now what shall I do with you?

[marycatelli]

So now we have two superfluous sisters. . . .

Oh, they weren't superfluous earlier.  They played a vital role in the opening episode, as the unkind girls of the kind and unkind girls.  The king offering so much for their rescue was part of the heroine's motive to set out to seek her fortune.  And rescuing them meant the heroine and hero had a claim on the king.

But now, they're superfluous.  If they had done anything to merit dancing to death in red-hot shoes, or being abandoned in the wildwood as wolf-food, or rolled down the hill in a barrel stuck full of nails, that would be one thing, but they haven't.  The rescue means they won't be marrying any cobblers for rescuing them.  The hero has no living brothers, so the classic absurdity of their marrying them despite their behavior can not arise.

And as their great-aunt tartly observes, they already tried setting out to seek their fortune.  They don't seem to be good at it.

So off brainstorming ways to dispose of characters.  Running away because their behavior's been terrible is also out; it wasn't bad enough to fear punishment, and they wouldn't do it for less.  Being abducted by an ogre, or dragon, or even bandits would in fact put them back on center stage, and they've already been rescued.  Sticking them in a tower is only asking for trouble.

Traditionally, they can also be the villains for the last episode, after their sister married and has a baby, but I don't think that's consistent.  One, at least, would certainly disdain it, because it's sneaky.  And the other imitates her shamelessly

hmm. . . . perhaps they can be split up and have different endings.

Comments

[whitefangedwolf.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, if villains are going to cause trouble for the heroine and her baby, maybe her sisters could find out about it and do something to stop it?

[marycatelli]

The last episode of the story is the one, above all else, where the heroine has to act on her own to solve it.

[whitefangedwolf.livejournal.com]

I guess there's always the option of leaving them as a loose thread for a sequel where they are the protagonists.

[marycatelli]

eh, even then that's an aim, you have to tie them off enough in this story.

I once read a work in which three characters may been been at a place when there was an explosion. I was unhappy that they were not even mentioned in the conclusion. yes, she intended to leave the matter open, but it could have been the characters reflecting on how they might never know.

Besides, neither one would make a good protagonist. 0:)

[whitefangedwolf.livejournal.com]

It sounds like the sisters need to be tucked away somewhere where they are clearly no longer causing trouble and are highly unlikely to cause trouble for the heroine and then quietly dropped from the story. Of course, this thought doesn't help in finding that place.

[marycatelli]

the muse has deigned to come up with a solution.

The more troublesome one is going to end up like the king in The Devil With the Three Golden Hairs. The less troublesome one is going to go off with an great-aunt -- and possibly, the muse hasn't decided, prove to be more troublesome.

[headnoises.livejournal.com]

Since the main characters are already sensible-- give them Something To Do so they don't cause trouble?

Inflict them on nobles that annoy them, with an official position?

[marycatelli]

And cause a revolt?

Whether the nobles or the sisters, who would object to the notion of becoming mere officials