor one, and it is Claus’s duty to make all children happy despite their social status. As a result the little girl received a toy – but one different from the other, a small hard-clay statue of Necile, Claus’ wood-nymph foster-mother, and he called it a “dolly”. This term became popular as other kids asked for similar humanoid figures – even though it eventually shortened to “doll”. And while Claus first made them in the image of wood nymphs, he then made the “dollies” in the shape of babies upon noticing how the little girls acted like nurses or mothers towards them, and finally he imitated the appearance of the rich little girl that had asked her for a toy, even learning how to make little princess dresses with silk brought by the Fairies.

Everything was well and good… Until the Awgwas came. The Awgwas were a race of terrible and gigantic beings only filled with hatred, who elected as their king the most horrible among them – they were neither mortals nor immortal, rather standing in an in-between, but were invisible to humans, and used this to their advantage. For the greatest pleasure of the Awgwas was to corrupt children, by influencing them into quarreling between each other, or tempting them into disobeying their parents to the point of endangering themselves or making themselves sick. It was said that in the time of Claus’ adulthood most of the naughty children on earth only were such because of the Awgwas. As Claus made more and more children happy with his toys, the Awgwas started to lose their influence over the young minds, and decided to get rid of Claus. First they kidnapped him one night as he was asleep and left him far away in a country filled with deadly beasts – but his friendship with the Knooks, masters of all beasts, protected him. In retaliation the Fairies, Wood Nymphs, Knooks and Ryls all placed their protective seals over Claus’ house, preventing the Awgwas from entering inside. But the Awgwas tried a second time – kidnapping Claus as he was on the roads to deliver a gift to a child unable to walk, and then locked him up in a sealed grotto far away. Hopefully he as saved by the Fairies, and understanding they could not kill Claus the Awgwas decided to rather remove the toys themselves. Every time Claus tried to deliver one of his creation, the Awgwas stole them away. Claus was forced to lock himself up in his house, constantly creating more and more toys he could not deliver, storing them until the Awgwas stopped their harassment… But eventually Claus grew too sad to have his life’s mission removed from him, and complained to Ak the Master Woodsman himself. Ak promptly went to the Awgwas, invoking Claus’ exceptional nature and his friendship with the Immortals to order them to stop their wicked deeds… Which only led the Awgwas to insult the power of the Immortals and swear to kill Claus. In return Ak declared war upon them… And this was the Great Battle Between Good and Evil, opposing all the Immortals to the Awgwas and numerous monster allies from around the world… No need to tell you the Awgwas were entirely wiped out, and so Claus could return to doing his usual job.

To get rid easily of the enormous amount of toys he had accumulated during his confinement, Claus decided to stop doing individual deliveries. He rather put it all into a big bag, and made a longer, wider trip around the lands surrounding the Valley, stopping at every village to provide his gifts to the children – then returning home, working hard to rebuild his stash (he had extended his toymaking to making miniature music instruments) and preparing a new bagful of deliveries. Some people mocked him, thinking him silly to dedicate so much time to the childish “toymaking”, or due to having selfish minds not understanding why someone would devote himself to pure charity without anything in return ; but even them respected how kind and devoted he was to the children’s happiness. However, by the time he was ready for this next tour of the lands, he found himself in the middle of a winter deeper and snowier than the previous ones. To travel despite the harsh conditions he enlisted the help of two deer friends of his, Glossie and Flossie, who agreed to pull a sledge Claus built for himself – as long as they returned to the Knooks of Burzee with whom they lived by the next dawn. These deer were the first to be called “reindeers”, because Claus placed ropes on the antlers as “reins”, pulling them left and right for them to understand where they needed to go. Given Claus had been busy all day preparing himself, he was forced to do this delivery by night – and since all the people were asleep and had locked their houses (and he had to return the deer by daybreak), Claus decided to slide into the houses by the chimneys to leave his gifts anonymously in the houses. Thanks to his great fame and sole ownership of the toymaking industry, all the children knew these mysterious nightly deliveries were his work – even though people were quite confused, wondering how he could enter into their locked houses. This eventually led to many people believing that Santa was a “saint”, for such a kind man with such great powers could only be a saint – which led to people calling him “Saint Claus”, then “Santa Claus”. In fact, parents promptly started to tell naughty or disobedient children that they should pray the good Santa Claus for forgiveness, because a child that doesn’t repent is a child that won’t get any of his pretty toys. Claus himself actually disliked this kind of talk – he gave gifts to children because they were little and helpless, and because he loved them, he knew that the best child could be naughty sometimes and that naughty child could be good at some moments. But he couldn’t stop this talk, that soon gave the idea that Claus only gave gifts to good children.

Now, this whole “reindeer” delivery business actually got Claus into troubles with a specific Knook, named Will Knook. He was an ill-natured Knook and the one that had imposed on the reindeers the “daybreak” limit, but since they returned one minute after daybreak they were considered “late” and faced a severe punishment. Claus, to protect his two deer friends, promptly called for his other Immortal friends and Immortal authorities. This led to a big discussion with the Prince of the Knooks himself, and with Will Knook (who hated the idea that the deers would be used “like horses”, which for him degrade these noble animals). Ultimately the reindeers were spared and an agreement was made: Santa Claus could select up to ten deer, who will pull Claus’ sledge and help him perform his deliveries of toys… BUT only one night per year, on Christmas Eve, and they shall return to their kind before daybreak on Christmas Day. PLUS the other Immortals had to offer special gifts to these reindeers: the Fairies have to place a charm on them to protect them from harm, the Ryls to feed them magical plants that would give them extended strength, speed and longevity, and the Wood Nymphs to have them bathe in a magical water that will make them even more beautiful than regular deer. And so Santa Claus got his ten reindeers: Glossie and Flossie, Racer and Pacer, Reckless and Speckless, Fearless and Peerless, Ready and Steady – all exceedingly beautiful with their slender limbs, their spreading antlers, their velvety dark eyes, and their smooth coat of fawn color spotted with white. Each Christmas Eve Santa rode on his sledge through the winter night, singing and laughing, spared from Jack Frost’ nipping thanks to their friendship, while for the rest of the year he prepared toys for his next yearly delivery (and expanded his sleigh as he had more and more toys to deliver).

The Gnome King, who had children of his own, made a deal with Santa Claus – for ten following years Santa offered special toys to the Gnome King’s children, and each year in return the Gnome King offered Santa a beautiful string of little bells for his reindeers – so that in the end all of his ten reindeers were covered in merry little bells. Santa Claus’s unselfishness and dedication to making people happy made him more famous than the kings, warriors and scholars of the time. One day he decided to hid some of the toys he delivered into the stockings of children (placed to dry near a chimney because they had used them to dress up a snowman earlier), to cause them an extra-surprise – but these children told it to their friends, who told them to their friends, and one thing leading to the next all children started to hang their stockings near the chimney in hope Santa Claus would leave toys into them.

Thanks to his set of magically-enhanced reindeers, Santa Claus started to work in more and more countries than before. He extended his gift deliveries to more than toys – he sometimes offered children sweets, candies, fruits and edible delights that the Fairies brought him ; and when he reached some of those warmer countries that didn’t have snow for Christmas Eve, he placed little wheels on his sledge to still go on. One day, Santa Claus came upon a poor family that lived in a tent, in a plain without any trees – their children were miserable and unhappy due to their parents being neglectful and ignorant ; so to make them happy, Santa decided to plant a tree near their tent one night, and placed on the trees little candles, some of his prettiest toys, and several bags of candies (which was quite a fast process, as Santa Claus always was a fast worker). It was the very first Christmas tree, and Santa Claus liked it so much that he started to plant several others during his yearly visits, which prompted other people to create their own. And finally one day, all the old lords and barons that had refused him entrance into their castles and palaces died ; and their younger sons and heirs, who knew of Santa Claus’ pure and kind heart, allowed him entry into their domains. This was the moment Santa Claus truly “won the heart of everyone”.

III) Old Age

Santa Claus carried on his work for many years onward. His kindness, his simple life and his hard work gave him strength and health ; and living in the Laughing Valley where everything was peaceful and merry avoided to have his years shortened by stress and trouble. But in time he still grew old. His hair, and his long beard of golden-brown turned gray, then white. He got wrinkles at the corner of his eyes, and he grew quite fat – given he had never been a tall man, his extra-weight led him to “waddle like a duck” instead of walking like a normal person. But he stayed lively, jolly and gay, his kind eyes still sparkling like in his youth. Still, as time went by, Santa’s friends and Claus himself realized it was time for him to make his final deliveries. He stopped whistling, he stopped making toys, he spent his days in his home, dreaming without strength.

One day Ak, the Master Woodsman, visited the Laughing Valley and saw the state his good friend was in. So he called upon a council of all the princes, princesses, queens and kings of the Immortals, a council of all the Immortal rulers in which he asked for the Mantle of Immortality to be given to Santa Claus. The Mantle of Immortality was a magical robe created in the beginning of times by the “Supreme Master” – and any mortal wearing it would become one of the Immortals. However it was the sole artefact of its kind, and could never be used by another person again. Many Immortals raised objections precisely due to the rarity and only possible use of this item, but Ak answered that if the item had been made in the first place it was to be used, not left purposeless; and that if Santa Claus, a good friend of the Immortals and one of the most virtuous men to have ever existed, wasn’t the perfect candidate for the Mantle, then no other mortal would ever be worthy of it. This convinced the Council. The Mantle was taken and brought to Santa’s house: the Spirit of Death, which was by the side of the old man, was repelled by the robe’s magic, and when the Mantle was placed upon him, it fused with his being. His body stayed unchanged – but he regained the vigor of his younger years, and was now free forever from the burden of death or further decrepitude.

The Immortals added as a final gift a small group of selected Immortals, an assortment of Fairies, Ryls, Knooks and others, to act as his personal assistant – and they became of great use when humanity made chimneys smaller and narrower, or removed them altogether to replace fireplaces with stoves and furnaces, for these Immortals could pass through walls as easily as if they were air, and thus deliver the gifts efficiently. And with time Santa Claus, who now had the entire world to cover, ultimately decided to enlist all “good parents” as his “deputies”, merely providing them with the gifts and toys he brought while letting them place the gifts in the stockings or under the trees – and Santa always knew what the children wanted, for his magical assistants took away the letters children wrote to him listing their desires…

And so was born jolly old Santa Claus.

- - - - - -

“The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus” is without a doubt L. Frank Baum’s second most famous work, behind “The Wizard of Oz”. Published in 1902, this children novel found a second fame thanks to several televisual adaptations, be it a Rankin-Bass stop-motion movie in the 80s or a Mike Young animated movie in 2000. There even was an anime made in Japan!

As I said before in my several Santa posts, this book was actually an important step in the “making” of Santa Claus as an American holiday figure. Of course, Baum never invented Santa Claus, and merely expanded an already-existing figure - but it was still an elusive, unclear figure that other illustrators and writers had slowly started to shape and condense out of various traditions in the 19th century. Baum was the first one to actually decide to build a true "character" out of Santa Claus, by giving him a background and a life-story, by making him the hero of adventures beyond just a holiday figure ; by offering explanations for his various traits and the traditions of Christmas. Even more, Baum actually invented an entire mythos around Santa Claus! A mythos that however, unfortunately stayed quite obscure - as despite this work's popularity, which helped boost the figure of Santa Claus, its numerous details and inventions were never picked up by popular culture - the most jarring example being for example Santa Claus' reindeers names. Another fun fact: While conceived as a separate work, later due to poor sales Baum did a marketing move by including his version of Santa Claus into his series of Oz books, even having Santa Claus appear in the fifth Oz book, "The Road to Oz"

#cold winter #christmas #santa claus #l. frank baum #the life and adventures of santa claus

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