Type of Myth #1 & #2; Fable #1: part 1

Myths Series
Myth making: my plan
What are myths, legends, and folklore? Definitions (Quotes)
Joseph Cambell : Myths

Myths: Types and functions

Mythology: How they are created

Myth #1: Blood and Water - Begin
Myth #2: From them, all become
Type of Myth #1 & #2; Fable #1: part 1

Earth Diver, Secretion, and Sacrifice type myths

Looking at Marta Weigle's creation type list, I try to categorize my two creation myths. She lists accretion/conjunction, secretion, sacrifice, division/consummation, earth diver, emergence, two creators, deus faber, ex nihilo as creation types.
Types of Creation Myths

If I categorized the first two myths, the blood and water is more like a mixture of creation types earth diver and secretion. Whereas the maggot myth is more like sacrifice creation because the maggots came from the ancient skeleton and had eaten away flesh - so both have been caused by parts of the god. After falling down to Aioskoru, powers morph them into new beings.

Beginning to attempt to create a fable.

After the first two creation myths which saw the creation of winged creatures and serpents, I wanted to create my first fable which includes the three moons of Aioskoru.

Story idea pieces
Winged beast
Serpent
Three moons

So i thought about making a fable of bird taking snake to the moons.

I write down these words, which I want to develop into a fable.

Bird takes snake to the moons

Bird takes snake to the moons
© 2017 Ken Wickham

I really want to do more than that summary sentence. But first, I want to look at a few fables in the next post. I want to see how people have created fables in the past.

So my next posts will look at fables, so that I can equip myself with some basic fable making knowledge using some of the knowledge of the past.

Myth #2: From them all become

Myths Series
Myth making: my plan
What are myths, legends, and folklore? Definitions (Quotes)
Joseph Cambell : Myths

Myths: Types and functions

Mythology: How they are created

Myth #1: Blood and Water - Begin
Myth #2: From them, all become

In this section, I join and differentiate the maggots from the blood & water..

Struggling maggots falling as well.

Flies soon emerge, ready to fly

Spreading across the great land.

Some eat from the ancient remnants.

Some begin to eat each other. 

From maggots, the first serpents form. 

And from the flies, winged beasts grow.

Feed by the powerful essence,

the hidden beast from blood & water,

to small to be of concern to the offspring of maggots,

multiply and live in secrecy.

They are the offspring of maggots.

They are the offspring of blood & water.

From them, all become.

From them, all become 
© 2017 Ken Wickham

What primary reason do you play roleplaying games?

Imagination is what brought me back to roleplaying games.

Decade of virtual worlds

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs ) brought me a decade of limited images constructed by others. After a decade of socializing online and meeting others, from Everquest up until Lord of the Rings Online, computer role-playing games occupied part of my hobby time. Something was lacking. Something that I had before MMORPGs. To me, that was using my imagination.

All that I had from the computer gaming was pre-made settings and features.

Everything was handed to me.

Missing

What I was missing most was using my imagination.

Creativity first emerged in the urge to write a story. I hadn't written anything since putting down my rule and setting books decades earlier. I wanted to tell my own story, not participate in a limited story. The story I wanted is boundless, open, and free - not restricted by borders, pixels, reset times, and quest lines.

I had to write new ideas.

Writing

Two stories I wrote for national novel month.

Not long after the first novel and having written 200 pages of a new world, I wanted then to expand my long neglected imagination.

RPGs

I searched for my old system. MERP is gone.

I found newer, unknown to me, systems: Fudge, Fate, 5e, PF, among hundreds - maybe thousands.

Despite different rules that focused on different parts of gaming, my imagination remains a common thread throughout all of the games.

Imagination.

I posed this question in Lone Wolf Roleplaying which is a great community of gamers that focus on solo roleplaying.

Although there is a poll with numbers showing at this time some number from the poll and that many of the people list imagination as well, I assume that users have multiple reasons for playing the games. The comments show multiple reasons, although my questionnaire only allows one answer.

My other reasons for playing RPGs.
If I put my reasons in order, a second it would be setting (playing in interesting settings), and third would be action (exploring new and exciting types of action), followed by rules (trying interesting focused rules).

Through this past year, I've been using solo roleplaying techniques in my story writing. My first two novel month writings were done using built structures primarily Dramatica mixed with snowflake method of novel creation. The past year I've mixed in my rekindled interest in roleplaying games and found solo roleplaying games. They are a friendly community, unlike other communities I have encountered which are protective.

What primary reason do you play roleplaying games?

This informal question wasn't to find a right or wrong answer. In fact, I tried to mention that there is no correct answer since the reasons for playing are depend on the individual. It's just to create a discussion and see how why others say that they play roleplaying games. The other blogs had things like to improve memory, to use your imagination, for creative problem solving, for high action combat, and for socializing, for fun, fan of setting, the rules, or coerced into playing, etc.

Given only 5 choices and knowing that this is a solo gaming community, I chose five somewhat summary descriptions: action, imagination, challenge, setting, and rules. I didn't think this would cover everything, but there is also room to comment and add missing reasons.

The other choices and suggestions

I may in the future write about about the other reasons for playing roleplaying games.

Reviews for IJRP articles in search of usable information

The Invisible Rules of Role-Playing The Social Framework of Role-Playing Process by  Markus Montola (2010) found in issue #1 International Journal of Role-Playing available free online.

The goal of this paper sends a red flag to me immediately. It is building a structural framework for further studies. That to me is code to 'this is something I'm making up' and others can use this made up thing as proof or evidence.

It says that RPGs are interactions and changing a imaginary world which I agree.

I disagree with the second point that there is a hierarchy of power to define the world within the participants. The word 'define' is used strangely almost point towards a GM and player hierarchy found in the examples of the definitions. I think that this wrongly assumes a GM and player relationship. For example, in solo RPGs, there is only one participant. The 'defined', though I would say 'influencing', force comes from an oracle - not a GM participant.

I agree with the third point for participant (though I would not pluralize participants) as personification of character constructs as well.conforming to the world and contents.

In fact, directly following these three statements, the author says "possible roles...player, game master..."

I also reject option (ii) in that although it says 'often' that it is reinforcing the word 'game master'. Game master shouldn't be mentioned, rather some other generic word for influencing force. If it said something less hierarchical, I would have accepted it.

Option (iii) reinforces player ruleset and again uses 'often' for 'quantifiable'. I don't think people will remember the 'often'. Rather they might focus on the 'quantifiable' part of the definition.

I entirely reject option (iv) as once again reinforcing the power hierarchical framework.

The quoted t1 promotes verbal communication without mentioning nonverbal games.

LARP and computer roleplaying game information looks okay.

For some reason, the author once again tries to reinforce 'rules'.

For some reason, the author divides goals into two types, calling one type a part of 'exceptional' games. I believe that statement is leading to some critical judgement to reinforce narrative games. In fact, the author gives as example three games, so the author is reinforcing those games indirectly as 'exceptional'

The article could use the word 'plot' but instead tries to use 'diegesis'.  That makes part of the article less understandable to the public using uncommon jargon. If you mean 'plot', then write 'plot' or the at least 'narrative'.

Now it goes into further reinforcement of re-defining the world due to the hierarchical power.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I reject the structure presented on grounds of solo roleplaying games as evidence against this structural framework opinion and any opinion that relies upon the problematic language of hierarchy, plot, and focus on rules.

The structure is highly problematic and insufficient to explain all RPGs. Qualifying the framework with the word 'often' isn't helpful. The entire article should have specified 'GM RPGs' and not 'role-playing process' nor even 'social roleplaying' when cooperative play lacks GMs.

Myth #1: Blood and Water - Begin

Myths Series
Myth making: my plan
What are myths, legends, and folklore? Definitions (Quotes)
Joseph Cambell : Myths

Myths: Types and functions

Mythology: How they are created

This is a creation story somewhat similar to the Japanese creation story. It continues from the initial myth of the immense skeleton Hewhoshestes floating in the endless void. The maggots having consumed the ancient being's flesh crawl towards the world. The skeleton dips a quill into a bottle with the ink of life (blood) and and upon the scroll begins to create.

Myth #1: Blood and Water - Begin

Blood dripping from the sky.

Falling into a pool of water. Simmering and stirring.

Sparkling bubbles rising to air.

From within the pool, the blood condenses. 

Formless becomes form. Stillness into movement. 

The blood of the ancient one, grandfather bones.

Life awakes, or transforms, or becomes.

From blood and water, it begins.

Blood  and Water - Begin 
© 2017 Ken Wickham

Starting a series of reviews for IJRP articles in search of usable information

I wanted to start a series trying to find practical uses for the material found in the International Journal of Roleplaying

The Many Faces of Role-Playing Games by Michael Hitchens and Anders Drachen
This spends 7 pages trying to define roleplaying game using several definitions. Next it uses 4 pages to look at several specific forms of RPGs: tabletop/pen and paper, systemless, live-action, single player digital, massively multiplayer, freeform, and pervasive. It then covers 5 common features of a RPG in 3 pages.

I'm not sure how this would be used. It is too long to be used effectively. And there is a slight danger of using it prescriptively to categorize what 'is' or 'isn't' a roleplaying game. If this were reduced to the essence, it might be useful maybe in two pages. There is about 17 too many pages to make the point.

These pages will be archived in on a page where all of the reviews can be found.
http://worldofthefifthsun.blogspot.com/p/practical-information-from.html

Talking Heads

"Talking Heads"
by Ken Wickham, © 2017

Sometimes "talking heads" just talk.

Talking, talking, non-stop.

Come, come let's take a walk.

I can't. I mustn't. I need to talk, talk, talk.


based on a true encounter with several talking heads.