#(Here to Tell You a Fable) The Storytellers

[gcrdy]

Who does he think he is?

[connorsnothereeither]

Fable SMP has been an experience that has genuinely changed my life, in ways. I know I only came into it during the final season, but I was around before then too, and I adore this series, or project, or whatever you want to call it, from so many angles. First as a friend, and a fan, and finally now a collaborator, and a creator. I have gotten to work with some of my best friends, and made so many more in the process. It has genuinely been an honour and a privilege to work with so many amazing, talented, kind and creative people over my time in this space. I have learned skills and passions that I never knew I would, and it dragged me out of a creative rut I had been stuck in for a very long time.

I often joke around and talk about it as “the silly little minecraft story” and it is, to an extent, but it’s also so much more than that. It’s a story. Our story, that we got to tell, and that effected us and so many people in so many ways. One that had made me laugh and cry and that I have poured my heart and soul into. And now from the end I can look back and see how beautiful and elaborate and funny and heartbreaking this story is. I can see the creativity and the passion that everyone involved put into making it what it is. And from the end it is so… wonderful. It is something I am so incredibly proud of. I am proud to be a part of it, despite its ups and downs, and I so proud of the people who were involved. Who have made so much. I could not ask to have told this story with a better group of people, and I could not have asked for a better story to be invited into.

It has been a story, and an experience, and friendships that I am genuinely going to cherish.

It’s strange to consider this a goodbye to Fable SMP. Because in my mind it’s not, really. Fable isn’t gone. It’s not going anywhere. It’s still here. The story is there to be rewatched again and again, as many times as we want. I’m certainly not done stewing in this world and retelling it personally (just look at how much is left of Brink-) and I don’t think the fandom is either. Hell, I don’t think a lot of the cast are ready to leave it behind entirely. We’re still around. Fable is still around. We just get to view it in a different light. We get to look back on it, and immerse ourselves again, and see all that we missed the first time in the rush of flipping through the chapters.

So this is not a goodbye to Fable. But it is a thank you. A thank you to the cast, who made such an amazing story, made such an amazing environment to create in, and who gave me so many amazing opportunities. And it is a thank you, so so much, to the community, who got as attached to our characters as we did; played along with our silly games and codes; who encouraged me as I delved into this new way of storytelling for the first time; and who helped make the entire series what it was.

Thank you, truly.

- Connor

[frigidpaws]

why meadowlark is literally a masterpiece

tl;dr :: me yapping about how @yaelokre is amazing at music and you should go follow them :3 [not forcing you,, haha]

and to keath, if you didnt want to be tagged that's perfectly okay and i apologize :~) you can skip to the ending section for more info haga

everything under the cut

alright !! thank you for taking the time to read my silly recommendation :D before we begin i'd just like to say i really hope this doesn't come off as weird at all, i just really love meadowlark :3

and some of this might be wrong !! PLEASE correct me if i said anything incorrect !

so, what's meadowlark?

meadowlark is the world in which four children sing tales of fables to all that will hear them. they tell stories of the harkers, who are "concepts" in a way. they are the storyteller, the bell-ringer, the croon and the enkindled. yaelokre is the name of the creator and story as a whole, and the author and singer behind the story is known as Keath, a splendidly talented artist who truly loves their work.

the lark

the lark consists of the aforementioned children:

cole (represents the storyteller)

clémentne/clémentine/clémmie (represents the bell-ringer)

perrine (represents the croon)

kingsley (represents the enkindled)

all of the children are genderless, and do not use gendered terms. they all use they/it pronouns and it is best to respect yaelokre's wishes for their characters. i do believe cole and clémentine are dating (or something romantic), as there is official art of them kissing, though i don't know the details...

the young minstrels are good friends and enjoy preforming their songs together. each one has a distinct voice, design, and personality traits. each one of them is crafted so beautifully, you can see yaelokre put work into them :D

the songs

the tales of meadowlark are told through songs, and goodness, are they amazing. i have never reacted so positively to a song myself, but bird cage blue and yellow makes me so happy :) i do hope yaelokre knows that at least one person enjoys their music as much as i <3

here are the songs !!:

hayfields

harpy hare

hartebeest

and the hound

neath the grove is a heart

songs of origin

my farewell to the fields

bird cage blue and yellow

there is another song, cole's response, but i can't find it anywhere, nor have i heard it. i believe it's being remade, or something along those lines.

closing statements !!

i hope this convinces at least one person to listen to and support yaelokre's works :3

again: i do not wish to cross any boundaries with this post, and i will take it down per the request of keath if they so wish. i am quite anxious of hurting others, so communication is best for me...

i am deeply excited when i like something, music or other, so i just want to share yaelokre with more people :~) so if that makes them uncomfortable, i apologize. i chose to tag them because i feel they may like knowing someone really appreciates their work? i don't know. i don't know them personally so take that with a grain of salt.

thank you, yaelokre, for being cool :D

[bestworstcase]

Not to be weird or anything but...there was admittedly a time where I've doubted a lot of your takes on Salem, the direction of the story, etc. Scoffed at them, even. But V9 has really led me to reevaluate RWBY in more ways than one with unreliable narration literally being a core function of it's narrative, and reading your analysis and meta has helped deepen my own appreciation towards the show than ever before. And dare I say it, I think I'm a Salem Truther now jsshjshjshshj So all of this to say I'm glad you're a part of this community, genuinely. And I'm always eager to hear your thoughts on the show and on storytelling as a fic writer. I'm not entirely sure what possessed me to write this ask now, but it's something I've been meaning to say for a good while, lol

<3

jrhdfgj the salem truther situation has been really kind of wild because frankly i spent like two years going “no… there’s no way… i am reading into small details and hanging MASSIVE assumptions on a grammatical quibble… there’s no fucking way.” i was so prepared to be let down by volume nine.

’cause the thing is, like, this is what i do. right. points at my blog header. that little gremlin has all the characterization of a soggy scrap of tissue paper in canon and i made a salem out of her. give me an evil witch and i will invent a salem out of whole cloth if i have to, every time. like. i won’t argue it’s textual when it isn’t but i will write the elaborate au about her in my head if nothing else.

this is My Thing.

salem’s the first time i’ve ever felt like. i hadn’t gotten any further than “oh yeah i’m going to be so normal about her once i finish digesting i can tell” before the lost fable slapped me with the richly interesting emotionally complicated tragic backstory i normally have to make up myself and i was like… excuse me?? and then the next episode was the bait-and-switch “villain mauls the messenger except no she doesn’t and when she loses her temper she sends everyone out of the room before exploding the windows” scene and i was like IS THAT ALLOWED.

this has never happened to me before!!!

so it has been. uh. WHACK to get v9 going okay here’s every expectation you had met and surpassed. grbfxhk there was one point when v9 was first airing while i watched an episode—can’t remember which—and pulled the gf over to go “i am right. about everything?!” because it was so shocking to me.

i was so ready to be like [sighs] ah well, there’s always time does this. and then enjoy the rest of the story for what it was. jrhfhfjdks what do you MEAN they’re writing it for ME

thrilling!! still shocking!! the salem screeds will continue until morale improves 😊 

[dustdeepsea]

the fateful coin! 🫰🪙

[collected WIPs for this round here]

@luvwich you rolled another Gods and Monsters snippet :) This is cut content from chapter 3, which was replaced by him telling her Volo's ballad. It's Forgotten Realms lore which I've repurposed. It was a little too vague for that chapter, but I like it a lot so it might show up again later.

Tav clearly has Adventuring PTSD. Rugan tells a story to try and cheer them up. This is a fable about the choices they have made, and will continue to need to make.

He thought about an old tale he’d heard along the Coastway. 

“Have you ever heard the story of the Fateful Coin?”

“No, I don’t believe I have.”

“Then I’ll tell you the version I’ve heard: When each child is born, they say Tymora flips a coin. Beshaba calls it in the air—heads or tails.” He mimed flipping and catching an imaginary token on the back of his hand.

“If Beshaba is right, that person is cursed with misfortune for the rest of their days. If she's wrong, Lady Luck smiles on them for the rest of their life.”

“Well, that explains a lot about the past year,” Tav quipped.

“Aye, indeed. And furthermore”—his voice had taken on a soft lilt, a storyteller’s melody—“for some rare souls, the coin lands on its edge. Neither curse nor blessing.” Rugan met their gaze levelly. “They say those luckless few can forge their own fates—with more freedom over their destinies than the powers themselves.”

Tav suppressed an involuntary shudder. 

“But that’s just the tale I’ve heard,” he concluded. “We all give our offerings to Beshaba to soothe her, and to Tymora to turn her smile towards us. That’s how it’s always been done.”

[moris-orphanage]

✧˚⋆｡♡˚ CREATING COMMUNITY ˚♡｡⋆˚✧

an Evening of Connection at the Orphanage

💜 Hello my dear residents! 💜

Elise here. As a caretaker alongside Mori at our orphanage, I've been told by Mori to send you this message. We aim to foster bonding and learning among residents. I'm thrilled to announce an upcoming event that will celebrate storytelling and connections.

Each resident is invited to share a favourite story, song, or dish that holds special meaning. This gathering will be a chance to explore our diverse backgrounds and the moments that have shaped us. Let’s celebrate the unique tales and passions that define us!

Here’s how you can get involved:

📖 Share a Story: Bring a story that has meaning to you - whether it’s a personal tale, a fable, or a lesson learned.

🎶 Play a Song: If you have a song that holds a special memory, feel free to share it with us and tell us why it’s important to you.

🥧 Bring a Dish: If you’re up for it, prepare a dish that represents a memory or tradition. We’ll make sure to share the recipes and enjoy a meal together.

We believe that by sharing our experiences, we can strengthen our bonds as friends and family. This is a chance for everyone to open their hearts and minds, and for our orphanage to be filled with laughter, learning, and a deeper understanding of one another.

📅 When: This Sunday 📌 Where: living- / playroom

Of course also newcomers are more than welcome to join our group. ♥

@ilovefukuchi

@skyfall-casino

@howshouldinameme

@shrouded-memorials

@snakesinthesnow

@basementdwellerq

@the-real-chuuya

(I tag @bungo-rp-news too, because maybe it is interesting. Sry if I am not allowed to. ^^)

Much love,

Elise ♥

[dandy-dog]

📌🌈🐶☀️

★ SOLAR - 24 YEARS OLD - QUEER - POLYAM - CLOSED - AUTISTIC - GNC TRANS GUY - ALTERHUMAN - WHITE - BRITISH - HE / IT ★

Hey there! My name's Cody, but I generally tend to go by Solar, Ray or Sunny online. That said, you can call me pretty much whatever you want. I'm not too picky. I'm a hobbyist artist, occasional writer and professional dog who's had the misfortune of being on this miserable hellsite (do people still call Tumblr that?) since 2014. I was around before then, but I didn't make an account until that point. My blog isn't strictly NSFW, but I do reblog posts with dirty humour and references to sex. So if you're a minor or someone who doesn't want to see that kind of thing? I wouldn't recommend following me. Want to know more about me or about this blog? You can find more info under the cut! ✌️

The dividers in this post were made by @chocoperrito and you can find them here! ❤

》 WHAT'S THIS BLOG ABOUT, DOG MAN?

I'm glad you asked! This is my main blog so it's generally just a mish mash of all sorts. Anything and everything pertaining to my interests goes here, it's a total free-for-all. That said, you can mostly expect reblogs about queer topics, political and social issues, different media that I like, shitposts and furry art. Lots and lots of furry art. I may occasionally post my own art here and possibly my own writing in the future if I feel confident enough.

》 WHAT ARE YOU INTERESTED IN?

I am, in fact, a human person with nuance so you can argue that no matter how many things I tell you that I like? None of this will even come close to conveying the full spectrum of who I am, so please keep that in mind. I'm more than my interests. That said, it doesn't mean I can't at least give you an idea of the things I enjoy so to name a few things offhandedly: I really enjoy art, writing, reading, poetry, photography, filmmaking, animation, cartoons, video games, RPGs, 3D platformers, visual novels, folk punk music, ska music, 80 and 90s visual aesthetics, bright colours, primary colours, breakfast foods, thrifting, kitsch, antiques, tacky button-ups, animatronics, toy restoration, early 2000s internet, xenofiction, medieval fantasy, lost media, queer history, TV history, film history, furry history (namely the funny animal era and 2000s era), cooking, horror movies, folklore, cryptids, musicals, storytelling, worldbuilding, history, psychology, archaeology, zoology, etymology and space!

》 WHAT MEDIA DO YOU LIKE?

I like a lot of different media and the ones I actively choose to engage with fluctuates pretty frequently, but currently the ones of note are... Pokémon, Warriors, Watership Down, Animal Crossing, The Lion King, Ginga Nagareboshi Gin, Beastars, The Legend of Zelda, Bugsnax, Banjo Kazooie, Viva Pinata, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Sonic The Hedgehog, Zero Escape, Ace Attorney, Another Code, Welcome To Nightvale, Little Shop Of Horrors, Ride The Cyclone, Starkid, Be More Chill, Heathers, Cats, Waitress, In The Heights, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Child's Play, The Gregory Horror Show, The Owl House, Steven Universe, Portal, Half Life, TF2, HLVRAI, What We Do In The Shadows, Our Flag Means Death, Interview With The Vampire, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, Scott Pilgrim, Sam And Max, The Good Place, Gravity Falls, My Little Pony, Night In The Woods, Slay The Princess, Dragon Age, Fable and Good Omens! Hyperfixations are bolded, because like it or not I am autistic and that does affect which of these wretched things will get a stranglehold on my attention at any given time 👍

》 YOU'RE QUEER? WHAT ARE YOUR LABELS?

I'm a gender non-conforming trans man. I go by he/him and it/its pronouns and I mostly use masculine terms (man, dude, guy, etc.) or non-gendered ambiguous terms (thing, mutt, dog, etc.) to refer to myself. That said, all this does vary whenever I feel like it and I've got no intentions of trying to mirror cis men. I see myself as a man in the same way Bugs Bunny is a man, masculine in theory but pretty malleable in practice. A man but tilted a bit too much to the left so it doesn't quite fit on the "pallatable for cis people" gender shelf.

My gender is pretty intertwined with my non-human identity; All genders feel like a costume but ambiguously fruity man is the most comfortable one for me personally. I'm a vaguely man-shaped dog thing that's just trying to resemble a person above all else, if we're being entirely honest here.

I use the labels pansexual and queer pretty interchangeably. Gender doesn't really play a part in who I'm attracted to, it's pretty irrelevant and just kind of a neat bonus more than anything. That said? Overall I'm predominantly attracted to other queer people! I do class myself as acchillean because of my attraction to other men but in a non-committal handwave kind of way, considering how weird my relationship with my own gender currently is.

I consider myself as polyamorous. I can comfortably exist in both monogamous and polyamorous relationships but between the two? Up to now I've found the latter is my preference.

Also, I know I don't owe anyone an explanation about my identity. I'm talking about this because I'd like to (queer expression is fun to talk about yippeeee) and not because I feel obligated to. People aren't owed your life story, especially people on the internet ✌️

》 DO YOU HAVE A BYF / DNI?

No, I don't have a DNI. I've come to realise that the culture surrounding DNI lists in online spaces isn't healthy and I'd far rather just curate my own spaces however I feel like it! Not that I wasn't doing that before now but given that? A DNI feels like an unnecessary step that just serves to perpetuate that culture which I don't want to do. The block button exists to be used, I block people wherever I need to for the sake of my own comfort and I recommend you do the same 🤷 That said: I'm a queer neurodivergent leftist. So I have the exact kind of opinions you'd probably expect with those descriptors in mind. All good faith identities are valid, any kind of queer exclusion is bad, bigotry towards any marginalised group is bad. Fascism and capitalism are both poison, cringe culture is dead, do what you want forever so long as it's not hurting anything or anyone and everyone deserves kindness unless they themselves don't show it. Truly some never before heard takes here on Tumblr dot com.

》 WHAT ABOUT A TAGLIST?

Not yet, but I'm slowly working on it. In the meantime? Here's what you mainly need to know. You can find my talking and general shitposts under solar talks, or my art under dog draws. I do have content warning tags! I try to be conscientious and tag anything that I know is a common trigger for people (blood, gore, bones, bright colours, insects, etc) as and where I can. I format all of my content warning tags as "cw //" and then whatever the content of the post is that needs tagged. So for example, if you don't want to see insects? You can blacklist them on my blog using cw // insects and that should stop you from seeing anything with a number of legs you aren't comfortable with. This same format applies to all of my content warning tags. If there's anything more specific you need tagged? Don't be afraid to let me know. I'm happy to accommodate you wherever you need so long as it doesn't infringe upon my right to exist; If it's something that triggers you? Then it warrants being taken seriously.

》 WHO'S THE GUY IN YOUR ICON?

That would be my fursona, Circuit! He is me, I am him, I love showing him off to people so although the art may change? He's usually the face of my online pressence. Here's his current (slightly outdated, whoops) reference sheet that I made for him:

If you're curious, the art of him I have as my Tumblr icon currently (as of February 4th 2024) was a commission I got and is drawn by Pawtastic!

》 WOW, YOU TALK A LOT.

Sure do bud. Thank you for noticing! Want to hear me talk more? Then I have some sideblogs you can check out if you feel like it. fuzzypath is my Warriors sideblog (active) funky-fella is my Bugsnax sideblog (semi-active) canid-canon is my writing sideblog (WIP, inactive) I also have a NSFW sideblog dedicated to outright hornyposting, but respectfully I'm not sharing that here. If for whatever reason you'd like to see that? PM me privately to ask for it and if you're both 18+ (have your age clearly stated somewhere on your blog) and someone I trust to see it then I'll most likely give it to you!

[perseusjackson-jasongrace]

guess who’s writing some “dark percy because jason has been taken from him”👁️👁️

I’ve just passed 1k words so here’s a lil snip:

“Do you know, proud being,” He grins, still watching his hand, the glistening liquid making a jungle gym out of him. “Why fairy tales exist?”

His fingers, still dripping with water, wraps neatly around the throat of the one who had threatened him. Had dared to even suggest something so ludicrous.

They don’t respond, claws gripping at their neck, trying to pull away his untouchable hands. How do you hold water?

He doesn’t need a response. Is happy to be the storyteller.

“Because that’s the only way to remember the lesson. The only way to tell your children that danger exists without showing it to them. The only way to recover from horror.” He curls his fingers into a fist. Tries to hide his smile as he rips their throat out. “Turn it all into fable, and hope it never tells itself.”

The water comes back to wrap around his pretty fingers. Highlights the glow of his brown skin. He doesn’t stop the pull of his lips when he notices the smattering of blood drops joining the pool.

I LOVE DARK PERCY SO BAD!!! IVE MISSED HIM!!!!

[misscammiedawn]

Penlight - A Quick Review

Download Penlight (Pay what you like) from Itch.io here

My detailed Penlight route reviews: Nozomi Routes - Sayori (Part 1 - Doll) - Sayori (Part 2 - Alter)

Turq's reviews: Hiroko Robot - Hiroko Tickling - Nozomi Zo

So I have spent the past week going through every route I possibly could of Penlight.

On Sleepyhead's Discord we ran a session of it on stream and a group of us were watching as two characters shyly open up about their hypnokink and the chat was alive with nostalgia over our own awkward starts into this kink and it was evident that the game knew our experiences well.

If you want my tl;dr review it is this: Penlight is a story written with love for hypnokink as a whole and a wariness of the toxic elements of the culture that it intends to subvert at every turn. It's a game about ethics, responsibility, trust and exploration from the perspective of someone who very clearly understands the ins and outs of this kink.

Download it for free on Itch. Support the Patreon. Play the game and enjoy it.

Now for the full ramble:

Penlight is a visual novel coded in Ren'py, a platform I have some experience with from my brief time as a member of a game developer circle.

The basic storyline is that you play Kyou Koyama, an 18 year old student about to take his college entrance exams. His entire secondary school career he has had his eyes on a classmate, Nozomi Akemi and after witnessing her volunteer for a stage hypnosis session during the prior year's cultural festival he has gone all in on learning hypnosis and has developed a tool that will help him win the affections of his crush...

So far this sounds like any old H-Game with a protagonist getting his hands on a brainwashing device, ready to go on a rampage... that's intentional. The tropes are set to make this seem like one of those games.

But have some faith and patience.

See, Kyou is viewed by the school as a creeper. He's been friendless for 3 years of his secondary school life and has spent much of that time longing for Nozomi's attention. He's not quite subtle about this, either.

Some routes have Kyou in a very self-defeating and angry state of mind where he feels victimized by the world and hated on. I admit it's not fun to have a perspective character being a shithead but I suppose that incentivizes the audience to improve him as soon as possible...

Part of Kyou's resentment comes from the fact that the hostility he faces is not all in his head. Just mostly.

Nozomi has two close friends, Hiroko the spunky tennis star who will routinely tell Kyou to go fuck himself and Sayori the smartest girl in class who harbors her own resentment for Kyou's devil-may-care approach to life. They both work overtime running interference for Nozomi to ensure her stalker will not get an opportunity to approach.

But Kyou is eventually given some time alone with Nozomi during an after school cleaning session and the game's thesis statement is made clear with the very first option in the game:

From here the game will branch off into a number of branching stories where Kyou and his classmates discover that he actually does possess a brainwashing device, even as he attempts to utilize mundane hypnosis skills. Anyone who looks at the penlight is helpless to resist and it will rewrite their brains to comply with the suggestions.

In my view the Penlight represents years and years of toxic approaches in a relationship with hypnosis all condensed down into a week. My thread on ethical personality play was entirely inspired by playing the Personality Play route and despite the lack of malice, Kyou makes severe mistakes which reflect mistakes that I have experienced in my life.

The penlight is simply a narrative device that takes years of conditioning and condenses the consequences, regrets and repercussions into a single week.

Fantastic storytelling for fables on how important safety and consent are.

At time of writing there are over 180 CG images, 33 endings with 14 unique routes. More being added every month via Patreon.

The themes of the game explore communication in exploring kink, trust within hypnosis play and safety. The terminology is really good and the understanding of how real life hypnokink is mostly good, spare for a few moments like "thousands" of people tuning in to a hypnosis livestream. Even our biggest and best content creators and streamers cap at 400 or so viewers.

Phrases like "hypnotee" and "hidden observer" which are used entirely within hypnosis circles get thrown around accurately and organically and many routes involve characters describing real world applications from hypnotherapy, anesthetic aid during surgery and even the ins and outs of how a stage hypnosis routine is performed behind the scenes and in-front of an audience.

Angela DeMille knows her stuff.

Nozomi Akemi also knows her stuff.

I'll go into spoilers and my more in-depth thoughts in the coming weeks/months but I wanted to at least break down the core three paths that you can pick and why they appeal.

Nozomi: In this route a repressed woman on the aroace spectrum meets someone who shares her kink and dives in too fast and too deep into her hobby. The route explores compartmentalizing kink and personal life, internalized shame for having sexual interests, "the slope" of chasing new peaks of a thrilling kink and losing regard to safeties and themes of "using" people for access to kink.

Sayori: In this route Kyou offers to help an overworked classmate with her sleep schedule. Regardless of your branching choices (Personality Play route or Doll Play route) it begins with a lack of security. Sayori starts the route feeling unsafe and afraid and your choices will lead to either damage being mitigated or becoming more than can be handled. Consequences, respect and honoring someone's wishes are all explored to their full.

Hiroko: In this route Kyou and his nemesis, Nozomi's best friend, craft an uneasy alliance where they explore hypnosis as a tool for focus in sport. Trust is at the core of this route with the two intensely disliking one another and constantly attempting to even their power dynamics via prank based hostility. This route is about crafting rapport, about belief in one another (which can even be hijacked for a "Gullible" route) and can lead to a beautiful friendship.

The game is amazing and I highly recommend you check it out.

...anyway. I'm gonna write about each route in a little more detail sometime in the future. I have so much to say about all the different little things like the consistencies between routes, the dramatic ironies of knowing things to be true in some routes and experiencing things that build upon that in others, the specific warnings and cautions at play and of course answer the question "who is best girl?"

But for now I just wanted people to have my whole-hearted recommendation.

Go download Penlight. It's hosted on Itch.io and is being updated monthly.

[gerogerigaogaigar]

Now that we've listened to the cadence of rappers through the interplay between the flow and beats it is time to listen to what rappers are saying. Rap has its own language made up of metaphors and references that can intimidate new listeners, but there is one skill that should be easy for anyone to appreciate. Storytelling. These songs are some of the best storytelling that hip-hop has to offer. And Storytelling is one of rap's strong suits so really this is some of the best storytelling that music has to offer!

The Art Of Peer Pressure Kendrick is why were here right? Well he is probably the best lyricist in rap history. The Art Of Peer Pressure may not be his biggest hit but it is unparalleled in terms of storytelling. Kendrick describes a night as a teen in Compton. Him and his friends emulating the violence heard on their favorite rap albums. The story seems simple, but the message is complex. He disavows every action he engages in saying that he's normally sober, normally peaceful, but he's with the homies right now. As the title suggests its a story about how peer pressure helps reproduce systems of violence.

Children's Story Slick Rick is the storyteller of all time. It honestly baffles me how naturally he communicates this simple fable without missing a beat. It flows so casually that you actually forget that he's maintaining rhyme throughout.

Gold Simple fables about street violence are extremely common in hip-hop. This one builds bravado and avarice until the tragic ending where the singer buries his mother before he can use all the money he's attained on her.

I Left My Wallet In El Segundo And now for the lowest stakes in any rap story. This is the gripping story of Q-Tip trying to remember where he left his wallet. The energy of a couple of friends trying to retrace their steps is actually really relatable though.

It Was A Good Day I've seen people on here try to use the details of this song's lyrics to pinpoint the exact date Cube was talking about. It's a simple song, but the simplicity belies some depth. It's pretty telling that to Ice Cube playing basketball and dominoes with his friends is on the same level as not getting harassed by the police or shot.

Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa De La Soul decided to ditch the fun and games on Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa. seriously content warning for frank discussion of csa. The tense story of a girl who is brought to the point of desperation because no one will believe that she is being abused. Its dark stuff and extremely well told.

Neighbors J. Cole dodged a bullet when he decided not to actually beef with Kendrick. Which is good cause I actually like Cole's music. Neighbors is about J. Cole tried to move into a nice house in a white neighborhood and got harassed until he was forced to leave. He meditates on the fact that fame can't actually stop the baked in racism at the heart of America.

Hey Mama If you want to know why fans are mourning Kanye or even hoping for him to get better instead of just dropping him like a rock look no further than Hey Mama. This ode to his mother is the sweetest song ever made. I'm kinda glad Donda West didn't have to see what her son turned into.

Just A Friend Biz Markie is the clown prince of hip-hop. his flow is goofy, the beat is kinda wonky, and the story is simple. And then he just kinda yells the hook like he's half drunk. It is either gonna charm you right away or annoy you. Just A Friend is the kind of stupid that I always fall in love with and it's enduring popularity is proof that others feel the same.

Fat Cats, Bigga Fish The Coup are the group that would eventually make the film Sorry To Bother You. Fat Cats, Bigga Fish is a deftly told story whose moral is "stealing is only illegal if you aren't rich"

To Be Continued ===> Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

[gcrdy]

Got a corn problem? I'm your man Need a green thumb? I'm a whole green hand!

[tss-foul-fables]

Hello reader! My name is Addi (she/her) and welcome to the Foul Fables blog!

Here on this blog, I intend to share the progress of my Foul Fables au project! I've always had a passion for storytelling but unfortunately, haven't had to space or motivation to complete previous ambitious projects of mine. However, after some reflection and reworking, I've finally found a way to go about it which works for the way my brain likes to work.

Foul Fables is intended to be an animated series which will use visual storytelling and pre-existing music in order to tell the story I hold dear to me. I'm not sure how long it will take as I'm not only animating a whole series by myself but I am also a full time college student. But I plan to continuously share my plans and progress as time goes on.

I'm very excited to see where this project goes and I hope that in time, you'll enjoy it like I do! I hope you stick around to see the project grow <3

[lynnlovesthestars]

Congrats on the 400 followers!!💖 I've been working up the courage to ask for a match up for my Tav haha, sfw/nsfw is all good!

My Tav is a tiefling in her mid 20s named Ace - a Mephistopheles Tiefling with short cropped copper hair and blue eyes that dart around any room she's in. Chewed nails, bad posture, permanent eye bags. She worked in Baldurs Gate in a secretarial/bookeeper role for a library and is a bard - just a more storyteller focused one than a musician/performer! Contrary to the stereotypical bard, she has crippling anxiety and zero rizz, though she tries her best to mask this.

Ace's experience with the general public meant she's been thrust into her leadership role in the group - a position she was not prepared for. Having no experience as a fighter, she is forced to learn on the go, hiding her inexperience behind a facade. Cries often in her tent when she thinks the party is asleep and blames herself for not being competent enough if a party member is hurt or something goes wrong on their journey.

As her job suggests, Ace is a massive bookworm, preferring mythology, fables etc than non fiction work. Her bardic abilities come from her storytelling ability, a skill she used to entertain children back at the library. She has a sweet tooth, and misses the treats she bought daily on her way to work. In addition, she loves animals (Scratch and the cub are doted on), boardgames, writing and collecting soft toys.

Thank you so much for this!

First of all sorry for being so late, i got sick and getting back at my routine after getting better was a challenge xD.. anyways i think Ace, as the rizzless queen, would pair well with our favourite rizzless king, Astarion. Let's be honest here, our lovely vampire does his best, but sometimes the rizz doesnt rizz as it should.. we might say it rizzn't.

Anyways after my small comedic corner, talking about the rizzlessness (istg someone should stop me), i think that's exactlt how the two end up together.

Ace reads through Astarion's acting as soon as they get closer, she can tell his flirting skills are just a result of years of trial and error- and a lot of reused lines, and not only because, in her way, she puts up a mask to hide her anxiety. She can tell cause once he opens up about his life under Cazador, she can spot those moments where his façade cracks.

Astarion falls for the same exact reason why Ace is skeptic in the beginning: the cracks through the façade. There's only so much a good storytelling can hide, and despite her proficiency he falls for the way she stumbles ever so slightly on her words, or how she reuses that same cheeky line he has used as well, before he knows he even allows his mask to drop more often, revealing more and more of his actual personality, and that's when Ace fully ends up trusting him.

"Roses are red, violets are blue, the honey is sweet, and so are you"

[jameseilonwy]

Review: Yaelokre - Hayfields EP [2024.03.02]

Diving into the viral folk-pop TikTok sensation, recommended to me by a friend.

Yaelokre is a storytelling project by Filipino-Icelandic singer-songwriter and illustrator Keath Ósk, and is, in their own words,

honouring wonderment through song and illustration, portraying an ensemble of four young minstrels known as "The Lark", to sing of fables retold and unsung: from truth to fairytale, granting voice to the stories of Meadowlark

There is detailed lore underpinning their songs; most of it yet-to-be-revealed. They're active on social media and tease tidbits here or there but remain purposely vague, choosing to reveal slowly with future songs. I'm no stranger to music meant to accompany a greater story concept (being a casual fan of Sound Horizon), but I believe the music must also be able to stand on its own merit.

So, does it?

As an entry point to folk for younger listeners new to the genre, it's wonderfully accessible. Ósk's singing voice carries an endearing fragility that hints at steely power underneath. They deliver the words in a lilt characteristic of modern indie pop - not bent enough to be considered cursive singing, but with a curlicued flourish by way of Florence Welch. The instrumental arrangements by producers medyo maybe and Emil Ortega are charmingly rustic and easy to digest.

That being said, the execution sometimes falls short, and these songs often feel like demo drafts rather than final versions.

The weakest link is the lyrics; Ósk paints vivid pictures of their ominous forest world but for the most part that's all there is - individual pictures. There's a sense of unease and strife contrasting with warmth and wonder running throughout, but most of the songs don't really take the listener on a journey.

While the songs attempt the approach of "show, not tell", they still don't really show us who the characters are. Lyrically and musically, they all blend together into a general 'vibe'.

"Harpy Hare", which went viral on TikTok (and as of writing this, has over 76 million streams on Spotify), is a prime example of squandered potential. It's a shame, since it starts off strong, opening with a haunting vocalized intro and lyrics to match -

Harpy Hare Where have you buried all your children? Tell me so I say

and builds upon the eeriness with this unsettling stanza:

You can't keep them all caged They will fight and run away Mother, tell me so I say

The hook is memorable, but also painfully repetitive; further iterations do not develop it at all. Perhaps that is the point, that the titular Harpy Hare is annoyingly childlike in its malice and the speaker of the song is also an unreliable narrator. But for listeners with no prior emotional investment in the Meadowlark lore, it comes off like a minute's worth of good ideas overstaying its welcome for another two. Furthermore, the out-of-tune guitar feels rather incongruous with the more precisely pitched vocal line. It's likely a stylistic choice to create intentional dissonance but due to the copy-paste nature of the song, it becomes grating.

In contrast, the song that leverages repetition cleverly to make a point is EP closer "Neath the grove is a heart". The lyrical vagueness also works in its favor since the central theme carries the tension of being at home with found family yet still lost; "How do I begin when the roof is ever changing?" is simple, poignant, and universal. The arrangement ebbs and flows, with callbacks to previous songs - the leitmotif of "Harpy Hare" in the instrumental, the 'run run run run run' chorus echoes from opening track "Hartebeest" - now this is a song that travels. At five and half minutes, it's a slow burn (for a pop song) and overall, shows the most sophistication in composition and arrangement on the EP.

The Yaelokre project shows ambition and all things considered, Hayfields is a decent first release for a young indie musician. While the EP lacks finesse as standalone music, it still holds appeal to those who enjoy it more as an accompaniment to the creator's illustrations and eventual story.

Listen: Spotify / Apple Music / Bandcamp

[bestworstcase]

have you heard of and/or do you have a take on the gun theory?

unfortunately.

ok. my introduction to the g.u.n. theory occurred when somebody tagged the the narnia post ‘rwby gun theory’ and i went “the hell is that” and promptly found out.

that was two years ago jesus christ

since then it has occupied the dragon’s hoard of spurious fandom bullshit i keep in my brain to provide enrichment for my flock of scathing little carrion bird thoughts. i haven’t talked about it here because i do actually make an effort to be civil.

so.

the g.u.n. theory is underpinned by a fundamental misunderstanding of symbolism and allusion. both misunderstandings arise from the same analytical error, which is the presupposition that the text is written in code. it is, so to speak, a cryptographic reading.

before getting into the weeds i will say this: as a writer, i find this cryptographic approach genuinely a little offensive in, like, an “if you even look at my writing i will beat you to death and then eat you alive” knee-jerk fuck you kind of way. and that’s because this:

a theory that there is a second, completely different interpretation of RWBY from the apparent and generally accepted one […] that RWBY contains many, many more allusions than the creators let on. [they] are intentionally hiding these allusions […] by layering them, so that something that alludes to one thing on the surface also alludes to something else on a level beneath that, resulting in the audience easily seeing the top-level allusion but missing the lower level allusion- or allusions- unless they are paying very very close attention. [ src. ]

is fucking insulting. it is anti-storytelling. the point of a story is to tell a story, not to obfuscate itself by encoding the secret ‘real’ story in the proverbial fucking blue curtains. storytelling is communicative. storytellers WANT you to understand the story, the telling, that is the whole entire fucking point. symbolism is not a secret code. it’s a flag. it’s a trail-marker. it’s a tool for guiding attention and helping the audience connect the dots.

sometimes it’s accidental because writers make subconscious connections or just repeat a motif a lot for aesthetic reasons. (<- my thing is birds. if you’ve ever read bitter snow and wondered why everything is birds it’s because i just think that birds) sometimes it’s on purpose and sometimes it is On Purpose. but it is never, ever there to tell a secret hidden story that is not the story the story appears to be. stories say what they mean and mean what they say.

yes even allegories, fables, satire, et cetera. subtext is not “”hidden meaning“” it’s just narrative information conveyed implicitly. theme is not “”hidden meaning“” it’s the abstract ideas realized through the narrative. these are things the audience is supposed to pick up on, even if they lack the analytical skill to identify and articulate precisely how or why and even if they don’t consciously recognize it. storytellers want you to get it.

ok? ok.

takes off the writer hat.

the g.u.n. theory—like all cryptographic readings—begs the question. it’s a “method of further appreciating, understanding and even predicting the events of [RWBY]” by examining the story “as a confluence of dozens of familiar fantasy and fictional narratives and influences” because the story is actually something “completely different” from what it appears to be. the g.u.n. theory purports to excavate the deeper real story from the obfuscating “surface” story, which is an obviously insane thing to do unless you first accept the premise that the actual text—the things the characters do and say on the screen—is not what the story is.

the g.u.n. theory requires that “what happens in star wars?” is more relevant to interpreting rwby than “what happens in rwby?”

that is ludicrous. it is facile. it’s nonsense.

it would be nonsense even if the g.u.n. theory limited itself to genuine allusions (like ‘the marvelous land of oz’), because while rwby is retelling marvelous land pretty fucking overtly, you do in fact have to read marvelous land in context with a) what happens in rwby and b) specifically how rwby leverages marvelous land to construct its own story, which means you also need to read it in context with the other core allusions (maiden-in-tower tales, the little prince, cinderella) and the way the rwby narrative fits the pieces together. if that sounds complicated yes, but also no, because rwby is really very straightforward about it.

but the g.u.n. theory is the brainchild of people who think the core allusions are [checks notes] lord of the rings, star wars, avatar: the last airbender, fullmetal alchemist, and sailor moon. that the atlas arc is based on the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe (on this see The Narnia Post). that salem’s primary character allusions are the wicked witch of the west, sauron, cinderella’s evil stepmother, emperor palpatine, two presumably villainous fullmetal alchemist characters, and inexplicably maleficent?—but notably NOT rapunzel / persinette / petrosinella despite her being, yanno, explicitly the girl in the tower.

looks into the camera like i’m on the office.

what is happening here—this becomes obvious the instant g.u.n. theorists construct an argument for an allusion—is a conflation of common tropes and archetypes with narratively meaningful allusion. thus, “winter is jadis because she enters in a fancy airship, wields a sword and a smaller sword that kind of looks like a wand, there’s a stone lion-head fountain in this one scene, she’s short-tempered, and she’s from the frozen polar kingdom that oppresses the animal people” which is, um, stupid.

i am like five fucking thousand words deep in comparative analysis of salem and job arguing that rwby is a jobian narrative and i will still asterisk the book of job to hell and back as probably not a deliberate allusion because the comparison relies so much on subtext and i am waiting (very! patiently!) for salem to start talking before i’ll commit to arguing for intention. there are people who are convinced winter is jadis because her main gauche vaguely resembles a wand and she’s from the polar kingdom and, like, presents as an archetypal Ice Lady.

i just—

snarls. see the narnia post.

the point is that the g.u.n. theory’s analytical framework is both explicitly countertextual (the text is not the story) and interested in aesthetics and archetypal similarity almost to the exclusion of everything else.

joseph campbell would be proud.

that interest in aesthetics, combined with the g.u.n. theory’s cryptographic approach to analysis, is why prognostication guided by the g.u.n. theory turned out wrong with stunning regularity, and also why there are g.u.n. theory posts out there that make nonsense claims like “x symbol and y symbol have the same meaning and are interchangeable because they resemble each other and are connected to the same character” (<- snarls in ‘the broken moon = the burning rose’).

i’m glad V8 put it in the ground because if i had seen g.u.n. theorists babbling nonsense about alice in wonderland during V9 i would have been unkind

[titles-for-tangents]

In conjunction with @silvermoon424’s new project to scan and archive Mitsukazu Mihara’s 6-volume manga series Dolls: IC in a Doll, here is a copy of an interview Mihara gave in 2006 with Manga Magazine at Otakon, recorded here by Tokyopop!

What a Doll! An Interview with Mitsukazu Mihara

(On the left-hand side):

Goth Loli goddess Mitzukazu Mihara has garnered an impressive level of fan devotion in Japan, largely due to the intricate and inspired Gothic Lolita fashions worn by her characters.

A master of the manga short story, Mihara-sensei began her career as an illustrator, gaining recognition and acclaim for her distinct illustrations in the Gothic Lolita Bible. Going on to create such noteworthy titles as Happy Family and IC in a Sunflower, Mihara-sensei took storytelling to a new level with Doll, a six-volume anthology series about a world where humankind coexists with an intelligent race of androids called “dolls”.

Gothic Lolita enthusiasts and sci-fi lovers - Mitsukazu Mihara fans are passionate, dedicated and intelligent. And with the release of Mihara-sensei's Beautiful People in February and Haunted House and R.I.P.: Requiem in Phonybrain in the fall, they're about to grow significantly in number. Get on board while you still can.

Manga magazine sat down with Mihara-sensei at the Otakon convention in Baltimore, where she discussed fashion, fandom and some of her surprising influences.

-Tim Beedle

(At the bottom:)

MIHARA-SENSATIONAL: FIVE FLAWLESS FABLES

New to the work of Mitsukazu Mihara? For those looking to sample the best of the best, we offer a few suggestions.

"A Maid Servant" (Doll, Vol. 1) When Tokiko's fiancé leaves her for another woman, Tokiko assumes it's because she's ugly. But when someone starts defacing Tokiko's doll, we soon learn that ugliness has many forms.

"Beautiful People" (Beautiful People) Telling the tale of Mimi, a strong-willed woman who achieves beauty through plastic surgery, Mihara-sensei reveals where the true beauty lies, while serving up some of her most intriguing character design work to boot.

"Grave" (Doll, Vol. 4) Mihara-sensei gave life to the dolls, but in this story, she gives them death. "Grave" takes us to the SG Corporation's press room, where retired or illegally remodelled dolls are scrapped. A fascinating look at mortality, "Grave" is chilling...and life-affirming.

"Haunted House" (Haunted House) A very black comedy. "Haunted House" tells the story of Sabato, a hapless teenager whose attempts at romance are continually ruined by his outrageous family. Boasts detailed gothic art and plenty of dark humor.

"Home" (Doll, Vol. 6) An emotional story that serves as a denouement for the entire Doll series, "Home" is only fully appreciated when read after the stories that preceded it.

(In the center:)

Manga: Welcome to Otakon, Mihara-sensei! Is this your first time in the United States? Mitsukazu Mihara: Not only is it my first time in the United States, it's my first time traveling abroad. I'm having the best time!

Manga: What are you impressions of Otakon? Mitsukazu Mihara: I love it. All of these amazing cosplayers - I could sit and watch them all day long. This is something you just don't see in Japan!

Manga: In Japan, the vast majority of your fans are Gothic Lolita devotees. What attracted you to Gothic Lolita fashion? Mitsukazu Mihara: I just love the spirit of Gothic Lolita culture. When I first started drawing manga, Gothic Lolita was just taking off and I wanted to incorporate the trend. I think we've grown together. Actually, though, my first works were not Gothic Lolita - they were inspired more by punk.

Manga: Let's back up a bit. How did you begin your career as a manga-ka? Mitsukazu Mihara: When I was first starting off, I was very much inspired by the work of Yumi Tada (Yukikaze, Ludlow Garage, Sitting in the Balcony). I actually became her assistant. While working for her, I was scouted and asked to enter my work in an amateur manga competition and was very surprised when I learned that I won! I then went on to submit my work to Shodensha, who accepted it. I've been extremely lucky in my career.

Manga: Other than Yumi Tada, who are some of your influences? Mitsukazu Mihara: Kazuo Umezu (Orochi, Scary Books) and Junko Mizuno (Hansel & Gretel, Pure Trance). I also really love Tim Burton.

Manga: Really? He's an influence? Mitsukazu Mihara: Oh yes! He's my biggest. Edward Scissorhands is my favorite film of his. I find the way he balances dark themes with humor and heart to be inspiring. And I can't wait to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Corpse Bride!

Manga: What about the science fiction aspect in many of your books? Your stories in Doll and Beautiful People remind me of the work of Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury. Are you a fan? Mitsukazu Mihara: I'm a very big fan of science fiction. Blade Runner is one of my favorite movies. I'm also a fan of Asimov's robot books. In fact, the dolls in Doll actually follow the Three Laws of Robotics, even though it's never explicitly stated.

Manga: Let's talk about Doll for a moment. Aside from being a great piece of science fiction, there are a lot of social and psychological issues brought up by it. Did you intend for it to make so many statements? Mitsukazu Mihara: Yes, there were many issues I wanted to write about. Domestic violence, for one, remains a problem in Japan, and I felt Doll could be a good place to address it.

(Off to the left:)

Doll is fearless in its subject matter, tackling controversial issues such as spousal abuse, gender inequality, bulimia and sexual objectification.

(Center, continuing from previous page:)

Mitsukazu Mihara: However, it was never intended to be at the sacrifice of the story. Telling a good story comes first.

Manga: Your stories often cross into the fantastic or surreal, but the characters and their emotions always feel real and relatable. How do you pull this off? Mitsukazu Mihara: I take my inspiration from my own life and I only write about what I know. Now, I'll often take familiar things and exaggerate them for effect, but I have to stick to what I'm familiar with. For me to do it any other way would weaken the story.

Manga: How does Gothic Lolita fit into it? Mitsukazu Mihara: In Doll, Gothic Lolita fashion symbolizes eternal beauty. The perfect Ghotic Lolita never ages - she remains young. It's as if she's not human, but a machine - or a doll.

Manga: Do you have a favorite character in Doll? Mitsukazu Mihara: I like Ichiro, the Remodeler. Of all the characters, he's the most I like.

Manga: What has your experience been like working with an American entertainment company, as opposed to a Japanese company? Mitsukazu Mihara: It's actually easier to work with TOKYOPOP than with Japanese companies. Most publishers are not as concerned with quality, but TOKYOPOP pays extra attention to keeping the integrity of my work. I am extremely happy.

Manga: What are you working on now? Mitsukazu Mihara: I have a couple of projects I'm working on: Doku Hime and Shigeshoshi.

Manga: Do you have a message for your fans in America? Mitsukazu Mihara: Thank you for all your support! I'm so pleasantly surprised and grateful that the American fans "get it" despite all of the cultural differences! The fact that Gothic Lolita is so popular here in the States pleases me very much!

(End of interview and article)