I made a powerpoint presentation for The Runaway. I tried to make it comic sans, I swear, but Temperance refused to cooperate. Anyway, I realized I haven't talked about this Shapeshifter project nearly as much, so a formal introduction is in order.
@sunset-a-story @touloserlautrec @ceph-the-ghost-writer @illyriashade56 I hope you guys don't mind that I borrowed your tags and comments, but they made me happy cry to read💙💙
Transcription for each slide under the cut.
A powerpoint presentation comprised of ten slides. Each slide has a faint background image of a watercolor painting depicting a foggy pine forest.
[SLIDE ONE]
thatndginger presents:
The Runaway A Shapeshifter story
also known as: the story that got me anon hate from a jaded ex-friend who co-wrote the original version, then got mad that I kept writing after she cut me out of her life with no explanation :D
[SLIDE TWO]
THE PREMISE
Temperance Maddox does a runner
ok but seriously, the title of the story is the plot: a shifter [Temperance] runs away from certain traumatic events and ends up stranded in middle-of-nowhere Wyoming
where he’s rescued by a quiet, kind single dad [Dean] with a ~mysterious past~, an adorably rude six year old [Kate], an empty room, and seemingly infinite patience for Temperance’s terrible attitude
Temperance is a totally mature and reasonable adult who absolutely does not argue with the six year old and engage in petty name calling with her
Temperance will also never fall for the man who rescued him. It’s not like he’s going to stick around long enough to even consider it. Right?
everyone involved questions why Dean bothered taking this guy in when he’s a
capital-P Problem - even to himself. Dean is not taking questions at this time
[SLIDE THREE]
alright let’s break this down tier-style
Tier One - The POV Characters: Dean Matthews & Temperance Maddox
dueling POVs are always fun in a romance-centric story, right?
ok neither of these two would shut up so they both get POVs so I can get some sleep
Tier Two - The Important Side Characters: Kate Matthews & Talia Salwood
one is dependent on their father and the other is just plain nosy, so they’re almost always around in one way or another
Tier Three - The Supporting Cast: the residents of Kilnora Falls
there’s a nonbinary mechanic, the mechanic’s Australian vampire partner, a witch that runs a coffee shop, forest rangers, well-meaning grandmas, and distrustful neighbors
imagine one of those small-town romcom background casts and you’re probably close. except most of these background characters are witches, vampires, or shifters
[SLIDE FOUR]
Image ID: in the top right corner of the slide is a digital drawing of Temperance Maddox in a side profile view. He has short black hair, pale skin, and sharp features. His expression could be called confident, contemptuous, or amused. There is a simple sketched outline of a fox just behind and in front of his face.
Temperance Maddox he/him - 22 - fox shifter
the most pathetic drowned rat of a man you’ll ever meet
can and will cuss you out in multiple languages (he only knows the swear words)
if you can get him to stop saying ‘fuck’ every other word he’s surprisingly well-spoken
a city boy born and raised in Moressau, Washington
he’s got worse manners and emotional intelligence than the literal six year old
desperately in need of a long nap, a strong hug, and a lot of therapy. and maybe some kisses
would rather gouge his eyes out than admit any of the above
somehow a fan favorite among readers? I don’t understand that at all but I’m glad y’all love my terrible son?
[SLIDE FIVE]
Image ID: in the top right corner of the slide is a digital drawing of Dean Matthews in a side profile view. He has long-ish brown hair, tan skin, and is missing the tip of his left ear. His expression is neutral but has the slightest hint of a smile. There is a simple sketched outline of a coyote just behind and in front of his face.
Dean Matthews he/him - 32 - coyote shifter
heavy on the Romance Protagonist vibes (the good kind, not the weird heteronormative kind)
has lots of feelings but cannot for the life of him figure out how to show them on his face
tries to be a good dad, kind of a pushover and would bend over backwards to keep his daughter happy
is a carpenter by trade, and always willing to help out around town when things need fixing
the kind of tragic backstory character that sneaks up on you, because how can such a decent guy have a tragic past?
would very much like to have a quiet, simple life in his quiet, far-from-simple mountain town but things just keep happening to him
did I mention he has a bit of a southern drawl? and can play the guitar?
[SLIDE SIX]
Image ID: in the top right corner of the slide is a digital drawing of Kate Matthews in a front-facing view. She has long and curly red hair, darkly tanned skin, and yellow eyes with slit pupils. There are freckles on her face that are grouped in stripe-like patterns. Around her neck is a necklace with green and white crystals. She is looking off to one side with a solemn but curious expression.
Kate Matthews she/her - 6 - half-fae
unreasonably cute for a being who’s part uncanny-valley-made-of-magic creature
not blood related to Dean, but try telling her that
too young for anyone to tell if she’ll end up more fae-like or more human, but who cares? she’s adorable
has to wear a special necklace when she’s not at home to keep her innate magic in check. no one wants the little kid to have a tantrum and set the mercantile on fire
thinks her dad is the coolest thing in the world, especially when he turns into a coyote
thinks Temperance smells funny and is a rude meanie
personal space is not a concept she understands around those she likes. will bite anyone she doesn’t like who tries to touch her. watch out, her teeth are sharper than they look
thinks fairy tales are stupid, because real fae are scary and mean
[SLIDE SEVEN]
The Setting
middle of nowhere town in the western mountains of Wyoming
the town is called Kilnora Falls and there are exactly 521 people living there
more than half the population is some kind of supernatural, the majority being shifters and witches
everyone knows that faeries are real, that they’re incredibly dangerous, and that no one’s seen a true fae in almost a decade since the old faerie door beneath the waterfall collapsed
there is a very strong distrust of strangers among the residents of the Falls. They don’t see many strangers, and not many people who grew up there choose to leave
this setting started as an inside joke between me and my partner because he grew up in that part of Wyoming and I think it’s hilarious to tease him about it. Now it’s its own thing with regional holidays and a whole map and everything
[SLIDE EIGHT]
Image ID: on the left side of the slide is a digital drawing of a map depicting Kilnora Falls. It is in a simple style, with the buildings depicted as simple white shapes. The town sits on a small river and is surrounded on all sides by thick forests and tall mountains. 'Kilnora Falls' is written in the bottom left corner, while a scale and compass are depicted in the top left corner.
look! a map! imagine steep mountains all around, because would rather cut my foot off than draw contour lines
average weather conditions lean towards ‘cold’ - summer highs hang around the 70's. winter lows can get down nearly to -40. bring your coats, kids!
the entire town is less than one square mile in size
all the businesses in town are open 24 hours a day so that the nocturnal residents can still use their services. which means the bar is open 24 hours a day.... oh boy
the nearest ‘city’ is almost two hours away (Wyoming’s biggest town only has 65,000 people guys, the quotation marks are justified)
most people who are born here don’t leave, or if they do for school or work or whatever, they come back
[SLIDE NINE]
TROPES, MEMES, AND THEMES
y’all know I can’t resist a good meme sesh, so without further ado, here’s a mish-mash of tumblr-approved silliness for The Runaway
grumpy x sunshine pairings
domestication arcs
pathetic little meow meows
hot handymen
cute romance moments
tragic backstories
Image ID: a meme variation of the "Gru's Plan" meme. In it, Gru is labeled as 'Dean'. The first section reads "see someone stranded on the side of the road. The second section reads "stop to help. The third and fourth sections read "be verbally assaulted by an angry twink".
Image ID: a meme variation of the "Flex Tape" meme. The man slapping the tape is labeled as 'Temperance'. The tank spewing water is labeled as "trauma induced nightmares. The flex tape is labeled as "don't sleep ever".
Image ID: a meme variation of the "Schoolbus Hit By Train" meme. The schoolbus is labeled as "a wall around your emotions you've spent most of your life building". The train is labeled as "Dean Matthews".
Image ID: a meme variation of the "Bernie Sanders Asking" meme. Bernie is labeled as 'Kate'. The subtitled text reads "I am once again asking why the stranger dad found smell weird. And acts like a big mean pinecone." The line "and never says 'please' or 'thank you' is partially cut off at the bottom of the image.
[SLIDE TEN]
some comments from my lovely friends who have read The Runaway, because they make me happy and if published books get to put endorsement quotes on their covers, why can’t I do the same with my little powerpoint?
"#highly recommend you follow for the absolute bangers of stories you'll find here"
"#askjkdhd look at Temperance's sweet dumb little face #Dean looks like the type of guy who'd pick up a rude stranger #on the side of the road"
"Oh I can already tell Temperance is gonna be my favorite poor little meow meow I adore him."
"#good on you for writing on company time #me [handshake emoji] Dean #<- not being fooled by Temperance's tough guy act one bit #I want to wrap him in a blanket like the feral kitten he is #or maybe talk to him like Sam from Vampire Therapist #'Woah there fella. Easy now. Ain't no one gonna hurt ya. That's right...nice protagonist...'"
"#efojweojfoe love this whole shapeshifter thing giving tem a heart attack #also the way this playing scene is described? idk it flows so neatly and pleasant to read"
"#i can't wait #Dean is dreamy"
