#there are fairy tales within fairy tales?

[lura-valentine]

Answer to my survey:

It's just a concept image, but with every stroke on my graphics tablet, a story was put together in my head. It's totally mental and has nothing to do with Shigaraki per se, but I feel the need to share this fantasy with you.

Maybe when you look at the picture you have a completely different backstory. Write your thoughts in the comments or reblog✏️ to share your ideas like I’m doing now.

I for one am curious to hear what others think, so please don't be shy and join in 🤗

!!ヽ(ﾟдﾟヽ)(ﾉﾟдﾟ)ﾉ!!

The legend of Shigaraki, the cursed daimyō

Setting: Feudal Period (Medieval Japan)

This era is characterized by wars between samurai clans, shōgun rule, and Japan's isolation from the rest of the world.

Why this setting? Most myths and legends have their origins in the Middle Ages, which is why I chose this one.

Story

As a baby, Shimura Tenko was nothing more than a shadow in a dying empire - a child of a daimyō (Provincial ruler) with no future, rescued from the flames of war. An allied daimyō took in Tenko and his sister when their father fell to the blade of an enemy daimyō. They grew up in silk and honor, in a family that considered them their own, since the ruler's wife could not bear offspring. Shortly after his arrival, Shimura Tenko was given the name Shigaraki Tomura, heir to a fair clan, a ruling family that watched over their province with a firm hand but a kind heart.

However, his seventeenth summer brought not the rush of young power, but the bitter breath of death. A famine spread across the land like a heavy, invisible curse - fields withered, wells dried up, livestock died. The old prayed, the weak died, and in the dark nights people told stories about the cause of this torment: a Gashadokuro (Japanese demon (yōkai)) - a skeleton made from the bones of the starving, driven by an insatiable hatred for the living.

Tomura went into the forests with his father and his most loyal warriors to drive away the monster. The fight lasted an eternity, and when the daimyō seemed to have defeated the beast, the yōkai struck one last time - his bony claws digging into Tomura's chest and his curse flowing like black ink into his blood. With the last of his strength, the monster breathed out words colder than death itself:

"Wretched people... your kind will suffer as I have and decay will be your downfall."

Tomura survived, but the yōkai's dark poison now pulsed in his veins. The priests of his clan bound his curse with sacred seals, forcing the poisonous force back into the depths of his heart, but the seal was no cure - just a lock on the door to damnation.

When news of the cursed heir reached the Tennō (The official, divine ruler), the emperor was overcome with holy anger. He, a pious ruler, could not tolerate the existence of such tainted blood and ordered the shōgun to remove the scum.

But the Shōgun (the de facto true ruler of Japan) was a pragmatist - he didn't waste a second on supernatural fairy tales. No honorable samurai should risk his life for a superstition. Instead, he bought the services of a horde of Kusa-Musha, outlaw mercenaries who wiped out villages and anointed their blades with blood for a sack of coins.

⚠️🔞 And so they came in the night like wolves waiting for the wind. They set fire to the palace, killed samurai as well as servants and raped the women of the house - Tomura's mother, his sister... No one was spared. 🔞⚠️

In the ruins of the burning ancestral hall, as the icy night sky shook with the screams of the dying and Tomura's father was murdered before his eyes, it happened - the pain, the despair, the burning, inextinguishable hatred broke the chains and the seal broke.

A storm of pure darkness erupted in a single wave of destruction. Tomura's body tore apart with the birth of a new being - no longer human, no longer a mortal creature, but a walking curse. Flesh and bone gave way and the yōkai within him screamed, "Free at last!”

He destroyed everything and spared nothing, neither the murderers of his family nor the few survivors who had called him “Lord” that morning. A massacre that no one would sing about.

When Shigaraki woke up, he was lying on cold stone. His palace was nothing more than a skeleton of charred wood and molten bronze. The halls where his father once ruled are now rubble and dust. The streets - or what was left of them - were covered in ash that settled in his lungs as if it was taking away the last of his humanity.

He glanced at his hands and for a moment he thought they weren't his. Too long, too sharp, too strange. His nails were black, his skin looked like it was made of parchment and was streaked with fine, dark lines.

"The Hand of Decay" he thought, but before the thought was fully formed, a strange, deep voice interrupted him:

"Not the hand of decay... the wings of decay."

The voice was like thunder rumbling in his head, as if the sky itself was speaking to him - it was the yōkai within him.

Shigaraki froze. A shiver ran down his spine, so strange and yet familiar, as if something inside him had been sleeping for centuries and had now opened his eyes. His breathing was heavy, his heart was racing - or maybe it didn't beat at all anymore, maybe it had long since become something else.

Then he felt something, a tingling sensation in his shoulders, a tugging deep in his back - wings.

With a sound somewhere between a gasp and an unnatural crunch, he spread her. Thin, ghostly wings, veined like coarse parchment, as if they had lasted centuries before finding their true form at this moment.

The wind tugged at them as if to carry them away, but they held firm, trembling as a strange heat spread through his veins, making him drunk and burning the truth into his core.

He was no longer human, no longer a daimyō, no longer an heir to any name. He was a beast, a yōkai - a dragon of destruction.

And from that day on his name became a curse. Whispered on dark nights, murmured in prayers for mercy, a shadow over the land that had betrayed him:

Shigaraki, the cursed daimyō - the dragon with the wings of decay.

Basic idea of ​​my kite design

Western Dragon

I deliberately chose a Western dragon design because the Japanese dragon (Ryū - 龍 or 竜) is different from them in many ways. They are often associated with water, storms and divine wisdom, rather than fire and destruction. Their symbolism ranges from protection and prosperity to chaos and divine punishment.

So why did I choose a Western design when a Japanese dragon can also represent chaos and divine punishment? The reason is that I know very little about Japanese culture and am only equipped with Wikipedia knowledge. I don't want to tarnish this or any other culture, so I chose a dragon design that is clearly associated with destruction, chaos and revenge.

Moth: Symbol of transience and death

Moths have a subtle but profound symbolism in Japanese culture. They are less well known than butterflies, but their meaning is often associated with transience, destruction and obsession.

In contrast to butterflies, which often represent rebirth and the soul, moths are seen more as a sign of decay.

Since moths often live in the dark and are attracted to light, they symbolize the longing for something unattainable.

There is a Japanese proverb: 「飛んで火に入る夏の虫」(Tonde hi ni iru natsu no mushi), which meant: "Like a summer insect flying into the fire." It describes someone who brings his own ruin - just like a moth that is drawn to the flame and burns up.

Some Japanese folk beliefs say that the soul of a deceased person can return as a moth to watch over the living or to deliver a message.

In some ancient tales, the moth is associated with Yōkai's and evil spirits that lurk in the dark.

Their “dust”, which remains on the skin when touched, was once considered “poison” or “curse”. It was believed that moths flying into the house at night heralded bad luck or an impending disaster.

My moral supporters

@doumadono | @alexandhisstuff | @unhinged-bratty-boy | @jake-lockley-vengeance | @taco-bee | @grossograsso

I mention accounts that my works 💜️ and 🔁. If someone no longer wishes to be mentioned, please write it.

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

a body more tolerable by jaye simpson

goodreads

a body more tolerable is a collection of powerful and haunting poems full of mythos, fairy tales, allusion, and magic. Divided into three parts, the book takes an intimate exploration of Indigenous grief, trans identity, and frustrated desires in ways that reject perception. Author jaye simpson conjures up dazzling multiverses throughout their mythic journey as they dance and run wild in their own manifestation of girlhood. In these visceral poems, teeth gleam, graze skin, or sink into flesh, becoming bloodied and exposing the animalistic hunger that lies within. Pulsating with yearning and possibility, a body more tolerable is a book that resists typical notions of physicality and sex to dream of a world more divine.

Mod opinion: I haven't read this poetry collection yet, but it sounds really interesting!

[majoresca]

Floating Palace, Part 2.

Mixed feelings about this scene:

This whole thing about "all women competing for men's attention" and seeing other women as competition is really boring and stereotypical. Even more so, when it comes to a couple like Roland and Miranda, since they both already had previous relationships, having lost their partners in equally tragic ways.

Then, they would know better than to be jealous of each other, as they would be more mature when it comes to trust and the feelings of others.

On the other hand, I confess that Miranda's expression of disapproval of Roland's silly face is a little funny.

Queen Emmaline is a mermaid, and they are known for enchanting humans with their songs and and beautiful appearance. Besides being a queen since birth, unlike Miranda who was a peasant shoemaker.

( Maybe this somehow made Miranda insecure?)

So it would be a case of Queen Emmaline having a somewhat unfair advantage, if Roland wasn't alredy in love with Miranda and they weren't married.

( Imagine how jealous she must have been of Birk at the time that he was alive, and they were still engaged. Since he was the captain of a ship, inaddition to months at sea, some "land women" would be as insistent as seagulls circling over fishing boats.)

And it turns out that Roland ended up being impressed by someone who slightly resembles his current wife, with curly brown hair and who has a strong feeling of love for her family.

[fictionadventurer]

The essay about the fairy tale influences on the Little House series goes into great detail about all the fairy tale elements of Little House in the Big Woods, and mentions how the series ends with Laura marrying her "Prince Charming", but I'm disappointed that it completely failed to mention:

Mr. Edwards is portrayed as almost a magical helper. His "wildcat from Tennessee" characterization draws from tall tale traditions like Davy Crockett--a distinctly American legendary figure come to help the frontier family. The fact that he's portrayed as literally meeting and collaborating with Santa Claus. The way he shows up several books later as a deus ex machina to help Pa get his homestead--almost like the fairy tale trope of the magical creature getting help from the hero early on and then coming back to help the hero.

The moment with the wolves on Silver Lake that's portrayed like a mystical encounter with some grand and tragic fairy king.

The moment in the fairy ring at the end of Silver Lake, and how these two moments create a fairy tale theme about the tension between the magical and the mundane as the prairie is settled.

Cap Garland having an almost magical sense of direction that helps him to reach the town and get help when the schoolteacher is leading the rest of the students the wrong way.

Almanzo and Cap going on a fairy tale quest to find the potentially-mythical supplies that could save the whole town.

[cogentranting]

Skeleton Crew also uses the world of Star Wars really well to its advanatge. You're not in a blank slate sci fi world. You're in Star Wars and they use that iconography and that history to integrate their themes. We know, as an audience, that there was this grand Republic, good but flawed, and it was destroyed. We know that there was horrible evil-- Order 66, the Empire. And we also know that the Empire ended and the New Republic was formed. And it uses that positioning. There was this great good that the kids believe in (the Republic and moreso the Jedi) but its gone now and the kids learn that and we see the effects of that shattering all around them, all the little evidences of when the world broke and all the people that were broken by it. There was a war and we see that aftermath. And then there's also this ongoing renewal and we know that before the kids too. Even to the extent that Wim never actually learns that the Jedi are coming back, but we know they're out there.

[tomoleary]

Jeannette Berkowitz “The Whole Island Trembled as from an Earthquake” Old Swedish Fairy Tales by Anna Wahlenberg (1925) Source

Jeannette Berkowitz “A Young Man Had Bought the Only Castle Within Miles” Old Swedish Fairy Tales by Anna Wahlenberg (1925) Source

[exsofa]

anniversary

[iphigeniacomplex]

the way storytelling functions in tabletop games strikes me as very rich ground for folklore tellings. the role of teller is already an active one, full of decisions; the same basic story can and will be told wildly differently depending on audience, cultural context, intent, personal outlook, et cetera. i am reminded of angela carter's recollection of her childhood experience with immersive telling: "my maternal grandmother used to say, 'lift up the latch and walk in,' when she told it to me when i was a child; and at the conclusion, when the wolf jumps on little red riding hood and gobbles her up, my grandmother used to pretend to eat me, which made me squeak and gibber with excited pleasure." translating that to the collaborative storytelling format of a role-playing game feels like a return to oral tradition in a lot of ways. life COULD be a dream!

[fuedalreesespieces]

99.5% of inuyasha's youkai dna has to be concentrated in his hair because how the fuck did it not get cut off at some point especially while he was carrying that huge ass sword

[imabiscuitinthousandworlds]

so i googled my current favourite play that i'm absolutely obsessed with and ended up on the english wikipedia site bc my browser is set to english and. it's so bad. the fucking plot overview leaves out basically everything that happens ever except for the end result. several key figures aren't even mentioned. "this guy dies for freedom" well, yes, but actually no, plus you're implying his sacrifice is actually worth it. that's not true. in some other section a dude is mentioned who claims this play is basically star wars. that someone familiar with the play but not star wars could look at a star wars poster and tell you which characters are narratively similar/equal to characters of the play. i am baffled. i have never, not once in my life, ever seen someone be so wrong. dude must have read an entirely different play. i'm tempted to dig up the english version and read it just to see how fucking wrong he is. he is *so* incredibly wrong. jesus fuck. how could you possibly say that

[bookshelf-in-progress]

Me: I have so many fairy tale retellings that I was already planning on working on. It'll be easy to just pick one and finish it before Valentine's Day.

My brain: That's cool!

My brain: But what if

My brain: and hear me out

My brain: What if you came up with an entirely new retelling?

Me:

Me:

Me: I'm listening.

[popsixsquishcicerolipschitz]

Once Within A Time from Oscilloscope Laboratories

Genres: Sci Fi + Fantasy

Duration: 51 minutes

Availability: Limited + Show

Celebrated director Godfrey Reggio (Koyaanisqatsi) returns after ten years with a new experimental film unlike any other from his already daring career: a bardic fairy tale about the end of the world and the beginning of a new one, tinged with apocalyptic comedy, rapturous cinematography, unforgettable vistas, and the innocence and hopes of a new generation. Featuring an electrifying score composed by Reggio’s longtime collaborator Philip Glass with additional vocals from Sussan Deyhim and co-directed by veteran editor and filmmaker Jon Kane, ONCE WITHIN A TIME is the indie revelation of the year.

[landwriter]

first lines/last fics x10

thank you for the tags, @serenailith and @virgo-dream! never gotten this one before!

Share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.

As a child, Duncan had been frightened of the dark. -from the upcoming Oaths chapter

Hob Gadling loves the way living language changes. -The Death of Translation

It’s just like love, but it's not. In the winter, falling ash can be mistaken for snow. -Just Like Love

Once upon a time, there was a boy born in the summer, whose destiny was winter. -Flower King

It was not, actually, love at first sight. -Emissary of the Night

The sound of waves lapping against the shore makes it seem like they’re saying hush hush hush, but you are hearing it wrong. -Black Shore

There are two things that Dream does only once a century. -Border Country

Hob stood alone inside a lovely limestone cathedral. -Saint Morpheus

It may surprise you to hear that many in my life think me unfeeling after my outburst, but I am certain you will wish they were right by the end of this letter. -Unsent Letter from Dream of the Endless to one Hob Gadling, circa June 1889 (not quite a fic but we're only at nine haha)

Hob tipped his face up to the sun and shut his eyes. He breathed in deep, and let the smoke from the burning heather sting the back of his throat. He was going to get piss drunk tonight. He’d earned it. -Oaths (the actual first lines lol, just to hit ten)

---

Tagging @mandolinearts @delta-pavonis @teejaystumbles @tj-dragonblade @hardly-an-escape @that-banhus @slythernim @dsudis @pellaaearien @wordsinhaled if you're down!

[miksweety]

“This is why whoever is not afraid of the devil can tear out his hair and win the entire world.”

Jacob Grimm

An album full of dark-folk tales is on its way to you.

Join me this Halloween 🎃 9pm LIVE on Instagram

[ofyorkshire]

anyway. kinda want an au where another muse notices bj is behaving oddly and pieces together (or is told, depending on how much bj trusts them) that he's planning to confront and likely kill his abusive guardian (which... they may or may not know about; again, depends on his relationship with them and how much trust he has in them to hold that information safely, without judgement... he has no reason to be ashamed, but is, you know?).

there's no right or wrong response to that, whether they'd help him, turn a blind eye, try to stop him, or somewhere in-between, but. i'm curious what their reaction would be. how do you react to a friend you loved and trusted planning a murder?

[sylvana-the-tsarina]

Rules: make a poll with five of your all time favourite characters and then tag five people to do the same. See which character is everyone's favourite.

lol thanks for the tag, @lemonduckisnowawake

favourite characters… hm… uh I don’t have a lot of these unless it’s genshin and then I have too many. but let’s give this a shot

ended up with a favourite from very varied media forms lol (book, manga/anime, canvas webtoon, k-drama, and video game respectively)

pretty much all the people I know have already been tagged so… I guess I can try be social? er, @thesunnahthebetter and @a-marble hi. would you like to do this?

also @self-righteous-idiot just in case you haven’t been tagged already

feel free to join in if this comes across your dash (and do tag me if you do)

and… that’s that, I suppose!