A Lexicon of Resonance
A Glossary for Playable Folktales and Drift-Oriented Storytelling
These terms shape the tone, not the rules. They are not definitions. They are invocations—words you may carry from folktale to folktale, from game to game. Use them as orientation, reflection, or ritual prompt. They are designed for the Playable Folktale SRD, but may be freely adapted across:
- The Current
- Echo in the Hangar
- TiGGR fragments
- Stack & Spiral arcs
- Playable Folktales
Core Terms
Vibe
The emotional weather of the session.
Part tone, part rhythm, part shared intuition. The Vibe is what you notice when everything feels aligned—or off. Don’t chase it. Feel it.
"Let's keep the Vibe drifting between elegiac and uncanny."
Drift
A gentle shift in tone, truth, or perspective.
To Drift is to release the illusion of control. Drift may guide the structure (Descent → Reckoning → Echo), or simply mark a change.
"This is where we start to Drift. Let go of the outline."
Overture
The opening invocation.
Sets the tone. Begins the ritual. Often includes a quote, image, question, or collective silence.
“This place was never truly ours, but we named it anyway.”
Descent
Entering the folktale.
The act of stepping into memory, mystery, or myth. Players choose archetypes, voice fragments, and begin to listen to the world.
"What do we remember? What did we lose in the descent?"
Reckoning
The fulcrum moment.
Something breaks, shifts, or reveals itself. A choice, a confrontation, a collapse, a refusal. Reckoning doesn’t always mean resolution.
"What must be named before it disappears?"
Echo
What remains.
The lingering phrase, memory, silence, or omen that outlives the tale. Sometimes spoken aloud. Sometimes not.
“The frost never left her footprints.”
Hum
The background resonance of a broken or remembering system.
A low, constant tone—literal or symbolic—that threads through the folktale. It may signify grief, malfunction, presence, memory, or resistance. Often felt before it is understood. Sometimes never explained.
“We heard it again—F-sharp, under everything. The Hum hasn’t stopped since the last vote failed.”
Extended Vocabulary
Flaw
The fracture in the role.
Characters are archetypes with flaws—emotional contradictions, buried fears, unresolved truths.
“I am the Warden who cannot remember her crime.”
Archetype
A symbolic role.
Not a class or job. An emotional shape: The Witness, The Hollow Heir, The One Who Waits, The Voice Returned.
The Voice
Who speaks?
Voice can shift between characters, narrators, settings, memories, or omens. You may take on The Voice of the City, or let the Fog speak.
“Now, let the Ruins answer.”
Ritual
The agreed rhythm of presence.
Play itself is a ritual. Rituals may be simple (lighting a candle, passing an object) or narrative (beginning with an Overture, ending with Echo).
Additional Resonant Terms
Shimmer
A brief, beautiful disruption.
A moment when the story glints—unexpected synchronicity, poetic resonance, or emotional convergence.
“That line shimmered. Let’s pause with it.”
Rift
A fracture in the narrative field.
Could be a tone break, a disagreement, a sudden intrusion, or a contradiction. Rifts aren’t problems. They are invitations to reweave.
“We’ve opened a Rift. What truth leaked through?”
Signal
A transmission from within the tale.
Can be a phrase, a recurring image, a rhythm. Not always noticed at first. Sometimes emerges post-play.
“The ticking sound was a Signal. We just didn’t name it yet.”
Chorus
The group voice.
Spoken together, or woven in layers. The Chorus might be literal (chant, line) or thematic (shared grief, mirrored imagery).
“Let’s speak the ending as a Chorus.”
This Lexicon may grow. You may add to it. Let it shimmer. Let it Drift.