Winter's Tales

***Winter's Tales*** (stylized in lowercase) is a spin-off series to *The Adventures of Evie and Mya*. It revolves around Winter and her life story, told from her youth to her teenage years, and discusses her battles with conformity, standing out, fleeing from her past, and facing her worst fears.

## Synopsis

*For as long as she's lived, Winterlyn McCormick has lived a rough-and-tumble life, well-known for her scorching hot temper, fighting prowess, and ironclad will that makes her a formidable warrior against her foes. Her story is known by many to be one of tragedy, heartbreak, and isolation, but nothing is what it seems.*

*The truth was, Winter used to have the perfect life - a mother, father, musical idol, rhythm, and even down the line, a romantic flame. She had everything she could have ever dreamed of - yet when her girlfriend makes a self-centered fatal error that ends in a betrayal of blood, Winter runs away from her past and enthralls herself in a secretive web of her creation, pushing herself to her limit to conceal her past and identity from the people of Pineshadow.*

*Winter lives in a waking dream, intertwined with the stars and running with hummingbirds - literally. But she's soon thrown in peril by her former flame's vengeful agenda and an unrequited, resentful crush, as well as two outspoken girls' successful efforts to befriend her reclusive self. When she's close to losing it all and faces life and death, Winter must remember who she truly is and break from her wonderland of white lies - and follow the rhythm that always drives her forward - to overcome her most haunting nightmares.*

## Development

Av originally conceived *Winter's Tales* in November 2020, labeling it a spin-off of *Evie and Mya*, wanting to expand on Winter's background in seven short segments. She wrote them all in one day and subsequently published them.

In 2022, Av declared her intent to rewrite *Winter's Tales*, along with Season 1 and *Daniela Wrecks Christmas*, citing that her old work was "sloppy" and had consistency errors needing to be fixed, in addition to needing more cohesion and fixes. She was very excited about the rewrites, stating that there was "a lot to see."

Following the completion and release of the new *Winter Storm Arising*, Av focused her efforts on *Winter's Tales* and started work on it in January 2023. She planned to write twelve chapters in total and will soon commence work on the latter half of the series.

Av revealed the titles of the first six chapters on April 15th, 2023. On May 11th, 2023, Av revealed the intro and outro to *Winter's Tales*: *On the Riverbank* and *Idyll*, both songs by Tut Tut Child. Almost a month later, on June 4th, a teaser was released with the first six synopses as well as one song that would be appearing in each chapter. The songs were *Snowlight*, which previously appeared in *Winter Storm Arising*, *Menagerie* by Anna Yvette, *Ghost Spores* by Varien, *Dots* by LVTHER, *Fell Down* by Tut Tut Child, and *Bigger Than Me* by Tasha Baxter. Av hinted that the first chapters would be releasing soon, but didn't reveal anything more.

On June 17th, 2023, Av finally released the trailer, synopsis, and official poster for *Winter's Tales*, revealing that it would be released on June 24th. She also revealed that Hala Finley would be the voice of young Winter until *Dawn Will Bring Us Death*. After releasing a sneak peek and poster art for the chapter, *Birth of Snowlight* was released on June 24th. The first half of chapters concluded with *Betrayal of Blood* on July 29th, putting *Winter's Tales* in a temporary hiatus.

On September 3rd, 2023, the same day *Evie and Mya* turned three years old, Av announced the next six titles as an anniversary present: *Only in a Waking Dream*, *Talking of the Axes*, *The Foxes and the Hounds*, *Snowblind*, *Dance of a Thousand Eyes*, and *Return of Snowlight*. She also revealed that *Autonomy*, a Tut Tut Child song that made an appearance in *Betrayal of Blood*, would be returning in full for *Talking of the Axes*, and that another song by Tut Tut Child, *You Hide*, would be making an appearance in an unspecified chapter.

Upon the completion of *Dance of a Thousand Eyes*, Av announced the next six synopses on October 17th, 2023. No additional information was given, and the rest of *Winter's Tales* was expected to start airing by late October or early November.

Av hinted on October 31st that *Winter's Tales* would resume on November 11th, teasing it as a potential Halloween trick or treat. This was verified a few days later, as Av announced the completion of *Return of Snowlight* and subsequently dropped the trailer for the rest of the chapters. She confirmed the implied release date of November 11th and revealed that music from an assortment of artists, notably Twenty One Pilots, Tut Tut Child, and Tasha Baxter, would be featured. An extended sneak peek of *Only in a Waking Dream* was released on November 8th, featuring the Twenty One Pilots song *Jumpsuit*, notably Winter's main theme. *Jumpsuit*, per Av, is scheduled to make two more appearances after its appearance in the seventh chapter.

*Only in a Waking Dream* was released on November 11th. The rest of the series concluded with *Return of Snowlight* on December 16th.

## Cast

### Main

* **Mae Whitman** as Winter
	+ **Hala Finley** as young Winter

### Major

* **Cozi Zuehlsdorff** as Lorelei
* **Jim Pirri** as Edwin
* **Eden Riegel** as Daniela

### Supporting

* **Clifford Chapin** as Lars
	+ **Kate Oxley** as young Lars
* **Nora Dunn** as Rex
* **Peyton Elizabeth Lee** as Evie
* **Mae Whitman** as Mya

### Minor

* **Timothy Olyphant** as Saul
* **Kath Soucie** as Debbie
* **Jennifer Saunders** as Bonnie
* **Jane Lynch** as Jodie
* **Alyson Stoner** as Fanny
* **Evan Saucedo** as Brody
* **Natalie Palamides** as Steph
* **Susanne Blakeslee** as Anny, Mrs. Broadwillow
* **April Winchell** as Krystine
* **Frank Welker** as Pierre
* **Cam Clarke** as Willie
* **Jordan Klepper** as Barry
* **Kevin Costner** as Lewis
* **Adrien Brody** as Rabbi Kealer
* **Lauren Graham** as Remi
* **Richard White** as Beasley
* **Xochitl Gomez** as Abigail
* **Kevin Michael Richardson** as Dr. Dee
* **Irene Bedard** as Ms. Smallbison
* **Miranda Cosgrove** as Kailee
* **Zeno Robinson** as Hendrick
* **Karen Fukuhara** as Majken
* **Sally Amaki** as Desireé
* **Donna Murphy** as Mrs. Zannipus
* **Zehra Fazal** as Evelin and Sarah

### Additional Voices

* **Dee Bradley Baker**
* **Kari Wahlgren**
* **Matt Chapman**
* **Kimberly Brooks**
* **Fred Tatasciore**
* **Kevin Michael Richardson**

## Songs

* Varien - *Snowlight*
* Vicetone - *Nevada* (ft. Cozi Zuehlsdorff)
* WRLD - *By Design*
* *Lorelei's Lullaby*
* Anna Yvette - *Menagerie*
* Arcien - *Elevate*
* Varien - *The Ancient & Arcane*
* Varien (ft. Veela) - *Supercell* (snippet)
* Varien - *Transmissions from Lemuria*
* Varien (ft. Charlotte Haining) - *Hypnotique* (snippets)
* Varien - *Firefly* (snippets)
* Varien (ft. Miyoki) - *Kamisama* (snippets)
* Varien (ft. Laura Brehm) - *Ghost Spores* (snippets)
* Puppet - *To Be Alive* (ft. Aaron Richards)
* TwoThirds - *Breathe*
* LVTHER - *Dots* (ft. Jenny Broke the Window)
* Feint - *Starseed* (ft. Leah Rye)
* Tut Tut Child - *Fell Down* (ft. Holly Drummond)
* Rich Edwards - *Where I'll Be Waiting* (ft. Cozi Zuehlsdorff)
* Rameses B (ft. Veela) - *Spacewalk* (snippets)
* Varien - *Sacred Woods* (ft. Skyelle)
* Rameses B - *Moonlight* (ft. Miyoki)
* Disfigure - *Summer Tune*
* Tasha Baxter - *Bigger Than Me* (ft. Au5)
* Tut Tut Child - *Autonomy* (ft. Danyka Nadeau)
* Twenty One Pilots - *Jumpsuit*
* Varien - *Aether and Light* (snippet)
* Tut Tut Child - *Just A Dream* (ft. Tasha Baxter)
* OneRepublic - *Stop and Stare*
* Tut Tut Child - *Hummingbird* (ft. Augustus Ghost)
* TwoThirds & Feint - *Starscapes* (ft. Veela)
* Tut Tut Child - *Talking of Axes* (ft. Jim Davies)
* Tut Tut Child - *You Hide* (ft. Augustus Ghost)
* WRLD - *Ocean Blue* (ft. Laura Brehm)
* Varien - *Of Foxes and Hounds*
* Tut Tut Child - *Oracle* (snippet)
* Laura Brehm - *Rain*
* Priority One & TwoThirds (ft. Jonny Rose) - *Hunted* (snippet)
* Laura Brehm - *Until the Sun*
* Au5 (ft. Tasha Baxter) - *Snowblind* (snippet)
* Jonah Wei-Haas - *Snowblind* piano cover (ft. Aloma Steele)
* OneRepublic - *Secrets*
* Laura Brehm - *Trouble*
* Invermere & Veela - *Come Fly Away*
* Varien - *My Prayers Have Become Ghosts* (snippet)
* TwoThirds & Feint - *Starscapes* (ft. Veela) [Rameses B Remix]
* Hellberg & Rich Edwards (ft. Danyka Nadeau) - *Ashes* (snippet)
* Varien - *Morphine* (snippet)
* Razihel - *Children of the Night* (snippet)
* DM Galaxy (ft. Tyler Fiore) - *Paralyzed* (snippet)
* Slippy & Danyka Nadeau - *Resonate* (snippet)

## Gallery

Old placeholder logo for *Winter's Tales*Official poster for *Winter's Tales*, referencing *come to the end; then stop*Poster for *Birth of Snowlight*Poster for *Choosing Paths*Poster for *Transformations*Poster for *Dawn Will Bring Us Death*Poster for *Soulmates*Poster for *Betrayal of Blood*Poster advertising the last six chapters of *Winter's Tales*Poster for *Only in a Waking Dream*Poster for *Talking of the Axes*Poster for *The Foxes and the Hounds*Poster for *Snowblind*Poster for *Dance of a Thousand Eyes*Poster for *Return of Snowlight*
## Trivia

* The story is a spin-off to *The Adventures of Evie and Mya* and can also be viewed as a precursor to the events of the main series.
* Originally, *Winter's Tales* was written into seven short segments that were published on the same day, which Av no longer found viable years later.
* *Winter's Tales* is heavily inspired by the 2016 Tut Tut Child longplay *come to the end; then stop*; nearly all of its songs have played a role in the work done on the series or contributed to its artistic vision. It is also inspired by Disney's 1951 take on *Alice in Wonderland*, and two of Varien's LPs, *The Ancient & Arcane* and *My Prayers Have Become Ghosts*.
	+ For some of the storytelling, Av took inspiration from Jennette McCurdy's 2022 memoir, *I'm Glad My Mom Died*, and incorporated some of McCurdy's witty, sarcastic character into the story.
* Av was very eager to rewrite *Winter's Tales*, wishing to explore more of Winter's story, her bond with her father, and how much she loved Daniela up until the fateful moment in which she was scarred forever. Having considered the product "underwhelming" overall, she planned to write more than seven segments into at least ten chapters, much like *Two-Sided*. She later revealed that there would be at least thirteen chapters before dropping a chapter, making the total twelve.
	+ She also revealed some information about the rewrite: Lorelei, Winter's mother, would officially appear; the series would go on up until after the end of *Winter Storm Arising*, and like average *Evie and Mya* seasons, the rewrite would contain an abundance of songs. Av hinted that Tut Tut Child and Tasha Baxter music would make "prominent" appearances.
	+ Artists that have also made appearances include Laura Brehm, Veela, Varien, Danyka Nadeau, Tasha Baxter, and Tut Tut Child.
* The official poster for *Winter's Tales* is inspired by *come to the end; then stop*. One of the songs from the longplay, *Just A Dream*, is Winter's tertiary theme.
	+ A line from *Just A Dream* is also the official series tagline ("When will I wake from this dream?").
	+ In addition, Av decided to pay homage to the cover art by drawing a side-profile headshot of Winter masked by a bird, keeping the paper sketch-like style used on *come to the end; then stop*. The bird that masks Winter's face is the rufous hummingbird. The hummingbird's features being earthy and dark on its head, wings, and tail, yet brighter near its heart, was intentional styling on Av's part - she wanted to represent the darkness present in Winter on her exterior and the softness and love in her interior.
	+ Like *come to the end; then stop*, the series title is stylized in lowercase.
* *Winter's Tales* was meant to be a more experimental concept and explored themes Av hadn't covered yet. She said that unlike her other work, the writing was meant to be told "more through music numbers rather than writing, maybe a mix of both, even."
* Although the series was originally set for a spring release, it was pushed back into summer 2023 due to personal circumstances in Av's life.
* Akin to the main series, *Winter's Tales* has an intro and outro, with both being by Tut Tut Child.
* Many of the twelve chapters names are derived from music or other sources of media:
	+ Both *Birth of Snowlight* and *Return of Snowlight* are named after *Snowlight*.
	+ *Transformations* is named after the third episode of *High Guardian Spice* and the 2014 song by Rameses B.
	+ *Dawn Will Bring Us Death* is named after the Varien song of the same name.
	+ *Soulmates* is partially named after the Dodie song *Sick of Losing Soulmates*.
	+ *Betrayal of Blood* is named after a part of the Season 1 Clawthorne sisters riddle ("A curse of feathers and mud, a betrayal of blood") from *The Owl House*.
	+ *Only in a Waking Dream* is a play on two songs: *Only In A Dream* by Au5 and Nytrix, and *Waking Dreams* by TwoThirds.
	+ *Talking of the Axes* is named after the Tut Tut Child song *Talking of Axes*.
	+ *The Foxes and the Hounds* is named after the 1981 Disney film *The Fox and the Hound* as well as the Varien song *Of Foxes and Hounds*.
	+ *Snowblind* is named after the titular Au5 song and one of Winter's biggest inspirations.
	+ *Dance of a Thousand Eyes* is named after a line from *You Hide* ("I've watched a hand across these skies / Slowly dancing past a thousand eyes").