Tag Archives: Tropes

The trickster in myth – moral scales & storycraft scrapes

Mediation, Musings, , , , , , , , , , , ,   1 comment  

Table of contents

[Draft 5-25-2026]

  • Introduction
  • Parables about human nature
  • Coyote in mythology
  • Parallels in other major religions
  • The trickster as an “on-ramp” in storytelling
  • An outline for the structure of a trickster’s character arc
  • Examples of story premises
  • Scenario: Homelessness in the LA mayoral race
  • The story in no more than 5000 words
  • Related posts / pages
  • Notes

Introduction

A story on CBS News Sunday Morning about the coyote reminded me of the mythology surrounding the animal – as a trickster. As a narrative on-ramp in tales of moral behavior. A structure for conflict & growth in stories, in films or TV series like: Gods of Egypt (2016), Zootopia (2016), and The Good Place (2016 season 1).

This post is exposition for the story: A Clear Way for LA

Continue reading The trickster in myth – moral scales & storycraft scrapes →

Breaking magic, breaking wonderland

Mediation, Musings, , , , , , , ,   1 comment  

Magic can be a wonderful thing. In stories. Such as those set in the fictional country called Wonderland. In the 2013-2014 ABC TV series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, there were three rules of magic [1].

You cannot:

  1. Raise (bring back) the dead
  2. Force someone to love you (make somebody fall in love)
  3. Change the past

But, of course, for fabulists and despots, rules get in the way. Even rules of magic [2]. Let alone the rule of law (or laws of logic & physics). Their desires seek to bend reality. To bring back deprecated tyranical notions, like zombies. To compel us to not believe what we see with our own eyes. And to forget history.

Continue reading Breaking magic, breaking wonderland →