#fairy tale fairy tales

[julnites]

Red riding hood comic collab with the wonderful @yeehawpim (go check out their blog for loads of great comics!) 🌷 See the layouts he did here!

#james art times #artists on tumblr #comics #comics!! very excited to do this and especially with pim who is just fantastic at what they do #fairy tales #little red riding hood #pim did the layouts and I rendered these and my goodness was it a good time #he also did the image descriptions so huge shout out for that as well #go check out her comics! you will not regret it

[thecollectibles]

Bluebeard by Marjolaine Roller

#art #digital art #Illustration #fairy tales #Marjolaine Roller

[star-ocean-peahen]

After watching Cinderella (the original animated movie, which was my favorite as a child), it strikes me how it solves many common problems people have with this fairy tale. Like:

Why did they try to identify the mystery girl using her shoe size? Because the bullheaded king's only clue to her identity was the shoe the Grand Duke picked up off the steps.

Why didn't the prince recognize her by her face? Because his father wouldn't involve him in the process at all, and wasn't the one going around trying to find her.

Why did the prince want to marry a lady he only met that night? Because his father was going to force him to marry someone, and he genuinely liked this woman.

Why did Cinderella want to marry a man she only met that night? Because marriage was her best and most secure way to freedom. Fucked up, but you can't say it's unrealistic for the setting of a fairy tale. She also genuinely liked him.

If they're using the slipper to find her, wouldn't it be more sensible to search for the person with the other slipper? Yes. The King is purposefully nonsensical and the Duke is purposefully terrified enough of him to carry out his orders to the letter. Furthermore, they end up doing that in the end anyway, because the Duke's glass slipper is shattered, and Cinderella brings out the one she has to prove her identity.

Why didn't the stepmother and stepsisters recognize Cinderella at the ball? Because they were dancing too far away, and then left the party to dance in private, which was possible because the King wanted very badly for his son to hit it off with someone and tried to arrange the best conditions for that to happen.

Why didn't Cinderella save herself? Because in real life, abuse victims should not have to shoulder that responsibility, and usually can't. In real life, you need and deserve an external support system. Asking for help, in this kind of situation, is very important. She is saved by others because she is loved. Because she is not alone. Because she has friends who love her, and want her to be happy and safe and free. Because in real life, people who want to help someone who is suffering are like the mice. We can't pull out miracle solutions, but we can provide companionship and if we're in the right place at the right time, we can help the person find a better life.

Why didn't the fairy godmother save Cinderella from her abusive household, or try to help her sooner? Because she's magic, and magic can't solve your problems. Quote: "Like all dreams, well, I'm afraid it can't last forever." This (and Cinderella's dream of going to the ball) is a metaphor for pleasurable things in bad circumstances. An ice cream won't get rid of your depression, but it will provide you with momentary happiness to bolster you, as well as the reminder that happiness in general is still possible for you. Cinderella doesn't want to go to the ball so she can get away from her stepmother and stepsisters, or so she can meet someone to marry and leave with. She wants to go to the ball to remind herself that she can still have things she wants. That her desires matter. This is important because the movie does a very good job of illustrating Lady Tremaine's subtle abuse tactics, all of which invisibly press the message that Cinderella doesn't matter. While going to the ball and fulfilling her dreams may not be a victory in the material sense, it is still a victory against Lady Tremaine's efforts.

Why is Cinderella's choice to be kind and obedient framed as a good thing, when you are not obligated to be kind to your abuser? This one walks a very fine line, but I think the movie still makes it make sense. Lady Tremaine never acknowledges her cruelty. She always frames her punishments of Cinderella as Cinderella's fault. Cinderella is interrupting, Cinderella is shirking her duties, Cinderella is playing vicious practical jokes. Cinderella is still a member of the family, of course she can go to the ball, provided she meet these impossible conditions. Lady Tremaine's tactics are designed to make Cinderella feel like she must always be in the wrong and her stepmother must always be in the right. If Cinderella calls her stepmother out on her cruelty, or attempts to fight back, Lady Tremaine can frame that as Cinderella being ungrateful, cruel, broken, evil, etc. If Cinderella responds to her stepmother's cruelty defiantly (in the way she's justified to), she's not taking control out of Lady Tremaine's hands. Disobedience can be spun back into her stepmother's control. She wants Cinderella to be angry and sad and show how much she's hurting. So since Cinderella is adapting to her situation, she chooses to be kind. Not only because she naturally wants to be and it's part of her personality, but because it is a form of defiance in its own way, and it allows her to keep a reminder of her agency and value. Her choice to be kind is her chance to keep her own narrative alive: she is not obeying because her stepmother wants her to and she has to do what her stepmother does, but because she wants to. It's a small distinction, but one that makes all the difference in terms of keeping her hope and identity. (Fuck, I wrote a whole paragraph about how this doesn't mean you can't be angry at people who hurt you or that you need to be kind to deserve help, and then deleted it by accident. Uh. Try again.) Expressing anger and pain is an important part of regaining autonomy and healing. Although it is commendable to be kind while you are suffering, it is NOT required for you to get help or be worthy of help. If Cinderella's recovery was explored beyond "happily ever after" she would need to let herself be angry and sad to heal. Cinderella is not only kind because it comes naturally to her, but because it's her defense against the abuse she's suffering. Everyone's story and experiences are different, and one does not invalidate the other.

Bonus round for answers that aren't part of the movie:

Why didn't Cinderella run away? Where would she go? Genuinely, in hundreds-of-years-ago France, where would she go if she snuck out of the window with a change of clothes? With her step-family, she's miserable and abused, but she's fed, clothed, and in no danger of dying or being taken advantage of by anyone other than her stepmother and stepsisters. Even if she escapes and manages to find financial security, her stepmother might be able to find her and get her back.

Why didn't Cinderella burn the house down with them inside it/slit their throats in the night/poison their food/etc.? Because that's a revenge fantasy, and this story is a fantasy about being saved. There's nothing wrong with making Cinderella into a revenge fantasy. That's perfectly fine, as long as you acknowledge that the other type of fantasy is also a valid interpretation. (I mean, the original fairy tale features the stepsisters getting their feet mutilated and all three of them getting their eyes pecked out, so go for it.)

Why isn't Cinderella more proactive in general? Because she's a child who has been abused for the back half of her life, who has had to be focused on survival because. you know. she's an abused kid.

How did she dance in glass slippers? Gotta agree with you there man, that's weird.

#cinderella #cinderella (1950) #fairy tales

[morning-star222]

#aesthetic #cottage aesthetic #cottagecore #fairycore #nature #naturecore #cottage witch #flowers #fairy aesthetic #fairy tail #fairies #fairy tales #garden #beautiful #green aesthetic #green #life #lifestyle

[thestuffedalligator]

For the past few months I’ve been working on a gothic/folk horror D&D campaign setting based on European fairy tales.

The heiress wereboar daughter of the Three Little Pigs is having an illicit affair with the nephew of the Frog Prince and I want to see how long it takes my party to realize that it’s just Miss Piggy and Kermit

#dnd #muppets #fairy tales

[strangelittlestories]

After shoving Hansel in the oven, the witch turns to Gretel - who is currently fending the witch off with a gingerbread chair - and says:

"I can't believe you thought a trail of breadcrumbs would save you. I mean, honestly, this is a forest! It's full of animals. Honestly, the very idea that a dumb shit like you thought you could get the better of me is absurd."

Gretel hits her in the face with said chair. To be fair to the witch, she takes the chairshot like a champ.

"Ow!"

"Did you know," says Gretel, "that crows are capable of facial recognition?"

"Eh?" Says the witch, clambering to her feet and pulling a candy cane sledgehammer off the wall. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Not only that," Gretel continues, "but they can remember both friends and enemies. And they'll often follow people they remember as friends."

The two fence with their sugared weapons for a moment, before the witch knocks the chair out of Gretel's hands.

"Enough with the bird facts! Honestly, this whole attempted escape has been utter clownshoes. Get in the fucking oven!"

She seizes Gretel by the collar. Gretel immediately sandbags, letting her whole body go limp. This eminently practical defense forces the witch to try and deadlift her. Which is hard, as the witch often skips leg day.

"For example," Gretel says, as the witch struggles and grunts, "if you feed crows a lot of breadcrumbs, they'll probably start to see you as a friend and follow you in the hope of more food."

The witch stops. Outside, she hears the thunder of wings.

"They'll even bring you shiny things they find as presents!" Says Gretel, as a corner of the gingerbread ceiling is suddenly cut away by a large crow with a knife in its mouth.

"Oh shitballs." Says the witch, as the crows descend. "I hope you know this is a great unkindness."

"Technically," Says Gretel, "It's a murder."

---

Thank you for reading. If you'd like to support my writing, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/strangelittlestories

#fairy tales #writing #PUNS #cool birds

[cottageaesthetic]

#cottagecore #cottage aesthetic #cottage #cottagestyle #nature #naturecore #forest cottage #white #fairycore #fairy vibes #fairy cottage #fairy tale #fairy aesthetic #magical #royalcore #royaltycore #princess

[locallibrarylover]

*by live theatre i mean plays, musicals, operas, ballets, concert versions of musicals, staged readings, & things of that nature. EDIT: YES this includes amateur, local, kids, high school, & community theatre. almost every show i've seen has been local

if you want, list the names of the shows you've seen in the tags!

#(if you saw this before no you didnt. i wanted to add more options) #anyways! very curious about how much live theatre people on here see. #personally i've 22 shows? those being: sleeping beauty (ballet). mary poppins. the lion king. the sound of music. once on this island. #little shop of horrors. mamma mia! chess. annie. music man jr. jesus christ superstar. joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat. #something rotten! sam's room. the blender. bad auditions by bad actors. the 10 worst breakups of all time. drugs are bad. fairy tale court. #peter and the starcatcher. a christmas carol. & robin hood! all of those have been local/community except lion king ^_^ #(yes i also redid this because i forgot about robin hood & sleeping beauty...) #musings

[the-evil-clergyman]

Among the flowers were lovely maidens calling to him with soft voices, from The Fairy of the Dawn for Andrew Lang's The Violet Fairy Book by Henry Justice Ford (1906)

#henry justice ford #art #illustration #golden age of illustration #1900s #1900s art #vintage art #vintage illustration #vintage #british art #british artist #books #book illustration #fairy tales #fairy tale #fairytale art #knight #maidens #classic art

[ancientsstudies]

And I hope you'll let me be in your story.

ig credit: nev.in.color.

#fairy tales #fairycore #fantasy #alternative #aesthetic #dark academia #dark academic aesthetic #dark aesthetic #aestheitcs #dark #art #light acadamia aesthetic #light academia #nature photography #natural #nature #nature aesthetic #nature art #nature academia

[dathen]

Know what absolutely kills me about Wyll is that his mantra is “it’s okay, the only person it’s hurting is me”

He’s forced into selling his soul to save the city: “I can’t regret it, it saved people and the only person it’s hurting is me”

Letting Karlach live knowing it will violate his contract: “The only person it will hurt is me”

Putting himself in danger endlessly so at least the powers he has will go to some use before he’s dragged to hell, knowing it risks him dying young and being trapped there early: “The only person it will hurt is me.”

I know for a fact that if he were given the power to make the decision re: selling his soul again to save his father in act 3, he would do exactly that. The only person it hurts is him, and over and over he’s marked himself an acceptable casualty in any situation.

#wyll ravengard #wyll #bg3 #bg3 spoilers #he has such a specific brand of self-loathing and self-destruction #that gets missed so easily bc it’s wrapped in fairy tales and said with a charming smile #it’s easier to see yourself as a heroic sacrifice than currency to spend on everyone but yourself

[thecollectibles]

Fairy tales by 冯伟 Feng Wei（c12）

#art #Illustration #drawing #fairy tales #冯伟 Feng Wei（c12）

[theshadowrealmitself]

Actually this has to be its own post, I hate how people treat the moral of the ugly duckling tale like it’s “don’t worry you’ll grow up to be beautiful”

no!!! It was never an ugly duckling because it was never a duck!!! It was a baby swan!!! A cygnet!!! It was never ugly to begin with!!! People only thought it was ugly because they were judging it by their own standards!!!! The moral is that you aren’t ugly, people just don’t see you as you are!!!!

#the ugly duckling #fairy tales #pet peeve sorry

[nemfrog]

Trees on the march. The magic forest. 1903.

Internet Archive

#fairy tale #tree #trees #anthropomorphic #header #fantasy #nemfrog #1903 #early 1900s #1k

[readingrobin]

Fairy tale nerds of Tumblr I need your help.

I've been trying to find a fairy tale for AGES, this has been almost a decades long quest. I first read it in a Highlights magazine around the mid 2000s, when the theme was "Fairy Tales from around the World." Now I don't know if this is actually an older fairy tale or just one that was made up for the magazine masquerading as a story from somewhere else. I've done my own research and have come up zilch.

So, this story was about a prince that was cursed to be a wolf until he was able to bite a bride the night of her wedding. Well, it just so happens that such a woman is riding through the forest with her new beau, a very uncouth man that calls her his "little chicken." Long story short, a pack of wolves waylay their carriage, the wolf prince bites the lady, becomes human again, and they fall in love and marry.

And what happened to her original husband?

Well naturally he gets turned into a chicken and they eat him at their wedding feast.

Classic.

if anyone knows the title of this fairy tale or where it may have originated, please let me know! I'd love to see if I can read it again.

#this has been bothering me for almost twenty years #fairy tale #fairy tales #stories #folklore

[thestuffedalligator]

Out of a moment of aching sadness and fury and manic impulsivity, a wizard turns a killer whale trapped in a theme park aquarium into a human so she can smuggle it out of the park and back into the wild.

#wizards #fairy tales #whales #orca #think free willy meets the little mermaid #10k #20k #30k #40k