Monday, June 23, 2014

Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Via Pinterest
Today, I have for display another plot bunny. Like Fire and Song, this is one that has been pestering me for a while.

It's a (very) loose retelling of Peter Pan, set in Mikada, V's and my sci-fi world system, told from the POV of the Tinkerbell character - Aling (Aling means "Bell" in her language.) She's half fairy, half elf. (Yes, there are are elves and fairies in our sci-fi world.) Not an unheard of combination for her homeplanet, Hlow, which is inhabited by those two peoples, but the elves and fairies are so different, the elves thinking that the fairies are inferior beings, and the fairies not caring about the elves' stuffy ways.

Aling is viewed as little more than an experiment to her elven mother's people. To the fairies, her father's people, she's little more than a boring curiosity. Since she has the intellect of a elf, combined with the inquisitiveness of a fairy, she's turned to tinkering to make herself feel useful, and to answer many of the questions that others refuse to answer.

But one day, their peaceful existence is shattered when a vessel from the stars crashes in the nearby ocean, and curious person - neither fairy nor elf - emerges. He calls himself Hook, and he proceeds to charm the fairies to his whim, leaving the elves suspicious. Before she can make up her mind whether she should trust him or not, more people come from the stars, claiming that he is a dangerous criminal.

Suddenly, her world is far smaller and more complicated than she had ever dreamed.

The title - Sing, Aling. And now I shall answer questions for the tag that Anne-girl has issued to her readers.

  • Pick a "villain song" for this bunny. {i. e. Gaston,Falcon in the Dive }

Doesn't Captain Hook have a song somewhere? If so, that one.

  • Take the first character you created for this bunny, what is his or her worst fear?

The first character that I created is Aling, though two of the characters (the two who inspired the book, Wendy and Peter, preexisted. But V made them up, so I'm not sure they count.)

Aling's greatest fear is that the fairies truly don't have souls, as many elves believe, and that she is, so to speak, "less than human" for her fairy blood.
  • What does your protagonist do on wednesdays? Antagonist?
Aling can usually be found either taking apart or attempting to put back together some gadget or another. 

Hook? I don't know. Maybe hunting crocodiles? Yeah, I think that would be a good occupation for him.
  • If your protagonist could steal something what would it be?
Aling has been known to "collect" useless-looking gadgets that intrigue her.
  • Give two of your characters a special thing that they do {like a special handshake, an inside joke, a tradition together}
Um ... this requires me to have two characters who have a preexisting relationship ... and I don't know Peter or Wendy well enough to tell you anything about them off the top of my head. Well, time to create new characters.

Okay, twin princes Jimes and Mickle of Galeon (my sister will probably correct me on the spelling), the in charge planet in Mikada (one of whom, I'm not certain yet which, will probably end up being Aling's love interest) have a tradition where they try to each practical joke the other once first during the day. Since they're both telepaths, and they're twins, this will probably be interesting.
  • Pick the epicest person in your book and describe them. Preferably give an actor as well.
Aling is a pretty epic person, so I'll go with her.

She's just under five feet, tall for a fairy, but painfully short for an elf. She has slanted blue eyes and pointed ears. Her hair is dark blonde, with streaks of blue. Her skin is pale, so her fairy dust - a glittery substance that fairies produce in their bloodstream that somehow negates gravity, and therefore allows them to fly - is very visible. She has iridescent blue wings in the style of our damselfly, and her elspit - a tattoo like mark that elves are born with and named after - is a bell.

Sorry, no actress. I'm not the hugest fan of character casting.
  • Which Jane Austen Character does your protagonist most resemble?
Of the Austen characters I've read, she's most like Harriet Smith, mostly because they're both very naive, and think they're in love with someone who isn't their official love interest for a while. (Yes, she will develop a crush on Peter ... which is not reciprocated, because he and Wendy have been married for several hundred years ... they're neverlings. Stop aging in their late childhood to early teens and just stay there for a few thousand years.)
  • How would your characters react to an airplane ride?
Well, many of the cast are used to zooming around the galaxy in a starship, so they'd have no issue with a airplane. Most of the fairies would find it a bit boring, since they are already capable of flight, and the elves would be intrigued by the idea. Aling would want to know how it works.
  • What demographic could this bunny be for?
I'm thinking about marketing this series as YA. Therefore, it's for lovers of sci-fi and Peter Pan.
  • Describe your inciting event
Call me a bad author, but I'm not certain of the definition of "inciting event" ... let me go look this up.

Okay, I'm back. The inciting event is when Hook crashlands in their nearby ocean.

12 comments:

  1. *jaw drops* A Peter Pan retelling?? KENDRA, YOU MUST WRITE THIS! The idea, the characters... EVERYTHING! The world needs this story. *I* need this story.

    Ooh! Captain Hook does have a theme song! Two actually -- a tango and a tarantella. They're from the musical Peter Pan. Definitely recommend. I did a review of the cast recording CD a while ago on my blog. (http://liannetaimenlore.blogspot.com/2014/03/peter-pan-original-cast-soundtrack.html)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *face palm* Well, that's embarrassing. I have no idea why my comment posted twice, and I apologize for that. You can delete it, Kendra, if you want to.

      Delete
    2. If you're talking about the Mary Martin version, there's also the song near the end of the play--the one he sings after capturing the Lost Boys.

      ~"TWR"~

      Delete
    3. TomWildRose ~ I've never seen/heard the Mary Martin version. The one I'm familiar with has Cathy Rigby as Peter, but I think it's the same musical. Right! Captain Hook has three songs! Well, Kendra, I guess you can pick and choose whichever one you want. :)

      Delete
    4. Since there were slight variations in the comments, I just published them both, since I didn't know which was the authentic.

      Anyways, yes, this story will be written, and published someday, as it's an important chapter in Mikada history. However, since it's also a later chapter, it may take a while. First I have to get Silivock out. My sister and I sat down and discussed the series last night, and Sing, Aling will probably end up being somewhere in the area of the seventh book.

      Delete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Why do you always have the best ideas? I love that!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, my dear. This looks terribly interesting. As Peter Pan is one of my favorite books, I would love to read a retelling. I never did like Tinker Bell, though, so it will be neat to see if you can make her a really likable protagonist.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same here. I'm not very fond of Tinker Bell in any incarnation I've seen or read, but since the story sprang from a discussion V and I were having about Peter and Wendy, and a question of "where's Tink in our story?" she kinda insisted on being the MC. She's going to be vastly different from the official Tinkerbell, none of her attitude and determination to break rules. Just a very lost girl, unsure of who she is or where she belongs.

      Delete
  5. I like Aling as your main character - I think the way you've changed the Tink character could make for a great read! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. A Peter Pan retelling sounds like a great idea. Go for it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. *jaw drops* A Peter Pan retelling?? KENDRA, YOU MUST WRITE THIS! The idea, the characters... EVERYTHING! The world needs this story. *I* need this story.

    My thoughts exactly! I couldn't say it better so I'm just agreeing. I love how it's in Tinkerbelle's perspective. I always do love retellings, and especially ones from different perspectives. Peter Pan is most definitely a favorite, and I love your idea! And book seven sounds perfect. It's a good number for it.

    the writeress || barefoot in the snow

    ReplyDelete

Hi! Now that you've read my post, hast thou any opinions that thou wouldst like to share? I'd love to hear them!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...