#fableforge talks

[fableforger]

Same as the Aphrodite simp, but with Ares. Let me have a romance with a war god😔

Oh Anon, I get it. I really do. The Ares love is so valid. And while I can’t say much, I can promise this: The story doesn’t really work without him. So one way or another - he’ll always have a part to play. 😌

[jasper-pagan-witch]

Three Kings Divination Spread

After rounds of testing and refining, I present to you, the completed Three Kings Divination Spread! This is a spread used for getting advice (which, in my opinion, all good tarot spreads should do to varying degrees).

Feel free to use this for yourself or for free readings, but do not use it for paid readings and do not claim that you invented this particular spread. I went through a lot of trouble to figure this whole thing out and troubleshoot it over on @jasper-tarot-reader. Other than that, I don't care what you do with it. Print it out, eat it, shit on it, I don't care.

Finally, if you independently decide to invent your own Three Kings-inspired tarot thing, great! More of us should be poking at Creepypastas for inspiration, and there are a shitload of other ways to approach this ritual-story and turn it into a spread, some of which I worked on before I narrowed down to this. Get silly with it.

The Story

The Three Kings Ritual was originally posted on Reddit's r/NoSleep under the title "Please don't actually try this." by FableForge. This is a ritual creepypasta focused on helping you tap into (but not travel to) a place that the OP calls the Shadowside in order to ask questions and have them answered, sometimes with more questions.

It's a very short Creepypasta and it's worth reading in full to understand this spread in its entirety. You need the context of the source for the reading to help it make sense, even moreso than the average pop culture tarot spread.

We are not going through all that trouble to tap fully into the Shadowside. Instead, we are using the general theory of this ritual-story as a framing device for a standard advice-seeking reading, potentially tapping into other entities (pop culture or not) for their perspectives.

The Setup

There are several things you need in order to get started:

three tarot decks

a strong appreciation for and decent understanding of the elements that line up with the tarot suits

a large surface to do the readings on, ideally with you sitting facing the north (or north-ish) so you have plenty of room for cards

something to prop up the Kings/Queen and Fool so that they can "see" both you and the other card

Ideally, you will want to use two decks with incredibly established "characters" for the Court cards, and one deck with unestablished "characters" for the Court cards for the querent.

You will then sit roughly as seen below:

The red cards are your significators, which we will talk about more in the next section, while the white cards with the black details are the actual ones you draw for the reading. I usually cap it at two cards each. You will be sitting facing the north (as is seen in the original Creepypasta) at a table or desk with plenty of space for the cards and reading to spread out.

This spread is broken up into two categories: In Court and Out Of Court. It is entirely up to you about whether or not your question is for within your Court or from outside of it. Regardless of the version, you choose the Court whose element you are most connected to.

In Court readings are typically best for questions in which you are the primary decision-maker but would like advice. This version has you as the King (represented by the King/Queen card) and grants you the Queen (represented by the other Queen/King of the same suit) and the Fool (represented by the Knight/Page of the same suit).

Out Of Court readings are typically best for questions in which you are on equal decision-making footing with others (typically spirit guides or deities) or you need advice from someone who is an equal. This version has you as a King (represented by the King/Queen) and involves picking two equivalent Kings (if you use a King card yourself, use two more Kings; if you use a Queen card, use two more Queens) from other suits.

If your tarot deck has renamed the Court members, choose from the "top two". For example, in the Transient Light Tarot, I would choose from the Crown (King) or Keeper (Queen) instead of the Champion (Knight) or Apprentice (Page).

(Since my practice with the four elements involves them having an allied element, an enemy element, and a neutral element, I typically pick the allied and neutral elements to the querent's element.)

This is why you need three decks - the Querent deck, the Queen/King deck, and the Fool/King deck - to represent their respective advice. Fandom decks for pieces of media you enjoy can actually be useful for this even if they otherwise suck as divination tools, since you already know the characters quite well.

I tend to work clockwise - the querent in the middle, the Queen/one of the Kings at the northwest/11 o'clock position, and the Fool/the other King at the northeast/1 o'clock position. But I've also accidentally reversed it a few times and it still came out fine as long as the cards were in their right spots.

The Reading

This is the most standard part of this reading. You are going to refer to yourself as King [Querent Name] or Queen [Querent Name] and use the formal titles of your Queen and Fool/other two Kings (if they have them) while asking your question. You will also have to repeat your query and any background information three times.

Do not belittle yourself in the reading - you are the querent, you are the one with the most agency in this reading, you are a King getting advice from your Court or speaking to Kings of other Courts, and there is nothing to fear. You are merely getting advice from beings that you respect the opinions, thoughts, and advice of.

When drawing cards for the reading, keep it balanced. Don't draw one card for yourself, three for the Queen, and two for the Fool. Everyone gets equal say in this spread.

Don't be surprised if the "advice to yourself" portion (the Querent part) just reiterates the problem. This is helpful too, because it gives you a good look at the situation in the context of the rest of the cards. You are both reading the cards separately (as advice from the different Court members) and together (as one giant clusterfuck reading, just separated into understandable chunks).

Finally, expect this to knock you on your ass if you pour energy into your readings. Three decks and an average of six cards plus searching for the three Court cards beforehand for the reading and, if you're me, tapping into the pop culture entities involved (even accidentally but I keep doing it) will wipe you the fuck out. At the risk of using a metaphor, you are not examining already-identified patches in your tomato garden, you are getting lost in the woods and fighting a coyote with nothing but a plastic water bottle and a stick you found on the ground. And sometimes that's what you need in life to get some good advice.

[untold-depths-blog]

                                           Three Kings Ritual

Urban legends and ghost stories have been around for ages. We all grew up hearing them around campfires, at sleepovers, and before bed, told in hushed whispers by older siblings attempting to induce hellish nightmares. But, I have always found the most frightening of those stories to be the ones involving rituals. I’m sure just about everyone has heard of Bloody Mary or more recently, the Charlie, Charlie Challenge. And though those two can be plenty spooky, there is another that is far more...unsettling. I give you, the Three Kings Ritual.

                                                    Summary

Because, like most rituals, there is a lengthy step by step process outlining the dos and dont’s, I will link you to a fantastic site called the Ghost in my Machine, the author, Lucia Peters, has a wonderfully well-written article about the ritual and what it consists of. Now, I will give you a brief summary of the ritual’s origin, and what the expected outcomes can be, both good, and bad. 

As far as I can tell, this ritual originated on the Nosleep subreddit of Reddit, about 6 years ago by the user, FableForge. Their post was titled, Please don’t actually try this. (I wholly recommend that you take their advice) According to FableForge, in following the steps that they have laid out, you will be able to get a glimpse into what they have dubbed, the “Shadowside”. There is no explicit explanation of what the Shadowside is, but my best guess is that it is another interpretation of the spirit world, or something similar. Now, If all of the steps are followed correctly, you will be joined by a presence, possibly two. And this is where the positive outcomes come in, once you feel the presence(s), you will be allowed to ask any questions that you have. According to FableForge, you may not get straight answers, instead, you’ll only be met with new questions. Now that we have gotten the positive out of the way, let’s talk about the possible negative consequences. So, from what I could gather after looking over the accounts of various people that went through with the ritual, both successfully and unsuccessfully, there were no experiences more severe than what some would consider a very realistic nightmare or a bad trip. And I believe that has to do with the fact that, while this ritual does appear to deal with the paranormal; it actually has more to do with psychology. FableForge themselves actually believes that the queen and the fool are a figment of your subconscious given form due to the state of mind you are put into by going through the steps of the ritual, but also due to the setup of the room in which you are performing the main act, with the 2 mirrors, and only a candle to light your way. The best way to describe it is to imagine a monk meditating, once reaching a certain trance-like state, it can be possible to look into yourself and confront the separate parts of your psyche, those being, the id, ego, and superego. And that is why there is no real physical harm done because you are confronting the deepest parts of your mind. However, that does not mean you can’t still be scarred. If you go into this ritual with a negative mindset, it will manifest. 

And that my friends, has been the Three Kings Ritual. I hope you’ve been able to learn something new. And I must once again warn you, try this at your own peril. But, f you must attempt this ritual, follow FableForge’s rules to the letter, because if not, as they are so fond of saying, “you’re going to have a bad time.” 

                                                      Sources

FableForge’s: The Three Kings Ritual

the Ghost in my Machine: The Three Kings Ritual 

Bloody Mary

Charlie, Charlie Challenge

[thetoxicgamer]

Skyrim mod adds a talking sword you can ride in a DLC-sized quest

The steady stream of Skyrim mods is likely to keep us all occupied as we all wait for the Elder Scrolls 6 release date, and I've uncovered a new and extensive in-lore quest mod that should give you that Bethesda RPG game vibe you've been pining for. This new Skyrim content features voice acting, numerous new quests, and a talking weapon that floats in midair, so it essentially offers everything for everyone. The Skyrim mod in question is “There is No Umbra – Chapter 3” by FableForge – and, before you worry about having to download too many mods to get this working, the first two chapters are included by default. While the Umbra sword has been added via the creation club, this is a lot bigger, adding a “DLC-sized questline” with around 5,000 new voice lines, multiple endings, new locations, mechanics, and a floating sword that you can throw and ride, with mind control and teleportation thrown in for good measure. “The story is focused entirely on Daumbra: the newest incarnation of the cursed sword Umbra,” FableForge writes. “She can be your follower, but she can also be your weapon, and comes with several mechanics which I think are somewhat novel such as riding on her like a hoverboard, or throwing her like a javelin (and then she fights the baddies at the spot where she lands), mind control, teleportation, telekinetically using the enemies’ own weapons against them, and so on.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpeVe-gcpnU You’ll unlock these mechanics and abilities as you progress through the quests in the Skyrim mod, and it’s recommended that you don’t rush through all 11 quests, instead letting it breathe, because some elements are missable if you don’t let it organically unfold as you play through your normal Skyrim save. There are also multiple endings that rely on moral choices, seemingly in the vein of the end of Fallout New Vegas. So there may not be a black-and-white answer, and personally, that’s what makes open-world games like the one under Bethesda’s belt interesting when done well. I don’t want to give much more away, to be honest, so you’d be best downloading the Skyrim mod for yourself and avoiding too many descriptors, instead just checking what other mods you need to be installed and what else is recommended. You can get your hands on plenty of games like Skyrim if the mods aren’t enough for you these days, and our breakdown of the best dragon games, or games with dragons, is definitely going to scratch the Skyrim itch. Read the full article

[fableforger]

Dear Anon

I just got a handful of Asks from an Anon pointing out a few bugs and inconsistencies in the game - so I thought I’d answer them all together here, in case you're reading this, dear Anon:

First of all: thank you so much for your sharp eye. And wow... yeah. Some of those? I definitely must’ve been half-asleep while writing them 😅 But seriously: I really appreciate it. I’ll make sure to patch those up in the next update - and your notes don’t just help me, they help make the experience better for everyone playing. So thank you.

I also received a separate Ask that said:

“What kind of feedback are you looking for?” (I’m guessing it was from the same Anon - if not, sorry for the mix-up!)

That question honestly sent a chill down my spine for a second - like uh-oh... what did I miss?? 😂 But to answer properly:

I'm open to any kind of feedback - as long as it’s respectful and constructive. If there’s a character you didn’t connect with? I’d love to hear why. If you spot inconsistencies? Please tell me. (Sometimes inspiration hits mid-commute or in strange places - and yes, that can lead to missed connections.) If something's off with pronouns or phrasing - that too. (Let’s be real: pronouns are currently my biggest weakness. 😅)

All I ask is that feedback is kind and thoughtful - because we all know harsh words do land, even if we try not to let them.

That said: so far I’ve been really lucky. And honestly, after seeing what some fellow IF creators have gone through lately, I just want to say: I really don’t take your kindness for granted. It means a lot. Thank you.

P.S.: To any IF creators who’ve been targeted by hurtful Anons lately - I hope you don’t carry those words too deeply. And I hope, truly, that one day the joy that brought you to this space in the first place finds its way back to you. 💛

[fableforger]

aaaaa the heights of the ros, especially drakon that’s crazy! drakon has been my favorite so far but after reading all the bios they’re all rly interesting. that being said, i imagine my mc to be like 5’6, a feisty little short king, and after seeing the height differences (14 inches with drakon 🥹) id love to know what the ros think of an mc who’s a lot shorter, to the point where they’re like a whole head taller? who finds it cute and who loves to tease considering they’re a god lol

Thank you for the ask 💛 haha (between us - I’d absolutely play at least one MC exactly like that 🤭).

So let’s see how the ROs handle it:

Drakon

Thinks it’s hot. Genuinely. Loves towering over you - and being the one you always have to look up to.

Will 100% pick you up without asking.

---

Alexos / Alexa

Finds it adorable - but would never say that out loud.

Just quietly adjusts things so you don’t have to reach.

---

Rhaelos / Rhaela

Doesn’t comment. Doesn’t tease.

But will subtly shift so you’re always in reach - not because you need protection, but because it feels right to have you that close.

---

Zephiron / Zephyra

Laughs the moment they realize how far they have to look down to meet your eyes.

"You’re lucky I like compact things."

(But they'll crouch when it counts.)

---

Dorian / Dione

Immediately makes it a running joke. "I’m dating a divine pocket edition."

But secretly? Thinks it’s stupidly charming - and has a real problem when you look up at them looking so goddamn cute.

---

Theron / Thera

Smiles softly. Doesn’t tease. Just accepts it with quiet fondness.

Will instinctively offer a hand or kneel beside you in conversation - not out of pity, just the wish to be as close as possible.

---

???

Thinks it’s the cutest thing ever. But no teasing - never.

They just love everything about you.

(Though to be fair, being a whole head smaller than her might be difficult… since she’s on the smaller side herself.)

[fableforger]

I know it's just the very beginning, and I know more is coming, and I don't say this as a critique (it's more just a sad fact of playing unfinished stories)

but! I am most looking forward to seeing the cast of rebels make a mistake. To fail. To not have it all in a little bundle of control and have all the right answers and be able to keep two gods (magically chained yes) captured to a point the senior one just gave up trying to leave.

Part of it might be the limited POV, or it's just the beginning like I said. The plot doesn't plot well if there isn't conflict. So, again, please don't take it as a critique of the beginning. I just couldn't help but be annoyed for the MC in just how everybody (including the other gods) is just shoving them around and there is just nothing to be done about any of it. Also gonna maybe need to stab a general in the chest. idk, thoughts on that are brewing, will see what comes of it. All that said, I'm excited to see where the story goes and I'm eager to see more of the characters. Part of needing to see them squirm and struggle is just the joy of getting more of their character and the growth (or not) from that.

Ohhh I promise - I didn’t take this as critique! And even if it were: that would be absolutely okay. You’re allowed to feel what you feel, and I’m always grateful when someone takes the time to reflect this thoughtfully.

That said: yes. You’re not alone in feeling that tension. I know it’s frustrating to see the MC - a literal god(dess) - end up in chains, surrounded by mortals, and seemingly just... enduring it. And I also know that, without the full context, it can feel like the world is just shoving them around while they politely seethe.

But here’s the thing (without spoiling too much): A lot of the rebellion’s confidence - the control, the calm, the “yes we know what we’re doing” energy - is skin-deep. There are cracks forming. And I’m very much looking forward to making them squirm. (Lovingly.)

Truth is: I almost regret posting the demo after Chapter 3. In hindsight, maybe I should’ve waited until after Chapter 4/5 - because that’s when things start to unravel. And when some of that “why the hell are we still here” energy will (hopefully) begin to shift.

So: your MC is not doomed to remain a passive, leashed lapdog of the rebellion.

Also: stabbing a general? Not off the table. We’ll see how the dice roll. 😌

Thank you again for being here, for reading, and for caring enough to want these characters to crack a little. (They will.) 💛

[fableforger]

Can I romance Hermes 🥀

You can’t really romance Hermes... But you can certainly try. 😌

[fableforger]

omg you answered my height ask perfectly, is there gonna be certain flavour text about a small/tall mc? i’m absolutely obsessed with drakon teasing my small mc, that makes me so giggly lmao and i’m sure he’d be relentless with the teasing

Ahhh I’m so glad I delivered on that one! 😄 And yes - there will be flavour text based on MC’s height every now and then, and you’ll be able to choose how tall (or small) they are.

And honestly? I also love me some teasing Drakon. So I can't wait to write that either.

[fableforger]

Do you have pictures or sketches of the clothing choices? I’m not sure if this has been asked yet

Ahh, I wish! Sadly, I don’t have any sketches or visual references for the clothing options - or the ROs in general, for that matter.

I can’t draw at all (like, truly not even a little), and I don’t currently have any artist friends who could help me out either. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot, though! I’d love to one day commission some visuals - maybe for the ROs, maybe even for key moments or outfits - but right now I’m still figuring out where to start and how to approach that kind of thing.

So if anyone reading this does know an artist who might be open to commissions in this style... please feel free to send recommendations my way. I’d be incredibly grateful!

Until then, all I have is text, mood, and the hope that your imagination fills in the rest. 💛