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    northie
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Shrunk to Fit - 1. Shattered

How to continue a fairy tale?

Ball over, she stands, recalling words overheard; burnt into a jealous soul.

Ugly? Never. You’re beautiful.

A slipper shard hangs, bloodied, from her hand.

No more charming.

Satisfied, she steps over the bodies – her prince and his man – and leaves.

A revised version of a piece originally posted on my external blog, A Pencil Is Best. A challenge run monthly by YeahWrite, you're given a prompt, an exact wordcount, and a theoretical 24 hours in which to complete the story.
Any comments, thoughts, and constructive criticism you may have are welcome.
Copyright © 2019 northie; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

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Cinderella, you murderous bitch...

Interesting. I look forward to the next ones.

Edit:

Cool banner!

Edited by Carlos Hazday
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30 minutes ago, Carlos Hazday said:

Cinderella, you murderous bitch...

@Parker Owens in his original comment, challenged Disney to make this sequel.  ;) :lol:

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10 minutes ago, droughtquake said:

#hollywoodsowhite

And so binary in sex and gender. With some tokenistic exceptions.

Edited by northie
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That's one way to take charge of your own fate! Poor guys, though. Fairy tales are constricting for male protagonists as well. They probably just wanted to be left in peace, not forced apart by some ball...

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11 minutes ago, Puppilull said:

Fairy tales are constricting for male protagonists as well

They are indeed, though less so than female? Or maybe that's me being more accepting of male stereotypes.  :unsure:

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Fairytales were constructed to teach young people how they should behave by those who had an incentive to perpetuate the existing societal structure, sometimes emphasizing the merits of remaining in your social class. People, especially outsiders, were punished for violating social rules. And others were rewarded for following the rules.

European and East Asian societies were patriarchal, so the fairytales reflected that bias.

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Cinderella, as directed by Hitchcock?

Fairy tales are subject to the whims of the times in which they are written. Unfortunately, too many become considered classics without taking into account the attitudes of those very times, and then it's hard to de-classic them later on. Adults do not always consider the implications of the stories their kids are reading or watching. If a parent asks a kid what's on TV, and they say Cinderella, most parents will smile and walk away, figuring it's harmless. Very few will look alarmed and scream, "That sexist bullshit! You turn that off!"

I'm with Mr. Hazday. Parents today should be careful about letting their kids watch the cartoons we grew up watching.  As an adult, I still love Bugs Bunny. But in reality, he would be doing twenty to life for some of the stuff he did in those old cartoons! :)

 

 

 

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28 minutes ago, Geron Kees said:

Cinderella, as directed by Hitchcock?

Well it certainly wasn’t directed by James Cameron! He would have dragged out the conclusion with several false endings and misdirections. And then announce a sequel or three.
;–)

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9 hours ago, droughtquake said:

Fairytales were constructed to teach young people how they should behave

Never thought of fairy tales in these terms. Interesting.

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7 hours ago, Geron Kees said:

Cinderella, as directed by Hitchcock?

:lol:  Or something. 

7 hours ago, Geron Kees said:

letting their kids watch the cartoons we grew up watching.

And later, more general films which depict hyper-masculinity and violence without consequence - physical, emotional, or psychological. 

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20 hours ago, droughtquake said:

Well it certainly wasn’t directed by James Cameron! He would have dragged out the conclusion with several false endings and misdirections. And then announce a sequel or three.
;–)

Or four!

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A lot is said in very few words, nicely done. And it definitely puts a different slant on those "Once upon a time' tales that we grew up reading with our parents, it almost sends a chill down my spine.

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43 minutes ago, Mancunian said:

puts a different slant on those "Once upon a time' tales

Don't forget many 'fairy' tales are violent, bloody, misogynistic. The originals' darkness is diluted by bowdlerisation and Disney.

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Upon rereading this tale, I’ve come to the conclusion that the protagonist is actually one of Cinderella’s stepsisters! Her unconventional beauty was long described as ‘ugly.’ She has much more incentive to retaliate against the Prince for his inability to look beyond the surface and see her true worth.

Even after cutting off her toes to attempt to squeeze into the glass slipper, the Prince had the nerve to declare that she was not worthy of his love. How much bigger a sacrifice would she need to make to prove her love to the Charming One? The last straw was when the two boys couldn’t stop laughing at her pain!

The results were inevitable…
;–)
 

Accusing Cinderella of this gory and vicious crime is fake news!

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