How to write a VN based off Mythology/Folklore/Fairytale?

[shadowkazaki]

Okay, the main reason I am asking this is because my first VN, Descendant of the Moon viewtopic.php?f=16&t=40016 is based on the story of the Moon Princess Kaguya.
But this story is to take place in basically modern day and it revolves around Princess Kaguya's descendant who is trying to reveal the truth behind a hidden piece of the story that no one really knows.
What could I do to make it relate to the mythology or what kinds of things would be good to keep in mind?

[rito]

Could you be more specific? The way you put it, it's like you're asking people to tell you how to write your story.
What do you want to know on the topic of writing something based on mythology?

[shadowkazaki]

Could you be more specific? The way you put it, it's like you're asking people to tell you how to write your story.
What do you want to know on the topic of writing something based on mythology?

I wasn't trying to put it that way at all. I've never written a VN before and wanted to know what kinds of things are good to use and/or know about writing based on mythology.

[arisan]

... is based on the story of the Moon Princess Kaguya.
But this story is to take place in basically modern day and it revolves around Princess Kaguya's descendant who is trying to reveal the truth behind a hidden piece of the story that no one really knows...?

I'd like to clarify what you mean, then, by it being based on the fairy tale. Do you mean more that the story is something of a sequel to the Tale of Princess Kaguya (and therefore takes it as truth/fact)?
Or do you mean to say it will mirror its plot? Or incorporate its themes?
Any deeper advice would depend on that.

For now, however, what I would recommend is looking into variations of the folk tale or similar stories from around the world. Seeing what's different and what stays the same will help you find out 1) what lies at the core of the folk tale, what ultimately makes it it; and 2) which aspects are influenced by the culture that spawned that particular variation.

[pigionsdeliver]

Most stories especially fairy tales will have an underlying message/moral. Similar to what arisan said you should find the core/heart of the tale and decide what you want to do with it. Will you keep it the same but change the setting or will you turn it on its head and go against the main message.
You can find a lot of retelling's of classic fairytales. What I'd suggest is to find as many examples of retellings and see what they keep the same. Usually, these are iconic images e.g. Little red riding hood must wear something iconically red. They can also be important themes like the importance of the woods in fairytales as shown in "Into the woods". For this fairytale, if I'm not mistaken, Ghibli did a movie on it recently but there are no doubt manga that you can find that focus on this fairytale. It seems like you are unsure with how to treat a retelling so the best way to understand it is to try and read/experience lots of different ways other creators have handled them.
Also what might be an important starting point is to think about why YOU decided to choose this fairytale. What about it stood out to you. Once you understand that maybe you will know what parts YOU want to keep since they influenced you to start the project.

Hope some of that helps.

[Mammon]

(Please note that this is my opinion and not some study I'm quoting or anything. Purely conjecture.) There a difference between folklore/fairy tales and other stories that's not too easy to describe. You could say 'Princesses, comic-relief animals, and some moral' but that's not what defines a fairy tale. (And don't let Hollywood tell you any different.)

If I'd have to describe it best I can, I'd say it's much more black-and-white. There is not a personal emotional problem, rather the issue of the main cast is an issue for an entire kingdom. The protagonist isn't a normal person, they're a kind-hearted princess so sweet that animals have an instinctive affinity to her. The antagonist isn't a disagreeable person, they're a wicked witch. And most important: The story isn't grounded and nuanced, it's a over-dramatised story with a clear moral and message that are prioritised over reality. The hunter doesn't save red riding hood at the last second, he cuts her straight out of the Wolf's stomach alive and well. Sleeping beauty isn't in a vegetative state, no, she's in a magical sleep for a hundred years. The situations are overdone for symbolic effect.

Fairy tales are much more overdone, much more simplistic and much more centered around certain points. This is because each tale must be told time and time again by people who'll change it to their liking and patience. Great-grandmother didn't like to tell long-winded stories so she scrapped a lot of the unnecessary stuff and brought the tale back to its main plotpoints. Grandmother didn't like telling cruel stories so she scrapped the parts about amputation and death, changing the ending but leaving the iconic parts of the story that were okay. Mother wanted to tell a longer and more fun story, so she makes it longer and makes new events to the parts that Great-grandmother scrapped.

A fairy tale is put through such a filter of having to survive generations of retelling and revisions, quite alike Hollywood reboots today. If you want to see stories change like this, try comparing Superman stories between decades. The difference between the earliest Superman who could only jump real high vs the godlike being he is now, and the actual god he was at some point, this is a retelling over time just like fairy tales.

Now, you might've noticed one potential problem for your story: This might not look that good in an indie story based upon a much less known fairy tale or a sequel of that story. The fairy tales of old are just as they are because they are, people aren't going to complain about the rediculousness of a fairy grandmother appearing all of a sudden just to give Cinderella some plot devices that will conveniently fade at some point. However with a newly written story they might if not done well.

How to solve this really depends on what you are planning and how you're planning it. There's a hundred ways to do it and one might work for you. Saying 'everyone helps her because she's a princess' might work in one story but not in another. But I can't say much about that, you'll have to find the solution there.

[shadowkazaki]

You all have given me really good advice, thank you very much. I know the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter isn't really well known, but I really want to give it a go. I really appreciate the help!

[caterwaulings]

This is such a broad question! I would love to help you out with it, but your question is really broad... I've done novel with a bit of mythology involved but not a VN. If you would like some more detailed and specific help you can PM me or get me on discord (caterwaulings) and we can chat.

Ultimately, you'll need to be focused on making it the best story you can be more then worrying too much over how it would relate to the mythology. The most important thing would be to find a way to ease in the story of the moon princess WITHOUT overloading your player. Exposition can be one of the most difficult things when it comes to storytelling. I've never heard that story so I would need to have some sort of idea as to what the story is and why it is important before her journey is meaningful to me.

[Jain]

You might as well have asked, "How do I tell a story?"

In general if you want to have your VN tie into a certain myth, you need to draw on the same influences. If you were retelling a Jesus Christ story, you would bring in some of the similar elements; the immaculate conception/some kind of divine birth, miracles, disciples, betrayal, death and resurrection. All that.

Don't copy word for word though, or the story won't have its own soul, won't ever step outside the shadow of its influence.

[Katy133]

I actually have plans for a making a vn based on several fairytales, so I'll list the top 3 things I thought about that you may also find helpful:

1. Every fairytale is a remix

Fairytales were eventually written down for the sake of preserving/recording the stories. But before that, faiytales were told by word of mouth, and often changed to suit the storyteller or audience (the protagonist's gender was sometimes changed, the magical item was changed into a different macguffin, the ending was changed, etc). That's why there's several fairytales that have overlaps or are similar. Inherently, fairytales are remixes, so you shouldn't feel that guilty to change them to suit your vn.

2. Using well known vs. lesser known fairytales

The problem with using a very well known fairytale is that, 1) There have already been so many remixes of it that it's hard to do something fresh with it, and, 2) Since most people know about it, the ending will be a foregone conclusion unless you change it.

Using a lesser known fairytale has the cons of 1) Being less familiar to people, therefore they'll feel less of a nostalgic attachment to the characters than a familiar fairytale, and 2) You'll still have to keep in mind that some readers will be familiar with this fairytale, yet you'll still have to keep the ending interesting for them even if they know what's going to happen.

3. Adaptation versus reboot

If you are taking something like a fairytale that already exists, you need to ask yourself what you want to keep and what you want to leave behind with the original. A good rule of thumb is to think of it as adapting versus making a reboot. An adaptation has you keep in the same tone and spirit of the original, while a reboot is more like basing off your new work from the old work, changing things like the setting, tone, etc.