Whether you are an English major looking to become a professional writer, a student who needs to do some research or simply someone who loves a good story, Tale Foundry is a veritable wellspring of valuable information and intriguing original work.
A YouTube channel founded by writer and artist Benjamin Cook, Tale Foundry is self-described as “a group of fiction-obsessed robots and humans who work together in the darkness of our facility to give fiction the attention it deserves.”
Portraying the titular foundry as an actual place and the intelligent robots within it as real people, Tale Foundry is a channel dedicated to exploring the many facets of fiction, including real-world mythologies and folklore, such as those of the Celtic and Slavic peoples, as well as fantasy universes created by writers such as Sir Terry Pratchett, J. K. Rowling and George R. R. Martin.
Each video is narrated by an animated character named Talebot, who serves as something of a mascot for the channel, and also features the smaller, mute robots known as Taleoids.
In each video, Talebot introduces and explains new concepts and ideas within the realm of fiction. The Taleoids pantomime figures that are relevant to the discussion, including fictional characters, authors and mythological heroes and monsters.
The channel organizes its videos as three-part series, with each series dedicated to a particular topic. Every series includes an episode, a list and a story.
Episodes
Each series begins with an episode that presents a new topic for discussion. Episodes typically serve as general introductions, giving mostly broad overviews of a subject while sometimes focusing in on one concept in particular. Episode topics range from the historical development of science fiction to the role of characters within the work of Junji Ito.
In addition to providing an outline of the subject, each episode normally contains links to the sources referenced in the video, providing an excellent jumping-off point for anyone looking to explore a certain fiction-related topic further, whether for academic research or just for pleasure.
Lists
The second video in a series is usually a list, which presents a set of concepts or ideas related to the overarching theme. Lists tend to be more specific than episodes, covering everything from different writing strategies used by a particular author to examples of a certain style of writing.
Whatever the subject, lists offer an expansion on the information covered in episodes while also providing inspirational ideas and practical advice for budding writers.
Some of these lists made by Tale Foundry include clever characters created by Pratchett, noteworthy gods of H. P. Lovecraft’s mythos and tips for writing fantasy worlds.
Stories
The third video in a series is an original story, created using methods and concepts previously introduced in the episode and list. Tale Foundry offers a diverse collection of narrated short stories, inspired by everything from books like “Don Quixote” (“If We Were a Picture Show”) and “Harry Potter” (“Memento Mori”) to other forms of media, including TV shows like “Westworld” (“My Beautiful Girl”) and even video games like “Dark Souls” (“Faith in the Misbegotten”).
For those looking for writing inspiration or simply an enjoyable tale, the stories produced by Tale Foundry are definitely worth checking out.
In addition to creating thoroughly compelling fiction, Tale Foundry also encourages watchers to share and discuss their opinion of the channel’s stories. Often, Talebot will prompt the viewer with questions at the end of the video; long-time subscribers are usually quick to offer insightful observations and ideas others may not have noted or considered. Fans of literary analysis and students needing research ideas alike will find that the Tale Foundry community has a lot to offer.
Indeed, one of the best parts of the channel is its community. Made up of aspiring writers, talented artists and fiction lovers of all stripes, the Tale Foundry community is welcoming to anyone who shares an interest in the fantastical, the curious and the concocted.
Fans of Tale Foundry are also encouraged to submit their own stories. Although the channel is not always able to present the work of its audience members, it has nevertheless promised to grant aspiring writers whatever exposure it can.
For newer fiction creators looking to make their work known, Tale Foundry provides a valuable means for them to share their pieces with a large group of people.
Another part of the beauty of Tale Foundry is the broadness and diversity of its subject range. As well as covering traditional written literature, TV shows and video games, the channel has also made an effort to talk about newer online trends that have begun to change the way fiction is told and shared.
For instance, Tale Foundry has done a series on creepypastas, urban legends and horror stories that are shared across the internet which are often created anonymously and leave themselves open to being retold and altered, with many people over a variety of platforms contributing to the spread and evolution of a story or legend.
Tale Foundry has also expressed interest in discussing the SCP community, which, similar to creepypastas, boasts a great number of different online contributors and has no central, stable canon.
In the age of online fandoms and anonymous posters, Tale Foundry has taken the initiative in exploring new forms of fiction even as they continue to develop.
Despite having gone through something of a rough patch since last year, including being demonetized by YouTube and having lost one of the members of its creative team, Tale Foundry is still movingly steadily onward.
Thanks to its supporters, the channel has been able to continue to produce entertaining and informative videos on any and all forms of fiction. For anyone wishing to learn new things, share their ideas or just sit back and enjoy a cleverly written story or two, Tale Foundry is the place to look.
