#folklore characters

1. Lawful Good – King Arthur Vows, swords, honor, "we must be better" energy. Is it tragic? Absolutely. Is it noble? You bet your chainmail it is.

2. Neutral Good – Baba Yaga’s Helpful Side Will absolutely save you if you’re lost, cursed, or desperate... ...but might also roast you alive if you forget your manners. Fair's fair.

3. Chaotic Good – Robin Hood Crime, but make it morally righteous. Steals from the rich, gives to the poor, looks devastatingly good doing it. Arrest him if you can, Sheriff.

4. Lawful Neutral – Anubis Doesn’t care if you were good or bad — He’s weighing your soul against a feather, and you’re either in or you’re out. Cosmic bouncer energy.

5. True Neutral – Selkies "Not my circus, not my kelp forest." They just want their seal coats back and to go home. Your human drama is so not their problem.

6. Chaotic Neutral – Puck (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream) Does things solely because they are funny. You might fall in love with a donkey. You might wake up glittering and cursed. Either way: lol, sucks to be you.

7. Lawful Evil – The Erlking Has rules. Will still murder your child via "aggressive recruiting" for his spooky fae army. It's just business.

8. Neutral Evil – Baba Yaga’s Murderous Side No loyalty, no agenda, just pure vibes and chicken-leg-house-level threat energy. Will eat you for fun. Will also eat you for profit. Efficient.

Antillean Folklore: La Diablesse

“And in her walk there is also a serpentine elegance, a sinuous charm: the shoulders do not swing; the cambered torso seems immobile. Mostly she haunts the mountain roads, winding from plantation to plantation, from hamlet to hamlet. Oh! yes, yes, yes! More than any living being he loves her! How much? Ever so much."

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my tears ricochet

“you wear the same jewels that i gave you/as you bury me”

shares this song with betty, talking about how badly james hurt them, and specifically james leaving august to go back to betty

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mirrorball

“spinning on my highest heels, love/shining just for you”

genuinely loved james and would do anything for him, even though it’s in secret

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august

“august slipped away into a moment in time/‘cause it was never mine”

knew her love for james was wrong and shouldn’t have happened, but glad they had the time they did

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illicit affairs

“make sure nobody sees you leave”

determined to keep her affair with james a secret, no matter how much it hurts

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mad woman

“it’s obvious that wanting me dead has really brought you two together”

james and betty briefly get back together and blame august for the affair (although i can see this song being from james pov too)

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Because when a beautiful, slightly menacing creature invites you to a “gathering under the silver boughs,” your first mistake was saying yes.

1. DO NOT EAT ANYTHING. That glittering fruit platter? Hexed. Those shimmering cupcakes? Cursed. That suspiciously normal-looking cheese plate? Especially cursed. Rule: If you put literally anything in your mouth, congratulations, you're either bound to a seven-century servitude or you're becoming someone's ironic pet. Hope you like the name Snuffles.

2. Compliment, but Don’t Commit. "Your gown is lovely" = safe. "Your gown is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and I'd die for it" = uh oh. Contract signed. Blood pact sealed. You’re about to be the gown’s emotional support human for eternity. Rule: Compliment like you’re dodging a landmine. Sincerely, lightly, with zero promises.

3. Don’t Dance (Unless You’re Ready to Die in Style). They’ll play the music. You’ll think, "Oh, a little jig won’t hurt." Spoiler alert: It will. That "casual" dance floor is a portal to a realm where you’ll twirl forever until your bones turn to mist. Rule: If you must dance, fake a sprained ankle immediately. Bonus points if you cry dramatically. Fae love messy drama.

4. Watch Your Name Like It’s a Precious Gem. Names are power. Give a fake one. A nickname. A curse word, if you’re feeling bold. If you hand out your real name, you’re basically handing them your soul wrapped in a bow. Rule: Tonight, you are “Pickle.” No exceptions.

5. Gifts Are Traps. Did a dainty, ethereal creature just hand you a rose made of starlight? Drop it like it’s radioactive. Accepting a gift = accepting a debt. And debts in faerie parties are settled with your dignity, your bloodline, or your Netflix password for all eternity. Rule: Carry a small trinket to “gift back” immediately — a safety pin, a rock, your leftover Starbucks receipt . Whatever it takes.

6. Always Have an Escape Plan. Ideally involving:

Salt circles,

Iron jewelry,

A very fast horse,

A suspiciously cranky friend who owes you a favor,

Or, you know, pure chaotic luck.

Rule: Leave before midnight. Or risk becoming the next floral centerpiece.

Moral of the Story: Will the party be stunning? Yes. Will it be the most intoxicating, beautiful night of your life? Absolutely. Will you wake up the next day covered in moss, wearing a crown of thorns, and contractually obligated to babysit a minor woodland god for a thousand years? Also yes.

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the 1

“if one thing had been different/would everything be different today?”

if james hadn’t met august, would he and betty still be together?

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cardigan

“you drew stars around my scars/but now i’m bleedin’”

she’s hurt by how badly james betrayed her

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exile

“i can see you starin’ honey/like he’s just your understudy”

shares this song with james, still love each other but james hurt betty too much for them to last long + referencing “plus i saw you dance with him”

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my tears ricochet

“even on my worst day, did i deserve, babe/all the hell you gave me?”

shares this song with august, talking about how badly james hurt them, and specifically james cheating on betty

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hoax

“your faithless love’s the only hoax i believe in”

betty loved james until he was unfaithful

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