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spiderdreamer-blog · 6 months

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2023 at the Movies: A Year in Review

2023 has been an odd year for American cinema in particular, between overall tepid box office outside of a few big hits and the combination of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes affecting release dates as well as promotional tactics. (Just so we're clear, this is a Union Solidarity Blog) But it was a fascinating year artistically nonetheless, especially on the blockbuster end. What this list aims to achieve is sort of a capsule review of the theatrical releases I saw (not counting streaming-only films even if I ended up seeing theatrical releases ON streaming) and how I felt about them in capsule review form. And even then, there's still stuff I need to catch up on like Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Oppenheimer, Elemental, or Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Anyhoo, on with my list, in chronological release order:

John Wick: Chapter 4: Much like its titular hero, there are perhaps some signs that this franchise could benefit from taking a bit of a rest. Some of the worldbuilding is going from knowingly absurd to just plain absurd, and a couple early action beats, while fun (NUNCHUCKS), are a little familiar in terms of director Chad Stahelski's neon-as-fuck aesthetics. Ultimately, it's not too much to derail things, as Keanu Reeves proves a capable grounding lead like always, and the Parisian third act is giddy, comically overblown violence in the grand John Wick tradition that reaches an unexpected poignancy. The supporting cast might also be one of the best in the series; while Asia Kate Dillion's unflappable Adjudicator is missed from the last installment, we do receive Bill Skarsgard doing an OUTRAAGEOUS French accent as a smarmy villain you really want to see dead by the end of this, Donnie Yen as a clever, funny spin on the blind swordsman trope, Rina Sawayama is both badass and touching, Shamier Anderson stands out by dialing down, and my beloved Clancy Brown has some of the best implicit "are you fucking kidding me" reactions I've seen in a while.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie: I was honestly dreading this for a while. Illumination Entertainment is a perfectly cromulent animation studio who makes films that, with a couple exceptions, represent pretty much everything I dislike about American family filmmaking: loud, hyperactive, deficient of nutritional value, and did I mention loud? But the trailers started impressing me in terms of how well they adapted the candy-colored toybox Nintendo aesthetic to a wider theatrical scope. And if nothing else, casting Jack Black as Bowser would probably be pretty awesome (spoiler alert: he was). Thankfully, it manages to be an immensely entertaining, zippy adventure film that minimizes potential annoyances at nearly every turn. This is primarily thanks to a ready-to-play, enthusiastic voice cast (outside of Black, I particularly like Pratt and Day's brotherly dynamic and Anya Taylor-Joy doing a Disney Princess-esque comedy action spin on Peach), a smartly simple story structure, and leaving a lot of potential open for the future like Seth Rogen's lovable ready-for-spinoff-movies Donkey Kong. It may not rock the boat, but it was better than it had any business being, and that counts for a lot in my book.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: The Marvel Cinematic Universe and I are admittedly on a bit of a break. Not because they're doing anything WRONG per se, just that a lot of their shows and movies haven't enticed me as much in the past year. I did get out to see this, though, which is both the best all around MCU film since Endgame and very possibly the best film of its own trilogy. James Gunn pulls out all the stops emotionally for his Marvel swan song (godspeed to you over at the still-in-progress trashfire that is Warner Bros. Discovery, good sir), crafting a beautiful, resonant journey for all the characters. The ensemble cast fires on all cylinders, for one. While Bradley Cooper is the obvious vocal standout as Rocket takes center stage, it's assuredly the role of Chris Pratt's career (other non-Mario/Marvel directors, take note! You can in fact have this guy be funny, credibly tough, AND sympathetic instead of missing out on the other two), Zoe Saldana navigates a difficult emotional dance, Pom Klementieff finds real heart in Mantis, Dave Bautista is still one of our most interesting wrestlers-turned-actors in the choices he makes, Karen Gillan has slowly become of the MCU's MVPs as Nebula, Will Poulter is endearingly dunderheaded as a comedic take on Adam Warlock, and Chukwudi Iwuji proves a truly vile villain who exemplifies the maxim of "if you really want an audience to just HATE a motherfucker, have him torture cute animals". And of course Gunn's musical tastes remain impeccable, such as a Beastie Boys needle drop that prompts a truly bitchin' fight scene (oddly the second time this specific song happened this year in a Pratt-led vehicle). It's funny, it made me ugly cry at SEVERAL points, and I got to see a psychic cosmonaut dog beat people's asses with her mind. What more could I want?

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse: Into the Spider-Verse was a revolution and a revelation for what the American animated film industry could accomplish artistically and technically. How could a sequel possibly live up to it? Across does, against all odds, proving to be the Empire Strikes Back to the original's Star Wars in terms of going darker/more complex on the emotions and to greater visual heights (albeit with the caveat that maybe next time, we can manage the production better and not crunch people so much). Co-directors Justin K. Thompson, Kemp Powers, and Joaquim Dos Santos (who I've stanned as one of our best animation action directors from Justice League Unlimited through Voltron Legendary Defender) craft a propulsive narrative that asks big questions about who and what Spider-Man is. And while those will have to wait to be fully answered in the third installment, what it sets up is no less compelling or thrilling. Shout-outs in particular go to Hailee Steinfeld, who has to anchor this film with Gwen as much as Shameik Moore's still-iconic Miles; Daniel Pemberton for an outstanding score; Oscar Isaac for giving rich complexity to Miguel O'Hara, who could have felt like a boorish bully in lesser hands; and Jason Schwartzman for not just proving he transitions REALLY well into voicework between this and projects like Klaus, but being by turns pathetically funny and terrifying in ways I've never heard him be as the Spot. Can't wait to see where that goes next time in particular.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: "Pleasant surprise" comes to mind. While I never hated Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as much as most, it was definitely a little underwhelming as a possibly final Indy adventure. (Not helping is that Steven Spielberg immediately turned around and made an infinitely better indy movie in the form of The Adventures of Tintin) So I was curious to see how going to the well for seemingly the real final adventure would work this time around. Thankfully, director James Mangold proves he has a good eye for creative action, even if nothing here quite reaches the heights of the original trilogy, and Harrison Ford does some of his best acting in ages as a weary, burnt-out Indy; one always got the sense that THIS was much closer to his heart than Han Solo. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a terrific foil to him, joyously amoral (or so she says), while Mads Mikkelsen finds a new spin on coldly cruel cinematic Nazis; he has a tense reintroduction scene that had me squirming in my seat. Add in a slam-bang ending and a touching epilogue, and I'm pretty happy with where things end up for our favorite archaeologist. A solid B+, which we could use more of nowadays.

Also they Poochie-d Shia LaBeouf, which is hilarious to me on several levels.

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One: The Mission: Impossible franchise has undergone a curious metamorphosis from where it started as one of many oldies TV adaptations in 1996 to a purposefully old-school action franchise. Director Christopher McQuarrie has become a pro at these over the last three installments, and Dead Reckoning (now no longer a part one, as the back-in-production followup will be retitled) has lots to offer both large and small for action fans even outside of the continued spectacle of Tom Cruise Possibly Wants To Die On Camera. Obviously the big stunt sequences remain a draw, like a terrific car chase through Rome or the climactic journey onboard the Orient Express because trains are ALWAYS bitchin' locations in movies. But just as good are pleasures like a tense cat-and-mouse game in an airport where nobody's quite sure whose side Hayley Atwell's thief Grace is on, Henry Czerny coming back to the franchise after 27 years and looking as shiftily patriotic as ever, Pom Klementieff on this list for the second time looking really hot as she whoops ass, and Cary Elwes getting an unexpectedly choice exposition monologue. Plus the whole deal with the A.I. villain ended up being, uh, fairly relevant.

Barbie: A brilliant human comedy from an unexpected source. This could have gone wrong in so many different ways, I can easily imagine a version that's WAY more lugubrious and, crucially, much less funny. But director/co-writer Greta Gerwig has quickly become one of our best talents between this and the wildly-different-but-has-more-in-common-than-you'd-think Little Women (I also still need to see to heard-it's-excellent Lady Bird). With an infinitely clever script (I love in particular that the "real world" is just as ridiculous in its own way as Barbieland) and Sarah Greenwood's impeccable production design, Gerwig and her cast craft a feminist fable that remains light and funny even at its most strident and angry. Margot Robbie has never been better, hilarious and gut-punching by equal measure, America Ferrera ends up as the unexpected heart of the piece, and Ryan Gosling is absolutely hysterical as Ken while still making him intensely sympathetic. He and Robbie deserve Oscar noms in particular. No, I'm not kidding. Might expand this one to a full review at some point tbh.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem: I missed this in theaters and regret it immensely, given that this is a hilarious, cheerfully irreverent take on characters who've really managed a surprising amount of relevance in the modern age. Actually having teen actors voice the Turtles makes them feel so authentic, and they're matched well by an equally game cast like Ayo Edebiri's thoroughly modern April O'Neill, Jackie Chan as a more bumbling-but-heartfelt version of Splinter than usual, and Paul Rudd going full surfer bro as Mondo Gecko. And of course the scribbled-notebook underground comics vibe of the animation is a neat bit of full circle aesthetics if you know these guys' origins.

Wish: All of you are wrong and being dumb about this movie. It's not that I can't grok some of the criticisms as being legitimate, to be fair; for example, the songs, while very good on their own IMO, don't always hit the iconic level of a Frozen or Encanto. But the vitriol with which they've been expressed, and this odd narrative that Disney is in the toilet artistically and needs to nebulously "fix" things, is something I can't at all agree with. It's gorgeously rendered, for one; yes, I would potentially like to see a return to full 2D animated films for the studio at some point too. But if they're gonna experiment even marginally with CGI, I applaud co-directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn making it look this painterly as a starting point. And as with a lot of modern Disney, there's real richness and inner life to these characters. Ariana DeBose is a winning heroine as Asha, who feels distinct from other "princesses" by essentially being working class and unionizing the kingdom. And Chris Pine as Magnifico is a Disney Villain for the ages, blending real complexity in his relationships with scenery-chewing madness. (Also am I the only one who got major "studio executive/CEO" vibes off him?) If this is "mid" or "bland" Disney, I really question what some of y'all are seeing that I seemingly can't.

Also I liked the 100th anniversary references, sue me. The last one in particular gets points for quiet charm rather than grandstanding.

The Boy and the Heron: Hayao Miyazaki, anime's favorite grumpy old man, comes back out of retirement for like the fifth time. Seriously, remember when Princess Mononoke was supposed to be his last film 25+ years ago? I'll believe his "last film" is truly his last when he's in the cold, cold ground. Regardless of the continuing saga of Old Man Won't Retire Because He Seemingly Can't Be Alone With His Own Thoughts, this is a brilliant, haunting spectacle of animation that might be a new favorite for me. Some have called it confusing, whereas I go for "dreamlike", possibly his most to date. Nearly every frame is suffused with longing and melancholy (though this also has some of Miyazaki's best comedy in a while), and, oddly like Wish, this feels like a true career reflection, if a bit more fraught and questioning what legacy truly means. Joe Hisaishi contributes possibly his moodiest, most dissonant score, with little of the bombast or whimsical charm that typifies his music, but it works unfathomably well. Credit also to the dub, with Robert Pattinson as funny and menacing as you've heard, but Luca Pandoval is also excellent as our stoic lead Mahito, Florence Pugh manages to be both a total badass and a funny old woman (it makes sense in context, I promise), Christian Bale puts forth a fascinating two-step with his boisterous father, Gemma Chan and Karen Fukuhara nail some complex emotional turns, Willem Dafoe nearly steals the whole thing in under two minutes, Dave Bautista makes a real meal out of a part not much bigger than that, and Mark Hamill finds resonance as a tired old man.

#movies #analysis #criticism #disney animated canon #wish 2023 #tmnt mutant mayhem #john wick #atsv #mission impossible #the boy and the heron #barbie #the super mario bros movie #indiana jones #guardians of the galaxy volume 3

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polar-biscuit · 1 day

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I don't know your pronouns so don't wanna say sir/ma'am therefore my liege, I just got into The Boys and maevelight is everything to me and I just want to say thank you for sustaining me. I'm eating good out here and it's all thanks to you. Godspeed you on your journeys.

thank youuuu 🥺🤍 happy that u enjoyed it! just waiting for next season to reactivate my maevelight braincell!!

#idc about my pronouns but it's usually she her :)#ask

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a-reader-and-a-writer · 1 year

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For the fic title game: “one last time around” or another one could be “Karma was supposed to get you not me”

Ooo! Two titles!!! 😍 Thank you SOOOO much!!!!

So I started writing the second one as well, but it is turning into an actual fic at this point, so I'll post it on it's own post later and match sure yo tag you! 😘 But here is "One Last Time Around":

"Come on, Trig. Don't do this to me. We're almost there. You just have to hold on." Rooster turned to look into the back seat where you were slumped in your seat, your hands still pressed against your bullet wound as blood flowed over your fingers. It had been a lucky shot through the back of the plane just before Rooster had taken out the enemy fighter. He heard you cry out in pain and turned to see blood gushing from your stomach. For a moment, he couldn't breathe. It was bad-- really, really bad. Your hands desperately clutched at the wound, trying to slow the bleeding, but it was doing little to help. As quickly as he could, Rooster rerouted the plane to return to safety, praying he could make it back in time. You moaned slightly but when Rooster glanced back at you again, you gave him a hopeful smile. But your eyes gave away the agony you were really in. It took almost ten minutes, but you reached your destination. Rooster sighed in relief as he saw the aircraft carrier come into view. It wouldn't be long now and then you could get the help you needed. "Roo..." Your voice was so weak that Rooster barely heard it above the roar of the engine. "It's okay, Trigger. I'll be taking her in in just a minute. Then you're gonna be okay. Just hold on, baby girl." "Bradley..." Rooster's blood froze. You had never once called him by his given name in all the years he had known you. He had always been Rooster, Roo, or occasionally, Bradshaw. Even in your most tender moments when you were drifting asleep in his arms, you never called him that. Looking back, he saw that your hands had dropped into your lap either because you didn't have the strength to hold them to your wound any longer or because you had realized it was a fruitless effort. One look at your mangled stomach was enough to convince Rooster of that. Even if they got you help right this second, it wouldn't do any good. Your lips quivered as they tried to curl into a smile. "Don't land. Can we.... can we have one last time around? For old time's sake?" Rooster knew what you were really asking. You loved the experience of flying more than anyone he had ever met. He was even convinced that was why you chose to become a WSO instead of a pilot, so you had more of a chance to take in the majesty of being in the air. Now, you wanted to spend your last few moments in the place you loved the most. Choking back his tears, Rooster cleared his throat. "Ye-yeah. I'll see what I can do." Radioing into the carrier below, he said, "Command... we're not landing yet. We're gonna do one more loop around first." "What?" Cyclone's voice crackled through the radio. "You reported you needed immediate medical assistance?" Rooster bit back a sob. "It doesn't matter anymore. And this is what she wants, Sir." The line was quiet for a long time. Then, Cyclone said, "Understood. Permission for another pass. And.... Godspeed, Trigger." Rooster heard a soft sigh from behind him, but nothing else. He adjusted his course and began gaining altitude. As he brought the plane around, he tried to angle it so you would have the best view of both the sky and the sea and he hoped it was as beautiful as you imagined it. A few minutes later, he heard a light bonk and turned to see your helmet leaning against the glass of the canopy. Your eyes were still opened as you gazed down to the sea below, but Rooster could see that you were gone. A guttural sob tore from his chest as the pain of your loss overtook him. All the plans the two of you had made, the life you had envisioned, all of it meant nothing now. You were just one more person who Rooster loved that was taken from him. He thought by now he would have been numb to this kind of loss, yet it felt as fresh as when he lost his mom. And he knew he would grieve you. Deeply and all-consumingly. But first, he had to bring you home. Taking a deep breath, he turned the radio back on. "This is Rooster. I'm coming in."

send me a made-up fic title and i’ll tell you what i would write to go with it

#thanks!#friend ask #ask game #title ask game #rooster #bradley rooster bradshaw #breadly breadshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #rooster x reader #reader death tw

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ikeromantic · 9 months

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CinderAlice pt. 1

The winner of the IkeRev 1K AU story poll was Cinderella! Featuring the Black Army guys and Alice as Cinderella. Pt. 1/4

Alice felt a trembling excitement in her heart. Her eyes scanned the royal decree nailed to the lamppost just beyond the gates of her home. There would be a ball at the palace and all the citizens of Cradle were invited. That meant even her, she thought, and couldn’t stop a smile from spreading on her cheeks.

“You look happy.”

The unexpected words surprised her and Alice gave a little jump. Turning, she saw Luka. He was just back from his early morning delivery run. A light sheen of sweat graced his brow and his patched work clothes were dusty. His gentle expression was turned to an apologetic frown.

“I didn’t mean to surprise you.” He looked away, his bright amber gaze skittering over the mostly empty street. “I thought you heard my come up.”

Alice always felt a little self-conscious around Luka. He was sweet but shy, and very pretty. He also worked hard - harder than almost anyone she knew. “It’s ok. I was spacing out. It’s just - did you see this?”

Luka nodded. “I saw Sir Godspeed putting them up around town.” He looked back at her, his gaze unexpectedly intense. “Are you going to go?”

“I -” Alice paused. The idea of a royal ball was wonderful. Beautiful people and clothes and good food, music and dancing. But that was for people with money and power, like her step-sisters. They would have pretty dresses and jewelry to wear. But Alice had just her work clothes, and a locket with a picture of her mother and father. “I wish.” She laughed it off and waved a hand toward the poster. “I don’t think parties like that are for me. I don’t even know what I would wear!”

Luka studied her expression. “So you would go if you had a nice dress?”

“Sure, I guess.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I have to get back inside before my stepmom notices how long it’s taking to put out the trash.” Alice took a step back toward the house. “It was good seeing you, Luka!”

He gave her a wave, his face solemn. “I’ll see you later, ok?”

“Yeah,” she grinned and headed back inside. Once home, all her good feelings faded quickly. There was tea to put on and breakfast to make for her step-sisters and step-mother. Then she had to slip upstairs while they ate to clean their rooms and make their beds and gather the day’s washing.

On her way back downstairs, she could hear them chatting about the royal ball. Of course they’d heard about it by now. Anastasia, the eldest of the two, was already certain she would capture the eye of Prince Ray, while Drizella was of the opinion that this would be the perfect time to get close to Sir Godspeed, protector and friend to the prince.

Alice sighed. She didn’t imagine either of them would be capturing anyone’s hearts. They were both too sharp and bitter, always ready with a cruel observation or a cutting remark. But they would get to go and probably have a great time while she would be stuck here at home, dreaming.

“What are you sighing about, girl? Feeling sorry for yourself?” Lady Tremaine’s sharp voice brought Alice back to the immediate present.

“N-no, my lady! I was only - that is, I was thinking - how nice it would be to get to go to the royal ball.” Alice swallowed, nervous. There was no choice but to be honest when the Lady asked a question.

Her step-mother frowned, the expression natural to her severe, gaunt face. “Really? I wouldn’t think you would be interested. But if you like, you can go of course. I won’t stop you. First, you’ll need to complete all your chores. I won’t have the house a mess because of your daydreaming.”

“Thank you, my lady!” Alice felt the first faint glow of hope, and a small smile crept to her lips.

“And you’ll need to figure out what to wear. There isn’t money or time to get you a new gown, so you’ll have to make do.” Lady Tremaine gave her a cold smile bereft of any affection. “If you go dressed like that, it will only embarrass you.”

Alice nodded mutely and stood aside as her step-mother passed her in the hall. She wondered at moments like this what her father had loved in this woman. She couldn’t imagine it. But she could imagine the ways she might get a dress, even with no money.

The rest of the day’s chores sped past, even with Druzilla and Anastasia adding more mess to the usual work load. Alice was in such a good mood, even their teasing couldn’t bring her down. By mid-afternoon, she was done with pretty much everything but dinner service and the Lady’s bath arrangements, but that left her plenty of time to run into town for her own little errand.

She set off for the Central Quarter to make some trades for her dress. There was only about a week to the royal ball, which wasn’t much time. Alice stopped at a tailor’s shop and went around to the servant’s entrance in the back. She knew the workers here, and they liked her. She had helped them out a time or two with hem repairs and other stitchery - so when she asked for odds and ends, whatever scraps they had, they were happy to help.

Alice left there with a bag of fine cloth, enough for what she had in mind. Her next stop was a little rundown antique shop. Full of old items, many worn out or broken, and some that she wasn’t even sure what they were for. They knew Alice from when her father was alive, and were once frequent guests at the manor. Though the Lady Tremaine no longer welcomed them, they had a soft spot for Alice.

She explained what she needed, and came away with a whole jar of buttons, lace bits, and other odds and ends. Just the sort of pretty notions a fancy dress would need. Or, they would be once she shined them up a bit.

Alice was turning the jar slowly as she walked, admiring all the pretty little things inside. But she wasn’t watching where she was going. One moment, she was moving forward, and the next, she was nose first, pressed against a broad, warm chest. Fine fabric, brass buttons, a sword at the hip, and a pair of polished boots. Her mind took inventory as she scrambled back, already apologizing.

The man in front of her was tall, with large, violet eyes and a soft, wise smile. “Don’t look so worried, little lady. You didn’t do me any damage.” He bent down to look at her more closely. “Are you alright?”

“Y-yes?” He was very handsome, she realized, and also definitely not a commoner or even a merchant. “I’m really really sorry I bumped into you.”

“It’s fine. I wasn’t paying attention either.” He grinned and straightened. “In fact, it’s probably mostly my fault. Why don’t you let me buy us a tea to make it up to you? There’s a sweet shop just around the corner that’s supposed to be very good. And I’m told there’s no better way to apologize than a warm drink and something sweet.”

Alice blinked. Had this gorgeous stranger just asked her out to tea? She looked down, a slight flush in her cheeks. “Umm. Thank you but no. I have to get home and make dinner.” Which was true. She’d taken a little longer than she meant to at the antique shop and if she didn’t hurry, she’d have hangry step-sisters to deal with.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Alright little lady, I won’t keep you. But - if you change your mind, stop by where I work, hm? Just ask for Sirius. I’d like to apologize properly. Besides, it’s not everyday I nearly run over a beautiful girl.” He jotted an address down on a scrap of paper and slipped it into her bag.

“Thanks,” Alice stepped away. His smile made her heart do funny things in her chest and she wasn’t at all sure if she liked it. Besides, if she stuck around he would definitely notice her blushing and that would be so embarrassing. “It was nice to meet you. Bye!” She hurried off before he could do anything else that would make her feel even more awkward.

Once home, she stashed her bags and forgot all about the man and his note in the chaos of supper preparation. Anastasia was gluten-free and Druzilla didn’t eat meat, and Lady Tremaine required a broth and fresh bread at every meal. Alice ate whatever was left over from their plates and wasn’t picky about it.

She still remembered the one time she’d set herself a plate. Just a bit after her father died, and their first family meal without him. Alice just assumed she would be included as usual. The ensuing humiliation clarified her place in the family now though. Servant, unseen and unheard, out of the way. Not a sister nor a daughter. She was no one. The girl that slept in the kitchens.

It didn’t bother her anymore, not really. That was what she told herself, anyway.

Alice was exhausted by the time she finished emptying the water from Lady Tremaine’s after dinner bath. She didn’t feel much like working on anything, but her imagination spurred her on. The royal ball would be like nothing else. And she would be there, in the dress she made.

The cloth she had was off-casts, the ends of fabric rolls, and badly cut swaths. Different colors and textures and patterns. A rich panoply of cloth that Alice could visualize in the dress she wanted. It was difficult work to cut and pin, to piece the skirt and bodice together from this random assortment of velvets and silks. But she managed.

Every day for the next week, she spent any spare moment stitching. Every night, she stayed up as late as she could. She polished the best of the notions from the jar, silver buttons and little paste gems, even a set of tiny bells for the hem. Alice wasn’t entirely sure it would all come together, with so many layers and panels, but it did.

The dress featured a slow fade from the bright center panel at the front, to a dark central panel at the back. The mismatched patterns were brought together with embroidery, and set with paste gems. And the silver buttons made a beautiful closure for the bodice. One she could do up herself, as she would need to. Alice tried it on. The silk felt so different against her skin after years of wearing rough-spun linen and cotton.

She couldn’t suppress a laugh as she spun, making the skirt flare out around her legs. The tiny bells made soft music with every motion, only adding to the magical feeling of wearing something that made her feel beautiful. This would be the perfect dress for the royal ball. No one else would have anything like it. And just in time too. Tomorrow was the royal ball and she wouldn’t have time to get ready and finish sewing.

The next morning, she hurried out to tell Luka her good news. She knew he would be happy for her, and she was too full of joy not to tell someone. Alice caught him just as he was heading out to his second job. “Luka!” She waved him over.

“You look even happier than you did last week.” He smiled at her and then looked down, shuffling his feet.

“I am! I finished my dress!”

“So . . . you’re going to that royal ball?” Luka raised his head just enough to see her nod affirmation. He sighed. “I heard it’s just so the prince can find his lady love. All the women in Cradle are going on about it.” He let out another long sigh. “I guess you want to marry a prince too?”

Alice frowned. “Nope. I don’t care about that. I just want to go dance and hear the music and see all the pretty decorations. And I want to look beautiful for a night too!”

“You’re always . . . pretty.” Luka’s ears were bright red. The rest of his face was hard to see as he looked down and his hair fell over it.

She felt as if her breath left her at that unexpected compliment. She’d known Luka for years and he’d never said anything like that. “Th-thanks.”

He glanced up and his cheeks were flushed. There was some unreadable depth to his amber gaze that Alice was afraid to search. “I thought . . . you might . . .” Luka murmured something she could not hear. And before she could respond, he shoved something into her hands and hurried away.

“Hey! Luka! Wait! What is this?” Alice tried to get him to stop but he was nearly running. She looked down at what he’d handed her. A small, wooden box. Alice opened it and nearly dropped it. A pair of tiny earrings lay inside. The delicate metalwork held two tiny stones that matched the color of her eyes perfectly.

Alice took a trembling breath. She hadn’t expected a gift, much less something like this. Had he meant for her to wear them to the ball? She wasn’t sure, but she decided she would - and then she would give them back. It was too expensive to accept, especially when she knew the long hours and hard work he put in to live on his own. There was no way he could just buy something like this. It was too much, and it made her chest feel tight and hot to think about what he must have done to give this to her.

She tucked the box into an inner pocket under her apron and went back inside.

The manor was buzzing with activity. After breakfast, there were seamstresses and tailors, shoe fitters, and jewelers in and out of the manor all day. The final fittings and accoutrement for Anastasia and Druzilla. Alice could only admire their lovely ball gowns and jewelry. Stones worth more than the whole manor hung around their necks and gems decorated their hands and ears and hair.

She did her best to stay out of the way, the quiet and efficient maid she was expected to be. But her step-sisters kept summoning her to them for one thing or another. “Fetch my shawl.” “Bring the other petticoat.” “Get my slippers.” “I want a bite to eat.” “Get me a glass of wine.”

Of course, Alice knew the real reason for it. She hadn’t told them she made a dress or that she would be going to the ball. And they wanted to show off in front of her. To taunt her with all of the things she could have, if only she wasn’t her father’s daughter. It hurt, more than she cared to admit. But this was hardly the first time and it would not be the last. The Lady Tremaine spared no expense for her daughters.

She was in the middle of pouring a chilled white wine for Druzilla when the lady herself swept in to inspect the proceedings. The shoe-fitter had only just left, and no doubt Lady Tremaine wanted to see the results. Two pair of perfectly fitted, perfectly matched shoes sat on little pedestals. Bejeweled and shining, with gold filigree and thread of silver.

“Hm. These might do,” Lady Tremaine gave them a haughty gaze. “Though I dare say he’s done better work.”

That was the moment Alice noted what the lady held. An all too familiar bit of embroidery poked from the folds of a colorful silk ballgown, but there was something wrong with it. The colorful panels were smeared and stained as if -

“I found this cleaning cloth in your room, Alice. How often must I tell you to clean the rags or dispose of them when they are beyond use?” The lady’s gaze snapped to Alice in the same moment, a sour smile at the corners of her thin lips. She shook out the dress, displaying the damage as if proud of it.

The embroidery was torn and coming undone. Paste gems hung from their stitching or were missing entirely. Several of the panels were coming apart at the seams, with tangles of thread exposed. And the whole thing looked as if it had been shoved into a chimney and pulled through.

Anastasia’s eyes lighted on it and a fierce wicked flame lit her from within. “What an awful mess that rag is!” She grabbed a sleeve and tore it off. “Was this meant to be a dress? For a cinder-ball?”

Druzilla laughed. “I don’t think even a street urchin would be caught dead in that.” She tore off a gem and crushed it under heel. “Cheap paste. I think even the servants at the palace wear better.”

“Indeed. This is just a filthy rag.” Lady Tremaine tore the gown, ripping it from seam to seam so that the little silver buttons popped off and rolled about the room. “Throw it in the garbage bin. Unless - Alice, did you have something to say?”

Tears stung her eyes, but there was no way she would let them fall. Not in front of her step-mother. Her heart hurt to see her beautiful creation decimated in moments by cruel hands, but what could she say? ‘No, stop! I am wearing that to the ball?’ It was ruined. And there wasn’t time to even try to repair it. “I- I’ll toss it out right now, my lady.” Her voice was soft, muted. Holding back the rage and disappointment, hiding it under the subservient face Lady Tremaine expected.

“Excellent.” Her step-mother handed Alice the dress and watched her go. Just at the door, the lady called out. “Oh, my dear, I almost forgot to ask. Did you manage to find something to wear for the ball?”

“No, my lady.” Alice bowed her head.

“It’s just as well,” Druzilla remarked. “What would you even do there? Bore them with stories of dusty curtains? Or regal them with recipes for roast duck?”

Anastasia nodded enthusiastically. “I’m sure the royal court would be enamored. Tales from the maid! Can you imagine! I almost want to drag her along so we can watch her humiliate herself.”

“Now girls,” Lady Tremaine’s voice cracked across the room, sharp and cold as ice. “Let’s not be cruel. There is nothing wrong with being a maid. The girl knows her place. And you should know yours. Try to act like a proper lady or it won’t matter how nice a gown I’ve dressed you in.”

“Yes, mother,” both girls replied sulkily.

Alice was too far down the hall to hear more, and she didn’t want to anyway. Her heart felt as if it was breaking into a thousand pieces. It was so stupid. The whole thing. To think she might get to go to a royal ball . . . to imagine having anything nice. That wasn’t the life she was fated for. No, she’d slave away under Lady Tremaine until her step-mother died. And then she would work for Druzilla, or perhaps Anastasia, until her time came too. That was it. That was all.

She imagined running away sometimes. Making a life for herself. Working three jobs didn’t seem so bad, and if it was for someone other than Lady Tremaine, it would probably be better. But she was afraid. Cradle could be a dangerous place for a girl on her own. And Alice wasn’t at all sure where she would run to, or how to even start a life. Where to sleep, what to eat,how to find work . . .

No, this was it, and it was best she accept it. Alice made her way to her room and lay down, silent sobs shaking her shoulders as she cried away her hopes and dreams. She held the remains of her dress in her arms and let her tears soak the silk.

Part 2

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