Richie Tennyson

@Talo Segura Great observations Yeah I won't be making major edits until the end.

“What the hell just happened?” Dorothy said. “I’m not sure,” Liam said, “but my best guess is that, with all the deviations in this cycle, gaps are appearing in the story. To fill those gaps, some of the material in our archives is filtering through.” “It’s from the Grimm’s version,” Maria said. “The stepsisters mutilate their own feet in order to fit the shoe. You showed me yesterday morning.” “If Mr Kobayashi finds out about this,” Dorothy said, “we’ll be facing a lawsuit. That mat

@Bard Simpson Thanks for letting me know things that are sticking out or not making sense, it's very useful. For now this is what I've been thinking: 1. Bjorn's love interest (and accomplice) will be revealed later, but is anonymous for now. 2. Bjorn feels he can get friendly with Ryan because he's now confident that nothing Ryan can do will lead to a 'romantic' ending - no matter what, Bjorn thinks he will 'win'. 3. Burnham was more invested in the relationship from day one, so he still cares about Dorothy, but he has been badly hurt by her. I will look at clarifying these things in the next edit - so please keep all comments coming, I really appreciated it!

Over the hills, the Cinderella sun was rising, but it was nothing like the real sun. No actual light seemed to come from it. It looked more like a polished gold coin. The hills in the distance seemed like stage props, cardboard cut-outs that could easily be kicked over. Even the birds, Ryan noticed, weren’t real birds but flattened M-shapes drifting back and forth across the sky. However, even though it was more like a screensaver than a view, Ryan tried to enjoy the serenity while it lasted.

@starboardtack Thanks for the greatest compliment ever! I shall print your quote on the cover when I publish it 🤗 I am putting out one new chapter each day - I hope you enjoy the rest of it! Feel free to keep commenting to let me know what you think.

“There’s still no romance,” Liam said. “There can’t be none,” Dorothy said, peering over Liam’s shoulder at his computer. “Ryan is a man, after all. He must have some attraction to Cinderella.” “There’s been no mention of falling in love,” Maria confirmed from the Core Book. “There’s not even a mention of like.” “Could the terrorist have had something to do with this too?” Dorothy asked. “Could there be a virus he’s been giving Cinderella to stop her falling in love?” “I don’t th

This is true - I expect his pliability made him a suitable replacement. At the same time, the characters around him seem to have been designed to 'force' him to comply - the tailors, the barber, the Queen...

Bjorn urged the horses along at a hard gallop, and the carriage wheels bounced up and down against the uneven cobblestone streets. In the carriage, Ryan was thrown from side to side, his head knocking against the low ceiling. Outside the small window, the square shapes of dark houses flashed by at an alarming speed. They arrived at the house within minutes but when Bjorn tugged the horses’ reigns, bringing them to a sudden halt, the carriage had built up too much momentum to stop. It veered away

@Valkyrie Thanks 😊 It is now up, about halfway through.

“Your Highness,” the Stepmother said. Her long, ice-cold fingers closed around Ryan’s hand. He saw that her necklace was so tight that the pearl beads were pressing into the loose skin around her throat. “Um, hello,” Ryan said. “How’s it going?” He tried to pull his hand away, but she tightened her grip. “May I present my daughters,” she said. “This is my eldest, Lucille,” she said motioning to the scary one, “and my youngest,” the moody one, “Katrine.” “Oh, so it’s only

@Bard Simpson Thanks for all the great comments, especially comparing it to Shrek. (Probably unsurprising to know I love that film.) Re: Is there a reason why both Ryan and Dorothy came up with that response too? Not an important reason. They are different characters in opposite sides of a crisis, so I was drawing at least one parallel / shared experience: although they’re both mild-mannered, their respective pressures cause them to act out of character and use the F-word at the same time. Re: Perhaps Dorothy is Ryan's alter ego Ryan’s cross-dressing “wish” was more his silly whimsical thought that that might’ve better-equipped him with the red sparkly shoes required to return him home – but keep these great thoughts and ideas coming!

@ObicanDecko Thanks for reading and all of your wonderful comments, please keep them coming. It means a lot that you’re enjoying it!

There was a way out. There was an air vent directly above Dorothy’s desk. From the blueprints, Dave figured out the dimensions and knew he could fit inside it. He also figured out where it led. On the blueprints, it was referred to as the control room. Dave read about the control room in a manual he’d found in Dorothy’s bookcase. It was the location of the Core Book, which transmitted the story to every copy of the book ever printed. The manual also had chapters about emergencies, and it w

Dorothy couldn’t afford to remain in a foul mood when she returned to her office. Dave was beginning to stir. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. His throat was sandpaper-dry and his head was throbbing. He hadn’t felt this awful in years. It was like he was reliving his first hangover. Dorothy knelt down in front of him. “Hello, Mr Renton! How are you feeling?” “Don’t shout in his face,” Burnham said. “Are you feeling alright?” Dorothy asked. “My neck ...” Dave gingerly touch

Burnham returned to Dorothy’s office carrying Dave. Dave was unconscious, his head lolling back and a strand of saliva sliding down his chin. On his throat, the dart had left a raised mark. Dorothy stood up. “Here, put him in my chair. Thank you so much.” Burnham placed Dave carefully into the chair. “How much longer will he be out?” she asked. “I’d say another ten minutes or so.” “He’s going to be difficult when he wakes up,” Dorothy said. “The tranquiliser always makes people

@chris191070Thanks for reading and your comments, much appreciated I just put up the next chapter.

Ryan had been doing deep breathing exercises for the best part of an hour – in, two, three, four ... out, two, three, four – and gradually, his panic had subsided into numb shock. Even so, he was relieved when the King’s doctors arrived. Ryan wanted medical attention, even if it was fictional. There were three doctors, all identical: short, bald, with large round glasses that kept sliding off their flat noses. “The King has told us that you’re ailing,” said the first doctor, opening his ca

It took Ryan a few seconds to remember who he was, but it took him a lot longer to figure out where he was. He was lying on the cold hard floor of a large room, at the foot of a large four-poster bed. There were high stone walls with flame torches bracketed against them. Decapitated heads of wild beasts, mid-snarl, were mounted along every side. “Dave?” Ryan called out. “What happened? Where are we?” But Dave wasn’t there. Ryan was alone. He got to his feet and put one hand against t

To say that Ryan felt foolish about his date with Alison’s brother Dave was an understatement. But then again, perhaps Ryan should’ve been used to the humiliation. His personal life to date had been a series of embarrassments and anti-climaxes. In his last year of high school, he had become infatuated with a boy in his calculus class. His name was Stuart and he was always laughing at Ryan’s jokes, recommending YouTube videos for Ryan to watch, and copying Ryan’s homework. It was only a matte

@nix I'm glad you enjoyed it

@chris191070 Thanks for the comment and for reading! I just put up Chapter 2

@Talo Segura Thanks for your great & encouraging comments. I just put up the second chapter - I will aim to put up one per day, maybe two! P.s. I recommend Donnie Darko! Many people like it for the sci-fi aspect, but I love the characters.

For years, the children’s entertainment market had been dominated by brainless cartoons and violent video games. By the time most children had started school, they’d already simulated machine gun-fire, watched real-life decapitations on the internet, and seen videos of Japanese anime women kissing. During this time, horrified parents watched their children transform. The boys became mini-thugs, drawing pencil tattoos on their arms and pretending to slit each other’s throats with plastic knives.

His parents’ proudest moment took place in the third row of the St Bart’s school hall, during the Grade Four production of Cinderella. “I shall find the foot that fits this glass slipper,” little Ryan Hooper squeaked like an over-rehearsed robot, “and she I shall marry!” Mr Hooper had purchased a video camera especially for the occasion, so there would forever be a shaky out-of-focus recording of Ryan’s performance as Prince Charming. He strutted across a stage, holding a glass slipper.

“Vanished? How could Prince Charming vanish?” “I don’t know.” “Have you looked in his bedchamber?” “Of course. He’s not there.” “Well, he was meant to have a suit-fitting for the ball in an hour – maybe he just decided to do that earlier. Or maybe he went somewhere else. It happens. We thought we had lost Puss in Boots once, but he was chasing a bluebird up in the trees.” “No, he’s definitely vanished. Here, look at the cover.” The book cover usually showed Cinderella loo