#fairy tale tropes

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

Plot Armor in myths and fairy tales

In My Not-So-Humble Opinion, Plot Armor can be a lot of fun -- especially if you get to watch the plot build the armor, and get to see where the chinks are:

Orpheus is so overpowered as a singer, he can even charm the Lord of the Underworld into giving up his dead Beloved! (Unless he looks behind him too soon)

The Warrior Achilles is literally invulnerable, 'cause his mother dipped in the River Styx (except for that spot at the back of his ankle, where she held onto him, as a baby)

Aurora (Briar Rose) is blessed in everything she does, because of christening gifts from the fairies (except for the one fairy who was insulted, and gave her a curse, instead)

Baldr cannot be harmed, because his mother got an oath from everything in the world (except she didn't bother with mistletoe, because it was too small and innocent).

Etc.

As far as I can see, plot armor only gets annoying when the storyteller just decides to give to the hero, without taking the time to build it, first.

#storytelling #fairy tale tropes #plot armor

[loganslowdown4]

Fairy Tale Zodiac Outfit Easter Eggs!

(And so close to Easter! Lol)

Let me know if I missed any, these were the ones that popped out at me, I loved this sketch so much 😄💙

#ts stuff you missed #thomas sanders #sanders sides #zodiac signs #zodiac shorts #Easter eggs #matching outfits #Leo #Scorpio #Aries #Capricorn #fairy tale tropes

[howifeltabouthim]

She had often tried to imagine what secret could be so grim as to merit murdering one's wife for discovering it, but the answer was contained in the question. Question: What in this chamber is so frightful that I must die if I see it? Answer: Your own death, for asking the question.

Anna Biller, from Bluebeard's Castle

#bluebeard #the bloody chamber #murder #femicide #domestic abuse #curiosity killed the cat #the ugly truth #riddle #fairy tale tropes #quotes #lit #words #excerpts #quote #literature #anna biller #bluebeard's castle #punishment #asked and answered

[aromanticduck]

#polls #organic home grown content #fairy tales #fairy tale tropes

[pandorem]

Thinking about ancient Rules of Hospitality in worlds where vampires and other creatures that can only enter one’s home when invited in and may wish you harm… thinking about magical systems set in place specifically to protect the laws of hospitality, so people are safe inviting strangers into their homes. Thinking of magical worlds where the worst thing one can do is still to turn away a stranger in need and leave them out in the perilous darkness, or to take advantage of the hospitality of others. Thinking about an ancient inhuman creature still being bound to such rules, still saying “as long as you are in my home, you will be safe” or being able to invoke them, coming to mortals for asylum.

The world is a dangerous place, full of horrors. We cannot turn anyone out, even the horrors. Tonight we will all be safe, though. Hospitality is invoked, and we are all bound by it.

#fairy tale tropes #thoughts on stories #thoughts on magic systems

[laurasimonsdaughter]

I just noticed a recurring motif among these Sicilian fairy tales that is so incredibly well-suited for fanfic:

A princess sees a handsome young man (usually a prince in disguise) making eyes at her in the marketplace and begs her father the king to make him a royal servant, because he is so beautiful.

The king complies, because he's too fond of her to say no, and makes the hero a stable boy or gardener.

The princess now suddenly spends much more time out riding or requesting flowers, and then tells her father that the new servant is far too good for outside work and must become a servant in the castle.

The king complies, but soon enough the princess requests that the new manservant is made her personal page. By now the king is getting very nervous, but he still can't say no to his daughter.

The princess and the page manage to keep up the charade a little longer before the princess goes to the king and outright demands to let her marry her favourite.

The king gives the hero three "impossible tasks" that are meant to kill him, but naturally he accomplishes them all through trickery or supernatural intervention and the clandestine lovers get their way.

The pining, the flirting, the sneaking around, the devotion— do you see my vision?

#please make this a new AU #please #in the fairy tales this is usually a side plot to the main event #but a good ship could /make it the main event/ #laura tumbles #fairy tale AU #this is the happy version of this motif #there is also an not happy version but I like this one #fairy tales #fanfic #tropes #writing prompts

[off-brand-adorabbit]

Tress scratched the best itch for me, I’ve been craving a good fairy tale and it was just perfect. I kept slipping so hard into the fairy tale aspects that I kept getting caught by surprise whenever a cosmere thing stopped beating around the bush and revealed itself, actually. While I’m sure that wasn’t fully the intention, it was a really fun way to read some brandermansanderman coming fresh off of sunlit man and how intensely locked in I was with the Connections. Genuinely Tress is such a fun little romp. I love girls who sail in fucked up seas and this is a genre I want more of please thank you.

#it was so much fun I did have my suspicions about a few things because of fairy tale tropes but I didn’t get all of them! #I was taken by surprise by many things! #not...not the glowing woman being elantrian I did get that one especially with the floor map #I wonder if that changes actually #like does her cockship make aon-Connecting maps of the places she goes to so she can fuck around with locals? #what’s with space travel resulting in callus dicks manipulating the local planetary populations? #is this related to one of the many groups fucking about with the cosmere or is it just the nature of the people funding these excursions? #will zellion ever have sex? #all these questions and more to be added next year in bransandermanderson strikes again part five of ten alphabet assemble #I want to see the other seas now though ): the worlds are so cool that I’m never quite ready to say goodbye #I want to linger between the pages and sift the words between my fingers like sun-warmed sand #it feels too soon to say goodbye #cosmere #tress of the emerald sea #tress of the emerald sea spoilers

[thesinglesock]

shoutout to half-troll/changeling character arcs

gotta be one of my favorite genders

#trollhunters #hilda netflix #hilda the series #favorite fairy tale trope since childhood. VERY happy to see it appear in two whole netflix shows #as a former child with a healthy imagination who was convinced it was a changeling and longed to return to the mountain #love the representation :)

[francis-ford-kofola]

Matching gifs for you and your enemy/co-conspirator/lover

#šíleně smutná princezna #čumblr #ngl 'two evil advisors that have a gay thing going on' is my favourite czech fairy tale trope #(and yes they do have a gay thing going on na tomto kopci zemřu) #my gifs

[stackslip]

the difference between bleach and a lot of 90s/2000s shounen is that it had elements of truly excellent, subtle writing and compelling female characters who had interesting relationships between one another, which is what makes its downfall into the worlds most boring typical battle shounen that much more of a tragedy

#i dont expect good character writing or interesting deep female characrers from dragon ball or naruto or one piece or fairy tale etc #but like. bleach had these!!! i feel insane when i talk to people about it bc it feels wveryone forgot. #bleach in its early arcs had insanely fascinating worldbuilding and female characters who were interested and had complex relationships!!! #no other fucking 90s and 2000s shounen pulled off rukia crawling on the floor as she swears she'll save orihime!!! #it feels insane to me. kubo what the fuck happened!!! #soul society arc was like a careful purposeful deconstruction of so many shounen tropes it was so good!!! #bleach #eli talks

[lipglossanon]

A dozen roses sent to me I cut myself to watch me bleed

You tell me that I’m so pretty You hold my face and kiss my cheek

But what the fucks that mean to me When beauty only feels skin deep No I will never love myself Like I love you

-A Dozen Roses

#yes I’m still working on dogman!leon x puppy!reader #but this popped into my head and won’t let go 🫣 #inspired by real dad!leon anon #but it’s not just a royalty au #it’s a fairy tale au with king leon x princess reader #so dead dove content #all based on fairy tale tropes #and the dark strange kind #not the Disney kind #still debating on if I want it as a long one shot or multi chapters 🤔 #lipglossanon #moodboard #fairy tale moodboard

[batrachised]

the blue castle book club girlies will be delighted to know that this article makes the argument that Barney is a disney princess

#this article was excellent #it examined how the blue castle invokes fairy tale tropes and blew my mind open #specifically the trope of threes - valancy encounters a mirror three times in the book and I was like :O #apparently some of those nature passages were thinly veiled metaphors for barney and valancy's sex life lmao #but yes it was both barney and valancy are the princess and prince at different parts #blue castle book club

[howifeltabouthim]

That's the problem with wishes. They need to be specific.

Soman Chainani, from A Crystal of Time

#wishes #specific #be careful what you wish for #fairy tale tropes #caution #proceed with caution #quotes #lit #words #excerpts #quote #literature #soman chainani #a crystal of time #the school for good and evil

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

An always "Yes, please! More, please!" thing in stories

When fairy tale worlds have fairy tales that the characters tell each other, or remember from their childhoods.

Yes?

#storytelling #literary fairy tales #favorite tropes

[drinkingdeadpeopletea]

the little bit in the first neverafter where pinocchio pushes lord what’s-his-face on the sheets not being good enough and brennan justifies the 22 persuasion by saying that “he knows that in these types of stories you always give the magical creature whatever they ask for” is just delightful. that’s EXACTLY what i want to see from my genre-aware fairy tale worlds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#being aware of like 'true love's kiss' and the trope that you yourself fulfill is one thing #but the fairy tale logic where everyone might be a witch in disguise and every fucked up demanding little guy might be a fey? #YES bestie! YES! #and ALSO a great example of how to justify an excellent persuasion roll on a bad-to-mediocre argument #dimension 20 #neverafter spoilers #neverafter #hi everyone i'm once again trying to get back into d20.

[forcedhesitation]

the end of wyll's quest is....interesting. it was VERY cool. I thought having the archetypal fairy tale prince go "slay the dragon" was a fitting ending, I just feel like it was....a little underwhelming in some ways.

more under cut

first and foremost- I wish that it was not possible for your tav/durge to converse with ansur. I wish that it automatically selected wyll, because I simply do not think that this entire scene has as much impact if it is not wyll at the forefront of everything. which is why I also have to complain about the emperor here.

the reveal that he is balduran is.... well. I knew about this already, through accidental spoilers. Initially, I thought it was a stupid reveal. but reframing the reveal in the context of a fairy tale...well it makes perfect sense. it just FEELS a bit underwhelming and strange, because your player character is not wyll. this entire area feels like it was written with an avatar wyll in mind. and I wish that there were changes made to the companion wyll version of the game that made up for this. wyll is a character who is hugely tied to the main plot by virtue of being the duke's son. he spends the game searching for his father, while trying to deal with both mizora and the absolute. mizora is the one he sold his soul to to save the city before, the reason he was cast out. the absolute wants to destroy and steal his city. and ansur, a legendary dragon, might be his way of saving the city and getting his father's approval back. ansur had wanted to kill balduran because balduran had been infected with a mindflayer parasite, but had embraced his illithid nature rather than rejected it. I feel like there's some parallel that can be made to wyll there. in that he was othered, like balduran was, because he accepted mizora's help. ansur condemned balduran because ansur is a bronze dragon and therefore lawful good. wyll's father exiles wyll because wyll was "at best a fool, at worst a traitor," in his father's eyes and his father tolerated neither. wyll & balduran are both victims of the inflexible nature those of lawful good alignments have. they are both seen as monsters for what happened to their bodies. I wish that was emphasised a little more. like autoselecting wyll for the ansur dialogue & giving him dialogue with the emperor would have made this ending feel a little more complete, in my opinion. and it would have better demonstrated the point of having the emperor even be balduran. because that's such a fairy tale thing, the stuff of real legend! for the hero's mysterious guide to actually be some great old hero thought to be long dead. and I do think it works. it just doesn't feel as impactful if wyll is not your avatar.

I also wish this area was overall bigger & more developed. I know they redid wyll's character from EA. I know they had less time. I just. I wish that this area was as detailed as the sharran temple in act 2. it feels like SUCH a big deal, it feels like it should be bigger. especially since at lvl 12, you're just. unkillable.

but the dialogue afterwards, where he says he's in the mood for celebration and wants to make a celebratory dinner? SO CUTE!!! that man's joy is contagious!!! I could practically feel him holding back how much he just wanted to jump around with joy. and the sweet little "let's hope gale won't be too upset that I'm cooking for once and not him." I love you. you are too fucking sweet wyll. this fucking city does not deserve you. this playerbase does not deserve you. you are a true gem and I wish people saw you are just as beautiful and interesting as astarion and gale.

a cool possible scene they could add, to given wyll's questline more material IS that dinner he talks about. or preparation for it! something where he asks tav/durge to taste the food beforehand? or where your avatar can ask him about where he learned to cook, prompting him to talk about his time as the blade of frontiers? out in the sword coast on his own? this scene could easily be platonic or romantic, but be given extra options for a romantic relationship. but something like this could truly be added at an earlier point in the game too, it doesn't have to be tied to this particular moment.

but overall really cool area of the game. very cool bossfight. and a rather clever ending to wyll's quest, contrary to what his haters say. I love the commitment to the fairy tale theme. it just needs a bit more. maybe it feels more satisfying if you've romanced him. although I've heard his act 3 romance scene is currently bugged? his unromanced questline is slightly bugged (doesn't rob you of any material, though, it just replayed some dialogue for me). either way, I hope that gets fixed asap. I so badly need to experience this romanced version in my other campaign.

#bg3 #bg3 spoilers #thoughts about media #tldr opinion: it's conceptually an ingenious way of utilising the fairy tale prince trope but its execution is a bit clumsy. #beautiful character though. wow. people seriously do not give this man enough love and appreciation. #also I was expecting the emperor to be worse. people were shitting on him HARD for the reveal. and like. #man he was actually pretty justified in ultimately killing ansur. #ansur was going to kill him because he has that lawful good brain rot that says illithids cannot be anything but monsters. #which is the same argument made against wyll for being part devil. and against astarion for being undead. #the way this game tackles monstrosity and what truly constitutes a monster is very interesting. #and I think it's really cool the way they took ansur's “heroic lawful good” alignment and turned it into a form of evil. #and had wyll- a victim of that same kind of cruel inflexible sense of “justice” be ansur's second slayer. #oh and shart? jaheira said it better.