Type 923 Would Play Differently These Days, Huh

[paperback]

The
Fairy Tale Tale Type
Meme



Today, we ignore the thorny questions about the inherent colonialism of type classification and instead, we follow these steps...

Step One

Comment with your character, including preferences or your own starter if you'd like.

Step Two
Roll or choose a tale type:

1. Animal Brides, tales of ATU type 402
2. Beauty and the Beast, tales of ATU type 425c
3. Brothers Turned into Birds, tales of ATU type 451
4. Cinderella, tales of ATU type 510a
5. Fitcher's Bird, tales of ATU type 311
6. Fairy Gifts, tales of ATU type 503
7. Hansel and Gretel, tales of ATU type 327
8. Selkie Wife, tales of Christiansen type 4080
9. Rumplestiltskin, tales of ATU type 500
10. Open Sesame, tales of ATU type 676
11. Puss in Boots, tales of ATU type 545b
12. Rapunzel, tales of ATU type 310
13. The Robber Bridegroom, tales of ATU type 955
14. The Twelve Dancing Princesses, tales of ATU type 306
15. Pick Your Own, tales of getting lost in folktexts

Step Three

Play out a scenario based on the tale! AU your characters into the fairy tale, create your own modern retelling, have your characters put on a school play of the story, remember that folklore is inherently dynamic and transformative.

Comments

Nakajima Atsushi | Bungou to Alchemist | OTA

[tigerpoet]

[Particularly interested in Selkie Wife (tiger husband?)]

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ the girl that approaches him in the middle of his grocery shopping is unassuming, at least at first glance: short and delicate-looking, with glossy dark eyes that wouldn't be out of place on a rabbit, or a squirrel— something small and tasty.

but she's dressed like an adventurer, wearing beat-up leather armor and knives strapped to her hips, and the way she half-circles him is more like a predator than anything else. ]

What's a tiger doing in a marketplace, I wonder.

[ with how she's dressed, the question could be worrying— but her tone is politely curious, her voice is kept low enough for the comment not be overheard by anybody nearby, and the cheerful look she favors him with very carefully does not involve any bared teeth. ]

[tigerpoet]

[He does still stiffen a moment when she asks the question, before forcing himself to relax. Not a threat - not yet, at least.]

My husband sent me to buy dinner.

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ she blinks at him, once—more at his words than his reaction—and then makes a face. ]

Oof. I hope you're more used to crowds than I am. ...And haggling.

[tigerpoet]

It certainly was difficult to adjust to at first...

[Tigers don't haggle. They either get their food or they don't.]

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ nodding!!! mournfully: ]

I was raised human, and I still have to cheat if I don't want to be cheated.

[ granted, that's mostly because she's lost her previous advantages— namely a foot of height and the palpable aura of a seriously bad temper. but still! ]

[tigerpoet]

Ripping someone off is perfectly fine, but ripping their face off in return gets you ostracized. I don't understand humans at all sometimes.

[He's a very nice tiger, but he's still a tiger.]

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ she hums, thoughtful. ]

It's so they don't all kill each other, mostly. They're weak enough that if they didn't frown on drawing blood over anything but the worst offenses there wouldn't be enough of them left to protect themselves.

[tigerpoet]

That does make sense...

[Still, it's not how he'd prefer to do things.]

Life among tigers was much simpler.

[ghostfromthemachine]

I think most lives would be, in comparison... Still, there are some things worth the complications, aren't there?

[tigerpoet]

That's true. I do love their books.

[there is no au in which atsushi is not a nerd.]

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ lighting up. s a m e ]

Right? Some of their music is good, too. And the food.

[tigerpoet]

Oh, the spices they use are wonderful. I hadn't had anything like it before this.

[Raw meat just doesn't compare.]

[ghostfromthemachine]

Spices, sugar, or— you know, I still mostly prefer meat rare, but there's really something to be said for the way the skin gets all crispy when it's cooked right.

[ pausing ]

I may have just made myself hungry.

[tigerpoet]

Oh, I'm sorry. [At least they're in a marketplace with food available?]

[ghostfromthemachine]

It's fine, it's my own fault. I could have chosen something else to wax rhapsodic about, and it's not like it isn't easily solved at the moment, anyway.

[ she's already patting herself down for her wallet. ]

I can just buy myself something and catch up—

Or. um. Not, if I'm being a bother. In which case I'll apologize for getting overexcited before I leave you to your shopping.

[ probably not, considering the face-ripping comment, but even if he hasn't snapped at her they are in the middle of the market. he could just be playing by human rules for the moment. ]

[tigerpoet]

Oh, no, not at all! It's nice to talk to someone who understands.

[Humans-are-weird solidarity.]

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ humans-are-weird solidarity!!! ]

That may have been why I fell all over myself to come say hello. I'll be right back, then.

[ off she goes. time to play the "will this particular vendor need the cute girl act or the I-know-how-to-use-these-knives act in order to give me a fair price" game.

not much later, she comes back with several meat skewers, one of which she offers to him. she's already gnawing on another. ]

[tigerpoet]

Oh, thank you.

[He accepts the skewer and promptly chomps down. Table manners, what are those.]

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ completely unnecessary, that's what. ]

You're welcome.

[ ...mostly unnecessary. she did stop eating long enough not to reply with her mouth full. ]

[tigerpoet]

[Amazing. Very impressive.

That skewer doesn't last very long.]

My name is Atsushi. It's nice to meet you.

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ it would have been a waste to accidentally spit anything out. ]

Likewise~. I'm Kaiko. I'm probably going to be staying in this territory for at least a little while, so you might be seeing a lot of me.

[tigerpoet]

I look forward to it. -I don't know many human settlements, but this place isn't bad.

[ghostfromthemachine]

It's nice enough, from what I've seen. Though— do you know if there are any lakes nearby? Big ones, preferably.

[tigerpoet]

I haven't seen any, but there's a river not far into the jungle...? Will that do?

[It's freshwater, so hopefully...]