I disliked this story.

I really wanted a happy ending for everyone and that’s exactly what I got.

The story really appealed to me because I love experiencing a lot of different roles in life and feeling/knowing what it is like to walk in someone else’s shoes.

Thanks. You guys are doing an amazing job choosing awesome stories for this show.

I liked how the story started out in a completely confusing fashion, and how it all came together and made sense in the end. I also liked how everybody, the king, the princess, and the witch’s apprentice, was unhappy with the lot they had been given. Also, the fact that the witch’s powers stayed with the body instead of going with the mind was interesting.

However, it seemed a little too manufactured to me. The king who would actually rather be a swineherd just HAPPENS to meet the princess whose brains have been scrambled and dumped into a witch’s body, they both figure out what has been going on (without an explanation in the story, I might add), and decide they like things better the way they are now. Too many coincedences, all piled up like that kind of pulled me out of the fantasy.

Cheers,
James

I enjoyed this story. It packed a lot of world-building into a pretty small space. I liked trying to see the world through the fractured eyes of the mad woman. It had not even occurred to me that all the stories so far have been in female POV. Being a heterosexual female, I do like to see some interesting male protagonists in my stories, but it hadn’t really been bugging me so far.

Aside from this one, most of the “fantasy” stories here seem more like Myth stories. Like ancient folklore from various cultures. I don’t mind female protagonists, I was just expecting something a little different with this Podcast, that may be my fault. I’m trying to keep an open mind. I do hope the site continues to grow, and I don’t want to crap on all the hard work that the people involved are doing. Because I know it must be a lot to set these stories all up. It feels like the site is going through some growing pains and trying to find itself. Lets hope it does so soon.

Any ways, I saw the end from the very begging although with a slight variation; I didn’t expect the new princess to be the actual sorceress. I thought that there would be a wizard that was under the employment of the fake princess.

I also found the kings character wasn’t used to his potential. He could have been so much better in that story.

That said, I really didn’t get into this story. I feel like there needed to be a bit more exposition on character exploration. The woman simply knew that her fate had changed and accepted it without any really great struggle. Or so it felt. I’ll quote Kurt Vonnegut from The Bagombo Snuff Box on some rules to writing short fiction: “Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.” To me, it just seemed like the character was in an eternal daze and seemed to be made out of putty. Overall, I give the story a B-.

Hi Tom,

We didn’t have one, but that’s a good idea! I’ve opened a thread on the bllog — Tag Line Suggestions. Enjoy!

Initially I didn’t like the bewildered way the story was read, but as the story went on it made more sense and got less annoying.