kris • ENFJ • writer • runner • fanfic, doctoral dissertation, and non-fiction book writing • therentyoupaywriting.com • "it was only meant to be a one-shot, then it turned into a two-shot, and now it's a multichapter 300k+ word fic"
hello! 💕 i'm kris. i have been writing fanfiction for 20+ years, since i was 11. i am currently writing a non-fiction book on my research. i hope to one day publish original fiction, but right now, i'm finishing up my ph.d. 💕 recently, i've been receiving several asks with questions about writing, fandom, and habits/organization that i have lovingly answered across the years (been here since 2012 lol), so here, i'm slowly but surely compiling the links all in one central faq. i used to have an actual faq post, but the world has changed so much since then (e.g., AI, fandom dynamics), so not all of those questions/responses were as up-to-date. therefore, i'm putting together a new one. i hope they're helpful! 💕 good luck, and have a lovely day!! ✨
WRITING:
what is your writing experience?
why do you choose to write?
how did you get into writing? what started your hobby and how did you develop your style?
do you enjoy fic-writing? can’t it get overbearing or time consuming or is it just something you love doing?
what are your writing habits?
is there any specific ritual you go through while/before/after your writing?
how do you get yourself in the zone to write and keep the distractions away?
do you have structured ideas of how your story is supposed to go, or make it up as you write?
what stops you from writing more in your free time?
how do you work up the motivation to continue a story you haven't written in a long time?
writing romance:
what kind of questions do you ask yourself as you develop characters’ romantic relationships?
i’m having trouble writing a fight scene between two characters in a relationship. i don’t want it to be a break up sort of fight, just a healthy spat between lovers that will make their relationship all the stronger after they resolve it. but I’m not really well versed in “healthy conflict” so i was hoping you’d have some questions to keep in mind/tips experience you could share because you’re an amazing writer 🙏🏻
how do i build self-confidence in my writing?
how do you manage writing without getting bogged down with self-doubt?
do you have any tips on how to improve one’s writing?
how do i become a better writer?
what books/kind of stories would you recommend for someone like me who's trying to get better at writing?
planning-related and personal writing style-related questions:
do you sneak personal references into your stories?
how do you decide when to extend works?
technical difficulties notes:
aside from scriviner, are there any other word processors that you use to write your stories? (note that this answer was pre-OpenAI/GPT-3 and widespread data scraping concerns)
do you have any programs you use for story planning specifically, like organizing ideas or making mindmaps? i used to use milanote but the subscription cost made me give it up.
FANFICTION & FANDOM:
questions regarding hosting, uploading, or sharing fanfiction:
which fanfiction hosting sites do you prefer/recommend (and why)?
why did you shift from FFNET to AO3?
questions regarding fanfiction promotion:
where do you get your fic banners?
questions regarding BETAS♡:
how do you find your betas?
crossover fanfiction-related questions:
how do you merge multiple universes together to make a crossover fanfic with plot?
fandom-etiquette questions:
why do people (still) hate jelsa (or any other ship)?
what advice do you have for navigating the challenges of negativity in fandom communities and online, in general?
commenting & feedback:
what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?
RE: SPECIFIC SHIPS, PAIRINGS, CHARACTERS:
master post questions:
how many jelsa stories have you written?
meta-ish questions:
any thoughts on the age gap regarding jelsa?
how you would classify elsa and jack as myer brigg personality types?
character-related questions:
what would elsa be like as a mom?
the accuracy and depiction of your vision of jelsa is absolutely fantastic. or I guess when you shape your idea of jack, elsa and the two of them as a pair, what kinds of thoughts or sources do you use when you write them? sparknotes version: how do you (personally) perceive jelsa and what kinds of information do you look for when you write them ? both personality and casual dialogue? [answered in a 5-part accidental essay series below!]
jack frost & elsa of arendelle | characterization considerations
ground rules + intro
overview: the tl;dr of my personality + dialogue choices
deep dive: characterization, personality, + identity
how do you portray speech patterns for characterization? why should i play around with writing epistolary works to improve my grasp of dialogue, speech patterns, dialects, registers, etc.?
since I saw a few others ask you about jelsa headcanons, i was wondering if you have any relating to how either of them interact with children, or someone younger than them?
do you ever write established relationship jelsa or have any headcanons about what they would be like together in a serious relationship or marriage?
fandom-related questions:
how do you feel about frozen 2?
what is your opinion on daenerys as a face claim for elsa?
ship-related questions:
why do you ship tahno/korra?
what are your thoughts on hans/elsa?
do you remember the exact moment you started shipping jelsa? what made you start shipping jack and elsa?
what are your thoughts on original!character x canon!character pairings?
FIC-SPECIFIC:
that one night:
would you sketch out a quick drawing of the layout of korra and asami’s apartment?
i’m in the process of re-reading my fav of yours TON. i’ve always wondered how you came up with that prompt and if you always had an idea of where you were going with it? and if you always knew it would be this big/long of a monster.
check the pipes for frost:
is this white haired jack or brunette jack in ctpff?
what exactly is the time span of jack and elsa’s correspondence, from the first post card up until the end?
past the gates of hell:
what is the exact situation/backstory that all of the characters are facing?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
therentyoupay-related questions:
is it too late to befriend you? i've been following your writing for like a decade now, and i've always been so anxious to actually try to befriend you 😅
are you ever planning to write or have you wrote any original fiction? because i swear i would throw all of my money at you ;)
have you ever cried whilst writing a story? If so, which one(s)?
what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?
do you accept writing prompts?
yes, occasionally! i'll alert the dash when my askbox is open for prompts.
have you ever been plagiarized?
yes. a few times, actually.
when will you update “story [x]”?
please check out my website!
or simply follow the tag: #therentyoupay updates
i’m not very active on here during this chapter of my life (SMALL BEAUTIFUL GROWING ALIEN PLUS ANOTHER ON THE WAY, LOVELY CAREER HAPPENINGS, OTHER BIG LIFE MOVES ✨) but i love seeing the updates and fanart whenever i DO get the chance to pop on 💕✨
currently slowly writing the next chapter of snow globe according to my Old Ways, which is namely in the Notes app, in my rare quiet moments 🫡✨
excited to hear more about frozen 3 soon from the disney expo even though i don’t actually follow any updates/news or anything like that, but i’m also equally (more??) excited to hear about the bluey movie 😂
HOPING YOU ALL ARE WELL AND THRIVING 💕💕💕💕💕😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘
I saw some jack frost art and it just made me think What If you wrote a story about Jack frost and Elsa both being winter fairies in a sort of Tinker Bell universe?? I think it would be so cute if you did but. It's totally ok if you dont! Just ideas. Anyways your jelsa fanfics have been with me since I was 15 your writing feels like home on ao3
omg this idea is so cute 😭 now i'm very sad that i haven't watched the series and i don't know the lore because i can already tell that this would be a SUPER CUTE AU 😭😭😭 perhaps someone else is more in-the-know than i? 🧚♀️✨ SO CUTE!
and thank you so much for sharing 🥹💕✨ i hope you are having a magnificent day, wherever you are!! 🫶
I see you watched KPop Demon Hunters. What are your thoughts?
HI I LOVE YOU 🩷🩷🩷🩷 THANK YOU FOR THE ASK and ohhhhhhh i have sooooooo manyyyyyyyyyy, but until i can organize my thoughts more cohesively, please accept this brain dump of 3 fics i am CURRENTLY DESPERATE FOR:
⸻
1. a full jinu backstory fic.
so historically rich and well-researched that it’s borderline academic; the expertise and dedication to historical authenticity (magical demon realm lore included) is so luscious that i’m googling 400/300/200/100-old korean artifacts and cultural references throughout his centuries. bonus points if i pick up a few key korean vocabulary terms naturally through the prose. also give me anguish. give me moral complexity. give me early onset immortality fatigue and reluctant!”villain” energy. give me tiger (AND THE HAT) and magpie and jinu meet-cutes. i, like the rest of the internet, must see the recruitment process for the group. TRAINING CAMP. how does he research the k-pop archetypes? how often does he go into the modern world throughout his centuries? how many generations of hunters had he encountered before? what his first-ever time seeing rumi?? give me the inner conflict and turmoil he must experience every time he sings; how does his relationship with music change because of his fall from grace? does he use his voice to lure in victims at any point in his 400 years? bonus bonus points if the fic ends JUST before his pitch OR just before he bumps into rumi ✨✨✨✨
⸻
2. a continuation of the movie (OF COURSE)
naturally, i want to devour all the creative long!fic post-canon versions that people will come up with until we get MORE from canon. (and we will. WE WILL.) jinu returns/is rescued/is revived. the girls learn this new normal, figuring out how to trust again, and more deeply, even though there are still deep scars from what happened. rumi learns how to accept, AND UTILIZE, her demonic half. she grapples with the implications of the knowledge that she, too, can absorb souls… or receive them, when given. 🥹 bonus points if the scenes with celine and rumi’s relationship show deterioration (like, perhaps celine KILLED RUMI’S mom, accidentally … or intentionally) and MORE PAIN. BETRAYAL. more tiger more magpie. the girls learning the depth of rumi’s entanglement with jinu… MORE BACKSTORY FOR MIRA AND ZOEY. i love them all.
⸻
3. a full movie fic that fills in every off-screen gap.
canon-compliant, but expanded. i’m talking about all the moments we know happened but didn’t get to see—late-night training, whispered conversations backstage, all the notes jinu sent that rumi never answered. GIVE ME MULTI-POV. also do the girls ever notice rumi literally MISSING AT NIGHT??? give me more character interactions across all dynamics (AND MORE BOBBY), more foreshadowing. scenes that could slot perfectly into the actual movie and deepen the emotional stakes. JUICY CANON-COMPLIANCE.
⸻
okay!! that is all i can share for now in the thick of the beloved newborn trenches. 🩷 (ps forgive any typos please lol) anyway i have watched it every day while nursing since it came out. my child literally has heard this soundtrack nonstop while eating for over a week and i am still seriously wondering if i am conditioning a k-pop/hunger cognitive association. 😂😂😂
loved it. obsessed. send fic recs. write them. please tag me. i am unwell. 🩷🙏
In the bitter winter of 1591, Jinu is a failure. He is a bipa-player who cannot afford strings and a man who cannot feed his family. When someone in the marketplace offers him a voice that could enchant a King, Jinu doesn't ask the price.
But the road from the mountains of Jeongseon to the Capital is long, and Jinu discovers the voice is more a curse than a gift. By the time the polearms of the Palace guards swing down, he is too exhausted and finally too aware of the limits of his station to fight for anything but his own survival. He lets go of his sister's hand, a decision that, followed by the fires of the Imjin War, haunt him for the next four hundred years.
In 2025, the National Museum of Korea displays Accession No: Sinsu 27200-23, a worn bipa that stands as a lone witness to a court in exile. While the world sees a relic, Rumi sees the truth. Latent within the wood is Jinu's humanity, and Rumi is the only one who can finally call him home.
listen. listen to me. this is everything I could ever hope for in a jinu!centric fic. THE ANGST. THE HISTORICAL ACCURACY. THE PERIOD DRAMA. THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. THE BABY TIGER CUB. thank you dear author for your incredible service to this character and this fandom. EVERYONE GO READ IT.
so hey, yeah, i just realized how many jelsa AUs i’ve written??
COMPLETED MULTI-CHAPTER FICS & TWO-SHOTS:
Soulmate AU in which Jack and Elsa are soulmates, but it might take a few centuries for them to get there.
↑ ROTG!Sequel/Frozen2!Rewrite AU in which, after millennia of loneliness, Jack is forced to deal with Pitch Black escaping from his icy prison, and has no choice but to train the Queen of Arendelle for battle. This was not on Jack’s “trapped in the past” bingo card. { co-authored with @callimara | #kriscallicollab }
↑ Modern Epistolary AU in which Jack accidentally receives Elsa’s postcards by mistake.
↑ Mermaid AU in which a vacationing Elsa accidentally makes a friend.
↑ College/Age Gap AU in which Elsa has her shit together and Jack doesn’t have any clue what the hell he’s doing—except for Elsa. Maybe. Sort of. (3 one-shots)
MULTI-CHAPTER WIPS:
↑ Crossover/Parallel Universe in which Jack Frost is Elsa’s Guardian.
↑ Slice of Life/Mountain Living AU in which Elsa becomes Jack’s neighbor.
↑ 1700s!AU in which a mysterious foreigner takes refuge in Jackson Overland’s village.
Cinderella/Hidden Identity AU in which a name could be someone’s most powerful defense, or someone else’s most powerful weapon.
ONE-SHOTS:
↑ Potential-Guardian(maybe, she hasn’t decided yet)!Elsa AU in which Elsa is invited to the North Pole.
Apartment/Neighbors AU in which Jack sleepwalks.
Modern Superhero AU in which Anna tries to set Elsa up on a blind date.
Frozen Fever AU in which Jackson Overland is just trying to do his job.
↑ Colonial/Fairy Tale AU in which Jackson Overland becomes the stable boy of a very secretive castle and meets a very secretive woman.
High School AU in which Jack and Anna are brotp, honestly.
Pirate AU in which Jack of Frost knows deep in his soul that Captain Elsa, Snow Queen of the treacherous North Seas, has hardened her heart into ice.
Coffee Shop AU in which Jack literally cannot for the life of him catch Elsa’s name.
Modern Movie Theater AU in which two (sort of) Third Wheels find themselves sitting next to one another in the middle of a horror movie. Hint: One of them is more likely to freak than the other. (Double-Hint: It’s not Elsa.)
Modern Fake Engagement AU in which the nonsense really mostly starts because Jack wants free wedding cake samples. And possibly more. Possibly. But definitely cake.
Wedding AU in which Elsa is the Maid of Honor with a very important job to do (i.e. ribbons), and Jack the Groomsmen has the unfortunate luck of meeting Elsa by interrupting it.
Fellow Guardians AU in which Elsa learns that guarding is not the same as saving.
Fellow Guardians AU in which Jack learns that destiny is always being written.
DRABBLES:
Ghost AU in which Jamie sees something that Jack can’t.
Modern AU in which Jack makes the poor decision of getting on the subway… drunk.
Modern AU in which Elsa is a candy striper and Jack is a patient.
Resident Assistant/College AU in which some residents have been complaining about noise, and it’s RA Jack who’s on-duty.
Modern AU in which Jack picks up Elsa from the airport.
↑ Frozen II AU in which Jack ends up in an unfamiliar glacier.
SERIES:
Roommate AU in which Jack and Anna are literally the most perfectly compatible platonic roommates in history and Elsa is more than skeptical.
Modern AU in which Elsa spent a year abroad to find herself and now that she’s “home” she has to find a way to fit all the pieces.
ONE SENTENCE:
Modern AU in which Jack is tipsy and has terrible aim.
Fairytale/Cinderella AU in which Elsa finds her masked stranger.
Sailor!Jack AU in which he whisks Elsa away for an evening far from her bodyguards.
Regency AU in which Elsa finally (perhaps) admits her feelings.
#24 JUST SAY IT JELLSAAAAAA ARTGHHHAHAHNSNNEMWMEMWJAJHAJAHAHHAHA
On July 1st, the lonely house at the top of the mountain was finally sold.
— In which Jack(son) Overland tries his best to befriend his neighbor, one woodworking project at a time. { neighbors-to-lovers!fic, modern-mountain-living!au }
Prompt from @aicosu: Three-word sentences: "Just say it."
part i: bushwhacking grandma
(13,282 words | aug. 4, 2023)
part ii: barnyard peasant
(11,550 words | dec. 20, 2023)
part iii: Scandinavian woodworking techniques
(13,163 words | jan. 6, 2024)
part iv: cinnamon rolls
(9,729 words | jan. 27, 2024)
part v: friendship rule #1
(25,991 words | jun. 6, 2024)
oop wanted to post a fun little installment of the next sg chapter and instead ended up finishing and posting the whole chapter to ao3 oppppppoo goodniiiiighhhht 💕💕💕💕💕💕
((LIFE IS WONDERFUL BUT SO BUSY. new doctorate, new job, new alien. SO BUSY))
these days, i write fic in LITERAL SPARE MOMENTS. it's like 2015 all over again, where so much of my fic was written on the metro on my phone on my notes app while commuting. getting out full chapters feels like FOREVER, so i wrote and posted and wrote and POSTED in short, tiny bursts!! micro-chapters!! in-progress chapter drafts!!! chapter snippets!!!!! do you see where i am going with this
if you'd like to join my journey of finishing ch. 9 of snow globe, please feel free to check out part 1 below. i'll post the chapter in snippets and short installments until the full chapter is (1) finished, (2) edited, (3) revised, and (4) ready to post to ao3! (please note that some minor edits may occur from tumblr >>>> ao3)
if you'd rather wait until the full chapter is ready and posted to ao3, whenever that may be, then go no further!!! pause here!!! i shall see you on ao3 soon enough 🫡✨
but if you'd like to read along as i write, starting with a sneak peak of what happens as soon as you-know-who heads off to you-know-where, then please check below the cut 👀✨ see you on the other side!!
snow globe (part 1 of ch. 9: ice fortress) ⤵
Being inside an airplane was not like what he thought it’d be.
Granted, the few expectations he’d had from movies all featured a comically overstuffed aircraft with seats crammed into rows of impatient, angry people, crying babies, talkative grandpas, and standoffish teens with oversized headphones.
This was nothing like that.
From the moment they’d entered the building through the sliding doors, everything was smoothly in motion. There were no scanners or metal detectors or anything. Nobody asked for Elsa’s ID. Staff knew Elsa and Kristoff by face and addressed them as Ms. Arendelle and Mr. Bjorgman, and Jack was actually addressed as honest-to-goodness “Mr. Overland.” He couldn’t even remember the last time he heard his name like that. Elsa and Kristoff greeted each staff person by name, and he was pretty sure they never looked at their name tags.
They passed through a series of hallways and open lobbies into a private waiting room, where it occurred to Jack that nobody actually had any luggage. He opened his mouth, ready to ask, but then caught sight of Elsa typing furiously into her phone, and closed it.
The private waiting room had a coffee and snack bar with hot and cold options and no price tags in sight. Jack couldn’t believe he could just take some. For free. (“It’s complimentary, Jack,” Kristoff insisted, handing him a bottle—and not the mini ones, either. “Help yourself.”)
(Later, he would wonder, Why is it that, the richer you are, the more people want to give you stuff you don’t have to pay for?)
They were fancy expensive coffee machines (like the spaceship in Elsa’s kitchen, but, like, industrial), and even fabric napkins. No flimsy tissue paper napkins, no sir-ee.
Elsa never seemed to have to ask for anything.
They only had to wait a mere twenty minutes, and then another pair of attendants led them out and across the tarmac in the nighttime darkness in a long stretch of valley under towering mountains amidst the September chill. They were boarding a plane with a dropdown staircase, like hoity-toity politicians. And like, royal people.
At the top of the stairs, Elsa and Kristoff stepped into a brand-new miniature world, totally undeterred by the shifting of reality as they passed through a portal to another dimension, this one of beige, gold, silver, and cream leather. Jack almost tripped over the threshold.
A stewardess—flight person? attending person?—with a wide and shiny smile who reminded him of Thi told him to make himself “at home.”
“Jack, come join us,” Elsa’s voice pulled him from the marveling, and he realized that he’d been just standing in the middle of the big open cabin, gawking, like the peasant he was. Elsa seemed to be enjoying herself, watching him (make himself ever the fool), but at least she didn’t seem so stressed out anymore.
The cabin was deceptively huge, but clearly intended for a small, private traveling party. How desperately he wished the others could see this. Thi would be beside herself with it all, and Aster would pretend not to be but would be crap at hiding it, Sandy would be asking a bajillion questions, and North would probably move the whole plane sideways—ooh, nope, wait, don’t think about that—
Was it rude to take photos? Lame? Did he care?
Kristoff and Elsa had both chosen to sit in the plush seats facing one another with a shared miniature table between them, rather than the honest-to-god dining booth with a full table large enough to seat five, and were already settling in. Kristoff glanced up at Jack to nod him toward the empty seat beside Elsa, while he dropped his backpack in the seat next to himself.
Someone immediately brought Elsa and Kristoff more fancy bottled waters without even having to ask; overwhelmed, Jack sat down next to Elsa. Her single bag was stored away somewhere, but her laptop was already out, but sitting closed on the table—at the ready. Jack felt distinctly out of place without any of his own things, and just the promise of “a change of clothes” waiting for him somewhere aboard this plane. His tools, stored safely in Elsa’s mudroom, soon to be hundreds of miles away.
Seeing his uncertainty and idle hands, Elsa leaned closer to assure him, “Once we take off, you’ll be able to select something from the entertainment library—they usually have movies currently available at the cinema.”
“What are you gonna be up to?” Jack asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. He was also desperately curious about the noises he could hear coming from the front of the plane, but didn’t want to make a big deal of it.
Elsa’s smile was more grimace than anything. “This will primarily be a working flight for me, I fear.”
“The whole flight?”
“Oof,” Kristoff chimed in, taking a sip of his bougie water. “Let’s hope not. You need some sleep, Elsa.”
Sleep. Jack hadn’t even truly considered the logistics of it all. This chair was going to be pretty dang comfy to sleep in. He bet Sandy would have loved it.
“I will,” Elsa crisply replied back, and actually went so far as to flick her braid over her shoulder. Jack ignored the sudden sharp sting of envy that poisoned the back of his tongue. “But the more I prepare tonight, the less frantic Olaf will be in the morning.”
Jack saw his moment to jump in. “Who is this Olaf guy, really?”
(Jack technically had read his entire Wikipedia page weeks ago, but didn’t feel like mentioning that bit.)
(And a tiny wiggly part of his brain wanted to hear what she’d tell him.)
Elsa paused. “Olaf is a very dear… eccentric member of the family, who manages all operations as COO.”
“He’s… got a screw or two loose? But not when it comes to Elsa, or her family’s legacy,” is what Kristoff said, and it could have been a weird thing to say except he obviously meant it sincerely.
Elsa sighed. “I suppose I should prepare some notes for you, to help bring you up to speed. Excuse me.”
And just like that, the laptop was open.
The attendant let them know that they were preparing for takeoff. Jack’s knee bounced in anticipation. He wished Elsa hadn’t taken the window seat.
As the plane door was finally closed behind them, Jack tried to reel himself in. The attendant asked them if they would like any drinks “to start,” and Jack, overwhelmed, ordered the first thing that came to his mind without thinking.
(Elsa was already typing, but he couldn’t even peek because of a privacy screen on her screen.)
Elsa ordered nothing. She was polite and courteous, but immediately returned to her laptop, typing away furiously; Jack hadn’t seen her this focused and in the zone since that rainy April day in the coffee shop. Jack’s hands suddenly itched for a chisel and some scrap wood, but he was pretty sure that would not fly over well on a plane, even a fancy private one.
Kristoff kept asking him friendly questions, phrased just the right way to give Jack hints about what was going to happen next or what he was supposed to do, without ever having to face the embarrassing task of asking. I wonder if that’s a trick he learned from all the fancy Arendelle events?
Jack was mildly relieved then to see the attendant bringing a very fancy to-go cup of hot cocoa his way honest-to-god ceramic, with a silicone lid, no styrofoam here—but he was too distracted—excited—to drink it, so instead he just held onto it with both hands atop the table, so he wouldn’t spill chocolate over the fine beige leather or the crisp white carpet.
The attendant strapped themselves into their own seat at the front of the plane, and let them know through a little phone they were ready for take-off. Jack’s fingers squeezed around the mug.
Kristoff nodded to Jack, “I can share the wi-fi password if you’re ready for it?”
Jack, who’d been under the assumption that phone service or internet service of any kind would send the plane plummeting to the earth, said, “Yeah, thanks.”
Once Wi-fi access was granted, Kristoff turned his attention to scrolling through his own phone, brow furrowing. He kept mumbling words under his breath, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t English. The pilots and attendants were doing all sorts of checks and things, and nervous anticipation flitted through Jack’s skin. Reflexively, suddenly wishing he had a better prop—like Elsa’s busy laptop, or Kristoff’s busy phone—he took a sip of the drink in his hands—
—and immediately scalded half his tongue and the whole back of his throat.
The attendant quickly leaped up from her seat and into action with a glass—glass!—bottle of cold water as the plane curved around the pavement to get into position, while Elsa startled in her seat, and Kristoff smirked knowingly from his seat, and Jack tried not to die in his.
“I’m so sorry, Jack!” Elsa exclaimed quietly, as Jack embarrassedly reassured the entirety of the plane that he was fine, and the attendant rushed back to her seat, and buckled back in with alarming efficiency.
Cheeks hot, he brushed it off, aiming his most charming smile, “Don’t be,” but his cough slightly diminished the effect. He cleared his throat, purposefully, and added a dash of debonaire to his arched brow, “Should have remembered to wait for your perfect touch with my dangerously hot beverages.”
Elsa paled—
Kristoff looked at Elsa askance—
But then the plane was taking off, and Jack’s attention whipped to the world outside, which was steadily blowing past in the small window, as Mr. Jack(son) Overland—for the very first time—took flight.
//
Elsa wasn’t paying attention to him.
Which—okay, valid. She’d made it clear that this was an emergency business trip. She was taking care of emergency business.
It also made it easier for him to hide just how lame he was for being so delighted to fly.
Tiny lights scattered across the black, like golden specks of sand. He wondered what they were all doing, these tiny ants with their own important lives. He wondered what they dreamed about.
After twenty minutes in the air, the stewardess—flight attendant, Kristoff had gently corrected, although he only called her by the name on her shiny name tag—approached the large dining table with a push cart, and started setting the table with plates, each covered and steaming. A hot meal.
Kristoff politely thanked her—Jack hurried to follow suit—and then unbuckled from his fancy chair, and stood. “Hungry, Jack?”
Jack looked to Wlsa, who didn’t tear her eyes away from her screen. “I’ll join you both shortly.”
Shrugging, Jack unbuckled himself from the big beige chair and slid into the booth opposite Kristoff. Steak cooked to perfection. Buttered, delicate potatoes. Roasted, fresh vegetables.
“Yeah, it still freaks me out a bit, too,” Kristoff admitted good-naturedly, as Jack simply stared at his hot meal—a dozen kilometers in the sky. Jack also wasn’t sure what to make of this new general atmosphere of solidarity. It’s not like he wasn’t already used to feeling like the last one to catch the drift… but he’d gotten used to his regular audience.
“What do you mean?” Jack played dumb.
Kristoff shook his head, partially lost in memory, as he cut into his juicy steak. His smile was a bit sad. “At first, I was definitely not used to… all this.”
Are you now? Jack wanted to ask, but held it back; he wasn’t sure what the implications would be, to let on that he was curious.
So, Kristoff gave him a brief primer on how the FBO crew partnered with a select catering company as part of their services, and he’d actually put in the order when they’d made the reservation, to save time (“Sorry—Elsa recommended your order, and it was all a bit last-minute,” but Jack has no qualms about being literally catered to—right?). But, as they talked about Kristoff’s first trip to New York, and Jack asked the questions he least wanted to know but figured would be the safest to ask… Elsa’s plate remained covered and untouched.
Then Jack’s phone miraculously buzzed with an incoming message. From Elsa.
Jack opened the document file on his phone. He stared at the title, aghast.
“What’s this?”
“Just a few notes,” Elsa demurred, but he could see that she was starting to doubt herself. He really didn’t want to make her second-guess anything about herself, ever, but…
He scrolled through the attachment she’d sent, frowning. “Elsa… What did I just read?”
Kristoff glanced up, intrigued—especialy when Elsa’s cheeks blushed pink.
It was very pretty, of course, but Jack was shockingly too distracted by the file in his palm. “Am I just tagging along, or am I being trained for battle?”
He did not like the way she said, “…both?”
Kristoff held out his hand when he saw that Jack was simply staring at his phone in bewilderment. Jack wordlessly handed it over.
Kristoff hadn’t even scrolled a quarter of the way down when he eyed Elsa across the aisle, “Els, really—five pages?”
Els.
Jack jammed another piece of steak into his mouth.
“I know,” she was apologetic, but he could tell from the firm slant of her brow that she was about to dig her heels in. “But Jack, I just want you to have a firm grasp of what you’re walking into.” Reassuringly, “You don’t have to think of them as rules. Simply… treat them as… helpful guidelines!”
New York Visit – Briefing & Etiquette Overview
Date: September 29, 2025
Purpose: Prepared for our guest; R&D check-in re: Southern Isles, Inc., New York City
Description: This brief schedule outlines logistical expectations and behavioral guidance during our time in New York. Please review carefully.
General Conduct:
• Assume you are visible at all times.
• When uncertain, observe before acting; defer to Kristoff when in need and I am unavailable; when Kristoff is unavailable, defer (with cautious judgment) to Olaf (note: he is excitable and prone to theatrics).
• In the apartment, you may speak freely; otherwise, assume that others are listening at all times.
Yikes.
⸻
Monday
6:00 am – Arrival (Airport Terminal)
• Olaf contacted security; media presence will occur, courtesy of a tipoff from Southern Isles, Inc, but will happen outside the office, not on the tarmac or at the FBO. We hope.
• Allow security or staff to manage perimeter interactions; they will begin duty upon our arrival.
• Walk with us, on Kristoff’s right; please do not fall behind or rush ahead; keep pace.
Jack read that line a second time. Be unremarkable.
Be invisible.
Hmm. Best to deal with that feeling later.
7:30–9:00 am – R&D Team Meeting (Headquarters)
• We must immediately head to HQ, so unfortunately, we will not be able to drop you off at our apartment first. Please excuse us while we take our critical meeting with Olaf and my advisors. You will wait in the lobby.
• You will be offered coffee. You may accept it if you wish, but please be prepared to leave at any moment.
• If approached, introduce yourself briefly as Mr. Bjorgman’s assistant and redirect inquiries to my staff by saying, “Ms. Arendelle’s team will be happy to assist you with that.” Otherwise, do not speak; adopt a neutral expression and make clear with your body language that any further pressing will be considered an intrusion.
• Do not discuss personal matters. Assume others are listening at all times.
9:15 am – Transfer to Apartment
“Wait. So, this apartment… You don’t like, rent it? You own it? In New York City?”
“Correct. I invested in the location when I first inherited my role, and made trips to New York a more common occurrence.”
Kristoff fondly, smirkingly added, “And it was a lot easier to keep an eye on Anna’s mischief, too, with your in the ice fortress tower.” But then Elsa’s expression shuttered—and Kristoff’s next words stumbled out. “What I mean is—Anna’s wild days were—the nickname—it’s just the color scheme and the paint job that—“
“Very smooth, Bjorgman,” Elsa replied drily, while Jack’s head swiveled like at a tennis match. This was the first time they had brought up Anna so casually—
“Ice fortress?”
Kristoff nearly choked on his steak bite. Elsa glared at him from across the plane.
“As I said,” Elsa crisply replied, and it was clear that her zesty chill was directed at Kristoff, who was doing a remarkable job of smirking while still looking distinctly uncomfortable. “It is a silly nickname. He insists on using it. Something to do with the color palette I’ve chosen for decor, of all things.”
Jack’s mind filled with endless carvings of snowflakes. Something tugged at the back of his mind, a feeling not unlike the sensation he sometimes used to get as he’d leave her house—at the top of the North Mountain—the empty snow globe—
But Kristoff composed himself, and, with a fuller smirk that was oddly reminiscent of what Jack usually saw in the mirror, said, “Go ahead and skip over the ‘fortress’ aspect, sure—so, obviously you’ve also told Jack that HQ is 'the Castle’?”
Elsa’s rolling of her eyes was her only response, so Kristoff threw a grin his way; Jack wasn’t sure what his expression held as that strange sensation fluttered away, dissolving like smoke. He pretended to laugh and smile along at their clear inside jokes, which they were clearly trying to—at least partially—bring him in on. He tried to recapture it, the sensation of being on the cusp of something—but it was gone.
“Hey,” Kristoff called to her from across the aisle, even though they had both already returned to their screens, and Kristoff was typing something simultaneously. “Send me a copy of that, will ya?”
“If you insist—but behave. And I can see you procrastinating your Dutch upkeep.”
Kristoff swore under his breath—probably in Dutch.
Jack resumed his reading.
9:15 am – Transfer to Apartment
Afternoon – Scheduled Obligations
• Kristoff and I may leave for meetings; precise itinerary is pending.
• You should remain inside the apartment unless instructed otherwise. There will be plenty of entertainment for you to enjoy! And the view to admire, of course. (Windows are tainted for privacy.) We will provide all meals inside the apartment, of course, and all the snacks your heart desires.
• Do not admit anyone.
⸻
Tuesday
Morning and early afternoon –
• No public appearances scheduled.
• Remain indoors.
“Damn,” Krisoff’s voice cut through the mild brain fog once more, just as Jack was, with mild disappointment, figuring that he probably wasn’t going to be able to follow Aster’s instructions to try a slice of authentic New York-style pizza after all. “They sicced the media on you?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Kristoff paused with a weighty enough silence that Jack actually looked up from his phone.
“Has that… ever actually happened before?”
Elsa took a moment to consider this. “Not since… the childhood protective laws were put in place.”
Kristoff looked worried enough that Jack was also starting to worry. He added that to his mental list of things to Google later—he got the feeling that there was a story underneath. Jack wondered if Elsa would need cheering up soon, but her face was steely grim.
“I’ve been assured that they don’t know which airline or which aircraft, and Olaf will ensure it stays that way. However, I… It’s best not to attempt to fly business class again anytime soon; too many aliases were leaked.”
Kristoff really looked worried now. Jack shut his phone to sleep.
Elsa was frowning, but her fingers still rested over the keyboard, poised to strike. Apology clear in the air, she looks Kristoff dead-on, “I know you hate the charters, but I don’t think it’s safe to fly commercial any longer.”
Safe.
Kristoff cursed under his breath. “Great. Guess not.”
Jack was also frowning; this Hans guy was a real piece of work, forcing Elsa out of her safe place and straight into a pack of wolves, ratting her out as soon as she was in her way to deal with him. Loathing wasn’t a familiar feeling—Pitch’s Produce aside, but that was a story for another day—but he could feel it crawling up his arms now.
“And the Cabin?” Kristoff suddenly tacked on, nervous.
She sighed. “Safe,” said Elsa, voice tight. She did not glance at Jack, but he could feel that she wanted to; could feel a weight in the air when she added, with audible reluctance and relief, “For now.”
The cabin. The castle. Ice fortress.
Jack realized, with growing alarm, that the questionable safety she was referring to was her house on North Mountain.
Elsa could sense Jack’s realization, and Jack could sense Elsa sensing—and ignoring!—it. All meaningful attempts to initiate eye contact were thwarted when Elsa deliberately turned her gaze back to her laptop.
Patience, Overland. Show her you can handle the Big Emergency Work Trip!
He was actually wondering if he could handle the Big Emergency Work Trip.
Kristoff and Elsa both resumed their screentime, but there was a markedly pensive air within the aircraft now. He was about to push, to break the silence with something, maybe ask for a second hot chocolate, but then his phone buzzed again.
She’d texted him. Right in front of Kristoff! When they were sitting just a few feet away from each other!
A warm wave of glee filled his chest at the feeling of secrecy and specialness, until he read:
I’ll explain later.
Not bothering to hide it, Jack texted back. Do you promise?
She must have been texting from her laptop. Of course.
He was reluctant to let her go back to work so easily. Pinky promise?
In what way is a promise of the pinky any more binding than a regular promise?
Loads. Now I have reason to doubt your Promise Power.
There is no need for doubting. I pinky promise.
Jack, desperate to find a way to extend the texting, typed as fast as his fingers could fly, before she had any chance to put an end to it.
And will you fill me in all the inside jokes if I’m good? ;)
He was deeply satisfied to see her fingers hover, frozen, over the keyboard. Heat rushed through him. Their texting contests had been one of his favorite games, but he’d never pictured what it’d be like to watch her decide how to play along.
WILL you be good?
Okay, well, that vaguely anxious tone was not necessarily the sexy vibe he’d been going for, but he could work with what he got.
For you, I certainly can be. :)))))))
CAN… or WILL?
Jack could see that Kristoff was noticing—and deliberately pretending to ignore!!—the text exchange taking place right in front of him. Heartened by this turning of the tables, Jack magnanimously replied,
I WILL, of course. :))))))
Started to write, For you, I’d do anything, but erased it. Tried, For you, I’d go anywhere—case in point, this aircraft. Erased it.
Cheekily tacked on:
How will I know if I’ve been good?
Belatedly realized he’d walked right into her less-than-satisfying answer:
By following the guidelines outlined in my overview.
Jack actually looked up at her, mildly offended at this overt avoidance of a perfectly good opportunity to send naughty texts—until he saw her unsuccessfuly trying to hide her smirk.
Satisfaction restored.
Fine, Jack texted, in a great show of grace, if he did say so himself. You win. I relent.
Thank you, she texted back, once again missing a perfectly opportune moment to write good boy.
Please finish reading the document and let me know if you have any questions.
Maybe it was the private jet, or the Emergency Work problem, or the combination of the two, but she sure was comfortable giving him orders now.
Still. He was eager to comply.
He read.
Monday Afternoon & Evening – Prep, Dinner with Hans
• This engagement is dreaded, regrettable, strategic, and unfortunately necessary.
• Public interpretation of this meeting may be inaccurate; do not respond to commentary.
• Please do not Google.
