[Ucanthandleme]

fable name: Dismal
prompt: (294 words)
Clack! The sound of an abacus chimed in the otherwise silent room. Clack! Another bead passed through callused hands and worn fingers. Clack! Another, then another, then another. The beads dashed between either side of their confines, faster and faster with each flick of a hand. Clack! The beads stopped. The man looked up bleary eyed, dark circles present under the glow of his golden eyes. He ruffled his hair that dripped from his shoulder onto the table beneath taking it in hand before tying it back with a piece of twine from the table. Documents scattered, ink dried, and old cups layed a shrew, telling of the mind who worked on its surface. The man leaned back in his seat giving a weary sigh, his fingers gently massaging his temples to ease the strain, it was already far into the night. However, the night was not over, work had to be done. He repositioned the candle on his bench before looking down at the manor's ledgers for the umpteenth time tonight. Pulling himself straight he looked over, gently tracing the abacus before him. Its wood was old and worn, the beads were smoothed from their constant use and the rows holding them were thin due to the constant sliding of the beads back and forth. He thought of what life would be without the abacus, all the extra hours that would be needed to do his work, the thought sent shivers down his spine, it was truly his most prized position, he looked at it with shining eyes. He truly was happy that he had threatened the lord with jumping down the old well if he wasn't given one. What great foresight, now he and his beloved abacus could share the load together.

[SilkenDragon]

fable name: Nymph
prompt: 119 words, cartography.
He initially picked up the skill to assist a friend, but his attention remained even after the original task concluded. Already fond of traveling, this worsened his wanderlust and he became an even bigger recluse than normal as a result. The majority of his time is spent on the move, studying the landscape with his own eyes. He values the maps he creates as records of the places he has been, and always searches for interesting details to note about each location he visits. Part of it is just because it’s something to do, another is a reminder to appreciate the world around him, and yet another is to bring the things he notices back to share with home.

[fleurs]

fable name: Umi
prompt: Cursed with a love for all things bright, Umi's number one obsession is looking straight at the sun. Due to living in one of the darkest regions of the world with limited sunlight, kelpies like Umi have very delicate eyesight. Only the most determined can withstand the harsh glare against their eyes for long periods of time. Every day since her arrival (what was it, over seven-hundred years ago?), Umi spent hours staring at the small piece of sun that could be seen past the gloomy clouds. Due to this activity, Umi is now cursed with its consequences. Frequent visits to the region's witchdoctor for consultations, mild blindness, being treated as an outsider, the constant need to continue to stare at the sun. Her eyes have changed from the dark gray they once had been and are now a bright orange, a direct result and constant reminder to the others of her obsession with light beyond the dark. (158 words)

[hookfang]

fable name: Charis
prompt:
Charis is obsessed with cherry blossom trees. Having grown up in the dark and gloomy swamps of the outer lands, Charis is throughly obsessed with the delicate beauty of the cherry blossom trees that blossom in the mountains during the spring. Every year she makes the multi-day journey to see them at their peak and every year she’s just as in awe of them as she was the first time she saw them. Part of her love for the cherry blossoms stems from the connections it’s allowed her to make with the other fables of the realm who also journey to see the sea of pink fluffy flowers every spring . Charis was a very lonely creature for a very long time before she first ventured out of the swamp and is grateful everyday for the friends she’s found thanks to her silly obsession with cherry blossom trees.

[EchoIre]

fable name: Echo
prompt:
Echo is obsessed with mortals, great and small. There's too many reasons to list them all, but that in an of itself is a reason: there's simply so much to mortals. They are not created for one purpose nor defined by one aspect of life. They are life, fleeting and fragile and fallible. Echo's muted heart burns to witness them, watch them live their short and spectacular lives. And she tries to remember them, too. Echo has no voice of her own to speak with, but she can carry the voices of others with her. So, she carries her favorite fragments of her favorite mortals. Ask Echo what she has seen in her many centuries of life, and she will take you on a vibrant journey: birdsong from birds long extinct, music from instruments from lands far away, hours upon hours of bard's tales, the laughter of children, the whinny of a horse that refuses to be broken, the drums of war and the clash of swords, the roar of some unknown beast, snippets of a siren's wail, and so much more. Echo has seen it all and refuses to let these flashes of life go unappreciated. Even if she is the single soul in the audience.

[leopia]

fable name: faust
prompt: the fable had spent many moons here and this much he'd come to know: the bog held many secrets — some it held closer than others. this one in particular he'd found while swimming in a sickly green pond one afternoon. or, perhaps morning; it was hard to tell where the sun sat in the sky when the willows and brambles grew so thick they blotted out most of the light. it was just a flash of silver that caught his eye, a scrap in the mud. faust had learned many things in that mire, and had pulled many small treasures from the muck, but none were so cherished as this; a small hand mirror. the intricate carvings had worn away with time, and the reflective glass was cracked and dirty... but even so, the murky waters could never show his face to him like this. he'd never seen his reflection so clearly before. what a beautiful fable he'd become... those brown eyes were depthless...

he simply couldn't

look

away

[BelieverInChrist]

fable name: Enoki
prompt:
Enoki, a woodsman and keeper of the temperate rainforest, is obsessed with finding truffles. Prized in Fable culture just as they are among humans, Fables with a knack for locating the rare mushrooms are well-esteemed and sought after for their skill. Enoki is one such individual, renowned for his capabilities in truffle-finding.

Some Fables use dogs to sniff them out, as we humans do, but there’s another way for those more in-tune with the natural world. Enoki is a disciple of this method: a kind of meditation in which he communes with mycelial networks in the forest floor to “sense” the fungi he’s looking for. When he digs the truffles up, he always leaves a few behind so the truffle cache can regenerate.
Learning to “speak the language” of mushrooms consumed enough of Enoki’s woodsman education to qualify as an obsession of its own, but that’s another story.

With public recognition, there are always risks; especially in such a lucrative business. Enoki does take a big dog or two with him when he goes out truffle hunting, but not because he needs help finding the goods…

[wc: 185]

[Zentropy]

fable name: Juutsu
prompt: Juutsu is obsessed with finding the meaning to life. Not just his, mind you, but of all life. Starting with the teeny tiny organisms that seemingly bumble about with no identifiable purpose to the higher intelligence of a Fable. It is challenging work, but one just needs an eye for the details to really make progress

[rabbit...]

fable name: Asphodel
prompt:

The surface of the lake is smooth. Ribbons of leaves billow as they frame the edges as cat tails emerge from its depths. Asphodel stares into the pool. Her reflection blinks back at her as she watches a bird glide overhead. At night, she can look at the surface and see the rich galaxies only a swim away. It is swimming in life. Bathing in beauty.

It is only a lake but it is her lake.

She drops rocks into it to watch the lake ripple and be still again. One rock. Two rocks. Three.

That truth slips one summer when staying out in the sun can make it hot enough to blister. Asphodel trods into the pond as does many others. She treads through the water and keeps pace with ducks as they make their foraging rounds. She spots new creatures too, humans who come in bright coloured shirts and loud chattering. It is annoying but she thinks they must see the charm of her lake.

---

Yes, they did see the charm but Asphodel didn’t realize the lengths they would go to bottle it. Swaths of people came shouting about plans and actions. They scared away the ducks. They cut back the trees. Worse of all, they disturbed the lake as they broke land to build.

Asphodel’s fury burned as she charged into their ramshackles. Anything in her sight was destroyed or pilfered.

She drops items into it to watch the lake ripple and be still again. Three briefcases. Two sets of keys. One human.

Asphodel fed it all to the lake.

There will only be peace if they leave so she has declared war.

[certified]

fable name: Umi
prompt: Cursed with a love for all things bright, Umi's number one obsession is looking straight at the sun. Due to living in one of the darkest regions of the world with limited sunlight, kelpies like Umi have very delicate eyesight. Only the most determined can withstand the harsh glare against their eyes for long periods of time. Every day since her arrival (what was it, over seven-hundred years ago?), Umi spent hours staring at the small piece of sun that could be seen past the gloomy clouds. Due to this activity, Umi is now cursed with its consequences. Frequent visits to the region's witchdoctor for consultations, mild blindness, being treated as an outsider, the constant need to continue to stare at the sun. Her eyes have changed from the dark gray they once had been and are now a bright orange, a direct result and constant reminder to the others of her obsession with light beyond the dark. (158 words)

congrats! I really liked this idea. 🧡 I always lowkey stared at the sun as a kid, and this is a neat take on that bad habit. Lol.

I also really liked pandora!’s obsession with a requiem, so a 🎟️ ticket is awarded to them!