Pirouette Ramblings (1 of Many)

Just some bits I need to get down before I turn in and lose them. I'll organize my thoughts when I'm more awake.

Lead Trio: Claire Hoffman (The Nutcracker,) Desire Bellerose (The Sleeping Beauty,) Ella Fioretta (Cinderella)
Claire: Clara/Marie, fetch/stock, basically a living doll made of wood. Wants more than anything to 'be a real person,' has to learn that she's been 'real' all along.
Desire: Princess Aurora + Prince Florimund. Does not appreciate being a pawn in fairy politics. Also the changeling Claire replaced.
Ella: Cinderella, basically the title character if she snuck into the ball to steal shit rather than just have a nice night off.

Villains: Carabosse di Rosa, Vasily/the Rat King
Carabosse is a GLORIOUSLY petty bitch who's everything wrong in Des and Sylvain's life right now, Vasily is kinda... Useless and stuck as a rat for who knows how long.

Grey Area: Sylvain le Fee
Sylvain: the Lilac Fairy. Des' present love interest, eventually joins the trio but only for Des' sake. Self-destructive in his over-protectiveness and... KINDA possessive. Basically, fairies are dicks.

Support: Friedrich Drosselmeyer, Madame Gigogne

Main conflict is Claire's desire to be real, but there is the minor conflict of Des wanting to lift his curse (sleep of death until True Love's First Kiss, blah blah blah.) Claire bargains with Vasily to lift the curse keeping him a rat in exchange for a wish or some fairy tale shit. Requires help from a thief (Ella) and Des somehow gets involved. Work this out when more awake.
Also Claire's situation is a nod to Princess Tutu? Natural form = wooden doll, magical girl/secret identity = 'real' girl

Story is based mostly around The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty with Cinderella and La Sylphide on the side. NO LOVE TRIANGLE, poly relationship between the main three with a begrudging Sylvain accepting that Des genuinely loves more than just him and remaining faithful because courtly love. Hell, Claire and Ella are more skeevy about it at first because human standards vs. fairy standards and all that. Also Claire starts crushing on Ella before she starts crushing on Des.