YARLY.
And something occurred to me about PiC. If, chronologically, it happens at the same time as ToK, Ellie can't be the second protagonist, because that would contradict TFC2. But if we say that PiC happened some time between OFD and CH, but happened to overlap with ToK because the Storybook worlds have a timeline of their own, that would seem a lot like saying 'A Wizard Did It to make it make sense'. That said, I am tempted to set it between OFD and CH chronologically, and then explicitly mention, at the point where Badr, Midnight and Ellie cross over into the Grand Kingdom to revive Safir, that Midnight identifies Wes and Jade, but with a note that they look considerably younger, referencing the differing timeline. Do you think that would slide with the readers (assuming they do exist), or is it too much of a Hand Wave?
And something occurred to me about PiC. If, chronologically, it happens at the same time as ToK, Ellie can't be the second protagonist, because that would contradict TFC2. But if we say that PiC happened some time between OFD and CH, but happened to overlap with ToK because the Storybook worlds have a timeline of their own, that would seem a lot like saying 'A Wizard Did It to make it make sense'. That said, I am tempted to set it between OFD and CH chronologically, and then explicitly mention, at the point where Badr, Midnight and Ellie cross over into the Grand Kingdom to revive Safir, that Midnight identifies Wes and Jade, but with a note that they look considerably younger, referencing the differing timeline. Do you think that would slide with the readers (assuming they do exist), or is it too much of a Hand Wave?