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Roo/Roosevelt
A character in one of Penn’s fairy tales. Penn creates Grumwald when Rosie is in her residency, and he tells her Grumwald stories in the hospital waiting room on her breaks during long shifts. Penn and Rosie fall in love over Grumwald stories, and after they are married, Penn tells Grumwald stories to their kids. When Rosie and Poppy are in Thailand, Penn sells a book, The Adventures of Grumwald and Princess Stephanie, in which Grumwald is cursed by a witch and forced to live each day as a prince and each night as Princess Stephanie. Grumwald hides his secret identity, and after many years, he goes to the witch and asks her to lift the curse. The witch agrees; however, she can’t remember if Grumwald was originally Grumwald or Princess Stephanie. Grumwald says he wants to be both, not one during the day and one during the night, but both man and woman at all times. The witch says Grumwald is “betwixt,” which is more complex than just in between. Grumwald is “betwixt” a knight and a princess, the witch says, and she makes him swear he will never again keep his gender identity a secret. Secrets cause loneliness and “panic,” but if Grumwald is honest about who he is, he will find others who are “betwixt,” too. The witch says that telling Grumwald’s secret can “change the world,” which is what Penn is trying to do by writing the story. Grumwald is Poppy, who is also “betwixt” a girl and boy, and in telling Poppy’s story, Penn is hoping to build awareness and acceptance.
Grumwald/Princess Stephanie Quotes in This Is How It Always Is
The This Is How It Always Is quotes below are all either spoken by Grumwald/Princess Stephanie or refer to Grumwald/Princess Stephanie. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part I: Losers
Quotes
“Girls in fairy tales are losers,” said Roo.
“No they aren't,” said Claude.
“Yes they are. Not like losers. Losers. Girls in fairy tales are always losing stuff.”
“Nuh-uh,” said Claude.
“Yuh-huh. They lose their way in the woods or their shoe on the step or their hair even though they're in a tower with no door and their hair is like literally attached to their head.”
“Or their voice,” Ben put in. “Or their freedom or their family or their name. Or their identity. Like she can't be a mermaid anymore.”
“Or they lose being awake,” said Roo. “And then they just sleep and sleep and sleep. Boooring.”
Claude started crying. “A princess could do cool stuff. A princess could be better than Grumwald. She wouldn't have to sleep or lose her shoe.”
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Part III: Oral Tradition
Quotes
But Claude felt better. He realized this was what his father had been up to all these years, not entertaining his children but perfecting his world. If you wrote your own characters, they didn’t disappoint you like real people did. If you told your own story you got to pick your ending. Just being yourself never worked, but if you made yourself up, you got to be exactly who you knew yourself to be.
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Part IV: Ever
Quotes
“Betwixt?” Grumwald was skeptical. “Isn't betwixt just a witchy way of saying in between?”
“Betwixt is more complex, more twisted threads, more layers than in between.” She smiled at him through rheumy eyes. “Betwixt a Prince and a night fairy is neither-nor as much as both-and. You see? Something new. Something more. Something better.”
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“You have to tell. It can’t be a secret. Secrets make everyone alone. Secrets lead to panic like that night at the restaurant. When you keep it a secret, you get hysterical. You get to thinking you’re the only one there is who’s like you, who’s both and neither and betwixt, who forges a path every day between selves, but that's not so. When you're alone keeping secrets, you get fear. When you tell, you get magic. Twice.”
“Twice?”
“You find out you're not alone. And so does everyone else. That’s how everything gets better. You share your secret, and I'll do the rest. You share your secret, and you change the world.”
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Grumwald/Princess Stephanie Quotes in This Is How It Always Is
The This Is How It Always Is quotes below are all either spoken by Grumwald/Princess Stephanie or refer to Grumwald/Princess Stephanie. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part I: Losers
Quotes
“Girls in fairy tales are losers,” said Roo.
“No they aren't,” said Claude.
“Yes they are. Not like losers. Losers. Girls in fairy tales are always losing stuff.”
“Nuh-uh,” said Claude.
“Yuh-huh. They lose their way in the woods or their shoe on the step or their hair even though they're in a tower with no door and their hair is like literally attached to their head.”
“Or their voice,” Ben put in. “Or their freedom or their family or their name. Or their identity. Like she can't be a mermaid anymore.”
“Or they lose being awake,” said Roo. “And then they just sleep and sleep and sleep. Boooring.”
Claude started crying. “A princess could do cool stuff. A princess could be better than Grumwald. She wouldn't have to sleep or lose her shoe.”
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Part III: Oral Tradition
Quotes
But Claude felt better. He realized this was what his father had been up to all these years, not entertaining his children but perfecting his world. If you wrote your own characters, they didn’t disappoint you like real people did. If you told your own story you got to pick your ending. Just being yourself never worked, but if you made yourself up, you got to be exactly who you knew yourself to be.
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Part IV: Ever
Quotes
“Betwixt?” Grumwald was skeptical. “Isn't betwixt just a witchy way of saying in between?”
“Betwixt is more complex, more twisted threads, more layers than in between.” She smiled at him through rheumy eyes. “Betwixt a Prince and a night fairy is neither-nor as much as both-and. You see? Something new. Something more. Something better.”
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“You have to tell. It can’t be a secret. Secrets make everyone alone. Secrets lead to panic like that night at the restaurant. When you keep it a secret, you get hysterical. You get to thinking you’re the only one there is who’s like you, who’s both and neither and betwixt, who forges a path every day between selves, but that's not so. When you're alone keeping secrets, you get fear. When you tell, you get magic. Twice.”
“Twice?”
“You find out you're not alone. And so does everyone else. That’s how everything gets better. You share your secret, and I'll do the rest. You share your secret, and you change the world.”
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